She surged, all four paws coming off of the ground, her eyes focused on the wolf that held him down. As she hit her, Kyle disappeared as if he’d never been there at all. It didn’t stop her attack. She hit her hard, her own jaws clamping down on the back of her neck. She sank her teeth in with both power and fury. She shook her head, and blood poured from the tearing wounds. Still she didn’t stop. The wolf in her roared.
As she battled with the wolf that didn’t want to give in to death, she waited to feel Taria’s attack. This wolf was no match for the older, stronger, and better-trained Lily. Her life began to fade away beneath her teeth. Lily dropped her body to the ground and raised her head in a massive howl.
When her head came down, she stared across the wolf’s lifeless body and into eyes she hadn’t seen in five centuries. She remembered them as if the attack had happened only yesterday. Again she raised her head and howled. Fury at what had been done to her and what she had lost filled her with a rage so deep it had to be turning her eyes red.
Taria had been a sister to her, someone she had loved and trusted. Betrayal had been her reward, and now she would repay the favor. She charged, and as she did, Taria came straight for her. Leaping over the body of the wolf, shock almost stopped her as the wolf she thought she’d killed rolled over and bit her hind leg. She yipped in surprise and pain.
How was this possible? She’d killed that wolf, and yet it had buried its teeth deep into her leg. She was held captive as Taria raced toward her with teeth bared. It was all going so wrong, and now she was going to die.
Just as Taria reached her, two shots rang out, the sound deafening in the night air. The pressure on her leg disappeared as Taria dropped, landing hard on the ground. Lily limped away, getting herself out of range of an additional attack. Only then did she notice that neither wolf was moving. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision. It couldn’t be. As she watched, both returned to human form.
Taria, blood pouring from a wound in her chest, pushed herself up on her arms. “I’m sorry, Lily. I’m sorry.”
Lily dropped to the ground and panted. Pain burned in her leg. Taking a long, deep breath, she too let herself return to human form. The pain didn’t go away, and she put pressure on the open wounds. Unlike humans, she wasn’t worried about infection. She would heal and quickly. “Why did you do this to me? You were my friend.”
“I loved you. I couldn’t let you marry Aldrich because I knew you belonged with me. I thought if I made you like me, we could be together forever.” Her words grew softer and softer.
“You had no right.”
“No, but love doesn’t always do what’s right. I’m sorry…” She slumped to the ground and didn’t move again. Her long-ago friend was gone.
The wind whipped up and Lily shivered. More than the weather was sending chills through her body. She wanted to hate Taria for what she had done to Lily and for what she had robbed her of, except she couldn’t. Despite it all, she thought of the days when they had talked and read and shared their inner thoughts. She thought of the friend who’d always been there for her, the friend she hadn’t realized was in love with her. It was all wrong and sad and should never have had to end like this.
“Good thing I brought this,” Jayne said as she kneeled beside her and put a long, heavy coat over her shoulders. The warmth was immediate and felt like heaven.
“I can’t believe you’re here. How did you know where to come?”
Jayne wrapped her in a hug that felt fantastic. “Kyle told me who the wolf was.”
“Taria.” It almost broke her heart to say it.
“Well, yes, Taria. She was the stranger we kept hearing about. The girlfriend she was staying with just happened to be my deputy.”
“Oh,” Lily breathed, and then took her first good look at the wolf she thought she had killed. “How did you…” She looked over at the two bodies.
Jayne gave her a little smile. “You might not have believed I was paying attention, but I was. I used what you told me about folk legends and what my brother and my father taught me to create a couple of shells loaded with silver.”
Lily rested her head against Jayne’s shoulder, suddenly very tired. “You didn’t have enough time to make silver bullets.” Jayne couldn’t have melted down silver and had it cool quick enough to be able to use them.
Jayne kissed the top of her head. “No need for bullets when you can load shotgun shells. Bless my brother’s heart. He had everything I needed to make the shells quickly. I wasn’t sure the silver in my necklace would be enough, though it appears,” she nodded toward the bodies of Taria and Dana, “it was.”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re pretty smart?”
“You mean for a small-town sheriff?”
“Yes, that too.”
Epilogue
Lily couldn’t believe how fast the last two weeks had gone by. That night in the woods was a bit of a blur, though she would never truly be able to put it out of her mind. She would forever see Taria, or Bellona, as they learned that she now called herself, as she stood in wolf form staring at her with those familiar eyes. She had grown up with them, and only now did she understand why she had been paralyzed on the night she was attacked. It had been Taria’s eyes in the body of the wolf that had shocked her into inaction, and that was when she’d been struck, pulled from the open window, and her life forever altered.
At the time she’d believed a stranger had harmed her, one of the lone werewolves known only to the Jägers to wander the countryside looking for prey. The Jägers had perpetuated that belief and further cemented it by telling her they had tracked the werewolf down and killed it. They had lied to her so she wouldn’t be afraid to go into the world as the hunter they deemed her to be.
When Senn had first explained it all to her, she was furious. Where did they get off manipulating her and her life? However, after she calmed down, it all made a weird kind of sense. She had settled into the life of a Jägers hunter and become fearless. That never would have happened if she’d known Taria had attacked her and that she was still out there. Her ability to trust anyone would have been compromised by knowing it was one of those she trusted the most who betrayed her. She would have been fearful to walk outside her door if she’d worried that right outside the wolf might still be waiting. No, she grudgingly admitted, the decision the Jägers made to lie was, in her case, the right one.
Her heart still hurt even as she finally understood what had happened on that long-ago night and how Taria had tried in her own strange way to help the woman she loved. Lily always thought if she knew who had done this to her she would hate them, but the opposite was true. She still loved her friend, misguided as she might have been. She even understood her attraction to Dana. No one, not even a werewolf, really wanted to spend eternity alone. Like Taria, Lily realized she was lonely, and coming here had brought it all home.
Jayne made her feel for the first time in years. She filled something in Lily’s heart that had been missing her whole life. Incredibly, Jayne knew exactly what she was and what she did, and it didn’t make her turn away. Instead of repulsion, in her eyes she saw love and passion. It was easy to forgive Taria with Jayne by her side. Lily might be powerful, but Jayne gave her a different, and more important, kind of strength.
A car was coming up the driveway, and she smiled. Senn had made it, and it took only two phone calls to get him here. He had left his sanctuary on the other side of the world to make the trek to Northeast Washington. As he had done for her so long ago, he was here now to save two very special souls. Nate and Willa, or Adam and Eve, as Taria called them, were going with Senn to join the Jägers. Lily had no doubt that Nate would turn out to be a fantastic Jägers hunter. Willa, a beautiful, gentle soul, would find a place with Senn. The Jägers would help them control the beast that was forever inside them and give them a job that would suit their now-special nature.
Nate had filled them in on the details behind Dana, and they hadn’t been good. Tar
ia had made a rare bad decision in turning Dana. Her rebel nature combined with her dark witchcraft heritage made her a dangerous and out-of-control wolf. If Taria hadn’t already figured that out, Lily had no doubt she would have soon enough. It was a shame so many had been harmed before they were able to stop Dana and Taria, but the town could now heal.
Kyle and Ava had left three days ago to make the long journey from Colville to New Haven. Kyle planned to stay with Ava—no big surprise there—to explore the source of magic that had saved him from the jaws of Dana, or as Taria had called her, Little Wolf. What Dana was able to do was something Lily and Senn wanted to explore in more detail too, for it was the first time they had come across someone who could manipulate time and space as Dana had done when she trapped Kyle in a shadowland. If not for that sliver of light that linked Kyle and Ava, he would be dead now. The necromancer and the witch planned to investigate and strengthen that link, and that would give the Jägers a powerful tool in their battle against the darkness.
Jayne was still having a hard time wrapping her head around the reality that her trusted deputy was not just a homicidal werewolf but a dangerous witch as well. Lily knew it would take time for Jayne to once more trust her instincts when it came to seeing the best and the worst in people. But she would do it, and Lily intended to be there to help her.
The sun was shining today, the blue sky clear though the snow that had begun to fall the day before now covered everything in a clean, white blanket. It was beautiful. Normally, she would be gone as soon as her work was done. This time things were different, and the reason why was no mystery. She leaned against the railing and watched Senn steer his rental car down the long drive. She was glad he was here and glad he would be able to help both Nate and Willa transition to their new lives. They would do well under his tutelage. She knew that from firsthand experience.
Their meeting would be tense, and she wasn’t quite sure what he might say when she told him she wasn’t leaving with him. Certainly, she expected him to push back. It wouldn’t make any difference. She was staying right here.
“You ready for this? Ready to tell him you’re staying here with me?” Jayne came up behind her and put her arms around her shoulders, pulling her back against her chest in a warm hug. She didn’t think she would ever tire of Jayne’s embrace.
Lily nodded and smiled. “I’m ready.”
About the Author
Sheri Lewis Wohl grew up in northeast Washington State, and though she always thought she’d move away, never has. Despite traveling throughout the United States, Sheri always finds her way back home. And so she lives, plays, and writes amidst mountains, evergreens, and abundant wildlife.
When not working the day job in federal finance, she writes stories that typically include a bit of the strange and unusual and always a touch of romance. She works to carve out time to run, swim, and bike so she can participate in local triathlons, her latest addiction.
Sheri can be contacted at her websites and her blog:
Website: http://www.sherilewiswohl.com/
Website: https://sherilewiswohl.wordpress.com/
Blog: http://www.sheri26.blogspot.com/
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
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Into Thin Air by Jeannie Levig. When her girlfriend disappears, Hannah Lewis discovers her world isn’t as orderly as she thought it was. (978-1-62639-722-4)
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She Wolf by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When the hunter becomes the hunted, more than love might be lost. (978-1-62639-741-5)
Smothered and Covered by Missouri Vaun. The last person Nash Wiley expects to bump into over a two a.m. breakfast at Waffle House is her college crush, decked out in a curve-hugging law enforcement uniform. (978-1-62639-704-0)
The Butterfly Whisperer by Lisa Moreau. Reunited after ten years, can Jordan and Sophie heal the past and rediscover love or will differing desires keep them apart? (978-1-62639-791-0)
The Devil’s Due by Ali Vali. Cain and Emma Casey are awaiting the birth of their third child, but as always in Cain’s world, there are new and old enemies to face in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. (978-1-62639-591-6)
Widows of the Sun-Moon by Barbara Ann Wright. With immortality now out of their grasp, the gods of Calamity fight amongst themselves, egged on by the mad goddess they thought they’d left behind. (978-1-62639-777-4)
Arrested Hearts by Holly Stratimore. A reckless cop who hates her life and a health nut who is afraid to die might be a perfect combination for love. (978-1-62639-809-2)
Capturing Jessica by Jane Hardee. Hyperrealist sculptor Michael tries desperately to conceal the love she holds for best friend, Jess, unaware Jess’s feelings for her are changing. (978-1-62639-836-8)
Counting to Zero by AJ Quinn. NSA agent Emma Thorpe and computer hacker Paxton James must learn to trust each other as they work to stop a threat clock that’s rapidly counting down to zero. (978-1-62639-783-5)
Courageous Love by KC Richardson. Two women fight a devastating disease, and their own demons, while trying to fall in love. (978-1-62639-797-2)
One More Reason to Leave Orlando by Missouri Vaun. Nash Wiley thought a threesome sounded exotic and exciting, but as it turns out the reality of sleeping with two women at the same time is just really complicated. (978-1-62639-703-3)
Pathogen by Jessica L. Webb. Can Dr. Kate Morrison navigate a deadly virus and the threat of bioterrorism, as well as her new relationship with Sergeant Andy Wyles and her own troubled past? (978-1-62639-833-7)
Rainbow Gap by Lee Lynch. Jaudon Vickers and Berry Garland, polar opposites, dream and love in this tale of lesbian lives set in Central Florida against the tapestry of societal change and the Vietnam War. (978-1-62639-799-6)
Steel and Promise by Alexa Black. Lady Nivrai’s cruel desires and modified body make most of the galaxy fear her, but courtesan Cailyn Derys soon discovers the real monsters are the ones without the claws. (978-1-62639-805-4)
Swelter by D. Jackson Leigh. Teal Giovanni’s mistake shines an unwanted spotlight on a small Texas ranch where August Reese is secluded until she can testify against a powerful drug kingpin. (978-1-62639-795-8)
Without Justice by Carsen Taite. Cade Kelly and Emily Sinclair must battle each other in the pursuit of justice, but can they fight their undeniable attraction outside the walls of the courtroom? (978-1-62639-560-2)
21 Questions by Mason Dixon. To find love, start by asking the right questions. (978-1-62639-724-8)
A Palette for Love by Charlotte Greene. When newly minted Ph.D. Chloé Devereaux returns to New Orleans, she doesn’t expect her new job and her powerful employer—Amelia Winters—to be so appealing. (978-1-62639-758-3)
By the Dark of Her Eyes by Cameron MacElvee. When Brenna Taylor inherits a decrepit property
haunted by tormented ghosts, Alejandra Santana must not only restore Brenna’s house and property but also save her soul. (978-1-62639-834-4)
Death by Cocktail Straw by Missouri Vaun. She just wanted to meet girls, but an outing at the local lesbian bar goes comically off the rails, landing Nash Wiley and her best pal in the ER. (978-1-62639-702-6)
Cash Braddock by Ashley Bartlett. Cash Braddock just wants to hang with her cat, fall in love, and deal drugs. What’s the problem with that? (978-1-62639-706-4)
Lone Ranger by VK Powell. Reporter Emma Ferguson stirs up a thirty-year-old mystery that threatens Park Ranger Carter West’s family and jeopardizes any hope for a relationship between the two women. (978-1-62639-767-5)
Never Enough by Robyn Nyx. Can two women put aside their pasts to find love before it’s too late? (978-1-62639-629-6)
Love on Call by Radclyffe. Ex-Army medic Glenn Archer and recent LA transplant Mariana Mateo fight their mutual desire in the face of past losses as they work together in the Rivers Community Hospital ER. (978-1-62639-843-6)
Two Souls by Kathleen Knowles. Can love blossom in the wake of tragedy? (978-1-62639-641-8)
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