by Janelle Peel
Timidly, the mountain of a man walked to the table and sat on the sturdy wooden chair as if he was afraid to break it. Ominously, a creak sounded, but the seat held.
Walking around the table, I sat two spots down from him as Kane closed the door and joined us.
“Jet, I really appreciate your typed account. I was hoping, if you saw me, you might have something else to add?”
His brow lowered, “I put everything I could remember in there.”
I sighed, “Look at me, Jet.”
He shook his head, “No offense, but I’d rather not.”
If looks could kill, I’d have slain Kane on the spot. Tipping my chin to Jet, I gave Kane the option to drop his ridiculous charade.
Kane stared back and jerked his head once in refusal.
Fine. It was time to play hardball. Strength laced my voice with a tone that was not to be ignored, “Jet, look at me.”
His head snapped up with an audible crack as he rumbled, “Yes, Alpha.”
Reinforcing my command, I asked, “Who do I look like, Jet?”
His brow furrowed in confusion before turning to one of enlightenment, “The Fae who cursed us.”
Kane sucked in a harsh breath and grabbed the bottle of whiskey.
While he drank, I dropped my glowing eyes to the table, “Sorry, Jet. I needed to know.”
Silenced reigned; punctuated only by the sound of Kane’s long swallows.
Deciding it was best for Bex to have a babysitter, Kane and I agreed Jet could hang out with her in the living room.
He was absolutely enamored with the little white pup and spoke to her nonstop. Naturally, she ate up every word and pranced around the small space like a princess. More than once, she’d caught me checking on her and threw me a cheeky wink.
Kane’s gloved fingers drummed an anxious beat against the box after he’d placed it on the table. Shaking his head, he removed the lid and tossed it to the floor, “Which one?”
“The one with the tree, Earth.”
“Why a different one?”
Lifting a brow, I replied, “Because she made grass grow and trees sprout from the snow, Kane. Obviously, her Element is Earth.”
Grinding his teeth, he removed the book from the box and placed it beside him. Lowering his voice, he said, “Come over here, then. If you’re doing this, we are doing it together.”
Figuring it was his funeral if shit went sideways, I did as he asked and switched seats.
Removing his gloves, he took my hand and nodded for me to proceed.
With trembling fingers, I placed my bare palm on the cover.
I blinked as a forest much like the one outside of Kane’s house came into view. The scents of growing things immediately calmed my racing heart.
It almost felt like home…
Pressure on my hand interrupted my train of thought and alerted me to Kane’s presence. Evidently, he’d been able to hitch a ride.
A whinny sounded from further than I could see. Kane tensed as the clip clop of hooves thundered toward us at a quick pace. Black flashed between the bushes; breaking the monotony of bark and leaves. The massive beast broke from the line of trees and headed straight for us.
Kane clenched my fingers, “When I say shift, I want you to fuse.”
Something about the black horse tickled my brain. The eyes, no. Her eyes. Moss green like a meadow, she could only be one person, “Stop, Kane. This is the woman from before.”
He gave me an incredulous look, “It’s a fucking horse, Nat. That is no woman!”
Within a blink, she shifted into her human shape and strode toward us on dainty feet. Kane’s mouth dropped open in shock as she smiled, “Tuwa! You’ve brought a guest.” Lowering her chin a fraction, she smirked at his stunned expression, “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Èriu. Mother of Tuwa, and Queen of Earth.”
Kane’s mouth snapped shut with a click.
“Airoo?” I questioned, perusing her glittering dress. I really needed to learn how to change shape and keep my clothes.
“No.” She shook her raven braids with a soft smile, “Ay-roo. This is the first time you’ve spoken my name, Tuwa.”
My brow furrowed, “I told you, my name is Natalie. Nat. N A T.”
She rolled a shoulder, “You will always be my little Tuwa. My child of Earth.” Her eyes flashed to mud before flipping back to jade, “If your father hadn’t stolen you. But, if Nat makes you happy,” she bowed, “then I shall call you by your chosen name.”
Kane cleared his throat.
Throwing him a glare, I waved my opposite hand in his direction, “This is Kane.”
She inspected him with a curious expression before cocking her head to the side, “You have brought a Wolf home, Tu-” a light blush broke out along her high cheekbones, “Nat?”
I nodded, “He insisted. Èriu, where are we?”
Turning on the ball of her bare foot, she lifted her thin arm into a sweeping gesture, “Our temporary home. This is where we have sheltered while we have waited for the world to heal. It is not a place; more of a being.”
Thoroughly confused, I drew out, “Okaay…”
Snapping her fingers, she took a few steps backward, “Come. Someone wishes to meet you.” Her eyes took in Kane’s frown, “Your friend must stay behind.”
Kane’s grip tightened on my hand just shy of crushing force. He rumbled, “Then she does not go.”
Equal parts irritated and relieved, I lifted a brow at Èriu. I wanted answers, but I wasn’t willing to face a strange Fae on my own. Nope, no thank you.
Èriu’s eyes hardened for a moment as she debated. Closing the distance to us once more, she whispered, “It is forbidden, but there is a way. To enter, he must agree to leave his Wolf behind.”
Shock coursed through me. Leave his Wolf? How was it even possible?
She continued, “It is a simple separation. He will be free to roam, here, outside our walls in the forest. If he does not agree, he cannot follow.”
Kane swallowed loudly, “Do it.”
I slapped his thick shoulder, “No.”
He stubbornly shook his head, “We need answers, Nat. If it’s the only way, then so be it. My Wolf agrees.”
Golden light lit Èriu’s hand as she reached toward him. Without conscious thought, my magic lashed out in one massive shockwave.
Èriu braced her legs as she was pushed over thirty feet away.
Laughing like I’d performed the best party trick ever, she clapped, “Very good! I have often wondered how your gifts would work on this plane.” Striding toward us, she sobered, “But this is the only way for him to join us.”
Silver and gold flames broke out along my hands and wrists. The fiery tips touched Kane’s skin; but he did not burn. Shelving the revelation for later contemplation, I squared my shoulders and growled, “Then I will not go.”
Her perfect brows formed a v, “A compromise, then? Perhaps you would like to hold the leash to his Wolf and bring him along?”
My thoughts tumbled. Did I? What did that mean?
Kane tipped his face to my ear. Softly, his lips brushed my lobe as he whispered, “We trust you.”
Stuck between a Shifter and an unknown Fae, I acquiesced, “What do I do?”
Quickening her steps, she grinned in triumph, “I’ve wanted to teach you for over twenty years.” Stopping at my shoulder, her hand once again glowed in a golden light, “Take my hand.”
With great trepidation, I extended my arm. Taking her fingers, I held my breath.
“Relax,” she soothed. “Open your mind and take the knowledge. It won’t hurt. There is nothing to be afraid of.”
Exhaling, I closed my eyes.
Images bombarded my thoughts in flickers as I absorbed her offering. It was so simple...
Dropping her hand, I met Kane’s glowing gaze. His Wolf stared at me with such longing, my orbs lowered to his collarbone. Placing my hand over his heart, I whispered, “Come.”
My magic flared br
ightly as it entered Kane’s chest. In my mind’s eye, his Wolf bared his teeth. Pushing calm toward the beast, he stilled. Slowly, I wrapped my magic around his large frame and pulled.
Four massive black paws dropped to the grass without a sound. Flicking the tip of one ear, he grinned and showcased every sharp tooth with the motion. A heavy weight settled into my palm as he took three steps forward and froze.
Èriu tutted as she retreated further into the trees, “That is your leash, Wolf. Any further and your human will die. Nat, dear, tighten your grip. You don’t want to lose Kane’s other half.”
Kane rubbed his chest with a pained expression. Slower than normal, his mask slid into place; instantly hiding his thoughts and emotions from me. Jerking a nod, he let go of my hand and followed her.
Feeling strangely bereft at the loss of contact, I looked to the Wolf. His cold nose pressed against my wrist in silent comfort for a moment before he too, followed Èriu. Pulling up my big girl panties… er, hmm, boyshorts Viv had purchased, I clenched my fingers around his invisible chain and plodded after them.
The short journey passed by in a blur and I didn’t notice a single thing. Of their own accord, my worried gaze kept sliding back to the hard lines of Kane’s shoulders. More than once, I stopped to stare and his beast had to nudge me back into motion.
Before long, homes came into view. Built into the bases of large trees, I almost missed them. Hmm, I wondered… what would it be like to live in a tree?
Our pathway eventually led us to what I guessed was the town proper. Large grey stones circled a square shaped rock slab that had been polished to an onyx sheen.
Why was it so quiet, I wondered? Where was everyone?
Èriu stopped at the platform and gestured at its glossy surface, “This is where we far see and travel. Only within the last year has the magic rejuvenated enough to glean anything useful from your world.”
Because of Sora, my mind supplied. Strange…
Kane glanced at the smooth slab and rolled a shoulder, “Where is everyone?”
Èriu nodded to the trees, “Most still sleep. Only the most powerful of our kind have awoken. Amadahy; Water, was the second.” Pausing, she tipped her head to the tree line, “She is here.”
Frost slowly crept along the grass in the shape of a pathway.
Snorting, Èriu called out, “Always the dramatic one?”
“Always,” a musical voice answered as the crunch of footsteps announced her arrival.
I sucked in a gasp as she came into view. Her hair hung down to her narrow waist in a curtain of white. The color of her eyes shimmered from the palest blue to the darkest depths of the ocean. High cheekbones rounded out the perfection of her face and softened the sharp point of her chin. Rosy red, bow shaped lips lifted into a soft smile as I made the connection.
She looked almost exactly like Bex.
Lowering her gaze to the large Wolf at my feet, her eyes widened in silent question.
Èriu nodded, “My daughter has brought a Shifter into our midst.”
Her blue irises flashed to an irritated midnight, “Why would you bring a Cursed one?”
My brow furrowed, “Because the curse needs to be broken. He,” I waved at Kane, “brought me to his home in hopes I might help.”
She shook her head, exposing her pert breasts with the motion.
Only then did I realize she was topless. Skipping my orbs down her form one more time, I noted that her skirt seemed ripple like a stone skipping across the water. The effect was so dizzying I had to look away.
Her voice dripped with menace, “The thief does not deserve your help, Tuwa.”
Kane stepped forward as his Wolf rumbled a growl, “We are not thieves. The one who decided to take your land died years ago.”
She scoffed, “Yet you have made no attempt to atone for his actions.”
“How could I? You haven’t been seen or heard from since,” lower, he added, “until Nat came.”
Her pale brows lowered in confusion, “What is a… Nat?”
Èriu laughed, “Tuwa has chosen a new name. Nat. She brought Kane and was able to remove his Wolf. She is Fae.”
Amadahy smiled slyly, “So it has begun. The Merge is nearly complete.”
I gave Èriu and imploring look.
Rolling a shoulder, she answered, “The Merge refers to our experimentation with your worlds inhabitants. Over the centuries, Amadahy and I have come to the conclusion we need an anchor, something to tether us to your world.” She shook her head sadly, “We cannot risk what happened before.”
“What does,” I lifted my hand and finger quoted, “‘nearly complete’, mean?”
Amadahy’s nostrils flared, “My Mate, Dax, selected a Shifter for our anchor, just as Èriu chose a Mage. But when he returned for our child, the Mother,” her upper lip lifted into a sneer, “refused to give her up. We’ve been looking for Dalis ever since.”
Connecting the dots, my heart kicked up into a frantic beat. Softly, I asked, “What was her name?”
She frowned, “Who? The surrogate? I believe Dax called her… Tris.”
I froze, Mel’s sister… and Dalis, was Bex.
Èriu reached out to me, “Is everything all right, Nat?”
Mentally, I face palmed myself. Nodding, I released the breath I was holding, “Yes. It’s a lot to take in.” As nonchalantly as I could, I addressed Amadahy, “What happened to Dalis?”
Rage transformed her beautiful face into a mask of ugliness, “Dax returned for her, but she had been sent away. He was furious and took the surrogate’s life as payment. He barely made it back to the portal,” she tipped her chin to the onyx slab. “She bit him. At the time we thought it was nothing.” Agony laced her voice, “We were wrong. He died two days later.”
Yes! Go Tris! Keeping the glee from my face, I tried to inject as much sympathy into my tone as I could, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
She smiled. Like a passing storm, her face flipped back to its previous perfection.
Holy fuck. This chick was absolutely bat shit crazy, but I needed more information. I couldn’t do a damned thing until the curse was broken. Swallowing the bile pooling in my mouth, I turned to Èriu, “Mother, can you teach me?”
Kane’s jaw cracked. Lifting my brow, I gave him a ‘chill the fuck out’ look.
Èriu clasped her hand to her chest as if my endearment had touched her deeply, “Of course, Nat. We will be one happy family.”
Amadahy cleared her throat, “Yes.”
Trying to ignore the psycho to my right, I shifted my face into an earnest expression, “Really? Th-”
Faster than I could track, Èriu slapped me across the face. Her eyes flashed to the color of mud, “Your first lesson. Never thank a Fae. To be indebted to our kind is to lose a piece of your magic. Others will not be so kind. Learn this lesson well, Daughter.”
Kane’s Wolf growled as his ruff stood on end. Resisting the urge to touch my stinging cheek, I reached down and clenched my fingers into his fur, “I appreciate that, Mother.”
She grinned in approval. “Very good. But to do this, the Wolf and your friend will need to go home. There is much to discuss.”
Kane was silent as we trekked back through the forest to where we had landed.
As we neared the spot, I took his large hand in mine and squeezed, “Trust me?”
Cracks formed as his mask slipped into one of intense pain. His shoulders rounded in agony. Clutching his chest, he was on the verge of tears as he croaked, “Give him back, Nat. I can’t hold out much longer.”
Oh Goddess! I hadn’t realized how much losing his Wolf would hurt. My hands lit in gold and silvered flames. Placing the hand with the invisible chain over his heart, I whispered, “Go.” My power flared brightly, encasing his Wolf and coloring my closed lids red.
His sigh of relief snapped them open as he took me into his thick arms. “Let’s never do that again,” he rumbled, trembling the small hairs of my ear.
Pat
ting his back awkwardly, my thoughts replayed everything on one unending loop. Pulling away, I gazed into his green eyes, “Protect Bex at all costs. I will return.”
Opening his mouth to speak, I quickly placed my fingers over his lips and shook my head. Glancing left and right, I got my point across. We didn’t know if they were listening.
Jerking a nod, he waited with a vulnerable expression.
I took a mental snapshot of him in that moment. His trust was absolute, and I would not fail. Pushing my will, I called to my well and whispered, “Home.”
One moment he was there, the next he was gone as if he’d never been beside me at all.
Chapter 13
Kane
Lifting his face from the kitchen table, he sucked in a sharp breath. He had to warn the Pack… and speak with Nat’s Clutch. Thoughts rolling with what he’d say, he scooped her small form into his arms and prowled to the living room.
Bex was snuggled up against Jet’s thigh as they both slumbered on the couch.
Moving to the loveseat, he settled Nat across the cushions and covered her with a blanket. Using his fingers, he closed her lids against the eerie whites of her eyes. Satisfied she was comfortable, he pulled her phone from the strap of her tank and retreated back inside the kitchen.
Thumbing it to life, he found Sora’s name and dialed.
She answered on the first ring, “Hey! How’d it go?”
His deep bass filled the mic, “Not well. This is Kane, and I think we need to talk.”
Nat
Corralling my scattered mind, I silently made my way back to the onyx slab.
Èriu sat on a stone rock and smiled triumphantly at my return. Standing, she bounced on the balls of her bare feet, “Are you ready to begin?”
I nodded. “Where’s Amadahy?”
She frowned, “Back in her domain. It is where her Element is strongest.”
“The field?” I queried.
“Yes, she prefers to be surrounded by water, but hates to be wet. Personally,” she lifted and dropped a shoulder, “I dislike her frozen land.”
Playing the part, I grinned, “Me, too.” My brow lowered, “Can we talk for a while, first?”