by E. M. Moore
“We’ve been waiting for you,” a voice said from behind me.
I jumped, shocked someone had snuck up on us..
Wait. Did he say he’d been waiting for me?
Chapter Seventeen
Those words weren’t comforting. Not at all.
All three of us halted. I was slow to turn, worried about what I’d see. Heart thumping in my chest, I pivoted on my heel.
I blinked. In front of me was one of the purest humans I’d ever seen. White hair feathered to his neck while a striking pair of brown eyes stared at me. The man wore a hand-sewn shirt and pants the color of straw. He stared at us each in turn, peering at Riah the longest. “You are not welcome here.”
Tell me about it, I wanted to say.
“I’m with her,” Riah gritted out.
The man looked at me. He was like an owl personified. I could easily see the transition he would make when he shifted into an owl. His eyes were wise, like deep, bottomless pits of knowledge. He stared at me so long, I felt as if I needed to acknowledge the fact Riah was with me so I just shrugged. “He is.”
“Ahh, the Morphling,” the owl creature said, shifting closer to me.
Both Riah and Mekhi closed in around me, not letting him get any closer.
The movement didn’t faze him. He continued his perusal until the back of my neck itched. It felt as if this being could look all the way into my past and even into my distant future. “We’re here because--”
“Because you were told to,” the creature said, his voice coming out in a slow rhythm as if he could easily be speaking to music. “Yes, we are aware, young Morphling.”
I took a deep breath. “I only set out to find others like me, but I’ve been told something. Something I’m not completely sure about. I don’t understand it.”
“Of course you don’t. So young. So naive. Born without parents to guide you. Come,” he said, waving us on. “Let us tell you what we see.”
The owl creature turned and my stomach dropped out. I turned to Mekhi and Riah, my eyebrows raising. They both shrugged in turn, so we went after him.
We walked through the dense forest, avoiding branches and thick roots at our feet. At one point, the owl creature disappeared after ducking underneath a thick limb. We did the same and were immediately rewarded with a cavernous forest sanctuary. A canopied halo of dark green leaves from the trees overhead sheltered us from the sky. A ring of trees formed a barrier between the forest and the boulders of rocks that lined the area, circling down to a stream as if we were in a makeshift amphitheater.
Others were around now too. They were different than the owl creature we followed, but similar at the same time. The same narrow features. The same soulful eyes and feathery hair. They stared at us in turn. Some with their mouths dropping when they saw me while others glared at Riah. He shifted beside me and I tried not to smile at his discomfort.
We descended the slight valley until we got to the bank of the small stream. The guy turned and motioned toward the rocks in front of us. We took seats. Mekhi sat on the edge of his, putting himself closer to me.
“Welcome, Serpent,” the guy said.
Mekhi nodded.
“Morphling.”
“Hello,” I said back. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Eli, I’m from the owl people. You’ve come here to seek our knowledge.”
We have? I really didn’t know.
“I came here because I had an...incident during our mating ceremony. I heard someone telling me to seek you out, and that there was a Mother Panther person that was going to kill us all.”
“Mother Panther sleeps.”
“I heard that too,” I said to him.
Eli held his hands behind his back and paced in front of us. “What do you know, Morphling?”
I felt like telling him I hadn’t known shit a week ago. Over the past few days I’d learned more and more. “I know that we were made by gods, and I know that everyone hates the wolves.”
Riah growled, and a smile teased at Eli’s lips while he said, “You were the only one made by a god, Morphling. The rest of us were made by an insipid goddess, more in tune with her own desires than the way of the world.”
“There was a war,” I said, remembering what the male voice had told me.
Eli nodded.
I looked at Riah and Mekhi, but this didn’t seem like any big revelation to them.
“A long time ago, the hybrid creatures of the forest She made rose against her in her quest to kill the Morphlings. To help her fight, she’d made the wolves, who were really just a sorry stand-in for you.”
Riah muttered something under his breath.
“How do you mean?”
“The Wolf didn’t tell you?” Eli asked.
I shook my head. “We can barely talk to one another without wanting to kill the other.”
Eli’s lip thinned. “The wolves hunt you so they can take your skin. If they take your skin, they have your powers. Other packs hunt my kind and the serpent’s kind. If they take a piece of us, they have our abilities. The owl people have been barricaded in this area for many, many years. If the wolves have us, they have our knowledge and our insight.”
My head reeled toward Riah. “You hunt them too.”
He spoke through clenched teeth. “I don’t hunt the owls. I hunt only you.”
I raised my eyebrows at him.
“I used to hunt you,” he clarified. “Now I’d rather chop off my own leg, is that what you want to hear?”
I only shrugged. It couldn’t help. What girl wouldn’t want a guy saying he’d chop off his own leg for her?
I shook my head at him and turned to Mekhi. “And the wolves hunt you?”
“Not my pack,” Riah interjected.
My hands turned to fists. “And why do the wolves hunt all the paranormal creatures? Did the goddess tell them to? I don’t get it. If she made everyone but me, why do the wolves hunt the others too?”
“They’re waiting for her to wake,” Eli said, his gaze shifting to Riah who stiffened. “They’re gathering an army with as many weapons as they can. Who best to take out the Morphlings than a Morphling itself? Who best to take out the owls than an owl who is as smart and all-seeing? Who best to take out the snakes than a serpent who is as sneaky and vicious as they? They’ve gathered their weapons. They only wait for her to wake.”
A shiver went up my spine. “And I’m to stop her…”
“That’s how you’ll find your people, Anika,” Eli said, using my name even though I was pretty sure I hadn’t given it to him yet. “Your people will come out only when you rise against her. Unite the realm. Only then will your kind feel safe enough to come out of hiding. Fail, and your kind wilts into nothing.”
I turned toward Riah, my heart in my throat. His stare stayed on the ground. All this time, he’d known the wolves’ plan. He’d known what happened to my people, what his true mission was, and he hadn’t said a damn word. I felt sick.
My stomach roiled. “Stay away from me,” I told him, trying to keep my voice even though I was cracking apart inside.
His shoulders tensed, then he looked up. “You know I can’t do that.”
The raw emotion in his eyes was almost overwhelming. His features were still hard, unmoving, but his eyes said something else.
It didn’t matter anymore though.
“You lied to me.”
“Lied to you? You never asked.”
“Don’t even say that bullshit. We’ve been within three feet of one another for the past week and you never thought to mention any of this? What the fuck is wrong with you? You know I didn’t know anything. Anything! You have no idea what that’s like. Like trying to feel your way through life, but it’s pitch-fucking-dark wherever you look. Fuck you, I never asked.”
I swallowed down the emotion threatening to explode. Heat pricked at my eyes. Betrayal hit me hard and fast, threatening to drown me. Having mates wasn’t supposed to be like this. Definitely n
ot like this.
I spun on my heel and started to run away. I had no idea where I was going, but I just didn’t want to be around him anymore. Not after he’d been keeping all this shit from me.
“Anika, wait!” he called after me.
No. Wasn’t going to happen. He might as well go back to his pack, because there would be no trusting him again.
Chapter Eighteen
I just needed to get away. I knew how unsafe it was since the moon had started to rise, but I couldn’t help myself. No matter how hard I tried to keep Riah out, he somehow wormed his way back in, making me feel for him again. Even though I would never admit that to him.
I heard the signs of someone walking behind me, but I was just too pissed to deal with Riah. He had probably wandered after me to try to feed me some kind of bullshit story. I wasn’t listening to it though.
At this moment, I truly hated him. Once again, I found myself thinking about just how much the fates had fucked up in choosing him as my mate. We were enemies. This was never going to work.
“You should not be out here alone,” someone said from behind me, freezing me on the spot. That was not Riah.
Turning around slowly, I saw a shorter man with shoulder length feathery brown hair, and deep brown eyes. He was stockier than Riah and Mekhi. My arm tingled as I looked at him. Fuck, I did not have time for another mate. How was this one going to react?
“Who are you?” I asked, curious. I really didn’t know much about the owls. He had a look about him that made it seem like he was taking everything in.
“I’m Shane. I’ve been keeping an eye on you all day. I’m surprised you didn’t feel me,” he said before walking closer and stopping just within touching distance.
“So, um, I take it you know we’re mates,” I stated, afraid of what he was going to say. Last thing I needed was another asshole and liar.
“Did you not feel it in the woods?” he asked. “I was the owl you were hearing. I’m sorry about your other mate, but now is not the time for discord among ourselves. You’re going to need us all in the coming weeks.”
His words left my body cold. I took a minute to think over what he said. As bad as I hated to admit it, he was right. My whole concentration needed to be on saving everyone, not on my lying mate.
“You’re right. We’ve just had a rough time. It's been a constant fight with him and it gets tiring,” I whispered. My heart still hurt over the situation Riah and I found ourselves in.
Shane looked up at the moonlit sky. “We really need to get back. I’m not saying you should forget, but remember, forgiveness is for you not the other person.” He sounded wiser than his years. He held out his hand to me and I took it as we slowly strolled back to camp. His gaze stayed in the surrounding woods, ears perked for every little sound.
I used the whole five minutes it took to get back to center my thoughts. By the time we got back, I was somewhat calm. Eli was pacing in front of the stream when we returned. Mekhi turned as we approached with a strange look on his face as he stared at our entwined hands.
I let go of Shane and headed over to step into his outstretched arms. He felt like home to me now and I hoped he wasn’t going to be jealous.
“I’m Mekhi. I’m assuming you’re another of Anika’s mates?” he questioned, giving Shane a calculating look as if he was searching for any signs of weakness.
“Yes, my name is Shane. I’m also not the last. There will be others who will come to her,” he replied, leaving me stumped. I couldn't handle two mates let alone more than three. We really needed to get back on topic though.
“I’m sorry about my outburst, Eli. I’m ready to hear the rest of what I need to know now.” I took my place back on the rock as Mekhi and Shane sat down on either side of me.
“We don’t have much time. As I said earlier, Mother Panther sleeps, but she will wake soon if the moonstone is not placed upon her head.”
My eyebrows arched. Should I know what he’s talking about? “What is the moonstone and how do we find it?” I asked as Riah walked back into view and leaned against a tree behind us to listen to what was being said.
“The moonstone is made of the God Actaeon’s powers, along with many of the shifters and other supernaturals from that time. It is said that when the moonstone was created, Actaeon and the other shifters fell into a deep sleep to recover after making it. My visions have showed me it is at the highest peak of the mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. You must hurry to get it. The wolves are closing in.”
Though Eli was trying to explain things to me, he left me with more questions than I had when he’d started. “So, what you’re saying is, I have to find this moonstone, find where the Mother Panther is sleeping, put the moonstone on her head, and all is saved?” I asked, feeling a bit ridiculous that those words came out of my mouth. People didn’t talk like that where I was from unless they were shot up with drugs.
“Yes, that is what I am saying.” Eli bit back a smile, but then let out a small chuckle. It was almost all wrong for his stoic nature. “When the sun rises you need to head out. The deadline is coming.”
“I’ll show you to the place you can stay for the night,” Shane said before standing and heading down the path toward what looked like straw huts.
I felt like I had been transported back in time. Everything was so vivid and untouched by technology. The brown huts were so intricate it amazed me when Shane had said they were handmade.
“This is my house. If it is okay with you all, this is where you’ll be staying the night. We’ll head out in the morning.” He opened the door and led us in. I got the feeling he was slightly nervous of what we would think about his home, but he hadn’t needed to worry. It was amazing
I was taken aback by the fact that everything inside looked as though it had been handmade. From the wooden couch, to the wooden kitchen table, everything looked carved in a rustic chic kind of way.
“This is beautiful,” I told him, looking around in wonder. “Did you make all of this?”
“Yes. Everything in here I carved and made by my hand. It’s a right of passage for the owls,” he mentioned shyly, looking everywhere but at me.
Even Riah and Mekhi looked around in wonder. Shane stared at me a moment before showing us around his place. The kitchen, dining room, and living room area were all one big room, bringing a whole new meaning to open floor plan. There was a small working bathroom that connected to the fresh water spring beside the huts and worked just like our high tech ones did. Which in and of itself was a miracle, seeing as most everything was made of wood. The place itself seemed brimming with magic and wonder.
Lastly, he opened the door to his bedroom. Everything was stained a beautiful charcoal color, even the huge king-sized bed. Small feathers poked up through the mattress in his bed. Curiosity swamped me as I wondered how that would even be comfortable to sleep in. Would it be pokey, or would it feel as if I was sleeping on air?
Shane was a man of few words. Other than telling us where things were and how things worked, he really didn’t say much else. He’d told us to make ourselves at home and left to get supper. Now I was stuck in this tiny house with Riah and Mekhi.
We sat in silence. I caught Riah looking at me a few times but I always turned my head so maybe he didn’t think I was paying attention to him.
“We need to--” he started before I cut him off.
“Look, I don’t know why you didn’t tell me, but right now I don’t care. The most important thing is getting the moonstone and finding Mother Panther. No, I’m not happy with you, and no I don’t trust you. But we have more important things going on than us. I hope maybe one day we can get over this and move on. Until then, we need to can it and focus on what’s important,” I blurted before leaving the room and going into the bedroom to lay down until Shane returned.
Riah’s face haunted me. He’d looked so upset as I spoke to him. I hated the fact that I couldn’t shut off my feelings for him and had to fight the urge to go to him. I
had to get over this though. The back and forth, hot and cold, was killing me. Once this was over, we were going to have to have a serious talk about how this was going to work, because I was sick of it.
I must have fallen asleep, because I jerked awake at the sound of someone screaming far off. I jumped out of the bed and headed to the men.
“What was that?” I asked starting to panic.
“The wolves are here for you,” Shane said without pause. “Don’t worry. They cannot get in. Unfortunately, there must have been some campers in the woods and the wolves did find them.”
Those words left me cold. I didn’t want to be the reason people were being killed. I sat at the table and laid my head in my hands, trying not to cry as the grief hit me.
“It wasn’t your fault Anika,” Mekhi stated as he came to wrap me up in his arms. Just his scent calmed me. I knew it wasn’t my fault. However, if it hadn’t been for me, they wouldn’t have been here.
“It wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t here though.” I sat up to give him a knowing look. Nothing he could say would change that one simple fact.
Shane set down a bowl of what looked like beef stew and a wooden spoon in front of me, before setting the same down in front of the others and himself. They carried on small talk while I scarfed my food down. I guessed all that walking made me hungry.
“I think the best thing for us to do is head back to my house and get my truck for the journey tomorrow,” Mekhi said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, I don’t want to do any more walking,” I deadpanned, chuckling at them. I didn’t even want to have to walk back to Mekhi’s.
“I have a van we can use. It’s on the dirt path here. Only about a twenty minute walk,” Shane stated, giving me a smile that told me he knew I didn’t want to have to walk anymore.
“I really like that idea.” I smiled what I hoped was a big toothy grin. Shane and Mekhi laughed at me and even Riah cracked a smile. So I considered it a win. “Seriously though, I’m exhausted and I know we’re going to be leaving at the crack of dawn. So, I’m going to get some sleep.” I pushed away my empty bowl, giving Shane a thankful smile for his effort.