by Olivia Harp
He turned ahead but something jumped on his back, then something else. He rolled on the ground and saw himself surrounded by big shadow spiders the size of dogs, all coming out of the dark woods.
Their bug eyes will decorate the forest soon enough, he thought as he ran towards them.
The chittering creatures jumped on him one after the other, his own hide stung and poisoned in a dozen different places.
The more they stabbed the more strength they gave him. He clawed away, destroying them.
But more and more came out.
He’d killed at least thirty of them, but they kept coming out.
The cave was just a few yards away. His pup... his daughter there for him to save.
But this time the Shadowlands fought back with everything they had. They wouldn’t fail.
Then he heard her.
He heard his pup. She’d shifted into her bear.
She snarled and roared as hard as she could, the high pitched noise filling him with dread and warming his heart at the same time. She was alive.
He stood on his hind legs and pawed and clawed everywhere like a tornado of death.
More and more of the shadow creatures fell and then he realized.
Some of them had stopped fighting.
They just stood there motionless, as if waiting to be killed.
What the fuck is going on?
He was covered in wounds, in his own blood. In the blood of his enemies.
He roared again and finished the last remaining monsters.
His bear wouldn’t calm down.
He was in the middle of a field covered with the bodies of his enemies. Monsters out of this world.
He bolted down to the cave, his wounds didn’t matter anymore. Every step was a jolt of searing pain. But he didn’t surrender. He wouldn’t be defeated until he brought his pup back to safety.
***
Silence and darkness.
The cave’s cold damp could have been a refuge for animals once. Protection for the inclement weather.
But not anymore.
Not for a decade, where this was the heart of the fight.
The sun shone its gold morning light inside the cave. Raiden stepped forward, all of his senses were on the edge, he wasn’t going to be ambushed so easily again. Not now that he was so close to his daughter.
But strangely, the fury of his animal was gone.
Yes, he was tense, ready for fighting, but he something had changed.
The stench was gone.
What did it mean?
He roared as hard as he could. The only reply he got was his own echo.
Then he picked up her scent. Deeandra. Every hair on his body bristled. His eyes turned into burning coals, anger returning.
He ran forward.
He didn’t care anymore. He needed to see her.
He roared again. And up in the distance, under the faint glow of the morning light, there she was. She laid in a flat rock that he knew too well.
Many years ago, on the ceiling straight up from where that rock laid, the Shadowlands made its puncture, and let the Rot seep in.
The battle had ended there.
Raiden’s heart stopped for a moment.
Then he noticed everything around him.
Dozens upon dozens of dark, shadow creatures laid motionless, turning into dust, drifting into oblivion.
Dead.
The rock was surrounded by them.
He stepped over the damned things and reached his daughter.
She didn’t move. He used all of his strength to step forward. Not because of the pain, or his wounds.
He was afraid. For the first time in his life. Afraid she was dead.
Nothing would ever matter again. Not even for a shifter.
He got closer to the pup and two steps away from her she moved her head to him, her eyes closed.
What the fuck? He bolted forward and grazed her with his snout.
She was snoring.
The girl was snoring soundly, her body completely unharmed.
The shock of happiness left him motionless. He noticed her chest going up and down each time she took a breath. Then she opened her eyes, let out a soft growl and sat, her paw wiping her eyes.
She shifted back to human form, still rubbing her eyes.
Raiden shifted back to human form, unconsciously.
“I’m tired dad,” she said.
The last time Raiden had shed a tear or two was a decade ago, when they buried his wife. It was a tear of sadness.
Today, he tried to hold them back, but he couldn’t.
He shed another tear or two, but this time, they were tears of happiness.
***
The warm light of the sun hit him straight in the face. He had Deedee in his arms.
“Then I knew they were in the house and you know what I did?”
“What did you do, buddy?”
“I said fu—...”
Her eyes turned to him, then cleared her throat.
“I said eff them, I don’t like waking up so early so I came here.”
“Dee you know what kind of danger—?”
“Yes but I knew I’d be safe.”
“But how?”
“’Cause I’m like you, dad, duh.”
His chest hurt.
“Deedee you can never do that again, I don’t know how—”
“Because they use your spirit to get to you. They’re shadows dad, and I have two spirits and it was like shining a light against them, they’re dumb.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Dad, how can you...? Listen, if you’re evil, the darker your spirit is, and it’s easier for them to get to you. And I have two spirits so it’s hard.”
He’d heard the stories.
He’d heard of people miraculously unharmed from attacks just because they were pure.
“But how did you—?”
“I’ve felt you closing punctures, like, a million times, you think I wouldn’t learn?”
She closed a puncture on her own, without any training. She didn’t even need to fight the damn things.
“Then I got very sleepy, I’m sorry I didn’t come back.”
Of course. She severed the link of the Shadow creatures to their homeland. She made them weak. She made them die.
It takes a lot of energy, though. Even grown shifters have been known to faint after trying.
“Don’t be mad. They started it, dad. They wanted to hurt us.”
He held her tight.
“I’ll never be mad at you, buddy.”
He looked at her and she could barely hold her eyes open, she was drifting into sleep.
Out in the distance, several members of the Elk Tribes came running.
“It’s fate, dad,” Dee said, dozing off, “you can’t fight fate.”
He kept on walking. He was covered in bruises, in dried mud and blood.
But nothing was lost.
Chapter 27
Dee was asleep in her room. Deric and Elizabeth’s wounds were healing perfectly.
Four elders where in the room too, but no one was talking.
Raiden had told them what happened. As much as he understood it, anyway. But they all knew.
Their spirit connection was strong. And after this, all of the Northern Elk Tribes were in debt with Dee.
“She gave us this gift,” Deric said, “she showed us how to do it.”
Dee closed a puncture by herself.
At the same time, the way she felt, the way she acted, the small way of channeling nature around her was transmitted to each member of the tribes.
The bears could show them what to do, but couldn’t teach them exactly how to use their inner power.
But now they knew.
They were safe. They had their independence.
Without even knowing, Deeandra Waller had given them everything.
***
“Dad?”
Her voice woke him up.
The second thing he noticed —after relief washing over him— was his animal inside. It was pacing, it hadn’t slept as soundly as him. It was angry. It was growling and snarling. Its anger just barely contained.
He opened his eyes to see her cozied up under the blankets.
“Hey, buddy,” he said, going and sitting next to her in the bed, “how are you feeling?”
She yawned.
“I’m hungry.”
Raiden smiled. She was fine. Completely, absolutely fine.
He stayed with her all morning, the doctor and the elders told him he needed to be in his room so he would heal faster but he was a White Paw. There wouldn’t even be any scar by the end of the day.
Also, there was no way in hell he was leaving her alone right now.
“Want me to get you something?”
Her eyes widened, the disgust on her face surprising him.
“Dad you smell!” she said covering her nose with both her hands, “and you’re dirty, get out!”
Oh yes. That.
He was still covered in dried mud and remains of the oily black insides of the Shadow creatures. Granted, it turned to dust after Dee closed the puncture but the smell remained.
That and the mud and sweat combined to make him look like a homeless person.
His bear roared.
A homeless person.
“Holy shit,” he said, staring into nothing.
“Dad, language.”
He looked at Dee.
“Sorry, dear.”
He forgot.
The date with Cassie. He fuckin’ forgot.
How could he?
Well, his daughter got kidnapped —or so he thought— by evil creatures from beyond the veil of reality. That might have had something to do with it.
Shit. He didn’t even call her. Again.
He looked around, tried his pockets searching for his cell phone but it wasn’t there. I left it at home.
That was worse news, he didn’t remember her number.
Deric opened the door, he carried a tray with sandwiches, Elizabeth followed him with a glass of Coke.
“Here you go dear,” she said.
Raiden looked at them.
“How did you know?”
They gave him half a sandwich and Dee took another half.
“Know what?”
“Dee was hungry and—”
Oh. He got it. Elks. They knew because they could feel her. It was obvious.
“She told us.”
Okay, maybe not so obvious.
“What?”
“She woke up like twenty minutes ago, you were sleeping.”
“I thought she—”
“I woke you up because you were having a bad dream.”
His bear. It knew he’d forgotten and was acting up because of that.
“Dad, go,” Dee said.
He turned to her, “what?”
“You need to go, dad.”
“Go where, buddy?”
Dee rolled her eyes so hard she looked like the girl from the Exorcist for a second.
“To your mate, obviously.”
She has an Elk spirit. She knows him. She can feel his emotions.
“I won’t leave you here.”
“It’s okay dad, you saw what happened. We’re safe.”
She was right, they were safe but he wouldn’t just leave her. Wouldn’t be right.
“It’s fine, Ray,” said Elizabeth, “go with your mate.”
“I’ll be back soon, buddy,” he said leaning over trying to kiss her forehead.
“Eww dad! Take a shower!”
“I put some clothes in the guest room, if you want to change you’re free to—”
He was already out of the room.
***
Raiden headed directly to her studio. She wouldn’t be in her apartment; she told him she’d be working. He knocked on the door again.
No one answered. His bear was frantic. He knocked again and the door opened.
His smile faded when he saw it wasn’t her. Damn it.
“Hey... Paulie, right?”
The man rolled his eyes.
“What do you want, Raiden?”
Silence. The man was looking at him straight in the eye. There was no confrontation but there was a dash of contempt in them.
He understood. He let his friend down. In fact, he already liked the guy for being so loyal.
“I’m looking for Cassie.”
Paulie nodded and clicked his tongue.
“She isn’t here.”
“Do you know where she—”
“I can’t tell you. She doesn’t want to see you again.”
“What? Why?”
“Take a wild guess, my friend.”
He wasn’t going to explain anything to anyone but her. He respected the man but this wouldn’t turn into unnecessary drama.
“I need to see her,” he only said.
“I can’t tell you where she is,” Paulie replied, “listen, I don’t know anything about you, but she’s a good person. She deserves better.”
“I know. Trust me. She will understand.”
Paulie sighed.
“Will she?” he said, “Jesus! Where does she find these people? She doesn’t have time for you.”
Raiden looked at him, fire in his eyes. Paulie couldn’t hold his gaze.
“Gosh! First, Jacob Turin asks for the world, even though he knows it’s a non-profit, and now you. I don’t know who’s worse.”
Raiden smiled.
Jacob Turin, the international super model was going to be the main attraction for the show.
Paulie kept talking, “and don’t you dare think we can’t file a restriction order against—”
“Thank you, Paulie,” Raiden said running out of the building.
He knew what he had to do.
Chapter 28
The fashion show had to be somewhere big, probably in the warehouse area he already attended. He could drive faster but it was mid afternoon, he didn’t want a cop on his tail.
It was still at least half an hour before getting there, but he still needed an address.
He took out his phone and dialed.
It rang several times, but no one picked up.
“Shit.”
He stopped on the side lane to call again but his phone rang. Fuck yeah, he knew he could count on his crew.
“Franklin!” he said.
“Raiden, my man, I got a call—”
“Yeah, I need your help, it’s urgent.”
Raiden could find anything, anywhere, about anyone. He was a computer genius. He set up all of the technology back in the mountain. Thanks to him, the crew lived like normal people. Not like a hermit clan hidden beneath the trees.
“What is it?” he said, his tone instantly changing.
“There’s a famous guy, Jacob Turin. He’s having a show today, for a non-profit called Human Hearts, I need to know where.”
“I’ll look it up, call you back in five.”
“Sure.”
Those five minutes felt like five hours. It shouldn’t be hard to find that information, not when you’re a famous male model.
He still didn’t know what was he going to say to Cassie.
I’ll tell her everything. I’ll even tell her she’s my mate. She deserves to know.
The phone rang and he answered.
“What do you have?”
“He’s in Paris, France.”
“What?”
“What what?” Franklin replied.
There was no way that could possibly be true. He was headlining the show, today, in Seattle.
“Can’t be man, he’s—”
“He got on a plane yesterday morning. He’s out of the country.”
“Shit.”
“The man’s a bastard. He rented a hotel’s floor, he’s throwing a party. By the way, the address for the Human Hearts show? I got it.”
Raiden sighed in relief.
�
�God dammit man, just tell me already.”
“I already sent you the location, check your phone.”
“You mother fucker. Thanks, I owe you a beer.”
“You owe me a case. Good luck.”
He pressed the pedal. At least he was going the right way.
Chapter 29
This day was a total mess for Cassie.
It started bad, then went downhill.
First, Raiden didn’t show up in the morning. She could have used that full eighty minutes she waited for him to go to the fashion show site and help with the preparations, but no, she waited like an idiot.
Then, something worse happened. Even though Jacob Turin’s agency confirmed more than three times the model was going to be there, he was nowhere to be found.
She tried to get to him but it was impossible. She still held hope but she knew it was dumb.
Her reputation would be ruined. She was the one to offer the foundation the sponsorship of a big name model to gain recognition and make the event go viral.
Now it was going to go viral, all right, but in the sense they wanted. Everything was ready but the main attraction.
The sponsors, the press, the audience, the foundation.
She was on the verge of tears. But she was a pro. She’d act like a pro and try to regain her footing. She’d start from scratch again. She’d done that a hundred times already, she knew she could do it again.
But still.
Raiden. He failed her. The one person she was sure she could count on.
“Hey,” someone said, tapping on her shoulder. It was him.
Her skin filled with goose bumps. She didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want to see anyone.
But more than anything, she didn’t want him to see her fail like this.
She turned around. There he was, as handsome as ever. Tall, strong, radiant. Some people have all the luck.
She met his eyes but didn’t say a word. What was there to say?
“I fucked up,” he said.
That he did. She snorted, not knowing if it was out of disappointment or out of spite.
“It’s okay,” she lied.
Raiden grabbed her shoulder.
“It’s not. It’s a long story.”
She stepped back, crossing her arms.
“I’m all ears.”
“There was an attack—”
“Ms. Bennett,” a man with a headpiece called, “Tom Penderton’s looking for you at the sponsor’s seats.”
“Shit,” she said, “listen, Raiden. Ray. I’m super busy right now. We tried, right?”