The Lady in the Mist (The Western Werewolf Legend #1) (16 page)

“Help me, Ty.”  Sonja’s voice rang out loud and clear in the night air.

If the blow had been physical, it couldn’t have hurt more.  The air left his lungs as his chest constricted over the words.  The she-wolf was Sonja.  Swearing, he tried to tell himself there was no way this was possible.

He lunged forward, stumbling with shock and disbelief.  Before he could clear the trees, the tall, ominous figure gripped his shoulder.  “I’ll cover your advance.”  Before Ty could ask how, the Guardian shimmered into an invisible glassy figure, which moved to stand in front of him.  Unable to fathom how the creature had managed such a feat, he listened as the Guardian spoke to him in his head.  “Shoot to kill.  They are vampires sent here to kill the white wolf.  Her blood is very powerful. Whoever drinks it becomes invincible.  Do you understand?”  The beast’s eyes glowed a vibrant gold as its lips peeled back baring sharp, menacing teeth.

Ty glimpsed metal flash in the beast hand.  He was armed.  A feral glance in Ty’s direction had him vibrating where he stood.

Nodding, Ty followed the beast into the open.  In the light from the fire, he glowed with a blue light.  The Yankees began to draw their guns.  One of them fired at the beast.  The bullet bounced off his glassy hide, as he kept moving forward.  Another shot rang out and the beast caught the bullet in his paw.

The Guardian moved closer to the crude table.  Bullets continued to fly around them as they advanced.  He wasn’t certain what happened next.  The beast spoke to him.  Yet, he mouth hadn’t moved.

“You’ve been chosen.  Your journey has begun.  Take heed of my words, Ty Loflin, and listen well.  Near death, she has saved you.  You will repay the sacrifice.”  The beast looked down at the she-wolf lying spread-eagle on the wooden planks.  With one great paw, he wiped across her belly.  The wolf seemed to relax a little.

A tremor ran through Ty at the same moment, as if she felt what he felt.

“Who dares to challenge the authority of The Guardian?”  The beast glared from one to another of the Yankees, who stood stunned into silence.  With eyes tracking, those gathered near the creature, he raised his paw and thrust out a talon of bluish green.  “Unchain my child or suffer the consequences, demons.”

Perkins lowered the knife he’d been using on the creature.  “Well if it isn’t the great Guardian.”  Flicking a hand at him, Perkins waved away his demand like he was flicking away a fly.  You can’t tell us what to do.  You have no authority here.  We answer to the one true god, Constantine.”  He raised his hands into the night sky and threw his head back.”

The others imitated his moves, one even laughed aloud until the one they called Guardian cut his smoldering eyes in the soldier’s direction.

“Give her to me.  You’ll not feed on her tonight,” he growled.

The ground shook and Ty swore the beast called his name.

The Guardian aimed the bluish green talon at Ty.  “You, newly born, are powerful.  With your help, she will live the life she for which she was destined.  Take your mate.  Leave here!”

Ty’s heart thudded in his chest.  His temples pounded and sweat poured down his face.  Things, which had nothing to do with the fire, he mused.  For the first time since he’d made his presence known, he questioned his ability to do so.  Surrounded by Yankees with only a revolver in his defense, he considered himself out manned and certainly out gunned.  “How is this possible?”

Perkins wheeled and spotted him there.  “Who in the hell are you?” he stormed as he headed toward Ty.

Within an instant, he was nose to nose with Ty.  The speed with which he moved was lighting quick.  He smelled rancid and decayed.  Peering at Ty, Perkins brows raised.  “I know you.”

“You don’t know me, but you aren’t harming this creature anymore.  Understand?”

The smile he offered up was sinister, but Ty was more aware of the set of very sharp incisors.

“Appears to me like somebody needs a lesson, Major.”  One of the scrawny soldiers said with a sneer.  His teeth, long and gleaming in the fire’s light as well.

Suddenly Ty could hear all manner of voices in his head.  But the one which came through clearly was the voice of Sonja.

“Ty, help me!”

The Major whirled back to the crude table.

The Guardian was melting the chains with a touch of his sinister talon.

Thrusting a finger in the beast’s direction, Perkins bellowed, “Stop him, you fools!  The wolf’s getting away.”

Ty jerked the first of the men who charged him.  The force slammed him into another before both flew into the darkness.  Perkins halted.  The scrawny soldier who’d wanted to give Ty a lesson soon found his own.  He snapped the man’s arm like a twig.  The others hesitated long enough for him to plant his boot into the chest of the nearest assailant before punching the next in the mouth.  His hand came back bloody and throbbing.  Bleeding, he kicked one attacker back to confront the newcomer.  He collided with another, falling backward with the impact.

“How about it, Perkins?  Ready to change my mind about taking her now?” Ty taunted as he got to his feet to confront the major.

“Take her!  Go now!”  The Guardian dropped her into Ty’s arms.  His arms rippled with more muscles than Ty had ever seen before.  “Take her far from this place.  She belongs to you now, my son,” The Guardian said in a low voice.

For a split second, Ty stared in disbelief.

“You must go now!”  The Guardian roared, as more Yankees filled the clearing.

Ty flew with the creature in his arms, disappeared into the night.

***

“You have a right to your privacy, but after last night, I figured you’d understand you can trust me.”  His eyes bore into hers.  The tight set of his jaw told her he wasn’t buying any of it.  Sonja stood ramrod straight on the front porch with nothing on but her gown.  Both of them stood barefoot and cold in the cool morning air.

Sonja used all her might to hold that gaze.  She failed.  With a quick shake of her head, she shoved from him, heading for the door to front room.  Annoyance at her own ineptness and the insurmountable pain of losing him had her brewing for a fight.  “You assume a lot, Lieutenant.”  She stared into the fireplace, wishing for a lightning bolt to come down from heaven and strike her dead.  Then at least she wouldn’t have to hurt him.

‘I woke beside you this morning, woman.  Don’t tell me I assume too much.”  He yanked her by the arm around to face him.  “I lay down beside a white wolf last night, a wolf who could speak to me with her mind.  I believe she was you, Sonja!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”  She jerked free before stomping to the fire.  With her back to him, she tried for calm disbelief by huffing out a breath.  She could hear his thoughts though.  The whole damn thing was too much to bear!  Closing her eyes, she willed her mind to clear.  She needed to think.

“Are you going to stand there and accuse me of imagining the fact that I watched Yankee vampires almost carve you into cutlets last night?”  He stepped toward her.  “The beast that helped me said we were ‘mates’.  What did he mean, Sonja?  God damn it, look at me!”

He reached out, but she evaded.  The need to run came quickly.  “Lieutenant, you had a nightmare.  That’s all it was.  Perhaps our time together has made you decide you need to protect me.  After all, I told you I wanted you, so you assumed I meant I had feelings for you?”  Sonja made sure what little strength she had she forced into sounding surprised.  “We’re both people who have no one to turn to and I merely took what you offered.  It’s as simple as that.”  Convincing herself she sounded flippant, Sonja gripped the mantel tighter.  A heartbreaking silence filled the cottage.  She dare not turn around.  Why didn’t he say something?  Anything!

“You’re lying.”

He couldn’t have hurt her more if he’d slapped her across the face.  Sonja shut her eyes against the tears, frantically fighting the urge to panic when they began to stream down her face.  Yes, perhaps she was a liar, but she couldn’t stop now.  “Don’t be silly, Lieutenant.  You can’t really believe that last night meant something, can you?  I mean really, I thought you were a learned man, not a bumpkin.”  With a half-laugh, she tried throwing it back in his face.  “I enjoyed your company and look at what you’ve gone and done.  You’ve conjured up this fanciful tale of rescue and mayhem.  Of course the Yankees are cruel, vicious men, but they are men, Lieutenant.”  She waved her hand in dismissal before giving him a smirk for good measure.  Sonja’s enhanced sense of hearing detected molars grinding.  The rumbling from somewhere deep and dark followed.  Christ in heaven, what had she done?  Before she could react, he was snatching her around to face him once more.

The smoldering rage she witness in that devastating face made her cringe inwardly.  Had she gone too far?  His hands on her arms made her cry out.  His grip was like steel.  “If you want me to leave I will, but you’re gonna have to do better than that, Sonja.  How about the truth?”  His breath, hot and pungent with fury swept across her lips.  His features blurred.  He still had her by the arms, but the hold shifted with static.  The sensation of needles puncturing her flesh made her tug at his grip.  His voice grew deeper and more of a vibration than a man’s voice.  She couldn’t help gasping at the change before tugging harder.

“Let go of me!”  Stumbling when he complied, Sonja fell against the wall.  Pain shot up her arm.  Looking down at the bruising already forming, she realized he’d shoved her.  The rocker beside the hearth flew across the room.  He hadn’t touched it, yet the wood splintered against the far wall.  The sound echoed in the room.  Glaring at the lieutenant, she forced her legs to hold her.  “How dare you?”

Hell’s own fury reflected in his eyes.  They grew black and cold.  His bronze skin took on a silvery gray. In a shimmer, he changed.  “Tell me the truth!”

“I want you out of here now.  Did you hear me?  I said I want you to get out.  No one shoves me.”  Her chest heaved as the adrenalin pumped through her.  The creature wasn’t listening to her.  She yelped when he pushed the chair at the table and it skidded against the doorway.  “What’s wrong with you?  Have you lost your mind?”

Ty, or the creature, emitted a low rumbling growl before snarled at her.  His teeth had grown longer it seemed.  She must be hallucinating because he looked horrid.  Ill, mad, or both he lunged toward her.  She darted out of his reach as he landed in front of her.  When he ran fingernails across his chest, blood ran from the claw marks.  He glared at her, his chest heaving before throwing back his head and howling at the rafters in the small room.  Sonja imagined her heart stopping at that moment.  He turned to glare at her.  Cold blue orbs stared from the face of a steel gray wolf standing on his back legs.  Dark, drawn skin stretched across long, protruding bones and muscles.  His neck thickened and pulsed.  Hair appeared along his chest and over his nose and chin.  She must be in the midst of another nightmare.  This couldn’t be happening!  A scream tore from her throat as she fled, nightgown flapping about her legs.

***

“Hortence!  Help me!”  Without air or strength, Sonja fell against the witch’s door pounding with her fist.  “Let me in, oh, please, let me in,” she sobbed.

The old woman flung the door back, yanking her inside.  “Better you tell me what’s happened because something has or you wouldn’t be at my door in the middle of the day of the full moon begging for my help.”  Hortence limped over to the fire and pulled the kettle out on a swinging arm.  With a pad to cover the handle, she poured tea into two cups.  “Drink this.”  You look as though you’ve seen The Guardian again.”

Sonja cut a glance in her direction and shuddered.  “No but something.”  She shook with the memory, her teeth rattling in her head.  “I saw…no, I think I saw Ty turn…turn into…”

“Well spit it out girl.  What the bloody hell did you see?  Eh?”  Hortence hobbled over, sitting across from her.  “Tell me so we can do something about it.”  She bent down, peering into Sonja’s face.  “It appears something has frightened you out of your wits.  What was it?” she snapped.

“Oh, Hortence.  The thing, the creature – he changed – I saw the lieutenant one minute and then he was gone.  In his stead, this thing stood slobbering and growling at me!”  Sonja clutched her hands together, twisting the fingers.