by Gena D. Lutz
“It’s a challenge then,” she said in a tone that dripped with menace.
I didn’t waste time confirming her statement. I pushed back my thirst for blood along with my vampirism, and instead called forth my beast. My body shuddered as my muscles began to bend and reform. Before the pain could cripple me, a light flashed, the strong magic that made me into the creature I had been transformed into, taking from me the bother of pain and leaving me refreshed and energized as wolf.
The uneven base, from multiple footfalls touching the earth, beat against my enhanced hearing. The sound indicated several people’s fast approach.
“Ember, we have to help her,” Nathan’s frantic words rushed out.
I didn’t turn to look at him, just kept my gaze latched onto the werewolf in front of me. Nathan’s intoxicating scent, however, slammed into me like a Mac truck plowing through concrete dividers. It was filled with a heady mix of wildness, danger and passion. Most of all, it was spiked with fear for me. It took everything I had to shake off the relenting urge to run into the warmth and safety of Nathan’s arms; to hide behind his strength, love, and animalistic claim over me, to instantly obey his wolf’s unspoken call. But I wasn’t a victim, nor was I helpless any longer. Roxanne, human and timid doormat for any asshole who came into her life, died the day she woke up with a half gaping throat, on the hard, cold ground slicked with her own blood. Roxanne, Adelphi soldier and bond mate to a loving, burn your eyes into a pile of ash if you looked at him too long, sexy werewolf, was given a new start, an incredible chance at a new life that day. So I ignored my old instincts, the ones that coaxed me to run and hide, and instead embraced my new wilder, more empowering ones. Amongst all the background chatter, the predator in me zeroed in on her pray.
“Sylvia?” Ember questioned. “Is that you?”
The brown wolf flinched. She slowly looked over me to where Ember must have stood. A gut wrenching growl erupted from Sylvia’s throat, the sound so venomous that only true hatred could ever spawn it.
I saw my chance while she was distracted, and sprung.
Sylvia brought her claws down across my stomach. Not only did razor sharp nails slice through me, but so did excruciating pain. I had thought my final transition had been bad, but it paled in comparison to being clawed by a werewolf. I was knocked to the ground. I watched her through predatory eyes, waiting for her to attack again, but she hesitated. Her wolf was medium build and to my surprise, a lot smaller than mine. I pushed through the pain and pulled myself up on shaky legs. Sylvia had noticed our size difference as well, and by the way she slowly began to back away from me, her bushy tail tucked between her back haunches, I would guess she also realized that she was dealing with a white wolf as well; a fact that had slipped her notice before she decided to attack me, her hatred for Ember being that great. A low rumble shook my chest, and as I bared my fangs I sprung. The sound of her screeched whine echoed through my body as my teeth found the fur and flesh of her shoulder. After a couple jerks of my head, I pulled back to deliver another bite, this time with deadly intentions.
Collin’s barked order for me to halt came at the exact same time as my eager fangs were about to tear the flesh from the most vulnerable spot on any werewolf’s body, the neck. Blood poured down my forehead and pooled at my brow and eyelid, trickling down into the corner of my right eye. My first bite had almost severed her left leg completely off and the aftermath was all but blinding me. I didn’t give a rat’s ass about that though. I held my jaw still at the command of my Alpha, not letting my fangs sink into Sylvia’s throat any deeper. I wasn’t about to release the bitch just yet either.
“Well isn’t that cute? Roxanne went and caught herself a werewolf.” Ariel’s familiar voice chimed. “Our little ray of sunshine looks pretty crazed though. Who’s up for helping me get this trout off the hook?”
My wolf didn’t like to be mocked and she most certainly didn’t appreciate anyone coming between her and her pray. Fortunately, I had gained enough control over myself in this form to override her urge to bite anyone who tried to interfere.
I released my hold and eased back. By the time I was a few feet away, Collin, Ember, and Milo already had Sylvia surrounded. With the threat contained, I shifted back into my human form.
The main battle had apparently come to a very bloody end while I had been busy with Sylvia. All around me, tangled, lifeless, bodies lay in a disjointed mess across the ground. My own body still thrummed and pulsed with unspent adrenaline, the flush caused by a missed chance at a clean kill. I could almost picture the white she-wolf that occupied the space inside of me pacing back and forth in disappointment.
I almost flinched when Paige came to a running stop next to me and Nathan. Her facial expressions were frantic and she was so pale that she looked as if she might faint before she spoke the words clogged in her throat. She waved and pointed toward the burning building.
"My wolves are trapped in there!" she bellowed.
Harek was in the middle of shrugging the last of the battling vampires off of his shoulders, when he heard the scream of anguish from Paige. He quickly hunched down and grabbed the leach by the back of his head and chin. With one hard twist, the muscles in his arms flexed, as he decapitated the vampire with hardly any effort at all. After tossing the head aside, he stood and stared into the building that he had set to blaze only moments before.
"Are you certain that your people are still in there?" Harek asked Paige.
His fierce presence was a little disarming. On one hand, he looked like a raging berserker in the aftermath of rage with his blood drenched hands and body. On the other hand, there was something softer that emanated from him in the way he looked so concerned about Paige and her wolves.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the dragon and the blazing inferno that raged before us. Flames licked the toppling building, ingesting its bricks and mortar like a melting ice cream cone, decimating it one inch at a time. She reached up and grabbed the sides of her head and closed her eyes. Paige was about to lose her shit.
"Of course I'm sure." Her arms fell to her sides, dangling loosely in defeat as she watched the building crumble. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "Tyson took them for his experiments.”
I turned to Nathan. It was either the determined look I gave him or my quick intake of breath, or both, that tipped him off to the fact that I was about to do something very dangerous and maybe even monumentally stupid. But like most of the decisions I’d made recently, I had no choice but to act on them.
“I love you.” Those were the only words I was able to get out over the lump in my throat.
“What’s tumblin’ around in that head of yours, Rox?” he questioned, searching my eyes. He looked toward the burning building and froze. “No,” he whispered, his grip tightening on me.
I let my gaze fall on his beautiful lips for the briefest of moments. I found myself leaning in to brush a sweet kiss against them. I allowed myself to gaze deeply into Nathan’s richly hued brown eyes. All of my hopes and my future dreams of children and marriage to this man, the man I loved, played a sorrowful melody in the depths of their almond shape. It hummed a tune of what a future without death and danger and bloodshed could promise. But an Adelphi soldier’s life was one of uncertainties and obligation. I had to do whatever it took to save the wolves trapped in that building, even if it came at the cost of my own life.
“I love you too, baby,” he breathed.
“Thank you,” My head came down against his chest. “Ariel.” I called out the water nymph’s name as I lifted my head and took three steps around the man I loved.
“I’m right here, she-wolf,” she said a few feet away from me. “And after my little dip in the ocean, I’m good as new.” Ariel’s eyes swirled silver as she spread her pale blue lips into a smile.
“I’m here, too.” Tegan said, walking up to join us. Her purple spiked head came into view, along with the balls of water that swirled over the palms of her ou
tstretched hands. “Ready when you are.”
I smiled at them both, knowing that my chances of actually pulling this off had just gotten a whole lot better.
“I’m coming with you guys,” Paige informed us.
We moved to stand side by side in front of the far left corner of the building, uncomfortably close to the blaze, trying to decide on the best point of entry. Ariel had assured me that she could weave a protective water based bubble around the both of us. This bubble would protect me from the flames and also from smoke inhalation. The barrier could only extend out from her personal aura for about a dozen feet, so I had to stick really close to her so as not to “pop” it, leaving both Ariel and myself vulnerable to the ravenous element. This meant I didn’t know if she could even wrap her water bubble around Paige as well, or if she was even willing to try.
“Did you guys hear me? I’m following you in there if you like it or not,” she snapped.
“Alright, alright, calm down,” Tegan said, holding Paige’s intense stare. “You can come in with me. I just hope you don’t mind getting a little wet.”
“The wolves that I am responsible for are probably burning to death as we speak. Do you think I give a shit about getting water on my blouse?” Paige thundered.
“Look, I know you’re half out of your mind right now, Paige, but we are all trying to help you. So show a little more restraint with that mouth of yours,” I whipped back at her.
The tears that were only brimming at the rims of her lids slid down her cheek as her head tipped and she looked down. Shame marred her face and she sniffed.
“I’m sorry, you’re absolutely right. I should be thanking you guys not yelling at you,” she whispered, wiping tears from her cheek.
Her quickly spoken apology, and the obvious agony she was experiencing, made me feel like a real jerk for pointing out her bitchy attitude and also for reprimanding her for it. It was apparent she was under a lot of strain and only lashing out at us out of fear for her pack mates.
Tegan put a gentle hand on Paige’s shoulder, showing more sensitivity toward the she-wolf than I had. She gave it a comforting squeeze. “Why don’t we get our butts in there and save your pack?”
Paige nodded and placed her hand over Tegan’s. She gave it a small pat. “Thanks,” she said.
After that, we all came together. I stood in front of Ariel, and Paige took her place in front of Tegan. Energy began to build around me and I could feel it pushing against my back, almost knocking me forward. I stood firmly against it. After gritting my teeth against a persisting pounding, one reminiscent of an overzealous masseur, the pressure finally snapped as a water-laced sensation pushed its way through me, completely engulfing my entire body. We began to walk forward.
“If you even feel the slightest bit warm, you let me know, okay?” Ariel said.
I nodded and then took a step, and then another. I soon found myself completely inside of the burning building. Smoke and flames wrapped around the protective shields that Ariel had erected around us. The magic held strong against the deadly element. I let out a huge breathe. The first step of this mission was complete: being able to walk safely through the fire. On to the second part of the operation. I turned and walked to the left. I could see, through the smoke, tiny discolored lights. They flickered under the floor we were walking on. I blew out another breath.
“I can see that people are still here in the building, and their still alive,” I said, having to raise my voice over the roaring fire.
Yes. The bodies I sensed were still alive, but I didn’t know for how much longer. The way their lights were flickering in and out, threatening to black out for good, had me scared. I decided to keep that tidbit of information to myself.
“Where?” Paige asked. Her eyes grew wide in hope.
I pointed out in front of me and downward. “They are there. We just need to find our way to them.”
“Follow me,” Tegan said, stepping around Paige. “I can sense the presence of another water witch. I can easily follow her essence.”
“She is as weak as I thought she was,” Ariel nodded. “Makes her very easy to find indeed.”
Tegan smiled at her kindred element wielder. “It will make her easy to dispose of, too.” She chuckled.
Ariel winked, slightly nodded, and smiled at Tegan. “Now you…I like.”
We followed Tegan forward for about ten feet before we rounded a corner. If it weren’t for our combined heightened senses, it would have been near to impossible to find our way around the smoke filled room, but we had them and put them to good use. Eventually we came up to a door. It was halfway hidden behind a mahogany panel that used to serve as its camouflage. Tegan pushed it aside the rest of the way and kicked the actual door to the basement open. It flew wide with a crash into the inside wall.
“After you,” She said, swinging her arm out in a gesture for me to proceed.
Without hesitation, I began to descend.
Freaky Jason is not going to jump out and kill me, I kept repeating to myself over and over again. Yes, I’m a badass Adelphi she-wolf who just happens to be petrified of basements or any dark, damp, place notorious for harboring ghosts and monsters. It was crazy to think that I was one of those monsters now. But monster or not, just the thought of a hand lurking out from behind the stairs and grabbing my ankle had goose-bumps forming on my arms and behind my neck.
“There is no such thing as Freaky Jason,” I accidentally whispered out loud.
“What was that?” Ariel asked from behind me.
“Nothing,” I rushed out, too quickly to be believable.
Feminine chuckles mocked me from behind. I shook my head and ignored them. I didn’t care what they thought. My little mantra had always kept me safe in the past, so I was sticking with it.
I proceeded to place one boot in front of the other, until at last I found the ground. Relieved, I moved to the side so the rest of my group could finish descending the stairs. The smoke and fire hadn’t reached down here yet, but you could still smell the raging inferno from up above us. Before I could figure out what to do next, Paige tore off down a long corridor that I couldn’t see the end of because it curved off to the right. I took off after her. As I ran, I could hear terrified shouts and screams in the distance. The sound rang out louder the closer I got.
“What the hell is that?” Tegan questioned, her voice floating up from behind.
My head swung from left to right, trying to search out whatever she was talking about. When my eyes landed on a dark brown, lumpy, red stained burlap bag, I almost lost it. The stench of rotten meat rose from the bag, coating my nose and mouth. Whatever was inside of it had been dead for quite some time.
“Let’s keep moving,” I almost gagged out as I jogged by it.
The long, winding hallway finally came to an end as the passageway opened up into a large room. What I saw as I looked around the room made my stomach roll. The taste of bile crept up my throat and I had to stop myself from lurching forward to empty the contents of my stomach. Paige was on the floor in tears, holding in her lap the mutilated body of a woman. The corpse had the same shade of dark brown hair as Paige and also bore the same striking high cheek bones and straight nose. It was obvious that the woman wasn’t just a pack mate to her, but was also a blood relative. Judging by their many similarities in feature, the young woman was of close relation as well. My heart burned for her. The anguish and despair that she must be feeling had to be crippling. I wanted to go to her, but the cries of the still living werewolves in the next room called to me. I couldn’t save the poor woman cradled in Paige’s arms, but I could try and save the others.
“Go. I will stay with her,” Tegan said, nudging for me to leave. “I have faith that you and Ariel can handle anything down here. As soon as she is able,” Tegan began, gesturing with a jerk of her head to Paige, “we will follow you. Don’t let anyone else die tonight…besides our enemy.”
I reached over and gave Tegan’s arm a squeeze. I
was incredibly thankful for her help. After one last gaze at Paige, Ariel and I took off farther down the passageway. We followed the terrified screams of pain that coated the air like a cruel and unjust compass. I would make whoever was wrenching the squeals from those poor suffering creatures pay in a very grievous way.
***
Heart thudding, I came to a screeching halt in the next and final room of the basement. This larger room was unlike the first in more than just size. The first one had been empty except for the dead bodies left strewn on the floor. This one was filled with objects and furnishings, forming two separate areas. One area had square cages, stacked two high against the far left wall. There were unmade beds and couches placed, without a real plan in functional design other than to separate the two spaces, all around. I made the mistake of taking a deep breath of air. My hand flew to my nose, trying to block out the rank smell of the beds. They smelled strongly of spent semen and blood. I wouldn’t let myself think how the odors had gotten there. The adjoining section was filled with clinical machines and tables that took up all of the useable space in that half of the room. On the cold, metal tables, wolves were strapped down and unconscious with tubes running to several parts of their bodies.
The screams dimmed as we entered the room. The sounds had been coming from the cages stacked up against the wall. My feet felt like leaded weights as I walked over to the enclosures. I could smell burnt flesh and unwashed bodies as I neared.
“Are you here to help us?” A man’s strangled voice rang out from one of the boxes.
He stuck his hand through the bars in front of his prison; the sides, top, and back were fully enclosed. His skin sizzled and smoked on contact. The bars were made of silver, and most likely so was the entire cage surrounding him. It was a prison built out of acid to a werewolf, but the silver box wasn’t shit to this hybrid wolf. I could touch the stuff all day long. This is where my immunity to silver was going to pay off in spades.