Archaic

by Lexy Timms

  To give it some time, and eventually, they will heal.

  But instead, she presses her tongue to each wound. Licking them until they heal.

  Then she collapses to me, quaking and whimpering as her face falls into the crook of my neck.

  But she isn’t cold.

  Instead, she’s shivering with the strength of our bond.

  A bond that cannot ever be broken.

  Chapter 30

  ~ Clarissa

  Alaska. The place I never thought I’d find myself traveling to again. But here I am, sitting in Theo’s small apartment by the fire. Toshi is perched on the windowsill staring out over the small Alaskan town while Sebastian sits behind me. His legs are spread in a chair, his head propped up in his hand. And Theo is sitting next to me. His hand on my knee. Our bodies connecting as he tries to give me the one thing he can to settle my mind.

  There are no more answers. Only the prophecy and some misled notion that I’m some pregnant woman that needs to be protected. I can feel the possessiveness in the room. It’s thick and loud, and it won’t stop beating down on my ears. It has been like this ever since we boarded the plane and returned from Russia. Since we dropped into the Alaskan airport and headed straight for Theo’s place.

  His thumb is massaging my skin as the world melts around me.

  I can hear the whispers. I can feel the energy around me changing. Sebastian is completely against the idea of me using Theo to speak with Kyle, but I have to. I need to. It’s the only thing I have left. I’m being hunted by the Council, and everyone is on edge about an impending war I still don’t think is coming.

  It’s all so cryptic and unusual. Prophecies aren’t a thing.

  Then again, Primals weren’t a thing until I discovered myself to be like them.

  “Where is he?” I ask.

  “I’m trying,” Theo says. “Sometimes it can take some time. Be patient.”

  “Please, Kyle. Let me hear you. Let me know you’re okay.”

  That’s really my issue. I can cover it up with whatever I want to. Whatever makes it easier to palette. But the truth of all this is, I don’t know if Kyle’s okay. I don’t know if there’s a place for him in another life that makes him happy. I don’t know if he’s smiling and laughing the way he deserves.

  The last time I saw him, he was removed of most of his skin and unrecognizable to my eyes.

  “Kyle, I know you can hear me,” Theo says. “Talk to Clarissa. She needs you now more than ever.”

  “It won’t give you closure.”

  I whip my head around to Sebastian and growl at him.

  “I don’t care what you think, Sebastian. I need this.”

  “Which is why I’m allowing it.”

  “You don’t allow anything. You don’t control me.”

  I watch his nostrils flare as he adjusts himself in the chair.

  Spreading his legs further, like somehow showing me the imprint of his groin will sway my mind.

  And I hate to admit it, but I do feel myself weakening around him.

  I pull my attention back to the task at hand as Theo’s fingertips curl into my skin.

  “Watch it,” Sebastian growls.

  “Can it,” Toshi says from the window sill. “At least give her this.”

  But the more I focus, the more muddled the voices become. I can hear many people speaking at once, but none of them sound like Kyle. It’s like I’m swimming through a sea of sound, trying to reach out for the hand of the person I’m looking for. Spirits are swimming and swirling around me, like the current of the ocean that drags a branch out to sea. I feel myself sinking further into the darkness. I feel the sounds of the voices weighing me down. Some of them are whispering, and some of them are screaming.

  But none of them are Kyle.

  “War is coming.”

  “Famine will follow.”

  “Tell my girl I love her. Tell her she’s protected.”

  “Mom?” I ask. “Is that you?”

  Her presence hits me like a brick wall, and it leaves me breathless.

  “You are protected, my sweet girl,” she says.

  “Mom,” I say breathlessly. “Where’s Kyle? Where is he?”

  “Kyle?” my father asks. “Who’s that?”

  “Daddy,” I say with a catch in my throat.

  I can feel my lip trembling as Theo clamps his hand down onto my skin.

  “What’s happening?” Toshi asks.

  “Shut up,” Theo grumbles.

  “Listen, you don’t have much time, princess,” my father says.

  “Why? Why don’t I have time?” I ask.

  “We need you to know that you’re protected. You’ll be safe from what’s coming.”

  “What is it?” I ask. “What’s coming? Where’s Kyle?”

  “I don’t know who Kyle is,” my father says.

  “Stay strong, sweetheart,” my mother says. “Keep your head high and keep looking over your shoulder. And when it seems to get to be too much, don’t leave. I promise you things will be okay.”

  “But where’s Kyle?” I ask with a whimper.

  Suddenly, the connection is lost. Theo’s hand lifts from my knee as I curl into myself. I don’t care any longer. I don’t care about them seeing me cry. I hold my stomach and fold myself in two and sob as the light of the fire dances along my skin.

  Sebastian slides from his chair and wraps his arm around me, pulling me between his thighs as I curl into his touch. Theo is stroking my hair, sending shivers down my back. Toshi sits in front of me.

  Cupping my hands within his.

  “It’s okay,” Sebastian says. “We’re here.”

  “Why couldn’t we reach Kyle?” I ask.

  I sniffle and lean my head back to look at Theo.

  “I don’t know. Sometimes spirits we call on don’t want to communicate,” he says.

  “That doesn’t sound like Kyle. He would want to. Hell, he would’ve tried to get into your head a long time ago to speak with me. He was always like that. Always trying to talk to me, even when I didn’t want to listen,” I say.

  What else could it be? What if—

  “No,” Sebastian says.

  “I haven’t even said anything,” I say.

  “You don’t have to. I can hear you clearly. Kyle isn’t alive, Clarissa.”

  “But we can’t reach him. That means there’s a possibility he’s still alive,” I say.

  “You saw how mangled he was,” Toshi says. “You saw the bloodstains on the floor.”

  “I know, and it doesn’t make sense. But none of this makes sense.

  Does any of this make sense to you guys?”

  I climb from Sebastian’s lap and turn to face them.

  “All of this talk about war and babies and saving the Primals, does any of it make sense?” I ask.

  “That is completely different. It doesn’t mean Kyle’s alive,”

  Sebastian says.

  “But we couldn’t contact him. At all. I couldn't even sense him.

  Could you, Theo?”

  “No,” he says with a sigh. “I couldn’t.

  “Not helping,” Sebastian says.

  “I know it sounds insane, but all of this is insane. Me. I’m a product of insanity. I shouldn't exist, but I do. Why is it so hard to believe that Kyle might still be alive?” I ask.

  “Because you buried him, Clarissa. We were all there during the funeral,” Toshi says.

  “But what if it wasn’t him? What if? What if I buried someone else that day?” I ask.

  “You’re reaching,” Theo says.

  “I told you this was a shit idea. Now look what you’ve done,”

  Sebastian says.

  “Out of all the times to posture, this is definitely not the time,” Toshi says.

  “If there’s even a chance,” I say with tears in my eyes, “if this was your mate. What would you do?”

  They all look at me as darkness falls over their faces.

  “Theo,
if this was Gia. What would you do?” I ask.

  I see his jaw clench as he holds his tongue.

  “Sebastian, what if this was a female in your pack?” I ask.

  I see him clench his fists as he turns his eyes away from me.

  “Toshi,” I say breathlessly.

  “I get your point,” he says. “But we can’t go chasing ghosts.

  You’re wanted by the Council. They want to wipe you out.”

  “According to one person who came to us,” I say.

  “The Chief has never been wrong in his twelve hundred years of life,” Theo says. “There’s no reason for us to assume he’s wrong now.”

  “And twelve hundred years of right trumps your gut,” Sebastian says.

  “Or maybe you don’t like the idea of Kyle being alive because that means I’ll go running back to him instead of you,” I say, putting my hands on my hips. Sebastian didn’t protect Kyle on our wedding night. I can’t expect him to want Kyle to be alive.

  Sebastian lets out a rolling growl as his nostrils begin to flare.

  “I released you to him once, and I would have no issues doing it again. Not if it made you happy.”

  “Released me? I’m not your prisoner or your property, Sebastian,”

  I say. “But I think that’s why you don’t like this.”

  “No,” he says. “I don’t like it because I’m tired of watching you get hurt. For once, I would like to see the woman I love flourish.”

  His words hit me like a punch to my gut as Theo and Toshi turn their eyes toward him.

  “What did you say?” Toshi asks.

  “You heard me,” Sebastian says.

  “I love you, Clarissa.”

  From a force I don’t understand, I feel my entire body being knocked off balance as I go stumbling into the wall.

  The guys are on their feet, scrambling to get to me before I fall into the fire. Sebastian has me around my waist, and Toshi is behind me. Theo is reaching out for my cheek, and the three of them are staring at me.

  They are strong and protective. Each of them.

  “I need you guys to make me a promise,” I say breathlessly.

  “Anything,” Theo says.

  “Promise me that if Kyle is alive, we’ll do whatever it takes to get him back.”

  “And if he isn’t?” Sebastian asks.

  I raise my eyes to his as my knees grow weak. There’s something about his stare I can’t shake. About the way he grips my body that I can’t ignore.

  I love it.

  And yet, it feels wrong.

  “Then promise me you’ll do whatever you can to save me,” I say.

  “Because I’m not sure I can navigate this darkness on my own.”

  “That’s a promise I know I can keep,” Toshi says.

  “It’s a promise we all can keep,” Theo says.

  Chapter 31

  ~ General Tera

  “W hat do we do now, General Tera?” Chief asks. “What are we supposed to do with this?”

  “General, we need something,” Lord Wesley says.

  “I’m thinking,” I say.

  “Igo has been defeated, and his immediate warriors dispelled, but we know more is coming,” Chief says.

  “War is knocking on our doorstep, and this is proof of it,” Lord Wesley says.

  “I’m thinking!” I roar.

  My wing is still wounded from the attack by that abomination. She has to be wiped out, no matter what the prophecy says. Humans forever struggle with the idea that they are mortal. Finding ways to clone themselves and elongate life and beat the odds of death.

  But Primals are better than that. We walked this earth for thousands of years, ruling all of it before devolution took over.

  Before basic human form became the normalcy and Primals started dying off in droves.

  That is the natural course of our lives, and as Primals, we have to be able to accept that.

  But the Cats can’t, and now there is an abomination that walks among us. Something that cannot be tolerated no matter what some prophecy from an old Bear says. A disgusting creature that threatens the natural course of the Primals’ path. Yes, some species are dying out. Like the Wolves and the Deer. But there are still many that are flourishing. Like Opossums and Rats.

  And my species, Bats.

  The creature in the cage roars, rattling the structure that is supposed to keep it at bay. The metal bars of lead are supposed to be draining the creature of its energies, but for some reason, it is still taking its Primal form. Denting the lead bars every time it throws its body against them.

  “We need an answer, General,” Chief says.

  “For now, we keep this creature where it is. If there is a war coming, we could use this kind of strength on our side,” I say.

  “And what about this office?” Lord Wesley asks. “What do we do with all of this?”

  “I want the Council members to help us. It took us weeks to track down Igo’s headquarters after Doryu slaughtered him.”

  “That’s a Dragon for you,” Chief says.

  “Nevertheless, there is a lot here to comb through. And someone has to keep an eye on this creature,” I say.

  “At least you aren’t calling him an ‘abomination.’” Lord Wesley says.

  “Until we know what he is, we can’t be sure of anything. But we also can’t let word get out about him. Not with the ordeal we just went through. If they knew? If she knew?” I ask.

  “Our lips are sealed,” Chief says.

  “Good. I’m going to head back out to Igo’s main office. The two of you stay here and go through all these files. This chamber was hidden for a reason, and I don’t think the only reason is this thing.”

  I kick the crate and the creature snarls, his teeth gnashing at the bars. His claws are long and razor sharp, gleaming with intent to kill. His eyes are black as night, clouded with fury as he hunches over in the crate. There are wings like mine on him.

  Pieces of skin that attach his arms to his sides. And his smaller-than-normal paws mean he can creep. Silently and deadly, should he bust out of this crate.

  His strength must be unimaginable to be able to withstand the draining of the lead bars and still be in his Primal form.

  “General?”

  “Yes, Lord Wesley?”

  “You need to see this.”

  I grin down at the creature before walking away, watching him try to swipe out at me. I can see the scars on his face. On his sides and his back. I can see them marking his hind legs and all up his arms. There’s a small part of me that feels guilty for everything he has gone through. The unimaginable agony of recuperating from something that could deal those kinds of scars makes me shiver.

  It reassures me we did the right thing in allowing Doryu to kill Igo.

  Though it hasn’t put us in favor of the Cats recently.

  “What is that?” I ask.

  “The prophecy Chief keeps mentioning, but it’s elongated,” Lord Wesley says.

  “Elongated how?” I ask.

  I take the file from his hand and allow my eyes to scan the page.

  There’s a lot of fluffy language I don’t enjoy muddling through, and the chicken scratch is rough. It takes me a while to find what Lord Wesley is looking at, and when I find it my eyes widen.

  I slowly turn my head over to Chief and watch as he plucks a book from the shelf.

  “Did you know about this?” I ask.

  “Know about what?” Chief asks.

  “Stop playing stupid with me and answer!”

  I throw the file at him, and it hits him in the face. Chief turns to me, his eyes blacked out and his stature slowly climbing. I poise myself, ready to morph the second he decides to lunge at me. I know my weaknesses. I know I can’t take on a Bear.

  But I sure as hell can fly away from one.

  “Yes,” Chief says. “I know about the second part of the prophecy.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me about it?” I ask. “Where
does your loyalty really lie?”

  “With the Council, as always. But I will not hunt down a pregnant woman,” he says.

  “I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to destroy the abomination those Cats created so Primals can continue their natural course.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Lord Wesley says. “Bats are thriving now more than ever.”

  “And it isn’t my fault that the primitive anger of Wolves has led to your extinction,” I say. “But this experiment and all of its byproducts have to be eliminated.”

  “I’m not killing a child,” Chief says.

  “For all we know, that child will be a male. A sterile male. But this prophecy says this woman can procreate. That she will be pregnant when war comes around,” I say.

  “What if this is the natural path of the Primals?” Lord Wesley asks. “What if we have this all wrong?”

  “Anything that utilizes scientific intervention isn’t natural, Wolf.”

  “Then maybe you should change your definition of natural,” a voice says. “Because that robe you’re wearing? Definitely made of synthetic materials crafted by none other than science.”

  I slowly turn around and take stock of the man now sitting in the cage. His naked body is hunched, and scars cascade over his form.

  Thick layers of mangled tissue that cover his arms and his back and his legs. His face as a thick star trailing down from his left temple to the right side of his cheek.

  “And the creature becomes man,” Chief says.

  “Who are you?” I ask.

  “I’m pretty sure my nametag is on the crate,” he says.

  “You will answer me, or you will die,” I say.

  “I’m not so sure you can kill me. Especially since I’m pretty sure I can fly after you,” he says.

  I hear Lord Wesley chuckle behind me as I throw my hand back. I crack it against his cheek, and he growls at me, poising himself for a fight. Chief steps in front of us, and the man in the cage is laughing.

  I’m losing control of the situation. Of my bird’s eye point of view of everything that is happening. I know I’m right. Evolution is the natural progression of things, no matter what kind of science wants to intervene. Skin colors on humans and aesthetically-pleasing structures within Primals. It’s all based on evolution, and the only thing science does it stunt it.