by Celeste Raye
“Do you think we will really be able to do it?”
“Yes, but it won't be as straightforward as you would hope. You will have to bring one more into the fold.”
“You're not going to tell me what that means, are you?”
Cali shook her head. “You have to go through it to get to where you need to be. If you know what will happen, you will try to ease your suffering. I will not tell you what that means. You will know soon enough, Dennis; we all will.”
To Dennis, that did not sound like a very good omen. He was trying his best not to worry too much about it, but the old woman's words kept rattling off in the back of his mind. Maybe if she wasn't right all the time, he wouldn't have heeded it so much. But she was, and it made him wonder what she could possibly mean. It wouldn't be as straightforward as he hoped? Another person brought in? Who?
Out of the conversation, Dennis agreed with the idea of taking the rest of the pack up to the mountains. That was where the cabins were, and it was the most secluded place. They would have to stop for supplies on the way, but that was the best-case scenario to keep everyone together and safe.
Dennis was drawing a map to get people started. It should take them about an hour if everybody shifted. That was the current plan, but then Dahlia and Connie came up to him.
“We need to talk.”
He looked at Connie and asked her what was going on. Something was obviously bothering her, and he didn’t think he could take any more bad news.
“Did she really heal you?”
“Yeah, I thought I was a goner.”
“I have tried to heal before, but I haven’t been able to. When is she coming back?”
He didn’t want to repeat what Cali had told him. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it, but he didn’t want anyone to think badly of her, no matter what she did or didn’t do. As far as he was concerned, there was no way that he was going to be able to blame her. She hadn’t meant for it to happen. Dennis knew that.
“I don’t know. I think that she is feeling bad about it being her aunt that did it.”
“Well, she shouldn’t. I know how Aunt Marl can be.”
He agreed, and then they were quiet for a moment.
“Is there anything else? I really need to get people moving out. We got a bit of a trek to get through.”
“We need her back now. We aren’t going to be safe without Jazz. She is way more powerful, and she stopped Marl with one shot. None of us could do that.”
“She didn’t kill her, though.”
“No, but I bet she could have if she tried.”
Dennis wasn’t sure if that was right or not. He possibly didn’t want to know. It was not going to matter if she didn’t come back.
But she had to. He couldn’t even think about anything else happening.
“She’ll be back.”
“How will she find us if we are off on some mountain?”
“I will find her and bring her back.”
That seemed to make her feel a little bit better.
“Good. I don’t think we can do this without her. I really don’t.”
Dennis agreed wholeheartedly. He didn’t think they were going to be able to manage it at all, the way things were going. He didn’t need Jazz for her power though; Dennis just needed her by his side. It was the only way that he could see himself going on and doing what needed to be done. He would do that and so much more for her. It was always for Jazz, and he didn’t even know it.
“I don’t think I can either, Connie.”
The sister smiled, and he tried not to see the knowing look in her face. He’d seen it before, given it even. Jazz was the one, and now he needed to find her and protect her.
He was choosing Jazz over the pack. He knew that and made sure that Frank knew that he might not be back. He wouldn’t come back without Jazz. He would look until he found her, no matter how long it took.
“Good, Dennis. It’s time to choose the girl. Choose you. We aren’t going anywhere. I will keep them safe. You find her and keep her safe. We’ll figure out how to take Marl down. It’s all going to be alright.”
“That used to be my job.”
“How am I doing?”
Dennis grinned for a second. “Pretty damn good. I don’t believe half of it, but pretty good, brother.”
Dennis hugged Frank for a moment before turning away. He didn’t like the rush of emotions that flooded through him. He wasn’t used to it. Now he had to fight and face something that he had no idea about. It was impossible for him to think past the moment, past finding Jazz.
Priorities were clear: Jazz, then everything else.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jazz went as far as she could, as fast as she could. She just wanted to put some distance between her and everything that made her feel horrible inside. All the people that were damaged just because she had wanted more information about her mother. She felt like an idiot. Everyone had told her what her aunt was, but she hadn't listened to them.
Jazz believed that she would be able to get some nice stories about her mom and nothing else. It was all she wanted, but she should have known that it was going to come with something else. There was always a payment that was too high. She was sick of paying the price.
The thoughts that went through her mind just made her go faster, and soon she was of miles away. Her magic had swept her up and taken her through town after town, and no one had seen her. It was like she was in her own dimension, and it was the first time she realized that she could travel that way. Was it the new powers that she had gotten from the bonding?
Marl had gotten stronger, but it was clear to Jazz that she had as well. She thought about going up against her yet again, and she wasn't afraid this time. She also was not conflicted either. She knew exactly what needed to happen and this time; she knew that she would have enough fortitude to do it. Her aunt had destroyed her life and Jazz was going to make sure that she got a little bit of it back. The bond needed to be broken, Marl needed to be stopped, and then, and only then, was she going to be able to get her life back together.
She stopped for the night, exhausted, and found a local hotel in the area. She got some dinner to go and she went back to her room. It didn't take long for her to fill up, take a shower, and get in bed. The healing that she had done to Dennis earlier had really taken it out of her. She felt like she was completely drained. Jazz hoped that she would be replenished in the morning.
Jazz was asleep for only a couple of hours when there was a loud knock at her door. She didn't know what to think. Sleep was still filling her mind with all of the what-ifs. Jazz had to shake all those thoughts away before she was able to concentrate again.
Nobody knew she was there, so the fact that somebody was knocking was not good. She looked at the door like it was a snake that was going to come alive and strike at her.
She couldn't find her voice to ask who it was, and she didn't want to give herself away. Instead, she went to the keyhole and felt a mix of emotions at who was on the other side. The guilt was washing over her again. She had to swallow even harder to get it down. It was like bile that kept coming up her throat, and she just wanted the taste out of her mouth.
Jazz opened the door.
“What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing. This place is a dump; you deserve better.”
“I don't have anywhere to go at the moment. I have this crazy-ass witch chasing after me. As you know. So, this is as good as it gets right now.”
“Yes, but you could have come with us. We have another place in the mountains where we will not be found. Everybody is on their way there.”
“Not everybody though. People died today.”
“Not everybody is going. A few people didn't make it, but that is not your fault. Cali told me what happened.”
“Cali doesn't know what happened.”
“She told me that you bonded with your aunt. That's why she's so much stronger, and that's why
you're stronger and you were able to heal me.”
“How did she know? I would never have done it if I would have known this is what would happen. I just wanted to know more about my mother. I should have listened to you guys.”
Dennis just shook his head and pulled her close. “You know that I would be dead if you wouldn't have bonded with her. That is the only reason you were able to heal me. If not for that, I would be dead right now, and we would not be having this conversation. It's just that simple, Jazz, so you have to shake this guilt that you feel. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.
It was like a weight was taken off her shoulders and she was finally able to breathe again. She hadn't even noticed the lack of oxygen until it was rushing back to her brain and making her lightheaded.
Could it really be true what she was hearing? He was thanking her for everything? Jazz didn't know if she would be able to forgive herself for such transgressions. Whether she meant to or not, she caused more chaos than she could have ever imagined. How did he not hate her?
“You know that I could never hate you, right?”
She looked at him, surprised.
“Why?”
“Because I love you, Jazz; isn't that clear enough for you? I loved you since the moment I saw you again, if that’s even possible. I know that you’re the one that I’m supposed to be with. You’re the one that I’m going to spend my life with, so I could never hate you. There isn’t any room left for that emotion. It’s nothing but love, I promise you.”
Jazz hugged him finally. It felt good to be in his arms and to hear his words. She loved him back, and if he could look past it all, she had to as well. He was the man she was supposed to be with.
His lips found hers not too long later, and Jazz was finding it hard to hold onto the resolve that they were better off without her. It took Dennis very little time to convince her that she was needed. But it took a little longer for Jazz to come to the conclusion that he really wanted her with him. She was afraid of what would come if she stayed with him.
“I don’t want you to be attacked because of me, Dennis.”
“It’s not because of you, not all the way. It’s because of the vial that Dahlia brought with her. It gives the imbiber eternal life. Marl wants it. That’s why she keeps coming after us. It’s not because of you, Jazz.”
It started to make sense to Jazz. Everything that Marl said started to make sense.
“Come home with me, Jazz. I’m not going back without you.”
Jazz agreed, because she didn’t want to be anywhere else but by his side and in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-Four
One month later…
Dennis never considered that their time in the mountains, hiding from a powerful witch bent on their destruction, would be one of the happiest times of his life. He spent his days scouting the woods, meeting with other clan leaders, and he spent his nights with Jazz. The nights were what he looked forward to the most. He wasn’t getting anywhere with locating Marl or coming up with a plan to get rid of her, but he’d gotten close with Jazz. They were stronger than ever, and like Frank and Justin, he was ready to make her his own.
They were to be mated that evening, and Dennis wasn’t nervous at all. He thought he would be. Most men are. But not Dennis. He knew exactly what he wanted out of life, and that was one with Jazz in it. There was a simplicity to their love, and it made it easy for him to see that nothing was going to change it. They had hard times ahead, but Dennis couldn’t be bothered. He knew that as long as he had Jazz by his side, he would be able to conquer anything that the world threw at them.
Dennis was sure that something was going to ruin their perfect day. He kept going on with his duties and getting ready, but his eyes were always behind him, waiting for something to come out of the woods.
By nightfall, he was starting to think that it was just his paranoia that was getting in the way of everything. He wanted to believe that’s what it was, so then he wouldn’t have to worry about the night’s rituals being put off.
Dennis found Jazz, and even though it wasn’t tradition to see each other, he had to touch her, make sure that it was all really going to happen.
She made a disgruntled sound when he came through the door and asked him what he was doing.
“I just wanted to see you.”
“The ceremony starts in a few minutes. You could have waited.”
He grinned at her and pulled her in for a kiss. “That’s not true at all. I couldn’t wait to kiss you, Jazz. I need you so badly.”
Jazz sighed and let him kiss her. Dennis needed the assurance that she was still his. He didn’t let her go, though. Dennis still needed the touch from her to make him feel whole.
“I need you, Jazz.”
She grinned and then turned red when she realized that he was being serious.
“Right now?”
Dennis agreed, and Jazz didn’t know what to say. He could see her fighting with the decision, but he didn’t back down. He thought that he was going to be able to wait, but it was hard when she was in his arms and making the sweetest sounds of surrender.
He was pulling her long dress up and trying to get to her innermost delicate spots when the knocking at the door started. Dennis figured that it was one of his brothers and wanted to ignore it, but Jazz knew better.
“It’s Cali, Dennis. You’re just going to have to wait. I think she has something important to tell us.”
He looked at her a little funny. “How do you know that?”
Jazz shrugged and pulled her dress down while he straightened out his clothing. He wasn’t ready to see Cali, or anyone else for that matter. He only had eyes for Jazz, with something very specific in mind.
Instead, though, he had to open the door to greet the old woman. She moved into the room, not worrying about what she was walking into. It was clear that she didn’t care.
“Cali, it’s good to see you.”
She smiled at Dennis. “It’s your wedding day, Dennis. You don’t have to lie.”
He started to tell her to get on with it so that he could finish with Jazz, but no matter what the woman said, it wasn’t going to help his cause. She was there for a reason, so Dennis just had to wait and see what that reason was.
“What’s up?”
She smiled at them both. “I am just here to say how happy I am that you two are getting together. It’s perfect, you know.”
Dennis wasn’t expecting that as an answer, and he was thrown off for a moment.
“Um, thank you?”
“You’re ready for the but?”
He agreed. He was waiting for the transition that would make him steel his body.
“There isn’t one, not for today. Enjoy yourself, each other, because soon, we will have one hell of a fight on our hands.”
“I thought that’s what we’ve had for all this time?”
The old woman agreed and sat down like her body was ready to give out on her from just standing.
“We have been, but it will get worse. Marl will use the knowledge of the potion to bring more people onto her side, to fight for her cause.”
“Only one can live forever with it, though.”
“She knows that, but that doesn’t mean that anyone else does. The potion has been called many things throughout the years, even the fountain of youth. It makes it seem like it is replenishable, but it isn’t. That won’t matter, though. If she gets help, which she will, we’re going to have one hell of a fight on our hands. We will win, I know it, but it needs all of us.”
“Why are you telling us this now, Cali? Why today, of all days?”
He was perturbed by her timing.
“Because they will be here tonight, at your wedding.”
“They?”
Cali smiled and told them that he would understand everything soon. “Just keep your eyes open, okay? Help is coming, and I don’t know in what form yet. We will have to be diligent, even on the most joyous of days.”
&
nbsp; Dennis agreed and watched her leave.
“She likes making us nervous.”
“Yeah, she does. Cali knows the power she has. She has more say-so than I do, and I’m the Alpha.”
“Do you think that something is going to happen tonight?”
Jazz looked worried, and he felt it, but he just brushed it off. “I am sure she is just trying to be extra cautious.”
“You’re probably right.”
Jazz leaned up on her tippy-toes and kissed him, making them both forget what was to come. It was now time for them to focus on each other and the now. The future was never promised, something that was even more clear to them both now.
Shifter’s Legacy
(Quest for Immortality)
BOOK IV
Chapter One
Marl Stein was not used to losing. She had lived for thousands of years and now she was going to be taken down by her own niece. Marl was losing power fast, and she didn’t want to believe that her life as she knew it was over. Marl wasn’t quite ready to accept the fact that she had lost.
Truth be told, Marl wasn't used to her life in such shambles. She was used to having anything and everything that she wanted. She was used to having her sisters around her and enough power to do anything that she wished. Possibilities had been endless, but now Marl had none of that freedom. Her powers, family, bonds, youth: it was all slipping away.
Things had changed. Marl was now starting to get older and older every time she looked at the mirror. It killed her inside. Marl had given up a lot to keep going after losing all of her sisters. She killed Linda, her favorite sister, to keep her power, and now Marl was all alone. The problem was, she did not do well with being alone.
Marl knew that she had to do something. She was not the type of person to just lay down and let something happen. One way or another, she was going to figure it out. She was going to get back everything that she had lost, or at least the things that could come back to her.
