Beginnings: Last Prophecy

by Jennie Andrus

  Crud, I’d really messed this up.

  “Happy Halloween, Lottie.” The voice was cold and flat. Every drop of blood in my body plummeted to my toes as I scrambled to my feet.

  In the shadows, only a foot behind where I’d crouched, stood my sister’s killer. He wore all black, from his boots to the hood on his billowing cloak. The hood hid his face, all but a sliver of pale cheek.

  He looked like death.

  I should have run. I should have kicked him in the balls. Instead I stood there, frozen with fear, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

  He moved, one pale hand appearing from the folds of the cloak, breaking the spell. I spun around and slammed into the lowered tailgate of the pickup.

  A strong arm wrapped around my waist, and cold fingers closed over my mouth. I tried to scream, tried to bite, but he only tightened his grip around me, driving the air from my lungs.

  Dropping like a stone did no good since he dragged me away just as easily. The guy wasn’t big but he was strong.

  “You’re so predictable, Lottie. You did exactly what your sister said, running away like that. You didn’t think you could escape me did you?”

  I didn’t answer since his hand was still clamped over my mouth. He dragged me towards the trees, and I had to close my eyes when low hanging branches slapped against my cheeks.

  He tripped, whether over his cloak or something on the ground I didn’t know. I landed hard on the ground and scrambled to my feet, desperate to get away. I tried to scream but no sound came out.

  A hand clamped down on my shoulder and at the same time I stumbled over a root or a rock. With my arms flailing wildly I fell forward and bashed my head on a tree.

  As blackness overtook me I had enough time to realize I was completely and utterly screwed.

  Chapter Seven

  I awoke to the sound of cold, eerie laughter. I was tied to something flat like a table or a rock. Shivers wracked my body and I realized I was naked. Frantic, I jerked at my bindings but there was no give. A moan escaped my throat and I heard the crunch of footsteps on dead leaves.

  He loomed over me, his face in shadow with only a halo of moonlight circling his head.

  Still, I recognized him.

  “Will?”

  “Surprise.”

  Tell me about it. Will was my stalker? Will had murdered Maddy, mutilating her body and bathing in her blood? It was like imagining Barney or Bullwinkle as killers.

  “Why?” I realized I really wanted to know. More than that I had to know. What made this guy, who had average-Joe written all over him, into a psycho?

  “Power. Did you know Maddy was so careful to keep up the appearance that she was normal around me? Ironic, isn’t it, that she handed me the proof of her power to save you, when I’d just about given her up as a fraud? If she’d stayed quiet, she’d be alive and you wouldn’t be here.”

  My mom would have said it was destiny, but I wasn’t about to argue with him about it.

  “Will, you can’t honestly believe you can steal power. It’s insane.”

  “Oh but it’s not. My mother was a powerful witch, but to her disappointment I showed no signs of having her gifts. I learned quite by accident that my abilities lay elsewhere. I can have every power, every magical skill. That is my magic.”

  “But you have to kill to get it.”

  He shrugged. “I enjoyed your sister. She was a wild thing in the sack and she didn’t beg or plead when she died. She was strong and the power she fed me was like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

  Great. Maddy had been brave and strong during her murder. No way was I going to break down and turn into a blubbering baby.

  “But it was always you I wanted, Lottie. Your ability to regenerate will make me all but invincible. Of course I’ll need to test the limitations of this power—on you naturally.” An unholy gleam lit his eyes and I knew then that more than stealing my powers, what Will wanted was the chance to torture someone who could heal within seconds, someone who would enable him to prolong his fun.

  The knife he pulled from somewhere in the cloak caught the moonlight, flashing silver fire in my eyes.

  The hell with that.

  The instant the blade pierced my flesh, a sharp stab to the kidney, I screamed. The second bite of steel sliced across my upper thigh, and blood sprayed over my stomach and legs.

  Will stepped back and waited, his face alight with glee.

  Slowly the pain eased as the wounds closed themselves. It would take a few hours for the pink scars to disappear, but I was in no danger from the wounds.

  That didn’t mean I was going to keep letting him cut me.

  I screamed. “Perry!” A swift jab of the knife pierced a lung, cutting off my plea for help. Blood clogged my throat, left me gagging and choking.

  “Scream for me again, Lottie.” Will’s face was close to mine, his breath harsh against my cheek. His gaze bore into mine and I knew he was enjoying the gleam of panic in my eyes.

  I spat in his face, watched the spittle and blood spatter on his pale cheeks. He reared back, snarling and swiping at his face.

  “You shouldn’t have done that.” Clutching the knife high over his head he sneered and brought it down, once to shoulder, stomach, groin.

  Panic gripped me. I couldn’t survive this, couldn’t have this many wounds and regenerate them all. Again and again the blade sank into my flesh.

  Black spots flicked before my eyes. My body felt light, like it was floating.

  “Perry!” I called again, knowing my voice was weak. There was no way he could hear me, but I knew I had to trust him to find me. Somehow.

  Something crashed to my right. The ground shook.

  My vision wavered, both from waning energy and the splatter of blood in my eyes. I blinked, determined to remain conscious. The gleam of silver flashed, like a dozen knives coming from the shadows.

  Will screamed and I saw his body fly through the air, hovering over mine before he was flung away. A sickening crunch split the night, the wet popping of bone breaking.

  “Hell and damnation, Perry, leave some for the rest of us.” I recognized the voice, and when Minkey emerged from the shadows I wanted to cry with relief. Perry had come.

  Tears glinted in my eyes but I blinked them back, desperately looking for him.

  Instead I saw a moose. His massive chest heaved, steam puffed from his nostrils with each ragged breath. His rack glistened with blood.

  Trust the moose. Christ.

  “Here now, little lady, don’t try and move.” It was Perry’s father. I realized then that the clearing was full of people but still I couldn’t find Perry. What if he hadn’t come? But Minkey had spoken to him. Adrenaline and blood loss were making me dizzy, confused. Where was Perry?

  “Get me loose. I have to find him. I have to explain.”

  Dave frowned. “You need to lie still until the ambulance gets here.”

  “Christ, she’s never going to survive this.” Minkey swore and I heard others mutter in agreement.

  “You have to cut me loose.”

  “Perry, you have to get a hold of yourself and tell her to lie still.”

  Why couldn’t I find him? He was here, so why couldn’t I see him?

  “Jumpin’ Jesus on a pogo stick! Will you look at that.”

  Suddenly a dozen men were crossing themselves. Dave stared at my body with rapt fascination. “What in the name of God is going on?” The question came out on a gasp of horrified breath.

  “I’m a freak okay? Can you untie me now?” See, only extreme torture would get me to reveal my secret. Besides, now that my body was replacing the lost blood, my strength was returning. The last thing I wanted was to be lying here, naked, while a bunch of men ogled me like I was some sort of circus sideshow exhibit. Within seconds I was free and helped up by Minkey and Perry’s dad. Someone slipped a jacket over my shoulders.

  “Where’s Perry?”

  Nobody answered, instead the
y spent a good minute looking at each other, stuffing their hands in their pockets and I swear one of them started to innocently whistle. I’d have laughed if the situation weren’t so serious.

  The moose stepped forward, pushing through the circle of men around me. Dave stepped in front of me to block its path, but the moose simply nudged him out of the way with one swipe of its head.

  “Don’t do it,” he warned.

  Before I could ask whom he was talking to, the air around the moose shimmered and the massive animal was gone. In its place stood a man dressed in fake fur.

  “Perry?” I asked. Then I fainted.

  Chapter Eight

  I woke to the sound of two men arguing. Someone was a meddling old fool and someone was an irresponsible idiot.

  I opened my eyes and frowned at the tall ceiling filled with orange and black balloons.

  “You might want to wake up and join this conversation.”

  I sat up and realized I was in the curling club, on a really uncomfortable couch. Minkey sat on the armrest, and it was him who had whispered in my ear.

  “What’s going on?” My voice drew Perry and his father’s gaze. In an instant Perry was there, pulling me tight against his chest.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked a minute later when he finally released me enough to look me over.

  “I’m fine.” I realized half the town was still there. Mortified, I looked down at myself, suddenly remembering that I’d been naked, and saw I was wearing Perry’s moose costume.

  Then I remembered what I’d seen. My gaze flew to his and he winced. A few coughs broke the awkward silence.

  I looked away and bit my lip, trying to think of something to say. “So I guess we’re both a little different, eh?”

  He grinned but I could see the wariness in his eyes. “Are you okay with that?”

  Was I? I realized with a start that it didn’t bother me at all. I thought about how hard I’d worked to have a normal life, away from strange powers. Was that really what I wanted? Maybe it had more to do with being accepted. The reason I’d resented Maddy wasn’t because she was different, but because nobody accepted her for it, and by default, they treated me the same way.

  The truth was I missed the bizarre existence I’d had as a kid. Weird, I know. Most people move out and miss their mother’s cooking; I missed being able to be myself around people who didn’t judge me. Huh. Who’d have thought?

  “I guess normal is pretty boring. I’m okay with it if you are.”

  His grin grew and I was pulled back into his arms again. He bent his head and I stretched up to receive his kiss only to be dragged away before our lips could touch.

  “No! I refuse to allow this. It’s too dangerous.” Mr. Sullivan’s eyes were dark with rage. His grip dug into my upper arms and would have left bruises on anyone else. What was with this guy and his screwed-up views of relationships?

  “Sir, he’s kissed me before and I survived it just fine.” Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Dave’s shoulders snapped back, his eyes narrowed dangerously and he looked like he might jump on his son and throttle the hell out of him.

  “Dad, that’s enough.”

  “I won’t let you go through what I did with your mother.”

  “She’s not going to die,” Perry insisted, pulling me back against his side. I moved to stand partially behind him to avoid being tugged around. I’d had enough of that for one night.

  “Of course I’m not. Why would you say that?”

  “Because every one of our people who’ve taken fully human mates has watched his woman die in childbirth,” Dave yelled.

  Ouch. I wanted to tell him he was jumping way ahead of himself, but obviously this was a touchy subject. “Mr. Sullivan, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

  “Christ, Dave, the girl was stabbed about thirty times tonight and she’s right as rain. If she can survive that, she can handle birthin’ one of you moose men,” Minkey commented.

  “Dad, I know you feel the line should end, but I’ve never agreed with you.”

  Minkey nodded. “Never did agree with you keeping the boy from having a family.”

  Okay, this was getting out of hand. “Mr. Sullivan, I’m sure you remember my sister and her—special gift. She foresaw this, and my sister is never wrong.”

  His eyebrows rose all the way up to his hairline. “And what did you sister foresee?”

  I looked up at Perry and wondered if I should have kept my mouth shut. I bit my lip and sighed. I’d made the mistake of not telling him the truth before. I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  “She predicted the attempted murder and that I’d need to trust a moose if I was to survive. She said that in searching for sanctuary I’d find love.”

  I looked up again, saw the look of amusement on Perry’s face. Honestly I didn’t know if I loved him yet, but I was willing to take the chance.

  “I put a stop to your sister’s prophecy before. I can do it again.”

  “No you didn’t, Dad.”

  Dave blinked. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Everyone was watching Perry now. “It means I did get Lisa pregnant. You may have stopped us going to St. John’s but that didn’t keep us from being together. She had a miscarriage a few weeks later.”

  Dave’s jaw dropped, and before he could resume his rant, Perry gathered me against his side, turned, and led me through the silent crowd and out into the night.

  In the distance the horizon had begun to bloom with the coming dawn. It was over.

  “So you’re really okay with this?” he asked. “I should warn you, when I lose my temper I can’t control it. Once I lost it in the squad car and ended up shifting. Moose don’t fit in a car too well.”

  I laughed. God it felt good to be able to do that. I wondered then if Maddy was watching. I could almost see her laughing at the trouble she’d caused. With a smile, I hoped she was, and I hoped she knew how thankful I was that I’d been able to fulfill her final prophecy.

  About the Author

  To learn more about Jennie, please visit http://jennieandrus.com. Send an email to Jennie at jennie@jennieandrus.com or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Jennie http://groups.yahoo.com/group/authorbox or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/daughters_of_circe

  Look for these titles

  Now Available:

  Dragon’s Birth by Jennie Andrus

  Coming Soon:

  Moving Atlantis by Jennie Andrus

  Beginnings: A Samhain Anthology

  Read the entire Beginnings collection now available in print!

  Beginnings: A Touch of Magic

  © 2006 Cassandra Kane

  A race against time to save a planet—will the price be too heavy to pay?

  Captain Tirana Albasta leads the last scouting mission to mystery planet Samhain, which has already swallowed two previous missions and a starship full of New Wiccan colonists, Lalith's People.

  Determined to keep the planet from UA Special Forces' harsh military control, Tirana finds much more than she expected. For the descendants of Lalith's People have split into two separate societies—the anti-magic Priests and the magical True People—and she has just been caught in the crossfire.

  Complicating matters is her attraction to Loren, the broodingly handsome True People witch who ignites passions she has never before experienced, and who just might make leaving Samhain impossible in more ways than one…

  Beginnings: A Warrior’s Witch

  © 2006 Mackenzie McKade

  Legacy bonds them—betrayal will test them—but, love and a little bit of magic will keep them together.

  Gifted with both Berserka and Wicce heritage, Sabine wonders which legacy will determine her fate. A path of freedom and independence? Or will the Berserka curse tie her to one man, not of her choosing?

  After his father’s death, Conall returns to Scotland to take his rightful place as chieftain. Fate steps in an
d unleashes his hot-blooded lust on one obstinate woman resolved on defying destiny.

  A forced marriage binds them. Desire and their animalistic nature draw them together. But someone is threatening to destroy the fiery love growing between them. Salt in the water, poison in the wine has everyone looking askew at Sabine, including her husband.

  When the clan demands Sabine’s death, Conall must choose between family and the woman he loves.

  Beginnings: Babe in Woods

  © 2006 Lorelei James

  Animal attraction takes on a whole new meaning…

  Manhattanite Lacy Buchanan is out to prove she’s a tough cookie by signing up for a survivalist hiking trip in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. The last thing she expected was to get lost, forcing her to spend the rest of the hike alone with surly, too-sexy mountain man, Becker, who blames her entirely for their predicament. After Becker saves her from a rattlesnake, and gently calms her fears, Lacy feels lucky to be in his experienced hands.

  But Sam Becker isn’t really a hiking expert. He’s strictly the moneyman in Back To Nature Guided Hiking Tours and a last minute, temporary fill-in guide. He can’t believe his bad luck when his reluctant charge—a mouthy, but hot, blonde bombshell—pulverizes their only compass, destroying their chances of following the coordinates to base camp. Yet something about Lacy’s trusting nature makes him want fulfill her idea he’s her rugged hero.

  As Sam and Lacy attempt to find a way out of the treacherous mountain passes, their natural instincts take them…farther away from civilized behavior and straight into the mating calls of the wild.

  Beginnings: Night Music

  © 2006 Charlene Teglia

  When death marked her, he offered her rebirth…