Birthrite (Legacy Series Book 2)

by Max Ellendale

  "Dead," I said, still gripping the dagger in my hand. I lifted it to show Xany.

  "Where did you get that?" she asked, her voice quavering.

  "I took it from the bag that you packed it in when we went swimming," I said.

  "I didn't pack that." She looked at me with furrowed brows. Dylan and some of the others went over to examine what was left of Eva. Xany joined them.

  "Don't touch it," Xany instructed. "You can catch the taint."

  "We need to move out of here. The smell is awful," Alice said.

  "We should move closer to the entrance," Dylan said. "Maybe we can move the boulder."

  As my fear and shock slowly began to lift, I could suddenly sense Mal. I gasped and looked around. Xany met my gaze; she must've sensed them, too.

  "They're close!" she announced. "Our pack, I can feel them," she said, her giggle returning. The women cheered and Dylan looked as though he was going to wet himself in relief.

  "Now all we have to do is wait," Laura said. I nodded and searched the faces of the women.

  "Is anyone hurt?" I asked.

  Most people shook their heads but a few nodded. Xany guided the women to sit at the farthest part of the room away from the corpse of Eva.

  "We can't travel the hall if we have injured people," I said. "Sander's corpse is pretty tainted, too."

  "It might be best to wait here," Xany said. Alice nodded in agreement.

  "Anyone who is injured, come here, the others, there," Xany said and directed the group to split in two.

  Three women walked to Xany, while the others settled with Dylan. I used the bottom of my shirt to wipe the blood off my face and neck, shuddering in disgust.

  "I'll do my best to help you," I told the injured women as I joined them. "I'm still new at healing."

  Rachel, the human, was one of the injured. I moved to the woman who was closest to me and knelt down in front of her.

  "What's your name?" I asked, and examined her distended face. With her eye swollen shut, I assumed she had a shattered eye socket. Her jaw was broken and dislocated as well.

  "Abby," she said, her voice slurred and muffled under the injury.

  Now that the danger was over, my adrenaline started to wear off and I began to experience all the emotions that had been mounting since we were captured. My eyes welled up with tears as I inspected the damage done to Abby's face. Xany sucked in her breath as she stood beside me.

  "Are you really a doctor and a healer?" Abby asked, her one working eye searching my expression.

  "I am," I said and moved to place both of my hands on her face. "Stay still. This won't hurt."

  It took a few seconds before the burst of indigo light filled the space between my hands and Abby's face. Under my touch, her jaw cracked and popped back into place. The swelling around her eye dissipated and her face seemed to melt back to normal. It shocked me for a moment as her features transformed and revealed bright blue eyes. A flash of memory raced across my field of vision as I remembered the blue-eyed girl who died on my E.R. table after her skin was peeled off. Her death was the catalyst for the much-needed changes in my life. When I removed my hands, Abby gasped and touched her face.

  "My God..." she said and stared at me as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  I smiled and tried not to let my own tears fall. She leaned forward and tossed her arms around me. She startled me at first, but I returned her hug.

  "It'll be all right. In time it will," I whispered.

  She nodded and let go then, with a bounce in her step, to rejoin the others. Xany smiled at me as our gazes met. Her giggle told me of her approval. Rachel was next. I moved to her and looked for any visible wounds but found none. She watched me with what I imagined to be disbelief. Humans sometimes struggle when they see werecreature transformations or magic. It can have a lasting effect on them that can make them delirious or delusional.

  "It hurts to walk—my...it hurts," she said and gestured to her pelvic area. I placed my hand on her hip and could immediately feel the protruding bone.

  "Hold still, okay?" I said and placed my hands on either side of her hips. The indigo burst forth from my hands without hesitation. This time the wind got knocked out of me from the intensity of the heal. Rachel gasped at the same time I felt her broken bones realign. She put her hands on top of mine until the glow faded. Her mouth hung open like a fish and she stared at me.

  "Thank you." Her voice was barely a whisper.

  A wave of fatigue washed over me and I braced myself against Xany. She put her arm around my middle for support.

  "You okay?" she asked.

  "A bit tired but I'm okay." I took a deep breath then let her go. The last person was the woman with the little girl. She spoke before I could ask her any questions.

  "I'm Stella. This is my daughter, Elizabeth," she said. The little girl looked up at me while she clung to her mother. "She's hurt." I watched as she trembled and the little girl hid her face against her mother's shoulder.

  "Where does it hurt, sweetie?" I asked the girl.

  She didn't answer me but her mother pointed to her back. I ran my hand down the girl's back. Her frail figure made it easier to feel the misaligned vertebrae. I placed both of my hands on her and sucked in my breath as again my hands heated up and the indigo glowed radiant. It was excruciatingly hot, so I bit down on my tongue to distract from the pain. I watched as the girl's spinal column lined up and she picked up her head immediately to look at me. Her eyes were twinkling with innocence as she turned her gaze to her mother.

  "Better?" Stella asked her daughter.

  Elizabeth nodded then wiggled to be put down so she could stand on her own. After a few tentative steps, she jumped up and down. I smiled while watching her. Stella gave my shoulders a squeeze and mouthed "thank you" before guiding Elizabeth to join the others.

  Xany put her arm around me again and ran her fingers through my blood-matted hair. I lifted my hands to show her the scorch marks on my palms. She gasped.

  "Nee," she began, but I shushed her.

  "Shh... I'm fine. We're all fine," I said and took a breath. My body was weary and I fought the urge to lie down and sleep. Xany guided me to the group and we sat together against the cave wall. Mal and Caden couldn't be far. I wished more than anything to see them. To be home again, safe, with our pack. I was tired from the healings and hadn't realized I'd dropped the dagger on the ground. Xany went back for it then handed it to me. I laid it across my lap. It was pristine, as if it had never touched any blood. Xany looked down at it then sat beside me and caressed my face. I gave in to her affection and let myself rest against her shoulder.

  "Did he hurt you, Nee?" she whispered.

  "Yes," I answered warily before realizing what she was asking. "No, I mean no, Sander didn't hurt me, not in that way."

  "Did he hurt Alice?" she asked.

  When I heard Alice's name, I looked over to see that she was watching us from the corner of her eye while she talked to the others.

  "No. I pulled her away from him just in time." I closed my eyes. Xany's arm wrapped around my shoulders and I drifted to sleep.

  ***

  When I woke up, we were still in the cave. The light from the oil lanterns was dying down and most of the others in the cave were asleep.

  "What time is it?" I asked Xany. I was still leaning against her and she seemed to be the only person awake.

  "I'm not sure. Dylan's asleep and he's the only one with a watch. I didn't want to wake him. We've been in here for a few hours at least," she said and nodded to the fading light.

  "We'll be in pitch black if those burn out," I whispered.

  "I know. I can feel Caden. He's angry. I felt him fade away for a little while and now he's back."

  "I can feel Mal," I said, my eyes welling up with tears. I wanted more than anything to be wrapped in his arms. And what about Vanessa? Had anyone told her what had happened? She must be worried sick, or tearing up the house, or worse. I wished I could sense
her like I could Mal. I flinched when I wiped my face with my scorched hands. Xany turned my hands over to inspect the burns on my palms.

  "Your hands look bad, Nee. I didn't know gifts could hurt you."

  "Me either," I said.

  "We're going to have to move them to the entrance soon, Xee. With the light dying, we're going to have to risk the taint. It's not safe back here."

  "I know."

  "What if the mountain is too thick for them to sense us?" My heart started to pound in my chest.

  "If we can sense them, they can sense us. Mal's gift must not be working or else he'd be shouting in my head already." She stroked my hair again. "You're covered in blood."

  "I know. I cut his throat with this." I lifted the dagger to show her.

  "How'd you get that anyway?"

  "I already told you—"

  She interrupted me by holding up a finger. "What was that?" she whispered.

  I shook my head. At first I didn't hear anything then a loud crunching noise echoed from somewhere deep inside the mountain. Xany popped up standing and a few of the others stirred. The crunch turned into a thunderous rumble and that woke up everyone. I stood up and gripped the dagger without thinking. The earth trembled for a moment then everything was thrust into silence again.

  "Mal." I breathed out his name as relief washed over me. I sensed him as if he was right next to me, and then Caden's presence joined his. I watched the entrance, expecting to see either of the guys burst through but neither of them was the first in the room. A huge white tiger jumped through the opening and scrambled into the center of the room. Her head swung right and left until she saw Xany and me together.

  Vanessa let out an earsplitting roar and then a series of wolves padded in. Mal's onyx, Caden's chocolate, Hank's tawny, and several other multicolored wolves encircled us. The women cheered but Dylan gasped. Howls rang through the close quarters as Hank pushed his way through to the front of the line. Vanessa padded her way over to the crushed remnants of crystal and pawed at it. She turned to Mal and sneezed. Her task was complete. They must've, out of pure desperation, asked for her help in tracking the magic. Without a second thought, she padded over to me until she saw the dagger in my hand. She hissed and swatted at it because it stopped her from getting nearer to me. Cautious of my burned hands, I tucked it back into its sheath at my ankle. Vanessa moved in and bumped me with her head. She hissed again at the blood that covered me. Several of the wolves shifted into their human forms. My eyes fell on Mal and saw that he hadn't rushed me because he was shifting. I watched and waited for his human form to appear.

  "Is everyone a'right?" Hank asked.

  Everyone nodded, followed by excited chattering. When I finally saw Mal, a sob caught in my throat and I rushed over to him. He caught me and lifted me into his arms while Caden embraced Xany. He was speechless. Vanessa shifted to her human form beside Mal. Her face was gray, though her lips were pursed with what I imagined to be a mix of anger and relief. Mal guided my legs around his waist and I melted into him. Vanessa stood beside him almost stoically, and then placed a hand on my cheek. I leaned into her touch and breathed a sigh of relief.

  The rest of the Sept escorted everyone out of the cave and down the mountain to the awaiting police, paramedics, and family members.

  "Are you two completely responsible for this?" Caden said as he looked around at the smoldering body of Eva and gestured to the hallway.

  "They weren't gypsy wolves, TB. They were the collectors." Xany bounced eagerly at his side.

  "Did you find the body in the woods?" I asked and dropped my legs to stand on my own.

  "We did," Caden answered. "When we felt the disconnection from both of you, we scented you by the lake then lost you completely. Mal immediately knew what the loss of the scent meant. Our search party was so far out that we nearly crossed the border into Wyoming. We kept circling the northern side of the mountain for hours before Vanessa caught up to us. We convinced the party to allow her to sense the magics and she led us all back this way. Then all of a sudden, we could feel you," he explained.

  "Eva was stealing magic." Xany pointed to the remains of the crystal I'd shattered. "Who had the stuffed-up snout?"

  "Melinda, one of Barron's Changers, was leading. Our fourth was from Manny's pack," Mal said.

  "Can we talk at home?" I desperately wanted to get out of there.

  "We should move anyway, there's too much taint in here," Caden said and took Xany by the hand. The two of them led the way out of the cave.

  I went to follow but Mal lifted me back up and carried me while Vanessa walked at his side. She was shaking and I would have touched her if my hands weren't so charred. Caden bypassed the rescuers and snuck us away from the spotlight.

  As we approached the lake, Caden stopped and turned to face us. He, like Mal, was clad only in a loincloth.

  "Both of you need to undress and get into the lake before we go inside. You're covered with taint and it needs to be washed away immediately," he said as Mal set me down.

  "Won't it taint the lake?" Xany said as she began undressing.

  "Yes, but the shaman of the Sept will cleanse the lake. It's easier to do than cleansing both of you. Hurry before it lingers too long," he said as he made his way into the lake first. "You, too, Vanessa. No buts about it."

  She frowned at him, but the part of her that understood the danger of being covered in tainted blood won over the part that hated water. Xany, now naked, followed Caden into the lake. Vanessa's dress disappeared and she hissed her way into the water. I was too tired to worry about modesty and kicked off my boots. Mal helped me undress and he tore off my blood-covered shirt and pants. When I took off my socks, Mal ran his hand down my leg and stopped when he grazed the dagger.

  "Where did you get that?" He pulled his hand back. I left the dagger in the sheath as I walked into the water with him.

  "Xany stole it from Caden to take with us to the lake," I said. Once in the water, I used the backs of my hands to wash the blood off me.

  "I did not steal it," Xany said with a huff.

  "Are you okay?" Vanessa asked, as she moved up behind me. The cool water felt refreshing against my overheated skin.

  "I'm okay," I said and turned my hands over to show her the scorch marks.

  "You healed them?" Mal asked. The others looked on and I nodded.

  "I healed some of them. They were beaten pretty badly."

  Vanessa took both of my hands in hers and I shuddered when her scratchy tongue licked my palms from wrist to fingertip. Almost instantly, the burns disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed my neck. Without warning, she jumped back and sucked in her breath. She hopped away from me while holding her calf where the dagger had touched her skin.

  "S-silver," she stuttered.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I keep forgetting," I removed the dagger from my ankle and handed it to Caden, who tucked it into his loincloth.

  "So it was you who killed Sander?" he said as he took the dagger. I nodded.

  "She ran after him," Xany said.

  "To get Alice away from him, then I lured him into the hallway and he got stuck while shifting so I slit his throat when he tried to..." I shook my head. They didn't need to hear every part of the story. "The idiot was too big to fit in the cave," I finished and it made Xany giggle.

  "Xany burned Eva with oil lanterns. That was incredible," I said.

  "She turned into this gross skeleton thing! It was so nasty." She scrunched up her face.

  Mal, Caden, and Vanessa listened intently to our recounting of what had happened. We finished washing and Caden picked up our clothes with a stick. He carried them back to the cabin as we continued to talk. There was a fire burning in the pit out front and he tossed all of our clothes into it. I wrapped my arms around myself as a breeze blew past.

  "Ugh, my phone," I said when I smelled the melting plastic.

  Vanessa snickered and took my hand
. She led me into the house with Mal close behind. The others followed. Mal went to the bathroom to get towels. I curled into mine when he wrapped it around me. Caden started a fire in the hearth and we all gathered on the carpet in front of it to warm up and dry off.

  "Now... Let's start from the beginning," he said.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  "What's going to happen to the others?" Xany asked Caden.

  "Everyone will get the medical attention they need then they will be escorted home. The humans will be debriefed," he answered.

  "They were almost all Breeders. Rachel and Dylan were the only humans, but Dylan was something else." I smiled as I thought of him. "He acted like the protector of all the women."

  Xany nodded. Caden smiled as Mal's hands wandered over my thighs then up over my stomach. I imagined he was enjoying touching me without having to battle multiple layers of clothing. Honestly, I didn't mind it. After everything that had gone on tonight, I was safe wrapped up in his arms and with Vanessa nearby.

  "How come Hank didn't know any of them?" Xany continued.

  "Breeders can move in and out of the area pretty much undetected. Most of them were independent, kind of like you were in Wyoming, though the ones from Salt Lake City seemed to know each other," he answered.

  "I just hope they get help. Shawnee and I made them a part of our pack, so that we were all able to call you through the magic. It might have worked a little bit," she said, though with a shrug.

  "I think it worked a lot, on top of Vanessa's love for the tingly twinkles," Caden said with a grin.

  I found myself dozing on and off against Mal until Vanessa nipped my knee while she lingered on the floor in feline. Naturally, I reached over and caressed her furry head.

  "Nee's healing makes her sleepy, TB," Xany said.

  "It took a lot of energy to heal so many bad injuries. They weren't just bruises. One girl had a broken pelvis, one a busted face pretty much, and a little girl had a spine injury," I said.

  "It's important to pay attention to that, Shawnee. Our gifts are not without their prices sometimes," Mal said.

  I nodded and reached back to stroke his cheek. "Can we go to bed and talk more in the morning?" I asked. "I have no idea what time it is."