Willow (Blood Vine Series)

by Amy Richie

  Gage smiled and shook his head. “That may work in some fights, but your eagerness shows your youth.”

  Rueben shrugged cockily. “There is nothing wrong with youth,” he sneered.

  In a flash, Gage morphed and pounced on Rueben, knocking him to the ground before he even knew what was going on. I jumped to my feet. Even if Rueben did irritate me, I didn’t want Gage to hurt him. A thin line of bright red blood appeared on his neck but Gage let him up, otherwise unharmed.

  “Youth suggests inexperience,” Gage snarled, once more on two legs.

  Rueben blinked rapidly and scrambled to his feet. “You could have just said … ” he grumbled hoarsely. He wiped frantically at the blood on his neck.

  I was furious but stayed in my wolf form. I had told them to listen to what Gage had to say so I had to follow that advice myself. I breathed in deeply, making my nostrils flare out.

  Gage looked my way with a dark glare. The look shocked me, sucking out all the anger I had just felt. Was he angry with me? Or was he angry with Rueben? Maybe now he wouldn’t teach any of us. I settled back uncomfortably under the tree, watching Gage.

  “So what do we need to learn about our enemy?” Jed asked carefully.

  “If they are young,” Gage answered immediately, “their weaknesses, and what is important to them.”

  The boys were all silent as they watched Gage pace back and forth in front of them. Gone were their eager looks of wanting to learn. It was more serious now that he had drawn first blood.

  I cringed further down into the ground when Gage had Jed morph so they could have one on one combat. Within seconds Jed was limping back to the group, defeated. Why was Gage being so cruel? He was supposed to be helping them, not trying to humiliate them.

  I crept forward when it was Rueben’s turn, almost unable to stop myself from stepping between the two. Rueben, of course, didn’t stand a chance. Gage left a long gash across his muzzle, leaving his dark brown fur streaked red.

  I sprung to my feet, my loyalty going unrepentantly to Rueben. “He’s fine,” Gage said tightly.

  I couldn’t answer in my wolf form. I wouldn’t have been able to answer anyways. With a small growl, I ran as quickly as possible to get away from the disturbing scene in the clearing.

  Chapter Sixteen

  X-Rated

  I was glad that none of the boys followed me, including Gage. I tried to not be mad at him but the scene from the clearing kept playing in my mind as my stride lengthened and carried me further from my pack.

  What was Gage out to prove anyways? That he was stronger than us? Smarter than us? Could fight better? We already knew that. That’s why we wanted him to teach us to fight. It wasn’t just so he could humiliate us.

  I changed back to my human self when I cleared the trees. Even if someone saw me, it was better they saw a girl with torn clothing rather than a huge reddish colored wolf.

  I ended up on a hillside that overlooked a large farm. From my vantage point I could see the neat little rows of fields and the white house situated perfectly in the middle. I wondered dejectedly about the family that lived there. They were probably completely normal. I could just picture them all gathering around their large wooden table for supper. They would definitely talk about school and football practice.

  I sank down to the ground and pulled my knees close to my chest. My thoughts drifted unwillingly to Ivy and Bella. They were the only family I had ever known. When we were little Bella tried to make things normal for us. We never sat around a table to eat but she did try - for us.

  I didn’t even try to wipe away my tears as they streamed down my face. It wasn’t fair. Was being normal too much to ask for? I had never wanted to be a wolf and now I was a leader.

  Even though I was an unwilling leader I recognized what was happening to me. In less than a week they had become MY pack. I was starting to think of myself as one of them. I had to remember that Ivy was coming to take over the pack as soon as she was of age.

  A rage started low in my stomach at the thought of someone taking over my pack. The feeling surprised me. I blinked rapidly, trying to squash the rage inside me.

  I felt the whoosh of the air next to me as someone else joined me on the hill. “People are going to wonder what happened to us if they see us sitting up here with torn clothes.”

  “Then go away.”

  “They’ll probably just think we had hot and wild … ”

  “Jed!”

  His eyes widened in mock innocence, making us both laugh. “Why are you out here crying?” he asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

  “I … ” I sighed, letting my shoulders droop over my knees. “Did he hurt you?”

  I heard his scoff and when I looked up at him he was shaking his head. “Not really.”

  “But a little?”

  “He’s trying to help.”

  “He didn’t have to be so rough.”

  “Wasn’t it your idea for him to teach us?”

  My eyes stung with fresh tears. “Yeah.”

  “Hey.” His tone softened when he saw more tears. He pulled me into a one armed embrace.

  “I just … I don’t know what I’m doing.” I kept my face hidden in his chest when I heard footsteps approaching. Why couldn’t I just have a meltdown by myself?

  “Rueben is a cocky bastard,” Steven announced before he plopped heavily on the ground beside me.

  “I know,” I replied in a small voice.

  “It was always assumed that Rueben would be the alpha,” Jed said quietly.

  “Did Noreen make him the alpha?” I sat up again, but didn’t look at Steven.

  “She didn’t have the chance to, but we all knew it would be him.”

  “He knew it, too,” Steven added.

  “After Noreen was gone, Rueben just sort of took over the pack. We needed someone to lead us.” It was strange to think of a male as a leader but I kept quiet. I plucked out the grass by my feet; one blade at a time.

  “When we were told that we were getting a new leader - a real leader - we were all relieved. And when we learned that it was a teenage girl who would become our leader Rueben became overly confident. Teenage girls are his specialty.”

  Steven picked up the story when Jed fell silent. “Everyone just thought Rueben would be alpha, but it didn’t turn out like that.”

  “You picked Gage.”

  “Gage isn’t even part of the pack. He can’t be alpha.”

  “He could be if he wanted to, though; part of the pack I mean.”

  “We already have seven.”

  “Noreen said that packs can be as little as three or as large as twelve.”

  “Yeah but … it’s not common … and besides … ” I squinted my eyes as the possibility of Gage joining our pack flittered across my imagination. “We’re all just a bunch of teenagers to him. He’s just here for … ”

  “To train us?”

  “Maybe,” I was shaking my head though, “but I think mostly just for protection.”

  “To protect the pack.”

  “I don’t think that’s it.”

  “Then why?”

  I remembered when Blake had first brought me to meet Gage. He had said that Gage would protect me and not let the pack hurt me. “I think he’s here to protect me from you guys.”

  “We would never hurt you,” both boys said immediately.

  “I know. We weren’t sure at first, though. You’re so young and I’m young. I think Blake might have thought you wouldn’t take well to me trying to be your leader.” I looked out at the setting sun. “Because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

  We all sat silent. I thought of all that had happened in just five days. A whole lifetime, it seemed.

  “Gage knows what he’s doing. You know that?” I nodded my head and leaned back against Jed’s chest. “He’s not going to hurt us. He was sent to help; so he is.”

  “I asked him to.” I looked over at Steven. He wore his usual calm,
almost bored expression.

  He shrugged. “We need it. We think we’re invincible but we’re not.” A look passed between him and Jed.

  “If Mikhaul comes here for you, we need to be ready,” Jed added. His heartbeat against my ear quickened.

  “If he comes here … ” I sat up straight, my eyes wide. “You guys can’t fight him.”

  “Not yet.”

  “But we will.”

  “That’s not why … ” but I stopped myself from saying something I wasn’t sure about. Why did I want the boys to know how to fight?

  “We should get back,” Steven suggested.

  I was surprised the others hadn’t come to check on me already. Jed, Steven, and I ran at an easy pace back to the clearing. I tried to keep my thoughts empty. The others would be able to hear me in my wolf form. I didn’t want them to hear any stray thoughts, especially Gage.

  Jed and Steven quickly rejoined the group that was hanging on Gage’s every word. “You have to be careful about when you morph,” he was saying. He glanced up at me, but I refused to hold his eye contact. I found my spot under the large tree and settled myself on the ground. I intended to stay and watch this time, no matter what happened.

  “Shouldn’t we already be wolves?” Rodney asked.

  “Not necessarily.” His tone seemed more patient at least. “If the pack is larger or stronger you want to go in as men. They are less likely to attack, they’ll feel less threatened.”

  The boys murmured their agreement. “Won’t they know what we are though,” Rodney persisted, “and attack anyway? We’d be able to defend ourselves as wolves.”

  “For one, you are very young. They wouldn’t be able to tell you are wolves just by your scent unless you lose control of yourselves. Willow tells me you have excellent control.” Several smiles flashed my way.

  “Secondly,” Gage continued, “you need to learn to morph quickly. Control is key so I don’t think you guys will have any trouble.”

  “How fast can you morph?” Jed asked excitedly.

  Gage smiled. “Quick.” He took a step forward and suddenly he blurred down to all fours. Just as quickly he was back on two feet, his clothes completely unharmed. I was sure that my face must have looked a lot like the boys’ - awe and a little fear. Were there others as fast as Gage? “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

  “You think we’ll ever be that fast?”

  “I have complete confidence in you Rueben.” He gave his head a confident nod, his black hair falling in his face.

  Gage didn’t look any older than Rueben but in that moment I could plainly see the age difference between the two. I felt far away from Gage, like he was walking down a different path than I was and those paths could never join. I felt a sudden need to reach out to him, to brush his hair back from his face.

  As if sensing my mood shift, Gage turned his gaze to me. There was no more anger in his expression, only the ancient sadness that I had seen before. I sighed softly and let my head fall to rest between my paws.

  “Let’s practice.” Gage smacked his two hands together. “Who’s first?”

  I perked my head up eagerly. I pulled the heat into my spine and stood up to face Gage. “I am.”

  His eyes narrowed dangerously. Without all the facial hair, the expression was almost cute. “I’m not fighting you,” he said through barely moving lips.

  “I didn’t ask you to fight me.” I moved to put myself almost in front of him, but I was conscious of the boys behind me. Who knew what was left of my jeans. “I want to morph faster. I’m tired of being X-rated.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Unfortunate Injury

  Gage didn’t relax his stance but I saw the muscles in his jaw and temples working. Someone behind me snickered but I didn’t turn around to see who it was.

  I saw his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed thickly. “It comes with time,” he said slowly. He put his hand up to cover his chin, rubbing the bare spot. “Fine,” he said at length, “but I’m not taking it easy on you.”

  As I watched him stalk away from me I had to try to tone down my eager smile. I flashed a grin to the boys behind me who smiled instantly, despite the wariness in their eyes.

  “As I said before,” Gage called me to attention, “it’s about control. Find something you feel strongly about,” he shifted his gaze to include the boys, “like your female.” His expression changed suddenly; I felt a chill across my skin at the evilness I saw in him. I took an instinctive step back, but in a flash I was knocked to the ground by a huge black wolf. I screamed in surprise, this was no playful attack, but Gage didn’t so much as graze my skin with teeth or claws.

  He was knocked off of me by a much smaller grey wolf - Jed. I flipped over to my stomach just in time to see Gage sink his teeth into Jed’s side. Jed yelped and half fell to the ground. In an instant of rage I was morphed before I even felt the heat.

  I got to Gage before any of the others. Without even thinking I jumped onto his massive back, biting down on the back of his neck. He arched back and knocked me to the ground. I felt a sharp rock, or maybe it was a stick, go into my back where I fell hard. Gage turned on me with a ferocious snarl.

  The others were on him before he could react but I saw the shock in his grey eyes when he saw me on the ground. I awkwardly got back on my feet. “It’s ok, I’m fine,” I told them in my wolf voice. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. “Morph back.” Gage was staring at me with anxious eyes. It was clear he hadn’t meant to hurt me. “Everyone morph back.”

  I painfully changed back. The pain in my shoulder was much worse in my human form. I cringed when Jed pulled back a flap of my torn shirt to reveal a huge gash in my shoulder. “Ow,” I gasped. I was afraid I would pass out when the blood ran down my back and stained the top of my jeans.

  The worst injury I’d ever had was when I was eight. Ivy had wanted a perfect red apple on the highest branch of the apple tree that grew out back. I had no trouble getting up there to get the apple, it was getting back down that proved difficult. I ended up with a broken arm; the apple clutched tightly in my hand.

  “We need to get you home,” Jed said solemnly. He looked way too white to be normal.

  I was suddenly acutely aware of everyone around me. Jed, of course, was right beside me and the other five formed a barricade around me. A barricade to keep Gage away. Gage stood very still a few feet from everyone else. His wide eyes stayed locked on me but wouldn’t meet my eyes.

  “Gage?” I tried to laugh.

  He still stood very still, he might not have even been breathing. “Get her home,” he barely whispered.

  “It’s just a scratch, I’ll be healed by the time we get there.” My shoulder throbbed painfully but I wasn’t going to admit that to them. “Gage?”

  He looked up and for a brief moment I saw the depth of emotion in his eyes. The guilt I saw there took my breath away.

  I sagged heavily against Jed, who collected me up in his arms like I was five years old and had fallen on the playground. We moved swiftly through the woods back to the cabin in the fading light from the sun. It was dusk by now, the time of the evening when people’s eyes play tricks on them and shadows turned into monsters. No one said anything the entire way, but I couldn’t be sure if that was because they were wolves or if they were just worried.

  My shoulder was not healed when we reached the cabin as I’d predicted but it had stopped bleeding. Jed put me down in front of the door and a bright yellow light flooded down on us. As soon as I was back on my feet I wanted to go in and change but Jed protested loudly.

  “I’ll come in with you,” he proclaimed, “and make sure you’re okay.”

  I shook my head and backed towards the door. Rueben’s hand shot out to grasp my arm. “Someone needs to help you.”

  “I got it.”

  “You can’t even see your shoulder. You don’t know how bad it looks.” Steven’s voice wasn’t as composed as it normally was.

  “It was just an a
ccident,” I assured them.

  “It should never have happened,” Jed’s brows knitted together with his scowl.

  “He was just trying … ”

  “No, Willow,” I was cut off by Rueben, “we should have protected you.” Colby’s eyes glistened and he shook his head from side to side.

  I was glad to see that they were all back to human form but I didn’t like their self-imposed guilt. I had asked Gage to teach me. He had warned me that he wasn’t taking it easy on me. This wasn’t anyone’s fault but my own. Besides, I was fine.

  “Hello?” We all stiffened at the sound of a female voice. “Hello?” she called again. I was shocked when Carlie came walking from the woods. “Hey guys,” she said happily when she spotted us. Her pace slowed when no one answered her. “What’s going on?”

  “Carlie,” I choked out. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was just taking a walk. I usually do every night.”

  “Clear out here?” I couldn’t stop the suspicion from creeping into my voice.

  “I don’t live far from here.” She smiled brightly and took a few steps closer to us. Then she really seemed to see me for the first time. “Willow, what happened to you?”

  “I … um … I … ”

  “She fell,” Rueben cut in before I could make up a completely unbelievable lie. “She fell down the hill and something got her shoulder.”

  Well, something did get my shoulder. “I’m fine though,” I quickly added. “I just need to wash up.” I pushed my shoulder up to give her a view of my blood soaked back. I heard her sharp intake of breath and quickly turned back away.

  “You need to go to the hospital,” she said with wide eyes.

  “No.” I softened my tone with a smile. “It looks way worse than it is … really.”

  “Let me see it again.” She stepped forward but Rueben put himself between us.

  “I can walk you home, Carlie,” he offered, “while Willow cleans up.” When he smiled, the look in her eyes told me she had forgotten about my shoulder. He expertly guided her back towards where she’d come from.

  “How did I not know she lived near here?” I complained as I watched them go.