The Lycan Rebirth (The Flux Age Book 3) (17 page)

Florence smiled, flushed with battle adrenalin. “Stuck it through the heart,” she said. “This blade
hates
flux creatures.”

Florence carefully laid Jack on the ground at the top of the steps. She was staring in the direction of the hydra, making Jack think another attack was imminent. He swiveled his head in a cloud of pain, watching a titan die on the streets of New York. Its heart lanced and its guts opened, the hydra had nothing left to give. The person called ‘One’ faded away slowly. Thousands of bystanders gasped as one when the hydra faded into a ghoul, then a giant, then a hideous marine creature, then a smiling samurai wearing grey armor. ‘One’ finally stopped breathing as a slight girl with lank blond hair.

“Finally, we see the real villain,” someone behind Jack said. He couldn’t pick the voice because he was slipping into delirium. He didn’t think he was dying but he knew he was in for a
long
layoff.

The massed crowd further up the street seemed to have gotten even larger. It was as if all of Manhattan sensed that the moment of triumph had arrived. Thousands of camera flashes went off every few seconds.

“Look at all those stars,” Jack said to no one in particular. He was lifted to his feet by two strong figures. With great difficulty he checked who they were - Yasmin on one side, a human Florence on the other. She was stark naked.

With a start he realized he had also shifted back into human form. The crowd cheered wildly as the three of them hobbled toward a waiting ambulance. The police had cleared a path for them.

There were more than a few wolf whistles as Jack passed close to the adoring crowd.

“They’re all for me,” he told Florence as he was passed into the hands of paramedics.

“You’re welcome to think that,” Florence said with a twinkle in her eye. “But you ain’t the naked woman with a sword.”

12

New York City, USA

Yasmin kept a vigil by Jack’s bed for two days. Occasionally someone would slip her a little food or water, but otherwise she was content to watch over her lover and let her mind gently unwind after the intense battle in New York. The hospital staff were both understanding and accommodating, especially since they had been inundated with injuries and casualties.

Jack’s lycan regeneration would ensure that he lived, but his body had been knocked from pillar to post. His convalescence would probably be months. Of course, the growing cercarium in the chapter house would have halved that time, but Florence didn’t think there was enough dark tissue yet.

That’s fine
, Yasmin thought as she rubbed the bulge at her belly. There were other, more peaceful things to look forward to. Lionel Talbot, mayor of New York City, visited sometime on the second night.

“We did it,” he said simply, holding a bottle of celebratory champagne. “This is for you.” His eye roamed to her belly. “Perhaps for another time.”

“We couldn’t have done it without your cooperation, Mayor,” Yasmin said truthfully. “The police troopers were phenomenal.”

The mayor’s face clouded over. “I trust you’ll attend the state funeral tomorrow,” he said. “It would mean a lot to me.”

Yasmin nodded. “Of course,” she said. “What’s the situation out there on the streets?”

“Stable,” the Mayor replied. “I think we’re all trying to digest what we’ve seen.”

“Not every day you see a hydra crawl up from the sewers,” Yasmin agreed.

“This Flux thing will take some getting used to,” Lionel mused. “Did you know there are already game shows based on folks finding out what their spirit creatures are?”

Yasmin shook her head. Of course, such trivial things were bound to happen. Once the novelty wore off, and people started fighting again, such shows would disappear.

“And you, Mayor?” Yasmin asked with a cheeky grin. “Any self-discoveries lately?”

Yasmin knew for a fact that Lionel had booked some time with Mischa, her diviner.

The mayor grinned sheepishly. “Seems I’m aquilan,” he said. “I try not to mention that in polite company.”

Yasmin chuckled.

“Being able to fly, though?” Lionel said with relish. “
That
makes me feel like a kid again.”

Yasmin held Lionel’s gaze for a moment, absolutely understanding the sentiment.

“A spirit creature is an opportunity,” she said at length. “A chance to escape the past.”

The mayor nodded his understanding. “Roger that,” he said. “A message to be spread across the world right now, I think.”

Once Lionel had gone, Yasmin resumed her vigil. The time alone with Jack gave her time to think, to plan.

The Flux Fellowship had come together almost by accident, but now that it was a “thing”, it was taking on momentum all on its own. The naturebound and arachne folk had moved into the old lycan chapter house and were now training under the supervision of their various leaders.

Yasmin was happy to learn that her surviving troops were being looked after in the chapter house also. She had a slowly building need to take her people back to Romania, where she could further develop her own sanctuary.

Yasmin’s mind was a tumble of such thoughts when Jack stirred.

“Welcome back, love,” she said softly, planting a kiss on his lips.

“If only I could wake like that every day,” he quipped, taking a moment to adjust to his new surroundings. “So I’m still alive, then.”

“Don’t make a habit of crashing helicopters into Flux titans,” Yasmin said with a smile. “Follow that advice and you should be fine.”

Jack was keen to be discharged from the hospital. Yasmin took care of the necessary paperwork and they disappeared into the night. The Manhattan streets were eerily quiet for a Sunday night. The people would be laying low, recovering after such a huge shock. Luckily, engineers had succeeded in locating almost all the explosives the Berlin Club had laid. One charge had gone off as a engineer was working on it, killing him and his colleague instantly, but there had been no other loss of life from the explosives.

The death count in the streets, however, was a different matter. It was estimated that 982 civilians and 212 police troopers had lost their lives in the ghoul attack. The thought of the state funeral the following day saddened Yasmin. Perhaps sensing her grief, Jack laid an arm around her as they walked through the ocean tunnel to the chapter house.

Amazingly, there was a long line of folks waiting to enter the chapter house and “volunteer” their services to the fledgling Fellowship. Some even held placards with their spirit creatures written in large letters. Others had gone to the desperate length of shifting into their beasts, a reckless act that caused no end of commotion in the crowd.

A huge black spider manned the door and, recognizing Jack and Yasmin, let them in immediately.

“Like one of my regular nightclubs,” Jack said dryly as they headed through.

Florence was engaged with a flock of reporters in the main hall.

“It’s called a Fellowship because I guess every member is a willing volunteer, equal among his brothers and sisters,” Florence was saying. She threw a look at the newly arrived pair and her eyes widened.

“I’m sorry, can we talk another time?” she said. “It’s getting quite late.”

Florence certainly looked tired if the bags under her eyes were any indication. She showed no sign of it when she wrapped Jack in a suffocating bear hug.

“You’re such a douchebag,” she said as she held him at arm’s length. “But you’re a lycan douchebag.”

“I love you too,” Jack laughed.

The look in Florence’s eyes said everything. It said that Florence and Jack, as the only two survivors of the Lycan Society, would always share a special bond. There was deep affection there, but also a need. Jack was Florence’s only link to the past and she would need that link if she was going to build a future.

Yasmin smiled, tears welling in her eyes.

“What is it, Yas?” Florence asked, looking over Jack’s shoulder.

“Nothing,” Yasmin said quickly, wiping her face. “Was just musing on how important you both are to me.”

“We
could
group hug but everyone else here might think it was kinda lame,” Jack said. “Having said that - ditto.”

The three of them were silent for a moment, enjoying the realization.

“Florence,” Yasmin said gently. “What’s the situation here? Are the troops up for a quick assembly?”

“Everyone’s tired, still finding their feet,” Florence said. “Is there something urgent?”

“I think so,” Yasmin said, already ushering Jack and Florence to the upper mezzanine level. From there they looked out over the great hall, which was a bustle of activity. Both the naturebound and arachne were transferring personal items to this dank, cold warren under New York City. Yasmin calmly pressed an orange button on the wall.
That
was a call to general assembly. The red one was for immediate evacuation. Florence had installed the system only the day before, looking to upgrade the outdated setup the Lycan Society had employed.

The Fellowship had been drilled once in these new alarms already, and now dutifully reported to the great hall. Within two minutes there were close to two hundred Fellows piled in the Hall.

“You have me intrigued,” Florence said with a knowing look at Jack. “Something tells me I’m not gonna like this. You in on this too, Jack?”

“That’s a negative,” Jack said. “No idea what this crazy vampire is gonna do next.”

Yasmin cleared her throat and approached the rail.

“I’ll keep this short,” she said. “I know many of you are probably itching for some sleep.”

Yasmin paused, glancing over her shoulder at Florence. “We’ve all been through a lot in the last few days. We’ve lost loved ones. Seen those closest to us die.”

Silence in the great hall. What Yasmin spoke of was still agonizingly fresh for many of these people.

“Without wanting to dwell on painful events, I’d like to shine a light on the harsh reality of our situation. You see, there’s a reason so many of us died in that last battle. The simple truth is there are so
many
of the enemy. So
few
of us. The Fellowship is a flickering flame at the mercy of a hurricane of evil intent. As we strive to become bigger and stronger, we must also work to be more cohesive. More inclusive. We need a leader who demands the best. One who inspires us. A champion.”

Yasmin dare not meet Florence’s eye - the tawny werewolf was bound to know what was about to happen and probably hadn’t been expecting it. There wasn’t a power-hungry bone in Florence’s body.
That
was what made her the best choice.

“Brave Fellows,” Yasmin said with conviction, “I give you Florence Underwood, Champion of the Fellowship.”

And with that, the vampire queen took a step back, her heart hammering in her throat. What she had just done was very risky indeed. She had effectively hand-picked a leader of the Fellowship without consultation with anyone else. Did Gustav or Nate have designs on the position? Had Yasmin risked the Fellowship just so she could put Florence’s name forward?

As it turned out, she needn’t have worried. The assembled Fellows began chanting Florence’s name immediately. Yasmin’s instinct had been right after all. Florence
was
a champion. Everyone here had seen her plunge a golden sword into the black heart of a hydra. That was the
definition
of heroic.

Yasmin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Gustav and Nate clapping and cheering enthusiastically. It seemed Florence would make a popular leader indeed.

Her job done, Yasmin grabbed Jack’s hand and retreated into the shadows.

“Sorry, my love,” she whispered. “I considered nominating you but I kinda want you around me for a while. Is that selfish?”

Jack stepped into Yasmin and kissed her passionately. His hands started to roam but she slapped them away.

“Someone might see us!” she said playfully.

“I don’t care,” Jack murmured. “There’s something about pregnant women…”

Yasmin couldn’t wait any longer, taking Jack to her old room. All the while the great hall resounded with Florence’s name.

“Do you have to leave so soon?” Florence asked as Jack and Yasmin prepared to say their goodbyes. Their flight to Paris left JFK Airport in an hour.

“As soon as Yasmin is able to travel we’ll return,” Jack reassured her. “Romania is my new home but
this
is where I plan to work.”

Florence grinned, standing at the famous red door that granted access to the ocean tunnel. There was still a long line of prospective Fellows out there. Not all of them would be accepted, of course, but a good number of them would go on to become fine operatives. Yasmin almost envied them - Florence was one of the best mentors she’d ever had. She shed a tear as she embraced the tawny werewolf.

“You’re a shining star,” she said into Florence’s ear. “And I promise to have Jack back at work as soon as I’m done.”

“Can’t wait to see the baby,” Florence cooed, dancing with excitement. “Hopefully it takes after you.”