“Kearan? What do you want us to do with her?”
She shook her head against Mark’s chest.
“Kearan.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “We can’t just leave her here. If we do that the animals will get her.”
“Can you burn her?” I had to strain to hear her.
“I can. Is that what you want?”
She nodded.
Everyone stood respectfully as I pushed a red wave at Karryn’s body. Mark held Kearan and whispered in her ear.
Once our makeshift funeral was over, everyone packed up and got ready to go. The next two days were uneventful. The longer we travelled, the more nervous William seemed.
The sky was clear and the mid afternoon sun was shining. Dodge trotted up a hill and stopped to wait for the others. I squinted and blinked to make sure what I was seeing was really there.
“Is that what I think it is?”
If you think it’s the Blue Woods, then yes.
I laughed and smiled at Jasper as he trotted up to us. He shifted and smiled back. The lake in the Blue Woods was where we had shared our first kiss, the one that had bonded us together.
“We’ll make camp by the lake,” he said. “The crossing is not too far from the beach.” He shifted back and we made our way down the steep hill.
“Watch your step, guys!” I called back over my shoulder. Dodge picked that moment to step on a loose stone. I hung on to the handles on the harness that Ben had made for him.
Sorry.
I patted his neck. “Nothing to be sorry about.”
How do you feel about cheating? He spread his wings and lifted off of the ground. I laughed. We flew in lazy circles over the others until they had gotten closer to the bottom. He landed by Jasper who was looking across the big field that stood between us and the Blue Woods.
“You know, besides people turning into cats and dogs, this was my first clue that I wasn’t home anymore.” I looked at the blue forest and smiled. Jasper put a hand on my knee.
“What does it make you think of now?”
I gazed down at him, leaned down and kissed him. “Now, it makes me think I’m close to home.”
“Eight or nine days and we should be there.”
Mark helped Kearan down the last bit of the hill and we started off across the field. Once we had reached the blue trees, Jasper hopped on behind me.
“We’ll make camp right on the beach, Dodge.”
My horse nodded and headed deeper into the woods. I leaned back against Jasper.
“You saw the spine?” he whispered in my ear.
I nodded.
“Is there any way you missed it when you cleaned her leg?”
“No. I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “No.”
“I didn’t think so either.” He took a deep breath. “Now, is it one of our pack, or is it someone following us?”
“I have no clue.”
“We’ll make sure to have Matthew, Damian or myself on lookout tonight.”
I looked back at him and smiled. “You trust Damian?”
He smirked. “I guess I do.”
I leaned forward. “Did you catch all of that, Buddy?”
Dodge nodded.
A few minutes later we were heading down the short slope that led to the beach.
“It’s just as beautiful during the day as it is at night,” I said. At night, the lake was black with the moons reflecting white in it and the blue trees that lined the lake turned a dark purple. Right now, the sun was shining in the lake, the trees mirrored in the calm water.
“William, I’ll just help set up camp and then we’ll get you home.” I swung off of Dodge. Once everything was ready for the night I took the bag that held some of the more personal things Jasper and I carried around.
“Jasper? Where’s that money we brought back?”
He came to kneel beside me. “It should be in there.” He looked through the bag and handed me a smaller pouch. I took it from him and handed it to William.
“There’s a hundred dollars in here. It’s not much, but it should be enough to get a room somewhere until someone can wire you some more.”
“Hayden, I can’t…”
“Just shut up and take the money.”
Jasper patted him on the back and got up.
“Damian, Matthew.” He went to stand on the far side of the beach. The other two joined him there. I watched as he talk and pointed, as if asking their opinion on where they should go from here, though I knew this conversation had nothing to do with our destination. They all seemed to come to some sort of agreement and came walking back to the group.
“Alright, then.” Jasper grabbed his pack and handed me mine. “William, let’s get you home.”
William was almost knocked over backwards as Emelly ran up and gave him a hug.
“Good luck, William!” She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks.” He turned, gave everyone else a wave, and fell into step with us. We walked for an hour before Jasper stopped.
“You’re on your own from here,” he said to me. He pointed down a deer trail. “See where those boulders are?”
I nodded.
“The crossing is just past those.” He kissed me softly. “I’ll wait for you here.”
“I won’t be long.” I took William by the hand. “Here goes nothing.”
“He’s not coming?” he asked as we started walking toward the boulders.
“No. It’s not very pleasant for shifters to cross. Their animal half dies and so they live in constant pain. Jasper said it feels as though every rib is being pulled out of his chest and he has trouble breathing.”
“Holy shit!” He looked at me nervously. “Do you think it will hurt?”
“Did it hurt the last time?”
He shook his head.
“Then I don’t think so.” We kept walking past the boulders. “There, did that hurt?”
“That’s it? We crossed? How can you tell?”
“There’s no magic here. I can feel the difference.” I pulled his hand down as he started to pull away. “Not yet. We’re not fully crossed yet. I don’t know what will happen if I let go of you.
“Do you think I’m making the right choice, Hayden?” He glanced down at me.
“I can’t answer that for you, William. If it’s what you feel you have to do, then yes. Why?”
“I just…I keep thinking, you know, it’s been ten years, I think. At least that many.” He took a deep breath. “Things will be different. All my things are probably gone. My family will have thought I was dead.”
“True. You’ll have to come up with a pretty good story…an accident of some sort that caused you to have amnesia, maybe.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought I would go with.” He stopped and turned to me.
“Do you want to live here for the rest of your life?”
He frowned and shook his head.
“Then let’s keep walking.”
He nodded and turned back down the trail. The woods were turning into regular poplar trees and the path we were on was turning to asphalt.
“You’d better put your dagger in your bag.” I smiled at him. “You draw enough attention here with your deerskin pants without looking like a murderer.”
I turned and watched a car drive by on the highway not too far from where we stood.
“Here you are, just as promised.” I hugged him tightly, a lump forming in my throat.
“Hey, now, don’t cry!” He wiped my face with his shirt. “Can you promise me one thing before I go?”
I nodded.
“For the love of God, promise me you’ll be careful!”
I smiled. “Always.”
He surprised me by kissing me softly. I couldn’t help kissing him back. He pulled back and looked deeply in to my eyes.
“I’m serious, Hayden. Be careful.”
“I will. Now go, before you change your mind.”
He flashed me a lopsided grin. “
You don’t want me to come back?”
I laughed. “I never said that. It’s more for your safety than anything, really.”
“Why would I be in any more danger now then when I left?”
“Jasper might not appreciate that little kiss.”
His eyes widened and I laughed.
“You would tell him?”
“No. But he probably felt it.”
“Shit.” He laughed. “Then I am definitely out of here. That man scares the shit out of me.”
I snorted. “He’s a pussycat.” I gave him another hug.
“Ok. Off I go. Good luck, Hayden.”
“You, too.” He smiled and started walking down the path. I watched him for a bit.
“Hey! William!”
He turned back to look at me.
“Have an extra greasy burger for me!”
He laughed. “And as soon as I’m done that, I’ll take the longest, hottest shower ever!”
I chuckled, waved and turned in the direction that would lead me back to Quelondain. When I reached the boulders I scanned the woods for Jasper and found him sitting with his back against a tree, his head bent in concentration as he carved a piece of wood with his pocket knife. I leaned against the boulder and watched him work, his dark curls falling in his eyes, the tip of his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.
“Are you just going to stand there all day, Shlova?” He kept his attention on the piece of wood.
“I could. I never get bored watching you.”
He smiled. “Well, that’s good. I was starting to think maybe you were. Getting bored, that is.” His eyes never left his knife.
I started toward him and laughed. “Did you, now?”
He finally looked up at me, his sky blue eyes full of amusement. “What else would I think? Only a bored woman would skip worlds to steal kisses from a stranger.”
“For starters, William is hardly a stranger. And besides, how in the world would I ever get bored with you?” I knelt between his legs and we grinned at each other. “Do you remember how I felt when he kissed me?”
“A man doesn’t forget how his wife feels while she is kissing another, Shlova.”
“Most men can’t tell how their wives feel, Hun.”
“True enough. But yes, I do. Why?”
“I thought we could do a comparison.” I brought my mouth down to his. His lips parted and our tongues touched lightly. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me to his chest. I ran my fingers through his hair. My head started to spin and I had to remind myself to breathe. The only things that mattered were the feel of him, the taste of him. I dropped my shield.
Jasper groaned and the sound vibrated through both of us. I pulled back on my feelings, straightened and hung my head back, trying to get my breathing under control. Jasper pressed his face between my breasts and I felt the heat of his breath through my tunic.
“By the moons, Shlova.”
I smiled and hugged him close. “If that’s bored then I’d hate to see what you do to me when you’re exciting.”
He chuckled and looked up at me, his eyes smouldering. I ran my fingers along the stubble on his jaw.
“What are you thinking?” I traced my fingertip over the dark hair over his lip.
“I’m thinking that you really need to start wearing dresses.”
I laughed. “Jasper, I ride a horse all day. What in the world would I want to wear a dress for?”
He stood, picked me up and pushed me up against a tree. I wrapped my legs around him.
“Hmmm. I see.”
He kissed me hungrily and I started to think that maybe wearing a dress wouldn’t be such a bad idea. He pulled back and set me down, his eyes never leaving mine.
“As much as I hate to do it, we’d better be heading back. I don’t like not knowing who killed Karryn.” If there was one thing that was stronger than Jasper’s need for me, it was his need to keep me safe.
I kissed him softly. “Are you sure?”
He groaned and cupped my face in his hands. I pressed myself against him. Quite frankly, I was horny as hell and not ready to go back to camp.
“Shlova, I am not going to get caught unaware with my pants around my ankles.”
I burst out laughing at the mental picture that popped into my head.
“Ok, fine. But when we get home…”
He grinned and kissed me deeply. “Don’t you worry about when we get home. I already have plans for what I’m going to do to you.” He pushed me up against the tree and ran his teeth along my jaw then tilted my face up and kissed me softly. I smiled. He stepped away from me. “Your swords are crooked.”
“That might be because someone had me pinned to a tree.” I reached back and straightened them so I would be able to reach them easily should the need arise.
Jasper reached for my hand and we started back toward the lake. We were about halfway back when the sound of hoof beats sounded toward us.
Jasper! Hayden! Dodge came galloping toward us. Emelly and Kearan are missing!
“What?” I swung onto him. “How?”
Jasper shifted and we started back as fast as we could.
We don’t know. They went off looking for firewood. Mark was with them. When he got back, they weren’t with him.
“What was his explanation?”
Mark said everyone split up for a bit. When he couldn’t find them he came back to camp assuming they had already made their way there. He’s a mess.
“Where was everyone else?”
Damian was watching the camp. Matthew and Steven went to hunt. They were told not to go far.
We thundered out of the woods and onto the beach. Matthew was in leopard form, pacing back and forth. He shifted as we came closer.
“I told her to stay put!” He ran a hand through his hair. “I told her to stay!”
“I need something of hers.”
He looked at me blankly.
“Matthew! Focus! Give me something that belongs to her.”
Damian was already going through her pack. He pulled out a bracelet.
“You can track?” he asked as he handed it to me. I nodded.
“You?”
“Somewhat. It’s not my strongest spell. I can’t track if my starting point is too far away.”
I stood by the fire which was the last place I had seen her stand almost two hours ago.
“Skamp kees.” I concentrated on the bracelet and pushed my magic nudge out as far as I could in all directions. A white glowing line appeared. It moved around the campsite in zigzags and circles. I looked around until I found where it left the site and ran in that direction. Everyone followed me.
“It’s heading back the way we came!”
“Are you sure it isn’t the trail she made coming in?” Damian asked.
“No. That one is there too, but paler.”
We ran until we were out of the woods and in the field.
“What the…” I stopped short. I looked around trying to catch my breath. “It’s gone.” I concentrated on the bracelet again.
“Skamp kees.” I pushed the nudge out again. Nothing. I looked around frantically.
“If she was… I mean, if something had happened, would that explain this?” Matthew’s voice shook.
“It would, but it doesn’t. Look around Matthew. There was no struggle, there’s no blood. She’s alive. Mark, I need that shirt of Kearan’s.”
I took it from him and repeated the spell. A new white line appeared.
“Across the field and up the hill.” I hopped onto Dodge and everyone shifted to keep up to him. We flew up the hill, following the white trail until it stopped on the edge of the cliff that ran along the river.
I got off of my horse and looked around. Here, there had been a struggle. The grass was trampled and I found blood on a rock. I stepped closer to the edge of the cliff.
Careful, Hayden.
I lay on my stomach and looked over. My throat tightened. There, lying at the botto
m on the rocks, was Kearan. I got back on Dodge just as everyone was reaching us.
“She’s down there!”
Dodge jumped off the edge of the cliff and flew down. I knelt beside her and ran a green wave over her, though the blood under her head was enough of an indication as to her status. I sat back on my heels, too stunned to move.
“Hayden?”
I looked up slowly at the sound of Jasper’s voice and shook my head.
“Don’t move! We’re coming down!” The group above me headed back down the perilous hill.
“Dodge, can you go to the field? Fly, scout around. Maybe you can see a trail through the grass where Emelly might have walked.”
He nodded and flew away. I sat with my back against the cliff and waited for everyone to reach me. I looked up. If no one broke a leg I had about ten or fifteen minutes until they got to me.
“Think, Hayden. What would cause Emelly to just disappear?”
I heard a noise and looked up. Not seeing anything, I waited to hear it again. My head turned slightly to the left as I focused on the sound. Across the river, I saw some movement in the woods. I looked up again only to discover that Jasper and the rest had gotten to the part of the trail that didn’t follow the cliff side.
“Hayden!”
“Emelly!” I found a spot where the river was narrow and was glad to find that there were large rocks I could use to cross on. I jumped from one to the other and landed awkwardly on the other side. After recovering, I ran into the woods to where Emelly sat against a tree.
“Emelly! Are you alright? What happened?”
I had time for my brain to register that she was tied before the world went black.
*****
Jasper felt shock and then nothing. He stopped short and shifted, trying to feel something else from Hayden. Everyone looked at him. He fought the panic that was welling in his chest.
“They’ve got her.”
He shifted and bolted down the hill as fast as he could. He stepped on a loose stone and rolled the last twenty feet to the bottom. He stood, shook his head to clear it then started running to the river. He looked back to make sure everyone was following. Matthew and Steven were a half a leap behind him. There was no doubt in any of their minds; this was Hayden’s dream.
They made their way over the rocks that lined the riverbank. The three of them shifted and waited for the wolves to catch up.
Destiny (The Chosen One Trilogy:Book Three) Page 13
