The Unmaking (The Rayne Whitmore Series Book 1)

by Alanna Faison

  I check the first set of doors that we hit as he looks around for any hidden cameras. Inside, there’s only a set of computers and a couple desks. The room itself has one large window and a few encouraging educational posters still left on the wall. There are no clues here that will help us find what we need. We move on in tandem, silently scoping for cameras or other traps. The next hallway up ahead is silent as well except for the noise of the broken blinking lights on the ceiling.

  This hallway forks off into two different areas. We decide to check them separately, but only until they begin to run off into another zone. After that, we go through each zone together. There are more computers, some of them still plugged in, but there is nothing on them that is important. My guess is that they are in the process of getting ready to be used. Jaxson and I decide to destroy them. We repeat the same thing three more times going through three silent floors and still coming up empty.

  We’re losing too much time and I grow more frustrated with each room that we hit. My search again comes up empty so I head back towards Jaxson. I’m about ready to tell him we need to change our strategy. When I get beside him, I notice that he’s sniffing the air followed by a low rumble in his throat.

  “What is it?” I whisper.

  “We’re getting close and something’s not right,” he informs me, his head tilted to the side as if hearing something that my ears will never pick up.

  “Okay, let’s get there then,” I respond just as I mentally tell Zara to have Selene begin the spell. It should take her at least two minutes to activate it correctly, and by that time, we should be where we need to be.

  I push the next door open slightly and that’s when I see the camera in the corner. It’s not a fixed one, so we just time our movements with the movement of the camera and slide through undetected. There are more fixed cameras up ahead and those, we break.

  Then, it strikes me like bolt of lightning. The smell of death and decay. Of fear and urine and feces.

  The foul smell assaults my nose. Jaxson growls again and I put a hand on his shoulder to quiet him. The lamia are feeding right now, on a child. Maybe more than one; I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m ready to kill them. These things will get no mercy tonight.

  In that moment I think about all the children who won’t be coming home tonight and all the parents who can never know what happened to their babies. I feel their terror and their cries for help as none came and I hate the cruelty that Namen represents. It is my duty to end him, even at the cost of my own life. Namen Young is too much of a threat to humanity itself and I won’t stand for it. There is no rush of anger inside me at this fact. There is only a deadly resolve built up, fortifying my intentions. I pull Katsu, my beautiful white blade, from her sheath and I swear I can feel her cry for justice, for blood, for victory. Yes, she will bathe in red tonight.

  Jaxson pushes through the door first, ripping it from the hinges, and leaping left into the huddle of demon filth as they feed on a young boy, his face twisted in utter terror, insides torn apart. The lamia are covered in blood and other body parts. Their human-like female faces all share the same look of surprise as he attacks with the rage of a bull.

  It is easy to see how they could pass for normal women aside from the fact that right now they have shark-like teeth. Their hair color ranges from blonde to brunette, styled in bobs and flat irons. There are also bits of flesh and blood in their hair and face from their meal. I look on in disgust. Some of them with their snake-like bodies manage to slither out the way, hissing. I wait one more second and sprint through the door, slicing low at the ones whose backs are now turned towards me. I cut two in half before I end up back to back with Jaxson.

  We fight in sync, me ducking under with a slice as he leaps over me with a kick. We’re slashing sending blood flying and creating a slippery mess of fluid and guts all over the white tile. Out the corner of my eye I see some of the lamia attempt to get away as the others try to surround us. I don’t know how many actually slip through because, through the other door, Anubis and Taryn push them back inside, both of them in their man-beast form, standing on hind legs, grabbing and slashing with powerful paws.

  I do my best to break free of one as it grabs me, trying to give me a paralytic bite. Taryn rips it free of my shoulder, just as its teeth graze me and breaks its neck. Then, I slash my katana, detaching its head. Without hesitation, we turn back around and continue our assault just as the other two wolves all in wolf form attack like the hunters they are. The attack is so choreographed and precise that it can’t be anything but pack instinct taking over these wolves. I don’t have long to appreciate the beauty in the battle because two more lamia attack me at once.

  The lamia are surprisingly fast as they slither at me, striking out with their tails as well as their claws. I dodge, but trip over the dead boy and find myself on the ground covered in all kinds of bodily fluids. Bile rises up in my throat and I have to push it back down as one of the lamia manages to bite my leg. I hiss as I kick the thing right in her mouth, shattering teeth. That gives me enough time to roll away as Taryn again saves my ass by pulling me up. She gives me a look as if telling me to get it together. I nod and then slice the lamia in half that’s trying to sneak up behind her. She then gives me an amused smile at the favor returned.

  A tiny bit of numbness rises up in my leg from where I was bitten, the venom trying to make its way through my body. One bite isn’t enough to stop me, but it’s irritating as hell. I try to shake it off as we try to finish off the rest of them. It doesn’t take long and by the time it’s all over, every single one of us looks like we’ve been in a massacre. Well, that’s exactly what it was. Dutifully, the wolves pile up the dead lamia parts for disposal.

  Anubis orders his other two wolves to finish disposal of the bodies and then leaves the room. He changes into a wolf, sniffing the air prepared to search for the children. The rest of us split our group in half and search the building. After ten minutes all we find to save is three kids. My heart nearly breaks and I do all I can to keep the tears from flowing at the sense of failure at not being able to do more for the others, wherever they may be.

  “Three is better than none baby. We did well tonight,” Selene assures me.

  “She’s right. Now, I’ll glamour them and then someone can take them near a hospital or police station,” Zara says, wiping off her blade in the grass, a dead lamia at her feet.

  “I’ll do it,” Taryn volunteers. “I have a change of clothes in my car so I’ll wipe myself off and then go. Someone can help me carry them there.” Two of the other wolves follow her, carrying the kids once Zara finishes up her mind control.

  “Now, Selene do you have enough energy to find and then shut down that gate?” Anubis asks after turning back into human form.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s do this.” Selene sits crosslegged on the ground, taking deep cleansing breaths.

  Suddenly, Anubis doubles over in pain. Before Jaxson can run to him, he falls over too, the other wolves following suit.

  “What the fuck?” Zara begins, drawing her sword once more.

  “My pack!” Anubis growls. “They’re dying.”

  “Zara! Go after Taryn,” I command and without hesitation, she takes off into the night like a faithful soldier following orders.

  “No,” Anubis hisses, holding his head, still on his knees in the dirt. This is bad, the pack felt the loss of a pack mate, but this means that there are many if it is affecting Anubis as well as the others this much. “No, the pack left at the house. Something’s happening.”

  A whine escapes Jaxson’s lips and I feel completely helpless as I reach for him.

  Chapter Thirty One

  A surge of magic whips through the air unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, wrong, evil. It happens so quickly that I almost believe I imagined it. That is, until I’m hit so hard in the chest that I fly through the air and into the brick wall of the building, unable to breathe for a few seconds. The back of my
head is bleeding. When I do catch my breath, I look up to see a man standing over me, eyes grey and as cold as death itself, and a look of utter satisfaction on his face.

  He is a man who loves delivering pain and suffering. He has a goatee that is graying in some places and his brown and grey hair is slightly curly and styled uncharacteristicly for the aura he’s putting out. His nose is sharp, his lips a thin line. He is dangerous. Standing at about 5’11” and dressed in all white as if he were a god himself, his magic shimmering off of him making his body seem to be bathed in darkness.

  Namen.

  The man that ripped my life apart. The man that stole the life of three people that I held dear. The man I need to kill.

  I try to stand, but the force of his magic pushes me right back to my hands and knees as if I weigh a ton. My face begins to burn and as I look up, there’s a thick wall of flame surrounding us and I’m sure it’s to keep everyone out. In the distance, I can hear Selene call out my name in fear and urgency, but I can’t respond. I’m too fixated on this figure in front of me. I finally have a face to put with my dreams.

  I jump up, forcing my power to break the bonds on the magic, Katsu in my left hand, slicing at the man in front of me. But I’m too slow and he hits me again with something. Then, I see nothing.

  ◊◊◊

  I awake in coldness. I’m naked, exposed, unbound by physical chains, but somehow magically restrained. I don’t have to look up to know that I’m here with Namen. I can feel the sense of death in the air and the utter insanity in his power. He slaps me hard and I nearly fall out the chair. I take it without comment, not giving him the satisfaction of hearing my pain. He laughs. It’s deep and uncaring. Evil.

  He has worse planned for me, that much is obvious. I just need to find a way to get out of here, even if I have to bite him to death. Selene and Zara have to be looking for me right now, and I try to open our bond to call out to the vampire, but there’s nothing but silence.

  Namen whispers something and it feels wrong, demonic almost. Where Selene’s magic sounds musical, his sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Then, he touches me and my whole body seems to be on fire. This time, I can’t help but to scream out in sheer agony at the feeling of being burned alive. When my throat is raw from my cries, the pain finally stops. I finally look up at him, tears in my eyes, rage in my heart, and he returns my stare head on.

  “Kill me now, because if you let me go, I will come back and find you. Whatever you do to me here, now, won’t make me fear you.” I tell him, my voice coming out harsh but determined.

  He doesn’t reply, simply whispers something else. He steps closer to me and I can smell the burn of magic all on him. It’s not fresh and herbal like Selene, but like sulfur and rot. I turn my head and try to prepare myself for what’s to come next. But, it’s something I never expect.

  There’s the tear of flesh and muscle from bone and then my right arm is removed from the rest of my body. The shock of looking at my limb on the floor, the blood pouring from my arm, the helplessness I feel all sinks in. The pain is indescribable. He forces me to hold his gaze as he reaches into my flesh where my arm once was. I scream hysterically but he silences he with a spell and even numbs my pain. My hate grows as it really sinks in that my arm is missing. Fear penetrates my heart like a bullet.

  “I could slice you apart right here and now, but I won’t. I have one message for you, human. Now that I have your attention, listen well.” His voice is just as dark and as cold as his eyes. I force myself not to move, not to feel anything as he whispers to me, carefully and slowly. My eyes widen in surprise and anger as he pulls back away from me. Last, he laughs one more time and I finally pass out as he releases the spell and my pain increases dramatically.

  “Rayne! Get up!” Selene cries, pulling me off the ground. “We have to get out of here now.”

  I reach for my armless stump, attempting to stop the bleeding, but there’s no bleeding to stop. My arm is still attached, healthy. I cough a couple times and then look up at Selene despite the blurriness in my vision. Then, I look at my surroundings and silently curse. What in the hell just happened? I’m back on the ground in front of the lab and not in some dark room magically bound. Not missing an arm.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, confused and groggy. The numbness in my leg from the lamia bite is still there as I try to stand.

  “Namen came. He knocked you into the wall and out, and then went after Anubis. He touched Anubis and said something to him. After that, Namen disappeared. Anubis told us to run before he began to change. He killed one pack member before attacking Jaxson and almost killed him too, but Zara came back in time and is trying to stop him. I barely had enough time to shield myself. He managed to knock her down and then took off. Rayne, she’s going to have to kill him. I think he’s gone feral like his father.”

  No. I snap out of my fogginess and to my feet. “Which way, Selene?”

  She points to the west and I take off in that direction before calling behind me. “Help Jaxson!”

  Chapter Thirty Two

  God, I just hope I make it in time to keep Zara from killing him. Maybe he could fight it. Maybe we could lock him up. I reach a street that has a broken streetlight and a few dented cars and know that I’m on the right track. I sprint for about three more streets and then see a building with a shattered window. Inside and well above me, I can hear growls and grunts. After one quick look behind me, I jump through the broken window and follow the sound up many flights of stairs. For all of Zara’s strength, she’s having a pretty difficult time with Anubis, who is in his man-beast form as I call it, ripping things off of the walls and throwing them at her. She’s dodging and striking, but is unable to get close to deliver a blow.

  “Rayne, I’ll distract him and you stop him,” she orders without looking my way but knowing that I’m with her.

  “We don’t have to kill him. Anubis! Fight it. Control it damn it!”

  “If he draws too much attention, we may run out of time and I will have to kill him. We must do what we have to. Rayne, his behavior is just like those beasts during the Dark Days. Now, focus. We are in for a battle.” Her aura shifts again and her eyes become red like pools of blood. Then, she disappears into the shadows. Anubis growls as he tries to track her, following the noise she tries to make and the weak strikes she lands. For my sake, she’s holding back and giving me a chance to come up with a solution that will end without me taking the life of my ally and possible friend.

  I hide behind a table that is now upright and wedged near the wall and call for my own power as I pray that I won’t have to kill him. After convincing him to help me, I don’t know how I’d live with myself if I failed him now. There’s a loud boom and I glance around my cover to see Anubis on the other side of the wall that he just broke through. Glass is still falling around him from the shelves that he’s destroyed and he’s definitely not happy about it.

  He gets up with a loud howl and comes straight at me with blinding speed. His speed startles me but Zara matches his swiftness and tackles him sideways. They tumble to the floor as Zara sends a blow to his muzzle, but Anubis bucks her off of him. Finally, I see my opening as he’s focused on her. Regrettably, I slam the sword into his powerful bicep, pinning him to the floor. He yowls in rage as he fights to get up, but to no avail. Katsu is too deep.

  “Anubis. Stop. Listen to me. You can fight it; you’re stronger than this,” I say with urgency, but it doesn’t seem to be getting through. He snaps at me and swings with his free paw.

  “Please,” I beg. “You’re an alpha, you can win this battle. Anubis, reach deep.” For a second the words seem to reach him, yet the spark of humanity leaves his eyes just as soon as it appears.

  Zara stands beside me and examines him.

  “Can you glamour him or something?” I ask, hopefully.

  She looks deep into his eyes, pausing, studying, and then shakes her head apologetically. “I can’t. He’s basically a wild animal right now
and I can’t glamour animals.”

  Before I can react, comment, or anything, Zara pulls the sword from his arm and pierces Anubis right through his stomach. He becomes more enraged as he tries to buck wildly to free himself.

  “No!” I scream at her, trying to rip Katsu from her strong grip, she pushes me away with enough force to knock me to the ground.

  “There’s no other way Rayne. Trust me,” she growls.

  Anubis gasps and turns his head towards me, his arm reaching out as he begins to change back into human. “Rayne, I can’t control it. Please,” he starts, before the wildness returns to his eyes as his change abruptly stops and he turns back into the beast.

  Impossibly, Anubis rips Katsu free of his body, doing more damage to himself with a howl. Before either one of us can react, he grips Zara’s neck with his enormous hands and hurls her through a glass window, shattering it, the sound echoing through the room, ten floors up and down to the ground below.

  With a low growl and a predatory stance, all his attention is now on me. I make the mistake of locking my hazel eyes with his eerie yellow ones and he goes beserk. Anubis slashes me across my face, easily drawing blood and shutting my right eye. I just hope it isn’t as deep as it feels.

  With blood streaming down my face threatening my vision in my left eye too, I dodge his next strike and toss a chair in his way to slow his momentum. It seems like a good idea until Anubis catches it and throws it back at me, catching my leg and tripping me up. He’s on me before I can regain my feet and as his powerful jaws launch towards my neck, I throw up my left arm in sacrifice. The bones crunch and somehow Anubis only manages to shatter it rather than rip my limb apart. Thankfully, my adrenaline doesn’t allow me to feel the extent of the pain. However, I’m still helpless under this alpha werewolf that is poised to attack once more.