Андреа Кремер - Nightshade

Shay ran so close his fur brushed against mine. Where are we going?

Where is Haldis? And the book? My ears flicked back and forth. The chorus of howls had stopped, allowing a terrifying quiet to settle upon the forest.

My house. I heard the fear in his reply. We have to get them, don’t we?

They’re the only clues we have left. I wished the forest would come back to life, reassuring me with its usual sounds. But there was nothing, just emptiness. Plus the Keepers want them, which means we need to take them as far away as we can.

Far away where? he asked. Where will we go?

I don’t know. The world had turned upside down; I had no answers. Anywhere but here.

I can live with that. Here isn’t working out so well for me.

I nipped his flank playfully, grateful for his attempt at humor. Even after facing tonight’s horror, he was still trying to lighten my heart.

Did we lose them? Shay leapt over a fallen log. I don’t hear the howling anymore.

My inner smile faded at his reminder that the night forest remained silent, sending a chill scurrying beneath my fur.

Just keep running.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a brief, shadowy movement. Uncertain of what I’d seen, I put on a fresh burst of speed. Snow churned up around me as I raced toward the opening in the trees ahead.

Calla! Shay’s cry of alarm sounded in my mind as a massive shape loomed from the forest, crashing into me.

All breath was forced from my lungs as I tumbled through the deep powder. My attacker and I rolled over and over until I found myself on my back, pinned down. In the next moment Ren’s human face hovered over me.

Startled and utterly bewildered by the sight of the alpha, still dressed in his tuxedo, tie hanging loose and shirt rumpled, I shifted into human form and stared back at him.

His fingers dug into my shoulders as he continued to hold me down. His words tumbled out, broken and fearful.

“I’ve been sent to kill you, Calla. To kill you and bring Shay back. Why am I here to kill you?”

“Ren.” My own voice quaked. “Let me explain. I can explain.”

Before I could speak again, a low growl sounded nearby. In his wolf form, Shay stalked toward us, his pale green eyes locked on Ren, baring razorsharp fangs. Ren’s brow furrowed as he stared at the wolf. His eyes widened and his face paled. I tensed, expecting him to shift instantly and fall on Shay.

But he didn’t. Instead he jumped to his feet, backing away from me. His eyes moved from my face to the new wolf.

“You turned him.” Ren’s voice cracked.

He stumbled backward as if he’d been blinded and fell against the thick trunk of a pine tree, his fingers tearing at the bark.

Shay hunched low, ready to strike. I rolled onto my feet and darted in front of him, blocking his path to Ren.

“No, Shay! Don’t!” I said. “I need to talk to Ren alone. Please.”

Then a boy stood before me again. “No way.” Shay was still looking past me, eyes locked on Ren, fangs catching the pale moonlight as he glared at the alpha.

“It will be all right. Just a few minutes, I promise.” I pointed in the direction I wanted him to run. “Now go.”

“Are you insane?” he snarled. “He’s one of them, Calla.”

“No. He’s not,” I said. “He won’t hurt me.”

And I knew it was true.

“Run. I’ll catch you.” He started to protest, but I cut him off. “Now, Shay. The others can’t be far behind him.”

He hesitated before slinking into the thick woods.

I stumbled through the deep snow toward Ren. His eyes were closed; his hands bled where the sharp bark of the tree had ripped away the skin of his fingers.

“Ren, look at me, please.” But his eyes remained shut.

“I knew it. This is what you want. You want him.” His eyes slowly opened; the pain reflected in his dark irises made my heart falter. “That scent—he was with you in the cave. He’s the lone wolf.”

“Ren, they’re going to make us kill him!” I blurted. “The Keepers were going to sacrifice Shay tonight. He’s our kill.”

He was silent for a moment, and I knew at least a part of Ren wanted to kill Shay. All his instincts as an alpha would push him toward that conclusion, to possess me and destroy the usurper, especially now that Shay was one of us. But another part of him, and I hoped it was the stronger part, had to know that killing Shay was wrong.

“That’s impossible,” Ren said at last, shaking his head. “There’s no way, after all they’ve asked of us. We’ve taken care of him; it’s sick.”

“It’s true,” I said, waves of relief coursing through me. “Shay went with me to the cave and he did kill the spider. But it bit me and I had to turn him. I would have died without pack blood. We had no choice.”

I didn’t want to think about how much it would hurt Ren now that he knew how long I’d kept secrets from him. How much I loved having Shay in his wolf form, running at my side. All these secrets and lies, rising from the dark unknown, circling like vultures.

“Calla, what the hell are you talking about? Why did you go to the cave with him in the first place?” Ren snapped. “None of this makes sense. Why would the Keepers ask us to kill him?”

“Shay isn’t just a human boy. He’s special.” Ren winced at the word, but I pressed on. “He’s the Scion, someone the Keepers see as a threat. He fulfills a prophecy they’re afraid of.”

“What prophecy? Calla, if our masters say he’s a threat, then why are you helping him?” he roared. “We follow the Keepers’ orders. We protect the sites.”

“No, we don’t. At least we shouldn’t. We’ve been lied to.” I tightened my hold on his arms. “I’ve read the War of All Against All, Ren. Shay found it in his uncle’s library and I read it.”

Ren’s eyes went wide with fear and fascination. “You read the Keeper’s text?”

“They lied to us, to all of us,” I said. “They’re not who they claim to be, and we’re not their loyal soldiers. We’re their slaves. Guardians have fought back in the past, resisted. Our ancestors tried to take another path, and the Keepers killed them for revolting. It’s all there, all in the history we’ve been forbidden to learn.

“I can’t live like this anymore.” My angry tears came faster. “I hate what they can do to us. What Efron does to Sabine. What could happen to Mason, to

Ansel, to Bryn . . . to any of us or all of us. I don’t want to submit, Ren. I’m an alpha.”

And then I was clinging to Ren, sobbing, even as I drove my fists into his chest.

“Calla,” Ren whispered hoarsely. “If this is about what happened on the mountain, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t want to rule you. You’re my mate and I respect your strength. I always have.”

He paused, taking a deep breath. “I’m not my father.”

Not yet. I couldn’t hide from my own fears about Emile and my mother’s words about the Bane alpha. Could Ren be so different?

“That doesn’t matter now,” I said. “None of it does. I’m leaving. I have to help Shay get out of here. I won’t let him die.”

“Why?” Ren hissed. “What about him is worth risking your own life?”

“He’s the Scion,” I whispered. “He might be the only one who can save us. All of us. What if our lives only belonged to us? What if we didn’t serve the

Keepers?”

Ren’s arms wrapped around me, pulling my body tight against him. “I don’t know how to believe you. Any of this. What else is there? This is who we are.

”

“That doesn’t make it right. You know I wouldn’t abandon my pack unless I had to,” I said quietly. “Unless it was the only way to help them.”