Valiant Heart (11 page)

And sleep did come, three hours of broken fitful tree sleep. It wasn't enough, his body still beyond exhausted, but it would have to do.

When they finally climbed down the tree and rallied the rest of the group, it was nearing sunset and almost time for Kelly to seek her beastly mate.

Chapter Fourteen

The Call

I was pacing. Nervous? No. Irritated with myself? Hell yes.

“Ugh.”

I shook my hands out, my body shuddering like I was trying to dislodge some parasite. I'd opened up to Lance. I'd let him into my head. He was seeping into my heart. It was making me feel…what? Angry? Vulnerable. Weak.

To make matters worse, I wanted to do it more. I wanted to tell him everything about my life. Share the most intimate details, my feelings, my fears, everything.

This is why the bond was bad. I could just kick Greer for the suggestion. For what I'd gained, okay, so maybe I'd experienced more of a power boost than I'd realized I would. Maybe it was nice to have gotten only three hours sleep but feel like it was eight. Maybe I could accept that bonding with Lance hadn't been a total waste.

But, and it was a huge but, I was falling for him. For fuck's sake, I'd almost told him about our plan to get rid of Andrew. I'd almost gone down a path of letting him in on the grand scheme of enticing Kelly away from the Order. And why would I do that? To sabotage our mission? Could only be. No good would come from him knowing anything.

“You wanted to see me, Ariana?” Melonie came up the path to the small clearing where I waited ahead of the others, who were still lagging behind.

“How are things coming on the…ah…mixture?” I glanced over her shoulder, only catching a flash of Lance's blond hair as he moved closer to us.

Melonie chuckled. “I've one more ingredient to collect.” She tapped the side of her backpack. “But I will get that in a matter of minutes now. In fact…” She reached over and picked something off my shoulder, holding up a strand of blond hair that seemed to shimmer gold in the last of the day's rays. “Got it.”

I snorted, shook my head. “How long will it take you to mix it up?”

Melonie shrugged. “If you give me some quiet time? About an hour.”

“Okay, why don't you go off and do that somewhere private? Things are under control here.”

“You'll need more of this.” Melonie slipped her hand under the leather lip of her bag and pulled out a satchel of herbs. She shrugged at my cocked eyebrow. “I'm a quick study, been watching Ella while she works.”

“Like an apprentice. I'm pleased with your initiative.” I took them, the smell of clove strong. “We'll summon Artemis first—see if she'll speak to Kelly before we begin the ritual to call her beast.”

Melonie nodded. “I'll work as quickly as I can.”

“Well, don't rush. This potion needs to work properly. If there are problems when we call her beast, if we need backup, we'll call for you.”

Melonie smiled and touched my shoulder before she moved off. Within seconds, she'd disappeared around a huge tree in search of a quiet place to mix a lust potion.

I rubbed the heel of my palm against my chest, right about where my heart was. It burned. The feeling of betrayal, even if it was just a thought in action now. As Lance came fully into view, the burn spread, twisting up my gut something awful. Once the bond was broken, once he realized I was behind it, he would hate me. And then I could go back to my bitter, solitary life, serving the humans, loyal to my tribe.

It was simpler that way and no one else got hurt. Lance would move on. Perhaps he would find another Huntress or even a human who could make him happy. There was no way it could be me. He was sunshine and I was darkness. My past haunted me, poisoning anything remotely resembling happiness in my future. At least when it came to relationships.

I was craving something that I couldn't really accept. Love from Lance. God, I wanted it, but it just couldn't be. I would never give myself fully to him and he deserved better.

“This the place?” Lance swung his sword over his shoulder, ready to slide it into the sheath on his back.

“Hang on.” I raised my hand and motioned him to pass the sword to me. Ever since we'd bonded, I'd had a weird itch to pick up his weapon and do a little sword play.

With a shrug, he passed it to me, swinging it around so that he offered the hilt. I grasped it with my right hand, testing its weight as I pulled it away from his palm.

“It's heavier than I thought.” I took a swing, my balance a little off as it pulled me forward. I didn't like it. It felt awkward…and yet…

“It's the bond,” he said as he came around behind me, his hands on my hips, shifting me into a better position. “With a little practice, you'll be able to use it just as well as I can.” He pushed his crotch against my ass, his cock hard as usual. His lips brushed my ear, breath fanning my hair slightly. “Maybe better.”

He ran his hands along my arms as if to guide my body through a swing. The sound of the others approaching had me pushing back, then turning on him, forcing the sword back into his hands with a hasty shove.

“I prefer my sickles.” I pulled both out, sliding them easily from their scabbards and came at him in a mock attack.

His eyes grew wide but being the warrior that he was, he recovered quickly. The sound of metal clashing with metal had the rest of the group rushing forward, weapons at the ready.

“Lance!” Kelly came running up as if she was going to throw her arms around him.

I launched another mock attack. Well, it was meant to be mock but suddenly I felt a little on the pissy side. He sidestepped Kelly, then deflected one sickle along the length of his sword, attempting to twist me away as he did. I spun in the opposite direction and came from above with the other, aiming for the side of his head. Could have taken his ear off for sure if I'd wanted. Instead, I sideswiped with a smirk, hacking off a bit of his golden locks as I did. “See, way more versatile.”

“Everything okay, Ariana?” Paige asked as she leveled her own sword at Lance.

Lance looked stunned, Kelly downright shocked.

I pursed my lips as I looked from her to him. “Of course it is. Stand down, Huntress. Lance and I were just playing.”

Kelly frowned as she watched me.

Take him if you want him,
I wanted to say, but I couldn't actually utter the words. This jealousy, it had to stop. I hated feeling this way.

“Just testing out the benefits of our bond.” I resheathed my weapons, smirking when Kelly flinched. She needed to toughen up but that would come with her beast's bite.

Lance shook his head, then slid his sword into its scabbard as he walked toward me. With his hand on my hip, pulling me closer so that his mouth was next to my ear, he said. “Next time, I don't hold back.”

I pulled myself away slightly, glancing at him with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk. “Neither will I.”

He smiled and winked. “Your fire makes me hot, Huntress. Let me see you burn.”

I disguised my surprise as best as I could. Totally not what I was expecting. So much for pissing the guy off—somehow I'd only managed to turn him on.

I shook it off and moved away from him. “Pack lines bisect here.” I motioned toward a cluster of trees twenty feet ahead. “Since Lazarus's death, there's been no replacement leader found who is strong enough to rule the vast numbers. His Lieutenants have been heading their own packs, branching off.”

“That's better for us,” Lance said as he crossed his arms, back to all business. “They're splintered, confused.”

“Yes and no. It's hard to pin down exactly how many packs there are now, at least ten that we've tracked. Some are disorganized, some highly structured. All are being led by the strongest members of the pack, typically those who were turned by Lazarus himself, ones marked with the yellow eyes. But even among them there are variants of power. Those who are deemed weak or stupid don't last long as leader. It's pretty cutthroat, lots of transition, many injured wolves. That's good for us.”

“We won't know what to expect with each pack. That's the problem, isn't it?” Kelly stepped forward. “With Lazarus, we understood the limitations. His pack was ruled by his abilities and cycles, his rules.”

“Exactly.” I nodded. “The rules have changed. Each pack is transitioning to whatever their new leader demands. It's seems chaotic right now. Might be for a long time. Unless they appoint a new Lazarus, but I don't think there's a wolf strong enough for that.” I pointed to the ground. “The new pack territory lines meet in this area. This is where we do the ritual to find your mate.”

Kelly's eyes grew wide. “What, that's going to happen right now?”

“We're going to call to Artemis first for guidance.” I pulled the satchel Melonie had given me from my pocket and handed it to Paige. “The Goddess may have some last minute advice.”

Lance snorted and I frowned at him. “You're going to get high and call on a Goddess. Come on, Kelly, you don't really think that Artemis is going to speak to you, do you?”

“And that is why we feel that Hunters are irrelevant.” His attitude didn't surprise me, it was the attitude shared by most Hunters, even some of the renegades my father used to work with. “You men have lost touch with the most important aspect of our existence.”

“A Goddess? Come on.” Lance scoffed.

I shook my head. “The power of faith.”

I motioned for Kelly to walk with me, moving to a very small clearing where Paige had used her smokeless flames to start a ritual fire.

“What do I do?” Kelly's hands were shaking as she rubbed her fingers over her mouth. “I mean, I've never spoken to Artemis. What do I say?”

Paige shifted out of the way to make room as we settled to the ground. I crossed my legs and reached out, palms up and beckoned Kelly to take hold. “All you need to do is breathe, deeply and often.”

Lance had trailed behind us and snorted but said nothing.

I shot him a dirty look before refocusing on Kelly. “When Paige drops the herbs into the flames, the smoke will be hard to take at first. It's important that you inhale, though. You're not getting high, but you are cleansing your mind to receive the Goddess. She's been keenly interested in you. All you have to do is be open to her. Leave the rest to me.”

Kelly squeezed my hands and nodded. “I'm ready.”

“Good.” I nodded at Paige, who bent down and used both hands to crumble the contents of the satchel as it fell into the fire. The perfume of herbs rose immediately and I sucked it in, my mind taking it like a wallop, a wave of dizziness causing my upper body to sway. “Goddess great and good, strong, all knowing, guardian of the Huntress, we seek your guidance, we ask your advice. Our sister needs to find her beast, needs the power of its bite. Guide us, Artemis, lead your woman to find her true power.”

The smoke nearly choked me, the fumes seeping past my closed eyelids, burning my flesh, consuming me as I consumed it. My head swam, thoughts turning foggy, lips growing numb, tongue thick. Kelly squeezed my fingers tightly, her nails digging into the backs of my hands. Was Artemis speaking to her? Maybe. Were we delivering a message to the others, our bodies the vehicle for Artemis? Perhaps. I didn't know. I didn't care. What I wanted most was to curl up and fall asleep.

“Daughter.”

The voice was in my head, commanding, demanding that I focus. I felt my body go rigid, spine straight, all other sensation falling away.

“You are on a dangerous path.
You must honor your bond and respect the vows or you will not have the power to do what must be done.”

I nodded.
“Honor. Respect. Yes, I will.”

“See this mission through. Do not be led astray. Mind your flock. She has called her beast and her call was all powerful. Your warriors need you. N
ow
!”

The scream of her last word echoed through my body, my eyes snapping open of their own volition. My hand was at my back, pulling my sickles from their sheaths before I really understood what was going on.

“The beasts!” Paige screamed as she jumped the fire and headed toward the sound of battle cries.

I sprang to my feet, sickles in hand, brain still fuzzy.
What the fuck?
There was fur, metal, bodies, blood.

Lance was at my back within seconds, his sword raised. He spoke to me over his shoulder. “The beasts came out of nowhere.”

“Where the fuck is Kelly?”
She has called her beast.
I scanned the tree line, the dusky sky making shadows look deadly. “Nobody saw where she went?”

Beasts came at us, fangs bared, claws ready to tear. I could only hear Lance as he battled, keeping his attacker back with his sword while I swiped at the one in front of me. We fought with our backs together, our grunts, our sweat, like a pair who'd been fighting together for eternity. He wounded, I impaled, he maimed, I stabbed. The three that came at us died brutally and not a scratch for either one of us. I'd never been this powerful. I lifted my head and roared, adrenaline coursing through me. The bond. It was like a drug. Dangerous and addictive.

I saw her flaming red hair through the haze of power lust. A beast had her cornered, her back against a tree, her eyes wide, hands raised, no weapon. She was enthralled. She was going to die. With a bellow, I jumped over the dead beasts at my feet and raced to her. I tossed my curved sickle to the ground then jumped on the beast's back, impaling him with my other blade straight through the shoulder, down and out its armpit. It roared, head raised, fangs elongated. I gripped its head, the coarse fur giving me a good handle then twisted the blade.

Kelly and I locked eyes. Understanding dawned. I pulled my blade and swiped it along the beast's neck, sending a cascading splatter of blood over Kelly's face. The beast stumbled to its knees. I nodded at Kelly. She lowered herself, tiled her head to the side and bared her throat. With my blade at its neck, I forced its head down, slamming its fangs into her flesh with all the power I could. She screamed. I ripped the beast away, flinging it to its back before picking up my curved sickle and impaling it through the chest. Killing blow. It died immediately.