by Marla Monroe
“They are talking with someone that may be able to help us. He said as soon as they finished talking, he’d come and tell us what was going on. Maybe another hour.”
“There are more strange men in town than usual. A group went to town to shop this morning and got spooked while they were there,” she told him.
“Kindle told me the same thing. Did they notice anything in particular about them?” Aaron asked.
“Not really, other than one of the trucks they were in had a lot of guns in the back window. We’re used to seeing one, maybe two with the guys who live up in the mountains, but evidently the rack was full of guns in this truck.”
Aaron reached for her free hand and squeezed it. “We’ll figure a way to get rid of them. Don’t worry, honey.”
“I know. I can’t help but worry about the younger ones, though. They tend to blow off adult worries and will sneak off on their own or form a group to wander off. You remember how you were as a teen,” she said.
He smiled then frowned. “You’re right. We need to warn them in a way they will heed. I’ll talk to Kindle and Galen about it. They are closer to their age and will relate to them better.”
Once again he realized how lucky they were to have her chosen as their mate. She was perfect and already kept her ear on the pulse of the pack. Aaron wanted nothing more than to make love with her right then and there, but he held back with the knowledge that a partial mating could be dangerous for her. He wouldn’t take that chance. She was much more important than any need or instinct to lay claim to her. That would come in time.
* * * *
Gabby stretched after waking from the nap she’d taken with Aaron. She noticed that side of the bed was empty. When she reached out to touch the covers, she found them to still be slightly warm, so he hadn’t been up long. The faint sounds of voices reached her from the other side of the bedroom door. No doubt Levi had returned. She quickly climbed out of bed and located her robe across the chair next to the bed. She slipped it on and hurried to the bathroom to freshen up.
As soon as she felt presentable, Gabrielle walked out of the bedroom and entered the living room where Levi and Aaron were standing behind the couch talking. Aaron’s arms were crossed over his chest, while Levi had his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. They were discussing something serious by the expressions on their faces.
Both men looked up as she walked into the room. They both broke out into smiles, brightening her mood considerably. What woman, shifter or otherwise, wouldn’t enjoy seeing that reaction from their man—or men as it were? Yes, Aaron’s was much broader than Levi’s, but she knew in her heart that Levi did care about her despite the lack of mating heat. Maybe that made it even more special to her since she knew it wasn’t just instinct forcing his hand.
“How are you feeling, baby?” Levi asked as he pulled his hands from his pockets and walked toward her.
“I’m fine. My hip doesn’t hurt a bit. What is going on? Have you found someone to help us?” she asked.
He pulled her into his arms, lightly winding them around her as he kissed her cheek. She drew in his scent, her wolf whining at her mate’s nearness. The wolf didn’t understand the problems going on with their mating. Neither did Gabby, for that matter.
Levi pulled back and led her over to the couch, urging her to sit down. He and Aaron sat on either side of her.
“We have someone who is willing to help us with the magic. While they are here helping us, they are in a great deal of danger and have to be protected and their presence kept secret,” Levi said.
“Goodness. I can’t even imagine who that might be other than a witch that hasn’t come out. I’m not sure why that would put them in danger, though.” She looked from Aaron to Levi for more information.
“This has to be kept totally quiet, Gabrielle. You can’t let anyone at all know about them. They’re like us in that they are a different species, but there are very few of them left and they are in hiding. By stepping out to help us, they are putting their existence on the line. We’ve got to keep them safe. Understand?” Levi asked.
“I understand. When will they be here? I have a room here if you need somewhere for one of them to stay.”
Levi growled under his breath, baring his teeth in the process.
She frowned. “Are you growling at me?”
“I’m not letting some strange male stay with you,” he said
“I was talking about a female. Who says that whoever is going to help us will be a male? It could be a female.”
Aaron chuckled. “She has you there, Levi.”
“Can it, Aaron,” the other man said.
“So, if it is a female, she can stay here with me. That will keep her true identity from getting out. She can be a friend of mine from when I was in college in Billings. If it’s a male, he can stay with you guys.” She grinned at him.
“I don’t know that I like the idea of some strange person here with you, female or no female,” Levi said.
She laughed. “Calm down, Levi. We don’t even know who will come yet, do we?” she asked.
“No, they only said that someone would contact us when they arrived. We’re assuming it will be about three people for their safety. All we know is that they believe they can help us and are willing to give it a try.” Levi looked across the room for a few seconds, then back at her. “I want to ask them if there is anything they can do to help us when they get here. Is that okay with you, Gabrielle?”
She gaped at him. “Of course it is. I want whatever is wrong to be fixed. If there is any possibility that they can help, we should approach them.”
She could see the relief on both Aaron and Levi’s faces. They must have worried that she wouldn’t want them to know of their issue. She didn’t care if they knew if they could help. If not, she didn’t know what the future would hold for them as mates. There were so many things that could go wrong with a partial mating. If they didn’t complete even half of the mating between her and Aaron, there was every possibility that either she, Aaron, or both of them would slowly go insane.
“We’ll talk to them together when they arrive,” Levi said.
“How soon do you think they’ll get here?” She was already anxious to meet whoever it was that could help them. She was curious about how they were able to do whatever they would do.
“They said it would be soon. That’s all we know,” Levi said.
“Who are they, and what exactly is it that they can do?” she finally asked.
“They are called Sylphies. They are a very old species that is nearly extinct. They have no one to breed with since they have interbred to the point that they can no longer mate with each other. They are all related now. You know what that causes from the issues that the wolf pack your mom was from had.”
She cringed at the reminder of what her mom had been through before she’d run away to avoid a forced mating with a cousin. They had been of the mind in that pack to keep their blood pure. It had led to a lot of birth problems and wolves that weren’t quite normal.
“That is terrible. I can’t imagine living every day to know that one day there would be no one like you left in the world. And not having a mate—well that would be bad, too.” She quickly got up and walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. She had almost forgotten that she was in much the same boat. If they couldn’t reverse the issue with Levi, she might well be without her mates.
“We’ll figure this out, Gabby.” Aaron cupped her shoulders in his big hands and squeezed them.
While she appreciated that he wanted to comfort her, Gabby didn’t need him to placate her when she knew how serious their situation was. Not only did they have HAS members using magic against them, but Levi had ended up with something going on with him as well. Were they connected somehow? Had they even considered it?
She opened her mouth to ask Aaron when someone pounded on her door loud enough to wake the dead. It sent a chill down her spine. Whoever was on the other s
ide of the door was serious about getting someone to the door. Did they know the guys were with her? Or was it for one of them? She suddenly found herself behind Aaron’s big body as he shielded her, while Levi went to the door and sniffed to see who was there. A low growl erupted from him as he threw open the door.
Chapter Ten
Levi stood in front of the door he’d thrown up to stare down at the three females standing there. They smelled like humans but different. He wasn’t sure what they were, but he didn’t like that they had shown up outside his mate’s home without one of their guards warning him.
“Who are you? What do you want?” he demanded.
Two of the females stepped back to huddle together, but the one in front lifted her chin in defiance despite the smell of fear and her trembling body.
“We are Sylphies. We came at your request for help. Do you greet all you invite with such venom?” the tiny female asked.
He instantly relaxed and stepped back. “I’m sorry. I am Levi of the Shoewater pack. I have never scented your people before, and you smell a little like humans. I apologize.”
Before he realized it, Gabrielle had pushed around him and was inviting the three small females into the cabin.
“Don’t mind him. He is worried about me. I was shot by humans the other day, and it has made him very suspicious. Please come in. I am Gabrielle Caldwell. Welcome to my home. Would you like something to drink or eat?” she asked.
Levi glared at his brother as Aaron merely shrugged. He closed the door behind the females and followed them over to the couch and loveseat. They sat on the loveseat holding hands.
“Thank you, Gabrielle Caldwell, for allowing us in your home. We do not need anything at this time. We should talk first,” the one Levi assumed was the leader said.
“How did you know where to come?” he asked, still a little suspicious.
“We are Sylphies. We knew that you would be the one to approach since you are in the most need,” the female said with an amused expression on her face.
“Why is he in the most need?” Aaron asked, sitting next to Gabrielle.
“He is the one who has been targeted. He is the one they are after,” she said.
“What?” he bellowed “What do you mean I’ve been targeted? It was Gabrielle who was shot.”
“But she is your mate,” the female said as if that said it all. Perhaps it did. Levi sat down next to his mate and stared at Aaron.
The other two females leaned in and whispered to the one in the middle who had done all the talking. She nodded her head and cleared her throat.
“I have started out on the wrong foot with you. I’m sorry. I should have contacted you and announced our arrival and introduced us first. It has been a very long time since I’ve been among anyone other than my own kind. Please forgive me. I am Ariel.” She held the hand of the female on her left. “This is Krista. This is Yvette,” she said lifting the hand of the female on her right.
Levi nodded and studied Ariel intently. She had long black hair that easily reached her waist, though the sides were pulled back with some sort of comb made of bone. She had bright blue eyes, almost crystalline in appearance. She couldn’t be much over five feet, and though she was curvy, she appeared fragile to him, as did the other two females.
“I am sorry to have snapped at you. We are uneasy around strangers right now. We knew you were coming, but I had no idea what you looked like and hadn’t expected you to approach me since it was my parents who had met you before,” he explained.
“I have never met your parents. It was my parents who met yours. They are unable to travel away from our home now, so I am here in their stead. My sisters and I will help you in any way we can. Perhaps you should inform your parents of our presence, and then we can begin,” she said.
“I’ll call them,” Aaron offered, and he stood up, pulling his phone out of its holder as he did.
Levi nodded at his brother and watched him walk toward Gabrielle’s bedroom to make the call. He turned his attention back to their guests and forced himself to smile. It wasn’t easy when he still had to think about his emotions.
“What do you need in order to help us? I’m not sure what you were told,” he said.
“First, let me tell you what we do know from your parents and from what we gathered when we arrived,” she began. “We know that your healer removed some magic clinging to you the other day. We know that you, Levi, had been stripped of your emotions for several months now. We know that the human HAS group has gained access to your lands and has used dulling spells in the area.” Ariel stopped and drew in a breath before continuing.
“On arriving, we encountered magic that alerts the wielder who comes or goes from your land. It would be like a trip wire, I would think. We did not set it off, so they don’t know we are here. We also sensed a draining spell. It is slowly draining your pack of its natural abilities. If left in place, you would eventually be unable to shift back and forth into your wolf, and it would siphon off your much stronger senses, like your ability to smell emotions and danger around you.”
Gabrielle gasped while Levi cursed. Aaron returned to the room and looked from the females on the loveseat to Levi and their mate. He quickly sat down and put his arm around Gabrielle.
“What is it?” he asked.
“They have found more magic affecting our pack already,” Levi said. He stared at Ariel. “What can be done to stop it?”
“We will help you set up a safe zone that will act as a shield of sorts so they can’t attack you with magic while you are on your lands. You will have to keep it maintained in the future once we leave,” she said.
“What about when we leave to go to town for business or to shop? We have to leave at times,” Aaron pointed out. “Is there some way to protect ourselves then?”
“Yes. As shifters, you are already very strong. You will just need a way to protect yourself from the outside influence of magic while you are away from the protection of your land. We can teach you how to do that as well. It won’t protect you from bullets or other dangers, but it will protect you so that you have your natural gifts unaffected by magic. They won’t be able to mask their presence as they have in the past.”
“Why are you agreeing to help us?” Gabrielle asked the female.
She smiled sadly at his mate. “You are a noble species who had always helped us in our past when we needed it. We do not want to see you go the way of our people and have your days numbered. If we can help, we will.”
“Is there no hope for your kind?” Gabrielle asked.
“We have looked for many years and found no others that we can breed with. Some of our people have taken mates of other species for companionship, but there were no young of these unions. We were always feared for our abilities. Perhaps it is just our time to blink out of existence.” Ariel’s sad expression even affected Levi with his dulled emotions. To see the end of a race of beings that had once been vast, according to his parents, seemed wrong. He wished there was something they could do to help them.
He wasn’t able to protect his own wolves from the magic being used against them. How did he think he could help another race of beings who probably had more power than he did? A spark of emotion completely free of the constraints that had been holding them hostage broke free and sadness enveloped him until he was able to regain control over it. When he looked up, it was to see Ariel smiling at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
* * * *
Gabby knew the instant that Levi felt something strange. He stiffened then dropped his head for a few seconds. When he looked back up, he stared at Ariel. What was going on between them? She couldn’t help but experience a moment of jealousy. He shared something with the other female in that instant, and it hurt Gabby to know it. She’d wanted Levi to feel something with her for weeks now.
“Levi?” She stared at him until she turned to look at her. “What is it?”
“My emotions are back in full. I’m guessing
that Ariel did something to cause them to return to me.” He turned to the other female. “Did you?”
“I was able to figure out that you still had a part of the magic holding them back. I’ve reversed it so that it doesn’t exist any longer. It is what we are able to do. We don’t really work magic. We aren’t witches or anything. We are elementals that merely restore the natural order of things. Magic is the manipulation of things to cause a specific effect or perform a service. Sometimes it is for good, and sometimes it is for evil.” Ariel shrugged. “We merely put things back in their proper order.”
“I greatly appreciate it. My not having my emotions has put the pack in danger. I can actually feel them inside of me again. I hadn’t even realized they were missing until now.”
Gabby smiled despite the pain she felt that he didn’t appear to have gained the mating heat with his emotions. She was sure if he had, she would have been the first one he would have turned to. She was happy that he could feel again. It was important to the pack. She looked over at Ariel and noticed the Sylphies seemed uncomfortable.
“Can I get you anything? Are you thirsty?” she asked the other women.
“We’re mostly tired. We traveled hard to get here, and sifting through everything around us is tiring,” she said. “Our things are on the front porch. Maybe you could tell us where we can rest?”
“I have a room here, but there is only one bed. You are welcome to it, though.” Gabby offered.
“We really appreciate it if you are sure you don’t mind,” Ariel said. “We are used to sleeping together. We will be fine.”
“I’ll go get your things,” Aaron said.
Levi took Gabby’s hand as she stood up. The three women rose as well and followed her as she led the way to the guest room on the other side of the kitchen. Levi stepped back and waited while she entered the room with the women. She was glad it was a king since most shifters tended to be large. The three tiny women would fit easily on the bed.
