The Broken Barrier (Shadow Claw Book 4)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “Nina, relax. I can do this.”

  “I won’t let you. I can’t risk it. No.” She held on to him tightly, resting her head on his chest and fighting back tears. She whispered into his chest now, “Don’t do this. I can’t lose you.”

  Her heart raced.

  He held her and spoke softly. “You have to trust me.”

  Unconvinced but aware that there was nothing that could be done to change his mind, she fell quiet. Her mate was adamant, just as stubborn as she was, and she knew it. Once he had made up his mind, nothing and no one could change it, apart from him.

  “The plan is foolproof, Nina.”

  The young Caillagh’s mother was at her side now, offering her consolation. “I won’t let anything happen to your mate. I won’t deprive my granddaughter of the love of her father.”

  Nina sighed. She knew arguing would get her nowhere, so instead, she nodded slowly, assuring the group that she understood.

  The sudden sound of a phone ringing pierced through the air, breaking the silence. Diana’s heart raced as her mate fumbled around, patting his pockets in search of his phone. Who could be calling at this time? The whole Council was present there.

  She looked around to see if anyone important was missing and realized that everyone was already there. She grew dizzy in anticipation and fear. She hoped to god that everything was okay.

  Fergus’ agitation reflected itself in his inability to function properly. His hands shook, and it took him a while to pull his phone out. Diana could tell he was feeling the exact way she had been feeling at that point and a quick look around assured her that everyone was literally on the same page at that point. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hold it up to his ears properly, Fergus accepted the call and put it on speaker.

  The voice on the other end sounded distraught and hysterical. It didn’t take a genius to realize that there was nothing but chaos on the other side of the line. A sense of panic surged through the air as the group listened intently to what the caller had been saying.

  Rather, he had been screaming, trying to get his words across through and over the noise.

  “Fergus! Something is wrong!”

  “Raoul? Is that you? What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Raoul’s voice was shaky and inconsistent. “Everything was fine, Fergus. Everyone was normal. They were all doing their daily chores. Everyone was minding their own business.”

  He was having difficulty getting his words out, and he was sure everything he said would be broken in some way. He hoped whatever he managed to say would make sense.

  “Your pack, Fergus! Everyone has lost their mind! This place has turned into a slaughterhouse!” Raoul was screaming at the top of his lungs.

  “Raoul! Hang in there. We’re on our–”

  The sound of the phone hitting against the pavement filled their ears, and the line went dead, cutting the wolf off as he made a beeline for the door. Everyone followed suit, right at Fergus’ tail. Confusion and dread had now colored everyone’s face.

  What in the world was happening?

  They rushed out to the den, and the scene that they were met with left the entire group astounded.

  Filled with a strange sort of violence, the entire pack was engaged in a killing frenzy. Blood splattered from their bodies as long nails dug into them. Teeth pulled away skin from the body. The air held nothing but shrieks of the crazy wolves, and the floor held their flowing blood.

  “Raoul!”

  The wolf had not meant to scream so loud, but in that moment, he had lost all his senses. The violent pack, eyes filled with blood-lust, averted their gazes from each other and toward the group. In a split second, they made a dash right toward them, ready to rip them apart. The wolf and bear pairs in turn readied themselves to fight back. Hands clenched into a fist, Fergus waited for his pack to get close enough to attack. The people who had been leading for centuries, the people who he would willingly risk his life for were now standing against him, and he had no choice but to protect whatever he had left for himself.

  Nina closed her eyes as Kevin held her tightly.

  This was unlike her, and she resorted to the thought that the life growing inside her was changing her from within. Her head felt woozy, and she held onto her mate like nothing else could protect her except the sanctity of his arms.

  Just then, the pack froze in the exact position they had been while they were running.

  Now, it could be seen that at the back some had still been involved in killing each other. Lines of blood were visible in the air as though they were small waterfalls emerging from the bodies.

  “What the hell has happened to my pack?”

  Fergus voice was filled with fury, yet it shook in fear of what he had witnessed. He studied the faces that were now inches away from him. Hollow eyes that held no emotions sent him shivering to the core. Was this really his pack? Or was it an illusion? What if someone was just messing with them? What if all of this was just a mind game?

  His thoughts went back to Raoul, and he absentmindedly started walking, his gaze shooting every which way in search of the person who had alerted him. The most dreadful of thoughts crossed his mind in this state as he scampered his way around the frozen bodies.

  “Fergus!”

  A voice called out to him. It was Samuel’s. He had his eyes glued to the floor in shock. Abigail rushed to his side upon hearing his voice and covered her mouth in horror. She immediately pressed her head to his chest. He felt his shirt soak up, and she lifted his arms to wrap them around her.

  The figure on the floor slowly came into view as Fergus made his way through the maze of frozen shifters. His heart leapt to his throat as empty eyes belonging to a cold body stared back at him.

  He averted his eyes and withdrew to a corner before he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

  “Be strong.”

  Though he sounded just as sorrowful, there was an odd consolation in Luke’s voice, one that Fergus needed badly at that point. His mate ran up to him to warm him with her presence, hoping it would work. Their mating bond might help soothe him in some way.

  With eyes full of sadness at the sight of her mate, she looked at him, thinking of ways in which she could take his pain and make it her own. Though, as of that moment, she couldn’t think of anything, and that bothered her even more.

  Silence filled the air now, as did uncertainty. They looked at each other in hopes that one of them would offer words of solace. Instead, the now mortal vampire addressed the overlying issue.

  “So what happens to them now?” He looked about him, signaling the pack. “Should we just leave them be?”

  Ammara looked weary now. She had hoped that awakening after all those centuries would bring peace and tranquility to her heart, and she would be able to spend her days happily. Maybe all that just wasn’t in the cards for her. Nevertheless, being the Caillagh meant she had certain responsibilities that she could not overlook or run away from. Duty always came first, and right now, duty called.

  “Asther’s darkness has been rooted deep inside every member of the pack,” she explained in a firm tone.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that the only thing we can do now is kill him. Otherwise, your people will keep fighting until every last one of them is dead.”

  “Umm, there’s one more thing,” Nina added. All eyes fell upon the young Caillagh who looked flushed and exhausted. “The wolf pack is just the beginning. The last of the wolves will pass this on to every shifter in existence until only humans are left on the Earth.”

  Ammara nodded to affirm her daughter’s statement. “She’s right. We must act fast.”

  “How long will they stay frozen for?” Diana asked.

  “For as long as I am okay,” she replied and paused for a minute before she continued. “And if something happens to me, all my powers will be channeled into Nina, and she will make sure no more killing takes place.”

  “Nothing is going to h
appen to you!” Kalen kissed his mate’s hand. “I won’t lose you once more.”

  She smiled a sad smile.

  ***

  Meanwhile, a bear shifter lay dead at the fairy’s feet. While his body convulsed in a weird angle, he looked much like an oversized doll that had been abandoned on the floor by a child after being bored of it. A pool of blood encircled him, and his lifeless eyes stared back at his murderer who smiled in admiration of his handiwork.

  A wave of the hand and he changed forms, assuming his disguise, changing completely into the bear he had just preyed on. Satisfied with himself, his grin widened as his eyes shifted in the direction of his next target. Slowly, he proceeded toward the gate of the cub’s nursery.

  Chapter 12

  Nina’s heart overflowed with emotions, and she had to distance herself from everyone to clear her thoughts. The wave of panic that had washed over her had left her breathless. The strong presence in the room of her parents, the Elders, and the Council did nothing to calm her down. Rather, they made her feel more anxious. A little distance was what was needed at that time.

  She excused herself and took her leave.

  Nina didn’t know where exactly she was going. She would go wherever her feet took her. So she walked aimlessly, paying no heed to directions or locations. She was aware that it was a dumb thing to do with the situation being so dangerous at the den, but right now, her heart was overpowering her mind. She needed it to be at peace once more. This was what it wanted. She needed some time away from everyone. She needed to be with just herself.

  The wind rose in a sharp gust, but there was no movement, no shaking. She walked as though she were a woman on a mission, ignoring everything, including her whereabouts.

  Her mind was a blank canvas at this point. She didn’t want to think about anything. Things were too stressful. She knew that thinking so much couldn’t be good for her or her baby. She instinctively placed a hand on her protruding belly. She felt the life inside her respond to her touch by kicking lightly.

  The wind picked up speed around her now, and the leaves danced and flew. She closed her eyes against its lightness and inhaled deeply. The baby kicked again.

  She knew her baby had no way of being in contact with her. Perhaps this was her way of providing comfort to her mother? Maybe she had been trying to make her feel better, trying to assure her that everything would be okay.

  Suddenly, the thought of how the wind was now blowing in sharp gusts made Nina question if her baby had been the one to make it move as much. She eyed the leaves that flew about her and then looked down, lost in thought. She smiled subconsciously.

  “You really are an all-powerful witch, aren’t you?”

  Another kick.

  Yes, her baby had been communicating with her. She smiled again, intentionally this time.

  “You’re draining me of everything. It’s becoming harder by the day.”

  She didn’t notice that she had been speaking out loud. Sighing, she started staring into the distance. It was a while before she noticed that the baby hadn’t kicked again. This startled her, and so she spoke once more to the life growing inside her.

  “Despite everything, I love you so much already. I hope you know that. You cannot even imagine how much I love you. You’re going to be the happiest little witch to roam the world, for you are mine and I am yours. I will shower you with all the blessings in the world. I will care for you and look after you. I promise, I won’t ever abandon you like I had been. No matter what, I will always stand by your side to protect you. Whatever happens, we will face it together. After all, you are the most powerful Caillagh to walk the Earth. How hard could it be for you?”

  She waited for a kick, and it was as though the baby had been patiently sitting through her entire speech. As soon as her voice dropped, there it was. The joy in her heart overwhelmed her, and she was suddenly thrown back into reality. She moved her head in either direction to scan her whereabouts. To her surprise – or maybe it was just her subconscious – she found herself a couple of feet away from the den’s nursery.

  Strange.

  When she had taken her leave, she had walked in the opposite direction from here. When had she turned around and started walking this way? Or had she just walked in an almost circulatory manner that ended up bringing her here?

  She stopped to think how much time had elapsed since her walk began. The watch on her wrist told her it had been only twenty minutes – too short a time to have circled around to the nursery.

  She shrugged it off and decided that, since she was already there, she should check up on the cubs. It had been a while, and being here now made her realize that she missed them.

  The entrance to the nursery was hard to find unless you didn’t know exactly where it was. This was done intentionally so as to keep the cubs safe from danger. With everything that had been happening, it was a necessity. The cubs were the future of every pack, and they had to be protected since they didn’t have the ability to protect themselves.

  Nina walked fifteen feet into the direction of what looked like complete wilderness. People rarely came to this part of Shadow Claw territory because this was where the forests started from. No one had any business walking beyond these boundaries. Since the pack leaders had been aware of this fact, they had carefully decided that this should be the location of the nursery. It was the best option–the safest option.

  She took a sharp left and ducked under the large tree branch that hung extremely low because of its weight. The vines knocked against her head, and she closed her eyes to avoid any remnants from entering them. She proceeded northwest until she reached a larger boulder.

  The boulder signified that she was now close to the nursery. She knocked against it, and a passageway opened from behind the trees. She walked through the stone pavement and past the cub’s pool toward the building that housed them.

  Knocking on the main door, she waited for someone to open it up for her.

  No one did. She knocked once more.

  Sometimes, the caretakers and the pack nanny would be so busy with cubs or there would be so much noise inside that they would be unable to hear anything. Nina knew this, so she waited patiently as her hand lifted itself to knock again.

  This was strange.

  She’d been knocking for several minutes, and there wasn’t so much as a peep that came from the other side. Something was off. This hadn’t ever happened before. Her hand reached for the handle to coax the door open with her magic, but she stifled a shock when she discovered that it had already been open.

  Cautious, she entered the nursery, trying not to make any kind of noise that would set off an intruder if there was one.

  She inched slowly toward the door of the cubs’ playroom and softly placed a hand on the knob to pry it open. She inspected the room from the tiny gap that was now made between the door and the wall.

  Relieved to see that the cubs were in there, she threw the door open and cheerfully announced her presence. “Surprise!”

  The cubs were all overjoyed at the sight of Nina. They had all liked her and had always enjoyed her presence. She had a certain way with the youngsters. The way she would play with them and make them feel important always kept them wishing for her to return, and she loved it. The love they gave her was incomparable.

  This made Nina think of her own baby and pray that she felt the same way about her.

  With a hand on her belly, she widened her eyes and put on her widest smiles, saying, “Well, how are all of you today?”

  She was met with the kind of excited shrieks that you could get only from toddlers. Her heart swelled with happiness.

  “I missed you all so much! I thought I should just drop by to see you.”

  Nina had come to the conclusion that that was what had happened. Her mind had brought her there because she missed the cubs and wanted to see them. There was no other explanation. She was just too stressed to realize it. She had probably figured seeing the cubs would help
de-stress her, soothe her, and calm her down a bit. She probably just didn’t remember it at that point.

  The cubs ran toward her, and she filled as many of them in her embrace as she could. And when the first pile was down, she proceeded to hug the next, and then the next, and then the next.

  All the while, she had been so engrossed in the cubs that she didn’t notice the other presence in the room, the man witnessing her engaging herself quietly from a corner. She almost gasped when her eyes fell upon his face, and her hand shot up to her chest.

  “Oh, my god, you scared me!”

  The man was a soldier that had been stationed to watch over the cubs and ensure their safety. Nina was familiar with him as she frequently visited the nursery. He offered her no words in response except for a faint smile.

  Wasn’t he the chatty one?

  “I think you must have forgotten to lock the door. That was really careless of you,” she scolded the soldier, who did nothing but shrug off the comment.

  Something was off. The soldier kept his eyes glued to cubs and didn’t speak at all to Nina.

  Normally, that would be a good thing. It was great that he was doing his job. The cubs needed protection at all times, and it was vital that someone be watching them as he had been doing, but at that time something kept bothering Nina.

  The way he eyed the cubs, it seemed as though he wanted to pounce on them and steal them away immediately. Instead of love and care for them, she saw nothing but detestation in his eyes–the kind of hatred that makes you want to torture your victim.

  She noticed that the cubs weren’t as playful as they usually were. Normally, whenever she’d be at the nursery, the cubs would be engaged in some sort of game with the soldiers or their nannies–or better yet, both. It had always been that way, so why were they so distant today?

  She smiled cheerfully. “Why aren’t you guys playing today? A little tired, are we?”

  “Not really,” said a tiny voice on behalf of the group.

  “Then what’s the matter?” Nina inquired.

  Another voice offered an explanation, “It’s nothing. We just don’t feel like it.”