The Wolves of London Book 2: The House of Striker
Chapter 17

(Chapter song ‘Creep’ by Radiohead)

AVERY

I don’t know when the switch flipped, but on the Eurostar to Milan, Zen was quiet as mouse. She barely said two words the whole day on the train. When we stopped in Italy, she insisted on two separate rooms and didn’t leave hers for the day we were in them. I tried to text her, but she wouldn’t answer. Every time I asked her what’s wrong, all I got was ‘I'm fine.’

Now, I’m staring at her from a distance on the ferry to Greece. She looks sad. Like someone killed her dog. The ocean air blows her hair, and although she looks beautiful, I hate seeing her so depressed. I need to replace out what’s going on.

I walk up to her and lean on the boat railing. I watch the sea. Listen to the gulls and glance at her. “Penny for your thoughts?” I lean to replace her eyes.

“What are we doing, Avery?” She turns her head and meets my eyes.

“We're going to meet my friends.” I turn and lean my side on the bar.

“No. I mean us. What are we doing?” She looks back out to the sea and moves a lock from her face.

I cinch my brow. “Well, hopefully reconciling.”

She looks down. “What for? You can’t be with me.”

I turn and lean my forearms on the railing. “I can. It’s not ideal, but…”

She lifts her head to me. “Ideal? You’ll die, Avery.”

“Maybe.” I shrug. “It’s never really been proven.”

“No. But you know what has been?” I turn to her and she furrows her brow. “Me. It’s proven you can kill me even if you don’t want to. One bite. Lights out. So I ask again. What are we doing?”

I push off the railing. “Zen. I wouldn’t hurt you.” I take her hand and hold it in mine.

She takes it back. “You can’t promise that. You can’t promise anything. Shifters and anything else. Have at her. Shifters and humans. They made laws about it for a reason.” Her blue eyes flick around my face. “You can’t ask me to risk my life for you. I won’t do it.”

I start to get curious. “Where is this coming from? Something happened in Paris. Tell me.”

“Forget it.” She mumbles as she heads back into the ferry.

“No, Zen. Something happened. You've been acting weird…” I say to her back as I follow.

She spins around. “No, Avery. I came to my senses. You don’t belong in my world anymore. That’s the truth. I can’t watch you die. I won’t and you can’t make me.”

“I don’t want to make you! Zen…” I start.

“Please. I'll see your friends, but I’m catching the first plane back to London alone.” She steps backward and I see her eyes glass over. “Don’t follow me. For your own sake.” She sighs and flops her hand to her side. “If you love me, Avery… You'll stay in your lane.”

“Zen…” I step to her as she turns and storms to the hall with the private rooms.

I stop and hang my head. I shove my hands in the pockets of my jacket and walk back out to the deck. I lean on the railing and look out to the water. My wolf spins behind my ribs. He feels my confusion and I feel his urge to go after her.

I look down and think about this. I understand what her concern is, but there’s been no documented proof that a wolf can’t coexist in a chosen relationship with a human. The only thing I seen through the research is the week before and after the moon is a time I need to be away from her. If I don’t get hit by the moons power, I’m safe. I scoured the entire internet for anything that indicated it couldn’t be done. The only things I found is some issues with wolves flipping out at the moon and some abandonments altogether.

I raise my head. Maybe she’s right. I don’t belong. I tried to cheat and she called my bluff. She didn’t want to watch me die. So, either way, I end up here wishing I just accepted my fate. I don’t know what to blame more. My disease or the wolf. I copped out and now I’m not wanted anywhere.

I spin around and lean my back on the railing. There has to be some good here I can pitch. Something that can set her mind at ease.

I don’t necessarily need her to be near me, but I still want to work with her. I can be close and I don’t really need to have her. The point of this was for her to not be alone. I was able to keep an eye on her for the last 5 years. So, there’s no reason I still can’t do that, I just don’t want to hide.

She isn’t going anywhere right now, so when we get to Athens, I’m hoping she’ll let me at least be her body guard.

“What is that?”

“Get the camera!”

“Is it a UFO?”

I see a bunch of people running to the front of the ferry and pointing to air as we near the harbor in Greece.

‘Ladies and gentlemen. If you could please return to your cabins. The coast has been notified of the object and we are awaiting orders to dock.’

“What?” I walk to the front and push my way through the crowd that’s pointing questioning and snapping pictures.

“Is it a missile?”

I stop and look up into the early evening sky. My jaw falls as I watch what I can only describe as a small sun falling slowly to earth. As it gets closer to land, I have to raise my hand to block the bright light. From what I can see it’s made of fire just like the sun and it’s not of anything on this planet.

When it stops above the city on the land, my gut twists and my wolf growls. A horrible feeling comes over me and panic rises. “EVERYONE TO THE BACK OF THE BOAT, NOW!!”

The sun starts to expand and people start to panic along with me.

“RUN, DAMN IT!” I push people the other way as I hear a thunderous noise growing. Like low sounding trumpets. I stop and stare at it as is grows to the size of a hot air balloon. There’s a pause that feels like forever, but it’s only a few seconds. “Awe, shit.”

The ball shrinks rapidly then explodes. Those of us still on the deck hit the floor. The city explodes and the water rocks in gigantic waves. People scream as the boat lifts up riding the waved.

“ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP!”

“Zen.” I scramble to my feet and run for the cabins just as the shockwave hits the boat. The boat is torn apart and the force of it throws people, cars and debris through the air. I’m blown backward, surround by pieces of the boat and my back hits the water.

I’m surrounded by bubbles and pieces of the ship. My ears are ringing, my body feels like it’s on fire and I see the light of the surface start to fade. I regain control of my body and right myself. I swim with everything I have to breathe.

Large pieces of cars, boat engine parts and the props fall into the water around me and I narrowly miss them as I fight my way to the surface.

My lungs are on fire. My wolf tries to support me by giving me his power as I push my arms through the water. A dining cart hits the water and falls toward me. I push out of the way, but the corner of it slices my thigh. I scream behind my lips and grab my leg. The salt in the water burns like a mother and I try to push past the pain. Blood floats in the water behind me as I swim to the surface.

Just when I thought I wasn’t going to make it, I breached the surface. I gasp for air and cough out water. I wipe my face and push my hair back as I tread water. I hear screaming, crying, and nautical whistles. Burning pieces of the boat float on the water. A large piece of the deck floats a few feet off me and I swim for it. I lift myself out of the water and lay on my back. I pant and cough as I try to absorb what the fuck just happened. Then I remember.

I sit up and look over the water and scan the sea of heads floating. I stand on the deck piece and shooting pain runs through me as I put weight on my leg. I hobble as I see people grabbing onto whatever they can.

I place my hands at the sides of my lips. “ZEN!!!”

I spin around. “ZENNIE!!”

My wolf is howling. My chest tightens as I scan every body I see. Fear floods me when I don’t see her anywhere.

“ZZZEEENNN!!!”

****

After floating for half the night, I took to the water when my thigh healed. I swam to shore and climbed the rocky bank. When I got to the top, my face fell.

I stumble onto what would have been a road. I slowly look around and my heart sinks.

The entire harbor city is gone. Every building leveled and judging from the blast, I’m guessing zero survivors.

My bare feet stumble through the rubble. It’s still a half days drive to Athens and I’m not getting a car here. I also need to replace a phone.

As I walk along the edge of the main road, the roar of what sounds like a dinosaur comes from the sky. I spin around and look up. The smoke from the ship still lingers in the sky and I can’t really see anything, except the quick flash of something big and dark. The sound of wings flapping follow the noise, and then another roar fills the black of the ocean.

There was quiet, then a huge splash like a huge chunk of rock hit the water. I run back to the bank and try to see what it is.

It's about another minute when it sounds like something blasts out of the water and another roar. Wings flap and I narrow my eyes. Again, I can just make out the large body of a creature with a huge wingspan as it rises into the sky. It flies up, banks north and flies off.

Just as I thought. Krestin. My body fills with a small bit of relief. From what it sounded like he found Zen, but I still have to replace out if she lived. Which means, I need to get my ass to Athens. It also means the council knows what happened. I need to replace out what that is. If it got their attention, I can guarantee it got Miranda’s, too, and she’s the last person we need searching out the cause of this.

Just then the sounds of helicopters deafening me from over head. I look up and I’m blinded by spotlights. I move out of the way as one spins over head and begins to land.

The wind from the propellers makes it hard to see as it gets closer. My wet hair lifts and I hold a hand up in front of my eyes. My drenched clothes flap against my skin as I stare at the black chopper.

It lands and the side door slides open. I watch as a man in a green military uniform gets out. He takes off his helmet and walks across distance I put between me and the machine.

He stops in front of me with squinting eyes and visibly fighting the air from the chopper blades. “Are you Avery Kirkland?!!”

I look around them back at him. “Yes!”

He hands me a cellphone. “Phone call!”

“What? From who?” I yell as I take the phone.

“I don’t know! She just said you’d be here when we showed up!” He leans and points to the phone.

“What?” I say to myself, put the phone to my ear and cover my other one. “Hello?!”

I walk away as the voice I didn’t expect to hear answers.

‘Avery. Are you alright?’

I stop at the waters edge and see the rescuers begin to pull people out of the water.

“Miranda.” I place a hand on my hip and lower my head. “How did you know…”

‘No spoilers.’ She chuckles. ‘Is Esmerelda with you?’

“Shouldn’t you know that?” I raise my head to the water.

‘She’s not. That’s fine. The less council involvement, the better.’

“This was yours, wasn’t it? Another experiment?” I start to walk along the bank. I turn back to see medical staff treating the wounded and preparing the dead to be moved to another city.

‘As much as I would love to take credit, it wouldn’t do much good to lie. No. This was someone else’s handy work and I think I know who. I just need confirmation. I believe you can get it for me.’

“Why would I do that?” I look down and kick a rock into the water.

‘Considering I saved your life. You should be willing to do me this favor.’

I sigh and raise my head. “I knew you'd bite my ass.”

‘Avery. You didn’t have a choice. Your friends needed turner venom and I am the only source. You should be proud. Your father’s venom worked.’

“You think I’m proud to be the son of the most hated wolf on the fucking planet?” I snarl. “If I wasn’t dying, I wouldn’t have done it. I was happy the lycan gene skipped me, Miranda. The last thing I wanted to be was this.”

‘Your father was an asset to the Foundation, Avery. A lot of our chemical advances came from his blood.’

‘He was also a goddamn psychopathic killer!” I growl into the phone as I walk. “One that you made! If my blood was compatible with any other turner…”

‘Well, it seems Draco’s gene didn’t allow you to be turned by just anyone.’

I turn to the ocean. “Lucky me.”

‘Now… About that favor.’

I stare at the disaster floating on the water, then turn to the leveled city.

‘I need an answer, Avery. I have the means to remove your wolf. I can’t guarantee your condition won’t come back. You’d be dead in a matter of hours.’

“Fine. What do you need?” I clench.

‘Access to the Maximus mainframe. A little fly on the wall, if you will.’

I look around the rescuers base and create more distance. “Are you insane? That’s suicide! Pissing off Zander Maximus is the last thing I want. I can replace out some other way.”

“Fine. I'll have someone else plant the bug. But our original arraignment still stands. You have two weeks to bring Zen to me, Avery. After that I may rethink our agreement.’

She hangs up and I clench the phone. I hang it at my side and scrub a hand down my face.

Yes. I’m Avery Kirkland. Illegitimate son of the notorious Draco Torrent. I was born in Alliance labs number 24 in the spring of 1950 to a woman who worked there as a nurse.

I’m a shifter that was born without a wolf and classified as human with defective lycan gene. The only thing I had was the gift of slow aging. No healing. No strength. Nothing. Everything else died with my mother on the delivery table.

After she was shot during my father’s escape, she spent 9 months in a coma. She didn’t even know she had me. Five minutes later, I was an orphan.

I grew up in a child’s prison cell. I was tested. Educated by lab tutors. And studied. It lasted until my mid twenties. After seeing nothing in my system that could benefit her, Miranda cut me loose. I left the only home I knew with a back pack on my back and nothing else. The first thing I did after getting my freedom was get a vasectomy. I’m not making anymore of me. The second thing I did was board a plane to Europe and never looked back.

I never sought out my father. Anything I knew about him, I read in the news. And that was only the stuff they allowed humans to read. From what I found out later, it was a hell of a lot worse. I never sought out or even researched my other family. They can have all his shit. I do know my brother is dead. The ill-affects of being a Torrent reared its ugly head. My sister I only know exists because of Razor. I told her I didn’t want to hear anymore and she respected that.

The only thing I absolutely pride myself on…

Is that Zen doesn’t know a damn thing about it.