by Tijan
“No.” Wren drew both of their gazes.
Gavin took a step toward her. “What did you say?”
She raised her chin up. “I’m not going.” Her eyes cooled. “She made her choice, to go without us. I’m going to find Lucas. It’s time we returned to our leader’s side.”
“He would want us to aid Davy.”
“Then I’ll get that order from him.” Wren reached down and grabbed the bow and her satchel of arrows. She fitted both over her back, pulling her arm through the strap. “I’m going this way.”
“Davy went that way.” Gavin pointed the opposite direction.
“I’m going, Gavin.” Wren’s tone was final. “I’m sorry, but I have to go where I feel I’m supposed to be. Lucas needs us. He’ll move at a faster rate if we are at his side.”
A low and primal growl came from deep in Gavin’s throat, and he started forward. If he had to force her to go with them, he would. His hands were in the air, ready to battle his sister vampire when Tracey stepped between them. “I’ll go with you.”
Everyone paused.
Gavin realized she meant him at the same time Wren did. His eyes widened in surprise, but Wren let out her own growl. “Are you kidding me?” she snapped at her. “I thought you had come to your senses.”
Tracey held Gavin’s gaze for a moment longer. She thought in her head to him, “Give me a moment. I need to say my goodbyes to her.”
With Tracey’s decision, Gavin looked to Gregory. He asked, “And you?”
“The Immortal promised me she’d help my daughter.” He had picked up his sword, but he sheathed it now. “I’ll go to be at her side.”
It was decided then.
All three of them, Tracey, Gavin, and Gregory all turned as one and regarded Wren. Her mouth fell open, and she looked to all of them slowly. She gutted out, “Are you kidding me?”
“We’ve made our choice, Wren.”
She shook her head. “You all are wrong. You’re abandoning our leader.”
“Lucas would want us to help The Immortal.” Tracey reached out to touch her arm.
Wren twisted away, her eyes flashing in anger, and she hissed back, “Do not lie to me. You’re not going to help the human. They are.” The last two words were spat out as she pointed to the other two. “They go for her, but not you. At least, give me that consideration. You’re going for a whole other reason.”
“Wren . . .” Tracey stopped. Wren wouldn’t listen to reason, Tracey saw that now. There was nothing else to be discussed. The goodbye would be pointless. Wren would leave in anger. She wouldn’t be able to hear anything else. She had reached out for her, but her hand fell back to her side now. She couldn’t shake the forbidding feeling that was the summation of their relationship. They could’ve been together again. They could’ve been a force to be reckoned with, but it was only Wren’s way. If she didn’t go to be at her side, there would be no going together. Tracey’s head hung down. She said quietly, “I have to go for my niece. I have to try.”
“Your niece is a Mori. She will only hate you. She will never love you.”
Her words stabbed at Tracey, and she sucked in her breath. Closing her eyes a moment, the blonde vampiress choked out, “That is something I hope does not come to fruition. I have to try, Arwena.”
“Stop,” Wren hissed out, her hand clenched around the end of her own sword. She didn’t pull it out. Her hand fell to it out of habit. It was what she held when she was in battle. And right now, as her lover was leaving her, she felt very much in battle. She shook her head. They were being foolish. The human didn’t want them. She always thought she was better than the rest, that her powers made her more valuable, and perhaps they did. But, Wren knew her place was beside her leader. Her place had always been there, no matter whom he might’ve sent her to protect.
It was done. The three she considered family remained in one line, and she took a step backwards. She rasped out, “So be it.”
“Wren—”
She’d been about to turn and leave, but she stopped at Gavin’s words. She looked back. He added, his eyes looking bleak, “Be safe. Fast travels.”
Her entire body was tense, but she forced her head to nod. “To you, too . . .” She hesitated, then added, “Brother.” She looked to Tracey, who had a tear in her eye. Wren bowed her head to her, saying, “Sister, too.”
Sister.
Tracey closed her eyes, feeling the acknowledgement for what it was. Their relationship was done. Sister. Not lover. She murmured back, “To you, too . . . Sister.”
But it didn’t matter. Wren was gone.
ROANE
The wolves moved underneath them.
There was a path in the valley where they walked two by two in a line. They were in their human form, but there were others that panned out to the side. They melted among the trees and mountainside. Those were in their wolf form and as they moved past the trees where they were perched, their bows and arrows already readied and aimed, they weren’t sniffing for vampires above them. They were sniffing for the Christane wolves.
Lucas glanced over to Bastion, who was in the tree next to him. They’d been in position for two days now. His army and Christian’s were ahead of them. They were still trekking toward the Mori territories. Lucas and Bastion would catch up. They’d have to, and Roane had started to worry. He wasn’t sure if they dared stay any longer, hoping for a glimpse of their enemy from behind. It was the last morning they held back. He’d been about to suggest covering the fire and catching up to their group, when they heard the first scout behind them.
They turned, and a wolf was there.
The wolf hadn’t expected to find vampires. He recoiled immediately. He started to dash back to his allies, but Bastion and Roane moved as if one unit. Both leapt for the wolf. Bastion came from the left side. Roane was on the right and as the wolf turned back, prepared to meet their onslaught head-on, Roane didn’t let a battle ensue. He grabbed both sides of the head, rooted his feet in the ground and ripped it right off. As it came clear off, Bastion grabbed the body and threw it into the fire.
They had to move fast after that.
The body and head were both destroyed in the flames, but they needed to cover up the smell so Bastion gathered sage and dumped it on the fire. When it wasn’t enough, he dumped more. Roane knew they needed to leave if they were going to get in position before the rest of their enemy showed, so they lit the entire camp on fire. It would spread far and wide and leave no trace of a wolf at all.
A day later, as they were still moving to meet the oncoming army, the skies split open and down-poured. The fire would be doused. Lucas hoped there’d be no remnant of the wolf at all, and now, watching as the enemy wolves passed them, he knew they hadn’t found any body. Word would spread once they did.
He waited, frozen in place against the tree, as the last of the wolves passed by. Once they moved along, he and Bastion still waited half a day. It was nearing the time when they needed to jump back to the ground and start following behind, but Lucas didn’t move from his position. There was no reason to wait. They had sentries trailing behind, just like their own group, and those had already gone beneath them, but Lucas didn’t emerge from his hidden spot.
He knew Bastion was waiting. He would follow his leader’s movement.
Roane still waited.
Then, he shook his head. He was wasting time. His hand relaxed around the bow’s string where his arrow was notched and ready, but he sensed their presence. He didn’t hear them, see them, or smell them. They were like him, almost invisible to the senses, but he felt them.
Looking down, moving as if they were ghosts, was another army. They were vampires, like him, but they were dressed in black ninja-style robes. Some had their hoods pulled low over their heads with a gold lining around them. Others had their hoods back and their ears were adorned with gold chains. Roane knew of only one army that had worn similar gold colors like these—the Romah Family.
He looked over
and met Bastion’s gaze.
They were severely outnumbered, and this army was the oldest and therefore the strongest there was. He hadn’t realized how many wolves Mother Wolf would send, but as the Romah Army kept going past them, and they had to wait up there another entire day, he knew his army with Christian’s would be overpowered. They didn’t have enough. They’d only be able to contend against them if they had Davy at her fullest strength.
“Roane.”
He whipped his gaze to Bastion’s. The silent thought sent to him could’ve been picked up by another, but he saw Bastion’s gaze was trained on the ground.
A foreboding sense began to fill him and it increased as his gaze turned to see what Bastion was riveted by.
There, in the middle of five Goliath-sized wolves and four Romah guards in full armor, was a woman.
He knew who she was.
This was Mother Wolf, the one that Christian told him about. She was stunning. Black hair fell free and loose past her shoulders. She wore a blue and silver robe. The colors were striking, matching the air of strength she was emanating. Her eyes were dark. Her lips were bright red, curved into a half smile, and her head was raised in a confident and authoritative manner, but that wasn’t all that clung to her—magic. He felt it in the air. Older magic that he never felt was in the air, and as they progressed below them without sensing their presence, Roane was surprised.
If anyone would’ve felt him, it would’ve been her, but it hadn’t happened. They waited another half day before dropping back down to the ground. Once they did, both vampires groaned from the impact. Their legs had hardened into stone from the lack of movement. Both had gone without blood for days. There was no point to talk. Both needed sustenance if they were going to get around the army and back to theirs. Christian would need to know Mother Wolf was with the army, and she was protected by Romah vampires, but hearing a leaf stepped on in the distance, Roane lifted his head up and smelled the air. It was deer—that meant blood for them.
Both vampires took off and were on the deer within moments.
Both fed because both knew their days ahead would be grim.
DAVY
All right.
I had to admit to myself that the idea of going alone was ambitious and honorable. It also sucked. I was hungry. My feet were bleeding. My back was sore, and my hands were almost frozen. The first leg of the trip had been glorious. I used my Immortal speed and zipped over any cliff that needed an extra boost to cover. My head had been high and my shoulders were firm. That lasted a day. I was on day four and because I was doing all this the ‘human’ way, I had an entire mountain still to cover. I didn’t know why I’d been so eager to blast us so far away with my Immortal powers before, but like Gavin said—we’d been safe.
Oh yes.
We were safe. We’d been four mountains over safe. I was cursing myself, just like I’d been the last day, when I heard a sound that I didn’t think I’d hear again.
“You doofus! We need that to burn the Mary Jane.”
Humans.
Glorious, doofus-saying, Mary-Jane smoking, humans.
I almost doubled over in relief. The mere sound of that voice slammed an old sense of reality back into me, one where I had been human, somewhat normal, and I hadn’t been interrogated, tortured, wounded, or hunted by a supernatural being, or an entire army of supernatural beings.
I was so overwhelmed that I was frozen in place as two guys stumbled past the clearing and onto the same path that I was on.
I was there, standing with my hand wrapped around a walking stick, and my eyes so damn wide a flying saucer could’ve entered them. I knew I must’ve been a sight. I’d alternated between shivering and sweating over the last day and a half. I still didn’t want to use any more of The Immortal powers than necessary, and because I wasn’t expecting to find anyone so close to me, I hadn’t resurrected the cloaking spell. I was still stunned. I hadn’t even thought about making myself invisible.
These two guys, one was tall and lanky, with a bright green rain jacket and glasses on his face, and the other was an inch shorter and pudgier, wearing a matching jacket, stared at me. They both had hiking boots and had large hiking bags strapped to their backs. They were dumbfounded.
Then, one broke out, a wide smile appearing, “Hey! Are you a hallucination?”
The taller one frowned and smacked the shorter on the back of his head. “If we’re both seeing her, I doubt it.” He paused, his frown deepened, and he took his glasses off. After cleaning them, he put them back on and leaned forward. “Nope. She’s still there.”
“Hey!” The shorter one pumped his hand in the air. “What’s your name? Do you speak English? I’m Spencer.”
“Of course she speaks English,” the taller one muttered, but stopped and scratched behind his ear. “Wait. She might not.”
At the same time, Spencer twisted around and muttered to him, without moving his lips, “You don’t know that. This place has some strange folks in it. She could be from some native tribe or something.”
“She’s wearing jeans.”
“Oh yeah.” Spencer nodded to himself, his smile brightening even more. “What’s your name?” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “This is Cal. We’re here on holiday. We’re hiking through these parts before heading back to the States. Figured this was a trip of a lifetime. We were nearby in Brunsby on a semester visa, but that’s done for in a week. You on holiday, too? Wait.” He glanced around, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips in concentration. “Where’s your group? You’re not alone, are you?”
This was absurd. Both were from America, and both were high. A laugh started deep in my throat and before long, it doubled in volume. I couldn’t contain it. They were hiking. They were on holiday. They thought I was a student.
I was so very far from just a student.
Drifting closer, warming to me from my laughter, the taller one chuckled, too. “I know we’re a sight. We got separated from our group yesterday. We haven’t washed or eaten anything except a little marijuana that Spencer had left over. And side note, if that’s all you have to eat, don’t do it. The munchies are making me go crazy. Spencer won’t let me eat any of our food. Rainforest tree bark started to look a lot more appetizing than the pine trees back home. Say,” his eyes focused on me again, “You haven’t seen any other U.S. students, have you?”
No, no. Just vampires. That was all.
My shoulders were still shaking, and I shook my head back and forth. I was trying to form a coherent word, but the hilarity of the situation was still hitting me. A few tears leaked from my eyes, and my cheeks were starting to ache from the laughter.
“What’s your name?” Spencer’s lip were still curved up, but any slight chuckle he might’ve let out had dwindled. The bright smile he had was no longer. It lessened and a look of alarm was starting to enter his gaze. “You haven’t said yet.”
“Da—” I was Davy. The nickname of Davy didn’t pertain to me anymore. It hadn’t for so long, since my first torture session, but I heard myself saying, “Davy,” to these two strangers. I wanted to be Davy again, even if it was for a brief moment in time. I could be that girl with no big responsibilities, where I only had to worry about being empathic. I suddenly missed that girl a whole ton.
“Davy.” Spencer pumped his head up and down, his lips tugging into a smile again. “That’s an awesome name.”
“Uh . . .” The taller one glanced up to the darkening sky. “Well. I hate to admit it, but I think we’re going to be lost for another day. It’s going to be nighttime soon.”
Spencer looked pained. He repeated the earlier question again. “You haven’t seen any other Americans, have you?”
I shook my head, growing somber. They were lost and I had one last mountain to cross before being back in Mori territory. I could feel their magic. It was growing more and more the closer I got. I also knew that I didn’t have long before the others caught up to me, whoever it was that was coming after m
e. Gavin. Gregory. Tracey. Any of those three or none of them. I didn’t figure Wren would come. Seeing that these guys were looking around to put their bags down, I spoke up, “Uh.”
They stopped and looked at me.
I gulped suddenly. What was I doing? I should send them on their way, but I said instead, “There’s still some light, and it was a full moon last night. It’ll be one again tonight. We can keep going.”
“You know where you’re going?”
The taller one asked that . . . I forgot his name.
“Cal,” the shorter one said, “I don’t know . . .”
Cal was the tall one. Spencer was the shorter guy. S and S. I nodded to myself. That was how I’d remember their names.
Cal was saying, gesturing to me, “. . . I think we should. She knows where she’s going, or she looks like she knows. Let’s go with her, and maybe we’ll find our group.”
I cleared my throat, drawing their attention. “I’m headed over that mountain behind you. I-uh—I have a friend over there. I need to get to her.”
Spencer frowned at where I pointed and he scratched behind his ear. “I’m pretty sure that’s where we came from over the last two days.”
Cal’s head bobbed up and down. “Hey, yeah. I think you’re right. Wait.” He twisted around to the mountain I just came from. “Fuck. I have no clue. They all look the same.”
“Well.” Spencer grimaced, his hand falling back to his side. “Let’s just go with her.”
“You can’t.” I corrected, “I mean, not all the way. My friend—there’s dangerous people where I’m going. You can come with me part of the way, but not all the way.”
“Oh.” Both gave me alarming looks.
I didn’t want to go alone anymore, but they couldn’t go all the way with me. The Mori would kill them, if they hadn’t already killed their group. But if they went alone—I didn’t know if that was safe either. My allies and I were the only ones I knew that wouldn’t harm them. Whoever these guys were, whatever fucked-up kind of karma that put them in the middle of this war, I needed to protect them. Or I had to try, at least.