The Caitlin Chronicles Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

Bryce looked back and winked before skulking ahead on all fours into the night.

  Kain followed, silently battling with his own desire to turn into a wolf there and then. It wouldn’t be so bad, he thought. I’ve already done it recently, and I was fine.

  But would he be? He cast his mind back and remembered the effort it had taken to change back into a human after leaping over the governor with Caitlin on his back so she could lean down and slice him open. There was no way to describe the fear which had come with the delay in which no change occurred or the pain that followed when the transformation kicked reluctantly into effect.

  “Not now, Kainy-boy,” he said to himself, running after Bryce who had already disappeared around the corner. “Not now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The Sewers, The Broken City, Old Ontario

  Leena May was excited.

  It had been a long year, but progress was finally being made. One of the smartest Weres in Geralt’s pack, Leena was something of a rarity—a Were with good looks and brains.

  “A place for everything, and everything in its place,” she murmured as she busied herself around the room, setting everything straight. She double-checked her tray of instruments—needles, vials, scissors, scalpel—then hopped over to the small table in the center of the room. Carefully, she checked leather straps attached to the work surface.

  Having trialed her experiments for Geralt on several occasions now, each had been met with the same results—humans who convert into Weres with the same issues as every Were had these days. Still, Leena was almost positive that tonight would work. The change would be successful, and they would produce actual functioning Weres.

  They were going to use Geralt’s blood, after all.

  Always considered the runt of the litter, Leena relished the chills of excitement that ran through her. If she could make a breakthrough in this regard, then what was to stop her finding the cure for Weres? If she could be the one to restore them to their glory, then not only would she earn Geralt’s eternal gratitude and respect, she could fix herself.

  How she yearned for one more run as the slender wolf she had spent her years padding around as.

  “You realize this isn’t going to work, don’t you?” Alicia’s voice came from behind her.

  Leena snapped around, her face twisted. “You realize that you haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about?”

  Alicia sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. She had been tied up against the wall in Leena’s lab for the best part of an hour now, simply watching the Were prepare.

  “Seriously, you Weres are fucked,” the woman continued. “Sure, you can take me and tie me down and do whatever it is you feel you need to do to me to get your orgasmic fix, but all you’ll be doing is fanning the flames of war. If I die, I become nothing more than a martyr, and my people will come. Oh, they’ll come. And with them will come the fury of gunpowder and blood.”

  Leena chuckled. “Oh,” she said, placing a hand theatrically on her chest. “You think we’re going to convert you? My dear, you must have your ego twisted too tight. Why would we sully the great Were name by converting the likes of you?”

  Alicia’s mouth flapped emptily.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  When the door creaked open, Leena turned so quickly that it was almost a surprise her neck didn’t snap.

  “Master Geralt,” she said, bowing so low that her nose nearly touched the floor.

  He padded into the room in his bear form, his broad shoulders scraping the sides of the door. In one smooth motion, he transformed into the hulking man he was, grinning at Alicia strapped to the wall.

  “And there she is, my favorite human in the whole wide world,” he said, moving so close that she could smell the stink coming off his body. “I hope you’re not finding your stay comfortable?”

  Alicia wrinkled her nose and made as if to spit but found Geralt’s hand already covering her face. “Oh, no, dear. We Weres don’t fall for the same trick twice.” He felt the saliva dribble down his palm and rubbed it over her face. “You should know better than that.”

  “You’re all monsters,” Alicia said. “You know that, right? You want to come and join us up in the city, but you’re nothing more than vermin. Rats. Filth who belong in the sewers.”

  Geralt smirked. “I can see you’re angry. I get it. No, really, I do. But the problem is, you don’t see the bigger picture, my dear.” He sighed and paced around the room. “For years, it has always been about evolution. About the next step in humanity’s line which will last the ages. At first, we started as nothing more than chimps and apes. Then we progressed to Neanderthals. Further into humans, and then, only a few hundred years ago, the blessed Kurtherians bestowed a number of us with the gift of becoming a Were.”

  There was a clink of vials as Leena placed them down and left the room, preparing for the next part of the procedure.

  “Weres and vampires. We are…were…the next level of that evolution. Gifted with powers beyond human understanding. Until, that is, the blasted Madness came, and the problem began.

  “I was only a young Were when the Madness descended,” Geralt said, his eyes hazy as he reminisced. “Born and bred in the same bunker in which my parents died. The same place my family had lived in the generations following the World’s Worst Day Ever when the world crumbled and the nukes struck—or at least that’s what I was told. My first glimpse of the real world was an escape from the bunker into a land of zombies and chaos.

  “My whole lineage were Weres as far back as I can remember. And to think there came a day in which the evolution stopped. Weres regressed. Now, I have a pack filled with nothing more than humans and animals. I’m no more than the guardian of children and pets!” He slammed the table, shaking the instruments so hard that several fell off and clattered onto the floor. His eyes shone amber as he growled. “Where’s the justice in that? What kind of Were-hating scum force of the douchebaggery division would enact a change that would set us back? To have us cowering in fear of creatures like you. Creatures whose necks I could snap with barely a true measure of my strength?” He stared at Alicia with a mixture of emotions swirling in his expression. “How can it be that we are stuck down here? And you…humans…get to live in the world?”

  “Hey, it’s no walk in the park up there,” Alicia responded, unfazed by Geralt’s speech. “We’ve got zombs, we’ve got in-fighting, and sometimes, our crops grow into strange shapes. Last week we picked a carrot that looked like a penis? Imagine trying to eat that without flinching.” she smirked.

  “Oh, I’m sure you found a way,” he retorted.

  Alicia longed to rub her tired eyes but remembered her constraints. “You realize my people will come for me? You can’t stay hidden forever.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. We’ve done a pretty good job so far.” He turned as Leena returned to the room. “Ah, just in time.”

  Behind Leena trailed a small girl, no more than seven years old. Her curly blonde locks fell down to her shoulders, and she held a thumb in her mouth. Geralt quickly found a stained white lab coat on the far wall and wrapped it around himself.

  “And welcome, little girl,” he cooed, bending down to rest his hands on his knees. “Don’t be shy, come on in. Today’s a big day for you.”

  The girl looked from Geralt to Leena and then to Alicia. “I’m sorry, sir. My birthday’s not for a few weeks, yet.”

  He chuckled. “Not a problem. We’ll give you your birthday surprise early.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do you know why you’re here today?” he said.

  The girl shook her head.

  “What’s your name, little girl?”

  “Serena…sir,” she replied, her voice sweet and bright.

  “Well, Serena, you’re going to help Mr. Geralt make history today, aren’t you? You’re going to do something for me, which up until now hasn’t gone so well. But you’re special, aren’t you? You’re better than the others.”
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  Serena hesitated, then giggled. “Will I be able to see my family after? Have you seen Lewis?”

  Geralt glanced at Alicia. She felt anger boiling within as she stared into his cold eyes.

  “Oh, definitely,” he replied. “Now, all I need you to do is hop up on this table and close your eyes.”

  Serena paused, then after a moment’s thought, she nodded and let Leena scoop her on to the table. It was only at the sight of the instruments around her that she seemed to panic slightly.

  “I don’t like needles,” she said.

  “Me neither,” Geralt agreed, rolling up his sleeves and taking a seat next to her. “But sometimes we do things that we don’t like to help the people that we love.”

  “And who is she helping here?” Alicia piped up. She continued despite Geralt’s glare. “Serena, don’t listen to him. He’s a madman. Run. Run while you can!”

  With a deafening roar, Geralt leaped off the table, crossed the room, and smacked Alicia’s face. Stars blossomed in her vision as she manipulated her jaw to check it was still intact.

  “Keep your mouth shut,” he growled. “Before I shut it for you.”

  Alicia stared into Geralt’s eyes but remained silent.

  “That’s better.”

  Satisfied, he returned to the table, and he and Leena eased Serena onto her back. She started to wriggle, but with the two Weres on either side, they managed to secure her.

  “Now, this won’t hurt a bit,” Leena said as she took a needle and approached Serena.

  Alicia couldn’t bear to look. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable moment the screams would come.

  Only, when they did, they were not the screams of a small girl.

  “What? What’s going on?” Geralt’s voice rang with something resembling panic.

  Alicia opened her eyes and saw them pour into the room—a dozen children and several cubs. One of the cubs—a wolf—was currently hanging off Leena’s leg, its teeth locked tight as it growled alarmingly. The door was now wide open.

  Geralt stood and drew back in disbelief. “You stupid bitch, you didn’t lock the door?”

  “I did! I did!” Leena cried, shaking free from the wolf as the bear cub bit into the other leg. The children were led, it seemed, by several of the older kids. These now jumped onto the table and ripped Serena’s straps off.

  “Quick, get them,” a squeaky voice cried. “Serena, we’re here. We’re here!”

  Without hesitation, Serena leaped off the table and ran out of the room.

  “Why, you little shits,” Geralt shouted before he crouched and transformed into the powerful bear. He let out an almighty roar, causing the kids to freeze momentarily.

  One of the braver kids—a stout boy with a torn black tank top—ran forward and kicked his leg. He growled and shoved the boy backward, causing him to fall on his ass, his face painted with fear. He scrambled desperately to the door on hands and knees and vanished to safety.

  “Retreat!” a voice called.

  The children turned. As quickly as they had filed in, they were gone, their voices and screams trailing down the hall as Geralt loped towards the hallway and let out another roar. The sound of his rage echoed and traveled the length of the corridor, spurring them on as fast as their little legs could carry them.

  When they were gone, a moment of silence lingered, broken only by Alicia sniggering at the far side of the room.

  “Think that’s funny, do you?” Leena growled, padding the bleeding on her leg with a wrist wrapped in cotton to stem the flow.

  Tears rolled down Alicia’s cheeks. Her laughter grew as she fought for breath. “Oh, hell yes. The great Geralt, taken down by the kindergarten class.”

  His face was filled with rage as he struggled to take in what had just happened. He turned to Leena, shifting smoothly back into his human form.

  Leena shook with fear, stumbling for words. “I did. I did, sir, I swear. I locked the door.”

  Which was when a sudden realization dawned on Leena’s face.

  “Cynthia. That bitch. It must have been her.”

  Geralt looked skeptically at Leena, then around at the mess which had been created. “Clean this shit up,” he said simply. He moved to exit the room, pausing in the doorway.

  “Oh, and Leena?”

  “Yes?”

  “For the next ten minutes, Alicia is your plaything. Do what you like to her, but don’t kill her, okay? I want her to see when we hit success.”

  Alicia’s eyes widened as Geralt exited. Leena grinned like a wolf advancing on a hapless sheep.

  “Quick. Quick,” Cynthia urged as the kids flocked back through the tunnels and into the creche.

  She counted them all as they came back, her brow furrowing with concern as several children and the wolf cub limped behind the group. She ushered them inside, checked they were okay, then dashed back out the room, careful to leave the door slightly ajar.

  As she sprinted as softly as she could back to her own room, a smile was wide on her face. Though Serena had looked frightened on her return, Cynthia knew a little fear was a far sight better than what she would have faced had Cynthia not intervened.

  Diving into her bed, she drew her blanket up to her neck and closed her eyes. A few moments later she could hear a deep, rumbling growl as Geralt stalked the tunnels. He paused outside her room. Cynthia tensed. Eventually, he moved on.

  She released a deep breath, and the careful part of her mind scolded herself for her recklessness. Would her subordination raise suspicion in Geralt?

  Most definitely.

  Would she have been able to live with herself if she had not taken action?

  She doubted it.

  As she lay in bed, thoughts raced through her mind. She had been a part of the pack for years, now. But the time had come for a change. Like Kain, Cynthia had been against Geralt’s plan to repopulate the Weres. Unlike Kain, she had been too weak to take a stand.

  That is until Kain had returned and informed her of his friendship with the human girl and the vampire—people who stood for justice and fought for liberation.

  Now that sounded like a good deal to get involved with.

  She could only hope that Kain would draw out the information he needed, establish himself closer to those within the pack, and help start the revolt.

  And, with any luck, her recklessness wouldn’t ruin that plan.

  Geralt waited outside Cynthia’s room for some time, the growls climbing and escaping his throat like raw, wriggling things.

  He was pissed, more pissed than he had been in a long time. To think that one of his own pack would do such a thing. How could they show such utter disrespect at a time when progress was but a finger-click away?

  Through his anger, he focused on the woman’s door but could see nothing but red. His nostrils flared. His heart thumped.

  Stupid bitch. Stupid goddamn fucking bitch.

  As he sat and mulled through his emotions, he began to wonder again about his conversation with Kain. Perhaps he had been too fearful. Perhaps there were some Weres down there who had begun to lose respect for the leader who was too afraid to enter the surface world. Perhaps it was time for a change—for a demonstration of his strength.

  Resolved in his decision, Geralt padded down the tunnels toward the hidden entrance to the Were lair.

  It was time to remind the world of the power of functioning Weres.

  And God help anyone who got in his way.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The Broken City, Old Ontario

  Led by Mary-Anne, Caitlin and the others made their way through the city, stopping only briefly in the cover of an old reception area of what appeared to be a hotel so that Vex could do his business.

  “Can’t it wait?” Belle complained.

  “Look, when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. Now, can you stop watching? I can’t go when I’m nervous.”

  Caitlin bent down and whispered in Jaxon’s ears. As Vex
started to piss, Jaxon launched at him, his paws landing on his back and knocking him forward. His face smacked the wall as a small stream of urine soaked his feet.

  “Hey!” he protested.

  The others fell about laughing. Despite Caitlin’s initial upset at Vex and Belle having somehow followed them through the forest and to the city, she couldn’t feel more relieved to have more of her Revolutionaries by her side. The more she discovered about The Broken City and the hidden war which waged between the surface dwellers and the sewer Weres, the more she felt a confrontation brewing. And for that, she wanted as many people on her side as she could gather.

  When Mary-Anne finished laughing, she filled her in on what she had been up to in her absence from the group. Caitlin was pleased to hear that her suspicions had been confirmed. The vampire had watched over them from afar the entire time they had been in the city.

  “I wasn’t quite sure how these city-dwellers would react to meeting a vampire. I mean, they’ve clearly grown acquainted with Weres. But…a vampire? That’s a whole different level.”

  Laurie blushed at that. “Erm…Ma?”

  “Yes?”

  “I may have…sorta…accidentally told them you were a vampire when they held guns to our head. Not too long after you’d run off…”

  Mary-Anne’s face fell. “So I needn’t have hidden the entire time? That would’ve been handy to know…erm…a few days ago! You know I’ve been sleeping on rubble in windowless rooms, right?”

  Caitlin giggled at that.

  “Still, without your hard work, we wouldn’t have a lead on the Were’s entrance, now would we?” she said.

  Belle coughed. “Erm…hello? We helped.”

  “Well, Scout did,” Vex said, turning back to the group and adjusting his trousers.

  “Who’s Scout?”

  “Oh!” Belle exclaimed excitedly. “We haven’t told you, yet. We’ve adopted a pet.”

  “A pet?” Caitlin said. “What the fuck do we need another pet for? You know that Jaxon is all the pet we need?” She bent down and tousled the dog’s fur.