by Casey Lane
Then a panel in the carving slides open, revealing a secret compartment. Inside I find a pair of crystal claws.
I don’t understand. I thought Gammachu said they were brittle and bad for fighting.
Gammachu speaks, as if reading my thoughts. “Those are not the crystal claws that the Guardians wear. Those are the claws of Aido-Hwedo himself.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “You mean, the actual claws, taken from his dead body?”
Gammachu nods solemnly.
I find my heart pounding as I put on the claws. They feel light as a feather.
I try to remove the amulet, but it’s stuck in the carving. Fenfang tells me to leave it.
I crouch, preparing to jump back out of the hole.
Gammachu stops me. “Wait, don’t jump. Climb.”
What does he mean by that? There are no handholds. The walls of the vault are smooth stone.
Then I understand. I swing a claw into the wall, and it sinks two inches into the stone! I climb up the wall, claw over claw, leaving dragon tracks in the stone. Amazing!
As I emerge from the hole, I stare at the claws. I bet these things would have been able to kill Argyros. I still haven’t told my mentors about that. I probably should.
I give them an account of my fight, and Gammachu translates for Lagashan. All of them agree that my opponents were soldiers from the Knights of Rome, a group that has hunted paranormals for centuries.
But Gammachu is puzzled that my steel claws couldn’t strike Argyros. “That doesn’t make any sense. Yes, there are rare magics that protect against dragons, but a Knight of Rome would never use supernatural protection, that’s contrary to their very nature.”
Fenfang nods in agreement. “We should investigate this Argyros fellow. He isn’t what he appears to be.”
I nod. “And I’ll ask Specta Aeternal if he’s on their radar.”
At the mention of SA, an awkward silence falls over the room.
Fenfang gives me a big hug. “I wish you great success with Specta Aeternal.”
“Are they going to be pissed about what I did, changing the timeline to save the temple?”
She shakes her head. “I doubt it very much. The attackers were the ones changing the timeline. You just tried to set it right.”
I nod, thinking. “In this version of the timeline, the soldiers entered the temple and no one was there. So, I actually never had a fight with them. That means the one I killed, Snedeker, is still alive. What if they come back?”
“While that is possible, it’s unlikely. I’ll see to it there are no records made of our presence in this time period. For someone to find us here would be the wildest stroke of luck.”
“Good, that makes me feel better about leaving you here. Thanks again, everyone, for all your hard work training me. I’m gonna miss you all.”
Lagashan and Gammachu also collect hugs.
My fight mentor smiles. “I hope you will visit us when you can. We have more lessons to teach.”
“I’d like that.”
For the first time in their presence, I don’t feel like a hopeless noob. I almost feel like one of the group.
I stand alone in the room where it all began.
This is the place where I was transformed. I stand beside the stone table where I was injected with dragon blood and look at the human heads on the mantel. The dragon sculpture, covered with a rainbow of gemstones, sits in the niche above the mantel. When the Hwedoists fled 542 CE to come here to 749 CE, they brought along all their relics.
This was a frightening display when I first saw it. I thought I would die here. I nearly did. These people, without my consent, risked my life to create another servant of Aido-Hwedo.
I care about these people. I understand them. But I’m still upset about what they did to me. Ayana complained that I didn’t let her choose her fate. Well, she didn’t let me choose mine either.
I reach into my pouch and remove the beacon stick. When I break it, Ms. Luvalle will come and take me to a new life at the Time Academy. I’m really grateful to SA for protecting my mom, but how do I know they won’t be as careless with my life as the Hwedoists?
I guess I don’t know. Maybe it’s better that way.
As I prepare to break the stick, I catch movement in the corner of my eye. I look up and see Ayana.
I clench inside. I had hoped to escape without another fight with her.
I take a step back. “Did you come to yell at me again?”
She shakes her head, her face composed. “I do not agree with your actions, but I understand them. That will have to be enough.”
“So, we can part as friends?”
She nods.
I step over and give her a careful hug. “Good-bye, Ayana.”
She returns the hug with a serious look on her face.
“Tyler, I must tell you something important before you go.”
What is this about?
She leans close, whispering. “I care for you very much, Tyler. I could have easily fallen in love if you had not been destined for another.”
Fallen in love? “What other? Who are you talking about?”
“Rosemarie.”
“The woman in your dreams. Did you finally figure out who she is?”
“I know now that it was Aido-Hwedo himself who spoke her name. He told me that Rosemarie is destined to be your mate.”
“Okay, but who is she?”
“I have no idea. But I hope you find her.”
She kisses me softly on the lips and walks out of the room.
Goose bumps rise on my arms as I reel from this new information. Ayana could have loved me? Rosemarie is my destined mate?
I want some answers about Rosemarie. But something tells me I won’t find them here.
Ms. Luvalle, I’m ready. Take me away to the Time Academy.
I break the beacon stick.
The End
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Www.Shayroberts.Com
Author Shay Roberts writes in the paranormal fiction and fantasy genres. He believes that every proper book should have both romance and epic battles. Shay, a medieval combat expert, is the founder of the Academy of Arms, a nonprofit medieval martial arts school in Los Angeles. He is an instrument-rated pilot with an MA in Screenwriting, a BS in Biology, and a BA in English. Shay has been writing stories since he was old enough to hold a crayon. Unfortunately, he wrote those stories on the walls.
Wolf’s Heart
Christine Ashworth
Wolf’s Heart © 2017 Christine Ashworth
Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Wolf’s Heart
Her heart is a battleground - between the Vampire who has kept her safe, and the Wolf she has only seen in her dreams…
Raven Malick is on the trail of a vampire trio who ripped his sister’s babies from her womb, killing her, when his search leads him to Dr. Megan Cavanaugh. His planned approach, however, did not include being hit with a dart full of wolfsbane.
When Megan finds Raven passed out in her elevator, she does what she always does – puts her talent, and her heart, to use to help heal him. Just because he’s haunted her dreams for years doesn’t mean she should fall for him.
Convinced that Megan is not who he’s looking for, the two of them team up. But Derek De Luca, a vampire and self-proclaimed protector of Megan’s, is determined to keep them in the dark about the vampire who calls himself Mengele while keeping the delectable Fae, Doc Megan, for himself.
But nothing and no one is as they seem…
Prologue
“There’s only one doctor in Los Angeles that works on wolves. Why do you want to know?”
Raven Malick’s blood quickened. He glanced around the bar, but they had the corner to themselves. “You know why. My sister may be dead, but her babies might still be alive.”
Jake gave him a doubtful look. “The Fae doctor stays under the radar, but she’s a powerful presence there. Has been for at least a decade. Worked under her father before he left the practice to her. From everything I’ve heard, she’s a light worker, on top of being a healer. She wouldn’t go this dark,” the man protested.
“That remains to be seen. Give me a name, Jake.” He let a trickle of his own power shine through his eyes.
His friend scowled. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get all wolfy on me. Not here, where I can’t pound the shit out of you.” Irritated, he rubbed his hand over his face. “Cavanaugh. Megan Cavanaugh. Has a place in the San Fernando Valley. A free pediatric clinic on Tuesdays and Fridays. Short staffed at the moment.”
Tendrils of hope snuck through the black thoughts he’d carried for too long. “She needs doctors?”
“No,” Jake protested. “Raven, don’t even think about it. You remember what happened the last time you were in an operating room.”
He sent a hard look to Jake. “Lightning doesn’t strike twice.” He stood, tossed a couple twenties on the bar, and clasped Jake’s shoulder. “Come with me. Keep me out of trouble.”
Jake remained hunched on the barstool. “I can’t. You know that, Jake. I’ve got a job to do.”
“Yeah. Mine,” Raven reminded him.
“You were crazed with anger and pain. I think you probably still are. If you’d just go to counseling, get your anger under control, act contrite, the pack will take you back.”
Raven looked away. “It wasn’t their sister. It wasn’t their family. None of the others lost what I lost.” Raven dragged in a breath. “And anyway, you’re a better second than me. Andre is lucky to have you.”
“We were wrong, you know. We should have kept better watch on that edge of the reservation.”
“Doesn’t much help now.” Raven shook his mane of hair back and looked his friend square in the eye. “I’ll keep in touch.”
He headed to the door.
“Just stay out of trouble, Rave. We don’t have connections in California to help you if you cross any lines.”
Pack or legal. Either way, one wrong move and he was screwed. Raven waved his hand over his head to show he heard and continued out of the bar with his focus on two things.
Megan Cavanaugh, M.D. And revenge.
Chapter One
The operating room hummed with an otherworldly music. Dr. Megan Cavanaugh sang a healing song as she watched the anesthesiologist finally stop the flow to their patient, stretched out in front of them.
Kellan Caine stirred on the table, his body getting rid of the anesthesia quicker than a human would. Megan put one hand on his forehead and one hand on his heart and he subsided into a deep, natural sleep. Megan smiled.
“Okay gang, let’s get him back to a room. He’ll be awake before we know it, and I’d like a little time off my feet.”
“Damn, but are all the Caine men as devastating as this one?” Carla muttered to Jill as they transferred Kellan to a gurney.
Jill let out a heartfelt sigh. “Oh yeah, baby. You never quite get used to it.” They wheeled their patient out of the operating room to transfer him to the fourth floor, giggling and talking about his assets the entire way.
Megan let the natter of the part-Fae nurses wash over her while she took off her mask, stripped off her gloves, and tossed them into a waste can. She stretched her hands over her head and went up on tiptoe, then bent down and touched the floor. Kellan had come in at the end of a very long day. If she could get a couple more paranormal doctors she could trust to work on the paranormal floor, then maybe she could have a life.
She stripped off her paper gown and shoved it down into the waste can with a snort. No use brooding about a life, damn it. She liked hers just fine. Didn’t she have a nice, big facility now to help heal the tribreds, and the Fae that decided to stay on the Human Plane?
Yawning, she headed out the door and hung a left. Down the corridor to the waiting room, where over the past two years she’d seen a lot of the Caines. Had hoped that maybe Kellan…but it was not to be.
She pushed through the double doors. Gregor Caine and Aubrey Ledet jumped up.
“Hey, Doc. How is he?”
Megan sent them a stream of mental reassurance. “He’s going to be just fine. He’s sleeping now, shaking off the last of the sedatives. Give him about half an hour, and I’ll have a nurse take you back.”
“Good. That’s good.” Aubrey sat down and stared at the floor.
Gregor scowled down at Megan. “How long have you worked today?”
She swayed. Spots danced in front of her eyes. “I’m not sure. I’ll be going home soon, don’t worry.”
He snorted. “Get your ass upstairs and get to bed.”
She flushed. “I have administrative duties to wrap up tonight. Still have a bit to go before I can rest.”
His arm came around her shoulders, warm and sturdy, as he led her to one of the couches in the waiting room. When he pressed her down, she sat and leaned her head back with a sigh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t continue like this.”
“Have you talked to the Board of Directors?”
“Gregor. You know they want someone more influential here. They don’t want me running the place.”
He eyed her. “Maybe it’s time to think about not running the place, just this wing and the clinic. Maybe it’s time to give up a bit of control, Doc.”
“I’ll think about it.” She rubbed her eyes. Maybe he was right, maybe this was too much for one person.
“Has the Board advertised for more hospital administration help yet?” At the shake of her head, he sighed. “What about another trauma doctor? No? Okay, I’ll get some calls out, force the issue. We’ll find some people. But now, I want you to lock those outer doors and close up shop for the night. It’s way past midnight.”
“Damn it. They’re supposed to be locked.” She blinked back tired tears.
Gregor snorted. “Your security leaves a lot to be desired. Can’t the damn vamp you insist on keeping around here do his damn job?”
One more thing to handle. “That’s not like Derek. He told me he has an automatic system in place. He did that months ago, and we haven’t had any problems.”
“I don’t like him, you know.” Gregor crossed his arms.
“I know. The feeling is mutual, I assure you.”
“Maybe you should boot him out. Send him back to whatever country he came from. Hm? I’ll even pay for the plane ticket. Hire you some real security guards.”
“Maybe. I’m just glad Aubrey could get Kellan here as quickly as she did. I don’t suppose she told you any details?” She held her breath, hoping he’d take the switch of topics.
“Not so much.” He sat beside her and dropped his head in his hands. “I hadn’t heard from them in months, until her phone call.”
“They’re still not mated. What’s wrong? I could have sworn, last year, that they’d have recognized the bond between them. I mean, when it’s clear to us, shouldn’t it be clear to them?” Megan shifted. “True, the threads aren’t there yet, but you know they’
re meant.”
Gregor sighed. “But Kellan split, left Aubrey high and dry last year. Denise’s death shook him.”
“That surprises me, frankly. I know the detective got close to him, but Kellan has always been the footloose kind. Maybe he’s afraid of getting closer to Aubrey?”
“Maybe. Aubrey’s been tracking him, and a good thing, too. She caught up with him just as he was being gored by a demon in Utah. But that’s all she told me.”
“Well. He should be fine, given some time and rest. Maybe you can sit on him to stay home for a while.” She turned her head and studied him. He’d forsaken the suits he used to wear 24/7 since he met, and fell in love with, Serra Willows.
A yearning for that type of love swept through her. “She makes you happy, doesn’t she? Serra, I mean.”
Gregor’s eyes brightened. “She’s my whole world.”
Megan closed her eyes against the sting of unwanted tears. “Good. That’s good. You know, she’d be a great asset here in the hospital.”
“We’ve talked about it.” Gregor’s reluctance was plain.
“I understand.” She stood and urged him up. “Go ahead, go home. I’ll make sure Aubrey has a bed near Kellan.”
“I think I’ll hang around, at least for a little bit.” Gregor bent and brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “Thanks for patching one of us up yet again, Megan. We owe you.”
She waved a hand around the multi-million-dollar facility. “Paid in full, Mr. Caine. Paid in full.”
Megan saw to it that Aubrey had a bed available to her, and Gregor stationed in a chair nearby, before she headed to her suite. She had made it all the way to the fifth floor before she remembered the paperwork she needed to do, and cursed softly.
The paperwork would just have to wait.
After changing clothes, she opened a nice pinot gris, poured two glasses, and settled into the couch when she heard the elevator’s soft dinging sound. Derek. Her heart thudded a bit faster, as it always did when she thought of the vampire.
