by Sy Walker
“Wait,” Dominic said, stepping forward. "Does it matter who uses the blade?"
Abel cocked his head to the side. “No.”
“Good,” Dominic said with a small smile. “Then I think there's someone here who needs to prove herself.” He slowly turned his gaze on Marissa.
“No,” Marissa said, shaking her head. She took a step back.
Dominic reached out, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her violently toward him. “You're the one that came to me.”
“You told me you would spare them,” Marissa said.
“If they joined me,” Dominic said. “If they bent to my will--which they did not.”
“No,” Marissa pleaded. “They're my family.”
“No, they’re not,” Dominic replied coldly. “If they truly were your family, you never would have betrayed them in the first place.”
“I only did it because–"
“You wanted to hurt Xander like he hurt you,” Dominic interrupted. “But you didn’t think things through, did you? You made a choice, and now it's time you stand by it.”
Dominic turned to Abel who stretched out his hand and passed the blade to Dominic. Marissa looked at her mother helplessly, as though she were silently begging for help.
It happened all at once. Savannah felt a flash of pain scream through her body. This was followed by Xander and his entire pack screaming in pain, their bodies bent over as though they were being electrocuted. Savannah looked around her helplessly, her eyes meeting Marissa’s for a moment.
“What’s happening?” Savannah gasped, dropping to her knees beside Xander.
“The poison in your body is spreading,” Abel said calmly. “Its hold is extending to the rest of the pack. That's what they're feeling now, the loss of their autonomy, the destruction of their free will.”
“No!” Savannah begged. “This has to stop.”
“There's no stopping this,” Dominic said calmly as the rest of his pack watched on, half horrified, and half amazed.
Dominic held the blade out to Marissa. She stared at it in disgust, shaking her head. “I will never use that on my pack.”
“The only pack you belong to anymore is the one standing behind you,” Dominic reminded her threateningly. “It's time you embraced that and put an end to the pack kneeling in front of you.”
Savannah looked around her in desperation. She could see the nightmare unfolding in front of her, felt Xander's body shivering uncontrollably beside here, and she was powerless to do anything about it. His pack was halfway gone and she was the only one left. Savannah glanced up and her eyes met Marissa’s once more.
There was fear in Marissa’s aura. Savannah sensed nothing there but fear, pain, and sorrow. She was looking for a way out, too, a way to reverse every action she'd made in the past week, as was Savannah.
“Take the damn blade!” Dominic said, his voice rising in anger.
He forced it into Marissa’s hand but she was shaking so hard she dropped it. The blade fell mere feet away from the glistening water of the lake, its bright red sheen disrupted by a bolt of silver-blue streaming across it.
And then it hit Savannah. It was entirely possible that the legends about the lake were as true as the legends about Alais and Kato, which meant the waters were healing, just like Xander had told her. The waters had the ability to save lives and make magic, magic that was good and strong and enabling. Savannah knew the lake was their last hope.
“Pick it up.” Dominic’s voice echoed through the clearing. “Pick it up now, or be the first to die.”
Savannah didn’t know what was driving her instincts, but she knew they were all she had left. She pulled out her hearing aid and the world went instantly silent and still as the night. Though Savannah couldn't hear a sound, the world seemed to open up a little, as if by magic. She closed her eyes in the next breath and her world seemed to expand a little more.
She felt the rustle of movement next to her and knew, instinctively, that it was Xander. Savannah held up her hand and the movement ceased, seeming to edge further away from her. Blind and deaf, Savannah concentrated on Marissa’s bright and terrified aura echoing with fear, with which she was able to perfectly relate. She reached out, and a part of her could almost feel that delicate aura.
“Marissa,” Savannah sent her thoughts in waves, desperate to connect with the girl she'd thought would be her murderer. “Marissa, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I really, really need you to.”
There was a strange bristle from Marissa’s aura, as though Savannah’s thoughts had been transmitted and reached their target through sheer force of will.
“Pick up the dagger. Pick up the dagger and plunge it into the lake. The blade will absorb the lake’s water. Then, come toward me. Come toward me and…stab me in the chest.”
Savannah kept repeating the words, unsure if she was imagining the connection between Marissa and herself, or if she was just desperate and delusional. Unable to keep her eyes closed, Savannah opened them a fraction, just in time to see Marissa’s unsteady hand reach out and pick the imbibing blade up.
Savannah could see in Marissa’s eyes that she'd heard the message through her aura, and that she'd listened. Savannah straightened up and took a step toward Abel and Dominic, who were staring at Marissa in satisfaction.
“That’s right,” Savannah, read Dominic’s lips as it formed the words she could not hear. “Pick it up and walk over to your mother.”
Savannah moved closer to Principal Harris who was on her knees next to Malick, staring at her daughter in desperation, her eyes shrouded in misery and pain. Marissa held the blade uncertainly in her hand. She glanced at Savannah for a split second before looking toward Abel and Dominic.
“Do it,” Savannah read Abel’s lips. “Do it now or die.”
Marissa turned back to her mother but her eyes were on Savannah. She took a tentative step forward and then another, and then another.
“Yes, that’s right,” Dominic encouraged. “Do as you’re told.”
Marissa started walking faster and Savannah could see the resolve on her face. She was inches from her mother when Marissa veered suddenly right, and plunged the dagger into the clear waters of the lake, as if she were cracking through solid ice. There was an abnormal ripple. The dagger glowed hot. As fast as the red drained from its blade it was replaced with a warm, yet icy blue.
Marissa didn’t hesitate as she pulled the dagger from the water, turned around, took one leaping step forward, and plunged the dagger straight into Savannah’s chest.
The moment the blade made contact with Savannah’s skin she experienced a strange explosion of sorts, but it felt as if it were happening inside of her, and she was thrown back with a blast of light, the burn in her stomach was instantly extinguished, and she registered blue sky and silver clouds before her world went black.
Chapter Fourteen
The first thing Savannah became aware of was the shape and feel of Xander’s hand ensconced in her own. She opened her eyes slowly to see Xander’s face hanging over hers in concern. He looked the same, except for a long scar that snaked from just below his eye almost down to his chin.
“Savannah,” Xander said, but she was unable to hear the sound of his voice.
She sat up slowly, with Xander's help. A moment later he handed her the hearing aid she'd taken out in the clearing. She looked around and realized they were in a bedroom in Xander’s family's cabin.
“Savannah,” Xander said again, and this time was able to hear him.“The scar,” Savannah said. She reaching out to touch it.
“It’s only a surface wound,” Xander insisted, brushing aside his concern. “How are you feeling?”
“Tell me what happened,” Savannah insisted, ignoring his question. “What happened after Marissa stabbed me?”
“It broke whatever hold Abel had on us,” Xander said. “The pain, the loss of control we were all feeling--it just disappeared, and we were ourselves again.”
“Sav
annah…”
Savannah turned her head to the door at the sound of the soft voice. Marissa’s blue eyes were subtle and calm and she no longer looked angry or scared, and her aura was calmer and more controlled than Savannah had ever experienced. She edged into the room looking as though she would rather be anywhere else.
“Hello, Marissa,” Savannah said.
“Was it you?” Marissa asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Marissa claimed that she just…knew what to do,” Xander said, sounding baffled, as if he didn’t quite understand what had happened.
“I was completely lost,” Marissa said. “I had no idea what to do. Just as I thought it was all over, suddenly I knew what to do. It was like there was a voice in my head guiding me, but it wasn’t a voice so much as a feeling.”
“You didn’t hear me speak to you?” Savannah asked.
Marissa's face lit up with realization. “It was you.”
“It was,” Savannah said, nodding. “I've always been sensitive to other people’s auras, but this was the first time I ever tried communicating with anyone. I thought you might have heard me.”
“I did,” Marissa said, “but they weren’t words…more like…feelings."
“Feelings,” Savannah said, thinking that sounded about right.
“Yes.”
Marissa and Savannah stared at each other for an awkward moment. Marissa was the first one to break the gaze. “I wanted to say…thank you,” she said tentatively, “for saving me from…for saving all of us.”
Savannah had not been expecting an apology, and she was at a loss for words.
“I also want to say…I’m sorry,” Marissa continued. “For how I treated you and for what I did to get back at you.”
“I.. that’s okay,” Savannah managed.
Marissa nodded and then she left the room quickly, leaving Savannah and Xander alone.
Xander gave Savannah a smile.
“You still haven’t told me what happened after Marissa stabbed me,” Savannah reminded him.
“I told you: the spell…potion…whatever it was, broke,” Xander said. “And when it did, Abel and Dominic were caught by surprise. We were able to attack them, and they were completely outnumbered.”
“How?”
“More than half of Dominic’s pack abandoned him in the end,” Xander said with a small smile. “Some of them didn’t know he'd aligned himself with a witch. When they realized what he'd done, they took the first opportunity they could to leave. We cornered Dominic, but when it was clear that we had won--”
“What?” Savannah asked, though she sensed Dominic’s fate as a result of Xander’s aura.
“He killed himself,” Xander said. “To avoid being taken captive.”
Savannah and Xander were silent for a moment. “And Abel?” Savannah asked after she'd taken a moment to process Dominic’s death.
Xander’s face turned hard. “Abel was harder to corner--he is a witch after all. We were all in our wolf forms. Elvira and Malick had him cornered, and Elvira had him by the leg.”
“And then?”
Xander sighed. “He was badly wounded,” Xander said, “but then he used some sort of magic on Elvira, forcing her to let him go. By the time the smoke had cleared and we could see again, he was gone.”
“So he’s still out there somewhere?”
“Yes, but he’s not in Grey Mountain any longer,” Xander said, hastening to assure her.
“How can you be sure?”
“We scoured the forest in search of him. The cabin he used to occupy was completely empty, except for the body of an old woman.”
“His grandmother,” Savannah said quietly. “There was nothing else?”
“Nothing.” Xander shook his head. “The place was completely bare. There was no trace of magic remaining. I don’t think Abel will ever return to Grey Mountain.”
Savannah nodded. “Are the rest of the pack okay?” she asked, concerned.
“Everyone has minor injuries,” Xander replied, “but no serious damage has been done.”
“But there so easily could have been,” Savannah said. “Xander, I’m so, so sorry."
“Don’t,” Xander said. “You don’t have to apologize to me. It’s because of you we’re all still alive and in control of our own minds.”
“It’s because of me that we were even in that situation in the first place,” Savannah said. She grabbed Xander's arm. “I should never have gone to Abel.”
“Maybe not,” Xander conceded, “but you were forced to go to him because I wouldn’t listen to what you had to say or believe you. If you hadn’t felt so alone then you would never have turned to him. He was right about that--I should have taught you better. We all should have.”
“You had other things to worry about.”
“Nothing is more important than protecting your pack,” Xander said firmly. “We all forgot that shifter or not, you are now a part of our pack.”
Savannah’s hands went instinctively to her stomach. “Our baby is strong.”
“I know,” Xander said. He put his hand on top of Savannah’s, bent slowly down, and kissed her softly on the lips.
“How did you know about the lake?” Xander asked after a moment.
Savannah shrugged. “I'd felt its magic before, but I never connected the dots. It wasn’t until I remembered my vision that I realized what it all meant.”
“Marissa running toward you with a blue bladed dagger,” Xander said.
Savannah nodded. “It wasn’t until we were all standing in that clearing that I realized the vision I'd seen wasn't what I thought it was. I hadn’t seen my death--I'd seen my salvation, but I was the only one who knew what to do. So I cut off the world and relied on my sense.”
“How did you know Marissa would get your message?”
“I didn’t,” Savannah said. “I just… followed my instincts.”
“That’s a good way to life your life,” Xander said. He looked deeply into her eyes and smiled softly. “I’m going to need your help when I’m alpha. I’m going to be counting on those instincts of yours to guide me through my life and my duties as a leader.”
Savannah leaned in and kissed Xander gently on the lips, then she whispered into his ear, “You can count on me. Always.”
Xander placed his hand protectively over Savannah’s belly. He slipped in beside her on the bed, and his lips closed around hers. It was a gentle kiss at first, but then it deepened, and Savannah felt the burning heat that lay just underneath.
They were finally free to live their lives without having to look over their shoulders. They were finally able to be together without fear or worry. Xander slipped his hand under her shirt, his fingers warm against her naked skin. This was the start of their real adventure together. Savannah was finally ready to take her place by Xander’s side, as his wife and as a true member of the pack.
Xander began teasing off her clothes, and Savannah gave herself over to him wholeheartedly, reveling in the intoxicating need for their bodies to become one.
- The End –
M/F: Space Dragon
CHAPTER ONE
The Infertility Crisis
“Alert. This is your president speaking. All volunteers for the Fertility Enrichment Program must arrive no later than seven a.m. tomorrow morning,” the tiny, disembodied voice of the President of Earth boomed over the loud speakers throughout every building and structure. “Repeat. All volunteers for the Fertility Enrichment Program must arrive no later than seven a.m. tomorrow.”
Celeste Monroe did her best to plug her ears with her hands. She was sitting at the kitchen table in her family’s small, squat slum of a home. For nearly twenty years now, the citizens of Earth had put up with such grand announcements. For almost twenty years, Earth’s leaders had been in a state of panic. That was because, for just about twenty years, no child had been born on Earth.
The planet was in crisis. As soon as the problem came to the attention of the
leadership, they beamed out a message to all neighboring planets and solar systems. Planet Earth was facing a major infertility crisis. The human race was dying out, and they desperately needed the help of another planet and its men.
Celeste thought this was ludicrous. How were men from another galaxy supposed to help the population? The children of space men were not really Earthlings at all. She was not kidding herself. But her family was poor, and it was promised that the families of those women brave enough to volunteer would be provided with food and resources enough to survive for life. She may have thought the plan was hokey, but Celeste was not about to pass up such a deal. She was smart, but she was not selfish. Say the pregnancy thing did not work out. At least her family would be able to live comfortably.
And hey, if it did not work out she would not have to have a baby.
Tall, curvy girl that she was, Celeste did not want to ruin her figure by running off and getting herself impregnated. She was only twenty-seven years old, for god’s sake. She figured that she had time enough for a few dates first.
Nevertheless, she marched out and volunteered when They asked, and signed her name where They told her to. She knew that, in time, they would be in touch with her.
And, sure enough, that day came.
That day was tomorrow at seven a.m.
“You should eat something,” Celeste’s mother told her. “You don’t want to appear too thin. No man is going to want to mate with a woman who is too skinny.”
Celeste smirked a bit. “Oh yeah?” she asked, putting several more forkfuls of rice into her mouth and then speaking with her mouth full. “And what if I don’t want to mate with a man with two heads and four arms?”
Her mother shook her head at her. “You may find a mate, but you will never find a husband with that kind of attitude.”
“Well, lucky for you a husband’s not the goal!”
Standing up from the table, Celeste washed her bowl in the sink. She frowned as she looked down, irritable, at the soapy suds that encased her used dishware. Because of the food shortage, rice and corn were just about the only commodities left. As the human race died out, so did labor for agriculture. Everyone on Earth had pretty much been biding their time, for twenty years, for either The Big One, or for savior to come down from the sky.
