by Holly Hook
Alex pushes me out of the way, raising his weapon. "We need to end this." He looks to me with pained, shining eyes.
"No!" Sheer panic wins and I shove Alex down as he tries to fire. But the crossbow still won't obey. I take the weapon from his hands, chucking it across the clearing to land beside Brett and Karina. The cultists laugh and the Savages growl.
And Cayden screams as if my actions have hurt him.
"Leave me!" he shouts.
The pressure on my chest stays, but still I breathe. I rise, leaving Alex. We can break the post. Free him. If Cayden leaves this circle this has to stop. "Everly. Help me!"
"Get away!" His arms quiver and ripple as they try to change shape against the chains. "Save yourself." His eyes train on me, hazel one second and hellish the next. Cayden's fighting. He's strong but he won't hold out forever.
But Everly and I race to him. I jump, grab the chains holding his arms above his head, and pull, but as I wrap my hands around the silver, they drain the strength from my arms. My senses dull and a curtain of vagueness falls over the world. Laughter fades into the background.
Cayden opens his mouth, teeth elongating, and roars at me from the depths of decay.
I backpedal and let go, ice spreading through my whole body. This isn't my mate. Our connection wobbles and I can no longer feel him. The pressure stays in my chest, but I can feel it diverting from me and to him.
His arms ripple. He pulls against the chains as Everly jumps to safety, watching with her mouth an O of horror.
"Cayden!" I shout.
He looks at me one last time, hazel eye pleading with me to go. To just go and leave him to his fate.
"You must fight," Artemis shouts, cackling over the field.
Cayden--no, the massive foreleg of the Savage King--pulls one muscular arm away from the post. The silver manacle snaps.
Cayden pulls against the other manacle with arms that aren't his anymore. I watch him collapse to the ground. My heart races and paralysis roots me to the ground where the Noble King rests. What would he do?
The warmth tugs at my heart, urging me to protect my friends. Everly. Callie. Even the Haydes, who also stand within the circle.
He would fight.
Then he would fall.
My mate's form pops and snaps, shifting in less than a second until Cayden's no longer there. A massive Wolf falls from the post and stands before me and paces around me as he did that night he took over Mr. Saffron. The connection I share with Cayden snaps.
It's like we've never met.
He's gone. I'm alone.
Rage fills me as the animal within begs for freedom, pushing against my skin in a chorus of pulling and itching. Romulus paces, stomping the remnants of Cayden's clothes into the dust.
"I'm not going to fight!" I shout. He won't kill me. I'm too valuable.
A hand clamps down on my shoulder. "Back away!"
Alex.
He cuts in front of me, lifting a wicked silver dagger. Alex shakes with years of grief. I smell adrenaline, salt, and pain through his spray.
"Uncle Alex!" Callie shouts.
"Back away!" I shout. "This is my--"
Romulus leaps on the Hunter, pinning him to the ground.
The cult laughs and the Savages growl behind me.
But the darkness around me wavers, and Romulus slips, claws digging into dust. Alex, though pinned, rams the silver dagger into the soft flesh under Romulus's forearm. Disgusting blood drips around the handle and onto Alex's hand, but the Savage King continues his attack. He gnashes his teeth, drool flowing onto Alex's chest, as the Hunter shakes and maintains his grip on the dagger. It's the only thing keeping him alive.
I need to help him. Throwing my jacket off, I beg the animal to overtake me.
But Cayden--
He's in there, trapped.
"Run!" Everly shouts at me. She appears, shoving into me and throwing me back. Spots dance in my vision as we both go down and Everly maintains her grip. She's right. If I fight, it's over. Remus's essence won't protect me if I destroy Cayden.
Romulus growls in pain and bites into the flesh of Alex's shoulder.
Callie screams.
Blood fills the air, choking my nostrils.
"Let me up!" I throw Everly off and push myself off my back.
Alex bleeds, Romulus's jaws around his shoulder. His teeth grind flesh, but still the Hunter maintains his grip on the dagger. Alex grits his teeth, eyes wide with horror. Behind them, Brett and Karina have backed to the far side of the clearing, standing in each other's arms. Karina mumbles low words. She's trying to work magic. The stench of rot and evil leak from Romulus, merging with Alex's terror.
He's infected.
"Get off him!" Callie opens fire, crossbow working now, as the Haydes part the darkness for her. Bolts lodge into the Savage King's flesh, one after the other, as Romulus rises from Alex and faces her. But Callie stands strong, refusing to back down. Her eyes shine as she takes one look at me.
She might have to kill Cayden.
And the Savage King is going to kill her.
Taking a sharp breath, I flinch as my chest suddenly fills with an incredible warmth and strength, a desperate golden one. Remus. The Russells have come through. A fatherly, protective light fills me, and I know what I have to do. I must save the others. If I hurt Romulus enough, he'll leave Cayden.
I let the shift overtake me and the whole world pops and tilts, turning into pure physical pain. My clothes fall away as I sink to all fours, strength flowing through my limbs.
The Savage King slowly advances on Callie as she fires bolt after bolt, lodging them in the monster's shoulders, but he's healing as fast as she can fire. His flesh pops the bolts out, raining them to the dust. The dagger falls out also, caked in drying blood. He closes the distance, tongue running over long teeth, as Callie loses her nerve and backs away. Even silver-pointed bolts won't stop the Savage King.
I charge the monster, leaping onto his back. To the chorus of laughter and growls, I sink my teeth into the thick flesh between the Savage King's shoulder blades, injecting every ounce of rage I have into the bite. He stops, letting Callie run to the side, but she's a million miles away.
It's just me and this beast.
Light and dark.
I dig my teeth in harder, scraping bone. The warmth remains, lending me strength. He tries to buck me off. I refuse. The Savage King growls in pain as I maintain my grip. He has to release my mate. Raking claws into flesh, I demand it.
The monster circles, but I won't let go. He's tried to hurt the ones I love. He's destroyed Alex. Letting him hurt someone else isn't an option. I end him today.
A large blond Wolf--Remo--rams into Romulus from the side. The force throws us both back and we fall. Remo leaps on the Savage King as I roll onto dust, growling, and a black Wolf with red highlights joins the fight. Everly. She locks her jaws into Romulus's foreleg, pulling at him and forcing him onto his back. His throat's exposed, that soft flesh that guarantees death, and I leap--
"No!" Callie shouts.
I collide with the Savage King, baring my teeth. Romulus's throat moves in and out as he pants, struggling to stay alive. The smell of his blood fills the air, making my stomach growl. I go to bite down--
Cayden!
Stop, Everly thinks.
Horror explodes. I pause midair to the tune of growling. The cult has gone silent. Romulus shifts again, form quickly reverting to that of a black Wolf, and Cayden growls in protest. His forest smell washes over me and icy horror replaces the warmth in my chest. The coward has left my mate to die. A second later, and I would have killed him.
Remo and Everly let him go.
Our gazes meet as he lifts his head. The hazel in Cayden's eyes is clear, and our connection snaps back into place, dark, tormented, and rippling. But then the redness creeps back into the depths of his eyes, and my mate trembles, struggling to hold it back.
Leave me, he thinks.
No.
&
nbsp; It's the only way. Pain fills Cayden's thoughts as he whimpers. Trust me.
Everly backs away from Cayden, only to ram into me. Go.
I can't. I won't. The Savages will destroy everyone. But there's so much force in Cayden's words that I back away, breaking the physical contact between us.
Instantly, Romulus returns, erasing Cayden with a series of thrashing and rippling.
If I attack him, Cayden dies and Romulus wins.
But if I run...if I trust Cayden...
He's overcome darkness before.
But not like this.
Plus Callie, Everly, and Remo--
A small, desperate voice fills my head, one that has nothing to do with my pack members.
Run.
I do the hardest thing I've ever done and I turn away from Cayden.
Romulus growls.
I bolt, straight towards the cult and the scattered Savages. I cross the invisible ring of pure darkness and into clearer air. The pressure on my ribs eases as I leave the circle. Artemis lowers her burning bag of poison and backs away, mouth falling open in stunned silence, as the Savages do the same.
I've broken the rules.
I'm leaving my mate to Romulus. I'm abandoning him. Everly and Remo run after me, and Callie fires another shot, but the bolt lodges into dirt. Cracking bones and stretching muscles fill the air.
The pressure vanishes.
I'm full of gold. The Noble King's presence grows stronger by the second, and his anger and betrayal pump through me. A Savage Wolf leaps in front of me, blocking my way to the woods, and I leap without thinking, sinking my teeth into the creature's soft neck. I close my teeth around its spine, and a crack later, the Savage slumps and I let go. All around me, growling rings out. Remo charges into another Savage and cult members back away. Artemis drops her bag of smoking poison, which goes out as if stomped on by an invisible foot. She eyes the forest, planning escape as I advance on her. The evil woman glares at me, hatred burrowing into the pupils of her eyes.
She fishes out another bag and lights it, and the golden confidence ringing through me wavers for a moment. The bag lights.
And explodes in Artemis's face, searing skin and billowing greenish smoke. The old high priestess gags and falls, wheezing and whimpering in pain as the tall grass swallows her. Everly leaps on her, teeth sinking into flesh, and the darkness around me ripples with the witch's death. The remaining Savages growl in rage. One of them snaps at a nearby warlock, as if Artemis's death has freed them to take revenge.
Near the clearing, Karina has her eyes closed in deep concentration. Cayden's form switches between that of the Savage King and the black wolf. He rolls, fighting Romulus.
Another Savage races towards me, teeth bared, a large male that could easily destroy me under other circumstances. But the Noble King is with me--I know it--and I turn towards the monster and charge as the others continue to fight around me. We collide, and though the bigger Wolf throws me back, I rake my claws across his eyes, drawing blood and blinding the creature. Remo leaps on the Wolf's back to finish the job.
In the clearing, Cayden growls. I've left him alone in the circle of darkness. When I look, I see that he's still rolling on the ground, not far from where Alex lies and bleeds, but Romulus is struggling. Cayden sends me another hazel glare. We need to get farther away from each other. Then another round of rippling muscles breaks out over his body, and Cayden throws himself out of the circle and into the tall grass.
I try to back away, but next to me, Everly tears into another Savage, drawing blood from its underside. Two other Savages eye her for a moment before turning to flee. I watch as they follow the panicked cult members, and as the robed men and women crash into the underbrush on the other side of the field, one of the Savages leaps on a cult member's back, throwing him to the ground. The Wolf growls, but I know the meaning: you are weak.
The Savages have turned on the cult. The surrounding woods fill with screams and tearing flesh. We all knew it was going to happen, and now it has.
And in the midst of the carnage, a beautiful black Wolf with red highlights runs to stand beside me, noble and free of darkness. Cayden growls and looks to me.
Since throwing himself from the circle, he's free of Romulus's influence. Victory fills his eyes, strengthening the golden glow within me. Somewhere I can sense the Russells chanting in my head, cementing the connection. They're amazing.
And Cayden's fought off the Savage King.
All I had to do was trust him.
As we stand there, together, the cult's screams die away as they slip into death. But the strong, golden feeling remains and the sky brightens back to its normal blue. The cult is over. But we are not.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alex's struggling breaths bring me back to reality, right along with Callie's sobs.
Otherwise, quiet has fallen over the victory site. The Savages, done taking revenge on the cult that's enslaved them, have fled. Brett and Karina stand by Callie as I turn my head and sniff. Blood. Lots of it, and rot that has nothing to do with the scattering Savages. Alex's bite.
I look to Cayden. We have to check on him. Though the golden feeling remains, dread creeps into my insides like nervous poison. I leap over Artemis's body and charge towards Callie. She stands over Alex, unhurt, but the older Hunter still lies on his back as the dust soaks up his blood. As I approach, he turns his eyes towards me, and I read the meaning that Callie doesn't want to face.
He's been bitten by Romulus himself, a sure road to infection. I can smell that he's infected. And I can also scent something musty: coming death.
Savage bites aren't like Noble bites, Cayden thinks beside me. They don't heal fast and the infection doesn't take effect until the full moon.
The connection between us is crystal clear again. But to be safe, I stop at the border of the circle. Cayden does, too, in case it can make the Savage King return. There's nothing we can do for Alex.
Brett and Karina move to hover over Alex. They exchange serious glances and Brett shakes his head.
Alex isn't going to make it. His shoulder is crushed. A bloody mess, and with each heartbeat, more of his life spills out. The Hunter's skin is pale and graying already. I sniff him, but he takes a shallow breath in response.
"Don't try to save me," he says. "It should be this way."
"Uncle Alex. You know we've forgiven you," Callie says.
"I killed the infected. Family. My own cousin," Alex manages. His eyelids flutter. "This is right."
I hope he knows that I forgive him, too. If it wasn't for him, Callie would have died. You're amazing, I think even though he can never hear my thoughts.
Alex manages one last smile before his gaze empties and he looks to the sky. Callie's mouth falls open and she turns away before the salty tears come. Briefly, the clearing darkens as the remaining dark spirits feed off our grief, desperate for food now that the cult is gone, but Alex's release leaves a sense of lifting pressure and relief. Peace. He's no longer tormented. Brett releases Karina and I look to Cayden, whose gaze softens.
How did you fight off Romulus? I think.
Cayden touches his muzzle to mine. You left the dark circle. I was able to stop worrying about you. I could focus on the fight.
Oh. Should I feel stupid for not trusting him as an equal sooner?
All I had to do to save Cayden was to let him save himself.
Brett lets out a breath. "Everyone," he says. "The Savages have left for now and they're scattering, but we don't know if they'll come back. We should clear the area before someone stumbles on all the bodies in the woods."
* * * * *
The cult's mansion is isolated enough for us to rest. Some bad feelings linger around it along with the reek of the body in the pond, but returning to human form helps to dull my senses again. Once dressed and in each other's arms, Cayden and I lead the way back. We're equals. Noble together. And even though this whole area still has a lot of darkness over it--how can it not?
--the air's thinner and not quite as suffocating now that the cult no longer exists. I have the sense that the darkness will take some time to fade, but it will with no one feeding it.
And that the new, golden glow between me and Cayden will not. I smile at him and he returns it. It's love. Compassion. All the good parts about being alive. Just exchanging smiles fills me with a wave of happy tingles.
"Looks like they used their voodoo to mask themselves from us," Cayden says, nodding to the back of the house.
The back door's thrown open. The cult had been alerted to our presence and we hadn't even known until they reached the victory site. No one's inside now though the sink's still running. So we step inside and I breathe in glorious air conditioning. Brett and Karina follow, and Everly and Remo, also back to human form, come in just behind Callie.
And the house feels fine. Like with the mansion back home, the cult has kept their living space clear of dark spirits. We can take a break here.
I separate from Cayden and guide Callie over to a leather couch. The look in her eyes is numb. "Sit. We'll get you some water," I say. "What Alex did was brave and selfless."
"We were just starting to get along."
"Just think about this," I say. "Earl will be happy to have you back in one piece. And without Romulus trying to get in the way."
She hiccups. "I know. We're going to argue first. And how do I know I'm safe?"
"We'll make sure you're safe," Brett tells her. "The cult can't hurt you anymore."
I look to Cayden out of the corner of my eye. "You'll get through it and take care of each other. That's what it's about." My heart races not with tension, but relief. The air hasn't been this clear for months.
Everly calls Leonora and the Russells arrive some time later. Then we take advantage of all the soda we find in the fridge and the full ham, too. I lay food out on the vast kitchen counter in a free buffet. The scarred warlock was right. Artemis wanted to live it up while she was waiting to destroy us. I'm glad she never got to savor this meal.
"Karina," I say as I cut the meat. "That was amazing back there."