by Fay Walsh
Roan balled his hands into fists, but it was Elder Jackson who spoke instead,
“Let us be reasonable here, Quinn. Kiran is a sociopath and he has broken law after law. The one action that is punishable by banishment and execution,is to become a rogue.”
“And who knows how long he has been at this, anyway,” Elder Maxum said at the far end of the table.
“Agreed,” Elder Maurice said beside Maxum. “We must decide the plan of action of what we are going to do with the rogues. If they are not cooperating then they will be executed.”
“I understand,” Roan said, knowing that his brother would possibly be killed the moment he was found. It saddened him to think that he had to do this to his own brother and the dead look on his father’s face proved he cared little about his youngest son’s fate.
“We’ll need to sweep the area and make sure that there aren’t any rogues still in the area.” Elder Jackson inquired.
“And what of the humans then?” Roan asked the Elders, looking at each one of them. “Recently, a female had been in contact with Kiran, and he kidnapped her.”
Elder Quinn, who sat at the end of the table, grunted as his hands were folded. Roan looked toward his father’s disgruntled expression.
“Yes, we heard about that. It seems you can not keep the peace, Roan, and we Elders have to travel miles to fix your mess. I am very displeased with your work ethic.”
Roan stayed silent. His father never was a kind man, to either Kiran or him. His straightforward attitude made him cold and emotionless, he didn’t know how to tell him – or any of the Elders – that the human was someone who he mated with, a hunter no less.
“I am sorry things got out of hand, but I will fix it, and I will capture Kiran.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Elder Maxum interrupted the father and son tension scene. “Maurice and I will gather some of the Herd, make sure no Rogues are lurking around.”
“And I’ll make a few calls to other Elders that Kiran might have made contact with,” Elder Jackson said, afterword. “We need to make sure that no other packs we are in alliance who will betray us.”
“With that, is this meeting adjourned?” Elder Maurice asked and stood to his feet, he looked left and right to the Elders, waiting for an answer.
Everyone turned their heads to stern Elder Quinn. He sighed and stood on his feet after a few moments.
“Meeting adjourned. We will meet back in two months to make sure that everything is... Back to normal.”
Roan sternly nodded, displeased at being treated like a cub.
“Yes, Elder.”
He nodded and bowed to the Elders as they got off their seats and passed him. His father was the last to leave and stopped a foot away from Roan.
“Father?”
“How did this happen, Alexander?” His father said, using his middle name, asserting his dominance to let his son know he was not pleased. “I left for a few years and I come back to find that my son has gone rogue? I should have removed you from the position when you slacked on your duties, when—”
“Don’t say her name, Father.” Roan asserted himself as he stepped closer to his father. Both men almost stood at the same height, but Elder Quinn was four inches taller. “I made mistakes, yes, but I am atoning for them every day.”
The two men stared at one another, but Elder Quinn didn’t say anything.
“What happened during that gestation period was terrible, yes, I admit it was terrible and we lost a member of the Herd, but you cannot keep blaming me for it. I am trying to make amends, father and you berating me isn’t doing anything. Let us do carry out our plan, for once.”
Elder Quinn narrowed his eyes at his sons, but still said nothing, and the two stared at one another for a few minutes.
After a moment, Roan’s cell-phone rang.
Elder Quinn’s eyes darted to his son’s pocket.
“Are you going to get that, Alpha?”
Roan’s nose twitched and he removed his phone from his pocket, his father walked past him, but he stopped in the doorway.
“Do what you can then, Alpha. The Elders will have your back, look for the rogues, and make sure that other packs will not betray us. But you will find Kiran and when you do... You must be the Alpha that you say you are – do you think that you can do that?”
Elder Quinn left before Roan could reply. Instead, he answered the phone, still staring at the same spot where his father had stood.
“Yes, Roan speaking.”
“Alpha, we have some bad news.”
Roan frowned and narrowed his brows, hearing the anxious tone in the caller's voice.
“What happened? Did you find more rogues? Kiran?”
“No. They must have arrived earlier this morning. There are Hunters, they’re here.”
Chapter 16
“Hey, no taking a break now. We’ve only just started,” Klaus said to Harmony and Chrys who were sitting on the floor, in sweat pants, huffing and breathing deeply.
“I can’t… believe, you brought, Hunters here.” Chrys huffed into her sister’s hair, leaning against as she was catching her breath. “Kai, he almost got caught.”
“I didn’t know that, they were real… let alone showing up and finding me.” Harmony wiped her forehead with her arm as she tried to maintain her breathing as well. “I told you, not to bring anyone in here, but I’m glad Kai’s fine.”
Helga and Klaus didn’t waste any time in training Harmony and Chrys. They turned the beds up against the walls, pushed the tables against the walls, and made sure that there was a wide-open space for practise.
“We need to at least teach you how to handle weapons. Hunter’s have a vast knowledge in mythology and the supernatural, but we are also skilled in weaponry, fire arms, and blades.”
Finn snorted. He was leaning against the wall by the door reading a black book. “And do you really think that two girls, who have had no training in their life, will be able to do hand-to-hand combat, learn to fire a gun, and learn a hint of Latin.”
Helga turned around to her cousin, who did not look up at them.
“Negative, much? They are still apart of the Ashur bloodline.”
Finn snorted and closed his book. “They aren’t Mary and John, we should go find the shifter’s hiding place ourselves.”
“Seriously, Finn, that’s against the Hunter’s code. We help our own when in need, don’t make me hit you with your own book,” Klaus said, and he shook his head. He turned to look down at Harmony and Chrys.
“Don’t listen to him, you two. The main thing that a Hunter needs to have is his—”
“Or her.” Chrys interrupted, correcting him.
Klaus sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, or her, Hunter’s instincts.”
Helga nodded and sat at the edge of the bed. She stared at the two of them with her piercing green eyes. “Klaus is right. There will be situations where you won’t be able to use weapons, you won’t have time for incantations, and you might not be able to use your physical prowess, but a Hunter’s mind is their greatest strength.”
“So, pop quiz, kiddies, what do you if you are in a Shifter’s element?” Klaus asked them, looking from one sister to the other.
Harmony and Chrys looked at each other, but Harmony spoke first,
“I guess... assess my surroundings, check for footprints, and track patterns, those of our own and other animals to see what we are up against. Our parents took us camping a lot and still managed to teach us what to do if we were ever lost, or had to face an animal.”
Chrys scratched the side of her head as she thought about something. “You know when I think about it... I do remember something that mom had taught me. If a bear was to approach me, to stay calm, and back away slowly, keeping my eye on the bear and go back the same way I came.”
“Hmm, correct. Your mother was a smart woman, she still managed to educate you both, even without directly telling you.”
Finn scoffed and shook his h
ead. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Don’t mind Finn, he’s a bit antisocial, and doesn’t get out much,” Helga told them. “Now let’s get up and try this again, no rest for the wicked.”
***
A few hours later, Klaus and Harmony were sparring with one another, as he taught her how to get out of a chokehold, and Helga was showing Chrys outside how to reload and shoot a gun.
“Alright, say you get cornered out in the woods, a shifter’s perfect territory for bringing unsuspecting victims. Say, he knows you’re at a disadvantage, and you have no weapons...”
Klaus wrapped his arm around Harmony’s neck, surprising her.
“He comes up behind you. If he’s in human form, you lift your arm, and bring your elbow down onto his arm and pivot your entire body, do it.”
Harmony did as she was told and brought her elbow down onto Klaus’s arm, she pivoted out of his grasp, turning around to face him.
“Very good. Now, what do you do if he’s in shifter form?”
“Uh, have my weapon ready?”
Klaus wagged his finger to the side and shook his head. “Wrong. Remember you don’t have a weapon and you’re corned. Use your instincts and be quick about it, he’s about to charge for you.”
To illustrate what he meant, Klaus charged at Harmony. Her eyes widened as she dived to the side, tucking, and rolling to the other side of the room.
“What the hell, Klaus!” Harmony yelled across the room. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Good, because they won’t give you a chance to react. Now, what do you do?”
Harmony anxiously looked around the hotel room for something that she could use. She didn’t know much about a shifter or their reactions, and without a gun or a silver knife, she was useless.
Okay, think Harmony. It’s not over yet, what can I use? What can I do in a situation like this... She looked over at Finn’s book on the floor. That’s it!
Harmony dashed over to it and picked it up in her hands, she turned around and through the book directly at Klaus. The book aimed directly for his forehead and bounced off.
“Ah! Damn it, ouch.” Klaus grabbed his forehead and rubbed it. “Damn, that hurt.” The front door opened, and Finn stepped inside with two bags and several drinks in his hand. He looked between Klaus and then Harmony, seeing his book tossed to the side.
“So… what happened?”
Finn walked into the hotel room and placed the food on the window sill.
“Klaus and I were sparring, he corned me pretending to be a shifter, and I, uh, well, threw a book at him because I had no weapons. I used the things around me.”
Finn looked surprised as she spoke.
“Wow, you’re not completely useless after all.”
Harmony frowned and wondered what his deal was. She turned away from him and went to Klaus, whose forehead was red from where the book had landed.
“Are you alright?”
Klaus grinned as he rubbed his forehead. “Yep, never better. That was some quick thinking, Harmony. In the event that you are weaponless and can’t fight hand to hand, or don’t know Latin, you have to use what’s around you and think on your feet.
The door opened again and Helga and Chrys stepped inside.
“What happened to you?” Helga asked Klaus, taking notice of the red mark on his forehead.
“Your husband had his ass whooped,” Finn said, sitting on the floor, eating a burger.
Klaus glared at Finn but had his attention focused on Helga.
“Nothing. Harmony thought on her feet, used her instincts, and managed to attack me before I got her. How was your practice?”
Helga turned to Chrys who was smiling. “Chrys was an excellent shot. We started a bit rocky, but she learns quick.”
“You should have seen me, Harmony,” Chrys exclaimed to her sister when she approached. “Helga set up these cans and she gave me a 9mm. Did you know the size of the weapons determine what supernatural you’re actually fighting? You can also use salt instead of black powder for ammo.”
Harmony’s brows raised, surprised by her sister’s enthusiasm.
“No, I didn’t know that. You did amazing though.” Though Harmony wasn’t sure how she felt about her sister handling a gun.
“So, it’s getting late. We should probably take down the Shifters nest tomorrow morning where they don’t have the advantage of the night,” Finn said in the corner of the room.
“Finn’s right, we’ll assess the operation in the morning, for now we should rest,” Klaus told them.
“But… you guys don’t know where they are? The man you’re looking for is named Kiran and he ran off, he might be long gone now.” Harmony told them as she watched them looking into the paper bag for food.
“Shifter’s never truly run,” Helga told her with a bowl of salad in her hand. “Especially rogues. How do you even know he managed to run off?”
Chrys chewed on her bottom lip. Harmony knew that Kai had told her what happened, in order to protect him, they couldn’t tell them where they found out their information.
“I saw it happened when they kidnapped me.” Harmony quickly told them. “That’s the reason why I contacted your website.”
“Hmm, I’m curious to know why you were kidnapped in the first place,” Klaus said. He leaned against the wall as he took a bite out of his hamburger.
“Especially if they didn’t kill you,” Finn told her. “I say we stop fooling around and lay waste to the shifters. I already have an idea where they could be, I went scoping around when I was out.”
Both Harmony and Chrys gasped. Harmony’s heart fell in her chest at the prospect of these Hunter’s finding Roan and Kai.
“You can’t do that!”
“Why not?” Both Klaus and Helga said together.
Harmony looked at Chrys from the corner of her eye, before looking back at them.
“Because… the truth is, I’ve dated one of them, and they aren’t as bad as you think. His brother is, and that’s the reason why I contacted you, but not to exterminate them all.”
Everyone was silent.
“Bullshit. I knew there was something off about these girls,” Finn said and stood on his feet. He went over to Harmony and stood in front of Chrys, smelling her. Chrys flinched and stepped backward. “The minute we came in here, I thought I smelled one of them and you smelled like it too. You’re nothing but a Shifter-lover, there’s a word for people like that, you know.”
“Finn, back off,” Helga told him, “I’m sure there’s an explanation here.”
Harmony stepped in front of her sister and put her arm out to Finn, pushing him by his chest. Finn gritted his teeth and sharply glared at her.
“And if you don’t back away from my sister, experienced or not, I will fight you if you lay a hand on her,” Harmony said acidly, glaring at Finn.
“Woah, Woah, let’s calm down here. I can feel the raw tension from way over here,” Klaus said. He crumbled his empty wrapper and approached the two clashing Hunters. “Alright, Harmony, explain.”
Harmony looked away from Finn and stared at Klaus.
“The person who protected me from Kiran, we had dated, yes, I dated a shifter.”
Helga’s brow raised and Klaus looked surprised. The only person whose expression didn’t change was Finn.
“He may be a shifter, and we’re Hunters, I get it. That’s a big difference.” Harmony told them. “Hunters are supposed to be fearful of Shifters and visa versa, but I don’t fear Roan because I love him regardless, and he loves me. And isn’t that strong enough to fight the difference? Isn’t it long enough that we have this crossroad between Hunters and Shifters?”
Helga and Klaus gave one another glanced looks before looking back at Harmony again.
“If you don’t recall, there was a man named Jabidah, who was an immigrant who helped other such people out of bondage and those in trouble, regardless of who they were, and you know what he said?”
Harmony reiterated Jabidah’s speech:
“I reserve the right to say that for most of my life I have been treated because of the way I was born. I am not like most men out there, just like there are mostly men who aren’t like me. But what I do know is that we all bleed and have emotions the same way, is that not enough to call us equals? I will not lay my hands on any man, woman, or child because at the end of the day is it not time to drop our selfish acts and work together as one unit?”