by Barb Shuler
As I stack the books from the shelves to the floor I get an eerie feeling. I look around, but see nothing. With a sigh, I kneel down and start sorting the books. Someone has gone through them and has mixed everything up. This shelf has three rows. One is for recipe books, some of which dates back to the sixties. One shelf has a few books on Occult type things, witchcraft, voodoo and there are a few on how to build a witch’s garden. The last shelf is the encyclopedia type books. They cover things like dinosaurs, animals, cars, and regular full volume books about all kinds of crap. People are always willing to sell old crap for a simple buck. This means we get loads of this crap quite often. It was time to either make this a full on bookstore, or push it back to antiques only.
I have my piles almost sorted when I hear the small bell above the door ring. I rub my hands on my thighs and stand up so I can greet my patrons… however, I don’t make it that far. To say that the look of these fellas gives me the heebie jeebies would be putting it mildly. They make my skin crawl. The biggest of the group makes his way towards me, a smirk on his lips.
“You have to come with us, now,” he says clamping my arm in his meaty fist. A dull ache runs through me as he tugs me towards him. No, I refuse to be manhandled by some creep. I kick out, my foot grazing his thigh as he jerks back.
“I like it when they fight back. Give it to her good!”
A short, stocky man all but screams in the small room. The echo that follows makes me shiver in fear. It takes me a moment to get myself back in the game. One of the men starts to shift, right there, in the middle of the freaking store. I gawk at the sight in front of me.
It isn’t until I’m snatched backwards that my fight kicks back in. I throw my head back and I kick my legs out. A two for one double tap throws me on my ass. Curses fill the room. I lurch to my feet and run for the back door. If I can make it to the street, I can call out to either Tiberius or Horacio. I have no doubt that if I scream for them they’ll come running.
My feet have no sooner hit the ground of the alleyway when I am grabbed and jerked upwards. I scream and twist my body. I’m not going to make it easy for them to take me down. There’s a deep chuckle from behind us. The man holding me - very tightly, I might add - turns to face the owner of the voice. The man walking towards us is tall, well built and has a dangerous look about him. I growl out a curse, my body jerking, trying to get free.
“Stop struggling, mate,” the tall man says. I raise a brow. Okay, someone is obviously suffering from a serious case of drug-induced delirium.
“I’m not your mate. Let me go!” I squirm against the tightening grip on my arms. I whimper as pain shoots through me. This jerk is going to pay for this.
“You have been very hard to keep up with,” the tall man says as he moves closer and grips my chin between his fingers. He holds me firmly, ensuring I have nowhere to look but into his eyes. “You are mine, now.”
“Never,” I shout, trying to tug my face away from him. My stomach flips as he tries to pull me from the man holding me.
“I have her sir. She is a bit feisty.”
“Release her, you moron,” the tall man snapped.
“She should be mine,” he countered. I roll my eyes. For the love of chocolate. What is wrong with these people?
“Is that a challenge against your alpha, Malik?”
The man holding me drops me suddenly and unceremoniously as he hisses out his answer. “Yes!” As soon as I hit the ground, I jumped to get my feet planted firmly back under me. I take in a half breath and turn just in time to see the tall man attack the one that had been holding me. I blink once and then use their distraction to run.
“Holy crap,” I whisper to myself as the alleyway turns into the massive wolf version of Wrestlemania 2018. One was black with white tufts of fur. The other, a smaller wolf, was a dark grey. He was trying to best the bigger wolf but even from here I could see he wasn’t going to have a chance.
I take off running, ignoring the pain in my leg as I hit the main street and pull out the cell phone in my back pocket. I hit the emergency button which would send me straight to Ty’s phone. Before I can make sure it is ringing I am tackled to the ground. Arms wrap around me to keep my fall from killing me, that much is appreciated, but what I don’t appreciate is the snarling, wrinkled old man sitting on top of me. I tried to fight him off but with one simple word my entire body goes stock still. I can’t move. I can’t scream. Nothing. I’m just frozen.
I watch as the man climbs off of me to kneel beside my prone body. There is a coolness running along the sides of my face and I know it’s my tears. My fear skyrockets when he starts to chant. I hear the words “bind you” “future alpha” “mate” but it all makes no sense. I am already mated, for fuck sake! A pain ripples through me and I fight to get free of the numbness that has taken over my body. I’m screaming, but making no noise. The man continues chanting as he moves his hands over me. I see his face morph into one of pure rage. A burning pain runs across my skin but is cut off when the man is sent sailing across the street.
I look up to find Amandrell and Alec hurrying towards me. The pain is consuming me now. I can’t hear them, but as they get nearer I feel something cool wash over me. My eyes drift shut… then, nothing.
I am consumed by darkness.
Twenty-Two
Horacio
I’d been climbing from the top of the water tower when I heard a sound I would know anywhere. Ty’s roar. He was pissed, but I had no idea why. I jump the last ten feet down, and as soon as my feet hit the ground and I’m off, running towards the sound.
My mate was highly pissed off. This wasn’t good… very few things could get him this unhinged.
There are a few screams, some loud yelling and a helluva lot of growling going on as I get closer to the end of town. The alleyway and street are filled with wolves, Fae and Ty battling it out. I could see Jasmine on the ground. Both Amandrell and Alec are keeping her guarded and out of harm's way.
With a snarl, I move in closer, my feet moving faster. I don’t wait to see what exactly is going on. I can see that Ty is in a fight with three wolves, and there is no time to waste. I jump, shifting in midair and land on a large grey wolf’s back. My claws dig into its sides as I throw myself sideways, pulling him from the fight with my mate. He slams into the wall closest to us after I let go of him.
I growl and he snarls, shaking off the pain of the gashes I am sure my nails have left along his sides. My tail flicks from side to side. My body is ready to attack again, but being the stupid mutt he is, he jumps at me. I dodge him, raking my extended claws down his left side. He howls in pain while I myself hiss out a laugh. Stupid wolves. We continue to fight. Teeth and claws sink into each other. He’s growing weaker, and slower. The fight lasts until I have had enough. He lunges one last time in an attempt to get to my throat. I flatten myself as best as I can and flip. My paws catch him. My talon-like claws sink deep into his flesh and with a hard flick I toss him away from me. His body slams into the wall, again. He tries to get back up as I make my way to him, shifting mid-stride. I pull a blade from my boot and with a quick flick of my wrist I end the fucker’s miserable life.
Ty snarls. The wolf in his mouth has shifted back to human. He looks like a bloody ragdoll before Ty finally drops him. A large black and white wolf charges straight for Ty. When he gets close enough the wolf shifts mid-jump, stabs Ty in the upper right flank and them pulls the knife in a downward motion, cutting a gash along his side. Ty lets out a roar of pure pain. I see the Fae jump up at this action. Oh, hell no! I charge, my knife still in my hand.
I slam into the wolf, my knife stabbing him in the shoulder. His howl of pain fills the alleyway as we wrestle for control of the knife. I flip backwards, shifting mid air, landing on all four. His wolf is big, bigger than any wolf around here, but he is no Guardian. We stalk each other, him not missing the slightest of moves that I make. I’m standing in front of him, blocking the alleyway entrance and his only escape route.
I almost have him, then Ty’s cry of pain causes me to shift my focus to him for just a moment, giving the wolf the opportunity to crash into me, taking me by surprise and knocking me to the ground.. He doesn’t go for a fight though, he just runs. Fucking coward!
I hurry over to where Ty is laying on the ground, panting and cursing like a sailor on a three day pass.
“What happened?” I snarl. Amandrell is running a hand along Ty’s shoulder and side.
“He was stabbed, duh,” she says. I growl at her, having no patience for her sarcasm right now. She has always been a smart ass. Usually I can ignore it, but not today. Not while my mate is on the ground bleeding.
“I saw that. That’s not what I meant. What happened here?” My attention is pulled from Ty when Jasmine sits up and whimpers. I quickly move to her. Alec is running his hands over the air around her. A shiver runs through him and his face pales for a moment before his hands begin to glow with his magic.
“Ty,” Jasmine croaks. I take her hand and make her look at me.
“He’ll be fine. Can you tell me what happened?” I ask. She looks dazed. I curse, throw my head back and shout, “KELANIE!”
The air around us shifts and the old Fae is at her granddaughter’s side in the blink of an eye.
“What happened, child?” Jasmine shudders and then falls back against Alec. He too falls back, resting against the alley’s wall.
“Holy Goddess, that hurt,” he says. I raise a brow and move to pull Jasmine to me, kissing her head.
“What did you see?” Kelanie asks Alec.
He sighed. “The sorcerer tried to make a bond between Jasmine and the other alpha. When he discovered she is already bonded to another... he... he tried to break the bond she has with them. Something blocked him.. I don’t see any damage to their bond.”
“Who did this?” I ask.
“The Alpha of the Crossfire pack. This was his doing. He has claimed her as his.” Alec’s eyes first meet Kelanie’s, then mine before moving over to Ty, who was once again cursing up a storm.
“Stay still, you oaf, or I will make a rug from your hide!” Amandrell snarls at him. I shake my head. Those two, I swear, are worse than children.
“Get off me! I’m fucking fine!” Ty snarls as he stands. His body sways a bit, but he moves to where Jasmine and I are. He falls to his knees and wraps his arms around us both. I lean my head up and kiss his lips softly.
“She’s okay, just a little shook up, and disoriented. I didn’t sense any injuries,” Alec says. I nod at him. Ty seems to deflate slightly at Alec’s words. There’s a buzz in the air around us and then Lalamke is standing before us with a sour look on his face.
“We need to get back to the cabin. Trouble is brewing with the packs. They are heading this way, quickly. I do not wish to be in the middle of that chaos. I advised the council to be prepared.” He spins and says something into the wind. A shiver runs through me and Jasmine lets out a shaky breath. Lalamke spins back to us, his eyes boring into hers as she looks up. With another whispered word he moves closer, his hand moving across the air. Everyone watches him closely. His hand begins to glow a faint blue. He abruptly stands, a curse leaving his lips. Kelanie also stands and takes his hand. They shared a silent conversation as they have many times before. Kelanie gasps, yet a smile grows on her lips. She releases Lalamke’s hand and turns to Alec. He stands on his feet and awaits her next words. Both Ty and I are ready for anything, or so I thought.
“Alec, retrieve Micah..bring him to the cabin,” Kelanie instructs. She turns to face Jasmine - who is still a little out of it.
“What is it?” Ty growls out. Alec vanished from this plain, and with a sigh, I stand and pull both Ty and Jasmine up with me.
“We must go to the cabin. Now! Move it. Carry her, Horacio. Tiberius is still healing.” Kelanie commands, meeting my gaze.
“Kelanie?” I question. Her face falls slightly.
“Hurry, before the others return. We must get her to safety.”
“What in the FUCK is going on here?!” Ty roars. Jasmine jerks up to look at him, but her body slumps back down. I scoop her up into my arms.
“Your mate is pregnant. That’s what. Now stop arguing with me and move your fur covered hide before I turn you into a rug.” With that Kelanie and Lalamke also vanish from this plain. I growl as Amandrell follows behind them.
Pregnant? Holy fucking hell!
Twenty-Three
Tiberius
I walked with Horacio and Jasmine back to the cabin in a daze. I can’t even tell you what happened after that. Between my injuries knitting back together, the Fae juju running through me to burn out whatever it was that was on that stupid blade, and my own hyper awareness of Jasmine’s being pregnant, my world was spinning out of control. Add to that, that I was overdosing on adrenaline. I felt like a junkie coming down off a high. It was mind blowing.
I remember sitting down on the bed beside Jasmine, and that was it. Until now. My eyes fly open when I hear Jasmine scream, followed by a crash of glass. My body vibrating, I charge to the front of the cabin. I snarl when I see her on the floor. She sits up and starts cursing just as the front door bursts open. She screams again as I move over to her. A cold gust of wind blows in with Horacio. He has an arm full of wood, which he dumps by the fireplace before he too moves to sit beside her as well.
“What happened, baby?” I ask, pulling her onto my lap, making sure neither of us get cut by the shards of glass from what looked like a glass bowl.
“I tripped…” she sighs and buries her face in my neck. A rumble builds in me and I chuckle. Horacio kisses her head and meets my eyes. I begin to play back what had happened in the alleyway and growl as I take his hand.
“Are the mutts dead?”
“Yes, calm down, love.” Horacio says, give my hand a squeeze to reassure me.
“What do you remember?” Jasmine asks me. I huff out a breath.
“I’m not sure. I remember the surge of anger I felt when I got to you. You were on the ground with some man over you. I went for him, but was attacked by those mangy mutts…” A growl rumbles through me. Horacio pulled my chin down so I am looking at him.
“They were taken care of. Relax! You and Jasmine need to just rest after all that excitement. You have been asleep for three - almost four days, my handsome man, and Jasmine slept for a day and a half… I do believe you both are going to make me go gray haired prematurely.”
“Three- four days!? What the fuck?”
“Ty, calm down. Your body had to fight the poison that was in your system. Kelanie and Amandrell made sure it was gone. You and Jassy girl here are fine.”
“The baby, too,” Jasmine says, a smile playing at her lips.
“Baby... I thought that was a hallucination.” I blink and try to see if there is more in my memory about the baby. I can’t find anything. I look down to see Jasmine frown and try to push from me. I wrap my arm around her tighter.
“You jerk!” she hisses out. I frown and look to Horacio for help here. What have I done?
“Jasmine, baby. He didn’t mean it like that. You gotta remember he’s been out of it for almost a week. A few things are bound to be foggy in that empty head of his.” His lips tip up at that. Asshole! I slump back as she turns to glare daggers at me. I meet her gaze, not willing to back down from her.
“You don’t remember?” she asks, her features softening slightly. I move my hand to her belly and tilt my head when I felt a slight bump there. My eyes flick up at Horacio and he nods.
“I only have bits and pieces, baby. I’m sorry. That damn Fae juju is a killer.” I move my hand around on her belly again and lean down, my body almost in half as I lifted her shirt and rest my cheek against her skin. Her fingers move to the back of my neck as I close my eyes. Our baby. I smile, placing a soft kiss to the skin of her abdomen. “Our baby.”
“Our baby,” she whispered. I feel a strong hand join hers as they rub my neck. Slowly the events of the day she was attac
ked flood back into my mind. I hold onto her as it plays like a bad horror movie in my head.
I had been on my way to the shop to see Jasmine. The east part of town was secure. No signs of rogue shifters, or trouble. My cell phone rang and when I answered my blood ran cold. I could hear Jasmine scream, a scuffle and then... silence. I moved as fast as I could towards the shop. The moment I hit the door I smelled them.
Fucking wolves. The same ones that we had run off the last time. I made my way through the store and followed their scents. When I saw Jasmine on the ground, a man over her, I lost it. My bear sprang forward, but before I could get to her a wolf slammed into me. It was a fight I determined to win, for my mate, but a second wolf decided to join the fight and then a third. I roared as I slashed with my four inch claws and bit with my razor sharp teeth. My body convulsed from the amount of anger and fear I felt for my girl.
Then a searing pain burned through my shoulder and worked its way down my body… after that, I’m not sure of anything.
“Ty, relax, baby. She’s safe. It’s all over now,” Horacio says, leaning in and kissing the corner of my mouth. “Our girl, and our baby are safe.” A rumble leaves my chest and I nuzzle into her more.
“That was too close. I was almost too late. You didn’t see.. You didn’t smell her fear. It wrapped itself around me. I can still feel it now. It’s strong enough to choke me.”
“I felt it. I saw it. I had to watch you get fileted by a fucking wolf. I get it. You have to move on or you will make yourself nuts, man. She’s safe. We all are. The Fae are on it. They’re trying to figure out exactly what in the hell those mangy dogs were up to… other than trying to steal our girl from us.”
He bit out the last words and I growl, my arms tightening around Jasmine. After a few minutes she squirms in my lap.
“Uh, guys,” Jasmine says, apprehension in her voice. I look up, slowly unfolding my body from around her. My hand moved up to cup her cheek.