Mentally slapping myself, I shifted my focus back to the task at hand.
The silence didn’t last long, though.
“So, do you want to tell me what’s been going on with you?” he asked.
I looked up. He had his back to me, still walking. I stopped, trying to choose the right words. Before I’d realized that I had feelings for him, conversations with Hunter seemed easy. Something had changed, though, and I felt as though I had to pick my replies carefully, fearful that he might see right through me. We’d been friends for so long. The last thing I wanted was to ruin that. However, my recent and relatively volatile emotional state didn’t help.
“What do you mean?” I replied.
He came to a halt, then turned around to face me. It took me a couple of seconds to take my eyes off his torso, temporarily mesmerized by how the fabric of his black tee stretched over his broad chest and wide shoulders. My fingers tingled at the thought of gripping his arms and sinking into his muscles.
What the hell, Kale?!
“Something’s different about you, Kale,” Hunter said. “You’re changing in ways I’m not sure I can explain.”
“Well, surely, you can give me something more accurate to go on?”
He exhaled deeply. “You’re on edge, Kale. And the swamp witch magic you’ve been putting out… it’s insanely powerful, like nothing I’ve ever seen,” he replied. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing that you can do this, but I get the feeling you don’t have much control over it. What’s going on?”
It irked me that I couldn’t tell him about the Word and about how it was practically fusing with me, on a subatomic level. I’d made an oath, and I intended to keep it.
“You know I can’t tell you,” I managed. “It’s part of my apprenticeship. I can’t divulge anything from the development process.”
“Kale, you have to try to give me something,” he said. “I’m worried about you, and I need to make sure you’re okay. Not just for your sake, but also for the team’s.”
That irritated me more than my inability to give him details about my entanglement with the Word. I frowned, biting the inside of my cheek as I thought of a reply that didn’t come across as too hostile.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said, my tone clipped.
Well, that was definitely hostile, but at least I’d tried. He sighed in return.
“I get that you’re going through this… change, Kale, but I need to know something, anything that can help me help you if it ever gets to that,” he replied. “We’re in hostile territory here. We’re being hunted like animals. I wouldn’t want you to jeopardize the mission in any way, if you can’t control your swamp witch mojo.”
That made me angry. “I’m not out of control, Hunter,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I’m perfectly fine and capable of doing my job. I think I’ve proven that, more than once. You don’t need to concern yourself with my emotional state. I’m fine!”
I kept walking, dropping the crystal pellets, and moved past him with an audible huff. I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head. I’d even caught a whiff of his musky scent, and that just made everything worse.
“I think you’re actually enjoying this,” Hunter retorted from behind me.
“Enjoying what, exactly?” I asked, without looking back at him.
“Keeping me in the dark. Not telling me stuff.”
That stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and lost my breath—Hunter was right behind me. I hadn’t even heard him get close. His body was inches from mine, and I could feel the magnetic pull of his very being. The effect he had on me was undeniable. I was falling for Hunter, deeper and deeper each day, and I had no idea what I could do to stop it.
His blue eyes were fixed on me. I raised mine to meet his, and felt my breath slip even farther away from me. Another minute like this, and I was going to risk actual asphyxiation. It took every single drop of energy I had left to formulate a response.
“You know what?” I retorted. “You don’t tell me everything. I don’t see why I should, when you keep stuff from me.”
He blinked several times, clearly confused. His hot breath brushed against my cheeks, and I nearly melted. Stay strong, Kale.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Well, for starters, you never tell me about your romantic flings with every chick that crosses your path,” I retorted. “We’re supposed to be best friends, but I have to find out about who you’re dating when I bump into you giving a succubus a deep tonsillectomy.”
Oh, that came out wrong.
His eyebrows shot up. “Huh? Wait, are you… are you talking about Verbenna?”
“Who the hell is—ah, the succubus,” I blurted. “Yeah, her too. And whoever else you’ve been smooching with. I tell you more about me than you tell me about yourself, and yet you’re the one who wants to know more. But, like I said, you don’t reciprocate.”
Hunter thought about it for a minute, without taking his eyes off me. I felt like a tiny little bug under a microscope. My throat burned. Then, he did the unexpected—he smiled.
“Is it just me, or are you a little jealous?” he replied.
“What? No!” I croaked. “No. Not at all. Why would I be jealous? No. Get that out of your head. No!”
I wasn’t ready for this conversation. I felt bad because I knew I was lying to him, and most likely lying to myself, as well. I moved away and continued the steep climb, dropping crystal pellets along the way. He followed me in absolute silence. I figured he realized that was the end of our conversation. It wasn’t what I’d hoped, but there were bigger issues ahead.
Just as we came down from the mound on the other side of the cave opening, I heard him chuckle behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to find him smirking like a little kid. “What?” I demanded.
“Nothing,” he replied.
He was lying. And he was doing this on purpose. I narrowed my eyes at him.
A shadow darted from the side. It rammed into Hunter. They both landed with a painful-sounding thud against the stony ground. It was a Faulty, his skin covered in thick brown scales, his claws out and tearing through Hunter’s skin, drawing blood.
My instincts kicked in so quickly. I only heard the whisper once in my ear, and I repeated the words in a whisper of my own. A pulse shot from the palm of my hand and hit the Faulty in the head. The creature stilled, lying on top of Hunter, who was dazed and bleeding.
I’d stunned him.
“Get up,” I commanded him.
I wasn’t sure who was more surprised—Hunter or the Faulty.
“I said get up!” I repeated my order.
The creature obeyed. He stood, every muscle twitching. His yellow gaze found me, toxic and furious. He bared his fangs at me. They were long and sharp, with venom dripping from their tips. Hunter moved back, then got up, checking himself. He’d been cut across his torso and face by the creature’s claws, but, thankfully, it was nothing that couldn’t be healed with potions or vampire blood.
“How… How are you doing this?” the Faulty hissed, his voice shaky.
“Good question,” Hunter replied, then flashed me a grin. “Something else you want to share with the class, Kale?”
I scowled at him. “No, I’m good,” I said.
Something happened, though. I felt the link between me and the Faulty break. All of a sudden, he was loose and able to move again. What happened?
I didn’t have time to answer that question, as the fiend lunged at me.
I froze, but Hunter was quick to intervene. The Faulty had been so fixated on me, he didn’t see Hunter coming. His wolf claws and fangs came out, and he tore into the Faulty’s neck. Blood gushed out. Hunter caught his spine and broke it with incredible jaw strength.
I heard the bones crack like flimsy sticks of wood.
The Faulty dropped to the ground, lifeless. With his spinal cord instantly severed, he hadn’t stood a chance. Hunter towered over him, blood dripp
ing from his lips, his gaze moving from the Faulty to me.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to have had him near me. I’d lost my connection to the Word for a moment. The words I’d used to stun the Faulty had already vanished from my short-term memory. I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand how it all worked or how I could use these spells going forward if I couldn’t remember them. It didn’t make sense, and I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone.
Hunter must’ve noticed my struggle. It was probably written all over my face, because he didn’t push it further.
“Are you okay?” he asked me, panting.
“Mm-hm,” I mumbled. “You saved my life…”
He chuckled. “What are friends for, huh?”
I gave him a weak smile.
That was the last thing I wanted from him, in this specific moment. I needed his arms around me. I yearned for him to hold me. The adrenaline must be toying with my senses, because even my thoughts were going against me.
Instead of asking the basics—like what had just happened to my spell, where had the Faulty come from, and were there others—I was more concerned with the white werewolf standing in front of me, and the feral look in his blue eyes, which made my toes curl and my spine tingle.
Seriously, Kale, you need to get a grip.
As usual, easier said than done.
Ridan
We waited for Kailani and Hunter to come back from their round. Elonora, Vesta, and Zeriel checked the inside of the small cave and cleared out some of the dirt, dried leaves, twigs, and rough stones that occupied necessary space. We were going to sleep here, after all.
Rose and Ben gathered some firewood from nearby trees, while Dmitri and Nevis stood guard, in case there were any hostiles nearby. I stayed close to Amane as she dug a hole in the ground, just outside the cave opening. We were going to use it for the fire.
“There aren’t any Perfects close by,” she said as she clawed at the soft ground.
I got down on my knees and helped scoop the dirt out, taking handfuls and throwing them to the side. “What’s your story, Amane?” I asked her. “What exactly made you leave Ta’Zan?”
She gave me a brief glance, then kept digging. “I told you. We didn’t see eye to eye on how this world should be.”
“There has to be more than that, though,” I replied with a smirk. “You don’t strike me as someone who would just up and leave if it’s inconvenient. Surely, you must’ve tried to sway him in a different direction.”
“Of course,” she said. “But there’s no reasoning with Ta’Zan. Once he gets his mind set on something, that’s it. He’s hard-headed. Brilliant, but hard-headed.”
There was a hint of sadness in her voice. “Do you miss him?” I asked.
“I miss my father. What Ta’Zan has turned into, however, isn’t the one who welcomed me into this world.”
“Would you go back to him, if he decided to change his ways?”
She exhaled deeply. “That will never happen,” she replied. “I know him too well.”
“So what is it about you that makes him want you back? It’s obviously not the sensory thing.”
She scowled at me for a second, as if warning me that I was treading on sensitive ground, but I didn’t care. I raised an eyebrow instead and held my gaze up, determined to get more than the usual vagueness out of her.
She relented. “I’m a peculiar specimen,” she said. “In hindsight, I sometimes think I shouldn’t have left. But it’s not because I’m regretting it. It’s just that… I left someone behind, and I’m worried about her. I don’t know how she’s faring over there. I don’t even know if she’ll ever forgive me for leaving, in the first place.”
That was new information. “Who did you leave behind?” I asked.
“That’s none of your—” She stopped abruptly when branches broke not too far from our campsite. It was close enough to set my instincts on fire. “Incoming…”
We both shot to our feet and looked to the left. Six Faulties had found us, and I found the occurrence alarming. “I thought you said this place was safer than others,” I groaned.
“I thought so, too,” she replied dryly, frowning at the six creatures.
“If you’ve been here before, they must’ve caught your scent and stuck around,” I said. “Maybe you didn’t cover your tracks as well as you thought.”
Nevis whistled once, drawing Elonora, Vesta, and Zeriel out from the cave, while Ben, Rose, and Dmitri took an attack stance.
“Crap, our witch isn’t here.” I sighed.
“That’s cool,” Elonora said, wearing a confident smirk. “We’ve got these, remember?” she added, taking out one of the vials. “It’ll be over quickly. Might as well take one of these for a spin before I use them against a Perfect.”
She quickly removed the plastic cap and proceeded to gulp it down, but the blood instantly turned to red smoke and fizzled out. Both Elonora and Rose were stunned, as the vial was empty before it reached the vampire’s lips.
Amane groaned. “Typical of Ta’Zan. He figured out what vampires drink, and made sure they couldn’t store any Perfect blood to use in battle.”
“You knew about this?” Rose croaked.
Amane shook her head. “No. I guessed.”
“But we fed off them before!” Elonora replied, utterly baffled.
“I suppose you can get it fresh, but you just can’t store it. Ta’Zan would never let a vampire use Perfect blood against Perfects… He obviously hasn’t figured out a way to make their blood toxic straight from the vein,” Amane said.
“So these are practically useless. Dammit.” Rose cursed under her breath, then shifted her focus back on the hostiles.
The Faulties were, as usual, quite diverse in their appearance. This group, however, seemed to have banded together based on some common physical traits—they all had feline features, manifesting in the form of large claws and fangs, patches of turquoise-and-white fur, and big round eyes with wide pupils. They growled as they moved closer, sneering at Amane.
“You,” one of them said. “Father is looking for you.”
“He’ll be pleased once we bring you to him,” another added.
Amane chuckled, the mockery in her tone impossible to ignore. “I would love to see you fools try. Clearly, you haven’t dealt with me before.”
“Oh, I remember you, Amane,” the first Faulty replied. “I saw you fight. I know what you can do. You don’t scare me.”
“No, but I definitely should,” Elonora said and sprang directly into action.
The fight broke out, and we had our targets set. The Faulties had most likely heard about us, but few had survived during their encounters with us. Back then, we were still new to this place. Now, however, the tables had turned, and I was looking forward to trying out my new soul-eater sword and nifty shield.
“Use your new blades!” Rose instructed us, then teamed up with Ben and Dmitri to take on one of the Faulties, while Elonora, Nevis, Vesta, and Zeriel worked in pairs to tackle two others. Amane and I were left with three hostiles. Judging by the grins on their faces, that had been the plan all along.
They were more interested in capturing Amane than us. That just served to reinforce my initial assessments: Ta’Zan wanted her back because she was useful to him, and the fact that she didn’t want to elaborate on the matter made me think it was pretty big. It could even help us plan a smart move against him, provided we got Amane to talk.
The Faulties were insanely fast, just like the others before them. We were better prepared, though. I wouldn’t have ventured to say that it was getting easier with each fight—it wasn’t. But we were getting better at anticipating their moves and moving accordingly.
The three that had set their sights on us weren’t going for the kill, given that Amane was needed back alive. That put them in a bind, because I was definitely aiming at killing them. They darted around us multiple times, looking for a good entry point to deliver the first blows.
&nb
sp; Amane’s claws were out. She slashed at the first Faulty who ventured closer. She drew blood, and the creature hissed and moved back, determined to try again. A second Faulty came at me, his claws coming down hard. I put my arm out, and my shield immediately expanded, blocking the creature’s blow. At the same time, I threw my soul-eater out in a horizontal motion and cut him.
He growled from the pain, then tried to kick me. I spat fire and forced him to withdraw, just as the third Faulty attempted to hit me from the back. Amane intervened and clawed at his face with great speed and dexterity.
The first Faulty set his sights on me, while Amane covered my back. I managed to cut him with my soul-eater, then drew more blood from the second one. I then used a variety of fire and sword attacks. The more I cut them, the slower they got. They seemed confused, not understanding what was happening to them.
“You don’t screw with swamp witch magic,” I breathed, then cut the second Faulty again.
Amane noticed the effect of my soul-eater on the Faulties and quickly moved in for the kill. The first hostile went down hard as she sank her fangs into his throat and ripped it out. Her claws pierced through his sides—judging by their length, I was positive she’d damaged some internal organs, including the lungs. He died almost instantly.
I rammed my sword through the second Faulty’s chest. The shocked look on his face told me everything. He hadn’t seen it coming. The fight had started off with him at an advantage, yet now I was the faster one. He gave his last breath with great surprise, as he dropped to his knees and ultimately collapsed. Amane then handled her second attacker—moving like a shadow around him, not giving him a chance to hit. Instead, she delivered a fatal jugular slash.
We were three Faulties down now. Amane and I looked at each other, breathing heavily as we momentarily recovered from the physical exertion. The semblance of a smile stretched her lips for just a millisecond.