Awakened (Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd Book 1)

by Shei Darksbane

  I squeezed her to my side and nuzzled her head softly. “What is it, Raelya? Something more is bothering you.”

  Raelya nuzzled me back. “It is just that I do not like the Templar and…” She sighed then glanced up at me. “It is funny that you mentioned the Nazis, the Holocaust.”

  “Oh… Don’t tell me you’re Jewish.” I winced exaggeratedly.

  Blond-haired, blue-eyed Raelya laughed. “You know I am not.” She smiled weakly. “I was there, however.”

  I blinked. “You were what?”

  “I was there in Nazi Germany. I was very young then. Elisa brought me to the States to get away from the fighting.”

  “You mean you’re…” I tried counting the years and shook my head. “You look… my age at best.”

  Raelya smiled softly. “It is one of the fortunes of being a werewolf, yes? We do not age so quickly.”

  I shook my head in awe. “Still, that makes you like… what, eighty?”

  Raelya nodded. “A little more than that. I hope it does not bother you.”

  I smirked. “Oh the jokes I could make…”

  Raelya smiled warmly and I was happy to see it touch her eyes. “I am sure you will think of many good ones.” She nuzzled my shoulder again. “I am sorry for being difficult, Dakota. The Templar…” She sighed. “Supernatural beings who have lived a long time… almost all of us have lost someone we loved to the Templar.”

  I frowned. “Oh, I’m…”

  Raelya shook her head. “You did not know and it is not your fault. You did nothing wrong.”

  I hugged her tightly. “I’m still sorry.”

  Raelya hugged me back. “When they separated us, I did not realize what was happening until they put the handcuffs on me. The silver started burning me, and I realized that something was wrong because handcuffs… I thought… they are not made of silver, yes? Then I tried to pull free, and when I was not strong enough to break the chain, I knew something was very, very wrong. Then the Templar stepped in and I thought…” She sniffed at the sudden appearance of tears. “I realized what was happening and I thought they would kill you before I could get free. I was so afraid for you.” She pressed her face into my shoulder and I held her tightly.

  “It’s okay Raelya…” She cried softly against my shoulder and I petted her hair comfortingly. “I’m not a proper werewolf yet, but I’m pretty slick. Though, I don’t think I’d have gotten out of that okay without you.” I kissed the top of her head. “Thank you for saving me.”

  Raelya looked up at me with tearful eyes and smiled weakly. “You are very new to the pack, Dakota, but… I am very fond of you.”

  I smiled at her warmly. “I’m fond of you too, Raelya.” I leaned to kiss her forehead and she moved, kissing me on the cheek, so I returned the gesture in kind.

  “I will not let anything happen to you while we are here.” She promised.

  “I know. And I’m grateful that you’re here with me.” I glanced at the nightstand and spotted a remote. “Want to order takeout and watch a movie?”

  Raelya nodded, wiping at her eyes. “That sounds good. Perhaps later we will go out and see some of the sights as Sky suggested?”

  I nodded. “That’d be good. But for now, I think we deserve a little rest.”

  We ordered takeout and curled up on the bed together to relax. We watched movies and talked and laughed, and Raelya didn’t leave my side for the rest of the day.

  29

  Calgary

  A few hours later, Raelya and I were both feeling much better. We decided to get out and see the sights. A couple of showers, some fresh clothes, and stepping out the door made the day feel like we’d started it over. I stretched as we stepped out into the parking lot of the hotel and smiled at Raelya whose hair glittered in the sunny daylight. “So what do you want to do?”

  Raelya smiled at me. “What is there to do?”

  I pulled out my phone and waved it at her. “Let’s find out, shall we?” I thumbed through the local attractions on Google and found several fun things we could get into. We spent the rest of the day out sight-seeing and stopping in at various restaurants to see what French, Canadian, and French-Canadian food was like. Raelya had no trouble packing away meal after meal, and I realized I’d never really given second thought to the werewolves’ voracious appetites, but it made me think about how I’d basically always eaten a lot more than seemed reasonable for my size. Which, really, still wasn’t all that much, but it tended to surprise people all the same.

  At lunchtime, a friendly waitress informed us that we simply had to visit the Skyline Luge, a long winding ride on little wheeled cars that let you see a long stretch of Canadian countryside. We took her advice and found it to be the most enjoyable thing we could have done. It took twenty minutes to ride from the top to the bottom and we could steer our little cars quickly or slowly down the path as we liked. It was so much fun, we decided to do it again, and so the next hour was filled with a slower trip to really view the scenery, and then a much faster trip in which we raced all the way down, laughing merrily as we passed one another. Raelya beat me to the finish line and I bought her a brownie as a prize for her victory.

  After snacking on brownies, we decided to hit a museum. I Googled our options and Raelya cooed excitedly over the Aircraft museum, so I took her there next. We viewed spacecraft, aeronautical science exhibits, and old airplanes. Raelya stood for a long time in front of a World War II Bomber plane while I perused the various aviation gear exhibited around the perimeter of the room. I came over to stand beside her and noticed the tears in her eyes, but also anger. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Raelya blinked then nodded and wiped her eyes. “Just… many memories.”

  I reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly and she gripped mine in return. I glanced down at the little metal plate before the plane’s exhibit. “Douglas A-24 Banshee. Nice. American, right?”

  Raelya nodded. “This one was made in 1941. The United States Military were trying to gain total air superiority at the time, and developed several variants on the Dive Bomber style craft, some for pursuit of the enemy planes, and others with a focus on lightweight bomb delivery. Douglas A-24 was one of the better models they came up with.”

  I blinked. “Wow. You know a lot about this stuff.”

  Raelya smiled at me. “I told you. I was there.”

  I nodded. “But you said you were very young. I didn’t think you would remember stuff like this.”

  Raelya shook her head. “I was very young. Fourteen or Fifteen. But I was not a child anymore.”

  That statement sunk into me as I stared at Raelya’s face, her eyes fixed on the plane before us, my eyes fixed on the weighty emotions in her eyes. I slid my arm around her and squeezed her gently. She leaned her head against my shoulder for a long moment, then suddenly smiled up at me. “Are you hungry yet?”

  I grinned. “Bring it on, Calgary.” We left to find some dinner and, I imagined, a respite from the stirred-up past.

  After dinner, we walked back to the hotel since we hadn’t eaten too far away, and as we walked into our room, Raelya turned and wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you for bringing me with you, Dakota. I have enjoyed this trip so far.”

  I grinned. “Hey you were the one doing me a favor. I’d have been screwed without your help handling those Templars.”

  Raelya nodded. “Mmhmm, but you could have chosen to invite anyone along and…” She glanced down briefly, then looked up at me almost shyly, I thought. “Well, I am just happy you chose to bring Raelya along with you.”

  I smiled, noticing the adorable warmth of her cheeks. “It’s not a problem, Raelya.”

  We stared at each other for a long moment. She leaned slowly closer and pulled me into a soft hug, and as I leaned up into her embrace, Raelya kissed me.

  I blinked, momentarily shocked by the unexpected event as Raelya tenderly brushed her lips across mine. I felt a warmth rising to my cheeks, and a tingly tension stirring in
my chest. Being close to her felt right, but I stepped back, breaking the kiss.

  Raelya blinked at me and then gave me a very vulnerable expression. “I am sorry Dakota… I should not have…”

  I shook my head. “It’s all right, Raelya.” I chewed at my inner lip and searched for the words to reassure her. “I really like you. I really enjoy being around you, and I care about you. But…” I squeezed her hand softly. “I’m with Amorie. And I can’t do that to her.”

  Raelya nodded, looking down. “I know. I am sorry. I should not have…”

  I shook my head again. “It’s okay. I…” I sighed heavily and moved past her to get some distance. I thumped down onto the end of my bed and leaned on my thighs. “It’s not like I don’t have feelings for you too. I really love being with you… Something inside of me feels so right when we’re together.”

  Raelya took a step toward me hesitantly. “Wolves like being with other wolves. We are pack creatures.”

  I nodded. “Precisely. And I don’t know if I’m equipped to really… differentiate that from other feelings right now. But…”

  “But you are with Amorie. And I should not have kissed you. I am sorry.” She stepped over in front of me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Please, can we just forget about it and… go back to having a happy trip?”

  I smiled up at her and nodded. “Of course. Thanks for understanding.”

  “Thank you for the same.”

  I almost stood up to hug her again. The inclination was strong and I could feel the wolf in me wanting to comfort her, but I restrained myself. I liked Raelya and I really did enjoy being with her, but I wasn’t the cheating kind. I glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand instead. “So, I should check in with Sky.”

  “Most likely a good idea.” Raelya smiled at me softly. “I will go and take a shower and you can call.” She moved past me to her bags and then disappeared into the bathroom with some clothes.

  I pulled out my cell and called Sky. “Yes?” He answered on the first ring.

  I blinked. “Oh. Hi. I was just wondering what you found out. We just got back in from sight-seeing.”

  “I called River and she’s on her way. She can be here by morning.”

  “Excellent. So what time do you need me?” I kicked my shoes off and flopped back on the bed. All the activity was starting to settle in and I was getting tired.

  “Some time in the morning will be fine. Give me a call when you wake up and I’ll bring River around to your hotel room.”

  “Oh, okay. That’ll work.” I stretched out on the bed.

  “Let me know if you need anything else.” Sky ended the call after polite goodbyes and I threw my arm over my eyes. I startled out of a light doze as Raelya emerged from the bathroom with a towel around her hair, wearing an oversized T-shirt and some lounge pants. I stretched and rolled off the bed, then took my turn with the shower. When I emerged in similar attire, Raelya was curled up on the bed she’d chosen, facing the wall. I frowned. I really hoped I hadn’t hurt her feelings earlier. The wolf stirred in me and I decided to check on her.

  I stepped over to the bed quietly. “Raelya?” She didn’t answer so I assumed she was asleep. I picked up the blankets she’d turned down and pulled them over her gently. As I laid the blankets on her shoulders, she reached up and gently grasped my hand.

  “Sorry, Dakota… Just a little sleepy.”

  I smiled. “It’s okay. Just making sure you’re not cold.” Raelya gripped my hand and I peered at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

  Raelya nodded and rolled over to face me, smiling weakly. “I am just tired. It was a long day.”

  I noticed her wrist was still red and raw looking. I frowned and settled down on the edge of the bed, pulling her arm up to inspect it. “Is this going to be okay?” The skin was puffed up and still broken in a couple of places, dried blood still hanging in the wounds. It looked like it felt awful.

  Raelya sat up a little and nodded. “It will be. We are just slower to heal when wounded by silver.”

  I gave her a sympathetic expression and pulled her over into a hug. “Thanks again… for what you did for me.”

  “We are pack.” She nuzzled my shoulder. After a moment of quiet she said, “Dakota… would you be uncomfortable to rest with me?”

  I thought about that for a second then shook my head. “Not at all.” I slid under the blankets with her and settled down next to her. “I love slumber parties.”

  Raelya smiled at me and snuggled up to my side. “Thank you. It will make it easier to sleep away from home if I am not also away from pack. So thank you for doing that for me.”

  I smiled and squeezed her. “We are pack.” I mimicked her accent badly and made her laugh. We fell asleep together and rested through the night.

  30

  River and Sky

  I woke up a couple of hours before dawn with Raelya on my arm. I tried to get up quietly but she opened her eyes right away and smiled at me. I smiled back and then disentangled my arm to stretch. “It’s early.” I noted quietly.

  “Traveling and napping has thrown us off a normal schedule, it seems.” She yawned and smiled at me sleepily.

  I nodded and picked up my phone. There was a text from Sky waiting for me. “River has arrived. We’re at the office waiting to hear from you. Let us know when you wake up.”

  I showed my phone to Raelya. “It’s really early… Should I call him now?”

  Raelya nodded. “If he did not mean for you to call when you woke up, he probably would have said a time to call after, yes?”

  I nodded. “I think so.” I chuckled suddenly.

  “What is funny?” Raelya sat up, tilting her head at me.

  “I just realized you have a habit of adding ‘yes?’ to questions, and Amorie adds ‘no?’.” I grinned at Raelya who shook her head at me as she climbed out of the bed. “What? It’s funny to me.” Raelya picked up a pillow and chucked it at my head. I laughed and let it hit me. “All y’all foreigners talk funny!” I emphasized my Tennessee Southern accent as heavily as I could.

  Raelya visibly winced. “Ah, no! Do not talk like that. Your English insults my ears!”

  I grinned. “I know. That’s the point.” I threw the pillow back at her and she caught it, laughing.

  “Ugh. Americans.” Raelya took a deep breath and let it out happily.

  I stood and stretched again and drawled, “I’m gunna call Sky, then I’m gunna order us some biskits n’gravy an’ some bacon an—”

  “Ahh!” Raelya covered her ears and fled into the bathroom.

  “‘Merica!” I shouted as she slammed the door. I could hear her laughing on the other side, so the desired effect had been achieved. I touched Sky’s number on my phone and waited for him to answer.

  “Good morning.” He responded on the first ring again.

  “How do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Answer every time on the first ring?”

  “Ah. Minor pre-cognizance.” He told me.

  I blinked. “Oh. Well, I guess that makes a kind of sense.” He was a powerful Mentalist. Who knew what all that meant? “So I’m up.”

  “I gathered.” He sounded amused.

  “Yeah yeah…”

  “We’ll be over momentarily. Unless you need longer to get ready?” I heard him getting up.

  “Nah, I’m anxious to get this over with.”

  “We’ll be right there then.” He hung up.

  I dropped the phone on the bed and went over to my suitcase to grab some clothes. As I clipped on my bra, I realized it was still dark out and that it would be possible for me to call Amorie if I hurried. I wanted to call her. I had meant to call her the night before and let her know we had arrived safely, but I was nervous about telling her what had happened with Raelya. It was the kind of thing I’d rather tell her in person, but I wasn’t sure I could talk to her now without telling her about it. Which meant I couldn’t call her now either. So I gazed longing
ly at my phone as I pulled on a jersey tee and a pair of jeans.

  Raelya stepped back out of the bathroom in a simple but pretty sun dress, hair freshly braided, and I decided that a call would have to wait, but a text, I could manage. So I picked up my phone and texted Amorie. “We’re in Canada. We’re safe. I’ll tell you all about it later. Bout to see a man about a wolf.”

  I dropped the phone on the bed again just as I heard them approaching outside. Three sets of footsteps. I gave Raelya a “Here goes nothing” grin and went to open the door. Sky stood in the hallway with a girl who shared his face and pale blond hair. The resemblance between them was striking. Her aura was vibrant and many-colored, shifting in a swirl of happy rainbow hues. It was also much bigger than most I’d seen, spreading far from her body on all sides. She wore a pretty purple dress with a handkerchief hem that accented her delicate curves beautifully. Her eyes were slightly greenish-blue next to his paler blue. I smiled at her and she smiled back, waving at me eagerly. “Hey. Come on in.” I stepped out of the doorway as Sky stepped in and River glanced behind her, gesturing invitingly at the tall, handsome man who waited behind her.

  He was pale, slender and well-dressed with neat blond hair tied in a low ponytail. His aura was dark and bloody-colored, and his eyes were predatory. I might have been new to this, but I knew a vampire when I saw one. Especially when one was dressed in a Victorian-inspired suit with a crimson crushed-velvet cravat. Say that five times fast. The first thought to enter my head decided to drop right out of my mouth without permission. “You didn’t tell me Lestat was coming.”

  River grinned enormously and pointed silently at the vampire who glanced to the side then shook his head at her, seeming more amused at her reaction than annoyed at my quip. Sky shot me a look, barely containing a smirk. “I apologize for not mentioning that we would have additional company.” He glanced toward the vampire with a long-suffering expression. “I didn’t know he was going to insist on accompanying us either.” They stepped in and I closed the door then backed out of the entryway.