Waking Up Dead (The Western Werewolf Legend #1)

by Catherine Wolffe

  Gold fire sparked in Sonja’s eyes and glowed tawny in the meager light. Wolf hairs sprang painfully along her neck with the realization this vampire new her secret.

  Stewart raised his hand in surrender. “I come in peace and want to help you if you’ll allow me. Perkins and his men killed or changed most of my men before we could even draw our weapons. “I want to eliminate the bloody bastards down to the last leach.”

  Sonja’s breath came in short bursts. Narrowing her eyes on Stewart, she said, “You expect me to believe you dropped by here to warn me the lieutenant is in danger and offer your assistance? I’m not that stupid, General.” With that, she presented her back to him.

  Stewart didn’t flinch. “Tyler Loflin is a loyal Confederate soldier. I deeply regret the charge leveled against him. Now, almost single handily, he’s trying to stop the bastards. I want to help right a great wrong when I smeared his record and prove to you I’m not like them, Mrs. Brooks.” Stewart paused in the slow, calculated way of a general and waited for her decision. Casting eyes from one sister to another, he held his cavalry hat in front of him with those long, slim fingers. His demeanor seemed sincere – a common assumption Sonja had made before when dealing with a man in uniform.

  She reached up, rubbing at the pain behind her eyes. Her head throbbed - probably from one of the blows she'd taken at the hands of one of the more powerful vamps back at the farm. “You expect me to believe you weren’t sent here to try and lure me into showing up at this compound where I’d be captured myself?” Irritation bloomed out of the pain in her head as Stewart continued to stand before her. Tapping one slim foot on the stone floor, Sonja examined the general’s face and waited intently for his answer. Surely, he would give himself away sooner or later.

  “A man named Abram Clemens is with him. The vampires plan on draining Abram’s blood and feeding him to their hellhounds tonight at midnight. They will drain Tyler slowly as they need his blood. They’ll discover he too carries a secret, Mrs. Brooks. Let me help.”

  A simmering rage began to pool in her stomach. She recognized what Stewart referred to – the fact Ty’s blood contained the gift. The vampires would use him as a living science experiment to allow them to travel in the daylight. She’d done this to him, she’d made him a wanted man or wolf because she’d shared her blood with him to save his life. The pain shot daggers into her brain. Guilt reared up, threatening to strangle her. She needed to save him whether she believed the general or not.

  Nevertheless, when she raised her face, her composure was again in place. Giving nothing away, she took a step toward the undead Stewart. “What – I’m supposed to trust your lead and break into the bloodsuckers den to save a man who can take care of himself simply because you say he needs me?” The grunt of disgust sounded harsh even to her ears. “You know those vultures want my blood because of the power it contains. Otherwise you wouldn’t have explained what they planned to do to the lieutenant in such detail.” Sonja whirled away before turning back to glare at the new vampire. “Do you take me for a fool, sir, or has your change addled your brain?”

  Stewart dropped his eyes before meeting hers with a steadfast stare. “No, I came to help you and Ty free those Confederates.” With a glance through the front window, Stewart focused on the encroaching darkness, his skin bunched around his eyes in a pained stare. “A lot of them are my men, good men, who don’t deserve to die at the hands of those monsters.”There was audible stress in his voice.

  Sonja clenched her teeth while sucking in air and releasing the breath slowly. “If I believe you and you’re lying, I’ll kill you without hesitation.”

  “If I’m lying, I’ll gladly stand without objection for your blade.” Stewart’s gray eyes never left her face.

  Briann ran a hand down Sonja’s tattered sleeve. “I believe him, sister.” Her sister smiled tentatively for Sonja before flicking a glance back at Stewart. “He’s sincere. No vampire who knows your gift comes alone to seek you out unless he speaks the truth.”

  Sonja reached across and gripped her sister’s hand. “You’re always right.” Wrapping her arms around Briann, Sonja moved into the embrace. The time for doubt passed and she relished in the contact of her family. “All right, we’ll go and see what we can do.” She wagged one tiny finger at the Union general. “I’m going to get Ty, and if we’re able to free some Confederates, we will. I can’t promise you anything until we see what we’re up against. Is that clear?” Her voice, filled with authority, sounded assertive.

  “Don’t worry, Mrs. Brooks. I only want to free my men. No questions or suggestions will be forthcoming from me concerning how we manage the feat.” Stewart settled his cavalry hat atop his dark hair. “I’ll bring horses and supplies if I can locate any. We’ll be ready to ride within the hour.” With two fingers to the brim of his hat, Stewart considered Briann. With a small, appreciative smile, he addressed her before turning for the door, “Thank you, ma’am.” Swiftly he turned and disappeared out into the darkness.

  When he’d gone, Sonja turned to Briann. “You should be more careful with your power to hear a person’s thoughts. He can read minds, you know?” She sat in a nearby chair as a wave of pain struck her squarely. The extent of her injuries must’ve been greater than she believed. Usually the healing didn’t include so much difficulty.

  Waving a hand in the air, Briann grinned wickedly. “Don’t worry about me, sister. I heard his thoughts before he realized I was in his head. He’s quite the gentleman.” She offered a faint smile. “Isn’t he manly?” Her hand fluttered to her throat and like a schoolgirl, her older sister giggled. Briann hadn’t made the delicate, feminine sound in a long time. Now she fanned her face with those same fingers she’d used to dismiss Sonja’s concerns. “I’m sure he’s telling the truth. He’s no fan of the vampires who turned him. He holds humans and werewolves in high regard though.” With her point made, Sonja’s sister turned to the kitchen and a kettle whistling on the stove. “I’m going to make you some of my special tea. You haven’t eaten today have you?”

  Sonja remained silent as she watched her sister bustle about in the kitchen. There was no need to reiterate her question. It seemed Briann had eyes for the general. How odd life was, she mused.

  The Guardian emerged from the bedroom and glanced regally from one sister to the other. He wasn’t recognizable as the creature all humans feared. No, he’d taken on the disguise of an country gentleman in a smart jacket and vest over dark trousers and knee-high black leather boots. Sonja could only stare. The Guardian never ceased to amaze her. The disguise gave him more mobility and freedom to spy on the vampires to be sure. She narrowed her gaze as she peered at him.

  “I can’t understand how they don’t know you’re not who you appear to be.” Sonja studied her mentor. “Do you ever get a feeling like they’re on to you?”

  The Guardian smiled benignly and shrugged one elegantly clothed shoulder. “I have no inkling of such a feeling, no.”

  Sonja rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t.” Motioning him to step closer, she stuck out her hand. “Come here.” She could remember a time when the mere sight of him struck terror in her chest. The first time she’d met him, he’d walked up behind her and laid his talons on her shoulder. Sonja cringed inwardly when recalling his face so close to hers.

  “You have something on your shoulder,” she said. Giving the lent a flick, she smiled at the figure he made in his dark blue coat and white ruffled carafe. “There.” Setting him to rights, Sonja smiled and glanced into his face. “You heard what our visitor had to say?”

  “Yes, I heard.” Glancing at Briann, the Guardian asked, “You believe he is telling the truth?”

  Briann’s eyebrow winged up. “I don’t have to depend on beliefs, I know what General Stewart said was the truth. He’s not like the others.” Looking from the Guardian to her sister and back again, she continued undeterred. “His heart may be dead, but his soul lingers and his spirit seeks justice.�
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  “All right.” The wolf-god stepped toward the front door, searching the road in both directions. “We’ll see what happens when he comes back.”

  “Will you eat with us, Guardian? I fear I’ve gone again and made too much.” Briann stepped toward the werewolf-god and spread a hand. “Come, we’ll let good stew go to waste if you don’t.”

  “The general will return. We’ll rest under the witch’s spell before travel.” With those simple words he turned back and followed the women into dine.

  Chapter 3

  For the Sake of Brothers in Arms

  Something slithered across his bare toes. Forcing the urge to jerk his foot out of harm’s way, Ty repositioned himself against the cold, damp wall of the prison cell. A faint glint of candle light showed through the bars. Cold air surged down the dark hallway.

  “Gonna be a cold one tonight,” Smitty said. “Ty’s sergeant and friend glancing up at the flickers of moonlight shining through. No more overcast sky.” His voice trailed off as if his thoughts remained tangled in memories he couldn’t talk about.

  “See if Conner’s needs more cover. His chills were getting worse when I checked,” Ty instructed.

  The men lining the walls of the cell didn’t argue as someone near Conner’s shivering form, shared his cover with the Rebel. The faces of the men in the cell reflected their state. The fact they’d been captured and thrown in the hellhole called Coggan’s Breach was doing a good job of finishing off what little of their Rebel spirit remained. Ty resigned himself to the situation. He sat alongside them with no more talent for getting out than they held.

  “Conner’s holding on, Lieutenant,” a young pup named Rogers answered. The young private resembled a twelve-year-old, all gangly arms and boney legs. Most of the men were sure he’d lied about his age to get into the regiment. Stewart’s cavalry unit, coveted among the enlisted men as well as the officers because of their elite status held danger and adventure for those wanting such. His large brown eyes set in his freckled face belied his eighteen years. When they needed an innocent face, the men always sought out “Baby” as they’d affectionately nicknamed him.

  “Good,” Ty breathed with a look around the small cage used to house twenty men. The men looked up to him, though Ty couldn’t say why. Each face he scanned wore the blank look of despair. Most arrived after Stewart met his untimely end. The dank hole was full of disease and vermin.

  They needed a plan. Each hour that passed saw the men grow weaker from hunger and ill from poor living conditions. “Do we know if the vultures have a set time they feed us or is their benevolence on a whim?” The mockery in his voice he hoped would spark a surge of insurrection and belief in freedom which he could fuel to get the men to safety.

  One of the officers from Stewart’s unit shifted on his pallet and spoke up. “No set time, sir. They come when they feel like it, usually dangling something in front of our noses to get a rise out of us, the bloody bastards.” He shook his shaggy head. “They harp on taunting those half-crazed with hunger to fall on over the edge and laugh when they succumb. They tell us if we don’t fight, we’re next ‘to be saved’ as they call the drinking of our blood. Death is a sweet relief for most who’ve given up.” He glanced around piteously at his comrades.

  Ty absorbed the officer’s answer with a heavy heart. He’d planned on getting his men, plus as many others as he could gather, out of the hell hole before the forest had turned on him. Admitting his temper brought on the change didn’t set well with him at all. Sometimes he figured he almost gained control of the transformation and something would trigger his anger like the ‘captivating’ plants outside the compound. He’d shift into the werewolf and been captured. Berating himself for not being more cunning in his wolf skin, he labored with guilt and wallowed briefly in despair. Images of Sonja continued to flash through his mind’s eye. Alarmed by the danger lurking in the vision, Ty scrambled to his feet. The men on the floor turned their faces toward him. “We’re getting out of here now. No way I’m letting any of you stay any longer, do you hear me?”

  ***

  Sonja stood straight and tall as she closed her eyes to concentrate. Slowly a white light emitted around her and swirled with facets and sparks. The glow grew stronger and stronger until Sonja’s whole body shimmered with the change. When given the choice, she became the white she wolf with a coat the color of snow. Around her neck a silver band of fur framed her wolf face where Brandy colored eyes saw everything. As the wolf, she approached the wall of the compound. Daylight had its advantages when it came to dealing with vampires. Today’s brilliant sunlight kept them all in their caskets. The Guardian continued to remind her, the vampires coveted her blood more than all others because if a vampire drank from her, he could walk in the daylight unharmed. Besides strength and endurance, which the vamps always wanted more of, her blood’s sunlight protection made them long for her life source most. She couldn’t help the shiver racing down her spin.

  The great hulking werewolf-god appeared at the other end of the compound. Speaking to the Guardian’s mind, Sonja explained her plan. He’d transformed back into the long armed wolf-god for their break-in attempt.

  “Get him out of here no matter what happens. Do you understand?”

  Guardian’s blain stare told her he wasn’t taking anything she said seriously. He merely leapt to the top of the high wooden wall and disappeared over its side. Conner’s Breach was a desolate place with nothing to speak kindly of its roughhewn exterior or its chains and shackles hanging near the main gate. It resembled a dungeon from the dark ages and Sonja couldn’t keep the vision of its dank, dismal interior from surfacing in her brain. She blinked in the direction the Guardian had taken. Gods were strange. Why she’d though he’d understand her plea to remove Ty unharmed, she didn’t know. Perhaps he remained aloft to remind them all of his superiority or perhaps he was an asshole.

  Irritation rippled along her neck in the form of tension she hadn’t been able to shake. The mere fact Ty hadn’t wanted her to accompany him on this little rescue mission still weighed on her heart. She didn’t want any harm to come to the man she loved. Such a rare jewel – love, especially if you became something as strange as a werewolf. Her life took a big turn only a couple of weeks before when she’d been attacked by a wolf posing as a stranger. She’d awoke a new creature with unimaginable powers. The witch, Hortence, explained everything yet she couldn’t wrap her head around the facts. Slowly over the days, which followed, she began to understand some of what the witch kept telling her. As a werewolf, she would be in charge of a new order of wolves destined to eradicate all vampires, who feed off humans and wolves alike.

  Her first encounter with the bloodsuckers came as the full moon appeared in the night sky. Disguised as Union soldiers, they’d captured her right after the change. Dazed and confused, Sonja had fought. Inexperience had stopped her from bringing them to task. Soon she lay on a table in a glade clearing in the tall pines of the Pennsylvania wilderness. They intended to drain her of all her blood. If not for the Guardian appearing, she’d certainly have perished. The next thing she remembered was Ty holding her and repeating the same words over and over, “Sonja, you’re here!”

  The old witch gripped her arm, effectively bringing her out of her head. “You’ll need this, my dear.” Hortence held up the medallion Sonja wore all the time of late.

  How’d the piece been removed? She didn’t recall having taken the piece off. The thick braid of silver with a circle of gold emblazoned with a crest hanging from the rope warmed in her hand. So attached was she to the necklace, her heart rate increased in tempo when the old hag held the piece up for the sun to glint off its gold face.

  “Thank you.” Taking the chain, she slid the medallion in place. Her spirits immediately rose and her anxiety evaporated. A surge of confidence filled her as she strode forward with purpose. A certainty they would win the day washed over her and she even smiled at the idea.

  To do this for Ty wou
ld bolster her considerably. Wanting to please him meant everything to her. With a newly created sword the Guardian gave her, Sonja approached the gate of the compound. No sound emitted from the interior except the tedious dripping of a well pump in the courtyard. The location of the lair was well concealed in the undergrowth surrounding the thick slabs of pine pounded into the earth side by side to form a crude fence. Sharpened to points the tall members would stop most men. Fortunately, she wasn’t most men.

  The fact she, a slight woman, could wield the sword as well as a man didn’t seem odd to her. She would’ve answered with a resounding ‘yes’ if asked such a question only days before. In the time since the change, she’d encountered vampires in droves and with a lesson or two from Ty, been able to vanquish her foes without undo effort. What faced them behind these walls would be more concentrated and well prepared for battle. The leader of the coven slept the Guardian told her. So be it. She would face him without doubt or dread someday. All she needed to do was what she’d been trained to do, and the end, would play out in their favor.

  With the guards’ throats taken care of, Sonja along with Hortence slipped quietly into the compound. Finding the vampires was the first order of business. “You take this corridor and I’ll take the other one,” she whispered, pointing at the arched passageways carved out of pure stone. Above each, the Latin words “Eternal Allegiance” were carved deep into the stone.

  ***

  “The guards are coming!” Smitty’s hiss passed from one to another of the men down the line. “Get ready!” Mumbled words, nudges and glances filled the crowded cell. The air fairly sizzled with the renewed surge of purpose. Each man tensed at the opportunity about to occur.

  Ty glanced from Clemens to Smitty at the head of the line of ragtag, malnourished humans leaning or lying against the stonewall of their cell. Realistic to a fault, Ty understood their efforts wouldn’t be enough for all of them to make it back to their families safely. The knowledge weighed heavy in his chest, but war was a harsh teacher and much of his values had shifted over the years he’d been of service. Taking all of them to safety wasn’t going to happen he reminded the man inside. The wolf didn’t give a rat’s ass what reality wanted.