Protecting the Pack

by L. S. Slayford

  A scream ripped through the air and then suddenly there was silence. I skidded to a halt a second later.

  The scent of blood permeated the air. Three teenagers lay sprawled on the ground. The closest to me was a girl, no more than eighteen, strawberry-blonde hair tinted with fresh blood splattered around her face. The denim jacket on her back featured a fist-sized burn mark, and her legs were bent at unnatural angles. Two boys around the same age and height, wearing jeans and dirt-stained tops, lay on the ground in sickening poses, puddles of blood glistening under the dying sparks. The one closest to the girl wore a look of horror in his still-open eyes, but no one could mistake it for sleeping. There would be no more screaming from these three.

  Dread slithered through my veins like ice as footsteps cut through the silence of the forest. Three figures emerged from behind the trunks. “Looks like the boss was right, boys,” one of the figures sneered. “We drew them out of their little hiding place.”

  “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my forest?” I demanded, fixing my eyes on the one who spoke.

  Wearing dark jeans and blue shirt that had obviously seen better days, he stepped forward. A smirk stretched across his thin lips, his watery blue eyes twinkling with malice. “We’re here to escort you to see the boss.” His eyes roamed to Daniel and narrowed into slits. “He didn’t say anything about bringing you back, though. Boys, kill him and I’ll take the girl.”

  I glanced sideways at Daniel, his body straight and taut, fists balling at his sides. I watched his expression change to something fierce and dangerous. “No, you bloody won’t,” I told him and raised my right hand, blasting him with a wave of magic that knocked him halfway across the clearing to land flat on his back with a grunt.

  Daniel leapt at me, knocking me to the ground just as a blast of red light shot past the top of my head. Pain bloomed down my left shoulder, causing a groan to slip from my lips. We rolled over the hard floor, energy seeping into my body and removing the pain.

  Great, more wizards in my forest. Just what I always wanted.

  Daniel jumped to his feet and lunged forward, dodging another ball of red light. Another blast of energy rippled through the clearing and suddenly the spells bounced off him in blazes of shimmering colour. Shields were powerful defensive magic; the stronger the caster, the stronger the shield. Some spells both witches and wizards could do, even though we were two completely different beings.

  I wasn’t at the Academy long enough to learn how to perform them.

  Power flooded the area, tendrils of magic crawling over my body. One of the goons, bearing a mop of sienna-brown hair and wearing denim jeans and a black Metallica t-shirt ran towards me, his palm up. Blue light filled his hand and I dove out of the way before the spell hit me.

  He slid me an evil grin and continued. Jumping to my feet, I raised my arm, the energy pouring out of my palm like a burst of hot liquid. It struck him in the stomach, forcing him to stagger backwards several feet but didn’t take him down.

  “Douglas, stop messing around and take the bloody bitch,” came the first goon’s voice from several feet away, edged with pain. Guess my spell had done some damage.

  Good.

  I twisted my head, watching Daniel fling one spell after another at goon number three. Tendrils of orange-gold flames ran down his arms, his shield illuminating with shimmering blue light each time a spell struck it.

  Pain coursed through my head and I was vaguely aware of hot air one minute, hard earth the next. Something had hit me. Turning my attention to the left, I watched as Metallica Goon rushed at me, his palm shimmering with the remnants of silver light and a wicked grin over his face. The edges of vision started to fade to black. The bastard had struck me with a damn spell.

  “Alana!”

  I could vaguely hear my name through the pounding of blood in my ears and I swayed as I tried to crawl to my knees. Then I felt pain ripple across my back and suddenly I was eating dirt.

  “Kill him,” Goon Number One snarled as he lifted me up and flung me over his shoulder. My vision blurred. “We can’t take any chances. I’ll take the girl with me.”

  “Hell no.” Was that my voice? All I knew was red-hot heat blaze down my arms and suddenly pouring out of me. A second later, I was hurled to the ground. I dug my fingers into the earth, and power poured into me once more. The blurriness faded and morphed into flames.

  Flames consumed my vision and it took me a moment to realise that Goon Number One was on fire. Screams poured out of his mouth like molten lava, and horror flowed through me in a wave. He tore around the clearing, then crashed to the floor, rolling around trying to put out the flames. Metallica Goon sent a shimmering blue spell over him, but it didn’t do a damn thing. Pain-filled shrieks tore through the air, and the burning wizard rolled towards his comrade, who attempted to move away from the inferno.

  But failed to do so in time. The flames caught his trainers and within seconds and consumed him. One set of cries trailed off only for another to begin, layering the air with pain and death.

  Fingers grabbed my arm and panic tore through me. My hand was raised before my head was turned, the magic forming ready to defend myself. But it was only Daniel. Blood trickled down the side of his face and anger burned through his eyes. “We’ve got to go.”

  A faint crunch of footsteps turned our heads to the north. “No, you’ve got to die.”

  Fourteen

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Daniel snarled at the newcomer’s direction.

  Something cold rushed through me. “You know this guy?”

  Daniel’s jawline tightened, and his eyes narrowed into slits. Power flowed over his skin like water. “Unfortunately.”

  “Oh, come on, Daniel,” he said, his eyes glittering in the shade of the canopy. “Is that any way to talk about family?”

  “Family?” I exclaimed, inching away from him automatically. Please, Goddess, not another Locke brother.

  Daniel’s grip on my arm tightened, and anger blazed in his eyes before turning that withering gaze back to the other man. “Meet my fucked-up cousin, Henry. Who’s supposed to be dead. Didn’t we bury you six months ago? Because I’m pretty sure we buried you. I was there at the funeral just to make sure.” His voice was still calm, but there was an edge of anger to it. I guess this wasn’t a happy family reunion.

  Henry’s smirk widened to the point I thought his face would split in half. “You buried someone, but it wasn’t me.”

  “Such a pity,” Daniel sneered.

  Now I looked, I could see certain similarities. Both possessed the same build and height, with dark down hair and a square jawline, but where Daniel held an aura of sincerity and charm, Henry didn’t. There was a coldness in those eyes, in the hard line of his jaw.

  The smirk died, leaving nothing but a grim line. “You won’t be saying that in about two minutes. You won’t be saying anything, because you’re the one who’ll be dead.”

  “What are you doing, Henry?” Daniel asked, the bitterness in his tone undeniable.

  Henry took another step forward, a twig snapping beneath his weight. The gloom seemed to crawl towards him, casting shadows over his face. Menace dripped from him like icicles. “There’s a new order in town, cousin.” The smirk reappeared. “Something wicked this way comes.”

  “You mean demons,” I said, my body growing cold.

  Henry glanced at me and nodded, barely recognisable beneath the shade of the canopy. “Yes, they’re coming. There are tears through the veil, all over the world, allowing them access to our world. And they’re coming, alright. Only in small numbers at the moment, but it won’t be long when the big boys come through.”

  A mocking smile curled his lips. “And you’re working with them? Your parents must be so thrilled.”

  “My parents are fools!” Henry scorned taking a single step forward. Leaves rushed overhead and my heartbeat pounded within my chest. “They can’t see the benefit of an alliance with the demo
ns, but I can. They’ve made plans and even now, seeing them through. Whether you like it or not, they’re coming. We can either work with them or die. And I don’t know about you, but I have no intention of dying.”

  “Was the Isle of Wight sinking part of those plans?” Daniel asked.

  A faint chuckle fluttered on the breeze, bringing with it an icy chill. “Just one of many. That shithole was one of several places that holds the veils in place. By bringing it down, we’ve torn another hole. This world is going to hell, Daniel. Join us.”

  Contempt flashed across his features, echoing what I felt inside. “And do what? Kill billions of humans?”

  Henry shook his head. “No, you don’t need to kill billions, Daniel. But we need the werewolves on this land.”

  Daniel’s brows knitted together in an angry line. “Why?”

  “They control access to Faerie, the veil separates the different realms from Earth, right? But what most people don’t know is that each realm is separated. Demons can’t get from their world to the gods because of the barrier on Earth. And each one is guarded. It’s taken years of research, but we’ve found out that the werewolves here are the ones who guard the entrance to the fae realm. We need them.”

  Confusion clouded my mind. “But why do demons need to get to Faerie? Don’t they want Earth?”

  “Earth has always been the target for the gods, the demons, and the fae,” Henry said. “But they’d never be able to keep it without taking care of the others.”

  “They’re going to destroy the fae?” I whispered. Fuck.

  “Not just the fae, little witch,” Henry smirked, folding his arms across his chest. “But the gods as well.”

  Holy. Fuck. Big plans then.

  “It can’t be done,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. “No one can destroy them.”

  “It can, if you have the right tools.” The urge to smack the smugness out of his voice was almost too much to resist.

  “And the right tools are in Faerie,” Daniel said, not bothering to make it a question.

  “You take home the gold star, little cousin,” Henry said. That grin was really beginning to get on my nerves now, but judging from the look on Daniel’s face, I didn’t think he was enjoying it any further than what I was. “One of them anyway. Our task is to get into Faerie and retrieve it.”

  “You won’t get into Faerie,” I told him, feeling power curl down my arms.

  Henry glanced at me, those cold eyes sending ice down my spine. “Oh, yes I will, because I know the secret. The werewolves may be the guardians of the veil, but you’re their guardian. We can’t touch them without spilling your blood first.” There was no mistaking the fanaticism in his tone.

  Shit. How the fuck did they know that when I only found out today?

  Henry’s eyes flicked back to Daniel’s face and stepped forward, drilling him with a hard look. “Join us. Don’t be an idiot. The demons are going to win. They’re going to take what they want and damn everything else. All we need is her blood. Kill her, Daniel. You’d be a fool not to.”

  “Call me a fool then, because I’m not killing Alana for your idiotic schemes.” Daniel’s voice was soft with an edge of steel. Relief surged through me at his words. OK, maybe all Lockes weren’t so bad, after all.

  “So be it,” came Henry’s resigned voice. Then the world faded into nothing but white and pain.

  Fifteen

  Pain rippled through me like waves and groans spilled from my mouth as I struggled to make out what had happened. The ground was hard on my arse, and the back of my head hurt as I sat up. Moaning emanated from beside me. I guess Daniel had been flung through the air with a spell as I had.

  Sparks of silver light dissipated from my eyes, revealing Henry striding through the clearing, heading straight towards me. Malice radiated from him and his pale eyes blazed with rage. His palm rose up, tendrils of silver light streaming together.

  Gritting my teeth and urging myself to get up off the ground, my own magic flowed through me, but there was no way I was going to get my hand raised in time. My body was too damned slow, and Henry was moving at incredible speed.

  A blur shot through the clearing, knocking Taylor to the ground, growling ripping through the air. Adrenaline pumped through my veins but gave me the time I needed to scramble to my feet. It took a second to realised what that blur was.

  “Taylor!” I cried out, recognising that golden-tipped coat and amber eyes.

  Taylor in wolf form was a glorious sight. Several inches bigger than a normal wolf, he possessed a coat thick enough to keep you warm on the coldest night, and muscular legs built for endurance and speed. Get up close and you realised those teeth were sharp enough to tear a man’s flesh apart in less than a second.

  Managing to get out of the way of those teeth, Henry rolled onto his back. Spells tore out of his palm like a machine gun. Three struck Taylor, each one slowing him down as he bounded towards Henry once more. The wizard attempted a shield spell, but Taylor’s paw swiped at him before it could be placed. Henry leapt away, blood seeping down his stomach in a thin, crimson line and a cry of pain rang out.

  Raising his arm, lines of iridescent blue light gathered in the wizard’s hand and shot out towards the werewolf in the blink of an eye. Pain-filled yelps sang through the clearing and Taylor fell to the side, his golden-tipped coat scorched at the ends. He bounded back to his feet and sprung again.

  I stood panting and tried to get control of my terror, but it was so damned hard. “Taylor! Get out of here!” I screamed, raising my palm at the same time as Henry.

  Red energy streamed from my hand, searing my flesh as it went even though I knew I wouldn’t see any marks on my skin if I looked down. The spell missed Henry’s head by millimetres, illuminating the harsh planes of his face. For fuck’s sake. I sent another spell out, not caring how much energy I was using.

  Taylor couldn’t get hurt again. It was my job to protect him, not the other way around.

  But as the werewolf jumped over Henry’s body, the wizard’s spells skimmed the underside of his belly. Taylor fell to the ground with a loud crash. My heart jolted to my throat.

  Fingers grasped my hand, tugging me away from the clearing. Daniel’s voice trailed behind him. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”

  “But Taylor – I can’t leave him. He’s a cub!”

  “He’s a werewolf and stronger than you. He’ll be fine,” Daniel insisted through gritted teeth.

  “But -”

  “Don’t argue with me. Just keep moving!”

  Daniel pulled me through the forest, weaving around trunks the side of dinner tables. Branches scratched at my face, leaves slapped my skin as we rushed past. The muscles in my legs cried out in unison with my lungs to stop and breathe, but Daniel was relentless.

  I jumped when he jumped, weaved when he weaved, even if I couldn’t see what lay in front of us. My head kept twisting back, trying to see if Henry or Taylor was behind us, but tendrils of dark hair blocked my vision.

  I heard Taylor before I saw him. Another yelp rang through the trees, and dread slithered through me. I had to get back, had to help him. He needed protecting. He needed me.

  A flash of gold glimmered through the trees on my left. Amber eyes flicked my way before Taylor bounded off to the left, no doubt trying to lead Henry away from us. Stubborn cub. I would have to give him a piece of my mind when this was over.

  If I ever got the chance.

  My lungs finally screamed for me to stop and I had no choice but to obey. I walked this forest every day but man, was I out of shape or what. I leaned over, my hands on my knees and panted, trying to suck in as much air as I possibly could. Sweat poured off my skin like raindrops.

  The only thing that gave me comfort right then was that Taylor had gotten away and Daniel was breathing as heavily as me.

  A grim expression marred that gorgeous face. “We need to find somewhere safe for you.”

  “I need to warn the pa
ck,” I panted, shaking my head.

  Daniel gripped my upper arms, his fingers digging into my tender flesh. “Don’t you get it, Alana? They know about you. Before they can go after the pack, they need you. It’s your blood they’ve got to spill first.” Frustration burned within the lines of his face and rang through his words.

  Damn it. He was right. “What about my house then? It’s warded.”

  Daniel shook his head, the pressure of his fingers receding, but not by much. “Not safe enough. Henry was always good at dissolving wards. It’s his speciality.”

  Of course it was. I tried to think, tried to push down the fear and the terror, and tried to breathe, all at the same time. We needed somewhere safe, where we could prepare. I was taking down that bastard if it was the last thing I did. The corners of my mouth turned up and I locked gazes with Daniel. “I know the perfect place.”

  Sixteen

  We tore through the forest, with me taking the lead. Through the canopy overhead, beams of light shone, cascading light and shadow around us. My heart hammered in my ears, a relentless beat that matched the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

  “Where are we going?” Daniel called from my side, meandering past an ancient oak.

  I didn’t look at him, just kept my chin down. “There’s a cave not far from here. I’ve been using it as a secondary base since I was a girl. It’s safe.”

  “It’d better be. Henry won’t be too far behind,” he replied through deep breaths.

  I didn’t answer. There wasn’t anything to say. Gritting my teeth, I forced my body onwards, pushing past the fatigue and the aching muscles. I’d moved more today than I had in the last ten years.

  Funny how insane wizards and demons could do that to a girl.