This wasn’t only about the two of them and how much they needed and loved each other. This was about their entire race and its continued existence. He’d been selfish and had not taken into consideration the repercussions to so many other shifters.
Earlier, he’d been sidetracked concentrating on the pain she suffered when she healed others. Who was he to walk into Laura’s life and assume to judge the levels of pain she could endure? She had been handling her life quite well for a long time before they ever met but he had brought up her pain as an issue. In fact, she had been afraid to tell him about it in the first place believing he was going to make her stop healing people.
Dedric had to face the fact that Laura could handle the pain and all he could do was support her decision to continue as she always had.
“I’m thankful she was able to help your mate and son.”
“If you need more help searching please ask. I would be honored to help in any way I can.”
“I’ll remember that, thank you,” Dedric replied before Rion stood up to leave. “Take care of your family, Rion.”
“I will, Alpha.”
Dedric watched the retreating figure until Rion disappeared into the early morning mist. Dedric tried to loosen his rigid muscles but it was no use; he’d be tense until he had Laura back in his arms. Leaning forward, Dedric rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face into the palms of his hands in despair.
A sense of warmth flowed over him and Dedric’s head snapped up but there was no one in the garden with him. He let loose his heightened senses, still finding no one in the immediate area.
Laura? Are you with me, love? Dedric was showered with love, confirming it was his mate. He may not be able to talk to her yet but they could sense each other.
I’m going to find you, mate. I’m trying to sense which direction you’re in. Dedric stood and began turning in a circle, sending his senses out in all directions. If anyone had seen him they’d have thought he’d lost it, but the attempt at reaching Laura was working. He was even more positive she was north of them and finally received a push in a certain direction.
Dedric opened his eyes to see the Alerian Mountain range off in the distance and knew his mate was there, somewhere. As he felt his mate’s connection slip away, he sent her all the love and reassurance he could until she was gone. Then he raced back to the Mallory house.
They had to get moving.
Laura basked in the glow of her mate’s love. She shouldn’t have worried he would reject her; she knew that now. Dedric’s love was strong and pure without reservation. She hoped she’d been able to send out a beacon to lead him to her, wherever that might be.
Another good sign appeared when a small root popped up in the middle of her cage. The dirt and rock beneath her was porous enough to allow roots to pass through. The only problem was the roots could only work their way through slowly, and she didn’t have nearly enough to mount an attack of any kind. The only choice she had was to continue to call the local flora to her as quickly as she could.
“I see you’re awake. I see no reason to hold off any longer,” said a tall woman she knew as Ula. She looked a lot like her sister, Ethne. Both had long graying hair, pointed faces and soulless expressions.
Laura didn’t sense Ethne in the area so she decided to lay a few seeds of discontent. “You might mess this up. Maybe you should wait for your sister to arrive.”
She could see Ula’s eyes flash red for a second before turning back to black. “I’d watch your tongue or I’ll cut it out.”
“If you could physically harm me you would have already.” Laura realized that Ceva must have placed a protective spell on her when neither sister would come closer than two feet from the bars on her cage. Protection spells did more than simply protect the person. It attacked anyone who came close with the intention of harming her.
“Besides,” Laura continued, “I was only repeating what Ethne said.”
“Ethne said this?”
“Well, maybe not in so many words, but enough for me to understand she’s the boss here.” Laura kept digging at Ula. If she could get them to turn on each other, it could buy her more time.
Ula growled but when Ethne walked through the entrance, Ula remained silent, choosing not to confront her sister. Interesting.
“Are we ready to start, Ula?” Ethne grumbled as she set a long length of gold chain on an altar of sorts cut into the rock wall. The walls of it were gold, and as Laura watched, the gold chain Ethne had set there began to liquefy and coat the bottom ledge, ensuring the entire altar was now covered in gold.
“Yes, sister. We are ready.” Ula stated. Laura didn’t miss the glare she gave Ethne and neither did Ethne—convincing Laura even further that Ula wasn’t blind.
“Glare at me again and I’ll take your eyes for my own,” Ethne threatened even though she hadn’t even been facing Ula. There had to be some serious magic involved for her to have that ability. She would have to make substantial sacrifices to keep that up. Then Laura was reminded of the decaying scent from earlier and cringed slightly at the thought.
Ula huffed loudly as if daring her sister to try before pulling a small red bag from her pocket. She untied it and a small yellow stone slid out into the palm of her hand.
“You see this, omega? This will suck the very life out of you, and no matter how much you struggle, you won’t be able to stop it. An old friend of ours, Koen, Ceva’s dark wizard father gave us a smaller version of the one he had used. When placed in its golden shrine it begins to suck the power and life out of you, exactly as Ceva’s father had tried to do to her,” Ula explained with a certain amount of sick satisfaction in her voice.
“Once you’re dead, the line carrying the legacy will end and all hope will be lost for your race’s survival. Eventually the curse will take over until all of your kind are destroyed. And the bonus, all your power will be trapped into this stone for me to use at will,” Ethne crooned as she took the stone from her sister.
Ula snatched it back and held it to her chest. “Power we’ll use at will.”
The tension in the small room ratcheted up quickly. Laura realized that there had been some sort of discord between the two before she planted any seeds of doubt. At most, she might have brought it toward the forefront, but it had already been festering.
“Of course, sister, we share everything,” Ethne was quick to say before taking the stone back. “I misspoke.”
Ula watched her sister carefully as Ethne placed the stone on a small pedestal in the center of their golden altar.
Laura instantly felt the pull on her body, but she didn’t flinch or give the sisters any indication that she felt anything. She wasn’t going to be their entertainment.
“Willful little Omega, you may be confident now but from what I hear it took weeks for Ceva to be able to stand again after its effects. How long do you think that babe in your belly will last?” Ethne laughed and walked out of the room followed by Ula.
She placed her hands protectively over her stomach. The thought of losing her baby was like a physical blow. Laura increased her efforts to bring larger roots to her that she could use to defend herself. The smaller root dug through further and Laura realized it was the root of a Lacoya tree—the one tree in all survival situations one would be ecstatic to find. The Lacoya tree has another name: the water tree.
Of course, Ethne and Ula hadn’t offered her any food or water; hell, they wanted her dead. She was so thirsty. Laura brought the root to her mouth, released her canines and bit into the watery flesh. She didn’t know how long she sat there sucking water out of the root but her thirst was long gone by the time she stopped.
Now that she felt slightly reenergized, Laura summoned the roots with more vigor. A new plan was hatching. If she could get a length of small root, she might be able to reach that yellow stone and bring it to her.
Laura had heard the story of Ceva’s capture from the white witch herself and knew the stone’s power could
be controlled by whoever held it. If she could get her hands on it, she and her baby would have a fighting chance of making it out of here alive. The only problem with that plan was the rock around her. The roots had to find a way through cracks and crevasses to get to her and it was taking time. Time she couldn’t afford to waste.
Warmth flowed over her and she knew her mate was trying to reach her again. Laura sent her love back and tried for a few words. Yellow stone, she repeated over and over again. Ceva would know what she meant. At least she hoped Ceva would. Slowly the warmth slipped away and the cold rock surrounding her seeped back in. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to be wrapped in her mate’s arms, and if she had to destroy the sisters to get there, so be it.
Chapter Thirteen
Ula watched her sister closely as she prepared another sacrifice for her spell. The small fairy fought against his bonds but there was no escape. Once Ula caught one they were as good as dead. She wondered what her sister would do if she refused to hunt for her any longer. Then she’d be truly blind instead of using this spell to give her some sort of vision even without actually having eyes.
Ethne smiled wickedly as she tormented the creature. Ula was all for torture and pain but for some reason now when she watched her sister work Ula was disgusted. She should make Ethne hunt for her own sacrifices; after all, this whole mess was her fault.
She reached down and touched the cold metal that was her leg. If it hadn’t been for Ethne’s meddling, their younger sister, Patin, would still be alive. What little Ula had left for a heart ached at the thought of her baby sister’s death. She’d had such promise; she had been coming into her full powers and showed signs of great cruelty. Ula had been so proud, but Ethne wanted to speed up her training.
They attacked village after village; they didn’t care if it was a wolf pack or a bear clan. All was fair game. Until the day Ethne decided they would attack King Leonidas’s pack. Ula had warned her sister that Patin was too young and inexperienced to take on a pack that strong, especially considering the wolves were gathering to strike back at them. Nevertheless, neither listened.
Even though that night had been over a thousand years ago, Ula felt the pain as if it happened yesterday. She had gone along to keep an eye on Patin, but the moment they arrived it became clear Leonidas’s pack had been waiting for them. The wolves had enlisted white witches to fight by their side providing the shifters with protection they’d never had before. Ula tried to convince Patin to leave but Ethne had filled her head with glory and her little sister thought she couldn’t lose.
In the end, the battle was short. The king of the wolves had beheaded Patin. Ula and Ethne barely made it out of there with their lives. The sisters had been enraged and lost in their grief when they cast that spell against the wolf shifters. Neither cared about the price they would have to pay for their revenge, as long as the wolves suffered.
As a result, Queen Alexandra was made barren and the wolves would suffer the loss of half their young year after year for eternity. Ula had paid with her right leg and Ethne with her eyes.
The shrill scream of the fairy brought Ula out of her musings in time to watch Ethne plunge the dagger deep into its chest. The fairy’s life force rose above its body, but instead of it moving forward to the next plane of existence it was sucked into a bottle to be mixed with a potion Ethne created to return her sight. Though missing her eyeballs served to be a bit of a problem, Ethne still managed to get some version of sight. She had never explained it to Ula other than the fact that she had to bring her the sacrifices.
Not only had Ethne caused Patin’s death, Ula was forced to be her servant. Those days would soon be over.
“Have something on your mind, sister?” Ethne asked before tipping the bottle back and drinking down the fairy’s life force.
“Thinking about Patin,” Ula muttered and kept it at that.
“It’s good to not forget why we are here and what those wolves have taken from us,” Ethne spat out. The usual high she received from drinking the potion began to set in. “Patin, sweet girl, could spout out spells killing anyone in her path. She would have been a force to be reckoned with under my tutelage. We would have been the most feared dark witches in existence.”
Ula was certain she wasn’t among the witches Ethne was speaking of.
Ethne continued with her ramblings even though Ula had walked away. She could still hear her sister even after she’d left the basement of their home built high in the Alerian Mountains. Half the house was cut out of the rock and the surrounding stone was present in all parts of the house. Ula passed four of their ogres on her way, but finally reached her room and quickly shut the door, closing Ethne’s rants out.
Ula thought about the Omega they had in the cage. Ethne was so quick to blame the wolves for everything. Maybe it helped her sleep better at night. One thing was for sure, Ula knew who was truly responsible.
It had taken a thousand years for her to come to that realization. What she did from here on would be by her own choosing.
“Yellow stone,” Dedric mumbled from the passenger seat of his SUV. Samson was driving them in the lead vehicle of six headed for the Alerian Mountains. They hoped by being closer to where they believed Laura was held would increase their ability to communicate with one another.
“What did you say?” Ceva asked from the back seat.
“It sounded like Laura kept repeating ‘yellow stone’ over and over again. What does she mean?” Dedric asked, not liking the look of terror on Ceva’s face.
“It can’t be. There was only one and we destroyed that,” Ceva said as she looked at her mate. “Pull over.”
Samson did as she asked and as soon as the wheel stopped moving Ceva was out of the vehicle and headed straight for King Leonidas in the third vehicle surrounded by his royal guards. Samson and Dedric followed. He was getting tired of being out of the loop with Ceva and he reached for her arm to stop her. She turned and bared her fangs at him while Lothar quickly put himself in front of his mate.
“You do not touch her,” Lothar growled, but Dedric wasn’t backing down. He knew full well that Ceva could strike him down where he stood but her mate wouldn’t win any battles between them, and Lothar knew it.
“I wouldn’t have to if she’d answer me for once instead of running off. Laura is my mate, my life and she’s carrying my child. I damn well want to be told shit when I ask.” Dedric was furious, not only about Ceva’s secrecy, but about the whole damn thing.
Ceva placed her hand on Lothar’s shoulder and he calmed. “I’m sorry, Alpha Dedric. Of course you should be the first to know.” It wasn’t what she said but how she said it that calmed him. Ceva had been genuine in her apology and honestly seemed sorry for behaving as if Dedric had no interest in the outcome.
“Thank you. Now what is this yellow stone?” he asked.
“Yellow stone?” King Leonidas asked as the rest of their group neared. Everyone who had been around the table plus warriors had joined them on their quest.
“Yes, Laura kept repeating ‘yellow stone.’ Please tell me what that means.”
“The yellow stone is a collector of powers. It is used to drain the life and powers from someone so that they can be used by whomever controls the stone. My father almost killed me with one,” Ceva explained before looking at Dedric. “She will need your strength to survive.”
“Anything, take anything she might need,” Dedric stated firmly.
“But I thought the stone had been destroyed,” King Leonidas stated.
“It has. This must be another that we’ve never heard of,” Ceva surmised.
“Koen,” Dedric said out of nowhere, having no idea why he’d said it.
“What about Koen?” Both Ceva and the king asked.
“I don’t know; it came into my mind and I blurted it out. Who is Koen?”
“Laura must be able to sense you’re closer and is sending you information. Koen was my father, the man that tried to kill me with t
he stone. He must have had another and that’s what the sisters are using and how they intend to kill Laura.”
“Your father gave them the stone that is trying to kill my mate.” It was more of a statement then a question. “You’re the one that placed the legacy on Laura’s family line. Can someone tell me why the sisters placed the curse on wolf shifters in the first place?”
Ceva’s guilt was easy to see, but at the moment, Dedric was more concerned with his mate’s welfare. Quickly, Ceva told him the story of the attacks and final battle before King Leonidas spoke up.
“I’m the one who beheaded their sister, Patin, and as a result my beautiful mate was cursed to never have children and my people were cursed with difficult births. If anyone is to be found in fault, it is me.”
“Bullshit,” Ceva snapped. “Those witches were killing packs village by village. You saved our race.”
The king bowed his head. Right now Dedric didn’t care whose fault it was, and what happened over a thousand years ago, they needed to get to his mate before the life was sucked out of her. Then it hit him. “Our baby, can it survive this stone?”
Ceva couldn’t look him in the eyes and Dedric had his answer. “We have to move. We have to reach her before that happens.”
Everyone returned to their SUVs and the caravan started up again. Dedric had only sensed Laura was in this direction, which could mean anywhere from his pack lands to the mountains. It was too broad of an area for Ceva to try to teleport to find her. Dedric hoped Ceva was correct when she said it would be easier to communicate the closer they got to one another.
“You must keep yourself open to her and be ready to share your power with her. This may have been the purpose for your mating gifts, your increased power, senses and strength. The gods tend to give you what you need. Also, the sisters keep ogres, so be prepared.”
Laura's Legacy Page 13