It's been a while :P we're nearing the end of this. It's not very long I'm afraid, the last couple of chapters won't be. Enjoy!
Walking had never felt so wonderful. He felt like singing full-on Disney princess style as he strolled down the sidewalk. Kendall kissed me, he kissed me lalalala. It was fantastic. But fuck, I'm still a kanima. That's not good. Do I still have a master? Who is it if I do? Butttt I can think about that later because Kendall kissed meeee . . .
He reached his house at last and, humming a little in ecstasy, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He was about to cheerfully announce his presence and possibly sing his way to the kitchen, when he heard voices coming from his mom's study. One was of course, hers; at first he couldn't make out the other voice. He stepped closer to the slightly open study door and leaned against the wall, angling his head to listen.
"There are five of them in total," his mom was saying. "Three girls, two boys. One of the girls is the druid, I reckon. She's not like the others."
"When did they get here?" He froze as he finally recognised the voice. It was Jo, his aunt. When did she arrive in Sherwood? What's she doing here? They're talking about the werewolves . . . Then it hit him. They were a family of hunters; of course it made sense that Jo was one too. But had his mom called her? She must have felt threatened . . .
"I can't say exactly . . . I can't say why they're here either. But my theory is revenge."
Revenge? "Revenge? What do you mean?"
"Only about a week after we moved here, there was the body of a werewolf found. I got word of it from another hunter passing through, he said the boy was cut in the throat and butchered. He didn't belong to any known pack of this area, so he must have come from an outside pack. His name was Dak Zevon."
Dak . . . Dak was a member of the new werewolf pack?
"There aren't supposed to me more wolves left in this town, Brooke." Normally so carefree, James was taken aback by the cutting edge in Jo's voice.
"Are you shocked? This place has always drawn the supernatural, Jo. If Rocque was still here it's only natural more would come. But the recent killings haven't been committed by wolves, I'm sure of it. There are druids responsible, all the signs are there. So you need to stay in your lane."
"Look, you called me here to help you . . ."
"That might be true, but this is my town now. I'm the head of Sherwood's Diamond line now, not Father. And I don't believe in killing without reason."
What? Oh . . .
"It's our job to protect humans."
"There were children in that house, Jo. What harm would children do?"
Fuck. Stepping lightly back from the door, James turned and ran up the stairs, keeping on his toes. By the top his heart hammered in his chest and as he quietly shut the door and sat down on the bed, he felt something sickening creeping up inside of him. Jo. Someone he'd always loved and trusted. His grandpa . . . they killed the entire Rocque family. And for what? Werewolves weren't dangerous, not by default. He knew that for sure, how could he not after everything he'd been through? He imagined Carlos and Jett and Lucy slaughtered for something they had no control over. Burning and choking on black smoke and how could they? How could she?
"James, come down! We have a visitor!"
Oh boy. He took a deep breath. Time to test his acting skills. He stood up and went downstairs, seeing Jo and Brooke standing at the bottom of the stairs. He let his mouth gape open and yelled out, "Jo, oh my god!" He ran down the last few steps and hugged her tight. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was in the area and I'm dropping by to stay for a couple of days! I haven't seen you guys in forever; check out how handsome you are!"
"Thank you," he chuckled. Incredible, how different her face looked to him now. The secrets hidden underneath that smile. The killer.
I just have to keep a straight face. Soon all this will be over, and they'll have no reason to worry.
James walked into school, for a moment feeling totally lost at where to go, what to do. He stood in the hall with one hand clenching his backpack strap. Anywhere he looked now, there were unanswered questions. Every time they took a step forward, they took three steps back.
He was snapped out of his daze when he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face Kendall on his left. "Hey," he greeted with a smile, before leaning in and planting one right on James' lips. He squeaked, froze, then let himself melt into it and wound his free arm around Kendall's waist.
"H-Hi," he mumbled when Kendall pulled back, their noses bumping lightly together. "I wasn't expecting that."
"No?" Kendall chuckled, pulling back and taking James' free hand in his, playing with his fingers. "Was it a mistake?"
"Fuck, no. No, I wanna do that again. Maybe not now, I have to get to my locker, but later, or, I don't know . . ."
"We can do it as often as you like. For now I've gotta get going, I also have to get to my locker." He grinned. "I'll see you at lunch," before kissing his cheek and sauntering off, leaving James standing in the middle of the hall and on everyone's way.
His classes passed by in a blur; he wanted to tell the others about what he had heard the night before, knowing that he would have no chance until lunch. That was why as soon as the lunch bell rang, he ran to his locker, then ran to the cafeteria and took his place in the lunch line with his sandwich. He felt a little tap on his shoulder and turned around, grinning when he saw Kendall there. "Following me?"
"Maybe." Kendall's cheeks flushed as James took his hand and lightly kissed the back of it.
"I told you I'd keep doing this," he grinned. "I love seeing your expression."
"You're such a sap," Kendall teased.
"Oh god, I'm gonna barf."
James handed over his money as did Kendall, turning to see Beau lined up behind him. Jett glared from over his shoulder, making a face. "Then don't look, Beau," Kendall replied shortly. "I don't know why you care."
"I don't."
"Then why comment? I've made a better choice now."
"You think so? I guess now that your opportunities have dropped your standards are at an all-time low," Beau snipped, arms folded.
Kendall's arm tightened around James' waist, and he retorted, "Or maybe now that I've spent time sampling the prototypes, I can enjoy the real, fully functioning, thing."
Beau blanched. Jett snorted and clapped James on the shoulder. "Sorry, Beau. Are you gonna eat that cupcake?"
Eventually they were all seated at their large lunch table, James glancing down the length of it and seeing all of his friends. Had their group fully come together now? There was the werewolf pack, each of them chomping on their food like always, Camille sitting pristinely beside them. Then there was Logan, chuckling as he watched Carlos eat. And Kendall on his left, glancing up at him with that trademark charming smile.
"How are you feeling, Kendall?" Camille asked, as she unwrapped the plastic from around her sandwich. "The new moon is almost here. In two days, actually . . ."
"I feel okay," Kendall replied, eyes on the table as he picked at his food a little. "This morning I woke up feeling a bit funny but now I'm alright, I think . . ."
"The new moon enhances the supernatural," Jett turned to James as he took a large bite of his massive sandwich. "And causes some strange changes, like the power of the messenger being directed into the nemeton instead of spreading into the air."
"So if there's anyone left who wants to use Kendall to increase their power, they only have this one chance?" James asked.
Camille bit her lip. "Not necessarily. They could just wait until the next. Though the power will weaken with time, so this is the most likely time it'll be attempted. But that means that even if Hawk was the only druid around planning to do the Takeover, the new pack is still going to be after you, Kendall. They'll keep trying until they know for sure all the power is faded, or until they fail and you're sacrificed . . ."
"Great," Kendall sighed. "Popularity comes with a price, huh?"
Lucy smirked. "Don't worry, we'll protect you. A watch on you at all times. James can take the night shift."
"Lucy!" James coughed, water going down the wrong way as he heaved, tears in his eyes, cheeks red. Logan patted his back gently while Kendall took his hand and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. He regained his breath at last, composing himself and admitting, "Well, you know, if you do need someone to take the night shift . . ."
Kendall bit his lip. "You're hired."
"You guys are disgusting," Carlos shook his head, but he smiled and glanced briefly at Logan as he did so, who smiled brightly back.
"Um, anyway . . ." James cleared his throat. "I have some more information, guys. Listen . . ." he told them about his aunt arriving and what he'd learned from her and his mom's conversation.
"We know that Dak was the one who bit you, who was used to give you the kanima bite," Lucy said thoughtfully. "So I guess it makes sense that his pack would have some beef with Hawk. And why they'd want to stop his plans."
"I thought the same . . . I don't know what to do about it."
"There's not much we can do." Camille shrugged. "I'm thinking we should meet up somewhere quiet, let Kendall and Logan practice getting stronger, let the pack meditate before the new moon so they can better focus their energy on the night."
"Tonight?" James suggested.
"I can't," Camille sighed. "I've got a family thing. Not only that but my house is occupied tomorrow, so I was thinking we could use Gustavo's old place."
"I can't tomorrow either," Jett added. "I've got plans. But tomorrow works. Closer to the day, anyway. Practice alone tonight if you have to."
"Alright, tomorrow it is then." They all agreed and tucked back into their lunches, and when the bell rang they went their separate ways. James texted his mom at the end of the day and let her know he'd be staying over at a friend's house – Ok sweetie, don't stay up too late! xx – and he and Kendall went back to his house. There, Jennifer treated them to another delicious meal, and a little of her motherlike teasing, at which Kendall turned bright red and suddenly became very interested in his dinner plate. It felt good not to be the flustered one for once.
Kendall and James spent the evening playing video games on his bed, then watching movies on his bed. Then eating a lot of snacks on his bed, before making out – a lot – on his bed. They ended up falling asleep there, James with a hand tight around him just in case something was to happen in the middle of the night. But it passed peacefully, and the next day he got up and borrowed one of Kendall's shirts. He felt warm and comfortable when wearing it, and not just from the fabric. He held Kendall's hand as they walked to school together, sidling past his mom on their way. James politely requested that Kendall not say anything about him wearing Kendall's clothes to the others. He reluctantly complied.
That following evening was when they gathered together at Gustavo's old house. Sitting in it now, with a new perspective, James could see why the pack used it as a regular hangout spot. It was relatively comfortable and sheltered, was out of the way and had plenty of space for them to move around. James sat on the creaky, worn down sofa while Kendall sat cross-legged on the floor with Logan, their sets of stones and powder on the floor in front of them.
He watched the pack sitting in the corner in the lotus position while Camille instructed them slightly. Carlos fidgeted constantly and Jett kept sniggering, but they did obey her eventually. He imagined this was something they went through every new moon. He wondered if Gustavo went through the same ordeal. Probably not; he seemed older and much more in control.
He went to sit beside Kendall and Logan and watched them work. "You guys are getting a lot better, huh?"
"I think so!" Logan chirped. "Sorry you don't have much to do."
"It's cool, I don't mind just observing. There's not really much I can do . . ."
"Mhm." Logan smirked. "You have your anchor right here."
"My . . . what?" he squeaked.
"Sorry," Kendall said bashfully. "I told him about you and me, and how you stayed human . . . I just thought it was really cute and I wanted to share."
"It is cute," Logan agreed. "A bit disgusting, but cute."
James blushed. "Yeah, thanks. Does anyone else know?"
"Your secret is safe," Kendall teased.
"Thank God. If Jett or Carlos or hell, even Gustavo, if they knew I'd never hear the end of it." He gave a small sigh. "To tell you the truth . . . I'm glad he's been keeping his distance."
"Gustavo?"
"I didn't want to tell him about Jo," James admitted to them. "I don't know how he would react. I don't want him to do anything irrational, I don't want them to fight . . ."
"I get it," Kendall replied softly. He squeezed James' hand. "Want to borrow some stone power? It'll cheer you up."
"I'm good," James shook his head with a laugh. "I'll just watch you work your magic."
Kendall flushed and nodded, turning back to Logan as the two sat face to face on the floor, shutting their eyes.
It was late by the time they finished practice, the group leaving Gustavo's house and heading down the steps and onto the dirt track back to the road. It was dark out, and deserted as it had ever been. They walked along together, arm in arm. "I'll text you in two hours," Jett told James, eyes on Kendall as he walked behind them. "Then you can come and take over the watch."
"Got it!" James nodded. "I'll be waiting. I'll just make an excuse with my mom—"
"Shh!" Carlos slowed to a stop. "I heard something."
The others looked around. "It was probably just a squirrel or something," Logan said, eyes on the trees.
"No, I definitely heard it, it wasn't a squirrel," Carlos insisted, looking around. "I swear. It was something . . ."
There was a sudden sound of a twig cracking behind them. They looked around, but saw nothing. "Um . . ." Lucy swallowed. "We need to go. Let's move faster."
Swallowing, Kendall reached in the dark for James' hand and they sped up. They heard rustling on either side of them, another twig. A voice. It was then that they broke into a run. The werewolves tried to keep their face with the others in the group, knowing that they weren't as fast. But it was difficult, and they were catching up.
Then Camille screamed, and they turned to see her lying on the ground with an open wound in her leg, jeans ripped. She was whimpering, clutching it and panting as she looked around. "H-He just came at me . . ."
Carlos ran to her and helped her up. "They're so fast . . . here, hold onto me."
"Thank you," she groaned, holding onto him. "God, that hurt . . . how are we going to get away now? I don't see them . . ."
"I don't hear them. I . . ." Carlos looked around, frowning. "I think they're gone."
"Gone? What?" James glanced over his shoulder. What . . . what?
He looked around, realising in an instant what was wrong. "Where's Kendall?"
"What?" Camille looked around, wincing and tightening her grip on Carlos' shoulder. "Fuck . . ."
"Where is he?!" James demanded, grabbing Jett by the collar. "Where is he, you were supposed to be watching him!"
"I-I don't know, James—"
This can't be happening.
"KENDALL!"
Where is he? Where is he?!
Then he heard a faint call from somewhere in the woods. "This way!" Carlos shouted, pointing. "Quick!"
Lucy transferred the groaning Camille quickly to Logan's shoulders. "You'll have to hold her." And she took off in a sprint, Carlos and Jett following close behind. James ran after them, not caring that he wasn't as fast, nor as strong. He wasn't even close.
Kendall. Kendall, I'm coming.
They ran through the trees, stumbling on twigs and fallen logs. "Stop!" Jett roared, sprinting faster and reaching one, a smaller one who was lagging behind. He tackled him to the ground and upon seeing the, the rest of the pack skidded to a stop. Kendall was being carried over the shoulder of a tall, gangly blond, who put him down and turned to face James and the others, pulling Kendall tight to his body and pressing his claws against his neck. Kendall winced and squirmed, arms held tight behind his back in the boy's free hand. Beside him, three girls stood. The first had black hair tied back from her face, the second tanned with long hair and the third blonde like the boy. The boy Jett held tightly in his arms was smaller than the others, with red hair and a face full of freckles. He struggled and cried. "Peggy!"
"Let him go," the blond girl snarled.
"You first," Lucy snapped, baring her fangs.
"We can't do that," the boy said firmly, holding him tighter. "We won't let the Takeover happen, and it won't happen if we kill him before the druid does."
"Well if you don't drop him, this one's gonna get it!" Jett shouted, putting his own claws to the redhead's neck.
"Jett—" Carlos started to protest.
"Let him go!" Jett roared.
"The world matters more than one person and you know it," the dark-haired girl said. "We're not killing for no reason. This has to be done."
"Oh really, because we've been fighting this problem, for weeks and not once have we ever considered killing him!"
"Look, we can work together on this!" James protested, eyes darting between Kendall's eyes and the claws pressed to his neck. "There's only one night left and another month until the next new moon—"
"It doesn't matter!" the girl with the black hair shouted, standing in front of her companion. "She won't wait another month, she's going to act on this moon and we can't let her!"
"Her? Who?"
"Tara. Tara Collins."
"What. Wait." Lucy's eyes widened. "Ms Collins from the store?!"
"B-But, no . . . it was Hawk . . ."
"She's from a long line of druids, my family worked with them," the boy holding Kendall explained, his grip on Kendall faltering slightly. "There was an all-out war between them, they had to be defeated. She was the only one who got away."
"It can't be."
"She's the one pulling the strings, she wants to gain power back to avenge them!" the second girl said. "Please, you have to listen to us. This is the only way."
"Please," James pleaded, stepping towards them. "Please—"
Suddenly he heard a shriek from above them, from the trees. Followed by another, several caws and screeches in quick succession. He looked up to see a flock of crows descending from the trees; the group seemed to grow in size as they got closer. James screamed as they flew towards him and covered his face, falling to his knees as he felt claws swipe at his face, a beak jab against his forehead. Around him he heard the others roaring and trying to fight the birds off. He wanted to look up and see what was going on, but was afraid to uncover his eyes in case they became a target. He trembled and waited until he heard the sound of beating wings distancing themselves from him.
But as he did he heard a voice cursing. "No, no, fuck—"
"We're too late," the second girl groaned, hands over her face. "She's taken him. We're too late!"
Kendall was gone.
