by Cheree Alsop
“Zev.”
My heart skipped a beat. I turned slowly back to Ceren. “Do you remember me?” It was more than I dared to hope for.
She nodded. “I…I….” She let out a breath as though even speaking took more effort than she could spare. When she motioned for me to come closer, I couldn’t refuse her.
“Yes, Ceren?” I whispered.
She shook her head and motioned again. I bent down until I was leaning close enough to smell her lemon and rose scent. The smell made me want to close my eyes and stay there forever.
“Zev.”
Her hand lifted from the bed and touched my cheek. Tears filled her eyes and a smile touched her lips. “Thank you,” she said.
She pulled my face down gently and pressed her lips against mine. I froze, caught off guard by the kiss. Then, as her lips lingered softly on mine, I felt myself kissing her back. My eyes closed and for that brief moment, we were just a girl and boy sharing a kiss earned by pain, by sadness, by laughter, and by surviving together. When she finally settled back, I lifted my head with the knowledge that it was the most innocent, sweet, pure thing I had ever experienced in my life.
“Thank you, Zev,” she whispered. “Thank you so very much.”
I squeezed her hand gently. “Take care of yourself,” I told her.
She nodded as a tear trickled down her cheek. “I will.”
The door opened. “Zev, we’ve got to go,” Virgo whispered loudly.
I turned to leave, but fingers grabbed mine. I looked back down at Ceren.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked.
Touched that she was worried about me after all she had been through, I nodded. “Definitely.”
She smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Her fingers slid from mine and her eyes closed tiredly.
“Take care of yourself, Ceren,” I whispered. I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You are an amazing person.”
“You are, too,” she whispered back.
When I stepped into the hall, Virgo grabbed my arm and steered me down the closest hallway. I glanced back just in time to see Ceren’s brother leave the room. My breath caught in my throat and I hurried after the warlock.
“I’m sorry she didn’t recognize you,” he said when we were two more halls down and headed toward the exit. “That must have been hard.”
I fought back a smile and said, “I’m just glad to see that she’s alright.”
He patted my shoulder. “That’s the spirit. I’m glad we came.”
“Me, too,” I said.
Virgo’s steps slowed before he reached the door. He looked outside, then glanced back at me. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” I replied.
“How much do you trust me?”
I studied the warlock, confused by the question. “More than anyone else in this world,” I answered honestly.
“I’m glad you said that,” he replied.
He pulled something out from beneath his jacket. I found myself staring down the barrel of a small gun.
“Virgo, what’s going on?” I asked.
“Remember that trust,” the warlock said. “This is for both of us.”
He squeezed the trigger. Something hit the center of my chest hard enough to knock me back a step. I looked down to see a dart protruding from my shirt.
“Virgo…what….” My voice slurred.
I stumbled against the wall and fought to remain standing.
“I found us a new job,” the warlock said. He shoved the gun behind his waistband.
“Job?” My thoughts were hazy enough that I could only repeat the one word.
Virgo nodded. “A job fighting paranormal demons. You know, the kind you’re good at.” He shook his head at my widening eyes. “Don’t give me that look. We both need some direction in this world or we’re going to go crazy. You said so yourself.” He ducked under my arm and gave a little wave at a nurse who shot us a questioning glance. “He’s just had too much to drink,” he told her.
“Better get that pretty boy home to bed,” she replied.
“On our way,” Virgo said.
“Gun,” I forced out.
“Oh,” the warlock replied. He pulled open the door. I tried to stop him, but my strength was gone. “It was one of their requirements. Apparently, they’re suspicious of werewolves.”
A black van pulled up. The closest window rolled down to reveal a man in a gray mask that showed only his dark green eyes.
“This is him,” Virgo said.
I could only watch as several other men in masks climbed out, grabbed me, and threw me in the back. Another man shoved a bag over my head and then fastened handcuffs around my wrists. The impartial voice in the back of my mind noted that he smelled like sauerkraut.
“Take it easy,” Virgo called out. “He’s had a rough day.”
I closed my eyes with the thought that I needed to be more careful who I trusted.
The Wolfborne Saga
Book 5- Demon Crew
By Cheree Alsop
Chapter One
“A werewolf in chains is far more trustworthy than one without them.”
“Putting your trust in the chains sounds like a life-shortening idea to me.”
“It’s still better than the key you’re holding. I’m just saying.”
“And if that rukya breaks in here, what then?”
The bickering between the two women I had listened to for over an hour was interrupted by a tearing sound like two giant pieces of Velcro ripped apart.
“Unlock him,” the first woman said in a tight voice.
The moment my wrists were free, I pulled the bag from my head. The smell of the previous inhabitant’s onion-laced sandwich breath had been stifling. Both women eyed me uncertainly from the side of the room furthest from the door.
“What’s a rukya?” I asked.
The woman who held the key said, “An angry class three demon with a liking for disemboweling women.”
I glanced at the door. Something growled on the other side.
“Why is there a demon here?” I asked as I placed myself between the door and the women.
The second, shorter woman replied, “It was caged for testing. It must have escaped. If it gets in here, we’re in trouble.”
A faint but distinct smell of wet cat touched my nose. I glanced back at the women. Both looked frightened enough to let me know that the threat was real, but something felt off, something I couldn’t place my finger on.
The sound of claws sinking into the door was followed by the ear-splitting shriek of the frame as it was pulled completely away. A massive, hairy, beady-eyed beast shoved his head in the windowless room. His gaze roamed from me to the women behind me. His black eyes narrowed and he took a step inside.
I settled into a defensive stance. “Back off if you know what’s good for you,” I warned him.
Use the women as bait. Save yourself.
A shudder ran through me at the familiar voice of my vampire Master.
One werewolf is worth a hundred human lives; use them to escape.
My hands closed into fists. The rukya scraped his claws down the wall, leaving deep gouges.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” the first woman said in a voice that trembled with fear.
I glanced around the room for any weapons, but it was completely bare.
“Throw me the handcuffs,” I ordered without taking my eyes from the demon.
The jangle of metal followed. I tracked the cuffs through the air by sound. I stepped just far enough to the right to catch them. They were paltry weapons compared to the monster that faced us. His mouth split into a fanged grin of anticipation as if he read my thoughts. I shoved the cuffs into my pocket.
The demon stepped completely into the room. His hulking form towered above us. Only a tattered loin cloth kept him from being naked; the creature’s thick hide made anything else unnecessary. Killing him wasn’t going to be easy.
> Something caught the corner of my eye. I glanced to the left to see the shorter woman draw a nightstick from her belt. It reflected the light of the room.
“Give me that,” I said.
Her eyes widened and she looked at her companion. “But it’s made of silver.”
Relief that it would at least be useful against the demon was countered by how much that use was going to hurt.
“Toss it over,” I told her.
She threw it end over end just as the demon charged. The sight of the wide-open door behind him was tempting.
Use your opportunity, my Master’s voice bid me. Leave them to their fate. Save yourself.
The taller woman let out a shriek of terror. I caught the club out of the air and leaped onto the demon’s back when he thundered past. He clawed at me and managed to snag my arm. The rukya threw me into a wall. My breath left in a rush when I hit the floor. I pushed up to my hands and knees in time to see him reach for the shorter woman.
I scooped up the nightstick. It burned my palm with enough bite to let me know it was coated in pure silver. The demon picked up the shorter woman in his clawed hand and held her against the wall. He raised his other hand to slice her stomach. The taller woman hit him with her club, but the demon barely registered any pain at the attack.
I pulled the handcuffs from my pocket and leaped onto his back again. Just as he brought down his clawed hand, I slipped one end of the nightstick through the handcuffs, shoved the club around his throat, and forced the other cuff around his neck and onto the far end of the stick.
The creature gave a sound of surprised that choked off at the pressure. He dropped the woman and stumbled back several feet, clawing at his throat. Though his claws cut deep gouges into his skin, he couldn’t damage the silver club.
I jumped off before he slammed his back against the far wall. Placing myself between the demon and the women once more, I watched the creature’s failed attempts to remove the club. He fell to his knees, then to his face. The last of his breath gurgled through his restricted throat. His eyes bulged and his hands convulsed on the floor. He made one last attempt to reach the women with an outstretched claw.
“You’re finished,” I told him in a growl.
His hand fell to the ground, twitched once, and became still.
Both women kept behind me. The sounds of their shaking breaths and racing heartbeats were loud in the room. The sulfur scent of the dead demon filled the small area with a putrid stench that set my teeth on edge. If I was in wolf form, it would have been overwhelming.
“Well done.”
The wall to my right became translucent. At least a dozen men and women in a variety of uniforms watched from the room beyond. I took a step back.
“What is this?” I demanded.
A man with hair caught back in a salt and pepper ponytail lowered the arms he had crossed in front of his chest. His nametag displayed on a uniform beneath a dozen honors read ‘Captain Roarsh’.
“A test,” he said. “And you passed.”
“You almost got us killed!” one of the women behind me shouted. “I didn’t volunteer for this!”
“Yes, you did,” the man with the ponytail replied in a level tone. “Go to Janrel for debriefing.”
A glance behind me showed both women responding with reluctant salutes.
“Yes, Captain,” the taller woman said sullenly.
“Right away, Captain,” the shorter one echoed. Her gaze shifted to me. The red marks where the demon had held her by the throat showed angrily against her pale skin. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
I nodded. Both women left the room. The sound of their nearly synchronized footsteps faded down the hall.
“Completely unexpected,” someone said from the other side of the window.
“Quite the show,” a woman’s voice agreed. “We’ll have to reevaluate.”
I turned my gaze back to the clear wall. My eyes met those of the Captain. He gave a short nod.
“Thank you for your time,” he said to those around him. “We’ll discuss this later.”
The others filed out at his dismissal.
Red burned at the edges of my vision in time to the throbbing of my palms. A secondary pain called for my attention. I put my hand to my side and felt the heat emanating from it. I hoped the stitches hadn’t torn through. I lowered my hand, unwilling to show a weakness to the man who watched me with an unreadable steel blue gaze.
“That was a test?” I couldn’t help the rage that flooded out through my tone. “Are you kidding me?”
The man merely shook his head. “We had to know. It’s not often that we let werewolves into our compound.”
I spoke through tightly gritted teeth, “I didn’t ask to be let in here.”
His gaze lightened with humor. “So I recall. I can’t blame you for your reaction. To be fair, the rukya was a bit feistier than expected.”
I could see the outline of its body in the reflection of the window between me and the Captain. “And now it’s dead,” I said shortly.
His eyebrows rose. “Do you regret killing it?”
I thought of my answer before I replied, “I regret that something had to die to prove whatever it is I proved to you.”
“Even a demon?” he crossed his arms again and regarded me as if I was a curious specimen beneath a microscope.
I fought back the urge to shuffle my feet under his scrutiny and instead crossed my arms and regarded him back. “Even a demon,” I said steadily.
“Interesting,” he replied.
I clenched my hands into fists. My burned palms helped me center myself. I sucked in a breath through my nose and let it out slowly. Smothering all of the sarcastic, witty remarks that would probably get me thrown somewhere worse than the bare room, I said, “Is that all, Captain?”
He gave a soft snort. His expression didn’t show it, which I had to give him credit for, but the sound that reached my ears told me I had caught him by surprise.
“Yes.” He lowered his hands. “That is all. You will be introduced to your team shortly.”
“My team?” I repeated.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he walked from his room and left me standing there with the foul presence of the demon’s body as my only company.
I made sure no one was around before I checked my side. As sore as it was, only about a quarter-sized spot of blood showed through Alia’s bandaging. I smoothed my shirt back down and surveyed my hands. Both palms were burned; the right was worse than the left. The bubbling skin had broken open and clear fluid coated the fresh skin beneath. It was nothing a little moonlight couldn’t fix; I just wished I knew when I would have the opportunity to use it.
Familiar footsteps reached my ears. My stomach twisted into a brick of uncertainty that made me almost nauseous. Uncertainty wasn’t an emotion I was used to. At the Lair, at least I had known exactly where I stood. Since I had left, my world had turned entirely upside down.
Yet there was nothing that could have prepared me for where I now found myself. I felt entirely out of control, and there was only one person to be blamed for that.
I schooled my face to be expressionless by the time Virgo peered into the destroyed doorway.
“Wow. They said the rukya had been mad, but this is a little extreme.” The warlock gave a forced laugh. He met my gaze and his smile immediately faded. “I’m sorry, Zev.”
I didn’t know what to say. We had gone together to the hospital to make sure Ceren was alright after we rescued her. On our way out, the one person I had trusted most in this strange human world had pulled a gun on me. The tranquilizer dart, being hooded and cuffed, and then set up to fight some demon creature as a test didn’t exactly bode well for the trust I had put in him.
“I’m out of here,” I told the warlock.
Virgo’s mouth fell open. “But you got accepted on the team! I just….” His eyes lowered. “I honestly didn’t think it’d be trial by fire like that. I would have given you a
head’s up.”
“Before or after shooting me with a tranquilizer?” I asked, my tone cold.
I walked past him out the door before he could answer.
“Zev, wait!” he said.
I listened for the sound of his footsteps to follow me down the hall, but they didn’t. I had no idea where I was going; only the thought of getting as far away from the compound as possible drove me onward. I turned the next corner and stopped short.
“Where are you going?” asked a man with two guns already pointed at my chest.
Three women in uniforms stood behind him with similar weapons raised.
A glance up showed the dome of a camera on the ceiling.
I held up my hands slowly. “I’m leaving,” I said. “I’m not dangerous.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not so sure about that. You don’t get to walk out of here.”
I lowered my hands with the realization that surrendering wasn’t going to be in my best interest. I debated whether I could phase fast enough to take them out before their bullets hit me. At that point, I almost didn’t care. What was a little more pain?
My plan was to throw myself to the right and phase before my paws hit the ground. It would be a quick push, a strain on my body for sure, but not impossible even during the day. If I timed it just right—
Four darts hit me in the center of the chest. I sucked in a breath of surprise and leaned against the wall. My legs refused to hold me up.
“Why…,” was the only word I managed to get out before my tongue stopped responding. I sank to my knees.
“Orders,” the man said.
He sheathed his gun. Two of the women kept theirs trained on me. I had to give the Captain credit. He didn’t underestimate the strength and determination of a werewolf.
The man and the woman who had sheathed their guns ducked under my arms.
“This is nothing personal,” the woman said.
My head lolled forward and my mind went dark while wondering whether that was supposed to make me feel better or worse.
I came to with my hands chained over my head and wearing another bag. Flashbacks hit me so hard I couldn’t decide which was real and what came from my past. Scents of heated iron, pain, blood, and the burnt wood smell of fear tangled in my nose. Howls from other werewolves made my ears ring. I was no stranger to the Room of Retribution, but I had never had my vision taken away. I could only imagine what sort of punishment or slow, painful death would come with it. I wasn’t ready to die.