by C. D. Gorri
He was no ordinary Were. Knox was descended from a line of very powerful Alphas. It had been an age since a true Alpha was born, but she was almost certain her young charge would be the first in that time. If she didn’t finish the special cell, she was making for him within the next few days, Knox may very well turn into something that neither she nor anyone else would be able to save him from. Without his parents to guide and control him, a newborn Were was a vicious and mindless thing, a newborn Alpha was worse.
Being a Were was dangerous enough, but if the prophecy was true and this boy turned out to be the last Alpha of the Reynolds line, then the Council did well to fear him. If Knox proved to be an Alpha, then he would be more powerful than anything the world had seen in a thousand years. His strength alone would be enough to tear down any man made cage or jail where she knew the Council placed orphaned Weres before executing them. Beau couldn’t let that happen.
Chapter 7
To protect Knox, Isabeau was in the process of building a special cell, a magicked one, all by herself. Forged of silver, each bar was enchanted and soldered into place carefully by Isabeau herself. It was her duty. She alone was Enforcer of the young Were and she blatantly refused to let him be doomed to a fate he could not possibly keep himself from.
After a few hours, and a little bedtime song that was more grunge than lullaby, Isabeau tucked her young charge into bed. She left the clinic once she’d checked that her wards were still in place. Fear clutched her heart for a split-second.
She hated leaving him, but he’d be safe there. With all the comforts she had given him, the clinic room was a lot like a regular boy’s bedroom. Toys, books, magazines, a small tablet that streamed movies with a blue-tooth headset, and his favorite blue dinosaur blanket. She’d kept him safe this long. They just had to hold on a few more days till the full moon before she could bring him back to the house.
Should her wards fail, Isabeau also armed the mortal alarm system she had purchased but rarely used. Humans tended to steer clear of her sanctuary, unless they were animal lovers or rich folk looking to make a donation. None had dared try and rob her, though she did get the occasional daredevil teen trying to impress his peers attempting a break in. Artemis usually had them shaking in their boots before they got very far.
The wolf growled and Beau knew she was following her train of thought. They had a special bond those two. Normally, Beau could chat with animals when she initiated conversation. Artemis was the only one who’d ever been able to read her thoughts whether she wanted her to or not. Isabeau walked silently just a few yards down the road to the main house.
“Good evening, mistress,” said the immense silver wolf’s head knocker that graced the elegant double door entryway to her home. She nodded to the magickal ward and the door opened for her.
There really was no place like home. A rush of energy swirled around her and Isabeau allowed herself to take it in. Refreshing her magickal stores and rejuvenating her physical body at the same time.
It had been a very long day. After a quick meal and shower, she headed to bed. Tomorrow she’d be one step closer to completing the cell to keep Knox safe. She only hoped she had enough time.
Chapter 8
The next morning Isabeau was awakened by a howl she knew all too well. Artemis had found something. Jumping out of bed, she snapped her fingers and was attired in normal mortal articles of clothing. A pair of tight-fitting, faded blue jeans, beat-up work boots, and a white thermal shirt. Another snap of her fingers and she was running down the walkway to where she knew the wolf to be. Artemis growled long and deep. The hair on her back was standing on end.
“Whoever you are, you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life!”
Isabeau breathed in and stopped in her tracks. She recognized that scent almost immediately. It was all she could do not to think of him since last night’s meeting in the woods. Turning to face the Enforcer who’d managed to enter her sanctuary without tripping any of her magickal alarms, Isabeau’s face hardened into an angry frown.
“What are you doing here?”
“Good morning, Sorceress Rose.”
“Don’t you good morning me. How dare you trespass on my property!”
“Now, that’s not the way of it and you know that, mistress.”
“All I know, is you should not be here. The Council will hear of this.”
“We both know that’s a lie,” he snorted, but he kept his hands raised in front of the still snarling Artemis, “Sorceress, I don’t want you hurt in this.”
“Why would that bother you?” She asked, hands on her hips.
“You know why I am here. Let’s have a chat, shall we? Come on. Tell her to back off.” He tried to move from his position near the gate but stopped immediately at the snap of Artemis’ jaws.
Beau cocked her head and really looked at the man. Same clothes as last night, face a little sweaty, skin a little pale. The Enforcer was still holding his hands up. In fact, from the strained look on his face, it appeared he’d been in that position for a very long while.
Beau rolled her eyes and looked at the wolf who just sat down and contentedly started licking her paws as if she hadn’t just been menacing the man in front of her.
So I waited a while before I called you, sue me. Artemis’ thoughts entered Isabeau’s head, but she ignored the comment and addressed the real threat before her. The Enforcer.
Chapter 9
“Beau, please,” he began.
“You can call me Sorceress Rose, thank you very much. I don’t even know your name nor do I care to know it. You dare trespass on my land and pretend to be concerned about me, Enforcer? You certainly have got a pair of big brass ones on you, I’ll give you that. Now, get off my land before I really make you regret it.” She lifted her head and positioned herself for a fight.
It was pure pretense, but she did nothing to give herself away. The Enforcer stared at her with his unblinking gaze for one long moment. She felt her stomach tighten and her breathing increase. Awareness sizzled between the two of them, like a lightning storm about to strike. Isabeau swallowed.
“Please, hear me out before you decide to get rid of me, Sorceress Rose,” he said her name respectfully, but it struck her in odd places. Places she had no time to ponder as he continued to speak.
“Firstly, Garren Strengest is my name, and yes, I am an Enforcer of our realm and proud to be one. I have heard many great and mysterious things about you, Isabeau Rose.”
“Don’t presume to know me, Enforcer. You have no idea who or what I am.”
He stood tall, shoving off the wall where Artemis had him backed up for what must have been hours, slowly. He rolled his neck and stretched widely. His body was large and intimidating. The perfect cut of man. Her mouth went dry, but she gave no sign of it. She would not be swayed by a pretty face and bit of muscle. Garren Strengest stopped his movements and faced her once more.
“I know more than you think. I know you speak to animals without moving your lips. I know you hear their thoughts as well. I know you have a big heart, Isabeau Rose. You choose to help save creatures big and small. All of them, Beau. Even those that are not magickal.”
He held her gaze and cautiously moved a step toward her. Isabeau had never heard someone speak of her that way and she was dumbstruck. Surely it was not so strange for someone to want to help save animals. There were plenty of organizations that did what she did. Plenty of charities.
“You don’t hide behind the lines, Beau. You get your hands dirty, don’t you? You spend your time rescuing and harboring animals that have been wounded, hurt, abused and orphaned. You fight to bring to justice those who would harm them in the mortal and supernatural worlds. What you do helps keep balance between our worlds while nurturing Mother Earth for all species.”
“I do what anyone with a conscience would do.”
“And that is something that sets you apart from so many. Your conscience makes you noble and beautiful. The thing you d
o, incredible.”
His voice was tinged with awe and she could not help but respond. She’d been fighting alone for so long. Trying to stop the madness that had seemed to take over both humankind and para-kind.
“We are not so different you and I.” His gaze swept upwards of her body, and he seemed to be relishing the most obvious differences between them.
“I mean to say, Isabeau that our work is to benefit all of our kind. This Were is against our laws and against nature itself. Orphaned it can only do damage, It can never learn what it needs to survive from you. ”
Chapter 10
“I wouldn’t say that, Enforcer.”
Her green eyes seemed to spit emerald fire at him. She was beautiful when she was angry. Hell, she was beautiful all of the time. The sorceress confounded him in more ways than one. Garren had not wanted this assignment. He’d been due for a break, but something about it piqued his curiosity. Now he understood why.
It was her. His lady fair.
Enforcers cut their teeth on legend and tales from both their world and the human world. He knew the stories better than anyone. Yes, they were a dying breed, but ultimately, they were born to keep the wrongs of their world from spilling over and destroying things.
The Council ruled all magickal beings, and the Enforcers kept the peace. Only one thing could supersede his loyalty to the Council. And that was his heart’s lady fair. The Order of Enforcers were descended from the original Knights of the Round Table. Those Arthurian Legends that held chivalry and justice above all.
Garren had studied the legends. He knew his history. The real history, that is, not the watered-down human version of it. Even the Council forbade the passing of knowledge to anyone outside the order, but he knew it well.
Isabeau Rose was the completion of his heart. His destiny. He would risk all for her. And that truth stunned him. First, he must try to make her see his side. Then, he must ensure her safety. That was paramount to all else.
“Which part wouldn’t you say? The part where I am telling you, you could die trying to protect this thing.”
“You pretend we are alike, but I would never call a boy a thing!”
“Weres are dangerous, Beau-”
“You know very little about this particular Were. What you are doing now you couldn’t possibly understand. Just leave Garren Strengest. Forget you ever came here.”
Isabeau turned to walk away. He couldn’t help but follow the sway of her hips as she glided down a rocky path. In her mortal clothing she looked positively cute, but he’d seen her in the diaphanous skirts and gauzy tops that those who practice the magick arts preferred. Something about the flowy material acting as a conduit for their powers turned people like her onto such attire.
Either way, she was beautiful. With hair like liquid fire, eyes that sparkled bright as cut emeralds, and a figure that was made for him to worship, Garren was done and done. Fate sealed.
He wouldn’t abandon her now. More determined than he’d ever been he took after her, stopping her stride with a gentle touch to her forearm. He could never raise his hands to her in any other way. Even that slight contact sent waves of unparalleled desire through his tall frame.
“Isabeau, where are you going? This won’t end well for you, you know that. The Council has decided.”
“What do you mean?”
“They want the Were put down before the next full moon.”
The sudden need to warn her, to protect her was near overwhelming. He wasn’t sure what would come of it. He just knew he had to do all he could to protect her.
“Over my dead and rotting body!” She spat the words at him and he felt her fury like a whip against bare skin.
“Never that!” He vowed. Never would he allow such a thing to happen to his lady fair. But perhaps, if he could make her see reason?
“I know what I am doing, Garren.”
“Beau, please-”
“Look, if you doubt me, I welcome you to stay and watch, but right now I have to get my rounds done.”
She brushed his hand off her arm and fled down the trail to what he thought was an indoor aquarium. Upon entering he noted the humid atmosphere and the strong smells of aquatic plants and exotic reptiles. Ah, there they were. He spied the two very large female alligators laying near a rotting log.
He’d read about these two beasts. They’d been hunted in the Everglades for their propensity to sunbathe where children could easily get in their way. Isabeau Rose had them captured in the wild and brought back here before they could harm any unsuspecting mortals. These last surviving relative of dragons would have been killed without question by the humans.
Just another example of his lady’s fierce-hearted nature. She was a fighter. Strong and brave. Like him.
Chapter 11
You don’t trust him do you, Beau? He means to take Knox, you should end him now! Artemis snarled inside her head.
Fine, ignore me. I’m going for a nap. Call me when you see reason and decide you need me. With that the she wolf trotted off, but not before growling a warning at a bemused Garren.
“I don’t think she likes me.”
“No, she doesn’t. Here girls come on,” Isabeau pulled on rubber gloves and pulled two chicken carcasses out of thin air. Not bothering to hide her magic from the Enforcer. And why should she? She shrugged and proceeded to hand feed the two prehistoric creatures. Their thoughts were primitive, but not dark as she’d assumed they would be.
Hungry. Feed. More. That was their constant chant. She sighed and washed her hands in the sink that sat against the wall.
“What did you give them? In the chicken I mean,” Garren asked and she smiled at his perceptiveness.
“Vitamins and special herbs. The older sister is having trouble with her eyes so I’ve drafted a potion to help her regain her sight. They will both be well enough in a few months for me to release them back into the wilds of the Everglades. In a much safer spot than where they were residing.”
“You won’t keep them?”
“No. Of course not. They aren’t pets.”
“I see.”
“I don’t know if you do. You see this here, Garren? This is my way of helping make the world a better place, of healing the Earth, and making her whole. Animals like these can be nursed to health and when they are fine and well, they need to be released to where they belong.”
“That’s good, Beau. Too many try to make pets of wild beasts.”
“Yes. I can help fix the human world in this small way, but I cannot fix what is wrong with the magickal world. He can, Garren, it sounds crazy, but he can,” without questioning her motives she walked right up to the man. Invading his space. Their breaths mingled and she tasted the minty freshness of the gum he’d chewed. So close. Close enough to touch. She pushed the thought away even as his gray eyes implored her.
“Isabeau, I don’t know,” he started to speak. Raising her hand, she gave in to the temptation to touch and pressed her cold fingers to his lips. Electricity raced down her arm from the simple touch.
“Let’s not debate this now, Enforcer. Just watch what I do today, and maybe then you could begin to understand and trust me.”
Chapter 12
It was all he could do to restrain himself. Her hands were remarkably soft despite the fact she worked endless hours catering to and healing the many beasts in her care. She smelled like cinnamon spice and the air around her was charged with magick. Garren’s body responded predictably. He wanted her. Badly.
“Okay, Beau, okay.” He managed to speak without stuttering against those soft fingers of hers, and he didn’t even try to stop himself from pressing his lips against them in a too brief kiss.
He didn’t release her hand either as they walked toward her next group of charges. Delighted by her acquiescence, he squeezed briefly and tried not to grin like the fool he was. What else was he supposed to do? He’d found his lady fair and his heart beat like a conquering army for her alone. He’d been watching f
or days now and one thing he knew without pause was that she loved this place.
Truly, the Beleza Wildlife Haven was remarkable. He’d come to know that just from observing at a distance. The land was vast and private. Beautiful, like its keeper. It was a place where Garren could picture himself living. Imagine that. A wanderer like him finding a home.
What were his superiors going to say? At that moment, he was surprised to find he did not care. Her melodic voice interrupted those unwanted thoughts and he turned to listen to her speak. She had such energy, such spark when she spoke of her cause.
“These are some of the more exotic creatures I care for here,” Isabeau said and pointed to what looked like a normal flock of ducks gliding gracefully across the moderate sized pond in her lands. As they swam closer Garren noticed the majority of the ducks were normal, average ducks that humans loved to hunt. Then he saw them. It was as if they were floating across the water for they made no breaks or waves, a single pair of swans with feathers of the purest gold and beaks of blazing copper. They seemed to smile at him as they came closer.
“Are those what I think they are?” he asked astounded.
“Yes, they are. Aren’t they beautiful? The last pair of golden swans in the entire world. They have been hunted by our kind to near extinction, but one night during my travels I heard them calling to me. I found them in a forest in Eastern Europe and I brought them here. They are still very young, but soon they’ll be old enough to mate and perhaps, with a little help they can save their species.”
She reached out a long, elegant hand and a mixture of seeds and flowers flew from her fingertips to float along the water to where the fowl gobbled them up. The male swan sounded like a trumpet. Isabeau smiled and made a small bow.
Garren watched her in silence as they continued with what was a regular day for this remarkable woman. She was honest, smart, and most of all kind. Beau freely gave what she could of her time, money, heart, and magick. The last surprised him most of all. He had never seen someone with so much power be so kind with it.