by Aubrey Rose
Everywhere she could feel presences of the other people in the house. Kyle passed by outside her door and it was as though he was inside the room; Julia had taken to staying in the bathroom whenever she was naked. Even in her bed under the sheets, she felt exposed to anyone who passed near her.
Worse was Damien, for Julia had no respite from his constant emotions. However tiring it was to handle her own, sometimes irrational, emotions, it was more than twice as tiring having to handle Damien’s as well. She’d get frustrated while she was writing, and would throw her pen down before realizing that it was simply Damien doing a crossword, getting upset and tangling his moodiness into her attitude without her even realizing.
She did not like feeling so vulnerable. And now, Dee thought that her babies would be stolen away from her…
“I’ll leave you be for now, child,” Dee said. “But we should talk soon.”
“We?”
“Damien, you, and I. The pack. We need to decide what to do about all this.”
Julia shook her head. Ideas of safety and home whirled in her mind.
“I need some time to think,” she said.
“Think, then,” Dee said. “And think on the stories you have already read. But don’t go anywhere alone.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Damien
Damien waited in wolf form for Julia to shift. She’d taken off her clothes, the fabric falling in whispered rustles to the ground. There had been so many people coming through the woods recently that Damien’s nose picked up a jumble of scents. Kyle and Katherine, Mara, Jordan. His pack.
Julia was afraid; he could sense it in their connection. He sent love her way, love and reassurance. Jordan had said it would be fine, and he always knew best. He did not press Julia to go faster. She would shift in her own time.
Damien heard her breathe heavily and then focus her energy inside of her, feeling herself shift into wolf form. Her limbs twisted, her breath strained. She whimpered as the claws came through, and Damien remembered the first time he had shifted as a child, how it had hurt him. Nowadays he didn’t even notice. Then she was a wolf entirely, her scent a wolf’s scent. There was no human left, and it made Damien cock his head before remembering. She was purebred and could be entirely human, entirely wolf. Strange, but beautiful. Just like her.
As soon as she had shifted and fallen onto her paws, their connection strengthened and Damien’s senses grew heightened. Damien could smell the dew on the pine needles, the bitter berries in the shrubs along the trail. He felt the brief rays of the sun as they twinkled in through the forest branches, and the cool of the wind as it ruffled his fur. And, too, he could feel Julia’s wonder as she stretched her body, newly furred.
He came alongside her and nuzzled her belly with his nose. He still couldn’t sense them yet. Their babies. No matter what, Damien knew that she and then were the most important parts of his life.
Julia jumped then, leapt into the air, and the joy emanating from her body rippled through Damien, infecting him with excitement. Then she was running, and he ran after her into the forest.
The air was crisp, clear, and as Damien ran behind Julia he could see—almost, perhaps it wasn’t seeing—the branches and the paths twisting in front of him. Perhaps it was his memory of running through the forest that he was seeing, but it came only in brief, momentary flashes of sight, almost like a fragmented dream. If it was a dream, it was a wonderful one.
Then he sensed something else, a scent that crossed his nose and made him stop in his tracks. The flashes were gone; everything was dark again, and Julia stopped in front of him, trotted back, and waited expectantly.
The scent was a bad scent. It was the scent of death, of danger, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Damien twisted his neck, his nose sniffing the air around them, but it was gone.
He did not want to ruin the moment for Julia. She waited for him, and he barked once, jumping over her back in play and rolling on the ground. They tousled for a while, Damien being careful not to hurt Julia in any way. She seemed to be stronger as a wolf, for she nipped at his heels like a pup at play and ran back through the woods as quickly as she had come. When they finally arrived back at the house, Julia shifted back into human form, but Damien sensed a hint of disappointment in her, a longing for the forest.
“We’ll go running again,” Damien said. Being human had its drawbacks, but at least he could hold her hand.
“That was so much fun! Did you smell the fish in that stream?” Julia chattered on and on as they walked back. Dee met them at the porch stairs.
“Leader,” she said, addressing Damien. “We need to talk.”
Damien felt Julia’s fingers intertwine with his.
“What’s going on, Granny Dee?” she asked.
“Come in first,” she said. “In the house.”
Damien heard a hint of fright in Dejara’s voice and followed quickly. They sat in the living room, Dee on the chair opposite them. When she spoke, it was to the point.
“We have to leave. It would be dangerous to stay here.”
There was a pulse of startled emotion as Julia was taken aback. She turned to Damien, squeezing his hand. He furrowed his brow.
“This is because of the scripture?” he asked. “About the twins?”
“Yes,” Dee said simply.
“Why?” Julia asked. “Surely it would be dangerous to leave. Scripture is scripture, no matter where we go.”
“True, child,” Dee said.
“Then you think the twins will be kidnapped by one of Trax’s shifters?” Julia said.
“Not Trax’s anymore,” Damien said, putting his hand around her hip and kissing her shoulder. “And we won’t let that happen.”
“I’m not sure what will happen,” Dee said. “But the predictions made by the gods do not preclude worse results.”
“Such as?” Julia said.
“Such as losing not just your children, but your mate.”
Julia yelped and shrunk back as though the words had physically struck her.
“That’s enough—” Damien said.
“Or being killed yourself,” Dee said, her voice rising.
“That’s enough!”
Julia shuddered, her breath coming fast and shallow. Damien tightened his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. He opened his mind up to send her his love and comfort, and sensed a ripple of thoughts spreading from her.
No don’t take them they can’t take them I won’t let them I’ll kill them I’ll—
Damien pressed his lips to her forehead to stem her rising panic.
“Julia, it’s going to be alright.”
He raised his head so that he was talking to Dee.
“You don’t actually believe that nonsense, do you?”
“It doesn’t matter what I believe,” Dee said. “We need to leave.”
Damien ground his teeth in frustration. The pack was just settling in. Kyle and Katherine were almost finished building their cabin. And now Dee was trying to scare them into leaving. He wasn’t really angry at Dee—she was only doing what she believed was best for her granddaughter. He was angry because there was no rational reason to be spooked by a millennia-old prophecy…and yet, if he was honest with himself, he was a bit spooked.
“We need to move,” Dee pressed. “Get away from here entirely.”
“I can’t agree,” Damien said. “Julia’s just starting classes. We’re settling down, finally.”
“Settle elsewhere.”
“You’re afraid. I understand you—”
“Damn right I’m afraid. I don’t know how many other wolves will know that the purebred shifter is alive.” Dee bristled. “We left that
“We’re not leaving,” Damien said firmly. “Not now. We’ve spent the past two years searching for a home. I’m not uprooting the whole pack again because of a threat written thousands of years ago.”
Dee was silent, but he could sense her reproach.
“Julia is my mat
e,” he said. “I will do anything to protect her. But running away isn’t protecting her. It won’t do anything to change the danger you think that she and our babies are in. We’re not leaving.”
“You’re the pack leader,” Dee said, her tone softening. “It’s your decision. I’ll be by her side no matter what.”
“Then I know she’ll be safe,” Damien said, trying to repair some of the damage done by the argument.
“Dinner is ready,” Dee said. “Come in when you’re hungry.”
Julia hugged Damien tightly as Dee walked away.
“It’s alright,” he told her. “They’re just stories. I would never let anyone take our babies.”
“I know,” Julia said, but Damien could hear the edge of fright in her voice. Two jewels, stolen away. Their twins. He kissed her hard, trying to make them both forget their fears. Dejara shouldn’t have said anything to scare her. He hadn’t thought the old woman would be so superstitious, but there it was. He only hoped that she would keep her mouth shut in front of the rest of the pack.
“It’s alright,” Damien said again, but he could not forget the scent that had caught him by surprise in the forest. The smell of rot. The smell of death.
CHAPTER FIVE
Julia
The next morning, Julia clutched the edge of the bathroom counter, her heart pounding, waiting to see if she would continue retching or not. Her body didn’t seem to care that her stomach was empty.
The doorknob rattled but the door remained shut. Even in her haste to get to the toilet, she’d made sure to lock it. She didn’t want Damien to be anywhere near her when she was throwing up. It would repulse him. Besides, there was nothing he could do.
“Are you okay?” Damien asked from the other side of the door.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” Julia gagged again, then caught her breath. “It’s just morning sickness, nothing to worry about. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
He must have sensed that she genuinely didn’t want his assistance because he left. Or maybe he left because he was repulsed.
She supposed she had better get used to repulsing him. Soon enough she would be a blimp. Of course he wouldn’t be able to see how big she got, but he’d be able to feel it, which might be even worse. And what about after she was pregnant? Would she be able to get all the weight off? Her body hadn’t been great before she was pregnant and sometimes she couldn’t help thinking that if Damien weren’t blind, he wouldn’t be with her.
Of course, that was ridiculous. They had been Called together. They were in love. The fabrics of their lives were completely, beautifully, irrevocably intertwined.
But that was the emotional, spiritual bond. How did the physical bond fit in? Right now it was an important part of their relationship; in a way it seemed blasphemous to acknowledge that—it made their relationship seem superficial, insulted the depth of their love—but it was true. And it was beautiful in its own way: They were animals as well as higher beings, and they craved each other’s bodies as well as each other’s hearts.
Would that breathless, burning wanting remain? If Damien’s physical attraction to her faded...would the Calling fade?
She could feel his strong hands grabbing at her, hear the soft growl in the back of his throat as he closed his mouth on her earlobe. It was a primal desire that was impossible to fake, and the thought of it withering away gave her a panicky feeling in her chest.
Her body was done with its purge. She flushed the toilet, washed her face, and brushed her teeth thoroughly. By the time she spit out the toothpaste, nausea was already swirling in her belly again.
Frustration overwhelmed her. Her first literature class was today, which she was very excited about, but she didn’t want to go if she had to worry about scrambling up the aisle to find a trashcan. Of course, with how much college kids drank, that probably wasn’t all that uncommon. But it would still be mortifying, especially on the first day of class.
Feeling like a fat, vomitous, uneducated disaster, she trudged back to the bedroom, hoping Damien wasn’t there to see her in this state.
But he was there...and the bed was littered with a bizarre assortment of items: lemons, over-the-counter pill bottles, jars of cooking spices, some kind of skinny blue wristbands, a box of fruit popsicles, a box of saltines, bags of potato chips, bottles of ginger ale.
“What is all this?” Julia asked.
“I asked Jordan and Dee what helps with morning sickness,” Damien said. “They said there’s a bunch of things but what works is different for every woman. So I, ah, I got them all.”
Tears sprang to Julia’s eyes. The burst of love she felt was too intense to express with words. She clutched the front of Damien’s shirt and hugged him hard, almost attacking him.
“Try the lemon,” he said, laughing as he pulled away. “It’s supposed to be soothing.”
Julia sliced one open, put it to her nose, and inhaled deeply.
“Smells nice,” she said.
“There’s a glass of water on the side table there,” Damien said. “You’re supposed to drink lemon in it.”
Julia squeezed a few drops of lemon juice into the glass of water and drank it, grimacing at the tart taste. Immediately, though, her stomach ceased its gurgling.
“You’re a magician,” Julia said.
“Feeling better?” Damien asked.
“The best,” she said. “I don’t feel like throwing up at all.”
“I’ll shower you with lemons if that’s what it takes,” Damien said.
“Maybe I’ll need a lemon shower to get me through class,” Julia said, “but I hope not.” She stuffed the ginger ale, crackers, and fennel seeds in her purse.
“Do you know where Grandma Dee is?” Julia asked. Julia had been down in the kitchen earlier and hadn’t seen her. Dee had been staying out of the way since Damien had moved into the house, giving them their privacy. It was an odd change from how things used to be. It made Julia feel like less of a child, and probably that was what Dee wanted.
“I think she went for a walk. I saw her go outside a while ago.”
Julia kissed her mate goodbye, then kissed him again for being so thoughtful, then headed out.
When she walked out the back door, she was startled to see someone on the porch out of the corner of her eye. It was Dee, sitting straight-backed in a wooden chair and gazing out into the woods like a sentinel.
No—not like a sentinel, Julia realized. She was acting as a sentinel.
A chill worked its way down Julia’s spine like a drop of ice water.
“Good morning, child,” Dee said. The ease of her voice didn’t match the sharpness of her eyes as they combed the tree-line.
“Morning,” Julia said. “I’m walking to school with Katherine. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay. Have fun.” Dee glanced at her pointedly. “Be safe.”
Julia nodded as she scanned the woods herself. The trees looked ghostly and skeletal in the thin morning mist. The last time Julia had looked at the woods, she’d felt only the giddy urge to plunge into them in wolf form, to chase squirrels and rabbits and weave among the trees and relish the animalistic freedom. But now the forest looked dense with shadows and hiding places.
Anything could be out there, and they wouldn’t be able to see it until it was too late.
CHAPTER SIX
Damien
“Dammit!” Kyle said.
Damien cringed, waiting for a hammer to fall on his head. When none did, he relaxed.
Kyle was at the top of the ladder, fastening a wooden slat to the eaves for his cabin. Construction was not Damien’s forte, for obvious reasons. He was just there to hold the ladder.
“I really should have bought a level,” Kyle said. “It’s so hard to tell if this is straight.”
“I think the right side needs to be up a little,” Damien said.
“Really?” Kyle said in surprise. “I feel like th
e left side is—”
Kyle broke off, remembering that Damien was blind, and laughed.
“It’ll be good if it’s not quite straight,” Damien said. “It’ll add character.”
“I can vouch for that,” Jordan said as he passed by. The planks he dragged along the ground knocked against each other.
“Jordan, can you take a look at this?” Kyle said. “What do you think?”
Damien heard Jordan ease down the planks and step back to get a good look at whatever Kyle was doing.
After a long moment of careful deliberation, Jordan spoke.
“I think you should have bought a level.”
Damien laughed.
“You’re lucky I’m not paying you guys, because you’d both be fired,” Kyle said.
Jordan said something back to Kyle but Damien didn’t hear him. He’d cocked his head. He didn’t know why—some subconscious animal instinct had sent an alert through his body. Perhaps the birds and bugs at the edge of the woods had gotten quieter, or a twig had snapped somewhere off in the distance.
And now that he was focusing his attention toward the woods, he thought he could feel something pressing back against his senses…like the weight of eyes watching him.
“What is it, Damien?” Jordan asked.
“Do you sense that?” Damien asked.
“What?”
“I think there’s something out there. In the woods.”
“Shifters?”
“I don’t know.”
All three of them went silent as they strained their senses. It was scarcely more than a tingle on the back of Damien’s neck but it was still there, and the edge of the forest was too quiet, yes, he was almost sure of it.