by Kim Faulks
The thud of my heart slowed. The beat before hungered for the next, but this time there was no ache in between… there was only Abrial.
The memory ravaged my heart with talons. Green eyes, seductive eyes peeked around the corner as she watched me from the doorway of my closet. Her smile seductive and intoxicating. Kiss me, she whispered and held out her arms, love me. I think you’re the most beautiful being I’ve ever seen.
A hiss escaped from my lips. Sliced open and left bare, every nerve stung. She’d left, walked away just like that. Could I blame her? Did I do something wrong?
The sound of laughter yanked me from her memory. I lifted my head. Her pack smiled and laughed, happy to be safe. I’d opened my home for her. I’d opened my soul and let her in, for her to just turn around and walk away.
“You’re right. I don’t understand.”
This woman held me in her gaze. No, not wolf, not woman…. She blinked and something else took her place. A darkness, fierce and determined. The glimpse was gone before I could understand. For one tiny moment I swam in those blue eyes, and for that second I felt insignificant.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I’m not strong enough. I can’t see through the shadows. I’m scared, Marcus. I’m so scared, for her and for you. She didn’t want any of this. She said she had a nice time with you, even with the crash. She told me to tell you she was sorry.”
I swallowed the razors in my throat. They cut the whole way down. Do I just give up? Do I let her go?
“Your shaman, maybe she can do what I can’t.”
I clenched my fist until my arms trembled. My dragon rose, stealing my voice as he snarled. “Why? She doesn’t want to be here, she clearly doesn’t….” want me.
“Do you really think that? Does Abrial strike you as selfish? Do you see her abandoning her people, or abandoning you for no good reason?”
My torment froze. “No.”
“Then run dragon. Run to your shaman and let’s hope you’re not too late.”
An unseen breeze toppled me hard enough to break the spell. One stumble and I was racing for the front door.
Bastian glanced up as I burst through the door. A bag slipped from his laden arms to crash to the floor. “Is everything okay Marcus?”
The echo of my boots was the only answer I could give. The open doorway to the study waved me in. I slammed my hand against the doorframe. The hard bounce slowed my momentum. “Shaman. Witch!”
I searched the corners of the room. Why is she not here? “I need you!”
The room was empty. There was no musty scent of old, no whispered words of the ancients—there was no soul. “Where the hell are you?”
Where would she be? Where does the witch sleep?
The crowded bookshelves gave me no answers. I left the cabinets and the desk to linger in the doorway.
“Have you had another vision?”
The sun blinded me through the glass. I raised my hand, shielding my eyes and found Byron against the wall. His inquisitive eyes missed nothing and gave little away. “No, no more visions.”
He watched the pack, then turned to me. His dark eyes narrowed, bunching thick brows. “You’re upset. What’s wrong?”
“I need the witch. Do you know where she lives?”
“Lives? I don’t think the woman lives anywhere. But I know she goes to the Ash tree to pray.”
The Ash tree.
“Be careful, Marcus. It’s not just your life you’re changing here.”
Family. Love. They were at war. I dropped my gaze to his thin frame and his bloodless lips. The right path, and the wrong one waited, so why did I see only one? “I will.”
“Until the fire burns out.”
I nodded and turned. “Until the fire burns out.”
Those words were empty on my lips. Didn’t they see? We had no fire. We had no flame. Our embers were dying, turning from orange to black. Still the smoke lingered, but that was all we had left—that was all we clung to.
But not anymore.
A splash of yellow beckoned through the door.
I wanted to make a new deal as well—one the deformed piece of shit who hunted her wouldn’t like much at all. The metal handle throbbed under my hand. Even through the glass I felt the tree pulse with life, calling me forward to where the giant Ash waited.
The thick knotted roots burrowed dirt and strangled stone, making mountains from the ground. My shoes resounded on the stone path. Wild bushes laden with thorns hedged this part of the garden, separating it from the main part of the house.
I rounded the mammoth trunk, finding rivers etched in the wood, valleys gouged in the dirt and a world cradled amongst the branches overhead.
“I heard your call, bull. But I have questions of my own. So go away.”
I flinched at the guttural sound, finding the dark hollow. Swollen lips in the trunk, gave way to a crevice wide enough for a witch to slip through. This Ash was more than leaves and wood—it was night and day—it was our connection to our creators. My fingers tingled as I brushed the trunk, it was both man and woman. But for me this tree was none of those things—this tree was Mother.
A shadow moved inside her womb. Bones rattled, shaking loose the pent up breath as the shaman crawled out of the tree’s belly.
“Abrial’s gone. I can’t find her. I’m worried.”
“So, you come to me for a love spell?” She snapped.
I clenched my jaw. “No, not a love spell.”
Her gaze flayed my skin and exposed the deepest vein. “Then what? You want me to journey to the Underworld? You want me to lie with beasts just so you can find your wolf?”
Something fluttered in my belly. This wasn’t the reaction I expected. Where was the witch who cared for Abrial hours ago? Where was the woman who cared for me?
I opened my mouth, true words were hard to speak, but not this word. “Yes.”
“This is not an idle conjure, Dragon. This path is far beyond the realms even I’ve ventured. There will be a sacrifice. There will be blood… and there will be torment. Are you ready for that? Think before you answer!”
It’s a real bad place, even for a mighty red dragon, Odessa had whispered.
An unseen fist gripped my heart, squeezing every beat. “If I do this will she be found? Will she be safe?”
Her lips twisted into a crooked smile. A knowing sparkled deep in those ancient eyes as she ambled toward me one hand hidden behind her back. “Yes.”
“Then, whatever happens will be worth it.”
Her smiled widened. “Well, we shall see, won’t we dragon? We shall see.”
She dragged her arm from behind her body and I stared at the skull in her hand. Her thin gnarled fingers barely touched, wrapped around the butt of a massive bull’s horn. My pulse sped at the sight. My fingers itched to touch, was this meant to be an omen, was this meant to be me?
Unseen hands shoved me. I stumbled, wrenching my gaze over my shoulder and found nothing but the wind. The old woman’s chuckle sprouted a seed of doubt.
“It seems your journey’s already begun. Take the bones, dragon. You’ll need them where you’re going.”
Her arms shook as she heaved the skull. The tips of my finger stung as I gripped the horn. The shock raced through my hand and into my arm. I gripped the horn with one hand as I trailed the smooth ivory bone of the sunken cheek. The bull inhaled, snorting air into my ears. Fire swelled to lick the insides of my belly. These bones whispered, filling me with secrets and promises. I ran my finger along the sharp edge of its snout, then followed the crevice to the corner of his eye.
Open the gate and let me enter….
I strained to hear the words, staring into those hollow pits as the old crone’s words echoed through. “What are you doing dragon? She’s waiting for you.”
I wrenched my head up as a voice called me. “Who?”
The old woman’s hand never shook as she reached for my face. “Your mother, dragon. Inanna.”
I will b
reak down these doors.
I will wait for no man.
No metal, or stone will stop me and neither will you.
Let me in. Do you hear me? Let. Me. In.
The thunder of my heart became her fists, my chest, her barren drum. Thud, thud, thud. The sunken orbs swallowed me in and the world seemed to slip from my grasp.
That’s it. Let me in, dragon.
In the vision, stars glinted in the distance.
Come closer, the night whispered. You’ve no use of the light anymore.
I closed my eyes and left this world behind. The vision wavered, yanking me from the old woman and the tree to a vision of night.
The silver rays of a swollen moon hugged the lonely figure. His bare scalp caught the light and shone as he lowered his head. Hunched shoulders warned that he was ready to fight. Even from a distance I knew the wrath of Zadoc.
A shadow crept forward. A warning growl slipped through. Russet fur glistened like blood as the wolf circled, cresting the hill before the beast stilled.
Her head turned. Silver eyes blinked, then seized me. Musk, earth, then something sweet lingered. Abrial.
I clawed the air, propelling myself forward as the wolf and Zadoc moved as one. Momentum left me to falter at the bottom of the hill as a dark figure crested the rise. Smoke drifted from a blade as the tip gouged the earth, swirling around the hooded man.
My brother moved, hand up, striding toward the hooded figure. His command shattered the silence. Stop. No further. There was no response, not even a slow in the warrior’s steps as he descended the mountain, heading for me.
I dragged frigid air into my lungs and felt the tremble in my lips. With each step the shudder spread, smothering the fire inside. The soft patter of paws drew my gaze as the wolf came between us. I dropped my gaze to the icy breath that drifted from the steel and felt my innards quake.
The cloak moved as the warrior shifted, swinging the blade. I held by the shine of the sword as the wolf lunged. Savage snarls filled the air as the animal collided with the hooded figure, then a yelp tore through my head.
No! I stumbled as the wolf fell. Something warm and wet splattered my face. I reached for my cheek, then dropped my hand, staring at the blood on my fingers.
Agony tore through my chest. The bull snorted, filling one ear with a rush of air, while my dragon snarled in the other. But it was the voice inside my head that buckled my knees and took me to the ground.
I gave you a warning—yet here we are. Is she worth that much to you, Marcus? Is she really worth dying for? Inanna whispered.
A soft whimper slipped through my lips. I had a choice? I opened my mouth to answer as the remnants of the Bloodstone pack filled my mind. Lost and broken, they needed a leader who was kind and strong. Who sacrificed themselves for the greater good—one who wasn’t afraid of change.
But Abrial was more than that.
Fire lapped the insides of my mind, followed by the screams of my brothers and my sister, calling me, begging me. Your line starts and ends with you.
She was hope and not just for my family—she was hope for me. My heart sprouted wings. My dragon lifted its head and pierced me with blazing eyes. I’d killed for her. I’d bled for her.
You don’t even know her. Inanna’s voice danced across my mind.
The bull snorted, then issued a grunt. His hoof pawed the ground as I pulled myself closer to her. The fire in my chest raged, consuming me.
Her green eyes haunted me. Those lips tormented me. Mine, snarled my dragon. I didn’t know her. I’d barely scratched the surface of who this woman was, yet I knew with every spark of life left in me, that I wanted more.
I wanted more of her mind. I wanted more of her heart, and Goddess help me, I wanted the warmth of those soft lips. My fingers twitched, eager to skirt the seductive swell of her hips. What once was a spark had turned into an ember. Now that ember raged. My dragon stretched his wings as I burned from the inside.
I ground my face against the rocks and the earth, turning my gaze to the wolf and finally answered my Creator. “Yes.”
I stared at the thin gold ring on her finger and shook my head. “No.”
His chuckle wore like sandpaper on my heart. “She’s been a good wife, although she’s yet to deliver me children. But we’re working on that, aren’t we sweetheart?”
The ghost of a smile touched her lips and was gone again, but those eyes never smiled. They were… devoid.
“It’ll happen. But if it doesn’t at least I have a backup plan.”
His slippery words drew my gaze. Clear blue eyes sliced me down the middle. My innards clenched tight. Run, my wolf urged. I turned to my sister. How could I leave her again?
“I’ll go. I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do.” Sol turned, brushing my arm with the twisted appendage and his voice turned hard as stone. “By all means make yourself at home, Abrial. None of my men will harm you while you live under my roof. But if you try to escape, they’ll shackle you and beat you like a dog.”
Something inside me withered with those words. One last spark of hope, one last surge of defiance, died as Sol shuffled away. I dropped the pack from my back as I tracked the sound of his boots.
I rubbed my shoulder and lifted my gaze. She wasn’t quite what I expected. Rowen. Her name conjured many emotions—hope, fear, love… guilt. But as I searched her sea-green eyes for the little girl I once knew, all I saw was a shadow. A shadow of ice.
Underneath the slick surface was a river. I could see the current—I could hear the rush, and yet as I brushed my fingers along her arm, I felt nothing at all. “I never stopped thinking about you. I wondered what you looked like, wondered where you were.”
The dead would have more life.
“I never knew, Rowen. You have to believe me. I never knew.”
A spark. A ripple. Something moved under the façade. I caught the movement at the edge of my vision and dropped my gaze. Her right hand grasped the fingers of her other, thumb and index twisting the wedding band around and around. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but the wad wedged tight. “Are you going to say anything?”
“Our mother died screaming.”
My heart sped, racing like my wolf.
“She died screaming, because I told Sol I loved her more than I loved him.”
I closed my eyes and felt the sun fade.
“You look like her. Did you know that? You have the same red hair and the same green eyes. I could say I hate you for that reason alone. But the truth is sister. I simply hate you for leaving me here.”
I opened my eyes to see the same pain and felt the same hurt. Around and around, her fingers never stopped twisting that band, never slowed. I loved. I lost. I killed. I hurt. I needed… I so desperately needed. Yet all these things seemed so damn pathetic now. Everything I’d done. Everything I’d become had been all for nothing.
I dropped my head, nodding and slowly stepped away. Maybe she needs time. Maybe once she gets to know me. Maybe if I told her. Maybe if she understood….
The desperation churned my gut. I came here to save my sister and never once thought she wasn’t the one who needed saving—it was me.
Sleep little wolf. I’ve got you, sleep now. The dragon’s voice echoed from somewhere inside. I scrambled for those words and clung tight as I walked the track to the main camp. He could be standing right here, yet my Bloodletter was still too far to save me.
The irony brought both a smile to my face and chilled me to the bone.
I’d felt the dark magic that surrounded this camp before. Yet I still hadn’t understood the depths of its power—or understood that the predator mingled amongst the camp. Not until I stared into my sister’s eyes.
I might’ve looked like our mother on the outside, but that was where our similarities had ended. But Rowen had it all. She had the wolf, the mage, the fire and the fury, all rolled into one.
My sister held a dark power I’d never felt before. And yet the questi
on remained, why was she still here?
Murmurs died as I broke through the trees. I turned my gaze to the group of warriors who sat on the outskirt of the camp. One-by-one they dragged their focus from the pens to me and lingered. Meat sizzled over the small open fire at their feet. My mouth watered at the scent and my belly clenched with need. One smiled at me and licked his lips.
I bit the edges of my mouth and kept on walking. Food was never free for a woman—no matter which camp you were in. I steered away from the pens, and headed for the cabin. Did the Alpha’s blood stain the floorboards? Did Sol rejoice at the sight of his leader’s dead body, or did that come after when he became their new Alpha?
Kill the Alpha and run. I thought I’d done just that, until the headlights blinded me and the squeal of tires filled my ears. Did the Alpha’s curse deliver me to the dragon, or was that nothing more than a whisper from the Gods?
A husky cry echoed from the barn. I turned my head toward the shadows, drawing in the fetid stench of hay, piss and shit as the croak came again. “I’m human, please help me.”
Darkened corners held nothing more than sacks of rice and rye. I blinked as my sight adjusted to the gloom and stepped inside. Small stables divided the far wall, some doors were open, others chained shut.
Something reached through the bars and clawed the ground. I licked my lips and moved closer. “Please help me. I’m human. I’m human.”
“Stay away from her.”
I spun at the growl and shuffled backwards. The wolf stood in the doorway, shoulders hunched, fist clenched at his sides and staring at me.
“My name’s Joslyn Goulding. My brother’s a deputy. I’m being held captive, please help me. I’m begging you, please help me.”
I shifted my gaze from the wolf to the stall. “She’s human, what is she doing here?”
The warrior wrenched his head to the side, the sound of cracking bones filled the air. “Well, that’s none of your business is it?”
“Please help me. I’m pregnant. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not one of you… creatures.”