Deep Wolves (21 page)

I nodded in understanding. I looked down at the blade to see if I actually cut him but there was no blood on it. I lightly placed my finger against the edge of it and could feel how sharp it was.

“It
is
dangerous,” I said. “But it’s still short. I have to put myself close to them.”

“If you’re forced to use that, you’re in danger either way.”

“I think I got the hang of it. Maybe we should move on to the next lesson.”

“I’m afraid I don’t get your meaning, Ms. Everhart.”

I pointed at his hip with the dagger. We both looked at the sword that he had sheathed. He then looked at me and started to laugh softly.

“I don’t think we’ve gotten to that point, Ms. Everhart.”

“How do you know if you won’t even let me try?”

I stared at him, no smile on my face to let him know that I was serious. I didn’t feel safe out here. I wanted to use everything available to me. Irvine sighed and held the blade up. He removed it from his sheath then turned the handle to me.

“All right, Ms. Everhart. Let’s see if you can handle a bigger weapon.”

I dropped the dagger down to the ground and took the grip of his sword with one hand. He let go of the sword and gravity took its effect. It fell down to the ground with a thunk, taking my arms along with it.

“Both hands,” he chuckled.

“Right.”

I wrapped both of my hands around the handle and picked it up from the ground. Even though the weight of it was something I wasn’t used to, I was still able to hold it up without dropping it. My arms were straining and my muscles were flexed but I was able to wield it with some degree of competence. Irvine stood off to the side as I jokingly mimicked the way he used it.

“This what you look like,” I said as I made the same motions with the sword that he did.

“Is that what I look like?” he smiled.

“That’s right, Mr. Gold. I see everything. I am the hunter known as Ariel Everhart.”

Irvine burst into a laughter that echoed through the trees. Even I couldn’t fight the smile on my face. Despite how obnoxious I probably looked, the sword didn’t feel as uncomfortable in my hands as I thought it would.

“Almost,” he smiled. “Let me show you.”

He walked behind me.

“Hold it up.”

I picked the sword up and pointed it out in front of me. My body jerked as Irvine suddenly pressed himself up against my back. He wrapped his arms around mine and gripped my hands. I squeezed tighter on the handle and we held the sword together.

“Just as the dagger is an extension of you, so is the sword,” he whispered into my ear. “But a sword is much longer. Think of your hands as an additional elbow. Bend your elbow and manipulate it. Point it in the direction they are coming from.”

Irvine guided my arms from one side to the other. The sword moved around in a smooth and controlled motion in his arms. The way he moved it made it feel natural. It was poetry in motion.

“Don’t force it,” he whispered. “Just as you would let your enemy fall upon the blade, let the sword move where it goes. Don’t fight the natural tendencies of where it will go.”

“If I’m to let it go where it will, how do I control it?”

“That’s the key, Ms. Everhart. You don’t control it. You only guide it. Then you let it take its own course.”

I closed my eyes and got used to the motions Irvine put me through. His body was close to mine, his arms wrapped around me. I could feel his breath upon my skin as he whispered into my ear and continued to instruct me. His face was beginning to move closer to mine. It was such an odd contrast to the way Vaughn’s face felt. Even though a beard was beginning to grow from being away from civilization for so long, Irvine’s face was noticeably smoother and clean-cut. I felt comfortable in his arms, no longer thinking about anything but the two of us. His lips gently touched my ear as he whispered.

“Just like that, Ms. Everhart. Let it flow through you…”

“You look like a professional.”

I jerked my eyes open at the sound of the voice. Irvine pulled away from me and my arms fell, the blade crashing against the ground.

“Vaughn! Y-you scared me.”

“It’s a good thing you aren’t any better with that weapon,” he joked. “You would’ve cut right through me.”

“I’m afraid she isn’t that proficient yet, Vaughn,” Irvine laughed. “But if she puts in enough time, I’m sure she’ll get to that point.”

“Let’s hope that Ariel won’t need to learn how to wield such dangerous weapons.”

“Indeed.”

Irvine took the sword and sheathed it. He then picked the dagger up from the ground and held it to me.

“Practice,” he said. “But don’t practice too hard. How well you wield it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the strength to hold it.”

He nodded to me then did the same to Vaughn. He disappeared back into the den of the Capes and left me alone with Vaughn. I stood there with the dagger unintentionally pointed at Vaughn.

“So, are you going to use that thing on me?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t think of it.”

“Don’t be so sure, Ariel. There’s a monster inside of me. It might come out and do things that you would protest.”

He took a few steps toward me. I playfully pointed the dagger at him with a smile on my face.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Regardless of what form you took, I would never use this on you.”

“Are you sure? What if I asked you to?”

“I wouldn’t. Not even if you asked.”

“I don’t know, Ariel… I might be really kinky. I’m into some things that you’re not aware of yet.”

He stared at me and I looked at him confused. For a second, I almost thought he was being serious. But he couldn’t hold it back any longer, the smile coming upon his face.

“Kinky I can handle,” I grinned. “Murder, on the other hand…”

“Ariel,” he sighed as he got closer to me. “You don’t need a dagger to carve my heart out of my chest. The worst pain you could cause me would no longer allowing me to be in your presence.”

I lowered the knife and he wrapped his arms around me. I sunk my head into his chest and dropped the dagger onto the ground.

“This is all so different to me,” I whispered to him. “I don’t—”

“Ariel, you don’t have to say anything. I understand what this must be like for you. What you’ve done is more than anybody could ever ask of you. I’m amazed that you’re still by my side. And I will do anything to show you that I am grateful.”

“Vaughn… I’m scared, Vaughn. I’m afraid of what might happen to you… to us.”

He squeezed me tighter and I did the same to him. I had never felt more comfortable than in Vaughn’s arms. Just being with him made me feel like I was on another planet. But something was waiting for us. I didn’t know what it was but it was a threat to everything I loved and cared for.

He pulled away from me and looked down at me. I looked up and stared at him. There was a wolf inside of him. But the peace I felt from looking into his blue eyes made me forget about what he really was.

“I don’t know what will happen, Ariel. I can’t predict the future. But I promise you that I won’t let any harm come to you. I will do everything I can to stay with you. An entire city of wolves will not be enough to stop me from being by your side.”

I looked away from him as I started to blush. I slowly lowered my arms from him and pulled away from his embrace. In an attempt to hide the emotions I was feeling, I coughed and pretended to clear my throat. Vaughn bent down and picked the dagger up.

“Don’t forget this,” he said as he held it out to me. “Come on. Let’s get some rest. We have some work to do.”

I smiled at him as I took the dagger. With my other hand, I took one of Vaughn’s hands and together we walked back into the den to prepare for what lied ahead.

Chapter 22

We spent the next few days within Capes territory. I had been away from civilization for so long that I was beginning to grow accustomed to being in the presence of non-humans. Some of the other wolves that lived on the edge of the city managed to get news back to us about what was going on. More people were being murdered and the police were baffled as to who was responsible. The body count was beginning to rise and I grew more fearful that there would be nothing we could do to stop it.

We were safe here though. There were reports of small skirmishes between the Nakas and the Shidos but nothing on a larger scale. It was becoming more and more apparent that this conflict wouldn’t be settled without violence.

With two of the larger clans joining our side, we were able to convince the smaller groups to follow our lead. Our union grew larger and even though our numbers were still dwarfed by the Nakas, there were now thousands of wolves that understood the threat.

There were more than enough provisions to go around. Because Irvine and I were the only humans, we didn’t have to worry about running out of food or water. And even if it did get to that point, there was still plenty of sweets and junk food leftover from our trip into the city.

The day finally came. All of the clans had chosen our side. Everybody was able to see reason in one way or another. The Nakas were alone in their attempt to spread fear and terror across the city. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to get them to listen to us.

We all gathered inside Sosa’s den. Cyrus stood there with Shiva by his side to represent the Doras. I could see Yung not far away from him, peeking his head over his shoulder to listen in on what was going on. Sosa was here as well even though his arms and attention were occupied by Jynx and Avina. Rio stood next to them attentively, waiting for everything to begin. Despite protesting at first, even Daric came here with Inez. Though I wasn’t completely happy to see them—Inez’s eyes always lingering upon Vaughn—I couldn’t deny how impressive it was. We had accomplished the impossible. The Doras, Capes and Shidos were all under one roof with representatives from the smaller clans here as well.

Everybody circled around Irvine, who began to explain the situation to everybody.

“Okay, listen up,” he said. “The Nakas have wolves all over the city. They won’t be hard to find. But we don’t want just any of them. We need to speak to their leader. In order to do that, every Alpha needs to come out and show yourself.”

“And that’s when we attack,” Daric said, his slanted eyes full of rage.

“No!” Irvine protested. “We are drawing them out because we need to speak to them. The Nakas you brutally beat said that they were being influenced. We need answers. If you attack, we won’t get those answers. You are just as vulnerable to whatever is controlling them as they are.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

Daric sarcastically agreed with Irvine. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, half-paying attention to everything else Irvine was saying.

“We get them to talk,” Irvine explained.

“But what if they don’t want to talk?” Rio asked.

“That’s where the rest of your clan comes in. Every Alpha will be gathered in the center. Tell your brothers and sisters to create a perimeter. If they’re not interested in talking, we can’t allow them to surround us. If we must fight… then we will fight.”

“Good,” Cyrus said. “I will enjoy the opportunity to get my hands on the people who would violate our laws.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Irvine said.

“Irvine, where will all of this be happening?” I asked.

“We need to be out in the open. Somewhere they will be able to spot us easily. We’re heading to Manhattan. Right in the middle of Central Park.”

“Is that such a wise idea?” Yung asked.

“They won’t start a war out in the open. People are going to see. The city is already on edge. Patrol cars are looking for any reason to pull their guns out and shoot. They’ll have to deal with more than us if they decide they want to fight.”

“How do we know it will be just them?” I asked. “I mean, there’s a sniper out there who’s firing upon us. I know it isn’t just the Nakas we’re dealing with.”

“We’ll have support on every building in the city. Make sure everybody keeps their eyes open. This guy is dangerous but he’s not invisible.”

Everything seemed to be in order. The plan seemed so simple. I didn’t question Irvine’s competence. But I knew that things wouldn’t be that easy. I had this horrible feeling in my stomach that the Nakas were not going to see the reason that Irvine was so optimistic about.

“Okay, everybody, that’s it,” Irvine said. “Are there any more questions?”

“Yeah, I got one,” Sosa said.

“What is it?”

“Can we stop by a hot dog stand before we head out there? I don’t remember the last time I’ve been out to the city.”

He chuckled along with Jynx and Avina. But everybody else was silent. We all stared at him and his moment of amusement quickly ended.

“All right,” Irvine said as he shook his head. “You know what the plan is. This is it. Let’s move out.”

The Alphas all headed toward the exit. Before they left, the rest of their clans shifted into wolves and quickly ran out. Our destination was several miles away but it wouldn’t take them long to get there.

I was one of the last few to leave the cave. I walked alongside Irvine and Vaughn, my nerves beginning to get the best of me. I could feel myself starting to shake with fear. When I did, Vaughn took my hand and held it firmly.

“Nothing will happen to you,” he said.

“I-I know. I just don’t know what’s going to happen to everybody else, that’s all.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Irvine said to me. “Let’s go.”

We got into the van and quickly headed toward our destination. It was well past midnight. The streets weren’t as alive as I remembered them but there were still cars in the streets and people walking alongside them. It seemed like only a few moments had passed when we arrived in Manhattan.

Central Park was sprawling. It was significantly larger than I imagined. The grass spread for more than a mile. I wondered if it would still be able to house all of the wolves that would soon occupy it if anything went wrong. Underneath the moon and the stars, the park was peaceful. There were still some people who were awake at this ungodly hour but for the most part, it was relatively empty.