Unstable by Lacey Carter Andersen
18
Adam
We parkour car in the woods. If the demons were right, the relic is being kept in a cabin just up ahead. None of us know what we’ll face. But as I stare down at my gold band, I know we’ll be okay. We’re together. Really together. We made a promise for forever, and nothing could’ve made me happier than that.
Kiera looks at Drake as she cuts the engine. “What’s the plan?”
“I could tear off the roof and eat them all,” Drake says.
“Could that destroy the relic?” she asks.
“Relic does sound kind of fragile,” Emory says.
I don’t know what to do. Battles and fighting aren’t exactly my specialty. So, I wait. Knowing my smart family will come up with the perfect plan.
“Let’s just go in and catch them by surprise,” Kiera says. “I’ll go for the relic, and you guys distract them. I’ll shout when it’s safe, and Drake can just rip them to pieces.”
“I like it,” Drake says grinning. “Especially me ripping them to pieces.”
I nod. “We got this.”
I’ll snoop around the outside and warn you if I see anything suspicious.
Running a hand down Princess’s back, I feel him start to purr, but I know behind that he’s nervous. As brave as he is, we both remember escaping the scientists. I think if Princess had his way he’d go back to playing dress up with his girl and having tea parties. He told me her favorite thing was to take him around the neighborhood in a stroller.
I frown down at him. His girl gave him a better life than I did. I hope when all of this is over he’ll let me dress him in outfits, have tea parties, and put him in a stroller. I could even get him a little dragon costume. Drake would probably like that.
“Adam?”
I glance up, and my gaze meets Kiera’s. “I’m ready.”
We open our doors and close them quietly. Princess leaps off my lap and takes off into the woods, going the longer way around to stay out of sight. Drake points in the direction we’re supposed to go, and Emory is right at his heel. Kiera follows behind them, and I’m at the back of the line, protecting my family from the rear.
The woods are quiet. Evening has fallen, but there aren’t any birds calling or bugs singing. It’s as if the whole world knows that we’re about to do something that will change the face of the supernatural community forever. Hell, the world forever if Cole had been telling the truth about Maxen’s sick plan. Once we get the relic back, and give it to the demons, they’ll be able to stop Maxen from taking over. The jerk will likely die, and the killing and bloodshed will end.
I never told Kiera or the others this, but in Maxen’s cell I dreamed of the world he would create if he could, and it scared me. The scientists had hurt me and Princess in ways I could never understand. I remember being a child and begging for my mom, or for them to stop the needles, shots, and tests. But they ignored me, it’s for science, they had said.
Some people might think I’m a fool. But I knew what they were doing. They had a goal, and they forgot that the means to an end do matter. That hurting a child and a cat mattered. Whatever they accomplished based on our pain would be tainted.
But Maxen? His goal was simply to gain more power. To shed more blood. And in my mind, I saw a planet burning and the cries of people in pain. The dreams filled my mind until I thought they were actually visions of the future.
And getting this relic… it could stop that.
Yes, the spreading marks on our bodies would be erased if we brought the demons what they wanted. But our lives weren’t nearly as important as the future. So, today, we had to win. And we had to be smart.
We continue creeping forward until Drake lifts a hand. He motions for us to remain, while he continues. I want to tell him no. That we’re a family and that we need to stay together, but he’s already pushing aside thick underbrush and disappearing behind it.
Kiera and Emory are tense in front of me, and it’s hard to breathe. I want to follow Drake. I want him to be safe. But Kiera and Emory know more than I do. I need to stay where I am and trust…
Save Drake! Princess’s scream bellows through my mind.
I push past the others and see a beserker slam into Drake, smashing him back against a tree. My dragon shifter hits it and crumples to the ground. As he tries to stand, another of the beasts leaps out and punches him square in the face. Drake falls onto the ground on his side, and the berserker is on him, punching him in the face, over and over again.
A war cry explodes from my lips, and I leap out at the berserker. Claws have grown from my hands, and I shred my enemy’s throat. He falls to the side in a bloody mess, and I look down to see Drake’s face is a disaster. I’m not even sure if he’s breathing.
Reaching down, I pick him up and throw him over my shoulder.
I turn as a berserker nearly slams into me, but I manage to sidestep him. Kiera and Emory are there, already swelling, and the woods seem to ooze out at us as a dozen swollen berserkers slide out from behind the trees and bushes.
“Run!” I shout in warning.
I spin around, but a berserker comes behind me.
Pacing away from him with the huge dragon shifter slung on my back, I look all around, but there’s no escape. Kiera roars and dives at a berserker, and they tumble together. Emory begins to fight two others, his big fists slamming into them, but I already know there’s no hope. Not against a dozen of them.
Three rush toward me, and I’m terrified enough that my shield shimmers into place. I’ve never understood the powers the scientists had created within me, but I’m grateful for them now as the berserkers attack the shimmering purple shield, but fail to break through.
I try to see Kiera and Emory through my attackers and see Kiera with four of them around her, punching her. Emory roars, but then I spot him under a pile of them.
“Stop!” I shout. “Stop! Stop! You’re going to kill your queen and Maxen will kill you!”
My words have an instant effect. Instead of my family being killed, they’re bound, bleeding and fighting every step of the way. A fist goes to Emory’s head, and he doesn’t move. Instead, his body begins to shrink back to its regular size. Kiera seems to see him and fights to get to him, but there’s no use. And then, she’s shrinking too.
I’m breathing hard, tears blurring my vision. Drake is unconscious or dead. Emory is no better. And the damage to Kiera is hard to ignore as she returns to her old shape.
The berserkers around us return to their normal size, but they look like hell. As bad as the odds were against us, we did some serious damage.
One of them stands over Emory. “We have our orders. The men are to die. The woman is going back with us.”
“No!” I shout.
The berserker looks back at me and smiles. “Kill Emory first. Then the dragon. Then the mutant. Let him watch.”
I slowly set Drake down, still in the protection of my shield, watching with a racing heart as a berserker kneels down over Emory. My family member is shaking his head, blinking through swollen eyes, trying to sit up, but he can’t seem to.
Kiera spits out blood and says, “Please! Please! Leave him alone!”
The berserker who kneels over him smiles. “Maxen can’t be king until this one is dead and his body is strung up as a lesson to others.”
I clench my hands into fists. I can’t defeat all these men. But I sure as hell am going to try.
And then I hear someone clapping.
My gaze snaps to the sound, and then Cole emerges from the woods. “Well, look at this. Maxen said you wouldn’t be able to do it without me, but you proved him wrong.”
“Cole?” The one over Emory looks nervous. He runs a hand through his long dark hair, and glances between Emory and Cole. “Maxen sent you?”
Cole shrugs his big shoulders. “He thought you wouldn’t be able to handle the situation. I told him that Maynard could be trusted to guard the relic, get his woman back, and lead this team. But you know King Maxen. He likes to be sure.”
The one known as Maynard squares his shoulders. “We even got the fucking traitor.”
“Impressive,” Cole says, but he sounds bored. “Now, let’s get them to the cabin and call Maxen.”
Maynard frowns. “Shouldn’t we kill them first?”
Cole looks shocked. “You don’t want to ask the king how he wants his traitor brother handled?” He shakes his head. “Well, you’re in charge here, so whatever you want… but I’m not that brave.”
Maynard takes a step away from Emory. “Grab the men and our queen. We’re going to call Maxen and let him know what happened and ask how to proceed.”
Cole’s gaze connects with mine.
“Traitor,” I whisper.
He looks away from me.
My fists tighten. If they get us to the cabin, we have no chance. I have to fight now, before it’s too late. And maybe, just maybe, I can do something.
Trust him.
I stiffen and think, why?
Princess’s words come with confidence. I didn’t trust him either, but he told me he’s Emory’s brother and he’s here to help. I knew something was up with him, and now I know why. He smells like Emory. I believe him. And I believe he’ll save you.
I’ve always followed what Princess has said, but it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done to drop my shield and let them take us all to the cabin. They drag Drake and Emory there, none to gently, and haul Kiera along like she’s property rather than a person. I’m the last to be hauled along, but I’m eyeing Cole every step of the way.
Is this another trick? Did my decision just doom us all?
We’re taken to a cabin, tied up, and thrown in a corner. It feels like being a prisoner is starting to be my reality more than being free, but I’m relieved when Drake and Emory are conscious once more. Drake doesn’t seem able to speak, or to do more than moan in pain, but Emory is glaring at Cole like he wants to rip his head off.
“The phones aren’t working,” Maynard says.
Cole shrugs. “They cut in and out this far into the woods. If we wait a bit, the connection will be back. Trust me.”
Maynard shoots us a dirty look. “Well, what do we do until then?”
Cole sighs. “Well, I have my order. I have to take the girl and the relic back to the king. You guys wait until Maxen tells you how he wants them killed, then do it.”
Maynard looks shocked. “You want to take the girl and the relic back?”
Cole laughs. “Want is a strong word? More like Maxen will rip out all my nails if I’m not back fast enough. He was pretty damned specific that anyone that slows me down should die. That his bitch has been gone from his side long enough, and that it’s now time for his plans with the relic.”
Maynard’s eyes are wide. “Of course. Okay,” he gestures angrily to another berserker, “Get him the relic.”
The berserker limps off, then comes back with something wrapped in brown leather. He shoves it into a backpack, then hands it to Cole.
Cole puts on the backpack, then reaches for Kiera.
“Don’t touch me, asshole!” she shouts.
Cole laughs and looks at the other men. “This ones got a mouth of her. I’m sure Maxen will appreciate that.”
I lean closer to Kiera. “Go with him. We can trust him.”
Her eyes widen, but when Cole grabs her roughly and hauls her to her feet, she only half fights him.
My heart aches. She has a black eye. Blood leaks from one ear and from her mouth, and I shudder thinking about the injuries she’s taken to her body. But she still struggles weakly, looking back at me as if she’s worried I’ve lost my mind.
Emory leaps to his feet. “Kiera!”
A berserker punches him in the stomach, and Emory hits his knees, rasping in breaths. He tries to stand again, and takes a punch to the jaw that sends him slamming back. He’s wheezing so badly that I know he has broken ribs, but he still tries to stand.
“Stop,” I whisper.
“I can’t,” he says, his words broken and filled with sorrow.
The door shuts behind Cole, and Emory sags against me. The berserkers laugh and move away from us, grabbing beers.
I lean so close my mouth nearly touches Emory’s ear. “Cole is your brother. He’s going to save her and the relic.”
Emory turns, one eye swollow shut, but I can read the shock in his face. “No, he can’t be.”
“Princess says so.”
Emory looks heartbroken, closes his eyes, still wheezing, and whispers. “Even if we die here, it’ll be worth it, if she lives.”
My own chest aches. He’s right. Chances are we’re going to die here. But as long as Princess is right, it’s worth it.
I’d give up anything to save Kiera. Even this.
No matter how painful this death will be. And, it will be painful.
“I love you,” I say.
To my suprise, Emory whispers back, “I love you too.”
And then I know, I know we’re going to die.
