Rhylan

by Emilia Hartley

  Tess just pictured Connor trying to run away from her father with his pants around his ankles. It tickled her a bit and she laughed into her hand. Meanwhile, Connor had his hand on Tess’s leg which he massaged gently. She could tell there was only one thing on his mind. Was he really that easy to turn on?

  “What about you guys? I bet you have a ton of stories,” Samantha said. Her eyes were glued to the road which showed no end in sight.

  “Well, this one time-”

  Connor grabbed Tess’s attention and shook his head from side to side so fast she thought his head might fall off. Tess widened her eyes, wondering why she wasn’t allowed to tell their story.

  “Nevermind,” Tess continued.

  “Oh, come on. I shared an embarrassing story, the least you could do is help make me feel less awkward about it,” Samantha begged. Tess sat still, as did Connor. Eventually Samantha gave up releasing a deep sigh on the steering wheel. “Man, you guys are no fun sometimes. Geez.”

  The car was silent again for a long while. Connor stared out the open window with Tess still leaning on him. They almost didn’t notice the tears running down Samantha’s cheeks.

  “Are you okay?” Tess asked.

  “I miss him,” she said, she brushed the tears away with the sleeve of her jacket which did no good as they were only replaced with more tears.

  “Who is it that you miss? Did you want to talk about it?” Tess released Connor and gripped Samantha around the shoulders.

  “My dad,” she said, “I miss him.”

  “What happened to him?” Connor asked.

  “He died,” she said. Tess hugged her close, or as close as she could while she drove. “It was a hunter. He got wind that my dad was a shifter. Came in like a regular customer. When my dad’s back was turned, the bastard put two barrels in his back. When I saw Eli I thought he might have been the one, but I only saw it happen through the kitchen window. I didn’t get a good look at the one that killed my dad.” She sniffled. “I swore that the next hunter I saw I would tear in half. But, when I saw Eli, I was scared. I couldn’t move, couldn’t shift because of the cast on my leg, I was helpless.”

  She punched at the steering wheel with anger. The truck weaved in the lane. Tess held the wheel to steady the car.

  “I won’t let it happen again,” she said, “This time I’ll be brave. Even if Eli didn’t kill my dad, I still need revenge for my grandma.”

  Tess had no words to console her; only the warmth of her tender touch and whatever love she could provide to the ailing woman. Everyone in the car knew what it meant to lose someone important. Whether a mother, grandmother, father, or friend. Her tears were a tapestry of loss that wove itself together with their own. For a moment they’d become a real family.

  CHAPTER 6

  This wasn’t right. There were supposed to be a ton of bikers here. Mutt’s gang and the remainder of the biker gang that Crunch used to lead should be here. There was no other safe place on the mountain for them to hide. Henry and his bears were making damn sure of that.

  Connor pulled the truck to a stop on the side of the gravel road. Tire marks covered the ground. Dozens of motorcycles must have been here recently but were nowhere to be found anymore. Not a single engine noise could be heard. Just the sweet sound of birds tweeting out their early spring mating calls.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” he said, “this is weird. I would have thought there’d be at least 50 guys here all ready to attack as soon as we got close.” He said.

  The girls stepped out of the truck, taking in the sights. The tips of the trees were still ashen from the fires that had spread from when Eli’s van was blown up. Down the road, a couple cabins stood but were nowhere near livable.

  Tess turned away. Connor knew it must have been difficult for her to return to somewhere she’d been so powerless before. Even though Connor managed to rescue her, the memories would always haunt her. He wished he could take those thoughts out of her head. Let her return to a quiet, peaceful measure of living.

  “Maybe they’re hiding,” Samantha wondered. She had an adventure here as well, but she never had a knife to her throat.

  “No,” Connor sniffed at the air, “If they were here, you would be able to smell them.” He said. “And, you wouldn’t even need to be shifted for that.”

  “Well, what’s the plan?” she asked.

  Tess gulped down the lump in her throat to join the conversation.

  “Crunch said there were caves around the cabins. I think I remember seeing a few guys walking up behind the larger cabin with some of those crates when I was being brought in as a prisoner,” Tess said.

  Connor reached out to Tess, embracing her. She was holding up well, for what it was worth.

  “That’s my girl,” he said. She struggled for a smile up at him, but the tears in her eyes betrayed her attempt at confidence. “If you want to stay here and guard the truck, it’s fine. You don’t have to go any further than this.”

  “No,” she said, adamantly, “Stop treating me like I’m helpless. I might be scared but I’m going to help. My brother might be here.” She scanned the forest and the road. “Besides, there might not be anyone here anyway.”

  Connor pulled Tess close to his chest in apology. Tess was right, and they needed all the help they could get. He shot Samantha a weary look. It was possible to hope for the best, but Connor was used to planning for the worst. Occasionally, what you plan for wouldn’t turn out to be the worst of it, either.

  “Sam,” Connor said, “Can you keep her company? I’m going to scout ahead.”

  Samantha nodded so Connor released Tess into her care. At least they would be together if someone were to show. He would have taken them with him, but going it alone would allow him opportunities he otherwise wouldn’t have.

  He tore off his shirt while the girls watched. Tess tilted her head. Samantha did the same.

  “I’m not here to give you girls a show,” he replied.

  “Then why are you giving us one?” Tess asked, biting her lip.

  Connor grunted and continued to undress. He kicked off his boots, but paused before taking off his jeans. Samantha was lifting her head up to get a better view. Feeling embarrassed, Connor turned around before removing his last article of clothing.

  Stupid girls.

  The scar on his leg stung terribly, but it was nowhere near as bad as it was. The stitches had already been pulled out so there was no way it would come apart now. He called out to his wolf and it obeyed. His vision shimmered as it took over. Cracking bones, snapping muscles, and tearing at his raw sinew. They ripped and reorganized beneath his skin. Fur sprouted from every pore, his hands shrunk and fused into paws with tough nails. His mouth jutted forward to become his muzzle.

  He stalked into the now familiar wood. He’d passed through this way just under a week ago, so the knowledge was still fresh in his memory. The thick underbrush snagged on his fur causing his progress to be slow, but he needed to be slow.

  His senses were telling him that there were strangers about, humans. The only way for a human to beat any kind of shifter was with silver. The smell of sulfur from gunpowder was overpowering. They must have been sitting on more ammunition than they knew what to do with. This could be bad.

  He paused when he heard footsteps through the wood. If it was a guard, he would have to deal with it quickly. He got low, ducking behind a bush as the leather vested biker came into view. The insignia on the vest was the exact same one on Samantha’s jacket, the jacket Alex had given her. He had a rifle slung low over his shoulder. Still, as a human he was weak, but if that rifle had silver bullets there would be no contest, Connor would lose. He couldn’t risk a head on fight.

  As the biker past, Connor leapt from the woods. His large, powerful alpha body easily knocked the man clean out. With his jaws he bent the tip of the barrel so it couldn’t be used to harm anyone else.

  That solved one question, was the base abandoned? Surely not. If ther
e is one guard, there are bound to be more. He decided to be even more cautious than before.

  As he pushed his way through the dense forest, he emerged by the lake. The water was choppy from the light wind that was nipping at Connor’s fur. The cabins that dotted the hillside before were burnt to a crisp. The large cabin that stood proud in the middle of the grassy hill was licked with cinders but still usable. Maybe they were still staying there?

  A row of motorcycles stood against the side of the single road that led into the camp. Connor counted eight in total. Considering he’d already knocked out one of the guys, if the rest were single riders then there was a chance he only had 7 more to deal with.

  He edged through the forest, around the lake and toward the outer rim of the camp. He sniffed again at the air. Two more guards were close. He could hear their voices on the wind. Their terrible body odor didn’t help either. When he found them, he almost wanted to roll his eyes at how stupid they were. They were just sitting on the sand near the lake, chatting about women.

  Connor probably would have just walked right past them if he were alone, but considering Samantha and Tess were just a way up the lane, he didn’t want to take chances. He pounced, landing a paw on each of them. Their faces smashed into the sand and they fell unconscious.

  If the rest of the guards were as tough as these two then Connor didn’t think he had much to worry about.

  “Hey!” a voice carried on the wind, “We got a wolf!”

  Shit.

  Connor searched around the camp. He’d missed one of the guards lying on the opposite side of the row of motorcycles.

  Not a time to be careless. Shit!

  There was no time for caution now. There were a couple other voices making noise across camp. They’d spotted him for sure. Just deal with the first problem; that was the only thing on his mind. Connor pounced on the nearest biker as he was reaching for his rifle. His head hit the cement, knocking him out like a lightbulb.

  The other two across camp were just shouldering their weapons. Connor ducked a shot from behind the bikes. It pinged into a nearby gas tank. The pungent odor of gasoline stifled his sense of smell. It didn’t matter though, he already had his targets.

  More shots fired out blindly in his direction. He sprinted hard past the line of bikes and took cover behind a burned out cabin. Their footsteps came closer to flush him out, but he wasn’t going to wait. Their shadows betrayed them in the afternoon sun. Once the first was close, Connor whirled out of cover, ripping into the biker’s leg. He screamed in agony as he shot his rifle into the air. Once he was on his back, Connor planted a massive paw in his face, knocking him out.

  The last of the bikers proved to be smarter than the rest. He knelt down behind a half burned out wall with his gun trained toward Connor. He wouldn’t be able to make it back behind cover before the gunshot would get him. Since there was no chance for cover, he tried for the shooter. He dashed as fast as his legs would allow, trying to close the gap.

  Another shot rang out, whizzing just past his ear. He watched the barrel closely, doing his best to stay out of its way.

  That one was so close it bit at his fur as it passed. Then from nowhere, a bear reached out and smashed the shooter upside the head. Blood flew from his nose as he landed lifelessly on the ground.

  The bear roared and as it did, it shrunk. Its fur receded as the mountain of a creature turned into a lanky girl who stood over the gunman, laughing with her hands on her hips.

  “Serves you right,” Samantha said, “you got what you deserve.”

  She didn’t even realize she was still naked. Her slender body was different than Tess’, but since Connor only had eyes for his woman, he put his paw over his face to avoid looking.

  “Oh grow up. They’re just boobs,” she said, “I’ve seen enough of you to be able to draw your dick blindfolded.”

  He slumped down on his haunches. Tess joined the pair with a bundle of clothes in her arms.

  “Is that all of them?” she asked.

  “I think so,” Samantha replied.

  The sound of screams caused Connor’s ears to perk up. It was close, very close. It must not have been loud enough for the girls to hear it. Connor walked toward the sound. He would have tried sniffing it out but the gasoline made tracking by scent impossible, at least for now.

  Samantha pulled on her leather jacket and zipped it to the top while she followed. It covered her just to the top of her thighs, which must have been enough for her. Tess still carried the bundle of clothing.

  “What did you find?” Tess asked, “Is it Alex?”

  It did sound familiar. It might have been. It didn’t hurt to find out. Even if it wasn’t Alex, whoever it was, they could use the help.

  Connor found a walking path that lead past the high cabin. It was a thin line of upturned dirt that led from the cabin, up over the hill. He followed it, hoping it would lead to the sound. Low lying brush tried to cover the tracks.

  “So, you’re awake again, I see,” Connor heard. It was slight. He paused to listen. The voice wasn’t anything he’d heard before, but it was gruff like sandpaper.

  “I’ve been waitin’ for this day for a while. Cost me quite a pretty penny to get your ass right here,” the voice continued. Connor perked up his ears. It echoed around the forest making tracking incredibly difficult. He weaved around the forest to search for the source of the voice.

  “That night you fucked up the bar and snapped my arm, I lost a lot of respect. Cost me almost half my gang. Poof, they just up and left me,” the voice was growing louder. He was going in the right direction.

  “But, I got a reward for the boys that stuck around. That cute little girlie of yours Cynthia is going to be a nice piece of meat for a while.”

  Cynthia? That was definitely Alex. Connor felt his sense of smell starting to come back. Alex’s scent wafted lightly on the wind. Connor’s head rolled back and forth to find the source. There. That way. He dashed off in the direction of that he knew he’d find Alex.

  “Too bad about all them shifters in that … what do you call it? A den? Heh, stupid. I loved watching all those freaks get blown to shreds. And, now I get to take my sweet time with you. Your last hour is going to look like a paradise compared to what I’m goin’ to do with you.” Another cry of pain echoed out, it was definitely Alex.

  In the distance, through a brush clearing, Connor could just barely make out what might be a door. The sloshing of footsteps followed close behind him. Samantha and Tess were coming along.

  Connor wished that at least Tess weren’t here. If this was her brother, there was no doubt he’d be in bad shape.

  “I can’t wait to kill off the remainder of you stupid disgusting wolves. Cause after that, we’re goin’ to finish off the bears. Then I won’t have to-”

  Connor smashed through the door with his full weight behind it. The door shattered to splinters, bringing light into the darkened space. It was a natural cave. The hinges to the door were spiked into the wall with pitons. Inside the space was Alex. His hands and legs were bound tight with thick rope. A large hook was looped around his hand bindings, suspending him from the ground. Blood covered his shirt; bruises from continual beatings ran along every inch of skin that wasn’t cut or bleeding.

  “What the hell?” Mutt said.

  Connor recognized Mutt. He was the moron who ran a motorcycle gang that was interrupted by Alex. He wanted revenge so bad he’d turned to the one man that could get results, Eli. He sold his soul to the devil for the chance to take a stab at Alex. From the looks of it, he got more than one stab in.

  Beside Alex were crates piled high against the back wall, each one covered in a camo net. One of the crates was open and several rifles were missing from inside. Wooden ammo boxes were piled against the entrance of the cave. Getting rid of everything in this one room would be a serious blow to the hunter.

  “What the hell?” Mutt asked, holding a silver knife over Alex. “Eli and Torque said they was hunti
n’ for you. You’re not supposed to be here.”

  It might have been easier to deal with Mutt as a wolf, but he wanted to use his hands for this one. Connor urged his humanity to return. A surge of adrenaline found its way down his back as he stood on his hind legs. As he did, they quickly returned to his thick human legs. The fur withdrew into his skin, his muzzle snapped back into his human mouth, and he cracked his neck as he rose to his full height.

  “Damn,” Connor said, he turned to Tess and Samantha who were just getting to the small cave. “Our friend Mutt here just told me that Torque and Eli were out hunting for us.”

  “You goddamn freak!” Mutt shouted. He lunged at Connor with the knife. Connor smirked at the biker’s frenzied strike, easily sidestepping the blade. He caught Mutt’s only good arm, twisting it back on itself. Mutt dropped the knife as Connor threw him to the ground. The sound of bone shattering resonated through the tiny space. Mutt screamed out in agony.

  “You damn dogs. I swear when my arms are healed I’m goin’ to find every last one of you and kill you all!”

  Connor held up the knife to Samantha. She took it and freed Alex from his bondage. While the wounds in his side were closing, it was clear that the silver in his system was slowing everything down. He slumped over Samantha’s back.

  “Thank you,” he said, “I owe you.”

  “Naw,” Samantha replied with a smile, “This just makes us even.”

  Alex tousled her already messy hair with a bloodied hand.

  “Cynthia,” Alex breathed, “we need to find Cynthia.”

  “I was just finding that out,” Connor said. He lifted Mutt’s head from the dirt. “So, do you want to talk? Or should I just keep asking until you run out of fingers?” Connor wrapped his hand around Mutt’s pinky.