Redeeming (21 page)

Owen scoffed.
“I told you already. They’re hikers. I don’t know them. They don’t know anything about this. Threatening them will get you nowhere.”

Kane nodded.
“Perhaps… But, with the proper motivation, it’s surprising what truths emerge.”

There it is again. Proper motivation. What the hell?

Owen laughed aloud… deep and full. “Your ego deludes you Kane. Threatening these women will get you nowhere and lead to nothing.”

Kane stepped a little closer to Owen and aimed the pistol between his eyes.

“There’s an old clan proverb, brother…” Kane began. “You remember it, don’t you?”

Owen swallowed
but didn’t respond as Kane pulled back the hammer on the handgun. His laughter faded away as the cold steel drew close.

“Yesss,” Kane hissed. “The proverb asked… What did the foolish man do when he heard the truth?”

Owen didn’t answer so Kane glanced at Daniella.

“You…” he said. “What did the foolish man do when he heard the truth?”

Daniella glanced at Owen. He didn’t look at her but instead kept his attention riveted on the gun barrel.

“I…” she stammered.

“Go on…” Kane said. “You can say it.”

“I don’t know.” She muttered.

“Good…” Kane replied. “Very good, Daniella. When the foolish man heard the truth, he laughed out loud. Isn’t that right, brother?”

“Don’t you fucking dare…” Owen warned.

“Too late,” Kane replied. “Perhaps the humans will have a weaker constitution for sacrificing the lives of others. Bring her…” he ordered.

Daniella crinkled her brow in confusion as she spun her head to see who the next victim would be in Kane
’s murderous lineup. But as the person’s true identity emerged from between the glare of floodlights, every fiber of her being nearly erupted in a combination of rage and disbelief.

Dirtied, blindfolded and gagged, Daniella recoiled in terror as Kane
’s men dragged her mother, Marilyn, into their midst and dumped her to their midst. As she hit the ground with a thud, Daniella jumped out from behind Owen to come to her aid.

“Mom!” S
he screamed.

“No!” Kane said as he aimed the pistol at her head. “Get back…”

Daniella shook her head and slowly stepped away, unable to process the reality in front of her. Her mother moaned and rolled back and forth on the ground in front of her.

***

“This has nothing to do with them!” Owen roared. “You fucking coward! Fight me! Now!”

But before Kane could reply, Daniella heard the sound of footsteps approach them from all sides. Through the glare of the
lights, she saw faces of other people but none that she recognized.

Kane noticed as well.

He stepped away from Owen and spread his arms. “My brothers and sisters. My clan. Thank you for coming. I apologize for calling you here at this late hour but… there is much trouble.”

As Kane started to speak,
murmurs spread among the crowd.

“Poor Buck,” Kane said as he gestured to the lifeless body. “He was complicit in a scheme against us all and as leader, I did what I must.”

“That’s a goddamn lie and you know it.” Owen muttered.

Kane ignored him and instead, gestured towards Millicent and Tucker.
“As for Buck’s parents, their involvement is not yet clear but will be in due time.”

He walked back over to Owen and pointed the gun at him once more.

“But this man…” he said. “Some of you may know, others not… He is my blood and once… my brother. But, he betrayed the clan and me, your leader, many years ago.”

“That’s a lie…” Owen said as he looked around at the shadowed faces encircling them. “He knows it. This man is not the rightful leader of this clan…”

Kane pulled back the hammer on the pistol and aimed it at Owen’s face.

“Yet, I am the one who has driven the clan on to survive and thrive
during that time,” Kane began. “It is I who possessed the will to persist no matter the odds. This man… he has none of those traits yet he wishes to challenge me for leadership of the clan?”

A rise of whispers and muffled discussion continued in the background as Kane spoke.

“If I were to allow it, this man would spout platitudes about loyalty, honesty, and commitment.” Kane said. “Yet, where was his loyalty when he abandoned me, his own brother, nearly three decades ago? Where was his honesty when he questioned my leadership in all that time? And where was his commitment when the clan needed him the most?”

“Enough!” Owen exclaimed. “I have challenged you…”

“Yes,” Kane sneered. “You have. By clan law, I must accept any challenge from another member. But… you long ago abdicated any right to that when you fled. Instead, I am compelled to carry out another edict which as leader… I must.”

With that, Kane pressed the barrel of the gun against Owen
’s temple. “And so it ends for you now, traitor…”

Owen looked upwards, closed his
eyes, and swallowed hard. “Do it you piece of shit.”

“Okay…” Kane said as he pulled the hammer back on the pistol.

“No!” Daniella screamed. “Wait! I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Just, please… don’t kill him. Please…”

“Daniella, no!” Owen yelled. “Don’t say anything to him. Don’t!”

Kane chuckled in disgust.

“Just as I suspected. Very well…” he began. “Tell me everything you know my pretty little human and I’ll spare his life.”

“No, Daniella…” Owen warned. “Do not do it. He is lying. He will kill me no matter what. Don’t do…”

“Shut up…” Kane warned as he dug the gun barrel into Owen’s flesh.

“Talk.” He growled as he looked down at Daniella.

“Uh…” she stammered as her eyes darted in every direction. Daniella
swallowed as she looked towards her mother. Marilyn lay exhausted and barely conscious less than five feet from her. The moment felt like complete and utter insanity as she searched for any words at all to calm Kane’s growing rage.

“Now!” Kane yelled.

Daniella hesitated. “I…” she stalled. As she looked into the black depths of Kane’s eyes, a searing pain ripped into her midsection once again. She cried out and fell to her knees.

“Daniella!” Tricia yelled as she ran towards her. But it was too
late; Daniella crashed into the ground and writhed in agony.

Confused, Kane temporarily took his focus off Owen and turned it to the spectacle unfolding on the ground in front of him. The distraction was the opening Owen needed and he lunged towards the bear clan leader, knocking him down and sending the pistol flying from his hand in the process.

As they came to rest on the ground, Owen sat on top on of Kane’s chest and began to strike him in the face and jaw. A ferocious bout of violence ensued as Owen rained blow after blow upon him. But in spite of the attack, Kane seemed resilient… almost emboldened by it. Despite its briefness, Owen fatigued quickly from the short-lived battle. Without warning, Kane reached up and snatched Owen by the throat.

The suddenness of the movement caught the old shifter off guard. Feebly, he wrapped his hands around Kane
’s forearm and did all he could to fend off the counterattack. With his free hand, Kane reached behind his head for the handgun. Just out of reach, one of his goons kicked it in his direction. Kane wrapped his hand around the gun, raised it up towards Owen, and fired.

“Noooooooo!!!” Daniella cried.

Owen’s body flew back, blood sprayed in every direction. Drops of it spattered down on Daniella and Tricia as Kane leapt to his feet and roared. The assembled throng appeared to revel in the mayhem. Shouts of approval and encouragement echoed in the night air across the moonlit field. Horrified, Daniella glanced over to see Owen’s body, motionless.

“You fuck
ing bastard!” She screamed. Doubled over in pain, she managed to get to her feet and face the shifter leader. Tricia fought to restrain her as Daniella struggled to use whatever bit of strength within her to fight Kane.

“Daniella… no!” Tricia exclaimed. “Your baby…”

And in that instant, a hush fell across the grounds. Kane’s body posture relaxed and an evil grin came to his face. Wordless, he walked straight towards Daniella and shoved Tricia to the ground. He grabbed Daniella by the arm and spun her back around to face most of those assembled. He slipped his forearm around her throat, pulled her close to his torso, and raised the pistol to her head.

“And
so it is my fellow clansmen!” He exclaimed. “This human… whore… is here in your presence. And where is the coward responsible for her sullying our kind? Why does he not show his face? Is he nothing but a coward like his father before him? A slave to the human female…”

Tears streamed down Daniella
’s cheek as Kane choked her.

“Daniella!” Tricia screamed. “No!”

Ignoring her protest, Kane tightened his grip around Daniella’s neck.

“Show yourself, coward!” Kane demanded. “Or the slut dies along with your spawn!”

Silence fell upon the grounds. Daniella’s heart raced as Kane increased the pressure of the gun barrel against her head. It was hopeless. She knew Jett waited for them at the drop off point. She began to sob heavily as the moments ticked by. Her life, their child… all of it… was… over. Kane leaned in towards her ear and pulled the hammer of the gun back.

“Pity…” Kane whispered into her ear as he dug the barrel into her temple.

“Enough…” a voice said in a calm, clear tone. It came from beyond the glare of the lights. “Let her go.”

While he kept the gun tight against Daniella
’s head, Kane squinted into the darkness.

“Who’s there?”
He asked. “Show yourself…”

In the distance, Daniella saw a group
of silhouettes part and make way for a shadowy form. As it did, Kane turned the pistol towards it but still held her tight around the neck.

“Stop!” Kane ordered.

But the shape continued to close the gap between them until it last it broke through blinding halo of light into full view. The stranger wore a hood and as he spilled into their line of sight, he pulled it back.

“I told you… Let. Her. Go.” Jett said as
his face emerged.

Kane nodded, smiled and with a single swift motion, he flung Daniella towards the ground. She squealed as she began to fall but Tricia scrambled to her feet in time to prevent it. Jett glanced over at Owen
’s motionless body. His lip twitched in anger as Kane tossed his handgun to the ground.

“At last…” Kane sneered. “After all this time. The Conrad line ends tonight.”

“In your dreams you old fuck.” Jett snarled as he lowered his gaze towards him.

***

Kane laughed and before Daniella realized it, he dropped to the ground. His body began to buckle, heave, and seize as his limbs transformed themselves from the familiar to the otherworldly. As the change started, the assembled crowd spread out in anticipation of what lie ahead. Jett backed away and for the first time, Daniella witnessed the beginnings of his full shift into bear form.

“Come on…” Tricia said as she grabbed Daniella by the arm. As they stood, they helped Marilyn, Millicent and Tucker move out of harm’s way.

While they scrambled to safety, Jett stood tall and stretched his arms skyward. An immense roar emitted from his mouth as he fell forward to the ground with a thump. Within a fraction of a second, his body underwent a terrific transformation while at the same time Kane completed his. Their bodies shimmered beneath the glow of the lights. Medium-brown with light streaks along his stomach and legs, Jett’s fur stood in stark contrast to Kane’s jet-black coat.

Now thirty or so yards from the burgeoning battle, Daniella and the rest looked on as the two shifters squared off at last in their alternate forms. Immense figures of muscle, fur and anger, the great beasts held their heads low as they encircled one another.

With their hind legs, each kicked at the ground sending tufts of grass and dirt into the air. Daniella’s mouth fell open as she watched them engage in their prelude to battle. Several seconds passed as each waited and watched for the other to strike first. Low warning growls emitted from both of them as they paced in edgy anticipation.

Soon after however, each came to a complete stop and stared one another down. They remained still, eyes unblinking, transfixed and poised to pounce. Along with ever
yone else that watched, Daniella held her breath until at last, with a quick lunge, Kane leapt towards Jett.

The collision was swift,
loud, frightening, and resulted in a sound that was unlike anything Daniella ever heard. Their immense skulls slammed against one another and as they did, the air crackled with sound from the impact. Powerful muscles rippled down the backside of each of them as they rammed into one another.

Post-impact, they stood tall on their hind legs, each clutching on to the other with their
paws, and testing the other for strength. Locked together they moved in a vicious circle, each swatted at the other’s head with terrific speed until at last, they broke free of one another with a flourish.