by Elissa Daye
“First, to make sure you eat. You’re going to need your strength if you’re going to take on Terryn. Second, to warn you that your plan is not well laid out.”
Lysandra sighed softly. “You are right. So far, I plan on letting him come to me, but everything outside of that escapes me.”
Bradford eyed her secretly. “You’re in for a wild ride.”
“Excuse me?”
“You are from Lena, my child. The magic of Adriana flows through your veins. But something else flows through you. The heart of Blackwolf, the blood of your children.”
“I thought you never interfered with destiny?” Was he telling her something she was not supposed to know?
“I don’t like to think of it as interfering so much as enhancing destiny, my dear. And yours is a great one. You need to survive to help your people understand that their abilities should be uplifted, not something to be mourned. It may have started out as a curse from an embittered woman, but it has transformed into a powerful magic that they need to cherish. Through your love and understanding, the curse may be lifted.”
“But you just said it was to be cherished.”
“It will be, in time. You must understand one thing. The woman who cursed Aesov was Bridget. He never knew that he seduced a woman from Lena, my dear. Bridget was Adrianic. She was as much kin to you as your very own mother. By fighting for the man you love, you will break the curse. The people of Blackwolf will then be able to harness their special abilities at will without tracking the flight of the moon in the sky. Where there once was pain, a new road will exist.”
“I thank you for your wisdom, Sir Marcus, but that does not solve the current situation.”
“Ah, but it does. You have both within you. You are Adrianic. Your children are Blackwolf. Together you will have a special connection that no one can touch. You must trust the connection. You’ll be the very first to evolve before the moon turns.”
Lysandra watched Bradford set the tray down on the bed and he started to make his way to the door. “Are you saying that I am part wolf now?”
“I’ve told you enough, much more than I ever should.” He opened the door, looked back with a quick grin, stepped through the doorway swiftly, and then was gone. He may very well have given her the key to her problem. If she could combine both abilities she would be formidable. Nothing would stop her from her goals.
Lysandra removed the sheet, sat down on the floor, and made herself as comfortable as her belly permitted. She let the happenings of the past week tremble on the surface of her mind, just a gentle teasing to start. She felt the fire within start to burn; an angry, wicked lash of emotions made her breath come out with purpose. She breathed in the world around her and let herself go limp as the cyclone of energy climbed to a feverous pitch within her. Soon she was engorged in flames, yet while it burned around her the Adrianic magic kept the vicious heat from scorching her skin. She felt gentle kicks on her belly that at first resembled the light moving of the life within, but after a moment she felt the same sensation all around her body. She got on her knees. The fire covered her as her body contorted wildly, and while the metamorphosis was wrenching through every inch of her body she felt no pain. She had seen Aiden transform many times and assumed the process to be quite painful, but what was happening to her felt as if she were standing outside of her body while it occurred.
When it was completed Lysandra sat on the floor, truly transformed. She crawled to the nightstand with the mirror and brought her limbs up to take a look. She almost moaned at the image in front of her. The woman who once stood before her was now replaced with a magnificent beast, Aiden’s mate in more ways than one. Her ears perked up at attention, and her eyes were lit with confidence as the flames that had swirled around her moments before still circulated through the air. Her fur was golden brown and the tint of the fire’s glowing lights made it appear as if she were completely composed of fire. She could not see her belly from this angle, but she could still feel her children safe within her. She knew they would all live through this night.
Her front paws pushed away from the stand as she heard a key turn in the lock. She knew who it was, and this time she would be ready for him. She moved to the other side of the bed and crouched low, marveling at the fact that the area around her did not catch fire. As she hid from view she hoped that the light of her fiery halo would not be easily detected.
“Wench, where are you? Are you hiding? I always did love to play cat and mouse.”
The sound of his feet beat closer to the bed and she was relieved when she never heard the click of the door. This meant he had left it open in his haste to locate her. When Lysandra was sure he was close enough she leapt into the air, a golden arc of light and fur flying toward him.
“What the hell! G—”
Lysandra was at his throat before he could get out the order for his guards to intervene on his behalf. Her teeth sank deep into his vocal chords and she growled dangerously as she held him in a tight death grip. He could not make a sound, nor could he move, for with one slight movement her teeth would slice his jugular. The flames surrounding her sizzled against his flesh as her anger grew. She thought of all the evil things this man had planned for her. She thought of how he had almost destroyed her life completely, and how losing Aiden would have broken her world in half. She tried to think of any redeeming qualities in the man before her, but the longer she remained there, the longer she knew that she would not find any.
She took a deep breath in through her nostrils and did the only thing she could do. A loud snap sounded in the room. It was the last sound that would ever come from Terryn’s wicked body. She lifted her head up and memorized the face in her mind. She backed up away from him, sidestepping the pool of blood that stemmed from his throat.
She shook her scruff, hoping to shake off some of the darkness that seemed to taint her. The fire that surrounded her was now just a harmless glowing light. She made her way to the door, sauntered lightly down the hallway, leapt down the stairs, and exited the keep before she was even noticed. Sir Marcus was right. Again, fate seemed to be on her side. She swiftly left the walls of the keep and started to head toward Blackwolf, wondering if she would indeed make it home before Aiden. She remained in her wolf form, for traveling with child as a wolf seemed infinitely faster and easier than trying to make the walk on human feet.
Chapter 41
Her paws carried Lysandra across the lands, and all time seemed to be separated from space as the setting sun cast light and shadows all around. Her glowing form could be seen from miles away and that was exactly how Aiden found her. At first he had no idea what he was seeing as a long, flowing light streaked across the horizon. He thought about following the haunting shape, but he reminded himself that he had a mission to accomplish. When he saw the glowing wolf get closer to him he stopped his horse abruptly and ordered his men to continue on.
The shape changed before his eyes and Aiden was captivated by the beauty. The wolf stood up on her hind legs; the glowing aura swirled around her like a cleansing storm. In moments a beautiful woman stood naked in the open sky. Her hair danced gently behind her as the air tickled her face and her hands were cradling her swollen abdomen. Her brown eyes twinkled with a hint of a mystery as she smiled her welcome. She lifted her hand to Aiden and light streamed from her fingertips. Aiden dismounted swiftly and pulled her into his arms.
“Lysandra.” The voice once filled with despair was now full of hope. He could not believe she was standing before him, but he had learned long ago never to question the Adrianic magic that flowed through her veins.
“Aiden, my love.” She sighed gently into his shoulder as his comforting arms cleansed her of all her sins.
Aiden held her tight within his embrace. “It’s all right, my love. I’ll make sure he never hurts you again.”
Lysandra sniffed into his shoulder. “He won’t.”
“Of course he won’t.”
“You don’t understand, Aid
en. He’s dead.” Lysandra refused to meet the concern in his eyes.
“What do you mean? How?” He had not meant to sound so angry, but the beast within hungered for revenge.
She looked at the ground. “I killed him.” Suddenly the shock of it all hit her. Sobs that had lay hidden within made their way viciously to the surface.
Aiden gathered her into his arms and sat underneath a tree, stroking her hair until the storm of tears subsided. He swore softly to the sky as the moon started to make its presence known. He pushed her away softly and moved as far away as was safe. The change was often violent and dangerous and he would protect Lysandra at all costs. He waited for the beast within to rise up, but even as the moon was in full view he stood there as the man that he had always been in the light of day. He looked at Lysandra with reservation and she smiled up at him.
“What has happened?”
“The curse is broken, Aiden.”
“But how?” The awe of her words was still settling in to his consciousness.
“Bridget was from Lena, Aiden. She had the same ancestors that I have. Her curse was made because her heart was broken. Her blood flows through mine. Where one person was broken, another has been uplifted. Had you not truly loved me this would never have happened. When I was able to fight for you, for our love, for our future, the magic was undone. The curse is no more.”
Aiden looked at her, the shock quite evident on his face. He had dreaded the wolf that had lived deep within him, but that wolf was all that he had ever known. He should be happy, joyous even, to be free from it, but there was a regret within that made it difficult to understand.
“There is more, Aiden.” Lysandra sensed the confusing feelings that circulated inside him. “Your people will always be blessed with special abilities. When you have come to understand and respect the gift you have been given, you will once again shift into the beautiful creatures of the forest, but this will be on your terms. No moon, no star, no sun will ever make you who you are. Only you can do that.”
“How do you know this?”
Lysandra reflected fondly on the old man who had crossed her path more than once. She knew that Bradford Marcus would always be somewhere in the back of her mind. “Let’s just say I had a run in with destiny.”
They returned home to a joyous roar. The people were pleased to see that their lord and lady had returned to Blackwolf Keep. When they were told that Aesov’s curse had been broken they were in awe of their mistress. They now suddenly understood the miracle that happened when the full moon had crossed the night sky, leaving their people unchanged for the first time in many lifetimes. While confusion still lingered in the air Lysandra was sure that her path was to lead the people to a new future with her loving husband at her side and the litter of children they would one day bear.
Epilogue
Lysandra sat in the garden and listened to the silent, peaceful wind blowing across her face. Life was good. Life was better than good. Life was everything she had ever dreamed it could be. The outsiders that had made their home within Blackwolf were no longer considered as such. They were now treated as equals, as family, as if they had always been a part of Blackwolf’s history. Their gifts were upheld and their abilities to adapt to everyday life encouraged the others who were just learning what it meant to be able to shift into their wolf forms at any time without fear or the pain of so many moons before.
Lady Anna had been given a choice. She could either stay within the keep and be shunned for the rest of her life or find her fortune somewhere else. Lysandra had thought to recommend that she be made to live her life out as a slave within Ghelli House, but she really did not have the heart to enslave another human being. Lady Anna chose to follow a mysterious merchant out of the keep and, while it did not please Lysandra to see fate being laid out so easily for Lady Anna, part of her saw the mischievous twinkle in Bradford’s eyes as he led her away.
Yes, all was well. She put the final stitch into her tapestry and held it out in front of her. She had finally chosen a blazing gold thread to create the mate to the silver wolf on the tapestry. Destiny marked the tapestry as Lysandra and Aiden lit up the dark canvas, two people destined to be together until the end of time. She smiled softly and chuckled when she saw her children playing in the grass by her feet. Keegan was pulling on Keiran’s foot as he attempted to crawl away. They both ended up tumbling over, then started to giggle.
“What am I ever going to do with you two?” She scooped them up and planted kisses all around their faces.
“I hope you saved some for this one.” Aiden walked into the garden, carrying another baby on his hip.
Lysandra set the boys down gently in the grass. “Come here, my love.”
Aiden handed their daughter to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Like three peas in a pod. They’ll never be lonely.”
“You can say that again.” Lysandra looked into Aiden’s eyes and an impish glow filled her own.
“You can’t be.”
“I am.”
“If we have another set of triplets I am going to have to add on to the children’s wing.”
Lysandra laughed and swatted at his arm. “I love you, Aiden.”
“I love you more.” He leaned over and put his hand on her stomach, then raised it to her chin. “I think we need to have another daughter to even out our pack.”
About the Author
Ever since childhood, Elissa Daye has enjoyed reading stories as an escape from life. When she was a teenager she started to write her own stories that kept her entertained when she ran out of books to read. When she was accepted into Illinois Summer School for the Arts in her Junior year of High School, she knew she wanted to become a writer. Elissa graduated from Illinois State University in December 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and began her teaching career, hoping to find moments to write in her free time.
After seven years of teaching, Elissa decided to focus on her writing and made the decision to put her teaching years behind her so that she could create the stories she had always dreamed of. She is now happily married and a stay at home mom, who writes in every spare moment she can find, doing her best to master the art of multitasking to get everything accomplished.