Shattered

by Melissa Lummis

  When Loti looked back to the pair on the blanket, they were smiling and waving. Aeval. And…she knew him. She knew his black hair and what that crooked smile meant. Her chest tightened as euphoria propelled her towards the two people she loved most in the entire world. She ran to tell them about him.

  In her excitement, she never imagined they wouldn’t think it was as wonderful as she did. After all the searching, just because it wasn’t the way they thought it would be didn’t make it any less thrilling. Just because it was she who had discovered the prize—found what they were looking for. She smiled with a secret knowing and a pride she would pay a dear, dear price for.

  “Aeval! Modore!” She ran faster as they stood up and mirrored the joy on her face.

  Wolf and Loti gasped with a dizzying jerk, the dark cave swallowing the vision. The orb pulsed erratically and their heads with it. Stabbing pain shot through Loti and she went limp, mumbling as she dangled over his shoulder.

  Wolf shifted her forward until he could support her with one arm, then slapped her cheek with concentrated control. He caught her hand before it connected with his face and she blinked at him, her arm relaxing in degrees. Her face softened, then contorted as she released a long, stricken wail.

  “Loti.” Wolf whispered in her ear, his breath warm.

  Modore’s eyes were as empty as a vacuum as he stood frozen, his mouth slack a few paces away from them. Aeval stepped warily toward Loti and Wolf, her eyes keen and weighty on Loti. “Do you see? Do you understand?”

  Wolf gritted his teeth and yanked Loti towards the orb. “Stay away from her, Aeval.”

  “You stupid vampire. All we want is to bring our family back together.”

  Modore’s face reanimated a piece at a time. First, a sick, sardonic light filled his eyes, and then his mouth regained its firmness and twisted into a mocking smile. “Don’t try to reason with the cora, Aeval.” He strode toward them with a white hot light in his eyes.

  “No!” Christian bellowed as he flew into Modore, knocking him to the ground.

  Modore threw him across the room. Christian bounced off the wall and back at Modore. Modore growled as he caught Christian and snapped his arm in one swift movement. Christian screamed as he fell to one side. He sat up, his forearm dangling, the skin stretching over the broken ends of bone as it tore from the inside out.

  Christian’s hand shook as he lifted his broken arm by the hand. He gurgled and hissed as he worked it straight. Ignoring his progeny, Modore climbed to his feet gripping Heather’s head.

  “Don’t let him hurt her,” Christian begged, meeting Wolf’s gaze.

  Wolf set Loti down, and dove across the room, knocking Modore to the ground. He grappled for a hold on the monster. Loti staggered to her feet, ran to Christian’s side. Wolf slammed into the wall and landed on his feet. He crouched, then barreled into Modore, a dark blur.

  Aeval’s shrill scream bounced off the cave walls. The fae queen suddenly wasn’t in the room with them anymore. Loti looked around, confused. And there was Aeval, inside the orb stretched out long and thin, an invisible force drawing her down the pulsating corridor.

  “Wolf!” But he and Modore were rolling across the floor, each fighting for leverage.

  She turned to Christian, but his arm was still broken.

  “It’s healing.” The bone was resetting, the torn skin knitting back together. He looked up at the orb and fae disappearing. “I think it’s too late for her.”

  He gestured. “Go. While you have the chance.”

  “I’m not leaving you behind.” Loti bent to pick up Heather. “Or her.”

  Modore, with fangs extended, sat on Wolf’s chest pinning him to the ground. Both of their faces twisted as Wolf fought to throw him off. Modore brought his face close to Wolf, a drop of spittle dangling from a fang.

  “This time, you will not take what’s mine.” He snarled and snapped, tearing Wolf’s ear off with his teeth. Wolf bellowed as blood spurted from the ragged hole where an ear should have been. His blood dripped down Modore’s chin as he grinned around Wolf’s ear.

  Loti halted, a resolute glow in her eyes. Her stare was unwavering as she lowered Heather to the ground. Digging deep down for the place Guided had showed her—an arcane place under the layers of doubt and fear and guilt that was clear and weightless. This was where she drew on the Universe. This was how she had sent pure energy across space and time to save Wolf from burning at dawn.

  She settled into the calm and inhaled an endless surge of prana that enveloped her, and as she breathed out it blasted across the cave. The two witches crashed against the wall, their limp forms sliding to the floor. Modore spit out Wolf’s ear as the wave drove him off Wolf and into the wall.

  Wolf sprang up, grasping Loti and jumped into the orb that was shrinking in on itself. Loti wrenched around in his grasp to look for Christian and Heather. Christian sprang after them with Heather in his arms. Inside the orb, a ringing blasted through Loti’s head as she managed to heave Heather from Christian’s outstretched hands through the disappearing portal.

  Loti, get us out of here.

  Not without Christian.

  But Modore had recovered and was barreling towards the orb.

  “Go! Get out of here!” Christian’s yell was lost in the shrill sound of a singing bowl that vibrated their bones.

  “NO!” Loti handed Heather off to Wolf and reached out for Christian. The orb floated up. Loti’s fingers grazed Christian’s blond hair as Modore seized him by the shoulders and shoved him aside.

  “Loti! You are the only one who can get us home.” Wolf put his hand on Loti’s shoulder.

  Loti hesitated for a split second, unwilling to condemn Heather’s lover, but then pictured home—conjuring the feel of being there, of being safe. The orb winked closed as Modore’s face warped into an angry, frantic snarl.

  “Christian!” Loti screamed as they fell into the silent dark.

  Chapter Thirty

  Loti, Wolf and Heather spun together in lazy circles.

  Aeval?

  There was no answer.

  Without warning, they slammed into the ground one more time.

  “Damn it,” Loti yelled, her back aching.

  Loti sat up and tried to get her bearings. It was dark and cool, but not cold. A soft breeze soothed her sweaty neck and she realized they were in the woods. Not just any woods—the ashram woods.

  But they weren’t in the field where they usually arrived. She looked around. Maybe it was because the portal had been conjured.

  “Wolf?” Loti stood with shaky legs, brushing pine needles from her knees.

  He shoved himself up from the forest floor. “Here. You okay?”

  Loti fell into Wolf’s arms. “Oh God, thank God.”

  He stroked her hair. “I think we’re on the ashram property.”

  Loti spoke into his chest. “How long do you think we’ve been gone?”

  Wolf glanced around at the tree trunks and underbrush. “No way to tell. We were together in the nadis so we shouldn’t have lost time, but I don’t know.”

  Loti pulled away and Wolf had to make a concerted effort to loosen his grip. She reached up to touch the place where his ear had been. He winced and she jerked her hand back.

  “Will it heal?” But even as she asked the question, the tissue was reforming. The progress was slow, though.

  “Here, drink.” She pushed her sleeve up and offered him her wrist.

  Without hesitation, he bit and she jerked, but made no sound. It burned for the first second, then morphed into a pulsing pleasure. His ear reformed bit by bit until it was whole, again.

  “Where’s Heather?”

  She twirled around, trying to take in their surroundings all at once. At the same time, both of them saw Heather lying on her side in a crumpled heap in the forest duff. Loti ran to her and knelt down, pressing two fingers to her pulse; it was thready. Heather’s prana flowed to her head and drifted through her crown and out into the eth
er.

  “Oh my God, Wolf, she’s dying.”

  With great care, Loti shifted Heather onto her back. Wolf squatted behind Loti and wrapped his arms around her waist. Loti held Heather’s face in her hands as the energy built between her and Wolf. The barriers disappeared and they were like one being, lit up from the inside.

  Loti held onto Heather’s thinning life force as universal energy coursed down her arms and into Heather, but something was wrong… It wasn’t working. Loti screamed her frustration. Even as Heather’s body glowed phosphorescent, her life force continued to drain away.

  What’s wrong? Why isn’t it working?

  I don’t know.

  Wolf’s own confusion and fear gushed through Loti and she let go of Heather’s face, taking in her entire body. Her heart chakra was torn apart, incomplete. What the hell? But she knew the answer in an instant.

  Heather was cut off from Christian when the portal closed, just as she and Wolf had been. And Heather and Christian’s bond was new, weaker than theirs. Had it actually been severed? Or…Loti’s heart heaved at the more likely possibility: Christian had met the final death at Modore’s hands.

  “Promise me you won’t let her die.” The voice was a whisper.

  Loti’s heart leapt in her chest and she cried out, “Give her your blood, Wolf.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t argue. She’s fading. Just do it.”

  “Loti, you don’t understand what you’re asking.”

  Loti gripped Wolf’s hands, hard. “Please, Wolf. Please.” Her misery choked him. “Please. Remember what Isabelle said? Please. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”

  Wolf stared at Loti. What does Isabelle have to do with Heather?

  I don’t know.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks and without another word, Wolf understood it was one of her feelings: a knowing without knowing. He bit his wrist and pressed it between Heather’s lips. With a sob, Loti reached under his arm and held Heather’s face in both hands.

  Wolf circled her waist with his free arm and held on tight. She concentrated on holding onto Heather’s thin life thread to prevent it from leaving through her crown. Heather moaned and Loti put her mouth to the redhead’s ear.

  “Drink, Heather.”

  She swallowed, her throat convulsing. Wolf closed his eyes as she drank in sluggish pulls at first, then with more urgency. Both he and Loti shuttered as an arousing pulse coursed through them, and Loti sucked in a breath at the depth of it.

  She set her jaw as she strained to focus on Heather’s life force, her chest heaved as something cut into it, wrenching her forward. She righted herself and knew the reason before she looked.

  Wolf and Loti’s heart chakras surged out and into Heather, connecting and completing her damaged one. Loti had a moment to wonder what it would mean before a heart-stopping bolt of pleasure ripped through her.

  Both she and Wolf cried out and when Wolf pried his wrist free of Heather’s grasp, the bite wound was already healed. Heather’s eyes popped opened and Loti thought they were they most beautiful shade of pale blue she had ever seen.

  “Where’s Christian?” Heather labored to sit up, but her hand slipped out from under her.

  Wolf caught her and helped her upright. She held onto his arm while Loti took her other arm. She peered in all directions, arching her neck to see around Loti and Wolf.

  “Where is he?” Loti and Wolf looked at each other, but neither could bring themselves to answer her question.

  But Heather swallowed, her eyes dull. “He didn’t make it through, did he?”

  “No.” Loti inspected Heather for injuries.

  Heather pushed her hands away. “Please help me up.”

  “I think you ought—”

  “Just help me up.” She braced a hand on Wolf’s shoulder and he threaded his arm under her armpit.

  “Careful,” he murmured as he rose from the ground. Heather leaned most of her weight on him, covering her eyes as she swayed on her feet. “You almost died.”

  Heather’s eyes were bleak. “You should have let me die.”

  Loti went cold, but said nothing as Wolf held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. Their eyes met and Loti bit her lip as she turned her head.

  “How did you save me?” Heather asked.

  Loti shrugged and brushed the pine needles from her jeans. Wolf studied his boots. Heather looked from one to the other with a frown. “Please. Talk to me. How did you save me?”

  Loti and Wolf exchanged an uncomfortable look and Loti took a deep breath. “Um, we think we’ve created a new bond.”

  Heather’s face froze in astonishment. “You did what?” She stumbled away from them.

  She said nothing as she staggered over to an oak, tripping over a root. She caught herself, grabbing the tree. She leaned her forehead against it. Loti took a step toward her, but Wolf touched her shoulder and shook his head. Loti didn’t need to read his thoughts to understand. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

  Was Christian alive? Or had Heather almost died because Christian had?

  Loti knew neither Wolf’s blood alone nor whatever magic they made together had saved Heather. It was the combination. She would have surely died if it hadn’t been Wolf and Loti who had been there. Then again, it was her fault Heather’s life had been in danger in the first place. Chilled by the thought, she rubbed her upper arms. Wolf curled an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.

  “Is Christian…” Heather coughed and took a noisy breath. “Do you think he’s still alive?” She turned around, a heart-breakingly raw expression on her face. “Do you think he survived?”

  Loti looked at the ground. “I don’t know. I tried to grab him when we jumped into the gate, but it all happened so fast.”

  Heather’s gaze was on the toes of her cowboy boots. When she looked up, tears dripped down her face. With a whomp, several figures landed in the clearing just beyond Heather.

  “Wolf. Loti.” Calisto strode towards them. “Heather!”

  Wolf raised a hand at him, but didn’t answer. His eyes were on Heather. Loti’s stomach churned with a queer mixture of dread and longing. Her arms ached to hold Heather, to comfort her. Heather slid down the tree and sat with her head on her knees, her arms limp by her side.

  “Heather.” Loti slipped away from Wolf, who didn’t try to stop her this time.

  She knelt. Her hand hovered above Heather’s head, and then sank onto Heather’s red hair. She half expected her to knock her hand away, but instead she reached up and curled her fingers around Loti’s. Loti sat down with her knees bent up, mirroring Heather. Heather lifted her head and Loti’s throat closed at the haunted look in her eyes.

  “What do I do now?”

  With tentative slowness, Loti slid her arms around Heather. Heather cried in Loti’s arms as the vampires gathered around Wolf. Loti thought she couldn’t hold her close enough to stop the heartache. She pressed her face to Heather’s while the sobs overtook her. When Heather pulled back, Loti wiped the tears from Heather’s cheeks with tender fingers.

  They stared at each other. For a moment Loti was struck by Heather’s soft blue eyes, the deep red hair, the pale alabaster skin. Heather closed her eyes. In a quick motion, Loti kissed her forehead.

  She whispered, “Let’s get you out of here? Okay?” Heather nodded, and they leaned on each other as they stood.

  “We’ll fill in the rest later, Calisto,” Wolf was saying.

  Calisto was normally a master of his expressions, but the one on his face now scared Loti to death. She stopped cold. “What’s wrong, Calisto?”

  He considered her and Heather with a pained stare. “I am afraid for you all.”

  Heather put her hand on Calisto’s arm. “Christian, Calisto. We have to find him.”

  Calisto spoke in quiet tones that chilled Loti’s blood. “We will, dear one. We will find him.”

  “Promise me.” She grip
ped his arm with such a fierceness that his eyes widened.

  When he blinked, his usual calm demeanor returned, “Of course.”

  “You didn’t answer me. What’s wrong, Calisto?” Wolf and Calisto glanced at each other. “No protecting me, us. We need to know what’s going on.”

  The way Heather looked at her made Loti’s chest heave; her expression was both heartbreaking and alluring. Wolf sighed and nodded to Calisto who turned to the other vampires.

  “Please go let the other’s know all is well.” But when he looked back at Loti, she knew for certain all was not well. Calisto waited until the others were gone and then clasped his hands in front of him.

  “When a vampire bonds with more than one human, it is at best confusing.” Calisto’s expression was grave. “The bond cuts both ways. Just as you feel the pull to Wolf, he feels it to you, only as you probably now know, it is more intense for him than it is for you. When we bond with more than one, it is like being drawn and quartered, being pulled in many directions at once.”

  Calisto stopped, his strained eyes softened. He gestured at her and Heather.

  “That’s when it’s with ordinary humans, but you two are far from ordinary. The bond is more intense with healers and witches. He now has two minds, two hearts, and I imagine two souls to sort through, as well as his own. There is a reason why we normally choose only one mate to blood bond with.”

  Dread crept up Loti’s spine as Calisto continued, “Multiple bonds with other supernaturals can drive a vampire quite literally insane.”

  Loti’s knees buckled and Wolf caught her. Calisto was by her side in an instant.

  “But have faith in yourself. You are unique, Light Walker.” He lifted her chin to make sure she was listening, seizing her anguished gaze with startling intense eyes. “You can help him. You have the power to heal not only bodies, but hearts and minds, as well.”

  Loti rubbed her face with both hands. “All I want to do is help, but all I end up doing is making things worse.”

  Chapter Thirty-One