Cold Spell

by E. A. Copen

  It was missing below the elbow.

  He stifled a panicked shout and tried to keep his breathing even, going over the sequence of events that led him to this place in his head. He’d encountered the Mahaha. They fought. He didn’t remember his arm being injured though, only his side.

  Frantically, Nic moved aside the blankets that had been tossed over him and checked his side. After getting beat half to death by the baseball bat and knocked unconscious, he must’ve shifted back. He expected the purple and black stripes of several broken ribs. It hurt like hell just to move, but his guts weren’t slipping out of him. The slice in his side was still there, but looked to be healing nicely.

  You’re welcome, said Amarok’s voice in his head.

  “You’re healing me?” Nic’s voice was weak, almost as weak as he felt. He’d lost too much blood. By all rights, he should be dead.

  Without your body, I cannot hunt. I’ll be banished again to a place I do not wish to go. I am healing you, but it is taking nearly all my strength to do so. We will not be able to hunt for some time.

  “What happened to my arm?” Nic wiggled the stump. It looked like someone had tried to close the wound at the elbow. The flesh was blacked and cracked when he moved. He winced as he watched part of his skin flake away. Raw muscle peeked through the cracks, red and stinging.

  “Ah, you’re awake. I was starting to worry that I hadn’t done a good job with the tourniquet or the cauterization.”

  Nic slowly turned his head to look over on the other side. There sat Tara with her knees drawn up against her chest, eyes wide and wild. Her parka was stained with blood from the chest down. She stood, and he knew immediately something about her wasn’t right. Her right arm was longer than the left, the skin tone mismatched and the fingers thicker. Callouses colored the pad of the thumb, callouses he recognized. His callouses.

  Holy shit! That’s my arm! But what’s it doing attached to her? He gulped down a breath, trying to calm himself, but it burned in his chest like fire.

  Tara grinned wide and touched the stolen arm hanging limply on her right side. “I see you’ve noticed my new prize. It seemed only fitting since you were the one that took my arm with that sword of yours.” She giggled as if she’d told the funniest joke in the world, lifting her bloody left hand to lick the blood from it. “Unfortunately, Justice’s magick has failed to integrate the dead limb into my system so far, but he assures me that we’ll make it work with a few more ingredients.”

  Nic lifted himself up with his one remaining arm. “Please, Tara, whatever it is you want —”

  Tara cut them off with new, darker laughter, closing on him with the saw in her hand. “It’s too late for that. What I wanted was to not come to this godforsaken hellhole in the first place. What I wanted was to live somewhere warm, maybe somewhere that wasn’t plunged into darkness for months at a time every year. What I wanted was a normal life.” She stopped directly in front of him. “But David couldn’t leave his pack. Said you needed him, especially after Justice left. He was so devoted to you and to his pack that he never even saw his life falling apart in front of him.”

  Her fingers tightened around the handle of the saw. “I was planning to run away with him, you know. Me and Justice, we had this big plan. We were going to get on a plane to California where we’d work and live and die like normal people.”

  “But you’re not normal people,” Nic said. “Justice is a werewolf, and you’re a Mahaha and nothing will ever change that fact.”

  “I wasn’t always this way,” Tara said, beginning to pace. “I was human once, not so very long ago. I had a shot at being normal. But being human in this town is practically a sin. You and your werewolves run everything and if you’re not one of them, life can be hell here. When I realized being human wasn’t enough to make me happy, I started trying to be something else.”

  “Who carved the scrimshaw?” Nic asked, trying to pull himself into a sitting position. Every movement hurt like hell.

  “Justice. The whole thing was a joint effort, though. He’d never have thought of it if I hadn’t pushed him.” She lifted the saw and traced her fingers slowly over the teeth. “I thought about becoming a vampire, but you know what it’s like to be a turned vampire? They’re second-class citizens among their own people, hardly an improvement in my case. Everything was perfect.”

  “Until David found out about Justice.” Keep her talking, Nic thought. Keep her talking while you figure out how to get out of here.

  “David!” Tara spat his name as if it were a curse. “David never gave a rat’s ass about me. He only wanted someone to take care of. As long as I was weak and broken, he was interested, but the moment I showed any strength?” She gritted her teeth and sneered. “He never wanted me to be happy. If I was happy, I wouldn’t need him anymore.”

  Nic shook his head. He was almost too weak to do it, meaning he must’ve lost a lot of blood when Tara took his arm, but he had to stay conscious. If he passed out again, there was no telling what she’d do. She might decide to double back and grab Jackie.

  Jackie…Nic hoped she’d found her way back. It was too cold out for her to stay out in the open, even with fur.

  “I keep forgetting you don’t know what it’s like,” Tara said, squatting in front of him.

  “What what is like?”

  “Being mated. Of course, it was different for me, but I know how it was for David. He described it as an indescribable pull, like the first spark of a fire drawn into a long, burning line that tethered one soul to another. You know he’d rush home every damn time I sliced my finger cutting vegetables? I could hardly take a shit without him noticing. I knew when I slept with Justice that it would hurt him, and he knew I’d done it. It wasn’t some grand secret like you think. But instead of casting me to the curb like any normal, sane man would do, he just moved his pillow out to the sofa. Kept saying we’d work it out. All the while, he was looking at me with pity in his eyes. Not love, Nic. Pity.”

  “Explains why you killed him,” Nic said. “Doesn’t explain Anabelle.”

  Tara let out another laugh, this one shrill and bitter. “Anabelle? She looked at me like that, too. All of you did, but Anabelle was the worst. Always bringing me food, as if a casserole could fix everything that was wrong. You know what my biggest regret is?”

  Nic swallowed the dryness in his throat. He would’ve killed for a glass of water. “Don’t suppose it’s kidnapping me or cutting off my arm, is it?”

  She gripped the bandaged stub of his arm and squeezed. Pain shot down into the arm he didn’t have, the strangest sensation. The pain wasn’t any less real, despite not having a limb attached to it. Nic let out a desperate cry and tried to pry her hand away. Tara, with the Mahaha still hiding somewhere inside, was stronger than him. She just kept squeezing until blood leaked through the bandage, staining the snowy floor crimson.

  “My biggest regret is letting infatuation blind me,” she spat. “See, I thought I was in love with David. So when you announced you were leaving the Denali pack to come to this shithole, and David wanted to follow, I came with him. Love is a weakness, Nic. And watching you ogle that southern girl brought up here to kill me? That makes you weak.” She finally let go of his arm.

  Nic cradled the bleeding stump and scooted away. When he could breathe again, he said, “You’ve got it all wrong, Tara.”

  “Do I?” she said, standing. “Tell me you wouldn’t have fucked her. Tell me you don’t feel that same pull, the same spark David was always going on about, that feeling that it’s meant to be. The feeling I never got to have!”

  As she got more upset, her skin began to change, and her form stretched out, fingers growing into long claws. Bone creaked and cracked. Her feet grew longer, and her teeth took on a more serrated appearance. She was losing control. He had to find a way to calm her down, or he’d be dead.

  “Tara,” he said as evenly as he could manage, “you don’t want to kill me.”

  “Why not?”
Her voice came out distorted.

  “You bandaged my arm after you cut it off. Not the behavior of a heartless killer.”

  She grinned and clicked her serrated teeth. “Oh, no. I did that so infection wouldn’t spoil the meat.”

  The Mahaha lunged at Nic. There was little he could do to protect himself, but he tried to move out of the way. She hit the wall behind him and nearly went through. The way she got her head stuck in the snow would’ve been comical if it wasn’t so terrifying. She pulled herself through the wall and turned, snarling at him.

  Just as she was about to pounce again, a gray blur strobed into the igloo, and a light gray wolf positioned itself between Nic and the Mahaha.

  Jackie! Nic realized. She lowered her head and snarled at the Mahaha, ready for a fight. On her own, and even with his limited help, Jackie would be no match for Tara.

  The Mahaha took a step toward them. But instead of engaging the Mahaha, Jackie darted to the right and past the Mahaha, out of the igloo. The Mahaha, enraged, stormed after her, letting out an unearthly wail of frustration. It fled into the night, chasing Jackie.

  Nic sat up and fought a wave of dizziness. He wasn’t sure he could stand in his current condition. He’d lost too much blood. He wasn’t going to make it far, not in this weather, not even if he was at full strength. His best chance of survival was to stay there and hope the Mahaha did not come back. He pulled himself along the floor toward where the saw lay. It was the closest thing he had to a weapon aside from teeth and claws, and he wasn’t sure he would survive the shift. What good was a wolf with only three legs? Maybe it wasn’t worth surviving.

  A sound near the entrance of the igloo made him turn his head just in time to see Jackie slide back in. She must’ve doubled back after losing the Mahaha in the snow. They didn’t have much time. She approached with her tongue hanging out, panting. Jackie paused when he saw him and put her nose to the ground, sniffing her way over to the saw Tara had dropped.

  Nic figured he’d save her the trouble of figuring out what happened. “She cut off my arm. If this is supposed to be a rescue, might as well not bother.”

  Jackie turned back to him and whined.

  “I’m serious. I don’t think I can walk. You’ll be better off getting the hell out of here. Leave me.” As if to illustrate the point, his legs gave out underneath him and he slid onto his ass with a grunt.

  Jackie paced over and nudged him with her snout, clearly unwilling to take no for an answer.

  Get up, Amarok commanded.

  But it was no use. Even when he summoned all his remaining strength, it wasn’t enough to help him stand. Blackness threatened the edge of his vision and a chill had set into his limbs, the chill of death not far off. Nic had watched enough wolves die to know he couldn’t survive this.

  GET UP! This time, when Amarok spoke, it was with the power of a true alpha. The commanded was laced with the magick of compulsion, forcing him to obey.

  Newfound energy surged into the muscles of his legs. Nic staggered to his feet and swayed.

  Jackie slid under Nic’s arm and steadied him. The world spun, and Nic was sure he would fall over, but Jackie held with his shoulder against his knee. Slowly, they walked toward the door. “What about the Mahaha?” Nic asked. “We have to kill it.”

  Jackie panted, as if to say, “First we get you to safety.”

  Talking to werewolves was like talking to a wall sometimes. Didn’t she understand that they only had a limited time? He’d already lost countless hours lying unconscious at Tara’s mercy, and lost an arm too. Without Amarok’s mantle, they stood no chance of defeating the Mahaha, and now that Tara and Justice had made their move, they wouldn’t get a second chance. He had to find the monster. Now.

  They made it out of the igloo and into an open field of snow. Snow fell in big globs, drifting slowly, peacefully to the ground. The fury of the storm seemed to have passed, but so too had most of the night. Dawn loomed on the horizon, meaning they were already close to midday. Soon, too much time would’ve passed and he would be stuck with Amarok for the rest of his life, however short that turned out to be.

  Jackie nudged him again with her shoulder. The sudden change in weight made Nic lose his balance. He fell into the snow with a grunt. Jackie took a few more steps before crouching low and growling. The scent of blood, mud, and ice assaulted Nic’s nostrils. The Mahaha had returned, and now he would have to lie helpless and watch it rip Jackie apart in front of him.

  No, Amarok growled. I won’t allow it. The wolf spirit reared, forcing his way into control of Nic’s body.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  J ackie lowered her head and growled at the shape wandering through the snow toward them. She’d meant to lead Nic away from the Mahaha’s lair before it returned, but he’d lost too much blood when she took his arm. She hadn’t understood why at first, but now that the creature stood just feet away, it made perfect sense.

  She’d attached Nic’s arm to herself. When she Changed from Tara into the Mahaha, the transplanted limb hadn’t Changed with her. Instead, it hung useless at her side, held in place with a combination of medical science and magick. She could smell the foul stink of dark magick all the way from there. Black magick, the same kind that had been used to create the scrimshaw that allowed Tara’s Change.

  Justice was nearby, but where? She saw no sign of him and couldn’t catch his scent on the air. She might be able to keep the Mahaha busy, even lead it off again and double back to get Nic, but she couldn’t guard against what she couldn’t see or smell. What if she left Nic alone and Justice came back to finish the job she’d started?

  A flash of light behind her made her turn her head. Her eyes widened when she saw the massive blue wolf standing behind her on three legs, blood dripping from the front right stump that remained. It stood as tall as the igloo with eyes of blinding white and fur the color of ice. Amarok. Nic had lost control and let the mantle take control. Or perhaps he’d finally lost consciousness and the wolf spirit decided it as in its best interest to make an appearance. Either way, the very sight of it terrified her.

  The Mahaha seemed equally stunned by Amarok’s appearance, but only for a moment. It shrieked and charged at Jackie, knocking her sideways on its way to meet Amarok.

  Jackie slid into an embankment of snow, dazed. By the time she struggled back to her feet, Amarok and the Mahaha were engaged in a heated battle. The Mahaha swiped at the giant wolf, drawing claws through its remaining front leg. Amarok snapped his massive jaws, but found only frozen air where the Mahaha had been.

  She readied herself to join the fray, but paused when she heard the low roar of an engine. Justice’s ATV roared up over a snow bank beside the igloo and barreled straight for her. She dodged being hit, but only by a hair. The ATV whipped around and readied for a second pass at her.

  A giant paw slammed to the snow, blocking the ATV’s path. Justice tried to maneuver around the paw, but quickly found himself facing Amarok’s jaws instead as they snapped closed around the front of the ATV and lifted it ten feet into the air. The driver’s side door opened, and Justice leapt from it just in time to avoid being crushed when Amarok tossed the ATV to the snow. It crumpled like a soda can underfoot. Justice lay still in the snow.

  Good riddance, Jackie thought with a snort. Hopefully, he’d broken his neck and saved them the trouble of killing him too.

  She turned around, working to spot the Mahaha in the falling snow. It stood a short way off, hissing and spitting. They had it! Working together, she and Amarok could surely take the monster down.

  Jackie growled and took a step forward.

  Beside her, Amarok fell to his side with a heavy breath. It was only then that Jackie saw how extensive his injuries were. The Mahaha had raked open his side, letting blood flow freely from him to stain the ground. Red slush marred the ground all around him. It would seem even with Amarok’s mantle, Nic’s injuries were severe.

  Dammit, wolf! You’d better keep him alive. She
growled at the wolf spirit, hoping it would understand. She didn’t think she could take Amarok if it came down to it, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying.

  Amarok tilted his head and lowered it slightly, acknowledging her.

  She turned back to the Mahaha. Now all that remained was destroying this monster, and Jackie thought she had a good handle on just how to do that.

  She darted forward, snapping at the Mahaha’s leg. The creature’s one good arm raked at her fur, slicing into her, but it was only a surface cut. She didn’t even bother to slow down before coming around for another pass. The key was to enrage the beast, goad it into following her again. Before, that had been easy, but the creature was probably wise to that trick now. This time, she would need to do something even more extreme.

  When the Mahaha took a swing at her, its limp right arm swung out. Jackie twisted at the last possible moment, lunging this time for the transplanted arm. Her jaws closed around the icy cold, dead fingers. She nearly gagged at the taste of human flesh, but forced herself to bite through, telling herself this was for Nic.

  Though there was no way it could’ve felt the injury, the Mahaha screeched in pain when Jackie’s teeth bit through the small bones and jerked a large part of the frozen, transplanted arm free from where it’d been attached to her. The monster flailed and gripped at the protruding bone, screaming. “You’ll pay for that!”

  Jackie shifted her grip on the severed arm, gave Amarok one last longing look, then turned and took off, still carrying the arm in her jaws.

  The Mahaha followed.

  Jackie ran as fast as her feet to carry her, the Mahaha hot on her heels. In the cold, it was hard to keep a decent pace. Add to that she didn’t know the terrain, and the severed arm threw off her balance terribly, but she had to manage. This was the most desperate chase she ever led. She didn’t dare let up her pace, however, as the Mahaha’s strides were twice as long as hers. Her feet sank into the snow, whereas the Mahaha, with its large, snowshoe like feet, could walk atop it. Her lungs burned, her body ached, and the taste of flesh and black magic made her stomach turn, but she ran on.