Greys III - Revelations

Chapter 10 - Predators & Prey

The plan was hatched quickly, or maybe that's how every hunt with the Clan went. The only two I had ever been a part of, the wolves and the cemetery, came with little notice and a short timeline too.

Kael had a heavy hunch of where the Skia were gathered, or at least the general area, as he got close on his last solitary prowl, resulting in the group coming for them, tracking him to the hotel, and creating the need for their daring escape.

Within ten minutes we were packed, 'checked out' via Nevaeh's gift, and in another cab. I was getting really sick of taxis. Though the driver immediately forgetting about us was rather convenient, and finally being able to talk freely outside of our short minutes in our warded motel room was a bonus. Being able to talk openly turned out to be invaluable, as only two in the car had ever faced Skia, and I only knew what Spade had told me.

Kael explained that they gave up their souls for their powers, but that there was still a cost each time they used them, a debt they had to pay, some action or ritual. Apparently their souls weren't enough. He said that burning their 'mark' from their maker could strip them of their power, though nothing could return their souls to them. When they died they became Shafes, partially in our world, partially beyond, but controlled by the one who owned them.

The car was quiet as his words sunk in, as James bit down on his teeth, making that shelf stand out in his thin cheeks. I knew what we should do, what I should advocate for - incapacitate each of them, burn their sign off, let them live on as broken little Humans, soulless but also powerless, no more a threat than a common criminal. But I also knew that wasn't what I wanted to do, what James wanted, or Kael and Nevaeh for that matter. That wasn't what we would do.

The Skia weren't just Human anymore, and this hunt was personal. Even if they were only common criminals without their mark, setting an organized group of soulless Humans on the unsuspecting city, especially if they were linked to the Collector, wasn't a good option. And though giving him a whole new arsenal of Shafes wasn't desirable either, it was the lesser evil. Or that's what I told myself, how I justified what I was about to do. I already felt my nature smiling at the coming bloodshed, Human or not.

I wondered if I should feel guilty for killing them, if I would. But that same part of me that was grinning with pointed teeth had already answered that too. The giddy feeling in my chest, tightening in my core, prickle across my skin in anticipation told me this was the closest to releasing my true nature as I could get away with, without losing myself along the way.

Kael was still silent, almost like he was waiting to see which of us would say it. I expected James to, but he merely rolled his shoulders, releasing the tension and cracking his neck before looking to his brother.

"This is your fight, your decision. What do you want us to do with the Skia?"

Kael smiled, and I could have sworn his eyes flicked black before he answered, though his dark lashes and naturally dark irises could have played a trick in the light.

"Let's send your father a message."

Nevaeh directed the cabby to worn apartments that had taken up residence in an old warehouse, marking the end of the city's sprawl before the industrial sector took over along the outskirts. Kael told us to follow him, but I could have found my way the last half mile by instincts alone.

My Shift rolled in me, arching at the feeling in the air, the stench that didn't meet my nose, but instead slunk through my bones. It lead me as much as Kael did toward the source. More than a stench, it was a stain, one I could follow, find. I was drawn to it, but not for awe or because of its power like I had felt for the Collector, but because I was disgusted by it and wanted to destroy it. Something in that feeling, that stench or stain, begged me to end it, to stomp it out.