Darkness Wanes (9 page)

We’d gotten used to the daily pattern. It was almost time for us to bed down for the night and it only took two guards to collect our food bowls. Usually, we didn’t see a large contingent except when coming or going to the mines.

They appeared around the bend in the tunnel and marched toward us, spreading out. One guard stopped in front of every cell door with the exception of mine and Bartol’s. Their expressions were solemn. Fear and confusion filled the air as they began yanking prisoners out.

“What’s going on?” someone asked. I couldn’t see the speaker from my vantage point.

“We must prepare you for release. You’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

Fear turned into excitement. No one had been certain exactly when our sentences ended, but most thought it would be at least a few more days. The guardians had preferred to keep us in the dark on the specifics—one more way to torture us.

After hearing the news, the nephilim didn’t need any encouragement to exit their cells or don their shackles. Bartol and I exchanged worried glances as we continued to be ignored. It was rather clear we weren’t leaving. I pressed my face against the bars and watched the prisoners line up along the tunnel. They were getting out sooner than expected, but why wasn’t I joining them? Or Bartol? His sentence was near the end as well.

I caught one of the guard’s eyes. “What about Bartol and me?”

“You’re not due to get out for a few more days,” he said, locking the last prisoner to the chain they’d formed.

Eli turned from his position at the end of the line. “We arrived before you, but don’t worry—I’m sure you’ll be out soon. I’ll let Lucas know how you’re doing.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a weak smile. “Tell him I’m okay.”

He nodded. “I will.”

“Quiet back there!” Dannia yelled at us. She’d just arrived and scowled at the proceedings. It probably drove her crazy to have to release so many prisoners at once.

I stepped away from the bars and watched the procession of nephilim march down the tunnel. The guards muttered something about taking them to the bathing chamber to get cleaned up. This was a lot more organized than what Lucas had said about his time here. Either the guardians preferred to release their prisoners looking well, or Remiel gave the order. On the rare occasion the archangel came to Purgatory, he seemed to avoid me. I only heard about his instructions after the fact.

“This is always the most difficult part.” Bartol let out a sigh. “Always watching others go.”

“Not for long,” I said, hoping it was true.

He grunted. “We shall see.”

With only the two of us left, the silence in the tunnel became deafening. I settled onto my pallet and laid my head on the crook of my arm. My chest ached from an emptiness that wanted to eat its way through me. Bartol’s doubts were flooding my senses and making me wonder if they would hold us for longer than expected. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take of this place before losing my mind. Lucas and Emily were waiting for me. I needed to get home soon.

Chapter Eight

Lucas

“Werewolves will always be in human form durin’ the day. They can only shift at night,” Derrick said, a slight southern drawl in his voice.

The local master and alpha werewolf for Fairbanks stood in front of the classroom, giving a lecture to the nerou. They listened to him with rapt interest. Derrick was the sort of person who could draw attention and respect from those around him. They’d had their differences in the past, but even Lucas admired him for his ability to lead and take care of his people.

Derrick was a large man with shoulder-length brown hair tied back at his neck. The navy-blue t-shirt he wore fit loosely across his barrel chest and his jeans were worn and faded. His dark leather boots had probably seen better days too—about twenty years ago. Even after ascending to a position of importance, he’d changed very little. It was difficult to say whether that was a good or bad thing. The alpha could be rather stubborn and stuck in his ways.

Lucas had asked him to come out to the training facility and talk to the nerou about werewolves. They might not have the full range of sensor abilities, but they could detect the different races on their mental radar from a short distance. Experiencing each type of supernatural up close would help them build their mental encyclopedia.

In a few more months, they’d begin going on field trips. Some of them had already interacted with humans when they first arrived on Earth, but the archangels put a stop to that soon after. They wanted the nerou fully prepared before they were allowed into civilization again.

“A werewolf bite is more damaging to a vampire than a regular animal bite,” Derrick said, pacing the front of the room in a very wolf-like manner. “Our teeth are especially good at rendin’ flesh, but we still have to tear their heads off or rip out their hearts to kill them.”

“Who is stronger if they’re the same age—a werewolf or vampire?” Tormod asked.

His father, Yerik, was the daimoun who’d helped free the nerou from Purgatory. Yerik had already been wanted for killing an archangel, but his need to free his son drove him to step out of hiding and risk capture. They didn’t go easy on him when he was caught, either. His sentence had been banishment to a remote planet with harsh conditions and no intelligent life for the next ten years.

Tormod’s mother—a sensor—was currently living nearby, but she was only allowed to see her son on Sundays. That was the designated family day for all nerou and the only time they could leave the training center. Even then, they could only go to their parents’ private residence.

Technically, Tormod didn’t fit the same genetics as the nerou since he was part demon, but it was close enough that he’d been lumped in with them anyway. His DNA still carried the quarter angel and half sensor the others had. Yet he stood apart from the rest and not just because of his unusual lavender eyes. As the youngest of the nerou at fifty years old, he’d matured the least and his mischievous demon side tended to show itself at every turn. At least once a week they discovered a prank that could be tied back to him. Lucas assigned Kerbasi to tame the boy, but as of yet the guardian hadn’t had any luck.

Derrick gave the young male a nod. “Good question. Usually, werewolves are stronger than vampires if they’ve been turned at the same time. It gives us a bit of an advantage since most of us are mortal and don’t have as much time to build up our strength.”

“But you’re different,” Olivia pointed out.

“Yes,” Derrick said, giving her an approving look. “I drank some immortal blood and it changed me. I’ve still got my werewolf abilities, but I won’t get any older or die easily.”

It was actually more complicated than that. Derrick was turned around the Civil War era and later allied with a female vampire. She fed him her blood for more than a century to prevent him from aging. That had been a temporary solution to keep him alive longer. Last fall, the alpha made a deal with Yerik in exchange for the daimoun’s blood. That had made him a full immortal and increased his power levels significantly.

“So the real question is…” Tormod leaned forward in his seat with a devilish grin on his face. “What does it take to kill a werewolf?”

Derrick’s jaw tightened. The alpha hadn’t minded coming to speak about his race, but he didn’t like giving away all their weaknesses. He was well aware the nerou would be the future supernatural enforcers of the world. Even as a powerful werewolf, Derrick would eventually be vulnerable to them. The hybrid race had a lot of advantages over other supernaturals and not many weaknesses. The only thing holding them back now was ignorance and the restrictions the archangels kept on them.

Derrick ran his dark gaze across the room. “A young werewolf can be killed with a mortal blow such as a gunshot to the head or stab wound into one of the vital organs. If you’re dealing with an older, stronger wolf, the only way to be sure they’re dead,” he paused and ground his jaw, “is to slice a blade clean through their neck.”

Tormod cocked his head. “So if I cut off your head, would it grow back?”

“You could try,” the alpha growled.

Lucas flashed next to Tormod and put a firm hand on his shoulder. “He’s here as our guest. You will respect him.”

“I thought the point was to learn all we can.” He blinked up at Lucas. To most people he wouldn’t have appeared more than nineteen or twenty years old. His pale skin and shaggy brown hair gave one the impression he was a college student who’d been indoors studying too much to get out into the sun. He was even smaller than the others in his class, but that didn’t mean he was weaker.

Lucas waived at Derrick to continue his lecture and leaned closer to Tormod’s ear. “Keep up your disrespectful behavior and I’ll inform Remiel you’re unable to adapt to this world. I’m quite certain he’ll gladly send you back to Purgatory without a second thought. The only reason I haven’t done so already is because of your mother.”

Tormod blanched. Almost no threat or punishment had any effect on him, but he’d grown a soft spot for Lorna. He knew his mother would suffer if she lost him. She was already having a difficult time with losing Yerik.

Tormod’s shoulders sagged. “I’ll, uh, work on it.”

“You better.” Lucas let him go and returned to the back of the room.

Emily shook her head at him. “It can’t be easy for Tormod being the odd one out. You should cut him some slack.”

Lucas lifted a brow. Since the nerou arrived, she’d shown little interest in them beyond cold resentment. In her eyes, the measures taken to free them were the reason her boyfriend was killed and Melena taken away. Even with Micah’s daughter, Olivia, she kept a polite distance. It baffled him that Emily would choose to stand up for Tormod now, though perhaps as a rebellious teenager she could relate to him on some level. It was either that or she took his side to annoy Lucas.

“It’s my job to teach him discipline. I can’t do that by pampering him.”

“Uh huh.” She rolled her eyes and hissed her next words at him. “You wouldn’t know pampering if you spent a day at the spa getting a mani-pedi.”

Lucas shuddered. “That would be torture.”

“Exactly my point. You can’t even recognize it!”

The alpha glared at them from across the room. Emily hadn’t spoken very loudly, but in a room full of supernaturals with enhanced hearing even a whisper could be disturbing. Lucas gave Derrick an apologetic look. He wasn’t used to having a teenager around to distract him from common courtesies. Once again, he wondered how Melena managed it as well as she did.

“We’ll continue this discussion later,” he whispered.

Emily crossed her arms, but said nothing further.

A few more students asked the alpha questions relating to werewolf behavior. After Derrick answered them, he called for everyone to step outside where he would demonstrate shifting into his wolf form. They’d purposely held the class late in the evening so that the nerou could witness the change. With it nearing mid-May, it didn’t get dark in Alaska until around eleven o’clock. Twilight was just descending as they stepped out into the cool, fresh air and gathered at a small clearing behind the building.

“Take a seat or kneel on the grass. I want everyone to be able to see,” Derrick said. He waited until they were settled before continuing. “One more thing you should know is werewolves will tear their clothin’ up during the shift if they don’t remove them first. I hope ya’ll aren’t bashful.”

A few of the nerou laughed. They’d been living together in caves with little privacy for their whole lives. The guardians in Purgatory might have insisted they wear clothing, but they thought it was for practical reasons such as protecting their skin rather than modesty. There were many human customs and concepts that they were still learning.

Emily cleared her throat. “I already know what this looks like. I’m going inside to do some homework.”

“Very well.” Lucas watched her go. He knew the real reason she decided not to stay was because watching Derrick turn would remind her of Hunter. Her boyfriend had been a werewolf as well. She might be getting better, but seeing the alpha turn would likely bring back the pain she’d set aside. He’d give her space for now and check on her later.

Derrick pulled off his t-shirt, revealing a muscular chest covered with dark hair. One of the female nerou sucked in her breath. Lucas checked to see who it was and found Rebecca. Like her nephilim mother, she had long strawberry-blond hair. Unlike Zoe, Rebecca always wore hers in a braid on the side of her head. She was far more delicate and vulnerable than her mother as well.

Zoe was a scheming and selfish woman who thought of no one except herself. Countless people died as a result of events she set in motion, including setting demons loose in Juneau and temporarily occupying Fairbanks. That was why she’d been banished to the same distant planet as Yerik, Tormod’s father.

They’d worried Rebecca would be similar to her mother, but for the past three months she’d proven the complete opposite. She rarely spoke, never questioned orders, and mostly kept to herself. The only person who came to see her on family day was Derrick. Rebecca didn’t get the chance to meet her mother and her father was long dead, but Derrick took a personal interest in watching over her. She was also interested in him. The poor girl had no idea her mother had slaughtered the alpha’s wife and children over a century ago.