“Wow, Logan, you look good,” she said stumbling towards the man.
The man looked at her as his eyes began to redden. His skin rippled and he warned, “Stand back, Lena. It’s time.” He pointed over the trees to the full moon where it rose to illuminate the bared bodies of the pack.
Screams of pain and shouts came from their throats. Lena staggered back in surprise as the siblings both doubled over as their skin rippled. Cracks of bone could be heard in the quiet woods. If there were any animals nearby, they went silent and hid.
The girl watched wondering why everyone screamed. Nothing was hurting her inside. Was she just slow since it was her first time?
More time passed and human forms contorted and grew fur. Red eyes opened and throats released howls that were no longer those of human beings. Even through the haze of the drugs, Lena felt fear. She wasn’t changing. The single thought that they had lied to her made itself aware in her mind as clarity began to override the chemicals.
Chapter 19- Flight in the Night
The black SUV turned up the path following the blips on Nick’s smart phone. Nicola sat in the passenger’s seat holding the device giving directions from the time the werewolves left their homes.
“They’ve stopped up ahead,” the vampire said looking up at Nick as he pulled onto the path. “You might want to stop here or we won’t be able to get back out of here very fast. That and I don’t want to give you away, being a vampire and all.”
Nick stopped the Escape only a few feet into the woods. He turned to look at the woman wearing the clothes that he had washed for her. She hadn’t returned to the Lair in two days and wore the same as the night they had tried to free Lena. Her black leather jacket was thrown in the backseat along with a bag of clothes and a blanket. There was also a very, decked out first aid kit just in case.
He wore jeans and a short sleeve shirt. The weather was nice enough for them to wear shorts, but this was likely to be a fight. Nick had considered wearing a leather jacket just to try and shield him from their claws, though the other night the werewolf had sliced through his other jacket like it was a spider’s web.
“After I get out, turn it around. We might need to make a quick escape and we’re not going to want to have to be in reverse for it,” he said of the car.
Nicola looked concerned as she said one last time, “Are you sure you want to try doing this alone?”
“I have to,” he affirmed. “Your clan needs to stay out of this or it will just be worse. Stay in the car and keep it ready for us.”
Leaning towards Nick, she placed her hands on both sides of his face to draw him closer. A warm kiss for luck was shared before Nicola sat back once more to look on him with worry in her eyes. She knew his mind was made up, but the woman wanted to be more help than keeping a car warmed up and ready.
He opened the door and Nicola slid past the center rest to take his place. “Be careful,” she said before closing the door behind him. The windows remained up to try and keep her scent from getting out to the werewolves. If the pack found her, Nicola would have to leave him behind with no transportation.
“You too,” he said before heading up the path at a run.
Lena backed away from the fire pit and the circle of nearly transformed werewolves. The shock of their transformations nearly flushed the drugs from her mind as adrenaline flooded her system. Charlotte and Logan nearest her were no longer the people she knew. The pretty woman and her handsome brother were mangled and twisted into nightmare images of themselves looking nearly like true wolves, but there were slight disfigurements that made them werewolves and not just wolves.
Their legs and arms had more bulk than true wolves. Tails were non-existent though their ears had become pointed and moved up their skulls from their human placement. Their muzzles were blunter for most of them, but their jaws and noses still lengthened into those of animals. Red eyes that fairly glowed in the moonlight could be seen throughout the whole pack driving fear into Lena more than any of the other changes. The eyes were evil and angry. They held the need to kill there for any to see before they ripped the life from their throats. Most had fallen onto all four limbs. Eric seemed to hold onto more of his humanity in the change than the rest, however. Maybe it was because he had formed most of the pack and his blood was more pure and powerful.
Leaping forward towards Lena, Eric’s jaws opened a gaping maw with sharp teeth dripping with drool. The girl screamed. She would’ve turned to run, but she was frozen fast in fear.
The lead wolf bit her right wrist drawing blood. His jaws remained clamped there for several second as those red eyes looked up into her fear filled face. They remained staring into each other’s eyes until Eric finally released his grasp. Standing up on his back legs, he sniffed at the wound that bled from his deep bite. It was her last chance to join them.
As Eric sniffed at the wound his senses noted a different smell. The girl’s blood didn’t smell human, but it wasn’t shifting to werewolf either. This was something new and resistant. Even as the moon threatened to remove his human mind, the werewolf turned to the pack and howled.
The sound chilled Lena to the core. It was the sound of refusal.
To her surprise, Charlotte and Logan moved to either side of her. Miguel came bounding from across the way to stand behind the girl. The rest of the pack moved in slow walks to form up behind and beside their pack leader. The two on either side growled low in their throats. Lena didn’t know why, but these three didn’t agree with their leader. She knew they couldn’t fight off the rest, but they were voicing their opinion to their leader.
“Charlotte, Logan, Miguel, you don’t have to fight for me,” she said quietly. “I know I can’t join the pack, but I don’t want you getting hurt for me.”
The wolf on her right, Charlotte, looked to her in a quick glance but didn’t move. Lena didn’t know it, but this had been a long time in coming. The siblings didn’t want to lead the pack, but they had lived on the outer edge of it for nearly the entire time whether the others would admit it or not. Miguel was on her side for different reasons. Like Ramon, he was in lust with the girl. He had never said as much while his pack mate lived and kept it inside as they had discussed what to do with her, if Lena couldn’t be turned. His hormones had bonded him to her enough to protect the girl even from his pack.
Eric snarled at the others angrily. Miguel’s ears lay back in fear, but he held his ground. The siblings didn’t even flinch. A last brief look at the girl and Eric led the pack into the heart of the woods. The girl could be dealt with later apparently.
The remaining three looked at her one last time before heading after the others. Confused, Lena stood in the moonlight naked and cold. Blood dripped from the wound, but it was already slowing. Just as the girl thought she might live through the night, the pack turned back towards the path they had come up from the main road. Howls began to rise as the wolves gave chase. They weren’t stalking prey that required stealth. This was their challenge to the one who followed them.
Lena noticed the warm feeling of the guardian and he was nearly into the clearing. Turning to the path, the girl spied the dark shadow moving in the gray of the dead grass and pavement. Her eyes could see in the dark better than she had ever noticed. She could smell him this time as well as feel his presence. She smiled even as relief came into her making legs feel like jelly.
The man ran into the clearing without even glancing to see where the wolves were. He knew. She could tell that he could sense the werewolves just like he could find her.
“Clothes,” he pointed suddenly avoiding looking at her. Lena was confused a moment before she looked down and realized that she was naked. Scrambling for her shirt, the girl felt the pack turn again. They were coming back for him. The howls came again.
Shifting to grab Logan’s larger shirt instead, the girl quick threw the long garment onto her frame where it hung like a dress. “We need to run,” she urged him. “Do you have a car?”
&nbs
p; The werewolves’ vehicles were still there, but they didn’t have time to try and find the pockets that held the keys.
“Come on, Lena,” the man said grabbing her hand as he noted she was covered. “I have a friend with a car down the road, but we need to run as fast as you can.”
With adrenaline or perhaps it was something new to her system, came clarity and strength. The drugs seemed all but flushed from her body. She was barefoot, but the stone didn’t bother her feet as they ran for their lives. Lena held her angel’s hand and nearly equaled his best speed. He had already run half a mile or more to get to her, but the man looked fresh enough to run two or three miles easily.
The howls were getting closer. Lena could feel the pack scattering a bit as the fastest of the wolves pulled ahead trying to simply run them down. The more conservative slowed to read the winds and would back up their mates.
“Eric’s coming,” the girl said worriedly feeling the pack leader trailing just behind the vanguard.
“Is that the leader?” Nick asked.
“Yes,” she answered breathily. Her strength might be able to approach this man’s one day, but he was still stronger and faster. The problem was at her pace, they wouldn’t beat the wolves to the car.
Nick sensed that as well. He too felt the wolves closing. Claws tapping on stone signaled two running onto the stone path. Dead leaves and grass crunched from either side of the path just behind them as more used the trees and brush to mask their approach.
Releasing Lena’s hand, the voran summoned his aura blades. Three blades two feet long sprouted first before Nick altered the blades. The outer two shrank even as the center blade lengthened. As the first wolf leaped from between the trees to attack him, the five foot blade lashed out slapping the beast across the face. Like a taser, the blade scrambled the wolf’s mind. Its leap finished with a crash onto the path even as he spun to resume his flight only a step behind the girl.
“Oh my God,” she cried out seeing the silver blade glowing from his hand, “I think I can make that too.”
“If you’re like me, then you should,” Nick stated not even sounding winded.
He twisted to meet another attack from Lena’s side of the path with similar success. The werewolf hadn’t seen its pack mate’s fate to learn from it. Again Nick matched Lena’s pace, but as he twisted his eyes had spied two more trailing barely twenty feet behind them on the path. Even at their run, the wolves would have over half their numbers on them before they would see the car. Over twenty werewolves were in the pack and only two were downed. He could hardly expect surprise to save them for long.
“I got it,” Lena cried as she managed to summon a shaky looking aura blade from her right hand.
“Leave the fighting to me. You’re not trained for this,” he ordered.
Her faith shaken, the aura blade winked out. “You don’t know what I know. Maybe I can help you.”
“You’re not ready for this and trying to fight at this point, you’re more likely to get in my way and get us both killed.”
The girl frowned and continued to run. She could feel the pack surrounding them on three sides and knew that she’d have to fight whether he liked it or not.
A large figure cut off their retreat. Rearing onto his hind legs, the werewolf leveled angry red eyes.
“Ray?” Lena questioned as she slid to a halt.
With a snarl, Ray launched himself towards the voran. The extended aura blade was longer than the last time they had fought and forced the large werewolf to stop or be incapacitated by the blade. Whether Nick would go for the kill this time or not, he couldn’t know, but it mattered little as the two fleeing for their lives found them surrounded by six more werewolves.
Lena summoned her aura blade again lighting her right hand like Nick though it was half as long. “Go away, guys,” she warned unsure of just what to do. Nick had been right that she barely knew how to fight. A hair pulling match between her and her sister, as well as a couple fights with girls in high school that were more slaps than fists, was the extent of her fighting background.
The blade on his right hand shrank even as another sprouted on his left. Nick rarely used two since he was more comfortable with just his right hand, but this was an emergency. The fact that the girl would have to fight now made it that much more dicey. He could take care of himself and steer the fight if he was alone, but Nick didn’t know how he could protect the girl like that.
Another werewolf flashed out of the forest and barreled into Ray. The two tumbled end over end in the impact stunning both wolves.
“Miguel!” Lena cried out in surprise.
“Run for the car!” Nick ordered giving her a shove towards the vehicle that wasn’t too far now.
Whirling with his two blades extended, Nick forced the werewolves to give way buying him a couple more steps.
The roaring of the Escape’s motor and the bright back up lights above the red running lights drew Nick’s attention briefly even as he fended off another wolf. This time the creature took a slice across both arms stunning it with the electrical type feedback.
Two more werewolves put themselves between them and the car, but as Lena closed on the vehicle they merely let her go. Nick made ready to fend them off. He figured they must have been waiting for a shot at him instead.
Before he could fight his way through them, Lena shouted, “Don’t hurt them! They stopped Eric from killing me.”
Running past warily, Nick held back with his strikes. Lena meanwhile had reached the Escape and pulled open the passenger’s side back door. As Nick tried to follow another large werewolf, looking different from the others, suddenly barred his path.
Striking at the wolf, Nick watched as his blade skidded off its shoulder. Not letting his momentum falter from surprise, the man slid on his knees and struck at the beast’s abdomen. The blade seemed to cut in slightly making the werewolf growl in pain this time.
Fighting behind him could be seen as Nick popped back to his feet behind the large werewolf. The two siblings snapped at their pack mates and swiped with their claws trying to keep the others back. He had little time to appreciate the matter as Eric turned on him quickly. The blade’s attack had done little to slow the beast.
Condensing his aura back to his right hand, Nick slashed with three blades and was dodged. A claw moved lightning fast to slash across the voran's chest in a bloody swath. Grunting with the pain, the voran fought off the blow even as he fought the wolf.
The backup lights extinguished as Nicola threw the car into drive. His blades slashed at Eric’s face. The move caught a glancing blow to the left side of his head blinding the eye there. A roar of pain drove Eric back stumbling.
Leaping towards the car, Nick found the passenger side door thrown open for him. Summoning all his speed, the voran leaped into the vehicle. He was shouting, “Go, go, go,” even before the door was closed or he was seated.
The wheels screamed as the SUV launched forward. With the distraction of the three wolves behind them, the car made it to the road and was caroming recklessly back towards the city before anymore werewolves could catch them.
Chapter 20- Return to Normalcy
The hum of the car engine and tires was music to Nick’s ears, but not everyone was as comfortable. Lena continued to look out the back window for several minutes after they had turned onto the road as if she expected to see pursuing wolf forms.
Nicola’s eyes kept flicking over to Nick. The smell of blood and his torn clothes had her distracted. Her eyes had gone white and, though she kept her mouth closed, he figured that her fangs were out. Vampires couldn’t control themselves completely around blood and injuries, even with help from the voran blood.
Noting the girl looking out the back window, Nick said, “I think we’re safe now, Lena. They might run faster than us, but not as fast as a car. Plus they’re not going to risk being seen as we move towards the city.”
Turning in her seat to face him, Lena tried to smile, but h
er eyes showed worry still. “I’m not looking for the werewolves. Well, I am, but not for the reason you think.
“I was just hoping that the ones who stood up for me are ok. They didn’t have to do that and I’m a little scared about what will happen to them. Do you think Eric will kill them?”
Tears could be seen in the girl’s eyes by a voran even in the wane light given off by the car’s dash board lights. Nick tried to comfort her as he said, “I’m sure they’ll be fine. The pack sticks to its own right? They will probably be reprimanded in some way, but they won’t kill them.”
He could hear her sigh.
Nicola spoke up and Nick noticed her fangs. “If there’s a break in a vampire clan, it’s rare that we’d ever have to kill one another. There’s a lot of world out there. The ones who are outnumbered get driven out, but not killed. The only time it would come to that is if both groups were fighting to keep the same territory.”
The girl nodded from behind them. “Charlotte and Logan never seemed like the rest.”
Nick recognized the female’s name and asked, “Brunette, pretty neat, like a show dog compared to the others?”
“That’s pretty accurate. How did you know?”
“I sold her some chocolate the other day.”
“I sensed you in the house that day. That was brave of you to go into a werewolf’s den. Why did you do that anyway?”
Nick shrugged and replied, “I was checking the place out to plan an attack, which almost worked too. We almost got you out of there the other night.”
“Almost,” Nicola chuckled at his expense.
Lena was less enthusiastic as her mind went back to worrying over the werewolves that had helped her escape. A last look over her shoulder for friends that she could no longer even sense from the distance between them, and the girl settled into the seat to close her eyes.
Quiet descended over the vehicle save for the hum of the wheels and motor. He felt Nicola’s eyes on him intermittently as she drove.
Vorans and Vampires (Book 1): Voran the Night Guardian Page 16