Wolfsbane

by Andrea Cremer

  Emile kept smiling. “You don’t know how much I’d hoped to see you again, Monroe. Thank you for coming.”

  Monroe didn’t speak, but his hands began to tremble.

  Emile turned to Ren. When he spoke, his voice was cool and silky. “Renier, meet the man who killed your mother.”

  Ren’s hands dropped from my arms; the color leached from his face.

  I scrambled away, crouching against the side wall. My eyes flicked from Ren, to Monroe, to the door still blocked by Emile and the wolves. There was no way out.

  Monroe drew a hissing breath. “You lying bastard.”

  The emptiness in his eyes brightened with the subtle gleam of tears.

  Emile’s laugh was like the snapping of bones. “Lies? Do you really believe Corrine would have died if not for you?”

  With a sudden cry Monroe lunged at Emile.

  But Ren was there, shifting forms in the air, and a dark gray wolf hunched snarling between his father and the Searcher, blocking Monroe’s path of attack. Monroe faltered at the sight, losing his momentum. He pitched to the side, rolling out of the way as Ren snapped at him.

  “I seem to have the upper hand, old friend.” Emile grinned while Ren stalked toward Monroe, cornering him against the far wall of the cell.

  “We’ll see about that,” Monroe said, keeping his eyes on Ren. The wolf’s muscles were bunched, his snarls furious. I knew he would be on Monroe at any moment, craving the blood that he believed would avenge his mother’s death.

  “Ren, don’t!” I shouted. “Monroe didn’t kill your mother. He tried to save her!”

  “Kill that bitch, Dax,” Emile hissed, pointing at me. “Now.”

  Dax stalked toward me, snarling, revealing all his razor-sharp teeth. I’d never given much thought to how large Dax was when he wasn’t in human form. I’d never thought I’d have to fight him. The best warrior of the young Banes. As I watched his muscles rippling beneath his fur, I realized he was the biggest wolf I’d ever seen. I shifted forms, hackles raised, and braced myself against the floor. He had the advantage of size and strength, but I had speed.

  Even as I grasped for a way to defend myself, my mind was shrieking. I don’t want to kill Dax. How could I ever kill Dax?

  He was only a few feet away, a distance he could cover in a single leap. I snarled but reached out to him with my mind.

  Don’t do this.

  You made your bed, Calla. Dax crouched, muscles coiling like springs, baring his fangs.

  Even his teeth were huge.

  A sharp growl pierced the room and Dax hesitated, turning in response to Ren’s call. Their eyes met. Dax sounded a short, confused bark, looking from Ren to Emile.

  Ren hadn’t opened his mind to me—only Dax could hear him, but I was desperate to know what was passing between the two wolves.

  “Don’t interfere, boy.” Emile glared at Ren.

  Dax balked and I stepped another foot closer to the door, wondering if I could make a run for it. Even if I could, it would mean leaving Monroe behind. I froze in place, refusing to abandon him.

  “I am your alpha,” Emile said, showing Dax sharp canines. “Kill her. Kill her and take your place as my second.”

  Dax turned to face me, his eyes burning, full of bloodlust, and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate again. I had to let go of whatever doubts still made me balk at the prospect of fighting a former packmate. Now. Or I was dead.

  “Back off, fluffy!” Connor rushed through the door, throwing himself between Dax and me, brandishing his swords. “Sorry to break up the party, but it’s time for us to say good-bye. Not that you haven’t been wonderful hosts.”

  Dax darted forward. Connor feinted, slashing the wolf’s shoulder. Dax lunged again, but Connor matched his speed, leaving two more gashes in Dax’s side. The massive wolf gnashed his teeth, barking furiously while Connor circled him, keeping the blades flying between them at a dizzying speed.

  Fey and Cosette started toward us, growling.

  “No!” Emile shouted, pointing at Monroe. “Forget the girl. This man is who we want. Dax, fall back. Let the others leave. It doesn’t matter. There’s nowhere to run.”

  He turned his gaze back on Monroe. “We have more important business to take care of. Personal business.”

  Dax slowly backed away from us, still snarling. Fey and Cosette took up positions alongside Ren, barring any path of escape Monroe might have had.

  “Connor,” Monroe called in a steady voice as the four wolves closed in on him. “Take Calla and run.”

  Connor stared at Monroe, wild-eyed. “No.”

  “Now, Connor.” Monroe didn’t take his eyes off Ren. “That’s an order.”

  “I will not.” Connor’s voice shook. “It’s not worth it. It can’t be.”

  “It is,” Monroe said quietly. “You knew this was a possibility. Now get the girl out of here. And don’t try to come back for me.”

  I was so startled I shifted back into human form. “No!”

  Emile began to laugh. Ren still crouched between his father and the Searcher, his charcoal eyes blazing as he watched Monroe lower his swords.

  “I won’t hurt the boy,” Monroe said. “You know that.”

  “I guessed it,” Emile said, eyes flicking to the snarling young wolves. “Make sure he doesn’t escape. It’s time for Ren to avenge his mother.”

  “Ren, don’t! He’s lying. It’s all lies!” I shrieked. “Come with us!”

  “She’s not one of us any longer,” Emile hissed. “Think of how she’s treated you, how she turned her back on all of us. Taste the air, boy. She stinks of the Searchers. She’s a traitor and a whore.”

  He glared at me and I stumbled back at the livid fire in his eyes. “Don’t worry, pretty girl. Your day is coming. Sooner than you think.”

  I jerked sideways when Connor grabbed my arm and tugged hard. He pulled me toward the unguarded door.

  “We can’t leave him!” I shouted.

  “We have to.” Connor stumbled into me as I fought to free myself but quickly regained his balance, locking his arms around me.

  “Let me fight!” I struggled, desperate to go back but not wanting to hurt the Searcher who was dragging me away.

  “No!” Connor’s face was like stone. “You heard him. We’re gone. And if you go wolf on me, I swear I’ll knock you out!”

  “Please.” My eyes burned when I saw Ren’s fangs gleam, and my breath stopped when Monroe dropped his swords.

  “What is he doing?” I cried, dodging when Connor tried to grab me again.

  “This is his fight now,” he said through clenched teeth. “Not ours.”

  Ren jumped back as the swords clanged on the ground in front of him. Though his hackles were still raised, his growl died.

  “Listen to me, Ren,” Monroe said, crouching to meet Ren at eye level, not looking at the other two wolves bearing down on him with cruel slowness. “You still have a choice. Come with me and know who you really are. Leave all this behind.”

  Ren’s short, sharp bark ended in a confused whimper. The other three wolves continued stalking toward the Searcher, undeterred by their enemy having abruptly laid down his arms.

  Connor’s arm swung around my neck, catching me in a painful headlock.

  “We can’t watch this,” he snapped, slowly wrestling me out of the room.

  “Ren, please!” I shouted. “Don’t choose them! Choose me!”

  Ren turned at the desperation in my voice, watching Connor pull me through the doorway. He shifted forms, staring bewildered at Monroe’s outstretched hands, and took a step toward him.

  “Who are you?”

  Monroe’s voice shook. “I’m—”

  “Enough! You’re a fool, boy,” Emile snarled at Ren before smiling at Monroe. “Just like your father.”

  And then he was leaping through the air, shifting into wolf form—a thick bundle of fur, fangs, and claws. I saw him slam into Monroe, jaws locking around the unarmed man’s throat, a moment befo
re I was whipped around. Connor dragged me back down the hall at a breakneck pace.

  I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to see Ren and Monroe emerge together, joining our escape. But all I heard were growls and snarls echoing in the empty space behind us.

  TWENTY-THREE

  WE’LL NEVER MAKE IT back out. It was a trap. I sobbed as I ran, broken by what I’d seen, by what I now knew. It had always been a trap. Guardians and Keepers would be swarming on the main floor of Eden now, blocking our escape. I ran on, still hand in hand with Connor though my steps felt heavier and heavier, like I was racing through wet cement.

  Shouts reached my ears from the room ahead.

  Connor flung open the door, shoving me into the Chamber. Any hope I’d been clinging to vanished at the scene we stumbled onto. Guardians pressed their way through the entrance to the eastern cell block two or three at a time. Ethan stood on the dais and fired bolts, laying a barrage of suppressing fire at them as quickly as he could, slowing their approach as they succumbed to the alchemists’ compound swirling through their bloodstream. Wolves swayed on their feet, shook their muzzles, at last slumping onto the stone floor. Those hit by multiple bolts piled one atop the other in the doorway, creating a bottleneck that mercifully slowed the number that could get to us. My packmates were already in the fray, taking on those Guardians one-on-one who’d dodged Ethan’s fire.

  Connor swore, dragging me onto the stage.

  “It’s not looking good, friend,” Ethan said through gritted teeth, aiming his bow once more. “I’m almost out of ammo.”

  “We’ll be overwhelmed in less than five minutes,” Connor said, scanning the room.

  “Where’s Monroe?” Ethan asked.

  “We lost him,” Connor said quietly. My veins went icy when he said it out loud.

  “Well, that seals it.” Ethan smiled grimly. “Any last words?”

  “Calla,” Connor said, “if we draw their attack, can you and the others get back to the stairs?”

  I stared at the press of enemy wolves struggling over the pile of bodies blocking the corridor, snarling and jostling each other as they entered the Chamber.

  “Even if I could, I think they have fifty or more Guardians backed all the way up to the first floor. We wouldn’t make it out.”

  Connor shook his head, glancing back at the door to the northern cell block. I followed his gaze, wondering if Monroe was still alive, if there was any chance he might still emerge.

  A deafening crack and a blinding flash flattened me against the floor; my ears rang as though lightning had struck the flagstones behind us. The room crackled with electricity and the air smelled of ozone. Ethan groaned beside me, flipping over and aiming his crossbow at whatever had thrown us down.

  “I don’t believe it,” Connor murmured as Adne darted from the shimmering portal, stretching her hands to him.

  “Believe it.” She grinned, helping him up. Her smile faded as she saw the Guardians swarming into the Chamber.

  “An inside door in Eden,” Ethan gasped, staring at the portal. “You did it. You really did it.”

  “I’ll happily receive your glowing reviews later,” she said. “Right now we need to go.”

  “My pack,” I said, scrambling to my feet.

  “On it,” Ethan said. He jumped from the stage, pushing his crossbow back and drawing swords. He cut his way through the mob, shouting.

  “Show’s over, kids! We just got our ticket out of here!”

  Mason’s ears flicked; he saw the sparkling gateway on the stage and gave a long, joyful howl. Nev turned, racing for the dais. Bryn released the throat of another wolf, dashing toward us. Sabine was pinned against the south wall, fighting three wolves at once.

  “Hold on, Sabine!” Ethan yelled. “I’m on my way.”

  “Calla, keep the Guardians off Adne!” Connor ordered.

  Connor followed in Ethan’s wake, fighting off Guardians who attempted to pursue my retreating packmates. I shifted forms, tearing into any wolves who managed to get past him.

  Ethan had reached Sabine, drawing two of the wolves off her with teasing sword strikes.

  “Run!” he shouted as she took the third wolf down. “I’m right behind you.”

  She leapt past him, tearing for the dais. He ran one of the Guardians through, but the other locked its jaws around his arm. He swore, struggling to free himself. The wolf dug its fangs in deeper, unwilling to release. Ethan dropped the sword in his free hand and reached for a dagger. The wolf was still clinging to him when he plunged the sharp blade into its eye. The Guardian dropped to the floor, but blood gushed from the torn flesh of Ethan’s arm as he stumbled back toward the dais.

  “I’ve got you covered, man,” Connor said, cutting down one wolf and slamming his fist into another’s face as the two of them fell back.

  “Here!” Adne shouted, waving to them. “Get through the door! I have to close it before they can follow.”

  Mason, Nev, and Bryn had already leapt through the light-filled door. Sabine waited beside me. She shifted forms when Ethan climbed onto the stage, wrapping her arm around his waist to help him through the portal.

  “Go, Calla,” Adne said, glancing around the room once more. “Connor, where’s my father?”

  “Go, Calla.” Connor echoed her words, pushing me toward the shimmering gate.

  I glanced over my shoulder as I passed into the light, watching as Connor pulled Adne against him, whispering in her ear. Her face crumpled and she slumped against him. Connor swung her body into his arms, carrying her through the portal and out of the fray.

  My toenails crunched on gravel. I sucked in the cold predawn air. It tasted like freedom, but my relief was short-lived and bittersweet.

  Behind me I could hear Adne sobbing and Connor murmuring. “You have to close the door, Adne. Please.”

  I heard the snarl and her scream at the same time. Pivoting toward the portal, I braced myself for a new fight. Two Guardians had leapt through the door. The first was on top of Adne, snapping at her face as she wriggled beneath it, while the second wolf squared off with Connor.

  I scrambled toward Adne, catching blurred shapes racing past me out of the corner of my eye. As Connor raised his swords, Nev and Mason slammed into the wolf facing him. Fur and blood rained onto the ground as my packmates tore the enemy wolf apart.

  I’d sunk my teeth into the flank of the other wolf, trying to pull it off Adne. The wolf had wrenched its snarling head around when it yelped and shuddered, all at once going limp. Adne grunted, pushing its body off, revealing the blood-covered skean with which she’d impaled the Guardian. Without hesitating, she rushed to the still open portal, ducking as another wolf leapt through it.

  Adne slashed her skeans across the portal. The shimmering light that sparkled in the darkness winked out as I lunged at the new attacker. Our bodies slammed to the ground. We skidded across gravel, small stones scraping my skin even through the thick layer of fur. When we stopped sliding, the other wolf tried to scramble away, but I lunged forward, aiming for its neck but grabbing the upper part of its front leg in my jaws instead as it attempted to dodge. The wolf yelped, trying to shake me off, but I only bit down harder. The twang of Ethan’s crossbow, followed by three brief thunks, reached my ears. The other wolf’s bark became a whine and it slumped to the ground.

  Snarls and shouts diminished, replaced by our panting and the Searchers’ gasps for breath. Our heavy exhales formed tiny clouds in the cold air.

  “Where are we?” Ethan finally asked.

  He was half lying on the ground, propped up on one elbow, his mangled arm lying limp across his chest. Sabine crouched beside him, examining his shredded forearm. Bryn, Mason, and Nev were still in wolf form, huddling in a tight bunch slightly apart from the others.

  Adne didn’t answer Ethan; she had collapsed at Connor’s feet. He put one hand on her head, stroking her hair, while he scanned our surroundings.

  “Looks like we’re on the roof of the building next to
the club.”

  “The roof?” Ethan asked. “Is that right, Adne?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Adne,” Ethan said again. “Where are we?”

  “Leave her alone,” Connor snarled.

  “I’m not trying to be an ass,” Ethan replied. “But we’re not exactly out of harm’s way yet. We need to get back to Denver.”

  Adne slowly uncurled her body, rising unsteadily. She stepped away when Connor reached for her.

  “He’s right, and yes, we’re on the roof of a nearby building. I’ll open a door home. Just give me a minute.”

  She stumbled away from us, wiping at her face.

  I sat on the ground and shifted into human form, drawing my knees up to my chest. A part of me thought I should go to my packmates and make sure they were okay. Their first trip through a portal was probably a shock that only added to the stress of our escape. But I couldn’t bring myself to join them; my mind was still reeling from what had happened in the northern cell block. I closed my eyes, body awash with not only grief, but a wave of confusion.

  Just like your father.

  What Emile had said didn’t make any sense. The way he’d smiled at Monroe when he’d spoken the words made my skin crawl. Why would he have called himself a fool? For thinking he could ask Ren to hurt me when he still loved me?

  My body ached with loss as I realized how likely it was that I would never see Ren again. And if I did, it would be as his enemy.

  “Calla?” I opened my eyes to see Sabine kneeling in front of me. Now in human form, Bryn, Mason, and Nev stood just behind her.

  “Yeah?” I said.

  Sabine swallowed, her eyes glistening. “I was too busy fighting to see that you came back without the others. But now that we’re here and they’re not . . .”

  A lead weight settled on my chest, making it difficult to breathe.

  “They’re dead, aren’t they?” Sabine choked out the words.

  I couldn’t answer; my throat felt raw. I stared at her grief-filled face, not wanting to share a truth that would be more painful than what she believed had happened.