Chapter Ten

Lisha POV

I had forgotten how beautiful my homeland was and felt a sense of belonging for the first time in four years. Green grass and colorful flora cover the forest floor; the ancient trees that hold so much magic inside them call to my soul. It feels so good to be home with the people I love. I didn't realize we had been walking all day until I noticed the sun setting over our mountains. When I feel a slight ripple in the wards protecting our realm, I don't give it much thought, as animals often travel freely in and out of our forest.

It doesn't take long before a sense of dread snakes its way down my spine; the birds and animals have disappeared, and it's too quiet. Tyler growls; when I feel a slight breeze brush past my ear, three vampires are headed in our direction, their eyes glowing red with bloodlust.  The telltale scent of rabid vampires, stale blood, and rotting flesh reach us before they do. The vampire's movements are staggered, much slower than they usually are; Xavier snarls, running faster than my eyes can track him. He tackles one of the male vampires from behind before removing his head from his shoulders. Skyla takes an arrow; as she aims with her crossbow, she shoots two arrows, striking a male vampire in each shoulder, and pinning him to a tree. Her voice is frantic as she screams,

“Use your magic Lisha; help us,”

I’m still weak, so I don't know if I will be any help, but I have to try; raising my arms, I call on my elemental magic, asking the trees and vines to help me. The tree's vines wrap around the vampire's limbs, and the sound of his bones cracking fills the clearing when he struggles to break free. Flicking my hands outwards, I watch as the vines rip his arms and legs from his body. A  branch snaps off the tree, hovers in the air, and then pierces the vampire's heart, turning him to black ash.

I realize too late that I have used the small amount of magic I had when the female vampire rushes me, grabbing my shoulders and making me lose my balance. I can smell her rotten breath as she sinks her teeth into my neck. Suddenly she is flying through the air, landing on her feet. She turns and sees the wolf stalking her; she is faster than the other two but not fast enough as his muzzle wraps around her arm. Shaking his head, he removes it from her shoulder. She staggers back, and the wolf's jaws wrap around her throat, yanking her head from her body. 

The black wolf in front of me is beautiful and enormous; his midnight-black fur shines in the moonlight. It's Tristan, Tyler's wolf; I cautiously walk toward him, kneel on the ground, caress his soft fur, then kiss him between his eyes. Suddenly he licks me up the side of my face where my tattoos are. I fall back on my bottom, laughing as he turns and runs into the forest. I keep my eyes on the trees and wait for Tyler to return; my heart skips when he steps from amongst the trees and makes his way back to my side. I have missed him so much; he is still as beautiful as he was when I last saw him.  Tyler's hair is short, only now he has a close-cropped beard which brings out his brown eyes and beautiful white teeth. He still has the sexiest smile I have ever seen on a man. Tyler's eyes lock with mine; I can't take my eyes off him, Skyla nudging me on the shoulder breaks my trance; she chuckles,

“Come on, you two, snap out of it. We need to keep moving.”

I turn to Skyla and ask,

“What happened here, Skyla? We never had to worry about the vampires and Seelie  crossing into our realm before,” 

Xavier answers me before Skyla can.

“The Seelie Queen and the Vampire King have allied, not all vampires agree with the king's actions, but they fear him and will do what he orders.”

“Why are you helping us?”

Tyler wraps his arms around my waist as he says,

“Xavier and Skyla are mates, Lisha. Didn't you wonder why Xavier insisted on taking Skyla with us when we first found you?”

I look at Skyla and raise my eyebrows; she blushes and turns away from me when I laugh,

"I am not staying with you two.”

 Tyler growls softly, then kisses the back of my neck and whispers, 

“No, you will stay with me, Lisha; it's time to take you home.” 

Tyler laces his fingers through mine, and we continue walking toward the werewolf village. When we reach the top of a small hill, the village comes into view, the town has doubled in size, yet it still manages to blend in beautifully with the surrounding forest. Mathew and Zane are waiting at the bottom of the hill for us; the first thing Mathew does is embrace his son and ask,

“How did it go? Did you have any problems?” 

Tyler glances at Xavier before answering,

“Nothing we weren't prepared for.” 

Mathew growls, 

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“We came across three vampires not far from here.”

Mathews's eyes glaze for a minute, and a dozen warriors appear out of nowhere and stand behind Mathew and Zane. Mathew hugs me quickly and then passes me to Zane, who does the same; I giggle as Mathew whispers, 

“Welcome home, sweetheart.” 

I mutter thanks as Zane releases me; Mathew inclines his head in the direction we came from and nods at Tyler as he says,

“Zane and I will check the borders and make sure there aren't any more out there.”  

Tyler inclines his head slightly at his father, and Zane then takes my hand in his again, 

“Come on, Lisha; I want to show you something.”

Xavier and Skyla haven't left our side; Tyler stops walking and turns to them, asking,

“Are you two going to follow us all night?”

 Xavier smirks,

“Yep, what about you, Skyla? Have you got anything better to do?” 

Skyla chuckles,

“Nope, I’m sticking with you, babe.”

We walk through the town and arrive at a cottage close to the river Tyler and I used to swim in as children. A woman opens the door and walks out, ignoring the rest of us; she smiles at Tyler.

“There is food in the oven, Tyler.”

He nods,

“Thank you, Gina,”

I pull my hand out of his, and he frowns,

“What's the matter.” 

I huff, look at Gina and ask,

“Whose that?”

He shrugs,

“That's Gina; she comes over regularly to ensure I have everything I need.” 

I can't keep the sarcasm out of my tone when I mutter.

“Mmm, I bet she does.”

Xavier and Skyla burst out laughing at the expression on Tyler's face. I hiss,

“

Why the hell are you two laughing? I am not staying here watching Tyler get it on with another woman.”

Tyler chuckles,

“Calm down, Lisha; Gina is my father's mate.''

I put my head down. Shit, no; I am so embarrassed; If there were a time I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole, it's now. Skyla comes to my rescue, taking my hand and dragging me away from Tyler and Xavier as she says,

“Come with me; I’ll show you the bathroom and get you some clothes.”

I follow Skyla into the bathroom, and my face feels on fire. Without thinking, I turn the water on and undress; Skyla watching me doesn't make me uncomfortable as she has seen me naked in the past. When I turn away from her and step under the water, she gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. 

“I am sorry, Skyla; I should have warned you.” 

Tears glisten in her big blue eyes; her lips tremble as she murmurs, 

“I should never have left you there.” 

I turn the water off and wrap a towel around my body, and shake my head slowly, 

“They are only scars, Skyla; they will fade.” 

“I am so sorry, Lisha.” 

I take a deep breath and whisper,

“You would not have survived; you had to leave when you did, Skyla. I am home now. That's all that matters.”  

Silent tears run down Skyla's face. I move closer to her and hug her, whispering, 

“You said something about clothes.” 

She sniffs, 

“I did, yes; give me a minute. I will be back.” 

It takes Skyla only a short time to return. She knocks on the bathroom door and walks in, handing me a pair of faded jeans and a white shirt. When she goes to leave, I stop her from asking.

“Where’s Allana?”

“Allana went to see if she could find out how and why you ended up in the Seelie realm. She should be back by the end of the week.”

Tyler already has the food on the table; Skyla hugs me again before Xavier and her leave and whispers.

“I will see you in the morning, Lisha.”

Tyler already has the food on the table; he pulls my chair out for me to sit down and says,

“I didn't think they would ever leave.”

I chuckle,

"Neither did I"