by Ovidia Pike
“I’m—yeah,” I said.
“We’ve been waiting forever. We thought you were gonna die,” Jane said solemnly.
“No, I’m...still here,” I said. “I’m told you did all this?”
“Yep, we did,” said Chelsey in a proud voice. “Used a whole bag of balloons.”
“I can see that,” I said, feeling myself start to smile.
“Did you see our drawings?”
“I did,” I said, picking them up. “This is me?”
“That’s you saving us,” Jane said.
“I see,” I said, feeling emotion rise in my chest. I looked up at both girls.
“Thank you,” I said to them. Jane leaned in to kiss my cheek.
“You’re welcome!” she said brightly. The door opened then and Sophie stepped in, smiling at the girls.
“Hi, girls,” she said. “Mind if I have a minute?”
“Okay,” Chelsey said, then lowered her voice, speaking to me in a whisper.
“Is this your girlfriend?” she asked, loud enough for Sophie to hear.
“I wish,” I said to her. They giggled, told me goodbye and left, skipping away, shutting the door behind them.
“Hi,” I said to her. She didn’t look me in the eye, but just slightly approached the bed. I tried to reach for her hand, but she didn’t give it to me, only cleared her throat.
“How are you feeling?” she asked in a cool, polite voice.
“I’m okay,” I said, a sinking feeling in my chest. Her eyes were focused over my shoulder, far away from mine.
“Good,” she said. “I was only staying until you woke up. I’m leaving later today.”
“Sophie, no,” I said. “I’m so, so sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it. I was just...trying to keep you safe. I would do anything to protect you.”
“I told you, it doesn’t matter what your excuse is. There’s no reason for hurting a person like that, especially not someone you claim to love. That’s nothing but cruelty. You’re a cruel, mean man, and I still never want to see you again.”
“But you stayed,” I said. “You were worried—”
“I was,” she said. “Because unlike you, I have a heart. I have feelings, and I...loved you. I did. I don’t anymore. I can’t feel anything but hate for you now.”
“I’m sorry,” I said to her softly. The words pierced my body like arrows, worse than the pain I’d gone through being impaled by the spear.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m over it. But I won’t be back. Do not try to find me again.”
“Okay,” I responded. “I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry or that you love me. You don’t even know what love is. You’re not capable of it, because you’re broken.”
“That’s not fair,” I said. She gave a nonchalant shrug.
“Goodbye, Gabriel,” she said, leaving without another word. I didn’t have time to catch my breath before the door opened again and Lily and Nathaniel stepped in. Lily was frowning, glancing over her shoulder at Sophie.
“Why was she crying?” she asked.
“Because she’s upset,” I said to her, aching at the thought of her in tears, close to them myself.
“How are you feeling?” Nathaniel asked, sitting down next to me.
“I’m alive,” I said to them. “Not great.”
“Sophie’s leaving?” Lily asked.
“Yes, she’s leaving for good,” I said. She gave a sad nod.
“I need to know what happened to Harley,” I said to them. “Did somebody kill her?”
“No, she got away before the paralysis broke. She’s out there somewhere.”
“And the faceless man?”
“Dead,” Nathaniel said. “He’s gone.”
“What about the zombies?”
“That, I don’t know. Nobody’s gone out there to look. We’re all fucking tired,” he said.
“Yeah, I get it,” I said to him. “I’ll send someone in a few days.”
“Anything we can get for you?” Lily asked.
“No,” I said. “I’m just—can you make sure no one else comes in here today?”
“We’ll tell Alicia,” Nathaniel said, standing up.
“Thanks,” I said to them, feeling weak and tired, and so drained I couldn’t say another word.
Epilogue: Sophie
I left the ranger station as the sun was going down, getting into my car, grateful to be done with another long, dull day working the campgrounds. I sighed when I started the car and started to leave the park, driving along the winding road, no longer captivated by the beauty around me. The world felt dull and lifeless, and it had felt that way ever since Gabriel had sent me away in the first place.
I drove slowly, careful of the wildlife in the park, not in any hurry to get home and be alone. I missed the village, the magic of it, the friends I had made there since I’d made it my home.
I jolted, letting out a scream when my car swerved and popped, the tire flying off as the car flew toward a tree. I jerked back as it hit, closing my eyes, and paused for a minute after it was done. I coughed and opened the door, tumbling out of the car, getting up and stumbling away from it.
“Shit,” I said, pulling out my phone. “Stupid tire.”
“Sophie,” came a voice from the trees, a voice that made a shiver run down my spine. I turned to see Harley there smiling at me, giving me a small wave. She wore a robe that she put down as she beckoned me closer. I put my hand on my gun, feeling rage fill me up. Harley was just a shifter—I could fight a shifter; I could shoot a shifter. I thought about the moment Gabriel lost consciousness and how scared I’d felt. I walked toward her quickly and she backed into the woods, turning around and walking ahead of me. I followed her, jogging to catch up, and then all of a sudden I was stuck in my tracks, paralyzed. I felt filled with confusion as Harley turned around and came to me.
“He’s not here,” she said, and I lurched forward, suddenly free. I stared at her in bewilderment, climbing to my feet.
“You...can do that?”
“I can now,” she said with a smirk. I watched as the trees started to sway and shift around her, and gasped when the branches dipped down, slipping underneath her, forming a seat that lifted her in the air.
“What the—”
“The idiot before me didn’t use half his powers. Neither did the witches. They had no idea what they were capable of.”
“Did you, like, get his powers or something?” I asked.
“Something like that,” Harley said. “Smart girl.”
“So what, are you going to kill me?”
“No, I’m sending you back to the village. It’s ridiculous that you’re leaving. You and Gabriel are natural mates.”
“You tried to kill him,” I accused angrily.
“I wasn’t necessarily trying to kill him. I would have stabbed him through the heart.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Why?” Harley asked. “Why would I kill him?”
“Yes,” I said. “I thought you were close.”
“I was his slave,” Harley said bitterly. “A dog he looked down on.”
I didn’t say anything to that but felt overwhelmed with sympathy for her in that moment.
“He’s not a good man,” I agreed. “But he doesn’t deserve to die.”
“You know he does,” Harley said. “He’s been cruel to you, as well. Still, you’re meant to be together. It’s romantic and tragic at the same time.”
“I’m not with Gabriel. I’m not going to see him again.”
“See, I don’t like that,” Harley said, the branches swaying gently, rocking her as she sat there looking down at me.
“What do you mean?”
“I want you to go back and mate with him,” Harley said. “To become his mate.”
“No,” I scoffed. “No, never.”
“It’s really simple, Sophie,” Harley said. “You mate with Gabriel, you make him stronger.”
“Why would you want him to be stronger?”
“Because when I face him, I want it to be an even fight,” Harley said. “I made a mistake in trying to kill him easily. He deserves a drawn-out death.”
“He doesn’t,” I protested. “I know he treated you badly, but—”
“But you love him, he loves you, so what’s the deal?” Harley asked.
“I don’t love him,” I said. Harley rolled her eyes.
“Please,” she said. “Nobody in the world would believe that. Besides, it’s in the prophecy.”
“What prophecy?” I asked.
“The ones the elders handed down to Gabriel and I about our bloodlines,” Harley said. “In my case, it was wrong. I changed the game. But Gabriel is right on track to meet his end, and I’m going to give it to him.”
“No, you’re not,” I said. “I’m not going to let you hurt him.”
“I thought you didn’t love him?” she asked in a teasing voice.
“I...don’t. But I don’t want him to die.”
“If you don’t want him to die, you will become his mate. It’s the only way he has a fighting chance.”
“He killed the faceless man. He’ll kill you, too,” I said. Harley laughed.
“I have twice the power of that idiot. I have the power of the witches. I have the power of the elders, the faceless man, and the shifters combined. Gabriel doesn’t stand a chance against me, but I am kindly offering him one, for fun and games.”
“And if I don’t want to be his mate?” I asked.
“Then you’re leaving him vulnerable,” Harley said with a shrug. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“Why don’t you just kill him? Or kill me?”
“I don’t want to kill you, Sophie,” Harley said. “I like you—I really do. I think you’ve got spunk.”
“Spunk,” I said dryly.
“You’re a scrappy little thing,” she said. “I’ll give you that.”
“What if I shoot you? Kill you now?”
“You can shoot me if you want,” she said, gesturing to her body. “Feel free.”
I stared at her, feeling frustrated and annoyed.
“So are you going back to the village?” Harley asked.
“No,” I said. She clicked her tongue at me.
“It’s the only way to possibly save his life, Sophie,” she said. “If you don’t want him to be ripped to pieces in seconds, you will be his mate.”
I swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump from my throat.
“Do you agree?” Harley asked.
“Yes,” I said quietly. “I’ll do it.”
“Good,” she said in a satisfied voice. “Get to it. I’ll be keeping an eye out. I won’t miss anything.”
“Okay,” I said bitterly. She gave me one last smile and snapped her fingers, and in an instant she was a hundred crows, which flew away as I watched.
THE END
PREVIEW: The Alpha Wolf. Book 5 in the Crystal Lake Shifters Series
PREVIEW: Chapter 1: Gabriel
“I’m not answering the door. Go away.”
“Open the door or I’ll shoot the knob off,” came a familiar voice outside. My heart clenched in my chest and I pulled back the curtain to see Sophie standing there with her hands on her hips. I opened the door for her and she swept past me inside, turning and looking at me with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Are you back?” I asked her.
“Harley has powers,” she said.
“Harley has powers,” I repeated slowly. She nodded.
“I saw it myself. She says...she has the powers of the elders, the witches, and the faceless man.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “She was lying.”
“She wasn’t,” Sophie said with a deep frown. “I saw her. She froze me, and then...she was able to manipulate plants. She made this throne out of vines; it was insane.”
“How did that happen?”
“I have no idea,” she replied impatiently. “But she told me to come back here.”
“For what? Just to tell me this?”
She paused, pursing her lips and looking away from me.
“She says I’m your natural mate,” she said.
“Oh.”
“Is that true?” she asked.
“What do you think?” I countered. She didn’t answer the question.
“Anyway,” she went on, “she wanted me to come back here because she says I make you stronger.”
“Why would she want me to be stronger?”
“Because she wants to fight you. She says she wants it to be an even match. And she says the only way you’ll be strong enough is to...keep me around.”
“Keep you around?”
“Yes. Close to you. Because I make you stronger.”
“Close to me...” I said, my voice trailing off.
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “In the village.”
“She wants us to mate,” I said. “Doesn’t she?”
“No,” Sophie said sharply. “She didn’t say anything about that.”
“I would be at my strongest if I took you as my mate. It might be the only way I can beat her.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen,” she snapped. “You’ll have to deal with whatever we have going on already. I’m not here to protect you. I’m here for the people who live in this village because I don’t think you’re competent enough to protect them yourself.”
“So you’re staying?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “But I don’t really want to see you.”
“You’re not going to make me stronger if we’re not even going to see each other,” I pointed out. She shrugged.
“I’m not worried about making you stronger. Like I said, I’m here for them. You can face Harley and die, for all I care.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” she spat. “I would rather you die than be your mate. That’s the truth.”
“So if I face Harley alone—”
“You better hope you don’t run into her,” Sophie said. “Don’t go out into the woods alone. Maybe she won’t come here.”
“And if she does?”
“Like I said, you’re on your own. If I’m close, I’ll come...touch your hand or something. Try to boost you up. I don’t know how it works.”
“Touching my hand would help.”
“Fine. I can do that. If I’m around. If I’m not, good luck.”
“Good luck,” I repeated dryly.
“Yes,” she said.
“So what exactly are you here to do?”
“Those zombie things are still out there. Harley is out there. She wants what he wanted—to take over this village. People are going to die. I’m here to help protect them when that happens, and to kill the zombies in the meantime. You heard what the faceless man said: We put a dent in them. That’s all. And they’ll be here as soon as she’s ready to send them.”
“I’ve been taking care of them,” I said to her, though in truth, there were more than I could imagine killing on my own.
“Not all of them. You need help.”
“I do.”
“So I’m staying here, but I don’t want to see you, got that? I’ll get some other people together to go hunting. You can go with whomever you want,” she said, looking coldly into my eyes.
“Yes, Sophie.”
“I’ll help you if I can if Harley comes, but I’m not going out of my way to do it.”
“Yeah, I get it,” I said. “Thank you.”
She didn’t say anything before moving past me again and leaving. I sighed and shifted, leaving through the open door and jogging through the village to the woods. I ran out toward the edge of my land and shifted again, grabbing one of the sharpened sticks I had left there the day before. I passed through the line of trees, walking swiftly and quietly, keeping an ear out for sounds of footsteps, grunts, or growls. I heard nothing, but every hair on my body began to rise as I felt eyes on me fro
m the darkness. I swiveled around to see someone in a black robe, face hidden in the shadows.
“Harley,” I said. She stepped closer so that I could see her face, lowering her hood. There was a warm smile on her lips that didn’t match the iciness in her gaze.
“Hello, Gabriel,” she said.
“You gonna kill me?”
“Not yet,” she said. “You’re not strong enough yet.”
“Try me,” I growled at her. She laughed.
“You know I could kill you. Don’t play tough. You have no choice but to mate with Sophie.”
“Sophie doesn’t want to mate with me,” I said.
“Well, make her want to,” Harley said. “She’s in love with you already. All you have to do is be nice to her.”
“She’s never going to forgive me for what I said to her.”
“Welp,” Harley said with a shrug. “I don’t want to have to put her in danger to make you gain your strength, but if that’s my only option—”
“No,” I snarled. “You won’t put her in danger.”
“I will if you don’t mate with her,” Harley said.
“Do you know how weird it is that you are trying so hard to get us to fuck?”
“Like I said, I want you to be an even match for me. I want you strong when I’m ready to face you one on one. With your natural mate, you will be at your strongest. Even stronger than you would be if I put her in danger. That’s the only reason I’m giving you a chance. That, and I’m fond of Sophie. I’d hate to have to hurt her.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “You’re my right hand. We’re—”
“I was your slave,” she scoffed. “Right hand...”
“Harley, I—”
“All I did was what you asked of me. I wasn’t allowed to take a mate.”
“Because of what the prophecy said,” I stated. “You know we can’t—and if I mate with Sophie, she will die.”
“The prophecy was wrong,” Harley said. “My line was supposed to end with yours, but it won’t. I cheated it. Sophie doesn’t have to die. I’m in control of things now.”
“So it’s just me, then,” I said.
“It’s all you, Gabriel. That’s the reason I’m taking over your village. That’s the reason I’m going to tear you to pieces. You are a cruel person, a hateful person. Everyone is afraid of you. I’m going to free that village and kill every last person who is loyal to your line.”