Dark Ice (20 page)

To his surprise, Lea sighed dramatically, removed her face from his hand and raised herself up onto her elbows.

“I know all this, Dane.” She sighed again. “Listen, why don’t you go and run through your ice fields. Have some space. Be a bear for a while. See what your instincts tell you about us. Listen to your heart.” She tapped his chest. “Then come back to me and tell me how you feel. I already know how I feel.”

Dane searched her eyes and saw she was serious. How could she accept it so easily? Make love to him as a man one moment and then tell him to go and run wild as a bear the next.

“Alright,” he conceded, realizing he did need some space. He pried himself away from her and stood over the bed. “But I don’t want you staying here. It’s not safe.”

“Dane, we have already discussed this,” Lea replied, exasperated.

“No, not me,” Dane said, shaking his head as he buttoned up his jeans. “There is something else out here, killing on the ice fields.”

“What is it?” Lea sat up in bed, curiosity and alarm blazing in her eyes.

“Something evil. Promise me you’ll leave first thing in the morning, the first chance you get. And I will come to you,” Dane added, preempting her fears. “After I’ve had time to figure things out. I promise.”

Lea nodded and Dane could feel her reluctance. Whether reluctant for him to leave, or for her to leave, he couldn’t tell.

Dane pulled his shirt on and bent to kiss Lea softly on the lips. She looked so innocent and vulnerable curled up naked on the bed, her hands hugging her knees. He didn’t want to leave. But she was right; he needed time and space to think. To feel.

And he
would
follow her in time. Probably to the ends of the world if need be. Without a second glance, so he wouldn’t change his mind, Dane strode across the floor and out the door. He clicked it shut behind him and stood in the quiet of the hall for a moment.

He retraced his steps out of the building. A slight haze of mist still hung in the air, even at this late hour and blocked out the intense light of the moon. Dane breathed in the cold fresh air and as it expanded his lungs he transformed into a bear.

The shadows were darker now and he had little trouble hiding in the deserted streets as he made his way out of town. Dane turned and took one more look at the hotel. Would Lea still be naked and awake in bed or would sleep have come to her yet?

A movement, quick and dark, made Dane’s head snap around and he tried to focus his black eyes on the shadow. There, between two smaller buildings at the edge of town, the movement caught his eye again. Something shifted with lightning speed throughout the town. Was it heading out of town or into it? Dane didn’t know.

He stood on his hind legs and sniffed. Nothing. Perhaps he was too far away to catch its scent. But Dane’s instincts had already kicked in and he knew what the shadow was. The
wendigo
.

Without thought, Dane crashed down to all four legs and rushed down the hill back toward the village. His heart hammered adrenaline through his veins, readying him for the fight. Visions of the slaughtered family urged him onward. His human mind screamed through his animal half. Lea, she was in danger. The
wendigo
was too close to her. The animal in him roared and he bounded forward, increasing his speed.

He saw the
wendigo
rush between an alleyway and an adjoining building staying in the darkness to avoid detection. Closer now, Dane could smell the beast. Its stench of rotten flesh and blood repulsing even the animal Dane was.

The
wendigo
stilled and circled toward the ice fields, racing at incredible speeds. Hissing, Dane changed direction in mid-step and chased it into the fields. He pushed himself harder, the muscles of his legs burning with the effort. His huge heart beating harder, making him go faster.

Dane ran up a slope of a hill, his legs sinking into the deep fallen snow. His breath panted hard and he snorted with the effort to crest the hill. He yanked his legs out from the deep fresh snow and halted for a second on top of the hill. Crystal clear skies shone brilliantly as the haze that tormented the town hadn’t made its way this far up the valley.

Dane saw it a split second before he felt the blinding blow across the side of his head. Before Dane could retaliate, the
wendigo
slammed him again, coming from the side with intense speed and power.

Dane stumbled, his head throbbing, and stepped backward down the hill. He rolled, his own weight propelling him as he tumbled down. His head buried deep within the soft snow before the momentum pulled him out. He twisted trying to break his fall, but slid down the hill on his side.

He landed at the bottom with a thud, the air knocked from his lungs and he struggled to get his bearings. His legs shook beneath him as he stood, blinking to clear his blurred vision. A barrage of snow engulfed him and he saw the
wendigo
racing down the hill toward him, kicking up the powdery snow beneath it, covering Dane.

Another blow to the shoulder came from nowhere and Dane hissed in pain. He turned toward it, but the
wendigo
had already moved away. A wet gurgling cackle came from in front of Dane and he realized it was playing him.

Dane growled and bared his teeth. He forced his human side deep within him and allowed, for the first time in years, for his animal half to take the reins. The snow began to settle and Dane saw the
wendigo
in front of him. Nausea gripped his stomach. It was taller than Dane, long and thin, but obviously had immense power. Dark yellow glowing eyes narrowed on Dane, sizing him up.

The
wendigo
grinned, its flecked blood red lips stretching obscenely to reveal sharp yellowing fangs. It licked its lips, its long blue tongue flicking its incisors. It cackled again and swung out.

Dane flung himself to the side, narrowly missing the beast’s blow. In an instant the thing was on top of him, its weight pushing Dane deep into the snow. Dane gagged at the smell and turned his head from its feted mouth, only inches away.

Dane roared and pushed up, sending the
wendigo
flying. It landed with a dull thud in the snow. Dane rolled and stood on his hind legs but the
wendigo
was already up, coming at him again.

It swung at Dane, this time connecting with his chest. Dane howled as the
wendigo
’s long talons slashed his chest open, deep red blood covering and matting his fur. Anger surged deeper than the pain and Dane smashed his arm across the
wendigo
. Dane’s claws ripped four deep cuts across its stomach, it opened up like dead flesh, oozing congealed black blood.

The
wendigo
looked down in surprise, dipping its own clawed talon into one of the wounds, exploring the cut. Dane took advantage of its distraction and pounced. He landed on top of the creature, his considerable weight pinning it deep into the snow. Dane sneered, showing his teeth and bit down across the
wendigo
’s shoulder. The taste repulsed him and his reflex action almost made him let go. But Dane tightened his jaws until he felt the skin pop and open under his jaw.

The
wendigo
bellowed and threw Dane off with immense strength. Dane landed, vaguely dazed, but righted himself immediately, rising to his full height. He panted hard, a rush of excitement and pain urging him toward the battle. The
wendigo
stood up and Dane glanced at its stomach. The open wounds were now closed and semi healed, rotten green flesh stretching over the cuts.

The creature glanced down at its own stomach and noticed Dane watching, it grinned and swept a talon like claw over its belly in a sick caress. It laughed, more like a thick gurgle and eyed Dane again.

Dane charged at it, swiping its throat open and knocking it to the ground. They both slid through the snow and Dane had the open tendons of the beast’s throat in his jaws before they stopped moving.

Dane reared up, ready to tear its throat open. The
wendigo
howled, the sound screeching, pulling at the very nerve endings throughout Dane’s body. Dane bit down to silence the creature forever. Pain shot through Dane’s midsection and he released his grip on the creature and bellowed. He looked down to find razor sharp claws buried deep within his stomach.

Dane whimpered before he clamped his jaw shut. He unwittingly transformed back into a man. The
wendigo
hissed in shock and pulled his talons from Dane’s belly. Dane slumped forward before he threw out a hand to support himself. If he was about to die it wouldn’t be with the stink of
wendigo
in his nostrils.

The
wendigo
stilled and sniffed. Dane braced himself for the final blow, unable to transform back into a bear. But the
wendigo
only continued to sniff, the sound wet and obscene. It raised its head and smelled Dane’s face and then moved down his chest. It cocked its head and smiled grotesquely.

Repulsed, Dane used the last of his strength to push against the
wendigo
beneath him, and stood on his feet. He wanted to be standing, fighting when he died, not fodder for this disgusting animal.

Grimacing, Dane raised himself up, as he straightened the slashes across his chest opened up, the puncture wounds to his stomach deepening. He bit down on the pain.

The
wendigo
jumped to its claw like feet and ran at Dane. He buried his feet deep into the snow and readied himself to at least do some damage in return.

The
wendigo
howled and knocked Dane flying. He exhaled roughly, his body screaming as he landed hard on the ground. He looked up, expecting the creature to be above him. He saw the animal racing away back toward the village.

Dane flung his head back, pain assailing him, overwhelming his senses. Why hadn’t the
wendigo
finished him off? As soon as he’d become human, the creature had smelled something on him. Something that appealed to the animal more than killing Dane.

Lea.

Dane jumped to his feet, blinding pain racking him. They’d made love less than an hour ago, he would still be covered with her scent. Any animal would be able to sense it.

He tried to take a step and doubled over in agony, his palms hitting the snow hard. Blood dripped from his wounds, covering his hands and the white snow. Dane shut his eyes and summoned his strength. His body yearned to transform back into a bear, curl up and recover from his injuries. If he could recover.

He opened his eyes and clenched his jaw, so hard his teeth ached. Dane pulled himself up, his stomach tearing open again as he did so. His blood-covered hand shook as he gripped his stomach. He turned toward where the
wendigo
had disappeared into the valley, toward Lea.

~* * *~

   
The cold night air whipped through the gash in its throat, making a garish whistling sound. The
wendigo
swallowed through it. It would heal soon enough, especially after a feast of sweet human flesh.

It moved fast, spurred on by the scent of the woman, until it reached the hotel. The building sat in darkness; the
wendigo
could sense all the people resting peacefully within its walls, oblivious to the danger that lurked outside.

The
wendigo
sniffed. At least one person wasn’t peacefully asleep within the hotel. Now that he had her scent, it knew where she was. She was sleeping, but far-from-peaceful dreams had her tossing and moaning in her slumber. It smiled, its wind-cracked lips stretching and opening up. How nice it would be to take her while she was fully awake. Its long bluish tongue greedily licked the blood from its mouth.

He still tasted the bear. Bear meat had no liking for him, but as soon as it turned back into a man, it had been tempted to feed upon its flesh. That was until he caught the smell of the woman. For some reason it wanted her above all others.

Ravenous longing gripped at its stomach and he sniffed again, trying to get a bearing on where the woman was. It crept along the outside walls and had almost circumnavigated the building when it stopped. It flung its head backward and saw a small window, just like all the others, but it knew the woman lay inside.

Gleefully it pounced, clutching the outside of the building with its claws and began to climb. Its talons scratched into the walls, screeching as they slid, before they bit into the wall. It climbed to the second story window and smashed it with ease, unconcerned now about the noise in its pleasurable anticipation.

He heard a startled scream from within and its eyes burned with heated joy. It scampered through the broken window, enjoying the feel of the remaining shards of glass slice its thick, rotten skin.

The woman sat huddle up at the end of the bed, shaking in fear, a blanket clutched to her chest in some vain attempt to protect herself. Those brown eyes widened with terror and horror as she saw it. She screamed.

The
wendigo
stood watching, mesmerized for a moment, trying to comprehend the longings it now craved. The woman continued to scream. The
wendigo
rushed across the room and the woman tried to scamper away. It flung out its arms and grabbed her, its talons accidently tearing through her upper arm as she struggled.

It didn’t mean to draw her blood. Not now anyway. It had better plans for her. But now at the smell of her life force flowing from her, its own blood boiled and lust seized at it. It wanted to devour her, to taste her.