by Shen Hart
A frustrated cry came from the other side of the building. Nik shouted some unintelligible curse before a loud crash echoed throughout the building. My heart skipped a beat. Nik! I sprinted out of the room tearing across the concrete trying to reach the source of the noise. A new voice growled and there was another crash as we moved to the corner room. Metal boxes were scattered over the floor. Nik had blood on his lower arms, and his foot was pinned below a number of boxes. Alex was straining to release him while Dan was looking around.
"What happened?"
Nik said, "He came from nowhere. He was too quick for me. I went to punch him, but he got behind me before I could blink. The next thing I know, all of these boxes were falling down around me. I punched him as he tried to leap out of the way of the boxes; I think I cracked a couple of ribs."
I turned and looked for a way to get up onto the rafters. I didn't want to waste the time shifting. We needed to move more quickly. He was making fools of us all. I paced around the small patch of clear space while Alex and Dan continued helping Nik. He didn’t seem to be badly injured. The concrete block walls had small indents and grooves that I might have been able to dig my fingers into, but it would have been a difficult climb, and I just didn’t have time for that. I growled to myself and tried extending my energies a little more.
I stepped out into the main area just before I caught his scent. That in and of itself was very odd. He hadn’t had a scent when he first arrived. It was soft, smooth coffee mingled with old paper. I pushed the change aside and focused on finding him. He had hurt two of my cubs. He wasn’t going to get out of there alive.
I should have known. Warm breath slipped over my neck before I twisted and went to sink my claws into his eyes. A quiet chuckle came from behind me. I saw a shadow moving along the wall, but he was out of reach. I took off after him, entirely aware that he was likely leading me into a trap. It didn't matter. I'd had enough.
I scrambled over the fallen girder and made my way back out into the main courtyard, only to see him vanish into the building opposite me. I tore across the open space. Dan appeared from a corner near me and was quickly in hot pursuit. We stopped and peered into the darkness; I didn't want to be caught off guard again. That laughter rang out through the wide open space. I caught sight of him standing in the middle of the room. At least this one had the decency to be clean and clear of rubble. There were only a couple of fallen concrete blocks around the office, nothing more between him and me. I gestured with my hand for Dan to go round, in the hopes that we could catch him off guard.
I slipped through the gap and balanced along the pipe crossing the chasm that had formed where some of the foundations had given way. I never took my eyes off him. Blood stained his pale shirt and his chinos bore a fresh hole, but he was smiling as though we were playing a game of tag. He even crossed his arms and waited for me. I snarled, but kept myself under control. Dan quietly slipped in through a gap in the wall on the other side. A bird took off, disturbed no doubt by all the movement, which sent a shower of dust cascading down. He shook his head for a moment as a rain of dust fell on him, covering his face. I took my chance and ran at him, my claws fully unsheathed. He sidestepped and twisted away to my left, but I was prepared for him. I danced away with him, keeping my body close to his, and slashed at his face. His warm skin parted beneath my claws. It was almost odd to feel that he was, in fact, warm. I realised that I’d been expecting him to be cold like a puppeteer’s puppet. I only managed to sink one claw in, but it tore across his cheek. Blood welled to the surface of his pale skin and began to drip down his strong neck. It urged me forwards. The sweet metallic tang hit me. I bared my teeth and went to bite him.
He ran.
He moved too quickly. I almost stumbled. I cursed myself at the missed opportunity. Dan didn't have a chance. He blocked the man's exit, standing straight on with him, his shoulders back and his fists up ready to try and fight, but he was knocked on his ass with a single blow. He crumpled on the floor before the killer stamped down on his ribs, bringing him to gasp in agony. I was so close when he did it, and it left me torn. I couldn't leave Dan in that state, but I couldn't allow that monster to go free either. I stood next to Dan and watched as the killer squeezed through the gap. He glanced back with a twisted, crooked grin on this face, his black eyes dancing with glee before he vanished back out into the open space. Dan looked up into my face and tried to stand.
The decision was made. I had to end this.
Alex and Nik were nowhere to be seen, and the man had somehow vanished again. I growled. I needed to know how he did that. I sniffed the air trying to pick up his trail, but I didn't really need to. The siren's scream quickly changed to a gurgling murmur before it fell into silence. I tore around the corner to find him carefully laying her limp body to the ground. Her vacant eyes stared at me accusingly. He looked over his shoulder at me and snarled.
That moment of focus on me was enough. Alex was on him. His wolf almost had full control as Alex twisted and swung his foot at the killer’s head, the ball of his foot making hard direct contact with his temple. The killer fell backwards, but twisted in mid-air and caught himself before he fell entirely. He was back up on his feet in a split second. I didn’t understand how his neck hadn’t broken.
Alex paused for a second in confusion. The man stepped over the siren's body and countered Nik's punch before delivering another to his stomach. Nik doubled over and landed on his knees. I went to pounce on the man, but given how the killer was standing over Nik restrained myself for fear that I’d injure Nik more in the process. That moment of indecision gave him the second he needed to twist on his heel and move away. I stumbled and turned, keeping my balance. I was barely two feet away from him when I lashed out.
I sliced his face open again. That time I dragged my claw through his eye. It slowed my action and offered more resistance than I would have expected. His scream was deliciously agonising. He stumbled backwards. Blood poured down his face, which was contorted in agony and rage. Alex remained where he was on the other side of Nik, concern written all over his face.
Nik was on his knees gasping for air. Blood stained his grey T-shirt. He looked up and gulped down air. I couldn't risk it. Alex nodded to me. The killer didn’t take long to compose himself. Just after Alex had nodded to me, he ran a few steps forwards before he kicked Nik hard in the ribs driving him to the ground. Alex went to counter, but had his legs taken from under him in a sweeping spinning kick. It happened so quickly I barely registered it. He was gone again before I could react.
I pushed Nik and Alex out of my mind and looked around the area. I saw a movement near one of the buildings. Someone had just vanished inside. I covered the short distance quickly and paused on the edge of the wide doorway, slowly leaning in to look inside. I didn’t want to be caught off guard again. Ryan appeared out of the small room in the far corner of the building. He hit the killer cleanly in the jaw, but the target was prepared. Even with one eye, he was formidable. He took Ryan's legs from under him in the same sweeping spinning kick he had used on Alex just moments before. Ryan landed cleanly and went to stand again, but I clattered into the room and sent the target running again. I was growing weary of this game.
The target was starting to slow. He was growing desperate. Alex joined us, and we finally began moving as a pack. The man was in the third building, the only one with four full walls. We entered as a unit and spread out to reduce his movements. He was looking around him desperately.
There was nowhere to go. We had him pinned down.
I allowed the jaguar forward completely. I had no love of the sirens, but he hurt my pack. I lowered my upper body and kept my focus entirely on him. He had been pacing around an increasingly small area as we closed in around him. He looked up at the girders and into the room, but there was nothing. Nowhere. He turned to face us. He lowered himself into a good fighting stance and prepared himself. His feet were slightly spread and he was side-on to reduce the area that we co
uld easily hit. He kept his hands up like a boxer’s, which didn’t match what I’d seen of his methods to date. His muscles tightened beneath his ragged clothing. His eye was fixed on us, entirely unblinking. The eye I had slashed open was nothing but a bloody mess. A red and black hole that marred his face. More blood ran down his neck. His knuckles were broken and blackened. He reeked of sweat, the harsh tang of adrenaline, and, surprisingly, the sweet tones of fear.
I licked my lips and locked my eyes on his one last eye. He kept looking between as we advanced. The tattered remnant of his face was a mask of desperation. He was a cornered predator who knew his end was coming. He lunged at Ryan who saw it coming and stepped to one side before punching him in the ribs. I had no patience or desire to drag it out any longer than I had to. I rushed forwards and leapt on the man. I drove him back against the wall. His back collided with the metal sending a harsh clang ringing out through the air.
He began begging.
Energies flooded into him and the surrounding area. His voice changed. It became higher pitched, more ragged than it had been. I paused for a brief second in confusion. It had to be a trick. I pinned him against the wall. His heart was racing, his breath came in quick, ragged bursts.
Panic filled his face as I stared straight into his eye. He began speaking in the new, foreign voice. "Please, I don't know who you are. I don't know where I am. Please. I… just don't hurt me. Please. Oh God, please."
I tilted my head a little and leaned in closer, I glanced back at Alex who had his teeth bared in an open wolfish snarl. The killer had gained a human energy about him. It rippled out from him and puddled around his feet in a pathetic pool. I glanced over to Alex, who curled his lip. He felt it too. I kept control of the situation. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The man sobbed and shook. “I don’t know. I don’t know where I am. Please… don’t hurt me.”
He gulped and tears mingled with the blood on his face. He stank of fear, blood, and other vile things. His entire scent was acrid, bitter, foul, with a slightly rotten edge to it. I curled my lips and looked into his eye. “I’ll ask you again.”
He trembled under my hand and his body tried to sag. “I have no idea! Everything’s black. I don’t remember anything. I don’t know. I… please. Please don’t kill me. Please.”
I sighed softly and pulled back the jaguar. It was a difficult decision, but I stepped back and allowed Alex to step forwards. Human or not, he was a risk. He was the siren murderer. He had slaughtered those sirens and was clearly under the control of something. I was not willing to let him loose and have to return when he killed more sirens. We were there to do a job, and if that meant taking a human life, so be it.
Alex and I shared a look, an acknowledgement. The predatory grin filled his face, his tongue slipped out over his teeth before he bit down onto the man's throat. The human screamed, a sharp, terrified sound. Alex pulled back and broke his neck. The body slumped down to the ground.
It was over.
I took a deep breath and tried to regain control of myself. The adrenaline had flooded my system. I closed my eyes and calmed myself. I needed to be in control, I had my pack to look after.
My mind went back to Nik. I glanced at Ryan and Dan, who seemed blood soaked but reasonable. I didn’t question where Dan had appeared from. Both boys had mixed expressions on their faces. Their eyes bore the clear yellows of their wolves, their teeth were sharpened, and their lips pulled back into heavy snarls. Yet, they looked slightly surprised and pale as they looked between Alex and me, their gaze settling on Alex. I focused on Alex, who was taking calm, slow, deep breaths.
I addressed the cubs first. “It had to be done. He was a risk. He murdered the sirens. We were here to stop those murders.”
They started to pull their wolves back and both lowered their eyes in quiet understanding. We’d address it later. I looked out the door and turned away from the lifeless form on the floor, I had better things to be worrying about.
"Nik will be fine, Baby Girl."
Dan spoke, his voice slightly shaky, "It’s over?"
I allowed a small smile to pull at the corners of my mouth. "I hope so."
We turned together as a group and jogged out to find Nik. He was sitting up looking a little sorry for himself, but nothing we couldn't fix. I looked around my small pack and felt oddly proud of them. We were all breathing heavily, our clothes were ruined, and we were caked in dirt, but we'd done it. The bastard was dead. I didn't look at the siren's body; we hadn't done the job properly, but it was over, and that was what mattered.
Ryan kept looking at the siren and back at us. "We failed. We didn’t save her. Another life was lost because we didn’t act quickly enough."
I ran my hand over his arm. "No, we didn't. We succeeded."
He frowned and looked away, seemingly dissatisfied with my answer. There was nothing more I could do or say to that. We had fulfilled the task we were there to do. The murderer was dead. He would be killing no more sirens. Yes, a number of them had died in the process, but there were many left. We made mistakes, but that was part of becoming a pack, and mistakes were inevitable no matter how long you did a job.
I sat down in the dirt next to Nik and stroked his hair. His breathing was becoming more even, and his face was relaxing.
He smiled. "It's done?"
I nodded. "We can go home, now."
He smiled and slowly tried to stand. Alex pressed his hand onto his shoulder. "Wait a little bit, rushing will cause more harm."
It had been so long since I'd done that. Since I'd had blood on my hands and hunted. My head was spinning. That was my life. That was all that I had left behind, the good and the bad. It almost pained me to think that was what I was. A cold-blooded predator who found no greater thrill than hunting and taking creatures’ lives.
I was knelt in the dirt next to Nik while Ryan, Dan, and Alex were disposing of the siren's body respectfully. Dan combined his fire energies with Alex's air energies to create a brilliant white-hot bonfire that returned her body to where it had come from. A voice in the back of my mind said we should have taken her to water, but I knew that was the best we could have done in the situation. Ryan said some words of blessing and respect, wishing her luck in her afterlife, whatever that may be. I felt a sliver of pride at my pack. They had done well.
His soft footsteps were slow and careful, always the dancer. He crouched down next to me with a sad smile on his face as he looked into my eyes. I'd fallen into those brilliant green eyes more times than I cared to remember. Lee kissed my forehead and simply said, "It's good to see you as your true self again, Suriel. I had so missed you."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
If you enjoyed Wyrd Calling then you can run over to Amazon and buy book 2 Feathered Touch here.
Turn the page to read the opening scene of Feathered Touch.
Feathered Touch Excerpt.
Opening.
My curiosity got the better of me. Lee had barely left the property when I turned to Ryan and we took off into the woods. I was enjoying the feeling of the cool, damp soil beneath my paws as we ran. The bright winter sun streaked through the thin winter canopy as we wove between the broad, dark trunks and brushed through the dense undergrowth. Ryan’s tongue was hanging out of his mouth as he trotted next to me while we relaxed and enjoyed the peace of freedom. He’d come quite a ways since I’d met the unruly, insecure cub. I stretched up and nipped his ear before taking off again, enjoying the feel of the crisp air rushing over my fur and the exhilaration of the freedom. He stayed close to me, the mouth on his timber wolf form open in a happy grin. Our ears pricked up when we heard something odd in the distance. We hadn’t spent as much time in the woods surrounding our home as I’d have liked, but I didn’t believe that there were people for many miles. I wondered if we’d managed to run that far.
I caught the scent of something on the breeze. A slight metallic tang wrapped around the earthy breath of clay. When I sniffed again, I
caught the acidic musk of draconics. They definitely weren’t supposed to be in our woods. I glanced at Ryan, who had moved a little closer to me as he sniffed the air. We slowed and trotted in the direction of the scent and sound. At no point did I consider that I shouldn’t have done that. I should have known better. I was his alpha. It didn’t even cross my mind. There was an intruder in my woods, and I wanted to know what was going on. We slowed to a cautious walk when the trees thinned, and a large opening was visible between the trunks. Bare pale red clay lay before us. It’d clearly been compacted over what must have been months or years of repeated compression. That did not amuse me. That meant they were regulars in my woods.
Ryan brushed against me, his elbow caught against my lower shoulder for a brief second. It acted as a fleeting reminder of the size difference between us. He looked down and away from me before stepping sideways to give me a little more room. We lowered ourselves to our bellies and slowly pushed through the dense, dark-green undergrowth. Our ears were pricked as we tried to see what was going on. I cocked my head a little as I watched a tall, lithe woman with pitch-black hair down to her waist speak sharply to a draconic. Her voice was slightly too high pitched and had a raspy edge. The scent of salt remained on her skin. Banshee. I narrowed my eyes as I wondered what on Earth a banshee was doing dealing with a draconic. She paced back and forth, her voice rising in volume as she said she needed more products. I wondered what products she meant. My answer came a little sooner than I’d hoped.
I don’t know how he crept up on us. We must have been too focused on the banshee. Large, rough fingers buried themselves in my scruff and hoisted me upwards. I snarled and thrashed, only to find myself face to face with a large draconic. His skin bore the faint outlines of scales, and his eyes were a deep amber flecked with burgundy. His lips were pulled back in a sadistic smile as I continued to struggle and snarl. I glanced over to see Ryan doing the same in his other hand. I tried to twist and sink my teeth into his skin, not that it would have done any good. Draconic skin, particularly that of those who almost had scales, was almost impossible to pierce. He never gave me a chance. I felt a sharp pain just above my shoulder before everything went black. The last thing I heard was Ryan’s yelp.