by Haley Weir
“Endanger my family by sendin’ some half-cocked bounty hunter after my brother and I’ll gut you where you stand. Ain’t nothin’ I would not do to keep these people safe, and there ain’t nothin’ they would not do for me in return. So, you be careful next time you think about tossin’ around threats, or else you’ll learn that my brother ain’t the only demon on these lands.”
Sam smirked as Pete looked up at him once more. He wiggled his fingers in a mock wave, loving the way the other man’s eyes widened further. Wesley and Jesse showed the lawmen off of their land and everyone circled around to hear what Itsá had to say. The apache man removed his hat, and a curtain of ebony locks fell to his waist. “I told you all that my family had been killed. For many years, I thought that was true. Gabriel only recently revealed to me that he was alive. It has caused me to suspect that he may not be the only one.”
Everyone leaned forward a little bit more.
“There have been signs upon the mountain and in the forest that Aani may have risen from her grave to steer the events of this war,” Itsá admitted. “I know I have been rather secretive, but I wanted to be certain.” He reached into his pocket and tossed a stone carved into the shape of a raven right at Ruth’s face.
It stopped mid-air, and the group gasped. Dark eyes flashed to a deep shade of green.
“Hello, sister,” Gabriel sneered. “We once thought you were the lightest witch within our tribe, but I see now that was not the case.”
Ruth’s head cocked, and the young woman stepped off of the porch. She plucked the raven from the air and smiled. “You always knew I liked blackbirds the best.”
“Why have you risen?”
“To undo what you have always done,” she hissed, baring her teeth in a snarl. “I gave their fathers and their father’s fathers the spells they needed to protect their lands—the land that belongs to us and our people. I wanted them to suffer and to die, leaving the land to me so that our people may flourish again.”
“The Wendigo Spirit...did he help you?” Charlotte asked.
Ruth shook her head. “No. The Skadegamutc allowed me to rise. When Jesse Porter brought the slave girl here, I knew the purity of her form would allow me to possess her. And in return, I led the Skadegamutc to the coven of witches.”
Charlotte stood up from where she had sat on the stairs. “You led her to Kaia and the others? What will she do to them?”
“Kill them, of course,” Ruth chuckled. “And then she will take their power and grow stronger. The Skadegamutc may not be able to fight you now, but she will be strong enough soon. The great reign of the wolves will end, and all will be set right.”
Mary Ann approached Ruth, stepping past Charlotte. “Nothin’ will be right, and you know it. The Skadegamutc used you. These dark spirits only know how to bring pain and sufferin’. Your people will never flourish. The spirits seek to destroy everythin’, not just us.”
~*~
She reached out and offered her hand to the young woman standing before her. Mary Ann could not bear to look into Ruth’s eyes and see someone else staring back at her. “Your people suffered. They were killed and sold into slavery, right? Well, the same thing happened to Ruth. This girl has harmed no one, and yet she has been scorned because of ignorance. But she didn’t have magic to protect her; she didn’t have an evil spirit to barter with. And once again, someone else has taken away what little control she ever had.”
Something flashed in Aani’s eyes. Mary Ann continued to walk forward. "Why should I be forced to wander the cold planes? You have seen it, haven't you? You have walked amongst the dead flowers and stared up at the sightless sky."
"Yes, I have."
"Then, you know that it is a hollow, merciless existence." A tear rolled down her cheek. Aani shook her head. "I can't go back there. I can't walk through the endless glade and hear the cries of my people. The trees…"
"The trees that are bare and white as snow? I remember, Aani. But this is not the way to avenge your people. Sam, Boone, Jesse, and Wesley are not their fathers. They shouldn’t be punished for mistakes they didn’t make.”
“Those men are no saints.”
“Maybe not, but they’ve suffered enough for the things they’ve done in the past.”
Aani grew quiet. She turned and looked at her brothers.
“Please,” Mary Ann begged. “Let Ruth go. Let her go, and I will put your spirit to rest. You will be honored and know peace. But...don' t make her suffer in darkness anymore. Let us avenge you and put an end to all of this. You have my word."
Tears welled in Aani’s eyes once more, and Mary Ann embraced the young woman. Ruth collapsed against her, completely unaware of what had taken place. Itsá looked to Mary Ann and nodded his head respectfully. Gabriel cast his gaze to the ground and stood motionlessly. He turned and walked away after a moment and Itsá went after him. Jesse helped Ruth into the house, and Beth eyed him suspiciously. “Why is Jesse so close to her?” Beth asked.
“Jesse has a better heart than you know.” Abigail dragged Beth and Charlotte inside.
Suddenly, Mary Ann stood with Sam and Boone beside her.
“That was a nice thing you did for Ruth, Mary Ann,” Boone said. “Not many folks would have stepped in like that, but I’m proud of you. I’m proud of both of you. Never in a million years did I think you and Sam were ever goin’ to make it this far. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been wrong about the two of you bein’ together.”
“Well, we’re gettin’ married if you want to make it up to us by payin’ for everythin’.”
Boone punched Sam in the arm and snorted. “I already pay for everythin’.”
Mary Ann joined them in their playful banter and then followed Sam inside. The table was set by Charlotte, who had pitched in to make supper. Wesley hid his grimace well behind a smile while everyone else openly voiced their unhappiness with the blackened meal.
“Dang, Charlotte! Did you just toss the roast in the fire and hope for the best?” Jesse exclaimed. “Looks blacker than the bottom of my boots after I’ve been walking in the mines.”
Charlotte glared at Jesse, but he winked impishly.
Sam and Boone bickered about one thing or another. Either the green beans were too soggy or Charlotte put too much pepper in the potatoes. Beth set her plate on the floor and let her weasel have at it while she nibbled on some jerky. Abigail took pity on her and stomached half the plate before Boone declared she was abusing his child. The petite woman was about ready to give birth any day now, but Mary Ann thought Boone’s reaction was a bit over the top...and quite funny. “All right, ya’ll. Stop givin’ Charlotte such a bad time. It ain’t her fault that it looks like somethin’ a swamp monster might spit up.”
“Or a stable boy might scrape off the ground—”
“Quiet, or I’ll hex you!” Charlotte chuckled. She tossed something that resembled a bread roll at Sam. He ducked it and the offending item hit the wall with a loud thud. Charlotte blushed. “I didn’t know they were that hard. I followed Mary Ann’s recipe perfectly."
Thankfully, someone had enough sense to put some mutton and potatoes on the fire just in case. Charlotte ate happily with everyone else as the charred food was all but forgotten. After supper came to an end, Mary Ann pulled Jesse aside. "You still have not told Beth about Ruth!" she whispered harshly.
"It ain't the right time."
"Have you learned nothin' from Sam and me? The only way you and Beth are goin' to get over this feud is to talk about it and figure out what you got to do to fix it," she insisted. "Trust me; it's a lot worse thinkin' someone hates you for a reason you don't know than one you do."
Jesse braced his hand on the wall and shook his head. "Thank you, Mary Ann, but I have to do this on my own time. And I think everyone should realize that Beth and I might just not be compatible no matter what destiny thinks of it."
"Well, I hope you make the right decision in the end. The last thing you want is to have regrets when the war is
over." Mary Ann patted Jesse on the arm and walked to the bedchamber she shared with Sam. She opened the door and lifted a single brow when she found him lying naked on the bed.
Chapter Twenty
One week later…
Cheyenne, Wyoming
They tracked a pack of wendigo towards the border but, by the time they arrived, the pack had already moved on. Sam rode with Jesse into town and hitched his horse to the post outside of the inn. He hated leaving Mary Ann behind, but she was busy helping Abigail with the newest edition to the Cassady bloodline. They were set to get married in a month or so when things were expected to slow down. But with spring came a wave of overeager outlaws and wendigo raids all over the territories.
Word spread about cannibals being sighted nearby, so Boone suggested Sam and Jesse get a jump on things before more folks ended up on the menu. Sam took care of the horses as Jesse rented a room in the inn. When they were settled in for the night, Jesse took his post at the window while Sam Looked over the map.
"Do you think this is some ploy to separate all of us?"
Jesse turned his head and looked at Sam. "No. I think Ethan is using trains to transport wendigo all over the West and the South. According to the morning paper, this wendigo problem is spreading like wildfire. I reckon we got a few days before the pack arrives here, though."
"How many are we lookin' out for?" Sam asked as he circled the places on the map that they scouted before arriving in town.
"Itsá said we will most likely see solitary wendigo that hunt on their own, as well as wendigo packs up to fifteen."
"Fifteen…"
"Yeah, he says their numbers are growing substantially. He suspects they'll be colonizing soon. I don't know about you, partner, but I don't want to live in a world where humans are outnumbered by wendigo." Jesse shivered in disgust.
Sam pointed to a spot on the map. "Look here," he said. "There's a cave system not far from the train tracks. If you're right about Ethan Tate smugglin' wendigo on the railroad, then it's the perfect place for them to hide."
"What do you suggest?"
"We need to get there before the train arrives tonight and set explosives to level all of them at once."
"That won't kill them," Jesse argued.
"Yes, it will if we use this." Sam opened a pouch on the outside of his saddlebags. He handed it over to Jesse. "It's powder I scraped from the bottom of Beth's new forge. Made from the blessed daggers she's been craftin' with Wesley."
"You think it'll be enough."
Sam shrugged. "Only one way to find out, right? If this works with some dynamite, then we'll have explosives that can kill the wendigo nest."
"It's a big risk."
"So is lettin' those things turn this city into more freaks. This is our best shot. I'll do the hard part...just have my back when we go in—”
"No, Sam. You're going to be a father. I've got no one but Ruth, and she's taken care of. I'll do it."
~*~
The following morning, Sam and Jesse headed down to the gun shop. The man behind the counter let out a sharp whistle when he saw the pistols strapped to their hips. "My, my, I ain't never seen revolvers like that before. That a modified Colt?" he asked. Sam and Jesse eyed one another with a knowing smirk.
"Somethin' like that." Sam was careful to keep his voice low and his head even lower whenever they were in town. While Pete had been smart enough not to put the bounty out himself, Merle down at the saloon took it upon himself to do it instead. Sam walked up to the counter and picked up an order slip. He scrawled down an estimate for the amount of gunpowder they would need. “Got any of this in the back?”
“Makin’ some fancy bullets to go with them guns?”
“Somethin’ like that,” Sam repeated.
“Well, they only come in cases of eleven, so you’ll have to buy at least three to get that number.” The man looked over the list and hurried into the back to grab the gunpowder. Jesse inspected the cases to make sure the man wasn’t trying to swindle them. When all was to their liking, they purchased a few more things and headed out of town.
“Careful comin’ around this bend,” Sam warned Jesse as he slowed his horse.
“Why?”
“Ambush.”
“How can you tell?”
“The interested looks that man just gave us,” he chuckled. “Beth’s guns are goin’ to catch a lot of attention. I’d wager that shopkeeper took one look at us and figured we were gamblers or somethin’. He thinks he can pay a few men to get these guns off us and sell them for an outrageous price. Little does he know, there ain’t no price in the world that can be put on these revolvers.”
Sure enough, as they rounded the corner, two burly men on horseback had rifles aimed at their heads. Sam finally lifted his head and heard the men gasp. It was good to know that his reputation was still as fearsome as ever. “Afternoon, fellas.”
“Well, if it ain’t the Red-Eyed Demon himself…”
“You got them guns aimed in our direction, then you better be ready to use them,” he snarled. One of the men looked as though he wanted to give up, but Sam saw the moment the price of the bounty won over the fear of the fight. “So be it…”
The gunman let out a yelp as Sam’s knife struck him in the hand. His movements had been so quick and precise that it all happened in the blink of an eye. The second man fumbled with his gun as Sam leapt from the saddle, knocking the other gunman to the ground. He flipped the lever to expel the round from the chamber.
“He’s the devil!”
“Get out of my sight. Tell anyone you saw me and I’ll hunt you down.”
They ran back towards Cheyenne, stumbling over their own feet in a rush to get away. Jesse rode up beside him with his jaw slack. “You must have been one hell of an outlaw.”
“I was as good at crime as my brother was at catchin’ criminals.”
~*~
Silver Fox Ranch
Mary Ann looked up from her book as a pair of reading spectacles slipped down her nose. She pushed them back into place and bounced the infant in her arms. Abigail had laid down to take a nap, leaving Mary Ann to look after the baby and Beth. Mary Ann loved and adored her friend, but Beth prattled on and on about forging guns and knives using schematics or something or other...Mary Ann missed Sam, and she was nervous about the wedding.
Sure, like most ladies in the west, she had endured lessons from her mother about what was expected of her as a wife. While Mary Ann enjoyed the benefits of being engaged to a man with the stamina of a beast, she often wondered what Sam would expect from her after they marry. Would he demand that she stay indoors until the war was over? Would he smother her until she was forced to speak her mind or bear the burden of her commitment in silence?
“Mary? Are you listening?” Beth asked.
At least Mary Ann had the decency to shake her head. “No, sorry. I was thinkin’ about a few things that have been weighin’ on my mind lately.”
“If it involves what you and Sam do in the bedroom, I’ll go get Ariel. She’s the professional on these matters. I’d rather not listen.” Beth flopped onto the settee with her feet kicked up onto the cushions. “If it’s about anything else, I’ll give it a shot.”
Mary Ann set her book aside and handed the baby to Beth. The younger woman grimaced and held the child away from her body until it began to fuss. “How in the world are you Jesse’s mate? He loves children! You’re absolutely terrible with him.”
“Look, I haven’t agreed to be anyone’s mate just yet. Besides, where does it say we have to have kids? Itsá said we have to form packs and ensure the continuation of the spirit of the wolf. That doesn’t say I have to be the one to squeeze out a few of these things…”
“Wait,” Mary Ann said. “If you were mated to Jesse, you would not mind if he laid with another female? What about honor and commitment?”
“What man do you know that is capable of either?”
“Jesse Porter.”
Beth s
cowled. “I doubt it. No man that looks like he does can say no to what a woman has to offer. He may seem like a nice gentleman, but he’s a man at his core, and that means he’s incapable of being anything but unreasonable.”
“You’re being unreasonable,” Mary Ann said accusingly. “Anyway, my worries are about the weddin’. Sam has it in his mind that I need this big extravagant ceremony. I’d marry him barefoot in the grass if he asked. I ain’t one for the spotlight.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“Of course!”
“Then whack him upside the head and demand that he just take you down to the church and get it over with,” Beth grumbled. She sauntered over to the window and stared down the road as if she were waiting on something. Mary Ann saw right through her act.
“Jesse will be fine, Beth.”
She threw her head back and laughed so loud that the baby let out a wail. Mary Ann snickered and took the poor thing from Beth’s arms. The weasel looked almost jealous as he resumed his spot on Beth’s shoulder. “I’m waiting on Gabriel, by the way.”
“Gabriel?” Mary Ann turned to face Beth, worry etched in her expression. “Beth...I don’t think that’s a good idea. You and Jesse are meant to be together. Gettin’ involved with Gabriel will only hurt him in the end. Don’t do that to him.”
“What are you talking about? Did Gabriel say something to you?”
“He didn’t have to,” she replied. “I’ve got eyes. Anyone can take one look at the way you and Gabriel are around each other and see somethin’ is goin’ on there. Now, I know I ain’t somebody who can give advice on somethin’ like this, but you might want to think about your reputation. You’re an heiress, Beth. You own that big house, and all that money will be yours if Jesse gives up his half. Folks will have expectations.”
