Maikoda: Power of the Moon (Blue Moon Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  *

  Layla watched in disbelief as Brett pushed her aunt towards the hole. Then she remembered the escape tunnels. She smiled as she knew the woman would be safe, for now. She grabbed Nali and ran, depositing the girl into another tunnel.

  “Stay here,” she instructed. “I will be right back.”

  She sensed the Weres behind her and took off heading in the opposite direction. She transformed as she ran, wincing as a particularly jarring step jolted bones that were shifting. Once fully transformed, she stopped and the Were immediately behind her careened into her back.

  Layla used the momentum of the impact to rip his head from his neck. So much for not killing again. The other two flanked her. It was a rematch of the fight that had occurred only a few weeks earlier in almost the same spot.

  She allowed the two to circle her and was amazed at how she was able to follow them in her head. Even without using her nightsight, she could see them, almost like she saw Taini’s scent trail.

  One Were took a step toward her. She sensed his movements and planted her foot even as her other foot left the ground. It connected with his sternum and violently threw the Were back. He landed heavily against a tree with a shuddering breath and looked down in disbelief at the branch protruding from his chest. She almost gagged at the gruesome sight, but managed to keep her head in the game.

  She turned to the final Were. It was Hassun. The Were who tried to hit Nali. He grinned at her and shook his head.

  “Not gonna be that easy with me.”

  Layla raised an eyebrow. “That’s what they all say.”

  He bared his teeth and in a show of defiance, she snarled back.

  “Mine is bigger than yours.” He laughed.

  She continued to snarl, “It’s not the size of the fangs; it depends on how you use them.” She jumped at him and the Were surprised her by moving agilely out of the way. He was much more limber than she would have suspected of such a big Were. Suddenly, she was no longer on the offensive. He turned and thrust at her as she dodged and weaved away from his blows. She twisted out of arms reach and eyed him warily.

  “I was hoping to get this chance,” he grumbled. “The others were just practice. You’re the real deal. After I’m done killing, you, I’ll have you all to myself.”

  Layla’s muscles tensed as realization dawned. “You killed those other women.” She watched the satisfaction on his face. He had enjoyed doing it. It was more than a simple assignment. The sadist actually enjoyed killing those innocent women and who knew what else he had done to their bodies.

  “You can’t kill me.” She smirked. “Kuruk wants me alive.”

  Hassun shook his head. “You don’t know my boss. If he can’t have you, no one will. That means you’re dead.” With this he reached for her, his claws extended.

  Without thinking and with the images of his victims in her head, Layla turned slightly and grasped his outstretched arm with her own. She moved along his body as she turned, moving faster than she’d ever done in her life and raked her fingers over his stomach, eviscerating him the way he had done his victims. He fell to the floor, his entrails spilling from his body, his eyes closed in death.

  Layla raced back to the Nali and grabbed the little girl before she ran back to the house. She found the door to the safe room, keyed in the code and breathed a sigh of relief that her aunt was already inside.

  The other woman looked at Layla and gave a cry as she ran to Nali and enveloped the little girl in her arms. She held Nali close to her bosom, stroking the girl’s long dark hair. Layla pulled a shotgun from the wall in front of the small hidden room, placing it into her aunt’s hands.

  “Those were werewolves!”

  Layla nodded. Now was not the time for her aunt to freak out. She wrapped the older woman’s finger around the gun. “Yes, they were.”

  “They’re real!”

  “Yes, they are and they will kill you. Anyone walk in here, shoot them.”

  Her aunt gulped and nodded gravely as she grasped the gun. Layla gave the woman a fierce hug before she ran back outside and closed the door.

  Fighting sounded from both sides of the house. Using her nose, she ran to Brett’s side in time to see him circling a lone wolf in a small clearing. The others lay dead nearby. One’s head had been twisted almost 270 degrees and the other was missing most of his internal organs. The third Were was the one that she had hit before she escaped Kuruk’s ship.

  He glared at her and she smiled.

  “Need some help, baby?” She asked Brett conversationally, feeling mean against Kuruk and his goons.

  Brett smiled. “Nah, I got this, but go see how our boy Martin is doing. He’s got two other Weres and Kuruk.”

  Layla nodded. She raced away, confident in Brett’s ability. She abhorred killing, but it was either kill or be killed. Either she took care of the problem, or the problem would threaten her family for the rest of their lives.

  She raced into the dense wooded area where she had left Kuruk. The spot was empty, but the tightening of her stomach let her know that all was not what it seemed. She moved quietly through the area as she searched.

  Kuruk was a slippery one. He was almost as good as Suzette and she tried to concentrate on finding him. She could use her sense of smell, but to really find him required intense concentration and that narrow focus might allow him to attack her before she could defend herself.

  Layla sniffed the air, but kept her eyes open. She sensed and smelled him, but he and Martin had been all over the area, so his scent was everywhere. She thought she heard a rustle in the brush to her right and spun around defensively. She realized her error almost too late as Kuruk reached out and grabbed for her as she barely stepped out of his reach.

  “I told you,” she said between clenched teeth. “I would rather die than allow you to capture me again.”

  Kuruk grunted. “Then you’ll have to die.” He lunged for her, his black jacket swinging open.

  Layla grabbed his jacket and pulled to throw him off balance. Smooth as butter, Kuruk whirled around and shrugged the jacket off as he did so.

  She stumbled at the sudden release and threw the jacket to the side. The large Were now stood before her wearing a starch white shirt sans tie. Martin was circling; just on the edge of her periphery, trying to get a good lead in and she decided to go for it.

  Jumping, she whirled away from Kuruk’s punch. She grasped his outstretched hand and whirled again, before she planted her feet and cocked her hip, using her momentum to throw Kuruk over her shoulder.

  The Were flew through the air like a missile but to her surprise, instead of landing heavily against the ground and having the wind knocked out of him, he twisted in midair and landed on his feet facing her.

  “Nice try.” He chuckled. “My turn.”

  Her eyes widened as Kuruk zipped to her side much faster than she would have thought possible. In what seemed like an instant, the Were threw her against a tree.

  Her landing was not as hard as she would have thought. In fact, her landing had been almost gentle. She opened her eyes, her back was against Martin’s broad chest and the older Were glared at Kuruk.

  Martin glanced at Layla. “Together.”

  She nodded. Kuruk was a formidable opponent. They would have to combine their strengths to deal with him. Before they could move, Kuruk flashed a smile and zipped away. Layla lunged after him, tearing through the brush and trees in pursuit.

  She sensed Martin right next to her, although she could not hear him. Then she heard Brett crashing through the trees on the other side. They moved quickly towards the house where Layla knew Kuruk either had a weapon or a vehicle, or both, hidden.

  A gunshot rang out into the night air and she skidded to a stop. Aunt Susan, she thought in a panic. Just as suddenly as before, Kuruk appeared in front of them. One hand was wrapped around a semi-automatic weapon and the other was wrapped around her aunt.

  Layla looked into the other woman’s wide and terrified
eyes, illuminated from the light at the side of the house. She dropped back as Kuruk cocked the weapon.

  Martin raised his hands and took a step forward. “Kuruk,” his voice was loud in the dark. Layla bit her lip to keep from crying out as Martin moved forward slowly.

  “This is a Council problem; leave the human out of this.”

  Kuruk laughed humorlessly. “A Council problem? I’m a Council problem now?” His arm tightened reflexively around Susan’s neck and the woman’s breathing became restricted. She pushed at Kuruk’s arm as the Were seemed oblivious to her plight.

  “After all I have done for them, I am a problem now?”

  Martin shrugged. “You know how fickle the Council can be.”

  Kuruk stared at Martin with a smirk. “You have no idea.”

  Layla was tense as she watched her aunt continue to struggle to breathe. The woman’s face started to turn purple and she scratched at Kuruk’s arm.

  “You’re killing her, you fucking idiot!” she shouted, unable to control herself any longer.

  Martin shot her a look and Layla closed her mouth. “Kuruk,” Martin said easily. “You’re going to kill your hostage and then you won’t have anything to bargain with.’

  Kuruk laughed again, a wild look in his eyes, but he eased up, removing his arm from around Susan’s throat and grabbing her arm instead.

  Layla took a deep breath as her aunt struggled to draw air into her lungs. She coughed and gulped at the air entering her body.

  “You okay?” Martin asked Susan gently. The older woman nodded quickly as she looked back at Kuruk in fear.

  Kuruk jerked the woman’s arm. “Enough talking!” he shouted. He glared at Martin. “The Council is about to have a big problem, Martin.” He smirked. “I think you are one of the few members who actually adhere to the rules and bylaws.”

  He walked backwards, dragging Susan with him. “Who do you think hired me? Who do you think gave me the information about the Hania?”

  Martin stopped, his mouth open in shock. “The Council?”

  “Of course!” Kuruk chuckled coldly. “Come on Martin. Who benefits from this war?” He pointed at Layla. “Do you think they really care about her? Me? You? They want you to think that they do when all along they want the war to continue. They can get their pick of everything. Kuruk looked back at Martin. “When all the Weres are in fear, they give the Council complete control and that’s what it is all about. Control and power. They get people like Suzette and me to keep it going.”

  He spat into the dirt, his polished persona disappearing. “Fucking hypocrites.”

  Martin slowly approached Kuruk. Brett followed his lead, closing in on one side. “Kuruk, we can deal with this. We can handle this together.”

  Kuruk shook his head slowly. “Martin, on New Year’s Eve, all hell is going to break loose. You need four things and you already know about three. I know what the fourth item is.”

  “We know what the fourth item is already,’ Brett said with disdain. “We don’t need you to tell us what it is.”

  “But you do need me to tell you where it is.”

  Layla stared at Kuruk with distrust. “You know where the dagger is?”

  Kuruk nodded.

  “Kuruk. Think about this. Tell us where the item is so that we can set this straight.” Martin continued to move towards the Were.

  Kuruk held his hand up, the gun steady in his grasp. “Stay there. Do not take one more step. None of you.” He tightened his grip on Susan.

  He looked back at Layla. “I never really believed the prophecy, you know.” He shrugged. “But I wanted to cover my bases. I mean, we’re Werewolves, we’re an urban legend. So why would one more story be a myth?” He held the gun closer to her aunt’s head and Layla winced.

  “Kuruk, put the damn gun down!” Martin’s voice was decidedly tense.

  Kuruk was becoming less rational. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I think that the minute I put this gun down, you’re gonna kill me. There is no way to win against all of you by myself.”

  Martin nodded. “You’re right, but I’m going to kill you regardless. The Council has given me permission to. You can put the gun down or not. Either way, you’re going to die.”

  “Martin, you make one hell of a negotiator.” Kuruk mocked. “So my options are to put down the gun and die or hold onto my gun and die?” He chuckled. “Well, I might as well go out in a blaze of glory.”

  Layla leaped at Kuruk, unable to hold back any longer. She eyed the gun determined to remove it from his hand. She blinked as Martin was instantly at Kuruk’s side, the gun knocked from his hand. How had Martin moved so fast? She stared at her mentor. He wrestled with Kuruk and Layla ran to her aunt as the two Weres rolled in the dirt.

  “You okay?”

  Susan nodded. “I’m fine,” she ran back towards the house. “Nali!”

  Layla sprinted ahead of the other woman and wrenched open the door. “Nali?” She called softly. She took a deep breath and located the girl’s scent, then ran behind a few boxes of canned goods where she saw the little girl.

  She was crouched down, her little body curled into a ball; her hands covered her ears as she rocked back and forth. Layla moved aside as her aunt grabbed the child and held her close, her trembling hands smoothing her hair.

  Brett ran into the room and pulled his keys from his pocket. He pressed them into Susan’s hands. “Take Nali and go. I don’t care where. We will call you when it is safe.”

  Susan nodded and grabbed the keys. Brett plucked Nali from her arms and they ran to the car. Moments later, the car careened out of the hidden carport.

  Slightly relieved, Layla turned back to the inevitable showdown between the two Council members. Martin and Kuruk stood facing each other, their breathing labored. The normally dapper Kuruk was dirty and his clothing torn. A drop of blood trickled from his mouth.

  “Don’t make me do this, Kuruk,” Martin begged.

  The mobster sneered, his arrogance back. “Do what you want Martin, but you will not take me back there to jail me like an animal. I would rather be dead.”

  “Then you leave me no choice.”

  Kuruk laughed. “You were always a good guy, Martin. Even when you were a pain in the ass, at least you always stuck by your values. I admire that.” He squared his shoulders. “The dagger has been in the Council Archives all along. So has the prophecy.”

  He smiled at Martin’s shocked look. “Find the dagger and the prophecy. Look in the archives. That’s where they are. With Suzette’s father.”

  Martin’s momentary distraction allowed Kuruk to take a swipe at the older man, leaving a vicious tear in Martin’s arm.

  Pained, Martin howled and pulled his knife. In moments it was over. Kuruk lay face down in the dirt, his head partially removed from his body.

  Layla smelled them before she saw them. The helicopter flew over them, low enough to get their attention. She looked up, her stomach clenched in warning.

  Martin was already moving. “Get in the tunnel,” he yelled as he ran towards the room that her aunt and Nali had vacated only a few moments ago.

  She started to move, her feet and body turned in the direction of the escape tunnel. Everything seemed to slow down just at that moment. She saw Martin enter the little area, Brett on his heels.

  She saw the beating of the helicopter blades, each individual blade moving separately. She saw the Were in combat gear as he leaned out of the opened door, but instead of the gun, the Were held a black device similar to the flash bomb Brett had made in Alaska. Only this bomb was bigger and she heard the ticking of the timer as if in a dream.

  The blast knocked her off her feet. She flew through the air and thumped against a tree. Her head lolled as she rolled away from the shredded sapling, too heavy for her to lift, her clothes in tatters against her frame. Dimly, she heard the helicopter as it flew away and felt the heat of the flames nearby as well as the aching mass that was her body.

  She sensed Bret
t and Martin as they moved towards her and she wanted to tell them that she was okay; that she would be fine, but the words would not come. Strong hands lifted her from the dirt. She was moving quickly through the woods, her head bouncing with every step that was made.

  A light shone dimly above her; the dome light of Martin’s truck and she barely heard the engine as the truck started or felt the movement as Martin put it in gear. Brett held her hand and she tried to squeeze back, uncertain as to why her hand would not move. Why could he not understand that she was okay?

  A bright light prickled at the back of her skull and without warning, she seemed to move towards it. The light was so warm and comforting and the closer she got, the less pain seemed to plague her body. She reached a hand up and with a smile, Layla closed her eyes.

  ~*~

  Epilogue

  The doctor stood at Layla’s bedside, his face drawn. “I don’t know what to tell you gentlemen. She’s in a coma right now. All we can do is work on trying to relieve the swelling to her brain, so that she might have a chance to pull through. Whether or not she wakes up is anyone’s guess.”

  He pushed his glasses further up his nose and held the clipboard to his chest. He was downright uncomfortable in front of these two men. The young man looked ready to kill him and although he was less verbal than his young friend, the doctor had a feeling the older man wished him bodily harm as well. He truly hoped the young woman would pull through, if only to get those two away from him.

  “At least I have good news.” He cleared his throat as the older man looked up and indicated that he should continue. “The baby seems fine. She is still quite early in the pregnancy, but it seems like the egg had implanted in a good spot. We will continue to monitor her, but so far, so good.” A pager clipped to his belt sounded and he excused himself with barely disguised relief.

  *

  Brett looked at Martin. Baby? Layla was pregnant? He ran his fingers through his hair. Shit. Layla was pregnant. He was going to be a father. He stood up and paced the floor, his mind going a million miles a minute. Things had just gotten even more complicated.