OLD DOGS
1567 Words
Steel was right. Sam and Lillyanne had a delicious stew and warm homemade bread waiting.
“Eat, whelp,” Steel commanded, gesturing to Angel.
Angel realized how hungry she was. She tore into the food, matching Steel bite for bite. That run had burned through everything she had.
“So, little one,” Steel asked, leaning back, “you remember anything about your parents at all?”
“No,” Angel said quietly. “Nothing. I used to pretend it was all a mistake… that they’d show up one day and take me away from whatever hell I was living in. But they never did. Pete and Jane were the closest I ever had. They were perfect. Just… not around long enough.”
Steel studied her. “How long have you felt your wolf?”
“I-I haven’t,” Angel said truthfully. “Sam and Lillyanne keep telling me I’m a wolf, but I don’t remember anything. I don’t know if this is real or some weird dream.”
Steel smiled at that. “We’ll find out on the next full moon. For now, I’m adopting you into my pack of one. If that’s fine with you?”
Angel blinked. “So… you’ll be like my brother? Father? Kin?”
“Closer than that,” Steel said. “I’ll be your Alpha. I’m a bear, you’re a wolf, unusual, sure, but both shifters. It’ll work. And if it does, I can help you through your next shift. As your Alpha, I’ll be able to control you to a degree.”
Her eyes widened. “Control me? Like… force me to do things?”
Steel chuckled. “Not like that, little killer. You’ll still have your free will. But ignoring a direct order? Might sting a bit.” He shrugged. “Pack bonds do strange things.”
Angel swallowed.
“The first shift is the worst,” Steel continued. “Every bone in your body breaks. Some wolves, weak ones, can only shift on full moons. They’re cursed wolves. They lose control. They forget who they are. They kill, then remember nothing in human form.”
Angel stiffened.
Steel softened his tone just a fraction. “But someone like me? I shift whenever I want.” He smirked. “And from what I’ve heard… you’ll be the same.”
“I still don’t remember,” she whispered.
“We’ll talk later,” Steel said. “Right now, time for a sword.” He bellowed toward the stairs. “Sam! I’ve forgotten where the damn sword room is! Angel, meet us out back!”
A ding sounded. The lift doors opened and Sam hopped out, glaring up at Steel.
“Ahh, ye too big for this bleeding lift! I’m going down first, ye lumbering oaf! Meet ye outside!”
And just like that, he vanished back inside.
Angel hurried to the clearing behind the compound. It was quiet, tucked away between the Seven Brothers mountains. You’d never know a road was nearby.
Steel appeared, holding a massive axe and a huge sword, as casually as if he were holding a lunch bag. Sam followed, arms full of smaller weapons.
“Right,” Steel boomed. “Let’s have some fun.”
“Catch, girly!” Sam yelled.
Angel barely dodged as a sword flew past her and landed in the grass.
“Reflexes good,” Steel nodded. “Pick it up. Feel the weight. The balance. That weapon is part of you now. We train every day. If I’m busy, you still train. If you’re busy, you still train. Deathbed, train.”
Angel huffed. “How am I supposed to fight you? You have a sword, an axe, and a thousand more muscles than I do.”
“The fight’s never fair, whelp,” Steel said. “Doesn’t matter who’s bigger. Matters who lives.”
She blinked.
“And today,” Steel grinned, “your opponent is Sam.”
Angel stared at the dwarf. “…Sam?”
“Yes, Miss Angel,” Sam said, narrowing his eyes. “You think I’m some helpless little cave gremlin? No, no. I’ve fought wars, lass. Look who’s still alive. Hold yer guard, ye’re about to learn why dwarves are feared fighters.”
Steel snorted. “Almost as notorious as their drinking.”
And then it began.
Steel and Sam alternated teaching her basic moves. Lillyanne appeared midway through with pints of ale for her husband and Steel, making them rowdier with every sip until the two of them were sparring with each other drunkenly, laughing like idiots.
Angel trained until her arms were numb.
By sunset, she could barely lift the sword, but she was proud of herself.
Dinner was waiting: chicken soup followed by roast meats, potatoes, vegetables and gravy.
“Eat, little one,” Steel grunted. “We’ll make a fine warrior out of you yet.”
Angel didn’t know where she put it all; her body felt like a furnace demanding more fuel. Steel kept eating long after she and Sam surrendered.
“Shifters burn a lot more energy than humans,” he said. “You’ll get used to it.”
Angel nodded, still learning this new world.
“You did good today,” Steel said. “More fire in your belly than I expected. We’ll train again tomorrow. What do you say, Sam?”
Sam thumped his chest. “I haven’t had this much fun in years. ’Course I’m training again! Still some fire in this old dog yet!”
Steel stood. “Well, I’d better get some sleep. I’ve got unfinished business with a comely wench at the tavern.”
“Not without me and Lilly, ye don’t!” Sam puffed. “Someone’s gotta check the rum stocks.”
Carlos appeared silently, no footsteps, no warning.
“Which wench?” he asked mildly. “Do you know her name?”
“Not yet,” Steel grinned.
Carlos sighed. “Good luck in this town.” Then to Sam: “I’m sure you and Lilly are personally responsible for every rum shortage we’ve had.”
The trio headed for the stairs, still bickering. At the top, Steel paused beside Carlos, nodding toward Angel.
“She’s got fire,” he said. “She’ll be a legend yet.”
Carlos only nodded. Steel winked at Angel and disappeared upstairs with Sam and Lillyanne.
Angel suddenly felt small and shy.
Alone in a room with a vampire who radiated danger like cold heat.
“Um… am I sleeping in the dungeon still?” she asked.
Carlos looked at her like a cat considering a mouse. “Will you run?”
“No.”
“Then of course you may have the finest room in the house.” His voice softened only a fraction. “But not yet. This is my morning, and my time is limited.”
Angel nodded quickly.
“For two hours every evening,” Carlos said, “we hone your sharpest tool. Not your sword. Your mind.” He tapped his temple. “I’ve seen your old school records. Medium to high grades. Good. You take things seriously.”
“I had to,” Angel murmured. “No one was going to help me.”
Carlos nodded approvingly. “Then I can teach you. Sam and Lillyanne as well. There’s over a thousand years of history you need to know. We won’t be studying maths or English. Just demons and how to kill them.”
“Demons are real?” Angel whispered.
“Yes,” he said sharply. “Very real. And your social skills are lacking. Why is that?”
“I prefer my own company,” Angel admitted. “And attention brings trouble.”
Carlos nodded. “All good skills for what I have planned. But sometimes attention is necessary.” He lifted her chin gently, studying her face with a hunter’s precision. “You have an unusual beauty. As you grow, it will sharpen. Beauty can be a dangerous weapon.”
He released her face and turned away.
“But your mind,” he said, “will always be stronger.”
Angel swallowed. She wasn’t sure if that comforted or terrified her.
“Now,” Carlos said, “let’s begin.”
“Begin… what?” she asked Carlos, uncertain.
Carlos tilted his head. “Have you ever smelt rotting meat?”
Angel shivered. “Yes.”
“It is often the first sign of a demon,” Carlos said. “The lower level ones often cannot hide their foulness. Your hair will rise.”
Angel hesitated. “Are you… a demon?”
Carlos gave her a cold look. “Do I smell that bad?”
She reddened. “No.”
“Some call me a demon,” he murmured. “But I am not. I am a human who transcended into a vampire. And I’ll teach you to kill the demonic. They come in many forms. But it’s usually the scent that gives them away first.”
Angel stared up at him. His face was striking, almost ethereally beautiful, with sharp angles and black eyes that looked bottomless. Cold, elegant, handsome, terrifying.
“Are you listening?” he asked.
“Yes,” she managed. “So… how do you kill a demon?”
Carlos smiled.
A slow, dangerous smile.
“Now,” he said softly, “we get to the interesting part.”
- Writer
