I was still standing there, staring at the axe, when the shadows under a nearby pine tree started to waver and a vaguely human shape of smoke and shadow formed. I didn’t look straight at it. I didn’t want to see the dapper old man who had ruined my life every step of the way.
I turned the axe over, watching my palm smoke. Could I cut hard enough and deep enough to get the job done? I should probably try for my throat, but if I fucked that up it was going to hurt like a motherfucker.
You will live. The cold voice of death whispered in my mind.
“I should have died a million times by now.” My hand shook.
You must live, my Tess. They need you.
I took a deep, shuddering breath. Then I shoved the axe into my waistband, where the blade rode against my back, awkwardly cushioned by my shirt.
When I looked at the shadows, Death was gone.
When I reached Tommy, I was relieved to find him still in one piece. I sank down to my knees, feeling numb. Kwan was dead. Cloud had abandoned me. Even Ahanu was gone. But hey, at least the freaking god of death was on my side.
Sort of. Maybe.
I was so tired.
I wished, not for the first time, that I had been in the car with Barrett that night. But if I gave up now, Tommy would die for good.
And so would the creatures I felt watching me from the trees. And countless others like me who had been dragged into this involuntarily and were now being hunted like wild game.
I reached out to Tommy, placing a hand over his heart as my own heart thumped like a booming tribal drum. My energy rose, swirling through me and filling my ghoul, bringing him to life.
But I had been exhausted and seriously wounded by a hunter’s weapon tonight, and I hadn’t been able to feed to balance out the power I needed to run both of us. I was like an old battery. The energy flow snapped off suddenly like a broken rubber band.
Tommy twitched. He slowly sat up, his movements sluggish, with none of his usual golden-retriever-like energy.
“Shit,” he groaned. His eyes were an opaque, milky white. He needed more energy, and I had nothing left to give.
I swayed, my head spinning. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “So, so, damned sorry.”
Tommy caught me when I fell. My throat burned and the wendigo madness beat at my mind.
“Where are the hunters?” Tommy’s voice grew more desperate with each word, as he seemed to realize something was very, very wrong. “Why didn’t you feed from one of them?”
I laughed, a wheezy puff of sound. “Kwan is dead. And Cloud is trying to kill me.”
Tommy awkwardly got to his feet, carrying me like a baby. For the first time, he seemed to struggle with my weight as he shuffled back toward the house. “What are we going to do, Tess?”
I could feel the desperation of the creatures around us.
Even over the raging hunger, I could still feel the jagged edges of my broken heart.
“I don’t know, Tommy,” I whispered. The ones who always had the answers were gone. “I really don’t have a fucking clue.”
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You might also enjoy my paranormal romance/urban fantasy series the Demon’s Call Series.
About The Author
Kaye Draper is the author of numerous novels and short stories available in e-format and print. Kaye inhabits the forests and waters of Michigan, where she often finds inspiration for her stories. She is currently hard at work on the next book in the wendigo saga, and the final installment of the Earth and Sky Saga. Sign up for her mailing list to receive free short stories and book updates. Visit her website kayedraper.com, her blog Write Me, Twitter, or Facebook.
Wendigo Girl Series
Beauty And The Feast
Creeping Beauty
Demon’s Call Series
Moonlight Calls
Blood Beckons
Destiny Decrees
The Demon’s Birthday Present (short story)
Earth and Sky Saga
Earth And sky
Rise And Fall
Darkness And Light
Gods And Angels (coming soon)
Fantasy Romance
Redemption
A Secret Sky
Paranormal Romance
Survivor
Come Love a Fey Collection
Kelpie (novel)
Pooka (short story)
Mer (short story)
Crow (short story)
Wyvern (short story)
House On The Hill (short story)
Young Adult
Kami Cursed