CHAPTER 6

“I can’t teach you how to kill my kind,” Russel said. Doing something like that would get him branded a traitor to his people. There were no words for what they would do to him if they ever found out he betrayed them and told a human what their weaknesses were. “If anyone ever found out I told a human the secrets of my kind, they would destroy me.” She whirled on him, and she stood there, silhouetted against a backdrop of roaring flames. He could see her pain. Could practically feel the anger coming off her. She wanted justice and Russel knew he would feel the exact same way if their roles were reversed. “I don’t want to kill all werewolves,” she snarled at him, tears coming down her cheeks. “I want to kill Drake! And the other ones with him. I can’t do that if I don’t know how.” “Then you won’t be able to at all,” he said, still trying to be gentle with her. “As abhorrent as Drake and the others with him are, they are still werewolves. Teaching a human how to kill us is against the laws of my kind. You can’t ask me to do that.” She turned away from him, her entire body shuddering. “Then get away from me,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. He could tell she was crying. Russel felt a war inside himself. He was torn between doing the right thing for his kind and helping this girl get justice. Why? He had no idea. He just met her but there was something undeniably magnetic about her. She pulled him to her and despite knowing there was a high chance things between them wouldn’t end well, he couldn’t help but let that pull take hold of him. She had fire in her soul. A fighter’s spirit. He was captivated by her unwillingness to just sit back and let the deaths of her loved ones tear her completely down. With a sigh, he came to a decision. “I can’t teach you how to kill us,” he told her. “But I can train you to fight.” She turned toward him, something like hope flickering in her eyes. It had to fight viciously to get past all that rage and anger he saw. “If that’s all you can offer, then I accept,” she said. “It isn’t going to be easy. In fact, you’re going to hate me quite a bit when it’s all said and done.” He pinned her gaze with his and there was no sense of humor or good-natured joking in his face. “And I am not going to go easy on you. If you want this, you have to commit to it. No grumbling. No pushing back at me. You do everything I tell you without question. If you can’t do that, then I can’t train you.” The words he spoke to her were almost the exact same words his own instructor had said to him when he was a young child in his first fighting lessons. His instructor’s name was Cleona Jai. She originally came from the kingdom of Sarchi, a small, barely recognized kingdom of werewolves on the other side of Alcroft. Most of the time, they kept to themselves and stayed out of everyone else’s affairs. Cleona, according to her, grew bored there and sought a life where she could ply her…talents…more productively. Oclan, she had told Russel when he was a boy, seemed like the perfect place. “Fine,” Lola said. Russel kept her gaze pinned with his for a few more seconds, trying to gauge her level of seriousness. He got his answer. She didn’t back down. She didn’t balk. She didn’t even move. He was quite sure Lola would let him train her right into a grave if it meant she would be able to learn to protect herself and maybe get revenge at the same time. “Okay,” he said. “I want you to remember this moment. Burn it into your mind. Whenever you feel like giving up or letting your body give up, remember the strength of your conviction. You will need it.” She didn’t say anything back to that. Instead, she turned from him and stared into the flames. They were starting to dwindle now. Most of the buildings were blackened rubble still glowing with sullen, red light. A few others still blazed brightly. Overhead, clouds had moved across the moon, blocking its light. A light drizzle fell. It was if the heavens themselves weeped with Lola as if they felt her pain. Russel let her stay there for as long as she needed. Lola took Russel’s words to heart. She had already burned the faces of Drake and his other wolves into her mind. She knew those would be with her forever even after they were dead and gone. But she needed more. She needed to keep the image of Gloucester burning with her as well and she needed to feel that pain, always. That was her penance. Her punishment. She knew it wasn’t her fault, not really. She hadn’t asked for this or even knew to expect it but that didn’t change the facts. They were all dead because of her. Gloucester was gone because of her. She would never see them again. Her parents. Her friends. Everyone she had grown up with. Drake had wiped them all off the face of Saven just to get to her. Nothing would ever make that right. Even killing him. Killing the others with him. They would be dead but Gloucester would still be gone too. The pain of that knowledge stuck in her chest, making the hurt a physical pain and not just emotional. That was fine with her too. She would keep that as well. Keep it all, really. Part of her even hoped she would feel that pain for the rest of her life. “Are you ready?” Russel asked. She didn’t hear him at first. Her eyes continued to stare at the dwindling flames. He asked her again a second later and that time, it managed to get through. She turned to him, her tears making tracks through the grime and filth on her face. “No,” she said, sad. “But I guess I’ll have to be.” “I want you to come with me,” he told her, completely spur of the moment. He hadn’t even considered taking her to his kingdom, especially since his father wanted her dead too, but here he was, the words blurting out regardless of that extremely bothersome fact. “I can protect you there and no one will be stupid enough to come for you in our territory. We will also be a lot freer there and can train without fear of getting caught.” She looked up at him, hesitation in her eyes. It was true he had saved her life and he should give him the benefit of the doubt but what if there was someone, or a lot of someones, there that wanted her dead too? Could he protect her then? She wasn’t sure but the sad truth was, she didn’t have a whole lot of other options available to her. She had no other family. Nowhere else to go. She was all alone except for Russel and he was extending her an invitation to his kingdom so she would be safe. She’d be a fool not to take him up on that offer. Plus, it would give her more time to train with him. More time to learn how to fight so she wouldn't be weak anymore. “Okay,” she told him. “I’ll go with you. There is nothing left for me here and you’re the only one I can trust.” He took a step closer to her, their eyes locking again, and hugged her. She felt the strength of his arms and enjoyed the way they made her feel warm. They might not know each other, but his act of kindness and hug of comfort went a lot toward making them feel closer. With the deaths of everyone she knew, it felt a little better knowing she had him to lean on. They stayed that way for several long seconds until finally, Russel released his hug and took a step back. His mind was constantly yelling at him and calling him a fool for offering to bring her to Oclan but his heart was showering him with praises. He told himself he didn’t care though. He was an idiot for blurting out the invitation but he also knew he would protect her. It was the right thing to do. He would force his father to see that and anyone else that got in his way. Or he would simply have to be strong enough to make them. For the first time, he realized training with Lola might do him some good too. He put his pinky fingers into his mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle. Five or six minutes later, he heard the sounds of hooves hitting the ground at a full gallop. “This way,” he said right as Serk broke through the tree line and headed over to them. “Your ride is here."