Instruments of Mortals, page 8
"I said?" Impossible— I had kept it such a close secret! Not even my mother knew!
"In your mind." He said knowingly, tapping his finger to his temple.
"Okay, so now you can read my mind?" I blanched, my expression as flat as my voice. I placed my hands on my hips as we stopped walking to emphasize how tired I was of the games.
He laughed, then, and it struck me again how warm and boisterous it was. How warm and boisterous he was. I shook my head to clear my thoughts of such mushy nonsense.
"Then what am I thinking?" I asked smugly, certain that I had gotten him. I tipped my chin up in premature victory, because he couldn’t know that.
He smirked, hands held up placatingly. "I don't want to embarrass you."
"No, I'm serious. If you can read my mind, read it." I took a step toward him to goad him into talking.
Surely, he was bluffing— and I meant to call it until he folded. He couldn’t know what was in my head without me sharing it. He couldn’t!
He studied me for a second, head tilted into his hand, finger tapping against his cheek as he thought, and then said, "You're nervous. Not just about me and this new world, you're worried you'll never get back home and worse yet, you're not sure you want to. There's a part of you that is curious about this." He gestured between the two of us, implying I was curious about our connection.
I turned away, some irrational part of me thinking that he might have seen something in my eyes that gave me away.
"That's just .... That's vague." I shook my head. My answer sounded lame, even to me. He was right of course, that's exactly what I was thinking. I wrapped my arms around my middle self consciously.
"You've also been eyeing for an escape ever since we entered the gardens but you're worried that I was not joking when I talked about the dangers that abound." The playfulness in his tone vanished, and his expression became grave. He placed a hand over his heart as he swore, "I was not, Raven. I was serious."
"Well ... well ... I ..." I stammered, scrambling to find some rebuttal that would prove him wrong, despite him speaking my own thoughts back to me so effortlessly. I made a noise of disgust and threw my hands up, defeated once again. I didn't know what to say, so he laughed.
"What is so funny?" I asked, stamping my feet.
"You, you're funny and charming and beautiful and classy and intelligent, all the things that I'd want in a life partner." He rattled off in rapid fire, ticking each quality off with a finger, and I felt overwhelmed by it all; I was so unaccustomed to receiving praise of any kind that to hear him say it so casually shook me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t know how to handle my runaway heart— I knew even less how to handle him.
"Can we just make a deal, can we nix the talk about marrying you? Can we just get to know each other a little bit?" I begged, wringing my hands in front of me and avoiding his gaze again; if he wanted to claim to love me already — somehow — then the least he could do was respect that he was making me uncomfortable and take a step toward fixing it.
Ideally, he’d just let me go, but this would at least be a start.
Jaden’s entire being completely shifted in an instant when I looked up at him again. Wincing out of the suave, confident poise I had only ever known him for, he eased off considerably, even going so far as to take a step away to put distance between us. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it and sat down on a stone bench beside the pathway. He stared at the gravel at his feet as he scrubbed at the back of his neck with an almost bashful sound coming from the back of his throat.
It was more than I was expecting, though I couldn’t help but breathe a little easier, knowing that he would listen to me when I spoke of my discomfort. Having someone take my personal feelings into consideration was… new. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it— or the way that it made me feel. During that moment it took for him to ponder on what I’d just said, I allowed myself to feel a twinge of guilt for what I was about to do.
"Of course," He said softly, his hands held out palms up as if in surrender. "I'm sorry. I-"
But I never heard the rest of his words; I hadn’t wanted to, anyway. I grabbed a stone brick from the garden’s edge and hit him in the back of the head. [24]He dropped to the ground with a heavy thud as I escaped through a gate in the garden wall, that I'd seen earlier and ran as fast as I could. If I was going to get away, this would be my moment. I was most likely never going to get such a golden opportunity presented to me, certainly not one with so little monitoring.
It had surprised me that he had gone down so quickly from one swing; I hadn’t thought myself capable of that kind of strength. I felt bad about doing it, he was a truly nice guy, but it felt like it was now or never. And I couldn’t risk being wrong about that and doing nothing.
CHAPTER 22
Raven
If I didn't run now, I'd never get the chance to again. He'd kill me, though, if he caught me. When he caught me. I was sure of it. As I ran for my dear life through the forest, my lungs about to burst, I wanted to believe that I was trapped in some neverending nightmare, that I’d wake up and everything would be fine and none of the last decade of my life was real. I wasn't though, I couldn't help but face the fact that this was reality and that if I didn't get out of here — wherever out of here was — I'd end up just like those missing girls, their bones found decades later with gnaw marks on them.
The rumors of a serial killer were true. All those myths, that I thought were just grownups trying to scare us kids, were true.
I nearly twisted my ankle as I rushed past some bushes, their branches scratching at my arms as if begging me to stay. I practically ripped my hair out when some of it tangled in the branches, but I would not stop, could not stop. What was worse was that I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know if I was running in circles or if I was getting myself even more lost than I was.
The normally comforting scent of the forest was heavy in my lungs as I gasped and wheezed while I ran. My footfalls sounded too loud in my ears, thumping against the grass, growing more and more wet with dew as the night wore on. Every nerve in my body burned, cried out for rest. I ignored it, and tried to fight down the panic as I felt myself slowing down. I must have run miles by this point, further than I’ve ever had to run. I kept going anyway.
I ran as fast and as far as I could until I saw what looked like mist — the same mist that had brought me to this godforsaken nightmare werewolf land. If I could just reach it, I was certain that it would somehow transport me back where I'd come from.
My evil aunt, the crazy cop, the judgemental students at school, the ridiculously religious town, the nosy townsfolk, and the good for nothing boyfriend that put a TV show over me, all of it had to be better than this. I might still be in fear for my life, but at least I understood that fear. It was familiar.
As I ran into the fog, the air so thick and dizzy, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I kept running anyway, running so hard and fast that I didn't notice that I had been running up a hill and which I fell down when my leg buckled.
I cried out, nearly choking on the mouthful of dew laden grass that hit my mouth[25] but I scarcely had time to dwell on that before I continued falling. Despite my best efforts to recover, I couldn’t stop falling and rolling, rolling and falling, rolling and rolling, immersed in the smell of wet grass and the cold sting of the dew that clung to the blades and soaked my clothes, already feeling the bruises forming on my body with every tumble until I hit something hard and stopped so sharply I swore I got whiplash. My ribs ached with the impact, and my whole body jolted from the sudden stop, knocking the breath out of me, for a moment I had to catch my breath and wait for the tingling in my limbs to subside.
I cracked my eyes open. The mist had begun to clear, and for a moment I thought I was in a meadow which kind of looked familiar. Was I home? Was I close to town?
Then I realized something as I stood up. Silence. Not a bird was chirping, not a cricket. All I could hear was the timpani drum in my chest beating out a frantic death march. I slowly turned to try and get my bearings, but the mist was closing in again, heavy and unnatural. All I could see through the fog were the muted greens of the forest and the trunks of the closest trees.
"Raven ..." said a voice that sounded like a scratchy whisper, distant and echoing.
At first I thought it was my imagination again. Maybe I’d hit my head too hard, but it sounded so familiar, like the voices I used to hear at my aunt's place. I shivered, straining to hear it again. Then another voice said, "Such a pretty, pretty Raven ..."
It was from another direction. Laughter, then more voices calling my name, getting closer, ever so closer. The presence that surrounded me was stifling, even if I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. I felt boxed in on all sides. The dew that had dampened my clothes made me even more chilled, but my fears made me sweat, making what parts of my clothing that didn’t already cling to me near vacuum sealed to my skin. I couldn’t stop shivering, but I tried to quiet the chatter of my teeth so I could hear the voices when they spoke. They were so close now, I could feel it...
So close I felt the cold breath of someone against my ear, but when I turned around, it was gone. A rotting scent, heavy, sharp, and clinging hit my nose hard enough that I staggered from it.
"What do you want?" I screamed, feeling my heartbeat in my ears and my legs begin to tremble. My voice seemed to echo for eternity in the foggy forest. I wondered who might hear it… and how many were close enough to.
"What do we want?" said the voices almost in unison, their joined tones dissonant and harsh.
"Isn't it obvious?" one of them said, I could not tell if they were male or female.
I could hear a faint rustling in the leaves, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the nonexistent breeze or because there were things moving between them. The scent of decay began to overwhelm me, my eyes watering and my stomach rolling from the nausea.
"No," I said helplessly, desperately whirling to try to find the source of the voices. Why did everything here have to be wrapped up in a riddle? All I wanted was answers. All I wanted was normalcy.
"Well... you, of course." I turned toward where I thought the voice was coming from, but I still couldn’t see anything.
They laughed. So loud that I covered my ears. Then there was silence. I released my hands from my ears, my eyes searching for a sound of them. Until someone knocked me to the ground, their heavy weight on my chest.
My eyes widened to see a pale almost translucent humanoid creature on top of me with fangs dripping saliva and traces of blood seeping from its purple gums.
Its foul breath made me want to vomit. "You are delicious looking," the being purred, its long, monstrous tongue snaking out from split lips to lathe away the blood on its gums[26].
"Get off me!" I cried, struggling in vain against the dense weight of the creature on my chest. I slapped impotently at it, tried to shove it off but it was as dense as an anchor and held me fast.
"Which part should I try first?" Its long claws traced along the side of my neck and cheek. "The neck I think... or perhaps the eyeballs. Yes, the eyeballs..."
It opened its mouth, more fangs and jaws, layers of them salivating, its mouth and jaw opening like a python might, dislocating its jaw to eat its prey. Its tongue twisting and coiling like a worm eager to bury itself beneath my flesh.
My heart stopped as I realized what it was — a vampire.
It growled, jaws beginning to clamp shut, about to eat my head, when that vampire was knocked off by another one. "Mine!" it said. They grappled and fought over their caught meal, eventually rolling off of me entirely. Once I had caught my breath, I used that opportunity to get up , trying to get away. I’d scarcely managed to stagger to my feet before one of them appeared before me, it's speed faster than anything I'd ever seen. The other scratched at my arm and I screamed, the burn that radiated from the wound was hotter than iron in a forge.
They pulled at me, each fighting the other. "Mine!" they shouted at each other. I was sure they would tear me apart. It felt like my shoulders were being pulled taut as a bowstring, nearly ready to snap from the pressure. I felt like a doll being fought over by children, coming apart at the seams.
I screamed and before I could take any more of the pain, a growl so low and deep made the earth beneath me rumble. A silhouette of a giant wolf, a werewolf, appeared, making the vampires pause for a moment before they released me, turning their attention toward it.
I slumped down on the ground, limp and aching from head to toe. Despite the haze of the mists and the pain that radiated from my center out, I forced myself to look back up at the wolf that would be my savior or my destroyer.
That's when I realized, the werewolf was Jaden.
CHAPTER 23
Jaden
Blood. The heady, coppery scent of blood clung to my nose, thrilling and infuriating all at once. The outrage these vampires had exacted on my intended was to be paid in blood. Theirs, even if it kills me. That I could smell Raven’s was enough to send me into a rage, but just looking at them only served to raise my pulse until it pounded in my ears.
"You’re both mistaken," I snarled, the words coming out in a frothing growl, my elongated snout less suited for human speech. "She is not table scrap to be fought over by sniveling beasts. She is mine."
"We found her first!" The vampires whined in unison, their shrill moaning harsh to my sensitive hearing. My ears rang with their cries even after they had stopped talking.
This would not do. They must be silenced. They must be made an example of. Their scent of rotting decay needed to be snuffed out. The forest would be cleansed of them. We would be cleansed of them.
I lunged at the two of them, prepared for them to split and disappear into the mists. When I landed, I curled myself protectively over Raven as she struggled to get up.
"Hide," I growled, lowering my face enough to say it in her ear. I know I was no doubt scaring her— given that she had hit me in the head with a brick, I wouldn’t blame her for thinking I was angry with her. Deciding I would apologize later, I weaponized that fear to spur her into moving. "Go!"
"A-alright…" She said in a low whisper, struggling to crawl on her belly away from the clearing.
I winced at the sound of her stumbling and slipping on the dew slicked grass, at her faint noises of pain as she tried to force her body to obey her. Much as I wanted nothing more than to take her away myself, these vampires needed dealt with. It would not do for a king to flee, after all. Not when his intended was at stake. Not when his village was at risk. Not when I had failed to negotiate peace with the Vampires in the first place.
My responsibility, all. And like my father before me, I would shoulder it with grace.
Or die trying.
One of them darted out from the mists quicker than I could properly react, and though I punched my claws into its side, the creature also managed to claw at that arm and shoulder. The skin it had managed to rip open burned with the fires of hell, but I paid it no mind. My rage burned all the hotter.
The second vampire saw the opening this created and leaped into the fray. I was more prepared, however, and managed to catch it by its neck. Though it was pale and slippery with blood and its own secretions, the size of my wide palm was more than broad enough to enclose its throat.
"Release!" It shrieked— it was the female vampire, I realized then by the pitch of its voice. The scent of its foul breath was almost overwhelming when I was misted with its spit. I wanted to retch in disgust at how its putrid scent now lingered in my fur. "Free us! She is mine! Mine!"
"Did I not make myself clear?" I asked in a low voice, bringing the Vampire’s face closer to mine to growl, "She belongs to me."
As I wrapped my other hand around the vampire’s head, its companion leapt upon my back. I howled at the sting of its claws as it impotently swiped at any place it could reach to try and free its companion. But I had caught my prey, and I would not be denied. Not when it came to protecting Raven. For her, I would set the world on fire just to keep her warm, if that was what it took.
As I flung the male vampire off my back, I twisted the creature in my grasp and ripped my hands apart with all the strength I had. I could feel the vertebrae disconnecting, hear the sinew and muscle snapping and flesh tearing under the pressure as I ripped the head off of the female vampire. Its blood was warm and faintly pulsing as it sprayed over me. Where it touched my wounds it felt as acid on my skin. I roared with the satisfaction of the kill regardless of the pain and clutched the severed head tightly; it was my prize, after all, and my bait both.
The male vampire, having scrambled into the mists again, had taken to hiding, waiting for another opportunity to strike. In the eye of the storm, I expanded my senses to discover where it would emerge, I spared a look over at Raven.
My intended watched, eyes wide as saucers and body trembling with pain and fear. Where it might have stirred my appetite were it anyone else, seeing her in such distress made my insides churn.
Even as I felt fear for her well being… I couldn’t deny that what she had done had exhilarated me, ignited my blood in ways I didn’t think possible. Though she had struck me, she had also managed to outwit me, had been resilient enough to attempt escape despite being warned of the dangers that lie outside the village.
She was… wild, the heart of a wolf already deeply embedded in her chest, my heart beating in time to its siren call. Even without understanding what she was or what she could do, she was already tapping into her instincts, her primal need to be free and howl.
In time… yes, in time, she would make a marvelous Queen. I could have hoped for no better. My equal in ferocity, my intended, my soaring Raven, come to track my enemies that I might hunt them down myself.[27] We were perfectly matched, and once she was ready, there would be nothing to stop us.
That would come in time. For now, however… the hunt yet continued.
