by Holly Hook
I lay on Cayden's bed that evening, trying to relax as much as I can. It still smells of him, but I notice the difference already with him gone. All I get are some occasional texts saying he's okay, but nothing more. It sucks. Good. I'm putting these Wolves in danger and opening old wounds. I should deal with it.
I close my eyes.
Savages don't have to feel remorse. Only Nobles.
Freedom.
Accepting strength will kill the guilt.
Let me.
My eyes fly open and I watch the ceiling. Romulus. He's back, and I have no Cayden to help keep him at bay. A veil of darkness sweeps around the outside of my vision, there but invisible, as dark pulses race underneath my skin. They pick at me like needles, begging me to give in and let the building pressure stop. My heart races in panic, but the darkness seizes it, slowing the beat.
Cayden, I think, breathing in his scent.
I roll over, making the mattress creak, but the springs sound like evil gremlins. He's going to possess me right here, and then he's going to kill the people I care about. Everly. Aunt May. Even Abigail.
I get up, run through the empty living room, and run into the evening in just my jeans and T-shirt. The cold wraps around me. I focus on it. Anything but the darkness. Collapsing in the half-melted snow, I turn my thoughts to Cayden. Protecting Cayden, who Romulus might destroy if he takes my form. I love Cayden. Cayden is a sunrise, and I need him to keep me from breaking through the wall into night.
Brie, he thinks.
He can hear me.
Cayden. I love you. I claw the ground, drawing dirt under my fingernails. Pushing the darkness into the ground where it belongs takes up everything. Tensing, I focus the black pulses into the soil, where it can join the worms and the rot.
The pressure backs off, and I can breathe in fresh air again. The veil of darkness retreats into the deep, rotten core of the world, and the stars come out as I turn my head away from it to face the sky. A faint crescent moon rises, peeking through the trees like a crooked smile.
And the back door opens again. I smell Everly approaching. Her purposeful footsteps crunch snow. At least it's her, and she won't alienate me for being half Wolf and struggling with this problem.
“I'm a light sleeper. What's wrong?” she asks, approaching and kneeling beside me.
Though the back light of the cabin's turned off, I can see the house clearly, low and hiding in the trees. Snores emerge from inside. Remo's a heavy sleeper, at least. Abigail, still on the couch, has windy breaths, and Aunt May remains quiet.
"Nothing," I lie in a tone that invites her to listen.
Everly kneels, dead serious. “What happened?”
In a whisper that I can manage now that I'm out of the house, I say, “The cult might have halfway done their ritual, but it's up to me to let it finish. Every time I think any bad thoughts or do anything a Savage would do, Romulus attacks. And he tries to take over. It's horrible. And yes, I've told Cayden already.” What if this is part of the reason he's staying in Colling? Sickness fills me. No. He won't want a puppet of the Savage King. But before I let any more horrible thoughts fill me, I bite my lip and focus on that instead.
Everly curses, but doesn't say what I fear. “Maybe we should wait to attack the cult? Attacking humans won't do you any good. I'm not trying to tell you what to do—”
“You're trying to help.” I sit up, letting the snow soak through the knees of my jeans.
"Well, you shouldn't attack the cult. Let the rest of us. The Hunters might help, too. I know it's hard to stand back sometimes." And then Everly does something I never expect.
She wraps her arm around me.
Everly is hugging me.
And right then, taking it is the best thing I can do.
Chapter Nine
A knock on the door of the Lowe cabin wakes me early the next morning, as in before-the-sun early. I wake with a start, rising from Cayden's bed.
The knock comes again. Then the scents of the other Noble Wolves hit me and I remember last night. Everly promised not to spill the beans about my episode last night. Then why is someone here?
Remo grunts somewhere. Aunt May groans and turns over in the room once used by the Lowe parents. I sniff and sigh in relief. Pancakes and bacon. Venison. Maggie's Eatery.
"It's Callie," I say, smelling her.
Aunt May grunts in response. We're still recovering from the long weekend. Climbing out of bed, I slip on clothes. Maybe Cayden sent her with news or she contacted the other Hunters. Both would be great. Callie stands still on the front porch and doesn't shuffle with nerves.
I open the door. Callie stands alone, dressed in plaid and jeans, but she has a silver dagger hanging from her leather belt. Though sheathed, the leather has a small hole in it, and I spot the wicked glint of the blade through it. A shiver races down my spine.
The dagger is not for me. I have to remember that.
"You look a lot different when you're not dressed for work," I say. In jeans, Callie looks only five years older than me.
Callie smiles and waves me outside. "Cayden sent me. He wants his phone back because he's tired of borrowing Allen's. And he wants to let you know he's all right. Lawrence hasn't caused any issues, but he's still that one green sour candy in the pack."
I hold back a laugh, relieved Callie has a sense of humor. Maybe it runs on the Sterling side of the family, too. "Good analogy. Do you pucker when you're near him?"
"I have to stop myself. He's moody. Could fall to the Dark Side."
Callie, though fully human, checks for my reaction, studying my features. She frowns to match me. Waving it away, I say, "No biggie. I know things are...complicated...but humor can save us all."
"Not Lawrence. He won't cheer up," Callie says.
Lawrence is already on the other side of the wall, the one Cayden has already crossed. And I've taken the one source of light from him—his control—and taunted him with it.
"We should stay quiet," I say.
"Why are you staying here?" Callie whispers.
I lean close. "I don't want any of the new Wolves knowing where my real house is. Just in case."
"Oh."
Inside, the others have gone back to sleep. Abigail's out cold on the couch.
"The phone," Callie repeats. "I imagine you two want to talk to each other without borrowing. The rest of the pack have theirs."
"Yeah." My mind swims as I retrieve Cayden's device from the kitchen table. "Here. And what about the Hunters? Did you contact them?"
Callie takes the phone. "Yeah. They're scattered all over the country, but my Uncle Alex will be here this morning. He's the most experienced Hunter in the family from what I've heard. I guess he moved away from Colling ten years ago and hasn't hunted since."
"He gets his chance soon."
"I don't know him too well. My parents are in New York because they wanted to give up hunting, so he's the closest link I have right now. If he decides there's a need, he'll call the other Hunters he knows. You might meet him later today. Depends on what he wants to do." Callie's eyes burn. She's finally going to have the chance to do what she was born to do.
"He'll find reason. So, is Cayden going nuts yet?"
"He's holding his own."
I have to get serious now. "How trained are you, anyway?"
"I've been doing archery and practicing with knives since I was five," Callie says. "My parents tried to get me to stop, but I didn't."
"You live in a different world," I say.
"Oh. Yes. You grew up in the normal world," Callie says, remembering my story. "Most Wolves don't. So, the plan?"
I force a smile, keeping up a happy wall. "We shouldn't attack just yet. For one, we need to know where the cult's going to be and how many Savages are around them now. For all we know, they could have increased their numbers after Matthew died. And I have to make sure I can keep a clear head." I level a look at her, hoping she gets it. Letting something slip could be bad. Lawrence
will grab onto anything to push me out of power, and some of the Wolves could be with him.
"You do keep a clear head," Callie agrees. "Hunters are less likely to be detected going into the Savage territory than Noble Wolves. We can mask our scent. It's an art we've learned over the centuries."
"Oh." So that's how Earl hid in the tree stand. "Well, it works." I could have learned this stuff if my mother had survived. I could have remained human, working beside Cayden but forbidden to date him, even if I was a forbidden product myself. How different things could have turned out.
Callie leans close. "You look relieved."
"We have to fight, but I don't want to put these Wolves in too much danger. And fighting might...do things to me, especially if we have to attack humans. Even if they're crappy humans." It's not fair.
Callie nods a warning as she looks over my shoulder. We're on the same page. I even get the sense we could become friends.
"I get it," she says. "Tell the other Wolves it's best to wait, so no one gets hurt. Uncle Alex might have some good ideas."
"You're telling me what to do?" I ask.
Callie gives me a playful glare. "I'm not a pack member. So you have nothing on me. You'll see."
* * * * *
In my efforts to keep the new peace, I start breakfast again as the others stir. Abigail comes into the kitchen first, eyeing the assortment of pans I've put on the stove and the pile of bacon packages I've stacked on the counter.
"Callie stopped by," I say.
"Oh, I heard her as I was waking. Spunky girl, she is."
"She's a woman." I make eye contract with Abigail as she studies me. I'm the short blond who defeated her bodybuilder grandson. It's not like I can blame her.
"If you want to speak to your mate, I'll take over breakfast," Abigail says.
"But your leg—"
"Don't mind my leg. It works better when I stay active. How do you think I've survived this long?" She pinches my shoulder as if she were the grandmother I never had. "I used to be alpha, you know, before Lawrence challenged me."
I face her, but her smile remains. "You're the best sport I've ever met."
"He was stronger than me," Abigail says. "Oh, I knew it was coming. Our line of Wolves is almost as strong as the Royals. We descend from some of Remus's first Wolves. To fight his brother's darkness, he turned some willing warriors before he died."
"So your line is almost as old as mine," I say.
"That's why they call us Guardian Wolves."
"Well, I'm glad we're all reuniting. Happy family stuff, right?" I say, turning on the gas to the stove. The bacon starts to sizzle in the pan.
"Say, are the Russells still here in town?" Abigail asks. "Do they still practice magic?"
"Maybe we should invite them over for breakfast," I say. "No. We should invite them over. We have time before class." I'm alpha now. Abigail's wise and knows she needs to test me. I can't blame her for that, either. None of the new Wolves know me, either.
"It would be nice," Abigail says as Aunt May steps into the room. "And here's the other Royal."
"I'm the sister of Brie's father," she says, distracting Abigail. "I know I forgot to mention that the other day."
"Oh, so who did he marry?" She's salivating with curiosity. Abigail's proving to be a sucker for gossip.
Struggling not to tense, I flip three of the bacon slices with a knife.
"Her mother was Connie Hegeman, a Wolf who moved to Breckenridge after she met Brie's father. Oh, she got caught up in suppressing it all like my brother and I did. Didn't quite work for her, and I'm sad to see her go." The lie comes off her lips, flawless. Sometimes I forget Aunt May used to be passionate about acting, too.
I don't dare wink a thank you to Aunt May. I'll thank her later.
"Connie Hegeman?" Abigail asks.
"She was from Maine. Last of her pack, fleeing from Savages. Was hoping the Royals could protect her."
"That's always such a sad story." Abigail sighs.
Aunt May lowers her voice to a somber pitch. "The same happened to Brie's parents when a pack tried to take this territory. Brie and I are the last."
"Two Royals," Abigail says. "Yes. There is no excuse for Lawrence to stay out of it now. I'll need to have another talk with him."
"Thank you," I say. "And Aunt May, if you could call the Russells that would be great. I'm sure they'll be glad to know the Hunters are coming back."
* * * * *
The morning is more chaos. The house gets crowded with Leonora and her parents—the rest of the family didn't want to rise early—and the pack members already here. We finish our breakfast while Remo and Leonora sneak off to his room. I only get a chance to call Cayden in the tiny gap between dishes and having to leave for class. Callie must have driven back to Colling already, because when I call, he picks up right away.
"How are things?" he asks.
I stand on the back deck, not caring that the temperature's plunged again today. "Well, we're going to send the Hunters out to the Savage territory. We called and told Callie where it is. And don't worry. I guess they're good."
"I know that," Cayden says with a chuckle. "I'm keeping the peace here in Colling. If you need us, I'll know."
His words reassure me. "You felt what was happening last night," I whisper.
"I hated not being able to call, but then I felt that you were all right."
"Yeah. Everly hugged me. And don't call if there are other pack members around who can overhear my problem. That was smart."
"She hugged you?"
"Total shocker."
"Look, if I feel Romulus trying to take over again, I'm hopping on one of Lawrence's quads and running down the gas to get back. And believe me, I've checked them all. I have dibs on the green one."
"Cayden, I love you, but only do it if you can keep the curse away." I have hope for him, even if he's already on the other side of that wall.
"I don't care if it's right there. I don't know what I'd do without you, Brie. You make my life bearable."
I want to tell him so much more, that maybe he's the only reason Romulus hasn't taken me over yet, but I hold back. If Romulus does manage to come through, his essence might infect Cayden first. His evil will take advantage of our bond, a bond we might have foolishly strengthened by making love.
"Just bearable?" I ask.
"Well, you know what I mean."
"I do. I'll call you after school," I say. "I'll see what ideas the Hunters have and I'll let you know."
Chapter Ten
Noah's struggling today. His arm is still in that black sling, but he grins when I walk up to our shared locker.
"How you feeling?"
"Awesome. Shoulder Crusher woke me up like eight times last night, but Super Energy Drink came to the rescue this morning." He lifts an eyebrow at me. "Did you...find anyone this weekend?"
I let Noah know we'd be looking for other Noble Wolves over the weekend. "I'll tell you about it at lunch if Ellie's not sitting with us." Lately, my other friend has grown more distant to me and I can't blame her. Sure, I apologized for driving Jansen away, and she's still texting him, but after the monumental jerk I was, we're not going to be as close as we were. Ellie will probably sit with Angela and Shauna, who fill their schedules with art classes. It's the closest she can get to her usual group of creatives when I'm around.
"Great," Noah says. "How are things with Mr. Saffron?"
Oh. "He's still freaked out." Though a member of the pack now by default, our Drama teacher refuses to take part in any of our business. In fact, he barely talks to me during rehearsals now. Or Cayden, for that matter. I have the power to boss him around, but I won't. I infected him, so I'll do my best to not be a jerk. Especially since the Savage King has showed no signs of possessing him again.
Noah and I walk to class, where he seethes from the pain his busted shoulder gives off again. "You know, I envy your healing," he says. "If you could shift and bite me, I'd be rid of this in no ti
me."
"But would your girlfriend like that?" I ask.
Olivia stands near the front door, waiting for us. She waves to me and then makes a kissy face at Noah.
"Sure she would," he says, extending his left arm to her. Noah wraps Olivia up best he can and they head inside. At least he has something to make him feel better, because I'm never bringing Noah into this life, just as Cayden and Aunt May didn't want me to get swamped in this. He's better off letting his shoulder heal normally.
I hike up my backpack, but just as I'm about to enter Mrs. Connors's classroom, I smell something out of place. A human scent, but like leather and with a hint of metal.
There's a man standing at the corner of the hallway, near the parking lot doors. A middle-aged guy leans into the corner, wearing a leather hat, jacket, and a belt lined with empty holsters. If the principal sees him, the cops will get called for sure, even if he's carrying no weapons. A beard hangs down over the front of his coat, and this guy looks like he works out with Lawrence. As our gazes meet, he gives me a warning nod to stay silent.
This might be Callie's Uncle Alex. Every inch of this guy screams Hunter. And even though we're supposed to be on the same side, the serious look he drills into me makes me shudder.
The man turns and slips out of the school, drawing no attention. The door slips shut behind him, and after a blink, he's gone.
And my gut screams that something's wrong. I don't know why—this guy is supposed to be a relative—but the bad feeling won't quit.
But instead of feeling secure and protected, every hair stands on end. These people could end me if they figured out the truth. And maybe that's why everyone pretended the Noble Royals were dead.
* * * * *
"Hey. Can you two walk out of the school with me today?" I ask Noah and Olivia once I finish telling them about my weekend. I leave my lunch tray in front of me, untouched.
A feeling of stupid sweeps over me. I'm freaking out over a human and don't know why. And worse, Everly and Remo are listening on the other side of the cafeteria. Leonora sits with them, waiting for a rundown of what I'm saying. She's been sitting with Everly lately, which I guess is like me sitting at the same table as Olivia.