by Tara West
Annie led her along a worn path. The only sounds were their labored breathing as they trudged through air as thick as soup. The farther they journeyed, the louder her heartbeat. Her knees were so weak from fear, she was surprised she could walk at all. She blinked at a strange pinprick of white light, a beacon in the shadows. “Is that what I think it is?”
Annie didn’t answer, arms hanging limply at her sides, looking like she was trying to catch flies with her mouth.
Eilea waved the axe in front of her face. “Earth to Annie.”
The girl gaped at her. “What are we doing here?”
“Saving the shifter race. What’s wrong with you?”
Annie turned in a slow circle. “I feel weird.”
Annie had lost her mind. Eilea didn’t know if she should feel relief or apprehension that she still had her senses. She hoped that meant the memory spell had worked. Damn, she should’ve performed the spell on Annie.
A low groan up ahead drew her attention. With her sharpened senses, she honed in on the source and breathed in a familiar scent. Geri!
She left the path and ran deep into the forest, heedless of her own safety.
“Wait, Dr. Johnson!” Annie called. “Where are you going?”
But Eilea wasn’t listening. She had to get to Geri. Her limbs iced over with fear when she saw his denim-clad legs poking out under a massive tree branch.
Throwing down her axe, she grabbed the end of the branch and tried to heave it off him. “Help me move it,” she cried to Annie.
Annie joined her, and together they pulled the heavy limb off him.
He was covered in cuts and bruises. “Geri, my love.” She cupped his face. “Can you hear me?”
When he didn’t answer, she closed her eyes and summoned a healing spell. She wasn’t even sure if it was one her grandmother taught her, but it felt right. “Elements of healing and health, keepers of scriptures and tomes, restore this ailing body and mend these broken bones.”
Warmth infused her fingers and flowed into Geri. His cuts faded. She recited a memory spell for good measure. She wanted to do the same for Annie, but the young shifter had left her to gaze, transfixed, at a strange buzzing tunnel of mist.
“Don’t get too close to it,” she said. She didn’t want to have to take care of both Geri and Annie.
Geri groaned and blinked at her. “Eilea, what are you doing here? It’s not safe.”
She smiled. “And yet you’re here?”
She braced herself for some sexist comment and was pleased when he chuckled. When he held out a hand, she helped him sit up. “Are you okay?”
He checked, running his hands over his limbs. “I think so. Just sore.” He breathed her in, smiling as if she was some rare perfume. “You smell different.”
“That’s because I am. Can you stand?”
“Give me a minute.” He dragged a hand down his face. “Where are my brothers?”
“Sick.” She turned to the swirling tunnel of white mist. “I need to close this portal before they get worse.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Long story, but I’m a shifter now, and I’m also a witch.”
He edged closer, sniffing her as if she was his own personal crack. “That explains the new smell.”
She arched away. “Is it bad?”
“It’s even better than before.”
After she helped him to his feet, they stood there for a long moment, unspoken words in the air between them.
“Eilea, I’m sorry.” Geri finally said, thrusting his hands in his pockets like a contrite child. “My words were unkind.”
She impatiently tapped her foot. “They were.”
His luminous eyes shone silver in the moonlight. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I promise to try harder not to offend you.”
Eilea fisted her hands until nails broke skin—anything to stop the urge to kiss him senseless. She’d been royally pissed, but at the moment she was more relieved than anything. She thought she’d lost him forever. Still, this was her chance to assert herself. If she was going to mate with this man and his brothers, she had to establish boundaries. “Just don’t say stupid things.”
He flashed a rueful smile. “My brain turns to porridge when I’m around you.”
She reached for his hand. “Annie told me you went into the portal.”
Pulling her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles, making her already wobbly legs go weaker. “I thought it was the only way to save the Amaroki, but Amarok told me the witch wasn’t dead and helped me escape.”
“Thank the Ancients,” she said, leaning into him, drawn to his scent like a moth to flame. What was it about this shifter that made her want him so? Had she truly been bewitched by the Ancients, or was she falling in love?
When he traced her bottom lip with his thumb, she clutched his collar. Though he smelled of sweat and blood and something foul, under that was the scent of her mate, the man who’d risked his soul to save them.
She leaned up to kiss him, then gasped when he pushed her to the ground. She hit the dirt so hard, the air was knocked out of her.
“Eilea,” he hollered. “Look out!” He rolled her out of the way of a massive limb that fell on top of him.
“Geri!” She scrambled to her feet as another limb crashed down. She ran to Annie, jerking her out of the way of the assault.
“What’s happening?” Annie cried.
Sprinting through the trees, she glanced over her shoulder. The forest was being destroyed in an effort to kill them, and she didn’t know if Geri was okay.
They reached the edge of the swirling tunnel, suspended about a foot above the ground. A low hum reverberated from its translucent walls.
“Dragon!” Annie screamed.
A massive white dragon descended upon her, red eyes glowing.
“Cătea!” the demon screeched. “I will kill you!” The serpent reared back, black smoke pouring from its snout.
Pushing Annie out of the way, Eilea stumbled back and fell into the tunnel. She jumped to her feet and ran through a fog so thick, she couldn’t tell where she was, but the flames licking at her heels indicated she was going in the right direction. The feeling of weightlessness in her legs was disconcerting, and unlike anything she’d ever known.
“Come back here. Let me show you what happens to whores who steal my mates,” the demon hissed.
Fear flowed through her, igniting a panic attack. “I didn’t ask to bond with them, Katarina. It was the work of the Ancients.”
“Do you think I care?” Katarina’s laugh reverberated, though the demon wasn’t visible. “Either way you must die.”
“And then what?” The fog was so thick, she could barely see her hand in front of her face. “Be reunited with Geri in the afterworld? Do you think he’ll come with you if you kill me? Or his brothers for that matter?”
“I will make them come,” she answered.
“How?” Eilea asked. “What leverage will you have over them if we’re all dead?”
Katarina hissed, red eyes shining through the mist. The serpent slowly came into view, a creature made of smoke, circling Eilea as if preparing to strike.
Eilea backed up, praying she was moving in the direction she’d come.
“Think about it, Katarina,” she continued, hoping to appeal to the spirit’s reasonable side, though she doubted Katarina had one. “If you kill us, we’ll go to Valhol, and you’ll be alone again.”
“My mates will come with me, I’m sure of it.”
No, she wasn’t. Eilea heard the doubt in each word. “You don’t think they’ll be angry with you for murdering the entire Alaskan tribe?” She retreated several more steps, the feeling in her legs slowly returning. Was she nearing the exit? “Their daughter? Their grandchildren?”
The serpent loomed over Eilea, black smoke billowing from her nostrils. “Their daughter is the spawn of a whore!”
“That may be true,” Eilea conceded, not want
ing to argue with the crazed bitch on every point. “But they still love her. I’m not sure they’ll forgive you if you cut her life short.” Her gut twisted as the demon advanced.
“Then what would you have me do?” Katarina spat.
Eilea stepped back again, doing her best to quell the shaking in her limbs. “I suggest you do what my grandmother taught me.”
Katarina’s thick neck fanned out like that of a cobra. “I will not give them up.”
“I’m not asking you to.” She fought to maintain control of her temper. The bitch wasn’t getting any of Eilea’s mates. She’d go to hell and drag them out of Katarina’s clutches if she had to. “My grandmother taught me a poem.” Backing up another step, she forced a smile as the feeling returned to her limbs. “I think you’ll understand.”
The demon looked down at Eilea, black smoke pouring from the slits above her mouth. “A poem will not bring me back from the depths of despair.”
Eilea raised her hands and chanted the banishment spell, praying to the Ancients Katarina didn’t realize what she was doing.
“Wandering sprits who’ve denied your plight, hear my command and go to the light.”
“What are you saying?” Katarina demanded, her eyes starting to fade.
“Release the hold of your mortal state, embrace your death and face your fate.”
Katarina arched back with an ominous cry, her neck expanding, more smoke and steam pouring from her nostrils.
Eilea raised her hands and channeled the buzzing energy flowing through her to the tips of her fingers.
“Ghouls, demons, and monsters of fright, you are banished to hell and eternal night.”
Katarina released her dragon fire, and Eilea let fly, knocking the flame back and hitting Katarina’s chest. The demon fell back with an ominous squeal, a cocoon of flame enveloping her.
Mist swirled at Eilea’s feet, rushing past her like the current of a river, sweeping Katarina with it. The demon’s mournful cry echoed through the forest as the portal retreated, sucked up into a vortex of light, like water circling a drain. The funnel turned into a small ember of light, then blinked out like a candle flame doused by water.
Eilea fell to her knees as realization slowly dawned. “Well, that’s something you don’t learn in medical school.”
Holy shit! She’d faced a vengeful demon and survived.
Wait a minute. Geri!
Jumping to her feet, she raced through the forest, relying on her sense of smell to locate him. Panic gripped her when she reached a carpet of fallen branches. How would she find him in this mess?
Hearing the call of a wolf, she spotted a bushy tail stuck up through the debris.
“Annie!”
The wolf popped up, barking.
Throwing off her scrubs, Eilea shifted into wolf form and dove into the branches. Ignoring the pain from thorns and twigs, she crawled around until she reached them.
Annie lowered her head to a massive branch. She barely made out Geri’s pale skin and fair hair. She and Annie grabbed wood with their teeth, dragging it away piece by piece for what felt like an eternity.
When they finally reached him, they saw his gut had been punctured by a sharp branch. After shifting into human form, she felt his pulse. It was there, but barely.
His eyes open briefly, then shut. “Eilea, you’re alive.”
“Don’t speak,” she said, struggling to remain calm. Losing her cool would not help the situation.
Rolling him onto his side, she swore when she saw the point sticking out his back. Annie whimpered and shrank back, tail between her legs.
There was no way she and Annie could take him all the way to the truck without injuring him further. Even if they did manage to carry him out, the movement would cause more damage.
If she was in the operating room, she could save him, but out here she had no surgical tools.
You have your spells, a voice whispered in her head.
Her confidence in her newfound magical powers faltered. What if she failed to save him? Blood steadily flowed from both puncture wounds. He’d bleed out by the time she got him into surgery.
She grabbed hold of the stick. “Geri,” she said, “this is going to hurt.”
He screamed when she pulled it out, and then he collapsed with a shuddering breath, a crimson bull’s-eye fanning out on the dirt under him.
She placed her hands over his injury, dismayed when blood soaked her fingers. Conjuring up the healing spell, she closed her eyes, focusing on the slow pounding of his heart as he bled out. She chanted the spell over and over, fingertips tingling. That tingling turned into a throb as she continued, forcing herself to tune out the sound of chirping birds returning to the forest, crickets calling to one another, and Annie’s low whine.
Channeling all of her energy into the spell, she barely remembered to breathe, intent only on saving Geri. Please don’t die, she begged, too afraid to open her eyes and see if her magic was working.
“Did you close the portal?”
Her eyes flew open, and she looked into Geri’s bright eyes. She ripped open Geri’s shirt and frantically searched his stomach, amazed when she only felt the faint trace of a scar. She smiled when he took her hand in his, blinking at her as if he’d just woken from an afternoon nap.
“Well?” he asked.
She looked down at her bare breasts, remembering she’d discarded her clothes when she’d shifted. “I did.”
Heat crept into her cheeks when he flashed a wicked grin.
He got up on his elbows, showing no signs of pain as he casually draped a hand across her bare thigh. “How?”
Eilea heard Annie’s heavy sigh before she trotted off.
She knew his touch was no accident. If Annie hadn’t been nearby, she’d have ripped off his pants and taken him right there.
“You going to answer me, lubirea mea?”
She felt his back, relief sweeping through her when she found a scar similar to the one on his gut. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she searched his gaze, unable to control her laughter when his wicked smile widened.
She brushed her lips across his. “Shut up and kiss me.”
Chapter Eighteen
AMARA BRUSHED RONE’S mop of hair out of his eyes, stroking his forehead and committing his full lips and boyish face to memory. She gently pressed her lips to his, her tears falling on his lashes.
“I’m sorry we never conceived children,” she whispered, exhausted beyond words but unable to sleep. “I would have loved to bloom with you.” She kissed him once more, then moved to Hakon.
According to the clock on her phone, Eilea had two minutes to close the portal before Drasko would Force Amara to go, and just a few hours before the Alaskan Amaroki would be nuked. Two more minutes, and Amara would lose her mates forever. Unable to voice a goodbye, she simply held his hand. “I’m sorry you won’t live to see your son grow. I will make sure he knows how much you loved him.”
She winced when the doors to the lodge creaked open. When Drasko said her name, she refused to look up. If he wanted her, he’d have to come and drag her away.
At the sound of him stomping down the stairs, her heart cleaved in two. She threw herself on Hakon with a sob. She couldn’t leave him. She wouldn’t! She was stunned when she felt a familiar tingle in her fingers. Her skin pulsed with energy.
“Amara,” Drasko said urgently. His eyes were brimming with tears as he held a furry hand down to her. “It’s time.”
She vehemently shook her head, backing away from him. “My magic. I feel it!”
Climbing on top of Hakon, she straddled his waist and took his face in her hands. “Hakon, baby, please wake.” She channeled her healing magic into him. It trickled slowly at first, making Amara worry she’d been mistaken, but the tempo picked up, and there was no mistaking her magic was awakening. When he groaned, she threw back her head, the magic bursting through her like a geyser. The jolt nearly knocked her off her mate. She slid off him into Drasko’s ar
ms.
Drasko grabbed her hands, holding them up in front of her. Her fingers were blistered and bleeding, but she shrugged off the pain. All that mattered was saving her family.
Hakon groaned again. “Amara.”
She smiled at Drasko, her heart bursting with joy. “It worked! The portal is closed.” Freeing herself from his arms, she returned to Hakon, taking his hand in hers.
“What happened?” Hakon drawled.
The noose of fear and worry she had carried so long unraveled when she felt his cool forehead. “You were sick,” she choked out. “But Eilea closed the portal, because my healing magic is working again.”
Drasko shifted into a human and sat beside her. He clasped his brother’s shoulder. “How do you feel, Hakon?” His voice sounded as watery as a busted pipe, his eyes red-rimmed from crying.
Hakon flung an arm over his forehead. “Give me a minute to wake up.”
Hanging his head, Drasko silently nodded.
Amara didn’t realize how much Drasko had been suffering, too. She suddenly understood his terrible position, having to order the execution of his family and entire tribe in order to save his mate and children. She leaned into him, wrapping an arm around his waist.
He shuddered. “You’re not angry with me?”
“No,” she said, wiping tears from his cheeks. “You did what had to be done. You should go tell Johnson. I need to heal Albert.”
“Don’t go to him without me.”
“I won’t,” she promised, then froze when a powerful and eerie howl rent the air.
Drasko shifted and hurried down the stairs toward the sound.
Holy shitfire! Albert is awake!
Hakon jerked upright, throwing his blanket off. “What was that?”
She struggled to stand, exhaustion nearly overpowering her. “Albert has turned into a werewolf.”
She grabbed onto a chair, forcing back a wave of dizziness and trying to ignore the throbbing in her fingers. Before she could take a step, Hakon had shifted into a giant protector. “Stay here,” he boomed and left.
She tiptoed after him. No way was she staying put when she had the power to save Albert.