“I missed your smell.” Her words were quiet.
“My smell?” he asked in shock and laughed. She didn’t reply as sleep fell over her.
Chapter 18 - Pack
Her slumber had never been so wonderful. When she opened her eyes, she found her cheek rested on Tyson’s chest while his arms held her firmly. There was really only space for one person in the enclosed cave he’d found to hide in, but she was glad of the excuse to be so close to him. The smell was damp, and she detected what reminded her of Christmas evergreens. Tyson held perfectly still and she thought he slept. She wanted to see his face, but refrained from moving so as not to disturb him. His heart was thumping under her ear, wild and free.
“How are you feeling?” he asked in a low whisper, proving he wasn’t sleeping at all. His breath came on her cheek.
“Better.” It was true, the pain from the bullet was a distant ache as if she’d dreamt the injury. “Are we hiding, or resting?”
“Mostly resting, although I expected a challenge from Mark by now. He has yet to show his cowardly face and I suspect we haven’t heard the last of him.”
“He was very frightened of you,” she said as she took in their surroundings. Their cave was a near perfect cone, coming to a point at the top. A small opening allowed him to glance out periodically.
“He should have been. He swore up and down he didn’t know where you were and said he’d contact me with the information. He said Parker had moved and wouldn’t let him know until after he’d released Beth and your mother. It was the only thing he could say that would convince me to let him go. His final lies sealed his fate as far as I’m concerned and I think he knew it.” Tyson’s face was gravely serious and a tremor ran up her spine. He pulled her closer without warning. “I’m sorry, I won’t talk like that anymore.” His hand rested in her hair, cradling her head against his chest. She wanted to stay in his embrace forever, but leaned back. “You don’t have to ask,” he said before she could voice the question. “You want to know about me.”
“Yes,” she answered and laid her head against his shoulder.
“Words failed me time and again when I tried to tell you before,” he murmured, his lips in her hair. “I find they fail me again…or perhaps my courage fails. I am ashamed and sickened by how you discovered who I am.”
“Jothram,” she whispered. His body tensed as if he thought she might strike him.
“Yes, Jothram, son of Ty. Knight to Queen Mahina, the fairest of the Silverfair.”
“Silverfair?”
“They were a hidden people, a sacred people devoted to the white dragon who guarded the Sacred Valley.”
“A dragon?” she gasped and pushed back again. “You…knew a dragon?”
“I never met her, but I saw her from afar.”
“I remember you said it was their magic the dark forces tainted.”
“Yes, and you remember how those forces sought their treasure?”
She nodded.
“I was given the curse, but knew nothing of it. The original spell would have given me the ability to change into a wolf. A dark warlock named Kolrut altered it, made it so the wolf was wild and evil. I told you before how the good Queen used her magic to appease the spell, but it had already taken effect and there was only so much she could do. Before I realized what was wrong, I infected Mark. He had come with me to the lands of the Silverfair and desired to become a knight as well. I was helping him to train and we spent countless days sparing with the sword and any number of weapons. I became injured during one of these matches…and so did he. Our blood was crossed and he became infected.
“The Queen used her magic on him as well. In the beginning we were united, determined to make the most of our situation. The Queen’s warriors helped us to train our wild ways, taking us far from innocents until we could contain ourselves. When we had gained as much control as possible, Mark wanted to return to Queen Mahina’s halls. I thought it better if we lived out our years in isolation while awaiting—” His sentence stopped abruptly and he tensed again.
“Me,” Clara said for him.
“Yes,” he said and his chest fell. “Yes, you. I was young then, but the gravity of the situation fell on me more with each year. I started out hoping for you and ended up hoping you would never know my curse. Anyway, Mark insisted we return and what could I say? He had more to give up. I thought we could make it work…for his sake I had to try.”
She felt his jaw working as he chewed his cheek. “It turned out I was right to think we should not live near any kind of people. Angela was one of the Silverfair. She and Mark had fallen in love and wanted to be married. She had no idea what happened to us and thought we’d gone away for special training. Mark’s eyes glowed when he lost control once and she discovered what he truly was. She was horrified to say the least. When she screamed and ran from him, he became distraught and transformed into a wild wolf. Our weakness was not known then and he killed many before I was able to drive him out. He blames me for it all and, in a sense, he’s right. If I hadn’t infected him, he wouldn’t have killed Angela.”
“He said you murdered her in cold blood,” Clara breathed. “I couldn’t believe it, but when I heard your confession I thought…”
“You thought I behaved as a monster would,” he muttered.
“No! I just…worried there was a part of you I didn’t know. I was weakened. Parker kept saying things and Mark would say things. I didn’t know what to think because…” she hesitated again.
“Because I never told you the truth?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Tyson. In my heart I knew it couldn’t be.”
“You’re apologizing to me?” he asked with a laugh. “I could apologize for the rest of my life and it wouldn’t be enough. I was a coward not to face you and I’m sorry. I feared losing you and what we had…I thought it was impossible for you to love me.”
“Well, it isn’t impossible,” she said quietly.
His heart beat faster, sounding so quick she thought his chest might explode. She tilted her head back to ensure he was well. His blue eyes caught hers. They didn’t seem as icy as she remembered and she saw in them what she’d hoped all along. Words lingered in her throat as she bit her lip. He took her hand and pressed it to his chest where his heart raced.
“Do you feel the effect you have on me?”
Her own heart filled with electric joy and hammered as if it might burst. His eyes were bright, but not with the flame of the wild wolf. His words failed as well and he released her hand to brush her cheek with the back of his fingers. Leaning his forehead against hers, his mouth was so close that she tilted her head and touched his lips with hers. He hesitated and shivered then put a hand on her neck, aligning his thumb with her jaw. A single wistful kiss was exchanged. Clara’s heart turned into a million fiery butterflies that took off in her chest and tried to find escape by running up and down her arms. Tyson leaned back and cupped his other hand to her chin, searching her eyes.
“Of all the self centered things I’ve done, I think that was the worst,” he whispered.
“That’s not what I was thinking,” she said, exhaling after holding her breath.
“What were you thinking?” he asked and grimaced ever so slightly.
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him again, pulling him as close as she could. His arms circled around her and they were lost in time. When Tyson broke their embrace she was breathless. He took a deep gulp of air and she could see his eyes held faint traces of yellow in them. He pulled her into a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“I am a selfish dog,” he murmured. Clara couldn’t bring herself to argue, no matter how she disagreed. Instead, she enjoyed the comfort of being enveloped in his arms. “And you are a crazy, silly woman.”
Smiling contentedly, she didn’t take his bait, refusing to budge. She wasn’t willing to sacrifice the cuddle to quarrel. Outside their small cave insects hummed and birds chirped. By the int
ensity of the light breaking through the small crack, she guessed it was hot. They were sheltered in the shade and quite comfortable. Sleep was almost upon her a second time when he stiffened.
“What?” she asked in a whisper. He relaxed just as quickly as he’d tensed.
“We have company,” he said, obviously relieved.
“Who is it?”
“Mesha and Callan.” He shifted her out of his lap and crawled through the mouth of the cave. She followed and he helped her to her feet, keeping one of her hands clutched tightly in his.
Clara gasped when she realized the exterior of their shelter wasn’t stone, but a hollow tree. The trunk was enormous, larger than any she’d ever seen and the bark was grey and orange. Her line of sight followed the height of the tree, but she couldn’t see the top. They were surrounded by many similar trees, most were even larger around and their tops endless. There were giant pinecones scattered over the forest floor, nestled in a thick layer of needles.
“This place is amazing,” she breathed. Tyson nodded while keeping his eyes roaming through the trees. He was nervous to be in the open. Callan found them first, followed closely by Mesha. Clara’s heart threatened to rip open once more when they rushed to embrace her and she couldn’t find appropriate words. It seemed they couldn’t either and no one said anything for a few minutes. When she looked into Callan’s face, his eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered remorsefully and hugged her again.
“We both are,” Mesha added, choking on her emotion. They blamed themselves for her capture.
“Don’t be sorry,” she said and put an arm about their middles, squeezing them closer. “I left the house while you were sleeping.”
“What made you do it?” Callan asked.
“I thought I heard Tyson,” she glanced at him. “But it was Mark. He said he had Tyson.”
“He lied,” Tyson growled.
“You hadn’t returned and I assumed the worst.” She lowered her eyes. “I was worried.”
“I was stalling,” he confessed and took her hand again. “I didn’t know how to face you with the truth. The words were easy to say when you weren’t around, but every time I tried to broach the subject, I couldn’t make my mouth say it.”
“I suppose we were all at fault,” Callan said while eyeing their clasped hands. Mesha huffed in annoyance, but nodded. Callan sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward.
Tyson’s free fist curled in a tight ball when he prepared to voice the question on his mind. He stared into nothing and he closed his eyes a moment, obviously bracing for bad news. “What happened after we left?”
Both Callan and Mesha looked away, sadness entering their eyes and features. “More members from Rodger’s pack were lost,” Callan whispered.
“Felina’s pack remains intact,” Mesha said. “Even her pups.”
“Rodger shouldn’t have come. I did not mean to involve them,” Tyson said. “I knew Felina would help and I had every confidence she’d strengthened her pack enough that they would survive if any of us did. Rodger learned what happened and insisted on coming. His boys didn’t know how to draw strength from one another. He taught them to survive by isolating themselves, not only from the world, but from one another.”
“I shouldn’t have—” Clara started to say. Tyson put his hand behind her neck and pulled her into an embrace before she could finish.
“Yes, you should have,” he said.
“Any one of you could have been killed,” she whispered to the folds of his shirt, shuddering at the memory of Felix firing his rifle and killing wolves. “Rodger and his pack shouldn’t have died.”
“Sis,” Callan said and she felt his hand on her shoulder. “They wanted to kill Parker more than anything. Nothing we said stopped them once Felina revealed Parker’s location.”
“That’s right,” Mesha said. “They almost messed things up because they were so eager to destroy him. He’s hunted members of their pack before. Their deaths are tragic, but you need to know that to them, this was about revenge.”
Clara nodded while trying to fully understand. Tyson kept her locked in his arms as he asked his next question with baited breath. “Where are Dawn and Jack?”
“They were on their way,” Mesha answered. “Jack was setting the place on fire to destroy the deposits of blood.”
“Deposits?” Clara squeaked.
Mesha made a face. “That was probably more than I should have said.”
“Parker said he wanted to heal people,” Clara remembered.
“What?” Callan and Tyson spoke in unison, both their voices full of disbelief.
“He told me about his daughter, and how she died.”
“It sounds like Mark wasn’t the only one spreading lies,” Tyson said. His eyes began to glow.
“He said my blood could heal people if they drank it any night but the night of the new or full moon.”
“That is not true. He sold it years ago to investors. He owed many powerful people a taste, otherwise he would have to pay them all back. He never had a daughter,” Tyson said.
“There are more men like Parker who know about this?” Callan asked. Clara thought she detected a faint bit of gold in his eyes as well.
“Yes, and they will be searching for Clara when they discover what happened. These individuals won’t be as skilled as Parker was at trapping us. He had centuries of experience handed down from his father. However, most will have money and that can go a long way.”
“The danger hasn’t passed,” Mesha said with a sigh. “I thought this would end when you killed Parker.”
“No, and Mark will always find a way to stir up trouble while he’s alive.”
“He won’t be much longer.” Callan gritted his teeth and clenched his hands by his side. Mesha nodded in somber agreement. Tyson tensed and cocked his head.
“Someone’s coming, I can’t catch their scent.”
Mesha and Callan immediately changed shape, taking on a claylike color and their bodies contorting as if someone were molding them with invisible hands. Their ears slid to the back of their heads and became pointed while their noses grew long. It happened under a second in a blast of fur. When they completed the morph, they listened before disappearing, running in the same direction. Tyson tensed yet again, crushing her fingers. Another moment went by before he breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. “It’s only Dawn and Jack.”
Clara followed his line of sight and four wolves suddenly appeared before her. They greeted her by pressing their snouts into her hands. She hugged them both, overcome with gratitude for the danger they’d put themselves in.
“Thank you,” she said, too overcome to add more. All four tails wagged. Mesha’s tongue fell from her mouth as she grinned through her teeth. Clara turned to Tyson and found him in his wolf form as well. He crouched by her and she climbed onto his back without a second thought.
Chapter 19 - Safe
Thankfully, the run wasn’t a long one. They came to a stop outside a lonesome cabin built of great redwood logs. It would have blended in with the backdrop if not for the shiny tin roof and bright white window panes. When Clara dismounted, she found her legs hadn’t cramped or gone numb as they’d done in the past. The others changed to their human forms the same moment the front door opened with a jerk. Lucita stood in the frame, her smile shining from her eyes. She ran to Clara and embraced her. Beth came out as well and she was glad to note they appeared worlds better. Lucita cried and Clara found tears on her own cheeks once more. Her mother stepped back and her attention drew to Tyson. A look of surprise crossed his face when she pulled him into a hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered fiercely. Another shocked expression crossed his face before he was able to hug her back. Clara covered her mouth to control her emotions as the scene she couldn’t even imagine before played out before her eyes.
“You know, we helped too, mom,” Callan pointed out jealously. She laughed and hugged him. Beth moved to Jac
k and put her arm about his middle. His arm went around her shoulders as if they’d never been apart and he smiled. The expression lit his face. Beth, now she wasn’t covered in the filth of the cell, didn’t appear much older than fifteen or sixteen. Her body was slight and she was a head shorter than anyone.
“Let’s get this girl inside and fed,” Dawn urged everyone through the door. “She’s paler than a rabbit’s tail.”
Clara absorbed everything as chatter broke out around her. She learned her mother and Beth stayed behind because they hadn’t had time to reconnect with their wolf instincts properly. They were full of questions about the rescue and the others were more than willing to fill them in on most parts. Dawn prepared a small feast and their stomachs were soon filled. Tyson wasn’t very talkative, but she wasn’t surprised. He stayed by her side, sometimes reaching for her hand as if to make sure she was real. Her heart would flutter each time.
Clara didn’t want to leave the comfort of the front room, especially as night approached. Beth and Jack were the first to run off when the moon rose. Callan and Mesha followed soon after. The distress showed on Mesha’s face but Clara assured her it was alright. Her mother and Tyson were the only two remaining by 10 pm. Lucita had never been one to show anxiety before. She had even kept her secret hidden from her children for most of their lives. It was strange to see her anxious about anything, but she twisted her fingers as she sat in a chair under the window. Tyson was next to Clara with her fingers interlaced with his, the very picture of calm.
“Mom, I understand if you want to change into your wolf form.”
“It won’t help unless I’m out in the night,” Lucita said with a shake of her head.
“Nothing will happen, you can go.”
“I know, but I can’t help but worry. I want to be here with you more than anything.” Luzy’s eye moved to Tyson. “How can you sit there as if the moon isn’t calling you?”
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