by Bonnie Vanak
“She needs you,” Troy told Snake. “Only you. Get her out of here and back home.”
Snake threw him a grateful look, and walked off, picking Zoe in his arms. Sobbing, she curled against him as Snake jogged to his pickup truck.
Jenny looked after them anxiously as they drove off. “Will Zoe be all right?”
“She’s got the best medicine, sweetheart. She has someone who cares,” Troy said somberly. He glanced at Tristan. “D.L. He branded her. What does that stand for?”
“Dark Lord,” the Silver Wizard said grimly. “Ellison has been the one breaking the warding on the land. He invited Perry and the cult onto Aiden’s ranch.”
“And you kept this information to yourself? Damnit Tristan, you should have told me!” Aiden took off his Stetson and threw it to the ground. “I could have saved her.”
“No one could have.” Tristan looked solemn. “He’s a rare morphing demon, a shifter turned to evil who does the explicit bidding of the Dark Lord and thrives on drinking blood. This particular demon blends easily. Even I, with all my powers and my advanced magick, could not detect he had turned to darkness until Perry and his cult were nearby.”
“That burns my biscuit,” Aiden growled. “You’re more than a thousand years old and hell, if you can’t tell these morphing demons apart from regular Others, who can?”
Tristan, Drust, Gideon and Xavier turned to Caderyn.
“I can. I fought these demons centuries ago and vanquished them. Now that we know they walk among us, I can teach my fellow wizards, and I will teach my daughter as well,” Caderyn said slowly. “I have a particular talent for seeing their true guise. True evil bears a death’s head skull beneath their face.”
He looked down at Jenny. “A talent I passed onto my daughter, it seems.”
Jenny shook her head. “I could see it with Perry, but not with Ellison.”
“It is easier to detect with Skins. I will show you how to do it with morphing demons like Ellison,” Caderyn said. “A little practice and you will be as skilled as I am.”
Suddenly Troy knew Jenny did have a greater purpose. She wasn’t merely different and possessed power beyond that of an ordinary Lupine, but a skill at seeing through to the soul.
He touched her face, marveling at her uniqueness. “Always knew you were special, sweetheart. You were born to vanquish darkness.”
“Now, Jenny will receive her first lesson in how to use her powers on how to kill a demon.” Caderyn flexed his fingers. “Without using a sword.”
Aiden threw the unconscious demon a disgusted look. “I’d love to wring his neck with my bare hands, but I’ll let you take care of this situation. I’m going back to my ranch to have a talk with the pack. Tristan, after, I want you or someone to go through every single member and make sure there’s no more of these bastards among us.”
“I will do it,” Caderyn said. “My fellow wizards will accompany me and I shall teach them.”
“One question before I go.” Aiden picked up his Stetson, clapped it back on his head. “How the hell did a Skin professor from a college turn into a demon?”
“He wrote a book,” Tristan said, sighing. “The wrong kind of book that required research. Perry was always fascinated with the occult as an adult. He found an ancient manuscript with a chant to call up evil and summoned the Dark Lord, who promised power and immortality if Perry turned his soul over to him and became a demon.”
Xavier’s handsome face tightened. “Perry is only one Skin masquerading as human while concealed his demon self. We destroyed the ancient manuscript, but there are more Skins like Perry who will do the Dark Lord’s bidding in the coming days when mortals and immortals must battle evil for their survival.”
Aiden shook his head. “If it’s a war we must prepare for, then we will. I’m not afraid to fight and neither is my pack.”
The alpha headed for his pick-up truck and drove off. Ellison had begun to stir. Troy and the wizards backed away, while Jenny and Caderyn approached the demon. She threw an anxious look over her shoulder at Troy. He nodded.
“You can do this, Jenny. Let her rip.”
Let her rip.
Jenny took a deep breath as she and her father slowly advanced toward Ellison. Not Ellison, the happy, friendly cowhand whom Aiden had trusted. That Ellison was forever gone, having sold his soul to the Dark Lord in exchange for immortality.
He is not Lupine. He is evil and evil must be vanquished and destroyed.
Caderyn looked down at her, nodding, as if he understood her trepidation. “You dispatched Perry to save yourself. This is different. Instinct guided you previously, but this time, you are killing a demon who has presented no clear threat to you personally. Remember this. Ellison is not a someone. He is not a friend, nor even a shadow of a Lupine. He is darkness, and you are light.”
“He looks like he always did,” Jenny murmured. “He’s cocky but protective of the pack.”
Caderyn stretched out a hand. “What do you see beneath his face?”
Jenny focused. “Just a face. Nothing. His aura is gray, but not black like Perry’s was.”
Ellison started to stir.
“Try again. This time do not look with your eyes.” Caderyn pointed to his chest. “Look with your heart. Look into his heart and his soul. Look at Ellison as if you had to trust him with your life. Would you?”
Intense. Unsure of her skills, Jenny hesitated. She glanced at Troy, who nodded encouragement.
Maybe if I look at Ellison as if I had to trust him with Troy’s life, not mine.
Turning her attention back to Ellison, who was struggling to sit up, she concentrated. Saw him as a cowboy who had to save Troy’s life from a pack of vicious Lupines. She imagined the Lupines racing forward, ready to tear Troy into pieces. Only Ellison could save her lover.
Jenny let her powers flow and this time, she saw a death’s head skull flickering below Ellison’s face.
Ellison would not save Troy.
Ellison would kill him.
“I see it!” She felt exuberant and yet sad at the same time.
“Your heart told you the truth your eyes refused to believe. Now you must destroy him,” Caderyn told her.
“I don’t know if I can…”
The Shadow Wizard took her hands. “The power is within you. Take all your magick, feel the white light inside you, and gather it into your hands, holding it as you would one of those… ah…”
He glanced at Tristan.
“Baseballs,” the Silver Wizard offered.
“Yes, that.” Her father released her hands. “Do it.”
Jenny focused and culled all her magick.
Ellison saw them, scrambled to his feet. “Now look here, this is all a misunderstanding. If you’d let me explain…”
“Do not listen to the demon,” Caderyn warned.
She flung out her hands and directed the light into Ellison’s body. He screamed and clutched his chest. White light bathed him, squeezing out of his skin, pouring out of his eyes, nostrils, mouth as he screamed and batted at it, as if he burned from within.
Then Ellison looked at her, pleading. “Jenny, please, don’t do this. I’m not what you think. Please I promise I’ll change. I’ll be good!”
“Do not let up, daughter,” Caderyn roared. “Do not listen to him!”
Yet her father’s words did not convince her. What if she were wrong, and they were all wrong and Ellison could change?
Jenny pulled back. “I can’t do this,” she cried out. “I can’t kill him!”
“You must finish him off,” Caderyn yelled.
Suddenly Troy was at her side, talking to her. More than this father she barely knew, she needed her lover, her rock.
“Do it, Jenny. He’s not Ellison. He’s a demon who branded Zoe, destroyed lives and will destroy more if you don’t finish him off. I have faith in you, sweetheart. Don’t listen to the demon. Focus on my voice only.”
She did as he kept talking, telling her how
strong she was, how proud he was of her talent.
Doggedly she kept up the flow of pure white light until Ellison became white hot, and nothing remained of him but flames pouring from her fingertips.
“One final push, see him turning into nothing, dissolving,” Caderyn urged.
Closing her eyes, she saw the light squeeze and squeeze until the demon turned into small particles, and then vaporized. Ignoring the screams, hearing only Troy’s encouragement.
Then suddenly she felt nothing. Jenny opened her eyes.
Nothing remained of Ellison. Not even a burn mark in the field. It was as if he never existed.
“Well done, my daughter.” Caderyn clapped a hand on her shoulder and she nearly staggered from the force.
“Take it easy, big guy,” she told him. “I’m kinda small.”
“But with the heart and soul of a warrior,” Caderyn said, and there was a hint of pride in his voice.
The other wizards gathered around them, congratulating her as Troy hugged her tight.
“You did it.” He smoothed back the damp hair from her face. “Knew you could.”
“You both can be a formidable force in the fight against the rising tide of darkness. It will not be a smooth road, but with your swiftness, Troy, and your magick, Jenny, you will become like a scythe moving through hay, cutting down evil where you see it,” Caderyn told them.
“But the choice is yours,” Drust added, the dragon wizard looking off into the distance. “We would never force it upon you.”
“We must go now, young Jenny,” Gideon told her. “It was a pleasure watching you destroy that demon. Now Caderyn, about this talent of yours…”
All the wizards vanished.
It was as if they were never there. She shivered. Troy wrapped his arms around her. “One last thing, sweetheart.”
“Anything for you,” she whispered.
He grinned. “Aiden and those wizards left us stranded. Can you get us out of here, back to the lodge?”
Using her powers, she did.
Hugging Troy, Jenny transported them back into the lodge’s living room, feeling time and space whoosh past them. They materialized near the fireplace. Troy laughed.
“What a rush. You’re better than a cramped airplane, Jenny.”
She became aware of others in the room staring at them. This time, not with trepidation or distrust, but respect. Aiden was on the phone, his mate Nia next to him. Sitting opposite in a love seat was Dale and his mate, Beth, while Darius sat in an armchair nearby, Sam on his lap. Snake stood by the fireplace, staring into the flames.
The beta shook his head and motioned for quiet.
“Right. Any time you need access, you’ve got it. The wolf pack is all yours now for studying.” Aiden looked at Jenny, winked.
The alpha’s expression went blank. “Really? That’s too bad. I’m sure Professor Perry will be missed.”
“Not,” Troy murmured.
Aiden hung up. “Professor Chance called to thank me for allowing him access onto our land to study the Timberline pack. The memory spell Tristan put on him worked well. He doesn’t remember a thing about finding a lone wolf caught in a trap, Jenny.”
Beth hugged Dale. “He’s such a good teacher, and cares about the environment. I’m glad he stopped seeing Judy. She was so crazy about Perry, thought he walked on water. Professor Chance deserves a nice woman.”
“Like the one I have, except she’s taken,” Dale purred.
Aiden palmed his phone. “Judy… Tristan told me Perry was on the verge of turning her soul over to the Dark Lord as well. Tristan wiped out her memory as well and she’s gone back to her family in Indiana.”
Jenny was almost afraid to ask. “How does Professor Chance think Perry died?”
Aiden’s expression remained guarded. “Leave it to Tristan. He was killed in a helicopter crash…. While trying to shoot at the Timberline pack from the air. There won’t be an autopsy. The family’s decided to have a quiet funeral. Seems his own father sensed something had changed with his son, and disinherited him some time ago.”
She nodded, but her focus remained on Snake, who stood by the fireplace, staring into the flames. So much heartache and love.
Troy went to him, clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Snake. I’m sorry for what happened to her.”
Snake turned his hat over, thumbing the brim. “Knew Zoe was fighting something, but she refused to tell me. It was that bastard Ellison all along. He’s the reason she ran away. She was flirting with him and he went too far and raped her. She was too ashamed to come to me or her parents, or Aiden. Too scared. Figured everyone would blame her. I told her different. She’s with her parents now, resting. They’re horrified that this happened to her and they were blind to it.”
Jenny’s throat closed. “Everyone was blind to it. Tristan told us it takes extraordinary powers to detect these kind of demons. They’re clever at disguising themselves as normal Lupines or OtherWorlders.”
Troy fisted his hands. “He’s dead, Snake. He’ll never hurt her again. Jenny saw to it.”
Not just me. It was teamwork. She took Troy’s hand. “I would have stopped, if you weren’t there, encouraging me to continue. We make a great team. Let’s make a great team for all eternity.”
The alpha looked at the clock hanging over the fireplace mantle. “I have a pack meeting with Caderyn and the other wizards. It’s going to take the rest of the day to go through each pack member to determine their true nature. But before we go, I want to settle some things with both of you.”
Jenny held her breath. Would the alpha kick them out now? After everything?
“Need to know where you want to live after you’re mated. I can give you the cabin where you’ve been staying.” Aiden grinned.
“Oh no, first you’re going to be properly mated.” Nia beamed. “A wedding. I love weddings and I’ll help you plan it.”
“I will as well,” Sam offered.
“A wedding would be a fine thing,” Darius mused. “Help the pack understand as well, that you’re not a threat except to those who embrace evil.”
“The wedding, yes, that would be nice,” she ventured. “But staying here to live permanently…”
Jenny glanced at Troy, who shook his head.
“I reckon we’ll be hitting the road again after we get mated,” Troy said quietly. “This evil is gathering, and we need to flush it out and hunt it down.”
But she knew what it cost him to say that, because Troy truly did want to belong to a pack again. Needed to have a place to call home.
“Maybe we can compromise,” she told him. “Stay here once in a while.”
She turned to Aiden.
“Your pack will never fully accept me, Aiden. Not all the time. But Troy is right. Lupines need pack. I feel Troy and I were given our unique magick, our gifts, for a reason. We were meant to be together. We could have both a life on the road, seeking and destroying dark magick, but the ranch to call home when we need to rest.”
She glanced at Troy. “Is that okay with you?”
He smiled. “Anywhere I’m with you is fine with me, sweetheart. As long as we’re together, I’ll be home.”
As he kissed her, she closed her eyes, remembering they were once two lost souls longing for something deeper and richer. Longing for home.
They finally found a place to belong… with each other.
Thank you for reading The Mating Need. I hope you enjoyed it!
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You’ve just read The Mating Need, Book 15 in my Werewolves of Montana series.
The Werewolves Of Montana Series
Werewolves of Montana boxed set, prequel through Book 4
Werewolves of Montana boxed set, Book 4.5 through Book 7
Pre
quel: The Mating Heat
Book 1: The Mating Chase
Book 2: The Mating Hunt
Book 3: The Mating Seduction
Book 4: The Mating Rite
Book 4.5: The Mating Intent
Book 5: The Mating Challenge, Aiden’s story
Book 6: The Mating Season, Tristan’s story
Book 7: The Mating Destiny, Alex’s story
Book 8: The Mating Game, Xavier’s story
Book 9: The Mating Ritual, Gideon’s story
Book 10: The Mating Frenzy
Book 11: Snowbound with the Alpha Wolf
Book 12: Wild Wolf
Book 13: The Mating Magic (prequel to The Mating Claim)
Book 14: The Mating Claim, Drust, the Coldfire Wizard
Book 15: The Mating Need
www.Bonnievanak.com
The Mating Need
Copyright © 2020 Bonnie Vanak
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