Soul Promise

One

Peeping Tom

Abomination! Contamination!

I gasp for air and sit straight up in bed. These dreams have been happening since we saved my sister from the soul-eating-assholes a month and a half ago. I just hear threats. Every night the voice starts off as a whisper and grows into a scream; like someone yelling through a megaphone blasted over a loudspeaker inside of my head.

I drop back to my pillows, kicking the sheets off my legs at the same time. My chest heaves as I try catching my breath. I envision a set of crisp, blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, heart shaped face, and jet-black hair.

When I picture her, it calms me and I’m relaxed enough that my eyelids droop and shut again.

I don’t know why it works like that since she doesn’t calm me in real life. She pisses me off, annoys me to no end, and constantly gives me whiplash. I never know which side of her I’ll see at any given moment: the one that tolerates me, the one that likes me, or the one that hates me. But that’s just how Skeeter is, the most confusing and infuriating person I know. One day she says I’m hot, and the next she’s flipping out on me over nothing and everything.

Glancing at the glowing red numbers on my alarm clock, it reads 12:48 A.M. Might as well go for a run. Letting my wolf run first thing every morning and late every night is like the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s freeing and calming and helps give me time to work out the craziness that my life has become.

The route I take to the farm and woods takes me right past my sister’s best friend’s house.

It’s not stalking. Technically.

It’s part of the pack life. Being a defender means keeping everyone safe. That’s all I’m doing. At least, that’s what I tell myself to justify checking in on Skeeter twice a day — if she knew that, she’d probably try to kill me.

I sneak out of my room, ninja-style as Jaz likes to call it, and hustle to the spot in the trees next to the lake to stash my clothes. It was drilled into my head by Barry that it’d be a great idea to keep a bunch of elastic belts handy because you never know what can happen. It’d be awfully awkward to walk around naked in a pinch. I strap the elastic belt to my thigh and shove my shorts through the loop in case I need them.

I close my eyes and picture my wolf, contained within my body. Breathing deeply, I do just as Barry taught me, and slowly change my appearance to wolf form, placing my human form on the inside. I let my wolf rise to the surface, feeling the bones snap, lengthen, and shift. My wolf demands control, but I’m not ready to sink into routine just yet. My mind is racing around things I can’t figure out.

I open my eyes and look through the trees, seeing the shape of the lake in clarity I didn’t have moments before. The sounds through the neighborhood reach my ears with greater ease than before. My wolf senses are like a human’s, just amplified. I can smell things now that I once thought didn’t have a smell. When Jazzy used to say, I love the smell of the rain, I always thought she was half cracked. To me, rain didn’t have a smell. After I found my wolf, I realized I was wrong. It does, and I agree with her now. It’s a pleasant smell, crisp and clean, and depending on your environment, it can be the most relaxing scent you’ll ever cross.

Even after learning that pheromones change the way people smell, I still thought we all were the same in scents. I couldn’t tell the difference unless they wore perfume or cologne. With my change, I was proven wrong yet again. Everyone smells differently to me now. I can track my sister in a crowd at the mall with my eyes closed. Anything she touched, if she bumped shoulders, and what stores she went in are detectable. This actually came to my attention when we went grocery shopping with our uncle a few weeks ago. Leland sent me to grab the cleaning supplies and told me to meet him by the frozen foods. On my way to meet him, I picked up my sister’s peachy scent. It confused me because I couldn’t see her and it’s not like we generally spend a lot of time in the grocery store. I followed her scent through the paper goods aisle, and at the end her scent was added to by an over-intoxicating pollen infused perfume, indicating that she brushed against someone. I ended up following her trail through the store and back to Leland in the frozen foods. When I talked to my alpha, Fane, he said that it’s normal for a shifter to pick up scents, but uncommon for a Halfling. It’s what they call tracking, and if I practice it, it could become a useful skill, and that not everyone can track well. Maybe I’ll be able to track demons one day like him, but I’m only just learning those scents because of what my sister went through.

Through the trees I see Skeeter’s house and veer toward it, closer than normal. I can see her through her window.

Insanely enough, my heightened senses tell me which room is hers; second floor, first window on the left.

Aw, hell. This screams stalker.

My breath huffs out of my snout as I sit. She crosses her window and then back again. My ears perk up at the sound of her voice.

What am I going to do? I can’t just go over there.

Who is she talking to? I didn’t see a phone in her hand, but maybe she has someone on speaker phone.

I wish he would find his mate already! He annoys me to no end! But lord, does he have to look so good while he’s doing it? What am I going to do when he finds his mate, Sushi?

I growl.

Who the hell is she talking about? And what is mate sushi?

When I look back up to her window, she’s staring out toward the trees. Right into the area I’m sitting.

Crap.

She must’ve heard my growl. I back up noiselessly and hide in the shadows again. After a minute, she closes her curtains and shuts off her light. I sigh with relief and head back to my trail for the rest of my run. As I’m weaving through the trees, I realize that not only am I a stalker now, but I can also fall into the Peeping Tom category as well. Great, this train now stops at Creep City.

I take a deep calming breath and push myself through some bushes.

…run…search…hunt…

My wolf begs to be let loose, to run without caution and to stop thinking, but I keep control over my thoughts and my pace.

Instead of going for a run at the farm, I decide to circle the territory. The territory limits follow the border of Lupiterra, for the most part, but also run through parts of the neighboring town, Rector. In the middle of the western edge of the territory, it runs straight through the cemetery where my dad and older sister are buried. If we wouldn’t have moved in with my uncle, eight or so miles away from our old house, I’m not sure what I’d be doing right now. Would I have found my wolf? Would I be visiting my dad's and sister’s graves in the middle of the night?

At the thought of stopping at the cemetery, when they should be here—breathing and safe—the pain of their departure lances through my chest again. I’m not sure that wound will ever heal. They were ripped from life too soon, and we’re all just hanging on, trying to figure out how to continue without them. I keep everything inside, for the most part. I don’t want to cause my family to teeter off the okay cliff we’re dancing on.

I need this run. It’ll take at least an hour and a half to circle back to the house, but hopefully it’ll clear the fog that’s settled in my mind.

Turning to the west, I follow the border straight to the cemetery. I know my dad and Sophie aren’t in the ground. Their spirits are around those they love, like Jaz, Mom, me, Leland, and Alex. It’s still nice to have a place to visit them, so to speak.

Jazzy has her art, our mom has her journals, and our uncle has the ice. I come here. Coming to their graves to talk to them helps me. I think I talk to them more now than when they were alive. Not that we weren’t close before, we were. Now it’s like there’s no fear of disappointment, judgment, or embarrassment. I can speak to their spirits and they’ll listen. It’s no comparison of having either of them here. I’d give anything to listen to Dad ramble about lines and angles on a blueprint that looked like gibberish to me. Or to have Sophie tackle me to the floor and give me a wedgie for interrupting her chocolate ice cream binge.

Finding Dad and Sophie’s graves, I shift back to my human form and loosen the elastic belt to release my shorts. I put them on and walk between the stones to sit right in front of Dad’s headstone. Seeing his name, Curtis James Williams, I nearly lose myself. I break my stillness by wiping away some dirt from the face of the stone.

Hey, Dad, I whisper. Taking a seat in the grass, I begin pulling weeds, my usual routine. Things have been…well, pretty insane.

I think back over the last few weeks since the last time I visited. Between finals, working out, pack duties, learning things of this world that I never knew possible, fighting and not fighting with Skeeter, things have been intense and nonstop crazy.

Football starts in August. I don’t think I’m doing the playbook boot camp again this year. I know it’s important, but I’ve got a lot on my plate now. I won’t give up football, I promise my dad.

With a hard swallow, I decide to move into updating him on the family. Mom is trying to be Mom, I say, yanking a weed from in front of his headstone. She’s okay, I think. I know it’s harder on her than she lets on, but she’s trying to live for us, which is more than she did a few months ago. She has days where the tears just won’t stop, but they’re not as constant now. She seems angrier than usual. I wince as memories zoom around me. Mom got angry at me for throwing my wet towel in the hamper, ripped into Leland over a brand of peanut butter he bought, and has been suspicious of Jaz and Seth for no reason. I’d rather not rehash all that again, so I continue with the family updates.

Alex is talking more. Sometimes we can understand him. He just started calling me Heywe the other day, I say proudly. Alex is Leland’s son and is a little over a year old. He only says dada and Heywe. Mom and Jaz were a bit upset about that and are still trying to teach him new words.

He’s getting a lot better with walking, too. He’s not tottering as much and doesn’t need help all the time. Mom fusses when he falls, but I know she’s enjoying watching him walk and try to reach different milestones. Leland had to baby proof the living room and kitchen, too, because Alex thought his cheddar crackers belonged in the combination VCR and DVD player. That was a mess. Leland just tossed it after attempting to shake out all the crackers. I snort. It took Leland a while to find one of those that still worked, too. All because Mom won’t allow the home videos to be turned into DVDs. She thinks they’ll be damaged in the process.

I don’t tell him about the time Alex put his teddy in the cabinet next to the oven. None of us could find it and he had no way of letting us know where it was, even if he could remember. I can laugh now, but that was a rough two days. He screamed almost non-stop for that thing. Jazzy finally found it when she went to make waffles, and he conked out as soon as he got his little hands on it. Dad had picked out that teddy bear just for Alex the day Psycho Sammy, Leland’s ex, dropped him off, calling him freak spawn. That teddy is Alex’s best friend.

I grab a few more weeds and pile them off to the side. It’s not many, and the landscapers usually get them all, but they don’t come out as often as they should.

I don’t understand what’s going on with me and my wolf, Dad. It’s weird, I whisper. He seems to be drawn to Skeeter, and I can’t figure out why. I run through her backyard just to check on her and keep my wolf happy. As much as it feels right to part of me, the other part says it’s wrong. I sigh. I really wish he would respond now, but I know that’s impossible. "I guess it’s not just him that pushes me into her yard," I muse and groan over my admission. Staring at his name stamped on the headstone, sadness washes over me tenfold. If only I could talk to him one more time.

I’m gonna go check on Soph now. Love you, Dad. I’ll be back when I can. I hope you’re singing random songs just to annoy Sophie and Gram. I pat his headstone, move over to Sophie’s, and begin the process all over again.

Hey, Sis. I smile, picturing her smiling face, and her return response of Hey lil’ bro, and trying to give me a noogie. You would’ve had a hay day with me the other day. I chuckle. Mom was freaking out about Jaz and Seth and paranoid that she was sneaking him in or something. Le told her she was worrying over nothing, but, you know how Mom gets. When she thinks something’s off, she doesn’t let it go. I shake my head at the memory. To get Mom to chill out, I told her I was a walking, talking, chastity belt. Wouldn’t you know, Jazzy was listening to the whole conversation. I groan, trying to imagine what Sophie’s response would be. She’d probably remind me it’s comments like that, that’s deemed Jaz and I freaky. I didn’t mean it like that. Who would want to hear what their sibling is doing with their significant other, it’s gross.

Do you remember how you complained about your one friend having a boyfriend and everything turned into a ‘them’ and not just you and your friend? I kind of get how you felt then. Jazzy wanted to hang out with me and I was watching Dad’s favorite baseball team, something we always did together. She invited Seth over to watch with us, which I figured would happen anyway. But she spent the game making goo-goo eyes at Seth and not watching the game. She didn’t even do the victory dance Dad made us do when a homer was hit. I threw peanuts at her and Seth until she gave up and they went for a walk. I think Mom told you things would balance out after the newness of their relationship wore off. Do you think that’ll happen with soul mates? Will I ever have my friend back, or will it always be her and Seth?

I stare at her name stamped into the cool stone, hoping to hear an answer, and I remember something I really should tell her. I saw Davy a few days ago, I say and swallow the lump in my throat. Dave was her boyfriend until three days before the accident. They had a stupid fight, and she called it quits without ever telling him why. He said that he comes out to see you often. He’s havin’ a real hard time moving on. I look away and swipe my hand across my face. If she were here, she would probably laugh at me for crying or slap me for talking to her ex. You never gave him any closure. None of us ever got closure. I yank up a handful of grass and tear the clump in half, hoping to alleviate the pain, but it’s of no use, so I swallow it and move on as best I can.

Jazzy’s writing in a journal Mom gave her. She doesn’t talk to me about what she writes, and it’s weird. She always talks to me about everything. I yank on the last weed and add it to the pile between her and Dad’s graves.

Leland is retiring this year. The corners of my mouth turn up in a tight smile. I know. We’ve heard that before. This time it’s real though. He said he has a new drive to push his team harder to bring The Cup home. He wants it in honor of you and Dad. I move on, quickly giving her the update on Alex, Mom, and Jazzy before shifting to continue my run.

This time spent talking with them didn’t help calm me down. My brain is still a crazy mess, except now it’s tinged with pain.

…run…

I set myself at a steady run, following the border again. Slowly letting my wolf take control but keeping myself in charge somewhat.

…hunt…search…

The Firebirds, or Aerial Shifters to be precise, have been through here recently. They’re allies to my pack. When they helped us out last month, I knew I’d always be grateful to have them on our side.

…run…

I let my wolf take charge of my brain for the rest of the run and enjoy the air pressing through my fur.

At the southern point of our territory, a different scent, so wrong and so overwhelming, attacks my senses. My steps falter before I stumble to a dead stop.

…danger…hunt…search…Alpha…

I close my eyes and focus on the scent, trying to pick it apart. Death and sulfur are the strongest smells, but there’s also burnt pine and something minty.

What is it?

…search…protect…

Who is it?

I search the area for any sign of what’s causing the nauseating odor. The trail leads me to a cow pasture, but this is where it ends. There’s no way a cow could’ve left that scent, but there’s no tracks, and no scars in the earth. Maybe whatever made this scent is a low flyer.

…search…protect…hunt…

My wolf begs to find the cause of this odor.

I turn back the way I came to investigate as much as I can without crossing territory limits. I’d need to talk to Alpha for permission to cross territories.

Grabbing a mouth full of debris, I run as fast as I can to get back home.

I need my clothes and a zip-lock baggie for this crud.

And my toothbrush, I add to my list while trying not to gag.

…run…

Doing my best to not swallow anything, I push harder, trying to get around the lake faster.

After spewing the debris on a rock, I shift back and release the elastic belt on my thigh. I jump into my clothes as fast as I can and run into the house. First, I grab a baggie. Next, I brush my teeth. Twice. Though I can still smell it, I can’t taste it anymore and that’s better than nothing.

I run back out to the lake and collect the raunchy dried grass, straw, and twigs. With that taken care of, I shoot a text to Jazzy, letting her know I’m heading to Fane’s with some important stuff. Of course, if she’s awake she’ll freak. Jaz and I, well, our normal doesn’t involve secrets. We’ve been close since we were kids, always needing to be near each other. Mom and Dad used to call us their un-genetic twins. Since I was adopted as a baby, and I’m eighteen months older than her, it’s impossible for us to be considered twins. That never mattered to our relationship. She’s my sister and my best friend.

I glance up to her window, and thankfully, it’s cloaked in darkness. That means she won’t worry or question me until tomorrow morning after she reads it, and I’ll have time to explain in a way that won’t flip her out. I hope. She’s so intuitive, especially when it comes to me. She just knows. Hopefully I won’t have to lie because that’ll just piss her off.

I dial Alpha’s number and wait for him to answer.

What can I do for you at this hour, Henry?

I’m glad you’re awake. I was wondering if I could swing by to give you something.

Now? he asks in confusion.

Yeah, the sooner the better. I’d rather explain in person, if you don’t mind.

That, and you can’t smell the stench through the phone, I think to myself.

When are you coming?

I can be there in roughly fifteen minutes. Your driveway and my car enjoy going rounds. The only road, lane, driveway, or whatever you want to call it, that leads from the main road to the Pack House is this horribly bumpy dirt path with more twists than a slinky.

Don’t bust a shock on my driveway, he teases.

Laughing, I end the call and start my car. I turn left out of my driveway, heading off in his direction, but making sure to pass Skeeter’s house.

My phone rings, and it’s Skeeter.

Why aren’t you sleeping?

Why did you just drive past my house? she asks groggily.

You know the sound of my car? I tease, even though I do feel bad for waking her.

Of course. You have the loudest car in this development. Now tell me. Why did you just drive past my house?

My, my, aren’t we cranky. I chuckle. If you must know, I am on my way to Fane’s for a, um, a meeting of sorts.

You had to drive past my house and wake me up in the middle of the damn night? Why didn’t you just take Monarch to Main like a normal person? she grumbles. Thankfully, she didn’t notice my hesitation.

Because I wouldn’t get infuriating phone calls in the middle of the night if I did that. Who do you think needs to keep me awake long enough to make it to Fane’s? I really shouldn’t take so much joy in pushing her buttons, but she makes it too easy sometimes.

You are the biggest— she growls before letting out a string of curses that would make Barry flinch.

An unexplained worry churns in my stomach as I listen to her ramble. Hey, are you okay?

No, I’m not, and no, it’s none of your damn business, Henry! she shouts into the phone. I hear her take a few calming breaths. Just go play with your fan club girls and leave me the hell alone. The line goes dead.

She just hung up on me. My attention flits from the road, to my phone, and back again, in shock. Now, I wish Jazzy was awake. She’d be able to fill me in on how I messed up this time, maybe.

After carefully maneuvering my car down the broken and busted dirt driveway to the Pack House, I shove the bag of stench in my back pocket and jog to the porch.

To what do I owe the pleasure of your late visit? Fane asks from the door.

Well, I came across something that…well, frankly, I don’t know what it is.

Fane raises a brow and allows me to enter. We walk back to his office and he shuts the door behind me. You have my attention, he says as he sits on the leather couch.

I spin the wooden chair around and straddle it, as I pull the bag from my back pocket. I went for my nightly run tonight, but instead of just heading to the farm, I decided to take a trip around the entire terr—

That’s a long run. What made you decide to run that?

I just figured the longer the run, the clearer my head would get. I shrug and continue when he nods in understanding. I was at the southern tip, Glatfelter’s Cattle Farm, when I picked up the strongest scent. I don’t know who or what it was coming from. I snagged a mouthful of loose dirt and stuff, took it home, and piled it in a zip-lock bag. Let me tell you, that crap tastes worse than it smells. I can’t help curling my lip in disgust as I pass him the bag.

When he opens it, I can smell it so I know he can, too. His eyes go wide and his usual stoic mask begins to slip as he hurriedly reseals the bag. That smell came straight from Sheol, he whispers.

She-what? I ask for clarification.

I need the exact location. Can you point it out on a map? he asks, ignoring my question.

I nod and follow him to the war room. He points to the Territory Map, and I point to the exact location I was when I first detected it. Then I show him where the trail ends from all sides and where the strongest scent was. He looks furious, but he isn’t talking.

Do you know what’s going on? What is the shoe thingy? Should we talk to the next territory and investigate? I can run it if you need me to, I offer, excited to possibly get more running in. Anything is better than the piss-poor sleep I’m doomed with.

"No, do not run the perimeter. You can come here to run whenever you like, but this is an order, Henry. Stay close to home," he commands.

His power pushes onto me, forcing me to my knees in milliseconds. Yes, Alpha, I respond. I don’t know why he wants this for me, but he knows best. My wolf and I will not, and cannot, defy him.

Alpha’s features soften. I know you love and need to run. We all do, Henry, but stay safe. His power recedes, and I’m finally able to stand. My gaze meets his, and I’m greeted with an expression that he tends to look at Jazzy with, a fatherly expression. I now know how she feels when he does this to her. I shake my head lightly to stop the images of Dad that my memory conjures.

He sends me on my way, and I think about what just happened on my drive home. Nothing makes sense. Something from Shoe. No, Sheall. That’s still not right. What did he say? Sheol — yeah, Sheol. Where have I heard that term before? I groan and slap my gearshift into third as I reach the main road. I should’ve finished my run when I had the chance.

Less running means I’ll have more time to train and bulk out. There’s a plus side to everything, I guess.

Sneaking into my room is easy. Falling asleep, not so much. I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out what Sheol means and what turned Alpha back into Ultra-Alpha again.

My eyes drift shut, and the hushed whispering starts as if on cue. I’m alert again, glancing around my room, even using my wolf senses to listen outside, but I hear nothing. It’s safe. When my eyes close again, the whispering is still there.

I picture those electric blue eyes and ignore the whispers as best I can until I finally pass out.

Two

Who Is Sushi?

Y ou look tired, Jazzy mutters as I flop onto the driver’s seat.

That’s because I am, I say flatly. Ignoring the whispered threats trying to surface again, I start up the engine. The purr of the motor wakes me up and drowns out the annoying whispers.

Weird.

What is? I ask, backing out of the driveway. That you have a license and a car but still choose to have me drive us to school every day?

Nope. I glance her way, and she smiles. Just — it’s nothing. Never mind.