Chapter 37

Freyja raced to Gunner, quickly examining him before strengthening herself with her powers to pick him up with both arms. He'd been shot in the gut. Normally, a fatal wound but that wouldn't matter if she made one of the cats bite him. If he went mad, she could pull him out of it. If the cat tried to eat him, she'd take it out. There was no way in Hel she would lose her brother.

"Zoe's okay," Damien said from behind her.

Freyja didn't slow her pace as her brother-in-law carried the little girl in his arms as he, Sam, and Kait followed to the barn. She was thankful the door was still open, allowing her to race inside without stopping to slide it or plow through it. The cats were still seated in neat rows. Each one, eagerly expecting the return of their General. She held her brother tight while speaking firmly in Hive Standard.

"General Latch is dead. He devoured his Spark, so I killed him. I need one of you to volunteer to have my brother as your Spark. If you do anything to harm him afterward, I will end you just as quickly as I did your Commander."

The cats moved just enough to silently eye one another before turning to face her again without replying. She grit her teeth.

"If you do not volunteer, my brother will die, and I will eradicated you all," she sneered, still using Hive Standard.

"Why's she hissing?" Sam asked.

A fat brown and white tabby stood up, then waddled their way through the others, finally standing before Freyja, as blood began to drip from her brother's side, clumping in the soft soil like liquid in fresh litter. The cat sat down then bowed their head.

"I volunteer," the cat said in Hive Standard.

She knelt down, thrusting her brother's hand forward. The cat bit him, gently, but deep enough to draw blood. She felt his mind join the Link along with her brother. Gunner would be pissed, for sure, but at least he'd be alive. He was confused and half conscious, barely aware he'd made it back to Kait's house without wrecking the car. The fear that Zoe had been hit pulsed through his brain with each heartbeat. Freyja gently hijacked his mind, forcing his gunshot wound to heal. The slug fell heavily to the powdery dirt floor after his knitting organs and muscle pushed it out of his body. She released him from her mind's grip and woke him up.

"What's going on?" he asked once he was awake. She held him a little tighter in her arms as he looked around the barn. "Whoa, is that a cat? That's a lot of cats. Shit, Freyja. I've got to get out of here, I...wait..."

"You're not allergic anymore. I'm sorry. It was the only way to save you," Freyja said. "I'm so sorry, Gee."

"Oh my God, Freyja," he paused. His eyes darted around as he felt along the Link. "Damien?"

He rushed forward to embrace Gee and Freyja with one arm, while holding Zoe with the other. "I was so scared we were gonna lose you. I'm so sorry I made you leave. I should have waited."

Gee returned the hug with one arm, resting his head on one of Damien's shoulders with his eyes shut. "Zoe, oh my God. Is she okay?"

"She's alright. She's here," Damien explained.

"Papa Gee, hurt?" Zoe asked.

Gee kissed her forehead. "No, Baby. I'm okay now. Just a little messy. I'll be okay."

The brown and white cat sat politely where he'd been. "I will not harm him."

"KITTY CAN TALK!" Zoe exclaimed. She struggled to free herself from Damien's grasp as she noticed the rest of the cats. "More kitties! More kitties!!"

"We should get out of the barn," Freyja said.

She turned her attention to the new cat in the Link, careful not to dig too deep to learn the worm's True Name. Thank you.

Everyone shuffled to their feet. Distantly, more thunderous explosions echoed from the direction of the city. Sam and Kait kept their distance as Freyja and her family emerged from the building into the summer sun. The new cat quietly followed behind them.

"You had Gravy Train bite him?" Kait asked.

"His name's Gravy Train?" Gee asked.

"Sometimes I call him 'Choo Choo," she explained.

"Choo choo! Choo Choo!" Zoe shouted with a giggle.

Gee knelt down to face the cat. "You can change your name if you want something different."

Gravy Train shrugged a bit. "It is acceptable."

She knew he hadn't liked his own name, but being connected to him via the Link had shown her just how much. He didn't even call himself 'Gunner' in his head. It was no wonder he was open to Gravy Train potentially changing his own name.

"I'm sorry, Gee," Freyja said.

He nodded. "I get it. I d-d-didn't even realize I'd been h-h-hit until we were halfway here. He...he's terrifying but he s-s-saved us, Freyja."

Her heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't even been worried about Odin, or wondered where he was, but now, fear raced through her mind. It took her a second to realize it was her brother's fear, not her own. She distanced herself in the Link, but didn't cut it completely. Instead, she leaned back, supporting him with her own mind.

"What happened?" she asked.

Gee got to his feet, shaking his head. "Some of the Butcher Boys had a roadblock. I should have turned around when I saw the flashing lights. Even if it was cops it would've been bad, but I was so upset. I was stupid. Wait...I'm not stuttering."

She pursed her lips. "Probably because I'm supporting you. You feel more calm than a minute ago, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Because you're not alone. I'm here with you and so is Damien. You can feel him in the Link, right?"

He nodded again. "Yeah, I can. Like he's closer than right next to me."

"If you ever need to cut the Link to someone or to...Gravy Train, you can. We can also send information and memories to one another using it. I'll give y'all a full run-down later. For now, you said Odin saved you? I take it the Butcher Boys were the ones with the guns?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Odin tried to fight them...you think he's okay? Odin?"

She thought a moment. The worm had been incredibly depressed about losing his previous Host and being left on the Earth to die but over the last day he'd seem to be doing better. Was it possible he'd sacrifice himself for her brother and Zoe? He'd just met them.

"I'm sure he's fine."

"Even against the mountain lion?"

"The what?"

"Big kitty!" Zoe said. "Papa Gee and me saw a big kitty before we ran from the Bad Boys."

Freyja wasn't sure if Odin could take a mountain lion in a fight. He was riding in a house cat. Sure, he'd eaten a few corpses at the hospital morgue and could turn into a person, or a big blob monster, but the information she had about how mass affected a Hive member's strength when it came to shifting indicated a smaller Host put one of them at a disadvantage. Odin was big for a house cat, but a mountain lion could be over one hundred fifty pounds. Not to mention it had likely eaten people to gain strength.

"He's probably fine," she lied. She turned to Kait. "Do you mind if we use your bathroom to clean up?"

Kait nodded. "Of course. Follow me."