Of Shadows and Ash

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Got it.” Carter turned to Noah and tilted his head submissively. “Alpha.”

  Paisley echoed Carter’s movement. “Alpha.” She paused. “We’ll call in some other wolves to take our place here. The alpha mate will be guarded.”

  Noah stood, walking over to his enforcers and sniffing them both. He huffed his approval, licking both their faces before returning to Iva’s yew and curling up again.

  “I am so glad he hasn’t peed on our trees.” Greer smiled, but it was wan—a pale imitation of his usually sunny grin. “I don’t want to think of how that would affect us.”

  Noah snorted in amusement as the enforcers gaped at him in outrage.

  “We would never... That’s just...” Carter sputtered.

  “Honey, I’m more likely to pee on the oak than the birch. Mina’s hot.” Paisley fanned herself.

  “I suggest you don’t let Dragos hear you say that.” Ash watched as Paisley paled.

  “Uh. Yeah.” Paisley cleared her throat. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be vampire kibble.”

  Mina choked. “Kibble?”

  Paisley cocked her head. “Vampon?”

  “Vampon?” Mina shuddered. “It sounds like a feminine hygiene product.”

  Greer gagged. “Gross.”

  “Exactly!” Paisley struck a pose, intoning the worst salesman’s voice Ash had ever heard, “Vampon, for when your vampire needs maximum absorbency. Practically sucks the blood from—”

  “Lalalalalalala!” Greer slapped his hands over his ears and sang at the top of his lungs. “Icky girl stuff!”

  Mina burst into laughter. She waved at the two wolves. “Go on, get out of here. See to it Selena is taken care of.”

  Paisley saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Carter simply nodded. “Will do.”

  The two enforcers took off into the woods, shifting as they ran.

  “Are you sure you want those two watching Selena?” Greer took his hands off his ears. “Beavis and Butthead might be available.”

  Ash shook his head. “Too late now. Besides, I don’t think Noah would have summoned them if he didn’t trust them.”

  They looked at Noah, who looked back. Somehow, even with the wolf face, they could tell the alpha was silently laughing at them.

  “Okay then.” Greer yawned. “I’m going to lay down for a bit.”

  Ash stared at Greer, concerned. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah.” Greer’s smile turned wistful. “I just wish things were different.”

  “You should go after her, lay your claim to her.” Ash believed that all Mollie needed was to see Greer, to know how far he was willing to go to make her happy.

  “Nah. I can’t.” Greer shrugged. “You can’t make someone love you, Ash. Mollie made it clear that she chose Carter, and that’s all there is to it.”

  “No, it isn’t.” Ash just couldn’t accept that he’d lose his brother after finding his sister.

  “Yes, it is.” Greer stared at Ash, his expression solemn. “She loves him.”

  Did she? Ash wasn’t so sure. Sometimes he caught Mollie looking around, as if searching for something that was no longer there. Greer hadn’t followed Mollie in weeks, not since the dragon fight between Laurentiu and Vasile Ibanescu.

  “Promise me that you’ll come to me before going back into your tree.” Ash grabbed Greer and hugged him tight. “I’m worried about you.”

  “I know.” Greer hugged him back. “I promise, if it gets that bad I’ll call for you. I don’t want to wither, Ash.”

  “Good.” Because Ash would kidnap Mollie and tie her to Greer’s tree if he had to until the two of them worked things out.

  Chapter Eight

  The room was cold.

  Selena cuddled up as closely as possible to Ash. The son of a bitch had stolen the covers again, and now he was a green burrito. All she could see of him was a tuft of green hair.

  She shivered as she glanced toward the clock. Three-twelve a.m.

  This was getting fucking old.

  She stood, determined to do something about the freezing room. She had to stifle a cry as her feet hit the floor. The hardwood was icy beneath her bare feet, almost burning her with cold.

  She had a spare blanket in the closet, on the top shelf. She made a witch light, holding it in the palm of her hand to guide her way.

  It was far more dark purple than she was used to, the light dimmer than it should have been. It was enough to see by, but it wasn’t right. Not by a long shot.

  A soft thump sounded somewhere off to her right.

  Selena glanced back at Ash, but he was still sound asleep, still in the same position she’d left him. So it couldn’t have been him.

  She walked around the bedroom, checking for anything that might have fallen, that might have made the sound she’d heard, but everything appeared to be in its place.

  Scritch, scritch, scritch.

  Crap. Selena listened, her skin prickling, her nerves almost taking over and driving her back onto the cold bed. She needed the blanket, damn it, and now part of her was terrified to open the closet door.

  I’m a big girl. I’m a witch. I’m not afraid of things that go bump in the night.

  She approached the closet door, trembling so hard the witch light bobbled. The only thing that gave her the courage to keep going was the knowledge that Ash was right there behind her. If anything happened, she’d scream and wake him up.

  But that was the last thing she wanted to do. He’d spent the day patrolling, then come home exhausted and insisting on making dinner. She hadn’t been aware of her new furry guardians until he mentioned them. Carter and Paisley had remained out of sight, keeping an eye on her house from a distance.

  Neither had reported anything out of the ordinary to Ash. Or rather, if they had, he hadn’t reported it to her.

  She made her way to the closet, glancing around before turning her attention once more to the door.

  It rattled.

  It fucking rattled.

  Selena jumped back with a squeak, her gaze glued to the door handle. When it began to turn, she dove back toward the bed, ready to wake Ash.

  Fucking fucker was coming through the god damn closet.

  She took a deep breath, watching as the handle slowly turned. “Ash?” Her tone was soft, frightened, even to her own ears. She shook him, careful not to take her gaze off the door. “Ash? Wake up, Ash.”

  The knob stopped turning, then reversed direction. Soon it was back in the closed position, the door still solidly shut.

  Maybe trying to wake her lover had scared the demon away?

  Only one way to find out. Selena squared her shoulders and edged toward the closet once more. This was what she did, what she was born for. She confronted the unseen all the time.

  So why was she shaking so badly?

  Damn it. She reached for the door knob, gasping at how cold the metal was before tugging the door open, ready to attack anything on the other side.

  She sighed with relief when the door swung open, revealing nothing more terrifying than a pile of dirty laundry—and a secret stash of One Direction tees that she prayed Ash would never find.

  Selena reached in and quickly pulled down the blanket, wrapping it around herself so that only her head, feet and witch ball were outside it. She crawled back into bed, shivering as she tucked her feet in. She quenched the witch light, prepared to go back to sleep.

  Scritch scritch scritch. The sound of nails on the hardwood floors jolted her back awake. She glanced toward the clock with wide eyes.

  Three-twelve a.m.? How was that possible? Selena had been up and moving around for at least five minutes, probably more. So why did the clock still say three-twelve?

  She picked up her watch.

  Three-twelve.

  She checked her cell phone, her breath coming faster.

  Three-twelve.

  “What the fuck?” She began to shiver again and not completely because of the cold. A dem
on that could mess with time was in a whole different category than one that simply knocked pictures off of walls and scratched the floor. Or even one that could physically harm someone.

  Stopping time was serious shit. There was no way it was getting enough power just from her to do something on that grand a scale. Whatever this demon truly was, its shadow was fucking strong.

  Selena shrieked as the blanket got snatched violently off of her, the fabric friction burning the patches of skin that were bare.

  Ash sat up and reached for the light, but before he could turn it on something grabbed hold of her ankles and began to wrench her off the bed. “Ash!”

  “Shit.” He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place. “Grab the headboard.”

  She did, but the strength of the demon was so great she didn’t think she’d be able to hold on for long. The demon was pulling so hard she was lifted off the bed, her muscles screaming at the strain. If it yanked any harder something inside her would tear or break, leaving her vulnerable to the creature trying to take her. “I can’t hold.”

  Ash snarled and reached for the lamp again, but froze over her. “Selena.”

  “What?” She gritted her teeth, still trying desperately not to be pulled off the bed.

  “Look.” His voice shook with dread.

  She glanced down toward her feet and screamed.

  Red glowing eyes blinked at her before disappearing, the force tugging at her letting go so abruptly she fell to the bed. “Ash!”

  He switched on the light and curled around her, holding her tightly as she shuddered with fear. “It’s getting worse.”

  “You think?” Selena pushed him off and stared at the clock. “Three-twelve.” She collapsed against him, almost in tears. “We’ve got bigger problems than we thought.”

  “Sit still.” He pushed her back down and crawled down her body.

  “Uh, Ash? Now may not be the time to—”

  “Shush.”

  She stared at him in shock. “What?”

  He examined her ankles, touching them gently.

  Selena bit back a yelp. “Oh, gods.”

  “Claw marks, and what look like frost burns.” His gaze met hers, his gaze scorching like green fire. “We need to get rid of this fucker.”

  Oh, her dryad was pissed. “I agree.” She sat up, careful not to jar her now throbbing ankles. She hadn’t felt a thing until Ash brought her attention to the injuries, but she was certain that wouldn’t have lasted long. The shock of what had happened was still wearing off. “I’m beginning to think you’re right. Maybe I should get out of here.”

  The savage satisfaction in his expression should have frightened her. “Start packing.”

  “Not to the Throne, Ash.”

  “Bullshit.” He sat up, sliding off the bed in a fluid motion that made her mouth water. Her sylvan warrior was on the prowl, watching the room as if expecting an attack at any moment. His silver sword was in his hands as he paced at the end of the bed. “Enough is enough. The Throne has protections no other place in Maggie’s Grove can boast. It has me, Greer, Mina and Dragos, and half the time Noah and his wolves are there as well. Can you think of a safer place?”

  She sighed. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to think about going to his home. “And if it follows me there?”

  “Then it’s going to have to deal with me.” Ash’s sword moved as if he were ready to do battle with their unseen enemy. “I’ll figure out a way to fight it if I have to call in another witch doctor

  “Please don’t.” She held up her hand. “Trust me. Some battles only I can fight.”

  “Not when you’re the victim.” He opened her closet door and grabbed a suitcase, unaware of how her hand had reached for him, terrified he’d be dragged in like that kid in Poltergeist. “Let’s get you...”

  Uh-oh.

  He held up the black T-shirt. “One Direction?” He glanced over his shoulder, and for just a moment the savage anger was calmed as he tried not to laugh at her. “Really?”

  “Ass. Hole.” She swung her legs to the floor, hissing at how cold the boards still were. “Get out of my closet, perv.”

  “I can go through your drawers and pick out your underwear instead.”

  She rolled her eyes and shuffled toward him, her ankles throbbing with each step. “Get my broom.”

  “Get your ass back on the bed.” He froze, his shoulders tensing. “I meant that in a totally non-sexual way, you know.”

  “Sure you did.” She pushed him gently toward the bedroom door. “Broom, Ash.”

  “Ah, no. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to fly anywhere in your condition.”

  Crap, he was right. “Then how am I going to get to your place?” They couldn’t exactly drive her Volvo through the woods.

  He flexed. “Dryad express.”

  “Is this the part where you pat your lap and yell all aboard?” She glared at him when he started to laugh. “Grab my broom anyway. If my magic stabilizes within the Throne I’ll need it.”

  “I can do that, just so long as you realize you’re not flying until we’re certain it’s safe.” Ash held up his hand the moment she began to protest. “And I realize you’re the best judge of that. Tell me the truth. Would you trust me on your broom right now?”

  She opened her mouth to say yes, but winced instead. “No.”

  “Then dryad express it is.” He picked up the suitcase and began loading jeans and T-shirts willy-nilly into it. “Get your underwear. I’ll pack your toiletries and make up.”

  “Done this before?” A surge of jealousy twisted through her.

  “I’ve helped Mina and Iva pack once or twice. While we can’t leave our trees for long, a week away can be nice once in a while.” Ash sauntered into the bathroom. Knowing him, he was pleased at her little show of possessiveness. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

  She looked around her warm, welcoming bedroom and sighed. It would be a while before she saw it again. Once she was in the Throne, in Ash’s home, that would be the end of her independence. “I’m going to miss it.”

  “I know.” He dumped her shampoo, conditioner and body wash on top of her T-shirts. She was too upset to protest. “Can you grab some of your make-up? I’ll have to rent a moving van for the rest.”

  “Very funny, Captain Planet. Ha. Ha.” She carefully hobbled to her dresser and gathered up her essentials, pulling on a pair of sweat pants. “I don’t have that much make-up.”

  “Nope. Or shoes. Or purses.” He glanced at the bottom of her closet. “Why so many pairs of shoes?”

  She peeked over at him. “What? You think that’s all of them?” She smirked at the shocked look on his face. “Oh, yeah. Give up that closet space, baby. It’s all mine.”

  From his expression, perhaps her evil laugh was a little over the top. But, really?

  Ash’s virgin shoe rack was about to get its cherry popped. Like most men, he probably had three pairs of shoes—one pair of sneakers, one pair of dress shoes, and one pair of sandals. She bet none of them were actually on the shoe rack, but tossed on the floor of his closet.

  And none of this had anything to do with what was really going on. Selena hobbled to the bathroom, knowing she was trying to hide—even from herself—exactly how terrified she truly was.

  The entity had tried to take her, which meant it could take Ash away.

  Oh, they were so out of here. Even if the protections of the Throne couldn’t help her they would save Ash. Better yet, the proximity to his tree would give an added boost to his power.

  She grabbed what she needed, the stuff Ash had almost left behind, like her lotion and her de-frizzer, her ionic hairdryer and diffuser, and her combination rotating brush and hair dryer. She tossed them on top of the suitcase then slid her feet into her flip-flops.

  “Ready to go?”

  She looked around her bedroom, mourning what she was about to lose. She’d loved on this house so hard, and now it was going to be out of her lif
e forever. She knew she’d never live here again.

  Then she turned and met the green gaze that was coming to mean more than life to her.

  It was worth it.

  Shit. Bye, house; hello, home.

  Selena held out her arms and waited for Ash to pick her up. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  Ash slung her bag over his shoulder, picked her up, and walked her out of the house where she’d found what was most important—him.

  * * *

  Ash set Selena down within the Throne. His nerves were on edge, his hands shaking. He was about to share one of the biggest secrets of the Throne with his mate, and he hadn’t even formally introduced her to his tree yet.

  That would come next, after he’d shown her exactly where the ruling dryads lived.

  “Are you ready to see my home?” He took hold of her hand and led her to the great oak, where the hidden doorway would lead them down into the ground. “This is the biggest secret the forest holds, one that the ruling dryads would kill to protect. Very few dryads aside from Mina, Iva, Greer and myself have been inside. Not even Amara has been where you go now, though I believe Mina has plans to change that.”

  “Okay.” Selena followed him, but her confused expression showed she had no clue what was about to happen. “I kind of thought you joined with your tree at night to sleep.”

  “And bathed in the river, and charged my cell phone by doing secret dryad rituals around it?” He smiled when she huffed impatiently. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

  “Considering I was thinking of where I’d pitch my tent, you’d be right.” She looked more intrigued than confused.

  Ash touched the back of his throne. Each ruling dryad had their own key, passed down from generation to generation. “Ready?”

  “Ready. Show me what you’ve got.”

  Oh, he planned on just that. Now that Selena was in the Throne he had no intention of allowing any more time to pass before he began the process of claiming her. And if her problems turned out to be inside her as well as her home, his tree might grant them the strength to break the hex and set her free.

  Ash tapped out the pattern that he’d been taught at an early age, the one the witches of old had placed there for just such a purpose.