by R. A. Sears
“Well, I didn’t know what to think when they said that Jynxx had hooked up with a human girl, but you seem to be alright. Looks like you’ve got Jynxxie trained, too. And that’s no small feat.” The woman flashed a smile at my boyfriend that sent a pang of unease through me. Her look was almost possessive, and full of longing that I so did not appreciate.
“Thanks, Perfection.” Jynxx replied sarcastically.
Realization struck me, then. “Perfection.” I rolled her name around on my tongue, not particularly fond of the taste and trying to keep the disdain from my voice.
“I see that my reputation precedes me,” Perfection grinned, clearly proud of the fact that she was loathed and feared by many.
“Indeed,” I added, doing my best to be cordial.
“Women..” Kenshin muttered.
Jynxx drew me into his arms and I smiled, comforted by the familiarity and warmth. I didn’t want to let go of Jynxx, knowing that the fight between Gavin and Teigan would begin soon after. Not wanting to look clingy and weak, I reluctantly stepped out of his arms. Jynxx held my gaze for a moment until I finally nodded; his hand found mine and our fingers locked tightly together, knuckles turning white.
“Let the contest begin,” Jynxx said grimly.
Chapter 23
Conner led the two combatants to the circle, a large section of hard-packed earth which was stained darker than all surrounding it due to the countless gallons of blood that had soaked into the soil. The area was approximately fifty feet long and the same length wide. Both the gamma and the beta looked regretful, but it was too late to back down now.
Conner brought them to the middle of the ring, standing between them like a referee. “Here’re the rules, for those who’ve only recently been awakened. No shifting is allowed and anyone who does forfeits the match. No weapons, either. You win by taking your opponent’s life… Good luck to you both, and may the best wolf win.” He shook both of their hands and stepped out of the ring.
It was on. Neither of them spoke nor made a sound as they came at each other. Their wordless battle was eerie. The only sounds were those of flesh hitting flesh, bones cracking, bodies falling to the earth, the wet splashes of blood, and occasional grunts of pain. Their movements were almost too fast for my eyes to follow, and I found myself driving nails into Jynxx’s hand from clenching it so tightly. With a murmured apology, I forced myself to relax my fingers and watch what was going on.
Gavin was doubled over, gasping desperately for breath and clutching at his chest. Teigan took the opportunity to swing one of his long legs and catch the red haired wolf on the jaw, knocking Gavin aside. The beta landed in a heap face down in the dirt, coughing violently as a sharp inhalation sucked some of the earth into his windpipe. Teigan wiped a line of blood from the side of his own mouth, walking over to the shaking heap that was the beta. The gamma brushed a strand of his now damp and clinging hair back from his face, the whole of his upper body covered in a sheen of sweat that glistened in the firelight and lunar illumination.
He took a moment to collect himself, his amber colored eyes never leaving the downed wolf. Finally, he ventured near to the fallen beta, nudging him with his foot. Gavin didn’t move aside from the rise of his back as he inhaled deeply, seeming to have finally caught his breath. I noticed that Gavin’s back was a mass of mottled colors, bruises in their first stages of development. Teigan tapped the other with his boot, still not getting any sort of response.
Conner took a few steps forward, ready to ask Gavin if he was prepared to surrender and forfeit the match. None of us really wanted Gavin to die. Gavin’s arm shot out suddenly, grabbing Teigan’s ankle and pulling the taller wolf down to the ground. Teigan’s head made a dent in the soil, the impact driving a sound of pain from his lips. Gavin was atop the taller young man in an instant, his fists brutally connecting with Teigan’s face over and over again. The gamma managed to finally get his arms up to lessen the blows, turning his head to the side and spitting out blood that welled from his split lower lip.
Teigan used all the leverage he could and tossed the shorter wolf off of him, kicking up to his feet and booting Gavin in the abdomen, knocking him from his knees and onto his side. Teigan was taken off guard as Gavin sprang to his feet once more, spearing him and driving him hard into the ground. It knocked the wind from his lungs audibly and I winced as I heard a resounding crack. The sickening crunch was followed by a bone-chilling scream that was torn from Teigan’s lips. I covered my mouth to repress my own shriek as I saw that Teigan’s arm was bent the wrong way at the elbow.
He threw Gavin off again and grabbed his forearm, gritting his teeth and grunting loudly as he popped the joint back into place. He flexed his fingers experimentally and closed his eyes for a second as the ligaments knit back together. When his eyes opened, it was clear that Teig wasn’t a happy puppy. Conner held my other hand, as enthralled as I was by the lurid display.
Fifteen minutes later, we all knew that it was over. Teigan was a crumpled, broken, and bleeding heap on the ground and Gavin was standing over him, broad chest heaving and glistening with sweat and blood. Teigan couldn’t get up, and everyone knew it. They were all waiting for Gavin to deliver the final blow, and I just couldn’t let that happen. As Gavin raised his own boot, about to bring it down onto the gamma’s skull, I know that I couldn’t just stand here and watch him die.
“NO!” I was on my feet and running faster than I thought possible, leaping into the air and landing atop Teigan, protectively covering his body with my own. I waited for what would surely be a fatal kick to land on me, but nothing happened. Aside from the labored breathing of the wolf beneath me and the ragged gasps of the beta still standing, all sounds were drowned out by my thundering pulse.
A slick hand wrapped around my upper arm, pulling me to my feet. It was Gavin’s. His eyes were amber as they reflected the firelight, barely able to contain the beast trying to escape the confines of his human form. “Would you truly give your life for his, Kacea?” His words were quiet, calmer than I expected, and only for me.
He was covered in sweat, blood, and dirt, and he smelled absolutely delicious… I leaned in slightly closer to him, covering it by looking up into his eyes. “I would,” I said slowly, glad I managed to keep the tremor from my voice that I felt fluttering so clearly in my stomach.
“Then for you, I shall let him live. And rather than annihilating Jynxxie on the next full moon, he who makes you so happy… I’ll bide my time, and strike when I feel it’s the most opportune moment. For what better torture is there than fear of the inevitable?” Gavin’s words caressed my ear with a sibilant slither, their meaning making me feel cold down to my toes. Keeping my arm in his grasp, Teigan’s blood from his fingers running down my arm, Gavin turned to the downed gamma and his voice rang with the same volume as Jynxx’s earlier.
“Teigan Kroeger, do you surrender and accept the dominance of Gavin Cooper?”
Teig coughed loudly, cringing and curling into a tighter ball. His voice was a harsh whisper, the dark purple bruises on his face bringing tears to my eyes. “Yes...” he wheezed, and promptly passed out.
I wanted to go to him, but Gavin held me fast. He dragged his thumb down my cheek and I fought not to cringe at the feel of the filth left in its wake. “You’re pretty most of the time, but covered in blood, especially someone else’s… You’re absolutely gorgeous, Kacea.” His voice was low, intimate, and it made my skin crawl. I was about to claw at his fingers to release myself when he finally let me go.
“Creep!” I murmured to myself. He walked off and melted into the crowd, obviously pleased with himself.
I called for Elomina and knelt by Teigan, surprised at how quickly she came to his side. She carefully inspected him, assessing the damage. Finally, she rolled him onto his back, applying salves and murmuring chants that would make the bones heal and the bruises go away. I brushed Teig’s damp and matted hair back from his face, taking a cool cloth offered by Elomina and dabbing
lightly at the blood on his lip before setting it on his forehead. His body bucked and writhed as the trollkvinne worked on him, somehow managing to stay unconscious through the whole ordeal. My fingers were laced with Teigan’s and I looked to Elomina as the woman murmured softly, “I’m finished. He should be fine once he gets some rest.”
I nodded and stayed where I was, determined to be there when we came to. The sorceress did good work. It didn’t take more than a few minutes before I felt Teigan’s fingers close slightly around mine. I smiled as his amber colored eyes opened slowly, eyelids fluttering for a moment like he had to fight to regain consciousness. He looked extremely sleepy and gave me a weak smile, reaching up and brushing a tear from my cheek with one of his long and slender fingers. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t beat him, Kaysh...”
I shook my head and held his hand tightly between mine. “It doesn’t matter, Teig. You tried, and that’s all I could ever ask of you. I know you did all you could.” I grinned a little and added, “And you’re a lot stronger than I would have guessed at, with you being all wiry like you are.” He tried to laugh, but it came out as a cough. “Do you think you can stand?” I asked.
“If you help me up, I should be able to. Just don’t drop me,” he said a little shakily. I helped him to his feet, one of his long arms thrown over my shoulders. Teigan hobbled over to the throne with my assistance and I eased him back down onto the ground, rolling up my cloak to give him a pillow to rest on. I watched him fall asleep, staying near to him and being a silent sentinel while all the wolves mingled around me.
Something like half an hour must have passed before he woke up, yawning and stretching languidly like a very large cat. I smiled as he nodded to me, letting me know that he’d be alright without a guard dog. Swallowing my fear, I headed into the crowd, determined to begin the long process of memorizing every member of this clan. My Clan.
Amidst the sea of unfamiliar faces, I was totally lost and had no clue where to begin. A pair of arms enveloped me, possibly to save me from the sensation that I was drowning. I looked up into the familiar jade green eyes of a young man only about two inches taller than myself. His eyes were lined heavily with kohl to offset his shock of thick and bright orange hair. I wasn’t surprised that he was shirtless; I hadn’t seen a guy with a clothed torso all night. His skin was darkly bronzed and he wore a patent posture-improving slave collar. Silver hoops glittered up the length of his left ear, a delicate chain attaching the bottom hoop to a similar ring in the left side of his nose. I’d never seen Feign in all his glory before, and I saw why he probably made a decent income with his non-pizza delivering job.
He smiled at me, flashing rows of perfect white teeth. “Evening, Kacea.” he said softly, his voice like whispered sweet-nothings for my ears alone.
“Um... Hey, Feign.” I floundered, feeling lame and plain because of the almost sickening charisma radiating from the young man. I knew then that one of two things needed to happen: I was either going to run off with him and sate the sudden lust that his mere presence induced, or I had to get the hell away from him before I was forced to resort to plan A.
I couldn’t move as he trailed his fingertips down the line of my jaw, his touch so hot that it felt like it would burn my skin from my bones. My pulse was thunder in my ears and I started to lean into his touch, then I felt a more familiar and slightly cooler hand settle on my shoulder. I took the opportunity to step away from Feign and closer to Kenshin. “You alright, Kaysh?” he asked, glaring daggers at the other wolf with eyes almost the same icy green.
Feign smiled, but didn’t look too awfully happy at being interrupted. I shuddered to think of what could have happened if the lanky blond hadn’t shown up when he did. “Yeah, I’m ok.”
“Glad to see that Jynxx chose to keep you, Kacea.” Feign bowed slightly to me and I blushed when he took my hand in his and pressed a hot, lingering kiss to the back of it.
“It’s not like he owns me, you know,” I half-growled, starting to get pissed about the way everyone acted like I was his property. I stepped farther away from him and backed into Ken.
Feign seemed amused by both my anger and my comment, merely bowing his head and making himself scarce as he faded back into the sea of bodies. Kenshin dragged me out of the main crowd and back near the throne.
“What in the hell are you thinking, running off into a bunch of strangers like that?” he asked in a low hiss.
“As if I was supposed to know that some of them had so much animal magnetism that their aura practically oozes sex! It’s not my fault that no one told me!” I retorted vehemently. “And besides, I’m not a child, Kenshin. I can...”
“And I’m not your dad, but you don’t know these people, Kaysh. They’re not all good people, and some of them would just as soon steal you away and use you as a bargaining chip to gain power.” He stopped and sighed, rubbing his temples like he had a migraine coming on. “Look, Kacea.. I’m not trying to be an asshole, but most of these people are dangerous in their own little ways. I’ve seen what Feign can do to a woman, and trust me... You don’t want any part of it.”
I crossed her arms and was silent a moment, finally sighing in acquiescence. “You’re right. But it’s not like I was going to run off with him, you know.”
“Spare me, Kaysh. You wanted to jump him right there. I can smell it all over you.”
“You know, Kenshin... You werewolves and the whole smelling people thing; it’s kinda gross.”
He shrugged and tapped a finger to the side of his nose. “Hard to avoid it when you have an extremely acute sense of smell.” He looked up at the moon and then turned to Jynxx. “It’s about that time, man..”
The Kongen Ulven nodded and let out one short, clipped bark that got everyone’s attention instantly. All chatter ceased like someone flipped a switch and I watched in slight horror and extreme fascination as everyone around me began to shift. I winced as I heard the cracks of bones breaking and reforming coupled with short howls of pain. The air filled with the scent of the clear liquid that oozed from the lycanthropes as their forms changed, and the whole congregation soon shifted into an extremely impressive pack of wolves several hundred strong.
I looked around at all of the quadrupeds surrounding me, realizing that I could recognize some of them, even covered in fur. I spotted Perfection by her ruddy coat and different colored eyes, and Kenshin by his tawny fur and extremely sleek build. The size of the wolves still threw me. Normal wolves were big enough, but these creatures… If any of them was less than five feet high at the shoulder, I’d eat my hat. Jynxx pressed his muzzle into my side, his cold wet nose startling me and nearly knocking me on my ass. I turned to him with a scathing comment on my tongue, but Jynxx’s own maw hanging open in a lupine sort of grin quenched my anger.
Conner came to my other side, exchanging a look with the large black wolf that was Jynxx. A brownish wolf came to stand beside Jynxx, Conner, and Kenshin. It winked a large amber eye at me and I felt Teigan’s presence in my mind although he didn’t speak. Gavin, now seeming content with his victory, stood with the rest of the pack. The streaks of red through his fur told me that the large, stocky wolf beside Conner was definitely the beta.
The five wolves that made up the core leadership of the Clan stood flanking me on both sides and from behind, making me feel tiny in comparison. Jynxx threw his head back and let out a long, joyous howl and the whole rest of the clan joined in, their lupine song resounding off the surrounding cliffs. Jynxx nuzzled my side and I nodded to him, running my fingers through his fur. I stepped aside and the wolves all took off at a dead run, Jynxx fast getting to the head of the pack. Their King lifted his muzzle to the sky and let out a long howl that was echoed throughout the throng. They spread out and split into several groups, heading into the woods for their hunt.
Elomina came to stand near me as I sank down onto the throne with a weary sigh. This whole thing had me stressed out so badly, and I just felt drained. She was a silent sentinel, and w
e were content to just soak in the energy of each other’s presence. Listening to the far off howls of the Clan brought a smile to my face and I relaxed, letting my eyelids slide closed.
I heard voices and many feet, startling myself awake from my nap. I hurried to rub the sleep from my eyes, groggily looking up to Elomina. The petite trollkvinne smirked down at me as I murmured, “How long was I out?”
“Not long enough to restore you, Mistress of Wolves.” The formal title was beyond weird to me, but I shrugged it off as she went on. “Maybe forty minutes. Less than an hour.”
I nodded, getting to my feet and stretching, the joints in my shoulders creaking in protest. Apparently a chair made from stone wasn’t the best place to take a nap. “That’s not too bad, I guess.”
I was covering my mouth to stifle a yawn when a warm and familiar pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. I smiled at the feel of Jynxx’s warm breath as he nuzzled my neck, putting my hands atop his and soaking in the comfort of his embrace. His skin felt so warm compared to the chill that surrounded me, I didn’t even care that he was completely nude. “How’d your hunt go?” I asked quietly, knowing his sensitive ears could still pick up my words.
I felt his lips curve upward and he pressed a scorching kiss to my ear. “I’ll put it this way: meat is a whole lot different when it’s fresh.”
“Eww!” I stuck my tongue out in distaste.
He chuckled and the deep rumble of it from his chest pressed to my back heated my insides. “You ready to get on home, kitten?”
I felt drained from the stress of it all. More than I wanted to let on. “Yeah. I feel like I could sleep all winter and still wake up groggy.” I covered another yawn with the back of my hand and he came around me, going to grab my cloak from the ground. He shook it out and draped it over my shoulders, taking my face in his hands and kissing me in a way that almost made me forget we were surrounded by other people. “What was that for?” I asked, a little out of breath and flushed.