SWNOVELS Chapter 103: War and Retribution Part Two!
The Fall of an Army!
The patrols on the tree lines were getting antsy. They hadn’t heard anything from the others in a while and something carried on the wind. Something foul. They breathed it into their lungs greedily taking the scent deep into them. The remaining seekers and wisps took off into the woods, something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Words whirled on the breeze that carried them to their targets, something was in the woods. Something bad, something wicked. The guards on the doors stood rigid at their posts waiting to hear word. THUMP! THUMP! Beating out their warnings on all sides of the house that something was coming their way. Bo and Brina stood at the tree line on either side of the house. Watching, waiting for the time they would need to give their warning call to bring the others back. Brina locked eyes with Bo and both nodded their heads. ….grrrRRRrRRrRRRRRrRRrRRRrrrr…. Came from deep in the woods.
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRR….
The call partially rang out, but it was cut short when the siren was descended upon and the throat was ripped out. White Stone was under attack.
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
Without hesitation the second call rang out long and loud. The others needed to be alerted. The attackers needed to be subdued.
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
Again it rang through the territory. Halting anyone coming near in their tracks as they tried to barrier themselves against it.
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
Over and over the calls rang out. Different pitches, varying frequencies. Bouncing, echoing. SMASH! SMASH! Windows shattered at the force and regularity the calls were made. When the sirens faltered, the shadows picked up and tore through the woods. Snarls, growls, yelps and bones being broken sounded from the depths. Then the calls rang out again.
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
“The fuck do we do?” Damon asked, trying to block the sound from his ears.
“We can’t stay here, we gotta move,” Kane yelled to be heard. Cheerio pushed Kenzi closer to Dax in the middle of the men and then took position beside Kane and Kenneth. Elephant took beside Damon while Kojak had Carter and Tybal stuck close to Johnny and Marco. Pushing them tighter together. Cheerio twitched his ears, then looked to Tybal he too had caught a sound. Moving closer to the only doors into the cinema they sniffed. Backing up quickly, they crouched ready to attack whoever was going to come through the door. Kane held his finger to his lips before anyone could ask a question.
“Breach!” He said through the link.
Dax held onto Kenzi as both women trembled. Fear gripping them. Kenzi just got her wolf and couldn’t shift to protect herself and Dax had just started her training and she and Nyx weren’t very coordinated.
“This is not ass-citing” Kenzi blurted as she buried her face and gripped tightly to Dax. Kojak and Elephant searched the room, there had to be another way out. Grabbing a hold of Damon’s arm Kojak pulled him to the wall behind the screen.
“Secret door!” Damon said as he pushed a hidden panel in the wall.
“Clever” Johnny said as he moved the girls with him, Marco and Carter flanking the other sides.
“Get them to safety!” Kane ordered.
Kane and Kenneth watched them disappear into the wall, the panel going back up. They turned back to the doors as they began to shake. Cheerio and Tybal crouching lower to the ground waiting, watching. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Then nothing. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Then muffled talking. THUMP! THUMP! CRACK! The door finally started to give away to the battery being placed on it. Steve and Kennedy fortified every room, making it stronger incase of a breach to the house. Hidden doors so there was always an accessible exit. But their biggest defence was still the demons. THUMP! THUMP! CRACK! Then nothing. THUMP! THUMP! CRACK! THUMP! CRACK! Then a series of growls and whimpers. CRACK! THUMP! CRASH! The doors broke open and two men stood there. Red eyes piercing through the debris and dust. The stench coated the room, rogues had indeed breached the house.
“The fuck is she?” One snarled though he never received a reply. ….grrRrRrRRRrRrRrrr…. The growl sounded to the right, but the attack came from the left. Cheerio had him down, his jaws clamped tightly around his neck, slowly applying more and more pressure. The second man went to kick the large wolf off only to be taken down by a second one showing no mercy. SNAP!
“Why hasn’t he killed him?” Kenneth asked, when he noticed Cheerio still had the other man’s neck.
“Because he thinks like an Alpha,” Kane replied. Moving towards the man on the ground squirming to be released by the wolf.
“What?” Kenneth moved as well
“Can’t get answers from a dead man,” Kane said. “Who sent you?”
“Fuck you!” The man gasped out when Cheerio applied more pressure.
“Who sent you?” Kane repeated. The man could only gag out a laugh. He wouldn’t tell Kane anything. SNAP! Cheerio whimpered that was not what he meant to do when he tightened his jaw.
“It’s ok, Cheerio, he wasn’t going to talk anyway. Find Kenzi!” Kane ordered. Putting their noses to work, Cheerio and Tybal took off down the hall to find their Luna, with Kane and Kenneth right behind them.
Adonis and the others made it back to White Stone to see the house under attack. A few of his men were on the ground as were warriors from White Stone.
“Find Kenzi!” Adonis ordered a handful of his men while he instructed the others to wipe the rogues out. He wanted no survivors. His warriors descended on the territory ripping rogues off of the others and tearing them to pieces in the process, those that tried to run were chased and brought down. Cage and Gage took off in one direction, ripping a rogue off one of their own. Gage held him while Cage tore his throat out.
“Brina….they killed Brina” Bo gasped as he fought for his breath. Getting him to his feet they moved away from the fighting.
“Come on Bo, get control, we need your blast.” Gage said.
“GET DOWN!” Adonis ordered
The demons and White Stone warriors hit the ground. The call went up growing louder and louder as more and more sirens joined in.
….grrRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRRRrrrRRRrrrRRRrrr….
It ripped through the territory and those that remained standing were caught in the blast. Gripping at their ears, snarling and growling as pain laced through their bodies. When silence reigned around them it was too late. The demons were back on their feet and attacked.
Somehow Damon, Kenzi and Dax got separated from the others and found themselves in the kitchen. Brax came crashing through the back door after he was tackled by two rogues, Ton couldn’t get to him he was in his own fight. Damon got one off and Kenzi grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on and swung. THUNK!
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she blurted after she hit the rogue.
“Don’t be sorry pixie hit him again” Damon yelled, so she did. Kenzi hit him again and again and again until Brax got control of the situation. His claws digging into the man’s face he closed his fist tight. CRUNCH! Then dropped the body and grabbed the one off Damon snapping his back over his leg as he ran back out the door to help Ton.
“Nice swinging!” Damon said as he got to his feet. “No, how bout we hold onto that.” He added when Kenzi went to put down the frying pan. She nodded and held her weapon tightly.
“We gotta move, we’re too open here” Damon said as he led the two women out of the kitchen.
“Where’s Dax?” Kane asked when they ran into Johnny and Kojak.
“Lost her, Damon and the little pixie in the house. Marco and Carter have Elephant, helping a group of warriors trying to defend the bunkers.” Johnny replied. “Where’s Cheerio and Tybal?” He asked when he saw Omen instead.
“Lost Cheerio when Omen showed up and Tybal is helping Kennedy and Steve,” Kenneth replied.
“These are savage wolves,” Johnny said, petting Kojak’s head.
“Come on we gotta find them” Kane was on the move again.
Damon was rounding a corner when he got pinned by another rogue. Kenzi smacked him with her frying pan, but he backhanded her and she got knocked to the ground. Only for Dax to jump on his back and start hitting him. She was pulled off by another one, Kenzi recovered and kicked him as hard as she could where it really hurts to make him let go of Dax. Damon was fighting with the other rogue and Dax and Kenzi took turns hitting the second one. ….grrRrRrRRRrRrRrrr…. Sounded from down the hall as the first rogue turned Cheerio lunged and tackled him. SNAP! And he moved on to help his Luna. Damon too was on his feet moving to get to the second rogue. Cheerio pushed Kenzi back as Damon moved forward and snapped his neck, dropping him to the ground. They had to keep moving, they had to get to safety. Damon was leading, while Cheerio brought up the rear of the pack. When this feeling washed over Kenzi, she didn’t know why she did it but knew it had to be done. She opened a closet door and shoved Dax inside and ordered Cheerio to stay with her and not let her out. Then she slammed the door. Damon looked at her wide eyed. Kenzi only shook her head, she didn’t know and Damon wasn’t going to question it. His sister and Queen were safe, Cheerio wouldn’t disobey his Luna, Dax would not be leaving that closet.
The fight on the lawn was beginning to die down as the rogues were retreating back into the woods. The demons gave chase, there would be no survivors.
“Look over the injured and collect the dead” Adonis said he had to get to the house. He had to find his mate.
Damon and Kenzi were moving down a hall when the feeling washed over her again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Sorry fo….” Damon was about to ask. THUNK! THUMP! Kenzi swung as hard as she could and connected the frying pan to the side of Damon’s head and he went down hard.
“I’m so sorry, but you can’t be here,” Kenzi repeated. She opened another closet and with a huge struggle she managed to get Damon inside of it and the door closed. She pushed a chair under the handle and hoped that would stop him from getting out. Then she took off down the hall. ….ahhhhhhhhhhhh….
The scream echoed throughout the house till it pierced the silence of outside. Jackson and Tyler looked at each other, then they saw Elijah take off and they were right behind them. They all knew that scream, Kenzi was in trouble. Tearing open doors to rooms and cupboards they searched for her and came up empty. Throwing open one of the closets Tyler discovered Dax and Cheerio.
“Kenzi shoved me in here and he wouldn’t let me out” Dax said when she looked at him. Tyler helped her out only to see Jackson at Damon’s side further down the hall.
“The fuck happen?” Tyler asked. Damon was holding the side of his head as a trail of blood trickled from the still closing wound.
“The little pixie hit me with a fucking frying pan,” Damon replied.
“What?” Jackson looked at him as he helped him to his feet.
“She said sorry then fucking hit me….hard,” Damon said.
“Where’s Kenzi?” Adonis asked when he hit the main level. He and Elijah had already torn apart the upper floors looking for her.
“Her not here,” Tyler replied.
“Then she’s not in the house” Elijah said
“Found these two in the closets” Tyler said pointing to Dax and Damon
“Say Kenzi did it,” Jackson added.
“What?” Adonis looked at both Dax and Damon.
“She said sorry then clocked me with a fucking frying pan” Damon explained again.
“She didn’t say anything to me, just shoved me in the closet and told Cheerio to guard me and make sure I don’t leave,” Dax said.
“She never said anything, I don’t think she knew why she did it,” Damon replied. “But I wasn’t asking questions, you were safe and nothing was going to happen to you with him on guard”
“DAX!” Kane pulled her into his arms, relief flooded his body as he held his queen close to him.
“What happened to you?” Johnny asked looking at Damon
“The pixie hit me with a fucking frying pan” Damon answered
“By accident?” Johnny asked, maybe she was defending herself and Damon got in the way.
“No, I’m pretty sure it was on purpose. She said sorry before she swung it” Johnny was trying not to break out laughing, but Damon getting taken out by the itty bitty pixie was funny.
“Where’s the little pixie?” Johnny asked, they all shook their heads.
“Where’s Alpha Adonis and the other three?” Kane asked, looking around for them. The Devil and his demons were gone.
Adonis and his men hit the yard again, she had to be here somewhere, she couldn’t have gotten far. He sent seekers into the woods in all directions to locate her, maybe she got out of the house and ran. Any pack member who wasn’t injured was sent to look for her. Shadows were sent to the south, wisps to the west, sirens to the east and the berserkers were sent to the north.
“Adon breathe” Jackson grabbed his shoulders.
“I can’t Jackson, she’s not here.” Adonis couldn’t think, he couldn’t focus, he was being overwhelmed. Too much was going on around him. His panic, the panicked thoughts of his pack, White Stone, all circling his head.
“Line!” Elijah called,
“What?” SLAP! They both stared at each other wide eyed. Jackson and Tyler’s jaws dropped over what Elijah just did.
“That’s your one” Adonis said, his cheek stinging and red from the connection Elijah made.
“I’ll take it, now focus,” Elijah said. Adonis closed his eyes, drawing deep breath after deep breath, he slowed his heart and controlled his breathing. He blocked out all other thoughts, all other voices, everything and focused solely on Kenzi, hoping to open a connection with her.
“Sweetheart….”
“Kenzi….”
“Ken….”
“Mate!”
“Kore!”
“Mate!”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know, the bad man hurt my pixie and taked her fryer pan”
“Kore you have to come forward”
“Yeah come forward….um….how?”
“….grrRRRrrr….”
“Oooo big tall things”
“What do the big tall things look like?”
“Big tall things with funny tops that go swishy swishy”
“Trees Kore, those are trees, you’re in the woods?”
“No, but they’re around us”
“A clearing, you’re in a clearing”
“Sure!” Adonis tried not to huff, it wasn’t her fault
“What else do you see?”
“Big hard things” Rocks!
“What else Kore?” Clearing with rocks that could be any of them!
“Weird something I don’t know what it is but it goes glup glup glup and I want to touch it”
“She’s at the lake” Adonis called over his shoulder as he took off to the south. He linked the seekers in the area and told them to head in that direction as well he wanted eyes on her.
“Got her Alpha, she’s by the dock. Ethan’s there as well” Tommy came through the link
“Don’t engage”
“Yes sir!” He replied
Kane and the others hit the yard intime to see Adonis and the rest of his men disappear into the woods on the south side. He wasn’t staying this time and he took off after them.
“Where are they going?” Johnny asked as they ran to keep up
“The lake and the bluffs are on the south side,” Kenneth replied.
“Well look at you” the man said when he noticed Kenzi moving. Bad man!
“Who knew you were this tough?” The man sneered at her. Bad man hurt my pixie!
“Then again, I guess you’d have to be” You’re a bad man!
….rrrrr…. Kore growled at the man standing in front of her, it was small and she sounded more like an angry puppy then a vicious wolf.
“Well isn’t that cute, you’ve picked up some very bad habits” I’m gonna bite you! ….rrrrr….
“Well little one, you’re not very scary, I think I’ll make you my pet” The man went to touch her and Kore lashed out sinking her teeth into his hand. SLAP!
“You little bitch!” The slap came hard and fast to Kore’s face and she whimpered. Ow! Bad, bad man! She whimpered some more. SLAP!
“Shut up! Your whimpering is giving me a headache” He hit her harder this time, the force knocking her backwards and she hit her head on a rock and the world went blurry and swirling. Kore faded into Kenzi’s mind as the darkness began to consume her. She fought against oblivion, she had to stay awake Adonis didn’t know where she was. She had to reach him, she had to tell him. Her mind spun, her head hurt. Sounds would hush then scream. The area would blur then focus as the light dimmed then blinded her.
“Adonis….”
“Sweetheart!”
“....the….la….” She blacked out before she could finish
“Hold on sweetheart”
They made it to the tree line by the lake. Ethan was pacing back and forth muttering to himself and they could see Kenzi slumped against one of the rocks as blood trailed down the side of her face.
“He struck her after she bit him,” Xander said.
“Her bit him?” Tyler asked, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth. Maybe he wouldn’t be the only biter.
“Oh, she chomped down on his hand when he went to touch her,” the seeker replied. “Said he was gonna make her his pet, I don’t think she liked that idea”
“The fuck the plan?” Jackson asked. Adonis surveyed the area. Too many obstacles to send a shadow, even with the seekers help. Siren’s call would bounce off the bluffs and come back at them and there was nowhere for the whispers to go. He saw Kenzi start to stir again, her movements were a little slow as she struggled to sit upright.
“Distraction….hello honey,” Adonis turned to look at Kane, a lopsided smile on his face.
“Why do I not like that look?” Kane said.
“Cause you’re not gonna like the plan” Adonis replied, then struck fast and Kane went down.
“I think I hit him too hard” Adonis said,
“You think it gonna scar?” Tyler asked as he looked at Kane on the ground.
“That one might,” Adonis replied. Johnny and Damon just stared wide eyed at him.
“The fuck the plan?” Jackson asked again, he was fighting back his laughter but he couldn’t hide the grin on his face.
“Do you remember what Evan said?” Adonis asked,
“Ethan hate The King” Jackson said nodding,
“Ethan wants the throne, I want my mate,” Adonis replied.
“He’s not going to give Kenzi up, he wants you and your army as well, he’ll use Kenzi to make you submit to him” Elijah said.
“I know. But Ethan doesn’t know she’s a wolf and this feels like a teaching moment.” Adonis replied.
“You gonna force the shift?” Jackson asked,
“He hurt Kore’s pixie, she might want a little retribution, and colour me curious on what she looks like” Adonis remarked as he moved back towards Kane on the ground. Jackson was still fighting back his laughter as he helped Adonis situate Kane on his shoulders.
“This boy needs to go on a diet,” Adonis grumbled.
“No one toll you to knock his ass out” Jackson grinned “Happy teachin”
“$50 say her be 5’2” Jackson made the bet as they watched Adonis walk away.
“I’ll go $50 on 5’4” Johnny shot back.
“5’3” Damon added
“5’5” Tommy threw out.
“I’m wit Tommy,” Tyler said.
“What are we doing?” Carter asked.
“Bettin on how big Kenzi gonna be” Jackson replied.
“I’ll go 5’3” Carter said, Marco nodded beside him.
“5’6” Kenneth shrugged when he saw the look on Elijah’s face, though he couldn’t say he wasn’t curious.
“I’ll bite 5’7” Elijah offered. More and more bets were placed as they all watched Adonis approach the shoreline.