by Wilde, Rhea
“What will happen if they get me?” I asked him.
“They won’t, Ms. Everhart.”
“But what if they do.”
“They won’t.”
“But—”
“If that happens, then you’ll find out. But I fully intend to keep you alive and safe, Ms. Everhart. It’s my number one priority. It’s my only priority.”
“Irvine… You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
He thought about the question then exhaled a deep breath before answering me.
“I’ve seen werewolves do some things that I can’t explain. I’ve seen them kill. I’ve seen them rape. I’ve seen them eat and pillage and destroy. Every time I’ve been offered an assignment, it’s always been to put down a wolf that’s gotten out of line. And I’ve never failed. Every contract I signed has been fulfilled.”
“But this is different.”
“That’s right, Ms. Everhart. This is… Well, it’s much bigger than any single wolf. There’s a larger force at work. So, to be completely honest with you, Ms. Everhart, no, I haven’t done anything like this. Not to this degree. Not on this scale. Not an entire clan.
“But don’t think that I’m not capable. I’m actually kind of excited to put this on my résumé.”
“What about Vaughn?”
“What about him?”
“You’re not going to… I mean…”
“Ms. Everhart, I’m here to deal with the Rucai Clan. That’s something that Vaughn is a part of. That means I have to deal with him as well.”
I sighed as I listened to Irvine’s reasoning. It had been so long since I saw him but I still thought about him. I wondered what he was up to. I wondered if he truly was like his brethren like Irvine said he was. My feelings for him had not diminished. Irvine said that it was part of his influence. There was a venom inside of me. But what I had with Vaughn felt so real. I just didn’t want to accept that he might really want to do something vile to me.
“Why did you take this contract, Irvine?”
“The Agency offered me more money than they’d offered me before.”
“Is that all it is to you? Is it just a paycheck?”
“No, Ms. Everhart. It’s not just about the money. Sometimes, it’s just about doing what’s right.”
I looked into his eyes from the water and Irvine stared at me with a sincerity that you wouldn’t expect from a man who was dubbed as a mercenary.
“Have you ever turned down a contract?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
“...There are just some things that I don’t want to be part of.”
“Like what?”
Irvine looked at me and smiled from the corner of his mouth before turning his attention up to the sky.
“It’s getting late,” he said. “The full moon will be here soon. I’d suggest you get out of the water now.”
“You’re just trying to kick me out so you can use the spring.”
“I’ve been sweating all day, Ms. Everhart. I don’t want them to be able to smell me so easily.”
He chuckled at me and I nodded my head at his reasoning. I started to get out of the water and he turned his back to me. After drying myself off just a bit, I placed my clothes back on and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at me. The sky was beginning to turn black. Underneath the fading sunlight, I could barely make out the pupils of his eyes. We stared at one another beneath the shade of a tree.
“Thank you,” I whispered to him.
He nodded his head to me.
“Ms. Everhart, I just want you to know that…”
He paused for a moment and then sighed.
“I want you to know that I will do whatever is in my power to keep you safe.”
“Because they’re paying you a lot,” I smirked at him.
“Because it’s the right thing do,” he grinned back at me.
Suddenly, there was a rustling in the trees on the other side of the spring. We both quickly turned our heads to see where the noise had come from. There was something making its way in from the forest.
It was a wolf. Its fur was silver and lined with white along its stomach. Its chest puffed out and its eyes were blue and unblinking.
My heart jumped in my chest when I saw it but then I slowly started to calm down as it continued to stare at me. There was no expression on its face. It wasn’t growling or sneering. It wasn’t showing its teeth. I could barely even tell it was breathing. For some reason, the way it looked at me instilled within me the calmness I had felt ever since I started spending time in these woods.
I turned back to Irvine and the grin on his face was gone.
“Get inside and wait with Sasha. They’re coming.”
Chapter 20
The sun had set fully. The sky was black. There was no mistaking the fullness of the moon. I never looked at it like this before. I was always more concerned with what was happening on the ground and if I did look up, I always paid more attention to the stars.
The moonlight shined in through the cracks of the boarded windows. The flames licked the logs in the fireplace. I sat in a chair next to it while Sasha stirred a steaming pot. She handed me a bowl of the broth to warm me up and satisfy the hunger I had built from swimming in the spring.
Sasha was dressed in a pair of black leather pants and a tight blouse, a far cry from the outfits she paraded around in while she was a waitress. The heels on her boots were long like daggers sticking into the floor. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail behind her head.
Irvine was sitting across from me. For the past few days, I had watched him in nothing but a pair of pants as he prepared for the incoming assault. He still managed to dress impeccably for the occasion. Underneath his long black coat, he wore a three-piece suit that seemed excessive for a man who was about to go into a game of life and death. His blue tie went straight-down his chest, perpendicular to the blade he was polishing in his hands.
He sheathed his blade then slinged it over his back. Then he grabbed his crossbow and began tugging on the strings. I watched him load a bolt into it then close one eye while he looked down the sights. He placed the additional bolts inside of his jacket.
“You use a crossbow,” I said to him.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Why?”
“I don’t understand what you’re implying, Ms. Everhart?”
“I mean, why would you use such an archaic weapon? Why would you not use a gun or something? Wouldn’t that be more effective, especially against an entire clan?”
Irvine and Sasha looked at each other. Sasha smirked then returned to stirring the contents of the pot.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“The Agency has the tools to wipe out every single werewolf on the planet if they needed to. It’s the most extreme option they could take. But the problem isn’t just that doing that would be wrong. The problem lies with all of the collateral damage it would cause.
“Do you remember when I told you that a wolf’s fluids could be lethal to a human? That includes their blood. Guns are messy. Blood sprays everywhere. It’s like acid. I still get some of it on me when I use my blade and it stings like crazy. Imagine the blood being spilled if you were to shoot a werewolf. Now imagine if it were to be done to every single werewolf in the world. This entire forest would be radioactive if I recklessly killed them by the most violent way possible.”
“So… no guns.”
“No guns, Ms. Everhart.”
Irvine returned to tightening the strings of his crossbow. I nervously continued to eat the broth but my stomach started to rumble with discomfort. With every passing second, I was growing more anxious. We were getting closer and closer to their eventual attack and I couldn’t take it anymore. I just wanted them to get it over with.
Irvine sat next to the window. He peeked through the small crack to see if anything was there.
“I’m going up,” he s
aid. “I’ll be on the watchtower. Sasha.”
She nodded her head and the two of them got up from their seats. Irvine swung the door open and Sasha stepped outside.
He looked at me and the grim reality of the situation hit me.
“Stay in your room,” he said. “Lock the door. Don’t open it for anybody. Not even me.”
“But—”
“Do what I say, Ms. Everhart. They’re animals. They’ll stop at nothing to get you. Don’t let them.”
“Okay.”
I gulped as Irvine stared at me with the sternness of a parent. He had gone through all this trouble to keep me safe. I didn’t want him to go because I feared the worst but I knew that it was something he had to do.
“Stay safe.”
He nodded his head to me and closed the door behind him. I walked up to it slowly and hesitated for a moment before finally clicking it locked. Then I went into my room and locked the door.
I was sitting on my bed, alone and in silence. I rested my hands in my lap and noticed how much they were shaking. My feet tapped against the floor. I couldn’t stop the nerves from slowly beginning to take over my body. The broth in my stomach felt like it was coming back up my throat.
“Just breathe, Ariel. Just breathe.”
I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the serenity of the forest... That feeling I had when I was swimming in the spring. Anything to put my heart at ease and distract me from my anxiety.
I could see nothing but darkness from my eyes. But then there was a flash. Trees. Nothing but trees zooming past me. I was running through the forest. I ran past the spring and up one of the trees. I stood at the top of it and could see Irvine standing on top of a guard tower. He pointed his crossbow at me and fired.
I gasped and opened my eyes. At the same time, an inhuman growl echoed through the forest and into the cabin. A shiver shot through my spine like a lightning bolt. The sound of the primal scream was joined by a chorus of several others. I could hear them. They were outside, screaming in unison.
I closed my eyes again. I was on the other side of the cabin. Irvine had his back to me. There were dozens of werewolves on the treetops, all of them with their mouths foaming. Hulking beasts that were stuck halfway between man and wolf. Their violent demeanor could cause nightmares. Irvine was shooting at them one by one, picking them off in the air.
I jumped down from the trees and saw the cabin in front of me. Sasha was standing near the door, a blade in her hand. I lunged toward her and something clamped down against my ankle. Looking down, I could see the bear trap closed fully around my leg, blood beginning to stream from every angle. I turned my head back up and Sasha raced toward me, a look of furious rage on her face as she plunged her blade into me.
It forced my eyes open once again with another gasp. My heart was pounding and racing. The sound of bolts filled the air. The beastly growls didn’t stop. Iron clashed against iron. It was so close, just outside the cabin.
I closed my eyes again and saw that dozens of werewolves were gathered around Irvine’s perch. He loaded and reloaded his crossbow, shooting down on his pursuers. They climbed on top of one another to try and get to him. Irvine was loading and reloading with a deftness that seemed inhuman but he couldn’t keep up with them. He was picking them off one by one but not fast enough to stop them from getting to him.
The wolves eventually piled around the guard tower, pushing it down. It crashed down onto the ground and the loud bang echoed through the forest. The sound of screams filled the air. I could see Sasha surrounded by the wolves, attacking them with her blade, piercing their hearts and dropping their bodies to the ground. Irvine was doing the same. I could hear the sound of claws clashing against steel just outside of my cabin.
I opened my eyes. I couldn’t take the visions anymore. Not when it was so close to me. The growls had been so distant but now they were getting closer. So close that I could feel them vibrating the room I was staying in.
I fell to the ground and started searching through my belongings.
“Come on… Where is it?”
I tossed my clothes to the side, desperately searching for May’s switchblade. I found it at the bottom of my things. After I scooped it up, I sat back on the bed and gripped the handle tight in my hand. I remembered the last time I held it like this. Four men had attempted to rape me in the darkness of an alley. If only I could go back to that situation. I would do anything to have it be like that again. Right now it was worse. Much worse.
It never ended. It seemed like Irvine and Sasha had been fighting for hours. When one werewolf would yelp in pain, another growl would rise in its place. Hesitantly, I closed my eyes again to see what was out there.
Werewolves were scattered all over the grass around the cabin. Dozens of them had bear traps biting down on their ankles. Others had been decapitated by the trip wires, their heads separated from their bodies. But there were still more rushing in from the forest.
Irvine looked exhausted. I remembered what he said about the blood and the venom from their fluids. I could see the blood on his face and along his neck, burning through his skin like acid. Sasha was in the distance as she fended off a group of werewolves. Her back was turned to me. I started making my way toward her.
“Sasha, turn around!” I shouted.
But it was no use. I lunged at her and pounced. I opened my eyes and inhaled sharply. At the same time, Sasha screamed violently. I swallowed nervously and feared the worst. They got to Sasha. No. They couldn’t have. I refused to believe it.
The cabin started to shake. Dust fell from the ceiling as the walls started to move. I listened to the sound of the front door being pounded upon. Then the boards against the windows. The cabin trembled violently. It was like an earthquake steadily growing in strength.
I desperately wanted to get away. I couldn’t even close my eyes because I could see how close they were getting. I gripped the switchblade even tighter in my hand and wrapped my arms around myself. Not even putting my hands against my ears could stop me from hearing the sounds.
“Make it stop,” I begged. “Make it stop…”
Suddenly, the rumbling of the cabin stopped. I held my breath, wondering if this was all in my imagination. The room had stopped moving. Slowly, I made my way up off of my bed. I tip-toed toward my window, taking a peek outside, dreading what I might see.
It was dark. Even in the forest clearing, the full moon wasn’t enough to illuminate the open grass field. I could only see the outline of bodies strewn everywhere. They twitched and writhed in pain as they tried to free themselves from their traps. I gulped, wondering why the sound had suddenly stopped.
Then I heard something. The faint sound of footsteps. They were inside of the cabin. That was the only way I would be able to hear it. I stared at my door and held the switchblade up to it. My hand was shaking violently and my palm was sweating so much that I was beginning to lose my grip on it.
The sound disappeared. The footsteps stopped. I looked at the handle of my door, waiting for it to turn. Every instinct in my body was telling me that someone was on the other side no matter how hard I hoped that I was wrong.
“I-Irvine,” I whispered. “I-Irvine, answer me.”
But there was no response. He told me not to open the door for anybody, not even him. But how could I when I knew what was happening on the other side? I didn’t want him to protect me anymore. Not if it took extreme measures like this.
“I-Irvine,” I called out again, hoping and praying that he would respond and tell me that it was all over.
Still nothing. How was I supposed to know what was going on? Was I going to stay locked in this room forever? I couldn’t. Irvine was there, waiting for me. Then I remembered that there was another way. I didn’t have to open the door.
I took a deep breath and slowly started to close my eyes. There was nothing at first, only the darkness that I had become all too familiar with. Then the pi
cture slowly started to clear. There was something in front of me. I couldn’t make it out clearly. It was just in front of me. My leg was raised and suddenly, it went flying at the barrier blocking me.
I opened my eyes just as it happened. The door shattered into splinters in front of me. I ran toward the black werewolf in front of me and drove the switchblade into his shoulder. He howled in pain as I tried to drive it deeper into him. But he quickly recovered and slammed his arm against me. I went flying back and crashed up against the wall. I felt the wind knocked out of my lungs and my head was spinning. I tried making it back to my feet but it was no use.
More werewolves started to rush into my room. I could barely see anything through the tangle of claws and fur.
“Mmm, Thorne was right. She is the one.”
“Don’t hurt her. Not yet. Let’s go.”
I felt several sets of hands grab me. I was still trying to recover from being knocked against the wall. All I could feel was my limp body being thrown over the shoulder of one of the beasts. He carried me through the cabin and out into the clearing. For the first time, I could see all of the destruction first hand.
It looked unreal. Wolves shifting in between their human forms, struggling to get up off of the ground. All of the traps had been set off. The guard tower had been toppled to the ground. It was a war zone.
“What do you want to do with them?” I heard one of their gravelly voices speak.
“Take their bodies with us. Thorne will know what to do.”
I lifted my head up and saw several of them dragging Sasha’s body through the grass. She was covered in cuts and bruises, blood all over her outfit.
They did the same with Irvine after kicking his crossbow to the side and removing his blade from him. His body looked lifeless as they pulled each of his legs and tossed him up onto the shoulders of another one of the beasts.
It took all of the strength I had in my to lift my head up and see the chaos. But I couldn’t do it any longer. It was over. I had nothing left. All I could do was muster up whatever I had left inside of me to realize what had happened. All of the energy finally left my body as the tears welled in my eyes and fell down to the ground.