by Welsh, Hope
“He is…well, we will just say he is out of the picture, shall we?”
“What have you done with him?”
“Fret not, young one. You will be with him soon enough.”
Lana felt herself changing. Goosebumps rose on her arm and only seconds passed before they turned into patches of fur. Although not painful, the sensation was strange.
Seeing red, she lunged for him. The sound that ripped from her started out as a primal scream and ended on a growl. She swiped out ferociously, stunned to find her nails curled into claws.
She faltered for a split second, and just as she reached her mark, he vanished, and she was back in the middle of Cole’s bedroom, stumbling to catch herself.
Shocked, she stared down at her hand—it was still covered in fur.
“What the hell?” she said as she turned her hand—paw—over.
Lana!
She twisted around, expecting to find Cole, but found the room still empty. Cole?
Silence.
Without further hesitation, she leaped through a window for the second time in a week. This time, she hit the ground on all fours. She wasn’t sure how she managed it, but she had changed. Instead of landing on her hands and feet, she landed on her paws.
She moved now, faster than she’d imagined. The breeze along her fur felt magnificent. It was a rush, a beautiful feeling of freedom she had longed to feel. She had felt a kind of freedom with Cole, but this…this was different. Wild. Unrestrained. Untamed.
Focus, Lana. Find Cole now, debate shifting later. With that goal in mind, she reached the edge of the woods and sniffed the air as she ran. There. To her right. Cole’s scent. She would recognize it anywhere—especially since she smelled her own mixed with his.
Cole, she thought, worried she might not see him again. I know you’re alive. You have to be. Please, be alive, she begged. I love you. Know that, remember it, always.
With the cat’s great eyes, she could see everything. Hear everything. But still, she didn’t hear Cole.
The fur on her back shot up. Someone was there. Abruptly, she stopped, tail whipping side-to-side viciously.
She lay on the ground, ready to pounce, and sniffed the air. The rancid, almost sickening smell didn’t belong to Cole. But still she called out with her mind. Cole? Is that you?
As she moved a few yards ahead, she watched a shadow grow and step out from behind a tree. “Looking for someone?” The Evil One jeered.
Where is Cole? she demanded.
“He is somewhere. Here, possibly there.”
I’ll find him. You won’t beat us, you bastard.
“Think so?” The Evil One stepped closer. “You will beg for mercy that will never come before I am finished with you.”
I wouldn’t waste my breath begging for something you know nothing of, she spat back. She would not give him the satisfaction of pleading for her life.
“You take on quite the bravado when I am in my human form, woman. Shall we see how your bravery stands against my other form?” he asked, a mirthless smile reaching his mouth. His red eyes swirled with black as he transformed into the tawny wolf.
Is this better? He circled her. I can smell your fear. It smells delicious. With no response to this, the wolf leapt at Lana, teeth bared.
She didn’t move fast enough, even in cat form, to avoid the wolf. It landed on her, barely missing her throat as his mouth came down on her shoulder. Howling in pain, she kicked out, pushing him to the side.
Blood welled from her wounded shoulder, and Lana in tiger form rolled over and got to her feet. The wolf immediately began circling her again, snarling. Her blood dripped from his mouth.
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to play with your food?”
Cole!
Surprise flickered on his face, but he recovered quickly.
I love you, Lana, she heard in her mind.
Thank, God. I love you, too.
Cole walked to her, laid a hand on her head briefly before changing into his own tiger form. Let’s go, you evil bastard.
She prowled around the pair as Cole leapt for the wolf, going for the jugular. The wolf was too fast. He easily sidestepped Cole and went for his side, yellow fangs bared.
Lana howled and ran forward, the pain in her shoulder forgotten as she tried coming between the other tiger and wolf.
Get away, Lana! Cole yelled in her mind. She ignored him as her mouth came down over the wolf’s back, trying to pull him off Cole.
He was powerful, stronger than she imagined, and not easily moved. Finally, he released Cole’s side, only to turn on her instead.
The wolf made another lunge for Lana, and though Cole moved quickly, jumping at the wolf, he wasn’t quick enough. His nails scraped down Lana’s side, even as Cole knocked him out of the way.
Lana knew they were going to die. The Evil One was simply too powerful for them to fight. A surge of anger quickly replaced the flood of despair she’d felt.
No! She loved him too much. She couldn’t lose him, not when she’d just found him. He’d become so much a part of her life, a part of her heart, body and soul. She wouldn’t give up that easily.
In that instant, she knew how to defeat him, knew they could. They had too much to lose if they didn’t.
She moved quickly now, holding the wolf down with one huge paw, baring her fangs and clamping them down hard on the neck of the wolf. The high-pitched growl from the wolf sounded inhuman, but not animal either. It was like no other sound she’d heard before, but still she didn’t let go.
Cole, help me! she pleaded.
As he pounded over, she saw the questions in his eyes. Link with me.
The tiger followed suit, laid his paw over Lana’s and bit into the wolf’s neck, his teeth ripping at flesh.
Lana felt something as it raced through her body. What that “something” was she didn’t know. In the next moment, the wolf began to shift back into his human form.
Neither Cole nor Lana released him. “This is not possible!” he screamed, then said no more.
With his teeth still lodged into The Evil One’s neck, Cole dragged him away from Lana and shook him violently. Only when The Evil One’s neck snapped did he release him.
Lana heard the snap and winced. She sat now, exhausted.
“When two become one and one become two. When two are linked. Power is true. Your love is what saved you, my children.” Though Lana didn’t see her, she heard the voice just as if she was standing beside her. Her mother. It was different from hearing Cole in her mind.
Lana looked into the green eyes of the tiger. Her mate, her lover. The father of her unborn child. Did you hear?
The tiger nodded. I heard.
Both watched in silence, astonished as The Evil One’s human form shifted again to form the wolf, then vanished into ash.
Lana’s eyes met his. By silent agreement, they both shifted into their human forms.
Cole caught Lana as she started to fall. He lifted her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest.
Running as fast he could, he ran back to the house and placed her on the bed. He turned, intent on going for supplies, but an urgent voice inside his mind stopped him.
Link!
He shook his head and glanced down at an unmoving Lana. Link? What the hell did that mean now?
He ran a hand down her cheek. “Help me, Lana. Tell me what to do!”
Lana’s eyelids fluttered open. “We have to link—to touch,” she said weakly.
Cole climbed into the bed next to her and held her. He felt his own strength flowing into her, but he never felt weakened by it. In fact, he felt stronger.
Color returned to Lana’s face.
“I don’t understand,” he whispered, running a hand down her cheek gently.
“It was always us, Cole. We had to come together. We were the only thing that could destroy him,” she said, her voice still feeble.
“You really are a shifter.”
Lana smil
ed at that. “Thank your son.”
He tilted his head at that. “My son?”
“’Two become one’,” she repeated. “The two of us became one when we made love.”
“And one became two now that you’re pregnant,” he finished, realization dawning.
“I didn’t understand until near the end, after we were already fighting him.”
“And then you linked,” an unexpected voice said.
Cole and Lana both turned their heads. Next to the bed, Lana’s mother, stood, a serene smile on her face.
“Mama! You came back.”
“You’re safe for now, Lana,” Laura Summers said soothingly. “As is your son.”
“I really am—”
“Going to be a father? Yes, you are,” Laura supplied as she smiled down at the pair. “You’ve fulfilled your destiny. In time, your son will fulfill his. Be good to each other. Cherish one another.”
Tears began to fall down Lana’s cheeks silently. “You’re leaving me again?”
“It’s time. I couldn’t help it, I had to wait until I knew you were safe, Lana, but it’s time for me to move on. Embrace your gifts. They have served you well.”
Lana shook her head. “Our gifts caused your death.”
“No,” Laura said. “The Evil One caused my death. He wanted to keep me from warning you.”
“It’s not fair.”
“No, perhaps not, but it was still my time, Lana. It’s destiny.” She smiled, and all the love she felt for Lana shone through. “Just as your meeting and then loving Cole was fated to be.”
Lana grabbed Cole’s hand. “I do love you. With all of my heart.”
Cole smiled at her. “And I love you, darlin’.” He looked at Laura. “We’re getting married. I think, under the circumstances, that I’ll accept a ghost’s blessing.”
“And you have it,” Laura said.
Lana laughed. “You might ask me.”
“And give you a chance to refuse?” He shook his head. “Not a chance, darlin’.”
“Are you coming back, Mama?”
“There’s always a chance,” she said vaguely. “But know that I’m always watching out for you. I’m always looking over you. All three of you.”
“I’ll miss you.”
Laura put her hand over her heart. “I’m always here. Be happy, my child.”
In the next instant, she faded away, leaving no trace that’d she’d ever been there.
When Cole looked at Lana again, tears still spilled down her cheeks, but she wore a smile on her face. “I think I like my future mother-in-law.”
“I’ll miss her.”
“Of course you will. You’re supposed to. But I’m sure she’ll be there for you if you ever need her.”
He’s right, Laura’s voice echoed in their heads.
Cole laughed. “See. What did I tell you?” He brought her hand to his lips, kissed it. “So, Lana Summers, are you going marry me?”
Lana smiled. “How can I refuse? Our son will need to control his gifts, won’t he?”
Cole sobered. “I love you so much, Lana. I know this happened…‘fast’ is an understatement, but I can’t think of another way to say it. I think your mother was right. It was meant to be. We were meant to be.”
“It was,” she agreed. “Good thing I like wild animals.”
§§§
He watched—contained for now, without form. Nevertheless, it would not be long. The Evil One smiled.
The End
Be sure to look for Book 2 in the summer of 2012
Read a sneak peek of HOLDING THE LINK. Book Two in the Prophecy Series and a sneak peek of THE STORM WITHIN, available now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online retailers.
PROLOGUE of HOLDING THE LINK
The Evil One watched from outside the window of the small blue house. They believed him dead. His fury at losing a battle to a shifter and his mate would not diminish until he had destroyed them all.
This time, they could not hold him for thousands of years. This time, he would be free very soon. The child was the key. For now, it took all his abilities just to watch them. It infuriated him that they had won the battle. Of course, they didn’t realize he was not defeated. Why could the humans not understand that they could not destroy him? They would learn, though.
He had made a small miscalculation when battling with them before. Next time, he would be ready. He would bide his time and regain his strength. When next they met, he would show no mercy. All of humankind would know his wrath. He would once more take his rightful place.
TABLE FOR TWO
CHAPTER ONE
She was going to die. Kari Davis knew it as well as she knew her name.
Less than an hour ago, she’d been terrified that she would be killed—now, it appeared Mother Nature was calling dibs. What did it matter? Dead was dead. At least the storm wouldn’t go out if its way to make sure her death was as painful as possible.
A light snow had turned into a whiteout. Visibility was nearly non-existent. She couldn’t tell for sure that she was even on the road. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were cramping.
“Calm down,” she muttered. The last twenty-four hours had been a living nightmare—she hadn’t thought things could get any worse, but of course, they had. The snow had begun slowly, and then built gradually. The radio was warning motorists to stay off the roads.
If only she could. Pulling over wasn’t an option. Not if she wanted to live. She tried to relax her death grip on the steering wheel.
Before she could take her next breath, the car started careening out of control. Immediately she took her foot off the gas pedal, instinctively remembering her driver’s education course from years before.
She felt herself spinning and released an involuntary scream. She couldn’t see anything but white. She didn’t know how to drive in this kind of weather. All she could do is hold on. Was she supposed to put on the brakes? Straighten the wheel? God, help me, she thought wildly. She just couldn’t remember.
As if in answer to her prayer, the car began to slow, then finally came to a halt. Her hands were shaking badly as she relaxed her grip on the wheel. What was she supposed to do now? She didn’t know if she was headed in the same direction or not. For that matter, she didn’t even know if she was still on the road or if she’d ended up on the side of the road.
It wasn’t until then that she realized the car had died. She turned the key in the ignition, but it wouldn’t start. She pumped the gas and tried again. Nothing. “Damn it!”
Here she sat, in the middle of nowhere with a dead car and the blizzard from hell blowing outside. There was no one to call; by now, Derrick would have convinced everyone that she was crazy—or worse, a murderer. She had no idea who she could trust, so had just run—into the worst storm in Oklahoma history, apparently.
Her eyes burned as she considered her situation. Dead car. Middle of the night. Storm of the century. With a muttered curse, she tried once more to start the car. Still nothing. There was nothing she could do.
Her eye caught on the book lying on the seat next to her. With an almost hysterical laugh, she picked it up. At least I won’t be bored, she thought wildly, and tossed the book aside.
Kari considered getting out of the car and trying to walk—but didn’t—at least not yet. She’d read somewhere that you were supposed to stay with a stranded vehicle. Right now, though, she wanted away.
Would she rather freeze in a car or let Derrick and his henchmen find her? What did it matter? she thought yet again. At least with the cold, she’d just fall asleep. She had little doubt that if Derrick got a hold of her that her death would be far different. She shivered, both from cold and from reaction. There was nothing she could do. If a car didn’t come along soon—she’d freeze before Derrick had a chance to find her.
She didn’t have any clue at all where she was. Somewhere between Oklahoma City and Shawnee. Now, though, she didn’t even kn
ow which direction was which.
Cautiously, she opened the door and stepped out of the car. It was too dark to see anything much, but at least it looked like the car was on the edge of the road. At least some poor soul wouldn’t plow into her car. Freezing, she climbed back into the car. Damn it! Just a little luck would be nice. Someone will stop. Someone safe.
She wanted to live! Not that it mattered one iota what she wanted.
She’d run from Derrick as fast and as far as she could—only to put herself more at risk.
It wasn’t supposed to snow like this here! She was sitting on some road in the middle of central Oklahoma. She cursed her own stupidity for getting off the freeway. At least there, someone would have spotted her—even just a cop doing patrols.
But here, no one would find her. She hadn’t seen one car the entire time she’d been on the road—and that had been when she could see the road. Now, she had no certain idea where the road even was. With a tired sigh, she leaned back and closed her eyes. At least she had a flashlight, and wasn’t in total darkness. She guessed that was some small consolation. Part of her wanted to grab the hammer in the backseat and bash something, but of course, she didn’t do that. As it was, she was freezing. As satisfying as breaking a window might be, it would also make her freeze a lot quicker. Suddenly, she was tired. Just a little sleep. She’d been running on adrenaline for hours. It had easily been twenty-four hours since she’d slept.
She’d sleep a few hours until morning. Maybe someone would come by once the sun was out. Surely at least some road crews would be out trying to clear the major roads.
With that thought, she remembered she’d avoided the major roads. She wasn’t anywhere near a major road right now. That likely had as much to do with her not seeing another car for hours as the storm did.
Someone had to live around here somewhere—but even as she had the thought, she couldn’t stop the pessimistic thought that she wouldn’t be waking up. Even with her coat on, she was already freezing. Her hands felt like blocks of ice. The radio had said the temperature was in the single digits. She was more than sure the chill factor was much colder than that. Maybe if she layered her clothes? Would it matter? Probably not, she decided gloomily. She’d be likely frozen by morning.