by M H Soars
It takes me several minutes to go down. I'm maybe a yard from the bottom when I put my foot on a loose rock. It shifts under me, and there goes my precarious balance. I slide down the rest of the way. My fall lasts less than a few seconds, but when I finally stop, the side of my leg is screaming. Grunting, I push myself to a sitting position. No wonder I'm in so much pain. I scratched the side of my thigh raw. The flimsy fabric of my leggings didn't stand a chance; parts of the skin have completely peeled off, and it's now oozing blood.
I'm debating whether I should unwrap the scarf from my neck and tie it around my leg when the growling from a wild animal sounds from not too far behind me. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach. Slowly, I look over my shoulder and see a creature straight out of a nightmare. I don't know what it is, a cross between a hyena and an alligator perhaps. But one thing is clear: it wants to make a meal out of me.
I jump to my feet quickly without losing my balance again—a feat that shocks me considering I'm a whale—and take off at a run toward the buildings that surround the market. The monster makes a guttural noise and gives chase. I don't need to look to know; I can hear its weirdly shaped paws hitting the hard ground.
The burst of energy that I felt earlier hits me again. The power is too foreign and wild; it has to be the wolf inside of me. I wish I could shift, but I don't know how or even if I can in my condition. But no matter how fast I can now run on two legs, I'm not fast enough to outrun whatever is chasing me.
Its hideous noises are getting closer.
I'm almost at the first building when the creature snaps its alligator jaws and bites the end of my coat. The fabric tears but not completely, and I'm yanked back. I end up stepping in a hole and hear a snap followed by white-hot pain in my left ankle. The fall is inevitable. Somehow, I manage to contort my torso so I don't collapse belly first. Instead, my right arm and shoulder take the brunt of the impact.
I try to turn into a ball to protect my babies from the attack that’s sure to come, but instead of sharp jaws piercing my skin, I hear a pitchy whine followed by the feel of warm blood splattering over me. Through the pounding in my ears, I can also distinguish the sound of boots crunching loose gravel.
I'm not alone anymore.
Rolling over, I uncover my face to see what’s going on. There’s a petite hooded figure hunched over the carcass of the beast that was about to devour me. Muttering curses under her breath, she yanks a spear from the back of the monster and then turns to me. Her face is partially hidden in shadows; I can only see her chin and hard-set mouth.
With bloody spear in hand, she moves in my direction. Fuck. Just because she killed the monster doesn’t mean she’s friendly. I’m caught between scooching back and trying to get up. Shit, this is the most ungraceful attempt at escaping.
“Don’t come any closer,” I warn.
The stranger stops, pulling her hood back. An Asian woman with a long dark braid draped over her shoulder stares at me. She looks human, but my senses tell me she isn’t.
“Red? What the hell are you doing here?”
“You know who I am?”
Squinting, she places her hands on her hips. “Did you hit your head or something?”
“No. I was cursed by the three vengeful bitches.”
The woman offers me her hand, and since I don’t feel any threat coming from her, I take it. She grunts as she pulls me up. “Jeez, how heavy are you? Aren’t you close to your due date?”
I pull my hand free from her grasp and hug myself. “You seem to know a lot about me. Who are you?”
“You really don’t know?” She cocks her head to the side.
“No.”
“I’m Nina Ogata, fox spy extraordinaire.” She curls her lips in a lopsided grin.
“You’re a fox?” I squeak.
She chuckles. “Shit. If you don’t who I am, and you wound up here in the Wastelands, then it means you’re in a heap of trouble. Your mates must be going crazy.”
A sharp pain pierces my chest. “Not likely. We’ve all been cursed. They don’t remember me, and I don’t remember them.”
“Shit. Who did this to you? Artemis?”
I shake my head. “No. The Furies.”
Nina’s eyes go rounder. “Son of a bitch. You’re really fucked.”
Chapter 11
Dante
I must have spaced out for a moment, because the two potential customers standing in front of me have expectant expressions on their faces. They probably asked me something.
“I’m sorry. Could you please repeat that?” I ask.
“We wanted to know if you miss living in West Virginia,” the bald man with thick black-rimmed glasses replies.
His question gives me pause. I’ve been living in New York City for the past six months, and it’s the first time the thought of my hometown gives me nostalgia. When my father passed away, Tristan assumed the role of the pack’s alpha. In theory, we all should be sharing the responsibility to lead the pack, but the reality is Tristan was the one born to rule. Sam has the band, and I have my art. Since the first time I picked up a paintbrush, I knew that’s what I’d be doing for the rest of my life.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” I say, surprising myself.
I feel a prickly sensation on the back of my neck. It stirs my wolf awake. Something isn’t right here. I glance around the art gallery. It’s a successful opening, and the place is full. I should be rejoicing that all these people came to see my paintings, but the sense of foreboding won’t leave me alone.
“Do you plan to return soon?” the guy’s wife asks.
“As a matter of fact—”
“No, Dante is not going anywhere in the near future,” a female voice answers from behind me.
I turn to find Tisy, the gallery owner and the woman responsible for my relocation to the Big Apple. She came into my gallery in Crimson Hollow six months ago and fell in love with my work. She invited me to come to the city to broaden my horizons, and surprisingly, I accepted her proposal right away. Never mind that life for a wolf shifter in a big city is way more complicated. I didn’t give much thought of how peculiar my decision was until tonight.
Tisy laces her arm with mine and pats my chest. She’s always been affectionate like that, and she’s never hidden the fact that she’s attracted to me. But I’ve always kept her at arm’s length, too busy with painting to even entertain the idea of sleeping with anyone. But I know tonight Tisy expects more, and an hour ago, I was more than ready to entertain her. But now, there’s this nagging feeling that something is off, and I’m less than enthusiastic to spend the night with her.
My vision goes out of focus for a split second, and then I get a flash migraine. Shit. I’m about to have a vision. I haven’t had one in over a year, so I’m definitely due. But I can’t let it happen in front of all these people, especially in front of Tisy.
“It was nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Summers. If you excuse me, I have to make the rounds.”
I try to unhook my arm from Tisy’s, but she keeps her hold. “I’ll come with you.”
“I actually need to go to the restroom first.” I finally break free.
I cut across the room in large strides to make sure Tisy doesn’t follow me. I wouldn’t put it past the woman; I can smell her arousal from miles away. As I walk toward the back of the gallery, the eerie sensation increases. When I reach the empty hallway that leads to the restrooms, I have the feeling someone is spying on me. I whirl around, certain I’d find a person there, but there’s no one.
Another painful throb in my forehead renders me blind for a second. Pressing the heel of my hand against it, I take deep breaths to ride out the pain. My eyesight returns, but the world around me vanishes into the background. The image of a blonde woman wearing a red gown appears before me. A yearning like I’ve never known hits me hard, robbing me of breath.
This is a vision, but I don’t feel the itching to paint. No, the overwhelming compulsion is to get the hell out
of here and find her.
Her image vanishes abruptly and standing before me is a tall blond man instead. Not a vision this time. He’s beaten up and bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow. In an instant, I know he’s not human. It’s not because of what he’s wearing—golden knight armor—but the aura surrounding him.
“Who are you?” I ask.
He crosses the distance between us. “Dante, we don’t have much time. You have to come with me.” He reaches for my arm, but the wolf’s instinct takes over. I leap out of his reach, ready to let my wild side free.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’ll only give you one warning. Get the fuck out before I turn you into shreds.”
He looks over his shoulder and his entire body becomes tenser. “Damn it. She’s coming.” He turns to me again, eyes frantic. “You’re in grave danger. If you don’t come with me, Tisy will make sure you’ll never see your family again.”
“What are you talking about?”
“No time to explain.” He throws his arm forward, and a golden lasso whips out, wrapping around me.
My muscles spasm as I’m blasted with a shock wave so powerful I end up biting my tongue. The metallic taste of cooper fills my mouth. Son of a bitch.
The last thing I see is Tisy running toward us with a murderous expression on her face. Then a vortex of light surrounds me, spinning so rapidly that I have to close my eyes or risk throwing up.
The electric shocks cease, but it’s another minute before the whirling does as well.
I hit the ground with a loud thud, but the fall isn’t that jarring. I landed on a grassy field if the intense smell of earth and green is any indication. When I blink my eyes open, the bright blue sky of a summer day greets me.
What the hell?
My muscles are still sore from the electrocution, but I’m able to jump to my feet. With claws exposed and fangs bared, I turn around, looking for the motherfucker who brought me here. I’m in a beautifully manicured garden, and the sense of déjà vu hits me like a cannonball.
I’ve been here before.
There’s no sign of the guy, but a familiar scent leads me forward. Birds chirp away, and on my path, I spot deer eating grass lazily and bunnies hopping in a playful manner. The animals don’t even glance in my direction. Can’t they sense the wolf in me?
When I turn the bend, I get the visual of a white pergola wrapped in vines and flowers. Under it is a white chaise lounge with colorful pillows. Flashes of long-forgotten memories appear before my eyes. I remember sitting by that piece of furniture as a wolf. Sam was also there.
“Dante?” a velvety female voice asks from behind me.
I whirl on the spot, and at once, I know who she is. “Artemis.”
“What are you doing here?” She approaches me with caution, then peers over my shoulder.
“I don’t know.”
“Who brought you here?” She narrows her eyes to slits while a powerful energy surrounds her.
The answer comes to me like I had always known it. “Pegasus.”
“That meddling, arrogant idiot!” Artemis throws her head back and yells, “Pegasus!”
One, two beats pass before the golden knight shimmers into view. He’s kneeling and breathing hard. He’s also bleeding more. Someone gave him an ass whooping.
“Shit,” I cross the distance between us and then bend over to help him up. “What the hell happened to you?”
He lifts his chin, meeting my gaze. “You recovered your memories. I was hoping that bringing you here would do the trick.”
“Recover my memories? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His face twists into a grimace as I lift him up. “You don’t remember your mate, Red?”
“My mate?”
“You’re a moron, Pegasus,” Artemis chimes in. “Dante only remembers this place because he was born here, and despite his betrayal, he’s still bound to me in a way.”
I rub the back of my neck, feeling truly at a loss. “What’s going on?”
“The Furies broke free from their prison in the Underworld, and they took their revenge on you,” Pegasus replies.
Brow furrowing, I turn to Artemis, the goddess to whom I was bound many millennia ago. Somehow, we parted ways, but I can’t remember how. Still, the sting of betrayal hurts. “And you didn’t do anything?”
She juts out her chin. “Why should I? You left me for the mortal girl.”
The image of a beautiful blonde woman flashes in my mind again, followed by excruciating pain. I massage my temple and say, “I can’t remember her. Why can’t I remember her?”
“The Furies took that away from you, though I’m not sure what they hope to accomplish from it. It seems every time you get close to recovering your real memories, they interfere and give you new made-up ones.”
“Are you saying I didn’t actually move to New York?”
Artemis snorts. “You’re a wolf, Dante. Wolves don’t do well in big cities. I can’t believe you didn’t see right through their bullshit illusion.”
“Where is my mate now?”
Pegasus’s expression falls. “The Furies sent her to another dimension. I haven’t been to locate her yet.”
A terrible ache flares in my chest, almost as if someone pierced me with a dagger.
“It’s because you’re nothing but a pesky pet.” Artemis scoffs.
Shit. If Pegasus, Zeus’s chosen champion, is a ‘pesky pet,’ then what am I?
“Do you know were my mate is?” I ask.
Artemis stares at me with a calculating gleam in her eyes. “I do.”
I take a step forward. “Where is she?”
Her brow furrows, and a flash of anger reflects in her gaze. “You don’t even remember her, yet you suffer by not knowing her fate.”
“Her memory might have been scrubbed from my brain, but it hasn’t been removed from my heart.”
“Nothing can keep you apart, can’t it?” Artemis laughs derisively.
“No.”
A lonely tear rolls down her cheek. She wipes it off hastily and looks over my shoulder. “Why did you bring him here, Pegasus? To taunt me with what I’ve lost?”
“No. To remind you that you still care for your wolves. You can stop the Furies, Artemis.”
She shakes her head. “No. I can’t. Why do think I had Hades imprison them in the first place?”
“So, that’s it? You’re just going to let those three bitches have their revenge?” Pegasus raises his voice.
“What would you have me do? Return to the human realm and challenge them to a fight?”
I don’t know where the certainty comes from, but I know a fight between Artemis and the Furies in Crimson Hollow will level the town to the ground.
“You can start by telling me where my mate is,” I grit out.
Artemis stares at me with a solemn and hard expression. “She’s in the Wastelands.”
There’s another clench in my chest. Wherever that is, it’s not a good place. “How come that name sounds familiar?”
“You’ve been there before,” Pegasus replies. “We have to hurry. Red isn’t safe.”
“Can you take me?”
He opens his mouth to reply, but nothing comes from him but a hiss. He leans forward, clutching his chest.
“What is it?” I ask.
“It’s my father. He’s learned of Pegasus’s shenanigans and is calling him back home.” Artemis scoffs.
In the next moment, Zeus’s champion disappears, leaving me alone with the goddess I betrayed. It doesn’t matter that I don’t recall how. I remember everything about Artemis, and she’s not the forgiving type.
“I need to save my mate,” I tell her.
“I know.” A glass of red wine appears in her hand out of thin air. She takes a sip from it without taking her eyes off me.
“Are you going to make me beg?”
“Tempting, but no. As much as it pains me to admit defeat, I lost your heart to the human girl for good
. Seeing you humiliate yourself at my feet so you can run to her rescue will only rub the wound raw.”
“Then what?”
“I can send you to the Wastelands, but once you’re there, you’ll have to find a way out yourself. It won’t be easy.”
“I’ll manage. Just get me there. Please.”
“Very well.” She raises her hand.
“Wait. Can you undo the memory spell the Furies cast on me?”
Artemis stares at me without blinking for several beats. I sense a soft tingling over my temple, and once the feeling vanishes, she speaks. “I’m sorry, Dante. The Furies did a number on your mind that not even I can undo.”
My stomach bottoms out. If Artemis, one of the most powerful goddesses in all of Mount Olympus, can’t undo the damages the Furies inflicted, what hope is there that I’ll ever remember my mate?
“Don’t look so distressed. They made certain I couldn’t undo their spell, but they’ve underestimated the power of the bond of a mated wolf.” Her lips curl into a sardonic grin. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She snaps her fingers, and once again I find myself inside a damn vortex of light. The trip lasts only a few seconds, but it seems like I shattered into a million pieces and was put back together in that short amount of time. When I finally arrive at my final destination, I land on my knees, sending white-hot pain up my legs. I grunt, taking deep breaths to ride through it.
The snarling sound of a wild animal prickles my ears, making me tense in an instant. I lift my gaze and discover I’m in the middle of a barren landscape, and not too far from me is a savage creature tearing apart its latest kill.
The beast raises its ugly face in my direction and growls.
Chapter 12
Tristan
It’s the middle of the night, and despite the town square being completely deserted at this hour, I don’t dare to shift. I’d probably blend in with the snow as a wolf, but I can’t risk being spotted by a non-supe. I settle for jogging, hoping the exercise will make me shake off this strange feeling that something is wrong.