Mangled Read online

  She laughed like a child. Then she looked at me and those glazed-over eyes filled with tears. “Tess?” Her husky alto voice wobbled.

  I shook my head and took her outstretched hand in mine. She was cold. Hunters were never cold. They always burned like fire. “Yep,” I said with a big, fake smile. “Everyone’s favorite neighborhood wendigo.”

  She squeezed my hand and burst into tears. I scooted behind her and got my other arm under hers, grabbing her under her lovely chest, I pulled her up to recline against me, holding her while she shook. She wouldn’t let go of my hand and she squeezed so tight the bones ground together. Then she started sobbing, ugly crying in a way I had never thought possible.

  Part of me was scared shitless. The other part really wished I had this on video. Cloud made an interesting drunk.

  “Hey,” I said, pressing my lips close to her silky hair, inhaling her smoky incense scent as I whispered in her ear. “Hunter, what are you doing in my woods? What happened to you?” And why the fuck had she come here of all places. I inhaled again. Whatever was wrong with her was in her blood.

  “Tess?” She said again. Then she twisted around to look at me, her motions fumbling and feeble. “What…you look weak. Who did that to you? I’ll kill them!”

  I frowned. She wasn’t wrong. I felt messed up since that spell. But I wasn’t a raving monster anymore. Besides, who knew what she was really seeing right now. And why the hell was I sitting here holding her? I could rip her head off right now and she wouldn’t even struggle. Problem solved.

  She shook her head. “I killed her. I killed…her. Tess…there was so much blood. And screaming.” She let go of my hand to grasp her head and rock forward, almost toppling over in the process. I steadied her, grasping her shoulders. She started crying even harder, holding up her hands as if to ward off a horrible sight in front of her. “She was a monster. Kill her. Have to save her spirit. That’s why I was made!” Her words were starting to slur. “I loved her. I killed her. I killed Tess. I loved her. And she loved me. Everyone I love dies.”

  The heartbroken, jagged sound of her voice was torture. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight, trying to stop the rocking. “I’m right here,” I said, terror rising in me at the emotions her words had caused. No. No. No.

  “Gookomis…” she whispered, like a heartsick child. “Gookomis…no, no, no….”

  I let go of her and she fell over sideways into the drift of leaves, her eyes going blank as she stared at the forest beyond us, where the glowing eyes of my creature herd stared back. She started singing again while I ran my hands carefully over her perfect, sculpted body.

  No scalp wounds, no lumps on her head, but I knew that already. Whatever was wrong with her was inside her. My hands stroked over her muscular arms, her back and torso. Her dark, skin-tight sweater was ripped in several places and she had scratches on her that should have already healed, but nothing looked life-threatening. I prodded her abdomen and she freaking giggled, twisting away and snorting before going back to her singing and crying.

  I smiled like an idiot for a second. My cold, dangerous hunter was ticklish? My face fell. No. Not mine. And maybe not even alive for much longer.

  My hands stroked lower. It took me longer than I would have expected to find the small gash on the back of her calf. Her whole lower leg was swollen and hot, where the rest of her body was icy. I ripped the pant leg up to the knee and pushed the leather aside. It looked like a giant, swollen bug bite covering her calf…which someone had sliced open. Sticky yellowish goo oozed out and it wasn’t even bleeding anymore. I lowered my head, knowing I was going to regret it, and breathed in.

  I jerked my head back. Shit. Yeah, that was where that nasty smell was coming from. She had been poisoned by something. God only knew what had caused that.

  “Oh, Cloud,” I said tiredly. “You are supposed to be better than that.”

  But my inner monster was freaking out. Cloud was delirious and shaking with chills and sweats. And her heartbeat was thready, galloping along, then hitching to a stop, then galloping on some more.

  I looked up at the creatures who had drawn closer. The bird-thing was there. I knew it could speak. I pulled Cloud into my arms again and she sighed, reaching up to stroke my cheek with a shaking, clammy hand. “My pretty wendigo.” Her voice was just a whisper.

  I ignored the way my heart lurched. Cloud. Oh, goddamn it Cloud!

  I looked at the bird-thing. “Whatever did this was one of you guys,” I said firmly, refusing to let my voice wobble the way it wanted to. “Fix it.”

  The bird thing took a few cautious steps closer and stood looking down at us. Hunts us. It said in my mind, in its difficult human-speak.

  I glared at it and held Cloud tighter. “Yes,” I said through clenched teeth, fangs aching. “But she’s mine. And you things owe me a hunter.”

  It was a low blow, but I didn’t care. I felt the confusion and guilt of the creatures around me. They had killed Kwan to protect the God of death. They had no choice in their actions. But he had been mine, and they knew that.

  The bird made a warbling sound. Hurts you.

  I shifted Cloud and jiggled her a little bit. She was drifting off to sleep, her heart rate slowing. “Now!” I nearly screamed. “You fix her right fucking now!”

  The creature in me flared up against the magic that was suppressing it. I felt my power swell with my hunger. If she died, I would devour them all, human, monster, every living thing in the world.

  The bird warbled again and there was a scurrying in the fallen leaves around us. A troop of little stick-like creatures with red mushroom heads about five inches tall filed over to stand by Cloud’s leg. They each put a little mossy hand on her skin and started making a deep sound like an earthquake, a subterranean rumble.

  One of them came over and touched me, peering up at me with round, purple eyes. I felt it reach through the magical barrier Cal had put on me and grab a hold of my wendigo powers. It sucked energy out of me and gave it to the other little mushroom men.

  I couldn’t really protest. But fuck, I didn’t have much energy stored up to begin with.

  When they stopped and trooped away in a wobbly line into the forest, their red color muted, Cloud’s leg had stopped oozing puss and her heartbeat was steadier.

  She groaned and rolled onto her side, curling into me and wrapping her arms around my waist. She lay there for some time, breathing slowly, maybe dozing. I sat back against the tree trunk and stroked my fingers through her black hair. It was tangled and I’m pretty sure there was blood in it. I was sitting in the middle of the woods in the dark, holding the hunter who had sworn to kill me. Both of us stank.

  It was perfect.

  But of course, if it gave me a warm feeling like home to be near her, like something was suddenly right after it had been so wrong…then that meant it was all about to come to a messy, screeching halt. Because my life.

  I felt her wake, and braced myself as she pushed herself up to a half-reclining position on her hands. She looked down at her leg, then let out a gusty sigh. Her whole body went rigid when she realized she was sitting against another person. She pushed herself away, spinning into a crouch that must have been agony on her injured leg. But she didn’t let the pain show on her face. I wondered how much else that cold expression hid.

  Her eyes glowed brighter now above her high cheekbones, and a breeze rippled her angled haircut, blowing the dark strands across her face. “Tess?” she breathed.

  I sighed and moved myself to sit cross-legged. I didn’t have the energy for the fight that was sure to come. “Hi ya, Cloud Princess.”

  She shook her head. “No. Why am I here?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Someone got themselves injured and crawled over to my neck of the woods to die. Did you miss me, Cloud?” My voice was light, mocking. Even though I wanted to ask her the question for real. Did she miss me? Was she sorry? Would she come back and help me make sense of the world?


  She frowned, and her eyes darted away, taking in the forest around me as if looking for threats. “Damn. They’ll know. Why did I come here?” She stood, fists clenched at her sides and a nervous tension in her, as if she didn’t know whether to fight or flee.

  “I’m not fighting you,” I said from my place on the ground.

  Her gaze snapped back to me. “You need to be ready for a fight. Always.” Her eyes narrowed. “What happened to you? You were losing control before…now you’re calm. But you feel weak, Tess. Who is doing this to you?”

  I pushed myself up to standing, crossing my arms over my chest to keep from strangling her, suddenly so angry I could hardly stop the urge to rip her throat out. “You are doing this to me, Cloud! You left me alone.” I dropped my arms, my claws out and fangs flashing. “You left. So leave, hunter. Go!” I flung out an arm, pointing toward town. “Walk away, again!”

  I watched her struggle with some strong emotion, saw the moment she decided not to give in to it and shut herself down. “Watch your back, wendigo,” she said, husky voice nearly a whisper on the wind.

  I flipped her off as she disappeared into the shadows. Watch my back? I saved her life and all I got was a fucking watch your back?

  Fucking hunters.

  Chapter 13

  This fucking night couldn’t get any worse. Cloud had ditched me. Again. And I was stupid enough to have hoped it would turn out differently. That maybe she hadn’t killed me yet because she cared.

  God, I can be so dumb.

  Her actions made no sense though. And what did she mean “they’ll know?” Who would know what? Was she afraid her little hunters’ council would find out she was hanging out with a wendigo?

  Not so long ago, she had declared she was going to tell them about me. That she was going to stop hiding me and convince the council that I wasn’t an evil beast. I had leapt to the stupid conclusion that it was because she wanted me. But as always, I’m sure it was just another scheme to use me.

  I came to a halt as I approached the house. Apparently, the night could indeed get worse.

  “Shitsticks.”

  I trudged up the steps and into the house, striding past my unwelcome guest to find someone else in my kitchen making coffee. “Ed said you drink the stuff in the middle of the night,” Flo said as she held out a steaming mug.

  I stared at her for a moment as my dad shuffled into the doorway behind me, unfazed that I’d ignored him in the living room. My worthless parent smelled clean again, free from the reek of stale alcohol and old man. He was oddly silent. Usually he started in with his yammering immediately and didn’t stop until I shoved him out the door.

  I looked Florence over. My dad’s girlfriend tilted her head and studied me back, a small smile curling her lips. She looked as fit as ever. Her silver hair was shorter, thanks to Brutus chopping off her long braid and using it to insinuate her death a few months ago. It bumped about her shoulders in a sassy bob that emphasized her plump, weathered brown cheeks and her blueberry eyes. She was a duende—some sort of sprite. I was ridiculously happy to see her alive, despite the absolute certainty that if she was here with my old man in the middle of the night, the shit was about to hit the fan.

  I sipped my coffee as I eyed her. Then I went to get more sugar and stir it into my cup. “You guys nocturnal now?” I asked sweetly.

  She sighed. “Oh, Sweetheart, it’s good to see you too.”

  I laughed. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I said seriously. “The stupid bird said you were just hiding, but I was worried…I…well shit if I know who’s lying and who is telling the truth anymore.”

  Then I froze. Ah shit. My stupid deadbeat parent didn’t know about monsters and magic, and things that go bump in the night. He thought I was a head-case who wore fake horns and plastic teeth to promote my awful horror novels. Or that I was just weird.

  Flo only smiled at me, patient and understanding. “He knows.”

  I turned to look at my dad. That certainly explained his silence. My shoulders pulled up around my ears. I felt ridiculously…ashamed for lying to him all this time.

  Fuck that. He was a jerk who had spent most of my childhood and all of my adult life getting drunk and gambling, so he didn’t have to deal with real life. Was he scared of me now?

  His eyes traveled from my antlers to my fangs, to the claws that had popped out instinctively. I willed the claws away with an effort.

  “I can’t say I was terribly surprised, Tess.” He held out his arms and beckoned me closer. “God damn, the shit you’ve been through, girl.”

  I took a step forward before I caught myself. I did not need a fucking hug. He came to me and hugged me anyway, goddamn him. I let out a choked noise, completely floored when I started crying uncontrollably. I couldn’t seem to stop. The tears came in big, drenching waves, as I blubbered like an idiot. I had been hurt so many times in my life that I thought I was getting numb to it. But no. Apparently all I needed was for one person to acknowledge the fact that it had been so hard, and I completely lost my mind.

  Finally, I pulled back, grabbing a dishtowel to wipe my face. I tossed my hair back and pretended I had not just gone all maiden in distress to my daddy.

  “So what,” I said, my voice lower than usual thanks to all the crying. “That doesn’t explain what you are doing here.”

  Dad’s gaze darted to Flo, and I read fear in those blue eyes, so like my own.

  “Spit it out,” I said, my head starting to hurt.

  Flo came to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Where are your hunters, Tess?”

  It felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Fun. I waved a hand flippantly, as if I couldn’t care less. “Oh, one is dead and the other one is out there somewhere plotting my demise.”

  Dad’s eyes widened. “Cloud….”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. The old coot had a soft spot for the cold, bitchy hunter. “Is trying to kill me,” I supplied.

  His breath left him in a whoosh. “Then the other one?”

  I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Chased after a monster he shouldn’t have been hunting.”

  He almost hugged me again, but this time I was fast enough to evade him, stepping sideways and retrieving my coffee cup, using it as a barrier.

  Flo shook her head. “I don’t know why on earth you were so attached to a couple of murderers, but I am sorry for your loss. I understand you cared for them.”

  I didn’t reply. There was nothing to say really. She was absolutely correct on all counts. See, even imaginary fairytale creatures are smarter than my dumb ass.

  “We came because there is something I need to show you,” Flo said quietly. I shivered. Her kindly-old-human-lady act slipped just a bit and I got a peek at something much, much older. Something that had moved from home to home, making its way from Portugal to America as it was hunted just for existing.

  I shook my head. “No thanks, I’ll pass.”

  She snorted. “Go get in the car, girl, we are going on a road trip.”

  I put my mug down. “First off, you can’t make me go anywhere. Secondly, I have shit here I need to take care of. I can’t go far. And I can’t be out in the daylight…so maybe you and daddy dearest can just go have fun by yourselves.”

  She frowned at me. “I’m serious, Tess. I told your father about our world because it wasn’t safe for him to be ignorant anymore. Because the battle is moving closer to us and I’m not sure there is anywhere left that we can run.”

  I wanted to put my hands over my ears and refuse to listen. I stood there instead, letting her words wash over me, feeling detached. “They are running from something,” I said slowly. My creatures. The ones who had flocked here thinking I was offering sanctuary.

  She sighed. “What other choice do they have? What other human cares if they live or die?”

  I laughed then, sharp and bitter. “Have you looked at me lately? I’m not human, Flo.”

  She waved a hand. “Close enough.
Close as we’ve got.”

  I turned to dad. “You sure she didn’t fall and hit her head on the way here?”

  He smiled at that, but then his face grew serious too. “Tess, she’s been around for a long time. If she says it’s bad. It’s bad.”

  I was afraid of that.

  “Well, then,” I said with a smile that showed all my teeth. “Let’s go take a fucking road-trip.” I picked up my jacket off the hook by the door. “Oh…and I’m bringing my undead ghoul servant.” I glanced at dad. “You know, Tommy? The idiot?”

  He blinked at me. “Tommy is a--” he cleared his throat.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Monster? Yeah, old man. We’re all monsters around here. You get used to it. Just…be careful who you strike up conversation with at dinner, alright?”

  *****

  We hopped in Dad’s old blue Buick and headed south. Flo was driving, and I wasn’t entirely comfortable with her speeding down the open stretches of dark road. She and I might survive a high-speed crash when a deer decided to step out in front of the car, but Ed was all human.

  Fortunately, her reflexes were on-par with most of the other creatures I’d encountered. When a stupid buck did dash out, she tracked its movements and swerved around it flawlessly. Dad let out a breath.

  “Well,” he said tiredly, “at least your driving makes more sense now.”

  Florence just laughed, and dad smiled back. He knew she wasn’t human, and he didn’t care. I still had trouble with that concept.

  We drove for three hours, and I kept a constant eye on the horizon. It wasn’t too late yet, but if whatever it was we were going to see took very long, the damned sun would be up before I made it back home. Tommy slouched in the seat next to me and tapped away at his phone. I didn’t hear sound, so I thought he must be texting Suzie, rather than playing his stupid games.

  “Humans usually sleep at night,” I reminded him.

  He looked up and gave me a nasty leer. “Not if their boyfriend is a ghoul. And, you know, amazing in bed.”