Willow (Blood Vine Series) (16 page)

“I’ll teach you guys to fight.” It seemed like he had come to this decision at great personal sacrifice.

“You will?”

“Yeah.”

“What made you change your mind?’ Like I cared, as long as it was changed.

“I want you to be able to protect yourself and the pack needs to be able to protect you.”

I’d take it. I ran the short distance to him and flung my arms around his neck. “Thank you.” I kissed his lips quickly. “This is a good thing,” I assured him when he still looked uncertain.

“Go tell them to be ready at the clearing in ten minutes,” he said shoving me away.

“What’s the clearing?”

“They’ll know.”

He followed me outside but morphed quickly and disappeared behind the cabin. I watched him go with a mixture of emotions. I was glad that Gage had finally agreed to teach us to fight but he so clearly didn’t want to. Maybe I shouldn’t have guilted him into it. What if he hated me because of it?

“What was his problem?” Rueben asked with a scowl.

“He’s teaching us some fighting skills.” I clapped my hands together. “He said to meet him at the clearing in ten minutes.” My voice rose in question.

“Excellent!” Jed exclaimed with a wide grin.

“So you know what the clearing is?”

“Beside the stream, about a mile out.”

I traveled the distance in my mind. Yes, it was a clearing of sorts. It was where we always stopped to rest after a hunt. It wasn’t very clear though, several trees still stood to offer shade.

“You guys need to listen to everything he says.” Rueben rolled his eyes but the others listened intently. “Gage is old so he knows a lot about fighting.” He had survived for this long on his own, he had to be a good fighter.

“Plus, he works for the vamps,” Rueben said slowly. “I’m sure they have taught him a thing or two.”

Shocked silence pervaded. “He works for the vamps?” Rodney looked like he was going to be sick.

“He works for the council.” I didn’t really see much of a difference either but I had to defend him. Rueben just looked at me, not quite a glare on his face. “We need to get going,” I said quickly. Why was Rueben always trying to irritate me?

In just a few minutes we were all running for the clearing. My steps kept pace with my heart. I had never seen a fight among wolves. Bella’s pack was fairly submissive, rarely ever fighting for anything. If they did have to fight Bella hid Ivy and me away to keep us safe.

Gage was lying in the clearing, his black fur glistening in the sun. He immediately jumped to attention when he saw us. He rubbed his muzzle against the side of my neck.

I laid down under one of the massive trees, ready to just watch. It surprised me when Gage morphed.

“The most important thing is to know your enemy,” he began without any fancy preamble.

“How are we supposed to know them?” The boys had also morphed back and were watching Gage as if he were a teacher at school. A teacher they didn’t like.

“There are things you can learn in only a few moments.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just attack right away?” Steven asked.

“Go in with guns blazing.” Jed grinned.

“Take them by surprise.”

“They’ll never know what hit them.”

Gage smiled and shook his head. “That may work in some fights, but your eagerness shows your youth.”

Rueben shrugged cockily. “There is nothing wrong with youth,” he sneered.

In a flash, Gage morphed and pounced on Rueben, knocking him to the ground before he even knew what was going on. I jumped to my feet. Even if Rueben did irritate me, I didn’t want Gage to hurt him. A thin line of bright red blood appeared on his neck but Gage let him up, otherwise unharmed.

“Youth suggests inexperience,” Gage snarled, once more on two legs.

Rueben blinked rapidly and scrambled to his feet. “You could have just said … ” he grumbled hoarsely. He wiped frantically at the blood on his neck.

I was furious but stayed in my wolf form. I had told them to listen to what Gage had to say so I had to follow that advice myself. I breathed in deeply, making my nostrils flare out.

Gage looked my way with a dark glare. The look shocked me, sucking out all the anger I had just felt. Was he angry with me? Or was he angry with Rueben? Maybe now he wouldn’t teach any of us. I settled back uncomfortably under the tree, watching Gage.

“So what do we need to learn about our enemy?” Jed asked carefully.

“If they are young,” Gage answered immediately, “their weaknesses, and what is important to them.”

The boys were all silent as they watched Gage pace back and forth in front of them. Gone were their eager looks of wanting to learn. It was more serious now that he had drawn first blood.

I cringed further down into the ground when Gage had Jed morph so they could have one on one combat. Within seconds Jed was limping back to the group, defeated. Why was Gage being so cruel? He was supposed to be helping them, not trying to humiliate them.

I crept forward when it was Rueben’s turn, almost unable to stop myself from stepping between the two. Rueben, of course, didn’t stand a chance. Gage left a long gash across his muzzle, leaving his dark brown fur streaked red.

I sprung to my feet, my loyalty going unrepentantly to Rueben. “He’s fine,” Gage said tightly.

I couldn’t answer in my wolf form. I wouldn’t have been able to answer anyways. With a small growl, I ran as quickly as possible to get away from the disturbing scene in the clearing.

Chapter Sixteen

X-Rated

I was glad that none of the boys followed me, including Gage. I tried to not be mad at him but the scene from the clearing kept playing in my mind as my stride lengthened and carried me further from my pack.

What was Gage out to prove anyways? That he was stronger than us? Smarter than us? Could fight better? We already knew that. That’s why we wanted him to teach us to fight. It wasn’t just so he could humiliate us.

I changed back to my human self when I cleared the trees. Even if someone saw me, it was better they saw a girl with torn clothing rather than a huge reddish colored wolf.

I ended up on a hillside that overlooked a large farm. From my vantage point I could see the neat little rows of fields and the white house situated perfectly in the middle. I wondered dejectedly about the family that lived there. They were probably completely normal. I could just picture them all gathering around their large wooden table for supper. They would definitely talk about school and football practice.

I sank down to the ground and pulled my knees close to my chest. My thoughts drifted unwillingly to Ivy and Bella. They were the only family I had ever known. When we were little Bella tried to make things normal for us. We never sat around a table to eat but she did try - for us.

I didn’t even try to wipe away my tears as they streamed down my face. It wasn’t fair. Was being normal too much to ask for? I had never wanted to be a wolf and now I was a leader.

Even though I was an unwilling leader I recognized what was happening to me. In less than a week they had become MY pack. I was starting to think of myself as one of them. I had to remember that Ivy was coming to take over the pack as soon as she was of age.

A rage started low in my stomach at the thought of someone taking over my pack. The feeling surprised me. I blinked rapidly, trying to squash the rage inside me.

I felt the whoosh of the air next to me as someone else joined me on the hill. “People are going to wonder what happened to us if they see us sitting up here with torn clothes.”

“Then go away.”

“They’ll probably just think we had hot and wild … ”

“Jed!”

His eyes widened in mock innocence, making us both laugh. “Why are you out here crying?” he asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

“I … ” I sighed, letting my shoulders droop over my knees. “Did he hurt you?”

I heard his scoff and when I looked up at him he was shaking his head. “Not really.”

“But a little?”

“He’s trying to help.”

“He didn’t have to be so rough.”

“Wasn’t it your idea for him to teach us?”

My eyes stung with fresh tears. “Yeah.”

“Hey.” His tone softened when he saw more tears. He pulled me into a one armed embrace.

“I just … I don’t know what I’m doing.” I kept my face hidden in his chest when I heard footsteps approaching. Why couldn’t I just have a meltdown by myself?

“Rueben is a cocky bastard,” Steven announced before he plopped heavily on the ground beside me.

“I know,” I replied in a small voice.

“It was always assumed that Rueben would be the alpha,” Jed said quietly.

“Did Noreen make him the alpha?” I sat up again, but didn’t look at Steven.

“She didn’t have the chance to, but we all knew it would be him.”

“He knew it, too,” Steven added.

“After Noreen was gone, Rueben just sort of took over the pack. We needed someone to lead us.” It was strange to think of a male as a leader but I kept quiet. I plucked out the grass by my feet; one blade at a time.

“When we were told that we were getting a new leader - a real leader - we were all relieved. And when we learned that it was a teenage girl who would become our leader Rueben became overly confident. Teenage girls are his specialty.”

Steven picked up the story when Jed fell silent. “Everyone just thought Rueben would be alpha, but it didn’t turn out like that.”

“You picked Gage.”

“Gage isn’t even part of the pack. He can’t be alpha.”

“He could be if he wanted to, though; part of the pack I mean.”

“We already have seven.”

“Noreen said that packs can be as little as three or as large as twelve.”

“Yeah but … it’s not common … and besides … ” I squinted my eyes as the possibility of Gage joining our pack flittered across my imagination. “We’re all just a bunch of teenagers to him. He’s just here for … ”

“To train us?”

“Maybe,” I was shaking my head though, “but I think mostly just for protection.”

“To protect the pack.”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

“Then why?”

I remembered when Blake had first brought me to meet Gage. He had said that Gage would protect me and not let the pack hurt me. “I think he’s here to protect me from you guys.”

“We would never hurt you,” both boys said immediately.

“I know. We weren’t sure at first, though. You’re so young and I’m young. I think Blake might have thought you wouldn’t take well to me trying to be your leader.” I looked out at the setting sun. “Because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

We all sat silent. I thought of all that had happened in just five days. A whole lifetime, it seemed.

“Gage knows what he’s doing. You know that?” I nodded my head and leaned back against Jed’s chest. “He’s not going to hurt us. He was sent to help; so he is.”

“I asked him to.” I looked over at Steven. He wore his usual calm, almost bored expression.

He shrugged. “We need it. We think we’re invincible but we’re not.” A look passed between him and Jed.

“If Mikhaul comes here for you, we need to be ready,” Jed added. His heartbeat against my ear quickened.

“If he comes here … ” I sat up straight, my eyes wide. “You guys can’t fight him.”

“Not yet.”

“But we will.”

“That’s not why … ” but I stopped myself from saying something I wasn’t sure about. Why did I want the boys to know how to fight?

“We should get back,” Steven suggested.

I was surprised the others hadn’t come to check on me already. Jed, Steven, and I ran at an easy pace back to the clearing. I tried to keep my thoughts empty. The others would be able to hear me in my wolf form. I didn’t want them to hear any stray thoughts, especially Gage.

Jed and Steven quickly rejoined the group that was hanging on Gage’s every word. “You have to be careful about when you morph,” he was saying. He glanced up at me, but I refused to hold his eye contact. I found my spot under the large tree and settled myself on the ground. I intended to stay and watch this time, no matter what happened.

“Shouldn’t we already be wolves?” Rodney asked.

“Not necessarily.” His tone seemed more patient at least. “If the pack is larger or stronger you want to go in as men. They are less likely to attack, they’ll feel less threatened.”

The boys murmured their agreement. “Won’t they know what we are though,” Rodney persisted, “and attack anyway? We’d be able to defend ourselves as wolves.”

“For one, you are very young. They wouldn’t be able to tell you are wolves just by your scent unless you lose control of yourselves. Willow tells me you have excellent control.” Several smiles flashed my way.

“Secondly,” Gage continued, “you need to learn to morph quickly. Control is key so I don’t think you guys will have any trouble.”