Bearly Holding On (7 page)

Two days passed. Two long, agonizing days in which Awen didn’t hear from Mati at all. There weren’t any more wolf attacks, which caused Awen to wonder if Enyeto was dead and it was all over. On the other hand, though, she figured that if that were the case then Mati would have come back to her.

The family had been busy preparing for the festival that marked the beginning of summer. Since Keme was the Chief, he had dozens of tasks to accomplish in preparation for the special day, and Awen had stayed with her parents so that she could help. She also didn’t want to be alone.

Awen also found that she had been enjoying fulfilling the role of the princess in her village. Everyone was excited that she was going to be at the festival; they thought she would bring good luck. She had been present at the lighting of the bonfire, which was lit two days before the festival and not extinguished until the day after, and had been greeted warmly by every person there. It was nice. Though she had chosen her own path in life, she couldn’t help but feel like she fit in there better than in her city apartment.

The small family was eating their dinner, watching through the window as the sun set for the day, when the power cut out.

“What the hell now,” Keme grumbled, stumbling out of his chair to find a flashlight.

A chill snaked its way through Awen as howls filled the night air. Then the screaming began, as people who had been out enjoying the balmy evening ran for the safety of their homes. The howling grew closer.

“He’s here,” Keme growled angrily. “My damn gun is on the porch.”

Awen cursed, “Mine’s in my car.” Her heart beat erratically.

Before they could discuss a plan of action, the dining room window smashed. A rock sailed through, striking Keme on the skull. He collapsed on the floor, and both women rushed over to him.

“I’ll live,” he muttered. “But that sonofabitch won’t.” A trail of blood oozed down his forehead, but other than that he seemed to be okay.

Awen chanced a look outside. She didn’t see anyone, so she took the opportunity to run to the kitchen and grab the hunting knife her father kept in the drawer there. She stuck it into the waistband of her jeans and pulled her shirt over it. Briefly, she considered if she would be able to make it to her car to get her gun.

“Awenasa!” a voice called from outside.

Well,
she thought.
That answers that question.

“Are you going to come out, princess?” It was Enyeto now, she could tell. “Or should I start killing off your villagers, one by one?”

“I’m coming!” she called back.

Her father seized her arm. “You are not going anywhere,” he said sternly. “That beast is going to kill you!”

Awen shook him off. “I’d rather it be me than one of you. This is all my fault.”

Keme gritted his teeth. “You will bury us before he has you.”

Before Awen could charge past her parents she heard Enyeto’s mocking voice again, “Have it your way!”

A wolf crashed through the window, landing on the table and glowering at them with wild eyes. It was one of the smaller wolves—presumably not one that turned into a person. Awen still wasn’t sure if Enyeto’s lackeys were werewolves or actual beasts.

The wolf lunged towards Awen, and she ripped the knife out from her waistband just in time plunge it into its neck. It howled, causing another two wolves to plow through the opening just as it died.

Instead of coming for her, the new wolves each grabbed one of her parents by their arms.

Awen’s mother screamed in pain. “Run, Awenasa!” she cried.

Awen would do no such thing. She dove at the wolves, slashing out wildly with the blade. She managed to sink it into the neck of the wolf holding her father’s arm, but as she struggled with the dying beast the other wolf dragged her mother to the front door, just as several wolves burst through it.

Awen raced towards her mother but was cut off and outnumbered. She stood still, her hand tightly gripping the knife, as she stared down the growling horde.

A cry of pain from behind her caused her to lose focus, and she turned to see her father being dragged out of the house by a black wolf. As he passed her she lunged to grab onto him, and the group at the door took that as an opportunity to seize her in their jaws.

Awen screamed, terror crashing over her as they bit through her clothes and into her skin, dragging her out onto the porch.

Enyeto was there, leaning beside her father’s rifle with a smug grin on his face. “So happy you could join me,” he mocked.

Awen paid him no mind, crawling over to the side of her deck that her parents were on. The wolves had trundled off into the front yard, and sat there stoically like guard dogs.

Her parents seemed to be fine, though her mother was shaking and crying in fear. Awen reached a hand out to comfort her, but was stopped when she heard the rifle cock from behind her.

“It didn’t have to come to this.”

Awen craned her neck. Enyeto was staring down at her over the barrel of the gun, which was aimed directly at her face.

“Do what you want with me, but please don’t hurt them,” Awen pleaded. “They’re innocent in all this.”

Enyeto chortled. “Now that wouldn’t be much fun, would it?” He appeared thoughtful for a moment. “Though I suppose I’ve already had buckets of fun with your teddy bear.”

Awen rushed to her feet. “What did you do to him?” she spat. She shook with rage, ready to pounce on him at any moment. In that moment it didn’t matter to her that he had a gun and a pack of wolves. Those were paltry defenses when compared to her rage.

Enyeto laughed coldly. “That’s the funny thing about an immortal curse,” he mused. “There are so many things that you can do to him and he’ll always heal. For example, you could feed him to a pack of wolves and he’d still recover.” He fixed her with a sly grin. “Albeit slowly.”

Awen lunged at him, screaming, “I’ll kill you!” She managed to scratch out at his face, but he reeled back and hit her with the butt of the rifle so hard that she was knocked to the ground. She watched as the scratches healed almost instantly, leaving lines of blood on his face but no scar.

“Many have tried,” he said flatly. “Many have failed.”

“What do you want?” Awen said through gritted teeth.

“Obviously, you dead,” he answered nonchalantly.

“Then do it,” she challenged, “but leave my family alone.”

“Why would I do that?” he sneered.

“I’ll come willingly,” she offered, “if you offer to leave them alone and stop tormenting my people.”

“No Awen!” her mother cried.

Awen ignored her.

Enyeto lowered the rifle, walking towards Awen.

She held her ground, even when he reached out a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. Then he lifted her chin to look up at him, capturing her gaze with his own. “That’s so boring, Awenasa,” he murmured. “I’ll get so much more enjoyment out of watching my wolves tear you apart on your own front porch.”

Ice rose up Awen’s throat. He was psychotic.

He turned from her, walking down the porch steps. The wolves began to snarl.

“How about a game?” Awen cried desperately after him.

He froze, spinning slowly on the spot to face her. “I’m listening.”

“You can hunt me,” she offered. “Just you. I know these forests well and I’m a good fighter. I’d be a worthy opponent.”

Enyeto broke into a laugh. “You think that
you
would actually have a chance against
me
?” he chortled.

Awen didn’t back down. “Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. But either way, it’ll be a lot more interesting for you to hunt me down than it will be for you to let your pets do your work for you.”

Enyeto considered her proposal. “I imagine you’ll want me to leave your parents alone after I kill you?”

“Are you a betting man, Enyeto?” Awen took a brave step forward. “Because I think we can raise the stakes higher than just that.”

“I’m failing to see what additional benefit I could get from this little
game
of yours that would be enough to stop me from feeling motivated to kill your parents.”

“Let’s start with what will happen if I win, just so we’re clear,” she asserted. “Your lands will be forfeited to my people. Even if I don’t have enough evidence to connect you to any crimes, which quite frankly I do since you have been very sloppy tonight, I’ll still have enough to drag you through the mud. And, according to the laws of the treaty we signed around one hundred years ago, your tarnished reputation and death will mean your seat will pass to the closest tribe official in the area—my father.”

“You know your tribal law,” Enyeto sneered. “So tell me why I should take your offer then, if the terms are so steep?”

Awen smirked. “Because how many opportunities do you get to hunt down and kill the girl that broke your heart three hundred years ago?”

The silence that dropped over the porch was deafening. Enyeto’s sneer quickly turned into a hard frown.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he growled.

It had been a guess, based on a hunch she had had when she first made the connection between his father’s name and his shapeshifting abilities; however, by his reaction she could tell that she had been spot on.

“Awenasa broke your heart—told you she couldn’t accept your affection because she was promised to another,” she goaded, “and then you saw her sneaking around with Mati. I imagine it was easier for her to tell you that she was engaged than it would have been just to say the truth—that you disgusted her.”

“Shut up!” Enyeto screamed, his face contorted with rage.

Awen saw his eyes begin to glow but she was in too deep now to stop. “And you told your father about the mean girl, didn’t you?” she screamed back at him. “He already disapproved of her upcoming marriage so he used your pain as an opportunity to murder her!”

Enyeto snarled.

“I bet you only have one regret about that day,” Awen challenged, quieter now. “That you never got to do the deed yourself.”

A great howl ripped from Enyeto’s chest. He turned his furious gaze to her, his teeth elongating into fangs. “You would have made a good leader, princess,” he spat. “You’ll make better prey.”

A clap of thunder resounded overhead, drops of raining beginning to patter on the roof of the porch.

“Awen, please.” Her mother’s soft cry from behind her caused Awen to turn. It nearly broke her heart, seeing the two of them there, huddled on the porch so helplessly. She was resolved though, she had to save them.

“Don’t worry mom,” Enyeto said mockingly. “I’ll let her have a head start. And I will honor her terms. Fair is fair after all.” He smirked at Awen and sidled up to her, grabbing her jaw painfully in his hand. His eyes glowed yellow, his teeth horrifically long and sharp. “You get twenty minutes,
Awenasa.
Then I’ll be coming to rip your throat out.”

He thrust her head to the side and bent to her neck, taking a long inhale of her scent. Then he licked the curve of her neck, where she had been scraped by a shard of glass on the floor of the dining room.

“Your blood is like candy to me,” he purred. “And tonight I have a sweet tooth.” With that he released her, shoving her backwards.

Awen didn’t know whether she was supposed to move or stand still.

“Tick tock.” Enyeto was grinning. “You’re wasting the precious last few moments of your life.”

With that Awen bolted off of the porch, cutting through the middle of the pack of wolves. They let her by without so much as a growl. She plunged into the thicket, dodging briars and brambles as she went. The rain echoed through the forest, and within moments she was soaked. At least it would be harder for him to track her scent.

She ran towards a nearby creek, jumping into it and allowing it to force her along downstream. She ran through the water for some time until she emerged near a large cedar tree. She was careful when she stepped out of the water not to leave tracks.

She paced around the tree, trying to find a good way to climb up. Feeling in her back pocket, she confirmed that she still had the knife. She had managed to stow it there and hide it while she was being dragged out. She found a relatively low branch and began to climb up. Once at a reasonable height, Awen hacked off a sturdy branch and began to sharpen it into a point.

A bloodcurdling howl alerted Awen that her time was up. She pressed up against the tree, ensuring that she would not be seen from the ground, and gripped the makeshift spear in her hand. She tucked the knife back into her pocket and waited.

It seemed like mere moments before she heard his approach. He had shifted back into his human form, though she could tell he had been in his wolf form previously as he was unclothed. He walked straight to the bottom of the tree.

“A creative effort,” he called up to her. “Nonetheless, you’ve been beaten,
princess.
I’m disappointed.”

“Same goes to you!” she yelled down at him. “I always thought it would be a bit larger.”