by LC Taylor
Table of Contents
FORWARD
Chapter 1: Haven
Chapter 2: Dylan
Chapter 3: Dylan
Chapter 4: Haven
Chapter 5: Tessa
Chapter 6: Tessa
Chapter 7: Haven
Chapter 8: Tessa
Chapter 9: Tessa
Chapter 10: Tessa
Chapter 11: Tessa
Chapter 12: Tessa
Chapter 13: Tessa
Chapter 14: Tessa
Chapter 15: Tessa
Chapter 16: Tessa
Chapter 17: Tessa
Chapter 18: Tessa
Chapter 19: Tessa
Chapter 20: Tessa
Chapter 21: Haven
Chapter 22: Tessa
Chapter 23: Tessa
Chapter 24: Haven
Chapter 25: Tessa
Chapter 26: Tessa
Chapter 27: Tessa
Chapter 28: Haven
Chapter 29: Tessa
Chapter 30: Tessa
Chapter 31: Haven
Chapter 32: Tessa
Chapter 33: Haven
Chapter 34: Tessa
Chapter 35: Haven
Chapter 36: Tessa
Chapter 37: Tessa
Chapter 38: Tessa
Chapter 39: Haven
Chapter 40: Tessa
Chapter 41: Tessa
Chapter 42: Haven
Chapter 43: Tessa
Epilogue
Coming Soon
About the Author
Wretched
Book Two
Mystic Valley Shifters
LC Taylor
Book Two: Wretched
Mystic Valley Shifters
Copyright © 2017 by L.C. Taylor
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Any duplication without authorization is strictly prohibited. No part of this book can be reproduced by any means, either electronic or mechanical. This includes, but is not limited to information storage and retrieval systems, without prior authorization from the writer. For information please contact the Author at: [email protected].
Cover designed using Canva.com
Photo Credit: Depositphotis.com
Editor: Alice Lunsford – www.fiverr.com/dafununbean
Published in the United States of America
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For my children.
Contents
FORWARD
Chapter 1: Haven
Chapter 2: Dylan
Chapter 3: Dylan
Chapter 4: Haven
Chapter 5: Tessa
Chapter 6: Tessa
Chapter 7: Haven
Chapter 8: Tessa
Chapter 9: Tessa
Chapter 10: Tessa
Chapter 11: Tessa
Chapter 12: Tessa
Chapter 13: Tessa
Chapter 14: Tessa
Chapter 15: Tessa
Chapter 16: Tessa
Chapter 17: Tessa
Chapter 18: Tessa
Chapter 19: Tessa
Chapter 20: Tessa
Chapter 21: Haven
Chapter 22: Tessa
Chapter 23: Tessa
Chapter 24: Haven
Chapter 25: Tessa
Chapter 26: Tessa
Chapter 27: Tessa
Chapter 28: Haven
Chapter 29: Tessa
Chapter 30: Tessa
Chapter 31: Haven
Chapter 32: Tessa
Chapter 33: Haven
Chapter 34: Tessa
Chapter 35: Haven
Chapter 36: Tessa
Chapter 37: Tessa
Chapter 38: Tessa
Chapter 39: Haven
Chapter 40: Tessa
Chapter 41: Tessa
Chapter 42: Haven
Chapter 43: Tessa
Epilogue
Coming Soon
About the Author
Chapter 1: Haven
They say when you die; you see a white light, an all-consuming brilliant glow that wipes away your fear. But only darkness consumes me, there’s an absence of light and my vision’s obscured. I must be dead; the only thing present is nothingness. Drifting through obscurity, my eyes seemed broken. Surely, I had lived a life pure enough to avoid such desolation, this torment must be a mistake.
Sounds, muffled and faint – hearing the distant voices calling to me through the shadows. They were beckoning me to come back to them, to stay with them. Didn’t they know I was trapped in this wretched prison? I closed my eyes, praying this was a nightmare I would soon wake from, I had to; I needed Tessa.
Chapter 2: Dylan
Tessa was sitting beside Haven as he slept in his infinite slumber, “How is he?”
“The same. He never moves, he only lies here,” Tessa sighed rubbing her eyes to wipe away the tears she’d begun to shed, “He needs new clothes. Do you think Jensen minds helping again?”
I stared at the shell Haven had become since Dante forced this life on him two months passed. He saved Tessa from the clutches of death, only to trap himself in his now comatose state. Magic was keeping him alive. Without it, he’d be in a hospital plugged up to machines – poked with IV’s sustaining his life.
But moving him would likely kill him, modern medicine didn’t understand our world. Magic was the only thing helping him. Magic and Tessa. Taking him from here would likely kill her, her heart already splintered in two. So, he stayed here, in her room – while we waited for a miracle.
Seeing Tessa like this broke my heart, “Yeah, I’ll call him and tell him to come by later, ok?” She was barely whole before finding Haven, and now, I wasn’t sure she would fight off going feral if he never woke.
“That’s fine, I’ll be here,” Tessa gave me a half-hearted grin.
Watching her stroke Havens head, I worried she may already be lost to us, “Well, I’m headed to the bookstore... Do you want me to ask one of the guys to bring you up some food?”
“No, I’m not hungry, Dylan.”
“Tessa, please, you need to eat. You don’t have to leave, stay here – with him. I’ll have it brought to you… Haven would want you to take care of yourself, he didn’t save you for you to wither up and die too.” I knew using Haven was a low blow, but Tessa was losing herself.
She stopped eating right, she wasn’t sleeping well anymore, and we had to force her outside to let out her wolf. “Fine, whatever. Just tell them to bring it here. I won’t leave him, I can’t. He could wake up, I’ll need to be here.”
Nodding, I left the room, pulling the door closed securely behind me. We had to figure out something, fast. I feared I’d be burying two more people who were important to me. I’d just found Haven, and we hadn’t gotten the opportunity to get to know one another.
Chapter 3: Dylan
My phone vibrated, I removed it from my pocket where it was securely tucked. “Hey baby,” smiling as I answered. Jensen always seemed to know when I needed to hear his voice.
“
Babe, what’s wrong?”
Wiping the tears falling silently down my cheeks as I spoke. “Nothing, well, nothing new. I just left Tessa and Haven. God, Jensen, I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose them both.”
His sigh on the other end of the phone relayed his frustration loud and clear, “Dylan, you’re not going to lose them. I promise we’ll figure out something. Please don’t lose hope.”
“Jensen, you didn’t see her today. She’s worse. She hasn’t let her wolf out in days, I’m not sure she’s eaten anything since the weekend. She…. She just looks broken. I couldn’t get her to leave the room, speaking of which, she wants help to change Haven’s clothes again.”
“I’ll help her with him tonight. Look, I know you’re worried, hell, I’m worried. But we’ve gotta be strong. Have you heard back from Roxy?” Roxy had gone to speak with some of the elders in her Coven. Even though they no longer lived within the Coven’s compound, both Roxy, and Haven were welcomed to go back at any time.
The new elders held different views of things. They no longer supported the ideology of pure unions. Instead, they accepted any union of two people as a true pairing – the idea that it was un-pure to mate with someone who was not a witch, no longer held true as the coven belief.
“No, she’s only been gone a few days. It could take weeks before she gets the answer on how to pull him from the darkness trapping him,” I silently prayed that she’d figure something out… and soon. Neither had much time.
“Do you need me to come home?”
Shaking my head, as if he could see my answer, “No, I’m alright. I need to get to the bookstore. Carly only helps part time in the afternoon when she’s done with class. I’ve gotta open this morning. I’ll get one of the guys here to bring her some food, and check on her.”
His smile radiated through the phone, “Alright Babe, I love you. I’ll swing by the bookstore with some lunch. The contractors are finishing up the last touches, we should be ready by Monday.” Jensen followed through with his plan after graduation and opened his own body shop.
Even though I protested – vehemently, Jensen named the shop after me. As of Monday, he would be the proud owner of Dylan’s Custom Auto body and Repair. It was surreal, both barely out of high school and already business owners.
“That would be great, I’ll see you at lunch. I love you, Jensen.”
“I love you, baby.”
After hanging up, I made my way to the kitchen to find Chris making himself some breakfast. Chris was one of the pack enforcers that helped us after Dante’s attack. He, along with four other enforcers, including Carter – the pack Beta, moved in with us. They lived here, in one of the six rooms in the basement.
“Morning Chris,” I called out to him as I opened the fridge.
“Oh hey, I didn’t see you come in. How’s it going?” he glanced over his shoulder, half glancing at me.
“Ah… that’s yet to be determined. Hey, can you do me a favor?” I closed the fridge and turned to find him leaning against the counter staring at me.
“Sure, boss lady, anything for you,” grinning as he took a big bite of his egg sandwich.
“Right… um, can you make sure Tessa gets something to eat? She hasn’t left her room, and I’m pretty sure she hasn’t eaten anything recently.”
Tilting his head towards the stairway, “She still up there? I feel sorry for her… ya know. If it weren’t for Dante, she wouldn’t be sitting up there… broken. I’ll get her some food – it’s the least I can do,” he took the last bite of his food and pushed off the counter.
“Chris, wait…” grabbing his arm as he walked around me, “No one blames you guys. You know that, right? Y’all have become family to us in the last two months. So, please don’t hold a grudge that isn’t worth holding.”
“Yeah… I guess. It just pisses me off. Tessa is a nice woman, she didn’t deserve this. And I don’t know Haven, but I’m pretty sure neither did he.”
Squeezing Chris on the shoulder, “You’re right – none of us, including you, deserved this. But I’ve got to believe good things will come from it, ok? Thanks again, we’re lucky to have you, all of you.”
Chris left as I grabbed a coffee before heading out myself. Glancing one last time up the stairs, saying a silent prayer for Tessa and Haven to be ok. He had to wake up, she needed him to save her from the darkness now consuming her.
Chapter 4: Haven
A tiny sliver of light penetrated the black, like a beacon calling to me. I squinted my eyes in the abyss of my mind, reaching out to the glistening rod. Slowly, the light enveloped me. I could not believe my eyes, I was standing in a forest – a waterfall spilling into the pond below. In the distance, a woman stood facing away.
Her hair shimmered like gold, flowing down her back like a ribbon. She was calling out to someone, the murmur of her voice sounding like a low hum. I strained to hear, reaching out to the summoning of her voice. She was calling out to someone. Closing my eyes, homing in on the sound of her voice.
“Haven…” she was calling out to me – my name resounded like thunder in my head. She said my name, but why? Walking up behind her, I grasped her shoulder turning her around. A sharp intake of breath escaped me as she faced me. “Tessa…”
We stood staring, caught in each other’s eyes. She reached out and touched me, “How – How is this possible? How are you here, Tessa?” Cupping her hand against my cheek. This couldn’t be real, maybe I was dead and my punishment was the torment of seeing the love I lost and would never have. She was beautiful, a vision of heaven inside my hell.
“Haven. Oh God, please Haven come back to us. We can’t go on living a life without you.” The pain in her voice cut my soul in two, splitting it into pieces with each beat of my heart.
“Tessa, I’m here, it’s me... You’re here… you… you came to me.”
The tears pooled in her eyes as they tumbled down her already stained cheeks. She backed away from me, stepping out of my reach – I tried to hold on to her as she faded, the murky depths of my consciousness claiming me again.
Chapter 5: Tessa
I had dozed off asleep next to him; the cool breeze and the sounds of his breathing had lulled me to sleep earlier when I curled up next to him in the bed. Waking, I could still feel his touch… making the dream seem as though it’d been real.
Reaching up I caressed the hair where his hands fingered the strands of curls. Looking at his sleeping figure next to me, I pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder. The warmth of where our bodies touched radiating to the depths of my soul.
“Haven… I dreamed of you again. This time you touched me – you spoke my name. It was like a whisper in the wind, but it was there, I heard you. It felt so real – I need it to be real. Please wake up.” Sitting up, I pulled the covers up that had slipped from his body while we slept.
Leaving the comfort of the bed, I trudged my way to the bathroom. My reflection was hideous, scratch that, I looked like the walking dead. The dark circles under my eyes gave proof that sleep was an illusion. A wreck on the outside, to match the wreck I was on the inside.
Slipping from my clothes, I turned on the shower; lost in a daze, as I recalled the memory of Haven in my sleep. Surely more existed, dreams weren’t enough. I wanted – no, I needed to feel him here, in the flesh.
Stepping into the shower my mind began drifting further, the warm water washed over me as I broke down into sobs. My heart, barely whole to start with, was breaking day by day. I collapsed to the shower floor in a heap, losing myself to the pain.
Chapter 6: Tessa
“Tessa? Tessa, oh my god!” Dylan turned off the water, that was verging on glacier. She grabbed a towel, wrapping me up, and tried to scoop me off the shower floor. “Tessa, can you hear me?” Dylan was holding my face, I could hear her, but my eyes wouldn’t focus.
“Jesus… hang on Tessa, I need to get some help,” Dylan was valiantly trying to move me, “CHRIS, CARTER – ANYONE… I NEED SOME HELP, PLEASE…�
�� her voice was frantic as she called out to anyone that could hear.
“Holy shit Dylan! Christ, she’s naked…” Carter was the first in the room. As he took in my listless form, naked and crumpled on the shower floor, covered only with a towel, he turned around. “Dylan, what the hell is wrong with her?”
“I don’t know, Carter. I came in to check on her and Haven. I heard the water running, but she wasn’t answering me when I called out to her… I, I found her like this. The water was like ice, I don’t know how long she’s been in here,” the words coming out between her sobs, “Please, you have to help me get her up… we need to warm her up, she’s freezing.”
“Move–,” he pushed passed Dylan and scooped me out of the shower. He carried me to the bedroom and placing me the bed next to Haven. My eyes were open, but I was verging catatonic – it was like I was looking at them through glass eyes.
“DYLAN” Jensen burst through the bedroom door, “What the fuck?” he stared at Carter who was covering my naked body with a quilt, “Carter, what happened? Dylan, I felt your fear through our bond, it was crippling. I freaked out and ran here from the shop.” He was breathless as he spoke. The shop wasn’t far, but a five-mile run was insane.
“God, Jensen – I, I…” unable to speak through the sobs, her tears overwhelming the ability to communicate. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. “Shhhhh, it’s ok baby,” his face a mask of confusion, he looked at Carter questioningly, “Carter?”
“I don’t know, Jensen. I was in the living room and I heard Dylan scream. I ran up here to find her trying to pull Tessa out of the shower. She was so cold…,” Carter shook his head in disbelief, “she hasn’t said a single word or blinked for that matter. I’ll call Haley, she can figure out what the hell is going on.”
Carter abruptly left the room, leaving Dylan wrapped in Jensen’s arms, staring at my listless form on the bed. “Jensen, it was so scary. The water must have been on forever, it was so cold, and she… she was just lying there with her eyes open,” pulling from Jensen’s embrace, Dylan walked to the edge of the bed, “Tessa, can you hear me?”