Darkness Shatters: Book 5 (Sensor Series)

by Susan Illene

  I ignored him.

  “You two stay here until I tell you otherwise,” I warned Sable and Hunter.

  The shape-shifter cat lifted a paw and began licking it. The werewolf glanced between me and the tree line as if he wasn’t sure about that plan, but he didn’t move to follow. Kerbasi and I trudged through the snow, the alarm bells in my head growing stronger as we neared the woods. The magic I sensed was sinister, unlike anything I’d felt before except…no, it couldn’t be.

  I paused. “Demon magic.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The werewolf.” I pointed the flashlight at a spot where two trees had grown close together. He was just beyond that. “Whatever is hurting him, demon magic is part of it. I need to get closer to figure it out.”

  The guardian stiffened. “I should have brought a sword.”

  “Don’t worry. I think he’s too weak to attack us.” I hoped, but pulled my gun anyway and held it in my right hand with the flashlight in the other.

  “So you say, sensor, but I do not like this. Even I am having a bad feeling.”

  “Shhh.”

  I began creeping forward again, heading around the two trees. The small beam of light I directed ahead of us did little to dispel the darkness, but at least it kept me from tripping over fallen limbs and shrubbery.

  A dark shape appeared amongst the blanket of snow covering the ground as we got closer. It was a guy who looked thirtyish with short brown hair. He wore a heavy jacket, blue jeans, and rugged brown boots. Being fully dressed told me he probably hadn’t changed from being a wolf recently. Most werewolves put on as little as possible after shifting back to human form because they found clothes restricting and hot for the next few hours.

  The man’s breathing was raspy. I shined the light on his face and he flinched. Black and red marks covered his exposed skin and his neck was severely swollen. I’d seen frostbite before, but that wasn’t the problem this time. He had something else—something worse.

  My senses couldn’t detect the type of affliction, so it had to be naturally-occurring, but I could determine the magic used with it. Two spells were woven into the illness. The first made the disease target werewolves specifically and the second boosted the virulence to prevent the werewolf’s strong immune system from fighting it off. It was a deliberate attack on his race and meant to spread to others of his kind. Who would do such a thing?

  “What’s your name?” I asked, kneeling beside the man.

  “Ga…Galvin.”

  “Do you know how you got sick?” I wanted to lay a comforting hand on him, but there was a chance I could pass the disease on to other werewolves if I touched him. Until we knew what he had, it was better not to risk it.

  His teeth chattered. “N…no.”

  I wished I’d brought a spare blanket to cover him. The snow and cold couldn’t have been helping his cause. What had he been thinking to come out into the woods sick like this in the first place?

  “Do you live around here?”

  He gazed about him as if seeing his surroundings for the first time. “I think so.”

  Something told me it was going to be more trouble than it was worth to locate his home.

  “When did this start?”

  “Two…maybe three days ago.” His voice was getting raspier.

  He should have gotten medical help as soon as he started feeling bad, but if human men were known for thinking they could tough it out during an illness, werewolves were probably worse.

  “Have you run into anyone else sick like you?” I hated to bombard him with so many questions, but he wasn’t going to last much longer. Better to get whatever information I could before it was too late.

  “No…no one.” He attempted to lift a hand. “Please, help me.”

  I looked up at Kerbasi. “Is there anything you can do?”

  “I’m not giving him one of my donuts.” He crossed his arms.

  “You know damn well what I meant.” I glared at the guardian. “Can you heal him?”

  “No, but I could rip his head off and end his suffering.”

  The werewolf groaned. No one deserved to spend the last hours of their life listening to Kerbasi’s lunacy. I’d had to learn a lot of patience since being stuck with the guardian.

  “Can you at least tell me what is wrong with him?”

  Kerbasi couldn’t deny he had the ability to see diseases within a body and heal them. I’d found out that secret when he’d saved a boy dying of leukemia during Christmastime. But Edan had been a human child. This was a werewolf and the guardian would consider him an abomination against nature.

  “I do not care what is wrong with him.” Kerbasi looked away.

  My hands fisted in the snow. “Will you check? This could pass on to other people.”

  No need to point out it couldn’t spread to humans just yet.

  “For the sake of the innocent, I will look.” He kneeled down on the other side of the werewolf’s body and his silver eyes lit up. The magic was palpable as Kerbasi used a special sort of vision to “see” Galvin's afflictions.

  “It is unlike anything I’ve come across before,” he said, brows furrowing. “It began in the lymphatic system, but it has spread to his lungs. Some sort of bacterial infection. I have no experience in how to treat this.”

  My medical knowledge only reached as far as military first aid. This was far beyond what I could diagnose even with that much information, but there was someone else who could help.

  “I’m going to call Paula. This is something she’d be better off handling.” She was a vampire who’d gone to medical school before being turned nearly fifty years ago. “Tell Hunter and Sable to go home.”

  “Do you think they could catch it?”

  “Maybe.” Hunter could have since the disease targeted werewolves, but Sable would have been fine. I just hadn’t wanted to take any chances.

  I moved away from Kerbasi to make my phone call. Paula would be up at this time of night and with it being winter in Alaska we still had plenty of darkness left for her to come out.

  She answered on the first ring. “Yes.”

  “I’ve got a sick werewolf here and he’s dying.” I filled her in on the rest of the details.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’ll text you the grid coordinates, but please get here fast. He doesn’t have much time left.” She lived in Fairbanks and we were about thirty-five to forty miles to the east. We’d be lucky if she made it while the werewolf was still alive.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She hung up.

  I rushed back to the snow machine and pulled out a spare GPS I kept inside of it. As soon as I had the coordinates I sent them to her. By the time I finished Hunter and Sable had cleared the area. Good. Now all we had to do was wait and hope we weren’t left out here freezing for too long. The temperature had dropped a few more degrees. There was no way the werewolf could hold on much longer.

  ***

  Paula didn’t come alone when she popped up on my radar almost an hour later. She must have picked up Derrick along the way. He was the alpha werewolf and supernatural leader for the Fairbanks area.

  We hadn’t spoken since he ousted Nik—a master vampire—from the position late last summer. They’d both been my friends and the aftermath of their power struggle had been difficult.

  In order to beat the ancient vampire Derrick had to become something stronger, perhaps immortal, by drinking the blood of a daimoun—a half angel and half demon. The werewolf was supercharged now and probably couldn’t catch whatever disease Galvin had, but I needed to warn him. Whether I wanted to talk to him or not.

  “Stay here and watch Galvin. Don’t kill him,” I ordered Kerbasi.

  “Very well, but do not make me wait long. I’m hungry.”

  He’d eaten his two donuts and had been pacing around the field ever since.

  “There’s a caribou over there.” I pointed to the east where I’d seen one briefly come out of the trees. “Y
ou can kill it for food.”

  Kerbasi scoffed. “That’s barbaric.”

  “Says the man whose torture methods still give me nightmares.”

  I’d never experienced them firsthand, but I’d had to watch in my dreams as he did horrible things to Lucas—the man I loved. Kerbasi could make medieval torturers look kind in comparison to his inventiveness and ability to draw out pain.

  “I do not do those things anymore,” he defended.

  “Only because I’m here to shoot you if you try.” I got on the snowmobile.

  “Do not go more than a half-mile. I’m in no mood to be dragged tonight.”

  “And I’m in no mood to listen to you whining.” I took off across the field.

  Derrick and Paula were close enough that the distance limit wasn’t going to be a problem. They must have parked their vehicle just off the nearest navigable road. From there, my senses could detect them moving preternaturally fast through the woods on foot. I might have waited for them in the clearing if not for my concern over Derrick possibly passing the virus on to his pack. Who knew what it was capable of beyond the magic spells I sensed from it?

  I met them after traveling no more than a quarter of a mile. The vampire and werewolf skidded to a halt in the snow in front of me, showing no signs of being winded. It had finally stopped snowing and the moon peeked from the clouds to light up the ground where we met.

  Paula had her shoulder-length brown hair pulled back in a bun, revealing her pale face and dark eyes. No one would describe her as beautiful, but she carried herself with confidence. She held a black bag in her hand that must have contained her medical implements.

  Derrick took a step closer and attempted to meet my gaze, which I avoided. He had hair a similar shade to hers, but he’d left his to hang down his back. He looked the part of a tough alpha ready to take on any enemy. I wouldn’t have described him as handsome, but being big and intimidating was enough to attract many women.

  “Did you explain the disease is contagious to werewolves?” I asked Paula, focusing all my attention on her.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “But I examined the alpha thoroughly after he drank the daimoun blood. He’s still a werewolf, but he’s also immortal. There’s no risk of him becoming sick. Like you, disease can’t infiltrate his body.”

  I once asked her to explain what that meant and got so much medical terminology shoved at me my eyes began to cross. It was best just to take her word for it. In the time I’d known her, she’d proven more than competent in her chosen profession as a doctor for supernaturals.

  “Okay, well, if you’re sure then follow me.” I revved up the engine.

  Derrick opened his mouth to say something, but I was gone before I could hear the words. I couldn’t deal with talking to him yet. When he’d battled Nik for power, he’d taken Felisha’s life instead. She had been my boss at the herb shop where we worked and a close friend. He hadn’t meant to kill her. She’d put herself in the way of his sword at the last second, sacrificing herself, but the vision of his blade slicing through her throat might never leave me. Losing someone you cared about was tough enough without watching them die horrifically.

  I shook off the depressing memories and slowed the snow machine down to let the vampire and werewolf catch up. It had taken less than two minutes to reach the clearing. If not for all the trees in the way it might have gone faster.

  Kerbasi was pacing back and forth in front of the woods where I’d left him. The guardian looked up as we approached. I parked in front of him and got off.

  “He’s still alive, but he’s no longer talking,” the guardian reported.

  I could still sense Galvin’s presence, so I knew that much already.

  “Did you try speaking to him?” I asked.

  We began walking into the woods with Paula and Derrick following.

  “Yes,” Kerbasi replied. “I wanted to know if he could see a very bright light or a very dark one.”

  “You’re an ass.” I gave him a scathing look.

  “It was a reasonable question.”

  “Is that him?” Paula pointed to the dark lump ahead. We’d just made it past the twin trees.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “All of you should stay back until I’ve finished examining him.”

  I nodded and watched her go kneel next to the werewolf in the snow.

  “Did he give you a name?” Derrick asked.

  Damn. No excuse not to talk to him now.

  “Yes.” I continued to watch Paula. “It’s Galvin.”

  The alpha shifted closer to me. “I saw him a few days ago when he reported in after returning from Chicago. He looked a little off, but not like he was dyin’. Any idea what he might have?”

  “Kerbasi said he didn’t recognize the disease so it’s probably rare.”

  The guardian had been studying human illnesses lately since performing his one big miracle. He’d decided learning about diseases was an intriguing way to spend his time. I even had to take him to the hospital once so he could see a few cases firsthand. The only reason I’d gone along with it was it might come in handy someday.

  Kerbasi stirred. “I’d actually like to meet the man who spread this disease and congratulate him. Wish I’d thought of it myself.”

  Maybe it was time to put a stop to his studies.

  “Don’t make me shoot you,” I warned.

  He stiffened. “You’ve refrained from using it for a month now. I believe you’ve grown tired of shooting me and won’t do it again.”

  “Try me.”

  “Master Derrick, if you could come,” Paula called, putting a vial of blood she’d collected into her bag.

  It was a sign of respect that she referred to him by that term. I never used master for any of the supernatural leaders since I technically didn’t fall under their command. Being mated to a nephilim gave me a certain degree of independence.

  Paula and Derrick whispered back and forth to each other. I listened to them discuss the pain Galvin was experiencing and how there was nothing she could do to save him. She still wasn’t sure what the werewolf had and would need to run more tests. The alpha asked a few more questions before silence fell.

  He leaned over Galvin. “Rest in peace, brother wolf.”

  Then he reached down and snapped his neck. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t have been enough to kill him, but his body was too weak to come back from it now. I felt Galvin’s life force float away as if a gentle breeze had picked it up.

  The alpha looked at me.

  “He’s gone,” I confirmed.

  Derrick stood up. “Paula and I’ll take care of this. You and the guardian should head home.”

  “What if this isn’t an isolated case?” I asked.

  “That’s for me to worry about. You don’t need to get involved any further.” He spoke in an even tone, but there was a warning underneath.

  Derrick was frustrated and I’d made myself a target. Tonight he’d had to put one of his wolves out of his misery because of some mysterious disease. That wasn’t easy and my standoffish attitude toward him wasn’t helping. I needed to get past Felisha’s death and forgive him. I knew that, but it wasn’t as easy as flipping a switch.

  “Fine.” I took a deep breath. “But if you need anything let me know.”

  He nodded. It was the best olive branch I could give him.

  Kerbasi and I started back toward the snow machine.

  “Melena, wait,” Paula called out.

  I turned.

  “You need to sanitize everything you’re wearing and wash with an antibacterial soap as soon as you get home. Until I study this further, I can’t be sure if the disease can be carried to others just by our exposure to it.”

  “Absolutely,” I agreed. Heck, I’d probably get Emily to bring us trash bags to the door and we’d strip before going inside. The demon magic involved gave me a bad feeling.

  “You might want to contact Lucas as well and let him know about this.
Find out if he’s seen any cases like it during his travels recently. We need to know if this is going to become an epidemic.”

  “Let’s hope not.” I grimaced. “Lucas said he’d be busy this morning, but I’ll try calling him later today.”

  “Good.” She returned her attention to the body.

  Chapter Three

  Lucas

  Screams tore through the empty office building, but no one could hear them.

  “Stop! I don’t know anything.”

  Lucas withdrew the soldering iron a few inches. “I doubt that. What was in the shipping container you received three days ago?”

  “What shipping container?” The master vampire pulled his head back as far from Lucas as he could. It wasn’t that far with the chains holding him suspended from nearby pillars.

  “Do not pretend you don’t know,” Lucas growled.

  He was losing patience quickly. Not a good thing for the man before him.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  He grabbed Bron’s jaw and twisted it around to face him. With his free hand he brought the soldering iron forward, pressing it into the vampire’s remaining eye. The hot metal burned his cornea and kept going deeper. Bron fought it, twisting back and forth, but it did him no good. Only the deafening screams and an acrid stench irritating his nose tempted Lucas to stop.

  The vampire’s mewling echoed off the unfinished walls and filled the darkness. No construction workers were around at this time of the morning, but even if they were the silencing spell he’d put in place would prevent anyone from overhearing.

  Bron deserved this whether he hid something from Lucas or not. The man with fire red hair who’d ruled the supernatural population of Portland for over a century wouldn’t be in charge for much longer. Lucas would make sure of that.

  “My informant tells me Micah may have been transported to your city in a shipping container. One that you received personally, but has since disappeared. Was he in it?”

  His brother had to be close. Day after day, month after month, Lucas had searched for him in dozens of cities. He’d followed every lead until this was all he had left. A shady vampire and a shipping container that might or might not have had Micah in it.