Dance With Darkness

by Sheri-Lynn Marean

  “Please don’t do this, you belong to him.”

  Shabina stopped and her amber eyes bore into Enyowas. “I don’t belong to anyone, and I can’t stay here.”

  A door opened at one of the other pride houses.

  “Run.” Enyowas hissed at her.

  Together they raced as fast as their legs would take them to the front gate and the van.

  When he didn’t hear any sounds of pursuit, Enyowas risked a glance back.

  No one followed.

  But Shabina was right. He couldn’t leave her. He hated that he was leaving his cousins, for they had no more choice in their upbringing than he and his siblings had. But his cousins hated Enyowas and his brothers, and they would be more apt to get them caught than escape with them.

  Shabina climbed in front beside his four-year-old-sister, while Enyowas slipped into the driver’s seat and put the van in gear.

  A pained groan sounded behind him.

  “Where’s Amit?” Kayta asked.

  The baby began to cry.

  Throat thick, Enyowas glanced at the sister beside him. “Buckle up.”

  They started down the road, and Enyowas forced himself to meet the others’ gazes in the rearview mirror. He tried to speak but couldn’t. Though judging by the anguish in their eyes, they understood.

  He focused back on the road, but by the time he hit the blacktop, the baby’s crying had roused their mother.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, sounding groggy. “Where are we going?”

  “We’re leaving,” Kayta bit out as she tried to soothe their youngest sibling.

  “We can’t leave.”

  “We are,” Kayta replied. “We have to. Father went crazy.”

  “But, where will we go? How will we survive?” Mother fell silent for a moment. “Wait, where’s Amit? We can’t go anywhere without Amit.” She leaned up against the front seat. “Stop, Enyowas, we have to go back.”

  “There’s no going back,” he said, voice wooden as he thought about his brother, and what Amit had given up for them.

  “We have to, we can’t leave him. Not Amit. Not my last beautiful boy.”

  Since the day Amit’s twin died, her oldest living child was the only one she seemed to care about anymore. Enyowas didn’t understand it, but overnight they became dirt beneath her feet. He knew that if he ever had children, he’d love them all.

  But no matter what they did, they were never as good as Amit or his dead twin.

  Enyowas forced the hurt away and focused on the road.

  Mother shook his seat. “Go back!”

  Kayta snarled at her. “Stop it. We have to go. If we stay, we’ll die, and if Uncle doesn’t kill you, he’ll make you his breeder.”

  “Fine,” Mother said, a tremble in her voice. “But we can’t leave without my Amit.”

  Kayta started to speak, but Enyowas linked to her and cut her off. “No. don’t.” He included Veldi and Shabina in the conversation. “Don’t tell her about Amit.”

  “Enyo, she needs to know; otherwise, she’ll just blame you, thinking you left him behind on purpose,” his sister said.

  “That’s fine, let her think that. If she learns he’s dead, she’ll shut down just likes she did before.” When Amit’s twin died, she’d sunk into such a deep depression, they’d have to dress her, feed her, everything. She’d been useless. “We need her here with us if we’re going to survive this.”

  “Enyowas, she’ll hate you,” Veldi said.

  “I know.”

  “Why don’t you be useful for once and take your baby,” Kayta said to their mother instead. “She needs you.”

  “No.” Mother pushed her back at Kayta and grabbed Enyowas’s shoulder. “Go back, right now!”

  “I can’t.”

  The baby cried harder.

  “Here, let me take her,” Shabina said.

  “Why are you here?” Mother asked scathingly.

  Shabina didn’t answer, just held her arms out for the baby.

  “She’s probably just hungry,” Kayta said, uncertain at handing her sister over.

  “I won’t hurt her.” Shabina cradled the baby close and started to hum a haunting tune. The crying stopped.

  Enyowas glanced over at her, but Shabina just shrugged. “I had siblings, before your father took us from our clan.”

  Enyowas had often wondered what her life—her clan—in the Louisiana swamp had been like. But thinking about it did no good. He had enough on his plate trying to survive in his own pride.

  “Enyowas, we have to go back, we can’t leave Amit there,” Mother tried again in a cajoling voice.

  “There’s no going back, ever. Not if we want to live.”

  “How could you do this to me?” she asked.

  When he didn’t answer, Mother slumped back into her seat and began to sob.

  Enyowas trained his eyes on the road, seeing instead the body of his brother, broken and still in a pool of crimson. His vision blurred. He drew in a deep breath, then another, but as the horrors of the night caught up to him, he was unable to hold back the tears.

  They ran down his face, hot rivulets of regret and sorrow.

  Though he remained silent, his little sister snuggled close and wrapped her arm around his, then laid her head against him.

  Guilt and pain clawed at Enyowas as they sped away into the night, terrified of those who would surely follow. I trained all my life for this, but I’m not ready. Not without Amit.

  His big brother had been the glue who held their family together.

  Chapter 4

  Unwanted

  Elianna stood on the porch and watched the other kids down on the lawn eat their Popsicles and play, chasing one another around. She wished for the bajillionth time that they’d let her join them, but she knew better. She was different and they hated her. She was an unwanted—a Himalayan clouded leopard shifter left on their doorstep with nothing, not even a name. Just another mouth to feed and raise.

  At six years old, she understood very well that she’d never be like them. She only wished they weren’t so mean all the time.

  “What are you looking at, mongrel?” The pudgy ten-year-old boy, who’d gotten her sent to bed without supper last night, sneered at her.

  Elianna clenched her fists, the cat inside of her snarling to go after him. Instead, she turned and went back inside. Her stomach cramped from hunger like it had been doing all day, and she wondered when Nana Stella would be home. She’d left clan home yesterday afternoon to go to the city and help her sister birth her baby, whatever that meant.

  She hated it when Nana Stella left and she was stuck here with her clan mates. Last night at Nightmeal, four of the older boys decided to eat all the younger children’s food. When one went crying to an adult, the four boys claimed it was Elianna who’d gotten greedy and devoured everyone’s dinner.

  Elianna tried to say they were lying, but she was told to shut her mongrel mouth and taken to be punished.

  It wasn’t until after lunch that someone decided she could be allowed out of her room.

  Now she crept as silently as she could through the large shadowy house, careful not to draw any attention.

  At the door to the kitchen, she slipped through and peered around the corner. The waitstaff bustled about getting Nightmeal ready, even though she knew by the sun being out that it was still a while off.

  The sight of the sugar-coated pastries on a counter not far away, and the different aromas of all the food, made Elianna’s mouth water. Her tummy growled and pinched. She licked her lips, and wondered if she dared try for one, but the residual pain from last night’s punishment held her back.

  After deciding the punishment would hurt more than her aching tummy, she turned to leave.

  But one of the older kitchen staff smiled and raised her finger to her lips. Then she ducked into the walk-in freezer. When she came out there was a Popsicle in her hand.

  Elianna’s eyes blurred as she took the treat from one
of the few people who were ever nice to her. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

  “What are you doing?” one of the other cooks screeched loudly. “Get that brat out of here, you know she has no place being in the kitchen.”

  The nice one ignored the other woman, and with a wink and a pat on the back, she guided Elianna out of the kitchen.

  Elianna peeled the wrapper off her Popsicle as she went to the room where the younger children were supposed to eat. Her treat was a pink one, her favorite.

  “You! Out, it’s not mealtime.” A member of the cleaning staff shoved Elianna back out into the hall, whacking at her legs with a broom.

  Elianna turned to go to her room when another of the cleaning staff shrieked at her. “What are you doing? Are you trying to make more work for us?”

  Elianna stopped, not sure what she’d done now.

  The woman pointed to the drips on the floor, then grabbed Elianna’s arm, opened the front door, and shoved her outside. “Eat that out there, you little brat. You should know better.”

  Elianna froze as all the other children looked up at her from the yard.

  She turned away from their inquiring faces and went over to the bench against the wall and sat down. She’d just taken her first lick of her Popsicle when the ringleader from the night before, along with his younger brother, came up to her.

  “You think that you’re better than us?” the boy asked.

  “N-no.”

  “Gimme that.” He snatched her Popsicle out of her hand.

  Elianna bit her lip as it fell to the ground. She wanted to scream at them, but instead bent over to pick it up.

  The boy kicked it away.

  Elianna clenched her fists, trembling with anger.

  “What you gonna do about it?” He pushed her back down onto the bench.

  “Don’t touch me,” she said.

  “I’ll touch you or do anything I want with you. No one here cares about you,” he said, poking her arm.

  “That’s not true, Nana Stella cares about me,” she said, trying hard not to cry.

  “She doesn’t, the Tomlee and Queenlee make her take care of you,” he said.

  Elianna blinked and drew in a shaky breath, trying to deny it.

  Then he poked her again.

  Unable to take any more, Elianna shifted into her leopard and bit the hand that was reaching for her.

  He screamed and slapped at her.

  Elianna bit his leg.

  Then his brother kicked her.

  She cringed back as all the shouting and yelling hurt her ears.

  “What is going on?” A deep, angry voice interrupted.

  Elianna looked up and began to tremble even harder at the sight of the clan’s Tomlee glaring down at her.

  Another adult grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and held her off the ground. “The brat’s causing trouble again.”

  The Tomlee sneered in disgust, and a moment later power shivered over her.

  Elianna was painfully forced back into her human form.

  “Take her downstairs to be punished, then to her room. No supper for her. I’m tired of her acting out,” the Tomlee said before walking back inside.

  Chapter 5

  Spokane, Washington

  Sixteen Years Later ~ Present Day

  The large, sleek black cat with a ruff of ebony fur, a mix of lion and panther, looked up at the night sky. Heavy clouds hid the moon and stars from view. He had to make this run quick or he’d get wet. He drew in a scree of breath, parsing everything nature had to offer. The richness of the earth under his paws, and the leafy-and-needled foliage surrounding him felt good. Right. Even the chilled air soothed the anxiety clawing at him. His sister was missing, and he had a really bad feeling about it.

  Inside his cat, Enyowas let Mother Earth soothe him, almost wishing he didn’t have to go back to the world of humans.

  The cat paused as he crossed a deer path. The four-legged prey wasn’t too far ahead. He began to stalk the swift creature and soon his keen eyesight focused on the animal. Then he waited, biding his time.

  Time.

  His cat didn’t like the concept. It meant his actions were limited, and he definitely didn’t want to go back to being surrounded by metal and buildings, cars and exhaust.

  No. He wanted to stay in the forest. Hunt, run, and sun himself on a rock or a large branch. To watch the world below him and pick what he wanted to eat and where he slept.

  His prey caught on. Its nose twitched.

  It began to run.

  With a giant leap, the cat gave chase, heart thumping in exhilaration. One with Mother Earth.

  His prey may be swift, but the cat was faster and quickly caught up. Then he overtook the deer.

  He really wanted to take his prey down—to feast—then find a large branch and sleep. However, his human was trying to outrun demons.

  Onward they flew—moving past trees and shrubs, over logs, leaping boulders—on a path only he could see. As if running would leave behind the true horrors in life.

  The faintest noise in the distance slowed his headlong race. He tuned in to the sights and sounds of the forest. All his senses prickled. He wasn’t alone.

  “Enyo?”

  Enyowas stopped, keen eyesight taking in everything despite the descending darkness. There was something out there with him. He held still, heart thundering from his run, but whatever it was had retreated. He moved in the same direction and tried to catch a scent. It was gone.

  “Enyo?” Veldi called again.

  With a last glance around, he gave an internal sigh.

  Not for the first time, he considered just giving in to the darkness. Letting it take him away and become one with nature permanently.

  Not having to answer to anyone … just let his beast completely take over and lose what humanity he had. It would be freeing.

  Enyowas couldn’t do that, he had too many depending on him. “What is it?”

  “We’ve got bodies.”

  “Where and what?” Enyowas asked.

  “Multiple crime scenes. One’s a small group of Ilyium men, and none of our guys are responsible. Ferno’s just getting back from the scene, and the other …” Veldi hesitated.

  “Tell me,” Enyowas said.

  “Looks like the serial bastard’s struck again.”

  “Shit.” If patrolling and trying to keep the supernatural population safe wasn’t enough, now they had the Ilyium abducting humans and supes for who the hell knew what. Then there was a serial killer on the loose. Whether that was the Ilyium’s doing as well had yet to be determined.

  “Female victim?” Enyowas asked.

  “I’m told it’s grisly, but yes, f-female.” Veldi’s voice shook.

  “Think it’s Elsary?” As he inquired after their younger sister, a sense of impending doom consumed Enyowas.

  “Don’t know. We’ve been summoned to the scene,” Veldi said, sounding ill.

  “I’ll be back in ten.” Enyowas turned and raced back the way he came, dread churning in his gut. Elsary had been missing for over a week now, and with her vigilante ways, it was only a matter of time before something happened to her. Still, he prayed it wasn’t her.

  Not looking forward to the job in front of him, Enyowas arrived at the edge of the forest. He paused and did a sweep of his surroundings, then only when sure that he was alone, did he shift fully clothed into his human form.

  Enyowas made his way through the back lot to a small, nondescript white cement brick structure. Surveillance cameras were set all around the building and the front and back parking lots, capturing every angle.

  Enyowas entered through a solid metal door at the back

  There was no signage or anything indicating what the place was, only a number in black above another solid metal door. As an organization geared to protecting the supernatural, it wasn’t meant to be well known.

  The door lock engaged behind him.

  Enyowas
made his way through the shambles of the Spokane Chapter of the Enforcement for Preternatural Protection, or EfPP. They’d been infiltrated the day before, the attack vicious, and though there was a crew cleaning up, the place still stank of accelerant. He nodded at the men and woman working, and made his way around the debris. At least the armory, the prison, and their medical facility in the basement hadn’t been touched.

  Still, it wasn’t as if they needed any more problems heaped on the pile of shit that was their life.

  “How long till we’re up and running again,” Enyowas asked one of the techs trying to sort out all their equipment.

  The male gazed around, with a look on his face that said are you kidding me? He held up a handful of wires and shook his head. “We’ll be lucky to have this shit sorted before summer.”

  “Call in whoever you need to help,” he said, then thought better of that. “Except Kells.”

  “Too late, Captain.”

  Enyowas swore as he spotted the tenacious female fox shifter in a far corner sorting wires and juggling two laptops. He went over to her. “I thought I told you to take some time off?”

  With a grin, Kells looked up at him. Though only five-six, with a lean body, sparkling blue eyes and short, spiked, dark hair, she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. “This will be less painful if you just admit you need me.”

  “Maybe so, but there are others who can do this, you know,” he said. While he appreciated Kells dedication and hard work, he didn’t want her to burn out, and constantly had to force her to take time off to rest and recoup.

  “No, there really isn’t,” she said, brushing past him as she slid into her chair and began typing at the computer in front of her.

  “Fine, but take a rest once in a while, and don’t forget to eat.”

  She appeared not to hear him.

  Enyowas continued to his office, and his gut clenched as he caught sight of his brother through the glass windows. Veldi sat in a chair with his head in his hands. Though only thirty, he looked like he was at least thirty-five, and the last week had aged him even more.

  With a deep, fortifying breath, Enyowas pushed open the door.