by Skye Malone
Why try to take her strength? Why try to drain what they’d helped create?
Child…
Lindy looked up, her eyes finding Carolyn and all the Allegiants, their faces so sure, so confident.
For no reason at all.
They didn’t make this power inside her. Not really. Sure, they’d twisted it just like they twisted everything, corrupting Niorun’s gifts and seeking to turn them into something else. Something they thought belonged to them, just like they thought about the ulfhednar runes and seidr and the whole damn world.
The poison was not poison.
It was their ideas.
Lindy had never been theirs. These powers weren’t either.
They’d come from Niorun.
A snarl left her. One at a time, she drove her paws into the snow, bracing herself as she reached deep into the shadows inside her, welcoming every last one. Every nightmare. Every old fear. Because they weren’t terrifying.
They were her.
In a roaring, tumbling wave, the shadows flooded her veins, building higher and higher like an electrical storm. Snapping and snarling, they coursed through everything she was, teeming with nightmares and dreams and hopes and fears.
All of life and everything beyond.
The chains shattered. Rising to her feet, she swept her eyes over the Allegiants as smoke and shadows rolled out around her, billowing and churning, filled with the echoes of terrified cries. The Allegiants stumbled back as the wave of darkness hit, horror suffusing their skull-like faces. Inside the dark pits of their sockets, their eyes darted around like they were suddenly seeing their darkest dreams come to life.
And Lindy growled.
Their screams tore through the air. Scrambling backward, they raced into the forest as if fleeing for their lives.
Lindy turned to find her mother standing stock-still before her. Instinct whispered what to do, same as it had on the porch when the draugar arrived, and with only a moment’s concentration, Lindy felt the shift rush through her.
The shadows stayed as she straightened in human form, the black mist draping around her like a dark robe and drifting away like smoke at the edges. Beneath her bare feet, the snow felt as cool as spring water, and overhead, the green smoke hung like frozen clouds motionless in the sky.
Carolyn drew herself up with an imperiousness that would have been frightening, if not for the fear Lindy could see making her mother tremble. “You can’t do this,” the woman insisted. “You’re a tool of the Order.”
Pacing forward, Lindy lifted her hand. Tongues of shadow like candle flames twisted out from her ink-black fingers. “I’m nothing you own.”
Carolyn’s eyes darted from Lindy to the dark fire.
Lindy twisted her wrist, letting the black flames dance higher. “You will never hurt me or anyone I love ever again, do you understand?”
A whimper slipped from Carolyn before she clamped her lips shut tighter.
“Do you understand?”
Her mother’s feet slipped backward as she flinched away.
For a long moment, Lindy regarded her, torn on what to do. She couldn’t kill her mother. No matter what the woman had done, no matter what Carolyn was, Lindy couldn’t bring herself to do it.
But she could make sure her mother never came near them again.
Tendrils of shadow twisted out from Lindy. Wrapping around the woman, the darkness sank deep into her, finding Carolyn’s fears, drawing them out like pulling threads from a cloth. Overhead and throughout the forest, the green clouds dissipated into nothingness while her mother staggered back, batting at the shadows tangling around her, unable to escape.
Lindy stepped closer, her voice becoming a growl. “This family is mine.”
Carolyn shrieked, cringing away.
A hint of a predatory smile crossed Lindy’s face. “Run.”
The shadows parted around Carolyn, releasing their grip. Instantly, the woman stumbled backward and bolted for the woods like the hounds of hell were on her tail.
A slow breath escaping her, Lindy watched her go, her hand lifting to the break in the tattooed collar and the tingling gold runes on her throat. Even if she wasn’t sure what she’d done, something inside told her the woman wouldn’t escape it.
Possibly ever.
And that was the point. Protection for her family, for the shifters, and a message too, one sent to the Order and Dal Hegnar himself. The Scythe of Niorun wasn’t their property.
Never again.
Shrieks of the draugar came from beyond the edge of the cabin, and she could still pick out their shapes amid the shadows in her mind. Striding back the way she’d come, she rounded the corner to see the bears coated in ash, still fighting the horde. But there were dozens of the monsters still standing. Maybe hundreds scattered throughout the berserkers’ compound. Even now, some of the draugar turned, spotting her, racing toward her with their mouths open wide and their rotted teeth bared.
A strange feeling stirred in her, a sense of a brighter shape in the shadows, but not threatening. Familiar.
Wes, she realized, held back by the never-ending horde racing her way.
Something inside her howled.
Instantly, shadows surged away from her, roaring out across the compound in a black and tumbling wave. It swept past the bears and Wes, leaving them untouched like islands in a dark sea, and struck the draugar.
The monsters shattered into dust.
Mid-strike, the bears paused, looking around in shock. One by one, they spotted her, several of them growling while others took a step back in alarm.
Her eyes were only on Wes.
Renewed trepidation stirred in her as she saw him staring at her too. What would he think of this? Of her?
And the strangest feeling suddenly filtered into her mind, like a warm breeze on a summer’s day. Comfort, but somehow from outside of her.
Her brow furrowed in alarm. It was him.
She walked across the clearing, her bare feet scarcely chilled by the snow, and the bears retreated from her path. When she reached him, she crouched down, meeting his gray eyes.
The warm feeling strengthened. On instinct, she reached out, putting her arms around him, and he nuzzled his head against her, a low rumble in his chest like a contented growl. Because he was with her, and she was with him.
Her mate.
She paused. The thought was… right. Peaceful and soothing, it spoke in a voice that was at once both new and yet her own.
A wolf.
One who, more than anything, was finally free.
Among all the food and weapons and supplies that Maeve and Everett apparently had stockpiled, they’d thankfully included plenty of clothes.
Unfortunately, none of them really fit.
Lindy cinched a belt tighter, scrunching the jeans around her waist, and regarded herself in the bedroom mirror. The knit sweater hung like a multicolored carnival tent on her with the sleeves rolled up to keep them from dangling past her hands. Above the wide collar, dark tattoos like claws still framed her face, and the golden runes glistened on her throat.
A wry chuckle escaped her. As looks went, she supposed there was worse than “goth met garage sale.”
Though, now that she thought of it…
She glanced at the mirror. Earlier on, she’d been able to draw shadows covering her back inside with only a thought. But that dark smoke wasn’t the only part of this power.
Her eyes narrowed at herself in the mirror.
The tattoos vanished like ink drawing back into her flesh, leaving no trace they’d ever marked her skin. Only the shimmer of gold at her neck remained, a thin line of runes that shone only in the right angle of light.
A breath left her, and her trembling hand lifted to her cheek. No black stain marred her fingers any longer. No tangle of jet-black lines wrapped her palms. Shoving the sleeve of the sweater aside, she gasped.
The Allegiant tattoo was gone.
Her lips moved, but she couldn’t m
ake a sound, happiness choking her with an elated sob. Somewhere inside, the darkness still twisted, but it was hers now. Not a death sentence, but a gift. Power from a goddess who’d never cursed her at all. And if she needed them, somehow she knew the shadows would be there and the marks would return. But until that time, they slumbered peacefully inside.
Knocking came on the door, and then the handle twisted. “Lindy?” Wes stuck his head in.
She turned, and his mouth fell open.
“Oh, merciful gods…” He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him and never taking his eyes from her. “How…?”
Shaking her head, she shrugged, grinning. “Like shifting into a wolf. I get to choose.”
His brow twitched down as he absorbed the words, and then he was rushing across the room to her, lifting her in his arms. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she hugged him, laughing while he spun her around. Setting her back down, he looked down at her, such joy in his eyes, and then his lips found her own.
She melted into the kiss, her hands tightening on him to keep him close, and she never wanted to let go. His fist clenched on the back of her baggy sweater, holding her to him as his tongue plundered her, every inch of her body pressed to his, and when he broke from her, she could barely breathe from the way her heart was racing.
Her hand reached up, cupping his cheek as she looked deep into his eyes. She never would have imagined she could find a happiness like this, and yet here it was.
With him.
Her mate.
The words pressed at the edge of her lips, but she didn’t know how to say them. How did wolves handle that? She was so new to all this, and yet… even with how wonderful things were between them, what if, when it came to that, he didn’t feel the same?
A concerned look crossed his face. “Are you okay?”
She started to nod, only to hesitate. “Yeah, I just—”
“Lindy?” Henry’s voice came down the hall. “Wes? You decent?”
Wes glanced at the door briefly before looking back to her. “What is it?” he asked quietly.
She hesitated, apprehension tangling up so badly it choked her. “Nothing.”
His brow furrowed, but he nodded, and when he took her hand, she gripped it tightly as they walked to the door.
At the end of the hall, the bears were waiting in the living room with her father and brother nearby.
“We’ve come to a decision,” Henry said when they walked in. “This place isn’t safe. The Order knows we’re alive, and they know we’re here. Now, we could ask you to stay put and help defend this place, but”—he glanced at Knox, who looked away, scowling—“strategically there are too many potential liabilities. But you told your father you had somewhere safe.”
“We want to know where it is,” Maeve said.
Lindy drew a breath, glancing at Wes. He gave her a small nod.
“His pack has a place outside Mariposa, Colorado,” she said. “A fortified manor and a very secure bunker too. And my best friend, Hayden, she’s, uh… pretty amazing with seidr. She and the pack defend that place, and the draugar and the Order can’t reach anyone there.”
“Would there be space for us?” Everett asked.
“We’ll find it,” Wes assured him.
“Thank you,” Henry said, nodding.
Wes echoed the motion.
“Tell the others,” Everett said to Knox. “Pack everything. We’ll take the Humvees and leave within the hour.”
The bear looked like he was grinding his teeth, but he gave a quick jerk of his head all the same.
As the others hurried away, Lindy sighed. With a setup like the bears possessed, driving back wouldn’t be as hard as it’d been coming here. Moreover, her powers were under her own control now, and with Wes and the berserkers around them, her family would be safe.
They’d all make it. And when they got back…
Anxiety knotted her stomach. What would her best friend think to see her now?
Wes tightened his grip on her hand, and she glanced at him.
“You sure you’re all right?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He nodded at the response, still watching her.
Lindy shrugged awkwardly. “What… what’s it like, being…” She floundered. “I mean… being bitten and then meeting the wolves and…”
“They’ll accept you.”
She looked back up at him.
“They’re my family. And Hayden… she’s your friend, right?” He drew her closer. “We’ll explain what happened—as much as you’re comfortable with—and go from there. But…” He grinned. “I think you’re going to like being part of the pack.”
Warmth and hope bloomed in her chest, all tangled up in one. Being part of a pack had never been anything she’d imagined for herself and yet, it felt right too.
But that left one thing…
Lindy drew a deep breath. “Wes… Outside, when I saw you after the draugar—” She bit her lip, avoiding his eyes. “A word came to me.”
He was silent for a second. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” She looked up at him. “My, uh… mate.”
Air left him.
She ducked her face away again. “I… I love you, Wes. And I’m not saying you have to feel the same way, I just—”
He drew her to him, his lips claiming hers. The strangest feeling spread through her, as if a dark and powerful wolf was wrapping around her, protective and loving and so gentle despite all its strength. And inside herself, the shadows and darkness rose to meet it, not dangerous, but filled with so much love, it took her breath away.
Wes pulled back to stare into her eyes. “I do.”
Her mouth moved, all her words escaping her.
He smiled. “You’re my mate, Lindy. From the moment I saw you, no matter how I tried to deny it, my heart was always yours.” He kissed her again. “I love you with everything I am. Forever.”
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes that were only joy. “Forever.”
32
Knox
This was a mistake.
Climbing from the Humvee, Knox eyed the enormous ulfhednar manor. Three stories of stone and plaster towered over the courtyard and the burnt trees around it. To hear Wes and Lindy tell it, a bunker of even larger size sprawled underground beneath it, though all on its own, the building could probably house an army.
Noises of relief came from the civilian bears still sitting in the Humvee behind him. After days of driving across country—not to mention years of hiding in fear of the Order—someplace this secure had to look like they’d arrived in nirvana.
They didn’t know the wolves like he did. What the ulfhednar were capable of.
What they’d done.
“Stay in the vehicles,” he ordered the civilians and his Bloodclaws alike. “Keep the engine running.”
Fear scents from the civilians prickled his nose, but they all obeyed.
“Alex,” he continued. “Amelia.”
Without a word, the twins left the Humvee and came up to his side. From the other vehicles, Everett and Henry climbed down, along with Wes, Lindy, and her family.
Knox’s teeth ground as he and the twins walked toward them. He didn’t care what the wolves or those humans did, but the berserkers were his responsibility and they shouldn’t be moving without guards.
“We need to secure a safe location for the civilians,” he growled to Everett, eyeing their surroundings. “We shouldn’t just—”
The manor door opened and the bear inside him snarled. Wolves in their human forms rushed out, along with so many actual humans that it made his body shudder with the urge to shift. Lindy and Wes said the town residents were staying with them, but he’d thought perhaps they were exaggerating the numbers.
There were dozens. Likely more below, and his skin crawled at the realization.
“Lindy!” A dark-haired wolf female raced across the courtyard, engulfing the new shifter in a hug. “Oh my God, I was so worried.�
�
“I’m sorry.” Lindy squeezed the female right back, her voice choked with tears. “I didn’t want to scare you; I just didn’t know…”
Knox turned his attention to their surroundings. He hadn’t cared to learn the identities of the wolves they’d be meeting—names were irrelevant; their intentions were what mattered—but he’d heard enough to know that must be the friend. Hayden. The one holding the defense around this place.
Surely a bubble of seidr wouldn’t be enough.
More voices rose around him: humans and ulfhednar introducing themselves to Everett and Henry, and then Lindy introducing her family to the wolves. In only moments, Everett was motioning for the berserkers to leave the vehicles and join them, and Knox bit back a growl.
“Bloodclaws throughout the courtyard,” he snapped to Amelia. “Stay on guard and keep the civilians in sight. No one goes off on their own, got it?”
The female nodded and strode away quickly to tell the others.
“You made it!” cried a human young woman, relief radiating from her as she raced up to Lindy and Wes. A large man with a red-splotched face followed, a teenage girl and an elderly woman behind him.
“Thank you so much for telling us about this place,” the older woman said.
“Yeah, it’s, uh—” The big man glanced around. “It’s not bad.”
The young woman scoffed, but there wasn’t any anger in the sound. “Don’t listen to Anthony. He loves it.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t good, Yasmeen,” the man protested.
Knox dismissed the argument. This was pure madness. The berserkers should have met the wolves away from their stronghold and determined how to proceed from—
“Wounded this way. We have medics ready to help you.”
His blood turned to ice, the voice snapping his attention toward it as if on a tether. By the door to the manor, a wolf female stood, her white-blond hair slicked back in a ponytail. Her pale eyes skimmed from newcomer to newcomer around her, and she smiled as one of the young bears asked her a question.
He could barely breathe, old memories rising around him, so visceral. Her tear-streaked face in the rearview window. His throat raw from his own cries, and his knees skinned by the gravel where he’d fallen as he ran, chasing her and the vehicle with no hope of catching either.