It buys us time. But Barry will always be waiting for Helena to come home. We need a permanent solution.
How did the driver find us? his horse asked.
Barry, if it’s Barry, must have guessed our route. Perhaps he’d hurried to follow us once Helena’s phone was switched off, or maybe he has some other way of tracking us. A location spell? The thought didn’t sit well with Dario.
When Barry dated Helena, he could easily have gathered a few hairs off her coat. Or maybe he’d taken them from her hairbrush when he broke into her apartment?
I’ll call Logan and ask him to get one of the local witches to cast a temporary cloaking spell. Once we’re back inside Wishing Moon Bay, Barry’s location spell will be useless.
When the town was founded hundreds of years ago, the witches and warlocks had cast a spell covering the whole town. Those inside were protected from any spells cast in the outside world. Including location spells.
Good idea. Then we’ll lose him when we travel across country, his horse said confidently.
We must, there is no way we want that loathsome man reaching Wishing Moon Bay before we have some clue as to what he wants. Dario’s jaw tightened as he imagined what he’d like to do to the man who threatened his mate.
I know what I’d like to do to him just for upsetting Helena, his horse said savagely. How could he just blurt out that her father is dead like that?
Because he’s the kind of man who likes to inflict pain and watch the suffering it causes. Dario had met plenty of people like Barry before. Often, they were people who bought a horse but forgot it was a creature, an animal with thoughts and feelings rather than a machine. There were cruel people in the world, some liked to use their hands as weapons, others used words.
But there are good people, too, his horse added. We have seen both sides of humans.
I get the feeling Barry only has a bad side. Dario shuddered. There was something about the guy that was off, way off. He didn’t want a confrontation with the man out in the wilds. There was no telling what tricks the guy might have up his sleeve. When Dario finally confronted Barry, he preferred to have his brothers as backup. There were few threats in Wishing Moon Bay that they couldn’t face down together.
“So how much farther?” Helena checked the rearview mirror.
“I’m going to call Logan and ask him to cast a cloaking spell. Just to be sure.”
“And there’s no way he’ll be able to figure out where Wishing Moon Bay is even if he followed us this far?” Helena was jittery. Dario couldn’t wait to ditch the car and get out into the fresh air where they could both relax a little.
“No way. We’re going to leave tracks in the direction leading away from the town and then double back. There’s a river that runs through the forest. We can follow it for a couple of miles so that he’ll never pick up the track again. Not for a long time.”
“It’s a good thing there’s no snow here or our tracks would be hard to cover.”
He grinned. “The snow will reach here tomorrow. Which will hide our tracks even better. Of course, it’s going to mean a temperature drop so we need to make sure we are back in town before then. I don’t want you to freeze.”
“I don’t think that’s possible if I snuggle up against you.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “You are hot in more ways than one.”
He chuckled, trying to relax. There was no sign of the blue car or any car for that matter. They’d lost him. “Okay, let’s double back around here and onto the highway.”
“I thought we were done with all that.”
“No, we’re going to drive back the way we came and enter the forest a little farther to the north. If Barry was using the signal from your phone, even though he’s lost it, he’ll know we turned off here. I suspect he’s waiting farther up the highway for us to drive past, this way he’s going to have a long wait.”
“You’re sly.” She checked a grin. “I like it.”
“I’ve run with enough herds to learn how to lose a predator. If a horse has to choose, he’ll usually choose flight. But you can’t run forever, so if you can’t shake off the danger, you eventually have to fight.”
“Like we’re going to have to fight Barry at some point.”
“Exactly. But we want it on our terms when we know as much information about him as possible. If Penny has discovered evidence of who your father is, we are one step closer to learning what happened and if Barry has anything to do with it.” Dario hated the pain etched deep into his mate’s features. Barry had already done enough damage.
“Maybe he just wants to use me to get back to town.” Helena chewed her bottom lip. “Maybe my dad died in an accident and Barry is just twisting the information.”
“Until we know all the facts, we treat him as the most dangerous man in the world. Okay? Don’t let your guard down for a second when he’s around.” He made the call to Logan, who said he’d get right on it.
Helena kept driving. Only when Dario received a text from Logan telling him the cloaking spell was done did he guide her back toward the highway.
“I think we’ve lost him for good.” He glanced in the rearview mirror as they rejoined the highway. “And, if I have my way, he won’t be coming anywhere near you again.”
“At least not until we know if he’s dangerous.” Helena gripped the steering wheel tightly and drove back along the highway, hopefully putting some distance between them and Barry.
“Not at all.”
“If it turns out he’s just some weaselly little guy, I am going to see him again so I can tear a strip off him. What he did, how he tried to use me... Then to tell me so coldly and callously that my father is dead...” The whites of her knuckles showed.
“Will you make me one promise?” Dario asked as they neared the turnout that would finally take them off the highway and onto the next phase of their journey.
“That depends.” She arched her eyebrow at him.
“I want you to promise me that no matter what, once this is over, and it will be over, that you let it go. Everything Barry has done to you, just let it go and don’t let it taint our lives together.”
She gave a hollow laugh. “You’re asking me? A woman who has held a stupid grudge against her mom all her life. I should have let it go and forgiven my mom long ago. I should have healed our relationship while she was still alive.”
“I’m sure your mom knew how much you loved her. From what you’ve said, it sounds as if she wasn’t herself.”
“I should have been forgiving and understanding.”
“I am not forgiving or understanding toward my father,” he admitted savagely.
“Then maybe it’s a promise we should both make. Let go of the past and embrace the future. Our parents are gone, there’s no use holding onto our pain. We should forgive them and accept that they did their best.” She turned off the highway and drove toward the forest and freedom. After being in the car for so long, he couldn’t wait to get out and run free.
To try to outrun the past. His horse was right. When they were younger, they had often joined herds and run with them just to forget.
Now it’s time to let go of the past. His pain was mirrored in his mate’s. How could he ask her to let go of her own pain, even though he knew it was for the best, if he could not let go of his own?
“What do you say?” Helena asked. “We jump together into the unknown, where the actions of our parents don’t affect our future?”
“We jump together,” he agreed. “Side by side and hand in hand, we forgive both our parents and ourselves.”
“I think that might be the hardest thing to do. Forgive myself when there’s no way to say sorry to my mom.” She pressed her lips together. “What would my dad think of me?”
“He’d understand and he’d be proud of you. Proud that you can admit your mistakes. Proud that you flourished despite it all.”
“I’ve never allowed myself to think about him, you know. I thought he’d abandoned us.
My mom never talked about him, so I thought he’d just left us. Or that he was cruel to my mom and she’d hidden us from him.”
“I felt the same about my mom, that she abandoned me. But she had no choice. She died. Your dad had no choice. Let’s stop dwelling in the past and strive for a future together where we can open our hearts to both of our parents and love them for who they were. We need to live our lives together and celebrate us.”
Helena turned off the road into a small parking lot in the forest. “Okay. We figure this all out and when it’s done, no matter what hideous secrets are revealed...” She paused and took a breath. “I promise to forgive myself and my parents. I can’t say I’ll be able to forgive Barry. But I do promise not to give him any power over me.”
“I promise to forgive myself and my parents. Being with you gives me a fresh insight as to how my father felt when he lost my mom. He did his best. Even though it wasn’t enough for his son.” He gave a bittersweet smile. “Or maybe I just wasn’t enough for him.”
She leaned across the car and kissed his cheek. “You are enough for me. Always and forever.”
“Always and forever.” He hugged her and then pulled away. “As much as I would love to spend the rest of the day here in your arms, we need to get going. We have a few hours before dark and I want to put as much distance between us and Barry as possible.”
“Then let’s go.” She got out of the car and stretched before leaning down and grabbing her backpack.
Dario reached for his pack and shouldered it while she locked the car. “Have you taken everything of value out of it?”
“Why? Don’t you think it’ll still be there when we come back?” she asked, checking the glove compartment.
“I don’t want to take any chances.” He stood still, pushing his senses out as far as possible. If they could get away without being seen and then cover their tracks, they would not lead Barry to Wishing Moon Bay.
Unless he is something we cannot sense or has a way of tracking us that we don’t know about. His horse pawed the ground in Dario’s head, anxious to be away from here as soon as possible.
“I’m ready.” Helena handed Dario her pack and he quickly looped the straps together.
“Put these over my shoulders like we did at the cabin. I’ll stand next to that big boulder and you can scramble onto my back.” He took one last look around.
“Are we alone?” Helena glanced nervously around.
“As far as I can tell. But let’s not wait to see if Barry catches up with us.” He strode toward the boulder. “We’re going to head uphill and then cut down the other side of that hill to the river. Just hold on tightly and I’ll look after you.”
“I know you will.” She dropped the packs and ran to him. “I trust you.”
He nodded, kissed her cheek, and then moved away from her. Helena ran back to the packs, picked them up, and then turned to watch him shift. Dario stared at her while the world faded away, wanting his mate to be the last thing he saw before his horse took over.
“Hey, boy. It’s good to see you again.” Helena hurried toward him and stroked his nose before she moved to his side and slid one of the packs across his shoulders. She adjusted them until satisfied the weight was evenly spread.
After giving him a quick pat, she climbed onto the large boulder, grabbing hold of his mane before sliding her leg over his back. She was more confident this time and she adjusted her seat quickly before patting his shoulder once more to tell him it was okay to go.
Dario’s horse took a tentative step forward, Helena rocked to the side but then wriggled so her weight was more central. The horse moved forward at a steady pace, keeping to the trail as they headed into the trees.
Soon they lost sight of the car, and all that surrounded them were trees filled with birdsong and the sounds of creatures scurrying around, looking for food before the sun went down.
We are going to need to move a lot faster if we’re going to get through the river and deep into the wilderness before dark.
We must find a cabin, Dario reminded his horse. We can keep Helena warm to some degree, but I don’t know if it’ll be enough, even with a fire going.
The horse looked over his shoulder, Helena had quickly learned to keep her balance over the rough terrain, but now she needed to cope with a faster speed.
“It’s okay, I understand.” She patted his shoulder and then grabbed hold of his mane with both hands. “I trust you not to let me fall.”
The horse nodded his head and broke into a slow jog. Helena bounced around before settling to the rhythm. As smoothly as possible, Dario’s horse increased his speed until he was trotting up the trail, his muscles straining as the incline grew steeper.
When they reached the top, a flat stretch of ground invited him to canter. If he’d been on his own, he would’ve galloped across the open country, but he wasn’t sure if Helena was ready for that.
“This is incredible.” She gripped his sides with her legs, her hands grasping his mane as they covered the ground, faster and faster. His blood pumped through his veins and he let go of all thoughts, of all worries. This was a moment between a shifter and his mate that Dario would treasure forever.
Too soon they reached the end of the open space and the trees once more encroached, leaving Dario with no choice but to slow down. If he went too fast, Helena might get knocked off by a low branch or another unseen obstacle.
This is all so new, his horse said. We aren’t used to traveling with a rider on our back.
Yet we wouldn’t have it any other way, Dario replied.
No, we wouldn’t. This is how it should be from now on.
They reached the river, his hooves splashing in the cold water as he headed downstream. Their scent and hoofprints should be masked by the water, only a creature with enhanced senses would be able to follow them.
As Dario left the river and headed deeper into the forest, he hoped they were safe. Darkness would soon be upon them, the ideal time for an attack.
Chapter Nineteen – Helena
“There, is that a cabin?” Helena’s teeth chattered as she pointed through the trees to what she hoped was a roof, half-hidden by trees.
The horse swung his head in the direction she pointed, his sides heaving as he inhaled deeply. Satisfied there was no danger, he left the game trail they had been following and walked toward the cabin. Helena flattened herself onto his back as they went under a low-hanging branch, when she lifted her head, she sighed with relief.
“It is a cabin.” There were no lights from the window, despite the encroaching darkness. No smell of woodsmoke, even though the temperature had dipped low. The cabin must be empty.
It must be. She didn’t think she could go on much farther. Her hands were frozen around the tufts of mane she held onto as if her life depended on it. The flesh of her thighs was almost numb.
Dario’s horse entered the small clearing outside of the cabin and stood still. She could imagine Dario pushing his senses out in every direction, trying to figure out if they were safe here. If there was anyone close by, he would wheel around and leave the cabin as fast as possible without losing his rider.
She’d experienced the exact reaction when they approached a cabin about ten miles back.
They’d found a cabin that looked deserted, but just as Helena was about to dismount, Dario’s horse tossed his head and snorted in warning. Luckily, Helena still had a good clump of his mane in her hands and her leg muscles gripped his body instinctively as he wheeled around and cantered away from the cabin.
In the distance she’d heard voices, a woman laughing, a woman who probably posed no danger to them. But Dario didn’t want to be seen, he didn’t want there to be any chance of Barry following them. She was glad he was so vigilant, but she really needed to get off his back and stretch her poor aching legs and get warm.
Dario’s horse turned his head and looked at her, then nodded. Helena took this as a sign it was safe to dismount and she leaned forward
and slowly slid her legs behind her before sliding down to the ground. Her stiff fingers still grasped a clump of mane and this was the only thing that kept her on her feet as her knees buckled beneath her.
She leaned heavily on the solid shoulder of the horse as she moved her feet as if walking on the spot. Painfully slowly the circulation came back to her legs and she uncurled her fingers and stepped away, finally breaking the connection between her and the horse.
Reaching out, she grabbed the packs and pulled them off his back. With no strength to hold them, there was nothing she could do to prevent them from falling to the ground.
Immediately the air shimmered and popped and Dario’s horse faded away, only for the man to appear in his place. “Are you okay?” He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the cabin.
“I’m fine, I’m just stiff. Sitting on your back is harder than it looks.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “But you must be tired, too. We’ve traveled a long way.”
Dario looked up at the sky, his expression clouded. “I’m not sure if we’ve traveled far enough. We’ll need an early start in the morning if we’re going to make it back to town before dark.”
“Do you want to go on farther tonight?” she asked as he let her go, holding her against him as she teetered to one side. “I’m okay.”
“No, we should stay here. We might not find another cabin to rest in and we both need to rest. We’ll get a good night’s sleep and then set off early tomorrow. We can stop a couple of times along the way, the terrain is easier, and you could walk for small sections of it, so you don’t get too stiff.”
Helena put her hand on the small of her back. “I always wanted to learn to ride, but I didn’t expect my first experience to be bareback over a mountain.”
He chuckled as he went to the door and tried the handle. “That wasn’t a mountain.”
“It wasn’t? We went up so high.” She shook her legs as the circulation came back fully.
The Horse Shifter's Mate: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 2) Page 14