by Holly Hook
"Don't move," Aunt May says.
"Let go of me!"
Her hand shakes as he struggles not to obey. But she releases me, and by then, Cayden's circling the tree stand. Unhit. Unhurt. The curse isn't hitting him at all. But it should be.
I should run after him, but shock roots me to the spot. And then I remember. Remo. It's my job to protect him, too.
We have to take the chance. “Everyone. Get Remo out of here!"
Everly and Aunt May nod, leaning over and letting Remo put his arms over them. Together, they lift him with ease. He's shaking and his cheeks are turning green. He turns his terrified gaze up at me, and it destroys me inside. I have to do this for Cayden.
“Out,” I instruct, peeking at the trail again. The Hunter fires a third time, and I listen as the arrow zips through underbrush and strikes dirt. Cayden continues to run. His footfalls are strong. Confident. The Cayden I know. He's protecting me and he's not going down.
Is the curse gone?
Aunt May and Everly drag Remo, who tries to help by walking, over to the open trail. “Where?” Aunt May asks.
“Back to town. I'll block the way. Go!”
Breaking into a run, the two drag him towards town, and I run behind them. The Hunter could shoot me next, but I'm most likely to survive.
But he continues to fire at Cayden, who bounds in a large circle around him. Cayden's amazing. Despite the danger, it reminds me of the time we ran through the woods together, when he picked me up and broke into a full sprint.
The sun comes out as we drag Remo out of the trail and into an empty lot full of mud and melting snow. Cayden bounds back towards us, breaking out of the underbrush—and he's not keeling over from pain.
“Go,” he says. “He almost hit me three times. We need to get out of this town.”
“What about Remo?” Everly asks.
“I'm fine,” he lies.
Then I really look at him. He keeps giving off that chemical smell, and he's paler than ever. The green's overtaking his cheeks like the poison is eating him from the inside out.
“You are not fine,” Everly says. Tears brim in her vision. I want to kill the Hunter. Balling my fists, I tremble, but Cayden grabs my arm, snapping me out of my murderous rage. “Don't,” he says. “This could be another one of Romulus's tricks.”
His words spread ice through me. We run across the empty lot and back onto the street. A Hunter won't try to kill apparent humans in the middle of this town, right?
Behind us, the Hunter descends from the tree. Bark peels and falls.
He's either leaving or coming after us. Cayden turns his head and listens, too. The whole pack can hear it, even over Remo's breaths. They're getting labored.
But if I kill that Hunter—
A human—
I'll fall into the trap.
So I force myself to follow Cayden, even as the protective instinct sweeps over me and compels me back to the Hunter.
He runs through the woods now. Though human, he's athletic, jumping over logs and dodging shrubs. Boots crunch twigs. He's trying to run around us, as if he knows Remo is hurt. This man's a predator in his own way.
“He's circling,” Aunt May says, lifting Remo again.
Cayden maintains his grip on my arm. I could break it, but the look he gives me melts that instinct to attack the Hunter. They're not supposed to attack Nobles. Only Savages. Or maybe not all Hunters work with Nobles. This one could have taken payment from Lawrence.
Together, we bolt down the main street of this hostile town. The door to Maggie's Eatery pops open, and the waitress pokes her head out. I open my mouth to beg for help, and ambulance, anything.
But something's wrong. Her look is hard. Determined.
“Stop,” she orders, raising a crossbow and pointing it in our direction.
Chapter Five
A Hunter served us breakfast.
A pink-clad, short, dishwater blond Hunter. We talked about Wolf business in front of her.
We all stop. The point of the arrow aims at my heart. The waitress—Callie—has muscle. Her lip twitches and her gray eyes ignite as if she's finally found her purpose. And behind her, the restaurant's empty. The cops have left. Great.
“We're Nobles,” I say, raising my hands. I jump in front of Cayden, determined to put myself between her and the rest of the pack. There's no way he'd dodge a shot from her.
Aunt May utters a syllable of protest, but I put my hand up. Pack order. I'm getting used to my position.
The waitress maintains her grip on the crossbow, and it's loaded with twelve bolts. An arrow tip that must be pure silver aims at my heart as she shakes, holding me in her brown-eyed glare. The wolfsbane smell follows. Callie bites her lip, steely and terrifying.
"Nobles," she says like she doesn't believe it.
These Hunters think we're Savages.
“I swear, we're Nobles,” I say. My mind connects pieces. “I get it if you thought we were Savages when you served us. We're not. And if you know Lawrence—”
I stop there. Maybe they hunt all Wolves and are after him, too.
“Lawrence doesn't welcome other Wolves,” Callie says.
I breathe out as Remo continues to suck in whistling breaths. Focus, Brie. Maybe this is just a big misunderstanding. “I have news,” I say. This could make her shoot, but she has to know the truth. “I challenged Lawrence. I'm alpha now. We're all one pack.”
Callie snorts. I'm still a short blond girl with no hope of defeating a near-bodybuilder dude. “Get out,” Callie orders. “Burying bodies isn't something my husband and I like to do—”
“Please,” Cayden says, stepping in front of me. “We're not here to hurt anybody. My brother needs help. Look at him.” He eyes Remo with terror. “Give him that, and we'll—”
Cayden gags and seizes his chest. Shadows dance at the corners of my vision, and even Callie jumps in shock. She lifts an eyebrow as Cayden bends over, wrapping his arms around his ribs. I can almost feel the searing agony spreading through his lungs. He tried to protect me. The curse isn't gone after all.
“Cayden!” I wrap my arms around him, trying to shield him from the dark spirits as I did before Romulus. But as soon as the pain attack came, it's gone. I press my cheek to Cayden's, not caring about Callie and her crossbow for a precious two seconds. He's warm. My mate breathes out in relief.
And Cayden mutters, “My theory was right.”
I can't ask him what he means. I look up at Callie as the footfalls of the man approach from behind us. Her gaze softens and she lowers her crossbow. “Earl,” she calls over our shoulders. “They're Nobles. Savages wouldn't protect each other like that. We made a mistake. Let's get them inside and fix this guy up.”
* * * * *
A misunderstanding. I can live with that. But I can't live with Remo possibly dying.
"Help him!" I shout once we're in the empty restaurant.
Callie and Earl—the Hunter who shot at us—run into the kitchen, bows lowered. I count my breaths, struggling to keep my anger down. I don't feel too nice right now, not with Remo still struggling to breathe while Aunt May and Everly guide him to a table. Cayden topples chairs and shoves two of the tables together. Ketchup splatters on the floor as he swipes the contents away.
Callie runs out from the kitchen while Earl remains inside, shuffling around. She flips the sign from open to closed.
“That's in case ordinary people try to stop in,” Callie says. “Doesn't happen often, but it happens.”
“Fix Remo,” I demand. “You didn't have to shoot him.”
"I didn't shoot him. My husband did," Callie says.
"You get my point!"
Remo lies down on the set of tables. He's still green and dark circles hang under his eyes. Cayden stands over him, wordless.
“We didn't know you were Nobles,” Earl says, banging through the double doors. He's a big guy and dressed like a lumberjack. “We just knew you were Wolves, and we swore to Lawrence's pack we'd
help protect town a long time ago. Callie said the secret words to me and I jumped into action. I have a cure for your alpha."
"I'm the alpha," I say. Of course these people would assume it's Remo, since he's the biggest.
Earl reaches into his jeans pocket. At least Remo might be okay.
I unclench my fists. "How did you know we were Nobles?"
“Savage Wolves don't protect their own if it's detrimental to them,” Callie says. "A Savage wouldn't have jumped in front of his mate if it was going to hurt him. And you wouldn't have leaped on him if it would have made it easy for me to shoot you."
“I guess the curse came through?” Cayden asks with a smile. He squeezes Remo's shoulder.
"Please help," Remo begs.
“Oh. Yes,” Earl says, focusing on his pocket. He won't look at us. Guilt keeps his gaze away. I stride over to Earl and hold out my hand. I have every right to be sharp with him. He can stew in guilt for a while.
He shot at Cayden.
“You need to inject the antidote,” he explains, voice shaking. “We keep it on hand in case of an accident.” Earl draws a vial of clear liquid from a deep pocket and a capped syringe. “So long as you're not squeamish about needles—”
“Hurry,” Remo begs, struggling to lift his head. “So sick.”
I flip the cap off the syringe and plunge it into the soft top of the vial. The needle slips through the rubber and I draw out the liquid. “How much?” I ask.
“Two CC's,” Earl explains. “I can do it if you don't feel comfortable—”
“I feel comfortable,” I snap.
He backs away. Remo's eyes start rolling up into his head as I tremble, struggling not to shove Earl across the room. My anger boils. Earl deserves to feel like this—
Let me in.
I close my eyes as Aunt May calls my name. Cayden runs over and wraps his arm around me, holding me close. His body heat melds with mine, but pure darkness spreads inside me, consuming every bit of light once there. Pressure crushes my skull, threatening to shatter my bones under the weight of a vile mountain.
It's Romulus.
He is bound to me. The rite started and he's here to finish it.
“No,” I shout, dropping the vial.
“Got it,” Cayden yells, releasing me for a second. “Brie! Brie! What's wrong?” He shakes me and I open my eyes. “We need to help Remo.”
I lock onto the hazel color of his irises, diving into them to escape the pressure. It eases as I eye Remo on the table. I'm here to help the pack. Help, not hurt. Cayden closes his fingers around the vial of cure. I still hold the syringe of clear liquid Earl claims can save Remo. I'm shocked I haven't shattered it.
I wanted to hurt Earl, a human, and that almost opened the door.
To get away from Earl, I storm away from him and ready the syringe. Remo needs me. I hold onto that thought.
And it's easy now that he thrashes on the table.
“It hurts,” he shouts. “The chemicals are doing something to my nerves—”
“Hold him down,” I order Cayden.
But Everly and Aunt May react, too. Cayden holds down Remo's legs as his adopted brother seethes and his eyes pop wide open. It's almost like Matthew, dying all over again. I won't look at Earl. Not until Remo is better.
I jab the needle into the crook of Remo's arm. He's so lost in pain and sickness he doesn't notice. I push the piston down, injecting the clear fluid. “Callie. How long will this take to work?”
“It should start neutralizing the poison right away. Your friend's body will take care of the rest. We'll have to give him water so he can flush it out.”
Remo nods. Already his face relaxes, though he keeps balling his fists. “Thank you, Brie. Thanks, Cayden.” He eyes his friend turned adoptive brother and nods. “Cayden, you've done a lot for me.”
I look at my mate, and he screws up his face. But he turns away, trying to hide it.
“Hey,” I say. “You bailed Remo out twice now. He owes you.”
“I bailed him out twice,” Cayden says, as if those words can save his life.
Everly gives him a questioning look as she releases Remo's arm. He seethes again, but quieter than before. He's healing. Even the chemical smell wafting off him starts to fade.
“I think I'll be good, if I lay here for a while,” he says. “Watch your aim next time. Please.” Remo looks at Earl, but he smiles as he does.
Remo can forgive. I need to do the same.
I suck in a breath, careful to keep Earl in the corner of my vision. "Okay. Obviously these Hunters made a mistake and I shouldn't have lost my temper. Things happen. I'm sorry."
“I almost lost mine, too,” Everly says.
“We know, sis,” Cayden tells her. But he doesn't smile. Worry fills the dark of his eyes. He knows what I just went through and I need to keep it quiet around Hunters, too.
I face Callie and Earl, who stand close together. Earl diverts his gaze to the closed blinds. “So you keep weapons right in this restaurant? What do you do when someone comes to do inspections?” I have to keep the tone light and keep Romulus away.
“We pay them off,” Callie says. “Lawrence helps with that. He has a fortune. If he didn't, we'd have to hide our weapons in the Dumpster. Not fun."
At least she has a sense of humor. "And Lawrence didn't warn you we were coming?" Time to get serious again.
"Yeah. He should have," Cayden says.
Earl looks at his wife. "Maybe he didn't expect you to overhear the conversation? He's the most careful guy I've ever met."
"I hope so," I say.
“How many towns around here have packs and Hunters, anyway?” I ask. “Sheesh. We came out looking for other Nobles and I'm trying to unite them, since I'm a Noble Royal, but we didn't expect to find Hunters. I thought they were a dead breed. My mother was one, but she got killed by the last pack of Savages that tried to take our territory.”
Callie's jaw drops.
I might have made a mistake.
"Your mother was a Hunter? And you're a Noble Wolf?" she asks.
Is she going to hurt me? "Well, yeah. I know it's weird—"
"Don't tell anybody," Callie says, marching straight at me. She stops just a foot away. "Did you tell Lawrence?"
"No. I didn't." Even with Callie in front of me, I don't miss Everly's warning glare. Awesome. That never bodes well.
"Why is that a bad thing? Didn't Hunters and Nobles work together for centuries?" Cayden asks. “Sorry if I don't know much about it.”
"Don't tell them. Whatever you do, don't drop that you came from a Hunter and a Wolf. That's not supposed to happen. The Sterlings have a rule against having children with the Noble Wolves."
The restaurant grows around me, turning into a ballroom. The air thins and I feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen. I link my hand with Cayden's. Exchange a worried look with Aunt May. Even Remo lifts his head. "I'm forbidden? What happens to me now? And you're a Sterling, too? That was my mother's name and my father took it."
Callie sucks in a breath. "I don't know why the rule exists, but it's there even though I think it's dumb. I don't know what would happen to you if other Hunters found out. All Hunters come from the Sterling family or marry into it. Heck, maybe we're related." I'm glad to see Callie turn her dead serious expression into a smile.
So all Hunters are descended from Romulus. Without asking, I know the reason for this rule. Hunters didn't want to taint the Nobles with Romulus. They know it can destroy them. And now Callie and Earl know, too.
"We could be distant cousins," I force. "I came from Breck and lived there all my life."
Callie squeals and wraps me in a hug before I can pull away. Despite being forbidden, she doesn't care. "Maybe our grandfathers were brothers. My great uncle lived there and I know he had a daughter. Alexa. I know she died fighting Savages, but I never thought she had a kid. Was your father—"
"A Noble Royal?" I asked. "He never let himself turn because he was tired of a
ll the fighting and the death. Everyone around us in Breck wanted to keep things hushed up because they were afraid the Savages could come for us."
Or did they?
Even as I return Callie's hug, I wonder.
Maybe the real reason they kept us hidden was that they knew we were forbidden. And that the only threat wasn't the Savages. Why didn't Edwin tell me if that was the case?
What will our new Wolves do if they find me out?
"It could be," Callie says. "I don't know. I haven't heard anything out of Breck for years. Really, I thought the Nobles disappeared and there was nothing much left for us Hunters to do. Or for the Noble Order to work together again."
"So no one knows about me?" I ask.
"Well, probably not," Callie says.
“Good,” I say. I look to Cayden, asking him to hold me up. My legs feel as if they're going to go out.
“This is interesting,” Remo says from the table. "Leonora never said a word about this."
I'm glad he's feeling better. "She wouldn't have known. Isolated, remember?"
"I'll get her to ask Edwin about it," Everly says.
"Maybe we should keep it quiet," Cayden tells her.
Aunt May nods. "I agree."
Silence hangs over the whole diner. This woman standing before me is a lost distant relative. A cousin of some sort, but still a relative from the mysterious Sterling side of the family. Because of a few mistakes, we were all abandoned. And I can see why. I'm a freak with two natures inside me. Dangerous. The end of the Nobles, if only Romulus can light the fire.
"Do you want to know why the Hunters have that marriage rule?" I ask.
"Why?" Callie lifts an eyebrow and looks at Earl, shrugging.
“The Sterlings are human descendants of Romulus and must have made the rule to stop that from getting into the Noble Royals,” I explain, dry and distant. Callie deserves the truth. I reach out to Cayden. He knows what I need, and takes my hand and lets me lean on him.
“What?” Callie asks. “We're descendants of the Savage King?"
