“I’m so sorry," was all I could think to say. We were helpless, held captive by the hunters, and we both knew it.
"Why are you sorry?" Maddox asked.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at him as if he'd gone mad. "It's my fault you're in here. I ran off like an immature child, and you came after me." I hoped he'd find a way to forgive me. If we ever made it out of this place alive, I would listen better. I promised.
Maddox shook his head and closed the distance between us. "Elle, this isn't your fault. Yes, I came after you that night, but not for the reasons everyone thinks. I thought you were with Asher and I wanted you to come to me, rather than go with him" he said, looking down at the cold ground.
His words repeated in my mind and I felt so selfish at that moment. Maddox was my best friend, but I'd been spending so much time with Asher I'd hurt him. He'd simply wanted me to confide in him and run to him like I always had.
"Maddox, a lots changed between us since I became a shifter, but we're still friends. We'll always be friends. Asher's important to me-you are too, just in a different way," I said, trying to get him to understand. "I love you, Maddox."
"I know you do," he said. "I love you too, Elle. I just,” Before he could finish his thought, the door swung quickly open and Macon appeared in the doorway, grinning as he took us in. "Well, it looks like both our animals are awake," he said, in a voice that terrified me.
I coiled against Maddox, the weight of my chains digging into my skin, piercing it with its rough edges. I winced at the pain and fear I felt.
"Let us go," Maddox said with venom, as Macon continued to survey us.
"Shut up, dog," Macon said.
“I’m not a dog," Maddox said, through gritted teeth.
There were footsteps behind him. My body tensed as a shadow emerged. Sutton appeared behind Macon, stepping into the dim light of the basement. "You two will be just what I need to end the shifters." He laughed as he looked from me to Maddox.
My eyes grew wide, and I began to tremble. Sutton was supposed to have been with Asher. I didn't want to admit I'd put both of the boys I cared about in danger.
Sutton eyed me having noticed my shock at his arrival. "What, are you surprised to see me?" he asked, with a wicked grin.
Macon walked over to me and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and I shuddered at his touch. Bile rose in my stomach, and I felt as if I might vomit. I tried to move my head away from his hand, but his touch on me lingered. I closed my eyes and held my breath, praying for the moment to end.
"Don't touch her," Maddox growled, trying to move under the weight of his chains. We both knew that even if we were to shift then, the restraints would continue to hold us down.
Macon slapped Maddox across the face. "Be quiet, beast," he snapped. The impact sent Maddox's head into the cement wall behind him. "Another word out of you and I'll take the girl with me. I wonder if her life's as precious as yours to your pack," he sneered.
He was trying to torment me with his words. The game he was playing sickened me. I couldn't speak; words eluded me.
Maddox watched me with paranoid eyes. I hadn't yet had the chance yet to finish telling him about Asher and me.
"You thought your little boy-toy would lure me away while you released your friend, here," Sutton said, taking a step around Macon. "I figured out your little plan when he couldn’t give me a straight answer as to how his car got on that road."
"What did you do?" I screamed, growled, and hurled myself forward. The chains caught me midair, pulling me down onto the cold, concrete floor. Pain shot through me. At that moment, I realized this man had the power to ruin me, destroying my life by taking those whom I loved away.
"I didn't do anything," Macon laughed. "As soon as that boy knew I was on to his trick, he ran away. He abandoned you, girl. He doesn't care about you."
His words crushed me. I couldn't see Asher in that negative light. I wouldn't let this hunter, this evil monster, make me think badly about Asher.
"Why do you look so surprised?" Sutton asked, watching as tears fell from my eyes.
"You're wrong," I cried out. "Asher wouldn't leave me here."
Macon shook his head and sighed. "You're an animal; he's a human. Why would you ever believe he'd want to help you? He ran away the moment...the second he became afraid. You two are all alone now. Once we get a letter to your families, they'll come searching for you, and we'll be waiting. We'll kill all shifters one-by-one, until there're none left to put us humans in danger." He finished with a menacing smile.
"Shifters aren't dangerous to humans," Maddox spoke quietly, as he looked away into the distance. "Hunters have been killing shifters and vampires and other creatures you'll never understand for decades. We remain hidden while you try to hunt us all down," Maddox said.
"You can believe what you want, but you're nothing more than dangerous, wild animals. We will hunt all of you down," Macon said again.
The two men turned to walk away, leaving Maddox and me alone again in our cage.
We sat silently for what seemed like forever before Maddox spoke. "I told you Asher would turn on you," he said. He still wasn't looking at me, but I didn't need to see him to understand the hate and sadness on his face.
I cringed at his words. Being trapped had changed Maddox in ways I had only begun to realize. He was cold now. Angry.
My face tensed and I began to speak. "Asher wouldn't just leave us. I'm sure he has a plan."
"Yes, he has a plan to get as far away from you and danger as possible," Maddox said, withdrawing his hand from mine. "Elle, I don't understand why you'd want to be with him. He's different from us. We're the same, you and me. We always have been," Maddox cried out. "He's the outsider here, not me. You act like Asher's our key to survival and escape. He isn't. He's a human; you're a shifter."
Maddox spoke with aggression and anger, and I fought the urge to smack him in the face. I knew I had the strength left inside me to lift the heavy weight of the chains high into the air and bring it down to make contact with his face, but I managed to restrain myself.
"I refuse to believe that.”
"Maddox, I love you, but you're not right," I said. I was done talking. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep while I waited for the next phase of the hunters' attack.
Chapter 25
A slight shaking woke me.
I opened my eyes to find that I was still locked inside a cage like the animal the hunters believed me to be. Somewhere between my silent crying and having fallen asleep for about an hour, I'd dreamed. In my fantasy, I was running through a large field of wildflowers. The sun's warmth embraced me as I watched it beam brightly in the bright sky. Everything seemed so peaceful, but then the sky began to darken and gray clouds rolled in, blacking out the sun. The cold engulfed me, and I shivered, having felt it deep in my bones.
Without warning, Macon and Sutton appeared holding Maddox and Asher by their throats.
I tried to rush forward to save them, but I was frozen in place, forced to stand and watch in horror as the hunters choked the life out of the two people I loved the most in this world. Just as I was about to scream, I was awoken by a pair of hands on my arms.
"Elle, wake up," Maddox was saying, as he shook my arm.
Coming to, I looked at Maddox and saw his worried expression. "What is going on?" I asked, trying to sit up.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the space and my eyes darted up to the ceiling. Another sound came again, this time rocking the floor above us. I trembled, unsure if a bomb had gone off or if the world was about to end. The loud booms and pops seemed to come from all directions, and I wasn't sure if I should hide.
"I think they're fighting or something," Maddox said, glancing around. His eyes traveled in the direction of each sound we heard.
The sounds grew in intensity, mixed with angry voices and cries. I feared what might be happening just above our heads, but there was nothing I could do about it, seeing as how I was
a captive, chained to the cement floor.
Without warning, the door swung open with such a force it came right off its hinges and crashed to the floor just inches away from where Maddox and I were sitting. I scooted back against the wall and held my breath as I waited for death.
It was at that moment that I made peace with the idea that my life was over, and there was nothing I could do about it. It was a tragedy, but I couldn't forget all of the people I loved and the happiness I'd felt in the course of my life.
I reached out, grabbed Maddox's hand, and squeezed. We traded glances, and I could see my thoughts reflected in his eyes. Maddox smiled at me, mouthed, "I love you," and we waited, resigning ourselves to whatever might happen next.
Neither of us had prepared for what that was.
Chapter 26
"Elle... Maddox," a voice rang out. Footsteps rushed toward us. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There had been so much distance between that voice and my heart that I couldn't fathom the idea he was really there.
"Asher?" Maddox asked, surprise and confusion dripping from his voice.
I turned to see Asher standing above us, silver key in his hand. He began unlocking the chains from our wrists and ankles, and I was speechless. My heart beat rapidly, and I had to remind myself to breathe as I watched him.
"We need to hurry," Asher said, as he continued to work.
"How did you...What's going on?" Maddox said. Free of his chains, he rubbed his wrists, stepped back, and helped Asher free me.
"I hit Macon when I realized he knew I was lying. I ran back to Elle's house and found your families frantic because they didn't know where she was. I told them what had happened and that we'd found you. They tracked your scents and those of the hunters. I guess I got his scent on me, too, riding in his truck," Asher said, shuddering. "Your families called their packs and brought about fifty shifters with them. They're out there now, fighting the men."
Asher helped me to stand once I was freed. My legs felt weak and wobbly, but I was fine.
"You went for help?" I asked.
"Of course, I did," Asher said in disbelief. "Did you think I'd just leave you two here?" he asked, glancing at Maddox and myself
Maddox hung his head and nodded.
Instead of speaking, I flung myself at Asher and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I knew you wouldn't abandon us," I cried out.
"I love you, Elle. I had to get help," Asher said, hugging me back.
Maddox extended his hand to shake Asher's. I knew it was a huge moment for Maddox-he still didn't trust Asher, but his act of kindness and bravery had brought all of us together. Asher had been heroic, and his efforts had saved us.
I knew Maddox couldn't argue that.
"We need to get out of here," Asher said, leading us toward the exit. "I don't know if more hunters are coming."
We raced up the basement stairs and stepped out onto the cabin's main floor where we were hit by a massacre. Blood and broken furniture littered the floor and holes peppered the walls. The hunters' bodies were lying on the floor. I spotted Macon, lying on the ground, his throat slashed.
We stepped over the debris as we ran out the front door. Once outside, I spotted my dad helping Maddox's father fight off another hunter. I watched as my dad shifted into a large wolf, a beast whose fierceness brought a whole new magnitude of fear to our adversaries. Since becoming a shifter, I'd witnessed my dad shift into a crow, a wolf, a cougar, and a bear-all of them ferocious in their own right, but the wolf was the most intimidating form he'd taken yet.
Watching my family fight for me caused a stabbing pain in my heart. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but I knew the battle was a long time coming. The war between the hunters and the shifters was inevitable, I just never imagined I'd be the cause of the turmoil. W arching everything unfold around me, I felt as if I were living a different life in a different world at a different time. Creatures from all walks of life were engaged in battle around me. Grunts, growls, howls, and cries rang out into the night air, and I shivered more from the sounds than I did from the cold.
Snowflakes began to fall as the fighting continued. Maddox shifted and leaped into action, his body distorting into a wild wolf as he rushed forward to attack a hunter that had begun to lift a gun from the ground.
The snow fell with increased intensity until it was hard to see through the massive blizzard that had begun to swirl around us. Asher stood on the cabin porch, his mouth gaping wide as he watched the scene before him.
"What should I do?" he called to me.
"I don't know. You're human; you can't fight the hunters like the shifters can," I said. I realized my words were hurtful, no matter how true. "Asher, you saved us by going to get my family. You're the reason Maddox and I are still alive."
"Elle, we need you," Maddox called, as his paw swiped the face of another hunter and blood gushed from the man's eyes and lips.
I turned to Asher who nodded for me to go ahead. "This is what you were made for, Elle. Go. Be a shifter. I'll be waiting here when you're done," he said.
I leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips before turning to run out into the snow to fight. As I shifted, I felt my fur coat my body, warming me from the freezing temperatures. My eyes had to adjust to seeing through the white fog of the snow. Just as I was about to help my dad fight off a hunter, I spotted Sutton. The coward was running toward his truck. He was just going to leave his men there to die.
My claws grabbed the back of Sutton's shirt as I raced forward to pull his body to the ground. He crashed through the thickness of the snow on the ground and landed on the frozen earth below it. I flipped him over so he'd be able to see exactly who'd attacked him. Surprise registered on his face when he saw it was me who was smiling down at him.
"Well, hello. It looks like this wild animal has you pinned down," I said, taunting him.
It was clear by then that Sutton had discovered exactly how strong I actually was. I wrapped my paws around his throat, just like he'd done to Maddox in my dream. I felt his pulse beating beneath my fingers, feeling as if it were taunting me, daring me to tear his throat open. As I hovered over him, watching his eyes glaze over, he began to look at me with fear. How funny it was that only a day before, I'd been the one pinned to the ground with Sutton's menacing look glowering down at me.
"If you're going to kill me, go ahead and do it," he begged, as his body shook.
I shook my head and leaned toward him until my snout was inches from his face. "I'm not going to kill you," I said, anger lingering on my tongue. "I want you to remember this moment for the rest of your life. I could claw your throat out, killing you instantly. With just one swipe of my nails, I could dig into your chest and rip your heart out, but I won't. Instead, I'm going to let you go so you can run like the coward you are, but you'll never be able to escape the shifters. We're here to stay.
"Call your hunters off. Tell them to stop hunting shifters, or I'll find you, and I'll end you, together, with my pack," I stated, in a commanding voice.
I climbed off of him and padded away. Sutton got up slowly, brushed the snow and ice off of himself, and turned to look at me one last time before running. I nearly laughed out loud as I watched him run to his truck, looking back with every step he took, checking to make sure I wasn't about to come after him again. When he'd finally reached his truck, he jumped in and sped away. His tires squealed against the ice covered pavement as his truck skidded down the long, winding road.
Everyone stopped fighting to watch his truck speed away. The few hunters who were still alive were severely injured, but were left to flee like the disgusting cowards they were. They all jumped into an old Ford pickup and drove away after their pitiful leader.
My dad came over and looked at me wearing a curious expression. "Why'd you let him go?" he asked.
Maddox, his dad, and Asher came over to join in on our conversation. "It wasn't right for me to have killed him. I'm not a murderer, dad. I'm a shifter--I'm a creature, not a
killer," I stated. I believed my words and hoped they all did, too.
"That's very honorable of you," my dad said, shaking his long, brown fur. 'Tm proud of you, Elle. You've embraced your gift and found out who you are."
Asher smiled at me with pride as he stood beside me. "Elle, what you did was amazing. The strength it must have taken not to kill him was powerful."
“Tm really in awe right now," Maddox said, speaking up. He cleared his throat and glanced over at Asher who was standing very close to me. "Thank you, Asher, for what you did," he said.
I was in shock. I couldn't believe Maddox was actually thanking Asher. Maybe he was growing, too.
"Thanks," Asher replied with a smile.
"I think we should all shift back to our human form before someone else comes up here," my dad said. "We've made a lot of noise, and those men drove away from here pretty fast. Someone might alert the police."
We all shifted back into our human forms before regrouping.
"I'll never get used to that," Asher whispered to me, after I'd run back to his side. "I think you're amazing." He wrapped his arm around my waist, and I fell against his chest. Maddox might be my best friend and protector, but Asher was now my home and my soul.
Maddox approached, and I couldn't help but notice the awkward tension in the air. He extended his hand to shake with Asher once more. "I do want to thank you for saving us," Maddox said, his voice shaking. I knew it must've been difficult for him to say that, and I was proud of his effort.
"Thank you," Asher said. "It means a lot to me." He took Maddox's offer and shook his hand.
"I didn't do it for you," Maddox said as his eyes met mine. "I did it for Elle. You saved her, and that's all that matters to me."
There was the best friend I knew--arrogant and rude, but I loved him anyway.
"I understand," Asher said.
They separated and stood back, sizing each other up.
"Are you ready?" my dad called from the road, surrounded by the rest of the pack. The men looked tired and beat up, but everyone seemed in good spirits.
Evershade Page 14