Cold Blood (35 page)

“
Tara, hey!” George broke into a jog and held his arms out for me, a big smile on his face.

“
Hi George.” I stepped forward and allowed him to pull me into his embrace, keeping my eyes fastened on Miles. He hung back, near the entrance, like he didn’t expect to stay long. Or he didn’t trust that I was really alone.

George’s arms tightened around my waist, and I let him hold me for a second longer than friends normally would. It was George. And his life was in danger. I didn’t care if he was a little affectionate right now. In fact, the closer he stayed to me, the safer he was. So I squeezed him back, and when he pulled away, I kept a grip on his arm.

“
How are you? You look great. Have you been working out?” George asked.

My eyes flickered to him but stayed mostly on Miles. “Uh, yeah, some,” I said. “They make you do a lot of physical training here.”

George laughed. “I’d love to meet the person who got you to agree to
more
P.E.”

I almost smiled at that because he’d probably enjoy meeting Alex about as much as he’d enjoyed meeting Wes.

Miles stepped forward, and George noticed my expression change.

“
Oh, come say hi, Miles,” he said.

Miles walked very slowly, very deliberately towards me. I couldn’t hold my tension back any longer with him this close. I reached out and took George’s hand firmly in mine and faced Miles squarely. I couldn’t pretend anymore. God, I hoped George didn’t make this too difficult. I didn’t even have time to wonder what he would think of me now.

“
Let him go, Miles. That was the deal,” I said.

Miles stopped several yards away, watching me with bright eyes. He looked excited, like a child presented with a new toy that had been kept from him for too long. I resisted the urge to glance towards where Cambria was hidden. I hoped her compulsion would work because the look in Miles’ eyes made me wonder if he’d even heard me, much less had any intention of letting George go.

“
Let me go?” George echoed, looking back and forth between us. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see confusion twisting his brows. “Go where? What are you talking about, Tay?”

“
I’ll explain, I promise,” I told him, still staring at Miles and holding tightly to George’s hand. “But right now, I need you to trust me. Miles isn’t your friend, or mine. He brought you here as a threat to me.”

George turned to Miles. “Is that true?”

“
You make a wonderful insurance policy,” Miles said, his eyes flickering to George. He smiled a little, a polite brush off, and then looked back at me. “Letting George go was your deal, not mine. But I won’t stop him. George, would you like to leave?”

“
Uh, no, considering I just got here. What I would like is for someone to explain what’s going on.” George’s voice had risen. Anxiety tinged with confusion. He moved closer to me, angling himself protectively.

“
Probably a good choice,” said Miles. “While I wouldn’t stop you, my new friends probably would. They don’t like humans.”

There was movement at the entrance and then, one by one, a group of people streamed into the cavern. They stayed near the wall, their eyes wary and shifting as they took in the three of us. Goose bumps flowed over me, and I realized what they were. A few of them didn’t look any older than I was. I wondered where Miles had recruited such young Werewolves to fight for him.

Somewhere inside the cavern, someone gasped.

“
Ah, yes, your friends are here after all,” said Miles. “Good, it means mine will be entertained.” Miles raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

One by one, the people against the wall shimmered and shifted at the edges, and then… they were wolves. Scraps of clothing rained down around them as they changed forms. They sniffed the air and growled. A couple of them broke off from the group and moved along the wall, nose to the rock, searching. A heavy ball formed in my stomach, and I knew this was way worse than any of us had anticipated.

“
Tara?” George’s voice was shaky and the confusion I’d heard in it moments ago was replaced by a building panic and sheer disbelief as he stared at the animals. “What the hell is going on?”

“
Exactly what it looks like,” I muttered.

“
But –”

“
I’ll explain later, I promise. Stay with me, okay?” I squeezed his hand in mine, trying to pass enough comfort along that he would accept my answer and not freak out yet.

He nodded slowly, his eyes locked on the wolves. I couldn’t look away from them, either. My breath was caught in my throat. Any second now, my friends would be found, and taking care of Miles would be left up to me. My hand itched to go to my stake but I held still, my mind racing. Miles stood there, calm and collected, and completely himself. Was Cambria’s compulsion even working?

“
Miles, I’m taking George and leaving now,” I said.

“
Well, that was fast. I have a car waiting not far. I’ll show you. Come.” Miles waved his hand for me to follow him.

“
No, not with you. Alone,” I said.

“
Oh, I don’t…” He trailed off, and his expression turned blank. “Well, if that’s what you want. Go ahead.” His voice had changed. It sounded far away and child-like.

I took a step forward, watching Miles suspiciously for any sign of sudden movement, but he remained where he was. His eyes were unfocused.

I took another step. And another. George was right next to me, his hand still firmly in mine. We were standing almost in front of Miles now. Maybe this could work. I took another step.

Across the room, a wolf yelped. The faraway look in Miles’ expression dissolved and he blinked, confused. The wolf yelped again, and I saw Cambria slide out of her hiding place before the Werewolf could corner her. The wolf darted forward, teeth bared, but she was already in motion, bringing her fist around hard against its jaw.

“
Sorry,” Cambria muttered, and then she sprang into motion again, ready with a second hit as the wolf came at her.

I looked back at Miles. He was frowning.

“
That was strange…” He was talking to himself. A growl echoed off the walls from somewhere behind us. It must’ve broken his concentration, and he blinked and focused on George and me. “That was rude. And a mistake.”

I backed up a few paces and watched behind him as a Werewolf found Logan. He jumped free of his hiding place behind the waterfall, getting soaked as he leaped straight through the rushing water, and lunged at the wolf, stake held high. The wolf dodged him, and Logan chased after it. A second Werewolf noticed and went after Logan.

Alex appeared a few feet from where I stood clutching George’s hand and flew past me towards the snarling wolves. He wore a look of intense concentration and didn’t even look at me as he passed.

“
Cord!” he yelled.

I followed his gaze. Cord had come out of her hiding place and was already locked in battle with a large, brown Werewolf. She wielded a stake in each hand and was alternating between swinging the pointed end and turning so her first connected with fur-covered flesh.

She whirled at the sound of her name and brought her stake up as another wolf, a burly black one, went for her neck. She managed to leap aside but lost her balance and rolled a few times before getting to her feet again. The black and brown Werewolves were already coming again.

These Werewolves were insanely fast. They reminded me of the pack that had attacked me in the woods near Luray.

I watched the fights raging across the cavern, and I itched to help. My feet shifted, impatient to get moving, to be a part of the violence, but I couldn’t leave George. I knew if I did, Miles would hurt him to get my attention. But I couldn’t watch and remain still any longer. I turned to glare at Miles.

“
This wasn’t part of the deal,” I snarled.

“
If you’d come alone, it wouldn’t have needed to happen.”

With my free hand, I clenched and unclenched my fist.

“
You want to fight, don’t you?” Miles’ lips twisted up at the corners like he was sharing some secret with me. “You’re such a little warrior. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

I felt George tense even further. “Okay, this has gone too far,” George said. He stepped forward and pointed a finger at Miles. “You’re crazy, man. And what I’m seeing over there, that’s crazy, too. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m leaving, and Tara’s coming with me.”

He might’ve been convincing if he’d had a chance of making it happen. But he was the weakest one here, whether he knew it or not.

Miles shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m in charge of when this meeting’s over.”

Somewhere behind him, a Werewolf yelped and Cambria cried out. I moved, out of instinct, but stopped when George yanked on my hand. I craned my neck but couldn’t make anything out beyond the blur of fur and weapons. Everything was happening too fast, and I wasn’t sure if we were winning.

I took a step towards Miles.

“
This ends now,” I said. “George, let go of me and stay against the wall.”

“
Tara –”

“
George, do it. If not, I’ll have to knock you out. I really don’t want to do that.”

Something in my voice must’ve convinced him. Either that or he knew he was out of his league, because after a final squeeze he let go of my hand and stepped back against the wall. I advanced towards Miles. The mental images of me destroying him were back, replaying in my mind. I used them to stay focused and gave in to the desire to make them come true. The sounds of the fights around me fell away. All I could see was Miles – and all the ways I was going to kill him.

“
I thought you would’ve been more impressed with my project,” he said. He hadn’t moved back a single step. He didn’t seem concerned at all as I advanced.

“
You’re finally offering to tell me about that?” I shot back. “Why? Because you know I’m about to kill you?” I was only a few steps away now.

“
I wanted to wait until I was sure it could be done. Really surprise you,” he said. “They are my best work and proof of my success.” He waved a hand towards the group of Werewolves behind him.

“
What are you talking about?”

“
The Werewolves you see before you are my own creation, darling. I made them.”

Chapter Thirty Two

I faltered, all of my concentration on the words he’d spoken. Images of violence against Miles vanished. I struggled to understand what he was saying. “What do you mean ‘made them’?”

“
It wasn’t easy, believe me. There were a lot of mistakes before we got it right. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, as the saying goes.”

“
But that’s not possible,” I said

“
Just because something has never been done does not mean it’s impossible.”

“
But how?”

“
Ironically, Hunter blood was the missing ingredient.” He winked, conspiratorially. “It’s what makes them unstoppable.”

As if in response, someone cried out.

I couldn’t look.

I was too close to Miles, and I knew if I took my eyes off him for one second, he’d have me.

“
We will create our own army,” said Miles. “And then no one will be able to stop us. The fact that they will all be dirty bloods, it only makes it more satisfying. They won’t be able to shun us any longer, when we make them all like us.”

His voice had dropped to almost a whisper and his eyes were shining. This was his project; this was what he wanted complete before he came for me. He’d found a way to make more of us – more hybrids. Except these hybrids were destructive and craved violence even more than any other Werewolf I’d seen.

“
You want to turn the entire Hunter population into hybrids?” I said.

“
Greatness takes vision. Then, I will be in control, with you by my side. You can still choose it, you know. I will still show you mercy.”

I barely heard him. My mind was reeling. He’d changed them. Somehow, he’d found a way and infected them with something. And he’d changed a Hunter into a Werewolf.

I stared at him, shock giving way to anger. “You’re the one who’s been kidnapping all those Hunters. You changed them into this.”

He smiled wide. “Brilliant, isn’t it?”

My answer was to rush him.

He didn’t see it coming and I actually managed to take him down and pin him, my stake poised over his heart.

“
You’re faster than I remember,” he said.

He actually looked like he was enjoying it, which made me feel gross, but I didn’t move away. No way was I going to let him up because he was disgusting enough to be getting some weird sexual fulfillment out of this.

I gripped the stake, ready to plunge it into his chest.

A hand closed over my hair and yanked me back, and I was lifted off Miles and dragged backwards. I landed in a heap, with hair in my eyes and stinging pain running the length of my scalp. I was pretty sure my hair was thinner than it had been a moment ago, by whole chunks.

I brushed my hair out of my face and looked up at my attacker. It was definitely a human hand that had grabbed me, so I half expected to see one of the Hunter-Werewolf hybrids back in human form looming over me. Instead, I saw–

“
Demi?”

I was too shocked to move out of the way, and her kick landed extra hard in my gut. I hunched over and blinked against the black spots in front of my eyes.

“
The one and only, loser,” she said. “And I don’t like you putting your hands on my man.”

“
Your man?” That was almost funny but still too disgusting to laugh at. I rolled away from her and managed to get to my feet. “You two are together?”

“
Didn’t your friend Cambria tell you?” she snapped.

“
Cambria?” I was completely confused.

I glanced over at where Cambria was fighting one of the Werewolves. She shoved it back, and her eyes met mine. Her expression contorted to something unreadable when she saw Demi. Then the wolf was coming at her again, and she looked away.

“
I only want to get close enough to kill him, trust me,” I said. “What are even you doing with him? He’s insane.”

Demi rolled her eyes, so they disappeared under her perfectly made up eyelids. Then she glared at me. “He’s not insane. He’s brilliant. All of the great minds are misunderstood.” She glanced back at Miles who had pulled himself to his feet and was brushing himself off, totally immune to Demi’s adoration.

“
Darling?” she asked in a silky voice. “Shall I kill her for you?”

“
Hmm?” Miles finally looked up and acknowledged her with a dismissive glance. “No, I rather want her alive. I told you, your part is done. I merely needed access to the grounds. You can go now.”

Demi’s expression was one of hurt before it twisted into rage. She turned back to me, her lips twisting into a snarl. “This is all because of you, mutt. Like you’re worth obsessing over. I’m over it.”

And with that, she lunged.

Her hands closed around my neck before I could block her. I wasn’t used to fighting other people. Wolves didn’t pose the same threat, what with the lack of opposable thumbs. I struggled with her, and when I couldn’t pry her hands free, I yanked and sent us tumbling. It was enough to loosen her grip but we still rolled and clawed at each other.

She was animalistic in her approach, regardless of her human form; like a feral cat. It was all I could do to keep up with her. She clawed and swiped and I felt the sting of blood being drawn across my cheek. We rolled some more, and I managed to land on top, pinning her. I’d lost my stake at some point in our tussle so I used both hands to put all my weight against her, pinning her at the shoulders and trying to hold her still. She was craning her neck towards my arm and showing her teeth. When I realized what she was trying to do, I swung out and connected with her jaw.

“
You’re trying to bite me?” I demanded.

Demi didn’t answer. I’d hit her hard enough to subdue her for the moment. I took advantage of that and picked her head up and slammed it down on the rock floor beneath. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body went slack. I let go and her head lolled to one side. She was clearly unconscious, but something in me snapped. I needed to fight. It wasn’t enough to silence a stupid high school girl. I needed to rip into something – to flex my muscles and feel nothing but the thrill of winning a battle.

I jumped up and took off across the cavern, towards the fighting still going on. Cambria and Logan stood back to back, dancing around a couple of Werewolves that were slowly closing the distance. Both of them looked exhausted while the Werewolves looked fresh and full of energy. I wasn’t sure how much longer my friends could hold them off.

Beyond them, Cord and Alex were faring a little better. One of the Werewolves, the brown one that Cord had fought with, lay bleeding and still in a heap to one side. The other three were taking turns attacking. All of them moved with a speed that blew my mind, and I was struck at how much faster and stronger these Werewolves were, compared to any other I’d met. We needed backup.

“
Logan, call Kane!” I yelled.

“
On it,” he yelled back, not taking his eyes off his attacker.

I headed for them, realizing they needed the most help, but Miles’ voice called me back.

“
Last chance, Tara. Come with me now or George won’t make it.”

I froze, furious with myself for getting distracted and leaving George alone. I turned and saw that Miles had George in a tight grip, with one arm around his neck, while the other held a syringe filled with some milky fluid, poised at the vein in George’s neck.

“
No!” I yelled, running at Miles and barreling into him, knocking us all to the ground.

I rolled to my knees, pushing George aside, and put all my weight into holding Miles still. Miles said something to me, but I couldn’t hear it over the rushing sound in my ears. I pulled back and sank my fist into his cheek, relishing the sound of bone cracking as his head snapped to one side. He didn’t try to talk again, but I kept my fists moving anyway.

“
Tara!”

The sound of George’s voice calling my name was what finally got my attention. My hands stilled, and I stared down at the blood that ran from Miles’ nose and mouth before turning to face George. He looked at me with a stricken expression, and I stared back, trying to figure out the reason. He held something up, and my eyes landed on the syringe in his hand.

It was empty.

I slid away from Miles and went to George.

“
Did it –? I mean, did he –?” I stopped. I couldn’t say it.

George brought his hand to his neck. I saw a tiny trickle of blood running down into his shirt. The hole was nothing more than a pin prick, but it terrified me more than any other wound I could’ve imagined.

“
Yeah, he got me.” George’s words came out a little high pitched; like he wasn’t sure how bad it was.

Behind me, Miles groaned. I hesitated, wanting to help George but unsure how – or if it was already too late.

“
What did you do to him?” I hissed, scooting back towards Miles and shaking him. He was somewhere between conscious and not, but he managed to look pleased with himself, even through all the blood on his face.

“
I made him more than he was,” Miles whispered.

“
That stuff in the needle…that will make him like them?” I nodded toward the Werewolves across the cavern.

Miles shook his head. “Not quite. I told you, the humans didn’t take to it.” Miles broke off and spat blood out of his mouth.

“
What’s going to happen to him?” I demanded.

“
He’s going to become more than human but less than Werewolf.” Miles grinned and a tiny laugh escaped him.

I stared at Miles, trying to make sense of what he was saying, but he was being cryptic – as usual. All I knew was that this was bad. George was going to change into some sort of Werewolf, and if Miles was right, it wouldn’t be a good kind of change.

Vaguely, I became aware of the shouts of others. Kane must’ve arrived. I assumed he’d brought a good number of Hunters with him, based on the shrieks and howls of the remaining Werewolves. Still, I continued to stare down at Miles in a silent panic.

I felt a hand close around mine. I jerked, but it was only George. He’d scooted closer, and I knew he’d heard what Miles said, but he didn’t ask questions; just quietly held my hand and sat.

Across the cavern, the fighting was breaking up. The Werewolves were finally down, thanks to Kane and his reinforcements. They weren’t all dead but they were subdued – our side had clearly won – finally. Cord and Alex were backing off, their help no longer needed. I knew they’d head this way any second, and then my chance to figure out how to fix this would be gone.

“
They’ll never let him survive it anyway,” Miles said.

He was looking across the cavern, but I knew who he meant. He was right. None of the Hunters would allow this once they found out. A human, being changed into a Werewolf? Hybrids were bad enough, as far as they were concerned. This would be something else, totally.

I squeezed my eyes shut and resisted the urge to take Miles by the throat and apply pressure. He was done, anyway. Without Demi or his hybrid entourage – not to mention a broken nose and possibly jaw – he wasn’t getting away.

I could see Cord and Alex walking this way; Cord’s eyes blazed with unrestrained fury.

I turned back to Miles. “How long does he have?” I hissed.

“
Another moon, maybe two,” said Miles.

“
How do I fix it?”

“
There is no cure, if that’s what you mean. But if you want to make him whole, give him Hunter blood. Maybe it’ll be enough to retain his humanity.”

I didn’t answer. Alex and Cord were too close. Alex crouched down across from Miles and stared at me.

“
Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded.

“
What about him?” Alex gestured to George, and I made a snap decision.

“
He’s fine,” I said. “Miles, not so much.”

Alex turned his attention to Miles’ bloody face and grunted. I felt relieved to have the focus off George. I didn’t want to lie to Alex, but I couldn’t take the chance of the wrong Hunters finding out. It would only put George in more danger. I squeezed George’s hand, hoping he caught my meaning and kept his mouth shut. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him slide the syringe into his pocket, and I knew he’d understood.

“
What should we do with him?” I asked, gesturing to Miles.

He was sitting now, but had otherwise made no move to get up. Cord stood a few feet away, and if looks could kill, Miles would be nothing but ashes. Alex glanced toward Kane and considered it.

“
Kane’s still rounding things up over there,” said Alex. He looked down at Miles. “Get up.”

Miles didn’t move or give any indication that he’d heard Alex. Cord stepped forward and sank her foot into Miles’ rib cage. Miles came to life, then, turning toward Cord and snarling. She pulled her boot back, prepared to lodge another kick, but Miles rolled out of reach, and got to his feet, looking a lot more okay than he had seconds ago. He glared at Cord for a split second and then, without warning, launched himself at me.

I wasn’t ready for it, and we both went flying. I landed with a thud that stole my breath, and for a second, all I could do was gag and gasp for air. Miles had his arms around me, holding me still, and he leaned down until his lips were almost touching my ear. When he spoke, hot breath blew across my cheek. I recoiled, but Miles held firm.