Forsaken (19 page)

I
was too low to reach its neck with my fangs, so I sank my left hand
further up and freed my right hand. It was like trying to scale a
vertical cliff in the middle of an earthquake. Every time I tried to
reposition an appendage I nearly got bucked off, and my presence made
it harder for Isaac or Jaclyn to get in and land any kind of strike.

I
couldn't get to anything really important from behind the werewolf,
its ribs were just too strong. I was bleeding it out, but I was
starting to wonder whether or not I'd get tired and lose my grip
before it passed out from blood loss. I needed to get high enough to
get to its neck and end this.

I
pulled my right foot free and tried for a new foothold when it
happened. The werewolf backed into another of the steel support
pillars, driving the air out of my chest and cracking at least three
of the incredibly strong ribs on my left side. I might have still
managed to keep my seat if my head hadn't hit hard enough to leave me
seeing stars.

It
was like I'd just gone up a weight class. Nothing this thing was
doing was anything I hadn't run into before, but it was just so much
stronger than me that I was having a hard time staying in the hunt.

Jaclyn
and Isaac chased our opponent off me before it could take advantage
of how dazed I was. I pulled myself back to my feet and started
towards them again when I saw it start to happen.

Alexei
and the wolves had managed to divide the two vacuums they were
fighting, and although they were all bleeding and showing
signs of exhaustion, it looked like none of them had been seriously
hurt yet. I would have chalked it up as our team being ahead
on points, except for the fact that I got a good look at Jasmin as
she nipped at her opponent and then backed away to avoid another
slash that would have opened her up from nose to tail.

She
was frustrated. This kind of hit-and-run combat went against every
instinct in her body. Hybrids learned to bleed out their opponent
where possible before going for the clinch that could end the fight.
Wolves, the really, really good wolves at least, quickly figured out
that doing anything halfhearted was a good way to miss your
opportunity. Jas had been fighting Isaac, James and me for years. For
her, this was just that same kind of fight against an opponent that
was a little bigger and quicker than her pack mates.

I'd
sparred against Jasmin for far too long not to see the signs. She'd
decided she had her opponent's measure and that it was time to end
the fight. I knew I was endangering Isaac and Jaclyn, that with just
two of them that they weren't going to be able to keep up the
pressure, but I couldn't stand by and do nothing.

I
sprinted towards Jasmin and the other wolves with every ounce of
speed my hybrid form could muster, but I was still a dozen yards away
when Jasmin planted and made her move. It was one of the most
impressive lunges I'd ever seen. Her timing was perfect and she was
fully committed, but she'd acted out of reflexes that had been
trained before her current state of weakness had set in.

Her
trajectory was perfect but it lacked that extra edge of speed that
had characterized Jasmin for as long as I could remember, and that
was her undoing. Jasmin was still a few inches away from her
werewolf's throat when its claws came around and knocked her out of
the air.

I
could see the trajectory of the werewolf's other hand. That thing was
going to continue the spin it had just used to bat her aside, and
then it was going to sink the claws on its left hand all the way
through her and into the floor. I willed my legs to move faster,
reached with all that I was towards the werewolf in a futile effort
to save Jasmin, and then something flickered inside of me. It
wasn't quite like the singularity in the werewolf ahead of me; it was
more like a conduit, but it still futilely tried to pull at the life
force of the werewolf.

It
was like standing in a wind tunnel. My singularity was less powerful
than its singularity, but that was okay, I'd never expected it to
help me today. I took one last step and threw myself into the
werewolf with all of the force I could muster.

I
knew it was a vain effort. The best I could hope for was that the
impact would ruin its aim, that the claws would miss Jasmin by a few
inches, but that wasn't what happened. I hit with my shoulder solidly
under its armpit and somehow countered the force of its spin.

Jasmin
rolled out of the way as the werewolf's right hand came back around,
carving furrows into the floor, and then the talons on my left foot
sank six inches into its leg. In a display that was more aggressive
than anything else I'd seen out of Jess since Oblivion had wiped her
mind clean, she lunged, grabbing our werewolf's right forearm and
pulling in an attempt to overbalance it.

It
was the final, infinitesimal straw and the werewolf's left leg
came up off the ground as it overbalanced and started to fall. I took
advantage of the fact that it wasn't going to be executing any crazy
changes in direction and pulled myself further up its back in a
sharp, violent motion. In the instant I had remaining before we hit
the ground, I set my claws and talons as deeply into it as I could
and tucked my chin.

The
impact when we hit knocked the wind out of me again, but this time I
was ready for it and simply held on and waited for my ride to start
rolling to its feet. In the split second between when the werewolf
started the motion and when it was set enough to change direction, I
let go with both hands, reached forward, and ripped its throat out.

The
rest of the fight was bloody and by no means guaranteed, but we
managed to come out victorious and, even more astonishingly, managed
not to lose anyone. I'd been bucked off a second later, but I hadn't
stuck around to wait for it to bleed out. Instead, I'd dashed over to
Alexei, Jane and Tasha's werewolf with Peter only a couple of steps
behind me.

With
five of us focused on the next werewolf while Jasmin and Jess kept
the first one distracted until it finished bleeding out, we managed
to bring it down fairly quickly. Alexei pulled it out of position and
then Tasha had hamstrung it. Once it lost its usual mobility, Peter
and I hit it from behind and brought it down.

The
last two fights ended at nearly the same time, but they'd been the
ones where we'd almost lost someone. Brutus and Arnold had been
slowly wearing their opponent down over the course of the whole
fight, but they'd been equally tired and bloody. Brutus had been a
second too slow on one of his dodges at the very end, and the
werewolf he'd been fighting had opened him up from his stomach all
the way up to his right shoulder. The shock had forced him back into
his human form and only the fact that the strike had missed his heart
and left lung had kept him alive long enough for Jane to stabilize
him.

Arnold
had ruthlessly taken advantage of the opening that the werewolf had
allowed to develop while it was attacking Brutus, and darted in and
clinched with it from behind. That sliver of the fight was over a few
seconds later.

Peter
had bypassed Brutus and Arnold's fight and gone to help Jaclyn and
Isaac along with Jasmin and Jess. He'd gotten a little too close
there at the end, but had bought Jaclyn the split second she'd needed
to get in and hamstring the oldest werewolf.

Both
packs had blood and medical supplies back at the planes, but I hadn't
been positive that either Brutus or Peter would make it that long.
Jaclyn had yelled her goodbyes as her entire pack, save Tasha, had
boarded their plane and then taxied away within seconds of the door
closing.

It
had been a more abrupt end to our first joint operation than I'd
expected, but I'd understood her reasoning. A severely wounded wolf
or hybrid was perfectly capable of completely losing control of their
beast. It usually resulted in death for the injured shape shifter and
an incredible amount of collateral damage. Jaclyn's presence on that
plane was the best way to ensure nothing got out of hand while they
were in the air.

Tasha
and I watched the plane take off and then headed back over to where
Jess was bandaging up Jasmin. Isaac was already taped up and resting
but neither of the two of us had been bleeding bad enough to require
immediate aid.

She'd
pulled jeans and a tank top on while still in the limo, but both were
covered in blood now. I grabbed gauze and tape and tried to see to
her first, but she playfully knocked my hands away and started
working on my chest.

"So,
just out of curiosity on the part of your potential future wife, how
did you do that?"

"Do
what? Survive my first werewolf fight?"

"No,
how did you stop that thing from killing Jasmin?"

"You
saw that?"

"Yeah,
I saw it. I expect Peter did too which probably means the rest of my
pack will know about it before the plane lands."

"I'm
not sure. I hit it with everything I had, but I didn't expect it to
even notice the impact. All I can figure is that it stumbled a
little. That, or maybe it had been injured more than anyone
realized."

Tasha
gave me a considering look before moving around to deal with the huge
gash in my left lat.

"It didn't look like a stumble from where I was standing."

Adriana Paige
Upper East Side
Manhattan, New York

Dominic
wasn't happy with me. She wasn't pissed, but she didn't approve of
the hijinks I was dragging her into. She was on the phone with James,
and based on what little bit I could overhear, he wasn't a fan
either.

Her
smooth alto voice had been getting more and more frazzled as the
conversation went on. I finally walked over to her room and gently
took the phone away from her.

"James,
this is Adri. I know this sucks, but I don't know what to tell you.
Alec told Dom to keep an eye on me and if we're going to avoid a
super-awkward, creepy vibe that will completely ruin my social life,
then this is the best bet."

"So
you're going to force my girlfriend to cheat on me just so you can
date some guy?"

James'
voice was even more surly than normal, but I took a deep breath,
perfectly aware that he'd hear it, and hit him with the zinger I'd
spent the last half an hour perfecting.

"No,
James. She's not cheating, she's chaperoning. If you really think Dom
is going to do anything with some random guy, then you don't know her
as well as you should. I know the situation isn't ideal, but the
alternative is that I just stop dating anyone because Alec is making
you guys babysit me. I'm not giving him that kind of control over me,
so if you have any problems with what's happening then I propose you
go to Alec and ask him to give Dom permission to leave me alone
tonight."

That
shut him up immediately. I'd been getting the vibe that there was
more unrest than normal in the pack, but apparently Alec was still
the uncontested top dog. I waited for a couple of seconds to see if
he'd respond before looking over at Dom and raising an eyebrow. She
was shaking her head so my course was clear.

"Goodbye,
James. Dom will call you when we get done with the date. I'll try not
to keep her out too late."

I
hung up the phone and handed it back to Dom. My closing jab hadn't
been very fair. Given that the guys had to be in Brooklyn for a late
show, I knew that we wouldn't be gone for very long, but James was
just one of those guys who begged for you to let some of the air out
of his tires.

Actually,
I hadn't been fair on a couple of levels. James was a jerk sometimes,
but I'd been meaner than I normally would have been. The problem was
that he'd touched on some of what bothered me so much about the date
with Albert that was scheduled to start in less than an hour.

Albert
wasn't just 'some guy.' He was a very good friend, but it wasn't like
he was the love of my life or anything. I didn't feel entirely good
about how I'd pushed the issue with James, not given that I was
pretty sure I was going to have to tell Albert that I didn't really
want to date him.

The
real problem was exactly what I'd said on the phone though. I really
liked having Dom around, but if I wasn't careful I'd just swear off
guys altogether and I knew that wasn't healthy. I didn't really want
to date right now, but I needed to keep the option open or I'd
just end up more lonely and bitter than I already was.

It
all made a ton of sense on paper, but I couldn't help but feel like I
was...I don't know. Cheating wasn't the right word for it, but I
still felt some kind of bond with Alec and something about the
thought of dating other guys still made me uncomfortable.

Dom
walked out of her closet and sighed unhappily.

"I
have absolutely nothing to wear here. I didn't expect to miss
Rachel's handiwork quite so much. For a while there, every time I
walked into my closet there was some new surprise waiting for me."

I needed to respond, but I couldn't quite seem to get any words
out. Dom gave me a concerned look.

"Are
you going to be okay, Adri? I know James seems unhappy right now, but
it's not like he's going to fly out here and confront you. By the
time I make it back to Utah, he'll have had plenty of time to cool
off. I appreciate you ending the conversation; I don't think I would
have been able to get off the phone in time for our date otherwise."

I
put my hand on the top of my head and sighed. "Yes—no—I don't
know. I feel really bad about all of this and having you thank me for
pissing your boyfriend off isn't helping. I mean, I should
feel guilty about that, and I do. It's just that there is
so
much
right now to feel guilty about. It's all throwing me for a
loop. Why is this so hard?"