Elemental

by Serena Pettus

  “I need to go and get some food for the cabin. I’ll be getting some wood for the fire while I’m out too, so don’t worry about rationing what’s left here. You put on as many logs as you need to stay warm and I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “A few hours? Why so long? Are we that far from the village?” Just how far out had he taken her? She could have sworn he’d told her they were three miles from the village.

  Of course the crazy wolf completely misread her flare of panic and fear as concern for his wellbeing. “Don’t you worry about me, I just want to be sure we have enough food and wood to get through the snowstorm that’s starting out there,” he gestured to the window and Mandy saw the fat white flakes drifting to the ground. “I want you to promise me you won’t let anyone inside. You lock the door when I leave, okay?”

  That was a fairly easy promise to make, since she wasn’t going to be letting anyone in, but letting herself out. “I promise.”

  “That’s my girl,” he smiled and came to wrap her in a big hug, planting a kiss to her cheek before walking out the door.

  A few minutes later, Mandy heard the sound of an engine roaring to life. Shit, he had a truck? That could mean they were anywhere from one to who knew how many miles from the castle.

  Mandy decided this could turn into a grueling hike on her part, so she went to the bedroom and rummaged around until she found a backpack and a long coat in the closet. Satisfied with her find, she moved back to the kitchen, located a thermos and filled it with coffee, then grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator and placed them all in the bag. As for food, she found some kind of dried meat she hoped was beef jerky, a bag of dry cereal, and some fruit.

  Once she was confident that she had enough to survive until she found help, Mandy plucked the white blanket from the couch and covered her head as she stepped from the cabin, into the growing storm outside.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nicolas was losing his mind. Scenarios kept running through his head of what Mandy could possibly be facing. Would the werewolf hurt her? Could he be torturing her right now, trying to punish her for the blow she’d dealt to his ego when she’d fought him off before? Was he looking at her with anger or lust? Had he attempted to mate with her?

  The last thought had the ability to send him into a rage, mainly because he knew she would fight it and likely be hurt or killed as a result. A werewolf mating was almost violent in the best of conditions, but when the female struggled, the potential for injury was far greater…and Mandy was human.

  A vibration from his satellite phone saved him from his dark thoughts and effectively dumped a load of adrenaline into his system. Finally, some news!

  “What do you have?” There was no time for polite greetings in this situation and he knew Garrett would take no offense.

  “I found fresh tire tracks leading to the village,” Garrett reported. “I followed them back to a cabin, but it’s empty. There were footprints in the snow all around the cabin, but it looks like Mandy is either with him or locked inside where I can’t see her. I picked up her scent, but his as well, so I think they are together. The snowfall is making it harder to track her. My nose isn’t as good as a full-blooded shifter.”

  “You’re trying, that’s all that matters. Do you think she’s hurt?” Nicolas dreaded the answer but needed it all the same.

  “I can detect the scent of fear, but there’s no blood or signs of struggle, so it appears that she is okay for now.” Garrett paused and his silence worried Nicolas. “She’s a smart girl, Nicolas. With you and Jonathan keeping the girls informed of everything that’s been going on, I doubt that she would challenge him in any way which would make him lash out.”

  Nicolas sighed. Leave it to Garrett to know where his mind was wandering. “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’m going to stick around the area and wait for the truck to return. There’s a fire going inside, so they’ll be back.”

  Perfect! Now all he needed to do was get there himself. “Where are you? I’ll call Jonathan and we’ll be there as quick as we can.” This was it, Nicolas could feel it. “Send me your coordinates and I’ll plug it in. Let us know if they come back.”

  “I will.”

  Garrett ended the call and Nicolas received a message less than a minute later showing that he was approximately six miles away. Six damn miles in this miserable snowstorm was going to feel like an eternity. He briefly considered using his powers to clear the skies, but then decided the snowfall could give them just the advantage they needed. If the snow was heavy enough, then they would be forced to remain in the cabin, and the rescue would be easier.

  It was galling, however, to know that while he’d been the one barking orders as to which way everyone should go, he’d picked the direction that took him the furthest from Mandy. Now he was pushing himself to the limits in his race back to the castle. He wanted to ensure that he was there should Garrett need any help.

  Quickly changing directions, Nicolas trudged through the snow and slush back toward the castle. He wanted to pick up a few things on his way. A vehicle for one, and he hoped that Garrett had gassed them up recently.

  The snowmobiles they rode during the winter months were stored in the old stables behind the castle and he had hoped to take Mandy out riding, but it appeared that they would now become rescue vehicles.

  He was able to reach Jonathan and Anna and instructed them to drive the other snowmobile out to the area, but to leave it a discreet distance away, so the wolf didn’t pick up on it. There was no way they could risk the bastard becoming spooked with Mandy in the vicinity. The chance of her being injured in the midst of it all was simply a risk Nicolas was not willing to take.

  With any luck they would have the place surrounded before he came back. He hoped Mandy could use her ability to get away from her captor, and then the wolf would pay.

  * * * *

  Mandy was freezing. She’d been trudging through two feet of snow for over an hour, her feet were going numb and there was nothing but trees as far as she could see. She was lost.

  She had thought her layers would keep her warm enough, but the growing storm was dumping an insane amount of snow and blowing hard enough to stagger her at times.

  Mandy wore her jeans, snow boots, sweater, parka, gloves, her stolen coat, and the blanket, which she had wrapped around her head and neck, yet she was nearly frozen.

  The snow had gotten down inside her boots and her thick socks were now soaking in ice water…or so it felt.

  She was in trouble and she knew it, especially when her foot came down on something buried in the snow. Her ankle rolled and Mandy cried out when, with a crack, her foot gave out, sending her sprawling in the knee-deep snow.

  As she lay there in the freezing white powder, frustration, anger, exhaustion, and grief all collided inside and Mandy broke down in sobs. She was frustrated at her own weakness, angry at the werewolf who had come after her, and exhausted from her failed escape. Her grief stemmed from the fact that she would likely die alone in the cold, never seeing Nicolas or the others again.

  Using her gift, Mandy managed to push the snow out and away from her until she was sitting on the wet ground in the middle of a small circle. Next to her injured ankle was a large rock, at least the size of her head. Obviously she hadn’t taken the rugged terrain into consideration when she’d hatched this half-assed plan, but nobody ever really thought very far ahead when fear was their motivator.

  Her next move was going to have to be assessing the damage to her foot. Mandy knew that if she couldn’t get herself to some sort of shelter, then she would likely die from exposure to the elements, so gritting her teeth, she slowly—very, very slowly—removed her boot.

  Despite the frigid temps, Mandy was sweating from her exertion, the pain coursing through her ankle and foot leaving her whimpering and panting in agony. She took a few minutes to breathe through the pain and gather her courage when she noted the increased size of her foot in the thick
sock and groaned. She was in deep trouble.

  As she removed the sodden covering, the flesh beneath grew darker with every inch she exposed. When she went to move it down and over her heel, Mandy gasped at the sight.

  Her ankle was severely swollen, purple, and was clearly broken, the bone pressing against her skin attesting to the fact that she was well and truly crippled now. There was no doubt in her mind that, if she were to try and put any weight on her foot, the jagged edge of her broken bone would punch through the skin, and the last thing she needed was a bleeding wound.

  Great. How was she supposed to get anywhere? She couldn’t even drag herself back to the cabin now. All she had left was the hope that Nicolas would find her in time.

  Deciding that she would have to just toughen up a bit, Mandy removed her other soggy boot and sock before carefully wrapping the blanket around her legs and taking extra care around her injury.

  With that done, she then dug into her backpack to find the thermos. The hot coffee was like a blessing as she felt the heated liquid travel all the way to her stomach, warming her insides. It was just too bad that this was the only warmth she could enjoy, and might be her last chance to experience its comfort.

  What she longed for, more than anything in the world, was to feel Nicolas’ arms around her one more time. She wanted to tell him that she would always love him and how sorry she was for leaving him like this.

  What she wouldn’t give for a pen and paper. At least then, when her body was discovered, he would have her final farewell to know how much she cared.

  Mandy’s attention snapped back to her current predicament when she heard the sound of a mournful howl cutting through the trees.

  Liam knew she was gone and there was nothing she could do, nowhere for her to hide but in the snow. All she could do now was pray for a miracle.

  * * * *

  Nicolas had the snowmobile going full throttle, bouncing over the snowdrifts and dodging trees as he sped through the forest toward Garrett’s location. The very landscape he’d played in and loved as a child he was now cursing at every turn.

  Once he got Mandy back—because he would get her back—they should consider moving somewhere safer for her. Perhaps back to America. Jonathan seemed to really enjoy that country, so maybe it was time for him to see it for himself and Jonathan and Anna could remain in the castle.

  Nicolas spent the next several minutes fantasizing about the future that he and Mandy would share. Building a home together, starting a family, traveling, the list went on and on. It was a nice fantasy and the only thing helping him to maintain his sanity. He knew she was still alive. He simply couldn’t see her any other way.

  He listened to the howl of a wolf in the distance and his unease grew. He’d only gone about a mile and a half up the mountain when the howl went up, and a moment later, his phone sounded.

  “Garrett, what the hell is going on?” he growled.

  “She’s not with him, and judging by the way he’s panicking, she should have been in the cabin,” Garrett’s voice was low, barely a whisper as he replied.

  “How did she go? Was there another vehicle?”

  “Not that I can see since there was only one set of tracks.” Another pause, then, “I think she ran on foot, Nicolas.”

  Nicolas felt his stomach drop to his feet. It was a damn good thing he’d had to stop riding to answer the phone or he might have wrapped himself around a tree. In this storm, alone, she wouldn’t last long at all. The freezing temps could sap the strength from anyone with ease, but for a female as small as Mandy? No, they had to find her and they had to find her now, there was no time to waste. “You said that you didn’t pick up her scent, though.”

  “Not hers alone, no, it was mixed with his scent too. He seems to be having no such trouble though because he’s moving with a purpose now. I’ll activate my tracker and you head my way. Keep the phones silent unless it’s an emergency. We don’t want to risk him detecting us while he’s on the trail. He’s our best chance of finding her alive.” Garrett’s measured breathing puffed through the connection, the sound oddly calming in a way.

  Okay, if their scents were mixed, did that mean the wolf had been in close physical contact with Mandy? Had he forced a mating on her? Had the bastard hurt her enough for her to put her very life at risk to escape him? The son-of-a-bitch better hope like hell that someone put his ass down quickly, because if he was still standing when Nicolas reached him, then there would be hell to pay.

  “Keep her safe for me, Garrett. I’ll be there as quick as I can.” Hanging up the phone, Nicolas ran his fingers through his hair before giving the strands a hard tug, his frustration mounting by the moment. What he wouldn’t give to be able to fly in that moment, to be able to soar to her rescue and descend upon the scene like the angel of death. If the beast had dared to mark her in any way, Nicolas would take great pleasure in pulling each and every tooth from his head before he tore the bastard limb from limb.

  Yes, he was very close to losing it completely, the more he thought about it, but Mandy needed him and he was damn sure going to get to her one way or another.

  Taking a moment to send a quick message to Jonathan to follow Garrett’s tracker, he was off again, charging over the snow-covered mountain slopes with a purpose of his own, and that was to save his soul mate, and to also to deliver a message once again to the other Supernaturals.

  That message would be crystal clear. Death would come swiftly to anyone who dared to hurt those he loved. Oh, yes, the fury of Nicolas and Jonathan was still legend within the Supernatural realm, but apparently the younger generations were not as fearful as the elders, though that would quickly change after tonight.

  Yes, there would be many changes after tonight.

  * * * *

  Mandy could hear Liam crashing through the forest and hunkered down in her little hole in the snow, hoping that with the white blanket covering her, he would pass her by, but she should have known better.

  With his heightened senses, Liam found her less than five minutes after she had heard his howl. What surprised her was that he was still in his human form, and didn’t appear to be too angry.

  “What were you thinking?” he demanded as he approached her. “You should have waited for me. I know I was gone for a while, but I hadn’t abandoned you. I’ll never leave you, Mandy. You’re my mate, we’ll always be together.”

  Oh, God, he does think that I’m his mate! Mandy tried really hard to keep her thoughts from reflecting in her expressions, and only had to shift her foot to make that happen.

  The pain caused her to suck air through clenched teeth, and Liam was there in a heartbeat, taking her hand. “You hurt yourself,” he pointed out unnecessarily. “I’ll need to take a look before we move you. I don’t want to make it worse.”

  Scared and in an incredible amount of pain, Mandy begged him not to touch her. “It’s broken,” she informed him, “It’s pretty bad because I can see the bone pressing against the skin.”

  “Why aren’t you healing? You should have started by now.” His brows were drawn in confusion before he turned an accusing glare her way. “You’re human,” he growled.

  “Of course I am, what did you expect, Tinkerbell?” Wow, Mandy was really going to have to watch her mouth. Her only excuse would be that the level of pain she was experiencing was making her testy.

  “I thought you were perhaps a witch, or possibly one of the Fey. Humans don’t have powers such as yours,” he replied, still studying her with his glowing silver eyes. Those eyes resembled a wolf more than a man at the moment and Mandy was getting nervous.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she bluffed, trying to buy herself as much time as she could. It was the only thing she could do.

  “So it wasn’t you who repelled me that day at Mondragon Castle? It figures that I would grab the wrong girl.” His eyes raked over her body and down to her legs, wrapped in the blanket, before coming back to her face. His expression h
ad softened considerably, and his next words confused her even more. “I don’t know why the Fates deemed to give me a human as my mate, but I can’t deny you were meant to be mine. I’ll claim you here and we’ll get you back to the cabin so that I can set your leg.”

  What the hell? Liam leaned closer, using one hand to brush her hair from her neck and the other to steady himself. He was going to mark her, just like in the books she’d studied!

  Mandy sighed, she had no choice and could only pray that she would have enough energy to hold out until help arrived, or she succumbed to the cold. She gathered her energy and with a great mental shove, sent Liam flying through the air and into the tree limbs above.

  His instincts kicked in and he latched onto one of the branches, hanging as he narrowed his silver eyes on her. “You lied,” he snarled.

  “I can assure you that I am definitely human, but I have a talent for telekinesis. Now stop trying to mark me, I’m not your mate.” Mandy could feel her anger rising, blotting out her fear and even masking some of her pain. This mangy wolf was trying to take away the only good thing that had ever come into her life and force her to remain with him instead.

  Not. Gonna. Happen.

  While watching him in the trees, she used her peripheral vision to scope out anything that she might be able to use and spotted a branch, high on the trunk of a tree close to them that had broken off leaving a long, sharp stick protruding from the trunk.

  When he dropped back down, she prepared to launch him up and skewer him on that stick, but another form suddenly emerged from the woods.

  Garrett!

  “Get away from her, Wolf. She doesn’t belong to you,” Garrett had eyes only for the wolf, and Mandy realized that by staring him in the eye and not breaking contact, Garrett was challenging Liam…for her.

  Liam shifted into the same massive black wolf from the castle and roared his challenge, shaking the trees and causing a large amount of snow to fall onto Mandy.