Authors: M. R. Merrick
“I want to hear it from him. I’m not losing anyone else!”
“Jesse, come on, he’s the one who saved me and Garrett,” Karissa pleaded.
“I don’t care. I want to hear it from his mouth. I want to see it in his eyes when he tells me. Tell him, or I will.”
“What the hell’s going on?” I asked.
Chief sighed and turned to me. “There’s something you should know, Chase. It’s about your father.”
“Okay…” The air slipped out of my lungs and I couldn’t help holding my breath.
“A few weeks ago, Riley and the Dark Brothers approached us with an offer.”
“What kind of offer?”
“To join them…”
“It wasn’t an offer, it was an ultimatum,” Jesse added.
My pulse leapt and I gripped the porch railing.
“We have not accepted, but he was…unsatisfied with that answer. He killed two pride members in response.”
“Two cubs!” Jesse growled.
Chief lowered his gaze. “He said he’d be back, and he hoped we’d change our minds…otherwise we’d suffer Ithreal’s wrath.”
“And you didn’t feel the need to mention this?”
“Rayna was my prime concern. Her shifting took priority; her life depended on it.”
“Are you sure about that? Are you sure you didn't offer your help just to get to me?” My power beat beneath the surface, anger swelling in my veins.
“That isn't what happened.”
“You should’ve said something!” I could feel my pulse throbbing in my throat and the fire burning inside me. “I trusted you and you’ve lied to me this entire time.”
“Forget what Chief did. What about you hunter? Are you with your father too, scouting out his enemies?” Jesse snapped.
I leapt off the porch and stood eye to eye with him. “I’m the only one trying to stop him!”
Jesse pushed his beast to the surface and I let the fire rise. We pushed our powers against one another, never breaking eye contact.
“Enough!” Chief commanded, but we didn’t stop.
I pushed harder and I could feel fire pulsing in my eyes. Jesse winced as the magic poured off of me.
“I said, enough!”
Jesse flinched at Chief’s voice and stepped back as he stormed towards him.
“What is it with you people today? Your arrogance is insulting.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry. I should’ve never questioned your judgment.” Jesse lowered his gaze. “But I didn’t realize we were bringing the spawn of a murderer into our home.”
“You people keep all this from me, and I’m untrustworthy? That’s bullshit!” I said.
“He killed my kids!” Jesse shouted, but the anger wasn’t there anymore. “I won’t lose anyone else.”
I resisted the urge to unleash my magic, clenching my fist as anger beat through me. I stared at Jesse and he looked weakened. His anger faded and all that was left were the pieces of a broken man.
I tried to feel sorry for him, but the thought that this was all a setup infuriated me. I turned my back on the group and stormed into the cabin, slamming the door shut. The fire raged like a power storm and I took deep breaths, trying to push it away.
“Chase, I’m sorry,” Chief said, following me in. “I promise you our primary goal was to help Rayna. We’d been watching her for some time, but I will not deny that Riley’s visit sped up our approach. Do not be angry with my pride. They are only looking out for each other.”
“You shouldn’t have kept this from me.”
“Perhaps not, but I stand by my decision to keep my focus on Rayna. Just as I stand by my decision to help you. My pride simply wants reassurance. Everyone fears the Dark Brothers, but the thought of Ithreal entering our world is far worse.”
“You want reassurance? Fine,” I said, walking back outside to the group. It had grown larger and dozens of shifters swarmed around, whispering amongst themselves. All eyes were on me as I stepped onto the porch and I stared at them, trying to put my anger away and understand their position.
“I want nothing to do with my father’s cause,” I said, and the crowd’s whispers went silent. “His choices are his own. Yes, I’m a hunter, but I don’t fight with him, or the Circle. I fight on my own side.” I paced the porch. Cold air whipped off the trees and through the clearing, pushing heavy black clouds towards us. “Riley thinks invoking Ithreal’s power will seal the divide between the hunters and the demons. By taking this power, he believes he’ll bring lost magic back to the hunters. He thinks once he does this, he can rule the Underworld and all the Underworlders in it.”
The crowd grew restless, their eyes falling off of me as they conversed with one another.
“I believe we deserve the right to choose. Underworlder or not, everyone deserves their freedom. They have a right to choose. You’ve already made your choice by declining Riley’s offer. Will he be true to his word and come after you? Yes. But I’m with you and when he comes, we’ll be ready.”
“Yeah!” Karissa yelled. The crowed all turned to her and she fell silent, stepping back awkwardly. The silence was thick and the crowd stared at me.
Chief stepped up beside me, gentle eyes looking over them. “For the first time, the Hollowlights will fight, not
against
a hunter, but
with
one,” he said. “You’re witnessing history tonight and together, we’ll make more of it!”
Applause came in a rush and cheers followed. The cheers turned to roars and the power of the shifters united, crashing over us in suffocating wave. Clothes fell to the ground and the beasts came out.
A huge group of mismatched shifters appeared, their human shells fading and reforming in front of me. The sound of breaking bones echoed and before long, there were no people, only animals.
Chief sat beside me, bright purple cat eyes staring up at me. His wide shoulders were covered in black and white swirls that turned to stripes as they moved down his body. He sat on a pile of torn clothing and gazed out over the crowd. He let out the fiercest of roars and the cats responded.
The sounds of hundreds of feet padding against the grass came in a thundering stampede and a flood of cats leapt into the forest. Rustling leaves and broken sticks exploded into the air and through the darkening woods until there was nothing.
The moon hung overhead and the night made its final push into the world. Bright pinholes in the midnight sky shone as the stars made themselves known, and I sighed in relief. Rayna had survived the shift. We’d made allies with the werecats, which could only help in our fight against Riley, and I was learning to protect myself on more than one level. Things had started to come together. We still had a couple of days to rest before we had to go home and I, for one, planned on enjoying them. In a few days, we’d be back in Stonewall, and dealing with our real problem: Riley.
I sat on the porch and watched the sun rise. With the exception of the birds, the camp was silent, and I soaked up every moment of it. Rays of pink, orange, and red stretched over the clear sky. The air was cool, and thick dew made the grass shine. Rai had soared over the tree line and found her way to the porch. She looked happier here. Free to go when and where she wanted. I thought about her home in Drakar and realized even then she was constantly cooped up in the goblin’s barn. This was the first taste of freedom she’d ever had. The lightning that crackled in her eyes was vibrant, and her feathered coat was fuller and thicker than usual.
I stayed on the porch, watching for hours as the sun moved higher into the sky. The camp had stayed silent as they all slept off the shift, but as afternoon approached, the cabin door creaked and Rayna stepped onto the porch. Her hair was tattered about, strands of red and black mixed together over a baggy gray sweater. Black pajama pants hung low on her hips and the green of her eyes had an unusual glow.
“Morning.” I smiled.
“Hey…” Her voice trailed off. Rayna sat next to me and the bench swung as she settled in. She stayed silent and stared out over the clearing, a look on her face I couldn’t read.
“How was your night?”
Rayna shrugged.
“That’s all I get? Rayna, you did it, you shifted!” I tried to convey how proud I was, but she seemed unimpressed.
“It’s no big deal.”
I glared at her. “Are you kidding? This is a huge deal.”
“I just don’t want you to think…”
“We’ve been through this. I’m proud of you.”
“Really?”
“Yes!” I said. “Now tell me about it.”
Rayna's lips curled into a smile and she pulled a knee to her chest, a new excitement filling her eyes. “It was amazing,” she said. “Once the shift was done, all the pain disappeared. I was this entirely new…thing, and the world was different.”
“Different?”
“I don’t know how to explain it. It was like, senses I didn’t know came to life. I saw the world through something else's eyes, but I was still there. Everything looked brighter, smelled better, tasted amazing.”
“That’s so great!”
“You mean it? You’re not freaked out?”
“No. I mean, at first when I thought you were going to bite me I was a little tense, but after that I was cool.” I smirked.
Rayna punched me in the arm and laughed.
“How was it with Jonathan?” I asked.
“Once I shifted and the panther came out, I didn’t care anymore. He was just family.”
“And now?”
Rayna shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel closer to him in a way I can’t explain, but it’s not like it was when we were shifted. He’s still a stranger to me.”
“It’ll take time.”
“I know. It’s just weird.” Rayna started fidgeting with her fingers. “I’m glad you’re not freaked out.”
“I told you; I wanted you to shift. I wanted you to be safe and I didn’t want to see you go through that pain anymore. This doesn’t change anything between us, except now I don't have to worry.”
Rayna smiled, but as soon as it came it vanished, and her eyes darted to the clearing. “Someone’s coming.”
I looked around but I didn’t see anyone. “Are you sure?”
“It’s Chief.”
“How…”
“I can smell him.” Rayna gave a sheepish grin.
“You can smell him?”
“Some of the senses from the shift haven’t gone away.”
“And they won’t.” Chief came around the corner of the cabin.
“What?” Rayna asked.
“It’s different for everyone, but after the first shift you’ll notice changes. Your hearing is better, your sense of smell; everything improves.”
“I thought it was only temporary. This is going to take some getting used to.”
“Soon you won’t even notice it.” Chief laughed. “I came to tell you how proud we all are of you, Rayna. You should be proud too.”
“Thanks.” Rayna smiled, lowering her gaze.
“Look you two, we’re going to be heading back in a few days, but I still have some work I want to do with both of you. Rayna, I want you to shift once more before we leave, and Chase, I want another session with you.”
“Session for what?” Rayna asked.
“Chief’s teaching me how to shield in my sleep to keep Riley and the Dark Brothers out of my head.”
“You can do that?”
“It’s not easy, but yes. Chase has picked it up quickly, and with some practice he shouldn’t be receiving any more unexpected visitors. At least not in his dreams.”
“Yeah, now it’s just the real world I have to worry about.”
Driving home, I was relaxed and confident I could face whatever was coming, but as we pulled up to the condo, all those feelings died. We were back to reality. Back where Riley and the Dark Brothers could pop up at any minute, and deceiving vampires lurked at your neighborhood demon pub. Yup, we were home.
“Be safe. We’ll talk soon.” Chief smiled at Rayna.
I smirked, and one by one shook his, Jonathan's, and Garrett's hands before I turned around to find Karissa. Hazel eyes gleamed up at me and she smiled, reaching up and wrapping her arms around me.
“It was really great having you there this weekend.”
“Yeah, it was…nice,” I said, patting her on the back awkwardly.
“We should hang out sometime.”
I raised both eyebrows and nodded. “Umm…sure. That’d be great.”
“Ready?” Rayna walked up beside me, arching a single brow at Karissa.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Rayna’s eyes locked on Karissa, and she looked fierce.
“Everything okay?” I asked, looking back and forth between the girls.
Nobody responded, and Chief’s voice broke up the awkward moment.
“Karissa, let’s go.”
“I’m coming.” Karissa tore her eyes away from Rayna’s. “Bye, Chase.” She smiled.