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Jake
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RODERICK WAS ALREADY perched on a chair in front of the TV when Jake and the sirens entered the living room. Shifters moved aside to let them through. Word was spreading that the hunter was temporarily in charge. Appraising looks were sent his way, but none of the alphas offered a protest.
“Has there been any news yet?” Jake asked when he reached the Archivist.
“Nothing new so far,” Roderick reported. He wore one of his usual tweed suits that seemed to have been made for someone much older than him. He was only in his mid-thirties, but worry was beginning to dig furrows in his brow. “Wait a minute,” he said as a sign saying ‘Breaking News’ came on the screen. “It seems I spoke too soon,” he added.
The reporter looked like she was on the brink of tears as she relayed the latest towns that were coming under attack in Russia and in the Czech Republic. Jake crossed his arms and gripped his biceps hard as he saw an army of Dread Wraiths marching on the defenseless humans. Even when they were cloaking themselves from everyone else, he could still see them. Ari had unlocked hidden talents when she’d removed the block inside him. His eyesight had improved in more ways than one. He could now see spectral beings and spells that were lying in wait for the unwary.
Civilians fled and were cut down by the ghostly soldiers. Morgwen marched with them, wearing another virginal white dress that stood out starkly in the darkness. Her Grim Reaper floated along behind her with his hand embedded deep in her body. A human made the mistake of coming too close to her and Death swept his scythe at the man. Soul instantly severed, his lifeless corpse dropped to the ground. Jake saw his wispy soul fade away to nothing, but others lingered. Taking on the shape of their bodies, they became ghosts that were trapped in this dimension.
The images changed and were replaced with monsters from a horror story as the hybrids simultaneously attacked three towns near Prague. “That’s our cue,” Jake said and circled his finger in the air. “Time to go, people.”
Winston and Brandi joined their power and used the veil to take everyone that was inside the building up to the surface. “We’re not going to be able to go directly to the towns that are being attacked,” Winston said apologetically to Jake. “We need Rudy to take us there first.”
“It can’t be helped,” Jake said. “Just get us as close as you can, then use the veil to hop closer.”
“Can you take us all without Jonah here to help?” Mirra asked.
Eyeing the half-fae hunter he was now teamed up with, Winston twirled the end of his moustache thoughtfully. “I may have to borrow a bit more power than usual, but I believe it will work.”
Brandi tested her link to the siren and nodded in agreement. “Your power is different from Quin’s, but you have enough energy to give me a boost.”
“Try turning your power on full, darlin’,” Jake suggested.
Mirra obeyed and Brandi’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, yeah, that’ll work,” she said with a giggle. “I almost feel as if I could take everyone there myself.”
“Don’t overdo it,” Jake warned her. “We don’t want to drain either of you too much.”
“There’s little chance of that, old boy,” Winston said. “Not while we’re being powered by your batteries.”
“That’s just what I always dreamed of being,” Mirra said to herself. “A power source for a ghost.”
Jake slanted her a smile, then turned to the expectant army of shifters. “You’ve probably all heard that I will temporarily be taking command of this army,” he said. Their hearing was good enough that he didn’t have to shout. He pointed at Quin’s father and the werewolf puffed his chest out. “Xavier Vale is my second in command. Come to either of us for your orders. The ghosts will get us as close to the affected towns as they can, then they’ll have to use the veil to hop closer. Hold onto your hats, people. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd as Brandi shifted Mirra to the far edge of the gathering. She sent her power out and linked up with Winston. Together, they transported the army to one of the towns they’d cleared of hybrids. They could only travel as far as they could see when they hadn’t been somewhere before. It took them a few dozen hops before they reached their destination.
Druids in groups of five or six were ferrying hybrids through portals. Monsters that had once been humans raced towards the fleeing population. This time, they weren’t here to kidnap the populace. They were here to kill them. The mask had been repaired and it was now in Spencer’s hands. These attacks were purely to create mayhem and a distraction to hide what his real plan was.
“Move out!” Jake bellowed and fired a shot at a hybrid that had a bull’s head and a man’s body. It was similar to a minotaur, but had little intelligence. Hit in the back of the head, it let out a bellow of pain, then fell down dead. “I love my job,” Jake murmured, then followed his army into chaos.
Jake had seen his share of battles over the past fifty years of hunting monsters, but nothing on this scale. It was much worse now that the hybrids had been given license to maim and kill. Bodies lay sprawled in their own blood and guts, glazed eyes staring blindly. Seeing a little girl who had been torn clean in half and one arm ending in a jagged stump, his unruly temper flared to life.
Something that looked decidedly feline loped into view, muzzle dripping red and with a small arm clutched in its mouth. Putting his gun away, Jake pulled his machete and allowed his rage to consume him. His senses sharpened to the point where it was almost painful as he sprinted after the monster. Leaping through the air, he landed right beside it. Snarling in surprise, the hybrid spat the arm of a dead child out, but he lopped its head off before it could have a chance to lunge at him.
Nothing enraged him more than seeing children suffer. Memories of finding Ari savaged by vampires and nearly dead increased his rage. With a roar that sent a shiver down the spines of all who were within range of hearing, he lost the last remaining shred of his control.
When his rage finally burned itself out, Jake found himself surrounded by a pile of corpses. Sweeping a dazed gaze around, he was relieved to see they were all hybrids. He’d never lashed out at friends or allies before, but he’d also never allowed himself to completely lose control like this.
“Jake?” Mirra called cautiously. He turned to see her standing a safe distance away. Shifters were lined up behind her, staring at him warily.
“Yeah, sweetheart?” he asked, suddenly weary to the point where he felt he might collapse.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he replied and staggered a step. Catching himself, he used his machete to keep his balance as he climbed over the pile of bodies. Standing on the highest point, he looked back and flinched when he saw how many monsters he’d dispatched. Blood and other fluids dripped from him. He was covered in gore from head to toe. “That must have been a hell of a fight,” he said, unable to remember any of it.
“Are you wounded, Jake Everett?” Mayra asked as she worked her way through the crowd to her daughter’s side.
“Not that I’m aware of,” he replied. Not that he could feel anyway. If anything, he felt numb.
Xavier and his pack were standing a short distance away. The alpha put his fist to his chest and bowed to the hunter. It was a mark of the highest respect and every shifter copied him. Even the true shapeshifters acknowledged his prowess. Jake nodded in return, secretly hoping he wasn’t going to pass out and embarrass himself.
Winston and Brandi drifted over and the older ghost assessed his leash holder. “You’ve almost reached the end of your endurance,” he said. “Let’s get these raggedy warriors back to our base so you can get some rest.”
Jake suppressed a sigh that the spirit would have to sap more of his strength to transport everyone back to Scotland, but he didn’t protest. Their work here was done and now they had to rest and restock. They’d only managed to wipe out one of the groups of hybrids while the other two had gone on a killing spree. He hoped someone would come up with a solution to their witch and demon problem soon, because countless people were going to die if they failed.
