The Adversary

by Lindsay McKenna

  She gazed over at her husband, his black hair framing his Apache face. How much she loved this man. Despite the rugged look of his weathered face, his heart was tender and giving. “Okay, I’ll kick myself out of my blues.”

  “We have to maintain our hope,” Reno told her. “Even in the darkest hours, we have to hold that energy. Only by doing that will we be successful in the end.”

  Calen nodded and knew he was right. “I’m just worried. I always got a dream showing me where the next emerald sphere was going to be.”

  “Let’s just see what develops over the next couple of weeks. That’s all we can do.” He gazed deep into her worried eyes.

  SHELLY FELT HIS APPROACH. She turned, and her eyes widened. Coming up the walk with several other tourists was a copper-skinned cowboy wearing a black Stetson. It was him! Her heart started to beat rapidly and Shelly pressed her hand to her chest. How ruggedly good-looking he was. His hardness, a wall that let no one in, hit her full force. She saw the four claw-mark scars on his left cheek. He was even more devastatingly handsome than in her dream. He wore a white cotton cowboy shirt with long sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. A black leather vest emphasized his broad chest. The faded, well-worn blue jeans and a pair of scuffed cowboy boots presented a picture of a man who routinely worked in the elements. The energy around him was strong. She’d never met anyone like him before.

  When he looked up and their eyes met, she felt as if she’d just gotten an electric shock. His eyes were the same startling blue color as in her dream. His square face and high cheekbones clearly showed his Native American descent. Shelly guessed that he had some Caucasian blood in order to have those blue eyes. Most of all, Shelly liked his full mouth, the corners slightly curved. Right now, that mouth was tight, as if holding back emotion. He seemed to study her.

  Shelly tried to push away her excitement. The past haunted her and although she was powerfully drawn to this man, she couldn’t forget all she’d endured. As he sauntered toward her, Shelly’s mouth went dry. Their eyes stayed locked and an incredible wave of heat rolled up from her toes to her head. The look in his eyes, those large black pupils reminding her of an eagle on the hunt, made her feel like quarry beneath his intense gaze. It wasn’t a threatening feeling, either. What was it?

  Colt removed his hat and held it in his hand. “Are you the woman I’m supposed to meet?” he asked, wariness in his tone. He hoped she was, especially given she was far more beautiful in person.

  “I am,” she said. Holding out her hand, she said, “I’m Shelly Godwin.”

  Taking her soft, warm hand into his, he murmured, “Colt Black. It’s nice to meet you, Shelly.” He released her hand. “I don’t know about you, but this has been a crazy few weeks. I have dreams all the time, but this is the first one that told me to meet someone at a specific place and time. Frankly, I didn’t think it was real.” Now, he was glad it had been. His heart sang with joy, as much as he tried to suppress it. She seemed to have no place in his realm where he battled evil on a daily basis.

  Nervously, Shelly touched her cheek. “I didn’t trust my dreams completely, either. But here you are!” It was impossible to not be drawn to this quiet, intensely powerful cowboy. He was easily six feet tall, lanky and had a tense, even dangerous energy surrounding him. Shelly felt completely out of her league with this man. And clearly, he was a man’s man. Not like the boy-men she’d had in her life. “Where do dreams begin and end?” she asked rhetorically, stepping away. He was too close. Too overwhelming to her interested feminine senses.

  Shrugging, Colt settled his hat back on his head. “I don’t really know, Ms. Godwin. I’m a stranger to this kind of thing, too. I feel like I’m in a mystery and I have some puzzle pieces, but I don’t know what it all means. Or how they fit together.” He gave her an intense look. “I have information for you. I think it might explain what we’re doing here. If we share what we know, we might be able to understand it.”

  Chapter 3

  Shelly said, “Come on, let’s sit down on this bench over here beneath the fir tree.” That sense of danger, of hyperalertness, swirled around him. Colt Black looked around, his brows drawn downward. What was he looking for? she wondered. Shelly opened herself up to feel whatever it was but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

  Nodding, Colt walked with her. It was impossible to ignore her graceful carriage, the way Shelly held her head. The look in her hazel eyes mesmerized him. More than anything, Colt liked the blanket of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She seemed part excited child molded with the sensible maturity of a young woman.

  The warm breeze brought the scent of pine to him once again as he sat at a respectful distance from her on the iron bench. Taking off his hat, he turned to her. She leaned back, hands in her lap. Colt launched into his dreams and shared them with her. She sat listening intently. When he was done, she shared with him what she knew from her two dreams.

  “What I can surmise,” Shelly told him after relaying her dreams, “is that an emerald sphere is somewhere in this park. I saw two rocks, one white and one black. Each is scored down the center and a small vortex whirls between them. The emerald sphere is there.”

  Colt nodded. “I’m familiar with vortexes. I’ve never seen a round emerald, though.” He was powerfully drawn to her and tried to rein in his feelings. Under no circumstances could he act upon his physical desire. No woman was safe around him for long.

  “I wrote a book on vortexes and I’ve been trained from childhood to find them. But more important is finding that sphere before this unknown sorcerer does. My dream didn’t say who the sorcerer was. Frankly, I’ve never had any interface with them.” A murkiness came to his blue eyes. Again, he looked around, as if searching for something. Shelly almost asked what, but decided that would be rude.

  A chill worked up Colt’s spine at the word sorcerer. His mouth tightened. He didn’t tell her about Yellow Teeth. Whatever his fears, he knew he had to keep them to himself to help find this mysterious sphere. “You didn’t see the sorcerer in your dream?”

  “No.” With a frustrated sigh, Shelly said, “Who or what he is, I don’t know. I only know he could kill us. I’ve never been on this kind of life-and-death mission, Colt. Have you?”

  He held her inquiring hazel gaze. “Yes.” The word came out abruptly.

  “Oh.” Shivering internally, Shelly felt more than saw an energy radiating outward from his aura. It was dark red, which could mean fear, anger or strength. His blue eyes were unreadable, his face suddenly tense. And yet, she felt drawn to this man who had walls as thick as Fort Knox surrounding him. Shelly couldn’t translate the malignant sense of danger around him.

  “Do you have the ability to feel a sorcerer around?” she asked. “Because my training is not in that area at all.”

  Colt tried to force himself to relax. “I do. I’m a medicine man in training for my people and we’re taught to recognize evil in all forms whether it’s physical or in spirit.”

  “That’s good to know. All I can feel is if I like or don’t like someone. I get a feeling—” and she touched her head “—here. Like a red flag warning.”

  “You see auras?”

  “Yes. You, too?”

  “Yes,” he told her. Why, oh, why did she have to have that innocent look his sister Mary had had? Colt felt his heart contract with anguish.

  “I have no direct experience with sorcery. All I know is how to find a vortex.” Shelly smiled warmly. “I think you’re going to have to be the guard dog on this mission.”

  “I’ll try,” he said. Colt allowed himself to absorb the pleasure of her sunlight energy. “I’ll do everything I can to keep us safe while we look for the sphere.” A sense of fierce protectiveness welled up in Colt. Above all, he wanted to keep Shelly away from the Skin Walker. Even now, as he looked around, Colt felt the stalking energy of Yellow Teeth. There were thousands of trees around and the spirit of the evil witch could be hiding behind any one of them watching. Wa
tching and waiting for an opportunity.

  Shelly reached out and touched his bare arm. The muscles leaped beneath her fingertips. “You’re a warrior at heart, Colt. I can see it in your aura and in your eyes.” She didn’t add that he wore armor and that she felt that sense of combat-readiness just a heartbeat away. All of it made him dangerous and provocative to her. She wondered why he hid so much from her. Why he was walled up and untouchable. That was it. Untouchable. Maybe that would be best, Shelly decided. Just because she was drawn to Colt didn’t mean he was any good in a relationship. Hadn’t she learned her lesson yet? Look, but don’t touch?

  “I’m not a warrior,” he snapped. Not after allowing Mary to be kidnapped. A true warrior would have stopped it. Would have rescued her. But he’d done none of those things.

  “All right, then you’re a gallant knight,” Shelly insisted, stung by his unexpected retort. She released her hand from his arm, figuring he probably didn’t want to be touched. His skin was copper-smooth, hard-muscled, and she could tell he worked outside for a living. It would be tough for her to stay businesslike with him since he was so painfully attractive.

  “I don’t see myself like a gallant knight,” he said, glaring at her.

  “Fair enough. Let’s treat this mission seriously. I have no idea if we can find the sphere or what to do with it. Do you?”

  Colt shook his head. “Not a clue. If this is a sacred object, the spirit, once we find it, may tell us what to do next.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Looking around, she tried to relax against the bench. There was such an invisible, explosive quality to this man. “This is such a beautiful place.” Maybe a little chitchat would ease the tension between them.

  Colt saw a strand of red hair dip across her temple and she pushed it back behind her delicate ear. He felt like a starving wolf. His naked desire for Shelly shocked him. For whatever reason, his need of a woman had turned up in volume and he found himself hungry for her. It was a guilty pleasure and Colt wasn’t going to deny it, but she was off-limits to him.

  And then, a bone-chillingly cold energy struck Colt. Instantly, he sat up, eyes narrowed. He knew that feeling! Yellow Teeth. And he was nearby. Damn! Standing suddenly, hands resting tensely on hips, he noticed Shelly giving him a questioning look, puzzlement in her hazel eyes. Where was the Skin Walker? Inwardly, Colt felt his stomach knot. At the same time, an old anger simmered deep within him, a killing anger. He wanted to kill Yellow Teeth in spirit. Oh, his father had killed his physical body, but Colt knew in spirit, the Skin Walker was even more dangerous than before. If he didn’t stay on guard, the Skin Walker would possess his body and cut the silver cord to it and he’d die. And then Yellow Teeth would have Colt’s body to walk around in. One day, Colt knew, the witch spirit would stop circling him and finally confront him in one last battle. Only one of them would win.

  “What is it?” Shelly asked, concerned as she stood up. She had felt Colt go on guard. The power of his response physically buffeted her and showed her just how strong his energy was. Gulping, she tried to read his face as he scanned their surroundings for some unseen enemy. “What are you sensing?” she finally asked, sitting on the edge of the bench.

  “Nothing,” he said. “It’s nothing.” No sense in scaring her. Shelly had no training in the dark side and was completely at risk because of it. Only he stood between the dark side and her.

  Rebuffed, Shelly wondered what she’d gotten herself into. Clearly, there was danger. She could sense it without seeing it. And Colt knew there was danger, too. His hands slid off his hips and hung tensely at his sides as he slowly moved around and looked at everyone on the sidewalk that passed them. Who was he looking for? Who else knew they were here?

  YELLOW TEETH SMILED with anticipation. He stopped at the male assistant’s desk outside the Tupay’s Dark Lord’s office.

  “You can go in now,” the male assistant told him mentally.

  With a brusque nod, Yellow Teeth opened the door and stepped into Victor Carancho Guerra’s office in the Tupay castle. As a Skin Walker and a trained witch in the dark arts, he was one of Victor’s many soldiers who lived in spirit but worked on the earth plane. He came to the safety of the Tupay fortress for training. Because of his powers, Yellow Teeth was in the advanced paranormal training classes. Today, though, something had happened and he wanted to take it directly to the Dark Lord himself.

  Entering, Yellow Teeth saw the man who ran the Tupay empire. He was lean with long black hair streaked with silver, a goatee, a white face set with flat, lifeless black eyes. Yellow Teeth had never approached this powerful being before. Bowing with respect, he said, “My lord, I come to you because I interrupted a dream by a Taqe that you may find of interest.”

  “Sit,” Victor said, gesturing to a wooden chair in front of his desk. The assistant quietly shut the door.

  “My lord, I had heard of you being able to steal one of the emerald spheres earlier from the Taqe.”

  “Yes. So?” Victor stared at the tall Navajo man in spirit. He knew Yellow Teeth was one of his soldiers he’d ordered back to the Navajo reservation to hunt Taqe. Yellow Teeth had earned his name: tall and pathetically thin, his face narrow with high cheekbones and eyes of a lifeless brown color, when Yellow Teeth opened his mouth the canine teeth in the spirit’s mouth were far longer than usual. And because they were long, the Navajo Skin Walker could not quite close his mouth. Drool and bubbles foamed at the corners of his mouth as a result.

  “My lord, I was near a Taqe’s hogan a week ago. I was stalking him. I lay in wait outside the wall of his hogan and stole into his dream while he was asleep.”

  “You’re sure he’s Taqe?” Victor asked, frowning. He leaned back in his chair, hands folded across his belly. Yellow Teeth had long black-and-gray hair. In earth years he was about fifty, his face deeply lined and copper-colored.

  “Yes, my lord. He wears the two entwined circles on the back of his neck. You had assigned us to kill anyone on my reservation who had that symbol.”

  “Quite right. That’s the Vesica Pisces symbol that tells us he is a Warrior for the Light. Your job is to take care of that particular reservation. Right now—” Victor looked through some stats he had on hand “—there are twenty-five Skin Walkers either in human or spirit form down there who routinely hunt for them among your nation.”

  Yellow Teeth smiled a little. “That is so, my lord. I have killed five Taqe so far.” He waved his hand with its long dirty fingernails. “I had caught and killed this man’s sister many years ago. She, too, had the symbol on the back of her neck. And then their father stalked me and killed me with a rifle.” He shrugged. “After passing over, I came here and was trained and went back to continue my work down on the reservation from the spirit side.”

  “And that’s why you were stalking this Taqe?”

  “Yes. I’ve made it my revenge to kill Colt Black sooner or later.”

  “He had a dream and you intercepted it?”

  Nodding, Yellow Teeth shared the dream. Instantly, he saw the Dark Lord sit up, more than a little interested in the dream’s contents.

  “Black and this woman have met one another in Banff?” Victor demanded, excited.

  “They have, my lord. I just eavesdropped on their conversation with one another from a safe distance. The woman with the red hair carries the Vesica Pisces symbol on the back of her neck, too.”

  “This is good news, Yellow Teeth,” Victor said with a smile. “I was waiting to see where the next sphere might show up. We had worked with the one we managed to steal and it, too, showed that area of Canada. Your dream, however, gives us the details and the identities of the two Taqe charged with finding the fifth sphere. Well done!”

  Glowing beneath the unexpected praise, Yellow Teeth smiled, his canines fully exposed, the drool inching out of the corners of his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. “Thank you, my lord. If you are going to go there, I would like to be considered a part of your mission.
I know Colt Black. I can be of great help to you. Black knows I’m stalking him and, one day, I will kill him as I killed his sister.”

  Nodding, Victor smiled a triumphant smile. “Well, keep your revenge at bay. And don’t worry, Yellow Teeth, you’ll be with the team I’m assembling right now.”

  VICTOR GUERRA congratulated himself after Yellow Teeth left. By stealing the fourth emerald sphere from the Taqe at the Vesica Pisces Foundation, he’d struck gold. After getting the beautifully hand-carved sphere back to the Tupay stronghold in the fourth dimension, he’d worked with it until the spirit within sent him knowledge of the place where the next sphere, the fifth one, would be found—Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Although the sphere did not give him specific information, he’d been shown four lakes, and, having drawn their shapes, he’d realized it was in the vicinity of Lake Louise. And then, Yellow Teeth had entered and handed him the rest of the information. Victor rubbed his hands with silent glee over this good luck. Certainly, the tide had turned in his favor.

  The hard part had been done. Victor had called one of his most trusted knights, Lothar, to accompany him into the third-dimensional world of Earth. And he’d brought an up-and-coming Tupay spirit by the name of Jeff Anderson along as an apprentice. Jeff had the intelligence and aptitude Victor needed for his priority missions to Earth. One day, Jeff would become a knight. Of course, Yellow Teeth would be there as counsel and Victor had promised him that after the fifth sphere was found and retrieved, he could kill Colt Black. The Skin Walker had howled with delight.

  The spirit of the emerald had shown Victor a rocky lakeshore. There, he’d seen a white rock and a black rock, each scored down the center. What had mystified him was the whirling tornado-like energy that danced between these rocks. Later, after asking Lothar about this phenomenon, Victor had learned it was a planetary energy known as a vortex. Hundreds of thousands of them were placed around the Earth along the spiderweb-like ley-line system that enclosed the planet. The emerald sphere was on a shore with those two rocks and a vortex.