The Faerie Slayer
Chapter 14

Kade's Pov

My father had given me seven days to capture and kill the half girl. Seven days to commit my first murder. There was no way around this now, but to straight out refuse. In a case like this, I would be forced to step down as the Odin Pack's Faerie Slayer. My father demanded the head of Aubrette and since he had discovered that she is half a human, he knew she would not burn to dust but in fact ashes. There was clearly no point in getting clever, he was working with someone on this, someone who had been keeping tabs on the girl, confirming her alive. I was out in the woods tonight, lost in between the trees, my wolf was heavy enough to make shake of the soil beneath me. I smelt the subtle lilac that sent me into a frenzy. I was not far from Aubrette's home, maybe a mile or two out. I could hear her dog barking. I wondered what she was doing out in the woods at this time of night all on her own. I found myself drawn to her scent, it was stronger then the smell of the vines or the flowers or even the moss and the trees. I could grow dizzy with delight at the bliss of her lavender. I grew closer and closer until I was able to distinguish her blond hair in between the leaves.

I thought about her bright blue eyes that night at the bar. She'd looked at me with angelic innocence that cannot be forged.

A certain unsettlement clouded me at the unusual pitch of dogs barking. Aubrette examined the woods in search of the culprit that had sent her dog into a mode of panic.

It must smell me, I thought and so I turned. I jogged back but the further I grew, the louder and more distressed the howls of her dog became. Suddenly, Aubrette's voice,"Snowball! Come back, now!"

I could hardly resist the pull. The dread in her voice alerted me in every way. Whether I was going to intervene or not, I had to ensure that she was alright and so I headed back. By the time I had gotten to Aubrette, she was flat on the ground with her face in a pile of dirt and bushes. Wrapped around her leg was the largest snake that I had ever seen. Of course I knew better then to assume this snake not a creature of the shadow world. It hissed when it caught sight of me. I was weaponed with no poison, no sugar nor salt. I had to battle this creature the old fashioned way and so I leaped forward and bit into its face. It emerged fangs into my jaw and I pulled back and instead I bit into its back and pulled it off of Aubrette. It was hard to focus on the reptile, not when Aubrette was sobbing, eyes and mouth both wide with horror.

I hurled the snake off of me and onto a nearby tree. I gazed at the half girl although I could not afford it. It was all the time that the snake needed to wrap itself around my neck. I was losing air, quickly. My vision was clouded with grey corners now. I struggled to get the creature off. It was determined to rid me of life as it wrapped itself tighter and stronger. It bit into my neck and I let out a howl of pain. I was slowly and dreadfully suffocating. At this time, I let myself think that I should have let the snake kill Aubrette and presented her body as my own kill. This was ironic of course because I wished she would just leave. She turned her back and stumbled away and I was relieved that she would be able to get out of this safely at the expense of my life. Seconds later as my vision was past grey, Aubrette returned with a large branch. She seemed to be in a state of panic, her bare legs scratched and bruised. She hit the snake a couple of times and it finally loosened its grip on me. I yanked the creature of off me, knowing it would fight back seconds later. I had to get Aubrette out of here but she was stubborn. She stood there as if waiting for something. I growled in her face and a look of terror crossed it. She stumbled backwards again and eventually disappeared.

The snake had retrieved for me now, split tongue dripping with poisonous venom. I clawed at its mouth and ripped its long tongue out suddenly remembering where I'd seen a creature similar to this. The Asrai from Sequoia Woods had an identical grey tongue. It must have been a shapeshifter or maybe there are other physicals forms of Asrai faeries, like snakes. The snake had wrapped its self around both my back paws and was making itself around my leg. I slammed my snake covered body into the tree until it loosened its grip again. White eyes wide open, the face of the creature dashed for mine but I was prepared with the same branch that Aubrette had left. I lifted it last minute and stabbed it into its tongueless open mouth making sure to push it back far enough to pierce its brain. As if that had been the off button for the faerie, it went completely lucid. A thud later the creature had dropped into the ground leaving me to tend to my heavy breathing and wounds. I watched for a quick second the direction that Aubrette had taken to flee.

Most people would run at the sight of a battle between a wolf and a snake. Aubrette stayed, she saved me. A half faerie saved my life.

She might have been one of the bravest people I have ever came across.

She must be terrified.

There were clearly others that were after the head of the girl and despite the queen of Fey marking her with significance, they ones after Aubrette bore no care. First the trow sent by the mystery women to kill her, then Caleb sent by the queen to introduce her of her race and later on to bring her back to the faerie world I presume, and now an Asrai, a water faerie who once again intended to kill the girl.

Then there's my father whom also played a large role into this. A reward for the half faerie girl would mean that he was in an alliance. A secret one that he would not reveal to me.

I did not burn the corpse of the snake. Instead I hauled it on my back and ran until I reached the pack home. I shifted and wrapped the creature back around my neck. It was heavy to say the least, weighing at least four hundred pounds. Inside, Borris was standing nearby my fathers study.

"Sir, what have you got there?" He rushed to my side.

"Is father in his study?"

"Yes but he's in a meeting-"

I pushed past the messenger and let myself in without as little as a knock. Inside, father was seated with a few other leaders of the pack including his beta, Lucas Atlas who happened to be the only one that was not staring at me as if I had grown a second head. Instead, he nurtured a half empty bottle of beer.

"What are you doing Kade," my father rose to his feet.

"I'm here regarding the half girl."

To my surprise, this seemed to capture his attention immediately. He excused himself and cleared the room. I watched with fascination as the leaders of the Odin Pack slowly exited the study. I'd never thought I'd see the day that something like this would happen. This only scratched onto my curiosity some more. Over and over again I asked myself: who the hell is Aubrette Evergreen?

Luce Atlas mumbled something to me on his way out. I couldn't quite decipher his words in between the tipsy slur. Something about the snake.

When all were out and the room hosted but father and I, he took his seat and gestured I do the same. I stayed put.

"Well? The floor is yours like you wanted, barging into my meeting like that. Have you done it? Have you killed the girl?"

I placed the limp body of the snake onto his table which was now filthy with mud and blood.

"Your half faerie girl has others after her. This a water faerie, an Asrai-"

He sat up abruptly," did the snake kill the girl?"

"While I was stuck in a battle with the snake she got away."

"Good, good. You mustn't let another creature get to the girl. We must be the ones to claim the victory of her death."

"Who is after her? Who wants her dead besides us?"

"Others perhaps, people of the folk who found out about a living Moiety Child."

"I asked you a few nights ago, why not let her people deal with her? Why must this be our kill? To commit my first murder, I will need to be aware of a lot more. A reward will not seal it."

"You consider killing a half child murder? That girl is wicked by default. She may have fooled you into submission, into thinking that she bears no evil intent. All faeries are soulless dark creatures who exist for the purpose of torment. If you have yet to figure that out then you are not the son that I raised."

At my silence, my father added," if you do not feel fit for this role anymore, speak the words and I shall appoint a new Faerie Slayer to the Odin Pack who can get the job done."

"No," I responded," I'll get it done."

I headed back to my room. I left the snake for my father to deal with knowing he'd just burn it and add it to his collection. I was only inside of my room for a minute when I heard a knock on my door. Behind was my grandmother.

"Grandma," I greeted," what are you doing here?"

The women had always been a strong warrior in my eyes but after our last encounter I somehow thought differently of her. No less strong, no less warrior, but perhaps slightly merciless.

"I came to talk to you about the half child."

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