The Lightning Prophecy (The Lightning Witch Trilogy Book 1) (7 page)

I looked toward the wooded area. It was really only fifty or so yards away. Now, it could have been my alcohol-flooded perception, but the trees were swirling and there were two small lights peering at me through the moving mass. Were those eyes? Reflecting light? God, how drunk was I?

I shook my head to try to clear the cobwebs that seemed to set in. When I looked again the trees were still trying to tie-dye the night’s sky, but the small lights were gone. I set the wine glass down because clearly I was seeing things. I went to bed and this time everything blissfully faded to black.

Running. I was always running. I was so much faster this way. The scenery was a blur. How was I able to run this fast without going ass over foot? God, running like this was freeing, or it would be if I wasn't always being chased.

It was gaining on me. I had to keep running. If whatever was chasing me got me, I knew it would kill me. My heart wasn't just a drum. Well, not just any drum, but a drum solo from a rock concert. A blur of black streaked from my left, landing in front of me. I had to dart to the far right to dodge it. But, in doing so, I didn’t see the root of a large, live oak tree sticking out of the ground. My ass went flying over the ground and I rolled into a small grass-covered clearing. I heard what sounded like small soft footfalls coming toward me.

I shook my head to clear it and got up. If I was going to die, I was going to see who the hell was killing me. My brain could not process what my eyes were seeing. Before me stood an impossibly large wolf. It was so black it was almost blue. The moonlight gleamed off its dark pelt, making it seem less like fur and more like polished ebony.

It was snarling and growling at me. Spittle flew from its jaws as it snapped its teeth at me. My heart beat like a wild thing. I brought forth my lightning, pulling it directly from my core and focusing it to my hands. But, when I looked down toward my hands, they weren’t there. I saw white paws. Coming from the paws were sparks. From what I could see of the rest of my body, sparks were flying over all of me.

I shifted my gaze to the dark wolf in front of me. And I swear if a wolf’s eyes could widen, its eyes did. Waves of some scent hit me. Finally, I knew what the sour scent I had smelled was. It was fear. But, for once it wasn't my fear. A shift in the woods behind the wolf drew my briefest attention. There stood the silhouette of a man. A man I have known since I was a child. He never spoke in my dreams. He would chase me or just watch me, but he was always there.

I sat straight up in bed, my clothes smoked and once again Swiss cheesed. The air reeked of burnt feathers and ozone. I plopped back in bed, too exhausted to even deal with the weirdness that was that dream.

IT WAS 9:50 A.M.
and I sat in my hot-as-hell POS, like the coward I was.
Goddamn it, Delaney.
I had to get my body, brain, and heart all on the same damned page because right now my body was on a whole other damned book
. I can do this,
I chanted in my head.

I opened the door just as my cell began to buzz. Crap, where was that damn phone? I could never keep up with that stupid thing. The display read
Mil
.

“Hey, Mil, I can’t…”

“Aye, Laney girl, I need to see you.”

“Oh, well hello to you too, Mil. Okay, um, it might not be today, but…”

“Laney girl, it need be today. It’s of utter importance.”

Utter importance? Okay, Mil never used words like that. If I said no she would call me every hour on the hour until I caved in.

“Mil, I’m busy right now, but how about I try to make it for dinner?”

“That will do fine. And, girl, you stay out of trouble. My bones tell me you're in a way of it.”

“Okay, Mill, I…” I trailed off because the crazy woman hung up.

Mil, other than being my great aunt and the one who raised me, was also one of the most powerful Earth witches I had ever known to live outside the Coven. The Coven had been trying to recruit Mil for as long as I could remember. She would always tell me that she didn’t do my cause any favors. She always feared she would draw the attention of the Coven to her and then to me. So, we moved just about every nine months to every year. Mil was used to ruling my life with an iron fist. So, she was more than a little displeased with me when I refused to move again after we settled in Savannah. I sighed audibly. Mil may be a hard ass, but the old hag loved me and she was the only family I had.

I clicked my cell phone; the time read 9:55 A.M. I couldn’t put off seeing him anymore. I dressed down today just so I wouldn't tempt him at all. I wore my most worn blue jeans. They hung a little too low on my waist for my taste, but it was the best I could do. I paired them with my old painted-in-several-times, snug-fitting Beatles T-shirt. I had my shoulder-length brown hair tied back in a messy knot and not a lick of makeup on. Well, not counting mascara, because that’s not really makeup in my book. I was about a C-cup with a fairly slim waist so playing down my chest was more of a task than I was capable of completing.

I checked my phone again. 9:58 A.M.
Okay, enough procrastinating,
I told myself.

I knocked on the door and braced myself for pure heat. Instead, frost seemed to answer the door. I rocked back on my heels to see if I had the correct hotel room. Yeah, I did
. What the crap is this guy?
The man standing in the doorway was about six foot tall. He had black suit pants on that hid a narrow waist and an ass to die for. Well, what I could see anyway. Tucked into the nice suit pants was a white button down that, thank the gods, had been left open.

My eyes moved from his waist to his chest that was pleasantly bare. This guy could have been ripped from a Calvin Klein ad, and not one with clothes. He had a beautifully sculpted six pack and a chest and shoulders that only dedication could create. His skin was honey colored, almost sun kissed. This man’s body had to have been created by Michelangelo. Even his face had hard lines. A full mouth was set in a strong jaw. That was offset by a nose that was borderline too big for his face. His eyes were a vivid green with black flecks. They reminded me of a sliced kiwi. His hair, the color of obsidian, was cut short and obviously wet.  If there was a God I would have the wrong room because dealing with two guys as good looking as these two was just mean. His mouth twitched.

“You must be Delaney,” the attractive man said in a deep yet smooth voice.

I hung my head and mumbled, “There is no God.”

I mean, for real. Two men in one room who both looked like they stepped right out of a workout ad, that's just not right. If there is a God, he’s clearly sadistic and enjoying himself immensely at my expense.

“What?” he said, clearly having heard me if the smile playing at the corners of his mouth had anything to say about it. Great, the cosmos were just lovin’ on me today.

“Oh nothing, you must be Mitch.”

“I am indeed, Delaney.” When he shook my hand I didn’t feel the pure heat like I did with Reid. With Mitch it was almost frosty, which was weird because the lust was palpable. Oddly enough the lust wasn’t mine.

“Delaney, hey!” Reid called.

From my limited view, I saw Reid stop short and glare at the back of Mitch’s head. If Reid’s eyes had been lasers, they would have bored twin holes right through his skull. “Mitch, could you put a shirt on or close the one you have?” he all but growled.

Mitch let his eyes travel down the length of my body, hesitating on my breasts. What was that saying? Oh, that’s right, he undressed me with his eyes. Well, that's what it felt like he did and frankly it was unnerving. Waiting a fraction of a second more than was polite, he then smiled and raked his eyes over me once more before saying, “Sure thing, boss.” That last word he spat.

Reid and I walked out to the parking lot while we waited on Mitch to get fully dressed. Much to my great disappointment.

“Well, Mitch seems ... nice.” God was my face flushed? Lord, these men are going to be the death of me.

“Yeah, something like that,” Reid muttered.

I REALLY HATED
that Delaney was in the middle of this, but there wasn't much I could do at this point. I had to take her to the crime scene. I needed to see if she found anything there that she recognized that belonged to Sierra.

If Mitch wasn't a good friend and if I hadn't worked with him before, I might rip the bastard’s throat out for how he looked at Delaney. And did the bastard think me a new pup without a sense of smell? The lust wafted off of him like waves in the damned sea. I bet Delaney could smell it.

Let’s be realistic about this. She’s not mine and I have no claim on her.
Then why the hell do I feel so territorial over her? Ah, fuck me
. Two territorial males with an unclaimed female. Today was going to test my willpower.

“Mitch, we need to talk about Delaney,” I said on the short drive to President Street. We needed to set some kind of ground rules. Delaney was following us in her car. As she said, my Jeep looked a bit small for the three of us. She wasn't stupid and I had to quit underestimating her. She knew damn well something was brewing between Mitch and me.

Mitch grunted in the affirmative. “I assume there's an attraction to her?” he questioned.

“Uh, yeah.” Why couldn't Delaney be less than she was? It would make my life easier.

“And I guessing neither of us want to put a claim on her?” Mitch questioned.

When a werewolf puts a claim on an unclaimed female, it’s like saying back off, she’s owned property. Claiming a female was not permanent like a mating was, but mating can only happen with another werewolf. Claiming doesn't take the urge of an unmated female away, but it helps ease the tension between unmated males. Though, it’s more like the were/human/witch version of marriage, and mating I would say is so much more than marriage. It goes beyond death. You’re mated until you both die, and if one dies, typically the other will soon follow.

Mating between weres is like the combining of souls. What were two became one. It is said that the souls are together even after death. The first and last female I claimed was my wife when I was first turned. I never had the chance to turn her so we could mate. I killed her before we could.

“No, that’s out of the question,” I told him.

“I agree, we are here for a job and Delaney can’t be part of it. In fact, we need to get her out of this investigation altogether. Why is she here? Hot piece of ass she may be, she’s going to cause problems.” He emphasized the word
ass
and it made me want to throttle him. I proceeded to roll the window down. I had to empty this Jeep of the built-up testosterone; it was getting so thick I was about to choke. As soon as the window was down, the tension in the car eased markedly.

“Sierra was her only friend and she just showed up at the police station. Honestly, I don't want her to go out on her own for some damn vengeance quest. We need to get this son of a bitch. I don’t want her blood on my hands
.” Like Beth’s,
I didn’t say.

“I agree. But for now we can’t take our actions personally; it’s in our nature. Let’s just get through this without ruining our friendship and killing each other.”

I’d known Mitch going on twenty years. There’s always been something I haven't trusted about him, but that stems from us both having alpha tendencies, and me not acting on them. Mitch had helped me in the past and we have remained friendly because of the sheer fact that we leave each other alone. I respect how he has handled his pack in Atlanta, so I really have no bone to pick with him. He knew what happened with Beth and never brought it up, so for that alone I held a good deal of respect for the man.

Mitch always embraced what we were. He denied his inner beast nothing. So, if he wanted Delaney, he would not hesitate in taking her, as long as she was willing. But, if he went after Delaney, I didn’t think I couldn't stop myself from ripping his jugular out. Surely just a flesh wound, something he would heal from, but I didn’t want to let it get to that point. I had an image of an armless knight stating, “It was just a flesh wound.” I have a morbid sense of humor sometimes. Stifling the thought, I focused on the present. I would not claim her. I would not sentence to her the same fate as Beth.

Finally I said, “Agreed.”

SIERRA’S BODY WAS
found just east of River Street near the railroad tracks on President Street. It seemed a homeless person saw a naked man covered in blood. The homeless man got spooked at the sight and ran off to call police. Apparently, there was a homeless camp not too far from where the body was discovered.

She was attacked about thirty yards away from the river and then dragged through the brush toward the street and to the railroad tracks, based on the police report. The police made this more difficult by not doing much of the investigating. Once they learned a victim was a witch, they called a representative from the Coven and got the body out of their metaphorical hair. Witches were easily identified after death because their eyes turned white as soon as the life left their body. When a human dies, their pupils may dilate, but they stay somewhat normal, for a few days anyway. 

Sierra’s apartment wasn't but a mile or two away, but the nagging question was why she was here in the first place. From the photos of the body, she had been mauled to the point of death. Her body was found on the full moon, whereas the other bodies were dumped on the new moon.
Why the change?
It seemed there was a werewolf who was trying to change a witch, but why? It’s common knowledge that changing a witch is impossible. Someone had to have seen something that caused the wolf to leave the body here and not take it with him and see if she rose. Which was impossible. This whole thing made no sense.

The three of us walked the area in silence for about two hours until we found our way to the bank of the river.

“Why in the world would anyone be down here?” Mitch said.

I honestly had no idea why anyone would come over here, as the only thing this place had going for it was that it was secluded. So, I shrugged at his question. The river wasn’t very scenic and it was disgusting with all of the grime of the city upriver. River Street itself was fairly well maintained due to it and the city being a heavy tourist attraction, but this place didn’t even seem like locals would go here. The thought must have projected on my face because Delaney spoke.

“We are unregistered witches. We like to be close to our element. It’s not like Serra could go sit on the water in the middle of the river. This place is only a few miles from her apartment. No one would ever come here. That’s the point. That’s why she came here. As unregistered witches, we are hiding from the human government that will force us to register and move on their reservations and the Coven, who is essentially doing the same thing.”

“Why don’t you just register? I mean, it seems like the easy choice to me,” Mitch asked and I did wonder a similar question. I knew with Delaney’s powers she would be much like a laboratory rat; that is, if she was lucky. Or they would use her for their own deluded purposes, her morals be damned.

She walked right up to Mitch and looked up at him in challenge while she said in a steady voice, “Because, Mitch, I do not want to live a semi-life. A life ruled by the Coven and ruled by humans. Humans wish us gone or dead and the Coven wants to use us to further their own agenda. When they are done with us all that would be left would be our bones and I, Mitch, am much more than bones.”

She turned to walk away when Mitch asked, “What’s your power, little witch?”

Walking toward me, she stopped and said over her shoulder, “Earth. But, I’m not near as powerful as Sierra was.”

In the span of about ten seconds we had a wordless conversation all in body language.

“Liar.”

“I don’t tell anyone. I don’t have to.”

“I won’t tell, but I don't think Mitch will either.”

“Drop it.”

Her face was flushed with emotion. She was getting frazzled and it was turning her face a beautiful shade of pink. The male in me wanted to push the issue, but I would let it drop, for now.

“Okay, Reid, you want to change or do you want me to? We need to walk the path the body was drug. There are some questions we need to answer.”

Delaney's eyes met mine as I smiled my best predatory smile and said, “I will.”

Changing from human to werewolf was a shape shift.  It only took about five or so minutes outside of the full moon. On the full moon, the process only took about two minutes, but no matter the amount of time, the process was agonizingly painful. A wolf was at their most powerful at the apex of the full moon and at their weakest at the apex of the new moon. I’d heard that a were is drained of power to help raise a new wolf. But, I have never made a wolf so I didn’t know how true that was.

I found a somewhat private place and began stripping my clothes off. While the idea of being naked with Delaney was quite appealing, Mitch being here was unappealing, to say the least. Stripping was a necessary part of the change, as I didn’t need shredded clothes. I closed my eyes and focused on the change. I took a deep breath and called it forward, allowing the wolf’s essence to take me over.

Skin ripped and then healed with fur, bones broke and reformed into a new inhuman shape. The pain was near maddening. Every bone that breaks is white hot. Every reformation of my skin and limbs felt like acid being poured over my whole body. The wolf I keep at bay as a human stretched its legs, readying itself to take control, but I never let it get the upper hand. Scents bombarded me and sounds temporarily deafened me. In our human form we have heightened senses, but in wolf form, they are heightened one hundred fold.

I shook my head, flopping my ears, trying to shake off the pins-and-needles feeling covering my skin. In my wolf form I was a tawny color with black specks on the tips of my fur. Like most weres, I sport electric-green eyes. We are not wolves, nor are we human. We do have a human nature, as well as a wolf’s. This was a difficult concept to grasp when I was first changed.

I made my way back to Delaney and Mitch. My hackles rose at the scent of Mitch.
He’s not your alpha,
I told myself. I smelled her long before I saw her. Ozone and gardenias, Delaney’s scent. I paused for just a moment, breathing her in. She had dressed down today, but oh god she was beautiful. She had her back to me. I walked up to her and her back stiffened and she slowly turned around.

Her eyes widened and she took a few good steps back. I wanted to jump on her. Rip her apart. My mouth began to water, causing me to pant. No, not rip her apart. I wanted to jump on her for other things. And the scary part was my wolf agreed.

“Delaney, stop. Don’t move. It’s still Reid, but he’s trying to get control and your fear smells good. Don’t back away. Remember, you're not prey, so don’t act like it.”

I tiled my head at him as if to say,
“I would never hurt her, you moron.”

Delaney took a few deep breaths, causing my eyes to settle on her beautifully sculpted breasts. This wasn’t helping me not want her
. This is a job
.

“Wow, he’s huge. He’s got to be five feet tall!” she said, smiling. “Can I touch him?”

“Let him come to you,” Mitch replied.

I walked up to her. I wanted nothing more than to feel her fingers in my fur. At my full height I was indeed about 5’ from head to paws. Delaney was about 5’5 so I almost came up to her eye level. I ducked my head and put my nose in her belly, snuffling and nuzzling her. She giggled.