Authors: Quinn Loftis
Kara’s hand continued to stay tightly closed around her own as she continued to sit by the unconscious girl. She knew they had to figure out a way out of this nightmare because if they didn’t it was
only going to get worse. Her mother had spoken of such evil and she had honestly believed that nothing that vile could possibly exist, not in their world. She was wrong, so very, very wrong. Now the only thing left to do was to wait. Wait for Kara to wake up, wait to see if she would be able to move, wait to see if Lorelle or her horrid master would come seeking them again. Waiting had always sucked but in that moment Jewel decided that never in her life had she hated waiting so bad.
Hurry up and wait
, she thought to herself as she leaned back against the tree behind her and continued to hold on tightly to the first true friend she’d ever had. She closed her eyes and tried to put away the things she had seen. She reached for the good she knew to be true. She reached for her mom’s love, strange though she may be. She reached for the books that had kept her company for so many long nights. She reached for every ray of sunshine she had ever felt upon her skin. These things she had to think on because the alternative was too dark, too scary.
“Remember Jewel,” her mother’s voice echoed in the quiet places of her mind. “Darkness, pitch as night, will come to you. It will surround you and threaten to take from you everything you hold dear. You must not succumb. No matter how it suffocates you, you must look for the light and latch onto even the tiniest
flake because even the smallest amount can pierce through the blackness, showing you a way out.”
At the time Jewel had thought that her mother’s speech was better suited to some fairy tale book, not as advice to her teenage daughter. But now, as she sat surrounded by that very darkness her mother spoke of, she understood. She needed to find the light. She knew with light there was hope, and hope was something she could work with.
∞
Heather’s head was beginning to throb with the effort to stay awake. They had been at it for hours and hours and night had fallen once again. They were no closer to figuring out the riddle than
they had been when they started. Frustrations levels were running high and she was sure that at any moment Peri was going to make good on her threats to turn them all into some disgusting insect. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and let out a deep breath, attempting to relax the tense muscles in her back. She needed to think about other things for just a few minutes. Maybe stepping back and then returning to it would help her see the riddle with new eyes.
Ha, new eyes that’s a good one
, she laughed at herself, as she frequently did.
Her mind drifted off to the things she would be doing had she not been abducted by a crazy fae and her apparently too hot for words mate alon
g with their merry lot of supernaturals. In the evening she typically listened to audiobooks. She had always loved books. She loved the rich details they provided, the intense relationships and the intriguing plots. They were so much more exciting than her life, well until now that is.
Her latest book was not one she thought she’d ever be listening to, but one of her friends had balked when she had said she hadn’t read them
, stating,
everyone and their dog has read them, how have you not?
Heather had refrained, barely, from the smartass remark of I can’t see in case you haven’t noticed. She knew her humor about her situation made some people uncomfortable. So that was how she found herself listening to the Twilight Series. Yes, yes, it was way overdue and she was way past when it was cool to be a twihard, but it was pretty good for the most part. She had only read the Anne Rice version of vampires so it was interesting to see them viewed differently, complete with sparkling bloodsuckers…and that’s when it hit her, like a bolt of lightning shooting straight into her mind.
“
It aches, It aches, hunger and thirst,
Glisten, glitter to the bistro they go,
Tick tock, tick tock, who’ll be first,
Dusk sets, dawn rises can’t be slow.”
The words ran through her mind and their meaning slipped into place. It aches hunger and thirst, just as a vampire thirsts for blood. Glisten, glitter, the vampires in Twilight sparkled.
Okay,
she thought,
what about to the bistro they go?
The only thing she could think of in regards to that was the restaurant that Bella and Edward dined at together, although it could also be literally referring as humans as their restaurant.
Eww, that’s just wrong,
she scowled. The tick tock, who will be first is obvious, Lorelle or Peri. She thought back to the beginning of the riddle, about the little bird not falling, maybe she means not to fall in love. Because if she falls in love with Edward and he changes her, she will come back a vampire, not the innocent sparrow she once was. It was a stretch but she’d run with it for now. Then there was the part about the rain and cold, this was an obvious reference to the weather of the location.
Heathe
r took a deep breath and let it settle into place. If her breakdown of the riddle was correct, then Lorelle was talking about Forks, Washington. Part of her wanted to blurt it out, to shout it at the top of her lungs because they had been at it for so long. But then there was a part of her that wasn’t fully convinced that what she had deduced was correct because, really, it was ridiculous. How could an evil fae like Lorelle possibly make a riddle up based on a freaking teen book series from the twenty first century? It didn’t make sense, not that anything in the past twenty four hours had made sense. After deliberating and arguing with herself she finally dropped her head and raised her hand.
“If you ask me if you can go to the bathroom I’m going to
…,”
“Turn her into a cockroach, we got it Peri,” Elle interrupted.
“Just so long as we’re clear,” Peri said as she turned her attention to Heather. “You don’t have to raise your hand. Just speak up, someone will start listening eventually.”
“Once I tell you what I think the riddle is referring too you’re going to think I’m ridiculous so raising my hand like a juvenile seemed appropriate.”
Peri didn’t comment but simply waited for her to continue.
“Do you happen to like paranormal teen fiction?” Heather asked the fae
, feeling totally foolish.
Peri’s eyebrows drew together as she leaned forward with her elbows braced on her knees. “Maybe, what’s it to ya?”
“Does your sister know you like paranormal teen fiction?”
Peri rolled her eyes. “Yes and she thinks I’m an idiot for it, but seriously some of the hunks in those books are beyond swoon worthy.” There was a low growl to Peri’s left. She reached over and patted her mate’s leg. “Don’t worry wolf, they don’t hold a candle to you.”
“I think the location is Forks, Washington,” Heather finally blurted out. The room was silent, and Heather could feel the stares boring into her. She knew how it sounded but she was hoping that now that she had said it, maybe one of the other young girls would see it too, provided they had read the Twilight series, but then who hadn’t right?
Several minutes of silence crept by when finally someone spoke up.
“Bloody hell,” Sally laughed. “She could be right, Peri. Now that she’s said that I’m looking at the riddle from that angle and it just makes sense.”
Heather quickly went over the ideas she had thought out and Sally agreed with her
, seeing the correlations as well. Slowly, others that were familiar with the series began to speak up and share their thoughts.
“I agree,” Peri finally said. “Why I didn’t see it sooner I don’t know, but knowing my sister as I do, this is exactly something she would do. Something so simple and obvious in many ways and yet so ridiculous that you wouldn’t give it a second thought.”
“What do we do now?” Anna asked.
Peri looked at the clock on the wall. “We have twelve hours left until the time limit
Lorelle set has expired. So we’re going to shower, eat and then a group of us will head to the infamous Forks to hopefully rescue the healers my sister claims are there.”
There were murmurs of agreement as they began to file out of Peri and Lucian’s room. When they were finally alone, Peri let out a sigh as she looked at her mate.
“I can’t believe she used a teenage romance book to give the location; that just shows that she isn’t in her right mind. She is obviously certifiably nuts.”
“That Heather is a bright one,” Lucian added as he took Peri’s hand and pulled her up from the bed.
“I imagine she uses her mind a lot more than the average person.” Peri closed her eyes as she stood in front of her mate. She tried to imagine what it would be like to not be able to see, to only be able to rely on her other senses. “I wonder if she ever feels as though she is trapped inside of herself. It seems a lonely thing, to not see the world, the colors, the beauty and even the ugly in it.”
“She sees it
, love,” Lucian told her as he pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “She just sees it in a different way.”
“So it looks like we’re going to Forks.” The words rolled dryly from her lips as she pulled away and headed for the closet to search for clothes. “I suppose it could be worse.”
Lucian chuckled. “How so?”
“We could be heading into a dark forest with a crazy warlock on the loose and a power hungry fae at his beckon call. Been there, done that, would prefer not to ride that
roller coaster again. However,” she poked her head out to look at him. “something tells me we will be returning to the dark forest for a totally different kind of ride, and if it’s because of what I think it is, it’s going to be rough.”
“Saving the world was not meant to be easy,” Lucian teased.
“Maybe not, but they could have made it a hell of a lot less deadly if you asked me, which nobody did, which once again proves to be mistake of epic proportions.”
“Epic?” Lucian asked with a raised brow.
“Totally epic,” she confirmed as she walked out of the closet fully dressed.
“Well remind me not to make that mistake then.”
“No worries, mate of mine, any mistakes you do make I assure you, you will only make once.” She winked at him as she waited for him to finish dressing.
“How generous of you,” he responded dryly.
Peri grinned wickedly. “Truly my kindness knows no bounds.”
∞
Volcan’s mind wandered back to a time long past. It was a time when he was powerful, feared and respected. Those had been the days when his endless hours of work began to produce fruit. He had managed to take ordinary humans and endow them with magic. It wasn’t natural, it wasn’t what Fate had ever intended to happen, and for those reasons the magic twisted and morphed into something even darker than he had thought it would be. As the magic settled into the humans it blackened their souls and ripped any form of humanity from them. The evil wrapped around them as a snake wraps around its prey, squeezing the life from them. The light faded from their eyes and all that was left was the withered soul in a body never meant to house such power. He had thought his plan ingenious. He was going to corrupt the human world, and bring them under his rule. He was supposed to have been a king. But his creation turned on him, choosing not to obey him but to go their own way. They formed covens amongst themselves and scattered to the winds, leaving him to face the wolves and his kind, alone.
It was a long and bloody battle and ultimately it was his near demise. None knew that a piece of his tattered soul had survived, they underestimated the amount of power he held an
d so he waited. Like a lion biding its time as its prey wonders oblivious to the danger just beyond the brush, ready to pounce when the time was right. His time was coming. Once again he would rise from the ashes and take back what was his and this time he would be victorious. No other outcome would do. He would watch as the wolves howled in pain and frustration as they watched their healers, possible mates, be used for his own purpose. He would have no mercy, and once every ounce of magic had been reaped from them, he would toss their bodies, limp and lifeless, before those who could not save them. Yes, his time was coming, all he needed was to be patient for just a little longer.
“I feel a change coming, like the wind has suddenly reversed its direction and all of nature must catch up to follow. I’m restless, my soul inside of me cries out for the one who would complete me and yet I fear that very thing. What do I have to offer one such as precious as a true mate? But change is coming, that much I know
. Whether I’m ready or not, it’s coming.” ~ Dalton Black, Colorado Pack
“Tell me again why we are making a stop to see Dillon Jacobs?” Adam asked as they walked up to the Colorado Pack mansion.
“Because I feel it’s better to go in over prepared than under. Dillon would be quite irritated to know that we had been taking healers from the US, which he considers his territory, without his knowledge. So what better way to inform him than to ask for his assistance?” Peri answered as she stepped up to knock on the large wooden door. Before her hand could connect with the wood, Lucian had his arm around her waist pulling her back and swinging her around so that she stood behind him.
“In what universe do you think it is okay to waltz up and knock on the door of another Alpha, especially one that I haven’t even
met?”
Lucian asked her through their bond.
Peri crossed her arms in front of her chest and let out a loud sigh. “By all means wolf, knock until your heart
’s content.”
Lucian ignored her impertinence and rapped three times on the door. He took a step back causing everyone behind him to have to do the same.
“Protective much?” Peri teased.
“For the time being
, this is my pack, my responsibility, and no harm will come to what is mine.” Lucian’s voice rang with a finality that none dared argue with.
Finally the door swung open and every one’s head save Lucians turned up to look at the mountain of a man standing before them. The man
’s eyes met Lucian’s briefly before dropping and then moving on to those behind him. When they fell on Sorin it was obvious he was a familiar face.
“What brings you to our territory
, Sorin of the Romania pack?” His deep voice rumbled out of his massive chest.
“Dalton,” Sorin said with obvious affection. “It’s good to see you. We have come seeking Dillon’s aid.”
Dalton’s eyes narrowed as he once again allowed them to sweep over the group. He gave a nod to Costin and another to Adam and Peri. When they landed back on Lucian it was obvious he made sure not to meet the other wolf’s eyes.
“You look familiar and yet not,” Dalton admitted.
“I am Vasile’s brother, I have been away for quite some time,” Lucian explained.
Dalton noticed the markings on Lucian’s neck and his eyebrows drew together. “You are mated?”
Lucian stepped aside and wrapped and arm around Peri’s waist pulling her against him. “Perizada is my true mate.”
“We had heard that fae and wolves were mating,” Dalton admitted and his
voice lacked emotion but the glint in his eyes exposed the truth, he was intrigued. “But it is still strange to see it.”
“Not to be entirely rude,” Peri said as she cleared her throat. “But time is of the essence, we really need to speak with Dillon.”
Dalton gave a single nod. “Of course, come in.” He led them to the large living area and motioned for them to take a seat. “I’ll let my Alpha know you are here.” As his huge form left the room, it suddenly felt a lot more spacious.
“
Okay he looked large the first time I met him, but for some reason he looks as though he’s grown. Can werewolves grow once they are mature?” Sally asked with wide eyes.
Costin growled low and Sally swatted him. “Just because I noticed the size of
a guy does not mean I want him, Costin.”
“I’m going to ignore how that remark sounded only because I know how innocent your mind tends to be Sally mine,” Costin told her as he sat in one of the chairs and pulled her down onto his lap.
“That was actually a pretty good one,” Peri admitted with a chuckle.
The room went quite as they all felt power sweep across them filling the space. Dillon walked into the room glancing quickly around and Peri knew he was looking for his daughter Jacque.
“She isn’t here, Dillon,” Peri told him.
“Is that a good thing?” He asked the fae.
“It is a necessary thing. Her presence wasn’t required for this mission, and there was no reason to put her into harm’s way needlessly.”
Dillon walked further into the room and drew his power back so that it wasn’t an overwhelming force. Dalton walked in behind him and took up a silent sentry position against the wall next to a massive rock fire place.
For some reason, the muscles in his face tightened and he seemed incapable of standing still, shifting his weight from one foot to the other every few minutes.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Oh and
congratulations on your mating,” said Dillon, appearing to ignore the fidgeting of his bodyguard. When Peri looked at him in confusion he added. “Jacque filled me in. Lucian, I am not old enough to have known you before but I have known Vasile for some time and I am glad to see that he has regained a brother that he had lost.”
Lucian gave the Alpha a respectful nod but did not respond more than that.
“We have a situation,” Peri began. “Well really we have five situations…”
“These situations are all in the U.S.?” Dillon frowned.
“Well, they were, but they have been moved out of necessity. Three of them are in my possession and two are in the possession of my sister, of all people. I am asking for your help because there are just too many unknowns and I prefer to have adequate ammunition behind me in such circumstances.”
Dillon took a seat across from her folding his hands in his lap taking on a relaxed pose, but Peri was not fooled. He was Alpha, and always prepared to attack at a moment’s notice.
“Start at the beginning, condense where you can since Dalton explained that you were on a time constraint of some sort.”
Peri shook her head with a sigh. “Well hold on to your tail Alpha because I’m about to blow your mind.” Peri began explaining to him all that had transpired from the conversation she had with the Grea
t Luna all the way to the dreamscape and riddle with Lorelle. When she revealed the news of the healers both Dillon and Dalton had sucked in shocked breaths and Dalton pushed away from the wall taking a step closer to the group causing low growls to erupt from the males. Dillon had raised an arm to halt his wolf but kept his eyes on Peri.
He sat in stilled silence after Peri was finished. His green eyes began to glow with the presence of the wolf as his protective instincts rose at the mention of gypsy healers. Every Alpha worth his salt knew what having a gypsy healer in the pack mean
t. More successful births, healthier wolves, peace, and another true mate to one of the dominates, the ones most prone to give into the darkness that grew inside of them year after year as their wolves overtook more and more of the man. Dillon immediately realized that one of the healer’s might be a mate to someone in his pack. Sure it wasn’t a guarantee, but the odds were decent. There were twelve packs, two of which already had healers. That left five healers for ten packs—a 50/50 chance, he liked those odds. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he turned over the possibilities in his mind. Hope warred with the disappointment he knew the males in his pack would feel if one of the precious gypsy healers did not belong to one of them.
“So you want my pack to accompany you to this town where the
other two healers are supposed to be awaiting your rescue?” He asked, unable to stop the growl that accompanied his words.
“Call me crazy
, but I had a feeling if a battle broke out in your territory without your knowledge you wouldn’t be too happy,” Peri answered dryly.
“You would not be as old as
you are if you were not wise. But then, perhaps because you are as old as you are, crazy has crept up on you as well.” Dillon smiled as he stood quickly and turned to Dalton. “Get Lee, Phillip and Aidan.”
Dalton nodded and left the room still looking rather flustered.
“Myself and my first three will join you. My mate and my fourth can stay and handle pack business for me. What is your risk assessment?” He asked turning to direct the question at Lucian.
“
Lorelle is unpredictable, and powerful in her own right. She is working for some master of unknown identity and power, which leads me to the conclusion that the risk of injury and or casualty is moderate to high.”
“It sounds so ominous when you put it like that
, Lucian,” Sally whined. Costin rubbed her back soothingly and pressed a kiss to the spot just below her ear.
“You know that I will protect you,” he whispered in her ear.
“But who will protect you?”
He growled. “Not that I need protecting but if it will appease you I will jump behind that Goliath called Dalton at the appropriate time.” His eyes sparkled mischievously and Sally laughed which had been his intention. No need to tell her that there was no way in hell he would ever hide behind another nor would he ever fail to protect his mate.
The wolves Dillon had requested filed into the room joined by Dalton and Tanya, Dillon’s mate. She walked over to Dillon and looked up into his eyes, her own filled with hope. “Healers,” she whispered.
“There is no guarantee that one will be for our pack love, don’t get your hopes t
oo high.”
“When are you pessimistic wolves going to learn that hope is one of
our greatest gifts in this life? I will hope, mate, because we have many males,” her eyes darted to Dalton and back to her mate, “who are in desperate need of their true mates. Not to mention that a healer would raise the spirits of others who haven’t found their mates yet, giving them more time.”
Dillon stroked her cheek gently and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “You hope then, and should that hope be shattered I will be here to gather you up.” He turned then and looked at his wolves. He motioned to Aidan
, his fourth. “You and Tanya will oversee the pack. Do not speak of this with any one.”
“Yes
, Alpha,” Aidan said dropping his eyes in submission.
“Peri
, I assume we will be traveling fae style?” Dillon’s lips tightened at the idea. Alpha wolves did not like to be out of control and flashing with a fae most definitely took the control from their hands.
“Earn enough frequent flyer miles and you just might win a trip to nowhere,” Peri smirked as she reached out her hand for Lucian and Sorin who stood on her other side. “Please keep your seat belt fastened until the seat belt light has gone off and return your trays to the upright position.” Then she was gone along with the two males.
“She’s a little odd isn’t she?” Tanya asked.
Sally laughed. “Oh
, you are being too kind, she is more than a little odd. She’s like a lion with the head of a giraffe and the tail of a pig kind of odd.”
“Wow, that was some impressive comparing and surprisingly accurate,” Adam praised as he took Costin and Sally’s hand. “We’ll be back for you
, Alpha,” he told Dillon before he too flashed.
Peri returned and motioned for Dalton and Lee to take her hand and once again she was gone. Adam was right behind her waiting for Dillon to say his goodbyes to his mate. Phillip took Adam’s hand and Dillon quickly did the same. The darkness swallowed them as Adam flashed.
Tanya watched as her mate disappeared before her eyes. She blinked back tears as she once again turned her thoughts towards the healers Dillon had told her about. Dalton, one of their most dominate males, slipped into her mind as well. He, of all their wolves, needed a true mate most of all. He was damaged nearly to the point of no return. He was faithful to Dillon and he took his duties seriously, but he spent too much time alone when he wasn’t with the pack. He refused any form of touch even though wolves craved it and thrived on the reassurance of their pack mates. Even when in his wolf form he kept his distance, protecting and watching from afar, but never truly joining in the hunt. She decided then and there that she would do whatever she could to ensure that the healers be allowed to visit their pack. If she had to beg the high fae herself then she, an Alpha female, would lower herself to such tactics because that’s what you did when you loved those who were yours. You laid your own pride aside to ensure that those in your care had what they needed. If she had to go before the Great Luna herself and petition on Dalton’s behalf then that was what she would do. She refused to lose him, and her wolf was fed up with seeing him be taken more and more by the darkness.
“Hang on a little longer Dalton,” she whispered fiercely. “There is still hope.”
∞
Lorelle
looked out over the town of Forks. The small town seemed too quiet and it was disturbing. She had planted a false trail that would lead Peri and her merry band of do gooders to a deserted cave near the coast. She had left her a message, one that would make it quite clear what a fool she had been to believe the lies Lorelle had fed her. She wished she could stick around to see the enraged face of her sister when she realized she had been duped, but she had better things to do—like kidnap three other healers. She flashed from her location and found herself standing before the veil to Farie. She could no longer flash directly into her realm because she had betrayed her race. To enter through the veil was going to be extremely painful, but it was either endure the pain of the veil or die a horrible death at the hands of a deranged spirit.