Branded

by Neva Bell

  “When Rawley lowered the gun, I put a protection spell on James. When he pulled the trigger, the bullet ricocheted off the protective bubble I made and hit him instead.”

  Frank is impressed. “Nicely played.”

  James runs over and sweeps me off my feet. Literally. He spins me around before setting me down.

  He kisses my lips. “My hero.”

  “Um, guys,” Frank says from beside us, “I don’t mean to break up the reunion, but we have trouble.”

  James and I turn to see wolves rushing out of the barn. Some of them are in their Were forms, mouths snarling and ready for a fight. The wolves in their human forms are carrying guns.

  “Stay close to me!” I yell to Frank and James.

  I throw a protective shield around us as the gunshots start firing. Members of the Guard come running up and fire back at the wolves.

  “Take cover!” I shout at them.

  I gather all of my energy and shoot fire at the barn. A huge fireball hits the door and explodes. The force of the explosion sends werewolves flying everywhere. Many of them are injured and those in their Were forms transition back into their human bodies. Guard members immediately grab them and drag them out of the way.

  The entire barn is consumed by flames within seconds. The wolves who were hiding inside run out of the exits on either end. They are captured by the Guard without much of a fight. They realize they are outnumbered. While it’s hard to tell in the chaos, I’m guessing Julian assembled fifty to sixty rogue wolves.

  When the coast is clear, I drop my bubble.

  I turn around to check on Frank and James when Frank yells, “Chloe! Look out!”

  I glance over my shoulder and see a wolf in human form aiming a gun at my back. Before I can do anything to protect myself, Frank jumps in front of me and takes me to the ground. I hit the grass hard as multiple gunshots go off. A loud boom goes off near me, Frank’s gun taking out my would-be assassin.

  Frank lands on top of me with a heavy thud. James runs over and rolls Frank off of my body so I can breathe. I lay on my back taking deep breaths, still dazed. When my eyes focus, I see James huddled next to Frank. Frank is laying on the ground, motionless. His arms splayed out next to him.

  “Frank!” I crawl over to Frank’s body. His eyes are closed and he doesn’t respond when I touch his face. “Oh my God! No, no, no!”

  I lay my head and hands on his chest. My healing skills are not the best, but I put all I have into it. “Please Frank! Please!”

  After a few seconds, Frank opens his eyes. “Chloe?”

  I cry out, “Frank!” and give him a big hug.

  “Chloe?” he asks again, his voice gritty.

  “What is it Frank? What do you need?”

  “I…I can’t breathe.”

  I’m hysterical. “Did the bullet hit a lung?” I look up at the other Guard members. “Is there another healer here?”

  “Chloe, you’re squeezing me too hard,” Frank murmurs.

  “What?”

  Frank smiles. “You’re crushing me.”

  “Oh.” Apparently my frantic energy made my bear hug feel like an actual bear hug. I let go of Frank and help him sit up.

  “Where are you hit?” James asks.

  “The vest.” Frank pulls off his shirt to reveal a black bulletproof vest. A lone bullet is stuck in the mesh over his heart.

  I slap Frank on the arm. “You bastard! I thought you were dead!”

  He laughs. “Is that the thanks I get for literally taking a bullet for you?”

  I grin. “You’re the best Frank.”

  James and I help Frank stand up and he surveys the damage. “I’ll help the guys round up the rest of the werewolves. We need to call in more vehicles to get them out of here.” He kicks a pile of ash that may or may not have been a werewolf five minutes ago. “And a cleaning crew. You guys head on home. We’ve got it from here.”

  James takes my hand as we start to walk away. I think of something and stop. “Hey Frank?”

  “Yep?”

  “How did you get here?”

  He smiles. “I waited ten minutes after you left, then I got in a car and drove up. I met the guys at their surveillance location. No way I was sitting this one out.”

  I run back to Frank and bury my head in his chest. “I love you Frank.”

  “I love you too girl,” he says when he hugs me back. “Now go home and get some rest. You did good today.”

  James and Whitney are waiting for me by the car. I grab Whitney and squeeze her.

  “You were amazing Whitney. I’m so proud of you.”

  She gives me a half smile. “I killed my dad.”

  “You did?” James asks, eyes wide. He turns to me. “She did?”

  “She did,” I confirm. “Whitney, I’m sorry you had to kill him. I never intended to put that on you.”

  “He was an awful person. It had to be done, and I was in a position to do it. I would do it again.” Whitney has dirt all over her face and leaves in her hair. She’s never looked so strong.

  Whitney opens her car door and sits down. “I’m ready to go now.”

  “Me too,” James says.

  “Want me to drive?” I ask.

  “Nah. I can.”

  I grab his hand. “I was scared to death when I saw the gun against your head.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “Of course not. You’re cool, calm James.”

  He shakes his head. “No. I wasn’t worried because you were there.”

  I touch his face with my hand and look up into his eyes. “We did it. We’re still alive.”

  “I told you, we’re not losing any more good ones. Only the bad ones.”

  James pulls me into him and we stand together in a tight embrace. Eventually we pull apart and get into the car. Whitney is laying down in the backseat. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is slow. If she’s not asleep, she’s close.

  As we pull away from the property, I watch the smoke from the barn rise into the sky. The Guard is gathering the remaining wolves and loading them into vehicles. I’m sure the fire department will be here soon to put out the fire. Who knows what the Guard will tell them to explain the situation, but I’m sure they’re on top of it.

  On our way home, I tell James what happened in the woods. He tells me about the chaos in the barn when the wolf from the woods ran in to say the Verhena was still alive.

  After we’re done sharing our stories, I call my parents on James’s cellphone.

  “Hello?” my mom answers.

  “Mom, it’s me.”

  “Chloe! I haven’t heard from you in days, I was worried.”

  “Sorry Mom. I was working on a project.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  My voice cracks. “I kept my promise Mom.”

  She doesn’t have to ask me which promise. She starts crying and my dad gets on the phone.

  “Chloe? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. More than okay.” I repeat what I told my mom.

  He asks for the details, but I’m tired. “Dad, I’m coming to see you in a couple days. I promise to tell you all about it then.”

  We end the call after each of us says, “I love you.”

  I put James’s phone back in the center console. “You up for meeting my parents?”

  He smiles and takes my hand. “I’ve survived worse.”

  I squeeze his hand and hold onto it.

  I lean my head back against the headrest and look out my window. The sun breaks through the clouds.

  I hope somewhere Chelsea is watching.

  Acknowledgements

  Branded was the first full-length novel I finished. I was insanely proud of myself when I was done. I shared it with some friends and they loved it. I loved it too. There was still more to this story though, so I immediately sat down and wrote Torn, the sequel to this book. Yes, there is a sequel ;)

  Once both books were done, I set them aside for almost two years. I worked on other proj
ects and improved my writing skills. When I felt ready, I came back to Branded. And you know what – I still loved it. It needed rewrites, lots and lots of rewrites, but I loved the characters and the story.

  A very special thank you to my friend Jill, to whom this book is dedicated. I asked her what she would like to see in a paranormal book. She is an avid reader and loves the genre. She told me she wanted a story that brought witches and werewolves together. Here you go bestie!

  I also want to thank Melanie. She read this book, and my others, as they were being written. I’d send her a few chapters at a time and she encouraged me to keep going. Mel, for real, I would not have completed these projects without your encouragement.

  To my readers, I appreciate you spending time with me. Feel free to reach out to me at nevabellbooks@gmail.com or on Facebook and Instagram - @neva_bell_books. If you enjoyed Branded, please check out my other full-length novels and poetry collections.