Dauntless (9 page)

With a heavy sigh he plunked down on the ground and bit into the apple, seeming quite content.

“We’re going to back through the bush and come out onto the road a ways down,” Dan said.

Sebastian and I nodded our agreement, but the second we rose to go deeper into the bush, Bob let out a roar, freezing us in our tracks.

With great trepidation I turned, fully expecting Bob to be bearing down on us. In some ways, it was worse than that. The Nevermore pack had him surrounded, Jessica once more taking the lead.

As a single unit they leapt at Bob, two of them latching on to his back, their teeth burrowing into the flesh on his neck. I clenched my hands into fists. “Get them Bob!” I urged, still keeping my voice low.

A hand on my arm turned me. “We have to go Mara, this is our chance,” Sebastian said. I let him lead me away as Bob’s roars echoed through the neighbourhood. They went on for some time before a single howl went up from the pack, quickly joined by the rest.

“They killed him,” Sebastian said, his voice soft.

“You can’t be sure. He could’ve gotten away,” I said, pushing a branch aside.

He glanced down at me. “I do know Mara. I still understand their language, even if I’m not one of them anymore.”

“It’s just one more reason for us to keep going,” Dan said. He sped up the pace and even with his broken arm and the fact that he had twenty years on me, I found myself panting to keep up.

The rest of the day was uneventful; the pack presumably had enough food to last them a while and we took advantage of the respite. We stopped briefly for water and some berries twice, but that was it. By the time night fell, we had just made it into Deep Bay and Dan led us to a small house on the water front.

“We’ll stay here tonight. I’ve got supplies stocked in the pantry and we can get to the boat tomorrow. If there was more light, we’d go now, but in the dark it would be treacherous. It’s all trails through deep brush, perfect for an ambush,” he said. Sebastian stared at him a full minute before asking the question that was on my mind.

“How long have you been planning this, Dan?”

Dan shrugged, then grimaced as his sling shifted. “Soon as that shot came on the market.”

Sebastian grunted.

I was too exhausted to argue, my body aching and my feet swollen from walking on pavement most of the day. I wanted nothing more than to sit down for longer than five minutes.

The two men worked at opening tins of spaghetti-o’s, which we ate cold, for dinner. Nero wiggled free of his sling and Sebastian set him on the ground. The pup got his own tin of pasta and red sauce, which stained the blond hair around his mouth. The image invoked one of the Nevermores devouring their feasts, and I quickly wiped the pup’s face clean.

None of us talked much as we settled in for the night. Tomorrow was the day we got out of here, the day I could finally let my guard down and say goodbye to some of my fears as we left the pack behind.

Unfortunately for me, tomorrow was a day too far away.

14

A shattering of glass brought me bolt upright out of the nightmares I’d been reliving in my fitful sleep. Leaping to my feet in the semi-darkness, I grabbed my pack and had Nero in his sling before either of the two men were on their feet.

“The pack found us,” I said.

“You sure?” Sebastian asked.

“Who else is going to be throwing rocks at us and breaking windows?” I asked, handing him his pack. No doubt that they were learning the longer the drug was in their systems.

The moon wasn’t high but the reflection on the water gave us enough light to see by. Sebastian slipped the pack on and then went to the window. Chills rippled through me as Sebastian let out a low growl and then a sharp yip. Nero whimpered in the sling and I stroked his head to soothe him and me.

In answer, a chorus of howls and snarls went up all around the house. We were surrounded.

“Son of a pack of bitches,” Dan cursed. He slung his own backpack on with his good arm then picked up his gun. “Come on children, we’ve got to get the hell out of here.”

“They just want Mara.” Sebastian’s words rooted me to the spot.

“What?” I whispered.

He swallowed and put his hands on my shoulders. “They can’t have you babe, we won’t let them.”

“But why?” I asked.

“I can only guess, but with Jessica leading the pack . . .” He trailed off.

I knew though. She’d seen me as a rival the minute the drug kicked in and Sebastian was a part of the pack, but more than that, he’d been their Alpha. I’d taken him from her, from the pack. It was my fault they were without a strong Alpha male.

“Out the back, it’s closest to the docks,” Dan barked out, no longer trying to be quiet. It didn’t matter now; the pack knew we were here.

“Wait!” I said. I shrugged out of my pack and opened up two of the containers of berries. “What else is here Dan?” His eyes widened, but he caught on quick.

Within moments we had a five gallon bucket full of berries, canned goods and anything else edible we could find.

Hefting the bucket high, Sebastian took the lead. “This won’t give us much time.”

“Enough to get to the water?” I said.

He shook his head. “I don’t know babe.”

“Why the water? Why not the boat?” Dan asked.

“Nevermores are heavy, they sink, they don’t float,” I said. We stood at the back door, closest to the water. The waves were still a good hundred feet away and the docks even further than that.

At a nod from Dan, his face pale even in the dim light, Sebastian stepped out first and started to pour a line of slop. Food splashed out in a horrid mess of liquids and solids; the smell of beans and sweet fruit mixing with each other made my stomach roll. I gagged and swallowed hard to keep my own food where it needed to stay.

The Nevermores came bursting out of the surrounding trees and bush, falling on the food. It was hard not to stare and even though I knew we should be running for it, I couldn’t pull my eyes away. Nero whimpered and I tucked his head into the sling.

A hand gripped my wrist and suddenly I was running full out, as fast as I could, Sebastian and Dan herding me along.

And then there was just Sebastian and me.

“Where’s Dan?” I yelped as we dodged a large rock and raced out onto the upper reaches of the beach.

“Covering us.” A large boom rattled and a chorus of screeches and howls ripped through the night air.

“No! They’ll kill him!” I said.

Sebastian said nothing, just kept pressure on me to move forward as we ran straight towards the ocean. We reached the edge of the water and he pointed up the shoreline to the docks. There, moored a ways out in the bay, was a bobbing boat.

“That’s Dan’s,” Sebastian said.

Three more sharp retorts of the rifle from behind us and then the night went silent once more. We slowed our pace; we had to. I was completely out of breath and Sebastian wasn’t much better.

The silence was punctuated by the lapping of the waves across the rocks and the distant call of an owl. Nero panted heavily, the heat from our two bodies creating far more warmth then was necessary on a summer night.

“We have to hurry,” I whispered, very aware at how our voices travelled out here in the open.

Sebastian nodded and we managed a slow jog all the way to the wharfs, down the half-rusted-out metal gangplank and onto the dock proper.

Dan’s boat was not tied to the dock, but instead was anchored ten or fifteen yards out.

“Why would he do that?” I muttered.

“He said it was so no one would steal it. It’s harder to get to and with all the other options available . . .”

We stared around us. There wasn’t a single boat left, not even a row boat.

I slipped off my pack and handed Nero and his sling to Sebastian, then gave him the vial from inside my bra. “Can’t have this floating away if I’m going for a swim.”

“I can do it,” Sebastian said.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Bastian. Are you sure you’d float?” I doubted if he’d lost the additional weight of his Nevermore created bones so quickly.

His jaw tightened and his lips thinned. “You’re right.”

I slipped out of my shirt and pants, the cool late summer air raising gooseflesh on my arms and legs. Sitting on the edge of the dock, I slid into the water with only a short gasp. Sebastian handed me a key.

“Did you and Dan plan this?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Dan slipped me the key last night. Figured I had the best chance at getting to the docks.”

I took the key and Sebastian bent forward, pressing his lips to mine. “Be careful love.”

“Always,” I said.

Something cool and slimy brushed across my legs, slowly wrapping itself up my calf and I bit down a on a scream.

“What is it?” Bastian asked me, his hand already outstretched to pull me from the water.

“Seaweed,” I hissed. “I hate the stuff, feels like it’s going to pull me under.” I started to doggy paddle away from the dock, each stroke of my hands or kick of my feet pushing through the bed of weeds.

Halfway to the boat, I spun onto my back so I could see Sebastian and maybe at least keep my hands out of the green sticky seaweed that seemed to be so attracted to me. On my back, Sebastian stood out on the dock, his tall figure silhouetted in the light of the crescent moon. But it was what crept towards him from the edge of the dock that had my complete attention.

Damn it, I should have waited. But, I was too close to the boat now to turn back. “Behind you,” I called out. He turned to face her. Sebastian would have to deal with Jessica on his own.

15

The boat’s hull was cold and had a lot of barnacles on it. On the side of the boat were deep indents that created a ladder of sorts that I used to pull myself up, handhold by agonizing handhold. My hip bumped into one of the bright orange fishing balls that hung off the side, swaying with each wave that rocked the boat.

Finally, I flipped over the railing, landing in a rather undignified heap, limbs akimbo. The key was in a death grip in my right hand and it was hard to loosen my frozen fingers.

Shaking from the cold water, and now seemingly colder night air, I fumbled with the ignition on the boat. A screech rent the air and my head snapped up to see Jessica and Sebastian at the edge of the dock, hands locked as he kept her from attacking him.

I turned the key and the engine rumbled smoothly to life. “Thank you, God,” I breathed. Knowing that steering would be tricky, I manoeuvred slowly towards the docks, flicking through all the buttons, trying to find the lights. If I could shine them on the dock, I could see how the fight was progressing. As it was, all I could catch was movement and the occasional grunt. Finally, I found the right switch and flicked it on.

Sebastian was on his knees, slumping to the side and Jessica stood over him, one foot on his chest and a wicked smile on her face. Fear and anger warred within me, slamming against my heart so hard they took my breath away. My fingers clenched on the steering wheel as Jessica bent close to his face, her mouth open to strike.

“Get away from him you bitch!” I yelled as the boat slid into one of the parking bays and bumped around before settling to a stop. I flicked the engine off and scrambled out of the boat. There was blood around Sebastian’s head, and I noted that one of the dock pylons had a dark smear on it where she’d smashed him. The only good thing was I could see the steady rise and fall of his chest. He was unconscious, but alive.

Jessica hissed at me, her eyes narrowing, her nostrils flaring as she took in my scent.

“Come on then, this is between you and me,” I snarled. She lunged at me and I caught her hands, the same as Sebastian had. She was immensely strong for such a small girl and I remembered everything that Vincent has spoken of, that I’d seen so often in the last few months.

The Nevermore’s speed, strength and ability to heal. The density of their bones and their intense fertility. As that thought bubbled forth, I looked down. Jessica was pregnant, her little belly protruding ever so slightly. But, I didn’t have time to feel sympathetic. It was me or her.

With a grunt I stomped the heel of my foot on the top of her foot; she let out a howl and snapped forward, her teeth latching on to my collarbone.

I couldn’t repress the scream that erupted out of my lips as she gnawed at my bone like a rabid dog. I forced my fingers underneath her jaw and gave a short, sharp jab. Jessica gasped and let go, shaking her head as her hands went to her jaw. I didn’t give her a second respite.

I grabbed her hands, and with a twist, spun her, using her momentum to drop her to her knees, precariously close to the edge of the dock. She whimpered as I held her wrists, holding her out over the open water.

“We are done,” I growled, bending her wrists to keep her in place. I was going to have to push her into the water if I was to end this.

She cried out and tears trembled on the edge of her eyelids, her yellow eyes with the strange rectangle irises full of more than hunger for once. They were full of fear. I felt my own eyes begin to well up. She was a Nevermore, but still, somewhere inside of her was the young girl with the beautiful blue eyes that danced when she smiled. Could I truly watch her drown knowing that perhaps she could be cured?

Jessica lowered her eyes, but I continued to hold her.

I took her hands and held them with my own, rubbing my fingers over her knuckles. If she were my daughter, my child, I would want her to have this last moment of humanity, touching one of her own kind before she forgot everything she was and could have been.

“I wish we could’ve done more.”

Frozen in place, some of my last words to Jessica rolling over and over in my mind, I think I would have stayed there indefinitely if it hadn’t been for Dan.

“What the hell woman? What were you thinking ramming my boat into the dock?” he grumbled as he stepped onto the wharf. He was covered in bites and scrapes, was limping slightly and his gun had a chunk out of the stock, but otherwise he was unscathed.

“You didn’t leave instructions on how to drive it. Now would you mind getting me some rope?” I said, trying not to smile too much. It wasn’t often you saw a friend come back from the dead.