by Aaron Henley
Finally, Kurt bit down on Steve’s broken shoulder and tore a large chunk of his flesh out. Steve actually felt Kurt’s teeth grind against the bone. Mercifully, he collapsed to the ground as he passed out.
***
No. It can’t end this way.
His wolf whimpered a little as he kept his left paw off the ground. Did you see what he just did to us? It’s going to be a week just for the cuts to heal. Two for the bones, if we’re lucky.
This wouldn’t have happened if you waited instead of taking over like that. We could have planned something.
Really? In what universe are you living in. This guy knows exactly what he’s doing and how to kick our furry ass from now till Doomsday. There’s no way we can win against him.
It doesn’t matter. We lose here and we might as well just head home. If we can’t even take an old wolf, how could we possibly fight against Lilith? Becca deserves more. We have to give her more.
I don’t know if we can. Ah. To hell with it. You’re right though. Becca deserves more.
So what do you say? Keep going until either he goes down or we do for good?
Preaching to the choir. Let teach this bastard not to mess with Steve Thomas Harper.
For Becca!
For Becca!
***
Steve slowly got up. He tried to put all his weight on his good leg; but, he was still dangerously unbalanced. Blood dripped out of the massive wound in his shoulder. His chest was stained black from the oozing liquid. He could barely see from the pain yet he wouldn’t stop. Not until he got Becca home. He would die before returning to her parents empty-handed. He didn’t care about himself anymore. His only thought was on the werewolf before him and getting the last reminders of his dead mate home where she belonged.
His voice barely a whisper, Steve managed to growl out, “Just where the fuck do you think you’re going rogue.” He spat out the last as a curse. “This fight isn’t over yet. Not until one of us yields.” He started to cough up a little blood. Damn. One of those slashes must have hit something important. Doesn’t matter though. “So if you want to surrender, I’m all ears. Otherwise, get over here so I can finish this.”
Kurt stared at the young wolf. He didn’t make a sound or move a muscle. He just stared silently in Steve’s glowing amber eyes. Steve stared right back turning this into a contest of wills over claws and teeth. Time lost all meaning to the two of them. The only sounds were the swaying of the leaves on the wind and the patter of Steve’s blood splashing on the grass. Steve didn’t know what happened. All he saw was a blur of black, all he felt was a massive blow to his head, the last thing he saw was the darkness coming to claim him. He struggled against it, resisted it with every last bit of strength he had. The darkness was overwhelming and relentless. Just before it fully enveloped him, Steve thought he heard a soft voice say, “There may be some hope for you after all Cub.”
Chapter 13
The clouds were breathtaking. The rising sun turned the large puffs into brilliant flames of pink and orange. The light reflected off the waves cresting far below her setting the ocean ablaze as well. Large flocks of gulls joined her in flight, a few becoming an early morning snack. Ahead, she could see the island. She knew who awaited her there. Her heart very nearly burst at the thought of him holding her in his arms once more; to feel the warmth of him against her. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, striving with every muscle to reach him. Yet, something was wrong.
No matter how hard she flapped her scarlet wings, no matter how fast she flew, the island always stayed where it was on the horizon. Soon, the once brilliant sky became darker and darker. She tried even harder. Nothing would keep her from the man she loved, the man who owned her heart and soul. She felt her blood pulsing through her veins, her muscles straining with every beat of her wings. On and on she kept pouring everything she had into reaching her love. Suddenly, she felt a large agonizing flash of pain on her back. She craned her long head and looked back. What she saw filled her with horror.
She saw the thin membrane between her wings being to tear and shred into flimsy ribbons of flesh. She then watched as the ghastly ribbons of her beautiful wings started falling into the stiff breeze as they flapped. Then, the ribs between them began to rot and decay, the bony segments plummeting into the ocean below. She started spiraling out of control in an absolute panic. She then felt the muscles on her back holding her wings begin to tear and rip out of her. She crashed into the ocean sending spray flying dozens of feet into the air.
As she struggled to the surface, she felt the remains of her once glorious wings completely tear off. The saltwater surged against her wounds to cause an unbelievable pain. She didn’t know what was happening to her but she had to reach her love. Nothing would keep her from making sure of his safety. She breached the surface struggling against the waves that threatened to drag her back under. Choking and gasping for breath, she found the island before her. The sky above raging with lightning and thunder.
It was much closer now. She could see her love on the beach running towards the surf to help her. Just as he reached the surf, as if the Goddess herself acted, a flash of lightning struck and incinerated him. She cried out in horror and agony as she watched the charred bones of her love crumble to the shore, the waves slowly dragging them into the surf.
Exhausted, her heart and soul forever crushed, she let the waves consume her as well.
Becca awoke with a sharp gasp. She had that strange dream again. Dream? More like a nightmare. She had been having that dream for the past two nights after she regained consciousness. She didn’t know exactly where she was though. She had been told that she had been injured in a home invasion and that St. Christopher’s wasn’t equipped to deal with her treatment so they had medevaced her to a facility outside Chicago. Dr. Morrow had told her that her family had been injured as well but were too unstable for transport so they had remained at St. Christopher’s. Everyone else at the party had been killed.
She had felt a large piece of her soul wither and die when Dr. Morrow told her the grim news after waking up the first day. He tried to be as consoling and sympathetic as he could but Becca didn’t hear him. She was stone silent, unmoving. The tears just flowed like a never ending river. Even now, all she could do was just sit there on the bed, her head on her knees and let the tears flow. She wept and when the tears wouldn’t come anymore, she still sobbed. It was horrible enough that she had lost so dear a friend as Marcy; a great teacher and confident, like Carl; a man she viewed with deep respect and love like Richard. But then....then...to find out he was gone too. That so very nearly broke her entirely. The only thought that kept her going was that her parents were still alive.
How?! How could some punk with a gun take away everything from me?! We would’ve given him anything he asked for. Nothing like this has ever happened in Derrick’s Falls before. We’ve had some kids trying to be “gangster” but nothing serious and now this? The town is never going to be the same again. How am I even going look at anything the same way again?
Everytime I go to Mocha-Me-Crazy, I’ll be reminded of Carl and the stories he’d swap. Marcy at Landman’s Tailoring, Richard at the hardware store. God, just so many memories. How am I even going to be able to go past the store without---without---, she took a deep steadying breath, thinking of Steve? How many summer afternoons did we spend talking on that stoop out front? How many times did he blow off a movie with me because he knew Richard needed help at the store with something or other? Then, that night as he was locking up and I walked past. That night we started talking and everything changed. That night he saw me not just as the best friend he had all his life but as a woman.
I still remember the look in his eyes when something switched in his brain from “friend” to “woman”. The way he nervously stuttered and stammered trying to ask me to dinner. God, he was so cute. Like an adorable little hazel eyed puppy. Well...in more ways than one of course.
Becca’s eyes opened
wide as she pulled her head back in shock. Wait a damn minute! He’s a puppy. Richard is too. No wannabe gangbanger could possibly take one of them down without serious firepower let alone both of them. Unless that guy was suddenly Van Helsing and armed to the teeth with silver, they would have gotten out and gotten help. Also, Steve would be tearing through the state trying to find me. The whole pack would have. Something’s wrong here. I don’t know what it is yet but I intend to find out.
***
Lilith reached over to the hall-full wine glass on her bedside table as Edward pulled himself out of her. After taking a long sip, she turned around to see the man wiping himself off and begin to get dressed. There was nothing romantic in their relationship. As with everything associated with her “Lily” persona, this was a business transaction nothing more. She had needed a release after having to deal with Beckett and his simpering explanations for the break-in at the depot. The break-in was bad enough but the would-be thieves had actually breached the mainframe, something she paid extensive amounts of money to ensure that should not have been possible. She had fired the entire IT department and immediately went to the second-best competitor to fix the problem as apparently the best was using false advertising. Fortunately, nothing was taken that they could detect. Still, Lilith fumed. Her company was one of her many trophies, and no one messed with her trophies. Not if they wanted to live long anyway.
Edward had finished dressing and stood at attention. “Will there be anything else my lady?”
“No. You may go Edward.”
Edward bowed and exited the bedroom.
Lilith pulled herself up further on the bed, tucking her legs under her. Edward had been quite rough, as she had instructed of course. If she had been a normal human woman, her body would have shown a multitude of bruises on her thighs and buttocks as he had bent over her. However, Lilith was anything but a normal human woman. She continued to sip her wine as she reached for the nearby handset. She dialed a specific number only she knew and, after two rings, it picked up.
“Status of the patient?”
“Awake and cognizant ma’am. Apart from the normal reactions we expected, there have been no complications. The patient has begun asking about her family. Do we continue with the cover story?”
“For now. If she continues, move on to Phase 2. That should shut her up for a while.”
“Of course ma’am.”
“Is there anything else?”
Dr. Morrow knew to not keep anything, no matter how insignificant it might seem, from his employer. His predecessor had made that mistake and no one had ever heard from him again. “There are still those slight irregularities in her bloodwork. We aren’t sure what they are. We are monitoring it.”
“I know what those are doctor. You will inform me immediately of any---unusual---changes in the patient.”
“Unusual ma’am?”
“You will know it if it happens doctor.”
“Yes ma’am,” he answered, the confusion still evident in his tone.
Lilith disconnected the call and dialed a second number.
“Yes ma’am,” a slightly garbled male voice answered.
“Report on the subjects.”
“We have been observing them for the last seventy-two hours since the last treatment. The disease is in complete remission in approximately eighty percent of the test group. None show any signs of negative side effects. We are continuing to monitor as per protocol.”
Lilith smiled wide. “Excellent. I expect regular daily reports on the subjects. Once the protocol has been completed, make sure that our magic friends ensure their silence on the matter. I have plans for this and I don’t want them interrupted by finding some idiot tweeting about this, is that clear.”
“Yes ma’am.”
She disconnected the call and finished her wine. For the first time, in a very long time, Lilith felt genuinely happy. I was a fool to send Edward away so soon. I feel like celebrating. Well, nothing I can’t handle myself after all.
She leaned back against the pillows against the headrest as she slowly spread her legs apart. Her hand trailed down her pale olive skin to rest against her folds, still slick from Edward’s semen and her own fluids. As she stroked herself, she closed her eyes and began to let the pleasure build. As it did, she whispered softly, “Michael.”
Chapter 14
“Ow.” Steve flinched as Mark reset the bone in his leg.
“Oh come on. No need to be a pussy about it. You weres can handle a lot more worse than this. I once saw a were so torn up, I could have used him for an anatomy lesson. He barely made a whimper. Now suck it up and let me see that arm.”
It had been maybe a half-hour since the fight with Kurt. Mark had entered the clearing with a first-aid kit and some kind of long wooden cane nearly as tall as him. He had checked Steve over and had put a bandage over his torn shoulder. Fortunately, the collarbone wasn’t quite broken, it just sure as hell felt like it. Mark grabbed hold of Steve’s injured arm. With a quick jerk, he set Steve’s radius and moved to do the same to his ulna. Steve tried very hard to not howl but it still came through his clenched teeth as the second bone was set. Mark stood up and brushed the dirt and grass clinging to his knees.
“Woah. Wait a second. Aren’t you going to put splints on these things? I can’t move without them.”
Mark just grinned and held out the wooden cane. He started mumbling and a soft golden light infused the head of it. Mark then proceeded to wave the cane…staff...Steve realized...over him. As he did, the multitude of cuts closed up and the skin looked shiny and new. When he reached the broken bones, Steve could feel them knitting back together but there was surprisingly no pain. After a few minutes, Mark finished his mumbling and the glow faded. “There now pup. Right as rain. Sit there and catch your breath for a few minutes. I’ll go get the car ready.”
“Ready? Ready for what?”
“To get you to your truck of course. Unless you want it to rust away wherever you left it. Don’t mean jack to me.”
“So we’re still going then?” Steve looked downcast.
“Aye. Unless you want to have another “argument” with Kurt. Keep in mind, though, that I ain’t healing ya a second time today. Any hurt and you have to rely on your were abilities and Father Time.”
“Not today that’s for sure. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Mark picked up the kit and headed out of the clearing. Steve sat there and thought for a minute. Well, this was a bust. We’re nowhere closer to finding any hint of where they’re keeping Becca’s body. All we did was make some new friends. At least, I think they’re friends. Most of them anyway.
Also ate way too much jambalaya too. Don’t forget that.
If I do, I’m sure my anus will. It finally stopped burning. Wonder if Mark’s glowy staff thing was responsible? It healed everything else. Steve took a deep sigh. Did we fail her?
His wolf licked his face. No. We took a little detour, that’s all. You want to know something else? I think it was good for us. You’ve started referring to us as we and not “you” anymore.
Yeah. I don’t even know when that happened. Still, it feels good. Like talking to an old friend we haven’t seen for a while.
Yeah, I know what you mean. But don’t get discouraged. So this lead didn’t pan out. So what? We’ll keep searching and looking. We have a huge supply of cash and Kiera’s just a phone call away. Which reminds me that we should call her and Pops when we get back to the truck. They’re probably worried sick.
Probably. Just pray that Pops doesn’t reach through the phone and strangle us.
Well, we better get going. Mark won’t want to be kept waiting. After we take care of what we need to, we’ll start looking again. We aren’t going home without her. We both know that.
Hell yes.
Steve sat up and shifted back to human. He redressed and walked out of the clearing with his head held high.
***
As Steve walked to the fron
t of the Howling Moon, he heard an engine roar. As he came around the building, he saw a gorgeous cherry-red 1967 Dodge Charger pull out of the garage. The building was almost the size of the entire tavern itself and Steve could see the biker gang’s motorcycles as well as assorted tool chests and equipment inside. As Mark pulled up, Steve was grinning like a schoolboy.
“Nice.”
“Thanks. Vanessa’s mine. She’s one mighty fine lady. Thought we could stretch her legs a little.”
“She sure is and I like your plan. Let’s go.”
It took about three hours to get back to the roadway that led to the truck depot. From there, Steve gave Mark the directions to the parking garage where he found his truck still waiting. He hopped out and headed to the trunk. “What do you need back there for,” Mark called out. “Nothing’s there.”
“What?! I thought my pack was already in it. I couldn’t find it this morning before I went to see Kurt so I figured someone had already taken it. Great. I’m going to have follow you back to get it. By the time we get back, it’s going to be dark. Wonder if Kurt would be gracious enough to let me crash another night. If not, I could always sleep in the truck I suppose.”
“You planning on leaving then pup? That’s not what Kurt told me.”
Steve looked at Mark in utter shock. The surprise must have been easy to read as Mark chuckled. “I think you’ve been had there pup. Kurt asked me to drive you out here so you could get your truck before some wanker up and stole it. The reason you couldn’t find your bag is the girls took it so they could see what size clothes you wear so they could get some things. I think Kurt’s taken a shine to you pup though he’ll never admit it. Trust me on that.”