His sweatshirt was good, but it wasn't him. Infact, it drove the point home- he was walking with her now, showering her with just enough attention so she won't look for it elsewhere, but drawing an opaque wall if she chose to come closer.
"If that wasn't a risk-baying for blood and everything. Would you believe my idea was sound?"
Distance was his niche, one he had perfected to the T. Yet, nothing had prepared him for this. Same girl, more vibrant, thrumming with endless energy, he could feel her brain jostling, heart galloping. The nervousness in her scent, mixed with determination. And that kindness in green eyes. The simple kindness that needed to be protected.
It'd be so easy, it was tempting- to bury her head in the expanse of his chest. Noah had aged since she last saw him, so h
The next morning, Vanessa woke up with a grin determination. The extraction would be simple, and she'd help keep it that way. She'll stay hidden until Calvin showers himself first. The plan was precise, like an arrow shot out of the bow waiting to lodge in its target. Nothing short of physical anomaly could disrupt the flow. People involved only on need-to-know basis. There was nothing that could go wrong if played by rule to rule. They weren't supposed to have this information but they did. No one defected front he enemy's side yet. Just Noah and his bandits were furiously meticulous to have figured this one out. Jodie had warned Evanthat Calvin had only one weakness- and if they can't exploit it, they'll never stay a step ahead of him. Connivingly, foresight had turned the odds in their favor. Noah had taken away his living bio-agents for the experiment: the rogue agents with relatively stable genomes. Since Calvin needed more of them, he'd try to win over his followers. The rogue
The bullets were made to not pierce through their obstacle, the distance took care of the rest, so once lodged in- they'd have no exit wounds. The shell casings retrieved soon as they fall. It was a matter of aggregate six seconds. To kill four men, and take the passenger with them. Ian was under local anesthesia- just a heavier dose. It'd prove difficult to knock an adult wolf down but it was enough for a six-going on seven kid. Rhys took the bridge, Evan the west route to den territory while Noah hid the boy in a body bag (easier to carry) when he hardly weighed 60 pounds. Noah always kept it to himself but he was impressed of the fragile strength children represented. By the time everyone grew up, they had an adulterated understanding of strength. Like something to be proven, it became more about others.Vanessa stayed in the emergency room, expecting the worst. Because she had felt his pulse go out for a second. The life plucked. His life but then his scent was appearing closer.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Exhaustion, accusation and blame-all three she lay at his feet. This is what she had meant. Noah's pertenatural habit of not being answerable to anyone had to change. Vanessa had no idea Ian was to be held there for three weeks. She wanted him back in his bed, his childlike flutter of eyes to find himself amidst his favorite stuff toys or the wooden puppets he liked to make. Hand printed wallpaper in the room and a bird's nest just like he wanted. He had written that list down for her. Disappearing behind the trees, what Vanessa first thought was merely a grassy berm raised on hydraulic lifts to reveal a plas-crete reinforced bunker. She eased into the space realizing both of them were alone, she didn't want an audience. Abandoned hallway led to the big conference room where they first met the select leaders of the pack. The coolly neutral atmosphere was tampered with warm yellow lights pocketed in the roof above her and in the walls to her side- no windows.
Oh the rabbit was a brilliant hindsight. The ground shook left, right then left, right. He was upside down. Leg caught in a snare trap, wolf panted. He growled, absolutely furious, every small creature quit it's chittering at the behest of a predator. Then, to her surprise, he laughed. She had never seen a wolf laugh before. He was barking and huffing, tongue lolling. He had written her off as innocent. And walked right into a snare trap. He would have otherwise noticed it, but clearly, she was better at making them work from a distance. She can't be much further. The thought spurred him on. The vine sturdy enough to hold his weight took five hooked lashes to break him free. Vanessa grinned when she saw him land on his back with an audible thump. Served him right.Licking his abused ankle, he spent several minutes undoing the trap when suddenly the vines straightened back to their original shape. The evidence of the trap marked by his labored breath and nothing but. Clever. Very cle
In the dust that settles at the end of the world, where the only light is the dimness of the dawn, an endless army fights. Magic against teeth. Magic against flesh. The magic has corrupted the leftovers of souls. In the very same dream, a dream within a dream, two small girls, ponytails swaying to their running forms, they sit cross-legged in the field when tired, climb trees like it's the easiest thing to do. Their parents are nowhere to be seen. But they have no care of going supervised or unsupervised. They both look new at this friendship, tentative smiles, offering each other big pieces of food instead of fighting over one, that'd come but much much later. In a dream state like this, Vanessa trained herself to be aware. She knows the story is limitless, nothing but an implant for him to explore her mind. There is a reason her wolf is cross with her. The shield animals naturally build, especially shapeshifters is not only to provide dead ends to external simulation, it is also so
Blurry hackneyed procedure when animals didn't make a show of it, the man to wolf transformation was pedestrian. Effortless. The black wolf jumped from behind, gaining six inches more than the red-brown fur of a wolf slightly shorter in size. The bigger one- in shape, in strength knocked the smaller one in dust. The grass laden ground spit out columns of wet mud, flying everywhere. One heartbeat to next, she realized, that's how much time it took wolves to cause serious injury. Upon scavenging like a lost animal between the two, Vanessa realized only will listen to her right now. 'Noah. Please let him run this one off.''He is not going anywhere until he learns to control his temper.''This isn't about temper. He is not himself. And he has a good reason for it.' There went that secret. Why had she bothered to start with?'Let me do my job. I won't tell you how to do yours.' The sudden shutter was riveting. She assumed a submissive bow before retreating from their telepathic conne
"No. I don't think so. Why go to so much trouble for all the lies?" He was so deep in his thoughts he didn't realise he was covering her body with his, the act instinctive, like they weren't fighting a minute before."Neither do I. But if she really is Ashley...." Oh hell. She was going to cry. She looked like her. She won't be. The same skin, same eyes, only taller. Still like the gangly, tall-limbed kid who is never graceful until one sees them playing sports. Her upper lip thinner compared to the lower one. It'd be weird to have noticed this in a best friend, especially when five years old but she remembered because it was love. A platonic kind but still love. Having sensed the shift in her emotions, Noah kneaded her shoulders."How can she be alive?" Vanessa had asked it the third time. He hated he had no possible theories but false hope in these times was a perfect weapon. His wolf was too sharp to fall for it, she wasn't. "Vanessa. The bastard is using her against you. Don'
An old toy chest gifted to him by some distant cousin rested near his bed. His toys had a mind of their own. A baby doll whose hinged eyes were broken but he could see how it broke, a velveteen teddy bear-his favorite whom he shared everything with, a spinning top. The top spun whenever he wanted it to, without physical labor. He drew the blankets to forehead, peeking out from underneath. This was the first time, according to his memory, they had one home. Two stories, his room upstairs with a glitter glass window. He knew the house was old, kitchen cabinets with crayon drawings on it, the wallpaper marked with a Sharpie announcing different heights. Guess they were also poor too, just like him, since the inches were drawn-near accurate. But he didn't fret. His world went beyond the riches anyway. There wasn't much to grasp within his peanut sized brain, but he knew he wasn't normal. Not even by changeling standards. His mother had put him to sleep with her fascinating stories, his