To Darkness Bound Box Set

by Zandria West

  We crouch down behind the huge rock, and I press in close to it. Behind us is a tangled thorn bush, so if we stay low, from most angles we should be hidden.

  ‘Are bears and wolves enemies?’ I whisper.

  ‘Not exactly, but these bears are in wolf territory. It’s either an act of war or of desperation.’

  I put a hand to my amulet. The stone is quite cool; the protective magic hasn’t triggered.

  ‘My amulet’s not sensing any danger,’ I say.

  ‘That might just be because they haven’t spotted us yet,’ Reuben murmurs. He gestures for me to stay hidden, then, keeping low, takes a few cautious steps out from the rock, every movement slow and careful. He pauses and watches a few seconds, then returns to crouch back down beside me. ‘There are only two of them. They’re unarmed.’

  My amulet isn’t even slightly warm, and I have no sense of threat. My instinct tells me that whatever they’re here for, it isn’t to harm us.

  I frown. ‘If crossing over into wolf territory is as unusual as you say, then it could be important. Shouldn’t we try to find out why they’re here?’

  Reuben looks at me, his eyes narrowing. ‘I should. If I told you to wait behind this rock while I went to speak with them, would you do it?’

  I shake my head. Between the fear of being left on my own and the curiosity of having the chance to meet actual bear shifters, there is no way Reuben is leaving me here.

  Our eyes are locked in a silent contest for a few long silent seconds, then Reuben breaks the gaze and I know I’ve won.

  ‘If this goes wrong, Gabriel will skin me,’ he growls, then takes my hand and together we step out from cover. Reuben leads the way down the path. A minute later, we spot the intruders and I pause, my mouth dropping open. They are two of the biggest people I’ve ever seen. They’re dressed in leather and fur and their hair is wild and tangled and long. As they turn to study me, I shiver. Their eyes are a brilliant yellow, and there’s something coldly inhuman about their gaze. They watch me like I’m nothing to them.

  ‘This is Grey Pack territory,’ Reuben calls. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘We’re messengers,’ the largest says. ‘Passing on news.’

  ‘A human?’ the other murmurs. His voice is a deep, rich, low rumble that I feel in the pit of my stomach.

  ‘She is not your concern,’ Reuben says, his voice stern.

  The strangers exchange a look then the tallest, broadest-chested of the two speaks again.

  ‘Bear Clan is on the move. Demons from the south are invading our territory. A demon army is marching. We’ve heard rumours of a large breach to the Barrier that has opened in the northern lands. We believe that’s where they’re heading.’ As he says this, he looks at me.

  A large breach? A demon army?

  ‘They’re going to attack the human realm?’ I say, a sick feeling churning in my gut.

  The speaker shrugs his massive shoulders. ‘Who knows. But we’re moving early down to our winter lands in case of reprisals. This is not a war we want to be a part of. Wolves might think to do the same.’

  Reuben nods, his expression stony. Without saying anything more, the pair turn and make their way back into the forest, their movements surprisingly swift and silent given their size.

  ‘We must return to camp,’ Reuben says, once they are gone. ‘I have to tell Paul.’

  ‘Gabriel needs to know too,’ I say.

  It all feels suddenly, sickeningly real.

  14

  GABRIEL

  An urgency is growing within me that we should be moving. I felt it already, even before the news of Reuben and Lana’s encounter with the bears in the forest. Now that I know demon armies are on the march, the desperation to leave is burning at me like an acid. But the decision is not mine to make and I am outnumbered – the others believe we should wait for this new pack to arrive, to safeguard our passage through the Arvonne, as the Gaping Maws’ territory presses up against that of the Grey Pack. I see the logic in their argument. A few days gained now could easily be lost – or worse – if we find ourselves in Gaping Maws lands without permission.

  So I force myself to be patient. While I wait, I watch Lana and wonder. She has clearly been shaken by the news the bears brought. The reality of what will happen if the Barrier falls – a vicious war between the realms – has hit her hard. In the course of a day, I see her initial shock replaced by a quiet determination, as though she’s already accepted the weight of responsibility that this enchantment has placed upon her, even though she never chose it and understands so little of what it means. Her courage awes me.

  I have not yet told anyone about the Great Witches tidings. I will tell Lana first; she has a right to know. But every day I observe Lana’s kindness, her beauty, and I wonder – how it can be true? The Great Witch warned me that through Lana, the Dark God will find a way to return. I wish I could believe my mother was mistaken. But on a matter of such importance, why would she speak if she were not sure?

  The Great Witch ordered me to kill Lana. I cannot; of that I am certain. Deep magic binds me to protect her, and even stronger than magic, my heart has been claimed by her.

  Damned Gods and damned witches. Sometimes I hate them all. For whatever else Lana is, she is innocent. I do not want her to suffer.

  I walk long in the forest alone, thinking dark thoughts. I lie beside Lana each night, feeling the warmth of her skin, the gentle motion of her breathing. Sometimes I cannot bear to touch her, knowing what I know. The weight of my secret grows heavier every hour. I must tell her. But every time I try to speak, the words fail me.

  The final day we are to spend with the Grey Pack dawns at last, clear and bright. The camp is quiet but with an air of expectation. I have tried to learn what I could of this other pack who are coming – the Gaping Maws. The name sounds theatrically violent, and from what Reuben has told me, their reputation matches. They are known to be wilder, less steady, more ambitious than the Grey Pack. They are newer too, formed from rag-tag lone wolves that have fled the city or skulked in as outcasts from distant packs, which is why their territory was not marked on my maps. This is the first time they have come to do business with the Grey Pack, but Paul seems confident that they will be in a mood to bargain.

  The camp is made ready, and a huge feast prepared – another one, these wolves do not easily grow tired of feasting. I leave the excited hubbub behind and accompany Lana down to the river to bathe. We do not wish the new wolves to smell her the moment they step in camp. Paul has directed her to a spot where she will not be disturbed. She thinks it a kindness on his part, but I suspect it is downstream from the Grey Pack’s own chosen pool, so that their clean water won’t be polluted by her human scent. I don’t tell her that, though. I turn my back to give her privacy as she undresses. I hear the rustle of clothing and a minute later she gasps sharply as she enters the water.

  ‘It’s beautiful. You should come in.’

  I don’t reply. That weight within me seems heavier each moment. I must tell her. I feel a terrible rushing of foresight as though many strands of Fate were being bound together, here and now. But still I cannot speak.

  ‘Gabe?’

  I don’t think she’s ever called me that before. Her voice is softer and closer. I hear her muffled footsteps on the riverbank, and then feel her hand on my shoulder. I turn stiffly to meet her.

  She’s naked, her hair a darker blue from the water, slicked back from her head and hanging down her back. I see the Bondmarks like intricate shadows on her arms and chest, the luscious swell of her breasts, those perfectly pink nipples, the curve of her hips, the little thatch of blonde hair that graces her sex. I want her. Desperately. Urgently.

  She touches my arm, but only with concern. ‘You’ve been so distant lately. Is everything okay?’

  I look into those eyes, blue as the clearest pool of water under a perfect sky, and for a moment I’m speechless.

  ‘I’m afraid of what is coming,’ I finall
y force myself to admit.

  ‘That makes two of us,’ she says with a grim laugh. ‘Come in with me. I swear, there’s something special about this water. It’s like for a moment it takes all your troubles away.’

  I look at her closely. Witches’ lore is that the water that trickles down from the snow-melt in those high peaks does have special properties – healing, life-giving, renewing. But I had not mentioned it to her. Still, somehow, she senses it. Which should be no surprise, given the magic that throbs within her veins.

  ‘Alright,’ I say. ‘But Lana, there are things we need to talk about.’

  ‘Soon,’ she says, ‘but not quite yet. I need a little time just with you. Please.’ She kisses me.

  I close my eyes and feel her hands on me, slipping my jacket off, pulling my top over my head. She runs her fingers down my chest and places a warm kiss over my heart. She fumbles with the buckle of my pants. I toe my shoes off, then pull my pants off, the length of my cock springing free, pressing into Lana’s warm, smooth belly. I stifle a groan. She laughs and steps away, then takes my hand and pulls me down towards the water.

  It’s like ice, the cold sharp as a blade on my skin. I follow her as she launches herself into the deep channel in the centre of the river, the water swallowing up her beautiful body, caressing her. I dive in after her, the shock of cold waking me properly for the first time in days. I link my arms around her, drawing her close.

  I can’t help it. I lean in and kiss her, loving the warmth of her lips, the urgent pressure of her tongue against mine.

  She pulls away after a second and looks at me seriously.

  ‘There’s so much we don’t know,’ she says, her words mirroring the thoughts that have been haunting me these past days. ‘We don’t know how this enchantment works or what I might have to do. But Gabriel, I want you to know that I’m willing, whatever it is. Look at this place! It’s beautiful. It’s so peaceful here. Imagine what humans would do to it…’ she shakes her head and turns away for a moment, then looks back. ‘And those demons heading for a breach in the Barrier. It terrifies me. I have to protect my world, and this world too. The Barrier must be re-made.’

  ‘And it will be,’ I murmur. ‘I will do everything in my power to protect you and to help you.’

  ‘I know,’ she sighs, and rests her head against my chest. ‘I trust you,’ she says. I wrap my arms around her shoulders.

  I want to do more than just hold her. The sensation of her naked body so close to mine, the silken touch of the water, the way the sunlight dapples all around us make me giddy, but I resist the urges that seem to pull at my blood like a tide.

  Not until I tell her.

  It would not be right to do the things I want to do with her until she knows the truth. I feel a bitter guilt that I have held it back this long.

  ‘Come, let’s lie in the sun to dry off,’ I say finally. We climb together back up the bank. I stretch out the sheet of rough cloth that the wolves had lent Lana as a towel, then we lie down on it, side by side.

  Sunshine warms my skin. I close my eyes for a moment and allow the feeling of peace to grow within me. Then I shiver. Something has shifted in the atmosphere of the forest. I open my eyes to see, watching from the branch of a tree high above, a crow. Its feathers are dark as midnight, shining with the gloss of stars. It reminds me of Ruark and for a moment I miss him so much I want to weep. I remember his quiet strength, the wisdom he gave me.

  It’s a sign. I can wait no longer.

  ‘Lana, there is something I must tell you,’ I begin, my heart almost too heavy to bear.

  I close my eyes and beg the Goddess for strength. Then I open my eyes and meet Lana’s questioning gaze.

  I tell her. I tell her everything.

  15

  LANA

  We walk back together in silence. I’ve asked Gabriel not to tell the others. I know we will have to, and soon, but I don’t want to burden them yet with this news.

  When we arrive in the campsite, Gabriel is called away to meet with Paul to talk about the strategy for dealing with the visiting pack. He doesn’t want to go, but I tell him I need some time alone to think. I wander the campsite, feeling numb. I see Reuben, my beautiful, powerful werewolf warrior, sitting in the dirt playing games with Briony with rocks and bits of bark. It stirs all kinds of feelings in me that I don’t want to think about. Feelings about a future that I might one day have wanted - family, home. All the things I probably won’t have now, ever.

  At least he has Briony, I find myself thinking.

  ‘Don’t feel too bad,’ I hear a husky voice beside me. I turn to see Vera, the mother of Reuben’s child. She’s been watching me watching him. ‘It’s just what men are like. One moment you’re their whole world and the next they’re chasing after some other dream. It’s hard to hold their attention for long. And I guess, when there are three of them and only one of you, it makes it even harder…’

  I force a smile onto my lips. I’m not sure if Vera is being friendly or taking a swipe at me, and right now, I don’t care. There is nothing she could say that would make me feel worse than I already do.

  ‘Actually, the binding is with four,’ I respond, and she raises an eyebrow. ‘We just haven’t found the fourth yet.’

  ‘Four? I suppose as a human holding the kind of power they’re saying you do, you need as much protection as you can get. And the fact that you’re human probably gives you an added appeal for the men, at least when they first meet you…’

  The disgust in her voice is barely disguised. I remember my brother and his hatred of ‘demons’. If anything is universal, it’s that people hate and fear what they don’t know.

  ‘Have you ever passed through to the human world?’ I ask.

  ‘How could I? Your beloved Barrier keeps us safely penned like a herd of sheep on the other side. Unless, of course, we find a breach. Reuben knows more about that than me, though…’

  I look across to where he’s sitting, drawing a picture in the dirt with a stick.

  ‘Really?’

  ‘He hasn’t told you about his youthful adventures? I’m surprised. Scourge of humankind, that one, or at least he used to be.’ Vera flashes me a knowing look.

  I frown. I’m sure Vera’s just trying to get a reaction from me, but the truth is I hardly know anything about Reuben’s life before Gabriel found him. Even now, after spending a few days with the Grey Pack, even after the renewed closeness I feel with him from the morning we spent together, I still have more questions than answers.

  My uncomfortable train of thoughts is disturbed as one of the younger pack members runs through the campsite. ‘They’re coming! The Gaping Maws! They’re almost here!’ he yells.

  A murmur of excitement rises at his words.

  ‘I’d better check the fire,’ Vera says. ‘Can’t trust the men to keep it from going out. My advice to you, from one woman to another, is the less you trust men, the better off you’ll be.’

  She rises and stalks off without another word.

  ‘They’re early,’ Alex says, approaching so silently I jump when he speaks. ‘Did talking to Vera put you on edge, angel?’ He takes my hand and rubs slow circles onto my palm.

  I feel myself tense. ‘I’m just a bit anxious about these new werewolves turning up,’ I say as I sense Alex scrutinising me.

  I can’t hide anything from him, but I don’t want to share Gabriel’s news with him yet. I narrow my eyes and try to clear my mind, to focus only on what is around me. The sights and smells of the campsite. The touch of his hand on mine. A sudden sharp pain shoots through my temple.

  ‘Let’s find Gabriel and pull Reuben from his games,’ Alex says, frowning. ‘I’m sure it will all be fine, but I’d feel better if we have a full circle of protection around you when these Gaping Maws arrive.’

  It’s not often that Alex admits that he feels nervous. Usually he hides it from me. This is either a sign that he’s starting to trust me, or that things are about to get even mo
re dicey than they’ve already been.

  Gabriel appears beside us. His expression is cold and stern. Alex fetches Reuben, who leaves Briony to her games and leads us to sit up in one of the platforms high in the trees to watch the visitors arrive. There are half a dozen of the newcomers. They’re dressed in rough leathers, their clothing ripped and torn, with studs and chains hanging off the ragged material. They have facial piercings and huge tattoos and weirdly it also seems like they wax – in comparison with the Grey Pack who are uniformly hairy, these guys are smooth all over. I guess they save the hair for when they transform. They’re loud too, and rowdy, yelling and swearing at the top of their voices and laughing like hyenas. I watch as the younger women takes the babies back inside the huts and the Grey Pack men gather around the fire-pit, ready to welcome the strangers.

  I feel a sudden buzz of nerves.

  We convinced Paul to help us. Will we be able to do the same with these new werewolves? They seem so much wilder and more anarchic than the Grey Pack. I have no sense of how they might behave or what they might think about me and my task. Probably they’d be hoping the Barrier falls so they can go ahead and tear more things down.

  Their leader comes last but there’s no mistaking him. He has long blonde hair that hangs mane-like down his back. His face is painted with jagged symbols. A skull hangs on a chain around his neck.

  ‘Varik?’ Reuben murmurs at the sight of him. ‘Damn it, it can’t be. It’s not possible.’

  I look across and am surprised to see that Reuben actually looks pale.

  ‘What is it?’ I ask quietly.

  ‘Nothing good,’ he mutters.

  ‘Anything we should know about?’ Gabriel says.

  ‘Their alpha is someone I knew when I was young. He’s violent and unpredictable. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again. Varik takes blood-thirsty to another level.’

  ‘Then why is Paul doing business with him?’ I ask.

  Reuben frowns. ‘Power. It’s always an exchange of power. The Grey Pack are established, respected. Their territory is large and valuable. But the Gaping Maw are feared. And in this world, that is something that brings its own value.’