Artemis Lupine- The Complete Series

by Catherine Banks

  I waited for him to tell me more, but he just walked in silence as he carried me back towards the main building. “Who are your parents?” I finally asked.

  He sighed. “Chandra, I cannot say any names. You only heard one name of a person you aren’t even tied to and it caused you pain. What do you think hearing a name of a person you are tied to will do?”

  “You know my true name, don’t you?”

  Theseus sighed. “I hope Draco-Blu comes back soon. You ask too many questions which could kill you or everyone else.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And you are a dramatist.”

  3

  Chandra

  Trying to work with the children was impossible with Theseus around. For one, they couldn’t take their eyes off of him. The girls were mesmerized by his beauty while the boys were mesmerized by his masculinity. Second, my classroom had been transformed from a children’s introduction to magic class to a coven’s introduction to halfbreeds class.

  Did it bother me that they wanted to learn more now that Theseus was here? Yes. Why wasn’t I interesting enough for them to analyze? Or was it because I didn’t know my past or how I’d learned my powers, while Theseus did?

  Theseus stood at the front of the room shirtless with his back to us, his body shining as he called his power and released his wings. Those who were gathered watched intently as he pulled his wings out and put them back again and again.

  “Does it hurt?” one of the girls asked.

  He shook his head. “No, it feels good actually. Like when you have a spot in your back that needs to pop and then you turn just the right way and it pops.”

  “Unless someone forces your wings out. That hurts,” I said quietly as I remembered the painful event.

  He turned and looked at me in shock. “Who did that to you?”

  “A full blooded Sidhe who likes to annoy me,” I answered vaguely. I was not about to tell him it was Dionysus. As much as he annoyed me, he had kept my true lineage a secret.

  “Can you show us the process of shifting to warrior form?” James, the smallest but most intelligent boy in my class, asked.

  What would the werewolf prince’s half shift look like?

  Theseus closed his eyes, and his glow faded. I pushed myself off of the wall I had been leaning on and walked out of the classroom. Obviously, my services were not needed here.

  I walked north and entered the arched hedge which led into the rose garden and the mini labyrinth Selene had created. The witches had a spell on the garden which kept the flowers constantly blooming. Once I entered it, no other scent except roses filled my nose. Bees hummed as they pollinated the roses and went about their business. The bees never bothered us, even when we entered the labyrinth, so we never bothered them.

  I made my way through the small labyrinth, running my hands along the thick bushes. The first time I’d entered the maze I’d gotten lost and it had taken me an hour to find my way back out. I knew I could have just flown out, but I was determined to find my own way. Now, the path was as familiar to me as walking up to my room in the house.

  I finally made it to the center of the labyrinth, which was a rectangular clearing about twenty square feet wide. I sat and ran my hand through the cool green grass. A small rabbit hopped out from underneath the nearest shrub and stopped in front of me, twitching his nose and moving his ears to pick up any sounds. Reaching out slowly, I began to stroke the rabbit’s ears as I drifted off into my trance.

  My thoughts always strayed to the prince and the strange connection I could feel in me. It was like a cord, one which if I focused on hard enough could be followed to him. But that was impossible, or it should have been. I also felt a second connection to someone or something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was or what it meant.

  If he was my mate, then why had I been alone as a wolf for so long? Why had he not found me until now? If he was really my mate then he should have been able to find me twenty years ago, or more. And why couldn’t I remember anything?!

  I had no idea how long I’d been a wolf because my mind had deteriorated into simple animal urges and instincts at some point and I would still be there if it hadn’t been for Selene finding me and rehabilitating me. I knew that I’d gone through several generations of one wolf pack before leaving them for a new one and going through several additional generations with that pack, but I couldn’t count the number of years. I was almost afraid to. I did and didn’t want to know how old I was. I looked about twenty, but preternaturals age much slower than humans and in varying scales depending upon the race.

  Maybe the prince didn’t want me? No, I couldn’t believe that. It hurt just thinking that.

  I still vividly remembered the goddess, or Sidhe woman as I understood now, who was my earliest memory. I had tried to find her again and the place we had been at, but was unsuccessful.

  My irritation was growing and the rabbit’s fur twitched beneath my tense hands. My stomach growled and for a fleeting moment I thought about eating the rabbit.

  “Chandra?” Theseus called.

  “In here,” I answered softly as I shooed the rabbit away, closed my eyes and started humming softly to meditate.

  I felt his wolf as he sat down in front of me. It was strange to be able to feel someone like I did now. Had the interaction with the werewolf prince unlocked some of my powers?

  I opened my eyes and asked, “How did you find me?”

  He tapped his nose. “Scent trail. Are you feeling well?” he asked softly.

  “Headache,” I whispered. “I hope Blu returns with news from the Council soon.”

  “Do you know when your dragon friend will return?”

  “No. It depends on how quickly the Council makes a decision.”

  “Would you like to go for a run?” he asked cheerfully.

  I shook my head. “No, I think I’d just like to sit here for a moment.” I started humming again and slowly slipped back into my meditative trance.

  At least I was in my trance until a cold hand touched my face. “The dark approaches. Fire will consume and restore, happiness and pain must be experienced collectively. Death for three will be the end.”

  I opened my eyes and looked up at Margenta. Her eyes were opened wide, but only the whites were showing. A prophecy. Margenta was using her power of prophecy on me. “Who are the three?” I asked softly so as not to awaken her from her trance.

  “Starlight, twice stars and moons. Those are the three.”

  “When?”

  No response.

  “Can the path be altered?”

  “Fate can always be changed. Decisions must be made. But the death is unchangeable. Death requires the lives and Death will not be denied.”

  “Can another life be traded?”

  “Death will not be denied the three. A decision will be made, but not by thee.”

  Margenta’s eyes closed and then she gasped in a huge lungful of breath and dropped to her knees beside me. “What happened?” she asked.

  “Prophecy,” I whispered.

  Her eyes widened and she looked at me in horror. “No, oh no. Chandra I am sorry.”

  I smiled and patted her hand reassuringly. “Your Sight is a gift and I thank you for using it on me. You should take a lavender bath to calm yourself.”

  She nodded and walked on wobbly legs out of the rose garden.

  “I need to relay this to the ones who sent me,” Theseus said.

  I nodded and stood, brushing my backside off. “I need to seek Selene’s advice as well.”

  “Are you alright?” he asked, concern evident in his voice and eyes.

  I smiled. “Yes, I have heard many doom prophecies since coming here. I expected one day to hear my own.”

  He didn’t seem convinced, but he left. I sagged to the ground and held my head in my hands. Why me? Why now? What the hell did it mean?

  “Are you alright, Sister?”

  I looked up and took Selene’s extended hand. “No.”

&nbs
p; “Margenta came to me very distressed. Would you care to enlighten me as to what has happened?”

  I exhaled and asked, “Could we go to your office first?”

  Selene smiled and put her arm around my shoulders. “Certainly. And when we get there, I will brew you some relaxing tea.”

  “A shot of whiskey might be better.”

  Selene laughed, and my despair lightened slightly. She could always lift my mood. Of course, since she said I was surrounded by despair and darkness, that wasn’t a difficult task. We walked into the main building and to her office in the east wing on the first floor. I sat down and watched Selene boil water and add leaves. She waved her hand and a pen and a piece of paper appeared in front of me. “Write down the prophecy and any answers she gave you to questions you asked.”

  I did as she asked and then flipped the paper around so that she could read it when she sat down. She set a cup of steaming tea on the desk in front of me and then sat down in her chair. I sipped my tea and looked around the room. The walls were painted black and aside from the desk and three chairs, only a small overhead light adorned the room. It was the perfect room for a witch to perform spells and meditate in privacy.

  Selene’s cup shattered as it fell to the floor, making me jump up out of my chair.

  “Selene?”

  She bent down and started picking up the broken pieces. “I’m alright, Chandra. I’m sorry I startled you.” Our eyes met and she swallowed nervously. “Her prophecies have never been wrong.”

  I plopped down in the chair and sighed. “I know.” I could smell Selene’s fear and it made me worry. I’d never known the witch to be afraid. “Selene, why are you so frightened?” I asked.

  “I need to do some research. You should return to your room and rest. I’m sure this has taken a lot out of you.” She stood and walked to the door, opening it for me.

  I had never been dismissed by Selene like this before. “Very well,” I whispered as I walked past her.

  I went to my room and sat on my bed. My room was small, just big enough for my dresser and bed, but it had its own bathroom and since only I lived in it, it was fine for me. It was like a little den where I was safe and could curl up in the dark, away from all of the scary things which hunted when the light disappeared.

  Divinations were always tricky to decipher because sometimes they meant exactly what they said while other times they were metaphors. Plus, you couldn’t figure out what it meant until it was happening and by then it was too late.

  I could feel Theseus’ approach before he walked in. He stopped in the doorway and looked at me with a carefully neutral expression on his face. “What did Selene say?”

  I was still unaffected by his handsome appearance, which was strange. It seemed unnatural for a woman not to be affected by him. I could see that many of the witches were, so why wasn’t I?

  “Nothing. What did the werewolf prince say?” Just the thought of him sent my heart twisting. How could a man I didn’t know affect me like this?

  “He said quite a few swear words and then broke a few things. Then his second-in-command took the phone and told me that they would contact us if they deciphered anything.” He sat on the bed beside me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “Are you alright?”

  I scoffed. “I’m great. I’m being lied to by someone I thought was my friend. I discover a man who may or may not be my mate and who may or may not have abandoned me. And now one of my sisters foretells a prophecy that, I think, talks about my death.” I flopped backwards onto the bed and growled. “Life is great.”

  “Let’s go outside and play,” Theseus suggested.

  I shook my head. “No, I think I just want to sleep.”

  “We could fight if you wanted. I might even let you win once.”

  I smiled despite my mood and sat up. “You’re on.”

  We walked out of the house with my sisters staring after me with solemn expressions. I gritted my teeth and followed Theseus out to the garden. Theseus stopped and turned to face me, his face serious as he stretched his legs and arms. “Are you ready?”

  I smiled and charged forward, trying my hardest to hit him. He dodged left and right, keeping me at bay. I managed to clip his chin and then he was attacking me. I dodged his attacks, but my concentration wavered as I watched him attack. His style was familiar. I had an extreme case of déjà vu as I tried to remember who fought like him. My head throbbed from the effort, making me stumble and drop to my knees. I clutched my head as the pain increased.

  Theseus dropped down beside me and rested his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me, and as he did so, we heard a noise above.

  Blu roared overhead and wind pressed me down to the ground as he landed over me. I heard Theseus growl, but I was in too much pain to tell him to shut up. Blu placed his snout against my head and hummed, vibrating my entire body. After a moment, the pain in my head eased and then disappeared.

  Blu growled again at Theseus and then nuzzled me gently. “Are you alright, Hatchling?”

  I stood slowly. “Yes.” I remained silent until I was sure that I could stand on my own. “Did the Council give you a decision?”

  He muttered as his stomach growled. “First, do you have you any meat?”

  Two witches who had been watching our garden play brought out a cow and Blu gulped it down. I waited until he was done licking his lips before asking again, “What did the Council decree?”

  Blu looked at Theseus who was standing a few yards away. “How long will it take for your leader to make the journey to the Lair?”

  Theseus answered quickly, “Two days.”

  Blu huffed. “Then you best notify him now that he needs to start his journey.

  Theseus bowed and hurried into the house. “Blu! What is going on?” I asked in exasperation.

  Blu flicked his tongue out in annoyance. “Your agitation is understandable, Hatchling, but you best remember your place when meeting the Council.”

  I bit my tongue and bowed my head, “I apologize, Draco-Blu. I have been in pain lately.”

  Blu pressed his nose against my head and exhaled. The sweet smell of his breath surrounded me as he used his magic to quickly view my memories of the time since he left. He snorted and pulled his nose back. “I see. Well, you and I will begin our journey to the Council and assuming all of the conditions are met, they will assist you in regaining your memory.”

  They’d agreed! I was finally going to find out who I was! “Wait, what conditions?”

  Blu shook his head. “They are not conditions for you so you need not worry until we arrive. Pack your things and let us head out.”

  I wanted to argue, but there are two types of beings you never argue with, vampires and dragons. So, I hurried up to my room and packed what little clothes and things I had. Theseus came into my room and watched me silently. I finished packing and turned to see him looking sad and fearful. “What is it, Theseus?”

  He swallowed and smiled. “Just worried that once you regain your prior memories that you won’t remember your time with me and we won’t be friends.”

  I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his cheek. “You will always be my friend. You are the only one like me.”

  Theseus rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, there are quite a few others like us.”

  I gaped at him. “What? When were you going to tell me?”

  He shrugged. “I was told not to tell you too much. You’ll meet the others once your memory is back though.”

  “How many others?”

  Theseus whispered, “Hundreds.”

  Hundreds of wolf halfbreeds! How come I had never seen them? How come I didn’t know they even existed?

  “Let’s go, hatchling!” Blu called from outside.

  I pointed at Theseus. “You and I are going to talk about this later.”

  He smiled. “Of course.”

  I headed down the stairs into the main living room and found all of the witches gathered. The children wer
e teary eyed, and the adults seemed more worried than sad. “This isn’t goodbye. I’m still a part of this coven and will return. I promise,” I said to the gathered women.

  The children I’d grown to love took their turns giving me hugs and kissing me goodbye. Each of the witches bade me farewell and wished me luck. Selene stood at the exit and handed me a talisman. “This will hide your scent and Theseus’ long enough for you to make it to the Lair. Be strong, Chandra, and return to me whole.”

  I hugged her and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Selene. Thank you for helping me regain my humanity.”

  Blu set me on his back and I slipped the talisman on. The designs on my skin faded and my hair turned blonde. She had to have put an extreme amount of power into the talisman for it to change my appearance so drastically. I looked at Theseus who was climbing onto Blu’s back behind me and blinked. The markings on his skin were gone as well.

  Blu roared farewell to the coven and took us up into the sky. The press of wind on my body felt wonderful. I leaned into it and lifted my arms beside me. I looked back at Theseus to find him sitting with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips as he enjoyed the wind on him as well.

  “How long will it take us to get to the Lair?” I asked Blu.

  “Two days. I will travel as far as I can the first night. I fear staying on the ground too long with two halfbreeds, even with Selene’s talisman on you.”

  Theseus sighed longingly. “Someday the vampires won’t have the power to make us hide in fear.”

  Blu laughed. “Yes, little halfbreed hatchlings, someday soon you will restore the balance.”

  We flew in silence until the sun rose and brightened the sky. Blu landed near a river, and we all slurped at the water. My nose twitched as I caught the scent of a deer, but before I could turn to chase after it, Theseus was already bounding into the forest.

  I growled, yanked my clothes and talisman off and then charged after him. He stood in wolf form over a large buck, his muzzle stained red from taking it down.

  I changed forms and walked forward, growling softly. Step aside.

  Theseus dropped his head and backed away slowly. Of course. I simply wanted to take it down for you.