Shadows of the Ancients

by Christine M. Butler

  “What did you just call her?” I tried to stop Ashley as she put herself between the stranger and myself. He was quick though, and had her held up in the air, dangling by the hand he had wrapped around her throat. I couldn’t even blink. Claws were forming on his hands, just missing the artery in Ashley’s neck.

  “Ash…” I whispered, but the warning look in the man’s eyes kept me from moving forward.

  “No one questions my word choices, you vile little human. You need to learn your place in this world.” He looked back at me then. I was still standing in the exact spot, paralyzed by fear for my friend. “You need to learn that human lives are fleeting, and not worth our kind’s time. Although, at least this one was brave. Stupid, but brave to stand up for you.” I heard Ashley’s sharp intake of breath after one of the stranger’s hands disappeared behind her back, and then I smelled the hot coppery scent of blood on the air. Drips of blood were coming down Ashley’s neck now too, where the man’s fingers gripped her tighter. I stepped forward, and he let her go. Ashley’s body collapsed to the ground on the cement sidewalk. I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket as I tried to go to her. I didn’t make it to Ashley, because the stranger caught me and held me back.

  “No, she’s not your problem right now. We are going to talk about why you smell as though you’ve been claimed by my brother. You are a Lesser. Surely, even he would not stoop so low. That’s almost as bad as seeing a wolf paling around with a human.” The disdain in his voice as he spoke was evident. He may as well have been spitting the words at me. All I could see was Ashley lying on the ground bleeding. The stranger shook me to get my attention back on him. When that didn’t work he snatched my face around with his right hand, while he continued holding me in place by my arm with his left. “I asked you a question girl, I expect an answer.”

  “How in the hell should I know? I don’t know who you are, let alone who your brother is. Please, she’s in pain. Let me help her. You know her chances of survival.”

  “I don’t care about that girl, she’s probably too far gone to help now anyway. There’s not a damn thing you can do for her.” My phone was buzzing in my pocket again, and I was secretly hoping it was Evan, and that he would come looking for us. I had sent him a message letting him know when we left. Ashley was writhing on the ground in pain, horrible sounds were coming from her. I clued in to the fact that this stranger was still talking after a moment when I heard Evan’s name. “…my baby brother, Evan. His scent is all over you,and I came to this town to find him. Now, you do know who Evan is, right?”

  I shook my head in the affirmative. This was the kind of behavior I had been expecting from an Ancient. I had been pleasantly surprised by Evan and Asi, and wrongfully thought all Ancients would be like them. I silently promised myself never to make those kinds of assumptions again if I got out of this situation. More importantly, I was hoping Ashley would be able to hang in there long enough for me to get her some help. There really wasn’t much we could do, but she shouldn’t be going through the change out here in the open with people walking by. She could end up killing someone if the change took hold, and Ashley would never be able to live with that, no matter how tough she seemed on the outside.

  “Tell me,” he spoke again, “what is going on with you and my brother?”

  “Maybe this is a conversation you should be having with your brother,” I stated plainly.

  “But he’s not here, and you are, so I am asking you. I will only do so one more time. If you decide to play coy and not answer me again I will snap your little friend’s neck, and put her out of her misery.”

  I felt the charge in the air before I saw him, but I knew Evan was coming. I heard footsteps running up behind us, but I was still being held in place by the stranger in front of me. “Ah, that didn’t take long at all.” He said to me. “Hello, brother.” He called out over my shoulder. I still couldn’t see Evan, but Asi walked around us and leaned down to check on Ashley. When he looked back up at me his face was grim.

  “Mikael, what are you doing with your hands on my intended mate?”

  “So, it is true then?” He looked from Evan back to my face and then pushed me away from him. Evan caught me and held on, as Asi picked Ashley up in his arms. “I was on my way to check out your new place of business when I smelled you on the wind. I figured I’d wait and catch you by surprise if I could. When she passed me, I realized my mistake, and yours.”

  “It’s okay, you’re going to make it Red,” Asi was chanting to Ashley over and over again as she made sad little whimpering noises. “I’m taking her to the pack.” Asi didn’t wait for permission, he was gone in a flash.

  I tried to follow behind him, but an arm snaked out and caught me too quickly. “Not so fast little bitch, we’re still having a conversation.”

  Power rolled through Mikael, and some of it transferred to me as a result. I couldn’t stifle the sound I made in response to the tingling sting of the power that flowed through us. “Brother, you are going to remove your hand from Jess before things get ugly.” Evan commanded.

  “Is that so?” Defiance was woven into his words.

  “It is.” Evan looked around. “You are already drawing too much attention to us.” There were people lurking on the fringes, some were pulling out cell phones and getting their cameras ready.

  Mikael released his hold, and I flew right back into Evan’s arms. “We’ll go back to my club,” Evan said. “I can’t wait to find out what brought you to town.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

  “Oh, well now, that is a lovely story indeed.” Mikael responded as the three of us turned and walked at human speeds the next two and a half blocks to Hypnotic.

  REUNIONS

  As we walked into the club, I realized Evan had been a busy man when we weren’t out on our little dates this week. Hypnotic was changing. It would be closed for the next couple days, and he had a crew in doing some remodeling. The smell of fresh paint burned my nostrils a bit, but underneath that, the odor of stale beer and sweat still lingered throughout. Hypnotic was a popular club, and that kind of popularity left its lingering scent on the air.

  I was cataloguing the changes as I noticed them, in an effort to keep my mind off of everything else that was going on. The most noticeable change was the fact that a balcony area was in the process of being built. It would be an awesome place to sit and look out over the bar. I looked around, seeing different spaces that were being updated, and I found myself wondering where Asriel was. He always stopped by to greet us when we came in now. It only took a moment to remind myself that Asi was with Ashley, and that she might not make it. So much for distracting myself.

  “I should be with Ashley.” I whispered to Evan as we walked to the back of the bar, heading for his office.

  “You’re just going to have to wait on that little girl.” Mikael said.

  “Don’t address her. Your business is with me. Jess will stay by my side as long as I am here speaking with you, but I promise you, we won’t remain here long, so let’s get this over with.” Evan opened the door and held out his hand for his brother to enter the office. Evan’s other hand was firmly wrapped around my own. He leaned in close as his brother walked by and went to sit in Evan’s desk chair. “I’ll get you to Ashley as soon as I can. I’m sorry for all this, Jess.”

  “I know.” It was the only response that would come out. If Mikael thought sitting in Evan’s desk chair would piss him off, he was about to be severely disappointed. Evan walked us over to the couch that we had made out on only a few nights ago, and sat down, pulling me with him. I sat beside him, but so close that the entire length of our bodies touched along the side from shoulder to feet. I put my head down on his shoulder, and he continued to hold on to my hand.

  Mikael sat straighter in the desk chair, and cleared his throat. It was evident now that he had expected his brother to have an issue with his seating choice. “Father sent me to check on you.”

  “I figured as much. Thi
s is a little far for you to come out of your comfort zone, brother.” Hearing Evan address Mikael as brother caused me to pay more attention. It was only now sinking in that this man, one who may have killed my best friend, was related to my intended mate. My head was spinning. This man didn’t seem to be anything like Evan, but something in the back of my mind was questioning if that was true or not. Had I just seen the best of this man, and the worst of the other? A headache was beginning to form at the back of my skull.

  “Well, he received a call letting him know a few things that were going on in this area. One of those things was that his son was taking on a Lesser for a mate.” He watched us curiously, noting the way Evan held my hand, tracing circles across the top of it. “He was intrigued enough by that prospect to send me to check on things.”

  “And did he send you with orders to stop it from happening?” I stiffened next to Evan as he asked his question. When he first revealed who he was, I asked him what his family would think about him being with a Lesser wolf. Now, it seemed I might get a real answer to this question. Perhaps his family would end up killing me for daring to be with their son and brother. I wondered briefly if Evan would protect me if it came down to it. The throbbing in my head grew exponentially as Mikael answered him.

  “Not yet. I was supposed to observe only, which is what I was heading to do when fate stepped in and put your little bitc…”

  “You do not want to finish that sentence.” Evan warned, while letting go of my hand, and readying himself to spring forward. I was at least a little reassured all of a sudden. He was ready to put himself between me and his brother. That was something, especially since we still didn’t know each other that well.

  “Fine. Your little wolf was thrown in front of me by fate. I smelled you on her from a mile away.” He snickered. “Maybe the Lesser females like to test drive the merchandise before bonding.” He eyed me curiously then. “Must have been something special to snare my brother here. He’s very picky.”

  Evan chose to ignore the comments. “Well, now you know. She is my intended. Is your business concluded here? We have places to be.”

  “No, my business has not concluded. That was only one of the reasons I was sent here. You actually have bigger problems than just this.” Mikael pointed to me with disgust written all over his face. “Father is never happy when a Lesser openly complains about his boys, especially when part of the claim is that you helped usurp rule of a local wolf pack.”

  “Marcus!” I growled. I knew he was a coward, but adding rat to the list of his attributes never crossed my mind. I couldn’t believe he’d go above my father after being ousted from the pack in disgrace. “My father should have killed him,” I hissed.

  “Now, I see it, a little. She has some fire inside her. I’m sure it flares up outside the temper tantrums too. That explains the fact that you’re wearing each other’s scent as if you were already bonded.” A low growl emanating from Evan’s throat stopped Mikael from saying any more about that, and I was not going to rise to his baiting either. If he wanted to think we were sleeping together, then let him. “Marcus. That was the fool’s name. You know we have an edict barring us from interfering with Lesser pack hierarchy.”

  “I did nothing to interfere.” Evan stated. He had most certainly implied my dad should take his rightful place, but he never put any of his own power behind the suggestion, or in the removal of Marcus.

  “I see. Well, I will need to speak with the new pack leader at any rate.” Mikael looked me up and down again before he continued, “so this new pack alpha is your father, then?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you say Evan had nothing to do with this transfer of power?” I wished I could knock that smirk off his smug little face.

  “I promise you, my father is not easily influenced. He was also not happy about Evan and me. I had already been promised to another when I met Evan.”

  “I see,” he said. “Well, I think we better get going. It sounds like we’re headed to the same place now. Your friend was taken to the pack lands, was she not? That means she will have to be presented to the pack master to be accepted, if he so chooses. If she survives.” He smiled again as he stood and walked to the door. “Let’s go see daddy.”

  Suddenly, I feared for my dad, but after Evan was willing to jump to my defense in front of his brother earlier, I was trusting he would keep us all safe. I couldn’t stop thinking about Ashley as we got in Evan’s car with his brother.

  Mikael asked me something as we drove, but I hadn’t been paying attention, because I was lost in thought. He snapped his fingers in front of my face, and Evan spoke up for me.

  “She is concerned for her friend, whom you mangled earlier. Leaver her be.”

  “A wolf has no business being friends with a human anyway. Let this be a lesson to you!”

  A growl rose up from deep within me, and it was matched by the one coming from Evan. He was the one who spoke though. “Jess owed a life debt to that human.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, that particular human saved her life when she was going through the calling. Then the same human stuck around to assist with another wounded wolf. Just that alone could have gotten her killed.”

  “I did not realize.”

  “No, because you act hastily, as always, Mikael.” A life debt wasn’t an easily dismissed thing among the werewolves. It was a thing of power in and of itself. That’s why Ashley was able to know about the pack, and why her brother was able to become one of us and go through the transformation when he requested to.

  “Evan, if Ashley…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish that statement. If my friend died, I would be lost without her. We may not have had anything like a mated wolf bond, but we had the next closest thing possible. Ashley was my sister in all things.

  “Her brother made it through the change, right?”

  “Yes, a few years ago.”

  “She’ll pull through. Usually, if one in a family does, then they are all capable to an extent. If Ashley’s sibling made it, then she should too.”

  “I hope so,” was all the answer I could get out in response. When we pulled up every light in my house was on.

  CHANGES

  I saw someone watching from the front door that was cracked open just a bit, but no one came out until I stepped out of Evan’s car. All at once, the door flew open and Jack, Ashley’s brother, came running out to me. He threw his arms around me and squeezed tight. “Thank God, you’re okay.” He whispered in my ear.

  “What about Ashley?” I asked breathlessly.

  “She’ll be okay, Jess. She’s made it through this far. The wolf that brought her, is that who did this? He wouldn’t answer anyone’s questions. I couldn’t exactly confront him with Ash in his arms.”

  “No, I’m the one that did it.” Mikael answered smugly. “You can thank me for it momentarily.”

  Jack didn’t hold back. He let me go, and stormed straight for Mikael, hitting him right in the jaw. Evan had to stop Mikael from retaliating. “Relax brother, if you couldn’t tell, he is the girl’s true sibling. You should expect nothing less, and you deserved far worse.”

  “It may have been a well-deserved hit, but it’s the only one you will be getting.” Mikael spouted off as he spit blood free from his mouth, and touched his jaw. Power rolled off Mikael in waves, forcing Jack to his knees. Mikael looked surprisingly at Evan and me when neither of us were forced to bow to his power. It hurt like hell not to do it, but I refused to give in to the man who just shredded my best friend. “Interesting,” he said as he reigned his power back in.

  Jack spoke to Evan once he righted himself again, “your friend, Asi, seems to be doing something to lessen her pain.”

  “It’s a talent of his. He can swallow another’s agony, but since he feels it for them, he doesn’t do it very often.” Evan considered something for a moment, and then added, “He enjoys your sister’s company though.”

  I didn’t say anything about t
hat, but gave Evan a questioning look which he returned with a shrug and a smile. “I want to see her,” I said as I stepped closer to the porch.

  “Wait,” Jack said, looking past me at Evan. “You know she won’t be ready for anything like that right away!” The worry in his eyes made me wonder what he meant.

  “Asriel won’t push it. Your sister will be fine.”

  “Wait, won’t push what?” I asked looking back and forth between the two of them, willing either of them to answer the damn question.

  “He’s taking her pain from her because he likes Ashley. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he’s going to want next.” Jack said venomously.

  “Um, apparently it does, because I’m slightly clueless. Asi has been hanging out with Ash a lot because of Evan and I seeing each other. Of course he would help her.”

  “He’ll want to mate with her too, Jess.”

  “What? Seriously, she isn’t even a wolf yet! That’s ridiculous, Jack!”

  As we stood there debating it, a tandem scream ripped through the walls of my house and out into the night from Ashley and Asi. The sound filled me with terror. What if it was her rejecting the change? I started forward, trying to run to them, but the moment my foot hit the bottom step Evan’s arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back out of the way.

  A beautiful red wolf came barreling out of my house, followed by a black and silver wolf. Had Evan not pulled me off the porch when he did, the red wolf would have smacked right into me.

  “Holy shit! That was close. Was that Ashley?” I asked, and Evan nodded.

  “That was definitely Asriel following her,” he confirmed.

  “She’s gorgeous!” I watched as she and Asi ran off into the forest beside my house. “Maybe we should shift and go after them?”