Boy, do I know how to pick them.
Tears of frustration, of pain, of something unidentifiable, burned behind her eyes. She wouldn't cry ... she couldn't. By now she thought she'd be cried out, but one stray tear fell down her cheek. A crash echoed from upstairs, shocking her out of her moment of self pity.
What the hell?
She stared at the stairs, wondering if she should go up there or run for the hills.
Hunter ached at the rejection ripping his heart to shreds. He'd known it was a possibility, but he'd hoped this lifetime would be different. That she was different. The only way he could protect her now was to keep an eye on Kyle and make sure he stayed away from her. Moving to the edge of the woods, he stripped off his clothes and shifted into falcon form.
For once, he welcomed the wind rushing over him as he flew to town in search of Kyle. He soared over the university, but didn't see the man's car in the parking lot. Peeking into Kyle's office, he was assured he wasn't there. Where did he live?
Searching all of the apartment buildings and houses near the university, he finally found the car he was looking for. Flying over to the landlord's office, he scanned the mailboxes until he figured out which one belonged to Kyle. Taking off, he glided up to the railing in front of his home and waited. Waited for what, he wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't allow Kyle to get near Christina again.
* * * *
Christina mustered up her courage and grabbed a baseball bat she kept beside the computer desk. Inching her way up one step at a time, she reached the landing. A shadow darted across her bedroom.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
"I'm armed, and I know how to use it. The police are on their way.” A lie if she ever heard one. She wished now she'd run for it and called the police from her car. Why did she have to be the big brave Christina? She knew the answer. She'd let Falcon Hunter take care of her for too long. She needed to do it for herself again ... stand up for herself. Only now she wished she hadn't.
She backed away, but came up against something hard.
"I guess if the police are on their way, I need to get out of here now."
One arm wrapped around her waist to hold her still as a man's hand placed a cloth over her nose and mouth. Before she knew what was happening, darkness descended on her. She fell, but never knew if she hit bottom.
* * * *
Something was wrong. The knowledge of it chilled him to the bone. Sensing no movement inside, he decided to head back to check on Christina. Something felt off. Dread coiled itself around his heart and stomach and squeezed. He only hoped his fear was unfounded, and he was simply overreacting.
The closer he got to her house, the worse the alarm built. At first, nothing seemed amiss when the house came into view. He knew at this hour she'd be getting ready for bed, so he flew to that side of the house and alighted on her windowsill. His claws crunched on the few shards of glass scattered on the sill. His heart sank. The window was completely shattered. Creeping carefully through the window, he changed forms once inside. There was no other sign of a struggle in her room. After checking the bathroom and closet, he went to the landing at the top of the stairs.
A white piece of cloth lay on the floor. That was odd. “Christina!” he called down the stairs into the darkened rooms below. All he heard was his own echo.
Damn it! He should've never left her. Kyle must've gotten to her. There was no other explanation. It had to be him. He raced downstairs and out the back door to where he'd hidden his clothes at the edge of the trees. Quickly getting dressed, he rounded the house and dug deep for all the tracking techniques he'd learned growing up. It took awhile, but he finally picked up her trail and followed it all the way down the street to where she'd been put into a car. Kyle must've gotten another vehicle, because he knew he'd seen his regular car at the apartment building. Could it be someone else? He shook off that thought. No one else had been threatening Christina. Not as far as he knew, anyway.
A dark splotch marred the pavement where the car she'd been put into had sat. Bending down, he dipped his fingers into the gooiness. Oil. It was fresh. Kyle had made his first mistake when he'd taken Christina. But it was the trail of oil that would lead to his undoing. If he so much as harmed a hair on her head, Hunter would see to it that he paid for every pain he caused her, even if it meant killing him.
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Chapter Thirteen
Christina awoke to the musty odor of emptiness. Blinking her eyes several times to clear her vision, she glanced at her surroundings. Broken open crates lined one wall. A thick coat of dust covered the floor, and Lord knew what germs lay beneath it. She must be in one of the abandoned warehouses in the business district. Trying to rise up, she struggled and realized it was no use. Her hands were tied behind her back.
"Oh shit. What the hell am I going to do now?” As she looked around for something to help untie her wrists, she heard the pad of footsteps behind her.
"Oh shit, indeed.” Kyle rounded the corner and squatted in front of her. “No need to try and escape, Christina. Or should I say Running Doe?"
Not him too!
The disbelief must've been evident on her face, because he said, “Believe it. Every word that damned old man said was true. You see, I'm the descendant of Black Wolf. He was the ancestor I told you about that first night we had dinner together."
Could the legend really be true? If so many believed it, how could it not be? But the mere thought of that was completely insane. She shook her head in denial, even as doubt settled in.
"Let me go, Kyle. Please."
"I will, eventually.” He moved closer to her and grabbed her hair in his fist. “But first I'm going to finish what my ancestor started."
The story of the rape and the future heir came rushing to the forefront of her memory. Flashes of her nightmare, of being shoved around, clutched her heart. Oh, God!
Pain seared her scalp as he yanked her head backward. His mouth crushed down on hers. The acrid taste of evil filled her mouth. She had to swallow back a gag.
Kyle pulled back and squeezed her face between his thumb and fingers. “You may not come to me willingly, but you will belong to me tonight. The future leader will be mine."
"No!” She kicked as best she could and tried to scoot away from him as far as she could get. If her nightmares of what had happened to Running Doe already haunted her, she could only imagine the terror that would fill her days and nights if it happened for real.
He yanked on her hair, and she screamed as a few of the strands ripped from her scalp. The agony of it reached all the way to her toes.
"Don't try it, sweetheart.” He lunged on top of her, ripping her shirt as he pulled at her clothes. Clumsily, he grabbed her breast, pinching hard. She sobbed as one of his hands reached between them, tearing at her shorts. Her button popped off. Kyle rose up enough to grab her waistband with both hands. He started ripping her zipper down, the sound echoing in the empty building.
One minute Kyle was tearing away at her clothes, bruising her skin ... the next he was being pulled off her. A loud growl filled the warehouse as Kyle was thrown across the room.
Falcon Hunter!
He raced to her side. “Are you okay?” He untied her hands and rubbed her wrists.
"Watch out!"
He turned around as Kyle was about to bring a broken board down on his head. He caught the end of the two-by-four in his hand and yanked it from their assailant. Rather than hitting the man with it, he slung it across the room where it clattered against the wall. Falcon Hunter slammed his fist into Kyle's jaw, sending him staggering. He picked up a metal pipe that was twisted on the end, forming a sharp point, as Kyle drew a gun from his waistband.
"She's mine, dammit!” Kyle roared. “You can't have her."
As the gun went off, the shot echoing against the walls, Falcon Hunter slung the pipe in Kyle's direction. In the deafening silence that followed the blast, both men fell to the g
round.
"No!” She rushed to Falcon Hunter's side, fear clutching her guts as tears streamed down her face. She had to tell him she loved him. That she believed in the legend ... in him ... in their love. Before she could reach out to him, he changed. She stared in disbelief as her falcon lay bleeding in front of her. She now accepted the truth of the legend, but it was still a shock to see it happening in front of her.
She slowly lifted the bird from the clothes Falcon Hunter had been wearing, and cuddled him to her chest. Sobs racked her body. “I can't lose you. Not again. We've been through seven lifetimes together.” She sniffled as a tear fell from her eye to land on his wound. “I love you."
Magic flowed around her, vibrating the very air, and he was pulled from her arms. Slowly, he changed back into human form. The wound on his shoulder gradually closed as though it had never been. Christina reached out and touched his shoulder where the wound had been. He gasped, drawing a deep breath into his lungs. His eyelids fluttered open, and his gaze zeroed in on her.
She choked on her tears as relief flooded her. “You're okay.” Flinging herself across his chest, her body shook with each sob wrenched from deep inside her heart.
His hands smoothed across her hair. “I love you, too, Christina."
She rose up and looked at him; his love shone bright in his eyes. A silent question lurked beneath their amber depths. In response, she rained kisses across his face. He laughed then turned his head to look at Kyle. Their attacker remained where he'd fallen, unmoving, not even breathing.
Falcon Hunter got up, pulling Christina with him. He put his clothes back on. The last thing he wanted was to be arrested for walking around naked.
"Do you think he's dead?” she whispered.
She followed behind him as he eased toward Kyle. The pallor of his skin left no doubt as to whether he'd survived or not. If that wasn't evidence enough, the pool of blood surrounding him was. He was definitely dead.
It was finally over. But how did one explain away a dead body? From the corner of her eye, a sparkling mass began to take form.
Snow Wolf glided toward them, becoming clearer as he drew closer. “I see you finally got it right.” A sense of peace and serenity emanated from him.
The corners of Falcon Hunter's mouth curved upward as he nodded toward the elder. “What happened to you?"
A moment of sadness flashed through his eyes, but as soon as it appeared it was gone. “The same thing that almost happened to you. Kyle killed me. I'm here to take care of him. It's my last penance for what I began so many lifetimes ago."
He waved his hand over Kyle's body. A burst of light filled the room, blinding her and Falcon Hunter. When it dimmed to where she could see again, both Snow Wolf and Kyle were gone. All evidence of the struggle disappeared.
She thanked God for small miracles and reached for Falcon Hunter's hand. “Let's go home."
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Epilogue
Three Weeks Later
Christina smiled at her grandmother as Spring Rain and White Dove helped her dress in the gorgeous white doe wedding dress they'd made her specifically for this day. Her wedding day. Looking at herself in the mirror, she'd never seen herself more beautiful in her life. Her long hair hung down in waves. A touch of makeup graced her face, only enough to enhance what she had. The dress had been made for her and fit her perfectly.
"Is my beautiful bride about ready?” Falcon Hunter poked his head into the house.
She smiled. Thankfully there were no superstitions about the man seeing the woman before the ceremony in Cherokee traditions. “Yes, I am.” The women surrounding her stepped out and gave them a moment alone.
"I can't believe it's finally happening.” He smoothed a lock of hair out of her face. “I never thought this day would come."
Christina took in her handsome fiancé. He stood before her in his Indian finest. Her grandmother had stepped into the role of his mother and made him the buckskin outfit he wore today.
"I'm glad we decided to do this now."
A puzzled look came over his face. “I am too, but why are you?"
She smiled and almost made him wait until later to find out. But excitement got the best of her. “Because if we'd waited a few months, I wouldn't be able to fit in this beautiful dress.” She put his hand on her belly.
His eyes widened. “You mean..."
She nodded. A slight flutter came alive in her tummy. If she didn't know better, she'd think their child was making his or herself known. Given everything that had happened in the past to them, she'd almost believe anything was possible. She didn't know what the future held for them or their child, but she knew as long as they had each other, they could survive anything.
He tenderly kissed her lips. Arm in arm they headed outside to the awaiting guests and into their life together as man and wife.
The End
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Author's Bio
Shonna Brannon has been writing since she was a teenager, but really took it seriously in 2004 when a personal tragedy showed her just how short life truly is. She finished her first book just shy of a year later.
She is the mother of four beautiful children, the newest of which was born in May of 2007. In her spare time, she enjoys reading contemporary and paranormal romances with the occasional mystery or horror thrown in. She lives in the country in Northeast Alabama with her own hero, Randall, and their children.
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