Pathetic.
Still shaking my head, I marched out of the room. The council could kiss my ass for all I cared. If they weren’t going to help me, I had my own band of loyal soldiers who would, no matter what happened. There was one thing I’d gained from my time in the Pit, and it was the respect of every fighter, soldier and veteran in the MarkTier stronghold and in the streets of Temple. No one messed with Ephrem.
It was time to call in some favors.
***
There were others I could have called to the cause, but I didn’t have time to negotiate with the pit masters at the moment. There were warriors all over Temple who’d fought alongside me and now sat in my gym chatting the morning away as we waited for the stragglers to arrive. Everyone had jumped at my request for help, and all were trained warriors, hardened by the very same pit that had forged me.
“All right, people,” Jason’s voice boomed across the crowd. “Let’s get this started!” They were my friends, but he was my second-in-command for a reason. I was the strategic observer, always planning, always evaluating situations to the best of my ability. He was the voice of the campaign, the motivator and drill sergeant. Under him were his ranking officers chosen for specific purposes. The leaders were all MarkTier, but the crowd before us was a mixture of people from ArcKnight to MarkTier to just plain citizens of Temple. All were shifters of some sort, but only the wolves could belong to the royal packs.
“The KelHans were banished from our pack for a good reason. The archives state they violated a peace agreement with the MarkTiers. They stole magic that shouldn’t have been theirs from the local magi and used it for their own devices. Unfortunately for them, the use of such magic came with a curse that affected their entire pack.
“This curse inhibits their transformation to wolves during the daylight hours and freezes them into stone. They usually take refuge on the edges of buildings, high above the streets, where no harm can come to them as they rest, encased in stone. During the night, they are free to roam as grotesque flying monsters.”
“Whoa—wait,” someone said. “They’re gargoyle shifters?”
The crowd erupted in a rush of shocked whispers.
“Yes. They’re wolf-gargoyle shifters now. The question is, why would they return now? Ephrem and I speculate they are here for vengeance, but they have no real advantage with the weakness the curse provides. On the other hand,” Jason exhaled slowly, his face already projecting the bad news to come. “We can’t confirm it, but we have reason to suspect the fog they have been creating near the edges of town is just a taste of what’s to come.”
The heads bobbed in agreement. The fog hadn’t been an isolated phenomenon near the park. We’d learned that it had been spotted in all the forests surrounding Temple. It was this that brought the next concern up.
“We believe the fog will stretch over the city when they strike. It will block out the light of the sun to make the area an eternal night. With the sun gone, the KelHans will have the ability to transform at will into their gargoyle selves, as they do during the night.”
The chatter rose again. Confusion, curiosity and not a little fear filled the faces before us. I didn’t blame them for being afraid, but I had to get them focused or we’d lose perspective before we even got started.
“If they do cover the city with fog, countless civilians will be put at risk. We’ve therefore decided to strike at them first.”
One of the warriors, a man named Luke, stood up from the crowd. He was a good friend of mine who’d often fought with me in the Pit. He was much like me and definitely erred on the side of caution. He’d been a mentor and helped me survive when I first started in the Pit as a young, naïve kid trying to fight for his life. I would have never made it out without his help, and I owed much to him. He was here out of loyalty and friendship, not for any owed debts.
“Won’t that be dangerous?” he said. “We don’t even know what we’re facing. None of us have fought gargoyle shifters before.”
“It will be touch and go when we start, but I urge everyone to pay attention to all their movements, fighting styles, and offensive maneuvers. The sooner we can pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses, the faster we can overtake them.”
“All right, let’s get this show on the road.” Heads bobbed as Jason dismissed them to get ready. Weapons were handed out from my own private armory. I was no longer officially welcome in polite company, but as the brother of the Alpha, I still had limited access to the MarkTier palace. It had taken years, but I’d eventually been able to stock my armory without anyone blinking an eye.
Save up for a rainy day, right?
As I scanned the crowd, my chest swelled with pride. They hadn’t come out of obligation but out of friendship and loyalty. These were my comrades, my friends. I knew each man’s face, voice, and personal quirk. In the times when I’d been broken and bleeding, they’d had my back as I’d had theirs. There was no better company in dark times such as these.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lilliana
I pressed my forehead against the cool window. The rain left large diamond drops sprayed across the glass. The clouds covered the sun, and the dismal gray light it let through wasn’t enough to lighten the world’s misery. It was fitting. This place was so often melancholy, it fit my current mood and state.
Pressing my hands together, I began wringing them until a creeping numbness crawled up my arms. What was wrong with me? There was something going on, and I could feel it fluttering in my veins. That man… Grayson. Who and what was he? He had cursed me or worse, infected my blood with some sort of manipulating poison. I couldn’t breathe as I stood there watching the city awaken. There was nothing I could do to get rid of whatever he’d done, and there was only one thing left to do.
Waiting for Ephrem to return had been torturous. Even when he had finally arrived, I’d been nothing but silent as the hours passed. He’d rested, but sleep would not come for me.
I had to return to the park and seek Grayson out, discover what he wanted so I could rid myself of this dark magic. There was no one else who could help me, not even Ephrem. Even the pull to get him to come along wasn’t enough for me to ask him to go with me.
I’d never risk him. Even though I should have told him what happened. No, it wouldn’t have solved anything. It would have put him in danger. That was a certainty. Jumping to my feet, I paced the room until I swore I was wearing out a path on the wooden floor. I hated this feeling of helplessness.
“I have to go,” I mumbled to myself. Ephrem had left again early. I swore the man never slept much. It made me miss him terribly. My body ached to feel his embrace, warm and tender. There’d been no one else who’d ever made me feel that way. The way his words whispered into my ear in the middle of the night when the need was strongest and our bodies craved each other's touch crept across my skin and dulled the crawling curse that now inhabited it. I hugged myself, the longing for his touch keeping me in place.
But he wasn’t returning. I knew something big was happening out there that kept him so busy, and it made me wonder if it had anything to do with the KelHan pack. Maybe it did. Maybe he was already taking care of this mess and I didn’t even know it.
Even so, I had to get back to the park and fix this now. I couldn’t be a vessel for anyone’s malicious intents. Grayson was going to pay for trying to use me to get to Ephrem. I’d rather die than give up my love. Grayson and his people meant nothing to me. They were not my family. They were barely human. I could feel the lack of spirit when I looked upon him. Whatever had happened to his people had left them empty, hollow, perverted. If they wanted Ephrem, they’d have to get him some other way, and I’d still be standing in their path.
I quickly showered and then forced down a dry breakfast of toast with jam. I was determined to get out into the city and find Grayson before Ephrem did. I strapped on my weapons and threw one last glance at my reflection in the bedroom mirror. The woman staring back at me had paled
to a grey-white complexion, no longer looking human either. Gone was the soft humming pink underneath my cheeks and across my lips. I was now a faded version of Lily, and I hated it.
He had done this to me. Grayson. And only he could fix it. Whatever poison he’d managed to slip into me had to be purged, and I would beat him down until he removed it.
Grayson KelHan didn’t know what wrath he’d incurred by messing with me.
***
The park was busy. People weaved in and out of it with screaming children despite the early morning rain. I guess the moisture didn’t deter anyone, for rarely was it ever dry in the city of Temple. I wanted to laugh when I eyed the ever-present clouds high above the towers. Where was the sunshine, the life-giving light? How did these people live here and not notice what they were missing? It truly baffled me.
At least the fog wasn’t in the park. It wasn’t even lingering on the horizon. The clouds were up high after the drizzle and appeared exhausted of their load. Wrapping my coat around my body, I waited by the central fountain for any sign of the fog or Grayson. What if it didn’t come during the day? I shaded my eyes and stared up at the thick cloud cover. It darkened the city enough that it could be dusk if I didn’t know any better. Frowning, I decided to walk farther into the park where people tended to not wander. In places, the forest was too thick for comfort.
Once I’d entered the dense canopy of deciduous trees, I felt the shift. It hardened like crystals solidifying in thin air. The cold penetrated my coat, and I started to shiver. Tightening my coat and crossing my arms to hold in heat, I stepped farther down the path, feeling the woods watching me with a thousand pairs of eyes. I could still hear the distant murmur of the crowd, but it faded the farther I walked until only the haunting silence of the woods embraced me.
I thought I’d feel afraid, but I didn’t. The agitation in my blood calmed with the sway of the trees and a strange sense of tranquility I’d been lacking since I’d met Grayson.
With the snap of a twig I jumped, spinning around, searching for anyone nearby. I could feel them, which was strange. It felt familiar, like the connection I had with my sister Rafaela. She wasn’t there, though, and it wasn’t exactly the same.
“Hello?” I called out to the forest. Only the lonely rustle of leaves returned my call as I waited for an eternity to hear anything else. Then, a faint scent found its way toward me. I had smelled it before, and I knew who was coming.
“Grayson? Are you there? I need to speak to you.”
Silence. Why was he hiding from me now when he’d been the one to seek me out the other day? I swallowed hard, my mouth dry in spite of the moisture in the air.
“You have not kept your side of the bargain.” The disembodied voice echoed through the trees as if it was part of them, the leaves, even the sky, and not of Grayson KelHan.
“What bargain?” I demanded of the emptiness. “You tricked me! You did something to me, and I want you to fix it!” The scent and feeling of a presence grew stronger as the wind lashed at my hair and froze my face, causing my eyes to tear up. I was shivering madly as the temperature dropped with each passing moment. The clouds could barely be seen beyond the thick canopy of branches and leaves swaying above. It was then that I realized I’d gone farther into the woods than I’d thought, and I was no longer on a path but deep in the forest without a way of knowing in which direction I had come.
How had that happened? I studied the woods, looking for any sign of the path, but there was nothing, no landmarks to be seen beyond the gigantic trees. They weren’t as big as the redwoods I’d visited as a child, but they were definitely distant cousins of the giant trees. There was no hiding from whatever was coming. The branches were high above my head and out of my reach unless I shifted.
I didn’t want to shift, but the icy wind was wearing me down. I’d have frostbite in no time if I didn’t leave soon. Stumbling over some rocks, I began moving in the direction I thought the city was. No one was coming, so why wait for death?
“Don’t go.”
I paused, hearing Grayson’s voice in the wind like a howl of pain.
“What do you want?”
He stepped out from behind an enormous tree on my right, wearing nothing but his shirt and dark jeans. His feet were bare and stark white while his hair flew up in wisps, making him look younger than he was. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but something told me he was not mortal. This man was older than my grandparents. But how did I know that?
“I’m sorry for the discomfort you’ve felt as of late, but I’ve only awoken your own dormant magic. It calls to our blood now and won’t rest until you know who and what you are.” He tipped his head, watching me with studious eyes. “I only put a mere suggestion in your mind to bring Ephrem to me, though I see you’re much too strong for that.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I backed away. I’d never been one to scare easily, but what he was saying felt like he was telling the truth. What did he know about me?
“Your parents, are they living?”
“My mother is. Why?”
“I’m surprised she never told you. Your father might have, perhaps, if he was still alive….”
“What about him? What did you do to me?”
I tripped on a stone, hitting my arm against another hard rock on the ground. The terrain under the leaves was treacherous, and I’d been naïve to not pay attention. Now my arm was burning with a violent pain.
“Shit!” It was broken. I could feel the bone shifting underneath my skin. It would heal faster than a human’s would, and even faster if I shifted, but I wouldn’t shift unless I had to. It was too draining to shift completely. I couldn’t risk it yet.
“It should be fine in moments. The magic you’ve awoken is more powerful than any shifter’s blood.” He knelt down beside me and reached for my arm.
“Don’t touch me!” I snapped. I tried crawling back, but my arm was badly broken. I pulled it out of my jacket with great effort, wincing at the jolt of agony but barely feeling the cold air because of the adrenaline coursing through me. Holding my arm out, I pushed my sweater up and noticed it was broken in two places, with a blossoming bruise already taking up half the arm.
Then a fire ignited in my blood, starting in my chest, and rushed toward my arm. I had just enough time to grip onto Grayson’s arm and scream. He held fast, using his other arm to keep me upright as he pulled me in against his chest, cradling my arm with his own.
“Shh ...” He rocked as the inferno within my arm sent me into a state of panicked convulsions. I could feel the beckoning loss of consciousness tugging at me as I clamped my mouth down and moaned through my teeth. “It’ll be over soon. I promise. Then I can show you what you really are. You’ll be all right.”
His words were anything but comforting. The pain was too much for me to attempt to speak, so I concentrated on staying and crushing Grayson’s hand was a plus. The who’d done this to me was now saying it was my own magic? He must have his head screwed on wrong because there was no way my own powers could do this.
I heard a crack, and my arm shook. Just as suddenly as it had begun, the pain tumbled away until there was only a dull heat left in the spot where I’d broken the bone. Catching my breath, I let myself relax. I closed my eyes, exhausted from the pain, and barely noticed that Grayson was still holding me.
“What did you do to me?” I whispered. There was no energy left for harsher words, so I submitted to resting against Grayson. I’d deal with him later.
“I didn’t do anything. You’re a KelHan. Blood calls to blood. Our curse hadn’t touched you since your family left before we were banished, but the powers we have still live inside you, once dormant but now very much alive. You, however, do not suffer its consequences.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. What powers?” My energy began to return. I’d never healed this fast. I was able to sit up within five minutes from something that would have knocked me out for days before all this happened.
I reached up to feel my arm. It was perfectly straight and smooth; no swelling or bruising at all. How was it possible? I hadn’t even shifted.
“Your family defected before the curse was placed upon us. The KelHan pack was aligned with the MarkTier pack for centuries. We thrived and lived in harmony. One day, our leader Gregory put into motion events that would change us forever. He stole an enchanted artifact from the MarkTier royals, which had been given to them by powerful magi.
“When he took it, he used its powers to try and overthrow the MarkTier royals and claim the queen as his own. But he wasn’t yet strong enough, and when he used the power, the power of flight, he cursed his entire family. In exchange for the skies, we were made to spend the daylight in the guise of stone, frozen and unable to move… forever cursed as gargoyles. Even when we roamed the night, we were no longer beautiful wolves but grotesque monsters with wings.”
I pulled out of his arms now that I could move and was feeling better. Still unable to get to my feet because of dizziness, I gave him a cold, pointed stare.
“You’re insane to think I’d believe this garbage. You don’t know my family at all!” I reached down to my belt and yanked out my hunting knife. I was still unable to move my injured arm fully, but I could use my other one quite well.
“It’s the truth,” he offered. He held his hands up in a show of peace, but I wasn’t going to let my guard down around him again. Bad things happened around Grayson.
“How do you know that?”
He sighed, obviously thinking I’d be easier to convince. He quietly thought to himself before holding his hand out. “Give me your hand.”