Red Eclipse
McKayla Schutt
Red Eclipse
The Legend Series, Volume 2
McKayla Schutt
Published by McKayla Schutt, 2017.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
RED ECLIPSE
First edition. January 14, 2017.
Copyright © 2017 McKayla Schutt.
Written by McKayla Schutt.
ISBN: 1541005317
ISBN-13: 978-1541005310
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Red Eclipse (The Legend Series, #2)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
About the Author
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Further Reading: Blood Moon
Also By McKayla Schutt
I would like to thank all of my fans who read my books and keep coming back for more. I love you so much!
Thank you to my editor, you help me grow with each book and I’m thankful for it.
Last thank you to my husband for supporting me even when I’m having a bad month your still behind me.
Chapter One
Alia
I’M SAFE. THE SEEKERS don’t know I’m here.
“Paging Alia Lyco to the nurse’s desk.” Alia heard her boss over the intercom in the break room. Dread filled her body as the message repeated. What does she want now? She finished her snack of string cheese in two fast bites. Just before she exited the room, she tossed the wrapper into the trash. Alia looked over her shoulder, the sick sensation of someone watching her filled her body. When she didn’t see anyone, Alia rolled her shoulders to release the tension. She hated the fact she had to stay in hiding. A witch on the run isn’t a witch who can practice magic. She reminded herself of this fact over, and over again.
Alia pulled out her tight braid, and worked on getting the fly-away blonde strands back into place. A tall woman passed by, reminding Alia of her own average height. The only thing she liked about her appearance were her eyes. Baby blues like her mother’s. I miss her so damn much. Once she reached the desk, nurse Becky pointed behind her to their boss, Haisy. Becky ran away, after she mouthed good luck.
“You need me, boss?” Alia trudged into the back office. Haisy turned, her normal scowl firmly in place, making her beautiful features turn against her.
“I need you to clock out now so you can cover the night shift in the maternity wing. Maven can’t find a damn sitter for her rotten kid,” she snarled.
“But I was going to—” Haisy waved her hand before Alia finished her sentence.
“You’re the only one who can do it. Everyone has kids, unlike you. Now get out, and be back by six a.m.” Haisy vanished before Alia could argue her point. Alia took a deep breath, already halfway through her shift, and she had planned on sleeping, and reading. She needed a damn break from the hospital so she could recharge. Most of her breaks consisted of staying in her little apartment hoping a seeker hadn’t found a lead to her location. Not wanting to get fired, she grabbed her bag, and stormed through the hospital.
If she didn’t need the job so much, she would have quit months ago. Yet the small town didn’t have a coven, so she was a bit safer here than if she settled with a known coven. Alia yanked out the elastic band to free her braid, then shoved her fingers through her long hair. Her anger at Haisy fueled her movements through the hospital. Fear of being caught still lingered in the back of Alia’s mind, but wasn’t hindering her frustrated stride. Alia reached her hand into her bag, and pulled out her phone, then plunged her headphones in her ears, and started her new favorite song, “Sun Daze” by Florida Georgia Line. The beat helped to keep her calm as she exited the main building into a courtyard. Most days, she listened to music to help calm her nerves.
The April air was slightly chilly at night in Austin, Nevada. It was starting to warm up the closer the month inched toward May, but the moment the sun vanished, the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. Alia pulled on her light scarf to keep herself from shivering.
Movement caught her eye in the alley a street over. She took one headphone out, just as gunshots rang out, making her duck.
“Visum,” Alia uttered under her breath, the spell gave her a way to see heat signatures. One person laid on the ground, and another body ran the other way. She repeated the spell, and it faded as she ran to the injured man.
When she reached the wounded guy with deep red hair, she dropped her bag to the ground. She couldn’t believe how tall he looked lying there. Focus, Alia! His hands clutched his chest while he took shallow breaths. Trying not to over-think, she placed her small fingers on his rough hand. A current tore through her body, and the male’s eyes snapped open as he gasped for air, his dark blue eyes turned slightly hazy.
“My name is Alia, and I will help you.” She yanked off her scarf, and pressed it into his chest where the bullet hit him. Blood continued to flow. Quickly lifting his large form, she checked his back. She found no exit wound, so she knew the bullet was still inside his body.
“This can’t be happening now,” he whispered, his voice gruff, and strained.
“Who shot you?” She pressed even harder to try to stifle the flow, but it didn’t seem to be working.
“A young hunter trying to get a name,” he said between gasps of pain.
“We need to get you some help.” She called out, but no footsteps sounded near her. A little after midnight, and no one was around. Alia cursed as the blood covered her hands; it looked like there was no end to the damage.
“Damn imprint had to happen now,” he hissed as Alia pressed even harder. Imprint? Where do I know that word from? Her mind searched for the connection, but his breath grew staggered, bringing her focus on him.
“What is your name?” Alia asked, trying to distract him.
“Olsen.” His eyes fluttered closed, sending Alia into a panic.
“Olsen, I need you to keep your eyes open.” He kept them open for a moment. “No, no you can’t die on me.” Anger filled her body as she weighed her options. If she used stronger magic, she would have to leave town, but if she didn’t use magic, the man under her palms would die. The thought of him dying made her stomach turn, and her heart clench. Why should I care so much about this stranger?
“Olsen, come on. Open those blue eyes. Look at me!” She whipped her head around. “Visum,” she whispered, to her disappointment there was no one outside. Alia blinked away the spell. She hung her head, trying to come up with a plan. No one is watching. Use magic to save him. The little voice in her head had a point. Yet the seekers would be able to track her down in a few days. She studied Olsen. The color drained from his face.
“No one will find out about this,” she promised herself. I’ll heal him, then erase his memory.
“Cassis.�
�� There was no turning back now. Her hand hovered above the wound as she cast the spell. The bullet flew out of his body, and into her palm. She set the scrap of metal in her pocket, then took a deep breath pulling her reserve of strength, and magic. She tried to mentally prepare herself, knowing this spell would take a lot out of her.
“Valetudo basar.” Her strong voice grew a bit louder than before as she held her right hand over the entry wound. She repeated the words three times to keep the spell going. Power pulsed from her body as a white light emitted from her hand. Slowly, the hole shrank to nothing, the bleeding stopped, and Olsen took a deep steady breath. Alia collapsed onto Olsen, her breath coming in short pants, and her head spinning from the amount of energy she gave for the spell. The sound of his steady heartbeat met her ear as she rested on his muscular chest.
The little strength she had left she used to sit next to Olsen. She took another deep inhale of the cool night air. Her hand moved to his forehead, then she uttered one final spell.
“Animus.” Alia held her hand there for a quick moment, any longer, and she would erase more than the night’s events. She fumbled back, separating them. The stones below Alia sucked away the little warmth she had left. She grabbed her bag, and used the wall to stand, then slowly stumbled out of the alley toward her car. Alia knew the memory spell would only work if she didn’t see him when he woke up. If she passed out near him, he would ask questions that would be hard to avoid. She pulled the last of her strength, and poured herself into the driver’s seat of her piece of shit car. Alia jammed her finger onto the switch to lean the seat back, then she let the exhaustion take her.
I hope Olsen is okay there. She worried about the seekers finding her as sleep took over.
Chapter Two
Olsen
OLSEN OPENED HIS EYES slowly. The stars were fading while the sun began to rise. What the fuck happened and why am I on the ground by the hospital? His phone buzzed, then stopped. Olsen moved his hand to his chest. A small hole in his shirt was the only evidence a young hunter punk had actually pulled a gun and shot him. The little bastard managed to catch Olsen on his run for the night. Olsen had planned on going to Derrick’s house after the run to play cards with him and Aiden. He tried to remember who had helped him, but a sudden migraine hit, and pain radiated at the back of his skull. One thing he knew in his bones, he had imprinted with a woman, but he couldn’t recall her face. Her scent still lingered in the alleyway. As a werewolf, his sense of smell was amazing compared to a human. His phone buzzed once more in his back pocket. Olsen pulled his IPhone out to find a picture of his alpha, Derrick, on the screen.
“Hello,” Olsen said as he sat up. Heartburn surged in his chest and he rubbed his wound absentmindedly. He couldn’t believe the bastard actually shot him. You did screw his sister, dumb ass. Dried blood covered his shirt, making it stiff.
“What the hell happened last night? Why didn’t you come over after your run?” Derrick’s angry voice filled his ear.
I’m stronger than this. This won’t fucking happen again. “Well, a hunter shot me with a silver bullet, and after that, I have no freaking clue. My memory is hazy as fuck.” He looked around and noticed a scarf with dried blood caked into it. The strong feminine scent filled his nose.
“How did you survive a gunshot like that?”
“I don’t know. A female was here, but I can’t remember what she looks like or what the hell she did.”
“Find her and figure it out.” The line died after the order. He’d planned on finding her without the command but this would give him more time. Olsen slowly moved his aching body to a standing position. Once he knew for sure he wouldn’t collapse, he inhaled her sweet citrus scent. He shoved the dirty scarf into his jacket, then followed the trail to a parking lot. The scent lingered there, but no one was in sight. He cursed under his breath, then looked at his watch. It was close to seven and he wanted to find her, then sleep.
Cars of all colors filled almost every space, a truck zipped in and almost hit Olsen before claiming a spot a few feet away. The occupants jumped out and ran into the hospital, not giving Olsen a second glance. He hoped who ever they were visiting would be okay. Then the squeak of a black car a row away had his wolf perking up. But the hope died when a male doctor rolled out of his car and headed toward the building. He gave a short nod to Olsen then picked up his pace. So the woman could be a visitor or an employee of the hospital. Fuck!
Almost every muscle in his body ached from the gunshot but he pushed the agony down while his wolf paced inside. They both needed to find the one who saved them but something wasn’t right. Being shot shouldn’t have broken his memory of her. Finding his mate should be something he’d remember until his dying breath. About every other mated couple he knew would speak about the time they imprinted with their love.
Why can’t I fucking remember? He tried to focus again as he leaned onto a red car. Pain grew stronger the longer he tried to get the memory to come back up to the surface.
He took another deep inhale to clear his mind. Olsen let her wonderful scent fill him, giving him strength. Half of him wanted to go home and sleep, come back fresh. The other half wanted to find this woman who had saved him and mate straight away. His cock stirred at the idea. He had issues sorting the difference between her scent and at least three other females. Sleep for two hours and start over, he decided after he lost the scent coming from the hospital.
Olsen cursed himself for being caught off guard. Normally, they would notice if a hunter was headed to town. Punks like his shooter only tried to gain power or a standing in their own crooked society.
Quickly, Olsen jumped into his truck and headed straight home. The beat of “Citizen Soldier” by 3 Doors Down boomed through his speakers. His head nodded to the beat, knowing the song by heart.
He shouted out the lyrics as he pulled from his energy reserve. Every time he heard the song, he felt the need to sing at the top of his voice. No matter how he was feeling, this song made him feel better. He parked the truck in front of his home and stumbled through the front door.
Olsen tossed his keys to the side and headed straight for the shower. His blood caked to his shirt made it stiff and a pain to get off. After trying twice not to ruin the shirt, he finally shredded the fabric and climbed under the hot jets of water. The heat helped his aching muscles. Olsen leaned his head on the cold tiles and closed his eyes. Images of a field with flowers and bright green grass filled his mind. A shadow of a woman stood in the center.
Mate! His wolf was ready to pounce, but the shadow never came into focus.
“I will find you,” Olsen growled, then quickly washed the blood away before the water turned cold. The figure of his mate kept filling his mind. His wolf howled in frustration.
Chapter Three
Alia
ALIA STRETCHED AS SHE waited in line at the cafeteria. So far, one woman had been there since early that morning and her labor wasn’t progressing much. She’d been stuck at five centimeters for the last two hours, but her water had broke so she couldn’t be discharged. One more woman had just arrived, but another nurse had checked her, allowing Alia to have a small break.
Her body ached from all the magic she had performed the night before, and sleeping in her car had not made her situation any better. The bars in her seat had made her back tense, along with a small kink in her neck, which made it hard to turn her head to the right. She was thankful for the extra work clothes in the back seat though, as her old ones were covered in Olsen’s dried blood.
Alia reached into her bag for her money and felt the cold plastic bag holding the paco. If a witch consumed paco, a local herb only for their coven, it would cause their spells to weaken another witch. The paco herb brought a cloud of haziness to an affected witch. Alia carried a small package with her in case of a special emergency. There were only two ways to counteract the drug, lust or immediately kill the one who cast the spell. The elders didn’t teach the kids about the herb until they r
eached sixteen. In her coven, it was their major defense against intruders, since brute strength wasn’t their strong suit.
She grabbed her tray, and placed an apple and a turkey sandwich on it. Alia paid the lady at the end, then plopped down at an empty table. Slowly, she picked at the bread as she wondered if Olsen had healed all the way. Part of her pondered if he was worth using her magic on. He’s gorgeous, and you felt the pull, her inner voice reminded her. She didn’t want to get caught. She sent a small prayer to her grandma that an enforcer didn’t catch her. Deep down, she knew Olsen needed to be saved. Damn imprint. His voice filled her head, she finally remembered werewolves imprint. I must be remembering it wrong. He must have said something else. Her aunt hated werewolves, while most of the coven tolerated them.
Quickly, Alia glanced at her watch, and noticed her time would end soon. She scarfed down the remains of her sandwich and tossed the wrapper away, deciding to eat the apple on her walk back to the maternity ward. The sensation of being watched crept over her body, making her uneasy. Slowly, she looked around, yet no one looked familiar. I may have two days before I have to move again. The last time she used magic on accident, it had taken the trackers two days to find her. Alia had barely managed to escape. When she reached the double doors, a woman called out.
“Please— Ouch! Hold the— Fuck!” She doubled over against the wall, grabbing her swollen belly. The deep red hair reminded Alia of Olsen.
Not now! She suppressed a groan. Every time she thought of him, a wave of heat filled her body. She had no clue why her body wanted Olsen. Wanted seemed like a weak description for it. Needed better described the way her body screamed to be next to him.
“How far apart?” Alia asked as she moved over to the woman.
“Two or three minutes,” the woman said as she gasped. After a few moments passed, she inhaled, confusion crossed her features. The woman rubbed her belly.
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