“We will talk about that and don’t think I have forgotten. The next time you want to spring something on me by surprise I would seriously reconsider it. I think we all know what my answer would have been had you given me a heads up. I can forgive certain things like using needles on my body to make me into living art but biting me was going a step too far.” I was afraid of asking them what I was going to experience and if I was going to morph into something similar to what they were.
“It’s a good thing heights have never been a problem for us. They probably think we’re dead and rightfully so. It might be a good time to regroup and come at this from a different angle. This was an act of war and we have to treat it like that. Never underestimate your opponent and friends can become enemies in the blink of an eye. Those you think are loyal to you might have a knife behind their back ready to stab you with it. Nobody is above suspicion and we’re going to have to investigate further to find those responsible for this heinous act,” Crosby said, with his mind a steel trap of military maneuvers.
“It would be a good idea for us to find someplace to lay low for a few days. A friend of mine has an art studio and he’s out of town for a few months on sabbatical, traveling abroad. He’s a little eccentric but I can see through his eyes like open doors. He’s just misunderstood by his peers,” I woke up to my reality, I had saved us all from a fate worse than death.
Before I had become undone, I had reached into the deepest part of my soul to find the courage to weather the crippling fire. I had the burns to prove my bravery but one glance convinced me that I was seeing things. The blisters on my forearms were healing slowly but inexplicably. I began to hyperventilate, frozen in my tracks, finally able to register what had happened. Actions did speak louder than words.
They were calling my name but I was lost in a sea of confusion, until I blinked their faces back into focus. Dreaming them into life was my way of coping with my insecurities, never really knowing they were real until I met them face to face. They were my best friends and they had become my lovers.
“You have been set free and you’ll find the skills we taught you to be enhanced. Every person is different in how they respond to the bite. I want you to depend on me and to remember the breathing exercises.
It might seem like a simple thing but it will mean so much in the long run. I can already see you relying on those teachings. I’m convinced you are the chosen one no matter how much you want to fight it,” Wesley declared, with his eyes closed, sitting in a similar position beside me.
The other two followed suit until we were in a circle. Breathing was the key to slowing things down without being overwhelmed. Touching hands reinforced the chain that linked us all together. We synchronized our breathing becoming a hostage of each other’s whims. I never promised to love them unconditionally but the words were on the tip of my tongue, threatening to expose my dirty little secret.
The meditation trance was broken simultaneously and we stood to tackle the next problem. Making an assessment of the climb up, revealed several different crevices for handholds. I stood vigil looking for any weaknesses like loose stones and flat surfaces where we wouldn’t be able to get traction.
“I know what you’re thinking but there’s no reason to worry. Being from the Black family has its advantages. We weren’t like normal boys growing up under the same roof. We were trained in various disciplines including meditation and tactical maneuvers before we were out of diapers. Each one of us had a certain gift and it took trial and error to find what made us special. The training we received came in many forms. Fighting was only one component and extreme sports like free climbing cliffs came naturally to us.” Callan was talking a good game but I wasn’t sure that he could back it up, with the way that his hands were visibly shaking.
They had the ability to make a young woman squeal and an old woman blush with just the graze of their fingertips. Bad to the bone was the way that I would describe Callan and his no-nonsense attitude. The man was steadfast and he was shaking off the fear created by the fire raging out of control in front of his eyes.
I was a woman completely satisfied, feeling satiated for the first time in my life. There were some residual sexual feelings flickering to life but they would have to be addressed at a later date.
I began climbing, feeling the familiar adrenaline rush. They could have taken the lead but I didn’t want to disappear, becoming a second thought. The time had come for me to walk the tightrope of those decisions that could have suffocated me in the past. It was dangerous and completely unpredictable, with spontaneous moments where I felt my heart about to leap out of my throat.
I noticed with wide-eyed wonder that my fingernails had grown into claws digging into the rock face. I didn’t need a handhold when I could make one of my own. I could have put my head down and run away from it all but I was staring into the abyss with open eyes. I didn’t want any part of this drama but they were quite convincing, making me see this was what I was meant to do with my life. I no longer felt like a freak of nature clinging to the last vestiges of humanity.
“I can’t believe you do this for fun. We learned from the best and cultivated teachers within the wolf community. They made us well rounded and fighting became like breathing. We’ve had battles in the past with civil unrest but this new dynamic between the three of us should put to rest any questions. I’m guessing you can feel that we are underneath your skin. There will come a time when we will be able to finish each other’s sentences. That comes from living in close proximity to one another,” Callan said, basically asking me to move in with them without considering that I might have other plans.
It was a little galling, although I could understand where they were coming from, taking a moment to walk in their shoes. In their minds, I was the chosen one. I couldn’t dispel their belief without calling into question everything they believed in.
My foot slipped and rocks came loose scattering down on top of them. My hands remained buried into the rock and I smiled despite the knowledge of becoming something more than human. They probably could tell me what was going to happen to me but I really didn’t want to know, at the risk of losing my mind.
The climb was against all odds and now we had to do everything in our power to remain incognito. Ferreting out the culprit wasn’t going to be easy when they had made their fair share of enemies. The best approach was to bring somebody into our confidence. It would’ve been nice to have the benefit of the person who had dragged us out of the fire when it seemed everything was lost. It meant somebody was watching out for us but I had a feeling they were specifically looking out for me. There was no way to know why but maybe they had deemed themselves, my protector.
The first name to come to mind was Donovan, after all, he had expressed his concern for my safety.
I continued at a slower pace, breathing deeply through the fear that threatened to grab me by the throat. Swallowing it down was necessary with only a few feet left to go. Freedom was at hand and I could hear muffled voices that became clearer.
“Nobody could have survived that.”
“We can’t even get close and this wasn’t an accident.”
“I know nobody wants to think about this but somebody’s going to have to step into their shoes. The natural order of things declares that the Nicholson Clan be welcomed with open arms.”
“We’re not even going to discuss this. They haven’t even been cold in the ground for more than a few minutes and you are already making plans to start over without them. I’m the first to admit this sounds strange coming from me. We’re going to need time to grieve before there is a succession of power.” Donovan whispered in the wind and I took solace in his ability to be the voice of reason when everything was in the flux of chaos.
“We can’t procrastinate when the other clans are restless. I’m getting tired of being the bad guy, saying what all of you are thinking. Their bodies are never going to be discovered and the fire is burning hotter than normal. I can’t even imagine the pain they felt and it was not a good way to die.” The voice was of a stranger but it was obvious he wanted to sweep the Black brothers under the rug and forget about them entirely.
My fingertips came in contact with the top and I heaved my body up with considerable strength, to lie there, breathing in the sense of accomplishment. I looked around, expecting to see them talking within a hair’s breadth of where I was but there was no sign of them. The voices had traveled in the air and my enhanced hearing made it possible for me to hear them like they were right there in front of me.
It was there one second and gone the next, when my breathing became normal. Apparently my senses were tied to my emotions. When my adrenaline was running at an all-time high, those senses became more animal than human. The transformation was relegated to the claws and the color of my eyes evident by my reflection in the stream of water directly in front of me.
Three familiar grunts followed shortly after and I hazarded a glance over my shoulder to see them lying on their bellies, scratched up a little but still no worse for wear.
Seeing them naked turned my motor on and I began to rev with an intoxicating blend of adrenaline and sexual interest.
We avoided the main path and made our way to the road, flagging down a concerned motorist. I had to be front and center, looking disheveled and covered in black soot. I explained to the best of my ability, glossing over certain facts. I kept it simple and gave explicit detail about skinny dipping with some friends before getting caught in a fire from an errant spark.