by Mia Rose
Declan sounded more perky than usual, and Maria sensed in his voice that it was good news. “I saw the woman in the hospital. She has since died. Now I have to find the witch; her sister.” Maria pushed her eye up against the keyhole as she saw a body step off the staircase. It wasn’t Gabriel, thank God.
“Once you’ve spoken to her, then you’ll be making your way back?”
Declan’s voice crackled from the speaker on the phone. Maria looked, and she had full signal. “…glad,” she heard Declan's voice say.
“Declan, repeat it.”
“I’m headi—int—t—eve—des.”
Maria cut the call, because Declan, wherever he was, had lost signal. She sat and thought about what she managed to hear him say. Glades. Eve. It made no sense to Maria. She replaced all the items she’d moved and stepped back into the hallway. She saw Gia climbing her way back up the stairs after training.
“Hey, Gia, you come from Florida, don’t you?” Maria asked.
Gia nodded and replied. “Make it quick, I’m totally spent.”
Maria asked,” What does glad eve mean?”
Gia screwed her face up at Maria. “It don’t mean shit. I’m not sure what made you say that, but someone was clearly saying everglades to you, obviously!”
Ah! Declan’s on his way into the everglades.
“One last thing Gia, is it dangerous in there?” Maria asked.
“If the swamps don’t get you, the alligators might. If they don’t, the rising water levels might. If you get past all of that, there’s plenty of wolves roaming around those parts…” Gia started to say. She laughed.
“Don’t tell me… they might just get you,” Maria said. “What about if Declan was heading in that direction?”
Gia laughed and shook her head. “If Declan’s heading in there as a human, may God help us all.”
“It’ll take more than a good cookie to get you through this.”
Chapter 10
Roll Me Over
“If you love something set it free.”
Declan sat in Judy’s apartment. It wasn’t the largest in the world, and it was by no means the smallest, either. Declan was impressed that Judy had managed to buy somewhere this expensive, especially on a junior doctor’s salary.
“This puts our apartment building to shame back at Clifton Towers,” Declan remarked as he stepped onto the balcony and cast his eyes over the ocean.
The afternoon sun began setting, and golden shimmers were cast from the beach to the horizon. He squinted and peered into the distance and saw the odd boat with fishermen casting their rods, and sitting in their chairs with satisfaction.
“Never been a beach bum, but I can see the attraction,” he said to Judy as she stepped beside him, now offering him a green-colored shake. “What the hell’s this?” He began pushing the bendy straw between his pursed lips. Judy gave a huge slurp then wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.
“Energy shake, it’s all natural. You look as if you could do with a few more of these.”
Declan sucked on the straw trying to draw the thick liquid into his mouth. “Bah,” he snapped throwing the straw onto the circular table that sat behind them.
He lifted the glass and placed it hard on his bottom lip and tipped the glass’ contents into his mouth. Judy stood watching as the contents of the glass slowly vanished. A light coating remained inside the glass as Declan refrained from burping and wiped his mouth with his fingers.
“That’s one tasty shake,” he said, placing the empty glass next to the bendy straw he’d just disposed of. “You want to go over these directions?” He sat down on the couch as he smiled. “You wanna know the worst thing about being human?”
She guessed what he was going to say and answered his question for him. “You get tired much easier?” That was the signal for Declan to yawn and start to look a little sleepy. But Declan pulled out his scrap of paper and began reading the directions to Judy.
“Tamiami Trail’s the first road we have to take. Then we take the fifth turning on the right and drive until we reach the point of jetties,” Declan explained. “This is the first point Martha said things vanish. Six jetties lead into various waterways. Five of these vanish with the magic (or the tide), and we have to take the remaining one.” Judy nodded because she’d seen that sort of situation before, and once it was dark you’d have no chance of knowing where you were going.
“What next?”
“We have to get from the boat and then travel by foot from the second rising piece of land. And this never goes underwater and leads to another jetty, about four miles away,” Declan explained.
Judy looked at Declan. She could see he had no concern or idea how hard this was going to be for him. “You’ll have to try and ride my back, you’ll never run four miles in the middle of the night.”
Declan could see that Judy had a point. He was still caught in the mindset that he was an alpha and could run all day. “Then we have to wade through the water to the largest mangrove tree we see. On the far side of that, Marina has her…” Declan began drifting off into thought. “Crap, I’m not sure what sort of home she has.”
Judy sat with her legs draped over the side of her armchair. Her shoulders shrugged as she clasped her hands together over her head. She stretched. Declan couldn’t help but notice the bottom of her breasts baring themselves.
“It’s okay Declan, if we had time, I’d be jumping on you as much as you’d be jumping on me. Unfortunately for you, this is your last chance to take back your pack. Rest a while, we’ve got about four hours before we have to set off.” With that, Declan rested his head (after shoving the paper into the pocket of his jeans). His head rested perfectly on the comfortable cushion of the couch, and there, he fell into a deep sleep.
Declan woke to Judy shaking him. “Wakey, wakey,” she said.
Declan opened his eyes, and at first, he began wondering where he was. After scanning the room, he remembered he was in Judy’s apartment. “I was miles away then,” he replied slipping his legs from the couch and rubbing his eyes.
Judy offered him a large mug of black coffee that Declan gladly accepted. “Black and strong with extra sugar; we’re gonna need it tonight.”
Declan checked to make sure the paper was still in his pocket. He gave a sigh of relief when his fingers brushed over the edge of the paper. Judy walked back from the kitchen with two Ziploc bags.
“Large one for the cookies, and the small one for the directions,” she said, handing the bags to Declan. “I’m gonna grab a shower and get ready; you can have one after me if you like,” Judy mumbled as she walked to her bedroom whilst removing her t-shirt. Then, she was out of sight.
Declan emptied his pockets and backpack of anything of value. He then began to re-pack. Directions and then the crossbow. He held the phone in his hand and was unsure whether to take it with him. He hadn’t even got into the glades, and the signal cut out on him as he was talking to Maria, just recently. Stuff it, I’ll leave it here. Damned cheap phones.
Declan plugged the phone on to charge, he wasn’t sure how much time he’d have once they’d spoken to Marina. He guessed there’d be a spell or something that she’d do, and then, magically, he’d have his powers back. Declan had never been mixed up with a witch’s magic, so he had no idea what it entailed.
Judy walked from the bedroom in leather pants and calf length, leather boots. Her top was mostly hidden by a leather vest. Declan saw she had holders for what he thought might be throwing knives. She also had them on her boots.
“You look like a hunter to me,” Declan said. Judy chuckled as she reached into the cupboard and pulled out a few dark metallic knives and began sliding them into place around her body.
“Not a hunter, but we do go into the glades to hunt, and we have to spend a while in human form before we get out of view,” she replied. “There’s no end of alligators and things that can cause you harm.”
Declan looked at what he was wearing, his boots app
eared to be the only thing that would offer him any sort of protection. “Do you think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew by doing this?” he asked.
Judy slid the last knife into position and shook her head. “Nah, you’ll be fine, you’ve got me with you.”
Declan looked worried. “You said there are a lot of roaming wolves in there, I guess not many of them are in a pack?”
Judy pulled her lips together and forced a smile. “I have little to worry about, it’s you that they’ll be concerned with,” she said plainly.
Declan removed his t-shirt and turned back to Judy. “As long as I act like an alpha, they might think I’m still able to transform,” Declan said smiling. “Grrrr.” Judy shook her head and chuckled at Declan’s feeble attempt at humor. “Ten minutes and I’ll be ready,” Declan said, now vanishing into the bathroom.
Judy sat at the table and held the tips of her fingers together. She dug deep into her inner wolf, and as her eyes glowed yellow, she closed them. She breathed deeply and became almost trancelike.
Maria… Maria, if you can hear me, Declan’s meeting the witch tonight.
Noelle stood on the large boulder with her arms outstretched and the wind blowing through her hair. Lucas had taken Noelle back to the woods for exercise. Part of her inner wolf had remained and healed her leg quicker than it should’ve taken. It wasn’t yet perfect, but it was healed enough to exercise. Noelle had said they’d go to the hospital in a couple of days, but she didn’t want them strapping her up, or even worse, admitting her for observation. A few drops of blood blipping across the glass under a microscope could attract the attention of any doctor.
Edmund had slipped her his elixir, yet she could feel her body was still waging a war on itself. It wasn’t that her wolf would return, she knew that wasn’t possible. Or at least it wasn’t possible; not without Declan in his wolf form. The chances of that were less than zero. He’d gone, and the wolf she’d fallen for had all but vanished, it was only the memories she clung to. Most of them were pretty bad. They’d had some really shitty arguments, yet Noelle knew those moments where they’d made love showed all the tenderness that two adults could share. Sometimes, she longed for it again.
Declan had gone, and no matter how much she thought about it, he wasn’t coming back to her, and she doubted he’d ever venture back to the apartments. Noelle sat on the boulder and slid herself off. Lucas pounced in his wolf form and scooped her up before she had a chance to hit the ground by herself. Noelle wrapped her arms around his broad neck, and his muscles rippled. She could feel the power he possessed.
“Lucas, you’re so strong, I can feel it,” Noelle murmured standing on her feet.
Lucas stared with his beautiful green eyes. His head rocked from side to side as his shoulders hunched and contorted. Lucas yelled as bones twisted and turned, his body melding back to its human form. He stepped closer to the stream and scooped up a handful of water and washed his face before running his fingers through his dark air. A family of deer stood cautiously on the other side of the river. Two fawns ran from the lush green undergrowth, and paused.
“Are you hungry?” he asked Noelle.
She walked over to the large log and glanced across at the deer. “Let them live today, you don’t have to kill every one of them.”
Lucas finished washing his face and approached Noelle as she busily rubbed her shin. Small beads of water ran over his brow and dripped from the end of his nose. He shook his head, and stray water splashed over Noelle’s cheek.
“That’s fighting talk where I come from,” she said as she stood baring her fists to Lucas.
He mockingly bared his own fists and ran toward the pasture. Noelle made her way as fast as she could. She still hobbled and wasn’t able to run. She rocked herself as fast as she could to the pasture. The final golden embers of the sun cast their rays over one half of the pasture. The shadow moved slowly toward the line of trees, and the air began cooling.
“Lucas, where are you?” Noelle yelled. She could see the path he’d made through the grass.
The tall grass moved as Noelle crept toward the patch she thought Lucas was hiding in. Noelle caressed the petals of the flowers as she crept stealth-like toward the patch.
She stopped and sprung. Noelle jumped the last few feet screaming, “Aha!!”
Noelle glanced into the space and could see that Lucas had been there, yet there was no sign of him leaving. No flattened grass or broken flowers. He made his way there and had vanished, it seemed.
Noelle ran her gaze across the pasture, and saw that the sun had finally left them. It was setting on the other side of the trees. Noelle turned, and Lucas stood towering above her.
“You dork, you scared me half to death,” she said as Lucas threw himself into the grass.
He patted the patch next to him, urging Noelle to join him. Lucas grabbed hold of Noelle's pants and dragged her down in lust, and where she tried rolling away from him. Giggling loudly, Lucas pulled her close to him and wrapped his arm around her body. Noelle's long hair spread in the grass as Lucas rested himself on one elbow. His hand rested on Noelle's belly as he lowered his lips to hers.
Noelle’s soft pink lips enticed Lucas lower. He pushed his lips hard against Noelle, like he couldn’t be apart from her. Their first kiss lingered and intoxicated Lucas. His mind wandered as much as his hand as he caressed the soft skin of Noelle’s belly and inched his way inside her jogging pants.
Noelle looked deeply into Lucas’ eyes, yet her mind was full of Declan. The times he had taken her for a picnic and done the exact same thing on the blanket by the river. Noelle sighed as Lucas knelt and pulled her jogging bottoms from her legs. He threw them into the unsuspecting grass. He was the perfect man, but he wasn’t Declan.
“I can smell your sweet nectar,” Lucas said as he positioned himself between Noelle's thighs.
His head lowered as he kissed her thigh. Noelle murmured with pleasure and wanting. Lucas pushed her legs wider and ran the tip of his tongue against the edges of her velvety skin. Noelle’s belly tightened as she arched her back in response to Lucas, who now used his tongue to enjoy her sweetness.
Noelle’s fists tightened around the grass. Her knuckles voided themselves of blood as she clenched hard. Noelle gyrated her hips in circular motions as Lucas pushed his tongue deeper, and with want. Shallow pants escaped from Noelle as Lucas pulled his tongue from her and made her feel more pleasure as he slid two fingers inside of her. Spasms of delight shot through Noelle’s body as her body shuddered against the probing fingers of Lucas. His thumb rubbed hard against her budded clit as he inched his fingers deeper inside. She was in the zone. He was very assertive.
Noelle rested on her elbows and looked down toward Lucas. Her body filled with uncontrollable shuddering contractions. Lewis had hit the spot, and all thoughts of Declan, had, for the moment, been placed on the backburner. Noelle sucked little gasps of air as she lifted her hips to meet Lucas’ fingers.
“Lucas, I’m…” she said squirming her hips in satisfaction. Tremors of ecstasy filled her body. Noelle’s eyes rolled back as her head tilted. She whimpered in a climax she’d never felt before. “Lucas!” Her scream of delight filled the pasture.
Her body erupted in dazzling undulations as Lucas pushed her over the edge. Noelle made her final threshold of passion known, before her body slumped on the flat grass in the middle of the pasture. She laid there panting. Her eyes closed. Lucas laid at the side of her and looked at the stars.
“Lucas,” Noelle said in a quiet tone.
Lucas tilted his head slightly, his gray eyes turned back to his natural green-hazel. “Yeah, what is it?” he asked.
Noelle regretted her choice of timing to bring up the subject, but if it weren't now, there’d be a good chance it would never arise again. “I’m going to have to leave.”
Lucas took ahold of her hand and smiled. “Yeah, I know.”
“If you love something set it free.”
Chapter 11
First Motions
“When you’re trapped, there's no way out.”
Edmund sat outside the Towers and saw a few roaming guards that Gabriel had stationed outside. Hmm, Gabriel must be readying himself for something. Edmund pushed his shades back up his nose and leaned his elbow on the open window. He watched and thought what Gabriel’s motive might be. Maybe, it was on the odd chance that Declan would return. Or maybe it was because of an onslaught that was imminent from the council’s elite hunters. That sounded more like it. The council was slowly working their way across the country and wiping out the packs of wolves they knew were dominant. Gabriel had one saving grace, for the time being, the pack they’d wiped out in the forest had weakened their troops. The hunters had retreated back, to wait for reinforcements. If they attempted to attack the Towers now, they’d stand a good chance of losing.
Edmund saw from the outside that the windows had been reinforced. Get any hunters inside, and it’d be a damned, bloody, kill zone. Wolves could lurk in every corner and in every shadow. The hunters wouldn’t stand a chance. That wasn’t his concern. Edmund didn’t care how many hunters died. He and Sanders looked at the bigger picture and only wanted an opportunity to turn the wolves back to human form. They wanted them to have the chance of leading healthy lives, with no fear of looking over their shoulders every minute of every day.
Edmund had to get inside the Towers and grab some of his elixir and the bottles of Noelle’s blood. The front door wasn’t an option; he’d have to scout around the back of the building.
Edmund closed the door of his car and made his way to the alleyway that’d lead to the rear of the apartments. He’d never seen the back, yet there was no way there wasn’t an entrance or some way in.
Edmund stared at the sky and saw that the sun was at its lowest point before setting. The pack would sleep before coming awake for the night. He walked closer to the wall, his elbows brushed the concrete as he made his way to the rear of the apartments.
