by Jude Marquez
She gasped and scratched at my arms but I didn’t let her go.
“Yes,” she finally got out.
I dropped her to the ground. She collapsed, and I hunkered down in front of her.
I lifted her chin and studied her. “Keep your eyes open. Keep looking under your bed. Because I will let you deliver that message, but don’t think I’ll forget you. I won’t. Never. I have your scent now. And I want you to know when you die, I will be the last person you see. That’s not a threat. I hope you understand that is a promise. People like you don’t get to take things from me. So run along, little bunny.”
She pulled herself to her feet and scrambled for the front seat. As she drove out of the parking lot, the gravel turned beneath the tires.
She drove back the way she came, and solve her, was her taillights.
Just then, the gas pump clicked, indicating that her tank was full.
Savannah tipped her head towards the vehicle before she went over to the pump.
I turned to Len, but Gerri was already approaching him.
Gerri offered him her hand and even though he was in a daze, Len shook her hand.
“Your kindness will not be forgotten,” Gerri promised.
Then she was striding back to the vehicle.
I had nothing else to add, so I nodded at Len and followed the other two. As soon as I slid into the backseat, Savannah put the SUV gear and we were off.
No one spoke much after that, the only sound in the air was GPS giving directions.
I THOUGHT BACK TO ONE time when Artie was young. He had a nightmare and confessed to me he wished he could be as brave as a beta could be. I told him then that betas weren’t always brave; we just did the job that needed to be doing. But that didn’t mean that we weren’t as terrified as anyone what we had to do. That memory flashed through my head as those SUVs barreled straight for us.
I glanced over and prayed that Lou knew what he was doing. One of us had to have some kind idea what we were doing here. As soon as I that thought crossed my mind, the SUV in front of us, was pushed aside and flipped onto the side of the road, far out of our way. I let out a breath, but I knew that wasn’t all there was to it. Right behind the first SUV was another headed straight for us. Just like the first one, it careened out of control and flew off to the side of the road. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lou reach forward for the dashboard and grasp it. He was breathing hard, and I wanted to tell him to slow down. But we didn’t have a choice here. It was this, or they captured us and took us God knows where, to do God knows what to us.
“Last one,” I whispered.
I pressed even harder on the gas, and I saw Lou group the dashboard harder. The SUV was coming closer and closer and it didn’t seem like there was any sign that he would stop it.
When I glanced over at him, I realized how pale and sweaty he looked. He was probably at the end of his rope by now.
“It’s okay. I’ve got this one,” I said.
I pressed even harder on the gas and the engine roared beneath us. The driver of the other car didn’t seem to be too worried about smashing into us. I didn’t understand why, because we were far more likely to survive a car accident than they were.
All I could hear was the engine boring beneath us and I gritted my teeth. I would not go around them, because that would only end up with us fish tailing and probably wrecking.
The headlights were bright, filling my vision. I wanted to look away; I wanted Lou to tell me to turn the wheel, but he didn’t. He only leaned back and clutched the seatbelt that strapped across his chest.
Finally, when it seemed like crashing was inevitable, the other vehicle swerved out of the way and just as I predicted, it fishtailed and then toppled. I only glanced once in the rearview mirror before we left them far behind.
We were so far out in the desert that it worried me we would never find a road that led us back to a highway. It took at least twenty minutes of us bouncing around over dirt roads before we finally came to a place that seemed to intersect with a marginally paved road that road led us back to the highway.
I paused there. I didn’t know if I should go west and continue driving, putting more distance between us and the Ascendancy or if I should turn east and head for Vegas, where the population is larger and we would be less exposed. I turned to Lou.
“Vegas. There’s more people, we can hide there.”
I turned east on two fifteen and began to drive.
“I’ve never been to Vegas,” Lou whispered.
“That’s what you said.” I reached out my hand for him. It was a split-second longer than normal, which made me look over at him. Then he slipped his hand into mine and I turned back to the road. I couldn’t help the frown on my face.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked quietly.
“Nothing more than the usual hunted and attempted killing and me using my magic in a way that I have never done before,” Lou said. He tried to sound lighthearted, but it wasn’t working.
“Seriously. Is there something wrong?” I persisted.
This time the silence was longer and heavier. The traffic was so light that I could glance over at Lou.
“What Eric said, back there, is it true?” Lou asked.
I frowned and thought through everything that Eric had said. All the insults and all the lies and all the exaggerations.
“Could you be more specific?” I said and squeezed his hand.
“About you. About you only dating women until me, I guess,” he mumbled.
I probably should’ve seen this coming. Growing up in a world where werewolves and vampires and witches and warlocks were common, sexuality was often the last thing on people’s minds. And it was an accepted fact of our world that our sexuality was as fluid and flexible as our appearances.
In fact, I remembered the first time that Celia brought home a girlfriend. They dated for five months before they broke up and Celia started dating Marcus. It was never a matter of physiology or biological gender. In the community as small as ours, the one thing that mattered above all else was that you had a person who loved and respected you and your family and your traditions. Beyond that they could be a man or a woman or both or neither.
“It is true. You are the first guy that I have dated,” I said.
Lou nodded and turned back to the road.
“Are you upset?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. I’m just... processing.”
I glanced over at him and then back to the road.
“I don’t know how to explain it to you. Growing up in the world that we did, it never mattered. It was never a factor in any equation in any relationship. The only thing my parents ever taught me was to show love and respect to the person I was dating. If they were shifter or if they were human or if they were a witch. There was never any judgment or anything like that,” I explained gently.
Lou was silent for so long that I worried I had hit a nerve.
“I’m not upset. It’s a compliment, really, me being so attractive you just had to have me. I just wish that the entire world was more like that. One less thing to worry about,” he said.
I nodded. “It would make things easier, wouldn’t it?”
We headed for one of the largest hotels. It was early morning and there were people still on the streets. I swung into the valet service and Lou stepped out. I handed the keys to the valet but before he drove away, I grabbed three bags out of the trunk. Lou was waiting for me on the sidewalk, and we both headed inside.
“We’ll get a room here. I need to call Celia and let her know what happened with the Bowman pack. Then we need to figure out what to do from there,” I said.
Lou nodded and we both headed for the front desk.
MARCUS TOOK A DRINK of water before he started.
“When I woke up, everyone was gone. I didn’t know what to do, so I stood up and headed for the police station. Every time I tried a car, it was dead,” he began.
I looked over at Da
nte. “It must have been Lou knocking out all the power.”
Dante nodded but kept his eyes on his brother. There was a stone cold look on his face and he did not seem like the same guy.
“I don’t know what it was. I was headed towards you guys when everything went down –”
“I thought you went with everyone else, to go into Gerri’s court,” Dante interrupted.
Marcus took another drink from the water bottle and seeing that it was empty, tossed it into the recycling bin. “I thought about it. But I couldn’t walk away. Not with how things were turning out.”
I looked over at Dante, but this did not seem to appease him any.
“What does that mean? Did you think we couldn’t handle it without you?” Dante asked.
Again, there was that coldness in his voice that I was not used to.
“No. Nothing like that. I know that between all five of you, and now with Stephen, you wouldn’t need my help. I just couldn’t walk away,” Marcus said and shrugged.
That didn’t seem to satisfy Dante any as he remained unmoved.
“So what happened? What did you do?” I asked.
“I went to the station first. I wasn’t going there empty-handed. By the time I got to you guys, it seemed Lou would lose.”
Dante snorted and stood up. He walked away from his brother, giving him his back.
“But just as I was thinking not, there was this wave, like a concussion blast or something. It knocked me off my feet and it must have knocked me out or I might have hit my head. I’m not sure. The next thing I know, I’m opening my eyes and there are two guys in tactical outfits standing above me. They were pointing high-powered rifles in my face.”
“You didn’t hit your head. Lou knocked you out.” Dante was at the soda machine, crying the front door open and it gave way with a metallic screech. He reached inside and pulled out a soda.
I looked over at Dante one last time but ignored him. “So when you came to, there were guns in your face. Then what?” I prompted.
Marcus stared at Dante’s back as Dante chugged the soda in one long drink. “They made me get up. They cuffed me and asked what I was doing out here. I told them I was a deputy, and if they didn’t know what was going on if they didn’t understand why I was out here. They hit me,” he said and gestured to his face. There was a dark bruise forming there, and I nodded.
Dante tossed the empty can into the recycling bin. I guessed that the end of the world did not mean that we would not take care of the planet.
The end of our world, anyway.
“We weren’t that far into the forest. Maybe a hundred feet. I could see the town square and the fountain from where we were. But something told me that if they got me out on the road, that would be it. I would die. So, I did everything that I could not to go out into the road. When they made me stand up, I pretended that I hurt my ankle and fell back down. I threw myself backwards, so we were deeper into the forest. Then when they raised their guns at me, I held up my hands and scooted backwards. I figured that the only chance I had was the forest.” Marcus went a little pale, and I turned to Dante.
He met my gaze and crossed his arms over his wide chest. I glared at him and snapped my fingers and pointed at the soda machine he had just busted open. He frowned at me and I heard that deep growl in his chest. I knew what a pissed off werewolf sounded like. I didn’t care; the last thing that we needed was Marcus passing out again from low blood sugar. With a huff, Dante pulled another can out of the vending machine and tossed it at me. I pressed it into Marcus’s hand and urged him to drink before he went on.
When he was ready, Marcus went on with his story. “They didn’t like the fact that I kept getting deeper and deeper into the forest. Finally, one of them raise their gun at me and said if I moved another inch backwards, he was just going to shoot me. I raised my hands and stood up. And then the funniest thing happened.”
I was leaning forward with my forearms based on my thighs, waiting for more.
“A spear, probably only six inches long, appeared in the guy's hand. He stared at me, like I was the one that has thrown it. But my hands were up, and the angle was all wrong. He tried to take it out, but couldn’t. Then he kind of crumbled to the ground. His partner kept his gun on me and I started saying a bunch of stuff. That he should run before the forest takes him too. That it was too late for his buddy, but he could still run. Even better, we both should. The forest doesn’t care whose blood it takes, as long as it gets someone’s. I kept getting closer and closer to the guy and then I tackled him. We wrestled for the gun and then a shot went off. Really, it wouldn’t have been that bad. But it was like that one shot called out to everything.”
I looked over at Dante and Dante nodded. “I bet it would be probably one of the most dishonorable things to do, to shoot in the woods. And with none of the guardians here to take care of it, the forest would take care of it of itself.”
Marcus was staring down at the can like he wished it was something stronger. “I may have heard you guys talk about the duende, but I’ve never seen them. I think that’s what I saw. About a foot tall, green skin, black eyes. They all had spears or knives.”
“That’s them,” Dante confirmed.
“They attacked the two that almost took me. Before I ran, they gave me the keys to the handcuffs and the last thing I heard was the guy that was shot screaming and begging,” Marcus finished.
“Yeah. They like to eat people,” Dante said. He was not in the mood for mincing words tonight.
“Jesus,” Marcus said.
“Anything else? Any other information?” Dante asked.
“Dude. Come on, have a little sympathy,” I hissed at Dante. He reminded me of how I used to tell Azolata the same thing.
“I’m only treating him exactly like he would have treated me, if our position positions were reversed. He wouldn’t have any more sympathy from me than I do for him.”
I put my hand to my forehead and had to remind myself that not everyone had what Billie and I did.
“He’s right. It’s fine. And yeah, I have more information,” Marcus said and stood up slowly.
I looked up and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope. “Did you see Azolata? Did you see where they had him?” I asked.
Marcus shook his head. “No. I heard them talking about him, how they have him somewhere, trapped. But not exactly where. I know that it’s guarded around the clock.”
I pressed my lips together. That wasn’t helpful or new. I could have guessed that myself.
“No. I know how many people here. I know where they are. But also, I heard something. Something that maybe you guys might understand that I don’t,” Marcus said.
“Go on,” Dante said.
“They said something about finally getting a decent meal for her. They said that maybe this would be enough to keep her satisfied for a while, maybe the sacrifices could end. They said that the spring here is the largest one in the world and if they take that, maybe she will finally respond to them.”
I stared at Marcus and then looked at Dante. Dante was squinting at Marcus, like he was a strange bug that Dante could not understand.
“Do you know what that means?” I asked Dante.
Dante sighed and threw up his hands. “As usual, my brother is no help. No, I have no idea what he’s talking about.”
“Hey, he has some information. He can tell us how many people are here and if we can get to Azolata’s apartment, where all the weapons are. And one more person who can shoot a gun is not a detriment.”
Dante did not respond, so I assumed he agreed with me.
I turned back to Marcus and nodded to the table where there was paper and pencils. “Show us what you got.”
Chapter 5
It seems like it had been weeks of travel instead of hours, just to get to this forest. We pulled into a deserted parking lot. It was a hard-packed lot and there were well-worn trail that leads into the dark forest. It didn’t feel like home, but I do
n’t know why I expected it to. Savannah pulled the mirror out from the back of the SUV and glanced over at me. I nodded and looked over to Gerri. She was studying the forest with a frown on her face, like it dissatisfied her.
“Is there something wrong?” I asked her.
Gerri turned to me and the conclusion was obvious on her face. “It doesn’t feel like the forest from your home.”
I nodded. “We shouldn’t expect it to. Not all of our forests here have magic. In fact, I would bet that ours is one of the few in the world.”
Gerri turned to the forest and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, this will have to do, since we have nothing else to work with.”
I looked over my shoulder at Savannah and noticed that she was lugging the mirror around easily, even though it had to weigh upwards of eighty pounds. The differences since she came back from Gerri’s court continued to astound me.
“Do you need help?” I asked.
“No,” she said.
We set off for the forest. Just as we were about to step into the tree line, I realized I had forgotten the phone in the SUV. I asked Savannah and Gerri to wait here as I ran back it. I didn’t enjoy being so far away from Eli and this was our only means of communication. We would be fine if the SUV and all our supplies were stolen, but I would not be okay with losing my only means of communication to my brother.
As he approached the SUV, I heard a low buzz of the phone inside. I reached in and grabbed the phone. I saw Eli’s name on the caller ID and flipped it open.
“Starshine, I thought I told you to wait for me to call you,” I said. I closed the door to the SUV and locked it. I turned back to Savannah and Gerri and they started to enter the forest.
“I know, but some stuff has happened and we couldn’t wait with the Bowman pack,” Eli said. There was a tense note in his voice that I didn’t like.
“Tell me,” I said.
