Page 18 of The Hidden Falling
I’ve always felt like Edward was our safety net. And now to have that suddenly gone, we are free falling with nothing to catch us. It’s scary having to face a problem as serious as this ourselves when we have never faced something like this before. The outcome will affect every single member of the pack in ways that are yet to be seen.
I look at my friends, the people I’m closest to, memorizing their faces as they do the same. The air changes with a sense of helplessness that I try really hard not to feel. This might be the last time I see them in our home, and a lump forms in my throat. I cough roughly to cover up the sob that wants to escape, causing the guys to look away from me and pretend they hadn’t noticed that show of vulnerability.
Sebastian flips a new blade aggressively, his jaw tight. Taylor stands extremely still, staring hard at the floor like it has all the answers. Colten rubs the back of his neck, looking up into the sky, and Hudson stares at Colten with a look of determination in his blue eyes. Josh still looks at me, his stare on the side of my face roaming over my features. And I… I look at Kade. His sharp jawline, strong nose, high cheekbones, his hair blowing gently in the breeze. I memorize every detail down to the tattoo on his right forearm, the blood link proudly displayed in between the lines and swirls.
He got his tattoos just hours before his eighteenth birthday as part of a sacred ritual my family completes before they get their wolf. It is a blessing upon oneself, a show of faith in our Gods, a show of respect to his wolf, and a show of loyalty to his family. That night is a precious memory I hold close to my heart, thankful I was able to be there for that monumental moment in his life and to be included in marking him permanently. I’m truly proud I can call him family.
Right now, though, he isn’t happy with my decision for him to stay here. I know he will gladly step up and be whatever the pack needs him to be, but he believes he should be going with us. He doesn’t have to speak for me to know this, I just know him well enough to gauge his thoughts.
“Tell Finn, Axel and Eliza to go wolf when we leave, Josh. It might take a little bit for Kade to get his head on straight after we leave.”
Josh nods subtly at my request, not saying a word as he looks at the man we have brought up together. He walks over to Kade and plonks down next to him, both sitting in silence as I watch. They got into so many arguments when Kade was younger. He was always an act first, think later kind of kid, not realizing the dangers around him. Josh would constantly lecture him about looking where he’s going, or to think before he decided to chase a rabbit down a narrow hole and get himself stuck. But seeing them sitting side by side, their body language says it all. All three of us formed a bond because of our old pack, and it’s unbreakable. I wished for a long time that we had a good life in our old place, that we were surrounded by our families, that we were loved and taken care of. I don’t wish that anymore. My home is here, my people are here. I wouldn’t change my past because it meant I ended up here with my chosen family.
Josh nudges Kade’s shoulder, a small smile on his face. “Come on, Carzan, it’s not all bad. You’re really needed here to keep the pack safe. We’re not just shoving you out the way. You need to keep things running smoothly and help anyone who needs it. We trust you with this.”
“I can help you out there,” Kade grounds out. “I have my wolf now, another person is another chance of making the Elites leave.”
“It’s also another person that we could lose,” I explain, eyeing him warily. “You are about to stand in for me, Kade, you are the only one who can while we are not here. You have to put pack needs before your own. They will be looking to you to reassure and guide them. I have taught you everything I do here. I have been since you were eleven. It is important you step up now and put your feelings aside. I have no doubt you will be what they need, whether it’s for a few days, weeks, or permanently.” I gulp over the last word, hating it is a possibility, but knowing we can’t hide from it. We can’t ignore that we may not come back.
The Deadlands are more dangerous the further inside you go. We could run into all sorts of creatures and be killed off before we even have a chance.
Kade shakes his head, fists clenching on his knees as he still refuses to look at me. “You expect me to just let you leave me here while you go out to possibly die? We are always together.”
“I know we are.” I walk forward and sit down next to him, taking his clenched fist in my hand. I pry his fingers open and link ours together. I don’t like this any more than he does. The possibility of never seeing his face again will tear me up if I think about it too much. But the alternative is just not an option.
“I’m not saying you are not capable of helping, I wouldn’t have put you in charge if I thought otherwise. We don’t know what we are getting ourselves into when we leave. We are going in blind. I need someone here who can take care of the pack, especially the pups. They love you and have missed you a lot since you have been going out for longer lately.” I give his hand a gentle squeeze. “I don’t like leaving you behind any more than you do, but it’s the right decision. You know this is the way to proceed. Emotions cannot sway these decisions that are made for the pack.” For you, I add to myself. I whisper down the link to him.“Please understand.”
He lets out a small snarl and then blows out a breath. Finally, he looks at me, his eyes sad but sure in the decision he has made. He nods, and accepts that he’s staying here, pulling me into a hug. I lean into him in relief and look at Josh over his shoulder. Josh gives me a small smile and wraps his arms around us both, pulling us close. We sit there holding each other close for a few precious, quiet moments, breathing each other in while our wolves rub up against the others below the surface of our skin. Until Seb decides to open his mouth.
“Do I get to join in, or is it limited to three?” he drawls. Before I can open my mouth to tear him a new asshole, we’re being jumped on. The breath I took to verbally rip him to shreds turns into a squeal when I feel the weight of him on my back.
The next thing I know, the rest of the guys are there adding to the pile and squishing us until we fall off the bench and onto the dirt floor. I laugh as I pinch someone’s side and they let out a high pitch squeal that makes me snort. Oh, that is some good bribery material I could use for later. I flick my eyes forward to see Josh pulling someone’s hair, Kade squashed beneath us all eating dirt, and Hudson with someone in his armpit. Gods help them.
“Tap out! I tap out!” comes a muffled voice from somewhere as the sound of someone gagging hits my ears. I shove Seb, the squealer, off my back, but not before getting in a cheeky nipple pinch and rolling off of Kade. He looks like he’s barely breathing after the weight of us on top of him. Taylor stands next to us, arms folded, but I see the amusement in his eyes. Still chuckling, I sit up and look over to see Colten on all fours gagging.
Well, at this point I think it’s safe to say it was Colten that was in Hudson’s armpit. To make it worse, Hudson is shirtless. The poor guy will be picking hair out of his teeth for a few hours.
“You.”Heave. “Dirty.”Heave. “Bastard,” Colten manages to choke out while shooting Hudson a dirty look. Hudson just smirks back at him. Meanwhile Sebastian is on the floor, crying with laughter that is just too damn contagious for me not to join in. I fall back on the ground, laughing along with them all at Colten’s expense. He’s a good sport though, and eventually joins in with us, spitting out the odd hair.
“I’m surrounded by idiots,” Kade chuckles, wiping dirt off his face and looking up at the clear blue sky trying to catch his breath. I join him, looking at the cloudless sky. The weather is warm with a slight breeze, the trees swaying along with it. Such a pretty, peaceful day for such dreadful news.
“Yeah, but we’re your idiots,” I reply with a fake smile on my face, breathing in the scent of my pack, grass and flowers. Spring is my favorite season. I hope I’ll get to see it again if all goes to plan.
Either way, Kade will still be able to continue to see it, if it’s the last thing I do. Emotion clogs my throat, and my eyes burn, but I won’t let it overrule me. Not now. I need to be clear headed for the unknown that we are about to face.
“Arbiel Cana.” It’s a whisper, but it comes out strong. It’s a vow and a statement all at once.
Ten
Darius
“I’msureCharleshaslost his mind. What in the Gods was he thinking of sending us here?” Leo grumbles from behind me. “We’ve been in this fucking dead place for weeks now. It’s never ending.” I grunt in agreement. It always seems never ending inside The Deadlands.
In the history of the Elites, no one has ever traveled this deep into The Deadlands, not even for our rite of passage at age twelve. Those that did end up in its depths and never came back out again, falling to the creatures that stalk this land.
We don’t know how many creatures actually live in The Deadlands, but I’ve read about many in texts and seen enough sketches to know they shouldn’t be fucked with. Two of our Elite trainees have already been injured from running into a couple of gresins, and I don’t think they will survive another attack.
Gresins are tall, skinny creatures with thin, pale green skin, clawed hands and long tusks curving out of their cheeks that they use to strike if you’re close enough. They’re strong, despite their skinny frames, and they managed to claw one of my trainees through the stomach and pierce another through the leg. They fell behind as we moved through the dead trees, and the gresins thought them easy targets.
