Chapter Twenty-Three

Jasper

The night is dark and there's a smattering of clouds in the sky overhead. The moon drifts in and out of the clouds, the world around us alternating between pitch black and being awash in silvery radiance. I'm standing in an old, abandoned park area deep in the woods with Asher, Holly, Merry, and Emily. There's a service road, mostly rutted and overgrown now, that runs into the area that's been reclaimed by the forest.

Remote, secluded, and accessible. Everything we need for tonight's festivities. We're all wearing dark robes, except for Holly and Merry, who are in radiant white robes, of course. To an outsider, I'm sure it would look eerie. Like we're preparing for some satanic ritual. But the fact of the matter is, wearing a robe is just more efficient for what's to come.

There's a chill in the air and I shudder. Though, I don't know if it's because of the plunging temperatures or because of what we're doing out there.

“You think this is going to work?” Emily whispers to me.

“I hope so,” I say. “I can't think of anything else we can do.”

“Because there is nothing else we can do,” Merry says.

“To destroy the Wendigo, you must destroy the touchstones,” Holly adds.

Asher looks at me and nods. He's a little more tense and pensive than usual. And that's because he knows we're rolling the dice in a huge way. If we're wrong and this gambit blows up in our faces, we're in for a whole world of shit.

But, deep down inside of me, I know we're not wrong. I can't explain why, but I become more certain of it with every passing moment. Turning my head up to the sky, I scent the air. I can smell the Wendigo out there. The scent of it is faint, meaning it's not very close. But, it's out there. Lurking. Hunting. Waiting to do the bidding of its master. Or rather, masters, in this case.

“Can you smell it?” I ask.

Emily looks at me uncertainly and then turns her face up to the sky like I'd done. She inhales deeply. And then does it again. Turning to me, she shakes her head.

“I – I can't smell anything,” she says.

“It's okay,” I say. “You're still getting used to your abilities.”

“Abilities,” she scoffs. “More like a handicap. Or a cancer.”

Merry surprises me and steps forward, putting a gentle hand on Emily's shoulder. The tall, pale woman gives Emily a small, but warm smile.

“It is no handicap,” she says. “I can see the light inside of you. It's burning brighter than the sun. You're extraordinary, Emily. Embrace your new form.”

Tears roll down Emily's face as she looked up at Merry. I see a mix of emotions crossing her face, ranging from the blackest despair to a shining ray of hope.

“I – I don't know how,” she whispers.

Holly steps beside her. “Can you feel the light burning inside of you?” she asks.

Emily nods. “It scares me.”

“There's nothing to be scared of, child,” Merry says.

“It's your essence, Emily,” Holly says. “Do not fear it. Open yourself up to it.”

“I can't.”

“Just reach out and touch it,” Merry says. “Embrace it.”

“Let the light fill you,” Holly adds.

“See it as a morning sunrise,” Merry says. “Just open yourself up to the beautiful rays and let them fill your soul. Let them light up the darkest corners inside of you.”

“Remember, you control the light within you,” Holly says. “It does not control you. You can open yourself up to it and close yourself off to it as you wish.”

“It's like switching a light switch on and off,” Merry says. “You control that power. It does not control you.”

“Don't fight or force it,” Holly says. “Let it flow into you like a gentle stream.”

I stand next to Asher, listening to the two women trying to teach Emily to use her abilities. They're convinced that because she has a good heart and a pure soul, she won't be a dark, evil being. Even if she does have Wendigo DNA mixed in with the genetic cocktail she was given. She will remain who she is, even in her other form. Just like we do.

“I have to admit,” Asher says softly, “I'm curious about what she becomes.”

“She's something else,” I say. “Elegant, in a way. So unlike bear or wolf. And honestly, not even like the Wendigo we saw. She's an entity all her own. Unique. Special.”

Asher gives me a grin. “Hasn't she always been that to you though?”

I look at him, feeling the knot in my stomach tighten. Did he know about us? We've always been so careful. So cautious. I try to put it out of my mind. We have bigger things on our plate at the moment.

I watch as Emily closes her eyes and lets out a long breath. Her face starts to relax and she lets out a breathy little moan. A sound of pleasure, actually. Holly and Merry share a smile with one another.

“The light inside of you feels good, does it not?” Merry asks.

“It – it feels amazing,” Emily says, her voice tinged with awe.

“Now, open your eyes,” Holly says gently. “See the world through your new eyes.”

Emily does as instructed, and I watch as her eyes grow wide. She covers her mouth with her hands a look of pure amazement on her face. She looks at the world around her and from where I'm standing, it's like she's looking at it for the first time. Actually, seeing things she's never seen before.

“Everything is so vivid,” she says softly. “So vibrant.”

“This is your new world, child,” Merry says.

“And it is wondrous indeed,” Holly adds.

Emily takes a moment to walk around the clearing, seeing, touching, and smelling everything she can. There is a look of absolute rapture on her face and I see a light of almost childlike wonder in her eyes. She looks at me and I've never seen a wider smile on her face than I do in that moment. And my heart swells, almost to the point of bursting, with love for her.

And then she stops. A frown pulls her mouth down and she seems like she's smelling something foul. I know what it is.

“It's the Wendigo,” I say, scenting the air. “It's still miles off though.”

She shakes her head. “It smells like it's right here. Right on top of us.”

The rest of us exchange looks and then scent the air for ourselves. No, it's definitely not all that close at the moment. It's out there though, and I have the feeling in my gut that it's headed our way, but it's still a ways off.

Obviously, Emily's senses are far sharper and more powerful than even our own. Which is saying a lot. But, we don't have time to dwell on it. We'll have to explore it later.

“They're here,” Asher says, his voice grim.

Headlights appear from around a bend and the van bounces down the rutted path, pulling to a stop in the clearing we're standing in. Luca jumps out from behind the wheel and Mariana slips out of the passenger's seat.

The back doors of the van open and two large Phayngo men climb out, reaching back inside and throw the two prisoners over their shoulders like they weigh nothing at all. The small group comes over to where we're standing and set the bound, hooded men down on their knees before us.

“Hoods,” Asher says.

The Phayngo men reach down and pull the hoods off of our prisoners, revealing Frost, who's bound in silver, and one Brooks Green. Their faces are dark with anger and they stare at us with absolute murder in their eyes.

“What is the meaning of this, sisters?” Frost spits.

“It's judgment day, cousin,” Winter says, emerging from the shadows.

“What are you talking about?” Frost asks.

“You lot have made the biggest, most reckless mistake of your lives,” Green growls. “When people find out you abducted me, they'll be lining up to shoot you themselves.”

“Oh, I think when people find out what you've been up to,” Luca says, “they'll be lining up to shoot you, Brooks. And we'll be there to hand out the bullets.”

“Can we just do a good old-fashioned stoning in the town square?” Mariana asks brightly. “Is that a thing anymore?”

“Yeah, keep digging, assholes,” Green roars. “The hole you're in is just getting deeper and deeper.”

“I demand to know what this is about, sisters,” Frost says, his voice ice cold.

Holly surprises me by stepping forward and delivering a vicious backhand to Frost, rocking his head to the left. And then not so surprising, Merry steps forward and rocks his head to the right with a backhand of her own.

“That's gonna leave a mark,” I mutter.

Winter nods. “He's lucky they're using an open hand.”

“This is about knowing your place, brother,” Merry says.

“And about accepting your role within the clan,” Holly says.

Frost turns his head to the side and spits a glob of bloody spit out upon the ground. He turns baleful eyes upon them, the light of hatred burning bright.

“Maybe it's time the roles within the clan need to change,” Frost growls.

“Maybe, it's not your place to determine that,” Merry says.

“If you're willing to conspire with the enemy,” Holly says. “Then you are not fit to determine anything.”

“You all need to let me go,” Green commands. “Do that, and I may show you a little leniency when –”

“Those are really nice rings you two are wearing,” I say.

“Frost, I did not know you got married,” Winter says. “I did not get an invitation. I would have brought a gift.”

A look of concern, bordering on genuine fear, crosses both of their faces. They cast a furtive look at one another before straightening their backs and looking at us defiantly.

“So, who's the bitch and who's the butch in this relationship?” Luca asks.

“Oh, I definitely think Frost is the bitch,” Mariana says. “He's just so pretty.”

“Is that it?” Asher asks. “Green is calling the shots? You're just his little errand boy?”

“Shut your mouth,” Frost spits. “You're not worthy of speaking to me. You and your provincial little backwoods clans are nothing. You're beneath us.”

Merry and Holly step forward again, each delivering a backhand to their brother. A thin rivulet of blood spills from the corner of his mouth and rolls down his face. He looks at them with pure and utter hatred.

“We know everything,” I say. “You might as well confess.”

“If you confess, we may show you mercy,” Merry says.

“You may not have to die a traitor's death,” Holly adds.

Frost looks at his sisters and then at the rest of us, looking exactly like a rat caught in a trap. The jig is up, and he knows it. I can now see him doing the calculus, trying to figure out how he can save his own skin.

“Fine,” he says. “I tell you everything and you don't kill me.”

“Shut your mouth,” Green growls.

“I confess, and you let me go rogue,” Frost adds quickly. “You let me live in exile.”

“Goddammit, you cowardly piece of shit,” Green roars. “I said, shut your mouth.”

Winter steps forward and delivers a punch to Green's face. I watch as his head rocks back, hear the bone crack and see the blood spray into the night air. He falls over, blood running down his face, sputtering and cursing as the Phayngo men get him back on his knees. He glares at Winter like he wants nothing more than to cut her into a thousand little pieces.

“Don't interrupt,” she says, her voice low and cold. “It's rude.”

“I'm going to kill you, you miserable, stinking bear bitch,” Green says.

“Frost,” Asher says. “I believe you had something to say?”

Frost nods, casting his eyes to the ground. “It was his idea,” he says, sounding miserable. “He knew how to summon the Wendigo. Said if I helped him win the election, he'd let me use the Wendigo to take out Holly and Merry, so I could take over the Phayngo.”

“You spineless little piece of shit,” Green says.

Winter steps forward again and lashes out with her foot violently, catching Green right in the groin. I wince at the sight of her kicking him in the nuts so viciously and feel a few sympathy pains for the guy. Green's face turns – well – green, and he gasps for air. Doubled over, he puts his bound hands over his groin, sputtering and gasping.

“I said, don't interrupt,” Winter says casually. “You're being rude again.”

“Winter, darling,” Mariana purrs. “Have I ever told you how much I love your style? I totally think we could be besties.”

“Go on,” Luca says, a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Green had the Wendigo commit the murders,” Frost says, still not meeting anybody's eyes. “And he had me go in after the fact to tear the bodies up. Said he wanted it to look like the bears had done it. His plan was to wipe all of you out and in exchange for my help, I would rule the north.”

“You piece of shit,” Green gasps again, still holding his injured balls.

I scent the air and know that the Wendigo is still out there. Emily turns to me and I give her a nod. Since she seems to share some sort of bond with the creature, we need her to lure it here and put an end to all of this.

Emily drops her robe and I have a moment to admire her beautiful, naked body by the moonlight. It was a horribly inappropriate time of course, but just seeing her naked body gave me a powerful hard-on. In that moment I want her so bad, but have to stuff all of my carnal desires down deep. At least, for now.

She turns her face up to the sky and I see her trying to embrace what Holly and Merry taught her. And Em proves to be a quick learner when she quickly shifts into the hybrid she's become. I look around and see all eyes transfixed on her.

A soft black fur shot through with silver covers her body and the moonlight glints off her sparkling, golden eyes. Although the similarity to the Wendigo's physical form is unmistakable, she's a creature unlike anything I've ever seen before. And in her own way, she's elegant. Beautiful. She's unique.

Em turns those golden eyes to us and nods, letting us know that she's in full control of herself. That she's embraced the light inside of her and is starting to become one with the creature inside of her. Turning her face back to the sky, she lets out a high pitched keening noise. Her voice echoes through the darkness, reaching far out into the night.

A moment later, we hear a keening sound echo through the darkness back to us. The Wendigo is answering her. I look down at Frost and Green and see their eyes grow wide and their faces pale. They know what's coming. Coming for them.

“Your friend is on its way,” Winter quips. “And I bet he can't wait to say hello.”

I reach down and slip the ring off Green's finger, slipping it into my pocket and out of harm's way. He's not part of this. Frost looks at me as if he suddenly understands what's happening and starts to sputter.

“You said you'd let me go,” he cries. “You said you weren't going to kill me.”

“We're not going to kill you,” Holly says.

“And if you can get away, you are free to live in exile,” Merry adds.

“Just remember,” Winter says, a touch of amusement in her voice, “the Wendigo is a very vengeful creature. It doesn't like to be enslaved. So, you are going to have to run far and fast if you hope to live.”

The sound of a low, menacing growl drew all of our attention. Standing at the edge of the clearing, nestled between the shadows of the trees, was the Wendigo. Emily, still in her new form, looks back at us with her golden eyes. Looking to Asher, he gives me a nod.

We drop our robes and quickly shift into our bear forms. Our primary goal is to keep Emily safe. The tension in the clearing is thick and when I sneak a glance back at Frost and Green, I see that Brooks is laying on his side, passed out. Frost though, is looking at the Wendigo with absolute terror on his face. His mouth is opening and closing, as if he's trying to speak, but the words won't come out of his throat.

Emily slowly approaches the Wendigo, a soft, chittering sound coming from her mouth. It's almost as if she's trying to communicate with the creature. The Wendigo stands still, his eyes riveted on Emily. There seems to be some sort of silent communication going on between them, punctuated only by soft whines, and that almost eerie sounding chittering noise.

I look around, and see Asher and Luca in their bear forms standing watch. The larger polar bears, Merry and Holly, are right beside them, all eyes locked on the Wendigo. My heart races as I watch Emily close the distance between she and the creature, her hands raised palms up, to show she poses no threat.

The Wendigo cocks its head and looks at Emily, as if trying to figure her out. But, it lets her approach. She's still making those soft noises and when she gets to within a foot of it, I feel my blood pressure skyrocketing. This is it. This is where things are the diciest and could all go sideways.

I look around the clearing and see the rest of the bears, bodies tensed and ready. Winter is still standing next to Frost, the long, curved blade of her dagger pressed to his throat, watching what's unfolding with absolute fascination.

Turning back, I watch as the Wendigo lowers its head in front of Emily, almost like it's bowing. But Emily reaches behind its neck and grasps the silver collar. I hear her grunt – the silver is burning her flesh like it does ours. She struggles with it for a moment, but then we hear a loud, metallic popping sound and the collar is free in her hands. The light inside the blue crystal embedded in the collar fades and then goes dark.

Emily drops the collar into the grass at her feet and turns her face up to the Wendigo once more. There are more soft noises and more silent communication between the two. Emily reaches up and places one of her hands, with those elongated fingers tipped with vicious looking claws, against the creature's cheek. It seems to nuzzle closer to her hand for a moment before standing up straight and letting out a howl of absolute rage.

I turn to Winter and see her free Frost from his bonds. He looks at her with wide, pleading eyes.

“Please,” he says. “I'll do anything you want. Protect me.”

“Off you go now, Frost,” Winter says. “Good luck to you.”

“No, you can't do this,” he begs.

“You either get to your feet and run,” she says. “Or, you die on your knees.”

The Wendigo roars once more and fixes its red, glowing eyes on Frost. The smell of urine is thick in the air as Frost gets to his feet, the front of his pants soaked through. He turns and sprints off into the darkness. The Wendigo pauses for a moment and looks around the clearing at all of us. There's a tense moment when I'm not sure what it's going to do, but then it nods its head and dashes across the clearing, plunging into the shadows that had swallowed Frost whole.

It's not long before we hear the wailing of the Wendigo mixed with the roaring of a bear. The fight savage and brutal as it echoes through the night. A few moments later, the roaring stops and is replaced by the sounds of a man's utter agony. And a few moments after that, the Wendigo's high pitched and triumphant keening fills the air. When the echoes of it fade, the world around us falls silent once more.

I want to feel pity for Frost. I imagine his last moments were filled with unimaginable pain. I want to pity him. I just don't.

“Well, that surprisingly went according to plan,” Asher says as he slips his robe back on.

“Color me shocked,” Mariana says. “There really are Christmas miracles.”

“Get Green on his feet,” Luca says.

The Phayngo guards haul the man to his feet. Merry and Holly, back in their human forms, step forward, each of them placing a hand on his forehead. As I shift back into my human form and slip back into my robe, I see a soft blue glow emanating from their hands. A moment later, Green is awake, a look of stark terror on his face.

“Where is it?” he sputters. “Where's the Wendigo?”

“Gone,” Emily says. “Now that its free of you, it's going home. We'll never see it again.”

I turn and see that Emily too, is back in her human form and in her robe. She's apparently getting the hang of being a shifter down quicker than I expected. She gives me a wide smile and I want nothing more than to go to her, to wrap her up in my arms, and just hold her.

But, I know I can't. I'm still honoring her wishes and am keeping our relationship a secret. Instead, I give her a smile and a look that hopefully conveys just how much I love her.

“Here's what's going to happen,” Asher says as he steps closer to Green. “You're going to drop out of the election. Emily already has a statement prepared for you. You just need to email it to Sheriff Richards. You're going to move away from Black Salmon Falls. Forever. And if you dare show your face around here again, the Wendigo will be back for you.”

“Like hell,” Green spits. “You don't –”

“The Wendigo will come back for you, Mr. Green,” Emily says.

She turns her face up to the sky and closes her eyes for a moment, looking for all the world like she's communing with the clouds. A couple of seconds later, the world around us is filled by the keening sound of the Wendigo. It's close. In the darkness of the woods, a pair of red, glowing eyes flashes to life, staring straight at Green. The man opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. I can hear his heart though, and it's beating so hard, you would have thought he'd just run a marathon.

“You're getting off easy,” Asher says. “You killed five people. Tried to frame us. By all rights, we should gut you where you stand.”

“If you need somebody gutted,” Winter says, holding up her dagger so the moonlight glints off the long, curved blade, “I would be more than happy to help.”

Somehow, Green's eyes grow even wider. I didn't think that was possible. His already pale face blanches even more. Again, something I didn't think was possible.

“Winter, darling,” Mariana says. “Besties, you and me. Totally.”

“Fine. Fine,” Green says. “Give me a few weeks. I'll – I'll sell my house and –”

Asher steps closer to the man so their faces are mere inches apart. “I don't think you heard me correctly,” he says, his voice low and menacing. “You are going to leave town. Tonight. You're going to put Black Salmon Falls in your rear-view mirror the second we let you out of here and you are never going to look back.”

“Otherwise...” I let my voice trail off but motion to the glowing eyes of the Wendigo, peering at him hatefully through the darkness.

Green nods quickly. “Fine. Tonight,” he says. “I'll go.”

And with that, the eyes of the Wendigo disappear. Merry and Holly's men free Green from his bonds and push him toward the van.

“Our men will escort you,” Merry says.

“They'll make sure you live up to your end of the bargain,” Holly adds.

“Pack light,” Winter says. “We can't promise the Wendigo won't be looking for you anyway.”

Green casts one last look at us, his face a mixture of fear and hatred. We watch as the van pulls out and heads off down the road. And all of the sudden, the air around us feels lighter. It's as if a giant weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we're all suddenly free from the burden.

There is laughter and hugs exchanged. We'd won. Somehow, someway, we'd actually won. It was unreal.

Emily throws her arms around me and holds me tight. I look around quickly, but figure that since we're all celebrating the win, it won't look out of place, so I wrap her up and hold her.

“You did it,” I say. “You actually did it.”

She shakes her head. “I can't believe it. I can't believe it worked.”

“You are amazing,” I say softly. “And you amaze me even more each and every day.”

She looks at me and I see sadness in her eyes. I cock my head and run my hand through her hair.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Just – there's so much anger in the Wendigo,” she says. “But even more than that, there's so much sadness. I've never felt anything so bleak before. Not even when I've been in my darkest places. It was overwhelming. I really felt sorry for it.”

I nod and give her a tight smile. I don't know what to say. But then, there doesn't seem to be much to say, really. Instead, I just squeeze her a little tighter and let her feel the affection I have for her coming through.

Looking around, I see that everybody is still busy with each other, celebrating the moment. I look into Emily's eyes and smile.

“I love you,” I whisper.

“And I love you too.”