Shift - 02 (34 page)

“What, is this a werewolves only bar now?” I asked.

Willy glanced over his shoulder at the glaring pack. “That’s no–, not what I meant. Please don’t cause anymore trou–, trouble for me.”

“We’re not here to cause trouble; we’re looking for Tiki.”

“He le–, left about an hour ago.”

“Damn,” I said.

“He probably went back to what’s left of the condo. I guess we’ll check there first.” Rayna added.

“What’s left of the condo?”

“Don’t worry about it. Have a good night with your pals,” I said, making my way back towards the door.

“Bye…” Willy's voice trailed off.
 

I turned around and saw the sad look on Willy’s face. I stopped and tried to give him a reassuring smile. “You could always come with us…if you want. We could really use you right now.”

“I…” he turned to look at the pack, watching his every move.

“Can't. Right. I get it. I’ll see you later then.” I turned back around to find Vincent’s golden eyes looking up at me, and a chill ran through my body.

“I’m not in the mood tonight.”

“Now is that any way to greet a friend?”

“You’re not my friend. Now move.”

“Chase, relax,” Rayna warned.

“I simply came to say hello and deliver a friendly piece of advice.” Vincent’s seductive smirk turned into a creepy smile.

“If you came over here just to threaten me, I promise you, it’ll be your last.”

Vincent released a warm and deep laugh. “Please, Mr. Williams, when I make a threat you’ll know it.” He let the smile play over his pink lips as he stared up at me.

“Then what do you want?”

Vincent placed a single hand on my shoulder, leaned in, and pushed his mouth up next to my ear. I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened, pulling me against him. The smell of blood and death was thick on his breath. “The Underworld knows your secret. This may be the last chance you have to accept my offer,” he whispered.

Anger thrust through me and I grabbed Vincent by the collar. The moment I touched him, the shock tore into my body again. I grunted through gritted teeth and released him uncontrollably. I made a fist and winced as the last of it left my body.

“You’re lucky we’re in here right now.”

“That anger is an inconvenience, Mr. Williams. You should try and control yourself better.”

I clenched my fists and turned as the giant bouncer stepped up beside me. He glared down at me with empty black eyes. “That’s twice. It happens a third time tonight and you get a lifetime ban. I think you should leave before you lose your last chance.”

I turned back and Vincent was gone. He was back across the room in his regular booth. He let his fangs drop from his gums and flashed me an arrogant smile.

“Let’s just go.” Rayna ushered me forward.

I tore my eyes away from Vincent and glared up at the bouncer. He followed behind me as I moved for the exit, handing over our weapons as we walked outside. He slammed the steel door and I ran up the stairs into the alley.

“I can’t wait until the day I get to kill him,” I said, kicking loose gravel down the alley. The night was in full bloom and shadows littered the streets, the red and blue light of Revelation’s signs flickering behind us.
 

“What did he say?”

“He said the Underworld knows about the ring, and this was my last chance to accept his offer.”

“He’s just being Vincent, trying to get under your skin.”

“Well, he succeeded.”

“Don’t worry about him. Besides, how would the Underworld even find out?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him to tell them all.”

I jumped as the metal door behind us opened and music pounded into the alley. I turned, but didn’t see anyone come out. The door slammed shut, cutting the music off again and leaving goose bumps riding up my arms.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go home for the night. If Tiki’s not there, we’ll find him tomorrow.”

“Forget it. I’m not going back there. Not if Marcus will be there.”

“First of all, it’s his house. Second, he said he wasn’t sure if he’d be back tonight or sometime tomorrow. And third, don’t be so childish. Yes, Marcus may have made a mistake, but are you so perfect?”

“
May have
? He did make a mistake. A big one. And this is different.”

“How is this different? He made an oath to your mom. You of all people know how important that is to him, and you should respect that.”

“Whatever. You can go on without me.” I walked down the alley and onto the street.

“Don’t walk away from me, Chase!”

I turned around and faced Rayna as she came up behind me.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to come home.”

“What home? I don’t have a home.”

“Yes, you do. You know that.”

I sighed and looked away from her. The condo wasn’t my home. It was a vacation. A temporary leave from wherever I was supposed to be.

“Where else are you going to go?”

“I don’t–” The shuffling of footsteps cut me off. Brock stepped out of the shadows with a few hunters I didn’t recognize following behind him. His bright red hair was freshly trimmed into a square buzz cut, making the green of his eyes stand out. A single scar covered his left eye and ran down his freckled cheek, scrunching as he smirked.

“Long time, no see, brother,” he said. His muscles bulged and his shirt was so tight it barely covered the belt holding up his pants.
 

I shook my head. I couldn’t deal with this. Not tonight. I turned to walk the other way, but Lena walked through the shadows and closed off the other side of the street. A chill ran down my spine as a handful of Underworlders stepped into the light behind her.

Lena’s platinum blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail and still managed to reach down past her hips. She had intense blue eyes, and her cool, lethal gaze was aimed at me. A tight black tank top hugged her toned body and dark blue jeans wrapped her legs like a second skin.

“I’ve been dying to see you again.” Lena smiled.

The clacking of high heels echoed off the pavement as she walked towards me, hips swaying with each step. She folded her hands together and bent her fingers back, cracking each knuckle. The light shone over her arms, revealing perfect, unmarred flesh.

The last time I saw her, I’d cut her wrist open and every muscle in it, but now it looked perfect.

“I know what you’re thinking. How did a little old air elemental like me heal a wound like that?”

“It crossed my mind.”

“I had help…from a god of sorts.” She giggled and each word rolled off her tongue in a seductive wave.

“Riley did that?"

Lena’s pink tongue slipped out between slightly parted red lips. She ran the tip of it along the top edge of her mouth and nodded.

“I hate to break it to you, but he’s not a god. He’s a disgrace.”

“Careful what you say, love. We don’t want that tongue of yours getting you into any more trouble, now do we?”

“What? Are you going to cut it out?”

Lena stopped and brought a slender hand to her lips. “I always knew there was a reason I liked you. That’s not a bad idea.” She let long red nails tap against her chin and smiled. “Actually, I quite like that.”

“You would,” Rayna said.

“Shut your mouth, bitch.” Lena jerked her head to Rayna. “All I want to hear from you are screams.”

Rayna stepped forward and I cringed as magic filled the air. In a single motion, Rayna’s body left the ground in a violent rush. Lena unleashed her element and Rayna crashed against a building. Her body cracked the brick wall and she fell to the ground. Rayna jumped to her feet and her lips parted, releasing an ear shattering roar as her beast rose to the surface.

Lena giggled. “Oooh, bad kitty.”

Rayna pulled her beast back, letting her earth element move around her body to calm it.

“Wait.” Brock stepped forward. “You have a chance to save yourself, brother.”

“I’m not your brother, and you’re not getting the ring. It’s time for you to walk away. I’m not playing anymore.”

Brock laughed and pulled a lighter out of his pocket. He stood fearlessly with his arms crossed, gripping it. As the hunters behind him stepped forward, I pulled my element to the surface.

The demons on the other side moved and closed in behind us, while Lena and Rayna took up the middle, creeping towards each other. Everyone drew their weapons, but we all turned as a growl roared through the street.

The scrape of gravel echoed and Willy ran towards us, the other werewolves walking casually behind him.

“Wh–, what’s going on?”

“Go back inside,” I said.

“No, I ca–, can help.”

“Now!” We were outnumbered by a lot; I didn’t need Willy’s death on my conscience.

“No!” Willy pushed out his chest and tried for confidence.

“Oh, Chase, let the puppy play,” Lena grinned. “He looks delicious.”

“Hell, no. I’m not fighting with
him
.” Jason stood defiantly on the sidewalk. “He kills our kind.”

“No–, nobody asked you to fight.” Willy locked eyes with Jason and there was a ferocity I’d never seen inside him.
 

“Are you talking back to me, mutt?” Jason stepped forward.

Jax moved in front of him, and although he stood inches below Jason, he looked up with a commanding presence. “If one of us fights, we all fight.”

“The more the merrier.” Lena laughed. She wrapped her power around the shifters and raised them into the air. Growls shot out from the sky and clear fluid rained down as they began to shift. Willy stepped away as his pack was engulfed by the magic, and there was power coming off of him.

Rayna and I brought our magic up together and unleashed it on Lena.
 
The ground shook as Rayna’s earth element came to life, and a thick wall of rock formed behind Lena. I pushed my element out in a fierce wrath of water and it slammed into her, smashing her against the newly made wall.

Lena’s power collapsed and the shifters dropped, landing hard on the pavement. There were a few yelps, but in moments they were on their feet. Solid black, gray, and white wolves crept forward, some standing six feet high on all four legs. Their lips peeled back and they bared white teeth.

Willy’s human body hit the broken asphalt and swelled. Sweat dripped off his face and he grunted. Skin broke around his hands and arms, leaving gray, white, black, and red fur exploding from the wounds. He muffled a scream as his body convulsed and long fangs dropped from his gums. His face moved and deformed as bones snapped, morphing into a full wolf. He looked at me, and the brown of his eyes was gone. Colorless orbs stared at me, a single black pupil in the center of a sea of white. His body cracked as it made a few final adjustments and he completed the shift.

He was smaller than the other wolves, only coming up to my stomach. His long, chameleon fur changed color as he moved in and out of the shadows. It started as a mess of colors, quickly changing to black, then gray, and finally fading to white with spots of brown, but his face remained entirely red, making his colorless eyes look fierce.

Willy lowered himself to the ground, and a low rumble started in his throat. He lunged towards me with open jaws, baring long, violent fangs.

My eyes opened wide and I ducked, the bottom of his paws skimming over my head. Willy crashed into a hunter that crept up behind me, jaws clamping around him. The hunter screamed as teeth closed around his neck. He brought his element to life, but before it could be released, Willy jumped back, tearing out his throat and silencing both him and his magic.

Blood burst into the air and Willy shook, flinging the loose flesh from his mouth. The bloodied skin hit the pavement with a wet slap, and Willy howled into the midnight sky, his fur changing to match the solid red of his face.
 

I froze in surprise. I'd never known Willy to hurt anything, and he'd just killed someone to save my life. I was caught up in disbelief and didn’t see Brock move in behind me. I heard the click of his lighter and the onslaught of heat warmed my back, but it was too late for anything but defense. I ripped my element up and turned to face him. A shield of blue water exploded in front of me, meeting his orange flame. His magic had gained enough momentum that it hit my shield and blew me backwards.

My power dissipated and I tumbled through the air. Brock pushed his magic over me again and I pulled my element back up. Power surged over my body, and as I hit the pavement rolling, water drew itself around me. A wave of heat pushed against me, but it couldn’t penetrate the orb of water that engulfed me.

I stayed hunched down, trying to keep my focus while in amazement of the cool liquid that drifted over my body. When the heat vanished, I let the magic break and the orb collapsed, soaking me from head to toe.

Rayna and Lena's magic had receded and they were taking turns in hand to hand combat.