The Mating Season: Werewolves of Montana Book 6

by Bonnie Vanak

  Tristan removed the diamond dragon scale from his pocket and murmured a chant. Waving his right hand, the water suddenly turned white, with swirls of silver, a spinning vortex like a wormhole she’d seen on Star Trek. Wind blew at her hair and a chill raced down her spine. He stood in the wind, his long hair blowing back, his expression implacable in the eerie glow of the light water.

  Then he tossed the diamond dragon scale into the water. The scale vanished, and the water returned to normal.

  “What…was that?” she asked, her voice trembling.

  “I sent the dragon scale into the Shadow Lands to a safe place where I may retrieve it later.” He looked at her solemnly.

  “Your magick is that powerful?”

  “Of course. Are you ready, my sweet, to cross over?”

  Suddenly she wished her twin were here to give her advice. Nia always knew what to do. Nia, the stronger twin.

  And you walk alone now. Nia has her mate.

  The thought pierced her with sadness. She glanced at Tristan. All her life she’d feared this wizard causing her a painful death and that fear was hard to fully set aside. It was like being told as a child to fear flames because they could burn you to death and then being asked to build a campfire. But he was the only one who could guide her through the darkness.

  I don’t want to die. I feel like it’s time for me to finally start living.

  “Jump into the water and it will pull you to the other side.” Tristan’s voice deepened. “And then we shall walk through the Shadow Lands and access Tir Na-nog.”

  His home, the place where it was prophesized she would become his bride and die. Fear rippled down her spine. Everything unknown stared her in the face. She was about to enter the afterworld, a place Others went only when they died. Her natural instinct balked at jumping.

  “I can’t do this.”

  He held out a hand, his dark gaze intent. “I promise I will not let anything happen to you. This is the only way for you to reach Tir Na-nog, to live, Nikita.”

  Where they would create a baby, a baby with an absent father. A baby, who would tie her to Tristan for life. If the prophecy didn’t come true and she didn’t die after becoming Tristan’s bride, she could never find another mate because any other Lupine would be too afraid of the Silver Wizard’s power…and his claim on her.

  She continued to hold his gaze. All her life she’d been pushed around, shoved into a dark corner, never allowed to show her true face. If she capitulated now, she might as well return to being the ghost of a Lupine she’d been all her life.

  “Then if I am to do this with you, Tristan, I want…I need…a promise as well.”

  He said nothing.

  “I will do as you ask, go with you through the Shadow Lands to your home and bear your child, if you promise I will come first for as long as we’re together. Meet my needs, and put me before your other concerns. Your wizardly duties. At all costs.”

  Doubt filled her. He had not placed her first in their prior relationship, and now he was the almighty Silver Wizard, guardian of their kind. Asking him to set aside his duties and responsibilities was like asking the wind to stop blowing.

  “You know not what you ask, Nikita.”

  An ominous note threaded through his deep voice.

  “I know very well what I’m asking. Is it a deal? Or do I remain here, and slowly die?”

  He sighed, a sound filled with sorrow. “I cannot bear that.”

  “Then choose.”

  “Yes,” he said quietly. “I promise to put your needs before all other concerns, Nikita. Now, will you go into the portal? You have little time left before your body succumbs to the effects of the potion.”

  Strength was rapidly leaving her body. Niki knew he was right. But all her Lupine instincts resisted jumping into the water and the unknown.

  “It’s so dark,” she murmured.

  Tristan waved a hand. “Is this better?”

  The water had turned crystal-clear blue, lit as if from within.

  “I could quote from the Titanic.” Twisting her hands, she stared at the depths. “But I’m too scared.”

  “Then I shall. I won’t let go, Nikita. I cannot go with you, but I will never let go.” He picked up her hand and brushed a soft kiss against her knuckles. “Titanic. I’m your Jack. Promise me you’ll never let go, Nikita. You will survive. You must.”

  “I’ll never let go. Just like Rose didn’t,” she whispered. “But damn, I’m so afraid that if I jump, I’ll die. I don’t want to die.”

  “I promise you will not die, my sweet. Jump. Jump and I’ll be with you in spirit.”

  She jumped. Just before she was sucked under, she saw Tristan standing on the shore, his expression filled with regret.

  “I’m sorry, my sweet. I cannot go. You must make this journey alone.”

  And then the current sucked her down, into the blue depths.

  Chapter 8

  It was amazingly blue, so blue she wanted to die.

  This was death, Niki thought, struggling to breathe. Blue surrounded her, the brilliant turquoise of a thousand clear oceans, pressing against her skin. She lost air, and gasped. On the verge of panic, she looked up and saw a brilliant white light, a circle of energy cutting through the thick turquoise.

  Tristan spoke inside her mind. “Just breathe. Relax. The first time is like being reborn. Let it happen. Your body will adjust.”

  But fear clogged her veins. She couldn’t suck in enough air, all the water and the pressure closing in around her. She was going to die.

  She felt the whisper of a kiss undulating through the water, and then it touched her mouth, as if his thoughts gave her breath. As she took in air, calm replaced the panic. He kept kissing her as they ascended through the water, sending fresh, clear oxygen into her lungs.

  Niki swam upward, toward the pulsing white light, and then broke the surface.

  Bright sunlight gleamed overhead in a clear blue sky. The pond was an exact replica of the one on her land, so precise she wondered if she were still home, on Earth. She started to tread water and realized her feet touched the sandy bottom.

  She emerged from the pool and stood on the banks. If these were the Shadow Lands, then they looked oddly safe and beautiful. Her clothing was dry, her body and hair dry as well. Anger churned inside her as she saw Tristan leaning against a tree. Dressed in his customary black, he studied her.

  “You lied. Before I jumped, you said you’d be with me.”

  “Not precisely. I told you I would be with you in the Shadow Lands, and here I am.”

  “Bastard,” she whispered. “Semantics.”

  Tristan sighed, and his hand trembled as he shoved it through his long hair, as if her words agitated him. She had never seen him this shaken before and wondered what had caused it.

  “I knew you would not go without me, but I could not accompany you. It is forbidden. Everyone must make the journey alone to the Shadow Lands, just as everyone dies alone.” He detached himself from the tree and strode toward her. “Even I did.”

  “Lying ruins your credibility, Tristan. What other lies have you told me?”

  “It was not a lie. I told you I would be with you in the Shadow Lands.” He spread out his arms. “Here I am.”

  But where was here? “All I did was half-drown. I never left.”

  “Not quite. You are in the Shadow Lands. When you first cross over, everything looks like what was dear to you on Earth. But it is not Earth.” Tristan dragged in a deep breath. “Close your eyes.”

  She did.

  “Open them.”

  Niki looked around in sheer awe. The forest, which had resembled the one on her ranch, had now changed to trees featuring colorful yellow and crimson leaves tipped with silver and gold.

  Dozens of green and blue dragonflies danced in the cool twilight air, their wings beating furiously. They circled her, playfully drawing near and then darting away. She laughed and twirled.

  “It’s like a welco
ming committee. I adore dragonflies.”

  “They’re Fae,” Tristan said solemnly. “Fairies. Watch out. Some bite.”

  But she was too enchanted to pay him heed. Niki stretched out her finger and one landed upon it. And then she felt a sharp nip.

  “Ow!” She stared at the fairy, who showed two very long, needle-like fangs, crimson with her blood.

  Niki shook her finger and the fairy flitted away, the sound of its high-pitched giggle echoing in its wake.

  “There is beauty here. I created the illusion of sunlight and the blue sky to make the Shadow Lands less foreign to you upon your entry.” Tristan joined her, his hands behind his back. “There is ugliness as well. Danger. Some comes from creatures, like the fairies, who have chosen to stay here and embrace their dark side. Do not leave my side, Nikita. I must guide you through this. I will aid you as I can, but each Other’s journey is highly personal, based on what they need to purge and forgive. My powers are diminished here and I may not be able to protect you as much as I can on Earth.”

  Fear skated down her spine. Tristan looked darker, and more menacing. The customary black tunic and black leather pants looked muddied and stained, and his doeskin boots bore brownish stains.

  Blood?

  “If your powers are not as strong, how can you find Alex?”

  “I already found him. I have visited Drust, incognito, and seen his great-grandson.” Tristan’s expression darkened. “And after I send Alexander home, I shall have my revenge upon his ancestor. That power was granted to me long ago.”

  “And you waited all this time for revenge? Why?”

  “Because you came first. You, and your needs. And your safety.”

  “What happens now?” She felt on uncertain footing, as if she were crossing a pretty but roaring creek, on wet, wobbly stones. One misstep and she could fall down into the raging waters.

  “The Shadow Lands manifest your deepest desires and your darkest fears.” He paused, lacing his hands behind his back. “That is what makes them so damn dangerous. You must take care at all times, Nikita. You are not dead, but you are not among the living anymore. The dead appear as corporeal flesh, but they are only spirit. Still, they can hurt you. There is great magick here.”

  His eyes were cold, nearly lifeless, not sparking with the faint teasing humor that she’d grown accustomed to. Dark bristles shadowed his taut jaw. The beard stubble made him look even sexier, but also edgier and more dangerous.

  “Since this is your first time here, and things may seem overwhelming, think of a place you would love to visit and we shall be there.”

  Closing her eyes, she envisioned a long, sandy beach, windswept and slightly cool, with sea oats waving in the breeze.

  When she opened her eyes, they were standing on the sand. Behind them the ocean seemed to stretch endlessly onward, and the beach curved around in a giant horseshoe shape. They were in a large cove, with luxurious waterfront homes on one edge of the horseshoe, and a lighthouse and pier on the opposite side. But the skies were leaden with clouds and the air felt cold and lifeless.

  Niki turned and looked toward the mainland. A gray, weather-beaten hotel read “Sandy Shores Inn.” The building was a 1910 two-story Victorian house that had been converted to a bed and breakfast.

  Tristan looked around.

  “I’ve always wanted to visit a beach in Maine,” she explained. “And this inn looked quite lovely from the website. They serve homemade waffles with whipped cream and chocolate, and sausage and eggs for breakfast.”

  The smile he gave her was not amused, but grim. “Beaches and housing in the Shadow Lands can be deceptive.”

  They began to walk on the sands. Sunlight peeked out now and then from the clouds, glinting on the tawny sand, picking out flecks of brilliant quartz. She looked at the houses peppering the shoreline. And then she stopped with a sudden realization.

  Some of the houses had the quiet charm of beachfront homes she’d seen along Maine’s shoreline. But others…

  They were built at crazy angles. One was upside down, one built on a slant that made it nearly impossible to stand straight.

  “As I said, the beaches here can be deceptive, especially after one first enters the Shadow Lands.”

  She went to the water lapping at the shore, and tested it with one finger. Cold, just as she’d imagined.

  “Since you are the only true living mortal here in the Shadow Lands, there will be…creatures…who are attracted to you and your life force. Most will be merely curious. Some will want to devour that life force.”

  “I’d like to see the inn.” Her voice sounded a little shaky, but she kept her gaze centered on him.

  They walked up the wood steps of the inn. The view was splendid from the second story porch, but in the distant water she saw a floundering shape.

  “It’s a whale.” Delight filled her. “I wish I had binoculars.”

  Suddenly a pair appeared in her hands. Not questioning the gift, she held the glasses to her eyes.

  Horror pulsed through her.

  It looked like a whale, but this creature was no gentle mammal eating krill. It was as large as a house, and had jagged dagger teeth. It rose out of the water and snapped at a bird flying overhead. The helpless bird struggled, and then vanished into the maw of the sea animal.

  Her heart was heavy as she lowered the glasses. Tristan looked at her quietly.

  “You’re right. Nothing here is as it seems.” Nikita’s hand shook.

  “In Tir Na-nog, the whales are simply whales and the homes are all whatever you wish. But here, you share space with Others who work out their own pasts, dreams…and tormented nightmares.”

  She’d had enough nightmares on Earth, thank you very much. But he’d created sunshine and blue skies, so perhaps she could create beauty as well. “I want to explore. Are there mountains here? I’ve always longed to go camping in the mountains.”

  “Yes, but the mountains can hold danger. Rockslides, if you are not careful.”

  “Well, what about another beach?”

  “We need to press on,” he said tightly. “This is not adventure land, Nikita. And time has a habit of trapping you, if you find a place soothing to your spirit.” He picked up a seashell on the railing and held it to his ear.

  The contrast between the mien of the dangerous wizard and the boyish expression on his face as he closed his eyes to listen to the seashell was incongruous.

  Fascinated, she looked at the planes and angles of his sculpted face. So handsome. Relaxed as he was now, without the constant guarded look he wore, he drew her like a lodestone. Perhaps this was the Tristan who had enchanted her in the past, the man/wolf who had captured her heart and refused to release it.

  “What do you hear?”

  “Stay connected all the time for only twenty-five drachmas! Unlimited talk and text on the ancient world’s fastest smart phone.”

  Tristan set down the shell. She smiled, but the grim laugh rumbling from his throat was as ominous as the behemoth creature in the ocean. Then he squinted at the sky and his expression grew grimmer.

  He nodded at the steps. “Come.”

  His pace was quick and hurried as she followed him down the stairs. When they reached the sands, thunder rippled through the air.

  “Don’t look back,” he advised.

  Of course she did.

  The pretty, scenic inn had crumbled into dust and then vanished with a pop, as if clearing the air it had inhabited.

  Niki’s stomach pitched and roiled. “We were just there.”

  “Things dreams are built upon are not always stable. Since you are not dead, nor immortal, what you conjured cannot remain there long.”

  At least she had Tristan as a guide in this unknown land. As they walked the beach, Tristan once again laced his hands behind his back, looking lost in thought.

  “First, fairies that bite me and then beachfront inns that crumble. Isn’t there a place we can go that’s a little more fun? Maybe a nightcl
ub with great dancing where I can wear designer shoes? Now there’s a fun fantasy.”

  Instead of answering, he bent down and scooped sand into his palm, then let the grains spill through his outstretched fingers. Terrific. He ignored her. She might as well be a shadow.

  And then she noticed the tension gripping his broad shoulders and how his fingers trembled as he released the sand.

  Dropping to the sand, she sat and hooked her hands around her bent knees to watch him. Niki gentled her voice. “What happened to you here in the Shadow Lands?”

  “I spent much time here, Nikita. It was painful. I kept reliving my life, over and over, until the anger consumed me like fire.”

  He turned and she saw a long tear in his tunic, jagged and stained, as if with blood. “And your execution?”

  It must have been too horrid to bear.

  Tristan nodded. “Not the way I died, but the look in your eyes, and knowing I was leaving you. It was hell.”

  She sensed an enormous struggle taking place within him. Her own spirit felt weighted by it. The air felt leaden, sullen, and the blue sky suddenly became overcast. The pretty white lace of the surf turned an ugly gray.

  “This place, it’s beautiful, but it’s as if there’s an aftertaste infringing on my wolf’s senses.” She glanced upward at the darkening clouds scudding across the sky. “I’m not sure that’s the right word…does my mood affect the weather?”

  “Yes. Part of it, I fear, is me.” His rueful smile did not reach his dark eyes. “I am immortal, but the mortal part of me, buried deep inside, remembers how powerless I was at my torture and execution, and how I had no power here. I swore I would never again feel that sense of helplessness again. I would like us to journey as quickly as possible to where we must go.”

  “Then show me the way. But let’s have a little joy as we journey there.” She touched his arm. “I have no desire to make you relive painful memories, Tristan. If Others choose to remain here and not progress to Tir Na-nog, then they have found a way to have happiness here. Wouldn’t you like that as well?”