Fire and Fantasy: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban and Epic Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  Without losing my stride, I released six more arrows into various parts of the three villainous bears. The wounds would slow them down, and that had to be enough. I had to get to Xena before it was too late.

  Those babies were ready to join this world, and she needed to be conscious to push them out. If I couldn’t bring her to, she and the babies would likely perish from the stress. If I had to, I would cut them from her.

  “You bitch!” Bruno yelled, his eyes dark and pinned on me. His kill switch was officially turned on, and I was his target.

  Bruno’s head turned and twisted from side to side. His shift slow and grotesque shift far from pretty. He may have possessed a dark and mysterious handsomeness in his human form, but his bear was mangy and overgrown.

  It was obvious by the patches of fur loss that he had been through something pretty rough. Street fights, childhood abuse, another animal attack—I couldn’t be sure, but it didn’t matter to me how he’d gotten that way.

  It was my job and my time to finish him off. I wanted the power of Zeus. If I could have had such a thing, I would have extinguished Brunos on the spot.

  My gifts were of healing, communication with nature, and being in tuned with the power of femininity. My bow and my hands were my only weapons, but hey had never done me wrong. I had never missed what I hunted.

  Although I had recently learned to respect the bear on a whole new level, this one was rabid, and it was time to put him down.

  He charged at me. I charged back. Estimating the distance between us and the velocity of our speed, I had enough time for one more shot. I lifted my bow and drew an arrow from the quiver. With the speed and accuracy of my godly arms and sight, I released the arrow and aimed straight for his heart.

  “Bulls eye!” I cheered. I’d shot him dead in the center of where his heart should have been.

  He didn’t go down as he should have. His body flinched back, and he continued to run at me.

  There was no way I’d missed. Did the arrow not penetrate deep enough?

  He came at me with a wide swing of his giant claws. I ducked, came up with a bounce, and landed an elbow on the center of his nose.

  His head jerked back as he growled.

  Before I could dodge left, a force hit the center of my chest, knocking me to my back.

  Bruno pulled the arrow out of his chest and grumbled and hissed at me.

  Rolling to my right, I got on my hands and knees. Just as he lifted a leg to kick me, I pushed off and dashed through his legs. I slid through the dirt and grabbed the blade he’d dropped.

  With my speed, I accessed the power in my thighs and darted back before he even had a chance to spin on me. I lunged and pounced onto his back. My arms wrapped around his neck. With one fast slash, I pressed the blade against his throat and cut him as deep as I could.

  Blood sprayed out in front of him. He dropped to his knees and attempted to grab at his throat. His paws or hands would not be enough to save him from the rapid blood loss.

  By the time his knees collided with the dirt, he was done. His arms went lax, and he fell forward. The sound of his body thudding on the ground was enough to stop the others in their tracks.

  Taking full advantage of it, Xander swiped his leg under one bear while back kicking another.

  Two stayed behind in combat with Xander while the other ran at me. My bow was back in my hand again. I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Instead, I aimed for his eye socket. There would not be the same kind of resistance as his rib cage may have provided.

  With a quick pull of the elbow, my arrow dislodged from my weapon. It moved with unparalleled speed, but as I watched, it seemed to go in slow motion. The tip landed at the center of his iris, making a wet, squeaking noise that had me scrunching up my nose. His head, along with the rest of him, fell as his back slammed into the earth where he belonged.

  I was surprised that neither he nor Bruno had reverted to their human form. Xander had found himself stuck between shifts when my arrow punctured his leg. If they chose to act like a beast, then I guessed they would die as a beast.

  Xander still had two bears to decimate, and by the looks of his fighting skills, he was doing just fine. He had one pinned by the chest under his foot while he held the other in a choke hold.

  “Go to her!” he yelled.

  His words woke me from my moment of reflection, and I ran to Xena. My heart sunk as I approached her lifeless body.

  Sixteen

  At the core of my body, I could feel Xena’s and her cubs’ vitality still pulsing with life. Hope was not lost, even though we were holding on by a thin line of rope.

  Normally, I would have put my bow back, but this time I laid it to rest by my side as I kneeled down next to Xena. I took her head and cradled it in my lap.

  “Sweet girl, it is time for you to wake,” I whispered into her ear before pressing my lips against hers. The air in my lugs channeled through me as I blew my life essence into her, giving her the strength she would need to get out of the woods before it was too late.

  I heard the snapping of one neck and then the another. I didn’t waste any time turning to see what had happened. In my heart, I knew Xander had walked away victorious. When I felt a presence behind me, I had confidence it was him coming to help me with his sister.

  A giant and gentle paw pressed against my shoulder. I looked up to meet Xander's gaze. His eyes darted back and forth between me and Xena.

  “We need to get her out of here as soon as possible. She already started to labor, most likely before we even arrived.”

  He nodded in understanding and waved his arm in front of him.

  “Crap.” I exclaimed. “You need pants, don’t you?”

  He nodded his head again. It would have been nice if he could speak in his bear form.

  “Why don’t you get a head start back to where you left your clothes? I can carry her if I need to. Once you get dressed, If I have not arrived, just come back to us.”

  I hoped what I was saying made sense. It came out a little weird, but we didn’t have time for me to repeat myself.

  With the back of his paw, he nudged the side of Xena’s face and looked back to me. Even in that form, I could see the concern in his blank eyes.

  With a stroke of my fingers, I combed her hair. My breath had to be flowing through her lungs and the rest of her. I was sure all Xander needed was to see her open her eyes before he could leave her.

  He would have shifted back if he needed to, but he could travel faster as a bear, and Xena had already made it clear that she had no interest in seeing her brother in the buff again.

  “Mmmm.” Xena hummed into my leg before her eyes opened. Her hand flinched down around her lower belly, and she winced.

  I backhanded Xander’s leg and urged him to go.

  He again glided his fur against his sister so she could acknowledge his presence before tuning to run back to where he’d stashed his clothes.

  “We need to get you up and out of this forest,” I explained. “Do you think you can walk with my assistance?”

  “Hmm. I don’t know. What happened? Where is Brunos?” She inched closer to me as if to shield herself and her babies from harm.

  “He won't be hurting you anymore. You have nothing to fear. I am here for you, and so is your brother. He just went to get some pants.” My lip curled up at the corner.

  “Oh, thank goodness. Seeing him nearly nude yesterday was plenty for me.” She almost laughed.

  “Selene? I think I am in labor, but I have had pains before.” This being her first pregnancy, she didn’t have anything to go by. And since she hadn’t had a midwife to assist her through her pregnancy, she had nothing to base it on.

  “I do believe that you are. Hence why we need to get you back to the cabin where you can be more comfortable.”

  “Bruno was going to kill us,” she said as she got to her feet.

  “I know.” He may have had that intention, but he didn’t know who he was messing w
ith. “Come on, I will help you.”

  Her weight was not an issue for me, so I put my arm around the back of her ribs and lifted her to her feet. If I had to, I could carry her and run back to the truck.

  “Thank you. Has anyone ever told you how strong you are?” she asked.

  “Yes, actually, your brother. How about you? Anyone ever tell you how strong you are?”

  She laughed. “Yup! Xander.”

  “He is good to you, Xena. He loves you with all his heart.” I had never known love like that with my brother.

  “Not all his heart. I think he has recently made room for one more.” She winked at me.

  “You mean two more,” I corrected her since she was adding to new cubs to their lineage.

  “Oh, and then there are the cubs too.”

  She moved slow, and we needed to stop a few times for her to take a break and breath through contractions. We were running out of time. The babies would be making their entrance before long.

  “I hope Xander gets back soon. I could use an extra set of hands to help me get back to his truck,” Xena said as she huffed through a few short breaths.

  “Did someone call for an extra set of hands?”

  My senses must have all been so focused on Xena that I failed to hear him approaching us. Thank goodness, we no longer had the threat of danger looming over us.

  “Xander! You are here!” Xena cried. “It’s a good thing too. My water just broke.”

  “What does that mean?” His eyes widened, and he rushed to her side.

  “It means she is going to have those babies now whether she likes it or not,” I explained.

  Seventeen

  “Wahhh!” wailed the second baby born.

  Xander was already holding the first baby a little girl, and the second was another of the same sex. For the amount of times they’d referred to them as cubs, I had expected little baby bears to come out.

  “With all the pain I experienced during labor, I can’t believe how easy the delivery was. And not just one but two deliveries. Even the pain on my face has subsided.” Xena commented as I placed her little girl on her chest.

  Xander gave me a sideways glance as if to say he knew I’d had something to do with her lack of pain and increased healing. I had done the same for him.

  The snap, crackle, and pop of leaves and twigs rang out in my ears. In the not so far off distance, I could hear the patter of an animal running. The beast was of medium to large size, not one of the little things that scurry around the forest floor.

  Xander turned and scanned our surroundings. He must have been able to hear it too. My heart warmed at the thought that I could be so lucky as to see my Ceryn one last time.

  My forty- eight hours was nearly over, and I had not accomplished either of my tasks. Ceryn was still a foot, and I had never found some willing or unwilling human to fall in love with.

  Elysia would be coming for me soon, and she would make me pay for my betrayal. Even though it came at an expense, I rejoiced in the love and adoration flaring in Xena and Xander’s eyes as they looked down on the two babies.

  I spotted the glint of two golden horns dashing through the brush line. My heart nearly stopped as my breath caught in my throat.

  “Look, Selene!” Xander whispered. “It’s your stag.”

  Knowing Xena and her babies were safe, it was time for me to do what I had come for. If Elysia was going to make Ceryn suffer an eternity on this planet, I would at least use my last few minutes sending him back to his brothers for a short visit and a final goodbye.

  I retrieved my bow and pulled out the special arrow made just for Ceryn. It would send him home, and I would pay the price for both of us when Elysia came to collect.

  “What are you doing?” I heard Xena whisper, questioning my actions as she turned to Xander. “Why is she going to shoot her stag? I thought she wanted to return him to his home?”

  “She is. I think that arrow is some kind of tranquilizer,” he explained as he rocked the baby in his oversized arms.

  I fired the arrow, and it hit Ceryn at the highest part of his thigh. He turned to look at me, and gave me the closest thing he could to a smile.

  His body began to break apart into tiny fragments of light that floated into the sky as if someone had just opened a jar full of fireflies.

  “Wow!” Xena exhaled in amazement. “What kind of dart was that?”

  “Selene, I have not asked you about your past or any of your extra exceptional attributes, but I can't avoid the questions any longer. Not after seeing you make a deer disappear into thin air.”

  I stood tall and replaced my bow to its rightful place, not hiding the special fact that they could no longer see that it existed with me. The bow is with me wherever I go.

  “My given name is Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto. I am the goddess of chastity, protector of women and wildlife. I came to this place to return my stag to his home.” Albeit hard, I ignored their wide eyes and jaw-dropping expressions.

  “I made a bargain with an oracle for passage here and the return of Ceryn. I have not lived fully up to my end of the deal, she will soon be here to take me back to Olympus. At that time, she will force Ceryn back to Earth to spend an eternity being hunted over and over again.”

  “That can’t be!” Xena cried. “You can’t leave us now. There must be a mistake!”

  “I’m sorry there is no mistake. I only had forty-eight hours.”

  Eighteen

  A grey cloud swirled overhead. Not quite high enough in the sky to be a storm cloud. Like clockwork, lightning streaked across the darkness and a black hole opened in the heavens.

  “Oh, shit! She wasn’t lying!” Xena exclaimed as she bent her neck back to look up.

  Elysia’s face loomed at the center of the black hole. “I see you have sent your precious stag back to Olympus, Artemis. Have you held up your end of the bargain, or shall I send him back to face his new destiny?”

  “Elysia, I beg you for more time. There were extenuating circumstances that kept me from looking for a man to fall in love with. It was only luck that fell upon my Ceryn as he just happened to cross our path here in the woods.”

  “There are no second chances when you make a promise. It is no fault of anyone's but your own that you did not use your time wisely. Ceryn will return to Earth to suffer a fate of death after death, and you will watch every one of them.”

  Xander stood with the baby still nuzzled in the crook of one elbow, and he slid an arm around me.

  “If you don’t mind me putting in my two cents,” Xena addressed Elysia, “Selene… I mean Artemis, has done more than fulfill her end of the bargain. Not only has she found love with my brother, she has found love with our entire family.”

  “Love?” I questioned her accusation, unclear about what kind of love I had found. Not the kind that Elysia had demanded of me. “Even if I have filled my heart with a new kind of love, that doesn't mean I had the opportunity to find a man to fall in love with me as well.”

  I didn’t want to let Xena down, but Elysia would only accept the truth.

  Xander turned me toward him with his free hand.

  “I am no ordinary man, so perhaps I may not be good enough for you to love. And I am no god, worthy of your companionship. But I have never in all my days found so much with another soul. Having you in my life, even for such a short time, has been a gift I will cherish for all my days. Your love has been enough to fill my heart with pain at the thought of never seeing you again. I wish there was a way you could stay here with me.”

  “How can you love me? You hardly know me. You don’t even know where I come from or what I am capable of.”

  “For starters, I don't care about your past. I know who you are today, and that is all that matters. You think I don't know you, but I have been watching you. I know there was more to you than meets the eyes. Guess what? So what. You’re a goddess, I’m a shifter, and we may not have been meant to be together, but we are and we shoul
d be. Two souls have never been more made for each other than you and I.”

  “You see!” Xena shouted as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  “I was drawn to you from the second I saw you about to shoot that poor, little, innocent fox in the woods two days ago. Since then, you have shown me your compassion, inner and outer strength, loyalty, and love. All qualities that are hard to come by in one individual.”

  “I have heard enough.” Elysia waved her hand. “Ceryn can remain here on Olympus.”

  My shoulders lowered, and I let out the air I had been holding in a sigh of relief. “That is amazing news.”

  “Now, don’t get too excited, Artemis. You should know better than that. You mustn't forget that, along with Ceryn, you too must return to Olympus to fulfill your duties here. Your devotees are awaiting your return.”

  “I cannot return to them. They will never understand how I could have allowed you to take my chastity away from me.”

  “Ha ha ha.” Elysia started to laugh. “I took nothing from you. That was all your choice. You let down your guard and love lead the way. I told you that you were denying yourself the true meaning of life.”

  What more could I do? I lowered my head and shook it. How could I give up all that I had gained? I had only been on Earth for two days, and yet it felt longer than all the thousands of years I had spent living on Olympus. All that, only to be on the brink of having it all stripped away from me.

  “Unless you can find a way to restore the balance between our worlds. Someone must lead your flock and continue to represent the values that so many have and will continue to worship over the years.”

  “I will go!” Xena stood with her baby girl in hand. “Tell me what I must do. Selene saved me and my babies. If I can do the same for other women, and she can stay here to live a life full of love with my brother, then I will go in her place.”