The Dying Fate (The Umbra Chronicles Book 1)

by Willow Ravenheart

  ∞∞∞

  Someone is shaking me? Why is someone shaking me?

  I open my eyes into narrow slits and spy my best friend staring down at me. There's a look of panic on his face and he looks like he's about to cry.

  "Why the hell are you waking me up?" I groan before stretching. All the muscles in my body move with ease and I notice that the constant chills and fever are gone. Oh my God, I finally feel normal!

  "Holy shit, Macy, don't you ever do that to me again!" Denny says with broken sob before pulling me into a suffocating hug. I have to peel his arms from around me so I can breathe and I glare up at him.

  "What are talking about?" I grumble as I crawl out of the bed. I stretch my arms above my body and groan when the vertebrae along my back pop into place, "I only took a nap!"

  "Jesus Christ, Macy!" Denny groans as he rubs his hands up and down his face, "You were asleep for five days! We couldn't wake you no matter what we did. It's like you've been in a coma!"

  "Well," I sigh, "that was the best sleep of my life. I'm not surprised that you couldn't wake me. Honestly, I'm kind of pissed that I'm awake now."

  "I'm not joking...." he whines, "You had all of us worried."

  "I'm sorry," I say with a shrug before walking to my closet, "It was out of my control."

  "I know, but I was still worried," he admits before walking to me and wrapping his arms around me from behind. "Do you feel better now?"

  "You have no idea." I say with a chuckle.

  The truth is, I feel like a completely different person than before. Not a single muscle hurts in my entire body, not even a little stiffness from sleeping so long. My mind is clearer than it's been in a while and I have no problems hearing what's going on throughout the house or detecting the smell of bacon frying. Sebastian must be cooking, there's only one set of footsteps echoing throughout the house and they're very light.

  "Well, I guess I'll let you take a shower," Denny says as he kisses the top of my head, "You do stink."

  He barely makes it far away enough from me and to the door before I launch the clothes in my hands at him. I can hear his chuckle as he walks down the hallway and to the kitchen. I grab my discarded clothes from the floor and collect everything I'll need for my shower.

  It only takes me about thirty minutes to shower, change into some clean clothes, and brush my teeth. As I look into my reflection in the mirror, I take a few moments to really look at myself for the first time in weeks.

  I really do look like a different person now. Not just in my physical appearance, but also the glimmer of power shining in the depths of my eyes. If there's only one thing I can say about myself, it's that I'm one hell of a survivor. At this point, one might even think that I'm invincible....

  I smooth my hands over the soft, burgundy shirt that falls to my mid-thigh. I've also pulled on a pair of thin, black leggings and a pair of boots. It's taking some time to adjust to my new body. Who knew how heavy breasts could be? I really feel sorry for my mom since she's always been well endowed, even more than I am now.

  It's time for me to track down Elliot and get him to answer some of my questions. There's so many things that I don't know and I don't even know where to start. Maybe I can convince him to give me a simple course of 'Shifters 101' to make things clearer for me. Oh, and maybe finally find out what happened when he kissed me....

  Denny and Sebastian greet me with broad smiles when I walk into the living room. They're both seated on the same couch, a very suspicious large space between them. I raise a brow at my friend, but a deep blush covers his cheeks as he stuffs a mouthful of food into his mouth. I'll have to talk to him later....

  I look over to the kitchen side of the room and notice a plate on the bar that's loaded with eggs, toast, and bacon. I rush over to the bar and sit down. It takes me only a few large, hungry bites before I've demolished the entire plate and I drain the entire glass of orange juice that's placed beside the plate.

  The boys chuckle when I push back from the bar with a moan, my hand rubbing my aching belly. God, I ate way too fast!

  "Where's Elliot run off to?" I ask as I turn to look out the large picture window above the sink.

  "He went for a run 'bout an hour ago," Sebastian says, his mouth full of food, "If you're lookin' for him, I'd look out by tha lake."

  "Thanks!" I exclaim before hopping off the bar stool.

  My feet carry me to the front door and I walk out, smiling when the fresh air and sunshine reach me. It's a beautiful summer day and all the wildlife chatter cheerfully throughout the clearing and the surrounding forest. I hop down the steps two at a time. Once I reach the bottom, I close my eyes and focus on the faint smell of cedar.

  A smile spreads to my lips once I pinpoint the direction Elliot went and I walk toward the lake. The scent of wildflowers and small, scurrying animals fill my nose. I have to shake my head to expel the scents so I can focus on Elliot's. I can detect that he went to the lake, so I continue on my trek to the shore.

  As I approach the shore, his scent becomes stronger and I follow the trail, noticing that he veered toward the forest. I walk for a few more minutes before spotting him. His head breaks the surface of the water and he shakes his long, soaking strands of hair from his face as he emerges. Slowly, his shoulders appear from under the surface and the scars that cover nearly every available inch of his skin shimmer as the water droplets roll down his body.

  He reaches to run his fingers through his hair and I silently watch him as he throws his head back to soak in the rays of sunshine. If I'm being honest, he's a stunning specimen of the male gender. Other than the scars, I can barely detect a single flaw about him physically and I personally wouldn't even consider them to be flaws. If anything, they make him seem mysterious and even more manly. It makes me realize that I know little to nothing about him. That's another thing that I'll have to change.

  I notice that he's approaching the shore, his chest rising from the water. For the first time, I notice a tattoo that runs up his side, along his ribs. It's some type of script or cryptic design, but I can't be sure from this distance. I feel weird, watching him like this. I mean, technically this is borderline stalking, but I'm enjoying the eye candy.

  It only takes him a few more steps before he's waist deep in the water and at the next step, I slap my hands over my eyes.

  "Why the hell are you swimming naked?!"

  "What the hell are you doing out here?" Elliot growls, his voice immediately accompanied by a loud splash. I bite my lip when the sound of his wet feet slapping against the ground echoes throughout the small cove. The rustle of clothes sounds out close to me and I let my hands down once I feet the warmth of his body close to mine.

  "I was looking for you...." I tell him, my face warm from embarrassment. I remove my hands from my face and my breath catches in my throat. He's standing less than a foot away from me, with only a pair of low hanging jeans on. Beads of water slip from his hair to slide down his chest. I have to stop myself from following their path. God, Macy, control your damn self!

  "Well, you've found me," he replies, his voice low and raspy.

  "I see that...." I mumble before spinning on my heels. An all too familiar warmth is spreading throughout my body and I close my eyes to try and block the emotions running through me. Where the fuck is this coming from? I take a deep breath before turning around to glare at him.

  "You didn't answer my question," I remind him, "Why the hell were you swimming naked?"

  "No one ever comes out here and I was expecting to be alone," he mutters as he sits down on an old, rotting stump to pull his boots onto his sock-less feet, "Shouldn't you be in bed or something?"

  "I was in bed and when I woke up...bang...whole new person!" I say with a flourish.

  He rolls his eyes at me before pulling his flannel shirt on. The fact that he's decided to keep the shirt unbuttoned is extremely distracting and I don't have a chance to be upset about his disrespectful eye roll.

  "Well, w
hat does this 'new person' want?" he grumbles as he brushes past me. I reach out and grab his arm, forcing him to look at me.

  "Why are you avoiding me?" I snap.

  I finally feel like I'm beginning to get to know Elliot and he's not being himself right now. I'm tired of people putting on fake faces around me. Why can't anyone be honest?

  "I'm not avoiding you...." he sighs before pulling his arm from my grip. He continues walking and I run to where I'm in front of him and cut off his path.

  "And you're a fucking liar!" I snarl, "What the hell did I do to you? I'm not sure since I've been unconscious most of the time."

  "You didn't do anything," he groans. God, that sounded sexy. Wait...what the hell's going on?

  "Then what happened?" I ask, reaching out to place my palm against his chest, "I miss my friend."

  "You have a perfectly good friend in that house right now," he snaps, "Why don't you go run to him?"

  "I don't need Denny right now...." I sigh, "I need you."

  A groan escapes Elliot's throat and I can feel a warmth spread throughout my body. The familiar tingles that run through my body when we're touching are amplified right now, making it feel as though I've stuck my finger in a light socket. He jerks my hand away from his chest, but I place it back onto his wet flesh.

  My heart skips a beat and I can feel the warmth in my body building into a flaming heat. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, the scent of cedar possessing my sense of smell. God, how can something as simple as the smell of wood be so fucking sexy?

  "Fuck!" Elliot moans the moment I open my eyes. He backs away from me, severing our skin-on-skin contact. Oh, that won't do! I step forward and a dark look covers his features, "Macy, I know what you're thinking...I can smell it...." he whispers as he walks backwards.

  "And what would that be?" I tease, taking a long step until I'm only a foot away from him. I reach out and trace the tattoo that runs up the side of his torso. He visibly shudders at my touch, his eyes squeezed shut tightly.

  "You want me...." he grits out between his teeth, "It isn't real, Macy. You need to fight it."

  "Why would I do that?" I ask, tilting my head to the side to analyze the man before me.

  I can count at least twenty long scars that run the length of his torso and I know that there's a similar amount on his back. What I would do to be able to trace every single one of those scars with my tongue. Maybe I could kiss the pain away.

  "Jesus Fucking Christ!" Elliot groans, tossing his head back, "You need to filter your thoughts!"

  "Well, do you want me to?" I ask as my fingers trail across his chest to trace each of his scars. My index finger runs across the length of one, all the way to the waistband of his jeans. I can't control my body or my mind right now. There's only one task at hand right now and that's him.

  "Oh, fuck it!" he curses before snatching my hand away from his abdomen, using my arm to crush me into his body.

  He slides his hand up shoulder and leans down, his face only a hairsbreadth from my own. One of his hands grasps the base of my neck and the other presses against the base of my spine. I stare at his full lips for a moment and lick my own in anticipation. A growl vibrates in his throat as he leans forward and claims my lips with his.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and press my body into his. I slide my hands down his back as his lips fight with mine for dominance, sliding the flannel shirt down his shoulders until my fingers can touch nothing other than naked, warm flesh.

  He dips me backwards, his hands holding me steady as he lays me down on the soft grass. His lips leave mine for a moment as he grabs his discarded shirt and lays it on the ground before placing me on top of it. His lips are back on mine a moment later, tasting mine gently until I drag my fingers through his hair. I can feel a shiver run down his spine and he grinds into me, eliciting a deep moan from my lips.

  Elliot pulls away from me and I open my eyes, staring into the pale, silver orbs looking down at me.

  "Shit!" I shout, pushing against his chest in an attempt to get away from him.

  "Oh no you don't...." he growls before moving a hand up to grasp my neck and he pulls my face back to his. His lips move against mine possessively. I push my hands against his chest, but he's like a fucking boulder that refuses to move. I manage to unwrap my legs from his waist and lock my arms around his neck as an idea comes to me.... I'm sorry, Elliot....

  He crumples into the fetal position the moment I knee him as hard as I can in the groin. I take this as a sign to get my ass away from him and scoot on my ass until I'm a few feet from him. He lays on the ground, moaning in agony as he cradles his crotch. My heart feels as though it's beating out of my chest and reality finally sets in.

  I just fucking kissed Elliot! I also just kneed him in the nuts....

  "Macy," Elliot wheezes, "I'm so sorry."

  The only reason that I know it's Elliot speaking to me right now's the fact that his usually frozen, blue eyes are staring at me with tears leaking from them. I rush to him, dropping to my knees at his side.

  "Oh my God, Elliot," I cry, "I didn't know what to do! Olcan took over and he wouldn't let me go!"

  "It's okay," he wheezes as he turns to lay on his back. I watch him for a few moments until his breathing is back to its normal pattern, "I would have done the same thing. Just...not so hard next time?"

  "I didn't mean to kiss you!" I confess, noticing the look of hurt that crosses his features.

  "I know...." he sighs before sitting up slowly, "It's the last stage. I told you about Heat. This is it. It makes all of your emotions stronger."

  "Oh, God...." I gasp, clutching at my chest, "I shouldn't have done that!" I say before standing to my feet.

  I can feel my stomach twisting into knots as I stare at the man on the ground and remember how amazing the kiss was. That was the best kiss of my entire life...and it wasn't with Henry.

  "It's okay!" Elliot reassures me as he crawls onto his feet, a small grimace on his face, "It was out of your control."

  "What was your excuse then?" I snap, remembering that he was the one who kissed me first...both times! Sure, I started it this time...but he was the one who leaned in! I may be out of control, but he's the one with a level head. He could have stopped me.

  "Pass...." he groans as he takes a step toward me.

  "No," I snap, "You can't pass on this one! Why did you kiss me?"

  "Dammit, Macy," he groans, "I've wanted to kiss you since the night I first saw you! When I finally did, that day in the store.... God, I can't get that day out of my fucking mind!"

  "What?" I gasp, stepping away from him. Denny was right! But why? Why me?

  "You've taken over my mind, Macy," he confesses as he takes a step toward me. I try to step away, but he's faster and catches up to me quickly.

  "Stay away from me!" I warn him, my hands outstretched. He takes my hands into his and I try my best to ignore the electrical pulses running up and down my arms.

  "That's the problem," Elliot sighs, running his thumbs across my knuckles, "He won't let me."

  "Olcan?" I ask.

  "Yes," he admits, "he's obsessed with you, but that's not all of it. I want you. I want to know you. You're the strongest woman I know. Sure, this Shifter business bothers you, but I know the woman underneath all of this stress and anxiety and she's tough as nails. You're the most beautiful creature to walk the earth and all I want to do is fucking kiss you again right now...."

  My breath catches in my chest and I stand completely still as his face inches closer to my own. I can see little hints of silver swirling in his eyes, but he blinks, making the metallic color disappear. I close my eyes the moment he reaches with his hand to caress my cheek, the touch causing pulses to radiate through my skin.

  His lips press against mine and I can't control my body. I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck. A groan of satisfaction escapes his lips and I open my mouth, allowing more access for our thorough kiss.

  Why does this feel so
right?

  His hand slides down from my cheek, across my throat, and around to the back of my neck. His fingers press into the flesh there and he takes his other hand, pressing it against the small of my back. The entirety of the front of my body presses against his, not even a centimeter of space between us. He lowers his hand down from the base of my spine to grip my ass in his hand, pulling me even closer to him. I can't hold back the moans when he touches me.

  "What the fuck are you doing!" Denny snarls from behind us.

  I break free from Elliot's grasp and swing around to face Denny. He's standing along the shore, Sebastian at his side. Both of their faces are a shade of purple, but from obviously different reasons. Sebastian looks like he wants to crawl in a hole and die somewhere. Denny on the other hand, he looks like he's ready to kill me.

  "Denny," I sigh, taking a step toward him.

  "No!" he screams, the veins bulging in his neck, "Is this why you were defending him? You were just sneaking behind my back to hook up with him?"

  "It's not like that!" I snap as I take another step toward him, "I didn't even mean for this to happen."

  I glance back to see the look on Elliot's face and regret what I've said instantly. He turns away from me as he gathers the rest of his things and I can't help the urge to reach out for him.

  "That's so what it looked like!" Denny says with a scoff, "You've been lying to me the entire time. What about Henry? What would he think about this?"

  "Don't you dare bring him into this!" I snap, "He's dead, Denny! He's not coming back!"

  "That doesn't mean that you have to move on so damn quick!" he yells.

  I take a step away from him, his words cutting me to the core. I feel a hand at the small of my back and feel the immediate tingles that accompany his touch. I fight the instinct to lean into him, but I'm barely able to manage to stop myself. I don't need to add fuel to the already burning inferno within Denny.

  "I would watch how I talk to her if I were you...." Elliot growls, his breath fanning against my neck.

  "Or what?" Denny scoffs, "What would you do?"