The Wolves of London Book 2: The House of Striker

(Chapter song ‘Human Legacy’ by Ivan Torrent)

ZEN

Krestin lands and bulldozes his way through the battle. His giant jaws come down on two Necros and he snaps his jaws around their waists. They let out blood curdling screams as Krestin raises his head, sticks his nose in the air, and snaps his mouth open. He closes his jaws, and the sickening sound of bones crunching has me cringe.

The garbled screams die as Krestin opens his mouth once again and swallows them down whole. His chest glows red hot and a small red ball travels up his throat. He burps a quick lick of flame and ash, then rolls his eye down to me.

“Gross!” I say in disgust.

He huffs black smoke and leaves to look for his next snack.

As I run to find Avery in this mess, Quaid lands in front of me, and slams a red magic ball in the stomach of a Necro. The Necros blasted backward off his feet and lands on a bunch of walking corpses. The Necro screams as his body sinks into the group, and the undead proceed to tear him apart. Clearly they’re confused.

A large, overly tattooed Necro tries to grab me from behind. I spin, lift a boot, kick his chest, and slam him down on the ground.

I hear the loud growl of a large man and turn. I lift my cross bow and gun and hear clicks. I reach for clips and I’m empty. “Shit.” My boots dig in and I turn 180 on my toes. Icarus barrels through the fight with his infuriated eye targeting me.

“Fuck!” I leap over fighting humans and wolves, glance back ,and he’s running on me like a raging bull.

As I run, I see a dead Necro with a dagger. I snatch it out of his neck, turn, flip it, and throw. It was so fast, he missed it through his rage. It sinks deep into his thigh. He hobbies, rips the blade out, and throws it at my head.

I duck, it flies over my head, and hits a Nightflyer who ends up taking out his pain out on the Necro beside him. His lycan muzzle tears the heart out of the innocent man.

With Icarus tearing through the fights, I see Avery’s wolf.

“AVERY!!” I scream as I scramble through the balls of blood and fur.

Several wolves look behind me and instantly go on the attack. I slide in the mud and turn as Icarus is trapped in growls and teeth. His magic flies and his massive arms peel the wolves off him and throw them away like dolls.

A hear a bark and my jacket is grabbed from behind. I smile when Avery skids up beside me. He barks again and looks to his back. I waste no time and jump on. He bolts into the fighters as Icarus roars in frustration.

“GET HER!”

The sky fills with the growls of kamikaze Nightflyers. As avery makes a mad sprint through the battle, they come in for the take. I lay as flat as I can on his back as my ears explode with their twisted roars. One swoops in for an attempt and just as he levels out, two wolves grab his left wing. He’s pulled down, barely missing Avery and two more grand my jacket as I shrink smaller.

Through the wind and dust, I look up and see them circling like hungry vultures. I need ammo. We can’t outrun this.

“TURN BACK! GO THE OTHER WAY!” I pull on his fur to turn him. His back end slides in the wet soil until he finds grip. A Nightflyer dives down and tries to grab me, but I slide to his side at the last second. His claw grazes my arm as I hang on to the running wolf for dear life. Once he flies back up, I right myself on his back.

“THE WEAPONS!” I yell in his ear as he serves around the fighting.

He corrects his course and runs for the storage crates. Just as we get there, I jump off and run for the guns. Avery shifts and grabs weapons, too.

Icarus breaks through the battle and Avery sends a barrage of bullets his way. I take aim and fire several shots into the chest of a Nightflyer that landed on the other side of weapons. More land and surround us.

I shoot one in the chest that was coming in for a landing. He falls from the sky and lands in the mud. His body bounces and crashes our way with wings and limbs flopping out of control. We back up to avoid it just as three more Nightflyers land. Their lycan chests expand and their claws stretch as the begin to stalk us.

“Uh… We need something bigger.” Avery slams another clip in his gun. He fires at them and they fly up to dodge his fire then land again.

“The grenades!” I look to the crate they’re in at the other side of the base tents and back at the Nightflyers. It’s a good 40 feet away.

“Of course, you brought grenades!” He yells as he backs up.

“What party doesn’t come with grenades?! “ I slap his back and run for the crates.

“Zen!”

“I can make it!” I take off and run around boxes and equipment.

The Nightflyer screeches and roar flies low behind me. Avery fires and hits it several times in the wings and back. He’s cries out as he flies right off my back. When I reach the crate sitting on another one, he hits my back and we crash into both boxes. We skid through the mess as the contents spill and the boxes break apart.

“ZEN!!”

I’m buried in wings, fur, muscles, and teeth. The long muzzle of the Nightflyer snaps and drools as it tries to eat me. His wings flap on the ground to help with power and balance. His claws extend and he roars in my face. His wolf eyes shoot daggers and he commands more push back.

I keep my hand under his lower jaw and the other on his neck. I clench my teeth as I fight his strength, as my arms shake. He snaps and drools soaks me.

“LET HER GO!”

Avery jumps at him, but he’s hit by a thrashing wing and sent rolling down the hill.

As I stare into its glowing gold eyes, I grit out the last of my strength, look to my left and see the green ball with the pin.

I flick my eyes from it to him, snatch it off the ground and hold it to his face. “You’re cute… but I'm…TAKEN!!” I pull the pin and shove the grenade in its open mouth.

It starts to choke and rolls off me. It hits a table with computes and rolls down the hill just as Avery was running up.

“GET DOWN!!” I scramble to my feet, meet him and pull him to the ground just as the flying lycan explodes. Dozens of Nightflyers wail in pain and scatter around the sky.

Avery pulls his gun and fires several rounds at the swarm that recovered and turned back. He hit two in the head and they crashed into one’s beside them before landing and bouncing into the field.

Just as more land and start walking our way, another roar came from the field, and we turn to see four Nightflyers swoop in and crash into the ones preparing to attack. They smash into a communications tent and all six fight under the canvas in a weird monster royal rumble.

I see a larger one sail by with loud growl.

“Riley.” I grin.

“Come on! We gotta move!” Avery shifts, I climb on, and he takes off, leaping and dodging teeth and claws the whole way.

“GET TO ZANDER!” I yell in his ear over the bone crushing anger.

We were half way across the field when ear shattering whispers filled the air. Avery whines and I cover my ears as we stop and cringe. The town turns black with shadows and they gather on the on the grass to open a tunnel.

Screeches and hollers echo through the air as necromancers and Nightflyers enter the tunnel in droves.

Icarus walks among them and disappears in to the dark.

“Go! We need to find out what’s happening.” I pant.

Avery growls and runs to where the council is gathering. Krestin and Daruis tear down more corpses and the rest dig themselves back into the ground and retreat.

“What’s going on?” I jump off of Avery as he shifts.

“A trap.” Krestin states. He throes a decaying skull and joins the huddle.

“How do you know?” I eye everyone. “Where…”

Riley struts up to the circle. “They’re headed to Transylvania. I sent four of my children with them and they’re linking the locations.”

“Capturing you wasn’t successful. Icarus will try to lure you to the painting.” Cora explains.

“So what are we waiting for?” I question as I place my hands on my hips.

“No, Zen. The last place you can be is there.” Avery says sternly.

“Are you kidding? I need to save this painting. You aren’t stopping me, Kirkland.” I confront.

“Zen. He wants you. You want to just hand yourself over?” Quaid stands beside us with his arms crossed.

“No. I want to kill the song of a bitch.” I sneer. “I’m part of this council. You don’t get to shut me out.”

“Technically, she’s right.” Zander shrugs.

“Not helping, Zan.” Krestin growls. “We don’t throw the target at the trap.”

“No. But we need to get to that painting. If he thinks he’s won, he’ll show it and we can take it.” Dorian suggests.

“Turn the trap around.” Giovanni supplies.

Avery shakes his head. “Fine. You stay in the back. I swear, you’re killing me, Esmerelda.” He stares.

“I challenge you.” I chuckle as I kiss his lips. “And you love it.”

He points to my love. “I love you. I don’t love the headaches you cause.”

“Get going.” I smirk and push him toward the armies.