by Rachel Jonas
Blood rushed to my head as my heart raced, rubbing my eyes hard until they burned, but … the image never went away.
This couldn’t have been real, though.
Last night, when we went to bed, everything was normal, but now … this. A macabre forest composed of wooden stakes and mangled bodies for trees. They casted odd shadows onto the ground with their twisted limbs and contorted torsos in the early morning light.
So many bodies.
Everywhere, lining the yard of my grandfather’s estate.
Bile rose from my stomach and was only forced back down by fear as I sank to the floor, scrambling to understand. My entire body shook as a thought ran through my head and I fought to stifle it.
Did I do this?
Had I blacked out again and … killed all these people?
If I wasn’t responsible … whoever did this might have still been out there, watching me, stalking the grounds as they waited for signs of life inside.
I had to get to the others. To warn them—either to leave here to protect themselves from me, or perhaps to stay inside and protect themselves from whoever was out there. I had no idea which action was the right action, so … I sat.
Afraid.
Frozen.
The sound of footsteps trailing the same path I’d just followed to the kitchen startled me, knowing right away who it was. With her bare feet and small stature, it was easy to tell Roz’s gait from the guys’.
“Get down!” I shouted just above a whisper.
Her steps halted, and for a moment I thought she’d ignore the command, but then I heard a hesitant thump as she got to the floor.
“Why the heck are you hiding?” she whispered back.
I wasn’t sure what to say, other than explain plainly that the yard had been decorated with impaled bodies overnight—and that I couldn’t promise I wasn’t the one who had done it.
When I didn’t answer quickly enough, there was a scuffle on the other side of the counter, and then she stood with a heavy sigh, maybe thinking this was a joke.
However, when she stayed silent, I knew she’d seen them, too.
The bodies.
She crumpled to the floor with a loud thud this time, making quick work of ducking down again.
“What’s happening?” her voice trembled, making me wish I had a firm answer that might comfort her, but I had nothing.
“I came into the kitchen and they were just … there,” I explained.
She was sobbing now, I heard the tears and fear mingling in her throat when she spoke again. “We have to call someone,” she rambled. “I have to let my dad know the Sovereign is—”
“But what if it wasn’t him,” I interjected, not even realizing I’d spoken the words aloud until Roz paused midsentence.
There was silence and I wished I could have seen her face. Maybe realizing this, the next thing I heard was the rhythmic thud of her knees against the tile as she crawled around the island to me. A heavy sigh puffed from her lips when her back came to rest against the cabinet beside me and then, she took my hand.
“Nick, you didn’t do this,” she said gently, knowing exactly what my thoughts were.
“How can you be sure,” I breathed out, staring straight ahead.
“I’ve been up most of the night texting my dad for updates,” she shared. “I hardly slept and, honestly, just dozed about an hour ago.” She checked the time on her watch to confirm. “So, if you really think you could have killed, staked, and arranged all these bodies out there in an hour, then you’re either crazy … or you’re a wizard,” she added.
My eyes slammed shut with relief.
A breath shuddered in Roz’s throat. “We have to get out of here, though.”
I couldn’t have agreed with her more.
“Stay low,” I commanded, leading the way back to Chris and Lucas in the other room. They were easy to rouse awake, all traces of fatigue leaving their bodies when I told them what Roz and I discovered outside.
Both reached for their phones right away, wanting to warn their families, Beth. Roz put in a call to her dad, which required her to share that she’d spent the night with me—an admission we would likely both pay for later, but for now, the bigger issue was the bodies, so he didn’t scold her much. However, his exact orders were that she head home immediately.
Under the circumstances, I agreed it was best that she go to him. Especially if I was a target or some sort, which the scene outside suggested.
Richie answered on the third ring when I dialed him. He’d been so busy with his colleagues, doing all they could to help those who lost their homes, loved ones, lost everything in the flood. Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered him, but this was the mother of all emergencies.
“Yeah?” His raspy voice came through the phone and I heard the exhaustion in it. He’d most likely been up all night trying to help.
“There’s a bit of a situation,” I began. “I just woke up a few minutes ago and outside … the entire estate is covered with bodies.” I was panting into the receiver, having a hard time settling, catching my breath. I still hadn’t ruled out the idea of whoever did this still being out there.
“Bodies? As in, more than one?”
I nodded as though he were in the room to see. “As in maybe a hundred or more.”
He was quiet for a spell, and I wondered if he had the same thought I did initially. So, to save him the awkwardness of asking his own brother if he was a murderer, I spoke up.
“Roz and the guys are here. Said I didn’t move all night, so …”
An audible sigh of relief came through the earpiece of my phone, confirming what I suspected.
“Ok, is there movement outside? Anyone on the property from what you can see?”
I crept to the window for a better look.
“I think it’s all clear.”
“Good. Get out of there,” he ordered, adding a firm, “Now!”
“Okay.” I was sure he knew how freaked out I was, because I’d never bent to his will that easily, not even when he still held the power to outrank me.
“Ben and Kyle are already with me, helping out, so we’ll leave now and meet you at Mom and Dad’s,” he stated, sounding like he’d already begun the dash toward his truck.
“See you in a bit.” I ended the call and turned to the others. “We have to go. Richie thinks it’s a bad idea to stick around.”
“Then I’m with Richie,” Chris replied, his wide-eyed expression telling of how on board he was with the idea of getting as far away from here as possible.
“Did you get a hold of Beth?” I said, turning to Lucas as I grabbed my hoodie from the back of the couch.
He nodded. “Yeah, she’s safe at home with her parents. I told her to tell her folks they needed to stay in and to keep the doors locked.”
“I just … I don’t understand.” At Roz’s words, I turned toward her, breathing deep. It didn’t make sense to me either.
“Why here?” she asked. “Why you?”
There was a strong possibility this was personal, not just some random act of darkness. It may have very well been a message.
A warning.
I’d chosen to spare Roz most of the details from our battle with the Sovereign. She seemed content to know everyone made it back alive, not pressing for more information. So, one of the things she wasn’t made aware of, was how Evie and I came face-to-face with the Sovereign, his son.
How I was likely just as much a target for foiling their plan as Evie had been.
Only, I didn’t have the protection she did.
When I didn’t readily offer a response, I felt Roz’s eyes burning a hole through me.
“What aren’t you saying, Nick?”
I could have told her what I suspected—that this was the Sovereign’s way of flexing his muscles, letting me know he was in town and knew exactly where to find me—but it would’ve just been speculation. So, I kept it to myself.
“We don’t know it’s perso
nal,” was my answer, but deep down, I believed differently.
Roz said nothing. If I had to guess, that keen intuition of hers had already determined things were more dire than I mentioned, but maybe she wasn’t asking for details because she didn’t really want them.
She dropped the issue, instead asking a different question.
“What about Evie?”
Grateful for the conversation shift, I blinked.
I’d already shot her a text as soon as I hung up with Richie, but didn’t think to call. Mostly out of respect for Roz, but also due in part to being sure Liam would be close by.
“I know they’ve basically got the National Guard surrounding the house,” Roz added, “but still … you should check in to at least give her a heads up,” she went on to suggest.
I slipped on my shoes while I thought about it, deciding Roz was right. I moved toward the door while the phone rang against my ear.
No answer.
I tried again, and still nothing.
“They’re probably asleep,” Roz chimed in again. “Normally, I wouldn’t think it was a good idea to show up at the door unannounced, to wake them, but … circumstances,” she concluded, staring while I thought.
“I’ll head over there,” was my final decision.
“We’ll drive you,” Chris offered.
I gave a nod and then, reluctantly, unlocked the door, preparing to make a fast break for the cars.
Rushing out into the open wasn’t ideal, but neither was sitting idle in the house, making ourselves easy targets. So, after a quick look outside, the four of us took a collective deep breath, and then ran for it—Chris and Lucas to Chris’ jeep where I’d join them in a second, but first, I got Roz to her car. She climbed in and leveled a look on me that said so much, and before parting ways, I kissed her.
“Please, go straight home,” I urged.
She nodded, letting me know she wouldn’t deviate.
With that, making sure she was on her way first, I doubled back to the jeep and hopped in the back. The engine revved and, as we took off, I only now got the full scope of the property, the dark warning someone left just for me. There were at least a hundred, which meant this was the work of a large group. Mutts. Soldiers maybe.
I scanned the faces as we pulled off, believing many of these people must have been survivors of the flood, those forced to sleep outdoors, vulnerable.
I turned away from the scene, the death and carnage that’d been staged overnight. Had to.
Richie would be waiting if I didn’t tell him our plans had changed, so I dialed him. Naturally, with things heating up, he answered on the first ring.
“Almost to the house. You’re in route?” he asked.
When I replied with a hesitant, “Uhh … yes and no,” he puffed a heavy sigh into the phone.
“Now’s not the time for games. Go straight to the house,” he commanded, adding. “No detours.”
“Don’t have a choice. Evie’s not answering and I need to let her know what’s up.”
Truth was, if I was being targeted, she definitely would be, too.
If that hadn’t already happened.
Another sigh into the phone before Richie spoke, ending our call with a very irritated, “Meet you there.”
Following my directions, Chris pulled up near Evie’s within minutes. On cue, the infuriating buzz in my ears began—a sound close to the high-pitched frequency emitted by electronic devices. Pulses of energy I could usually only hear, but today … I felt them.
Moving all over my skin.
It wasn’t far from thought how much more in control I felt when Roz was with me, but I’d have to make due this time. Besides, this would just be a quick visit to pass this information along, then I’d be gone. I closed my eyes tightly, willing myself to keep it together. When I opened them, I felt more normal.
The drive up was the exact opposite of the scenery outside my own home this morning. Where mine had been transformed into a nightmarish graveyard, the property near Evie’s was dense with makeshift camps, shifters torn between fleeing and staying around to make sure Seaton Falls was battle-ready.
Chris surveyed as we slowed our pace. A distracted, “Wow,” left his mouth at the precise moment I thought it. That I knew of, no one had been ordered to set up camp in any particular location, but from the looks of it, most had chosen to flock close to her. Maybe for their own protection. Maybe to ensure hers.
When we reached the gate to find that my brothers had beaten us here. Richie was already out of his truck, in deep conversation with one of the guards.
The guys and I stepped out, and that powerful energy strengthened even more. It was … stifling. While I knew I was the only one experiencing it, it was so overwhelming I found that hard to believe.
What had changed that made it so much more intense?
Once it started a few weeks ago, it seemed to grow stronger every time I was in Evie’s presence. I had no idea whether the change was within me, or … within her. Whatever the case, I wanted to get this over with and get as far away from here as possible.
Both, for my sanity and Evie’s safety.
“I need to speak with her.”
I’d already gotten the statement out, addressing nearby guards before my feet stopped just shy of the gate. Apparently, my fast approach was seen as a threat, because I’d clearly set a few of them on edge. I guessed as much when large rifles—likely loaded with magic-laced bullets—were pointed toward my head.
What they may have perceived to be aggression, was actually desperation. I had to do this quickly so I could get out of here.
Sooner rather than later.
“Easy, Nick,” Richie warned, lifting both his hands into the air, encouraging me to fall back.
“We’ve got strict orders not to let anyone beyond this gate,” one of the soldiers suggested. “So, it’d be in your best interest to turn around and … maybe just give her a call.” The statement was oozing sarcasm I didn’t find amusing.
I didn’t have the time or patience for jokes. And maybe Evie didn’t either.
At the thought, the buzz grew louder, taking on a strange rapid vibration now. My blood warmed in my veins, heating near a boil as I stood there, staring down the barrels of several guns. Still, even with one pulled trigger standing between me and death, I only focused on the sound, shifting my eyes toward the house.
“Tried that,” I seethed, feeling my mood darken. “And we’ve got critical information I need to get to Evie right away. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it your job to make sure she’s safe? And yet, you’re stopping someone trying to do just that?”
They stared, saying nothing, completely unaware of the wolf within me chomping at the bit, begging to be set free. Only, I feared what might happen if it managed to do so.
I felt … different. Strange in ways I couldn’t put into words.
It was clear, the guards were too by-the-book to be reasoned with, so holding the gaze of one, I did the only thing I could.
I yelled.
“Evie!”
My voice rang out into the early morning air, probably carrying through the woods quite a ways.
The guards weren’t amused. Not in the least, but there was no rule that could stop me, as long as I didn’t try to cross through the gate.
“Evie!”
I called out even louder this time, doing all I could to wake her, get her out here so I could do my part in keeping her safe.
Behind me, the doors to Richie’s truck opened and shut again when Kyle and Ben stepped out. They approached slowly.
“Take it easy, Nick,” Ben tried to reason, but I was determined to get this over with.
Ignoring his plea, my lips parted one last time to call out to her. Only … her name didn’t come out quite right. Intertwined with the syllables were undertones of a deafening roar that shook branches of nearby trees. My voice ricocheted through them, causing birds to abandon their perches and take flight.
A girl I managed to love in two different ways in one lifetime.
A girl I considered a friend.
“Get me out of here,” I pleaded, only mumbling loudly enough for Kyle to hear. “I can’t … I can’t be here. Something’s happening.”
He didn’t hesitate. At those words, he turned me from the others, ushering me toward Richie’s truck before I had the chance to do something stupid, something I couldn’t control or undo.
“Let’s go!” he called out over his shoulder, causing our other brothers to fall in step.
We were nearly there, nearly on the path to freedom, to safety.
But then … a door opened.
The slight creak of hinges seemed to be the only sound I heard in that instant, and the wind carried a familiar scent to my nostrils, awakening evil within me I didn’t realize truly existed until now.
My hands ached to end a life, and only one life.
Hers.
I turned, knowing I shouldn’t have. Knowing it would only fuel me more if I looked into her dark, unsuspecting eyes, but I couldn’t help it. I stared at her as only she and I seemed to exist in that cone of silence, and for the first time since this all began, I didn’t see Evie.
I saw … a target.
A deep, guttural roar billowed from my gut and burst from my lungs. Those rifles that had settled when it seemed I’d decided to walk away were raised again, and despite knowing the soldiers were all too willing to pull the triggers, I couldn’t stop myself. On this day, I wanted the blood to run cold in Evie’s veins.
Wanted it so bad I could taste it.
My brothers, Chris, Lucas … they all struggled to hold me, all pleading with the guards not to shoot, all knowing there was only so much time they could stall them.
My will was ironclad. Both feet planted firmly in the soil and I somehow managed to inch forward even with so many fighting to drag me in the opposite direction.