“Think of your bodies like batteries, each with a positive and negative charge. Things can go boom if you hook up the wrong way, so try not to do that.”
He worked with us in human form, in wolf form, and in warrior form.
Finally, he brought out one of the men from Sand Mountain — one of the friends the brothers had turned. “Bobbie-Joe here scared little Evie on purpose a few days ago, when he didn’t know I was home. Turns out, he’s been telling her as soon as he gets her away from me, he’s going to make her his — and he’s been quite descriptive about his plans for her. I’m going to take care of him once and for all tonight, but I figured he’d make a good practice wolf for me to show the two of you how to properly dole out consequences.”
I’ve had my wolf yanked out of me enough as a rowdy teenager, it was easy enough to figure out how to do it once I was gifted the Pack energy as an Alpha. I’ve done it to Briana a few times, though only once or twice at a time, never enough to make her sick, or to make her lose contact with her wolf.
Randall frowned at Briana. “You’ve seen me do this to your brothers. You know they were sick for a while, and probably heard about them losing contact with their wolf. You received a small taste of it from me, but you’re going to need to more fully experience it before you can try it.”
I stepped between them. “I’ve done it to her, to give her incentive to control her wolf. I usually rip her from wolf to human, but I’ve done it the other way once. I’ve never kept going until she lost contact with her wolf, but she understands the process. You don’t need to show her.”
Randall stepped back as he looked between the two of us. He zeroed in on me as he said, “I didn’t show you how to do it.”
I shrugged. “Figured it out. It seemed pretty intuitive.”
An hour later, I knew a whole lot more about doing it than I had before, and I think my pet took a lot more enjoyment in hurting the man who wanted to hurt Evie than I was comfortable with. I didn’t protest, though.
“Okay,” Randall said after he returned from locking Bobbie-Joe back in his cell. “Final lesson of the day, and then we can spend some time with Evie — assuming she’s finished her lessons, but she knew she was only going to get to spend time with Briana if she did, so I expect they’ll be done to perfection.”
He leapt onto the stage as if it were nothing, and deepened his voice as he said, “I’ve known a few Alphas who stepped onto the stage, said the bare minimum, and were done, but I don’t recommend it. Think of yourself as a coach before a big game, giving a rousing speech to make everyone feel unified and proud. Or maybe think of yourself as the Dalai Lama, speaking simply but wisely, making people want to follow you for your insights about life and the universe. You’ll have to invent yourself as an Alpha, and you’ll be a work in progress for a while, but you need to figure out how you want to be perceived. The speech before a full moon run is just the tip of the iceberg. When there are dramas playing out, or a war between your Pack and another, or your Pack and a rival shapeshifter group — you’re going to need to draw from your experience to unify everyone and get them headed in the same direction.”
* * *
Briana
When Randall was finally finished with our lessons, I was so happy to see Evie, I skipped back to the house.
She came off the back porch and flew into my arms, and I couldn’t believe the transformation. Not just the fact she’d gained a few pounds and looked much healthier, but she seemed more confident, and so much more human.
Best of all? Evie was wearing a turquoise shirt with white jeans, her hair was pulled away from her face, and she was smiling.
Randall may not have done right by me as a teen, but he’d done right by Evie and I was grateful. As I hugged her, I said, “Please tell me you’ve finished your schoolwork so we can have some time together?”
“Every bit of it, and a little of tomorrow’s assignments, too. Cora said you’re the Alpha Bitch over the new Ringgold Pack! What’s it like?”
We walked through the porch and into the kitchen as we talked. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll know more after the first full moon run, but so far it’s a pretty big responsibility. I mean, staying on top of everything, watching for issues and putting out fires before they start… or waiting for them to start before you stomp them out, because there’s nothing you can do until someone lights the fuse.”
“Yeah, I’ve watched Randall and it looks like a lot of work.” She closed the door and quickly said, “I want to join the Pack. Will you be here with me when I tell my mom?”
She’d asked me in a way so Randall wouldn’t hear, which set me on alert. “I’d love to be your support, but Randall’s in charge right now so I can’t make any promises until I talk to him. If he okays it, I’ll be here. If he doesn’t, I’ll talk to him and see if we can find a compromise. Okay?”
She sighed. “Yeah. Okay. He thinks my mom and I need to talk on our own, without even him there. Before I can go home, we both have to graduate from this martial arts class he teaches on the weekends. He’s teaching her to be more assertive, because he says I need a mom who’ll stand up to me and set boundaries.” I suppressed a grin as she spun in a circle with her arms up, looking like the typical teenage drama queen, but without all the angst she’d had before. “I just want my mom back!”
“And you’ll get her back, but I agree with Randall about her needing to set boundaries for you.” The men walked across the porch and I gave her a quick hug. “It’ll all work out, Evie.”
Chapter 33
Briana
Patrick and I stood on his deck while the Pack gathered around us on the ground.
“We’re starting over,” Patrick told them. “We get to decide what we want the Ringgold Pack to be. How close we want to be. How others define us. But most of all — how we define ourselves. Sometimes, you get a clean slate and you don’t know what to do with it, but I think we all know we want a working, productive, healthy Pack.” He looked around the group and made eye contact with everyone before he continued. “Everyone here tonight has oathed to me, and we’re all a single Pack as well as unique individuals. Some of you have loved ones in the basement of my house, and I’ve brought a few trusted people to keep watch over them until we establish our Pack as a powerhouse. Our people are safe, and tonight is about taking the first steps to define our Pack. We’re the original members of this new alliance, and I’m proud to have every single one of you here tonight.”
Patrick took my hand and we stepped into two chairs in front of the railing, stepped up onto the railing, and then stepped off. We landed side-by-side on the ground, still holding hands. We stood for a few heartbeats before we let go of each other and began hugging the members. Randall had explained in detail how this part worked, but it came so naturally I immediately relaxed and just let it happen. As the individual energies mixed and mingled, my logical brain shut down and I merely moved through the crowd, experiencing the magic in this safe, warm, dreamlike, enchanted spot.
Patrick and I directed the energy until it flowed through and caressed every cell of every member’s physical body. I could sense chakras being cleansed and love pouring through the field as we all became a single unit — as we formed our Pack. I was joined to each person individually, as well as to the group as a whole, and it was magnificent.
We don’t have a fancy cubby like Randall yet, so I took my clothes off and put them on a table we’d set up under the porch. Others followed suit, and before long most of us were wolf. Patrick waited to change last, and then he and I led the group through the woods on our first full moon run.
If the Pack energy had been glorious in our human form, words can’t describe how this felt as a wolf. Our feet pounded the ground and the trees flew behind us in a blur as we ran together. On this night, there was no posturing, no competition for Alpha.
I knew we’d have those things eventually, but I was happy we had our first night to bond. I’d looked forward to joining a Pack fo
r the first twelve years of my life, and then I’d been heartbroken when I couldn’t. I’d convinced myself I’d be a lone wolf even if I managed to let my wolf out. She’d always been inside me, she just hadn’t had an outlet before.
And now, my wolf and I ran in perfect harmony as one of the leaders of our Pack.
I never expected to claim this kind of happiness, and as our feet thundered through the forest, my heart knew we were finally home.
The End
Keep reading for an excerpt from Only Human.
Also by Candace Blevins
If you enjoyed Careful What You Ask For, you may also like the other books set in the same universe, though in different series.
Chattanooga Supernaturals series, paranormal romance:
The Dragon King (Aaron Drake’s story, and the first time we meet Duke and Brain)
Riding the Storm (Kendra and Eric’s story)
Acceptable Risk (Bethany, Ranger, Mac, and Jonathan’s story)
Careful What You Ask For
Only Human series, urban fantasy
Only Human
An Unhuman Journey
Unhuman Acts
Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Series
Duke
Brain
Bash Volume I
Bash Volume II
Bash Volume III
Horse
Gonzo (where we first meet Britches/Briana)
Nix
Ghost
Dark Erotica Shorts from the world of The Chattanooga Supernaturals
Pride (A short story featuring The Lion King)
Indentured Freedom: Owned by the Vampire
The Safeword series, intense BDSM contemporary romance
Safeword Rainbow
Safeword: Davenport
Safewords: Davenport and Chiffon
Safeword: Quinacridone
Safeword: Matte (Sam and Ethan Levi’s story, we first meet Frisco and Cassie)
Safeword: Matte – In Training
No Safeword: Matte – The Honeymoon
No Safeword: Matte – Happily Ever After
Safeword: Arabesque (Frisco, Cassie, Abbot, and Cam’s story)
Safeword: Mayday (TBA)
Check out other books by Candace Blevins at candaceblevins.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Only Human.
Excerpt from Only Human
By Candace Blevins
Only Human
by Candace Blevins
Chapter One
“Aery, I need a shot!” I screamed, holding back the energy pulsing at my fingertips until he was out of the way. The instant he maneuvered the fighting to give me a clear path to the bad guy, I unleashed the fiery red energy and watched it streak through the air until it hit the grotesque monster who’d been holding his own in a fight with Aaron Drake.
My power drained from me as it hit our foe in the chest, slicing and melting through. I lifted my arm a few inches and the light streaking from my hand rose like a laser. When it reached the hideous creature’s throat, I moved my hand right and left until he was decapitated, and then watched in horrified fascination as the body seemed to evaporate before my eyes.
My gaze shifted to my friend as I checked to be sure he was okay. I was used to Aaron totally dominating, no matter the species he was fighting, and the fact he’d maneuvered to give me a clear kill shot told me Aaron wasn’t sure he could’ve won.
As far as I know, I’m the only person who can get away with a cute nickname for the sexy, tough-as-nails, bad-ass owner of Drake Security, but I never do it around other people. I wouldn’t have said it today while battling an unknown monster, but it slipped out. No problem though, the bad guy seemed to evaporate and turn to smoke once the life force left his body. I usually want to cry after a kill — even when it’s a really bad guy — but I’ve discovered not having to look at a body makes it easier. Either way, I couldn’t give into the guilt and soul searching until the op was over.
“What was that?” I asked Aaron.
“No idea,” he said, barely out of breath. “I used to see things kind of like him a few thousand years ago, but not since we entered the Common Era. I got decent look at him — I’ll send a sketch to a few friends and see if they have any ideas. I was about to shift into dragon form and see if my fire would work, but your laser did the trick.”
I took a breath and pulled energy in from the forest around us. I’d used almost all my reserves with that one shot and if something else came along, I’d be useless. I leaned against a tree and tried to relax in the crisp, autumn air.
Aaron, of course, noticed. “I can top you up. You know I have plenty.”
I shook my head. “I’m not up for pain right now. Just give me five minutes with a few trees.” I could almost always find an ancient tree willing to give me energy. It might take a little time, but not as long as gathering it from the air around me. A waterfall would be faster, or even a creek or stream, but I didn’t hear running water.
“I won’t push more in than you can take, not during a mission.” Aaron said. “You used it to save me, the least I can do is top you back up.”
“Okay,” I relented, “but into my hands. I’ll route it to the right chakras.”
He didn’t argue, thank goodness, and held his hands out for me to grasp. I dropped enough of my shields to let his energy flow through his palms and into mine, and as it streamed up my arms and into my body, my heart seemed to need less energy to pump my blood.
I routed the energy he gifted me to my first two chakras first, since I primarily pull from those for my weapon, and then filled the rest. He truly does have plenty, but I never want to get used to depending on him.
During the few minutes Aaron’s energy filled me I was at one with everything around me — totally at peace with the world, the universe, and perhaps even God. All energy is magic, but Aaron’s is a special kind of magic.
If we were compatible sexually I’d be madly in love with him, but since we aren’t, he’s one of my best friends. I love him, just not romantically.
When I was as full as I could get without feeling pain, I gently let go of his hands. When we do this as an exercise and he’s expanding the volume I can hold, he forces it in long past when I would choose to let go. This hurts about as much as I imagine a lightning strike would, and there’s a lot of screaming and crying involved on my part. I hate acting like a girly-girl, but he assures me he screamed and begged when his reserves were being stretched, too. Of course, that’d been thousands of years ago, so who could say how much he remembered of the pain?
Today, though, I felt warm and full and loved. “Thanks,” I told him. Words couldn’t adequately thank him, so the single word would have to do. Besides, we were still on our mission and needed to focus, so I asked, “Do we circle back around and try the mystery cave, or try my idea?” I already knew venturing into the unknown cave wasn’t an option, but hoped he’d consider my Plan B. Aaron hadn’t liked it when I proposed it a few hours ago, but we were running out of options.
He lifted his chin in agreement while showing no emotion. Aaron Drake could totally rock bad-ass. “Let’s pull Nathan in to help,” he answered. “I’m not comfortable using you as human bait with just me as your backup.”
I nodded and leaned against a tree, closed my eyes, and made Aaron’s energy my own while he texted Nathan our coordinates. Nathan wasn’t too far away, but was acting as lookout and would need to put someone in his spot before joining us.
We knew women were being kidnapped and taken to these woods just outside the boundaries of Prentice Cooper State Forest. Aaron is a weredragon and has an exceptionally good sense of smell. He found what appeared to be a staging area, but the women’s scent ended there. A few male non-human scents led to the mouth of a cave, and I’d found narrow wheel marks between the two spots. Aaron couldn’t identify the species of the men by smell, and wasn’t sure about them now that he’d seen one of them, either.
I theorized they migh
t be putting the women into some sort of cart to get them into the cave, but Aaron didn’t want to go in without knowing what we were walking into. I understood the logic, even if it frustrated me. Still, Aaron was thousands of years old and hadn’t made it this far by being stupid, so I generally listened to his advice. Not always, but usually.
My Plan B had been to send me into the staging area as a bumbling, helpless female making a lot of noise, and hope someone showed up so Aaron could question them and find out what was going on.
However, if we happened upon more of whatever we’d been fighting earlier, I wasn’t sure how we’d question it. Aaron and Nathan in human form and working together could probably subdue one of the creatures, but if more appeared they’d likely be forced to shift into their animal forms. Not a problem for Nathan, who shifted into a lion, but Aaron’s gigantic dragon form was hard to hide, as he tended to knock trees down and create a huge disturbance even when he didn’t take flight. He might’ve gotten away with it a hundred years ago, but with practically every American owning a camera phone today, he wouldn’t risk it unless the situation were worse than dire.
The creature I’d killed had looked like an amalgamation of goat, ape, and the Incredible Hulk — minus the green. It’d been tan and brown, with long curved horns and vertical slitted eyes with flaming red irises where they should’ve been black. Creepy was an understatement, and he’d scared the bejeebers out of me even before I knew he was almost too much for Aaron to take on in human form.
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