Shadow Walker (29 page)

Once more a purr rolled from his throat, and he closed his eyes, thankful the fates hadn’t played some cruel prank on them.

“Mine,”
his Tiger said, and he felt their bond grow even deeper.

“Mine,”
the Tigress affirmed.

Opening his eyes, Dean felt the raw power of the Tiger’s strength course through him. For the first time in his life, he felt whole while chasing the Tigress through the forest, hearing his large paws thud against the earth. It was the most exhilarating experience of his life.

The Tigress brought him to a halt at the slope of a valley. On the other side he could see the lights of Walker’s Run. She nodded at him and rubbed her shoulder against his. They both lifted their heads and roared in unison into the night. Moments later, their roars were answered by two howls…followed by more cries from the various other Weres of the Run.

Amber smiled when Dean rolled onto his back, snoring. He was exhausted from the shift and the run she’d put him through. When they’d returned to the truck, he’d collapsed and shifted back to human form. She, however, set up their tent and dragged him inside to rest.

Rolling onto her side, Amber stroked his cheek. Everything had come together. No matter what Casey said about not being sure on how to influence a Were’s shift, she’d somehow managed with Dean. For all intents and purposes he should have become a werewolf, not a were-tiger.

Her smile grew when she looked down at their mated-mark. She and Dean were fated to be together after all.

The muffled sound of her cell phone ringing drew her away from her reverie, and Amber frowned. Everyone knew she was going to be out of touch for two more days. Quietly, she carefully slipped out of Dean’s arms and snagged the cell. Stepping out of the tent, she glanced down at the phone.

It was Braedyn.

“What’s the matter?” she asked without preamble.

“I am sorry to bother you.” He cleared his throat.

“Braedyn what is wrong?”

“When we came in this morning, Casey wasn’t feeling well. She’s complaining of weakness and nausea, and she collapsed before I could get her to the bedroom. Right now she’s resting…”

“Let me wake Dean, and we’ll be there.”

“H-how did things go last night? I thought I heard two tigers.”

Amber grinned, glancing back at the tent. “You did. I don’t know how she did it, Braedyn.”

He laughed, relief evident in the sound. “There’s no telling, at least not until she’s learned to fully communicate with the Silver Wolf.”

“We’ll be there soon, she may just have a bug. Have you tried calling your mom yet?”

“She’s gathering a few things but requested you come first.”

Frowning, Amber shook her head. “Requested I come first?”

“That’s what she said.”

“Okay then. Like I said, give me a little bit to get Dean up and situated, and we’ll be there.” She hung up and slipped back into the tent.

Dean blinked his eyes, still sleepy. “What’s wrong?”

“Casey collapsed when they came in this morning. Aquene wants me to head over and check her out before she gets there. Do you feel up to riding?”

He grunted and moved to a sitting position. “Yeah, I want to know how my sister’s doing.” Rubbing his eyes, he blinked, catching the symbol on his left wrist, and a slow smile appeared on his lips. “It really happened, didn’t it?”

Amber gave a gentle laugh and sat down next to him, holding her arm next to his. Their matching insignias, an intriguing six-knot infinity. “Yes, it did.”

“I didn’t just dream…”

She turned to see the tears hovering in his eyes, and the last of her reserves crashed. The tide of emotions surged to the surface. “No, you didn’t just dream it all Dean. We’re a mated couple, and you’re a tiger, not a wolf.”

He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close. She could feel the warmth of his tears on her shoulder. Sniffling, he pulled back and kissed her. “We have time to go through all of this a little later.” Dean cleared his throat. “We gotta go check out my little sister.”

Nodding, Amber stood, and using her magic, clothed herself and pulled out a pack of the powdered medicine she’d brought along to help Dean manage the pain of his shift. He pulled on his clothes and slowly got to his feet.

“The soreness goes away, right?”

She smiled and gave a shrug. “It does, after a while.”

He grunted and pulled on his parka and followed her out to the SUV.

The drive back to Walker’s Run was quiet. The roads had a few more inches of snow that had yet to be packed down or plowed away. It took longer to steer through the drifts and manage their way back to the Alpha’s residence than she’d anticipated.

When she killed the vehicle’s engine, Braedyn was standing in the open doorway, his arms crossed over his thick chest. Concern creasing his brow. His frown quickly shifted to a smile when she and Dean came up the stairs. Giving her a brief hug, he turned and shook Dean’s hand.

“Where’s Casey?”

“Back in the bedroom. She’s resting.”

“Has your mom made it in yet?”

Braedyn shook his head.

Amber walked past him and headed for the master bedroom. She opened the door and peeked in. Casey was on her side, balled up. Her color was off, an almost gray cast to her skin. Frowning, she sat beside her friend and felt her forehead. She wasn’t running a temperature.

Amber gave her a gentle shake. There was no reaction, and she was reminded of Dean just a day before.

“Come on Casey, you’ve got to wake up now,” she whispered, smoothing the hair back from her brow.

Still no reaction. Taking a deep breath, Amber closed her eyes and concentrated on communicating with the Silver Wolf. She held Casey’s hand tight.

“Please wake up,”
the Tigress urged.
“Or tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.”

It took a moment before the Were-Goddess responded.
“We need rest.”

Without anything further, Amber was struck with visions. Fast-moving, vibrant stills, one right after the other. When they stopped she gasped and looked down at her friend. A slow smile spread across her face, and she released a soft laugh.

Casey’s eyes fluttered, and then opened.

“Well, hello there Sleeping Beauty, it’s about time you woke up,” Amber said with a grin.

“How’s Dean? Is everything…?” Casey struggled to sit up, and her face turned a nice shade of green before she settled back with a groan.

“Your brother is fine. Better now, and he’s no longer afraid.” Amber pulled her sleeve back and smiled.

Her friend’s face lit up despite the pallor, and she sat up, too fast. Clamping a hand over her mouth, Casey shot from the bed into the master bath.

With a grimace, Amber followed. While her friend proceeded to void the contents of her stomach, she reached into the cabinet and pulled out a washcloth and ran it under the cold water.

“Thank you,” Casey groaned, accepting the cloth. Blotting the tears from her eyes, she wiped her face. Staggering to her feet, she leaned over the sink and rinsed her mouth. “I’m so happy for you two…and he’s a tiger, too?”

“Yes, he’s a tiger too. You did it, Casey.”

She frowned and shook her head. The movement caused her to cover her eyes. “Oh God, I feel like shit.”

Amber laughed and helped her back to the bed. “Well you’re supposed to feel like shit right now.”

Casey frowned, looking at her when she sat down on the bed. “What do you mean?”

Leaning forward, she placed a hand on her friend’s belly. “You’re pregnant.”

Mel Favreaux lives in North Carolina with her two young monsters, who just love to keep her on her toes, driving her to both laughter and tears on a daily basis. Jumping genres is a pastime she thoroughly enjoys in both reading and writing. She suffers from Inappropriate Laughter Syndrome (IPPL) and has a dark sense of humor. Morbid fascinations with all kinds of music, swords, knives, dangerous wild animals (both exotic and domestic), and her passion for oddities help her to keep the creativity flowing. Luckily, select few friends and family completely understand her fascinations, though not all share them, but accept her for the weirdo they’ve all come to know and love.

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MuseItUp Publishing

It had been more than twenty years since he’d last seen his wife. Twenty years of searching with connections spanning from the military to the secret organization, The Guardians. Nothing. Forced to retire early from the military to take care of his two young children, Peyton Maynard did what he had to do to raise his young family.

Becoming a Guardian, policing paranormal, supernatural, and preternatural beings offered him the flexibility to be the hands-on father he needed to be. Blessed with the gift of precognitive dreams served him well, except when it came to Kit. He never saw her come into his life and never saw her leave. But she still haunted his dreams.

Kit went by a variety of names, hiding from a man with the connections her husband had, was difficult. But to protect her family from her true identity, she’d had to leave. Pretending to be human in a world that wasn’t ready to accept her, Kit survived the only way possible.

Coming face-to-face once again with the love of her life was terrifying and bittersweet all at once. But could Kit overcome the abandonment issues of her children and fix what had been destroyed?

A Sanctuary Novel: Book 1

Was a life dealing with the pressure of photographing an A-List crowd really what she wanted to be known for? Casey Maynard decided a trip home was called for: a camping trip into the wilds of North Western Montana.

But Casey finds herself in the middle of a twenty year vendetta against her father for killing the Alpha of a pack of werewolves who hold a Sanctuary deep in the mountains of the Cabinets. In a battle for her life, Casey falls for the new Alpha of the pack while he shows her how to handle and communicate with her own wolf.

Upon discovering the wolf spirit who chose her was the Mother of all Weres…more treachery thrives. Finding love and true bonds that know no bounds, her life is turned upside down.

From a deep family secret to a two thousand year old murder, will Casey’s link with the Silver Wolf be enough to save them all?

The candlelight played across his body, making his sweat soaked skin glisten. What a wondrous and passionate mating it had been. Gorgeous and young; a Celt with pale grey eyes and sandy brown hair, he’d left me far from disappointed. As we reveled in the afterglow, I breathed in our mingled scents and those of the candles burning near the bed.

I felt a painful searing on the inside of my left wrist and watched as a Celtic infinity knot appeared. The symbol meant I’d finally found my life mate, the only one with whom I could bare children. After thousands of years in search of him, I’d finally found the one I was fated to be with.

The happiness I felt as we rolled across the bed together was insurmountable. Then with pain in his eyes, he whispered we could never be. I felt my heart break as his words sank into me. We would never be together and never have children.

My temper flared and I tried to push him away, but he pinned me. The silver jewelry given to me by a powerful wizard lay on a table out of reach.

“You are far too powerful,” he said looking down at me. “I’d never have dreamed it would be you the fates destined to be mine.”

There was torment on his face while he spoke, but it didn’t stall his actions.

“I made an oath I intend to uphold, no matter the consequences.” His tone hardened. From beneath his plaid that was draped over the foot of the bed, he pulled a short sword. The candlelight gleamed off the blade he raised over his head.

“No,” I pled.

A sob choked him when he looked in my eyes “I cannot ask for forgiveness nor can I ask you to spare me in your next life. But know that I am a man of my word, and I promised to carry out your assassination in exchange for a position of prestige. With no one as powerful as you in the way, I can rise to greatness.”

“You'd murder me for power? Have I taught you
nothing
as a Were? We are only
half
human, we do not have to be
like
them
.”