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Shadow Claw Book 2
Sarah J. Stone
Copyright © 2017 by Sarah J. Stone. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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Chapter 1
Deep inside the heart of the woods, a section avoided by shifters and other paranormal alike, Nina Raven shed her clothes and stepped into the circle she had drawn with her blood. She ran her pale, slender fingers over the slit in her wrist and watched it heal. As soon as her skin mended, she closed her eyes, interlinked her fingers, and started to chant.
The wind picked up speed around the circle, and the leaves danced and flew, helpless victims of the strong gust. The trees swayed, and Nina’s chanting grew stronger. Her features remained smooth, her posture strong. She did not let the outraged shrieks that met her ear interrupt the flow of her spell. The screams continued, as she stood in the middle of the circle, indifferent to the sweat that poured down her face.
She was a prodigy. At least that is what she had heard from her sisters in the clan. Mother had wanted her to move into the inner circle when she had turned twelve. For a witch of her age, it was unheard of to join the senior ranks, but Mother resided over all the clans in this area, and her word was law. Nina had been living a very sheltered life until she was forced to join the Circle. She had always been a quiet child, observant to a fault, but that had worked in her favor. The Circle was party to some of the strongest witches in the West region, and these individuals were power hungry, ready to stab each other in the back to climb up the ladder. To them, such a young girl was easy prey. So, her entire life, Nina had forced herself to blend in, to become a part of the scenery – never too important, nor too prominent.
Of course, Mother taking such a personal interest in her had not really helped. She had spent ten years studying directly under Mother. Nina was not stupid. She knew there was a reason that Mother had been training her, but Morrigan Blackthorne was not an individual to share her plans. Cold and ruthless, she maintained the appearance of a young woman, not betraying her true age.
Nobody really knew how old Mother was.
It had been an accident finding out what Nina did. The scars on her ankles could not be healed now, courtesy of Mother. By spending so much time with her, Nina picked up a few things. She knew exactly how to slow Mother down, if not stop her completely.
Her crystal-blue eyes opened, and she raised her arms, the intensity of her chant growing wilder. When the pale silvery hue gathered at the borders of the circle, Nina threw out her arms, her eyes turning a pure white. The slivery mist flew out in all directions with such force that the trees bowed backwards. It took a few seconds for Nina to gather herself.
Now, suddenly exhausted, she looked around and ran tired fingers through her cropped black hair. The first thing she had done after fleeing was to chop off all her luscious hair. Her hair used to be the envy of Mother. She would not let her tie it up, preferring to see her wear it down. Mother was essentially the High Priestess, and she had enough power to alter her hair anyway that she liked. However, she had once told Nina wistfully, in one of those rare moments that the young girl had witnessed the woman inside her, that there was something infinitely precious about being born with such a gift. Nina did not hate her hair. She had been quite sad to see it go. But, it was a defining feature of hers and practicality had won over. Right now, witch hunters from every coven were looking for her. She needed to be invisible.
“Totters,” she called out, her voice quiet, carrying a husky element. The leaves on the branch above her rustled as a magnificent bird swooped down and hovered over her, finally coming to land on her head. It looked down at Nina, and she looked up. “Did you find an opening?”
The falcon shook his head. The familiar male voice sounded in her head. “I can sense that they are here, but their protection spells cannot be seen through.”
Totters had become her familiar when she was but a child. Every witch got her own familiar once she crossed puberty, which brought a boost of power in a witch, helping her summon a creature whose loyalty was hers until it died. A familiar’s life span was tied to his or her master.
Nina sighed. “I’m too exhausted to do another spell. We have been walking for two days now. I need some food to get my energy back. Are you sure you–”
Totter’s tone was dry as he cut her off. “Yes, Master. Their barriers are strong.” He opened his wings and took off in a random direction. “I’ll see if I can find some fruit. In the meantime, cover yourself. A naked human gets more attention than you need.”
Gathering the pile of clothes on the ground into her arms, Nina ran after him, tugging on her blouse swiftly.
This was the first time in her entire life that she was unsupervised. Alone, in the quiet of the dense woods, she had to look over her shoulder to see whether there was anyone with malevolent intent just waiting for her guard to slip. She frowned, and told herself to focus on the task at hand.
She needed to find her life tree. She knew it was deep within fairy territory. Her dream had shown her the path she had to take, but, right now, she could not find anything resembling what she had seen in her prophetic dream.
Nina’s great grandmother had had the ability to see glimpses of the future in her dreams. When Nina’s ability had been triggered two days before she was taken to Mother, she kept quiet about it. Granny Rowena had warned her on her deathbed that holding onto some secrets would save her life, and now Nina knew what she meant.
She ignored the slices of sharp pain as the rock and debris cut into her feet. Her stomach rumbled, and she did not see the log lying there, covered by moss, in her distracted state.
Falling onto her face, she cried out in pain. Totters flew back and settled on the ground. “How bad?” He nudged the girl with his head, and Nina ran a trembling hand over his feathered head and then touched her forehead. Her hand came away with blood on it.
“I do not like blood,” she murmured to Totters, who cocked his head and stared at her. She concentrated on her wound and was about to cast a healing incantation when she heard the bushes across from her rustle. She glanced over, but nothing came out. Shaking her head, she honed her focus once again. However, something disturbed the air around her, and she frowned, looking up.
Nothing visible to the naked eyes was there. But for the air to be so harsh here, there had to be something that was bothering the atmosphere in this area.
She closed her eyes and looked.
The strong magic that shimmered in the air was tangible. All the veins of magic running on the barrier mesmerized her. It had to have taken someone who was a master to create something so complex and beautiful. Fascinated as she reached out to touch it, her concentration on her blocking spell wavered just enough for the hunters on her trail to pinpoint her location.
The stab of pain in her back had Totters shrieking in rage and panic.
Nina’s eyes flew op
en, and blood bubbled from her mouth. She looked down to see the thick wood sticking out of her stomach. Her familiar was screeching, and ramming himself into the barrier over and over again, adamant to get help. From the hazy view that the young woman had, she could see that one of his wings was bent in an odd manner.
Tears of pain fell down her cheeks, but she focused her energy. She had to get through the barrier. Chanting inside her head, she summoned the elements to her, and her face went white with the rapid loss of blood. The barrier started weakening.
In her head, Totters noticed the opening as well, and he dove for it. Sustaining her spell with his own magic, he let Nina crawl in, and he followed.
The scenery changed altogether. The trees were less dense, and flowers bloomed on the greenest grass that Nina had ever seen. However, her attention was not on the stunning beauty of her surroundings, but on the blood that was dripping down from where the piece of wood pierced her.
“Totters.” Her words were a harsh whisper. “I need magic. Give me your–”
She was sitting on her lower legs, her breath coming out in pained gasps.
“Take what you need, master!” The distraught fear in her familiar’s words seemed so far away at that moment. Nina grasped at his strength and tried to fix the damage, but it was too much. She would not make it. She blinked stupidly as the tears fell down her face. She did not want to die. She was not ready to die!
It was then that she felt the strange energy bubbling inside her. It was a foreign power, and she knew it not to be hers. But at that moment, she did not care. She channeled it, and with both hands on the wood, pulled it out and screamed.
The pain was so intense that she nearly blacked out. She gritted her teeth and pulled her thoughts together. She chanted the healing spell in a rough whisper, trying to get the words out of her throat. She felt the two sources of power moving through her, one familiar and the other unknown. When she felt that the most dangerous of the damage was dealt with, she allowed her focus to lapse and fell onto the soft ground, blacking out.
***
Not twenty miles away from her, Kevin Hunter collapsed in front of his alpha, his face white.
“Kevin!”
Cassie’s voice was worried, and she walked toward him. Her mate, however, was not pregnant, and thus he was a bit quicker. Kneeling by his best friend and senior lieutenant’s side, he helped him stand and then put an arm around him when Kevin’s legs gave way.
“What’s wrong?”
Kevin shook his head and muttered. “I feel like all the energy just drained out of me.”
One hand on her protruding belly, Cassie scowled at him. “I told you that you should be taking it easy. You’re overworking yourself.”
“Cassie’s right.” Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Take a few days off. The den’s security is tight enough. Take some down time.”
“I’m not over worked, and what will I do with myself if you relieve me of my duties?” Kevin argued back, but his voice was shaky and he suddenly felt very hungry. “I’m going to go have something to eat. In the meantime, do not even think of calling Jeremy back from his roaming.”
Jeremy was a senior lieutenant whose family had died in the panther attack. He was more feral than any one of them, except, perhaps, Luke. But Shadow Claw’s alpha had calmed down considerably after mating Cassie. Jeremy took a few months off every year to roam around in his animal form. It helped him hone his focus from what the huge, hulking man had confided in Kevin.
Luke leaned against his desk and settled his mate in his arms, one hand curved possessively over her pregnant belly. “I’ve already called Jeremy in. He checked in with me last night, and I told him that I needed him here.” He scowled. “Fergus said he’s hearing some rumors about trouble along the West Coast.”
Kevin looked up, alert. “What kind of trouble?”
Luke wore a troubled look on his face. “Two shifter packs turned on themselves over night, they were completely wiped out. The details are not clear, but there was one survivor. Fergus is working on getting the details. Meanwhile,” he said, picking up a paper from behind him and handing it over to his first lieutenant, “we’ve got our own network working on finding out what happened.”
“You’re using the Sewer Crocs?” Kevin looked surprised. “I thought we weren’t on good terms with them.”
The Sewer Crocs were something akin to crocodile shifters. Incredibly powerful, they liked to live underground. However, they were very docile beings and preferred not to get involved in the affairs of shifters. Luke had developed a good relationship with them before he accidentally insulted their alpha. In return for Shadow Claw extending their protection over the Sewer Crocs, the latter acted as Shadow Claw’s spy network.
“You look at them and they are so inconspicuous,” Cassie said, shaking her head. “I had a contact among them, so we worked things out. They are sniffing around. We’ll find out what they know in a few days.” She pulled away from her mate. “I need some fresh air. I’m going to go see whether Abigail wants to run with me.”
Dropping a kiss on her mate’s cheek, Cassie waddled out with Luke frowning after her.
“You want me to go with?” Kevin asked, knowing how protective his Alpha was of his mate. They all were, to be honest. Cassie’s status as a Silver Omega made her a target, especially with her expecting a child.
“No,” Luke said as he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Abigail will watch over her like a hawk. The way that woman fusses over Cassie, you’d think it’s her child.” He looked at Kevin in the eye. “Actually, I do have to talk to you. Sit down before you keel over.” He scowled.
Kevin grabbed one of the chairs and swung it around so that he could straddle the back. “Okay, shoot.”
Luke crossed his arms over his chest and looked serious. “I’m thinking of calling back all members of the pack from their posts.” At Kevin’s startled look, Luke raised a hand. “We need to strengthen our home base first. You already know the four rogues that joined our pack last month. I want them trained as sentinels. Every free man and woman who is not a submissive should be able to fight and protect the pack.”
Kevin studied his alpha in a considering manner. “You think there is a threat approaching.”
Luke looked wary. “I do not know what’s coming, but I want us to be ready. Cassie is overseeing the training of the submissives and the juveniles. Well, she was. Until the cub comes, I want her to take it easy. We have people spread out everywhere. It’s time everyone comes home and we fortify our forces.”
Kevin agreed with him, and as he got up, feeling a little drained but better, he remarked. “So, you and Fergus, huh?”
The paper weight that came flying in his direction, had him ducking. It shattered into a million pieces and scowling, Luke shouted. “Kayla!”
Laughing, Kevin left the room and patted the teenage girl as she hurried in with a broom and a mutter. “This is the fourth paper weight this week.”
Chapter 2
The pain was still there. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Nina could feel something wet touch her wound. It was a blurry figure of a young boy with green eyes.
Was she dreaming?
He was talking to her, but she could not follow his lips. So, she closed her eyes again and drifted into the dark abyss.
A man with brown eyes.
Screams. So much blood.
The man’s eyes shining with happiness as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Do not do this, Nina! Stay! Stay for me if nothing else!”
Those heartbroken words echoed in Nina’s head as she came back to reality. Her temples were wet. Had she been crying?
Opening her eyes, she saw herself staring at a purple ceiling. No, wait. It was not a ceiling. Those were flowers – long vines of hanging, purple flowers with miniscule beams of sunlight sneaking through. For a few heartbeats, Nina did not realize where she was.
“You’re awake.”
The owner
of that beautiful melodic voice came into view.
It was the young boy she had seen.
Forest green eyes and a shock of hair that was as golden as the sun, the boy could hardly be ten or eleven. He was the most beautiful child Nina had ever seen.
And he was floating.
His face was supported by his palms. He lay in midair, looking on at her in curiosity. “I was starting to think you would never wake up.”
Nina blinked as she ran a hand over her stomach and winced. The wound was still there, but it did not seem as bad as before.
“This wisteria was crying for you, so I brought you here. And your familiar begged, so I helped speed up your healing process,” the boy said conversationally. “You’re intriguing. It’s not often that a witch manages to break through one of my barriers.”
Nina opened her mouth to speak, but it was too dry. She saw the boy raise his brow at something by her side, and she slowly edged herself into a sitting position. She bit her lip to hold back the cry of agony caused by the piercing pain that lanced through her. Looking to where her mysterious companion had motioned, she saw the bowl of water.
Taking her time, she reached for it, and then greed overcame her as she drank in large gulps, quenching her thirst. The bowl fell into her lap, and her eyes found their way to the young boy. “Who…Who are you?”
The boy flipped over until he hung upside down and grinned. “I have many names. Some call me Oberon, but I really hate that name. It just sounds so pompous. But you,” he said, suddenly flying right into her face, “you can call me Kalen.”
It was then that Nina noticed the almost transparent wings on his back and she realized what he had called himself. “You’re the fairy king.” She breathed.
Kalen grinned. “Not what you were expecting, huh?”
Nina shook her head. From what she had read in the books in the main library, the fairy king was a stunningly handsome man, but cruel. This child looked nothing like the portraits she had seen. She watched Kalen float down to sit on the ground cross-legged.
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