by G. K. DeRosa
I was nineteen already, and all full-blooded shifters had undergone the change by now. So I’d resigned myself to the fact that my wolf was in permanent hiding. Most days, I was okay with it.
The big gray wolf in front of us whirled around, ears trained to the east. She let out a howl and took off. Spark and I sped after her, a challenge since it was four legs against two.
“Should I go airborne and see what I can make out?” Spark asked, deep green reptilian wings exploding from the holes cut out of the back of his shirt.
“Yeah, do it.”
He leapt up, spreading his wings and rose just below the dense canopy of trees. Having a dragon shifter on the team was great, but he could hardly ever go full dragon because the unwieldy beast was too big to stay below the tree line without running into the sprawling branches.
A howl sounded ahead, and I pumped my arms faster, my nails digging into bardy. It was go time.
I dug my heels into the ground and slammed to a halt when I reached a clearing. The female was crouched in the middle, fangs bared. Seline ran circles around her, growling and yipping. Spark hovered a few feet above spitting fireballs to keep her contained.
I raced over to meet my friends, and the female’s dark eyes chased to mine. The arrogance I’d seen earlier was gone, only anger and a twinge of fear remained. “You’ll never win,” she hissed. “This island, the sicari, it’s all a joke. The queen thinks she can keep us weak and hungry, castrate us like dogs and feed us that chemical garbage?” She shook her head. “The peace will not last. Ronin is coming for her throne and when the king claims his rightful place, the vampires will rule Azar once again.”
The blood froze in my veins. That name. Ronin. I’d never forget it. And his tattoo. It was emblazoned in my mind, would be for all eternity.
“TMI, bloodsucker,” said Spark as he landed beside me. “You want me to do the honors, Nix?”
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. My body had stopped taking orders from my brain.
“Nix, you okay?” He nudged me in the side.
“No,” I blurted, forcing my tongue to move. “Wait.” I crept closer, eyeing the vampire. “Who’s Ronin?”
“Who cares?” said Spark.
I shushed him and inched closer.
Her eyes latched onto mine, and my mind spun. Blinking quickly, I kept my gaze trained just above her dark brows. This vamp was old and powerful. She was trying to get into my head. Was that why she’d used the name Ronin? Had she seen the images of that night ten years ago? She was messing with me.
“Who’s Ronin?” I repeated.
“The queen’s worst nightmare.” She grinned, flashing pointy fangs.
I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my hip. “Anything more helpful you could add?”
She pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes.
“If you give us info on this guy, maybe we’ll spare you,” I said.
“What?” Spark hissed.
“I’d rather die. I’m useless to the king here anyway, so there’s nothing you can do to make me give him up.”
My hand tightened around the firm wood. “Your funeral, fanger.” I lifted bardy and brought the blade up in an arch, slamming it across the female’s neck. A dark mark beneath her jawline caught my eye as my blade came down. Her eyes widened for an instant before her head rolled off her shoulders.
It landed with a thunk and tumbled across the lush grass, dark hair covering the look of shock carved into her face for all eternity.
I let out a breath and swept the sweat from my forehead. Creeping closer, I eyed the mark on her neck, but the gushing blood now blanketed whatever it had been.
“What the hell was that about?” asked Spark. “Who’s this Ronin guy?”
“A ghost from my past.”
Chapter
Two
Phoenix - Ten Years Ago
* * *
The acrid stench of smoke jostled me awake, a cough pummeling its way out of my mouth. I jolted up, and my chest heaved from the effort. Muffled shouts seeped into our temporary home. “Mommy?” I scanned the cloudy hut, searching the makeshift beds on either side of mine. “Daddy?” I whispered. A gnawing feeling in my gut warned me to keep my voice down. I crawled off my cot and found Kenna, my younger sister, still fast asleep. Her thumb was in her mouth and her teddy bear clenched in her chubby little arms.
“Kenna, Kenna, wake up.” I shook her still form.
She opened one eye, a pale green iris staring up at me, strawberry blonde tendrils tumbling over her forehead. “What’s wrong?” she cried.
I clapped my hand over her mouth and tugged her out of bed. “I don’t know yet, but we can’t stay here.”
“Where’s Mommy and Daddy?” Tears began to pool in her wide eyes.
“I don’t know,” I repeated. “Come on, stay low and hold your breath.” Plumes of smoke engulfed the one room hut, and it was getting harder to see a foot in front of us.
We walked in a crouch as I led my little sister to the door. The thick oak had been crafted from the surrounding woods. We’d only been living in the wild feline territory of Marlwoods for a few months now. Ever since we were banished from Moon Valley, from our wolf pack.
Daddy pretended it didn’t matter, but I knew it did. When he didn’t think I was looking, I could see the lingering pain in his eyes. I didn’t understand why we had to go, but whatever it was, it had been bad enough to make us outcasts. Mom said we’d been lucky that the tigers at High Claw Cliffs took us in.
A scream wrenched me from my wandering thoughts, and my heart took a nosedive. Kenna wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face in my oversized t-shirt. “What was that?” she stuttered.
I shook my head and fingered the silver cross at my neck. A part of me knew exactly what it was. The tiger alpha had warned us about it the day we’d arrived. Marlwoods, the shifter realm, shared a border with the vampire territory of Nocturnis. A chill raced up my spine. A large clan of vamps had attacked a neighboring lion pride a few weeks ago. Dad didn’t think I paid attention when he and Deacon talked about that stuff, but I did. Just because I was nine didn’t mean I was clueless.
And now they were here.
I closed my hand around the old knob and let out a squeal as the scorching metal singed my palm. Sugar! Jerking my hand back, I sucked on a few burnt fingers. “The fire must be on the other side,” I muttered.
“Then how are we going to get out?”
More screams ricocheted just beyond the door, growls and cries making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “The window.” I jerked my sister toward the opposite side of the small hut and released her hand to position a chair beneath the narrow opening.
I climbed onto the rickety chair and pushed the squeaky window open. The cool night air wafted in, bringing with it more bone-chilling cries and beastly howls. I drew in a breath of fresher air, my lungs tight from the thinning oxygen. Steeling my nerves, I turned back and helped my sister up. “I’ll lift you and you jump down, okay?”
She nodded, her pink lips squeezed tight.
“You can do this, Kenna. Just pretend it’s like when Daddy throws you into the lake.” My voice hitched at the thought of my parents. Where were they?
The tiny hint of a smile curled the corner of her lip.
“Only when you land, you have to run to the woods. Don’t look at anything else, just keep your eyes on the tallest evergreen. Do you understand?”
“What about you?” The building tears almost spilled over.
“I’ll be right behind you.” I squeezed her hands before lifting her up.
She propped her elbows on the sill and glanced back at me. “Phoenix, I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. Just remember, the goddess Luna is always watching you. She wouldn’t let anything happen to her little wolf.”
Her lower lip quivered, but she sucked it into her mouth and scrambled through the opening. I held onto her hands until the last minute, th
en she dropped the last few feet. When she hit the ground, a dark cloud of smoke enveloped her.
“Run, Kenna! Run!” I shouted as a wave of crackling orange flames closed in around our hut. I could barely make out her slender form as she took off toward the woods. I pushed myself up, and the chair crumbled beneath me.
“No, no!” I hung from the window, legs flailing. Fire crackled up the side of the hut and I fell backward, sucking in another mouthful of smoke. I hit the floor with a smack, my head bouncing off the hard-packed earth and all the remaining air whooshed from my lungs.
Darkness seeped into the corners of my vision as I clung onto the cross at my neck. Mom had given it to me the first time the vampires appeared in our lands. She’d said it would always keep me safe. My head spun and I reached for the throbbing pain at the back of my skull. My fingers came back sticky and wet. Oh no. I fought the murky haze, the need to get to Kenna the only thing keeping me conscious. Invisible clamps tightened around my ribcage as each pull became harder than the last. I gasped as the thick black fog enveloped me, and my eyes drifted closed.
“Phoenix, rise, my child. Phoenix, you must get up.”
The soft, melodic tone pushed the fog back, and my heavy lids slowly opened. A white light pulsated before me, hovering in front of the dense, dark cloud. I blinked quickly to drive away the blanket of sleep.
Oh no, was I dead?
The thought of Kenna alone in the woods shook off the remaining dregs of sleep. I tried to sit up, but my head whirled.
“Get up, little wolf, it’s time.” The ethereal voice emanating from the light urged me on.
“I’m trying,” I muttered. It felt like a unipeg was sitting on my chest and another one was kicking me in the head.
“They’re coming,” she cried. “You don’t have much time.”
A sharp crack sent my gaze upward as the rafter supporting our home came crashing down. I rolled to the right, but the massive timber caught my foot before I could get away. A scream tore out of my throat as the snap of breaking bones crackled in the air.
I dragged my leg, clawing at the dirt to get further away from the fiery log. The entire hut would go up in flames in no time now. The luminescent blob still followed, hovering only a few feet in front of me.
“Help me,” I whimpered.
“That’s why I’m here, Phoenix,” she purred.
“Then do something,” I cried as I glanced at my twisted ankle. It hung limply from my leg. “I don’t want to die.”
“Then you shall live, little wolf.” The glowing orb expanded, and slivers of celestial light radiated toward me, more brilliant than the sun itself. The force slammed into me, stealing the remaining air from my lungs. Tendrils of energy wrapped around my torso, and a growl vibrated deep within my core.
Oh my…wolf!
Heat surged through my veins, a strange buzz vibrating my insides. My muscles began to burn, then lengthen.
No, this can’t be happening yet. I’m too young.
Wolves didn’t shift until their teens, and I wasn’t even ten yet. I wasn’t ready. Daddy had always told me how dangerous our inner beasts were, how remaining in control at all times was absolutely necessary. I didn’t feel in control at all. As the fire surged around me, only chaos reigned.
Russet fur sprouted across my arms, and a whine escaped my clenched teeth. My bones cracked and I let out another cry—no, a yip and a howl. My furry nose shot out into my line of sight, and I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the pain from my skull. My broken ankle throbbed as my muscles, tendons and bones contorted to fit their new lupine form.
“Good girl, Phoenix, that’s my girl,” the voice whispered soothingly.
Something heavy smashed against the front door and muffled voices filtered in. My enhanced wolf senses were already kicking in.
“I know I heard something,” a male said.
“Who cares?” said a deeper voice. “Even if we get to it, the tiger will be too burned to salvage any blood from.”
“But it smells so good…”
My lupine heart smacked against my big ribcage as the voices confirmed my fears. The starving vampires had crossed into our lands for food. And we were it.
If only the legends were true about a werewolf’s bite killing a vampire. We could’ve saved the tigers.
I pushed away the thoughts unable to focus on them now. Kenna was out there alone, and I had to get out of here. I tested out my new legs and almost cried with happiness when the broken one was able to bear my weight. My furry tail wagged behind me as I spun in a quick circle.
“Go, Phoenix, it’s time.” The brilliant light began to shrink, and a twinge of fear lanced across my chest.
“Wait, please. Don’t leave me.”
“You have nothing to fear, little wolf. You have been blessed by the goddess. Always remember this night, for it is in times of great struggle that our true selves emerge. Go, seek your purpose, for you will be a mighty warrior, Phoenix. Rise from the ashes, my child.”
Another crack echoed across the burning building, and my head tipped up to see the remaining rafter splinter. My gaze flew to the window. I propelled myself forward, leaping through the small circular opening.
I landed on all fours, smoke thick in the air and fires raging through the tiger camp. The stench of blood reached my sensitive nostrils, and my stomach roiled. I scanned the scattered remains, bloodied, singed corpses and nausea clawed its way up my throat.
Mom, Dad, where are you?
Indecision tore at my insides as I turned toward the woods ahead. Kenna. I had to find her. She must’ve been so scared. Raising my muzzle, I sniffed the air, sifting through the plethora of noxious odors.
A faint, familiar trace sent my feet propelling my furry body forward. I raced through the burning embers, the rough pads of my paws barely feeling the burning soil.
“There!” someone shouted.
My hackles rose, and I pivoted toward the sound. Two vampires. Hollow eyes and gaunt cheeks bored into me.
“Come here, little pup.” The taller one crouched down and crooked a finger at me, flashing his fangs. A black tattoo was inked across his cheek, but I couldn’t quite make out the symbol through the thick layer of soot.
A growl rocketed across my chest and echoed through the chaos.
The short one elbowed his buddy in the side as he rubbed his belly. Deep crimson glistened on his chin. “Let’s get out of here, Ronin. It’s almost sunrise, and we have to make it to the border.”
Ronin, the one with the tattoo, flared his nostrils as he drew in a deep breath. “Don’t you smell that? I’ve never smelled anything so divine…” He moved toward me, and I bared my own fangs.
“She’s just a wolf, she’s not worth it. Let’s get the others and go.”
I took a step back as the pair grew closer. Bottomless, dead irises bored into me as Ronin stalked within a few feet, his bald head glistening beneath the moonlight. I let out another menacing growl, the sound surprising me.
“Phoenix…” a familiar voice constricted my heart and sent a cry tumbling from my wolfish lips. I whirled around, momentarily forgetting about the vampires and raced between the flaming huts, winding my way around camp until I saw him.
Dad.
Could wolves cry? Because my eyes burned, and I wasn’t sure it was from the sight of him or the ashy soot in the air.
I skidded to a halt as my dad’s form coalesced, bloody and beaten and covered in ash. He pressed his hand against his neck, and more blood oozed between his fingers. Beside him lay another body, one he was trying to hide with his broad shoulders. But I’d recognize those strawberry blonde ringlets anywhere…
Mom. My heart shattered into a million pieces as my keen gaze razed over her bloodied form. No! I let out a whine, and I wished I could get out of this body. I wanted to cry, to scream, to hug my dad and tell him how much I loved him. To hold my mom one more time.
I love you too, baby. Dad’s voice echoed through my mind, a
nd I nearly jumped out of my lupine skin.
You can hear me? The thought bounced around my head.
Yes, it’s the pack link. You triggered it when you shifted. Even in my mind, his voice was strained, words garbled. Where’s Kenna?
I got her out. She’s in the woods, I think. I dropped down on my haunches and lay my head across his belly. His eyes were closed now, and the rise and fall of his chest was faint.
Go find her. It’s up to you to protect her now.
Daddy, please don’t leave me. Another whimper.
You’re strong, baby girl. You always have been, and now it’s time to show the world. I’m so sorry for everything. If we were still in Moon Valley…
No, it’s not your fault we were banished. I nuzzled his face as tears slid down.
It is. “Phoenix!” His panicked shout jolted my wolf onto all fours.
The two vampires sped toward us, and my heart smacked against my ribcage.
“Run!” Dad cried, the gurgle of blood filling his throat.
I shook my big wolf head. I’m not leaving you. Instinct took over and as the shorter vampire lunged for me, I leapt to greet him, my own fangs bared. His arms locked around my torso like steel vices. It felt like my ribs were crushing my insides.
I let out a yelp. I was certain my bones were impaling my organs. I’d never felt a pain so excruciating in my life.
Phoenix, fight! My dad’s words ricocheted across my mind and sparked something deep inside. Without thinking, I chomped down on the vampire’s shoulder. Warm blood gushed into my mouth, and the briny, metallic taste filled me with a burst of energy.
The vampire screamed, and the unrelenting pressure around my torso waned. His arms uncoiled, and I landed in a crouch beside the writhing creature. His hand was pressed to his shoulder, and dark black veins spiderwebbed across his exposed skin. He began to convulse, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.
The other vampire, Ronin, had been watching from afar. He crept closer, and I spun on him, fangs bared. The flames lit up the swirling tattoo on his cheek, and my hackles raised.