Winter Shadows

by Richard Amos

  “I-I don’t know.”

  He sighed again. “Probably means I didn’t really love her after all, no matter what I thought.”

  “You’ve just lost her,” I said. “Your emotions are gonna be all over the place, mate.”

  “I know, but … I don’t know. Fuck. This is hard.”

  At least he was talking now. I wanted to hear these things come from his mouth, because I was so bloody worried and a little guilty about being the one to have killed Crystal, even though she needed to be stopped.

  “I’m sorry,” I blurted out.

  “What for?”

  Shit! I couldn’t say it! It was ridiculous! Me and my big mouth.

  “Sorry for my loss?” He shook his head. “What’s that, the loss of my time? She never loved me, not in any sane way. But when was love ever sane, eh?”

  I was stumped for words.

  “You were gonna say sorry for killing her, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Idiot.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Stop saying sorry.” He put a big arm around me and pulled me close. “I’d walk through fire for you, mate. I would. Well, I kind of have to.” His laugh sent vibrations through me. “You saved me. You stopped her. I’m going through some stuff right now, obviously, but I don’t want you to ever think that way again. Got it? She doesn’t deserve anything from you or anyone. She messed us all up in a big way. We thought she was … fuck her.”

  I came out of his hold. “I’m here for you, Greg.”

  “Thanks, mate.”

  “What happened to your dad?”

  “Died in a car crash when I was twelve, Mum walked out on us after she had me. Never met her. My nan took care of me until I took care of her, bless her. She’s gone too.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “Guess we’re both in the Lost Parents club, eh?”

  “It’s a shit club.”

  “It is.” He blew out a breath. “Wanna go inside now? Chill in the rec room?”

  “Sure.”

  Luke came running by again, lighting my hands up.

  Greg whistled and the cat stopped. “Come here, Luke.” He tottered over. “Can you stay this side of the mansion now, please? I wanna put a film on.”

  Luke shifted back to human. “I’m sorry?”

  Greg explained the TV exploding business. Why we hadn’t had this conversation with the beast before was beyond me.

  “Yes,” Luke said. “That will be fine.”

  “Cheers, mate.”

  “I think I will sleep for a while.” He changed back to a cat and went to his blue bed that Nay had picked up for him from a pet shop.

  “Looks cozy,” I said.

  Luke replied with a very audible purr.

  We got comfy on the big corner sofa, and Greg switched on the fifty-inch flat-screen.

  Man, I’d missed the TV.

  An infomercial for some really weird cooking utensil came on, followed by some really shite actors proclaiming to be customers whose lives had been changed for the better by it. One woman even cried.

  “Bloody hell! All because she doesn’t have to peel potatoes now?”

  Greg snorted. “Life-changing stuff, that. Peeling spuds is the worst.”

  “So bloody lazy!”

  “You telling me you wouldn’t use it?”

  I took a minute to answer, a grin breaking out. “Fine, so I would.”

  “I knew it!”

  At that moment, Nay came into the room, her short, blue hair in disarray, clad in frilly blue pajamas. “What’s all this?”

  “This is the no-sleep party,” I said. “Wanna join in?”

  She cocked her head. “You and a TV on in the same room? Am I dreaming?”

  “Greg had a word with Luke.”

  Naomi chuffed. “Why the hell didn’t I think of that?”

  “Too small for your genius brain,” Greg said. “Wait … I think I just insulted myself.”

  “I’m saying nothing.” She climbed onto the sofa next to me, sharing my blanket. “What’s that?”

  I snuggled down deeper into the blanket. “This new wonder gadget for all your food-prep needs.”

  “Don’t let Mr. Douglas see this. He’ll think it some sort of culinary sin.”

  “It kind of is.”

  I woke up to the sounds of Greg snoring beside me. The TV was off, and it was daylight.

  Nay was sitting up next to me, drinking some coffee. “Morning,” she said. “You sleep okay in the end?”

  My head was a little fuzzy. “I need a bit more I think.”

  “Go back down, babe. I’ll leave you be.”

  I stretched and sat up, having a huge yawn. “I’m good for now.” Though I did need it, I knew I wouldn’t drift off again anytime soon.

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Want some coffee?”

  “Let’s just sit for a minute,” I said.

  “Cool, babe.”

  “Just nice to sit and be, you know?”

  “Amen,” she agreed.

  It was snowing again. “Mansion’s gonna be under snow this keeps up.”

  “Tell me about it,” she said. “Wish it would calm itself down. Gonna be a pain driving in it later.”

  I looked over at the clock on the wall. It was seven o’clock and Friday.

  “When you going out?” I asked.

  “Not sure yet.”

  “Patrolling,” I said.

  “Of course, babe. Just not with you.”

  I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. A headache was forming. I really didn’t want to be locked away in here.

  “Know this is hard for you, babe,” she said. “But it has to be this way for now.”

  I nodded, not saying anything.

  “Maybe you should just have a lie down for a bit, even if you don’t sleep. You don’t look so good.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  She smiled. “It’ll all come out in the wash.”

  I hadn’t heard anyone say that one for a while—my dad being the last one.

  I snuggled back under the blanket. It was so warm.

  “See you in a bit,” Nay said and left the room.

  Greg’s snoring started to lull me into a doze. I was surprised seeing as I was so sure I wouldn’t fall asleep at all.

  My lids were super-heavy. Sometimes it was best to just give in to your body’s wants.

  The next thing I knew, a scream snapped me out of a snooze.

  “What the fuck?”

  Greg was up too.

  My sparks were active. “Was that Luke?”

  “Help!”

  Nay burst into the room. “Purple’s at the gates!”

  “Shit!” Greg was on the move. “Stay here,” he said to me.

  “But—”

  “In fact, get upstairs! No arguments!”

  “You—”

  “I said no arguments!” he boomed and went charging out of the room. I swear I felt the tremors of his footsteps.

  I did as I was told.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I went to Nay’s room—all blue and sparkly and full of vintage furniture—and watched from the closed balcony window.

  Her room had a view of the front, and she’d given me an earpiece which let me listen to the back and forth between Purple and my guardians. Good old Nay and her gadgets.

  Still, I needed to be down there!

  There were two hyena beasts with Purple, standing on their hind legs. My friends were at a safe distance but close enough to spar.

  “You’re like a starving dog,” Nay said. “Sorry, a starving bitch.”

  Purple giggled. “Such wit.”

  It was amazing how clear their voices were via the gadget.

  “Yeah, well, see what happens if you so much as reach into your pocket.”

  The lasers of the cannons were all trained on her.

  “What do you want?” Dean said.

&
nbsp; “Urm, what do you think?”

  “Fuck you,” he replied.

  “You’re the one asking stupid questions.”

  “You’re not getting Luke,” Nay said.

  “I love the little place you made for him.”

  “Leave here!” Karla came strolling through the snow, Mr. Douglas by her side with a gun trained on Purple. She was all in white, like a snow queen.

  They had to get out of there! She’d throw the damn potion! What if it hit all of them?

  “Well, look who it is, the woman behind the freak show,” Purple said.

  “There is nothing for you here but pain,” Karla said.

  “Says you all tucked in safely behind your wards. When will we see you out in the city getting your hands dirty?”

  Karla sent a blast of red magical energy at one of the hyenas. It ripped off a leg and sent the creature to writhing in the snow.

  I was too far away to see Purple’s face, but I hoped it had shock all over it.

  “Interesting,” Purple said. “I guess those cannons don’t really need to be pointed at me now.”

  “Scared?” Greg asked.

  “Would you like to me to be scared? You would, wouldn’t you? Scared of your strength and the weapon you have hidden in there. I can see you, Jake.”

  She waved at me. I tore open the balcony doors and yelled, “Fuck you!”

  “So, he is listening,” she said. “Your magical bits and bobs are interesting. I would love to crack open the heads of you two witches and see what’s in there, gain some knowledge for myself.”

  “The time for talking is done,” Karla said.

  The cannons went off and the other hyena beast threw itself in harm’s way. Purple had moved quick, but was that a yelp I heard from her? That didn’t matter. What did was the gray smoke that had just formed, approaching the wards.

  “What the hell?”

  The mass came through with ease. The wards blazed red in their resistance, but it just drifted through the defense as calm as a cloud.

  “Inside!” Karla yelled.

  “Do you still want me to be afraid?” Purple yelled. I couldn’t see her.

  I slammed the balcony doors closed and hurried downstairs.

  My friends were all inside when I reached the main hall. “Oh, my God! What do we do?”

  “Naomi,” Karla said sharply. “We must call upon the wind to be rid of this evil. Now! Quickly!”

  Nay nodded. “Everyone back!”

  I was ushered as far away as I could be, my back right up against the wall.

  “Draw on their strength,” Karla said. “Be ready, all of you, for we will need all of the might we can take from you.”

  Oh, shit.

  “Blessed Hecate,” Karla said, her arms outstretched.

  “Mighty goddess,” Nay said, mirroring her stance.

  “We call upon the power of air, of the winds. Hear our call.”

  A draft filled the hallway.

  “Bring to us your gales to cast evil out. Oh, Hecate!”

  How was this gonna work when the goddess was all tied up with me? Should I say something?

  But the draft intensified.

  “Come forth!” Nay cried. “Come forth, winds.”

  “Blessed be the goddess,” Karla said.

  There was a pull on me, as if I was being robbed of something I held deep within.

  That draft became an almighty gale, ripping through the hallway, throwing open the front doors. Paintings were flung from the walls, somewhere in the distance something crashed.

  I couldn’t breathe, my vision blurred.

  Luke was screaming outside.

  “Oh, Hecate!” Karla and Nay shouted together.

  The wind! It was beyond intense. My body wanted to be flung, but I was cemented to the ground, robbed of energy. That’s what that pull was—my energy leaving my body. Not my power, but my physical energy.

  “Oh, Hecate!”

  I was fading.

  My bones were lead …

  “Oh, Hecate!”

  Luke was still screaming …

  No sleep … no sleep. I couldn’t black out. Couldn’t black out!

  “No!” Nay yelled.

  There was a scream so awful my blood went to ice. It wasn’t her but Luke. The wind died, and all of my energy came rushing back. No more sleepiness, no more weakness. I was as I was before the spell started.

  “Argh!”

  It was Luke again.

  “What’s going on?”

  Nay was on her knees. “No.”

  “What?”

  “Free me!” Luke roared. “FREE ME!”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I ran outside, slipping in the snow. What the hell was going on? The clumpy snowflakes went in my mouth as I called Luke’s name.

  “FREE ME!”

  He was throwing himself against the walls of his tube, using his shoulder to pound and pound at the pearlescent prison.

  My sparks spat wildly.

  He’d been hit with the King George.

  Dean grabbed me. “Get inside!”

  I shoved him off me. “I’m not fucking going inside!”

  “Jake—”

  “No! Don’t you see? She’s done it. She got Luke.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything.”

  “The only way out of this is death. I—”

  He grabbed my shoulders. “You are the only way he can die. He doesn’t have to die.”

  “FREE ME!”

  Luke’s shoulder looked dislocated. “But … he … we can’t ….”

  “We’ll have to induce a coma,” Nay said from behind me. “It’s the only way, babe. You kill him, we’re fucked. I have something that might work.”

  I wanted to scream as I turned to Nay. Greg was beside her. “There’s no cure. He’ll stay like that forever.”

  “He will, babe.”

  “That’s so cruel.”

  “We can’t let those shadows out,” Dean said. “We just can’t.”

  Luke was using his other shoulder now. “All he ever wanted was a happy life with his Lucy.”

  Nay took my face in her cool hands, forcing me to look into her twin pools of emerald. “We can still protect him, babe.”

  “He’ll never be Luke again.” I was used to him being around, to see him run in his tube as a cat. Hell, I was even used to seeing him in all his naked glory whenever he was in human form. Beast or not, he was one of the good guys.

  Maybe I was just too sentimental, not hardened enough yet. The reality was he was a danger that had to be nullified for the greater good of the city. End of.

  It was all for the greater bloody good.

  I leaned my forehead against Nay’s. “Do what you have to do.”

  We stayed like that for a moment longer before she headed inside.

  Dean pulled out a cigarette and lit up. Man, could I do with one of those right now.

  “I shouldn’t smoke around you,” he said. “I know you … used to.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s good for maintaining my willpower.”

  “Nasty habit.” He took a deep drag.

  I wasn’t getting into this inane conversation with him right now.

  “Nay’ll sort this,” Greg said.

  “I know she will. Thank the goddess and all the magic she blesses us with, right?”

  I didn’t mean for that to sound as sharp as it did.

  “Right.”

  What I needed was to kill some beasts to ease my being seriously pissed off. Preferably Purple. That would be so sweet to deliver my killing touch and shut her down once and for all.

  Nay returned with a syringe filled with violet liquid. That was one big-arse needle.

  “FREE ME!”

  “We’re gonna have to hold him down for this,” she said.

  “Should be interesting,” Dean added, putting his cigarette out in the snow.

  “Make sure you stand way back,” Nay said to me. “Can’t have those s
parks of yours getting anywhere near him. In fact, maybe it’s best you get inside. We’ll have to open up the tube—best to keep you well out of the way.”

  “Fine,” I said and went indoors.

  Mr. Douglas was in the hallway. I closed the doors behind me.

  “Is there anything I can get for you, sir?” he asked.

  “No, thanks. Is Karla around?”

  “Miss Jones has retired to her quarters.”

  “Not surprised after that spell.”

  “Indeed, sir.”

  “I’m gonna do some training,” I said.

  “Very well, sir.” He bowed, and I hurried past him.

  Forgoing the training, I paced my bedroom.

  “FREE ME!”

  Luke’s position was below my window—the right side of the mansion. I stepped out onto the balcony and looked down.

  My guardians were ready. Nay cast a spell and opened a hole in the tube. Immediately, Luke went to run free. Greg was on him, taking hold of him in that powerful grip.

  “Stick him!” Greg roared.

  Nay was already on it, driving the huge needle into Luke’s neck and pushing down on the plunger. I was expecting him to slow down and slump into a coma. That didn’t happen. He continued to rage.

  “How long?” Dean asked.

  “Should be—”

  Before she could finish, Luke shifted to cat form. Greg lost his grip. Dean went to grab him and got clawed for his efforts. But he pounced again, pinning the cat to the snow.

  Luke wailed and hissed and shifted back to human. He cracked the back of his head into Dean’s face, but Dean didn’t let go. Greg came to his aid.

  “You got any more of that stuff, Nay?” Greg said.

  “That’s the strongest dose. It should be working.” She hurried off.

  Dean, blood pouring from his nose, caught me watching from my perch above. “You’re missing all the fun.”

  I didn’t answer.

  “FREE ME!”

  Luke shifted once again to cat and got to clawing, then shifted back. Dean and Greg had some nasty scratches on their faces, yet they still held on. Cats were deadly when they wanted to be, and a beast cat just upped the scale of violent potential.

  “FREE ME!”

  “He’s bloody strong,” Greg said. “What the fu—”