Of Blood and Twisted Roots (Rise of the Morphlings Book 1)

by E. M. Moore

  Fear ripped through me as the figures moved closer.

  Chapter Ten

  Absolutely terrified, I held on to Riah for dear life. His body vibrated in my hands as he pushed me back and turned into a wolf, growling every time one of the people got close to us.

  “I knew you were somethin’ boy! We gonna be eatin’ good tonight!” Rodney yelled before they started to strip. What the fuck had we gotten ourselves into?

  “Oh fuck!!” I screamed as my worst nightmare came to life. All the people trying to get us turned into snakes. And not little snakes. Anaconda sized snakes.

  Riah’s body tensed as he prepared for their attacks.I needed to do something to help, because I highly doubted one wolf was going to do much against over twenty giant snakes.

  Adrenaline pumped through me, and I was going into full blown panic mode as I felt my body start to tingle. What the hell? The only time that happened was when I changed features.

  Before I knew it, my legs felt like Jello and I fell to the ground. Riah looked back at me and yelped as he jumped away only to bite at a snake that had gotten too close to us.

  My body felt like liquid, and I could smell everything, especially the strong scent of the grease. Looking down, I screamed. But what came out wasn’t my usual human screech, it was a hiss that stopped me cold.

  I was now a python with green iridescent scales.

  The snakes had stayed back as I changed into one of them. I don’t know if it was wonder or just shock. Unfortunately, it didn’t last for long enough and they were headed back in for the attack.

  Riah was covered before I could even get over to help him. Plowing through the slithering masses, I continued to try to make it to him, lashing out with my tail and teeth as I went.

  Locking eyes with a giant black anaconda with purple scales, I felt my upper body start to burn. However, I didn’t have the time to think about that. I had to get to Riah before he was snake food.

  Striking my fangs into the tail of one of the snakes on top of my mate, I shook my head and sent him flying. I turned and whipped my tail outward, throwing three more of the creatures off Riah so that he was able to jump up and lash out on his own without the crushing weight of his attackers on top on him.

  “STOP NOW!” a man commanded. He must’ve been the leader because every one of the snakes backed off and changed back to their human forms.

  Not sure if it would work or not, I thought about black hair, green eyes, and a toned body. I’d better be able to change back. The thought of me not being able to set me into a panic.

  A few seconds later, I felt the tell-tale tingle as I started to change shape back into a human. Though I was naked as a jaybird, I’d never been happier to be changing my features.

  Riah scooted close to me still in wolf form as if he was trying to hide my nudity. It was kind of cute, but yet super annoying at the same time.

  “Morphling, what’s your name?” The head snake man asked from somewhere in the crowd.

  “Um...Anika,” I replied hesitantly. For all I knew, they wanted to know my name so they knew what to call their meal.

  The crowd parted and I finally got my first look at the leader. He was a bit on the shorter side compared to Riah, probably only a few inches taller than I was in this body. He had jet black hair that was short and spiked even though I could tell there was no gel in it.

  Lean and muscled, he was a sight to be seen. His cold, black eyes drew me in and I couldn’t look away as he continued his way closer to me.

  “You are my mate, Anika,” he whispered in reverence. He took my hand and caressed the side of my face down to my shoulder. Regaining my wits, I stepped back, giving Riah room to move between us.

  Mate? I gulped. My upper arm was hot. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for what I would see.

  Sure enough, another infinity sign had tattooed itself beside the other, linking the two together.

  I dropped my arm and scowled. Why the fuck did all my mates want to kill me?

  “Mate? Maybe I’m being a touch sensitive, but a few minutes ago you and your people were trying to eat me and my other mate.” Riah growled at my words as if he didn’t like being called other mate. He was going to have to get over that because it looked like there was going to be one more who hated me for what I was.

  “I offer you my humblest apologies,” the snake man pleaded. “My people got carried away and thought you were both wolves. Even if we hadn’t been mates, I would’ve called the attack off as soon as I saw you were a Morphling. Morphlings have always been friends to the serpents, even though it has been many years since we’ve seen one. Please forgive me.” He attempted to move in closer only to have Riah snap at him.

  “Riah, change back,” I said with a sigh. “I’d like to get some clothes and then maybe we can talk about all this over food because I’m starving.” And because I could feel our audiences piercing glares on my skin. It wasn’t technically my body, but it was still creepy as hell.

  “Yes,” the snake man said glaring at the rest of his people. “Please get changed and meet me over at the white house with blue shutters. I’ll make you and your dog something to eat.” I held in a giggle as Riah stiffened and growled.

  Heading over to the truck, I grabbed my backpack and the bag of Riah’s out of the cab. He led the way into the tow shop’s waiting room. I guessed he was still feeling overprotective.

  I really wasn’t looking forward to the talk I knew was coming, but I really wanted to know what was going on in his head. I knew mine was a hodge-podge of everything and I wasn’t sure how well I was processing.

  Opening the bathroom door, I attempted to close it, but Riah managed to wedge part of his body in. Looked like I wasn’t going to be able to change by myself. Oh well, I was already naked so nothing to hide now. I locked the door behind us and set down our bags.

  “Okay, mutt. Time for you to change back.” I bent down and grabbed the last pair of jeans and tank out of my backpack. Searching through, I noticed I had no clean underwear. Looked like I was going commando. Lovely, just what I wanted on the day I met another mate.

  I looked over at Riah. He’d shifted back from his wolf form and was completely nude. Even though I’d already seen him without a shirt, this was completely different. It was harder than I wanted to admit to keep myself from looking down and staring at his full body. He was just so muscular and perfect.

  If only his personality matched.

  “I brought your bag,” I spoke quickly, trying to get my attention onto anything other then his Adonis form. I spun on my heel and sat my clothes down on the counter when I felt hands grip my waist and pull me back onto a warm, hard body.

  My body melted into him as his arms wrapped around me and laid his head on my exposed shoulder, sending tingles straight to my center. He started to kiss my neck, while caressing my bare stomach with his hands. I’d never felt this way before. I moaned as his thumbs brushed the undersides of my breasts. I took a deep breath and squirmed in his arms, unsure of the foreign feelings coursing through my body.

  Closing my eyes, I lost myself to the feel of his hands on my body, and then moaned as he tweaked a nipple. Damn, he played my body so well. It made me wonder what else he could do.

  His teeth trailed down my neck, giving me a little lick before striking and sending me straight into an orgasm. All I felt was pleasure as he bit into my neck deeper.

  Mindless, I moved my hands over the parts of his hard body I could reach. God, I needed to touch him too. I turned into his touch, but he stepped away immediately. Dammit, why did he stop? My body was on overload and I whined at the loss of him.

  I turned and headed toward him until his words stopped my body cold. “Now the snake will know you’re mine.”

  “What?” I gasped, hearing the confusion in my voice as I said it. There was no way that much heat formed between us without him really wanting to, but...

  He grinned. “Wolves mark their mates with a bite to the shoulder. No
w you wear my mark, so there will be no doubt as to who you belong to.”

  His words hit me like an anvil, shattering what feelings had grown for him in the last heated moments. Now I knew why I’d orgasmed so quickly. My mate marking me was sure to do that.

  Dick.

  I grabbed some paper towels and looked into the mirror. Blood trickled down my neck from his bite. I wiped at it. Thanks to my advanced healing, I could see the perfect imprint of his bite scar on my shoulder as soon as I wiped the blood away.

  Looking over at him, I hoped he would say something to redeem himself. He turned and started to get dressed as I just stood there in complete and utter shock. My chest ached as I grabbed my clothes and moved to the other side of the room. Tears gathered in my eyes as I dressed, but I refused to speak. I knew that if I did, he would know how deep his words--and actions--had cut me.

  It was stupid, but I just wanted him to care at least a little after all we’d been through. I guessed that was too much to ask though, so I calmed my racing heart and wiped at my cheeks to get rid of the evidence that I did care.

  I’d keep my distance as much as I could from now on, even if it killed me to do so.

  Chapter Eleven

  White house, blue shutters. Though that was the only directions my new mate had given, I didn’t have a problem finding the house.

  After brushing my hair through in the too small bathroom, I’d picked up my bag and left, not even bothering to see if Riah followed, though I knew he had. A short sidewalk split a well-manicured lawn as it led toward the cottage-like white bungalow. Flowers lined the small porch that I couldn’t even begin to say what they were. Plants were never my thing.

  I climbed the steps and knocked on the screen door. A teenaged boy with blond hair answered. He pulled the door open and waved me in. I pulled up short when my new mate appeared in an instant. His gaze narrowed as he took me in. “You don’t have to knock, Anika. My home is now yours.” He reached for my hand and pulled it to his lips, dropping a soft kiss on my knuckles.

  Riah made a grunting noise and I smiled at his displeasure. Perhaps the snake man didn’t care Riah marked me. Good. It wasn’t as if Riah could do anything about me having multiple mates anyway. It was natural to my species.

  He smiled up at me and a wash of peace rolled through me. “Thank you,” I muttered, not used to someone being so nice to me. I’d certainly never had a home before and I’d only been in this man’s presence for less than five minutes, and he was already calling this place mine too. “Um, I didn’t get your name earlier?”

  His eyes widened, and then he broke out into a huge smile. “Sorry about that. I’m Mekhi, leader of the Serpents.”

  I raised my eyebrows. Before a couple days ago, I didn’t know any of this existed. All I’d known was that I was a freak. I had no idea there were others out there who could do things similar to me. “And that is?”

  His eyebrows lowered. “Sean, can you bring my mate some water? We’ll be in the living room.”

  Sean nodded and then Mekhi pulled on my arm. We exited the foyer and took the first right into a small but decent sized room. He gestured toward the couch and I sat. He sat down next to me, leaving Riah’s intimidating form scowling in the corner.

  Mekhi didn’t seem to notice. His green eyes were intent on my own as if we were the only two people in the room. “You’ve not heard of my kind before?”

  I shook my head. “I’d not heard of my own kind before a few days ago.”

  “That’s...unusual.”

  I nodded. He could say that again. I told him the story of my parents’ letter and how my mother had said to seek out Serpents Hollow to find my people.

  His thumb traced the bones on my wrist, back and forth. From the second I’d walked in the house, he hadn’t gone one second without contact. It was amazing to me, how freely he gave his emotions. I supposed I was his mate, but even so, I’d never felt anything like this before.

  He took a deep breath. “I can’t imagine growing up without a family.”

  Sean walked in with two glasses of water and handed them to us, and then walked right out, leaving Riah water-less.

  I grinned up at him and took a long gulp from my glass. Turning back to Mekhi, I changed the subject. Since I was always trying to avoid people, talking about myself was extremely difficult.

  “I didn’t even know I could turn into a snake,” I said in awe.

  “It’s unusual,” Mekhi said, “even for your kind.”

  Now that had my attention. My face paled as I thought about it. Mekhi immediately squeezed my hand. “It’s a good thing.” He set his water on the table next to the couch and turned back to me. He ran his hands through my hair. I felt the strands shift through his finger until they stopped mid-motion.

  I looked up at him to find him frowning.

  “What?”

  He glared over at Riah. “I’m not surprised your wolf mate decided to take allowances with you.”

  I pulled my hand from Mekhi’s and immediately covered the bite marks. I hated the change it made in Mekhi, and hated even more why Riah had done it. “Me either,” I grumbled.

  Mekhi took a deep breath and shrugged. “No big deal.”

  Glancing up at him, his eyes were back to normal, drawing me in as they did from the very beginning.

  He reached up and touched the second infinity mark on my upper arm. “This is the only thing that matters.”

  I shivered. Mekhi’s gaze collided with mine. My heartbeat in my chest, and without realizing it, I moved closer to him. It was as if a string connected our hearts. The more we touched, the more we spoke, the string tightened and tightened. Eventually, there would be no space between us.

  Riah cleared his throat. “While this is all fascinating, we’re here to find out what you know about the Morphlings.”

  Mekhi ignored him.

  A wolf howled in the distance and I tensed.

  Riah, who’d been leaning against the opposite wall, straightened.

  Mekhi waved away the alarm that went through both of us. “You’re safe here. The wolves aren’t allowed to come on our lands.”

  Riah moved forward, grabbing my hand. “We have to get somewhere safe.”

  Mekhi stood as Riah dragged me to my feet. He scowled at the rough grip Riah had on my wrist. “I said you’re safe here. They won’t be able to break through the perimeter.”

  “Then how did I do it, jackass?”

  Mekhi’s body lengthened. His green eyes dazzled as his nostrils flared. “Because you’re with her. Mated to her, more specifically. The wards have been up for hundreds of years and they’ve yet to fail. Now, kindly take your hands off my Anika.”

  Riah’s face reddened. He loosened his grip immediately, but he didn’t heed Mekhi’s words. The air in the room shifted as if a dark cloud hung over us.

  Carefully, I wiggled my hand free of Riah’s. “I think we’re safe here,” I told him.

  “I don’t like it,” he seethed.

  “Trust me, none of my kind particularly like the idea that you’re on our land, but we’re willing to overlook it for her.”

  “Oh, goody.”

  I rolled my eyes, and turned toward Mekhi. Taking up his hand again, he immediately relaxed into my touch. My upper arm burned the longer we stared at one another. “I want to show you something.”

  Mekhi put his hand at the small of my back and led me from the room. Riah’s footsteps sauntered behind us. When we got to the hall, Mekhi turned around. “I’m taking her to our sacred space. You can be on our land because of her, but you are not welcome so far as The Rock.”

  Riah’s jaw ticked.

  Before he could put up an argument, Mekhi said, “I’ll protect her. You’re not the only one who would give your life for hers now.”

  I looked Riah up and down. If he would give his life for me, he’d be doing it unwillingly and just because the mate bond made him. I wished it was different, but it was clear it would never be. Riah was
just too much of a stubborn alpha, and I was me--a Morphling.

  “I’ll be fine,” I told him. Then, without looking back, I followed Mekhi out into the hall and toward the front door. Before we left, he gave Sean instructions to show Riah to a room. The young boy’s muscles tensed, but he nodded anyway.

  Mekhi opened the door and the cooler night air washed over me. My eyes adjusted to the darkness as we walked down the porch stairs. By the time we hit the sidewalk, I realized we weren’t the only ones outside at this hour. Others lingered near the street just staring at the house.

  “Who are they?” I asked.

  “My people,” Mekhi said. “They’re curious about you.”

  “Me? Why?”

  He grinned, his lips pulling into a killer smile. “I imagine it’s two-fold. One, we haven’t seen a Morphling in years, not since more than a few generations ago. Second…” He squeezed my hand. “...is more personal. They’re curious about my new mate.”

  A deep flush spread over me. I looked up to see their unapologetic glares. “Why’s that?” I asked, trying to shrug off the anxiety building in my stomach.

  He lowered his voice. “I’m their leader. We’ve been waiting for my mate to come for years, and now I know why it took so long.” He looked at me, and though his eyes were hard to make out in the dark, I knew the obsidian would be dazzling. “Fate was bringing me someone very special.”

  Heat replaced the anxiety in my stomach. My skin itched to get rid of Riah’s touch on me. The one that had felt so good at the time, but was just a lie. I wanted Mekhi’s deep gaze and words that made my butterflies come alive in my stomach. It was rare to have anyone talk like that to me. I never got close enough for anyone to even get to know me let alone close enough to say things like that to me.

  My body thrummed happily. “I feel the same.”

  Mekhi barely took his eyes off me as he acknowledged his people. We strode right by them and down the street. At the dead end, he went first, pulling me along a well-worn trail. I knew I should be nervous to be out in the woods in the dark with the wolves nearby, but Mekhi by my side alleviated any of the worry.