by Holly Hook
"You seem to really hate men," I tell her. "Yeah, they can be difficult but not all of them are terrible people. If you open up, you might even find one you really like." I wink, trying to defuse the tension.
She stiffens and eyes Remo, who sits two chairs down from her, and Alex, who's taken the end of the table like he's the head of a board meeting. "Men are pigs."
"Some can be. I agree. Edwin was. But most are okay," I say. "You were around horrible men, Karina. And horrible women." A bad taste rises in my mouth and a sense of dread fills me, just as it did before Aunt May told me her secret. There's an awful thought in me that's so afraid of itself, it doesn't want to finish. "Taking it out on your brother won't make things better for either of you. Maybe you should clear the air, you know? Brett wanted to get you away from whatever was happening and always has. Maybe you were too scared to leave on your own?" What am I saying? The words are just coming out.
Karina pushes her chair back and eyes the direction her brother went, pupils wide and hunting for an escape. Everly watches her, paling, and so does Leonora, but no one tries to stop her. Karina bolts to the exit, but her intent is in her steps. She won't stop again until she's away from us.
"I think you pushed too hard," Everly says as the front door swings shut behind her.
I listen in shock as Karina runs past Brett outside, who's pacing on the sidewalk. Brett calls her name and follows her into the city, leaving us behind. Their footsteps vanish into the sound of foot traffic and rolling trams.
I should get up and follow them, but I can't. Gripping the table, I face Callie, Alex, Remo, Leonora, and Everly. "We almost had it," I force as a disgusting thought enters my head, a thought so gross I want to vomit all over my plate.
Callie shoots me a serious look like she has the same idea. "You almost had something."
"I agree. Brett's been saying--" Everly starts, then spears some vegetables to stop herself.
"Everly, have you been talking to Brett while the rest of us aren't around?" I try to joke. But it does nothing to thin the air. "We're all done with breakfast. We follow the Haydes' scent and see what went down. Though I bet we're going to walk into something ugly."
Everly turns her gaze from me like she's embarrassed, but there's no time to poke fun at her.
"Come on," I say, waving everyone towards the exit. "If we're going to get the two of them back, we need to go now."
Chapter Fifteen
Brett and Karina both reek of adrenaline and...terror? Even though they're gone, it hangs over the sidewalk outside as another tram rolls past, crammed with people just going about their lives. The metallic scent gets my heart racing as I trace it down the sidewalk and around an alley corner. Unlike Cayden's missing smell, this one is very distinct, like scents we pick up while hunting in wolf form. But this hunt is different and our prey is wounded in a way that's not physical.
I lead the others, rounding the corner and following the smell down a narrow alley, which merges with trash and the musty reek of rodents. Yes, like any city, Rome has rats and I hear them skittering into the cracks of the city as I keep running.
"Wait. We need to keep up," Leonora says from behind me.
"Us, too," Alex adds. His weapons clank under his leather coat and so do Callie's.
So I force myself to slow and stop. "We can't let them get away or lost."
"They won't get lost. If they want to come back to us, they'll smell us," Alex explains in his dry tone.
I face him down, but he's still all business. "When we find the Haydes, stand back a little," I tell him, even though I have zero authority over the guy. "We don't know how they'll react."
"If the Karina girl goes crazy and attacks us, I will have to defend myself," Alex says, patting his coat. The shape of a dagger's handle comes into view before vanishing again. Even if he's switched sides, he loves to remind us that he can switch back at any moment. That he's part of the Noble Order. This is a reminder for me and Callie as much as it is for Karina.
"Of course you will," I say. Best not to get on his bad side. "Come on. We'll walk because the two can't run forever. Stick together in case the cult comes back."
We seem to have stayed in the side of the city the cult doesn't frequent, away from all the museums and lavish hotels, because I smell no sign of magic users as we follow the scent through narrow alleyways that go between big apartment buildings, some of them definitely built in the modern age. This must be the boring part of Rome. The adrenaline hangs so heavy in the air that I start getting desensitized to it and have to take breaks, breathing through my mouth, before I can smell it well again.
"I keep having to do that, too," Everly says beside me. "I bet you detect the Haydes more than me and Remo do."
"Imagine living in an atmosphere like this all the time," I say, referring to Brett and Karina. "The Haydes grew up in fear."
Everly frowns and sighs. "I thought we Wolves had it bad."
The scent goes on forever and doesn't fade much. Karina's run for a long time and Brett's maintained the chase. After a good forty-five minutes and a few miles later, the world opens up into a vast park full of blooming trees and very green grass. The fear scent pools here as if Brett and Karina both stood at this spot for a moment before proceeding into the park. Brett caught up with her here and judging from the solid scent trail that crosses the street to the park, they walked in together. That's a good sign.
"They're here," I say, pointing to the park. A few children play in a sandbox and I listen past the shouts. Brett and Karina are sitting on the opposite side of a huge tree, on the far end of the park, and neither are talking. Brett sighs and birds chirp. It seems they've been sitting there for a while. Of course, they both ran here while we had to walk.
I wave everyone into the park. Callie hangs back, respecting my wishes, but Alex breathes down my back as if ready for a fight. The last thing these normal kids need to see is blood. Two small girls shrink back from Alex as we pass the sandbox. He is intimidating.
"Let me, Everly, Callie, and Leonora go ahead," I say, whirling and studying my party. "The girls. Looks like Leonora's parents stayed at the hotel to guard our stuff, so that's good."
"Here comes Brett." Everly points over my shoulder.
I look, and he's walking towards us, alone, leaving Karina sitting on the opposite side of the tree. She's not trying to run anymore, almost like she's just too exhausted to try anymore. Brett's face is twisted into disgust and hatred, but as he raises his gaze from the grass and looks at me, he raises his hand in a rage-filled thumbs-up as he approaches me. His disgust isn't for me.
Then Brett makes a fist and holds it out. He sighs like I'm not getting something obvious.
"Fist bump," he snarls.
I give him one. "Why? I screwed up royally back there and made your sister run."
"You screwed up royally? I tried to get you possessed for killing our father out of revenge. Karina's right on one thing. I'm an idiot." Brett turns away and pounds his fist into a narrow tree trunk. "Our father deserved to die. You gave him his just rewards and I was too dumb to realize it. What he was doing to my sister...he made her think I knew about it and didn't care...that no one would help her and all men wanted to do that to women...that I'd do it, too...if I'd known I would have killed him myself!" Brett leans into the tree and lets out a long, helpless sigh.
His words crash into me like a truck and I backpedal. The world spins. "I did the right thing? Brett, none of this is your fault. You were trying to protect her the whole time!" I know Karina can hear this but I want her to. My breakfast rises in my throat. This is truly Savage.
I was right to rip out Mr. Hayde's throat. I ball my fists as the faint taste of his blood fills my mouth. The blood of a monster even worse than the Savage Wolves. Maybe I really am even more Noble than Savage and this is what being Noble really means.
Brett whirls on me. "Some people just deserve to die. Remember that." His eyes fill with hatred as my limbs tremble. He's dr
awing the life from us again. But right now, he needs it, so I stand in place as the others slowly back away. None of that possession pressure settles in my chest now. This is different. All my guilt about Mr. Hayde has died with a whimper.
And instead of darkness, a deep, golden warmth fills the space in my chest where the Savage King has tried to invade.
"Brett," I say. "You're a great brother. You didn't know this was going on and your DNA donor tricked you into hating each other. That's what happened. But now he's gone and he's not coming back."
Everly shocks me by stepping forward. And as I watch, she grabs Brett's wrist with an equally shocking tenderness.
"Brett, don't beat yourself up. Let's get Karina back and let her get some rest. And we'll let her decide what she wants to do."
"She's got a long road," Brett says to her. He sighs again. "I was starting to suspect, but I couldn't just ask something like that."
That explains why Brett's softened towards me lately. I should have seen all the signs of this sooner. He deserved the truth. I should have figured it out. And then it all had to blow up like this.
Behind the tree, Karina stands and looks around the trunk at us. I force a smile and give her a wave. She's welcome with us and I want her to know.
And slowly, expressionless and without a word, she shuffles her feet and walks over to us.
Chapter Sixteen
"Karina's sleeping. I gave her some stuff to help her sleep," Everly says in the hotel hallway once we're back and settled. "And no, not the drugs Remo and Leonora brewed up."
I stand with Everly and Brett. The others have retreated to the outside deck to get some sun and calm our nerves.
"Thanks," Brett says to her. "Cold medicine?"
"That's what she asked for. Says it used to help her sleep all the time," Everly says.
Brett frowns as his eyes fill with regret and pain. "I wonder why."
I still can't get over the horror of this, despite the warm glow that remains in my chest. I've killed and now I feel good about it. And I'm not sure how to feel about that, but I do like the warm, noble feeling. Perhaps this is the way Noble Wolves should feel about what they do.
"I agree we should let Karina sleep," I say. "I think Cayden's still alive. Oh, I hope." A crazy thought hits me. I've destroyed a dark wall that kept my heart chained for months. Maybe I can--"And something changed in me back at the park." The warmth inside gives me hope. Instead of that horrible pressure I got when I thought of how I tore out Mr. Hayde's throat, I felt something like Remus's presence. Like I have my own internal barrier against Romulus.
Like I have a chance.
"Look," Brett says, rubbing his hand through his dark hair. "I'm sorry I treated you the way I did."
"You didn't know what was really happening," I said. He's not draining me anymore. My limbs remain strong and no signs of that chest pressure appear.
"Why didn't she run?" Brett turns away and takes a few steps down the hall.
Everly takes his arm. "She was scared." Yeah, there's something starting to bloom between the two. She curls her fingers around his bicep. "Brett, stop beating yourself up. I get that way too, when I can't get my family members to listen to me."
Whoa. Deep attraction much?
"Okay." I back away, shaking my head.
"What?" Brett asks, pretending to snarl at me.
"We go to the victory site tomorrow. Noon, if Karina is willing," I say. "And then we attack and end this cult for good. If some of them have to die, so be it."
* * * * *
Karina continues to sleep, so the rest of us, Callie, Alex, and the Russells included, retreat to the guys' room and play cards. Going out at night is a bad idea I think we all agree on, because the cult could be staking out the city, trying to find us before we even reach the victory site. That's a shame. Rome looks like an amazing city with treasures to explore.
But I have the feeling this is our turning point, and not just for the Haydes. For all of us. The warm feeling stays in my chest as night starts to fall even though I know what we're going to face at the victory site.
"You look like you're feeling a lot better," Callie says to me with a grin.
"Thanks," I say, throwing down my cards on the bedspread. "It's that obvious."
"You look like you have hope."
Alex shifts on the other side of the room, where he sits on a bed with the other guys, engaged in their own card game.
"I do, now," I say. "Though I probably shouldn't, but it feels so good not to have Romulus constantly trying to possess me. Maybe--"
Footsteps approach our door and I tense, until I realize it's Karina approaching. Her presence no longer scares me, now that I understand her, and neither does her smell. She still carries that faint scent of poison, but her nature scent--those good parts of nature--has gotten stronger since this afternoon.
"Why don't you get the door?" Callie asks.
I wave her off the bed and motion for her to follow me. I open the door before Karina has a chance to knock, and when I do, I find her with her hand raised, ready to tap on the door.
Expressionless, she turns her brown gaze up at me. "Can I...come in?"
There's hesitancy in her words, like she still doesn't want to be around the men, but she's making a little bit of progress. "If you want," I whisper, knowing Remo is going to hear, "We can do a girls' room and a guys' room for the card games."
Karina pauses and seems to think. "This is fine. I'll help you get to the victory site and I'll tell you why Remus fell to Romulus."
"That would be a little helpful," Callie says.
I stand aside to let Karina in, heart racing with anticipation. We've broken two walls and now we need to get through one more: rescuing Cayden and ending the cult. Karina walks into the room and nods at her brother, who also sits on the guys' bed holding several cards. He nods back. They're still not on complete speaking terms, then.
"How are you feeling?" Brett asks.
"Still groggy," she says, keeping it at that. Karina wedges herself onto the end table, far from Brett, since there's not a lot of room in here, but the way she drops her shoulders tells me she's most comfortable away from everyone else. She's still not our buddy and won't be for a while. If she ever is at all. But with a bite of her lip, she nods at me. Something sparks in her eye. Revenge. We can help her get it.
That makes us, in her eyes, better than the cult.
"I saw why Remus fell," I say. "I just didn't expect it to happen the way it did. He killed his brother but then his brother tried possessing him. It was the plan all along."
"The twins, being the first Wolves, had a special connection," Karina says with a sad nod. She won't look at Brett as she says it. We all know why. She was almost guilty of the same crime. "The cult was able to warp it. That's how Romulus was able to possess his brother. And Remus's guilt over killing him finished the ritual."
"But Romulus was going to destroy Remus's mate right in front of him."
"Feelings made Remus weak," Karina says, flat and emotionless. "He forgot that nature doesn't care about your feelings."
"Sis," Brett says, face-palming.
"Yes, I know, Karina. The Savages are all about survival of the fittest," I say. "Nothing else is important. They'd do well in some post-apocalyptic horror movie, but this is real life. We're not in caves beating each other over the head with sticks anymore. We fought to get out of that and we did."
"Romulus thought his brother would weaken the Wolves because he didn't want to fight early Hunters who feared all Wolves. Romulus saw him as a threat to both the Nobles and Savages," Karina says. "That's why he wanted to possess his own brother, his twin, and unite all the Wolves under him. He was more fit."
I roll my eyes. "There's that whole crappy nature thing again."
"Nature isn't nice." Karina glares at me as she says it.
"I know it's not." How many times have I hunted animals and killed them for food? But Romulus is different. "The Savage
King was evil. The cult is evil. We don't have to be that way. Those first Hunters were hunting Wolves because the Savages were attacking people. But we joined with them."
Karina goes silent as if I've slapped her, which isn't my intent.
"Whatever," Karina says.
"Where do I fit into all of this?" Callie asks, still standing near the door. "Karina? I bet you know the answer. I can get possessed, too. I'm marked for it."
"I didn't put the spell on you, Callie. I swear," Karina says, holding up both hands. I detect honesty. "That was Artemis. Sure, I was getting close to her because she could keep the cult's men away from me, but she'd vanish sometimes and leave me hiding in my house. She told me later what she'd done to you."
"She's telling the truth," I say as Alex opens his mouth.
"I believe you," Callie says. "Do you know what, exactly, the cult has planned for us when we get to the victory site?"
"I never came here with them, so I don't," Karina says. "I just know Remus fell because the guilt over killing his brother overtook him. He couldn't deal with it."
"But I'm getting over my guilt," I say, walking into the middle of the room. "I'm feeling less bad about the things I've done." I won't talk of Mr. Hayde out loud. Brett tenses on the bed and Karina shifts on the night stand. "I've got a defense now, and with Karina here keeping the darkness off me, that helps too."
Karina nods. "You should be able to feel a difference now."
She changed her mind at the park about me.