by Arizona Tape
I softly banged my fist against my forehead, annoyed at myself. No wonder I was useless if I thought a real fight would be like sparring with an opponent.
“What are you doing?” A shadow cast over me and I looked up at Ashleigh’s face.
“Processing.”
My mate laid down next to me and I curled into her embrace. She kissed me softly, her warmth an immediate comfort. “Processing what?”
“JP’s lesson about battle.”
She chuckles, the vibrations of her laugh shaking through my chest. “Oh no, did he go all doom and gloom on you?”
I pouted. “Yes.”
“Of course. He did the same thing to Danny. She was spooked for a week.”
“It’s not actually going to make me a better fighter though.” I looked up at her, the blue in her eyes so clear, I could see myself.
“It is. You’ll have different expectations when you go into the next battle. You’ll survive it.”
“Not if I can’t defend myself.”
She pushed my chin up, the blue of her eyes shimmering as she looked at me. There was so much love there, it drew my wolf as close to the surface as she could come. She flicked my nose. “Will you stop pouting if I show you some knife exercises?”
“Yes.” I hid my face in the crook of her neck, where her scent was the most prominent. With her arms around me, I didn’t care about the cold or the wet grass. Everything but her disappeared in her presence and desires I never thought I had, bubbled up in the back of my mind. Images of a garden of our own and cute houses we lived in together. Children that looked just like her, with the same blue eyes and dark curls. A dream I never dared having when I was still at home, but now that I was here, I could do anything. I never had to return back to the village, to my parents, to my life as the black sheep.
“Ash?”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve been thinking...”
“Okay? What are you thinking about?”
“The Winter Stone.”
The raven perked up and looked at me. “What about the Winter Stone?”
“I wanted to bring it back, to prove my village I was worthy... But being around you guys, around you, it has shown me a whole new definition of friends.”
Ashleigh pressed a soft kiss against my cheek. “I’d hope so.”
I nestled closer into her. “I don’t think I want to return to my village.”
“Okay? Not even to say goodbye?”
Silently, I contemplated her words. Did I want to say goodbye? Father and my siblings couldn’t care less, but what about Mother? Would she miss me? She did sent me to live with my grandparents, so how much did she actually care? Maybe she’d be happy if I never returned. Grandpappy and Mammy were the only ones that would miss me, but they’d understand.
“No, I don’t want to go back. Ever.” Making the village proud of me was something I desired with no other prospects in sight. But with my friends, with my mate, I could do anything. I could be anything. I didn’t need my village’s approval after a lifetime of dismissal and abuse.
She pushed my chin up, the affection shimmering in her deep eyes. “If you don’t want to go back, you don’t have to. You can just stay with me,” she smiled, not sounding in the least disappointed.
“I’d like that...” I stared up at the heavens and chuckled. Aspen wasn’t the only one that felt like a huge weight had fallen of their shoulders. I felt so much lighter, so much more alive. “I could finally stop looking for the Winter Stone.”
“Errrm...” My mate made a weird gurgling sound.
“What?” I studied the beautiful woman. “What is it?”
Ashleigh sighed. She pushed herself up and ran a hand through her long hair. “I think I need to tell you something.”
“Okay...” The seriousness to her voice was slightly worrisome. Was this where she told me she already had her second mate? Maybe she had a harem, just like Danny... Oh no, what if she had two sheep at home that were carrying lambs and the butcher’s son already made claim to my woman. That thought really made no sense, but with every moment of silence from Ashleigh, I worried more and more. “What is it?”
“You’ve never asked what we were doing in the Aladwin Forest...”
I chuckled nervously. “No, I have asked, you just never gave an answer.”
“Right... Well, the reason we were there...” She took a deep breath, concern flickering in her eyes. “We were on our way to your village.”
I frowned. “To my village? Why?” Did Ashleigh know I was her mate before we met? Were they travelling to meet me? Or was it for a different reason entirely?
Ashleigh pressed her palms against my cheeks, her breath warm on my cold skin. “I want you to know I really care for you, that I’ve felt this way since the moment we met.”
I pulled her hands down and intertwined them in my lap. “You’re worrying me. What’s wrong?”
My mate let out a long breath. “We came to steal the Winter Stone.”
Chapter 24. Whispers
I stared at the woman in front of me. Her strong jawline, the dimples in her cheek, the oceans in her eyes. Framed with dark curls and long eyelashes, she was a natural beauty. With soft hands and soothing words, she gained my trust. With gentle hands and tender kisses, she won my heart. My mate, my life, my everything.
And now it was all shattered. Hurt flashed through her eyes as I pulled my hands away. My voice broke, the trust gone. “You what?”
“I didn’t expect I’d meet you. None of us did.”
I bit the anger back, not wanting the voices to return. “You came to steal the Sacred Stone from my village?”
“Oh, so it’s your village now? I thought you never wanted to return?” she bit back.
“So this is why you joined me on my quest? You thought I would lead you straight to the Stone?” I spat my words out, darkness tainting them just a little harsher than I intended. The first whisper curled through my mind, but I waved it away. I didn’t have time to deal with the amulet now.
“At first, but that was before I fell in love with you.” Ashleigh’s voice cracked and I almost believed her. I wanted to believe her, but how could I?
“You’ve been keeping this from me for weeks? All of you? I thought you were my friends!”
“We are! We were going to tell you, we just didn’t know how. You were so determined to find the Winter Stone, we thought...”
“What’s the harm in tricking this silly little girl and let her do all the work for us?” I mocked, egged on by the poisonous magic. The whispers grew more reasonable with every passing moment. They were right, I couldn’t count on anyone. The world was filled with lies, with deceit, with corruption. Why shouldn’t I find a way to get rid of it all?
“No, that’s not what we meant! We just weren’t sure how to tell you—”
“That everything was based on a lie?” A voice broke apart from the masses of whispers and the echo of his desires resonated through me. A hatred for liars and thieves, for robbers and charlatans. The female voice urged me on, promising me her rage if I lended her my body.
My hands flew in my hair, her words a temptation I wanted to give in. The wrath of a thousand people surged through me, their resentment for everything alive tainting my thoughts.
“No more!” I yanked the amulet off my chest and threw it away. With a thud, the necklace fell into the grass and the voices vanished. The magic shrieked as it retreated, my thoughts my own once again.
“You okay there?” Ashleigh’s concern coloured her voice, the worry dancing in her eyes.
“Yes, I’m fine. But that amulet is a hard burden to bear...”
“I know, I’m sorry that you have to do this.”
“I chose to do this. For Aspen. And us.” I ignored the faint whisper of the amulet, pleased to have some distance from it. “I’m sorry for what I said, it was a lot harsher than I intended it to be.”
The woman smiled, but it didn’t chase the sadness away. “
I understand, you’re angry.”
“I am. You used me. You lied to me. What were you going to do if we found the Stone?”
“I... I don’t know.” Ashleigh averted her eyes, her shoulders tense and hard. “I don’t even know why Aspen wants the Stone so bad.”
“Wait... This was Aspen’s idea?”
My mate nodded. “Yes, he said he needed to find the Winter Stone. I offered to come along because I didn’t want him to be on his own.”
“And naturally, Danny and the men came too,” I finished her sentence.
“Yes, they did. None of us really know why the Stone is so important to him, but it’s clear he’s determined to find it.”
“Okay...” That shedded light on the whole matter.
“I’m sorry, Akira. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we found the Stone, I really don’t.”
I sighed and fell back into the grass. The cold seeping out of the earth matched how I felt inside. “It’s okay.” I stared at Ashleigh with unclouded eyes. The dark voices and words were gone and the truth was clear as day. “I don’t need the Stone. Not anymore.”
“And you’re not mad?”
I listened to my emotions, trying to discern what I was feeling. “I’m not sure about that one. It’s hard to tell.”
“But?”
“But it doesn’t stop me from wanting to be your mate.”
Relief flooded her face, the worry lifting from her frown. “Thank the gods for that. Because I meant it, I really do want you to be my mate. I want to spend a lifetime with you.”
I relaxed into her. “I guess it’s a good thing I no longer want to bring the Winter Stone to my village.”
“It is. It really is.”
“Let’s not focus on what could’ve gone wrong then.” I stared up at the blue sky, not wanting to feel more angry than I had in the past days. It scared me and I didn’t want to find out what the magic could make me do.
“Let’s not. It doesn’t matter anymore. Right?”
I kissed my mate. “Right. When we find the Stone, Aspen can have it.”
Ashleigh perked up. “You want to help him find it?”
I shrugged. “Yes, why not. I always intended to travel all the way to the East, I kind of want to see it now.”
“You don’t have to. We could stay here in the Golden City, find ourselves a nice little cabin to live in... Or we can move further back to the West, find a nice piece of land close to the forest?”
“No, we’d be very far away from our friends. I don’t think you’ll like that.”
Ashleigh pushed my chin up, the love and adoration swirling in the blue. “I’d do it for you.”
I smiled as I pecked the tip of her nose. “No. We’re going to the East to get the Stone for Aspen and when that’s over, we’ll settle down somewhere nice.”
“If you’re sure...”
“I’m sure.” I captured her lips with mine, the faint taste of strawberry swirling between us. “Anything to make you happy.”
She curled her hand in my hair, her fingers brushing across my nape. The soft touches sent tingles down my spine as she pressed her lips back on mine. “I’m so incredibly lucky with you. So damn lucky.”
“So am I.” With Ashleigh’s arms around me, I studied the blue sky. The sun peeked through the clouds and cast a yellow hue on me and my mate. Yes, helping Aspen get the Stone would be good. Even if Ashleigh and the rest didn’t know why he wanted it, I had an inkling why.
He wanted Em back.
Chapter 25. Blood mages
Rapid footsteps neared and Ashleigh and I looked up from our cuddle. Chesca’s panicked eyes found ours and alarmed, we jumped up.
“What is it?” Ashleigh asked.
“Hystericia. They’re here.”
The blood left my face. “The blood mages?” This couldn’t be happening. I saw what they did to Chesca, what they were capable of. They couldn’t be coming here. Was this a cruel joke on her part?
Chesca shrieked. “They’ve come.”
“Fuck.” Ashleigh grabbed my hand and pulled me back inside. A last breeze waved goodbye as the door slammed shut behind me. Seven panicked faces greeted us and my stomach sank. This wasn’t a joke.
“Shit. I don’t know how they found us,” Darren cursed, his face pale against his dark hair.
“Did you leave any evidence behind?” Aspen asked, causing Darren to flew at him.
“I did not! How dare you!”
“Guys!” Danny interfered, shoving the two men apart. “No time to fight!”
“How did they find us?” I asked, my voice shrill in fear. Why couldn’t they just leave us alone?”
“So Hystericia really is our enemy,” Regan sighed, his face contorted.
“I told you, blood mages tortured me,” Chesca hissed.
“Are you certain?” Aspen growled, his hate for the Puma flaring up again.
I quickly stepped between them, hoping I could keep them apart just like Danny. “I saw what they did to her. You saw it too, right Darren?”
The young man sneered, clearly not happy about standing up for Chesca. After a moment, he scoffed. “Yes, definitely Hystericia.”
“Damn it.” Aspen kicked the hearth, the wooden floor rumbling from his anger. No, that wasn’t because of him. It were the mages marching towards us, their chanting deafening the city.
“W-We don’t have m-much time to p-prepare,” JP said as he slammed his dagger into the table. “T-They’ll be h-here in just a m-moment and Rick, R-Rosanna, and I c-can’t fight with you.”
“Why not?” I called. JP was a great fighter, why did we have to do this without him?”
“They’ll use their blood to enchant them and turn them against us. Humans can’t fight blood magic,” Danny quickly explained.
“That’s not good,” I muttered.
“You’re damn right.” She threw her red hair over her shoulder and pulled the zipper of her dress down. “Only wolves stand a chance.”
“What about Pumas?” I asked, hoping we had one more person to fight on our side. The floor shook harder and the group approaching us was without a doubt, massive. We could use all the help we could get.
Danny scoffed. “You found her all bloody and battered. What do you think?”
That was a no then. We were so screwed. “So they’ll stay inside?”
“Yes, and so will you. We’ll fight the mages in wolf form.”
“I can fight!” I protested, holding up the amulet. “I want to help.”
Danny sighed. “Akira, I know you want to help, but we can’t risk it. You’re not experienced enough.”
I crossed my arms. “So what are you going to do? Fight all the mages with just the four of you?” Her eyes flitted to Aspen and I scoffed. “No! You’re not making him use the amulet again, he won’t come back from it.”
The redhead exchanged a desperate look with Regan and her best friend. The seconds ticked away as the chanting grew even louder.
“Fine. But we can’t babysit you. This will be tough enough as it is.”
“I know.” I tied my hair back, the tension flooding through my veins. The amulet pulsated against my chest, the beat fueling my courage. I could do this. I needed to this.
“They can’t enchant us properly, not while we’re bound to the magic. Being in wolf form is our only hope.”
“How do we fight them?”
Regan blinked. “We rip their throats out.”
Bile rose to the back of my throat, but I pushed it back. “Rip their throats out. Noted.” When did my life turn into a battlefield? I really didn’t want to do this, not after last time. Despite the looming threat of the blood mages, I was mostly afraid of what the wolves could do. Of what I’d be doing. The magic was already tugging on me, the barrier containing my spirit animal slowly chipped away by the voices and their promises. The panic bubbling up in my gut was hard to ignore, but I didn’t want them to know how terrified I was. “I need the toilet.”
&nb
sp; My legs carried me as fast as I could, the vomit threatening to spew all over the wooden floor. I didn’t have time to close the door before the bile spewed out of my mouth. Chunks of meat and bread swam in a brownish soup that just made me throw up more. My whole breakfast clattered down the hole, my stomach churning. I heaved and gagged as if my life depended on it.
My bowels rumbled and distressed, I switched position. It wasn’t until my whole system was empty that I regained some of myself. The panic settled enough for me to clean up, my hands shaking as I ran them through water. The girl staring back at me in the mirror was terrified. Her eyes red, her pale skin even paler.
“You can do this,” I spoke, my own voice strange to my ears. I slapped my cheeks, the pain not even registering. “You can do this. You can do this.”
The words were foreign, but they were all I had. I gathered all my courage and rejoined the group in the common room.
“Akira, you’re back. Good. They’re almost here, let’s get ready.” Darren ripped his shirt open, a rain of silver scars peppered across his back. Regan’s chest looked enormous next to him and I wouldn’t want to go up against this man. The red mark carved across his abdomen made me sad for him and I wondered who could’ve done that.
I turned to Ashleigh, my resolve wavering. My mate rested her hands on my shoulders, her forehead pressed against mine.
“I’ll protect you,” she whispered.
“And I’ll protect you,” I vowed back, hoping I could deliver on that promise when the time came.
Ashleigh tilted my chin up and pressed a hard kiss on my lips. “I’m with you.”
I nodded. “And I with you.”
“Just be careful, okay? Their magic is different, different than anything you’ll have ever felt. Stay vigilant.”
“Okay.” With every second, words became a luxury we didn’t have time for. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, to ask her, but there was no time.
Regan pointed at me, his voice unshaken. “Akira, you shift first.”
I nodded again. My fingers curled around the amulet and the magic hummed under my touch. I conjured a memory of my childhood and lured in the tendrils. Greedily, they wrapped themselves around my heart and dove into the hurt.