by Janelle Peel
I cut in, “Well, this is all very interesting, and yes, you should totally get in on that, but we need to be going. Jackson wanted us to be back before nightfall.”
Nat nodded as her eyes filled with tears, “I miss you guys.”
My heart pinched painfully in my chest at the lost note in her voice, “Oh, sweets. Don’t cry. I’m sure you’ll figure this shit out soon and we’ll all be back home in no time.”
Rowe sniffled beside me and dropped her bags, “I know you will.”
Grabbing her purchases, Nat jerked a nod and stalked back into the forest.
Back inside the van, I lifted my brow at Rowe, “Don’t tell Mel.”
Indecision warred on her face, “Let’s hope he doesn’t ask.”
Chapter 11
Nat
Slamming the front door hard enough to make the stained-glass Wolf window rattle, I yelled, “What the hell was that?”
Pots and pans clanked and clattered from the kitchen.
Dropping my bags at the foot of the stairs, I stalked into the room with an irritated expression.
Bex lifted her lip at the intrusion. Shaking out her ruff, she glanced at Kane, then back at me. Snorting, she retreated under the kitchen table.
Wondering why she was mad at me, I shelved the thought and threw a glare at Kane’s back.
The thick muscles of his shoulders tensed and released, “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Unwilling to let it go, I snapped, “Damned right it won’t. Do you have any idea what will happen if Mel comes here?”
A loud snap met my ears as he growled, “Who’s Mel?”
Padding up beside him, I took in the pieces of the plate he’d been holding and his lacerated palm. Grunting, I grabbed his hand and called to my well. Heat emitted from my skin in tandem with his own body’s innate healing as the wound knit closed.
His stoic mask was back in place and his body shook with barely controlled rage as he pulled away, “I said, who is Mel?”
Fuck, seriously? He was jealous? Squaring my shoulders for his inevitable outburst, I bit out, “My counterpart to our Pack.”
Confusion spread across his face and instantly displaced his anger, “You have an Alpha? But you’re not Mated…?”
“Nope,” I cut the air between us with the edge of my hand, “and it’s none of your business.”
He shook his head, “I don’t understand.”
Reaching up, I tugged at the ends of my unbound raven hair in exasperation, “I don’t want a Mate, Kane.”
He crossed his arms, “But, he is your Mate?”
I shrugged, “He thinks so.”
Rocking back on his heels, he seemed to arrive at a decision, “Okay.”
Surprise fluttered through me. Okay? Okay, what? My bare feet carried me back to the table. Pushing out my chair with my toes, I dropped into it with a sigh. Stupid Alpha bullshit.
“Are you hungry?”
Bex yipped an affirmative at my feet.
Reaching down to touch her soft ears, I muttered, “Yes.”
After dinner I’d decided to learn more about our new enemy, but had only been able to come up with various accounts of their past.
Barely any of it made any sense. Why would they fight so much, I wondered? Nothing the tome detailed pertained to the Merge, nor did any of it help our current situation. Pulling off the gloves, I rubbed the grit from my eyes and stretched.
My phone chimed.
Plucking it from the waistband of my pants, I thumbed it to life. Daisy had texted me.
‘From all of my research, Shifters have to Mate beneath a full Moon and accept one another as their life partner. The Goddess bears witness to their oath, and it can only be broken by death.’
Peachy. Oaths to the Goddess were not to be taken lightly. If one was broken, the oath breaker’s life was forfeit. Filing that lovely thought under hell to the no, I texted back, ‘Thanks.’
Bex and Kane had decided to watch TV in the other room. Left to my own devices, I focused on the Elemental music. I’d been able to tune most of it out, but the sound still grated on my nerves. It was just so depressing. Something had changed, though. New chords entered the melody as if added by magic. My well flared to life, lighting my body in a silver and gold glow. The flames danced along the exposed skin of my arms and flickered up to my shoulders. I watched, completely mesmerized as my magic took on a life of its own. The music reached a crescendo of pure bliss and one perfect note stood out above the others… home.
Completely flabbergasted, I cut off the flames; or tried to. They continued to dance, unimpeded by my efforts as they moved away from me to converge into one large sphere. I marveled at their beauty as the golden lines raced across the silver ball. Unsure of this new development, I took a breath to call Kane when the light flashed brightly. In an instant, it slammed into my chest. Losing control of my body, I tipped forward.
My last thought as my face rushed to meet the open book was; oh shit.
I took in the white field with wide eyes. Where the hell was I? Is this where Daisy had gone?
Shivering, I stepped forward. My bare feet sank into snow. Damn! That was cold.
Tuwa… a voice whispered on the wind with a yearning I felt deep inside my heart.
Yeah, I mused. Totally not creepy at all.
Calling to my well, I coaxed a tendril of flame to the frozen ground before me. The ice crackled and spit for a moment before slowly melting away to reveal a slurry of soil.
Thunder crackled angrily overhead as I amped up my magic to melt more of the frigid snow. Once I’d cleared a small section, I bid my flames to create heat. The mud quickly hardened as grass took its place. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I stepped onto the springy mat and tried to push away the increasing anxiety of my situation.
Tuwa… the voice called again.
I pinched myself; hoping it was all a dream and I could wake up.
Nothing happened.
The anxiety turned to sheer panic as a figure appeared a short distance away. Her ethereal skin glowed with the inner radiance of the full Moon at midnight. Tiny stars covered her sheer dress in a dizzying display that did nothing to hide the rosy peaks of her budded breasts. Raven hair covered her head in an intricately braided crown. Lifting her ruby lips into a grin, she called, “Tuwa!”
My brow furrowed as I looked left and right. Who the hell was Tuwa?
Moving her hand, golden light emitted from her palm as she gestured before her at the snow packed ground.
Completely stunned, I watched the frozen landscape disappear. Trees sprouted where none had been and bordered a mat of bright green grass. Gathering the shifting material of her gown, she took a step forward.
I stumbled back and whispered, “Oh, Goddess! Please help me!”
“She cannot hear you, Tuwa. This place is beyond Her reach.”
“Nat?” A deep voice broke through my scattered thoughts. “Natalie!”
The strange woman vanished. Between one heartbeat and the next, she appeared at my side, “Quickly, Tuwa. We don’t have much time.”
I fell back on my ass and stuttered stupidly, “Ti-time?”
She nodded. Lifting her gold rimmed, jade colored eyes to mine, she whispered, “You must choose, Tuwa.”
Irritation broke through my dumbfounded state, “Who the fuck is Tuwa?”
Her brow creased, “You.”
I shook my head, “No, my name is Nat, and I want to go home.”
Her eyes widened, “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” I shouted.
Her expression shifted to one of deep sadness, “I’d hoped your father would tell you when the time was right. No matter our disagreements, it was his responsibility.”
Shock coursed through me, “What did you say? Who is my father?”
Confusion flitted across her perfect face as her bow shaped lips tipped into a frown, “The Mage I chose to create you.”
Kane
> Terror froze his veins as he shook her again, “Natalie!”
Bex licked her cheek in worry and whined.
He shouldn’t have left her alone with the dammed books! “Nat! Wake up!”
Left with no other option, he tipped her face toward his and brushed his mouth against hers. Velvety smooth, he marveled at their soft texture. Slowly, he twined his fingers into her unbound hair and brushed over the tips of her ears.
She sucked in a breath and convulsed in his arms.
He pulled back in response; wanting to make sure she was okay.
Lifting her small hands, she clenched his thick shoulders in an iron grip and opened her mouth to his. Pulling him closer, she moaned.
Like a man starving, he followed her lead. She tasted like every season he’d experienced as a Wolf. The bite of the first snowfall, cool water from a spring, a warm summer day, and the sleepy forest of fall. He inhaled her scent with wild abandon as his Wolf rumbled low in their throat. She was theirs.
The moment shattered as Bex yipped sharply.
Nat released him like she’d been burned. Her green eyes pulsed once with a golden hue before her brow furrowed in confusion.
Panting, he leaned back against the kitchen wall and let her decide if she wanted to move from his lap.
She hesitated.
Bex whined softly, happy to have Nat back. Pressing her face between theirs, she lathered them both with wet kisses.
“Okay, okay,” Nat laughed and pushed the pup back. The corners of her eyes tightened briefly as she moved from his thighs and settled beside him on the floor.
“Soooo,” he drew out, shifting his thigh to cover his rigid length, “want to fill me in?”
She sighed, “No? I need some time to figure out how to put it into words.”
He nodded and rose to stand. Holding a hand out to her, he met her gaze, “Okay.”
She smiled softly and took his palm, “Thanks, Kane.” Pivoting on her heel, she retreated upstairs.
A ping pulled on his heart at her words. Rubbing away the strange ache, he pushed all four books into a box and placed them under the table. No more accidents, he promised himself.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he grabbed a chair from his room and placed it outside her doorway. From now on, he would be with her every second of every single day.
Nat
Undressing on autopilot while I waited for the tub to fill, my thoughts beat a chaotic tempo inside my mind. This was too big, too much. I needed help.
Stepping into the scalding water, the heat barely made a dent in the numbness running rampant through my veins. With trembling fingers, I called Sora.
Two rings later her chipper tone filled the speaker with Lila cooing in the background, “Hey, Nat. How’s the barrier coming?”
My heart pinched. Squeezing my eyes closed against the onslaught of tears threatening to spill down my cheeks, I sniffled. I wanted to go home. Now.
“Hey, shh,” she soothed. “It’s okay. Tell me what’s happening.”
“Naaa, Naa,” Lila added; increasing the ache. She was trying to say my name and I was missing it.
Gritting my teeth, I hiccuped. “It’s just so hard. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Blaze?” Sora’s voice moved away from the speaker, “Could you take Lila for a bit? Nat needs me.”
“Of course. Come here my little Firestarter,” he rumbled.
The sound of a door closing filled the silence as I gathered my thoughts.
“You have the books, right?”
I nodded.
“Nat?” She queried.
“Uh huh,” I grumbled, sinking lower into the water. “Did Daisy tell you what happened with Cooper?”
“Yes, she filled me in. He’s fine now.”
I sighed in relief. At least that was one thing I could take off my growing list of worries. “I’m going to start at the beginning. No interrupting until I’m finished, okay?”
“Okay.”
Over an hour later, my skin was wrinkly and the water was cold. Sora had been true to her word and hadn’t interrupted a single time. Sure, there were gasps here and there, interspersed with a squeak of disapproval, but overall it was nice to get everything out in the open.
“That’s it. Where do you want to start?” I asked.
“With the easy stuff. As far as Kane goes, do whatever feels right. I don’t blame you one bit for being confused, but take it slow. Now on to everything else…” she paused. “Why the hell didn’t you call me sooner?”
Her reaction hit me right in the feels. To be loved unconditionally was one of the things I’d yearned for most in life, and with Sora and the rest of our Clutch, I finally had it.
“I’m waiting, Natalie.”
I grinned. She never called me Natalie anymore unless she was mad. “I didn’t want to be a bother. You had everything going on with Lila, and well… I don’t know.”
She snorted and adopted her mom tone, “That is not a valid excuse and you know it.”
“I know, but I really wanted to be able to do this on my own.”
Her exasperated exhale whispered through the small speaker pressed tightly against my ear, “We’re family, Nat. You could never be a burden to me.” A snapping sounded as she got back to business, “Enough. I can’t believe Bex has been able to shift this entire time, and you shifted into a Griffin! What was it like?”
Sheepishly, I rolled a shoulder, “I was a tad inebriated, so I didn’t try to fly or anything.” My voice took on a dreamy quality, “I’d love to fly.”
“It’s amazing!” She squealed. “Granted, I can only do it by manipulating the wind, but to give yourself wings on a whim? That’s so awesome.”
I held up two fingers, “Truth.”
“But, now we have to discuss the elephant in the room. Do you believe what the Fae woman said about your father?”
I sobered, “I’m not sure. I don’t remember anything about my past, but she said she’d chosen him to create me… So, I guess that makes her my Mo-” I stuttered, “other parent?” My mind vomited up her image in crystal clarity and I lowered my voice, “I look like her. She kept calling me Tuwa.”
“Interesting. Tuwa is another word for Earth. Did she seem, friendly? Hostile?”
“No, not at all. She seemed confused, kind of like she didn’t understand why I didn’t know her. Oh, she said the Goddess couldn’t hear me when I prayed to Her.”
Skepticism laced her reply, “What? That’s crazy. The All Mother is everywhere.”
My brow furrowed, “I thought so, too. She also told me I need to choose.”
“Choose what?”
I shook my head, “I don’t know. Kane pulled me out before I could find out.”
Humor colored her words, “Yes, with a kiss.”
I giggled, “Yes.”
She chuckled, “Ohhhh, a good kiss.”
“Maybe…”
“Right. Well, I need to get going. Did you want me to come down there? I will. Blaze can handle Lila on his own.” Her voice lowered to a whisper, “I think he’s afraid to try.”
Smirking, I whispered back, “You’re probably right. But, no. I’m good. I needed to vent.”
“No worries. But, and this is important, if you are part Fae, going back to that place for answers is where I think you should start. Just make sure Kane is on hand to make out with.”
My cheeks pinked, “Sora!”
She laughed softly, “Call me, okay?”
“Will do.”
Disconnecting, I unplugged the drain with the ball of my foot and grabbed a towel.
I needed to go back and figure this shit out, pronto.
Chapter 12
Nat
Slamming his fist onto the table, he rumbled, “No! Absolutely not! You scared the hell out of me! Bex, too! You are NOT going back!”
Any feelings of fondness I’d had when I opened my bedroom door to find him watching over me flew right out the window. Clenchin
g my fists, I screamed, “You don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Kane! I’m going, whether you like it or not!”
A loud knock on the backdoor interrupted us.
Kane’s mask slid back into place as he growled in annoyance. Turning on his heel, his boots made hollow sounds on the hardwood; highlighting his stance that our disagreement was not over by a long shot.
Happy for the reprieve, I settled into a chair and poured a glass of whiskey to calm my nerves as Kane opened the door.
“Hey,” a stranger’s deep baritone filled the small space.
“What?” Kane bit out.
The stranger hesitated, “Well, um. The guys and I can hear you two halfway across the forest… So, I was hoping you could keep it down?”
Bex rounded the corner from the living room and nosed the door open wider.
Built like a wrestler, the large man dwarfed Kane and the door itself.
His eyes widened as he took in Bex’s white coat. Looking to Kane for permission, he slowly lowered himself to the stoop and held out his hand.
“Bex, meet Jet, my Beta.”
Tentatively, she took one step forward and sniffed his fingers.
Jet smiled, “Hey, Beautiful. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
Her tail beat against Kane’s thigh at the praise. Emboldened, she gave one knuckle a quick swipe of her tongue before retreating to my side.
Jet’s eyes met my gaze for a moment before dropping to the floor.
Kane rumbled, “Jet, Nat. Nat, Jet.”
Figuring his reaction was another idiotic Alpha thing, I strode over. Crouching down to his level, I touched his square chin and guided him to stand. Kane growled low in his throat as I held my hand out to our new arrival, “Nice to meet you.”
Jet hesitated; literally caught between insulting me or pissing off his Alpha. With a deep sigh, he clasped my fingers and shook once while keeping his eyes downcast, “Well met, Nat.”
Throwing Kane a haughty roll of my head, I gestured for our guest to come in.
