Time Mends (33 page)

“
You want to protect the
young, but you’re still going to Marie Antoinette me,
right?”

Stefan’s heavy hand rested on my shoulder.
“To protect our young, I must.” His eyes looked curiously wet as he
dropped his voice. “I honestly believe you don’t know what you are
and never meant to cause harm, but I can’t risk being wrong.
Sometimes individual sacrifices must be made for the well-being of
many.”

My throat closed up, choking off the ability
to speak. Not that I knew what I would say to that. Somehow it
didn’t feel like a victory to have Stefan on my side if I was going
to go ahead and die anyway.

“
Charles,” Stefan said to
the boy who hovered closer than any of the others, “would you like
a moment to say goodbye?”

Charlie’s thank you was low-pitched and
gravely as he came forward, yet there were no tears in his
brilliant green eyes. His hand went around to clasp the back of my
neck, pulling my forehead forward to touch his.

“
Be strong, be courageous,
and do not be afraid.”

“
Ummm… Isn’t that a church
song?”

A raise of eyebrows. “Seemed
appropriate.”

“
Take care of them, okay?”
I didn’t need to tell him who they were. He knew me as well I knew
him. “They’ll need you, not Zombie Charlie.” The forehead against
mine bobbed slightly. “I need to you promise, Charlie. Promise me
you won’t go all silent and disconnected again.”

“
I promise.”

This time it was my forehead doing the
bobbing thing.

No one interrupted as we stood there, taking
warmth and comfort from each other for the last time. The thumb of
Charlie’s free hand, the one not still attached to the back of my
neck, traced my bottom lip. It was soon replaced by his lips. It
was a soft and sweet kiss, but not one of lovers. It was two
friends who existed together for so long they were woven into the
fabric of each other’s very soul saying goodbye. Then I was being
pulled into a hug so ferocious I couldn’t breath.

“
See the tree straight
ahead with a knot in it?” Nothing more than a breath against my
ear. I found the gnarled trunk and nodded. “Run that way as fast as
you can.”

And then Charlie released me so quickly I
almost fell onto the ground. I don’t know when he’d grabbed the
gun, but he managed to fire off two shots before Hashim tackled
him.

A half a heartbeat later, I was grabbed from
behind, two arms the size of my thighs wrapping around my waist.
Something deeper and more primal than the instinct of a fighter had
me wrapping a leg around to jerk my foot against the back of an
ankle as my head slammed back to crush a nose but finding a throat
instead.

This time I did tumble to the ground upon
being released. Thanks to the handcuffs, my fall was broken by my
already sore face. I had to force my eyes open against the pain.
When I did, I found the world awash in muted colors.

I felt instead of saw Travis coming at me
again and rolled over. Rocking back to gain momentum, I sprang up
to meet him face to face. The move wasn’t anything I could have
done as a normal human girl, no matter the amount of training, but
the wolf was running the show at this point. And unlike when she
skirmished with Jase, she was fighting for her life.

Travis threw a punch, but I darted to the
left just in time to save my jaw from being shattered into a
million little bits. The next one, however, landed in my lower
ribs. The kick to my hip also managed to connect, and with it I
went flying backwards. I fell hard on my hands, an audible snap
letting me know at least one bone was broken. Then a booted foot
slammed into my side. The pain was so intense, I blacked out.

When I swam back to consciousness, Travis
was no longer standing over me. I knew my thumb was broken, if not
literally crushed, and at least a few of my ribs were also no
longer in one piece. I was outnumbered and in handcuffs. And if I
did manage to win this fight, then what? There was still a building
full of Shifters who thought me a traitor, and there was no doubt
the rest of the Alpha Pack, who was holding down the fort in
Romania, would come after me like the pack of wild dogs they were
under a full moon. It was a hopeless situation, one I had no chance
of coming through alive.

But then I found a reason to keep fighting.
He was holding his own between three of the most lethal Shifters in
the world, moving with such grace it was hard not to just stare in
awe. I might have still given up if hope hadn’t come in the form of
a scent on the wind.

I tugged on my handcuffs, trying not to draw
the attention of the men fighting Charlie. My broken thumb made
them loose, but not quite enough to pull my hand free. Convincing
myself the pain would be bearable, I pulled against the metal with
my preternatural strength, breaking the knuckle of my pinky finger
and pulling my hand through. Somehow, I managed to stay conscious
as I pulled myself up with considerable effort.

The trek, however, garnered the attention of
the Shifter who still saw himself as being on Scout Duty. Travis
came at me full force. As his fist slammed out, I stepped forward,
sweeping by his outstretched body. The gun came out of its holster
with ease, although I almost lost it when an elbow planted into my
stomach.

The next thirty seconds went by at the speed
of light, yet I was able to take in every action - My finger
squeezing the trigger. Travis’s body jerking from the impact before
crumbling to the ground. The gray wolf launching itself over his
fallen body and onto Hashim, who had come up behind me without my
knowledge. Hashim and the wolf plowing into the earth. The wolf
ripping out all the important stuff in Hashim’s throat with one
quick bite. The sound of a snap that had me turning to see Charlie
releasing Mandla’s head, which was now attached to his neck at a
completely wrong angle.

We were all covered in blood. I could taste
it on my mouth, which was probably as stained as the wolf’s.
Charlie looked like the lone survivor of a zombie movie, the simple
white button-up shirt he’d worn for the trial half untucked, ripped
in various places, and sporting more than one red stain. His face
was bruised, his arm bore deep gashes, and I felt certain his left
leg was broken, but he was still standing.

It didn’t seem possible, but the ground was
littered with the bodies of the Alpha Pack’s elite, and Charlie was
still standing.

“
Go,” he demanded the
moment our eyes met. “Get out of here.”

“
Stefan is still alive.” I
could hear his wet respirations and slowing heartbeat.

“
Not for long.” He looked
towards the trail, obviously hearing the same thing I did. “Dammit,
Scout, they’re coming. Don’t make this be for nothing.
Go!”

That is what got me to move. Not the sound
of the others rushing to scene. Not the wolf, who was butting his
head against my leg and growling at me to get moving. No, it was
Charlie telling me to not let all this blood be spilled for
nothing. With one last look over my shoulder, I took off through
the forrest, a gray wolf at my heels, refusing to slow down, even
when the sound a gun echoed through the night.

***

The truck was parked where the trees met a
large overgrown field. It was a monstrous affair with a full size
cab and more wheels than any vehicle not hauling mass quantities of
goods cross-the country needed. I jerked open the driver’s door
with my good hand. The wolf bolted into the back seat, and after
three attempts, I pulled myself into the driver’s seat.

Driving a vehicle that big across a field
filled with holes and ruts isn’t easy for a Prius owner on the best
of days, but having the use of only one hand made it near
impossible. I breathed a sigh of relief when not only did I make it
to the road, but I even knew where we were.

The drive should have taken twenty minutes,
but I didn’t know how likely it was someone was following, so we
made it in twelve. The gate Talley showed me was distinctive, and
one I knew well. The ostentatious thing with tons of curlicues and
an “R” proudly displayed in the middle came from some rich guy’s
house when he bought a fancy electric deal to replace them with.
The discarded gates now kept trespassers from using an old access
road for a local fuel company. However, the company’s general
manager was one of Mom’s brothers, and he’d shown us how to jimmy
the lock open so Dad could use the car-free stretch to teach all of
us - Jase, Charlie, Talley, and me - how to drive.

Despite my rush, I redid the lock after
driving the truck through, hoping to delay anyone who came looking
for us. My eyes strayed to the backseat as I jogged back. The sight
of a sun-kissed shoulder had me looking away quickly, my cheeks
ablaze.

My eyes watered as I drove over a mile to my
next location. The fumes had always been awful, but with my Shifter
senses they were nearly unbearable. I found the barn, which wasn’t
really a barn but an old office, near the base of one of the
fifty-foot high tanks containing fuel that would be hauled down the
river on barges. The back of the building had a garage type place,
probably where they’d parked gas trucks at one point in history.
There was already an older four-door sedan of some sort parked
inside. I pulled up next to it and cut the engine.

“
Are they following us?” I
asked.

“
They will be.”

“
The gas. It’s to cover
our scent, right?”

“
Hopefully.”

I took a deep breath. Turning off the truck
felt like a conclusion, as if the chaos was over, but I knew it had
only just begun. “So, what do we do now?”

Liam’s grey eyes met mine in the review
mirror. “Now we try to outrun fate.”

Acknowledgements

Thanks goes out to
Crystal, Jennifer, Alyson & Erin for reading early copies and
helping me and Scout find our way; the Beta Fish (Emily D, Emily M,
Jake, Kathryn, Meg, Rachel, Tori, & Victoria) for their
insights and enthusiasm; the Florida Crew (Crystal, Jason,
Jennifer, Becky, Dusty, Corinne, Shauna, Matthew, Ben, and Brady)
for letting me do the hermit writer thing on vacation; Ben, the
world’s youngest writing coach, for that oh-so-enlightening episode
of
Fish Hooks
;
Dr. Joe for always answering my random science related questions
and doing so in a way I can actually understand; Brandon for making
sure Scout and company knows how to kick ass; and most of all my
family, who has been supportive and encouraging, even when I slide
off the deep end on occasion. To everyone who read
Destiny Binds
and wrote
a review on Amazon, Goodreads, their blog, or anywhere else on the
Inner-Webs, I adore you. Thank you all so much for
reading!

with
Fate Succumbs
.

*Projected release date subject to
change.

For more information, please visit

www.misstammywrites.blogspot.com
.

About the Author

Tammy Blackwell is a Young
Adult Services Coordinator for a public library system in Kentucky.
When she’s not reading, writing, cataloging, or talking about YA
books, she’s sleeping. You can follow her on Twitter (@Miss_Tammy),
write to her at
[email protected]
, or
visit her at www.misstammywrites.blogspot.com.