Markings (23 page)

Chapter 25: Reborn

N
O!” I shrieked, leaping to my feet.

Every head in the courtyard turned in my direction. The wolves’ ears pressed back against their skulls, teeth bared. A few flicked their tails in annoyance while Senneth looked like he’d just been handed the keys to the world.
My
world.

Aaron lifted his head at my voice. Seeing me alive, a smile of relief lit his dirtied, injured face. His damp hair stuck up every which way, and his legs slacked beneath him. The guards were holding him up.

“Let him go, Senneth!” I yelled, leaping at the bars. Something sparked inside me, a sensation that made my body burn and my adrenaline rush. “I’m the one you want, remember? Not him. Let him go!”

“Lina, did you miss my speech on balance? You’ll all have to go eventually.” He swayed closer, Aaron’s guards dragging his feet across the pavement. “It is peculiar though, isn’t it? How we can travel halfway across the state and this one still manages to track you?”

The hound made a flicking motion. The guards slammed Aaron into my cage bars. He let out a vicious noise that made me stumble back, the sound reverberating off the courtyard walls. “Lina,” he said, face pressed between two bars. Unlike his snarl, his voice sounded ill, low and raspy.

“Aaron!” I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the unwelcome company as I pressed my hands to his face. He winced at my touch. Just when I thought I’d run out of tears, more came spilling out. “I thought you were dead.”

“Your faith in me is a little depressing.”

“You idiot, what were you thinking coming here?”

“I was . . . I was thinking I had to see you. At least one last time.”

I shook my head, suppressing a sob. “Don’t say that. Where’s the clan?”

He tried to shrug his shoulders then winced. One of the guards growled in his ear. “I’m not sure. Being hunted by these mutts for all we know.” The other guard barked at him for that one.

No
. I turned my head towards Senneth, willing him to give me the answer. When he didn’t, I took my fingers from Aaron’s face to the bars, squeezing them like I expected them to bend. Violent images crossed my mind as I thought up several different ways I could impale the pack leader. I wanted him to be the one skewered and roasted over the fire. I wanted to skin him and make his fur into a coat.

I wanted to kill him.

A series of small cracks sounded down my spine. The muscles in the backs of my calves tightened up, feeling oddly hot all of a sudden.

Snapping his fingers, Senneth had the guards rip Aaron away from me, saying, “Of all the moments to become the hero again, Aaron. And here I thought you might’ve checked out of the clan completely. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of you since Cain dragged away your sweet little ocelot—”

Aaron jerked, letting out a warning snarl.

Senneth glanced at me. “She does look a bit like your old girl with the white-blonde hair, the everlasting flame behind her eyes. She was just as easy to take, too—”

“Shut up!” Aaron shouted. Russet Hair wadded up a fist and socked him in the other eye. My heart crumbled as Aaron cried out. He hung his head, shaking in their grasp.

“You two are cute together,” Senneth said. “In fact, so cute that I think we should start the celebration early. What do you say, pack?”

The courtyard of wolves barked in reply while the people threw fists in the air and cheered.

My body shuddered so hard I couldn’t stand still. I paced, the urge to run, run, run returning as I watched my enemies haul Aaron towards the center of the courtyard. I dug my nails into my scalp and hissed. I had to do something! There had to be something I could do.

Aaron lay lifeless on the ground, staring at me as the wolves tied his hands. He wasn’t fighting now. I estimated the distance between each bar in my cage. A space about twelve inches wide separated each one.
We’re designed to be free.
Aaron’s words came to mind.
Your instincts will always find you a way to be so.

A couple weeks ago I’d been watching funny videos on TV. There had been this cat that had pulled himself underneath a closet door, yanked his whole body through barely a couple inches of space. I thought about how cats are known for their flexible skin and bones.

The bald boys returned, uncapping a vat of gasoline. They tossed the cap and started slopping it over the wood.

Think, Lina.
The pack seemed occupied. Moving to the back corner, I slid one foot between the bars.
Relax, you have the bones of a cat.
I was just squeezing my thigh through when an explosion of flames caught me off guard. I panicked, stumbling over.

“Behold!” Senneth boomed, throwing his arms toward Aaron. The wolves howled as the fire shot up the wood pile, puffing dark smoke into the air. “The mightiest hunter of the west! The King of the Mountains, the Warrior of the Wood!”

No, no, no!
I scrambled back to my feet, jamming my leg through the bars.

“Soon he will be no more.” Senneth’s arms dropped to his side. “And we shall take his place, for who are the true hunters?”

The pack barked and chanted, “Us!”

“And who will rule this land?!”

“Us!”

“And who successfully captured—”

A fist came up, knocking the pack Alpha in the jaw. He stumbled backwards. With amazing force, Aaron jumped up and swung his bodyguards off. The pack sprang into action as he shifted, the ropes bursting off his arms. The cougar leapt back from the inferno.

This was my chance. “Come on!” I snapped at myself, jamming my hip between the poles. My cat bones weren’t proving useful, and—just my luck—I got stuck.

Aaron led the Keftey on a goose chase. He must’ve seen me trying to escape because he kept them near the house, never coming around the cage. He swatted and snapped his fangs at them, but in return got swatted and bit back. At one point, it was clear he was getting tired, because he did something risky: he broke through a screen door and into the mansion.

My hip seemed permanently lodged in the cage. I pushed and squiggled and tried to suck in those extra few pounds which, if by some incredible chance I lived through this, I was for sure working off.
Damn, it’s no use.
Maybe I didn’t have cat bones after all.

A groan echoed from across the pavement. Senneth peeled himself off the ground. Rubbing his jaw, he growled and stood up. A scowl crossed his face as he searched for Aaron. His eyes landed on me instead. “Lina, Lina. Such a bad kitty.”

The backdoors swung open. Aaron—the human Aaron—went flying across the pavement. He rolled to a stop, leaving scuffs of fresh blood behind. He twitched on the ground, trying to draw in a breath. He choked and panted, and when he coughed blood came out. My mouth fell open in horror just as the wolves returned.

Senneth strode towards him. As my warrior tried to sit up, the pack leader’s foot came down on his spine, forcing him to the ground. From his jeans pocket, the hound drew out a silver knife.

“You know what happens at the pound when they’re too feral to tame?” Senneth asked me. The hair stood up on my back. “Say goodbye to your lover kitty, Lina.”

I don’t know what happened to me just then, but everything seemed to move in slow motion as Senneth turned his head away. As he began to lift the silver dagger, I was suddenly slipping through the bars like Jell-O, the cage behind me.

The wolves gathered, the black cloud circling their leader. My feet pounded the pavement faster than my heart pounded in my ears. The world suddenly became sharper, more vivid in shape and color. The smell of the Keftey doubled in reek. Their barks and growls grew louder in my ears. Everything had intensified. Driven by instinct, I bent my knees and pushed off into the air.

A bright white haze took over the world. My skin tingled and warmed as though I’d leapt right into a summer heat wave. Through the haze I glimpsed faces, most I didn’t recognize: a woman sitting in a bar grasped her chest, her hand tattooed with a lion’s head; a group of teenagers and young wildcats walked the halls of Home Base, all stopping at the same time as if they’d hit an invisible wall; a silver-haired man sat crisscross, meditating beside the Wall of History—this man I recognized. Raja’s eyes flew open. I swear he said my name, but his lips didn’t move. A man with reddish hair walked out of a stock room into a skate shop. He stumbled, grabbing the wall. I recognized him, too: it was Dad.

I felt each one of their miseries and worries go silent, felt the power surge up within me and radiate out to them. Those that had looked upon me at the gathering were no longer confused and disappointed, those that had no idea I existed now felt my flame. Wild Celina burst inside me, combining with Old Celina and passing over her fearlessness, her courage and ferocity, but not her recklessness.

The clan’s faces disappeared. I was falling, descending towards the ground. The white haze faded, and I saw Senneth coming at me. The usually smug hound had his mouth open, taken by surprise.

I pounded him, huge white paws digging into his chest. He went back like a bowling pin, the knife spinning out of his hand. Smacking him against the ground, I leapt up and over Aaron, shielding him. The last of the light subsided, leaving fur to bristle along my spine.

The black cloud stumbled away, spreading out. While they continued to snap their teeth in irritation, their tails had tucked between their legs. A new stench wafted off their coats: fear.

I lowered my head, baring my fangs. A deep rumble vibrated in my chest as I flicked my tail at them, daring them to come closer. A few started to, until they realized the majority weren’t. They stepped back into the mass. Senneth lay unconscious on the pavement, not so far from the fire. The wolves kept looking to him, waiting for orders, but none came. A couple wolves whined as two men dragged their Alpha away from the heat.

A bloody hand snuck around my paw. Aaron cringed trying to turn over, get a look at me. His eyes went wide as he tilted his head, and in them I saw my reflection, my rounded ears and snowy muzzle.
What kind of wildcat am I?
I looked cougar-like, but my coat wasn’t the right color.

“Lina. You’re
silver
,” Aaron managed to say before enduring another coughing round.

Senneth’s hand twitched. One of the men touched his neck for a pulse, and the hound slapped his hand away. They jumped as Senneth’s body twisted unnaturally, patches of fur erupting through his clothes. He rolled onto his arms and legs while they continued to elongate and change. He held my gaze as his teeth sharpened, face widening. His ears pinned back as he grew bigger, the largest beast in the entire group. He prowled forward.

Prowled towards me.

I swallowed, my claws curling out against the pavement.
Oh, hell.
I had never fought before. Never as a child in a school yard, or as a teenager in a cafeteria. I had never challenged anyone even when I’d wanted to, and I most certainly didn’t do fights to the death.

Aaron squeezed my leg. “Run. Run now,” he whispered.

But I couldn’t leave him. As I looked at his broken body, I knew I had no choice if I wanted to keep Aaron alive. Taking a breath, I shook his hand off, stepping over him.

“Don’t do this to me,” he said, and the pain in his voice was enough to make me stop, think about it.

Senneth tossed his head, throwing a line of drool across his followers. They drew back when he came near them, pushing others out of their way. They didn’t want to be near him any more than I did. He began to circle me.

“Please,” Aaron begged. “
Run
.”

Senneth quit walking. The hair rose on his back and tail like spines as he positioned himself.

I flattened my ears back. “Sorry,” I whispered. “I can’t.”

Senneth charged. Pushing off his bear-sized paws he jumped. I dodged, narrowly sliding under him. Spinning around before he could, I drilled my claws into his rump. He howled, bucking his butt into my jaw. It caught me off guard, and in that split second he whirled, mouth shooting for my throat. I ducked, but it wasn’t enough. A pain hot as fire went through my shoulder blade as Senneth’s fangs bit in. The burn pulsed through my whole being, and I let out a roar that startled everyone, including myself.

Triumph flashed through the hound’s eyes. He withdrew. I roared again. He stepped back, a sort of toothy grin on his muzzle as he watched me slump forward. Blood rivered through my white coat, staining my feet. I limped for a minute, shocked by the amount of agony. Tipping his head back, Senneth let out a victorious howl. Onlookers joined him in the cheer, but some hesitated, watching me with uncertainty. Aaron was one of the watchers, lying flat against the ground. He bit his lip, trying to shake his head at me. What were you thinking, the look on his face said. Why didn’t you run?

Senneth glanced back at Aaron, seeing us stare. His ears perked up, and he looked back at me. My lip twitched.
Don’t you dare
, I thought. The pack leader stuck his nose in the air, then trotted back towards him. Aaron tensed.
You damn mutt
. I forced my leg down. It took everything in me to use that leg as I sprang forward.

I pounced on Senneth’s back. He crashed to the ground. Growling and barking he rolled, squishing me beneath him. My claws locked into his sides. As he rolled up I was still atop him. Ignoring his smell, I gave into my anger and bit right into the side of his head. He emitted a high-pitched noise as his left ear tore between my teeth, two of my fangs grazing his skull. Blood fouled my mouth.

I got the ride of my life as Senneth went ripping through the crowd, past the bonfire. He skidded to the side, and suddenly the courtyard wall appeared. My paws got a taste of the burn as he smashed two of them into it. I couldn’t help it; I let go. He tossed me off; tucking his head, he smashed my own into the wall. My brain rattled, vision wobbling with little dots. Falling to the ground, I watched the world spin out of control. Consumed by another white light, a flash of Aaron’s heartbroken face was the only one I saw before seeing my naked figure. I shuddered in my human skin, sprawled out in a pool of red against the wall.