by Megan Morgan
Kendrick transformed as well. “Abernathy, what are you doing?”
Abernathy threw the Lycan Deacon into the grass. The other two had escaped his reach, one of them protecting the old witch.
Then, Abernathy’s intention became clear. He grabbed Lorena by the throat.
“Back off,” he snarled. “Or I will kill her.”
* * * *
Lorena was anxious and terrified as she watched the struggle, but those feelings intensified now. She stared up at the grisly, bloody face before her and fought to breathe around the grip of his massive hand.
“Abernathy!” Kendrick ran toward them. He was covered in blood as well, his gait unsteady. “This is against the laws. You cannot involve anyone else in our battle, it breaks tradition!”
“Leaders are above the laws.” Abernathy bared his red teeth, his mouth stretched wide in the gory mess of his face. “I can do as I wish.”
“You cannot. You are bound by tradition as anyone!”
The Wolvites were all human now. They glared with open disgust and revile at Abernathy. What were they about to do?
“You are cheating.” Kendrick seethed. “You bring disgrace on your name and everyone here is aware of it.”
The Wolvites howled. Were they turning on him?
Deacon struggled to his knees. “Let her go,” he wheezed, hand on his chest. She hoped he had only gotten the wind knocked out of him.
All the Lycans’ weapons lay across the clearing. All of them, even their hidden pistols and knives.
But Lorena was not so willing to obey orders.
She had surreptitiously slipped her gun into the back of her waistband while Abernathy was focused on the Lycans, and her knife remained in her boot. Abernathy didn’t take her seriously, he didn’t see her as a threat. That would be his last mistake. She wrenched her arms behind her, pretending to squirm.
“Release her and fight me,” Kendrick demanded. “Everyone here scorns your shameful cowardice.”
The howls grew louder. The tide seemed to be shifting in Kendrick’s favor.
“I am the leader!” Blood and spittle dripped from Abernathy’s chin. “I will not bow to you or anyone. You will all die like this useless Lycan witch!”
Lorena gripped the butt of her gun beneath her shirt. Was it cheating as well for her to shoot him? She didn’t care, she wasn’t going to die for any tradition.
Abernathy yanked her toward him. He was going to snap her neck.
“You shouldn’t underestimate me,” she choked out. “I can be a real bitch, buddy.”
She swung her arm around, gun in hand, and pulled the trigger. She couldn’t aim, so close. The flash and blast blinded and deafened her. She had no idea where she’d hit him, but he released her throat. She dropped to the ground as Kendrick rushed forward.
She gripped the hilt of her knife, whipped it from her boot, and tossed it.
Kendrick caught it in one hand as he leapt over her. She flipped over to watch, her heart in her ringing ears. Gray patches filled her vision, but she could see Abernathy as he clutched his side and stumbled back, toward the pool.
Kendrick clearly didn’t have any skill with a knife, but he didn’t need it to plunge the blade into Abernathy’s chest, to the hilt. Abernathy threw his head back, howled, and fell into the pool.
Water washed across the bloody grass. Abernathy writhed and kicked, splashing Lorena where she sat.
Abernathy’s struggle slowed to shudders. The sounds he made faded. The water turned red.
Lorena got to her knees, unsteady. Deacon crawled to her.
Abernathy sagged, his head resting next to the pool on the grass. His fingers relaxed around the handle of the knife. The water sloshed slowly against the banks of the pool, until it was still like him.
A shimmer passed over Abernathy’s body and his human form vanished. He turned into a beast, head thrown back and snout open, staring blankly at the night sky.
Lorena stumbled to her feet. Deacon did as well. Kendrick didn’t move from where he stood over Abernathy. The Wolvites were silent.
“Kendrick?” Lorena whispered.
Kendrick lifted his head. He looked almost as battered as Abernathy, but at least he had both eyes. His shoulders trembled. He looked around at the other Wolvites, his gaze intense.
And then, the Wolvites knelt, a few at first, then more. They all dropped in a gesture of submission. Some seemed to go grudgingly, some with quick reverence. Then, they threw their heads back and howled anew.
It was a high and powerful sound, but it didn’t seem dangerous for once.
Lorena looked at Kendrick. He gazed back at her and nodded.
A new leader. One who would, perhaps, finally allow peace.
Jack and Zeke stood on the other side of the pool, Hazel wedged between them. They stared at Kendrick. Deacon had a small cut above his eye, but he stood on his own two feet and didn’t seem to be in pain. Lorena flung herself against him and he held her.
Kendrick lurched past them and into the center of the clearing. The howling faded. The Wolvites stood again.
Kendrick lifted his arm, fist clenched. He drew deep breaths. “I am your leader.”
The Wolvites answered by lifting their arms as well. The scent of smoke filled the air and it billowed over the treetops, but the orange glow had faded. The pilots in the helicopters seemed completely unaware of the drama that had just unfolded less than half a mile away.
“This is my first order.” Kendrick lowered his arm. “These Lycans and witches will be allowed safe passage from the forest. There will be no more aggression against them.” He turned and focused on Deacon. “But only if you give me your word that the same is true of you, Lycan. You will never again spill Wolvite blood.”
Deacon clutched Lorena against him. “You got my word. No more blood.”
Peace through death, but peace at last.
Lorena swallowed. Her throat burned. “Thank you,” she croaked out. “Thank you, Kendrick.”
He nodded. “Go quickly, before the humans fighting the fire spot you here.”
Lorena looked up at Deacon and took as deep a breath as she could. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 23
Lorena stirred awake and blinked. The truck door next to her head was open and Deacon stood outside, his hand on her shoulder.
“Sorry to wake you, I know you’re tuckered out.”
She lifted her head. The interior of the truck was hot, though she’d rolled the windows down, and her shirt stuck to her. The sun slanted low in the sky, so she guessed it must be late afternoon. She was stretched out on the seat, her bare feet against the opposite door. Her entire body ached.
She hauled herself up and rubbed the back of her neck. “How long have I been asleep?”
They sat in the driveway of Hazel and Clem’s house. They’d stayed there last night, but Lorena, though exhausted, had barely gotten any sleep. Her mind was too full and her body wired from adrenaline. The house was packed with people in the morning, everyone in the family showing up it seemed. She eventually needed space and quiet, and she’d come out to the truck to clear her head. Apparently, the need for sleep finally caught up to her.
“About five hours,” Deacon said. “I came out and checked on you few times, but I figured I’d let you rest. You wasn’t gonna get no sleep in there with everyone yammering.”
She rubbed her eyes. She barely felt rested and was positive she could sleep another twenty-four.
“I couldn’t keep talking to everyone,” she said. “I just meant to have a few minutes to myself and I must have passed out.”
“I understand. I almost came out and joined you.” He squinted toward the house. “We got a visitor though, that’s why I woke you up.”
People stood on the porch: Jack, Zeke, Clem, Ray, Stacy. Hazel sat in her rocking chair.
Someone else was there too, next to the porch steps, a woman in a long gray gown. Lorena recognized her. She was the older witch who had rea
d the potion from the paper.
Lorena frowned. “What’s she want?”
“Wants to talk to us.”
Lorena grabbed her flip-flops from the floorboard. She slipped out of the truck.
Deacon took her hand. She was woozy and her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.
Everyone on the porch watched them as they walked over to the woman. Their opinion of Lorena as a crazy, danger-courting maniac seemed to have shifted to a more tender feeling, along the lines of her being brave and some kind of hero. She was grateful to be back in their favor, but also somewhat resentful they hadn’t trusted her to begin with.
But, to be fair, she was a danger-courting maniac. Somebody had to be.
The witch seemed uneasy in their presence. Her face was narrow and bony. She was clean though, unlike Neala, and her clothes weren’t as soiled.
“Our leader wants to speak with you,” she said. “He asks for permission to walk onto your land.”
Lorena blinked. “Kendrick?” She looked toward the trees. “Is he okay?”
The witch nodded. “Will you allow him passage?”
Lorena squinted up at Clem, Deacon’s grandfather, at the top of the steps. He looked haggard and gray, like something was missing from him. Hazel rose from her chair and tottered over to him. She gripped his elbow and he looked at her.
“Let him come on,” she said. “He showed us mercy.”
Clem nodded to the witch. “He can come.”
The witch turned and hurried toward the trees.
Jack and Zeke glanced at each other, and Ray moved away from where he stood against the porch railing. It was their instinct to go on the defense in the presence of Wolvites.
“No weapons,” Lorena said. “No more blood spilled. We made a promise.”
Deacon slid his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “We did,” he murmured. “We did.” He rubbed her back.
A few minutes later, figures moved through the tress. Lorena felt their approach. A sense of weariness and sadness preceded them.
Kendrick emerged, accompanied by two others, as tall and broad as him. They were the only ones who approached, but others were there, deeper in the trees.
Those on the porch stepped down into the yard. No one had a gun, not that Lorena was aware of, anyway.
Kendrick looked battered and lackluster, for all his majestic height and gleaming golden skin. Wounds in various stages of healing marred his arms and chest. Some were held together with crude stitching. He wore his usual animal hide pants, but also a red cloak, which hung heavy from his shoulders. His hair was smooth and shiny. The usual stench of Wolvite reached her nose, but it wasn’t as bad as usual. Had he bathed?
Gasps went up. Some of them—Stacy, Clem, Ray—had never seen a Wolvite in human form.
“I am Kendrick,” he addressed them. “I am the new leader of the Wolvites. I have deposed the old leader, Abernathy, who ruled without regard for either you or us.”
Everyone was silent. Lorena glanced back at Stacy. Her mouth hung open as she stared at Kendrick.
“I have made an edict,” Kendrick said. “Under my command, no Wolvite will inflict harm on the Lycans or humans who live in this town.”
“Will they obey you?” Lorena asked.
“Most have pledged their loyalty to me. Of course, there are those who do not agree, those who were the most entrenched in Abernathy’s dogma.”
“And what about them?” Deacon asked. “They gonna come after us just to tick you off?”
“I am already trying to find them and flush them out. I do not want to kill any more of our kind, but if they will not obey me, they must be taken care of.”
Jack spoke up. “How we gonna know the difference? How we gonna tell the bad guys from the good guys?”
“If they come after you, they are bad,” Kendrick said.
Lorena almost laughed.
“So how is this peace?” Zeke asked. “We still gotta watch our backs.”
Lorena looked around at him, jaw clenched. “He’s trying, Zeke. Didn’t you hear what he just said? He’s going to get rid of the dissenters.”
“We just gotta watch our backs for a while,” Deacon said. “That’s fine, if it means we’ll be able to ease off eventually. Ain’t nothing new. We’ll be all right.”
“I desire peace.” Kendrick focused on Lorena. “We would benefit from learning to use your weapons, from your medicine, from the introduction of your tools to help us build better shelter and cultivate more food. Our traditions are sacred but they can no longer sustain us.”
She nodded. “I can’t make promises. We’re going to have to involve people bigger than us. I have to speak to the agency.” She hated the idea, but it was true. She couldn’t give them safe land, supplies, and shelter. The only thing with the authority and ability to do all that was the agency. “There’s much you can give us in return, in terms of scientific advancement.”
“A peaceful town is pretty damn good too,” Deacon said.
Kendrick nodded. “There are other things I have come to speak to you about. Dafydd is recovering.”
Lorena smiled. “It worked.”
“You have given us a cure for the Sickness.” Kendrick turned and motioned for someone to come out from the trees. “In return, we will give you a gift.”
The witch came back out. She carried a bottle now. The sun glinted on it and shone through the greenish fluid inside. She stepped up beside Kendrick and handed it to him.
“Your doctor friend was bitten.” Kendrick held the bottle out to Lorena. “There is still time.”
Lorena gaped at it, then tentatively took it. “This is the cure?” she whispered. “The anti-venom?”
“Our witches created it in the ancient days to protect themselves. Thankfully, unlike the cure for the Sickness, it was carried down through the generations.”
She cradled the bottle in her hands, the warm weight of it feeling tremendous. This bottle could have saved her mother. It could have saved so many people. She blinked back tears and looked up at Deacon, swallowing against the tightness in her throat.
“Dr. Winston is in Lexington.” She could barely speak. “We have to get this to him.”
Deacon nodded. “We’ll leave right away.” He looked at Kendrick. “Thank you.”
“There is one more thing.” Kendrick nodded to the men with him. They turned and walked toward the trees.
“I’ll help you make more of the cure for the virus.” Lorena managed to steady her voice. “Maybe the agency can even come up with a vaccine to stop any future outbreaks.”
Stacy inched up beside her. “I guess we still got a lot of learning to do.” She looked Kendrick over. “All of us.”
Lorena hoped Zeke didn’t notice her admiration.
The two Wolvites reemerged. They dragged someone between them, and Lorena stiffened.
They brought Neala before the group. She’d been washed, her hair brushed. She wore a white gown, a different one, not so dirty and ragged. She didn’t look at any of them.
Lorena placed a hand on Deacon’s arm. Jack breathed hard behind them.
“It is my intention to punish her,” Kendrick said. “But, if it be your wish, I will hand her over to you instead.”
Deacon’s expression was drawn, but there was sorrow in his eyes. Doubt. Did he have the heart to punish her, even after what she’d done? Jack stepped up beside him, his face twisted in a grimace.
“How will you punish her?” Lorena asked. “Will you kill her?”
“No,” Kendrick said. “But she will do penance, and she will toil. I will put her to hard work and cast her out of our society for a time. She will be removed from her mate and her friends. She will find no community or solace. She must sit with her crimes and consider them, until a time I feel she has suffered enough and feels true remorse for her actions.”
Lorena looked at Deacon and Jack. “And what will you do to her?”
The sorrow in Deacon
’s eyes spread across his face. He looked at his father, then bowed his head. He was silent for a moment, then lifted his chin. “If we take her, that means we gotta keep her somewhere.” His voice was strained. “And where’s that gonna be? I don’t have it in me to kill her. I couldn’t do that, it ain’t how I’m made.”
Jack huffed. There was pain written all over his face as well. “She deserves to die. She wanted us dead. She was gonna lead us to the slaughter. Over and over, she’s proved she’d be happy with that.”
Neala looked up at him.
Jack pressed his lips together. He leaned forward and spat at her feet. “But I don’t have it in me to kill her either.” His voice trembled. “I’m better than that. I’m better than her.”
He turned away, but not before a tear streaked down his cheek. He dragged his forearm across his face and stalked toward the house.
Ray cleared his throat. “She’s not one of us. You ought to deal with her the way you see fit.”
Lorena stroked her fingers over the bottle and bit her lip. The irony was crushing.
Kendrick nodded. “Very well.” He waved to his men. “Take her back. I will deal punishment on her at sunset.”
As they turned Neala away, she looked at Lorena.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving Dafydd.”
Lorena looked down at the bottle.
They took Neala back into the trees, leaving Kendrick alone. He furled his cloak around him.
“We have much to discuss. When those who can speak of a treaty arrive here, I will come forth. I am open to communication. I want my people to thrive again. I want your people to be safe.”
“I’ll contact the agency.” Lorena gripped Deacon’s arm. “We have to get to Lexington.”
Kendrick turned to Deacon. “As the leader of Lycans, I offer my word to you.”
Deacon snorted. “I ain’t no leader.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “My Daddy and Grandpa are here, they’re older than me and—”
“You can be the leader, Deacon.” Ray sounded amused. “Go on.”
Deacon looked back at him with a scowl. Ray shooed him forward.