Lycans and Legends

Chapter 21: Just One Damned Monster After Another

My first go around with the faerie taught me he was fast—faster than anything I had ever fought before. But then, I hadn’t known he was the one who had killed my parents. Now, I knew. Now, I had a reason.

With a twirl, the faerie attacked, landing a solid hit to my jaw.

I staggered backward. The faerie struck once more, kicking at my arm, trying to disarm the dagger. If he thought he was going to take that from me, he was horribly mistaken. I grabbed the faerie’s leg and yanked hard, pulling him off his feet.

The sound of howls grew louder.

Now I was twice as mad. Someone had turned on the Templars. Who?

I heaved up the dagger, moving to stab the bastard, but he rolled out of the way. As Melwas leaped back, he was swept up by a torrent of bats and slammed against the wall.

The vampire dropped the faerie to the ground then looked over his shoulder at me.

I had seen Constantine’s true vampire face once before when Agent Rose’s life had been threatened. All teeth and malice, it was a horrifying sight.

“Louvel,” he said, motioning behind me.

I looked back to see three werewolves emerge from the shadows.

Conklin.

Of course.

While the Templars had crushed the old packs into submission or sent them abroad, the tension with the packs that had been loyal to Cyril and Fenton was always right below the surface. Before me was proof of that. A ragtag group of barely mature wolves, what was left of the Conklin pack, was made up of werewolves who were probably no older than me. They had begrudgingly sworn allegiance to the Templars. Apparently, they hoped Melwas would turn their luck around.

With a sigh, I slipped the star metal dagger into its holster then pulled my pistol and silver.

“Really, Acwellen,” I said to their leader, a young wolf with ebony-colored fur. “Aligning with the Unseelie? You know that pompous bastard just sees you as some damned dumb mutt he can use to—oh, I don’t know—distract me from killing him.”

I cast a glance over my shoulder. From the looks of things, there might not be a lot left of Melwas to kill once Constantine was done with him.

“We have our own reasons to be here, Louvel. That’s my daddy hanging off your belt,” Acwellen replied.

“Yeah, I suppose that would piss me off too. But Fenton did try to kill me and mine. And I offered to let him live.”

“You’re lying.”

“Am I?”

The werewolf glanced at the others. If he had half a brain, he could guess I was telling the truth.

But he didn’t.

He turned back to me, his red eyes glowing. He growled low and mean.

“No? Not ready for the truth? Might as well come at me then,” I said then raised my pistol.

And with a growl, that was precisely what he did.

More frustrated than angry, I went after the wolves. They were standing between Melwas and me. Acwellen pounced at me in the darkness. I dodged quickly to the side, rushing up the curved tunnel wall then jumped, shooting as I did so. My first bullet was a miss, but the second shot hit another of the wolves who yelped then fell to the ground.

Acwellen rushed forward. Taking a swipe, he slapped my wounded arm, knocking my pistol from my hand. I winced then brandished my blade before me, slicing the wolf.

The blade caught his cheek, ripping a long slash.

The werewolf jumped back.

The third of the motley pack lunged at me, his red eyes widening when he saw—

far too late—me crouch. I lifted the blade over my head and held on. The dagger made contact, slicing the wolf’s belly wide open. He hit the wall with a hard thud then slid to the ground, immobile.

I rose. With two of the wolves dispatched, that only left Acwellen.

The wolf moved to attack once more, but then a raven flew overhead, squawking loudly. The random appearance of the bird distracted the wolf. He paused. A moment later, Agent Rose appeared. She leapt onto the back of the wolf.

“Louvel,” she called, her arm outstretched.

I tossed my dagger.

Agent Rose caught it with perfect accuracy then plunged it into the werewolf’s neck.

The creature let out a half-howl then collapsed.

Rose leaped off.

The two of us turned and, together, moved toward Constantine and Melwas.

For a brief moment, the two broke apart. Constantine stepped back. He looked over his shoulder at what was left of the wolves then again at the faerie who was panting hard.

“You’ll have to try harder than that,” I told the faerie.

Melwas said nothing. He looked at the three of us then began to slowly step back.

But there was nowhere to go.

Unless…

The darkness gathered around him, and he began speaking in a low tone. He was holding something in his hands. The device.

“Another day…Little Red,” he said.

Then, I caught that strange earthy scent once more.

“No,” I yelled, rushing forward. But it was too late. A greenish light shimmered, showing the outline of the faerie, and then he was gone.

“Dammit!”

“At least he didn’t get what he was after,” Agent Rose said.

I stared into the darkness where the faerie had been.

No. He hadn’t. But he would be back. And next time, he wasn’t going to get away so easily.