Red Moon Rising (10 page)

A loud howl cut through the cold air, and a large red wolf
came bounding through the trees.  He leaped at the faerie.  His jaws opened
wide and his large white teeth snapped viciously as he landed on the hideous
creature.  The wolf wrapped his mouth around the faerie’s head and with a quick
violent jerk, ripped the faerie’s head from its body.

He raised his snout to the sky and howled piercingly. 
Behind him, two other wolves, one grey and one white, were tearing into one of
the remaining faeries.  Its guts poured out of it in a slippery slide of blood,
and they turned away from its dying body.  The faerie Evan had injured raised
its hand in supplication and tried to crawl away.

“No.”  It whispered as the white wolf stalked towards it.  The
wolf knocked it onto its back, and the faerie’s scream turned to a gurgling
moan as the wolf ripped its throat out.  The faerie she had blinded had
collapsed against a tree, and the white wolf loped almost casually to it and
tore a gaping hole in its chest. 

The red wolf was standing over her and she stared up into
its jade-coloured eyes.  “James.”  She whispered.

It whined softly and then ran towards his brother as
Sophia’s voice rang out.  She had shifted back to human form, and she was
kneeling naked next to Evan.

“James!  He needs you!”  James shifted back to human and
quickly lifted the brown wolf into his arms.  He held Evan against his chest as
the wolf whimpered with pain.  Sophia stroked his head lightly.

“You’re okay Evan.  You’re okay honey.”  She soothed. 

Bee staggered to her feet as Nicholas, naked and panting
loudly, appeared beside her.  “Are you okay Bree?”

“I’m fine.  Evan - is Evan okay?”

“We need to get him home.”  James gathered Evan closer and
began to stride through the trees.  Without looking at Bree, Sophia followed.

“Can you walk Bree?”  Nicholas asked anxiously.

“Yes.”  Her entire body was aching from being slammed into
the tree, and the wound on her back where she had been stabbed with the
faerie’s spear was burning and itching.  Ignoring it, she picked up her bag and
gave Nicholas a grim smile as he took her hand.  They hurried after James and
Sophia.

Bree looked up as the door to the bedroom swung open and
James and Nicholas entered.  When they had arrived home, James had carried Evan
to Avery and the three of them had disappeared into Avery and Tristan’s room. 
Nicholas had led her to her room and given her curt instructions to stay in the
room before leaving.

That had been three hours ago and she had been pacing the
room ever since.  She had nearly left the room a few times, but the memory of
the look on Nicky’s face when he told her to stay had kept her in the room.

“Is he okay?”  She whispered, her hands wringing nervously
together.

Nicky nodded.  “Yes.  He’s with mama.”

“Thank the gods.”  Relief flooded through her and she gave
the brothers a weak smile.

James stared grimly at her as Nicholas sighed deeply.  “How
do you feel Bree?  Were you injured?”

“No, I’m okay.”  She had used one of her shirts to stem the
bleeding from the wound on her back.  It had oozed some yellow liquid at first,
and she had rinsed it carefully until it appeared clean.  It was burning and
itching fiercely but the wound looked shallow to her.  After what happened, she
didn’t have the courage to ask James to heal it.  It would have to heal on its
own.

“I’m so sorry.”  She said.  “I didn’t know Evan was
following me.  If I had, I would never have let him – “

“Where were you going?”  James interrupted her.  “You
weren’t heading towards Vanden.”

“I um – “ 

She swallowed nervously as James gave her an impatient look.

“I knew I didn’t have enough money to get to Vanden and I
um, I was going to a friend’s house.  I thought I could stay with them while I
earned more money before going – “

“Stop lying!”  James suddenly roared and she shrank back
from his hot gaze.

He stalked towards her.  “Stop lying Bree and tell me the
truth for once!”  He glared angrily at her, and she straightened her spine and
returned his gaze defiantly.

“Yelling at me isn’t going to make me tell you anything.” 
She snapped.

“My brother almost died because of you Bree.  We saved your
life, took you in and fed you, and gave you a place to stay.  You owe us the
truth!”  He shouted.

“I didn’t mean for Evan to get hurt.  I told you if I had
known he was following me I – “

“You’re a foolish little girl and I should have left you to
die in the forest!”  He shouted again.

“James!”  Nicholas grabbed his arm and shoved him
backwards.  “Leave!  Leave right now!”

James growled at him and Nicholas shoved him again.  “I mean
it James.  Leave.  If you don’t I will drag you out of here like a small pup. 
I swear to the gods I will.”

James stared at him for a long moment before stalking from
the room.  He slammed the door behind him as Nicky stared quietly at Bree.

Her face was pale and her mouth was trembling, but she took
a deep breath and faced him squarely.

“He didn’t mean that Bree.  He’s just upset about Evan and
about you.  When we discovered you were both gone he went crazy.”  Nicholas
said quietly.

She sighed.  “He meant what he said Nicky.  We both know
it.”

He shook his head.  “No, he didn’t.  We were following yours
and Evan’s scent and when he – when he heard you scream, the look on his
face...”  Nicholas trailed off and he gave her a strained smile. 

“He cares for you little one.”  He said softly.

“No Nicky.  He doesn’t.  It doesn’t matter anyway.  I just
want to see Evan and tell him I’m sorry, and then I’ll be leaving.  Your
brother is right – you’ve done so much for me and I’ve done nothing but bring
trouble to your family.  It’s better for everyone if I go.”

“You’re not going anywhere Bree.”

She stiffened.  “Do you mean to keep me as a prisoner
Nicky?”

He sighed.  “Evan almost died.  We don’t blame you for that
– “

“He does.”  She whispered softly.

Nicholas scrubbed his hand through his hair.  “We don’t
blame you but you owe us an explanation and until you give us one, you’re not
leaving.”

He hesitated.  “We can’t trust you right now Bree.  You know
that don’t you?”

She nodded as he walked towards the door.  “I’ll have Marian
bring you some food.”  He stepped out of the room and she heard the click of
the lock as he shut the door firmly.

* * *

She was so hot she couldn’t stand it.  Although there was no
fireplace, the room was curiously warm and she had stripped down to her shirt. 
The food Marian had given to her earlier lay untouched on the side table.  She
had no appetite, and the wound on her back was throbbing with a deep pulsing
pain she had never felt before.

She scratched at the skin on her arms.  The burning and
itching from the wound had spread through her entire body over the last few
hours, and she had shallow bloody scrapes on her torso and thighs where she had
scratched them raw.

Using the mirror on the wall she had examined the wound,
sucking in her breath at the sight of it.  Her entire back was bright red and
the area around the wound had swollen into a hard, hot ball of flesh.  Just
touching it sent a bolt of agony through her entire back.  The bleeding had
stopped but it was oozing a dark, thick yellow fluid that smelled like rotting meat.

She had tried to sleep but the itching and pain would not
allow her to.  In the middle of the night she had climbed out of bed, dismayed at
how weak her legs were, and stumbled to the water pitcher.  She had drank
deeply and then poured it over her burning skin.  It throbbed like fire against
her wound, and she had rushed to the basin next to the bed and thrown up bile
and blood.

Now, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.  Her face
was pale and her eyes were sunken into her head.  The fever raging through her
had drawn every last bit of moisture from her body, and she licked her chapped
lips and smiled weakly at Tia.

“Poison, Tia.  The spear must have had poison on it. I think
– I think I’m dying.”  The dog trembled in her view, and she blinked rapidly
and ran a shaking hand over her face.  When she looked again the dog had
disappeared and she stared around the room in confusion. 

“Pull yourself together Bree.”  She moaned.  “Tia isn’t
here.”

She shook herself, wincing at the way it made pain radiate
through her.  The fever was making her delirious.  She had not seen anyone
since Marian had brought her food earlier.  For all she knew, the Lycans had
killed her little dog by now.

They wouldn’t.  You know they wouldn’t.  Don’t be
ridiculous.  It’s the fever that’s all.  Pound on the door - hell, pound on the
wall - until someone comes.  You need help.

“He was right you know Tia.”  She croaked.  The little dog
was back, staring gravely at her, and it followed her as she staggered to the
water pitcher.  “He should have left me to die in the forest.”

She tipped the water pitcher to her mouth, moaning softly
when only a few drops of water dripped into her mouth.  She tossed it aside and
stumbled towards the bed.  The world wavered alarmingly and she sunk slowly to
her knees beside the side of the bed, resting her forehead on the mattress.

She scratched at her neck, tearing at the soft skin until
blood appeared.  She examined the blood on her fingers with disinterest before
turning to look at Tia.

“I wish I had told him the truth.”  She told the dog.  “I
wish I had told him that I think I love him, and that I was scared Kaden would
hate me for it.”

She coughed harshly, not noticing the fine spray of blood
that flew out of her mouth and covered the quilt, and then dragged in a few
shallow breaths.

“You have to tell him for me okay Tia?”  She smiled when the
little dog licked her hand.  “That’s my good girl.”

Her eyes slipped shut and she drifted.

* * *

In her dream she was a Red.  She tilted her head, staring
fascinated at the bright red strands that slipped across her vision.  She tried
to reach up to touch them, and her heart quickened with fear when she realized
her arms were tied behind her.  She looked around, her eyes widening with
dismay and confusion.  She was tied to a large wooden pole in the back yard of
the Lycan’s home.  Branches and leaves were piled around her legs and feet and
Leta, wearing a crown of flowers and carrying Tia, was dancing in a circle
around her, singing softly.

“Leta.”  She whispered.  “Help me.”

The little girl ignored her and continued to dance and
sing.  There was movement to her left and she craned her neck, fascinated all
over again by the fiery strands that swung about her head.  Sophia was standing
next to the clothesline.  Instead of clothes, she was draping the skinned flesh
of the faeries over the line.  Their skin flapped in the breeze, carrying the
scent of death to her, and she moaned with fear.

“Sophia…please.”  She whispered.

Sophia turned towards her and Bree shrieked with horror.  The
Lycan’s eyes were missing and blood ran in thin lines down her smooth cheeks. 
“He should have let you die Bree.”

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”  She cried repeatedly as Avery
and Tristan appeared in front of her.  In Tristan’s arms was the limp body of
Evan.

“You killed my baby boy.”  Avery whispered.  “I took you
into my home, and you killed my baby boy.”

“The Red must burn.”  Tristan sighed softly.

“I’m sorry!”  Bree cried again.  There was a low growling to
her right as James in his wolf form approached her.  He carried a burning torch
in his mouth and she moaned with fear.

“Please James, I love you.  Please don’t do this.”

He jerked his large shaggy head and tossed the burning torch
into the branches at her feet.  As the leaves and branches caught fire and the
flames grew, she squinted through the smoke. 

James had shifted back into his human form and he was
staring silently at her.  Nicky appeared beside him and he gave Bree a look of
sorrow.  “You should have told us the truth little one.”

“I will!”  She screamed.  “Please let me go!  I’ll tell you
everything!”

“It’s too late.”  James intoned as large leathery wings
sprouted from his back.  “The Red must burn.”

As her skin began to burn, Bree opened her mouth and
shrieked.  She writhed in pain as the flames licked at her flesh.  She deserved
to die; she –

Bree jerked herself awake.  Her head slipped from the bed
and she fell sideways, whacking her skull on the floor so hard she saw stars. 
Moaning and crying, she grabbed on to the bed and pulled herself into a sitting
position.

She turned and leaned against the bed, barely noticing when
the pressure of the bed split open the wound, and blood and foul-smelling pus
dripped down her back.  She ran her tongue over her lips, feeling the dry and
cracked flesh, and cackled loudly.

She had burned to death in her dream, and now the fever
would burn her to death from the inside out.  She squinted out the window.  It
was dawn; she could see the sun rising over the horizon.  She wished she was
outside.  It would be better to die feeling the sun on her face.

The door to the bedroom opened and she stared blearily at
the figures in the doorway.  “Hello Sophia.  Hello Nicky.”  She smiled at them
and coughed harshly.  Blood dripped down her chin and she wiped it away wearily.

“Are you here to kill me?”  She asked dully.

“Gods be damned.”  Nicholas gave Sophia a look of horror and
the two of them ran to Bree.  Sophia touched her forehead and her eyes widened.

“Nicky, she’s burning up!”

Nicholas squatted beside Bree and brushed her damp, lank
hair away from her face.  “Can you hear me little one?”

“I’m dying.  I deserve to die.”  She sang in a hoarse
voice.  Goosebumps rose on Sophia’s flesh.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Nicholas sniffed at Bree’s skin.  “Bree, were you stabbed by
the faeries?”

“Kaden!”  Bree suddenly shrieked.  “Where are you?  I can’t
find you!  Where are you?”

Nicholas grabbed her shoulders and tilted her forward.  The
back of her shirt was covered in blood and a foul-smelling liquid, and he
grimaced.

“She must have been stabbed.  The poison from the spear is
killing her.”

“Kaden.”  Bree moaned.  “Please help me.”

“Go and get James.”  Nicholas said to Sophia.

Sophia was staring at Bree with wide, frightened eyes, and
Nicholas reached out and shook her roughly.  “Sophia!  She’s dying.  We need
James.  Go quickly!”

Sophia nodded and sprinted from the room, shouting James’
name.