Never Die

by N. L. Hoffmann

  We hadn’t spoken the whole ride. I told him I was staying at the motel, and he just nodded in response. My heart squeezed from his earlier rejection as my mind replayed the scene over and over again. Why did he have to smell so good?

  I sighed in relief when his house came into view. It was a decent sized home, in dire need of a new paint job. It looked like he was already starting on the new siding, from the evidence next to the house. He was the type to constantly keep busy. I, on the other hand, would rather sit and read all day, while munching on cake. My stomach rumbled from thinking about food.

  Luke climbed out of the car, placed an arm on the door as he leaned in to talk to me. “Want something to eat? I have dinner ready, just needs to be warmed up.”

  Shaking my head, I looked out the windshield, avoiding eye contact. “No, you made yourself pretty clear.”

  “We can be friends,” Luke started to say.

  “Are you seriously giving me the fucking friend speech?” I felt my sanity snap. “You’re hot and then cold and then hot again. Make up your mind, Luke! I have plenty of friends.” I took a deep breath, glancing over at him. “Please shut the door.”

  When he did, I planned on peeling out to make a quick exit, but with the driveway having the potholes, I had no choice but to make a slow one. It only made me angrier that I couldn’t hit the gas pedal. Sighing, I put my head back on the headrest and squeezed the steering wheel. Why didn’t I refuse the case in the first place? Damn my soft heart.

  Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw lights turn on in his house. Asshole. He didn’t even stay outside long enough to watch me drive away.

  Why the hell did he have to be so yummy?

  *

  Pounding on the door had me up and out of bed in a flash. I grabbed my gun, feeling ridiculous in just underwear and a tank top. How badass could you look dressed like that? Shaking my head, I looked through the peephole to see who it was. All I could see was blond hair, because the head was bent down. “Who is it?” I asked, refusing to open the door.

  “Luke,” came the reply.

  What the fuck?

  Was he back for some more mind games? I took a deep breath before opening the locks. Lowering my gun, I opened the door and then stepped back to look at him. It was three in the morning. Why the hell would he be visiting so late?

  “I came to apologize.” He couldn’t meet my eyes.

  “At three in the morning? Are you kidding?” Hey, I wasn’t going to be that easy on him.

  He wasn’t able to say anything before something large and black crashed right into him. Luke went flying into the doorway, hands outstretched to catch himself. Whatever it was got in past me. I aimed my gun, searching around the room, finding a trail of blood.

  Luke was climbing to his feet, blood streaked over his forehead from where he must have hit it. His blue eyes were serious and looked around the room for the intruder. Slowly, he drew out his own gun. Unfortunately, my body had bad timing, because that drove up his hotness by about a thousand percent. I stared, no longer interested in what ran into my room. Obviously, my wolf had other priorities.

  “Don’t shoot. God, please, don’t shoot.” Someone said from behind the last bed.

  “You don’t have to worry about God shooting, but you sure as hell have to worry about me,” I said, aiming my gun in the direction of the stranger’s voice.

  Coming around the bed, Luke stopped to stare at whoever was on the other side. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  “I’m from the Blood Moon Pack,” came the reply. When Luke raised his gun, the guy cried out. “No, please, don’t shoot! I have information.”

  “Like we’d believe you.” I said, coming around to stand by Luke. The guy was a lot younger than I thought. He couldn’t have been any older than nineteen. Unfortunately for him, he was nude. The big black thing must have been him in his wolf form.

  The guy sighed, his hands raised as he hunched over against the wall. “They bit the girl. She’s going to change. You have to get her out of there, fast!”

  “Are you fucking serious?” Luke growled. He reached over, grabbing the kid by the hair. “Your people bit a little girl, forcing her through a change? A painful one that adults can hardly handle?”

  The guy cowered. “I didn’t know they would do that. I had no choice but to join that Pack. It was the only way I would survive with the people who were chasing me!”

  Seeing how angry Luke was getting, I reached over to touch his arm. “He came to find help, Luke. Give the kid some credit.”

  Luke pressed the gun to the guy’s head. “You will tell me where they’re keeping her.”

  “I don’t know! They kept her hidden somewhere, away from the rest of us.”

  “Luke, that’s enough!” I squeezed his arm. “Come on, let him go.”

  The guy was in pretty good shape, with muscles like a football player. His dark hair was a mess from where Luke had a hold of him. He didn’t appear to be weak, but then he must have seen Luke as someone more superior. I knew for a fact he wouldn’t have stood a chance against my big, blond beast.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, motioning for the guy to have a seat on the bed. Annie was missing all the fun. Where the hell was she, anyway? It was probably a good thing she wasn’t around, considering the whole situation could have gone completely different. I really hoped she wasn’t in trouble. With all that was happening in the town, it wouldn’t take much for her to end up a victim of the Blood Moon Pack.

  He watched Luke warily, as if debating the move. The Sheriff looked borderline insane. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes were glowing. His wolf was near the surface, and I wasn’t sure what it would mean if he changed. Would he be even more dangerous?

  “I know who you are, Luke. I know what you can do,” the guy said.

  “What do you mean, what he can do?” I asked, holding my gun to the side of my leg.

  Luke looked down at his feet first, and then at me. “Nothing.”

  “He is the only werewolf that can change halfway. He can be half man and half wolf at the same time. The only one, ever,” the guy answered, flashing a grin. “It’s like meeting someone famous.”

  I tried to picture what that would look like, but my brain refused to come up with the image, as if it was completely wrong. When I looked up at Luke, he was staring at me, as if waiting to see my reaction. I smiled at him and said, “Well, that’s badass.”

  “Totally! I wish I could do that.” The naked guy said.

  Tired of seeing his willy move around, I went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. I tossed it to him. “What’s your name?”

  “Brad Janson. I’m from New York.” He wrapped the towel around his waist and sat back down.

  Luke put his gun back in its holster. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration marring his beautiful face. “Do you have any idea where they would keep her?”

  Brad frowned, sadness coming over his features. “I wish I knew. I tried to follow them once, but nearly got caught. I was going to rescue her myself, but the wolves that have her are extremely powerful. One is even a witch.”

  I laughed. “A witch? Are you kidding—”

  They were both staring at me with grim looks on their faces. Apparently, witches were also real. What else was real? “I’ve been living around other supernaturals my whole life?”

  “The worst ones are the vampires.” Brad shook his head. “Those fuckers are scary as shit.”

  My head was beginning to feel light. I had to place a hand on the dresser to brace myself. “This is insane.”

  Brad looked amused. “How new is she?”

  Annoyed, Luke grabbed Brad by the shoulder. “Time for you to leave.”

  Struggling, Brad got away from Luke and held up his hands to stop him from advancing. “Please don’t make me go back. Let me be part of your Pack.”

  Luke started laughing, his head falling back as the laugh became louder. It was a little freaky, so we both stared at him
in silence, not sure on what to do. When he stopped, his eyes were glowing. “You betrayed your Pack, so you’ll certainly betray mine.”

  “Well, he does have a point,” I said with a shrug.

  Brad looked around the room as if he was a trapped animal. He didn’t know what to say. “Please, just let me prove myself.”

  “You need to ask the alpha,” Luke said.

  “Why aren’t you the alpha? You’re stronger than him,” Brad clutched the towel. “Why would you let him lead the Pack?”

  “You ask too many questions. You need to leave.” Luke opened the motel room’s door and motioned for Brad to go.

  I felt bad that we were putting Brad out on his ass. He had no clothes, and was now Pack-less. Where would he go? “You can’t just let him go out there by himself, Luke.”

  “He’s a grown fucking man!”

  Brad whined. My head snapped around, and I widened my eyes. “Please don’t do that. It’s weird.”

  Luke was silent, debating over what he should do, I supposed. He didn’t seem as bothered with the whining noise that Brad was making. Finally, he stepped outside. “I’ll get you a room, but only until you talk to Lance about joining the Pack. I won’t speak on your behalf. You’re on your own.”

  “But tonight, you will take us to where the other Pack is hiding,” Luke told him, eyes glowing again.

  Brad sank back, but nodded his head. “I will.”

  I grabbed Luke’s arm and raised my eyebrows. “Are you sure that’s wise? There will only be three of us, and a whole Pack of them.”

  Luke flashed his teeth at me. “We’re just going to have a look-see.”

  Suspicious, I nodded, releasing his arm. It was like making contact with him set my skin on fire. My body began to hum with premature anticipation. Stupid hormones, always on edge and ready to go on a moment’s notice. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Every time it happened, my brain became fuzzy, and my main focus was to rip his clothes off.

  Brad’s eyes darted from me to Luke. I noticed his nostrils flaring, which had my face burning up with embarrassment. Please don’t tell me he can smell when I’m turned on. I groaned inwardly as I headed to get some clothes on. I didn’t even realize I was still hanging out in my underwear.

  When I turned around to let them know I was going to get some pants on, I found them gone. That asshole! Luke took off without me. Running to the door, I looked outside to find that his truck was already pulling out of the driveway. I hurried and put on my pants, and then slipped into my boots. I wasn’t wearing a bra, but whatever. I grabbed my harness and coat, slamming the door behind me. Luke was already heading down the road. I was in a panic, afraid I wouldn’t be able to catch him.

  A car cut me off, sliding across the gravel as it came to a stop. The window rolled down, revealing a grinning Lance. “Hop in!”

  Confused, I climbed into the car, trying to grab for my seatbelt as he peeled out of the parking lot. The car was a souped-up American muscle car. I didn’t get a close enough look to tell what it was specifically, but it was impressive. The engine roared as he hit the gas to go after Luke. It wasn’t long before we were catching up.

  Lance was silent the whole ride. He glanced in my direction a couple of times as if he wanted to say something, but pressed his lips together in a thin line when he thought better of it. We were already ten miles out of town, and it was making me nervous. Would they be that far away? Was it a trap? We didn’t know anything about Brad, and yet Luke just jumped into the truck with him. What was that man thinking?

  “Looks like he’s taking us to the lake,” Lance said, slowing down as Luke turned right down a curvy road.

  “Luna Pier?”

  Nodding, Lance sighed. “We don’t patrol out here much.”

  “I guess you should add that to your routine, huh?”

  “Ten miles is a little far, but I guess it would make sense that they’d hide out this way. There’s water, and a lot of coverage. You can’t see anything from the road, and no one lives around this area because it’s owned by the State.”

  “Please tell me we aren’t going to go charging in.” I watched as Luke slowed the truck down and parked on the side of the road. Seconds later, he and Brad jumped out, walking toward us.

  “We gotta have some kind of fun.”

  “No, no, it’s a bad idea.” I grabbed his arm, hoping he could see how serious I was.

  Lance placed a hand over mine and looked down at it. I really wanted to know what he was thinking. Or did I? The man probably had multiple personalities. His mood swings were always from one extreme to another. A trickle of unease went up my spine as I saw something spark in his eyes. I wasn’t sure I liked the direction of where his thoughts were going. Praying that he wouldn’t get reckless, we climbed out of the car.

  “Why the hell did you bring her?” Luke snapped.

  “I love you too, honey,” I snarled in return.

  “Okay, we don’t need a couples’ spat in the middle of the danger zone.” Lance shook his head as he looked around us.

  Luke gave me a look of disapproval before he joined his brother in looking around the area. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to use my new senses to identify what was around us. I smelled the grass, the dirt, the water, and even some animals. In the distance I could smell them. The other werewolves were close by, but not so close to where they could tell we were in the area. I would be surprised if they didn’t have people walking around to check the perimeter every now and then, though.

  I was getting nervous, and so was Brad. He kept licking his lips and looking around, eyes darting in every direction, as if he expected something to jump out at us. Finally, after a few seconds, he stood next to the other two men. “We should get moving. We’re sitting ducks here.”

  Lance frowned at Brad, his expression one of annoyance. “Who the hell are you?”

  Wow, it took him that long to ask who Brad was? Rolling my eyes, I crept up the road, listening to the men talk about Brad. They were arguing. Lance was getting mad at Luke for being so trusting. Next thing I knew, I heard snarling and scuffling behind me.

  Spinning around, I spotted Luke and Lance on the ground, punching the shit out of each other. Horrified, I hurried over, shoving Brad out of the way when he attempted to interfere. When I saw Luke come up to raise a fist at his brother, who was underneath him, I slapped him across the face. The smack was so loud, it echoed across the clearing.

  Both Lance and Luke stared at me in surprise, mouths agape. Then Luke was on his feet, coming toward me with his fists clenched. “Oh, shit.” I took off running, my ears perking when he started increasing his speed to come after me.

  “Uncle! I’m sorry! What do I say? I give up? Uncle!” I shrieked, moving faster when I felt his fingers brush against my side.

  We weren’t exactly being quiet, so I wasn’t surprised when two werewolves appeared out of the woods. One was already in wolf form, and the other was still in his human form. Both of their eyes were glowing, their postures showing that they were ready to attack.

  “Slow down, Riley. Fuck, come here.” Luke reached for me, grabbing my arm and then jerking me to his side. He stepped in front of me, slightly hunched to show our enemies that he was ready to take them on. Seconds later, Lance and Brad came up behind us.

  “Brad, what the fuck, man?” the man asked.

  “You know this is wrong, Chad. You know what she is doing is wrong. That girl didn’t deserve to go through the change. Especially at her age.”

  “What?” Lance growled, eyes now glowing.

  Shit. He didn’t know about that part. Luke’s head snapped around, arm snaking out to stop his brother, but Lance was already moving. He shoved me out of the way, causing me to fall to the ground. Luke reached for me while staring after his brother. The wolf attacked, teeth bared and ready to sink into meat. But Lance was fast, almost too fast for me to track. He grabbed the wolf by the throat and with a hard jerk, snapped its neck. The man attacke
d not even a second later, only to be knocked onto the ground. Lance straddled him, swinging his fist, bones crunching beneath them. Then he placed both hands around the man’s head and pulled. Bile rose into my throat at the sickening noise. The man’s flesh was tearing, blood spurting out everywhere and onto Lance.

  “Fuck.” Luke glanced over at me, his eyes wide.

  “I think we should go. They’re going to smell the blood any second,” Brad said, heading back to the vehicles.

  Luke grabbed his brother’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s go, Lance.” His voice was soft and thick with his southern accent.

  “We have to go get her now, Luke. She needs me.” Lance’s eyes were wild as he stood up. Blood soaked his shirt and face, making him look crazier than I’d ever seen him before.

  I wanted to say something, but Luke shook his head sharply. He then refocused on his brother, placing his hands on his brother’s shoulders as he stared into his eyes. “You have to do it the right way. Accept the challenge, and then take the Pack.”

  “They didn’t do it the right way, Luke! They took her from me! They killed my people. Why the hell should I give them respect that they don’t deserve?” he snarled, eyes glowing again.

  “Because if we run in there right now, we might all die, and her along with us.” Luke’s voice stayed calm the entire time. I admired the way he took control, and tried to bring his brother down from his anger. It took a lot of courage and patience.

  “Seriously, we have to go.” Brad started looking around like a panicked animal. He opened the truck door and climbed in, not even waiting for the rest of us.

  I drove Lance’s car, since he was so out of it. He stared out the passenger side window, eyes unfocused and smelling like blood. The smell was actually getting to me, and not in a way that I found familiar. It was like the wolf in me was ready to hunt or attack. She was feeling uncontrollable, and I wasn’t sure how to calm her down. My hands began to shake, causing the car to jerk sharply.