Billy walked to a cooler stuck inside his broken refrigerator. Classy. He held out a beer. “Want one?”
I shook my head. “No, we’re good. Thanks. Can you tell us what you saw? We heard it was an animal?”
Billy perched a barstool and took a deep swig of his beer, wiping his mouth on his arm and burping. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
I was not in the mood for games and it occurred to me we should have brought Sam. Her mind reading abilities would come in handy right about now. “What do you mean?”
He took another swig, emptying the can. "It looked like a wolf but…" His eyes darted around as if someone might be listening.
Curtis leaned forward. "But?"
Billy grabbed another beer and chugged before setting it down. "But it had red eyes," he said in a hiss. "Huge teeth. And it was bigger than any wolf I'd ever seen."
I suddenly had the urge to giggle. It was like being inside a morbid, drug infested retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Fighting the urge, I instead asked, "Where'd you see it?"
He lit a cigarette, but one puff and I could tell there was more than just tobacco in there. I was going to need a shower after this.
"A grove deep in the forest,” he said. “Me and my sis used to go hiking there. Good place to smoke a few joints and chill, ya know? It was bitchin’ in the daylight, and we wanted to see it at night. So we did." He paused. "It didn't look bitchin’ no more. Smelled like pig shit and ass. Smelled like a fucking demon, yo."
My pulse quickened, thoughts of my demon father and my trip to the demon realm causing a visceral reaction in me. "A demon?"
He nodded. "That's what it was."
If he was right, and I wasn’t convinced he was, this could be seriously bad. "Can you show us where you saw it?"
Billy shook his head and took another hit of his joint. "I can't go back there."
"Please,” I begged. “We want to find this animal."
“Wasn’t no animal. I tolds ya. It was a demon straight from hell.”
“Right,” I said. “We need to find this demon before anyone else gets hurt.”
He squinted his eyes at us. "And then what?"
"We can kill it," I said. "For your sister."
That seemed to convince Billy. "Let's go, yo" He pulled out a rifle from a closet, which did nothing to reassure me. "It’s gettin’ dark. The demon may have come back."
CHAPTER EIGHT
DRAKE DAVIS
FATHER PATRICK PULLED out a thick book filled with a velum-like cream paper that seemed ancient. It was bound in carved brown leather inlaid with gold and hand written with a quill pen and black ink. At least, I imagined it had been a quill pen. The edges of the pages had intricate images with more gold inlay.
He set it on the table in the secret library and flipped through the pages until he reached the image of a wolf standing on two legs, looking part man part beast, holding a helpless woman in the air with one claw.
"Lycans are designed to kill," Father Patrick said.
"Designed? Like someone made them?” I asked.
"Yes," he said, his face grim.
"The Church?" I couldn’t fathom this. I wasn’t Catholic, despite Father Patrick’s best attempts to save my soul. Growing up in foster care, the old priest had been the only stable father figure I had, and his Church the only real home I knew, but his religion never quite settled in me. Still, I had a hard time imagining the Catholic Church as Enemy Number One. "Designed to kill who?"
"A special kind of being." Father Patrick turned another page, showing an image of a man with wings. "Nephilim," he said, pointing to the picture. "The offspring of angels and humans."
But that means… "I remember reading about them. God sent the flood to destroy them, but saved Noah and his family. But, that can't be true, can it?"
"It happened a long time ago, and even I am not old enough to remember that," he said.
Father Patrick may not be old enough, but shifters could live a long time. Was it possible someone still lived from those ancient days? My head spun as my world suffered a huge paradigm shift, like a psychic earthquake displacing lifelong held ideas of truth and upturning everything. This is how Sam must have felt when she found out the truth about her school and home.
Father Patrick continued. "Some believe that those with supernatural or paranormal abilities are descended from the Nephilim."
"That's why we have powers?" I asked. "Because we're related to angels?"
Father Patrick shrugged. "The Church believes it is so."
"What about you?" I held my breath, waiting.
"Yes, I do believe. I think Sam’s father, Mr. Steele, had found a way to tap into Nephilim power and pass it on to others. That's how he created paranormals."
"Is that why the Bishop and Ryder are here?" The pieces started to click together. "To destroy us like the Nephilim?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. "No, I don't believe so."
Another piece clicked into place, and I shuddered. "This lycan, the one murdering people, " I paused. "It's targeting paranormals."
CHAPTER NINE
ROSE O'CONNER
NOTHING ABOUT THIS experience was particularly comforting. The fact that the drunk, stoned meth head was the only one carrying a weapon didn’t help my nerves. At least I had my own power as a shifter. Still, even a wolf could be killed with a bullet. And Billy didn't seem to like me.
The sun had already set, casting dark purple shadows over us as we walked through the woods. The moon hung high in the sky and white mist hovered around our ankles. I felt like I was in a horror movie.
"Should we call for some help?" Curtis put a hand on my shaking arm.
"No," I whispered. "My shifting and your speed can handle one animal." I didn't tell him that I doubted we'd find anything more than tracks. Why would a killer return to the scene of the crime?
We were in a valley, surrounded by mountains. When we got near the enclave, Billy froze. “The demon’s gonna get us. We should go back.”
I reluctantly put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s our job to destroy the demon, remember?”
His body shook, but he nodded and moved forward, holding his shotgun out with an unsteady hand. I locked eyes with Curtis, both of us more scared of the guy with the gun than any demon, even if the demon thing was real.
Another unbidden memory hit me. Blake, Demon Blake, dying after taking my dark power away, freeing me from my curse. Not all demons were evil.
I wiped at the tear on my cheek and took another step, sniffing the air. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the smell of our companion, normal animal smells, but no wolves.
And then…
I smelled something. Another human. But who would be crazy enough to walk out here this late? Besides us, of course.
Bushes rustled a few feet away from us. Branches snapped.
And then I saw something in the woods. Eyes. Red, glowing, demon eyes.
Billy dropped his gun and screamed, then turned and ran.
I moved to follow, my heart pounding in my chest. Under the influence of the moon, with fear filling my veins, my wolf tried to break through. My body convulsed, tried to change. Got stuck.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. I collapsed to my knees groaning in pain.
Not now. Please not now.
More rustling.
The demon, or whatever it was, drew closer. A growl rumbled through the woods, and I hadn’t been the one to growl.
Curtis had followed Billy, catching up to him in split second, but stopped and dashed back when he saw me fall.
“No!” I screamed, more afraid for him than myself. “Go! Run, Curtis. Run!”
He didn't listen, trying to lift me up by the arm. The thing in the woods closed in, and I saw something that looked like a wolf, but stood on hind legs like a man, covered in fur with long, sharp claws, glowing eyes and a snout full of sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight. My Little Red Riding Hood analogy no longer seemed so funny.
&
nbsp; I pushed my wolf to shift and felt my bones and body realigning as the pain ended and my power poured into me. "Run," I yelled, getting ahead of Curtis. "Run!"
The beast turned its attention to him. And charged. And before I could leap to save Curtis, before he could dash away, the beast attacked, biting into him. I heard flesh rip apart. I heard a howl, and the beast disappeared into the night.
I ran over to Curtis, shifting back to human. He lay on the ground, shivering despite the warm night. His shoulder bled, his shirt and skin torn where the beast had bitten.
Billy leaned against a tree, staring at us wide-eyed. He pointed his finger at me. “You’re one of them. You’re a demon, too. I saw you turn into one of them.”
I looked over to Billy, my stomach filling with dread. “I can explain. I’m not the same as what you saw.”
But Billy didn’t wait to hear my explanation. He ran off into the woods, leaving his shotgun behind, but carrying my secret with him.
CHAPTER TEN
DRAKE DAVIS
THE DAY HAD taken its toll on me and my psyche. I sat under the Weeping Willow, whose forlorn song whispered to me. It had become my favorite meditation spot, though I knew Sam and Lucy both came out here often, their hearts heavy with the loss of their teacher, Mr. Krevner. He’d been presumed dead but was discovered near a secret research facility run by the organization responsible for our powers. They’d experimented on him until he’d turned into a tree. It sounded crazy, even now, but Sam had mind linked with him before the forest he’d been living in was burned down, leaving only his seed—which resulted in this tree.
Maybe it held the soul of Mr. K, maybe it had something else entirely, but we all knew this tree was more than just a tree.
Still, it gave me a place to release my mind and let go of the emotions that had attached themselves to me today, overwhelming me.
When the vision filled my mind, my steady heart rate spiked, sweat poured down my face as terror filled me.
Teeth, dripping with blood. Claws, long, sharp and deadly. And eyes, red eyes glowing with evil. I felt the pain of someone, saw the world slip away into nothing.
I stood on shaking legs, running back to the mansion as Rose’s car pulled up by the front door.
She got out, fear pulsing through her, and ran around to the other side to help Curtis out.
I reached her in time to ease her burden, helping Curtis stand and walk into the mansion. He was sweating, his skin too pale and tinged in red. “We have to get Dr. Susie and Father Patrick. What happened?” I asked.
Her breathing came in gulps. “It’s not a shifter killing these kids. It’s something else. It attacked us.” Tears poured down her face as she ran in to find help.
We got Curtis to the Infirmary where Dr. Susie hooked him to an IV and took his vitals.
Rose told her story again, then asked “Where’s Derek?”
I told her what we learned about the lycans. “Derek went to his family’s house to get help.”
Father Patrick smoothed Curtis’ forehead, and he and Dr. Susie both frowned. “I’ve got to make a call,” he said. “Bishop Alaric has some explaining to do.”
“You can’t invite them back here,” I yelled, losing all the control my mediation had brought me. “They’re probably the ones behind this. Don’t you find it a bit coincidental that these attacks started right before they allegedly came to town, whereas we’ve never even heard of werewolves before?”
Father Patrick put his hand on my shoulder. “I do. And they might very well be behind this, but they are also the only ones who might know how to save Curtis’ life.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEREK O'CONNER
MY FAMILY HOME wasn’t quite as magnificent as the mansion we taught at, but it was pretty impressive for a single family home. I’d never fully appreciated the life my parents created for me until I’d met Rose and seen first hand what she’d had to live through.
After that, I’d sworn I’d never take my family for granted again, and it felt good knowing I could go to them for help without my stupid pride getting in the way. My dad had even respected my wishes and backed off of trying to get me to take over the family business. It was enough that Rose and I would lead the pack when the time came.
My sister Tammy ran down the stairs to greet me the moment I walked through the front door.
“Derek! What a pleasant surprise.” She hugged me, her blue eyes shining with joy.
“Hey, sis. How are you?” I didn’t really have time for small talk, but I also didn’t want to be a complete ass.
“Good. Nothing much has changed since you were here for family dinner last week.”
Rose and I came up once a week to be with the pack and have dinner with my family, and it was always a good time to reconnect and get caught up on each other’s lives. “Any word from Jasmine?”
Jasmine, Rose’s younger sister, hadn’t endured the betrayal and death of their coven leader mother as well as Rose had. Tammy’s smile disappeared. “She checks in once a week as promised, but she refuses to speak to Rose or come home. Dad got her into a good boarding school, which she reluctantly agreed to attend, probably because on her own she has no money or place to live if she refuses to come here.”
My family had offered her a home, as had Rose and I, but she was still too angry to be around any of us. I was glad she was at least safe, even if her silence hurt Rose.
“Hey, Tam, I’m not here on a social visit. I need to talk to Dad right away.”
Her frown deepened. “Are you okay? Is Rose okay?”
“Yes, we’re all fine, but we might have a situation on our hands.”
Many said my dad and I looked alike, save for the graying of his temples and a few more life lines around his eyes. David O’Conner, business mogul and one of the wealthiest men alive, sat behind his polished mahogany desk as I paced the library, my hand sliding over our family’s beloved collection of first edition classics. "Did you know about lycans?" I asked him after filling him in on the happenings at the mansion where Rose and I taught.
“I’d heard stories of them, of course,” he said. “Everyone has. But I’d never seen any evidence of their existence.”
I released a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. I’d feared this was another secret my dad had kept from me, but I believed he didn’t know much more about them than me. “Do you know of any stories that link them with shifters? After all, we both turn into wolves.”
“True, but if Father Patrick is right, then lycans serve the Church. We don’t. We never have.”
“How did our kind come to be?” I asked. You’d think this was something I would have inquired about long ago, but I’d spent most of my life running away from my destiny. I didn’t really want to know more about the history of the Druid Shifter.
“There are stories—myths—that some believe about our creation. The most popular is the one about a woman named Liana.”
Something tickled at the back of my memory. “That name is familiar.”
Dad nodded. “It’s a story we told you as a child, an old tale, more like a fairy tale than history. Once upon a time a woman named Liana fell in love with a man. But their love was forbidden, for he came from a great family and she was poor and reviled.
“Still, the man loved her just as much and gave up everything to be with her. They ran away together, but they were attacked by a wolf. A beast with red demon eyes, some say. The man died, and it crushed Liana’s heart, who was heavy with his child.
“She wept over his body, praying for a miracle to protect their child, and his blood and her tears mingled, and a rosebush grew in its place, with roses of all colors, glowing with the magic of another world.
“She ate the petals and the magic in them transformed her into beast of the forest, a wolf. From then on, the wilderness became her domain, and she and their child, and all their lineage after, were safe.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
ROSE O'CONNER
; RED GLOWING EYES come for me in the dark, attacking me, coming after those I love. My shifter power stirs in me, but I don’t turn into a wolf. I look down and see claws, but not the paws of a wolf, the claws of a bear. I fight the beast, tearing into him, but he’s unnatural, and strong. Too strong.
He grabs me with his human-like claws, his muscles rippling as he twists my neck.
Snapping it.
I woke, my heart pounding, disoriented as I looked around. I had fallen asleep on the couch while reading and waiting for Derek to come home.
I heard someone in the hallway and the fear from my dream took over again, but I forced it back down, calming myself as I took comfort in the familiar library where I’d fallen asleep.
Derek walked in, and I jumped up and ran to him. He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “I just heard what happened,” he said. “Drake stopped me on the way in. Are you okay?”
I didn’t answer, instead finding his lips with mine, taking comfort in the strength of his arms wrapped around my body, his hand holding my head as our kiss deepened.
Someone cleared their throat behind him, and I pulled away and smiled at my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. “Dean, Tammy, what are you two doing here?”
I left Derek’s embrace to hug them both. Seeing Dean so alive and healthy always cheered my heart, especially since I’d been responsible for sending his soul to a hell dimension and nearly killing him.
Dean smiled his boyish grin. “My brother came to beg for help. Looks like you have a werewolf on your hands, and we thought having a few shifters to help out might prove useful.”
My smile at seeing them faded. “Curtis was hurt badly. Dr. Susie says he’s not getting any better.”
I reached for Derek’s hand and led him to the Infirmary. This hunt had just gotten personal.
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