Calico Cross (9 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Fancy and I ran upstairs to take our positions. The waiting was wreaking havoc on my nerves, and I immediately began biting my nails.

We heard a loud roar, followed closely by a ramming of the front door. I grabbed my dagger tightly in my hands. I glanced to Fancy and noticed she had done the same. And though we did not shift completely, our eyes were glowing; hers golden and mine green, and our fangs were extended to their peak.

The front door burst open, shattering it into shreds. I immediately recognized Creed’s top two guys, Axel and Blaze, still in their human forms and stepping into view.

Then the onslaught began as chairs were hurled through the air, pounding the intruders and knocking them to the ground.

“What the…” Blaze said, but was immediately pounded by more objects flying at him.

Our ghosts were pulling their weight and it was in gold.

Two more men plowed through the door and past Blaze and Axel. Dane was on them in a flash, flying through the air and tackling them out the door and onto the front porch.

I watched the fight until they disappeared from sight.

“What do we do? What do we do?” Fancy was panicking.

“It’s okay. Follow me,” I said as I made my way cautiously down the stairs. Someone flew at me and I didn’t have time to think. I reacted, swinging my knife in a firm and quick fashion. It landed its mark and a man fell at my feet. We jumped over him and quickly reached the bottom of the stairs.

Someone grabbed Fancy from behind. She immediately swung her knife into the air, hitting him in the face. He yelled, covering his face with his hands, and Fancy swung around and plunged the knife into his neck, inward and upward just like Dane had taught us.

We didn’t have time for celebrations. We rushed into the living room where Tabby and Kiki were holding their own. They had shifted into their cougar forms. It had been so long since I had seen them that way that I had to catch my breath. They were a sight to be seen.

Our ghosts were also hard at work, pounding some of the others with objects and suspending them in the air, by what I couldn’t see.

Fancy jumped in to help them, and I went on search of Dane, and another man who hadn’t shown his ugly face yet, Cutler Creed.

I stepped out onto the front porch and took in my surroundings. Dane was in the front yard fighting three men at once, and he looked magnificent. He had not yet shifted into his
were
form, but the three men he was fighting had. They were were-jaguars, and they were fierce. But even in their animal forms they were no match for Dane Savage. He was tossing them around like they were mere kittens. His shirt was shredded, but there was no trace of blood on him. I was thankful for that, but the question still plagued me, ‘where was Creed?’

I spotted that traitor, Blake standing in the yard, his expression guilty. I knew then that he was the one who tipped off our location.

I was about to go after him when I suddenly felt a cold hand around my neck and hot breath fogged my vision as the man towered over me from behind.

“Were you looking for me?” The menacing voice was easy to place.

“Creed.” I swung the knife I was still holding upward with precision, catching him in the shoulder, he roared and grabbed the knife, tossing it aside with ease.

“Don’t do that again or I will kill you,” he said, his voice tight and controlled.

He jerked me along with him and pulled me into the yard. “Stop or I will kill her!” he commanded.

This brought everyone to an immediate halt.

My sisters ran from the house and into the yard.

Dane stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Then his anger penetrated him from head to toe. He began huffing uncontrollably.

“You had better get your hands off of her now, or you will die!” Dane managed to say through his huffing.

What was happening to him? Was he shifting? I felt a rush of adrenaline as well as fear at the thought of finally seeing him for his true self.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the brave Dane Savage,” Creed said, his venom spewing. His remaining five men piled in behind him. “I heard you died a long time ago. I am glad to know the rumors were not true. Now I can kill you myself.”

I swung my hand up, claws exposed, and sliced him in the face.

He jerked me hard, and then I felt his claws growing and puncturing the skin on my neck. I whimpered. I couldn’t help it.

“Take your hands off of her!” Dane growled.

Creed laughed and spoke the provoking words like he was a five year-old, “Make me.”

“My pleasure,” Dane growled as he tossed aside what was left of his shirt. “I left you alive last time, Creed. I will not be making that mistake again.”

What? What was he talking about? Was I hearing this right? Was Dane the one who once defeated Creed?

Creed flung me aside, and I hit the ground with great force, knocking the breath from me. My vision blurred and I tried hard to stay conscious. Tabby grabbed me under my arms and pulled me back a few feet as the two massive men began their deadly dance. I focused on the two figures before me. I couldn’t look away even if I had to.

Dane huffed as his already massive body grew. He stood tall, towering only slightly over Creed. Creed too had begun to shift. Deep golden hair began to cover his body as his face and fangs grew. His large, full mane took shape and the sight of him was terrifying. He was a were-lion to be feared.

Dane’s hair also grew, covering his beautiful body completely. Gasps could be heard all around me. Mine was the loudest.
Am I really seeing what I think I’m seeing?

Dane’s massive and thick mane was covering his head in the most magnificent and blinding shade of white.

A white lion!

Dane Savage was a white lion!

I didn’t have time to process this for as soon as the shifting was complete, the fighting began.

These were not full lions but were-lions; half lion/half man. They were fierce and horrifying, and standing on their back legs towered them seven feet into the air.

Dane struck first and blood splattered across Creed’s face. The two blurred and became a tornado of fur and claws. I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.

I held my breath and wished there was something I could do. I believed in Dane, but I knew that Creed was an evil monster. How could this have a good outcome? I looked into the dark sky and offered up a prayer to God. I asked Him to save the man that I loved.

Creed struck Dane on the side. He growled and swung, hitting Creed across the face sending blood spurting. They blurred again as they embraced in a flurried frenzy. Creed broke the embrace and Dane was bleeding from his side, but Creed was battered and dripping blood from his head and neck. In short, Dane was winning. They charged at each other again, and I knew this could be it.

I stood and inched my way closer to the battling beasts.

“Cali, get back!” Kiki yelled.

Creed jumped backward and suddenly I was in his grasp once again. He had my neck in his massive jaws and was biting down.

Dane froze and quickly shifted back into his human form. “No! Creed no! Let her go!”

I screamed and tried to pull free, hitting the massive beast with all the strength I possessed.

“Calico, stop struggling!” Dane yelled. “Okay, Creed, you win. Let her go and you can have me.”

“No!” I screamed and began struggling again.

Creed let me go, and I fell to the ground. I reached for my neck. There were no wounds.

Dane remained in his human form with a surrendered expression as Creed slowly approached him.

“I have you now, Savage. Once you are dead, I will take the girls into my pack and they will obey and serve me. You have lost, oh mighty white lion. You have lost everything.”

“Not everything!” I yelled as I jumped onto his back and plunged my knife deep into his already injured neck.

He growled so loud I thought my ears would burst. His huge claw grabbed my head, pulled me in front of him, and began to squeeze. “You have defied me for the last time, little girl. Precious or not, you will now die.”

“No!” Blake yelled. “You can’t kill her! You promised I could have her!” He seemed distressed, and I knew in that moment that he truly cared for me, even if it was in an unhealthy way. But even he was wise enough to stay away, and Creed ignored his plea, as if he didn’t hear him at all.

I cringed as his claw began to close around my head. The pressure was excruciating.
So this is it. This is how I die.
I felt tears rush to my eyes. I didn’t want to go like this, not with the people I love watching. I tried to look over at them, but Creed had my head frozen in place. I wanted to say goodbye, but the words would not come out.

All of a sudden the pressure was released and Creed and I both looked down to his chest and the four-fingered claw that protruded from it. Creed’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and then he collapsed to the ground…dead.

Standing behind him, his heart in his bloody, four-clawed hand, was Blue, and standing behind him was the rest of the pack.

We all stared at him in disbelief. I knew in my heart that he was the one who tipped us off to Creed’s plan to attack. He had been against Creed from the very beginning.

Blue looked around at us and then finally spoke. “It is time for us to take back our pack. It will no longer be ruled by monsters like this.” He looked down to Creed’s lifeless body. “Everyone deserves to choose for themselves if they will join a pack or not. No one should be forced—ever.”

There was an audible sigh of relief and then the pack sang out cheers for their freedom.

Dane shook Blue’s hand and greeted the rest of the pack.

My sisters pulled me into a group hug.

So it was over. Creed was dead, along with several of his followers.

Blue had promised that Blake would be punished for his deception, but I was just glad that it was finally over.

As I pulled from my sisters’ embrace, I glanced out in time to see the pack kneeling at Dane’s feet.

Oh no! Did this mean that Dane would become their pack leader? That would mean he would leave us.

I’m sure my face registered alarm and Dane and I locked eyes.

His smile was reassuring me that all was okay. I took a deep breath and Dane announced that he was not interested in leading their pack.

“It seems I have a little pack of my own,” he said with a smirk, looking in our direction.

I felt giddy at his words. He was staying, and then I felt my heart sink, because the facts had not changed and therefore we still could not be together.

Dane appointed Blue to be the new pack leader. It would now be led by a were-jaguar and that was just fine with everyone. Even Blake seemed relieved.

Dane approached me, and I could see pain in his grey eyes as he took my hand in his.

I had a new respect for him after the realization that he was that teen were-lion that defeated Creed all those years ago. He was the one I would dream of that would come and rescue us again from Creed’s evil clutches. He was my hero.

“Cali, now that you know who I am I have to ask you to forgive me.”

I shook my head in confusion. “Forgive you? What on earth for?”

“If I had killed Creed back when I first defeated him, your parents would still be alive today. I’m so sorry.”

I stood on my tiptoes and took his face in my hands. “You have nothing to apologize for. Everything happened the way it was supposed to. You were very brave to take on Creed at such a young age. And you defeated him. You couldn’t have known he would come back. You are my hero, Dane Savage. Now—and forever.”

* * * * * *

I said my goodbyes to the pack. They would be just fine now. They had a good man as their pack leader. He would lead them the way they should be led.

I watched Calico as she embraced her sisters, and I knew she too would be just fine, but it wouldn’t be with me. That reality was killing me, but I would always watch over her—always protect her.

I turned to leave with my chest heavy and my heart broken.

Chapter Eighteen

As the pack began to disperse, taking the bodies of their injured with them, the girls and I began the long cleanup.

I glanced out the window and spotted Dane leaving. He glanced back at me and then disappeared into the woods, headed for home.

I sighed and sat down.

Tabby touched her hand to my shoulder. “I think it’s time we talked.”

She took me to the front porch swing, which somehow had managed to stay unharmed during the battle.

She took a deep breath and began. “There is something I need to tell you. It won’t be easy for you to hear, but it’s time.” She took my hand in hers. “Because I’m the oldest, Mom confided this to me. I’m assuming for such a time as this.  A long time ago, when Kiki and I were very young, Mom was assaulted by a were-lion. He was trying to scare her and it went too far. He forced himself on her.”

I felt my heart restrict in pain. “Oh no! Poor Mom. What did Dad do?”

“He challenged the lion but was injured. The lion was too powerful. Anyway, this will be hard for you but you must know.” She turned to me and took my face in her hands. “Nine months later you were born.”

My eyes grew wide and the tears formed in pools there. “Are you saying that Dad wasn’t my real dad and that this were-lion was my dad?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry, Cali, but Dad always loved you just as much as the rest of us, if not more. He had such a big heart.”

“I know he did. I’m very grateful for that.” My heart suddenly jumped and I sprang to my feet. “It was Creed!”

She nodded again.

I slumped back down on the swing, and she took me in her arms and cradled me as she moved the swing back and forth.

Even with all the pain flooding within me, something grabbed my attention, something that was bubbling up inside of me that I never expected; hope.

“Wait,” I said, sitting up straight and wiping my tears. “If I am half lion then that means…”

Tabby’s smile grew wide. “Yes. You and Dane are not different after all.”

I wiped away the last of my tears and stood, looking down at her one last time.

“Oh, what are you waiting for?” she asked. “Go! Go!”

With those words, I threw caution to the wind and sprang from the porch. My feet barely touched the ground, and I darted through the trees with a fervency I never knew I possessed.

I could see him standing in front of his beloved garden, his back to me.

“Dane!” I cried. “Dane!

He turned.

“Dane!”

Even from the distance I could see that he had opened his arms wide. He had no idea what I was about to tell him and yet his arms were open—ready for me.

“Dane! I’m coming! I’m coming!” I repeated the words that I remembered in my subconscious. The words I heard him yell to me when he was coming to rescue me after the crash, because now I was coming to rescue him, and he would rescue me right back—forever.

Epilogue

The girls and I were in the heat of planning my wedding, and all was going just great until we received news from the pack that Axel and Blaze had run off. The worst part of that; they had taken Blake with them.

Blue had assured us that they were in pursuit and would catch them, but I was more worried that Blake might try to stop my wedding. It was three months away, and I was biting my nails with worry. Now I’m not normally a worrier, but come on, this was my big day. I’ve heard the horror stories of the disasters that happen on your wedding day. I could see it now; I’m in my beautiful dress, walking down the aisle toward the most handsome man in the world and Blake shows up to crash the whole thing. He sprays smoke into the room, confusing everyone, and grabs me, taking me far away from the man of my dreams.

“Cali! Snap out of it! Do you like this dress?” Fancy was asking, twirling in front of me.

It was at least the twentieth dress she had tried on, and I hated it. It was green and made her look like a tent, although I would never tell her that.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Fancy, but I don’t like it at all.”

She huffed. “Really? This is getting ridiculous.”

“Oh, stop your complaining and try on the next one already.”

“Fine, but you better love this one or I’ll take every last one of your Spree rolls and never let you have any more for the rest of your life.”

Okay, that was a bit dramatic.

In the meantime, I pulled out my phone to text Dane and see what he was doing. He was supposed to be getting him and his groomsmen fitted for their tuxes. Blue was one of his groomsmen, and he was staying with Dane at the farm for a few days. He had left Talon in charge of the pack during his brief absence.

After a few minutes, he finally messaged me back, stating that they were having a bit of trouble with the tuxes. Since some of them were such big men, the store wasn’t sure they had anything that would fit them. They were informed that the tuxes may have to be specially made and in that case could take longer to come in.

Oh great!

I was messaging him back when I finally heard Fancy yelling at me. How long she had been talking to me, I didn’t know.

“What do you think about this one?!”

I gazed up and gasped. It was perfect! It was lavender and strapless. It made her look like an angel, which was a very big feat, mind you.

I decided to mess with her. I placed my finger on my chin and tapped it. “You know, I think I like the last one better. Can you try it on again?”

She saw right through me and took off one of her shoes and launched it at me. “You bully!”

I laughed, dodging the shoe, and said, “You look so beautiful in that dress. I think you’re gonna give Blue a heart attack.” I smirked playfully.

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes at me. “That guy is large and scary. Why do I care what he thinks?”

“Oh, you care. You can’t fool me.”

“Well,” she said, “you need to stop playing matchmaker and concentrate on all the other things you have to do; like getting this wedding planned, marrying the man of your dreams without too much drama, oh and you have to help us find a way to get our little ghosts, May and Ivey into heaven.”

“Yes! That’s been bugging me. They deserve to be in heaven.”

I huffed and slouched forward. She was right. I had a ton to do. To add to the growing list, I needed to find my sisters husbands and move my things into the Farmhouse and turn it into a lovely cottage. I wasn’t sure how Dane was going to feel about that one.

How am I going to get it all done?

I stopped and thought about it for a minute and then perked up.
Wait! I’m Calico Cross, and I’m a she-were-cougar-lion. There is nothing I cannot do.

The End—for now