by Jaymin Eve
Unfortunately Brace was well known in the Walker community: Que’s son and one of the most powerful of their kind. No one would challenge him. I wondered if my dream power was strong enough to use in this setting with so many around.
I was just gathering my energy to try when Colton dashed in and slammed into Brace’s side. I followed him, diving in between the wrestling men. It wasn’t my smartest move. They could have torn me in two, but somehow Brace knew I was there. He snatched me up, placing his body in front of me protectively. He was growling these long deep grumbles.
“It’s okay, baby.” I placed my hand on his arm. “He never hurt me; no one hurt me.”
Brace’s black eyes flicked to my biceps where the burning marks were just starting to fade. His snarl echoed around the area. Half the Walkers hit the ground and were unable to rise again. I’d never seen Brace so angry. His power was leaking everywhere. There was no denying that the Seventine’s possession had changed my mate. He was so fiercely protective now.
“Brace.” My voice snapped as I tried a different tactic. “Stop right now or I will be the one kicking your butt. Some punk-ass full-of-himself Walker is no match for me. You’re overreacting.”
He stared at me. I glared back. The moment felt endless, but finally a sliver of brown bled back into his eyes and the slightest grin relaxed his features. He lowered his head and captured my lips in a kiss so scorching my breath fled my body and my head spun.
Damn his skills.
Once he’d kissed me senseless, he just turned and left to finish his duties. It took me a few minutes to regain my wits and by that time the Walkers were standing up and muttering amongst themselves. Brown-haired was still knocked out, and no one bothered to check on him.
Colton moved over to me. He wasn’t smiling, but his eyes were laughing.
“Well handled, Red.” He’d adopted Brace’s nickname for me. “Usually I just have to hang around waiting to clean the blood off the walls.”
I grimaced at the visual that produced. I still wasn’t the biggest fan of blood. Although I no longer wanted to faint every time I saw it, which was a good thing, considering my life lately.
“I’m going to remind Dune that no matter how much Brace annoys him, do not take him on,” Fury said, her gray eyes wide.
She’d secured her long white hair at the nape of her neck. Despite the fact it was thick and coarse in texture, it looked like shiny silver in the sunlight and contrasted nicely with the red of her skin.
Talina nodded. “I love that man, but he is seriously scary and impressive.”
Colton laughed, so loud that the three of us jumped a foot. “You have no idea. I’ve seen Brace in his true Walker form once, and I hope it never happens again. We almost didn’t get him back.” He glanced at me. “Although we didn’t have Red last time.”
True Walker form? What did he mean?
“His sister?” I might not know exactly what he was talking about, but I had no problem guessing the event which triggered it. I’d felt Brace’s pain as he talked of her and this was over a hundred years later.
Colton nodded.
“Hey, where’s Lucy?” I realized I hadn’t seen her since the start of this little drama.
We all looked around, but my tiny best friend was nowhere to be seen. A strange feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
“When was the last time you saw her?” Colton bit out, his face falling into fierce lines.
“She was right next to us at the water’s edge when those two Walkers approached.” I moved closer to the lake. I could clearly see she wasn’t nearby.
“I can’t scent her in this area. She’s gone.” Colton had his face lifted into the breeze.
“Did you just say scent?” Fury said, raising her eyebrows.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead he yanked up his shirt, revealing a perfect ivory body. He was not as muscled as Brace, but he was close. When his hand moved to his pants, I cleared my throat.
“Is this really the right time for a strip show, Colton?” I was working hard to ignore the buzz of panic at the back of my head.
The last time Lucy had disappeared she’d been kidnapped. I hadn’t opened the bond to Brace yet – I wanted him to calm down – but if Lucy didn’t stroll up in the next few minutes I’d have no choice.
Colton tilted his head, sizing me up, and then his eyes started to change. I stepped back as a light reflected in their white-blue. And then he dropped his pants in one swift movement.
Before I could say ‘what the eff?’, he’d shifted into a giant wolf.
A strangled screech left my lips. I opened and closed my mouth, but no sound emerged. Fury, Talina and I moved closer together as the Colton-wolf stretched and shook out his mane of fur. He was beautiful: pure white with just black on his ears and around his eyes. He straightened on all fours, and I was staring into his icy blue eyes. I realized he was almost my height.
So at no point did you think it was a good idea to mention that Colt was going to strip butt naked and turn into a very large dog?
I had no choice but to open the bond.
You saw Colt naked? That’s a shame. I’m going to miss my best friend, since I now have to kill him.
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me.
I just told you that where there once was a large blond Walker, there is now a large white wolf, and you’re worried about me seeing him naked?
Men. Stupidity at its finest.
Why is he in his other form?
I can’t find Lucy. In the fight, she disappeared. And right when we’re about to start our search, I turn around and Colt is stripping off his clothes, has a snout and is probably looking for a tree to mark his territory on.
He’ll want to scent her. His senses are unparalleled in that form. I’ll be right there. Don’t let your guard down; his wolf is not always trustworthy.
Great. An almost six-foot, five-hundred-pound wolf was going to be easy to control. Where was his leash?
I suddenly had another thought.
Uh, Brace, do you turn into a wolf as well?
Colton had said he had a true form. His laughter bubbled through me.
No, Red. Colt’s the one with the interesting family tree. There are no animals in mine.
I was distracted as Colton, who was sniffing around the area, started a low growl. His fur stood on end down the length of his massive body.
“What, Cujo? What did you find?”
He eyed me with what looked like wolfy disdain. Stepping closer, his hot breath fanned my face, and I was just wondering what he was doing when his tongue darted out and he licked the length of my face.
“Ewww, Colt, come on.” I couldn’t help but bury my hand in his soft fur. It was so silky on top, but I felt a dense undercoat. “Brace said you were scary, but you’re just a teddy-wolf.”
“Uh, Red, did you misunderstand my last words. I said be careful of the psycho wolf.”
I lifted my head from where I’d rested it against Colton’s side. Brace wore an amused expression.
“I’ve always wanted a dog.” I kissed the wolf’s nose.
Colton snorted at me, before shaking off and stepping away.
“He wants me to tell you he picked up Lucy’s scent leaving the area. We’ll follow it with him.” Brace grinned. “And he said call him a dog one more time and he’ll be forced to ...” Brace reached out and grabbed Colton by the scruff of the neck. “I’m not telling her that and if you mention it again Abby will have a nice wolf rug for her floor.”
Colton’s tongue fell out of his mouth. It looked like he was smiling before he turned and took off.
“Alright, ladies, keep up,” Brace said as we followed along.
It took a few minutes until we were out of the Doreen area. If anyone thought it was strange that a large wolf and the four of us were flying across the field, they certainly didn’t show it. Barely anyone even glanced our way. Walkers were definitely used to weird. I tried to keep
my confidence up. If I even thought about Lucy being hurt for a second, I would crash under the emotions and I needed a clear head. Brace, who had slowed his pace to stay with us, reached over and captured my hand. I could still see Colton-wolf, although he was outdistancing us at a rapid rate.
We passed by the Relli area, then Kaos, Gai, Laos and Whar. Colton continued to head toward the furthest flag, near the forest, and I just knew where we would find her.
Abernath.
The wolf didn’t hesitate at the entrance. It was his clan and he could just stroll right through. As he dashed past, Magenta jumped to her feet. She’d been sitting in a large group of laughing Walkers.
“Colt, what the hell are you doing?” I heard her screech. She whipped her head around and noticed us following behind. “Of course it would have something to do with you, Abigail.”
I flipped her the finger as we moved past. More of the Abernaths were on their feet now, wondering why we were invading their territory. Technically we shouldn’t be in here unless invited, but since Brace, Colton and Talina were all from this clan, we were safe.
“Stop.” Brace ground to a halt, his bellow echoing around the cavernous space. “Que has her, Abbs. We’re walking straight into a trap.”
Colton hadn’t stopped. He was powering forward when a huge force of energy flew through the Abernath area and knocked everyone off their feet.
The enormous wolf shot back, smashing into a tree. His low yelps followed by a whimper had my stomach dropping and fear lodging itself as a lump in my throat.
Brace, who hadn’t succumbed to the energy, moved in a blur to Colton’s side, gathering his friend in his arms and dashing back over to where we were scattered on the ground.
“Are you okay, Red?” Brace showed no strain holding the wolf.
I was on my feet. My energy had mostly absorbed the force instead of it knocking me down.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Is Colt okay?”
I moved to his side, relieved to see his beautiful eyes following me. Before I could blink his tongue flicked out and licked my face again.
I laughed and kissed his nose.
Brace lowered Colton down, spinning around to fall protectively in front of us. But the wolf didn’t stay down. He was back on his feet, low growls ripping from him.
Que stood at the edge of the forest, a man on either side of him. Lucy was being held by the right-side goon.
“Hello, son, I believe my invitation to this gathering was misplaced. But never mind, I’ve made it in time.”
I watched Que as he stood, hands on his hips. He looked the same, only there was something ...
“What have you done, Que?” Brace bit out, his anger palpable. “How could you bring it in here?
The rest of the Abernaths were standing now and I was amazed as they moved to our back, openly defying their Princeps.
“I do need to thank you. I would never have been able to weed out those disloyal to me. Now I know exactly who needs to be eliminated from my plan.”
The way he said ‘eliminated’ sent shivers down my spine.
And I’d finally figured out what was different about him. His skin looked like it was cracking. Very fine fissures covered him. What could have caused that?
“It’s killing you,” Brace said without inflection. “You’re not strong enough.”
“You are my son. If you can safely house the first, I can handle the third.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Que was a vessel for the third Seventine, and he was inside the barrier, where no one could escape.
Chapter 18
Lucy
I was sort of getting tired of this kidnapping business. Sure, I’m small, blond and cute, but that doesn’t give these giant a-holes the right to pick me up like a doll and carry me around. I wiggled again, attempting to loosen the iron grip of tweedle-dumbass, but there was no budging it.
I could see the worry on Abigail’s face as she stood across from us. My best friend, who is without any doubt the most stunningly beautiful person I’ve ever known, did not have one hair out of place, despite the fact I’d seen her sprint into the Abernath area. I’d hate her if she wasn’t so lovable. Damn her. And Brace. Well, there was no denying the man was sex-on-legs. Those two were going to have beautiful babies. Although they could be ugly. Maybe Abigail and Brace had sucked up all the hot genes for themselves.
The headache which seemed to constantly plague me lately was starting to send those spikes into my brain, a sure sign a vision wanted to make an appearance. But since the last vision during our fight by the lake had left me vulnerable enough to be snatched up by these three morons, I was suppressing any further.
Clearly I wasn’t going anywhere soon so I decided to spend my time making a list. Number one was to get this helpless-damsel thing under control. No more kidnappings. Next was to start working on my language; the curse words were starting to overtake the regular. Then after all of that I was going to get me a gun and start hunting down asshats. The targets continued to increase every time I met another Walker.
Speaking of, what the cra ... hell ... I mean heck was that monster horse-dog next to Abigail and Brace? And where was Colton? For some reason I was extra disappointed that he wasn’t there. We had a connection. Okay, it was mostly one I had made up in my head, but still, he could have continued to feed my sexual fantasies. It was just rude to cut them off so abruptly.
I couldn’t help but listen to Que as he spoke, although his nasally voice was damn annoying. Did he just say he was the coat for the third Seventine? That might explain those ricocheting cracks spanning his skin. Looked like he was about to shatter into a million pieces. Which would be very helpful.
The stabbing sensation sliced through my mind again. It left behind an iciness as if frost covered the pick piercing my brain. With a sigh I gave up trying to fight the inevitable, closing my eyes and letting the images come. It was like watching a movie in my mind, although the scenes weren’t always in order and often made no sense.
The vision in my head was very similar to the landscape I’d just shut out.
Why was I seeing the very moment I was living?
Que moved in the vision, stepping closer to my friends, and I could see it wasn’t exactly the same. He looked a lot worse: the cracks were larger and he was stumbling. Halfway there, he dropped to his knees, a peculiar look on his face. His head fell back. A screech emitted from his mouth in a long echoing sequence. It was ear-piercing and even in my vision I winced.
And then he exploded with an outward ricochet of energy. I mean atomic bomb shit happening right in front of me. And everyone in the vicinity was shattered into a million pieces. Including the people I loved more than anything. The air around me rained blood like a fine mist of death.
I screamed, both in my head and obviously out loud, since dumbass was shaking me around. Yeah, moron, shaking someone’s head off is the best way to stop their screams.
I opened my eyes and silenced my scream, only to find every face turned toward me.
“What did you see, my little soothsayer?” Que’s nasal tones washed over me and it was clear he knew my secret.
Who the crap kept telling him these things?
Already he looked worse and my heart jumped. We weren’t far from my vision. I had to warn them.
“Run, Abigail! Get out of here. Que’s going to explode and kill everyone!” I screamed as loud as I could, and never shifted my gaze from Que.
I managed to get the whole sentence out before my mouth was covered.
“What did you say?” his voice was quiet and deadly. “Who could blow me up?”
The beefy hand was removed, allowing me to suck in some air before I answered.
“The energy came from within. You can’t house the Seventine. Its power is too strong, too much from the primal source. It’s slowly destroying you, and pretty soon you’ll shatter and dissolve everyone here.”
His head swung around then, and I saw the briefest
flash of pain as he locked eyes with Brace.
God dammit, the crazy psychopath loved his son. He actually allowed an emotional weakness like love to live inside him.
“Leave now,” I said, my voice low. “There’s nothing you can do to prevent this and you’re going to destroy your son and the girls. And any chance of stopping the Seventine.”
The dumbass suddenly dropped me. He dashed away into the forest, followed by dumbass two. I hit the ground hard, crumpling in on myself. Ouch, eff, shit, owww. He had to drop me six feet from the ground. I attempted to stand but my left leg crumpled. My ankle was definitely sprained. I tried again, whimpering at the shooting pains. Maybe even broken. Using a nearby trunk, I managed to stand on my good leg.
“Lucy!”
I hopped around so I could get a clear view. Abigail was screaming at me, and not one of them had left the area.
“What the hell are you all doing? I told you to move your butts out of here,” I bellowed back, trying not to fall again.
Abigail narrowed her beautiful emerald eyes, hands on her hips. I knew what she was thinking and there was no way she was going to leave without me. Damn her stubborn, loyal butt.
Que stumbled next to me.
I grabbed his arm. It was hot to touch, as if his blood was boiling. “Go now, Que. You’re strong enough to gather yourself even after the Seventine erupts. Others may not be so lucky.”
Of course I had no freaking idea if he could survive this, but I figured appealing to his ego was the way to go.
“I wanted power for Walkers ... for Brace,” he finally muttered. “Not destroy ...”
His words trailed off, and as I watched he seemed to gather strength and took off into the forest at a speedy blur. Abigail and Brace were at my side in an instant. I collapsed into her arms, unable to hold my own weight any longer.
“Go,” I muttered. “We still have to move. This blast is epic and Que’s not strong enough to get far enough away.”
They’d just started to move when the wolf let out a growl. He nudged at my leg.
“Uh, is Cujo going to gnaw on me or something?”