Silverbow

by Shannon Simmons

  “Maybe I want more control over him,” she admitted. “The bind goes both ways, child.” She had lost her softness and suddenly sounded evil. Straightening her stance, she lifted her glowing jade eyes to meet mine. “You made me weak. Your father made me weak. I lost so much because of my choices over you two. I don’t want to spend the rest of my days struggling with Darius. Some days we just want to kill one another and get it all over with. Other days we lay longing for that powerful fierce burn we once had. I’d rather be killed by a sharp blade than a dull one. It’s all or nothing now.”

  “Your mind has been made up all along,” I forced myself to sound disappointed and scared.

  “Yes and he is on his way,” she informed me.

  “Why not just do the job yourself, you coward,” I provoked her.

  “I don’t want the blood on my hands. I might make your man’s list,” she said as she tilted her head and gave me the same snobbish glare Mrs. Yates always had.

  “So you do use him. You are going to get him killed,” I tossed in. She laughed lightly and shook her head.

  “He will kill you, girl. You do not match his strength and he has a few new members. And even if I did get him killed, my feelings wouldn’t be hurt to have you both gone so I could finally be free. No one likes to be owned,” she exposed her plan. Darius could take me out and then Murphy would kill him. Viv would be free of all her ties. “Over 30 years of imprisonment REALLY gets old.”

  My mind caught fire. I wasn’t armed. I didn’t know where Murphy was. I wasn’t sure if Greyden was upstairs sleeping still or at the fence line. I had no silver bullets. There was no where to run or hide. I took a deep breath and turned away from her, walking up the stairs. As long as I wasn’t fleeing for the door she didn’t seem to mind. She stepped into view at the bottom of the steps and watched me until I vanished down the hall. Walking to Greyden’s door, I opened it slowly. Inside there was a tangle of blue satin sheets but he was missing. Damn.

  I went into the bathroom and found my holster hanging on the back of the door but my gun was missing. SHIT! Where was my gun? I began to panic. I knew my shotgun was down by the door but I would never get past her and for all I knew, she already had it herself. I slipped back into the hall and glanced down the stairwell on my way to my old bedroom. Viv leaned against the wall looking up at me with a smirk smeared over her coral lips.

  “He should be here any minute now,” she chimed. Her voice grated my every nerve now.

  I pushed my door open and rushed to my pillows. There was a God. I found my Browning beneath them and tucked it at my back beneath my shirt. It wouldn’t save me but it could buy me time. I slid on a pair of work boots and looked around for my cell phone. Grabbing it from the nightstand I flipped it open and dialed Greyden. The call went straight to voicemail; his phone was always off if he was working the fence. The fence! It finally dawned on me that he said he would take time off from the fence. My gut churned. Where was Greyden?

  I shot out of my room and back to the stairwell. Below Viv was opening the front door for someone. Greyden walked in ahead of Darius and I nearly choked. Darius pressed a sawed-off shotgun into Greyden’s back. I gasped and started down the stairs nearly losing my footing.

  “Let him go! It’s me you want, you sack of shit,” I protested. Viv smirked and walked back into the kitchen. I glanced over her shoulder out the window. Darius’s truck was behind hers and there were two men I had never seen sitting in the bed.

  “Is that any way to talk to your Step-Daddy,” Darius teased and shoved Greyden into a kitchen chair. Greyden gazed up at me with those burning sapphires and I held my breath. The gun pointed in my direction and I held my hands up where Darius could see them. Going for the gun tucked at my back didn’t seem like a good idea at that moment.

  “She is going to have you killed too,” I said trying to keep my composure. “She wants to be free from us both. You will take the fall for my blood and she will break free of all her chains.”

  “She is full of shit,” my mother claimed. “Just shoot them both already,” she ordered him and waved her hand with impatience. “You always have to fucking play around. Just do the job!”

  “I’m really tired of your mouth, woman,” Darius barked. I figured this is how they usually were together. His eyes slid over me and a sick smile parted his lips. “Did you think that up all by yourself, little girl,” he asked and tilted his head.

  “I didn’t have to. It’s the truth,” I replied as I leaned back against the kitchen wall. “She has you fooled, Darius. You just wait and see.”

  “Dammit, Darius! Get it over with,” Viv blurted. Darius turned to look at her with the barrel of his gun still aimed at me.

  “Why don’t you come do it yourself, bitch,” he asked her. “You are the whore that had her! You brought her into this fucked up world, you take her out!” Greyden growled and Viv stepped over and slapped him hard enough to turn his head. He cut his eyes to stare her down and she sat on the table in front of him, pushing his hair away from his cheek.

  “This one is…nice,” she said as she let her eyes fawn over him. Darius’s face started to shift in anger as she pushed his buttons and tried to take the attention off of his question. Greyden continued to growl quietly. I found myself admiring his ability to keep from freaking out.

  “Get over here, Vivianna. Pull this fucking trigger and take care of your own mess.”

  “No.” She stood and walked to the kitchen doorway. With her back to him, he shifted the aim of his shotgun and blew her head to bits.

  Shock flooded the room and then an agonizing scream of pain. My mother’s body fell forward into the entry way that was now splattered with bits of skull and brain matter. Blood, speckled with silver, stained my hardwood floor. I turned towards the screams and found Darius sitting on the floor with his back to my sink. The gun lay next to him and his hands clenched his chest. I felt a freezing pulse in the air and it slammed into me. I dropped to my knees and caught myself on my hands trying to catch my breath. Greyden spilled from his chair to my side and drew me up in his arms. I couldn’t feel her anymore.

  Darius’s screams turned into sobs and I watched him slowly collect himself and his shotgun. I waited for him to turn it on me, but he stood in front of us with it limp at his side.

  “Now we are free,” he whispered. His eyes went to the sickening sight in the doorway and then back to me. The fire in his eyes had dulled. He looked as though someone had stolen half of his life. In a way, she had. Greyden started to stand and Darius put his barrel to Greyden’s head. “Sit. I’m taking her,” he informed us. “Get up, little girl. I still have business with your mate.”

  “You mean, me,” came a deep husky voice from the back door. Murphy stood in the open door with the heads of the two men that I had seen in Darius’s truck.

  “What the…,” Darius lost his words and swung the shotgun’s aim to me. “Let me walk mother fucker or she gets it. Then you will suffer what I just had to suffer!” Murphy tossed the heads into the kitchen and I cringed as they rolled to Darius’s feet with a sickening plop. He kicked one away and reached down for me, yanking me to my feet aggressively. He made a big mistake. Taking me in one arm, he turned his back to Greyden.

  Before anyone could blink, Greyden lost his control. Lurching forward, two clawed hands came up behind Darius and ripped at his throat from both sides. Blood sprayed the side of my face and I fell from Darius’s grip. Darius started to shift as panic and fear widened his eyes. Greyden’s jaw unhinged and clamped shut between his shoulder and the gaping hole in his throat. Darius’s limbs flailed about as he tried to turn to face his attacker. The beast bit harder until the sickening crack of Darius’s clavicle echoed in my small kitchen. Claws carved Greyden’s cheek and he let go long enough to get a better bite of the neck. Blood covered my kitchen and Darius grew weak. Greyden continued to attack and feed until Darius’s, too, was decapitated.

  I sat in the floor with Murphy above me as
I watched Greyden finish and back off into a corner. He slowly shifted back and tried to wipe the blood from his face but failed. He had three deep cuts in his cheek but they were quickly healing. His chest rose and fell as he took husky breaths and tried to calm down. Sapphire eyes fell upon the carcass in the middle of the floor and then lifted to me.

  I carefully picked myself up and walked over to him. He stood and took me in his arms. I quickly checked him for other wounds but if there had been any, they had healed. I hugged him tight and sobbed into his neck.

  “Thank you! I am so sorry,” I cried. I felt horrible that he had been pulled into this trouble but was very thankful that he had been there. He had saved my life. His hand lifted to the back of my head as he cradled me to him. I could hear Murphy shift behind us.

  “I will get this cleaned up,” Murphy said flatly. I could feel Murphy’s heat retreat a little and realized he was probably not too happy with the scene. I didn’t give a damn. After a moment more, I slowly pulled back and looked up at Greyden.

  “We should help,” I said as I pulled him towards a sink and turned the water on. We tried out best to rinse as much blood from ourselves as we could. Greyden was covered from head to toe. “Go get in the shower. I’ll be fine now,” I told him. He looked over his shoulder to Murphy and then somberly back to me. “I’ll be fine.”

  Without another word, Greyden headed upstairs and I gathered a mop and bucket. Murphy was carrying out the bodies of my mother and Darius when I turned to survey my home. My knees felt weak and my eyes burned. My kitchen looked like a slaughter house and the adrenalin rush I had been on was now crashing. My hands trembled and I leaned back on the counter to stop from falling to the floor. I began crying as I looked at the spatter through the doorway where Viv had fallen. All of this would have killed my father had he still been alive. After all that I had learned and had been through…just like that, it was over. My eyes went blind with tears and before long Murphy’s arms were around me.

  I cried into his chest and found comfort in our heat. As much as I loved being the tough girl, this required a melt down. He rocked me until I stopped crying and then let me go when I stopped.

  “Let me take care of all of this,” he said as he took the mop from me. Greyden joined us after a moment, clean and dressed. He held clean clothes for me in his hands. His sapphire eyes met Murphy’s and he nodded without a word.

  “Let’s get you changed and out of the house.” Greyden led me to the laundry room where I changed clothes. Before I slipped out the back door, I glanced back at Murphy. I could feel his static touch slip from my neck to my cheek. He nodded for me to leave and I turned to follow Greyden.

  CHAPTER 25

  Greyden took me back to his old trailer until nightfall. Once we were under the blanket of the moon, we ran and fed on wildlife. Running was, indeed, the best therapy for me now. Greyden stayed close without smothering me and I appreciated that. I owed him my life now and would not push him away. I felt a pack bond with him and would do anything he asked me to. I did love him; no matter how much I wanted to deny it because of my Bind. This was a battle I would have to face but I was willing to do so.

  Late in the night, we made our way back to my place. My truck sat alone in the driveway and all the lights in the house were off. I felt myself reaching out to see if I could feel if Murphy was around or not. When we walked in the house was void of his heat but not his scent. The place was spotless. Murphy had done a flawless job and I hoped I could wipe the scene from my mind as well as he actually had. Greyden kissed me on top of my head and climbed the stairs.

  I flipped the light on in the kitchen and spotted a note on the table.

  “I’ve gone to make my report. I don’t know when I will return. Please, stay safe. Love, Murphy.” I folded the note and tucked it into a drawer. Now the waiting game would start. I would have no idea when he would show up again. Would I carry on with my life and then get that ache that would send me searching for him? Would Greyden ever fully understand? Would Murphy ever understand my relationship with Greyden? Would I ever have to truly choose? Could I keep from hurting anyone? Would I be able to keep Hines out of trouble? Would the government buy Murphy’s report blaming Darius for everything? I took a deep breath and shoved all my questions into the depths of my mind. I would try hard not to question my every move and just live.

  I was excited to get the shop opened again and to not be looking over my shoulder every minute. I just wanted a taste of my old life. I needed normal.

  I kicked off my boots and headed upstairs. I started to turn towards my old bedroom and paused. Glancing over my shoulder at the light coming from under the bathroom door, I sighed. Turning, I pulled off my t-shirt, slid from my jeans and entered the steamy bathroom where Greyden was already waiting for me.

  Preview of Silverbow: Double Trouble

  Chapter 1

  My boots hit the sand as I jumped from the bed of my truck with much more grace than I had had the first 26 years of my life. My eyes slid over the scenery of the empty desert ahead of me and my ears perked at the distant howl of a coyote. I had been waiting for the sun to set while cleaning my 9mm. Hungry, I was ready to run and hunt. I had been hunting a lot on my own over the last two months. Murphy had been gone for nearly five months and Greyden had been working double shifts at the fence line. Hines was still struggling with his human-free diet so I refrained from inviting him to hunt so close to the highways. His long list of victims along Routes 6 and 375 out here in Nevada dubbed him the ET Killer. Living on the border of Area 51 always kept things interesting here in Silverbow.

  March had brought warmer temperatures and I was enjoying wearing less. I tugged off my dark red tank top, removed my boots and dropped my cut-off jean shorts. Less was best when it was time to shift. Hines had been working with me on controlling my shift and building a tolerance to the discomfort of it. I was learning quickly. The only thing I wasn’t too fond of was the appearance of the beast we shifted into. The movies would have you think my new Were form would be a beautiful wolf that howled at the full moon. Wrong.

  I could feel my spine bow, pop and stretch. My shoulders ached and my hands curled as my nails turned into thick claws. My legs buckled as fire ripped through them and their strength multiplied. My jaw unhinged as my muzzle grew slightly longer and my teeth turned to razors. I sniffed the air with my heightened sense of smell and listened again for the coyote with my pointed ears. As Weres, we looked like a harsh mix of human and K-9. I could run upright or on all fours. I could pull my prey to pieces like pulling cotton candy from its stick. The moon called to us but it didn’t take a full moon to shift us or drive us mad. There was nothing sexy, romantic or comforting in what I had become.

  However, I was learning to embrace my new life and the deepening of the relationships I had with those who shared my nature. Hines and I had become the best of friends and I was trying to warm back up to Laney. I had stopped talking to her for a while after I learned Greyden had been cheating on me with her. Greyden and I were still very close. I was the one that changed him with a bite and he saved my life so we were still caught up in the loyalty blanket. I wished Greyden and I could have carried on as we once were but me being bound to Murphy put a dent in things. Some nights we picked things back up but it was always short lived. Greyden and I loved each other but knowing that he could never have all of me kept us from keeping steady. I often felt guilty too when he and I had steamy nights and all I could think about was Murphy.

  The last word I got from Murphy was the note he left on my kitchen counter the day my mother and her lover were killed in my kitchen. He had to report to whoever he worked for and didn’t know when he would return. As much as it sucked, I understood. Murphy was hired by the government to sheriff those like us. It was his job to kill the worst of our kind and help keep us all on some invisible leash. The government wanted to stay on good terms with us so they could use us as their muscle so Murphy was made the bad guy. However, if he we
re to ever lose his control they would wipe us all out. I am sure there are more people out there like him but he is the only one I know of. Our Bind makes my life a little harder. I’m the perfect target if someone wants to get back at him. We make each other stronger…but weaker in the hands of an enemy. I was sure Darius wouldn’t be the last to try to use me like that. With him and my mother dead though, I felt a little safer.

  My ears shifted when I heard the coyote again and my second sight took over. Vivid colors danced in hypnotic waves as I sped over the sandy plain. The coyote’s body heat made him appear like a dancing yellow and white flame over the purple and blue hues of the cooling sands. The sun was gone and the moon’s relief from the heat was welcome. I darted across Route 375 and caught up to my dinner. I lunged out and landed with the small creature in my arms. My teeth tore into its neck and its panicking pulse fed my starving beast. I left what little I didn’t want for the vultures and continued the hunt. It took two more coyote before I was satisfied.

  With a full stomach, I returned to my old black ’62 Chevy pickup truck, dressed and laid in her bed. The stars were bright and the cool desert night calmed me. I closed my eyes and took a slow, deep breath. I had been working so hard at the shop to keep my mind off Murphy. The longer he was away the more my beast craved him. Greyden helped ease the pain a little but only Murphy would ever be able to cure it. I held my bottom lip prisoner between my teeth as I felt my hormones tense. I wondered where he was and if he had been keeping an eye on me. I wondered if that fire burned inside of him too. It’s a discomfort in my gut, a craving in my veins and a suffocating need in my heart. It makes me feel completely…incomplete.