Bound

by Lee Taylor

  “No... It wouldn’t matter. They have ways of covering their scents... They aren’t as strong as a human's scent is, Ursine, they are easily masked.” Still looking forward at the wall in front of us, Tessa sighed.

  “So we keep looking,” I said, anger making my voice turn into more of a feral snarl than the whisper that it actually was.

  ***

  Hours went by as I furiously rummaged amongst the ashes. There was still no sign of flashing lights or sirens blaring as dawn broke over the mountainous surroundings. Maybe the emergency services would be able to see the smoke now that the sun was rising. With wafts of billowing remnants of the estate obscuring the view, my enhanced senses were being overpowered with the thick rank smoke, and my eyes itched with the hours of relentless scouting.

  “Lycaon has found something,” Tessa shouted over to me. I was in the burnt out parlour or smoking room. I wasn't sure, as ironically it was still smoking. There had to have been multiple attackers, not like at the police station where one was enough to get the job done, so to speak.

  “Where are you guys?” My voice was drown out as some more of the building groaned and collapsed, sending a wall of ash into me. When I finally found them, they were in the west wing. At first glance it was the same as every other room. Smoke damage was abundantly clear, scorch marks had licked up the walls. I paced onwards; Lycaon and Tessa were standing over an etched mark on the floor, only visible now from the sun gleaming through an open window in between intermittent breaks in the smoke pillars. Considering all the surroundings it was untouched. A perfect circle was scribed on the floor, but there wasn’t any ash marring it... Maybe Lycaon had swept it clear of debris, but from the look of it, it was doubtful.

  “What is this? Have you guys started to tidy up or something?” Both Tessa and Lycaon looked up at me, and Tessa’s eyes gleamed something in there: a deeper meaning. It gave me hope. She knew something, and I wanted her to tell me what was going on, but as I began to open my mouth, Lycaon opened his. “I have found several different remains strewn amongst this destruction.” Lycaon flicked his arms out around him, not taking his eyes from the circle; he cocked his head to one side.

  “None of which is a familiar scent, or of familiar origin.”

  God he was an asshole at times, I thought he was going to say that it was Ivan or Kitty... Or Mike. My heart had almost stopped beating in my chest.

  “At first I wasn't sure what it meant, but after speaking to Tessa, she thinks.”

  Tessa mercifully interjected. Lycaon was like a freaking suspense whore; he loved it, apparently.

  “They are not here. I didn't think they would be, but now Lycaon has found this, and I know for sure.” Tessa pointed down towards the absent space on the floor in the shape of a circle. “The fact that no dirt has accumulated here is a sign that the area has been statically charged.” She looked at me as I tried to appear like I knew what she was talking about. “I think either Kitty or Ivan opened a portal to the spiritual realm and travelled into it.” Unfortunately just like algebra or trigonometry, it was lost on me. Lycaon spoke in my stead.

  “But as I was saying, demon, if that is the case, then why have they not returned?” Lycaon challenged. Tessa's brilliant, green glare took a hold of Lycaon, and she snapped back at him.

  “Mongrel, Kitty and Ivan are for all intents and purposes human, and they are humans with reasonably strong spiritual abilities. When they pass over to the spiritual realm it would have greatly diminished their abilities. Do you understand? They could be waiting for us in this very spot, but in the spiritual realm.”

  I was almost following her until she said that. I scratched my head in annoyance, Tessa's gaze swiftly shifted to my own.

  “Your animal would of sensed them; tell me has either of you felt a type of skin-crawling agitation?”

  '“No more than normal,” I said, scratching the back of my neck; an ember had drifted over on the exposed part of my skin.

  I looked over to see Lycaon contemplating the sentiment; he remained dormant for a moment as his eyes glazed over.

  “Lupus has not sensed anything familiar. I concur with Ursine.” The gleam was back in Lycaon’s eyes; his vacant expression had unnerved me, but not as much as when he spoke about an imaginary friend. Then it dawned on me. He had to have been talking about his dark passenger.

  “Who the hell is Loupiss?” I asked before my brain had a chance to become more tactful. I got in a lot of trouble by speaking before thinking.

  “You already know; I heard you a moment ago, when you grasped the idea. Lupus is my passenger; we share this body equally. I neglected to tell you this in our brief training earlier in the hopes that you would find out for yourself.”

  Anger flashed through me like a back draft from one of the burning rooms, superheating my body. My dark passenger roared in agreement.

  “Do you think this is something that I should have known? I mean, I have spent this entire time half-scared that this fucking thing in my head would take over me and devour my essence... Isn't that what, you and Kitty said? I think it was Kitty” I was getting so upset that I was arguing with myself and attempting to direct it towards Lycaon.

  “Ursine, I had not meant to have you feel so uncomfortable, but if you had not of found a balance you would have lost your humanity by now, and that would have made you as ruthless as the Summer clan.” I closed my eyes in blurred frustration, and attempted to take a deep cleansing breath. I had to think of calming images like puppies... or finishing some school work on Friday and spending the rest of the weekend chilling out with friends on XBL. It worked, and I gulped down a wad of anger. Hate-filled comments that would be enough to shock a corpse flashed through my mind.

  “Lycaon,” I huffed. Although anger was still bubbling away inside of me, it was manageable. Tessa smiled, my guess was she felt it. There really was no sense of privacy for me anymore. I had a guy and a girl who could read my mind, another girl that could sense my feelings and an animal in my head that could do both... It was almost enough to send me off into a tyrannical stupor.

  “Uncomfortable is not the word... Okay so how exactly do I find out its name?” Tessa let out an exasperated sigh.

  “This is probably the most inappropriate time to talk about this crap; we have to find them, and now.” Tessa stepped into the cleared circle a few stray strands of her hair began to rise, apparently there was still energy focused in the circle. Tessa held her hands out to the side and closed her eyes, tilting her head back. She looked so sombre. I and Lycaon watched her eagerly, with my personal moaning put on hold for the time being. Lycaon wrinkled his nose at her, shaking his head and looked away. Apparently the alpha-male did not like getting interrupted from a demon; my demon.

  “When I was patrolling I found seven sets of remains, and each was from a different person. The only common denominator was that they were all human. I did not find any tribal markings or scent indicators to show where they have been, or who they have been with. I assume that you have not found anything to say otherwise?” It took me a moment to realise Lycaon was speaking to me. I was occupied with... well, adolescent thoughts looking at Tessa, hoping that she could get the others back and reap some freaking vengeance on the assholes who had tried to fry me to a fritter. Tessa was still dormant in the centre. I looked toward Lycaon. I began to ask him about the whole name thing when Tessa stopped me, hissing.

  “Would you shut up, I need to focus.” Both Lycaon and I sneered; it was a primal reaction, and I didn’t mean it... Lycaon... well, he probably did.

  There was a sudden popping noise like a ball of energy bursting outward into the surroundings, and Tessa slumped to her knees, and began hyperventilating. She coughed and wheezed for a moment, and I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen.

  “Um... Lycaon... Is that normal? I mean, is that supposed to happen?” Lycaon eyed Tessa warily, refusing to move from his place. I didn’t bother to wait for a reply before I grunted and ran to her in th
e centre of the circle. There was a moment where it felt like I had walked into a wall of air; it made my skin crawl before shimmering away. I didn’t try to read into it. Kneeling down beside her, I wasn’t sure on what to do. All the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end; it was a really uncomfortable feeling. I shook her lightly, trying to get her attention. If that was supposed to happen then chances are she was going to beat the ever living shit out of me if I interrupted her.

  “Something... something’s wrong,” Tessa croaked out with a cough. I wrapped my arm around her, and tried to prevent her from face-planting the floor. Her whole body began to convulse and shake in sporadic motions.

  “Don't just stand there, help me!” I spat the words at Lycaon, attempting to support Tessa and stop her from shaking. It was impossible. I could hear Lycaon’s knuckles click and pop as he tensed in adulation.

  “Remove her from the circle, it may help.” Without hesitation, I hoisted her from the circle. I had changed my hold on her, and cupped my hands under her arms and dragged her out. I dropped her once when I walked to the perimeter of the circle; there was another charged bolt of air that hit me like a punch in the kidneys. The blow startled me, but I picked her up and carried on. Almost instantly, the tremors she had been suffering began to simmer down. Relief washed through me, and I nodded at Lycaon in appreciation. Tessa groaned and spoke in a barely audible tone. I asked what it was she wanted, but she didn’t answer. My mind was moving at a mile a minute, although physically I couldn’t see anything wrong with her, which only helped to stress me out even more.

  “Lycaon, what was it she was trying to do? Do you have any idea?”

  “I am not sure, I believe that she was attempting to open the gateway,” There was a faint scent that crept around me and began to fill my nostrils, pushing my dark passenger into a crazed state. It crashed around inside of my skull. Fighting for control, it made a migraine feel like a relaxing temple massage.

  The intoxicating scent was sweet and smelled like copper. It was so vivid that I could taste it. It bathed my tongue and sent colours in a kaleidoscope completely obscuring my sight. Ripples of excitement jittered through me until I noticed where the euphoric essence was streaming from. Tessa's nose was bleeding, and blood was also leaving from her mouth in a steady stream. Dribbling down her cheek and pooling over my arm onto the floor.

  “Tessa? TESSA?” My desperate pleas for her to answer weren’t returned. I panicked more. It felt like my uvula had swollen up to the size of a baseball. I was trying so hard to choke back tears that my nose had begun streaming. Lycaon seemed distracted, not offering any aid at all. He gazed out the window and sniffed in a lungful of the spoiled air. Maybe the blood was exciting him too.

  “Ursine, we have company.” His voice was low and calculated. He crouched and crept toward the window, his skin slowly and silently heating up. He was about to change. Something had him spooked. I looked helplessly from him to Tessa as his skin began to quake. The smoke that he was giving off immediately blended in perfectly with the surroundings.

  “I am sorry for what I am about to do,” Lycaon added.

  I wrapped my arms protectively around Tessa, and wiped my nose on my shoulder. I looked up to see Lycaon transformed. His hulking form filled most of the room, and he slowly padded toward me with his teeth bared.

  I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to move Tessa, and I was too confused at that moment for me to do the smart thing and run. So I held her desperately, clutching her to me like I was adrift in an ocean and she was the only thing buoyant enough to keep me from sinking.

  Lycaon stood over me; his warm, sweaty breath blew some hair back from my face as I stared wide-eyed into the corner. I hadn’t even had the foresight to check Tessa’s pulse or breathing. He slowly sunk his teeth into my arm; I let out a cry in disbelief. The surroundings instantly became swathed with the hellish red tint that I had grown accustomed to. All the effort I had been holding back to keep my dark passenger under control was released, and immediately the tension headache receded. I coiled myself to attack. Lycaon stopped my trail of thought, and his voice rung loud and clear in my ears.

  I am sorry, Ursine, I had to bite you. It was the only way I could speak to you telepathically. I furiously rubbed at my arm; the wound had already begun to heal. My dark passenger was roaring in outrage. What the hell was he thinking?

  “WHY WOULD YOU FUCKING BITE ME? YOU WERE TALKING TO ME MENTALLY BEFORE AND YOU NEVER!?”

  Again I apologise, but it was necessary. Otherwise you would have heard what I have been trying to say to you. Your rapid healing must also flush my saliva out of your system. Please allow me to explain.” Lycaon gauged me warily for a moment before turning and looking out the window toward the approaching vehicle. I could barely hear its wheels crunching on tarmac above the crackling and fizzling wood.

  A Lycanthrope has several neurological toxins in their saliva, affecting different creatures in a variety of ways. With other Lycanthropes it can link minds, allowing ones thoughts to be shared... handy while in a hunting party.

  “What about humans? Well?” I spat the words at him, wishing them at the time to be acidic.

  It is different. Some are still linked mentally, only on another level. The Lycanthrope can directly affect the actions the mortal take... As I said, it differs, some are older generation, less pollution in the blood line... and with the newer strains, it is merely infection. Lycaon was now sitting at the window sill, his great tail sweeping of its own accord, wafting remnants across the room. Look, Ursine, I had bitten you earlier when we were sparring in the woods.

  You just burnt off the telepathic link that I had with you that is all. We will be more effective at communicating, until the link dissipates in the blood stream.

  I nodded, even though his words had unnerved me a little... Okay a lot. Now it felt like my head was being invaded from another freaking entity. It was too crowded in there. Besides, according to my math teacher at school, there is very little room there. Yep, Mrs. Saturn was probably my least favourite teacher. To her, saying a word of encouragement was the same as cursing... or doing something unholy like mixing tuna and bacon with a strawberry smoothie. It really did not go together... Don’t ask.

  Tessa twitched and immediately she caught my undivided attention. Frantically I dabbed at her mouth. Dried blood was smeared around it, and the scent was still exciting me on some perverse level. I was furious with myself for allowing it to affect me so.

  I pulled away the bloody clothing, and briefly inspected her very, very cautiously. The good news was it looked like her blood flow had stemmed for the time being, but I didn’t know if she was going to start to bleed again. She needed help... What the hell was I going to do?

  The car was at the edge of the driveway just entering the courtyard. I could hear the driver side window unwind, and a very animated discussion sung its way through the air. Almost instantly, I recognised the ominous sticky tone. It was the blood hound, Agent Christian.

  Chapter 15

  Tessa needed help; she needed some kind of medical assistance, and I barely knew any, other than basic CPR. She was still breathing, and her heart was beating steady enough. If Lycaon knew anything about her, he wasn’t saying anything helpful. If we managed to get out of this situation on top then I was going to have to lock them in the same room and not let them out until they got along.

  I looked out at Christian; he was nodding his head with annoyance, bobbing like an apple at Halloween, while on his cell phone.

  Hey, Lycaon, I don’t know if you can hear me or not. Stringing my thoughts together like this is pretty difficult. I sighed, I didn’t have a clue if Lycaon could hear me, most of the time that he could was when I was stringing thoughts together to say out loud, so, to think about putting them together clearly mentally was quite a challenge as odd as it sounds.

  I can hear you, Ursine, what is it?

  I know the guy in the car; it's Agent Christian. My head was startin
g to ache; my dark passenger didn’t like being ignored.

  He has mentioned you already. Tessa told me about what has happened. I cannot believe you have brought the Helsing institute down on us already. Lycaon in his wolf form released a low growl, and the sound filled the room, making the floors rumble with his deep vibrato.

  Hey, it’s not my fault... entirely. Besides, I thought of something ingenious. He doesn't know of you yet, and it would be better to keep it that way. So now is a good time for you to stay out of site, and while you’re at it, see if you can find a way to reach the others. Lycaon’s eyes narrowed and he considered me for a moment.

  What is your plan, Ursine?

  I looked down at Tessa and touched her forehead affectionately. Lycaon’s eyes glazed over and with a shudder, his voice bounced around in my skull, more feral than I had heard before.

  Understood.

  Lycaon stood up and turned, bounding out of the room through the crumbling structure and into the nearby refuge of the surrounding forest. I scooped Tessa's lifeless body up in my arms, cradling her close to my chest. I could feel her pulse slowly pushing blood through her body, and her breathing did not seem as laboured as it had been. Her arm fell from her stomach and brushed my abs, sending spiking energy throughout my body. It felt like I had swallowed a case of fire crackers.

  I tried to speak to her out of comfort as I walked toward the main entrance, stepping around broken and burnt items that were strewn about the interior.

  The look on Christian's face let me know that he was not expecting to find me, and if he was then he was definitely not expecting me to turn to him so willingly.

  “Hey, Chris, so... where's your backup?” I asked. Christian fumbled around in the cab of his car, snatching hold of something. He warily stepped out into the open to greet me.