Kin Bound

by Holly Hook

  But what existence does he have now?

  "You can. Trust me. It's a lot to get used to, but without turning you'd be dead. That spirit possessing you didn't care if you lived or died."

  He sighs. "I know."

  My legs itch. I have to go. Maybe I did ruin everything—

  A growl escapes my throat, and it's not mine.

  Mr. Saffron's eyes widen as he backs away.

  "Gotta run," I say. If the Savage King takes over right here, he'll finish what I started with Mr. Saffron. He'll tear out my teacher's throat right here in the hallway. He's just weak, after all.

  "Brie!" Mr. Saffron yells.

  But I bolt around the corner and back to the Science Wing.

  Noah and Olivia still wait outside. With the thought, the pressure increases.

  My friends.

  I can't go that way, so I pull open a classroom door and put myself in a Biology room full of fish tanks and overgrown potted plants. No one's here. Mr. Saffron walks closer. He won't defend himself if attacked, either.

  "I can't deal with this, Brie."

  The thought alone goads Romulus, and an invisible weight crushes my shoulders, pressing harder and harder. The world darkens, threatening to sweep me to oblivion.

  "Get out of here!" I order Mr. Saffron.

  He pauses outside the door for a second before backing away.

  "Now!"

  And my Drama teacher, who hasn't managed more than a shuffle in years, bolts. I listen to his footfalls go.

  You don't need him, Romulus thinks.

  I focus on the grains of the desk. I'm on a beach with Cayden, anywhere but here with Cayden...Cayden!

  We're still mates no matter what.

  He is strong, the Savage King thinks.

  Romulus wants to take over Cayden, too. And if we connect, he'll do it through me.

  Brie.

  His usual mental greeting fills my head, and Romulus growls again, hungry. Is the sound coming from my head or my throat? I grip the desk so tight the top breaks in half, and I drop one of the busted wood pieces to the floor. Broken.

  I put up a wall. I'm fine.

  Everything is okay. I'm strong. I repeat those words to myself over and over. I lose all sense of Cayden.

  The pressure releases.

  Romulus backs off.

  I backpedal right into the teacher's table, knocking over a cup of pens. They roll across the floor, but I won't focus on the chaos. The air in here is sweet and full of freedom. My heart races, but with each breath, I beg it to calm down.

  At last, I peel myself from the desk. Out in the hall, Noah opens one of the double doors with a click. "Hey. Brie? Mr. Saffron isn't keeping you too long, is he?"

  "I'm fine," I lie.

  "Why are you in Mrs. Teller's classroom?" Noah, being the good friend he is, opens the door with his good hand. He stands there in his sling, surveying me with wide eyes.

  "It's...it's nothing," I lie as I struggle to keep my mind blank. But thoughts intrude, images about the distress on Mr. Saffron's face. Sharp words try to poke through my wall. Guilty. Ruined.

  My phone buzzes as Cayden tries to contact me. But I can't answer now.

  Romulus's food is guilt and pain. He needs it to latch on. All I have to do is avoid feeling bad about the things I've done, or will do, and he'll never bother me. How hard will that be?

  "I was talking to Mr. Saffron because I felt bad about what I did," I say, raising an eyebrow to Noah. Tell me I'm in the clear. You will.

  "You saved the guy's life." He steps into the room. I want to shoo him away, but I can't now. Endangering Cayden like that again isn't an option. I'll suffer in silence.

  "I did," I say.

  "He should be grateful. You got that demon wolf out of him. Sure, he almost died, but he's way better off as a Noble Wolf. You should tell him how cool it is."

  "I tried, believe me," I say, forcing a smile. I have to smile. I bet Romulus doesn't like those, either.

  "He'll come around, Brie. You know, I'd hug you, but with my arm in this sling, it's not that easy."

  "I get it."

  Now I know what brings on the attacks. Cayden would say I now have the power to stop them, if only I could stop feeling guilty. Maybe Brett wanted this punishment for me, knowing that killing his father would tear me up.

  Noah slaps me on the back as I walk out the door. Olivia waits just inside the double doors, and the school has gone silent. Mr. Saffron's followed my orders and fled. He'll live another day because of it. I've got to pat myself on the back, right?

  Brett knows how to get to us from the inside. Why did I ever talk to him?

  "Okay," I say. "Let's go see this Hunter."

  Chapter Eleven

  The bearded man waits beside Callie in the woods. I'm glad she's here, because her alone lowers my tension level a notch. Callie's turning out to be awesome.

  But Callie has changed again. Now she wears camouflage pants, a long leather coat, and a matching, military-style scarf around her neck. She's masked her scent well, too: Callie smells like fallen pine needles and not at all like a human. Smart. I hadn't picked up her presence when I entered the woods. These Hunters are deadly. And as I approach the two of them, the man sprays himself down with a pine-scented spray, masking his scent as well.

  "Yo," Noah says as he walks up with me.

  The bearded man scowls at Noah and then at Olivia, sizing them up, and shakes his head at Callie and me. Why did I bring these people?

  "These are my friends," I say. "I just wanted them to walk out with me today to make sure no Savages were waiting to spring a trap." It sounds stupid. Beyond stupid, and flimsy. "They know all about this, by the way."

  "Not intelligent to let the general public in on Wolf or Hunter matters," the man says, but his voice is gentler than I expect. Like a teddy-bear type grandpa, even if he can't be more than fifty years old. His voice does not fit his looks.

  "Hey. They deserve to know about what threatens them. Both my friends have had problems with Romulus or his cult."

  The man eyes Noah and his sling. "You bitten?" He sounds like he's asking if Noah's picked up the bread from the store.

  "No. A beam fell on me because of some voodoo." He grins at his shoulder while Olivia walks up behind him. In the presence of these Hunters, she seems to have shrunk.

  My phone buzzes again and again.

  With these Hunters here, I can't take it out now. Cayden will have all sorts of texts about Romulus and possession. The male Hunter can't see that. Even Callie sends me a warning look.

  "Well, you can't be here," the man says, gentle but firm. "This is a job for the trained."

  Noah frowns under the veiled insult. He stalks off, Olivia in tow. He steals one last look at where the action is about to happen, before he steps out of the trees and walks across the parking lot.

  Does Noah want in on this?

  "You know, my friends have been super helpful," I say to Callie and the man. I'd also expected more Hunters.

  "The Hunters would have been here for you, had we known not all the Nobles were dead," the man says. "We have helped to guard the Noble Royals and keep the Savages at bay since the beginning. We are staking out Romulus's cult today so we can plan an attack." The man's words leave no room or argument. I have no authority over him, either.

  "Callie told me we might do that," I say.

  "With the loss of your father, we pulled back from Breckenridge and scattered around the country, to best fight the Savages wherever they popped up," he says. "At least, that's what we were informed by the Guardian Wolves and the Russells." A sad look fills the man's dark eyes, but it comes with a roughness I've never seen.

  Of course. My parents must have hidden their marriage—and me—from them.

  "This is my Uncle Alex," Callie explains. She bites her lip. "He's been Hunting for his whole life. Killed a dozen Savages, some of them powerful."

  She won't dare say it, but maybe he's some sort of uncle t
o me, too. I'm still not sure what the family tree looks like. I also read the warning between her words. This man is also capable of killing me, and he might try if he finds out I'm a dangerous mix.

  I eye his coat. Now he has daggers galore, and the bulge under his long leather coat tells me he has a crossbow in there. Arrows clink together as he shifts and looks at Callie. I'm with deadly people, but at least one is on my side.

  "Show me how to reach the Savages' new territory," Alex says.

  "This way," I say, glad to cut into the lead.

  We walk through the woods and through the still-melting snow. Alex and Callie still smell like the woods.

  But I can still hear around us much better than they can. Everly and Remo follow in the distance, but I don't dare check. None of us trust each other. I sniff, and a whiff of Abigail has joined. She's walking beside Everly and Remo in human form, keeping pace with us despite her slight limp. A strong woman, she is.

  "We're leaving our territory," I tell the Hunters as I step over the scent line our pack left earlier this week. It's fading. I need to order someone to get on it.

  My phone keeps buzzing over and over. Cayden's getting frantic. Alex glares at me. But Everly must hear my problem, because the faint sound of her pressing phone buttons follows. A minute later, the buzzing stops.

  "Sorry," I say.

  "The scent line?" Callie asks.

  "Yep. Scent line," I say, thanking the silence.

  Alex nods at me and raises his head to study me. "Who was texting you?"

  "My mate worries when I don't pick up the phone for more than a minute," I say with a wink. "So, do you guys also fight the humans who work with the Savages? Any experience dealing with magic? It's not fun." I stop before I dig myself into a hole.

  "Arrows work against anyone." Callie swallows as she speaks.

  She's looking just as forward to fighting regular people as I am.

  "Tell us when we get near the Savages' territory," Alex instructs.

  So that's why the Nobles and the Hunters have worked together for centuries. We can help them, just as they can help us. Neither of us might have survived if we hadn't joined.

  "I'll also let you know if I smell them," I say. "It all depends on the wind."

  "Good."

  "Are you always so businesslike?" I ask.

  "How else do we stay sharp?" Alex refuses to smile.

  We keep walking through the neutral territory. Remo and Everly keep following far behind us, maybe half a mile. Alex shuffles as he walks behind me, and I listen as he pulls out what must be a crossbow. The string vibrates as he flicks it, and the sound makes a low buzz I've never heard before. A shudder passes over me. He holds a weapon capable of ending my life. So I walk backwards and pretend to admire the weapon. "So, shot any Savages with that?"

  "Three," he says, emotionless. Then he reaches into a deep pocket and produces a handful of long bolts. Six of them, each one what must be a silver tip.

  "Oh, great," I say.

  Callie does the same, parting her coat to pull out a smaller crossbow. I glimpse a pink sweater underneath. She's a normal person, disguised as a Hunter. Ironic, since she was a Hunter disguised as a waitress before. "I might get my first today, depending on what happens," she says.

  "You should stand back and watch," Alex tells her.

  Callie looks at him and nods, barely hiding a pouty face. She's like Noah, but more reserved.

  Her real emotions aren't lost on Alex. "Callie, you're fortunate the Noble Order broke up. Violence was the way of life back then, and I regret that it might become the way of life again now."

  "This isn't awkward," I say.

  "Not at all," Callie adds.

  "I mean it, Callie. Lawrence did the right thing, separating themselves from the Order. It's done nothing but bring pain to our family." Darkness covers Alex's face. Night has already fallen for him. "You know what happens if you get bitten."

  "I won't get bitten."

  "Then stand back," Alex orders.

  "Trust me," I say, struggling to breathe in the thick air. "Bites don't feel good. Got one before my Aunt May ripped my silver pendant off. Do not recommend." I do nothing to dispel the tension, so I sniff again to distract myself. "I smell Savages."

  We all stop right there on the trail. Birds chirp around us, which tells me they're not close. Remo and Everly also stop far behind us. Since I was still walking backwards, I see their outlines, far off, but I don't dare pause on them.

  "How far off?" Alex demands.

  Callie busies herself preparing her crossbow, loading bolts. She's trained. Deadly. Ready. I relate to her.

  "I don't know. It was just a whiff. The wind's blowing from the west and it's not much of a breeze. I do...I do smell the cult as well. They're all like burning hay and poison."

  "I don't care how they smell. Just that you smell them."

  "She's helping us, Uncle Alex," Callie says.

  "Yes. I'm helping you," I say. This guy's used to being in charge. I guess every group has dudes who like to beat their chests.

  Silence drags out. I sniff again.

  "It's gone now," I say. "Come on. I'll hold up a hand if I sense them again. And then I'll make gestures. The Savages can hear almost as good as I do, so we'd better stay quiet."

  Leading the way, I continue through the trees. While I can keep my steps quiet, the Hunters are another story. They're still human, without the grace the pack uses. But the Savages won't expect them, and while they're not my main worry—the cult is—working together will boost morale.

  The stench of rot and fungus-filled wood meets my nose, but with a stale overtone. The border. I stand near the split tree trunk where I hid months before, back before Brett decided the Savages had the best idea after all. "We're at the border," I whisper.

  Crows caw, adding to the atmosphere. For the first time in a while, faint shadows dance at the edges of the world. The dark spirits lurk around here, too. I'd forgotten about that. Brett and Karina summoned them before, and they've probably done it again and again to make sure I don't come back.

  "I don't like this place," Callie says, aiming her crossbow and drawing a line down the trees.

  "It's too open." Alex creeps forward, weapon ready.

  "The rest is woods," I hiss. "There's an old mansion almost straight ahead, and by the way, the Savages aren't close. But that bad feeling is something else. The cult's been doing a lot of magic around here."

  Callie's lips pale as she faces me. "Whatever they've done makes me want to run."

  "Never run," Alex says. "It makes a predator chase you. Do not act like prey. Never let yourself be prey."

  "Got it." Callie creeps after Alex as both cut in front of me. At least they can sense something's wrong.

  I follow this time, and black pulses race under my skin. I swallow a bad taste in my mouth. Evil and hatred live here. "Dark spirits are different."

  Alex snaps his gaze to me. "Can you see them?"

  "No. They just make everything feel, well, bad. This place didn't have this many before." I've forgotten about Brett still working magic. Or maybe this is Karina's doing. She's the talented witch.

  "I sure feel it," Callie says.

  "We shouldn't go any farther yet," I say. "These things have helped cause avalanches. And my friend with the cast? Guilty party."

  Alex eyes me like I've been caught in a lie. "Do not act like prey."

  Shudders face up and down my spine. Not only don't I want to get Callie or Alex hurt, especially since they're risking their necks to help us, but I still don't want to fight humans. That's guaranteed to bring Romulus to the surface. Maybe all these dark manufactured spirits can help him by themselves. Callie and Alex are in more danger than I thought.

  Already, faint pressure settles over my chest. I hope it's just all the dark spirits.

  "You don't know what these things can do," I say. "Maybe we should go back and get the Russell Coven. They can help keep them off us." Looking up,
I search for the light, protective spirits they've created. Only a faint glimmer of hope fills me. Duh. The Russells mainly wanted to protect Cayden. I wanted to protect Cayden. Most of their energy will go to him, and the protection won't help me much unless he's with me.

  "The Coven is good for ritual magic, but not fights," Alex says. "They're talented, but they're not meant for combat, no matter what a few of them will tell you. Some members of that family will—"

  "I get it," I say, thinking of Leonora.

  Translation: Alex is going ahead with this and still needs my help.

  Callie eyes me and bites her lip. This could get bad. Real bad.

  I shake my head, casting the thought away. "Come on. I'll take you to the mansion, and we'll see where the cult is. I smell them again. All of them are meeting somewhere in that direction."

  Chapter Twelve

  Now I lead the others through a sea of darkness.

  All traces of light remain behind, in the neutral grounds between the Noble territory and the Savage. Even though the sun stays out, its rays don't touch my skin. The black pulses form a shell around me instead. My stomach turns as my palms sweat. Every time I blink, inky darkness stares back at me, just waiting to leap on, seize, and consume me.

  How much magic has the cult done since I was here last?

  But maybe I can steal his spellbook—Leonora would call it his book of shadows—while I'm here and the Hunters are distracting the others. We can get rid of the curse for good. The thought brings a spark of light back inside me and the air thins, making breathing easier.

  "I hate this place," Callie says. "How can the Savages even stand this?"

  I don't smell them right now, or maybe the dark spirits are clogging my senses. They're famous for making me not notice things I should. "Don't let anything distract you. The spirits will try, and then cult members or Savages can sneak up on us."

  A deer runs off into the underbrush, spooked, and Alex turns his bow to it for a split second before shaking his head and returning it to the trail ahead. "Got it."