Wolf pack, p.24
Wolf Pack, page 24
“Looks like we are a bit late.” Thirro enunciated the words—like the humans did.
The guard opened the door. Could it be that easy? Thirro took a step forward.
“Great costumes,” the guard said. “Why do you get such good ones?”
“We are the main event.” They certainly would be tonight.
Thirro jerked when a hand gripped his wing. Fingers tickled his feathers. He reached for his blade. No one touched his wings.
Dara’s hand wrapped around his wrist, holding him back.
“These wings are incredible. So realistic. And enormous.” The guard’s voice was filled with awe. “How?”
Thirro turned, jerking his wings out of the man’s dirty hands. He spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m a great hunter.”
“We’d best catch up before our director has our heads,” Gavriel said. He darted into the castle, black wings trailing in his wake.
Thirro stepped past the wide-eyed guard and followed, Dara’s hand still holding his.
Killing the guard would surely raise the alarm.
Forty-eight - Seen
JADE
Gavriel, Thirro, and Dara would be at the castle soon. Jade should probably go hide and wait. Instead, she slipped into the celebration. People ate at long tables against the wall. Slaves darted around, serving steaming dishes. A throng of revelers had pushed back from their table and taken to the center of the floor. They swayed to high tinkling music. He was not among them. Jade prowled the perimeter.
“And who might you be?” The young man slurred the words as he blocked her path with his brightly clad bulk.
Her hand flew to her scarf, checking it. “Jasamine.”
“Dance with me, Jasamine?”
Her smile was sweet as syrup. “Later.” She flexed her wrists—ready. It was unnecessary.
He shrugged. “Something to look forward to.” He moved aside.
She darted past, savoring the respect he’d shown her—even without seeing her knife. It made it so much harder to hate him. She pushed the feelings away. She had a mission to fulfill. She closed her mind to the injustice and cruelty she would bring here tonight.
That’s when she saw him. Of course, he was at the king’s table. Ferth stood like a statue, his deep-set eyes sad. She stared. He was dressed like the ridiculous humans, but he was not one of them. He shone with strength and power—even fallen, even as an abomination. Her heart pinged. Still her Ferth. No. He was not her Ferth. Sorrow bloomed over her breast. He offered his arm to the woman next to him, and she latched on. Jade blinked. The woman from the hall. She could see it now—the tan skin, the full mouth. The eyes. Her ribs squeezed. That was Ferth’s human mother. He’d found her. And clearly, she loved him, even after all these years.
As Ferth guided his mother around the table, Jade thought of her own mother. Her hands went to her stomach. It would destroy her mother if she knew what Jade planned to do tonight. She was going to be sick. She shook her head, trying to dislodge everything from her heart. She swallowed hard, forcing her emotions and her weakness down, down, down.
Ferth looked up. She stood against the wall, ten yards away, but his stare struck her like an arrow. She froze. He froze. His gorgeous golden eyes gouged. She couldn’t breathe. She should run. She should kill him.
His mouth formed one word. Jade.
Her chest twisted. Behind his human façade, her friend, her captain was still in there. Her heart reached for him.
He took a step toward her. And another.
She wanted to run into his arms.
He’s a traitor. He’s a traitor.
Belly churning, she whirled around and disappeared into the hall.
He was an abomination to the Draco Sang. He would die tonight. He had to. She sucked down air, her head dizzy and her chest riotous. But she couldn’t shake the grief and loneliness she’d seen in his gaze. Even human, Ferth had power to speed her heart and draw her in. She should not have let him see her. Her hands shook. Her convictions wavered.
A guard stepped in her path. “No one’s allowed past—”
She slit his throat.
Forty-nine - Spotted
FERTH
Jade.
Ferth stared at the spot where she’d stood—dressed as a human in a sleek gown and face make-up. He hadn’t imagined her violet eyes this time. It was the touch of jackal in her gaze, the set of her jaw, the silk head-wrap hiding her fur and sharp ears that brought him crashing back to reality. Jade was here. In the castle. For a blink, he was happy to see her, but she could only be here for one reason …
“Jade. She’s here.”
“Who else?” Rom asked, his thoughts paralleling Ferth’s into dread.
Lyko and Rom flew out of Darius’s gardens and toward the neighboring castle. They startled a couple on the street as they pounded past.
“We’re about to find out.” Ferth turned his mother to face him. “You need to leave.” His voice was ice.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Her voice soft with concern.
Worse. Panic rose. Not his mother. “There are Draco Sang here. Get out now.”
She paled, and her body went still.
He clutched his chest as he swiveled his head side to side. Great skies. He didn’t have his sword. “You there,” he called to a nearby man with broad shoulders. “Come here.” His voice had shifted into the commanding tone he’d used as a Draco army captain.
The man came.
“Quickly. Take this woman out of the castle now.”
The man looked at his mother in confusion.
“But what about you?” Mira’s brows furrowed.
“I’ll be fine. You must go NOW.” He thrust her into the man’s arms and pushed them toward the doors. “Hurry.”
The man started to jog, his hand on Mira’s elbow.
Ferth scanned the room. Nothing seemed amiss. Guards still watched from the rafters. The king danced with a carefree smile on his face. Seven of the kingdom’s twelve rajas mingled with the elite crowd. Almost the entire leadership of the nation was in this room. Twittering music played, grating on Ferth’s rising stress. Darius was on the other side of the room, slowly turning circles with Angeline.
Ferth’s pulse raced. Fear clutched. “I’ve got to get them out of here.”
“We’re coming,” Lyko said, his southern accent sharpening in his anger.
“Keep your noses to the ground and your eyes open.”
Ferth took a steadying breath and pushed through the crowd, his sights on Darius.
Fifty - Murder
THIRRO
“Quickly,” Jade said. She’d appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, at Thirro’s side. Her face was unusually pale and anxious. She darted down the hall, motioning them to follow. They sprinted past nine guards—each dead. Someone stepped into the hall in front of Jade. She didn’t slow her pace. Didn’t falter. The finely dressed woman died before she could even scream. Jade’s knife dripped red along the marble floor.
Skies, she was good. When the time came, he’d have to aim true. Thirro’s heart sped in excitement. Breathing hard, he jogged up a narrow set of stairs. A gurgling grunt greeted him at the balcony. Jade slowly lowered the dead guard to the floor. Thirro threw off his mask and ripped off his fake feathers. He peered over the balcony at the glittering party. Strong hands jerked him back.
“We can’t be seen yet,” Gavriel said.
Thirro twisted out of Gavriel’s hands with a scowl. Dara smacked his bow against his chest, refocusing him. He strung it and selected an arrow. He ran his fingers over the fletching, his beautiful feathers. Skotar’s Arrow. King Killer.
Jade sliced off her dress at the waist, leaving her in tight pants and a corset of knives. She accepted her bow from Dara and strung it.
Back pressed against a column, weapon ready in his palms, Thirro peered over the railing. He scanned the colorful crowd for the boy-king. So many targets. No one looked up.
Except one set of amber eyes.
He locked on the face. Ferth. Thirro’s heart thudded, and he nearly dropped his bow. A feeling of connection snapped through Thirro. He gritted his teeth, hating that Ferth still had some power over him.
The music cut off.
A man with a red cloak shouted in a clear voice, “There is a dangerous threat in the castle. Please evacuate to the cream room. You will be safe there.”
He spoke with authority. A raja to target, no doubt.
Thirro’s gaze raked the room for the glint of a golden crown. The boy king was between four guards, head down, rushing toward the doors. Thirro cocked his arrow, but before he could let it fly, a bowstring twanged next to him. Jade’s arrow slipped between two guards and hit the king in the back. A masterful shot. The boy fell forward.
Rage flared in Thirro, his vision blinking black. Jade had stolen his kill.
To Thirro’s left, Gavriel fired. The whistle of his arrow silenced when it hit its target, a bearded old man in excessive velvet. A woman screamed. Pandemonium broke out, humans pushing and falling and shouting.
Metal reflected light near Ferth as the traitor’s blade sailed through the air. Thirro grabbed Gavriel and threw him in front as a shield. The knife lodged in Gavriel’s side. The traitor had no trouble firing at his old friend. So be it. Thirro dropped the groaning Draco raven.
“No!” Jade’s lethal voice was aimed at Thirro. Her eyes turned to burning coals as she looked from the bleeding Gavriel to him.
Thirro leaped over the railing. He spread his wings, hovering near the high ceiling. Jade dropped to Gavriel’s side. “Leave him,” Thirro said.
Jade ignored his order as she pulled the knife out of Gavriel’s side. He gasped and coughed. Thirro turned away from them with disgust. She was hindering the mission.
Human guards spread out from the dead king. Thirro hit one guard with an arrow through his throat—his favorite target. The next went down with an arrow in his heart.
“Take cover,” Ferth yelled as he ran to a dead guard and took an unused sword out of a limp hand. “Throw anything you can find at them. Aim for his wings. Get soldiers to that balcony.” Ferth pulled a small blade from his boot and threw it at Thirro. Thirro dodged, but the knife nicked his forearm. Fire seared up his nerves.
“Hello, traitor,” Thirro’s voice boomed as he trained his arrow on Ferth’s neck. Ferth snapped up a plate from the table and twisted it in front of his face. Thirro’s arrow cut into the metal and stopped halfway through.
“Come down and fight me like a warrior,” Ferth yelled, still holding the punctured plate. The arrow tip hadn’t even touched his pristine face. Ferth stepped in front of the raja with the red cloak and held up the cheap sword.
“A warrior?” Thirro sneered. “You were always claiming titles you didn’t deserve.”
“Is that why I always beat you in the squares?”
Thirro slammed his teeth together to hold back a petty retort. Ferth had always beaten him. But not tonight. He ducked and wove as silverware came at him from all directions. He fired into the crowd with practiced efficiency. Bodies scattered the ground, blood pooling and spreading like puddles in a storm. Panicking people made crisscrossing tracks of red on the white marble.
Dara dropped her bow, out of arrows, and flipped over the balcony. She scrambled down the drapes, leaping the last ten feet and pulling out her daggers. With a howl, she attacked. Gavriel appeared at the edge of the balcony, torso wrapped with his bloody tunic. With a grimace, he lifted Jade and ungracefully floated down to the main floor. The duo unsheathed their swords. Even injured, Gavriel cut down the crowd like harvesting wheat. The shrieking sound of fear and death filled the air. The humans didn’t go quietly.
Thirro’s jaw clenched against the ear-shattering screams. He aimed for the loudest prey, a large woman with an open mouth like a giant cave. His arrow went through her windpipe. She wouldn’t be bothering him anymore. He swiveled back toward Ferth only to find Jade already stalking toward the traitor, twirling her short swords.
She would not be taking this prize from Thirro as well.
He hissed and pulled an arrow back. His sights shifted between Ferth and Jade. He trained his arrow on her back.
“Jade, drop!” Ferth’s voice tore through the air as Thirro let his weapon fly.
Jade hit the ground and rolled. The arrow soared over her head and hit a slave in the leg. Thirro blinked. Ferth had protected her. And she’d trusted Ferth instinctively. Jade looked at Ferth, and Thirro saw the deep emotion that flashed across her face. She stifled it quickly, but it was too late. The violet-eyed coward still loved Ferth. Disgusting.
Thirro turned his last arrow on his true enemy. He aimed at the Draco brand that had slipped into view on Ferth’s chest. He would get such enjoyment from seeing Jade suffer as she watched Ferth die. She would know that Thirro had been the one to conquer Ferth. And then he’d finally end her too. He could feel the beginning waves of pleasure rolled through his body as he pulled back on the string.
He gasped, his fingers suddenly paralyzed as icy pain speared his chest.
Ferth’s eyes went wide as range targets as he stared up at Thirro. Yes, traitor. This is the end for you. I’ve won. Thirro inhaled to share his decree, but no air came. He looked down as the frost dug deeper into his breast. Jade’s favorite knife stuck deep into his bare chest. Blood bubbled over his feathers. Thirro’s arrow fell from his fingers and spiraled harmlessly towards the ground; his bow followed. His wings faltered. The cold turned to fire that blazed out from the hole in his chest where the hilt protruded; the black handle was splattered red. With effort, he lifted his gaze to Jade.
Her beautiful eyes burned as she watched him swoop lower. He saw no regret there, only an iron resolve. He’d lost. To a worthy opponent, but what did that matter now? He didn’t feel pain when he landed on his wings. He didn’t feel anything.
Fifty-one - Mission
FERTH
Ferth didn’t breathe. Jade killed Thirro. She’d killed him. The reality rooted his feet to the floor and sent his heart galloping.
Jade stood. She lifted her twin Dracosteel blades and faced him. A heavy emotion passed through her eyes as she looked at him, but in a flash she blinked it away, her face settling into cold lines. She’d lost her scarf and gloves. Jagged bits of green silk stuck out of the bottom of her corset above black pants. Gray and amber fur covered her arms and head. She still had a delicate nose and rosebud mouth, but she was no longer the underling he most often remembered her as. She was a terrifying Draco Sang. All innocent pretense had burned off her grim face.
She was here to kill him.
Blades lifted, she ran at him. He threw the arrow-embedded dinner plate shield at her. She slashed it down with her sword. It rang against the ground like a warning bell. He leaped over a groaning body. She silenced it by dragging her blade over his throat on her way past. Ferth stopped running and faced her.
The fighting around them subsided as Gavriel and Dara came to stand at Jade’s back. The retreating humans and gathering guards turned to haze. He and Jade were the only people in this world.
“Jade.” His voice was soft, but it carried through the room. “Don’t do this.” He spread his arms in supplication, but didn’t get too close. The human sword in his hand was pointed down. “You don’t want to fight me.”
Her jaw jutted out, and she lifted her swords higher. “You are a traitor. It is my duty.”
“This transformation isn’t what we thought. I haven’t fallen. I’m fre—”
“No talking.” She shook her head as if she could shake out his voice. “You abandoned me. All of us. Your people.” The pain and betrayal in her voice lanced his chest. She slashed forward. He lifted the borrowed sword to meet hers. The inadequate steel chipped under her blow. Never again would he leave his Dracosteel sword behind because Angeline said it didn’t go.
He fought Jade off with practiced motions, but it wasn’t as easy as it used to be. She was stronger now. Finally, he pushed her back, giving himself precious moments to speak. “I didn’t mean to leave you. Not ever. It all happened so fast. I couldn’t stay.” He motioned to his human frame. “Not like this.”
“Human now.” She spat the words like a curse.
“No.” Ferth was aware of every human in the room watching him. “I’m still a Draco Sang.” He said it with pride, knowing, in this crowd of humans, he sealed his doom with this truth. “I’m still me, but I am free.”
Jade shook her head.
“And I still care about you. You will never be my enemy.”
A gasp rose from the corner of the room, but Ferth didn’t look. He had only eyes for Jade, his friend, the closest thing he had to a sister. He missed her. “I don’t know how to fix this, Jade.” His sword lowered to his side. If even his Jade could aim to kill, how could he ever find home again? Loneliness and despair welled up inside his chest.
“You saved my life,” she said.
“I would do it again.”
She lowered her weapons, her eyes pink. “Now, we are even.”
Relief flooded through him. Without thinking, he brought his fist over his head. He thumped his heart and sent the Draco Sang blessing over her.
A tear leaked down her check. She dashed it away, stiffening with a scowl. “Nice belly button.” She turned to the room. Bodies covered the floor. People cowered under tables and fought to get through the doors.
“Let us leave and we won’t kill anyone else. Stop us and we’ll kill the last three remaining rajas.” She pointed out Darius, Forsyth, and Nadab with fearful accuracy. “And we won’t stop there.”
Darius looked at Ferth in question. Ferth could kill Jade, but he didn’t want to, and it would destroy his mind and soul in the process. And he couldn’t do it before Dara and Gavriel murdered more innocent guests. And if all three attacked him at once, he was dead. Dara and Gavriel were obeying Jade. She was the commander here. Interesting. And Dara was looking at Ferth with unabashed regret. She was not sorry to leave him alive. The realization spread warmth through his chest.
