Love's Protection (Passion Moon 3): (A Shifter, Supernatural Romance) Page 8

  I couldn't save him. It was over. I was alone. Miss Maggie was probably dead, I bet Penny was captured, and Vanessa had succumbed to her instincts. I was exhausted, starving, and lost in the wilderness. It was only a matter of time before Forrest or his pack found me. Then they would take me to my father. He would force me to give him the power.

  I had no energy left. I was drained.

  I fell into unconsciousness. It was so much easier.

  Chapter Eight: Sweet Dreams

  “There's my little rugrat,” Momma grinned, scooping me up into her arms.

  I dreamed. It was so much better than reality.

  “Where we goin', Momma?” I asked, bouncing in her arms. I so wanted to be five again and held by my momma.

  “Swimmin'. Now don't that sound fun?”

  We were in a pool of water, the red moon burning above us. Momma gracefully swam beside me. I did more of a dog paddle, my five-year-old legs still a little chubby with baby fat. I laughed and giggled as she swam around me.

  Green eyes watched me.

  “Momma!” I gasped in fear.

  “Green like your daddy's,” laughed Momma. “He was a passionate man. A traveler. That's why I named you Dakota. You'll be just like him.”

  I shuddered in horror at my momma's words. “No!” I splashed the water. “I'll never be like him.”

  “Now, Dakota,” my momma said, shaking her head. “What has gotten into you?”

  “He's evil, Momma!” I swam to her. In the few strokes I became an adult, practically the same age as Momma. I seized her shoulders. “He tricked you. He made you love him. He's destroyed everything good in my life, Momma. I'm nothing like him.”

  “I know,” Momma smiled. It was a sad smile. “Your daddy is a monster, but he gave me you.” Momma hugged me. “I didn't have long with you, but I treasured every day I held you and loved you. They were my happiest days. Even at the end, when you would sit with me, holding my hand as the chemo dripped into my blood and poisoned me, I was happy you was there.”

  “Momma...” My voice croaked.

  “You're so strong, Dakota.” The pool glowed red around us, the waters hot and bubbling. A passion moon burned crimson above, and the Moon Tear Spring reflected back its energy. “You survived my death and Wayne's abuse. You weathered Burt's violence and made your way to Moonrise. You stood up to Christian. You can stand up to your daddy. You can show him what's stronger than power.”

  “What, Momma?” I trembled in her arms.

  “Love, Dakota. I love you so much. I'm so happy you found Forrest. He treasures you.”

  “But...he's under my father's control. I tried to free him. But I couldn't.” Tears filled my eyes. “I was too weak.”

  “Love can overcome anything. Have faith.” Her arms tightened around me as the pool burned red. “I believe in you, Dakota. You're far stronger than your daddy planned on.”

  “I am,” I whispered, remembering his words. He wasn't happy that I had a spine. “I am stronger, Momma.”

  Momma smiled. “And you'll give your daddy what he needs, not what he wants.”

  “What does he need?”

  “Love.”

  I woke up.

  Sunlight sparkled on the river. My body ached. I was covered in sand. I crawled out of the crevasse, the dried sand crumbling and falling off my stiff clothes. The sun was high overhead. Past noon. I had missed my wedding. I forced myself to stand. The world swam. I needed to eat something.

  It took all my strength to take a step. I was beyond starving. I reached the river and looked around. Nothing was familiar. The pack had to be looking for me. I frowned. I wasn't afraid of being found. I was invigorated. My momma was right. I don't know if I really talked to her or if it was just my subconscious giving me a kick in the pants, but I was ready to win back Forrest and defeat my father.

  Assuming I didn't pass out from hunger first.

  I needed to fix that. I had magic. Unlike yesterday, I was thinking clearly again. I should have used more of my magic yesterday. Vanessa and I might have escaped.

  Well, there was no use dwelling on past mistakes.

  The Love spirits healed the bruises and scraps I earned in the river, and Life spirits brought me edible plants to eat. The greenish blobs surged out from me and returned carrying ripe berries, leaves, and bulbous roots, piling them before my feet. My feast. My stomach rumbled. I ate slowly, resisting the urge to gorge. I had heard that was bad. Water spirits brought me purified water. I drank, satiating my parched throat and lips.

  My body returned to normality. My mind worked. Fatigue was gone. I swelled with confidence. I would save Forrest, stop my father, and live happily ever after with my mate. I rubbed at my stomach. We would survive this. We would build our future together. Home. Children. Love.

  My father had robbed me of every other good thing in my life. There was no way I would let him take Forrest from me.

  “Spirits of flames, conjure a beacon of fire and smoke!”

  Fire erupted on the beach. Thick, black smoke drifted up into the air. The pack most have passed me while I slept. My trail-hiding spell had protected me. But now I needed to be found. I was ready to save my wolf.

  He wasn't a lapdog for anyone, let alone my father. He deserved to run free and wild.

  “Forrest!” I shouted. “Forrest! Come find me!”

  I shouted until my voice was raw. The sun sank lower and lower. Night approached. My voice rang down the canyon. I kept the fire burning hot. The smoke rose thick into the air. With an Air spell, I amplified my voice. It boomed down the canyon, echoing over and over. Rocks tumbled down, crashing into the river as I called out for my mate.

  I reached out to him through the imprint as I shouted. We were connected on some level, our souls entwined. I needed him. I hoped he would feel it through my father's spell. And if not, one of his wolves was bound to hear my call.

  Right?

  How far down the river had I been washed? What if I was too far away?

  A howl echoed down the canyon.

  I smiled and waited for the pack to find me.

  The first werewolf burst out of the brush and loped towards me. I smiled at Vanessa. She was slimmer and lither than the males, but just as strong and fierce. She loped up to me, snarling and snapping.

  “I'm not going to resist,” I smiled. “Take me to Forrest.”

  Vanessa howled. Others answered.

  Vanessa walked on all fours in the peculiar, loping gait of the wolf shifter. I followed her as we headed up river. I wasn't afraid. I could do this. I was a Love witch. The golden spirits zoomed around me. They gathered, sensing my need and the strength of my passion.

  Other werewolves joined us, surrounding me. They all had subtle differences in the shade of their dark fur and the size of their bodies. Hank's fur had a reddish tinge and Kiernan's ears were more laid back. Xavier had playful eyes and moved with bursts of more youthful energy. I wasn't afraid, even surrounded by them. They snarled and snapped at me, their teeth grazing the back of my jeans to hurry me along.

  I knew they wouldn't hurt me.

  “Are Miss Maggie and Penny alright?” I asked as we walked.

  “Fine...” snarled Hank. “At the...spring...”

  Relief pried tension's fingers from my heart. “Prisoners?”

  “Yes...will be hurt...”

  “If I don't cooperate,” I sighed. “Yes, my father made that threat.”

  Miss Maggie was alive. A weight fell off of me. I hadn't realized I felt so guilty. I hadn't gotten her killed. Forrest hadn't ripped her apart. I smiled. I would save everyone. I had no idea how. But I had faith in my momma's words.

  I walked faster. My friends needed me. There was no point in dawdling at this stage. Darkness fell. The moon rose. It was crimson. A passion moon. Just like the night Christian had tried to force me to use the pool. That was important. And it was the summer solstice. The world hummed with energy. I was attuned to magic. The seasons were about to change. T
his was a momentous day.

  “My father needs me there tonight, right?”

  Hank snarled, “Yes.”

  A wolf howled. It was a powerful call, raising the hairs on my arms. All the surrounding werewolves answered their packleader. I took a deep breath. Forrest was close. A hundred or more Love spirits danced around me. It would have to be enough to defeat my father's spell.

  The werewolves howled and bayed more. They grew eager. Proud. They had found the prey and had returned. They had fulfilled their packleader's commands. The werewolves darted about me, moving with my energy, impatient at my slower, human stride.

  “I'm going as fast as I can,” I complained as I jogged with them down the gravelly bank of the river.

  Forrest howled again. His voice was so powerful. Every hair on my body stood up. I loved his strength. His howl echoed down the canyon. It came back over and over. His pack jumped and snarled, snapping at my heels, driving me forward.

  I broke into a run. I wanted to see Forrest. My cowboy boots, the snakeskin leather ruined by my dunk in the river, threw up gravel as I ran. I just wanted to hold Forrest. My father's spell would crumble before my love.

  “Forrest!” I shouted.

  He howled again.

  “I'm coming!”

  The river bent. We rounded a corner. My heart stopped. A massive werewolf ran forward, his body covered in the glowing, red chains. His eyes glowed golden in the moonlight. I stopped. His wolves parted before him.

  “Spirits of dispelling, disrupt the Imbuement spell and break my father's enchantment!” I screamed, pointing my finger at my charging mate.

  The Love spirits that had swarmed me leaped into action. They streaked golden across the dusky twilight. The spirits crashed into Forrest and burst into a shower of golden sparks. The inky, black Imbuement spirits leaped out from Forrest's barbed wire tattoos. They were so strong. They swallowed my love.

  “No!” I shouted and concentrated. “Defeat them. Break the spell!”

  Forrest kept running, oblivious to my magic.

  My tattoo burned. I poured more and more of my energy into the magic. “I love him!” I shouted at my fighting spirits. “Please! Set him free! Let our love burn so bright.”

  Forrest stopped before me. The red chains burning across his body dwindled as the Imbuement spirits concentrated on fighting off my spell. He shook his head. Confusion bayed through his pack as Forrest snarled.

  “Yes! Fight against the spell!” I smiled at Forrest. “I love you! Break free! You're a wolf, not a lapdog on a leash.”

  My Love spirits dwindled. The red chains grew brighter. Forrest threw back his muzzle and howled at the crimson moon above. His wolves joined him. The moon was strong. It always called to Forrest. He had to fight hardest during the full moon.

  This was the wrong time to try to save him. He feared being freed from his chains. He feared what he would do. The Imbuement spirits consumed my Love spirits. They were strengthened by Forrest.

  “No!” I shouted. “Don't be afraid.”

  I moved to him. He was a huge beast. One swipe of his claws would break my neck. But I wasn't afraid of Forrest. I stopped before him. The last of my Love spirits was snuffed out. My dispelling charm had failed.

  I stared into Forrest's eyes as I stood before him. “Please!” Tears burned down my cheeks. “Please, don't be afraid, Forrest. You're not that beast. You can be free. Don't fight it.” I reached out and touched his furry chest. “I love you.”

  Forrest howled. Something silver glinted around his neck. My eyes widened. He still wore the wolf head medallion I made months ago when I was practicing my magic. A Love spirit danced on it, pulsing gold.

  My hand slid through Forrest's fur. I touched the medallion. “I love you, Forrest!”

  Golden light exploded. I was consumed by it. The light pulled at me. I didn't resist.

  Chapter Nine: Chains of Fear

  I fell into darkness.

  I wasn't unconscious. And this wasn't a dream or a figment of my imagination. It was something different.

  Wherever I was, it was wild. A beast howled in the background. It was familiar and frightful all at the same time. I looked around. The world resolved into shadows. A thick, black forest surrounded me. It wasn't like the mountains of southern Montana. There the forests were tall pine trees and thick, scraggly brush. This was a wetter forest. Massive ferns grew around the base of wide tree trunks, their leafy fronds almost as tall as me. The air was humid. Fog drifted between the towering trees. Everything was damp. Water dripped from the trees. They were pines and furs, but they grew so large.

  What was going on? Where was I?

  I touched the wolf head medallion and then I fell into...what?

  “Forrest?” I shouted.

  My words were swallowed by the growing fog. It grew denser and denser. It swept around me, caressing my face with damp tendrils. The air grew cooler and cooler. I shivered, throwing my gaze around, looking for something. Everything looked the same.

  “Forrest? Are you here?”

  The wolf howled again. I shivered; the howl definitely sounded like Forrest, but there was something terrible and frightening in the call. It couldn't be Forrest. This wolf hungered for blood.

  I shivered. “Forrest?” My voice was unsure. I faltered.

  The howl came roaring back. Closer. The fog pressed in on me. I was turned around. I couldn't see anything now. The trees vanished. The ferns were engulfed in gray. The beast howls came from every direction. I spun about, desperately trying to peer through the murk.

  “Please, Forrest,” I shouted. “Please, answer me.”

  The fog caressed my body. The grays grew darker and darker. The fog swallowed what light there was. I stepped back. Wet, unseen ferns brushed my jeans. I couldn't see anything. The dark gray grew to black.

  I waved my hand before my face. I tried not to succumb to panic.

  The beast snarled. It tore through the brush. I spun about, trying to figure out where the sound came from. It was impossible to tell. It came from every direction. The beast hunted for me. I needed to stay quiet.

  But I would never find Forrest that way. I could not be afraid. Not of Forrest. No matter how bestial and hungry he sounded. I had to trust that he would never hurt me. I was his mate. Wherever I was, that couldn't have changed.

  “Forrest, I love you!”

  A golden light appeared before me. It pulsed with the beat of my heart. The black fog pushed back, the ferns and shadowy forest reappeared. The raging, bloodthirsty howls grew quieter. The beast retreated.

  Color appeared, painting the ground. The ferns were a vibrant green. The pine needles covering limbs were a darker green. The tree trunks were warm brown. The mist that remained was white and thin, drifting along the ground, not trying to swallow me.

  The golden light darted away from me, bobbing and weaving through the trees. I followed, racing heedless through the ferns and around the tree trunks. I didn't trip on any unseen roots or step in any hidden holes.

  The light led me to Forrest.

  He was bound naked by red barbed wire against the thick trunk of a massive fir tree. The wire's barbs pierced his strong flesh. It cruelly wrapped about his chest. Tears burned my eyes as I witnessed the blood trickling from a hundred small wounds.

  I realized where I was. I had fallen into Forrest's soul, the wolf head medallion somehow acting as a conduit.

  “Oh, Forrest.” I fell to my knees before him, touching his chest. “What did my father do to you?”

  “He saved me,” Forrest answered. “I'm a beast! A monster! He rescued me from my barbarity and protects those around me.”

  “No, Forrest.” I shook my head, my tears burning. “He's controlling you. You're his puppet. He's chained you like a dog. You...you hunted me.”

  I seized the barbed wire and pulled.

  “Stop!” Forrest roared. He somehow grabbed my hand. The barbed wire had moved, allowing his arms to come free of the restraints.
He wrenched my hand from the wire and held me in his powerful grip. “You can't do that! You can't let the beast out! He'll kill you, Kotie!”

  A bloodthirsty howl drifted through the forest.

  I struggled in his grip. “I need to free you.”

  “Please, Kotie! You have to stop.”

  “I can't.” I pulled my hand free of his tight grip. I reached for another piece of barbed wire. Golden light flared about my hands, attacking the blood-red of the barbed wire. I seized the wire and pulled. The wire groaned. A barb ripped from his skin. “I'll set you free.”

  “Noooo!” Pure panic and fear covered Forrest's face. I had never seen my strong mate look so afraid. He grabbed my wrist and wrenched me away from the barbed wire. He pushed and I fell onto my back. “Stay away, Kotie! You don't know what you're doing.”

  A beast snarled.

  “God, he's near. You can't stay around me. He'll kill you. I can't let you get hurt! Run!”

  “You would never hurt me,” I said. “You love me.”

  “I do love you, Kotie.” His golden eyes met mine. “That's why I can't let you free me. I can't let my beast tear you apart.”

  “You won't, Forrest.” I crawled towards him. I reached out and cupped his face. “You would never hurt someone you love.”

  Tears filled his eyes. “But I have, Kotie.” His words were wounded, a ragged gasp that burst out of him. “I killed them. The beast took over. And...” His free arms seized mine. “I can't ever let that happen again.”

  My heart broke. Such agony filled his face. “Who did you kill, Forrest?”

  A log cabin appeared amid the towering trees. Smoke rose from the chimney and light poured out its windows. The light flickered red-orange, driving back the cold and the night, a welcoming fire for those lost in the darkness. A moon hung in the sky. Crimson. A passion moon.

  The beast howled in the dark.