Ravenous Beasts, page 19
All I had to do was stay alive. And run.
The countess licked her lips. “I cannot wait. So many delicious soul contracts… this is going to be more fun than the time I raided that Mara Salvatrucha gang house a few years back.”
“Just remember, Your Grace, I need you to be sneaky at first. I’m going to try to draw all the attention towards me so you can find Nathaniel and get him out of his chains. Once he’s safely out of Ironclaw, you can go crazy. You’ve got a glamor ready, right?”
“Right here,” she said, waving a pretty silver charm on a necklace. “This will turn me into one of his inbred buck-toothed hillbilly wolf-women. I will be able to move amongst them and devour soul contracts at will, as long as they are not too strong. If they wish, they can run and save themselves.”
That was unexpectedly merciful. I shot her a look. “I thought you needed to eat their hearts to devour the soul contract?”
“I don’t need to,” she admitted.
I hid my smile.
“I’m just partial to a fresh, tasty human heart,” she went on. “Werewolves are not particularly appetizing, you know.”
“Okay then.” I forced myself not to shudder. “The second Daphne and Nathaniel are clear, we run back to the tank, and take cover. The rockets will do the rest.”
Malik had already set up the launchers on the west ridge, hidden under camouflage. I had the launch remote with me. Once everyone was out and we were safely in the tank, I’d hit the red button, and blow Ironclaw into the history books.
Except Malik had the override. He’d already told me he wouldn’t let me fire the rockets if I wasn’t safely in the tank.
So many things could go wrong. I just needed for a few of them to go right.
I maneuvered the tank slowly and carefully down the bumpy road, putting on a burst of speed as we neared the gate.
Malik breathed softly in my earpiece. “He sees you. He is angry.”
My phone buzzed. Get out of that thing and leave it at the gate, or I’m cutting off the kid’s ears. I want to see your pretty face as you walk towards me.
I let the tank roll a few more feet forward until it was just inside the gate and tapped out my reply. Do you validate parking?
His next message was a photo of a knife next to a tiny ear. My heart stuttered. I jerked the tank to a halt and killed the engine. This was close enough, anyway. “It’s go time,” I said quietly. “You’ve got your earpiece in, right, Your Grace?”
“Yes, dear.” She patted her ear gently and activated her glamor. I watched, my spine tingling, as the icy-white French roll melted into a messy mop of mud-brown hair, the razor-sharp eyes turned dull and vacant, her delicate bone structure thickened, dropping into a heavy brow and prominent jaw. Her lithe skinny body stayed the same, but her tattoos dissolved into a riot of freckles and bristly hair.
“You look like a cave woman,” I said.
“Ha. Then I will blend in well with these Neanderthals, nicely, won’t I?”
“You sure will. Give me two minutes, make sure all eyes are on me, then go.”
She nodded.
I turned to Dwayne. “You know the signal. Wait here until I give the all-clear, then head up into the sky, circle, and watch. Stay high, you hear me? As soon as Daphne is free, swoop in and grab her.”
He rolled his eyes and told me to fuck right off. Then, suddenly, he launched himself at me, nuzzling his head into my neck, making little chirping noises.
“It’s going to be fine, Dwayne. Stop it, or Norma will get jealous.”
He withdrew hastily, giving me a wing-fistbump and a mental good-luck. I nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the hatch. Here we go…
The midday sun was harsh and unforgiving, scorching my bare skin. Hoping to avoid being strip-searched and with a view to try to provoke the Alpha as much as possible, I’d deliberately worn not much at all—just skin-tight yoga pants and a tiny red tank top, with my hair braided into one long, thick braid down my back. The only thing I had with me was the remote for the rockets, a tiny square disguised as a car key.
With all my bare skin and no guns, I felt so vulnerable and exposed. An awful feeling of despondency, of hopelessness, sank into my bones as I opened up my senses to Ironclaw. I climbed out the hatch and paused for a second on top of the tank, looking around.
“Two human guards at the gate,” Malik murmured in my ear. “One more in sniper position on the east side of the river, on a water tower halfway towards Braxton’s ranch. Twelve more in human form watching from the roadside, mostly elderly and disabled, all unarmed. Only three thumbs with guns.”
I spoke without moving my lips. “Copy.”
God, this place was a hellhole. Dust whipped around in the wind erratically, settling on every surface, turning everything dull brown. The gate, decorated with vicious-looking spiky antlers and skulls, loomed above me, looking more like the entrance to hell than a pack enclave. To the left of the gate, I could see the howitzer cocooned in sandbags. Two men stood there, watching me, both with ARs hanging from straps around their necks.
One of them—a short, wide-eyed man with a shining bald head—ran his eyes over me, searching for weapons. Then, he jerked his head, indicating I should get moving.
I nodded, letting my anxiety show on my face, and jumped down off the tank onto the dusty ground. The bald man trotted forward, edging up behind me, holding his AR on my back. Looks like this was my escort. I turned and looked through the gristly gate, taking in the sight of Ironclaw before me.
The wind howled through the village mournfully, welcoming me into the pack territory. Very slowly, I began to walk down the road, the bald man trailing in my wake with his AR trained on my back. I feigned a stumble, tripping over my own feet.
“Second sentry is distracted.” Malik’s voice murmured in my ear again. “Countess, you may go.”
“Ugh. I just caught a glimpse of myself in the window,” she grumbled. “I am hideous.”
“At least you will blend in.”
“Heading in now.”
I picked myself up and dusted myself off, deliberately jiggling my boobs.
Malik’s tone held a fraction more tension. “Lord De Wayne, you may head up.”
I spoke without moving my lips. “Stay out of sight, buddy.”
I walked on. We passed the first set of ugly ramshackle buildings on the outskirts of the village. Outside, an ancient gray muzzle hunched over on a stoop. A silver-gray werewolf sat in the yard, staring. Two more dead-eyed humans squatted on the ramshackle porch next door, watching me slowly walk by.
After thirty seconds, the countess’s voice drifted through my earpiece. “One down,” she murmured. “That ghastly big gun is spiked, and I have cursed the anti-aircraft artillery, as you requested.”
“Slip behind the shack on your left,” Malik directed. “There is nobody there, you’ve got a clear path along the river behind the houses.”
I walked slowly, my eyes focused on the dusty road ahead, listening to Malik direct the countess as she made her way through the back of Ironclaw. Muffled grunts and low curses echoed through the earpiece as she took out a handful of unsuspecting pack members who happened to be in her way.
My fingers twitched compulsively. I wished it was me, sneaking through the back of the village, taking out the enemy one by one.
As I moved further and further into the village, more shifters came out to line the roadside. Mostly wolves, but a couple of mountain lions and a black bear stood amongst the shaggy wolf hides. They were all giant beasts, muzzles dripping with saliva, some snarling, limbs twitching with unspent energy, their thoughts savage, holding visions of ripping me to bloody shreds and devouring my flesh. Ravenous beasts, all of them, lining the roadside, their dominant emotion a restless, gnawing hunger.
Braxton Myles did this to them. He’d do it to me, too. If I were forced to remain here, I’d become just like them in no time at all— a vicious, hungry monster, my thoughts only on my survival.
My stomach churned. I fingered the rocket detonator compulsively. No matter what, I wouldn’t be stuck here. I’d rather die in a fiery explosion than spend one more second in this hellhole.
“Ew,” the countess’s voice echoed in my earpiece. “I did not need to know what a werewolf looks like with his skin turned inside out.”
“Perhaps you should modify your curses to something less…. messy.”
“This is the quietest curse I know. Hush yourself, Vampire Lord.”
“Exit through the front, Countess, and make your way through that gate, then there is a clear path to the rear of the Alpha’s property.”
I kept walking forward slowly, my head held high, drawing all eyes towards me. Now and then I looked deliberately at someone, examining their thoughts, but the only thing in these people’s minds was pain.
So much pain. Each and every one of them was filled with it; they either fantasized about inflicting pain, yearning for domination, or they wailed silently in agony, starving and humiliated by whoever was above them in the pack hierarchy.
Too much pain. I could feel it like it was an entity that had seeped into every aspect of Ironclaw, in the broken houses, in the bare front yards or rusty burned-out cars, even lingering in the air. It was in every speck of dust that whirled through this dirty village.
A quarter of a mile in and Braxton’s ranch came into view. A dozen enormous wolves lined the road in front of his gate.
I saw him. He stood in human form, surrounded by his betas, shoulders back, head held high, completely naked, with an enormous erection.
The sick feeling surged in my stomach.
A few yards away from Braxton Myles, Molly stood with her back ramrod straight, an ugly sneer on her face. She wore only cut-off jeans and a vest. I noticed an ugly red stump where her hand had been—Daphne, of course, had bitten it off a few days ago.
Looks like she was paying for it. Molly had her daughter crouched in front of her. A thick silver collar ringed Daphne’s neck. Even from this far away, I could see the agony in her enormous eyes—the silver burning her.
Braxton lifted his chin, a triumphant smile on his face, and beckoned me closer.
My escort jabbed me roughly in the back with the butt of his AR. I flinched, and began to walk again, as slowly as I could.
“The countess has entered the outbuilding,” Malik murmured in my ear.
My heart clenched. I kept walking, ignoring the slavering, growling wolves lining the road on either side of me. One huge brown wolf lost his mind, reared forward and snapped at me. Another snarled and turned on him, viciously tearing into his shoulder, driving him back.
I barely flinched. I just kept walking.
“I’ve found him. He’s here.” Countess Greenwood let out a long, pained breath. “Oh…”
My breath stuttered. Oh, God. Please be okay, Nathaniel.
Malik asked the questions I desperately needed to hear. “Alive?”
“He’s alive,” she whispered. “He’s been very badly beaten. I’m breaking his chains now.” I heard movement in my earpiece, a frantic rummaging, a heartbreaking, agonized moan.
“I have eyes on Norma,” Malik said. “She’s right on the bank of the river behind the building you are in, Countess. Deliver him as soon as you can.”
“Patience, Vampire Lord.” She hummed an odd note under her breath for a second. “I wish to try something.”
“Countess, this is not the time for experiments.”
“If it works, then it’s the perfect time.” She hummed again, and in my earpiece, I heard a strange noise.
My nerves screamed. I wanted to shout out loud. What was she doing?
“Aha,” she finally whispered. “There it is. He does have a contract with his beast. Hmm. I’m just going to do a wee snip and see what happens.”
“Countess…” Malik growled.
If my senses weren’t so heightened, I would have missed it. But it was there—an eerie snap, a strange pulse of magic twanging through the air.
“It is done. No change, though,” Countess Greenwood sighed. “That’s a shame.”
“Get him to the river now.”
My escort smashed me in the back with his rifle again, pushing me forward. “Hurry up, bitch. Your alpha is waiting. Wait–” A meaty hand thrust out, holding my shoulder roughly, pulling me back. “Hang on. Give me that.” His hand shot out; he plucked the keyring from my belt loop, tearing the fabric.
Fuck. The remote. “They’re just keys for the ride.”
“Well, you don’t need it no more, do you? The Alpha said to make sure you’ve got nothing on you.” He thrust the rocket detonator deep into his pocket and jabbed me again with the gun. “Get going.”
My legs shook as I walked through the gates of Braxton’s ranch. His betas fell back when I approached, leaving their Alpha standing alone, naked and proud on the lawn in front of his house.
Malik whispered to me softly, his tone strained. “Woman...”
“Don’t.” I breathed out the words so softly I wasn’t sure he would even hear. “If you come in here, I will kill you myself.”
He was silent. Other noises drifted through my earpiece as I walked onto Braxton’s lawn; I heard the grunts and agonized moans of pain as the sorceress dragged my boss down to the river, then, I caught a faint sound of Norma hissing at her in outrage.
“Handover complete,” the countess whispered. “The ugly octowoman is quietly singing his bones back into place. She says he’ll die if she takes him like that.”
Tears filled my eyes. I could barely stand it. He’d been through so much, and out of all of us, he was the one who deserved it the least. Don’t die, Nathaniel.
“Copy,” Malik said. “I can see her.”
I let out a tiny breath. Nathaniel would be okay. Norma’s magic let her travel through any body of water at great speed. I turned my focus towards Daphne and walked a little faster.
Braxton leered at me as I approached. “Finally,” he chuckled. He leaned to the side, making a show of looking behind me. “I thought the Vampire Lord might make an appearance.”
“You know he can’t.” I could barely form the words. My lips felt numb.
Braxton Myles smiled knowingly. “Figured it out, did he? I’m almost disappointed. I’ve been waiting for decades for that jumped-up bastard to storm in here. Oh, well. No matter.” He showed me his teeth. “Welcome home, bitch.”
“This isn’t my home.”
“It is now. I’ve changed my mind; I think I’ll keep you. I’m not really a one-night stand kinda guy.” His eyes drifted lower, running all over my body. “And you look so pretty in your outfit. You’re a little overdressed, though. Come here.”
Daphne let out a sob. “No! Chloe, run away! Run away, now!”
“Quiet!” Molly yanked on the leash; Daphne yelped and fell backwards.
I turned my eyes towards her. Molly gave me a nasty smile and deliberately yanked the leash again.
I forced down my fury and waved towards Daphne, sobbing on the ground. “Just let me hug her,” I whispered, letting my voice shake. “Please. Just once, and I’ll do anything you want.”
Molly glanced over at Braxton nervously. He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll soon beat it out of her. Go ahead, Molly. It’s fine. Let her have one last hint of tenderness before she commits to Ironclaw forever.”
Daphne strained at the leash, Molly let her go, and the little girl barreled into my arms. I sank to my knees, holding her tight.
“Hey, little savage.” I gathered her in, squeezing her tight, then released her. My thick braid fell down between us, and I swung it back and forth between her hands. “You okay?”
Daphne looked up, her eyes widening. She caught my braid. “I’m okay,” she whimpered, untangling it.
The hint of a shadow passed over the field; Dwayne was above us, ready to go.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “When I say jump, you better jump, little wolf.”
She caught my eye and nodded.
A woman’s voice shrieked across the lawn, breaking the eerie silence. Braxton turned, his brow furrowed. “What?”
“He’s gone!” An older woman charged across the lawn, her thick square-shaped body hustling as fast as it could. I recognized her; it was Julie, Nathaniel and Molly’s mother. “He’s disappeared!”
Braxton scowled. “How could he disappear?” He bent down, yanking me up by the forearm. Daphne scuttled back away from me. “What have you done, bitch?” He turned to the bald man who escorted me. “She came in alone?”
“Yes, Alpha.” His voice shook. “She was all alone. I swear.”
A rumble shook the ground beneath us. A pulse of magic snapped through the air, so potent it felt like a slap to the face. It hit us all. I staggered, barely staying on my feet. The wolves around us scattered, yelping and howling, confused.
“What was that?” Braxton yanked me closer, his nostrils flared as he breathed me in. “Tell me right now.”
“I– I don’t know what that was.”
“Bitch.” His eyes narrowed, gleaming orange. “Tell me right now. What was that?”
“I don’t know!”
He growled. I wasn’t lying. He could smell lies.
I looked around, confused. I spotted the countess in her ugly glamor, making her way through the assembled wolves. She, too, had a slightly bewildered expression on her face.
Something had happened—something big. I looked up, spotting Dwayne very high up in the air, still circling, waiting for a chance to swoop in and grab Daphne.
It wasn’t him. What the hell was it?
In the brief second of bewildered silence, I heard Malik in my ear. “Hmm. Now that is something you do not see every day.”
An enormous roar blasted through the air, almost blowing me off my feet. The sound chilled my bones, tearing away all my psychological armor. Primal fear surged through me—an ingrained response to hearing the roar of a lion. Run. Run!
But it wasn’t a lion. It was the scream of an ancient predator, a terrifying herald of certain death.
The ground shook beneath me, and with it came the booming sound of a giant’s footsteps. Something huge leaped over Braxton’s ranch, soaring through the air, blocking out the sun.
