by Barb Shuler
“Where is Thor?” Marissa asked. She looked around then back to the little girl, her brows pinched together.
“Pyper, what did you do with Thor?” Natalia asked her, her brows wrinkling.
I watched the interactions between the girls and the little one. Now both Natalia and Marissa’s brows were pulled together in concern.
“Um…” the little one pointed to the wooded area.
“You left him in the woods where you were hiding?” Talia asked her. The little one nodded.
Marissa said nothing else more before she turned, brought her hands up, put her fingers to her mouth and let out a whistle loud enough to make me wince. I shook my head as the sound of it reverberated through my ear drums. We all watched, waiting to see a dog running towards us. What we saw was, nothing. Marissa did the movement again and the ringing in my ears only partially blocked the snarls and cursing coming from her when she again got no response from her dog.
“I bet he’s off chasing a damn rabbit…” she turned back to look at Sonny and I. “Y’all have rabbits here, right?” she asked, her eyebrow raised in question. I saw through it though. Her lips were tilted up at the corner. She was being a smart ass.
I snorted out a laugh.
“Of course, we do. This is still the human realm. Nothing has changed with the way wildlife is,” Sonny answered her, cutting off the comment I was about to make. Which was probably a good thing.
We stood around, the uneasiness starting to fade. I scanned the area. My men too, were on high alert. The air still felt, off.
“Dammit, where is he?” Marissa gritted out.
“He will come back. I will go locate him as I did last time, if not. Let him be a dog for a bit, ” Natalia said. She then shifted Pyper to lay against her chest as the little one rubbed her hand against her eyes.
“You brought a dog to Alaska with you?” one of the men asked from behind me, astonishment clear in his voice.
“Yeah, I wasn’t leaving him alone. He’s smarter than most dogs. Ya know, smarter than bears, too.”
“Bears are smarter than some stupid dog.”
She stalked off muttering something about stupid bears and swearing like a man would when he’d lost at a card game.
I huffed out a breath and shook my head. I wanted to chuckle, but I pushed it back.
“Okay, this is not getting us anywhere… I still have an uneasy feeling here but, if you are who say you are, I have to believe it,” Natalia said, her voice soft on the wind. The look of determination on her face had me relaxing more. She was letting it all sink in. They’d rushed to say they’d go with us but, the moment they had a good minute to think, things had changed.
Now, it was better.
This meant good things for us. It had to.
Natalia motioned for us to follow her and we did. The seating area around the campfire was large enough to hold most of us, but I waved the others back. They could keep watch, just in case the Reapers decided to show up. Or the king's men. Or, anything else we were not ready for.
If there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that Sunshine’s dreams were merely an omen of things to come. Good or bad, we never knew.
I made a note of the camping areas they had set up in this small clearing. It was a well concealed space, yet still open enough that their pack was not piled on top of one other. It was easy enough to get to, but it wasn’t that easy to sneak up on shifters. As they had proven when we pushed through the treeline. We had been all but silent as we’d moved through the trees yet, they were there, waiting on us.
My head tilted to the right as a the thunder of paws stomping against the ground rolled this way. The wolves that had stayed silent, but at the girls backs stood, a growl escaping one's muzzle before the other whined.
“It’s the pack. Please,” she said turning her gaze to us before speaking again, “have your clansmen stay as they are. We wish no harm come to anyone.”
Marissa took a stance, ready to fight if the situation called for it. Natalia hurried to move around the wolves at her back. She stood, facing the wolf pack running this way. She patted the back of the little bear in her arms as she whined.
I was still curious about that. A wolf pack with a small bear… even if they saved her, how had they come across her? There seemed to be much more to the story. I only hoped we got to hear about it before something bad happened.
I looked away from them and saw there was a massive dog running with the pack. I chuckled. His tongue was hanging from his opened muzzle as they ran towards us. Marissa took a few steps to the side and the dog came crashing into her. She stayed on her feet, but just barely. She crooned to the dog as the wolves came to a stop one by one.
Only one, a larger wolf, moved closer to where Talia stood. Mid-stride she shifted from four legs to one. She stood mid-height, had a slight curve to her rounded hips and wore the scars of a warrior. Her long, raven colored hair was pulled back into a long braid, two black feathers falling from the top of it. Her tanned skin was marked with multiple colors as were her clothes.
We had done as Natalia had asked and remained where we had been. We were not here to fight any of these warriors. We needed to save our strengths for the big fight on the other side of the veil.
I prayed that today was the last day of preparing and the start of the end - for the end would mean a new beginning.
Sonny
The woman who had shifted from wolf to human seemed familiar. Her eyes met mine briefly before her smile widened. She moved to greet Natalia.
“Talia? Is Pyper well?” she asked as she moved to them.
“Sheri. She is well, we are all safe.”
“Who are our guests?”
The woman who had approached asked this as she again looked at me. I felt something warm run through me.
Natalia turned to glance back to where I stood.
I had a feeling the woman asking already knew the answer to her question, but I stepped forward and held out my hand.
“I am Sonny Vincent Kildridge, only daughter of Bartholomew Vincent, younger brother to Trenton and Alexander Vincent. We are here to help.”
“Sonny... Oh, my sweet girl.”
The woman moved quickly ignoring my outstretched hand to embrace me in a tight hug. I felt her warmth ease into me. I returned her hug and, as she pulled back, she looked my face over before taking it in her hands.
“You look so much like your mother, Roslyn.”
“You- you knew her? My mother?” I asked, my voice cracking. My stomach dropped at the thought of someone being able to tell me something new about my mother. My memories of her were so hazy most days. I had been so young when she was killed.
“Yes, I did. Sadly, I had not seen her in many years at the time of her death. The last time I set eyes on you I believe you were just two.”
“You are the mate to the Alpha, Ramport?” Sebastian's voice carried across the open area.
Sheri nodded in response. She smiled at me then turned to face him.
“I am. I am Sheri,” she bowed her head slightly. She looked back up at me then. “We went into hiding ourselves after the things that happened. We only broke away from our place when we had to. We visited Bart and Roslyn once here before we received word of the hunters attack. We were all crushed at the news.” She stopped to look between Natalia, Marissa and I before she spoke again. “You three had a hard start to this life and for that I am very sorry. I wish there had been a different way.”
“It is not your fault, nor is it the fault of our fathers. It was destined to be this way. We are here to bring my father, and theirs, back. The veil has become a most vile place since Uncle Trenton left the throne. The king has ruined it all.”
“He had no choice but to leave, sweet one.”
“I know. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen the future play out in multiple ways. The only way for good to prevail is for ours to join the fight, so, here we are. We brought as many of the warriors as we could to help in t
he fight. We left the others back to protect our lands with instructions of what to do if we do not return by the agreed upon deadline.”
I kept my voice low but I knew everyone around me heard. Shifters and vamps had exceptional hearing. Many heads nodded around me. The other wolves started to shift back to their two-legged selves. I relaxed back into Sebastian’s warmth as his arm came around me.
“What do we need to do?”
I turned to Marissa as she walked back over to where we all stood.
“There is so much to tell you before we do anything,” Sebastian said.
I leaned down slightly, getting a better look at the dog. I reached a hand out to him. He sniffed me and then licked my hand. I smiled before I looked up and met Marissa’s determined gaze.
“To answer your question… after we make a sufficient plan, we go in and get our father’s out. Alive. We end this mess, now.”
I spoke the truth.
We could do this and, hopefully, not lose anyone in the process.
“Aye. Sounds like a damn good plan to me. My mate is with my father, as is Talia’s, and the Alpha to this pack. We want them all back,” she said, her head nodding once again.
The little bear in Natalia’s arms started to whine. Everyone turned to them. I watched as Natalia’s eyes flicked to red as the little one started to cry. Marissa moved to her side and, after a shared whisper, she moved a few steps before Natalia and the cub. She then pulled her hands up and let out a long whistle.
I raised a brow.
I took a step closer to where Natalia stood. It was then I felt the pull towards the woods. It was as if something was pulling power to stay unseen but then it released itself. It was hard to explain.
That was when it sank in. Someone or something had come from across the veil. I growled softly.
“We know you’re out there. Show yourself,” Marissa called out.
Some of the wolves were shifting back to their beast forms. They too sensed the danger heading this way.
“Taya… beaws!” The little girl started to cry as three rather large men came from the woods to the far North. A snarl from behind me had a shiver of fear rolling through me. My mate did not like the looks of these intruders any more than we did.
I hadn't seen this coming. I didn’t get it… what was happening?
“You have something that belongs to us, and we want it back,” one of the men said, his hand coming up to point at the little girl in Natalia’s arms.
I saw his eyes flash red.
I gasped.
“Reapers…”
Natalia growled, a rumble that only a Mama could make. She handed the little one off to a female wolf that came forward. She moved to stand beside Marissa.
“Over my dead body,” she snarled.
“So be it.”
With that they charged.
4
Sonny
“Do not let them touch you!” I screamed as both Marissa and Natalia took fighting stances. “They are not the same as the others you fought!”
Panic ran through me as I pushed to stand beside them, my heart hammering as the bears fell to their four-legged selves. How Reapers took over shifters I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t seen that in my visions.
These bears were nowhere near the size of Sebastian and his clan members but they were just as deadly. One drop of Reaper blood could kill any of us. Painfully!
I watched as the snarling grizzlies pounded across the open expanse before us. Natalia and Marissa exchanged a look and that was when it happened. I felt the wind and, with a muttered word from them, energy surged around us. I heard snarling and calls of our names from behind us. I turned to see my mate beating his fists against an invisible barrier.
“What did you do?” I asked, irritated.
“I’m not doing that, but whoever is has done it before,” Marissa growled out.
In the blink of an eye Marissa’s eyes changed to red, her body shook with rage and she muttered curse words under her breath as her power took over. There was a purple energy that danced along her fingers.
Natalia shifted to a half-beast form, her eyes too were red and blue energy danced along her fingers.
It was just as I had seen in my dreams. I took in a deep breath. I knew what needed to happen next.
It was now or never.
I moved to stand between them as my power sparked. I laid a hand on each of them before I chickened out. I closed my eyes and opened myself up to them. I called to that bond we all shared, pulling it to closer and closer. There was a burst of heated energy that shot through me and into both of them.
I gritted my teeth as my head fell back slightly. There was a slight pain that suddenly disappeared and was replaced with more searing heat. The air around us came alive with even more energy.
It was right. This was supposed to happen so we could do what needed to be done next.
Win a war that only we could win.
I felt Natalia and Marissa both shudder as their inner, deepest powers surfaced in their full glory. But something had changed inside me too. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew what was going to happen.
It was going to be okay.
When the bears moved closer I stepped back. I dropped my hands to my side and the fire that burned inside of me pushed forward. My fingers tingle as I stretched them out.
The bears leapt forward, claws raking through the air. Each of us moved in tandem as we dodged their strikes. The earth shook under us and I dodged another hit. The bear in front of me was shifting back to his human form, or at least his half beast, I wasn’t sure which.
He snarled at me as he stalked closer.
“I will rip your cub from you and take it as my own!”
Anger like I’d never felt before ran through me at his words. I felt the power in me spike as my hands went out. In a matter of seconds there was an explosion of energy and fire then, utter silence. Stillness.
“Holy shit! What was that?” Marissa cursed again as she moved back from the smoldering piles of ash. I looked between Marissa and Talia. They were staring at me as if I had two heads. I shook my hands and balled them together tightly. My entire body was shaking with rage and fear.
“Sonny?” Talia questioned as she came closer to where I stood. “What was that?”
“Angel Fire,” I said softly as tears formed in my eyes.
The surge of energy around us had us all dropping to our knees as the invisible bubble we were in, collapsed. Sebastian was at my side in an instant.
“Sunshine, are you alright?” His hand moved to my swollen belly and I nodded.
“Yes, just a little winded. That was kind of intense.”
“No shit. What the fuck was that?” Marissa said as one of the wolves helped her and Talia to their feet. I took a shaky breath as I too was brought up to my feet.
“That is why you three were kept apart. Your power is too great when you are together. You are older now. You will be able to learn to control it.”
We spun to see a silver-haired woman standing about twenty feet from us. Her eyes roamed over the three of us and a smile graced her lips. She moved forward, her stride not faltering, even when a few of the wolves and bears growled. Sebastian moved to push me behind him.
“Do not test me furballs, I will turn you all into rugs.” Her words were followed by a scowl. “I am here to help.”
“Who are you?” Sebastian’s booming voice carried out over the growls of the shifters around us.
“That’s not important-”
“Kelanie,” another voice said from the other side of the open space. The deep voice drew our attention.
“Do not speak out of turn, Guardian!” the woman snapped. “I will-”
“Make a rug of my hide. Yes, yes. I know. You’ve been saying that for years.”
They both shared a look and then moved closer to us. The rather large man gave even the likes of Sebastian a run for his money on height and brawn.
Holy crap.
“Do not fret, my friends, we mean you no harm, as the crotchety old Fae has said.”
The man moved closer to us and stopped about twenty feet from us.
There were more growls from the wolves, the bears, the dog of Marissa’s and my mate. I rubbed my head as I tried to piece together what had just happened.
“Who. Are. You?” It was Sheri this time that spoke as she pushed to the front of the group. She gave them both a hard, assessing look.
The large man bowed his head slightly. Before he could speak though, there was a scream from the tents. Talia moved to push passed us.
“Pyper!”
The little girl came running across the open area. The female that had taken her away was behind her, shaking her hand. Talia scooped Pyper up and kissed her head.
“It’s okay, baby girl, I've got you.”
“Is she okay?” I asked moving to her as Marissa came up on the other side.
“I’m sorry, she slipped away from me.”
“It’s okay, Isabelle. She is proving to be quite the escapist, it seems.”
Talia smiled softly at the woman. Another of the wolves moved up to her and gave her a reassuring one-armed hug.
“I was scawerd!” Pyper panted out.
The little girl shook as Talia held her.
“No need to be scared. It’s okay, now.” Talia said as she kissed her head.
“I say again, who are you? Why are you here? We do not take kindly to strangers as of late.”
Sheri’s voice had taken on the tone of anger. I glanced around. This seemed... off, somehow.
“Not now,” the silver-haired woman said. Her eyes moved across Marissa, Talia and I before she spoke again, “I see you have bonded nicely with the little healer.”
Everyone around us looked from her to Pyper and back to the woman, whose smile was wide. I raised a brow at her.
“Healer?” I asked.
Natalia and Marissa both shared a look and then looked back to the woman.
The woman nodded, a pleased look upon her face.
Before we spoke another man, one who had a similar look to the silver haired woman, popped into the clearing mere feet from where she stood.
