She jabbed the needle into my arm and started to work.
“Ow!” I winced.
“Yeah, well, the wound’s not even. That’s what you get for taking a jagged piece of rock to your arm.” She glared up at me. “You should have used the spear.”
“You’re taking the spear,” I said, breathing heavy. "For protection, and I didn’t want the stupid thing covered in my blood; since, you know, the entire point was to give these wolves a taste for it.”
“And you,” I said, turning Andy’s gun over in my free hand, dumping the bullets out, and handing it back to him. “You get that.”
“A useless firearm? Is it Christmas already?” he asked, catching it.
“That’s not all,” I said, digging into my own pocket until I felt the pointed metal.
I couldn’t tell whether it was the metal or my fingers that were cold, but I shivered.
“That’ll stop once your blood builds back up,” Merry answered. Then, narrowing her eyes, she added, “I mean, I think. This is all just theoretical now.”
I pulled the metal out of my pocket and tossed those to Andy too.
“Silver bullets,” he answered, taking a look at them. “You just carry that around?”
“A handful of millennia on this earth has taught me that you can never be too prepared.”
Merry finished up her rudimentary stitching, tying it off at the end.
I handed her the spear. She took it shakily. Though, once she held it for a second; one hand at the hilt, the other near the neck, she looked like something of a natural.
Her delicate features were perfectly complimented by the spear’s sharp danger, like a thorned rose.
“And you two,” I said, pulling my attention from Merry and landing on Patrick and Conrad. “Well, at least you have each other.”
“But if I’ve got the bullets, Merry’s got the spear, and the Romani twins over there have each other’s backs, what does that leave you with?”
“This,” I said, brandishing my pinky finger and the band that still sat on it.
“You’re going to fight off a pack of werewolves with my grandmother’s wedding ring?” Merry asked, looking at the others for confirmation about how stupid this was.
I was still woozy as I answered.
“Not a pack. Just one.” I shook my head. “The Alpha will be here first. He’ll want first dibs at whatever delish morsel is shedding so much blood. If Andy is right, then it’s a simple blood magic spell. I knock out the Alpha and it severs the tie with the rest of the pack. They’ll come out of it. That’s why I’m doing it here, at the transport spot. So, the rest of the pack can get out of here before the Romani are able to punish them for something beyond their control.” My jaw set. “One life to save all the others. It’s not perfect, but it’s the lesser of two evils.”
“And what if I’m wrong?” Andy asked. “What if it’s not blood magic? What if it’s not even about an Alpha thrall? Then what happens?”
“Then, the rest of you run like hell. Get out of here, do what you need to do, and try not to think about me too much moving forward.”
“Yeah, my ass,” Andy said, dropping the bullets into the chamber and cocking the gun. “What is it the kids say these days? Ride or die.”
“I’ve haven’t known what the kids say for at least two hundred years now,” I admitted. “But I don’t want you getting yourse-”
“You really want to lose this fight again?” Andy asked me unblinkingly. “I’m not going anywhere. Get used to it.”
“I’m still confused,” Merry said, butting in. “How are you going to fight off an Alpha werewolf with a piece of jewelry? It’s not magic. At least, I don’t think it is. Who can tell anymore?”
“It doesn’t have to be,” I said, closing my hand into a fist. I could still feel the ache in my arm and the foreignness of the stitches in it. “Wolves can be killed with silver, gold, diamonds, or any combination of the three. Nothing else works. So, unless your grandfather was a cheap bastard, this might as well be a magic bullet.” I motioned to my hand and the ring on it. “So, please tell me this isn’t cubic zirconia.”
“It’s the real deal so far as I know,” she answered. “I didn’t know him.”
“Good enough,” I answered. Turning back to Patrick, I said, “Do whatever mojo needs doing to open that damn portal. The minute this is done, I want everybody out of here.”
“Out of here, and to my daughter,” Patrick answered, beaming like there wasn’t a rabid herd heading toward us as we spoke.
“Yeah, whatever,” I said, catching a hint of weird energy on the air.
“They’re coming,” I said. “They’re almost here.”
The world was still spinning and I was still cold, but I was determined.
I wasn’t going to pass out, and I wasn’t going to fail these people. I had been through enough — they had been through enough. It wasn’t going to be for nothing. Not if I could help it.
I started back down the hill, but turned, telling Merry to, “Get into the woods.”
She stared at me for a beat or two, holding tight to the spear. But then she did as I asked, ducking into the brush on the hill.
Patrick sat cross-legged on the ground, chanting something in a language reserved for the Romani. If he was worth half his weight in salt, he’d have the portal open in a minute’s time.
If not, then I’d have to hope I did this quickly.
I felt Andy behind me, marching at my back.
I thought about keeping him up there, telling him to keep an eye on Merry. But he was right. That was a fight I wasn’t going to win. He was stubborn, like his father.
“You’ve only got two bullets,” I said as we settled at the bottom of the hill.
“Two more than you,” he answered, holding his gun at his side. “Don’t worry.” His voice got lower, more serious. “It’s not my first rodeo. I’ll make them count.”
Looked like stubbornness wasn’t the only thing Andy inherited from his father.
I caught a wolf off in the distance an instant before he saw me.
The wolf was tracking my blood; a straight line to where I now stood. And, when he saw me, his head arched up into the sky and released a blood curdling howl.
Every instinct in me was telling me to bolt, to rush up into that portal and leave the gypsy problems to the gypsies. But, it wasn’t right. Whether I wanted it or not, this was on me. And I was going to have to stop it.
The wolf galloped toward us, fangs bared and eyes trained on me.
More appeared off in the distance, running with the primary wolf right toward us.
I felt Andy tense up as he saw it. He had been raised around this kind of stuff. Still, seeing it in action always sent shivers down his spine.
“Which one’s the Alpha?” he asked, his eyes trained on the incoming fleet.
“Don’t know yet,” I answered.
“How will you know?” he asked.
“They’ll let me know,” I answered.
They grew closer and closer until I could hear their huffs and smell their fur.
Andy raised his gun, pointing it toward the pack.
“Two bullets,” I reminded him.
“One for the Alpha, and one for whichever one of these bastards pisses me off the most.”
I tensed myself as they neared and raised my ringed hand as they approached.
Suddenly, they were on us.
Andy nearly shot, but then a strange thing happened.
They passed us by. The wolves, one by one, pushed past us, moving around and leaving us unharmed.
“They’re not after me,” I said, panic and realization rising in tandem into my mind, “Merry.”
Turning to Andy, I yelled, “We have to-”
A weight landed hard on top of me.
I fell back, hitting my head hard against the ground.
The largest of the wolves lay on top of me. His fangs bare and wet and nasty saliva dripped hot onto my face.
The Alpha.
Andy was over him, the gun aimed at his skull.
“No!’ I screamed, pushing back the wolf’s yapping teeth. ‘Save them for her!”
“Uncle C!” Andy’s teeth ground together.
“I won’t die, Andy. Go save her, damnit!” I said. “Now!”
Andy let out a huff, but then rushed up the hill. I could only hope that he got there in time.
The Alpha bit at me, narrowly missing my face.
I slid up, punching the beast with my ringed hand.
It didn’t seem to do any good.
The animal scratched at me with paws that slid back into me, opening up my old wound. With barely any blood though, at least I didn’t make a mess.
I had one option, only one way I was going to put an end to this.
A shot rang out.
One bullet gone. Here’s hoping it connected with something.
The Alpha yipped at me, and I still held its head back as far as I could.
I took another breath, and let go. It was the only way.
The Alpha drove its fangs into my neck, clamping around my throat; a predator going for the kill.
I had other ideas though.
Using what room I had, I punched. The diamond’s point met his eye and dug right in there.
He yelped as the diamond burned and flew off of me in a rush.
I struggled to my feet, watching as the wounded Alpha morphed back into his human form.
He coughed and wrecked, holding his eye as his mortal body took shape.
I watched in disbelief, not because of his shifting. I had been around long enough to know what that looked like.
The thing that surprised me was that I recognized him.
He was the Alpha that threatened me back in the bar the night I was stabbed; the Alpha whose wallet was stolen and given to the white haired witch.
And suddenly, I knew what was going on. This was an Alpha thrall, but it wasn’t blood magic at all. It was something much stronger.
The Alpha turned to me, his mouth foaming.
He was feral, not under his own control.
“You need to fight this,” I said as I heard a second shot ring through the air.
There went the last of the silver.
“You have a pack to protect, and right now, you’re their only hope.”
He moved toward me slowly, like a wounded animal trying to decide whether or not to strike again. He would though. No doubt the white haired witch had spelled him to ensure both Merry and I were taken in.
He wouldn’t stop, not unless I could force him to.
“Do you know what’s stronger than blood magic, dude?” I asked, circling him and trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on atop the hill. “It’s the only thing that’s stronger than blood. It’s truth.”
I swallowed hard as the world began to spin again. I was losing what little blood I had left.
I wouldn’t last much longer.
“Truth magic, hidden truths. It’s the strongest magic in the world and the only thing that makes sense. I wondered why the witches wanted your wallet. Surely it wasn’t for money. And, seeing you now, it’s clear. They wanted power over you; something they could use to control your actions.”
Looking upward, I saw a scuffle going on. I couldn’t tell who with though. Luckily, I could also see that the portal was open. If they were smart, they’d rush through it and leave me here.
Unfortunately, I had never been known to consort with the smartest people in the world.
“But what is it?” I asked, turning my attention back to the Alpha. “What secret could she had found out? What’s she using to power her spell?”
It had to be in his wallet, but what? What do people keep in their wallet? Credit cards, cash, family photos.
Certainly, it wasn’t his social security number. The secret had to be valued to be used for this sort of spell and I doubted this guy was the sort to concern himself with identity theft.
So what sort of person was he?
He valued his pack. He valued being seen as capable by his pack. That much was clear when he hesitated in backing down from me back in the bar.
So, knowing that, it made sense that something in his wallet would run the risk of making him look bad in front of his pack. Maybe a picture. Did he have a kid that he was gushing over, a bunch of baby pics and cheesy nonsense?
But that didn’t make sense. Children mean virility, and virility is important to a wolf. Breeding, keeping the line strong. Finding a woman to procre-
Oh.
I dropped my defenses and marched right up to him.
“The things I do to save you people,” I muttered to myself.
And then I kissed him square on the lips.
He pulled away from me, shaking his head and widening his eyes.
“Why-why’d you do that?” he asked, finally able to speak.
“Because you’re gay, dude,” I said. Looking up, I saw that the scuffle was over. People were still. The spell was broken.
“What? Did you have a picture of your secret boyfriend in there? Coded love letters?” I patted him hard on the shoulder.
“You know, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s the twenty-first century, bro. Love is love. Your pack would understand.”
Then I turned from him and headed back up the hill.
I darted back up there, still tired, still weak.
Settling at the top, I saw a bunch of men and women, naked as the day was long. They must have been the wolves, transformed back into humans.
They looked shaken and violated, which definitely made sense, given what they’d just been through.
Merry was there. A cut stretched over her eye, but it didn’t look too serious upon cursory glance.
“You’re hurt,” I said anyway, and touched the wound.
“I’m okay,” she said without flinching. “Hey, maybe we’ll both have scars now.”
A grin traced my lips.
“Where’s Andy?” I asked, noticing that he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“He ran into the woods,” Merry said. “Led a bunch of the wolves away from the rest of us.”
“Really?” I asked, smiling pridefully. “That cocky bastard.”
I walked toward the place Merry pointed to, shouting for Andy.
“Come on out here, sharpshooter. It’s all over.”
I walked into a clearing, and in front of me, was a sight that sent me reeling.
A teenage boy — a kid — knelt over Andy.
He was covered in blood and pulling at his hair.
“I didn’t mean to,” the kid cried. “You have to believe me. I didn’t mean to.”
Looking down, I saw that Andy’s throat had been torn wide open.
His chest was still. His eyes were glassy and vacant.
God, no.
He was dead.
24
For normal people, life is made up of moments. There are good ones, bad ones, and — more prevalently — indifferent ones without much flavor either way.
Knowing that these moments are finite make them special. They give them purpose and reason, an engine running toward an inevitable demise.
Death makes life worth living. It gives it meaning. It makes their moments stand stark and tall against the monotony of everyday life.
That’s never been true for me. My days are endless, which makes them meaningless.
But even for someone like me, there are moments that stick out from the rest.
This, unfortunately, was one of them.
“No, no,” I said, feeling like I was floating outside of my body.
Andy was laying on the ground, face toward the sky.
He was still, tragically still, as I neared him.
That stupid, poor boy was still blubbering as I knelt in front of him; screaming about how he didn’t mean to do it and how he wasn’t in control of his actions.
It was a bunch of crap that didn’t matter now, a
nd regardless of what he said, he was still covered in the blood of one of the only people on this rock that I gave even close to a damn about.
He needed to be gone before I did something I’d regret.
“Get away from him,” I said quickly, laying hands on Andy’s hands.
They were cold and empty, like mine had been. Except his weren’t moving.
“You have to believe me,” the boy cried. “I would never-”
“Get the fuck away from him!” I screamed, looking up at him with more rage than I had felt in at least a hundred years.
I shouldn’t have been so mad. The kid didn’t mean it. He was right. The witches were to blame for this. They were responsible for what was happening here, and if it was the last thing I ever did on this earth (which seemed more than a little unlikely), I’d make sure they paid with blood of their own.
The wolf kid darted away, still crying, still shaken.
I’d have to deal with him later, let him know he wasn’t a killer. That sort of thing can really screw you up. But I couldn’t deal with that right now. My mind wasn’t capable of holding onto any information other than the fact that Andy wasn’t breathing anymore.
“Don’t do this to me, kid,” I said, tears filling up my eyes. “Come on Andy,” I said, shaking him hard. His body moved gently, but he didn’t respond.
He was never going to respond to anything again.
I pushed that goddamn thought out of my mind and kept shaking him.
“Andy, wake up! Andy get up!”
His entire throat was ripped out. Even if he was alive, I’d never get him back to a hospital in time. But that was sense, and sense didn’t matter now.
“Andy, wake the fuck up right now!” I screamed.
All I could think about was him as a kid, running around in stupid shorts, chasing after a baseball on a fall day.
It was my favorite memory of him, one of my favorite memories at all, in fact.
It was a simple day. His father was alive. Things were good. The future was bright. Life seemed endless, and for once, not in the horrible way it usually did.
And now-now he was a corpse, and I would never forgive myself for that.
“The circle never ends, does it, Brother?” A familiar voice sounded overhead, and I cringed.
Mark of Cain (Immortal Mercenary Book 1) Page 16
