by Maia Dylan
She took several deep breaths, calming the storm that had been raging within her at the same time. “Did he hear me?” Neve asked quietly, knowing she didn’t need to say whom.
“He’s a shifter, Neve. He heard you,” Ryan answered, and Neve closed her eyes.
Aaaaaand her humiliation was complete. That was just perfect.
“He knows you have a crush on him, and he feels bad for putting you in an awkward position.”
Neve laugh-sobbed slightly and cringed. Oh shit. Awkward? Finding out that the man you were interested in liked to wear women’s underwear, that was awkward. Not insurmountable in terms of building something with him, but awkward nonetheless.
Finding out that the man you thought yourself in love with, that you had spent the past twenty years convincing yourself you were the fated mate for, had absolutely no interest in you whatsoever? That was more soul destroying. She would not cry. She would hold her shit together and make it out into the woods before she lost it.
“Please tell him that I didn’t want to make him feel bad.” Neve’s voice was hollow, and she couldn’t find it in her to care. “I’m going to go for a walk. He probably feels, well, awkward with me here at the moment. And to be fair, I could do with some time alone.”
Neve started out the door that would lead her out toward the back of the house, away from where she knew Liam was sitting in the kitchen. He was no doubt listening to every embarrassing word. Well, at least she had apologized to him in person. Kind of.
“Neve.” Ariana’s hand came out to rest on her arm gently. “Are you going to be okay?”
Neve nodded and made herself look up. “I’ll be fine. Once I get over the embarrassment of the past few minutes, I’ll be good to go!” She smiled but wasn’t quite sure she pulled it off. Screw it! Turning without another word, she walked calmly out the door, closing it gently behind her, before she started into the woods that lay behind the house.
As soon as she cleared the tree line, she was shaking with the need to run, to simply get away from there as fast as she could. And in that moment, with her heart bleeding within her, she could think of no reason not to. So she did just that.
* * * *
Ariana felt the telltale sting of tears as she watched Neve walk from the room. Her shoulders were pulled back, her spine ramrod straight, and her head held high. But Ariana could feel her pain pulsing down their link. From the curses and sniffs coming from behind her, she knew that Fiona and Casey caught the same feelings.
“Well, that was about as much fun as getting kicked in the nuts,” Ryan murmured, and when Ariana turned to look at him, he was standing with his hands on his hips. “Maybe one of us should go after her?”
Ariana was shaking her head before he had even finished speaking. She may have known Neve for only a short time, but even in that period of time, she knew that would be the last thing Neve would want right now. “I think it would be best to leave her for a while. She needs to take some time.”
“Yeah, let’s just leave her for a little while,” Fiona said with a wince. “I know what it’s like to feel something for someone but know you can’t act on it.” Fiona had been instantly attracted to Cole Winters, and despite the two of them clashing, it was obvious Cole felt something for her, too. But she didn’t spark the mating bond to form within him when they first met, so his initial belief was that she wasn’t his fated mate. It wasn’t until Travis arrived on the scene that both of them were dropped to their knees under the force of the mating bond snapping into place.
“Okay, well, in the interim, let’s chat about this damn prophecy.” Ryan held his hand out to her. “Come on into the kitchen. Liam found something today that might merit some more consideration. And by consideration, I mean a little translation on all that old shit that does my head in.”
Ariana shook her head as she moved toward him to take his hand. “Okay then, sweetie, why don’t you tell me the big words you don’t know, and I’ll break them down for ya.” They were all smiling when they walked into the kitchen. The man who stood staring out the kitchen window, however, had a face carved in granite.
“Okay then, Liam, what did you find that has my soon-to-be brother-in-law confused?” Casey pulled a chair out and sat down just as the door opened to the kitchen and the rest of the Winters brothers piled into the room. Ryan must have called them. Whatever they had found, or whatever hypothesis they are about to present, obviously warranted having all of them sitting around the table to discuss it.
Liam was prevented from asking as the brothers all claimed their mates. Once everyone was secured on the lap, or laps, of those that loved them, they all turned to Liam. Ariana couldn’t help but notice that his expression had turned slightly envious. For a man who had claimed not to be interested in finding his mate or even a relationship, he couldn’t hide the fact he envied what they others had. And that made a girl wonder what the hell was going on with the man.
“So, from what Ryan has been telling me about this prophecy thing, half the battle is trying to figure out when the damn thing is going to start,” Liam said as he sat forward and leant his elbows on the table. “With Casey’s part, it started as soon as all of you were in the vicinity of the Pagan Stone itself. There wasn’t a date or anything that aligned with it. Sure, there was the word altar that led you to the right place, but it was simply the magic within the Elementals that triggered it. Then, with Fiona’s portion, it was outlined within the prophecy itself that it would take place when you could extinguish the fire that burned in the East. That all pointed to the solar eclipse.
“But with this portion, there’s nothing hidden in the words that we have been able to determine. There’s no rare astronomical event that is referenced within the prophecy. There is only the knowledge that it will be within the winter months, so before December twenty-third, and that this next battle will take Ariana’s blood to win it.”
Ariana stroked a hand down Ryan’s arm to calm him as she felt his entire body tense at that last part.
“So, come on, Einstein,” Casey sassed from where she sat cuddled into Micah. “I can tell you have a ta-da moment coming, and that it’s big, so spill.”
“The December solstice falls on December twenty-second. I believe that is when Aeron will be able to make his move.” Liam’s eyes flashed with excitement. “In Celtic history, the December solstice was the time to harvest for winter. There are some that believe that during this period, sacrifices were made to the gods to help them through the winter.”
Ariana felt an answering spear of excitement shoot through her. Of course, for her it came with a huge dose of dread, but it was definitely excitement. “You’re thinking it’s a blood ritual for the December solstice for the harvest.”
“What? What the hell is a blood ritual?” Ryan snarled from behind her. His entire body was tense.
“Blood rituals were customarily used to win favor with the gods,” Ariana explained, her voice flat even to her. “It usually requires the sacrifice of the firstborn as the sun sets on that day.” Casey gasped from the other side of the table, but Ariana couldn’t look at her. She was processing internally what Liam was saying, and she immediately knew that he was right.
“Sacrifice as in a drop of blood spilled on the stone? Or a life?” Ryan’s voice was slightly garbled, and his wolf could be heard clearly in his voice. She turned to him with a sad look, and when he opened his mouth to either argue or howl, she swooped in and kissed him. Hard. Anything to keep him here in the moment with her. If he flipped out and changed, she would be left to deal with this by herself, and she really wasn’t ready for that.
Pulling back, she looked into his troubled gray eyes. “We will find a way. There’s something we haven’t thought of yet, but we will find a way.” Ariana made sure that her voice stayed strong and rang with conviction. She needed everyone in this room to believe that she would come out the other side of this bloody prophecy.
“We sure as fuck will, my love.” Ryan grinn
ed. This time his eyes flashed with a determination that thrilled her. Yes, they would find a—
Everything stopped when a large crash of thunder cracked above the house, and in that exact moment, the room flared with a bright light. The next second the heavens just opened up, a pounding, driving rain that began to slam against the roof of the house.
Just as Ariana caught the flash of fear and pain down the link she shared with her Elemental sisters, the sound of her, Casey, and Fiona gasping in shock and fear of what that might mean was drowned out.
By the sound of Liam roaring Neve’s name.
Chapter 6
Liam would never be able to pinpoint the exact moment he knew that Neve was in trouble. It may have been the rain, or the fact that lightning struck instantaneously with thunder with no buildup or any warning. Or it could have been the cold hand of fear that gripped his heart, and the instinct within him that told him she was in danger. He had leapt from the chair and sprinted for the door, fighting every instinct within him that screamed for him to shift.
As soon as Liam cleared the back door of the house, he embraced his shift. People often thought that bears were slow because of their size. They were wrong. Bears could move fucking fast through the forest, especially when motivated by fear. Liam headed straight for the area he had watched Neve walk into the forest and then began to run.
He had watched her departure from the kitchen window, his heart aching for the young woman. When he reached the forest, he inhaled as deeply as he could. Not only were bears fucking fast, they had a better sense of smell than most animals in the wild. Drawing the air into his lungs, he caught the taste of Neve’s scent and barreled up the incline, heading farther into the forest.
The Winters brothers had all shifted and ran on either side of him. Although they could have outrun him, they stayed together, trusting him to get them where they needed to go. Normally, their own noses would have led them in the exact same direction, but because of the rain that Neve’s emotions had stirred up, and which still fell with a blinding force, everything except the earthy smell of the forest had been dampened.
They cleared the top of the ridge, and the scene before him had his heart stopping. Neve stood at the edge of what looked like a tornado of water. Her arms were reaching toward the funnel, her hands moving in a magical dance to the music only she could hear. The water continued to pound against whatever, whoever was within the funnel.
Even from sixty feet away he could see that her blue eyes were glowing. The Winters brothers spread out, making sure nothing and no one flanked them. Liam moved toward Neve. As he neared her, he could feel an electrical charge in the air. Damn, Neve could not only control water but bring down the fucking lightning. He sent a prayer skyward that she wouldn’t fry his big, furry ass by mistake.
He inhaled as he got closer to her and caught the coppery scent of blood. His bear roared in outrage, and Neve flinched. She turned in his direction and brought with it a huge and heavy fall of rain. So damn heavy, it nearly dropped him to ground. If he hadn’t been a five hundred–pound bear, he would have been drilled to the ground, unable to move. Then, with the force of this rain, he would have drowned, much like he would if he had been waterboarded. Damn.
A huge gust of air rose from nowhere, pushing the rain away from him. The rest of the Elementals had arrived.
“Neve!” he heard Casey yelling from somewhere behind him. “That bear is Liam. Remember him? Hottie McHotterson from Hotsville? He’s a good bear! He won’t eat you! Come on, Neve! Don’t drown the bear!” Although Liam wholeheartedly agreed with that last statement, he feared the nickname might be here to stay.
He felt the rain start to let up, and he watched as Neve’s movements slowed and became jerky. He pushed his human self forward, forcing his bear back. He ignored the roar of outrage it gave as he settled back into his skin. As the rain settled, he stood as a man, fighting off the last remnants of pain his shift always brought. He lurched forward when he saw Neve drop to her knees, and managed to catch her before she toppled face-first into the mud.
“Shit! Neve!” Vaguely he heard Ariana call and knew from the vibrations in the ground that they were all headed in his direction. But he didn’t turn his head to look. Instead he locked his gaze to Neve’s. His heart stuttered at the mixture of pain and resignation he saw there.
“Neve, where are you hurt?” Liam asked. The scent of blood was strong now that he held her, and as he gently pulled her up onto his thighs as he knelt beside her, he felt the sticky warmth of her blood on his hands.
“Two gunshot wounds,” Neve groaned. “The first is high on my shoulder, the second lower to my right side. Both through and throughs. I never heard them or sensed them there. They aren’t demons. Those floaty bastards never used a weapon. These two were men. Human.” Neve frowned as her gaze roamed over him. “Are you naked?”
“Well, yeah.” Liam glanced down, then shrugged. “That’s what happens when you shift into a half-ton bear. You tend to shred the shit out of your clothes.”
“You were wearing your uniform,” Ryan pointed out from behind his right shoulder. “That’ll have to come out of your pay. Ow! Shit, Ariana.” Liam didn’t see it but heard the thud of a hand slapping flesh.
“Stop it,” Ariana hissed. “Liam, here are some shorts. We’re going to need to carry our Neve out of here.”
Liam took the shorts but didn’t make any move to slide out from beneath Neve.
“Maybe we should wait until help gets here with some pain relief,” Casey suggested, and Liam shook his head. He wanted to get her to help as fast as possible. Before he could open his mouth, the woman concerned beat him to the punch.
“No, I don’t think…that would be a good idea. Besides…I’m about to…flame out. Too much. Energy…” Her voice trailed off at the end, and Liam tensed when her eyes rolled to the back and she went limp in his arms. A low rumble sounded deep in his chest as his bear made his displeasure known.
“It’s okay, Liam,” Fiona spoke as she reached out and placed a hand on Neve’s shoulder. “This happens to us when we burn out. We use absolutely everything we have to call upon and manage our powers. Then our bodies will simply shut down to give us time to heal. The good news is we will be able to move her without causing her any more discomfort.”
Liam gently lowered her to the ground, stood up and pulled the shorts on, then lifted her back into his arms. He could see Micah, Travis, and Cole looking down at two prone figures on the ground, but unless they were alive enough for him to kill slowly, he didn’t really give a fuck. Neve was hurt and needed attention. If it turned out after he got her to the help she needed right now that those two men lived, then he would simply allow his bear the opportunity to dine on their livers the way he wanted to.
* * * *
Five hours later, most of the group was back sitting around the kitchen table. Neve had been admitted overnight for observation but would be released tomorrow. Fiona had insisted she be the one to stay with her and had curled up on the armchair in Neve’s room. Apparently she had the ability to sleep anywhere! Travis stayed with their mate while Cole came back to the house with the rest of them.
Liam was nowhere to be seen. After the events of today, Ryan wasn’t sure what to make of the man. It was extremely obvious that Neve meant something more to Liam than what he let on, but Ryan was equally as positive that she was not his mate. If Liam had been struck by the mating bond snapping into place between him and Neve, he would have been dropped to his knees that first afternoon at the Pagan Stone.
They had disposed of the bodies of the two men who had decided to come at Neve when she had been on her own. Micah, Cole, and Travis had disposed of their bodies somewhere deep in the national park, and they all thought it best for him not to know. He was the local sheriff, after all.
“I’ve been looking into the identities of the two bastards who thought it would be a good idea to tangle with Neve this afternoon,” Cole announced from behind the lapt
op he was tapping away on. “As far as I can tell, the two of them were part of some kind of security business, but looking at what they offer, it looks a whole lot more like fucking guns for hire.”
Casey leaned sideways so she could see the screen. “That actually makes sense. If you remember our three friends who took a shot me a few months ago, they were hired guns.” Micah growled, and Casey reached out a hand to stroke down his arm, soothing him instantly.
Three months ago, Ryan would have ribbed the shit out of Micah for being pussy whipped, but he figured if the roles were reversed and it were him and Ariana, then he would be exactly the same.
“In fact, remember when we went in to speak with them at the station, Ryan, they mentioned that that they and Aeron had a mutual friend?”
Ryan nodded. Yeah, he remembered that conversation. “You scared the piss out of all three of them, literally. It took us two weeks to get the smell of urine and fear out of that damn holding cell.”
“Yeah, well, they fucked me off,” Casey said with a grin.
“No shit.” Ryan grinned back with a small shake of his head.
“So, if they were hired,” Cole asked with a quizzical look on his face, “it must have been the mutual friend that hired them, right? I’m guessing AT&T doesn’t have an interdimensional service. And that could mean that there are more of them coming for us.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Ariana said on a sigh and pressed tighter into Ryan’s side. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and pulled her in tighter against him. “This is just great! Not only do we have to deal with trying to solve this portion of the prophecy without it costing me my life, we now have to deal with mercenaries who think it’s okay to hunt women and shoot them.”