I sat in the back with Kaira as Jax drove, with Ian constantly looking out the windows.
“Do you really think those guys are going to cause an issue? Isn’t this all your pack’s territory?”
Ian swiveled and looked out the back window, “The Glacier pack is ruthless.”
“How many packs are there?”
“Three, that are worth mentioning. Maple Meadows, Glacier, and Nikolai.”
“Nikolai? That is Alaskan, right?”
“Yes. They are in the western portion of the mountains, near the Denali lands. They are a small pack, but wild. More beast than human,” Ian spat.
“And the Glacier pack?”
"Let’s just say we don’t get along,” Ian said, continuing his scan.
Memory flashed back to the Zachriel family who had been killed by wolves just before Arvin and his men showed up. My voice rasped as I tried to form words, “When Arvin came to
I fell backward onto lush green grass, with Kiara landing atop me. The stark difference of the spring meadow around us versus the winter we had left told me we had indeed crossed into the fae plane.“Well, hello huntress. What game have you brought us?” came the sultry voice of Morrigan from behind me. I crawled out from under Kiara and turned to find Morrigan in a black dress, young and beautiful as ever. She was picturesque of the maiden.“Morrigan, “I did my best to curtsey. “I fear others might try to follow.”“They will not enjoy the result, though I might,” Morrigan said with a grin. She then turned her red eyes on Kaira who still lay semi unconscious on the grass. “And who might this young morsel be?” Her gaze was predatory and hungry. I wondered if she would actually do something serious to Kiara.“She is with me. She needs healing.”Morrigan’s hand reached out to
My feet stayed rooted to the ground. She had just killed that man. Stabbed him right in the heart. I swear she was practically having an orgasm as his blood pulsed out over the blade and down her hand as she leaned into him. His eyes were still wide with shock, uncomprehending that his life had just ended at the hands of the goddess of DEATH itself. She had chosen, and carried out his sentence herself, and now was beckoning me forward. Did she expect me to take out the other?I realized as I stood there, unmoving, that I had never killed a human. I had killed wolves. I had killed twisted monsters as they attacked me. But never looked into the eyes of another human being and killed them. I wasn’t sure I had that in me.“Huntress, Come. Your first lesson that you asked for is before you.”“What-” my voice cracked as I tried to ask her a question. “What is the lesson?”“What may our power be used for? Surely yo
Morrigan stepped out of the flaming sigil and pointed to its center, the flames dying the instant she left its core. “Now, you enter. Let’s see what you can do.”I hesitantly walked to the middle of the charred ground and stared at the sigil she had conjured. “Now what?”Morrigan sighed, running her hand down her face. “Did your coven elders teach you nothing?”“They said we draw power from Gaia, the earth elemental. Stella mentioned Gaia when we first bonded.”“Yes, Stella would be more attuned to Gaia than most beings. Ok.” Morrigan stood with her black dress flowing and her legs spread in a fighting stance. “Find balance, then center your body. Our power does come from the earth but it is more fundamental than simply a wishy washy idea of nature. The earth itself it literally feeding your spell power by giving of itself. If you abuse that gift, you will kill the land around you. gr
“This is Amazing!” In truth, the dagger was beyond anything I could have imagined. I reached a hand out but hesitated, “may I?” Goibniu (GUV new) gestured for me to take the dagger, and I grasped the handle. A small tingle ran up my arm and I hefted the dagger. It was perfectly balanced, and the grip fit my hand as if it had been molded and tailored for me. “I- its incredible.” Kiara eyed the blade nervously and Goibniu gave her a knowing grin, “Don’t think I will leave you out lass. If you are going to be hanging around our huntress, I have something for you too. From what Morrigan tells us, this one tends to get herself locked up more often than is normal for a girl her age.” “Is getting locked up ever normal?” Kiara asked. Goibniu elbowed his brother, “It can be right fun, if you have the right lass with you!” They both burst out in a round of ruckus laughter. Kiara’s innocent stared stopped them cold, “Aye lass, one day you will fig
My hand hesitantly reached for the handle, my heart hopefully for who I might find inside. There was only one person I cared enough about for Brighid to even mention, and Morrigan had said he had been seen wandering this plane. Could it be that he was here? Was it really possible? As the door glided open on silent hinges, the familiar profile of long dark hair and tan skin greeted me. He was seated cross-legged before the fire, atop a mound of furs. Warmth flushed my face as I realized he was shirtless. I longed to run my hands over that smooth skin, and dig into those broad shoulders. “Makya?” He turned, those chocolate eyes locking on mine. “Eileen?” He rose smoothly and rushed to me, his hands cupping my face. I smiled as I looked up at him and then wrapped myself around him, burying my face in his bare chest. “Eileen! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Canada! Surely by now, you are back in the village. I don’t understand how you can b
I awoke sometime later, still cuddled against Makya’s chest. His warmth pressed into my back, and I sighed, content.Content but not satisfied. Here, with Makya, I had everything I had ever thought I had wanted. A simple life, with simple desires. Makya satisfied all of that. with Stella, my life was far more complicated now, but in many ways more complete, but that was not the whole of my need. Stella stirred in my mind then.‘Peace, my soul-bond. You are of the Triskele, the witch blood who is bonded by blood and magic to Tír na nÓg. It is not so strange to think that your heart is also triskele. the twisted spirals of triskele loop one in strange directions. But you will find the links in time. You are young still.’The image of the triskele with its three swirling spokes flashed in my mind. Morrigan had cast it over a Triquetra, our eternity knot. To think that so much of our system of magic, and faith was based on th
“Gaia guide me” I breathed as I closed my eyes and tried to remember the lessons Morrigan had shown me. Morrigan had gathered power from all over. She had directed that power to one spot in order to accomplish her goal of growing that tree and not killing the land around it.Then it hit me. The fae of this plane were here, in this grove. They were already channeling power from across Tír na nÓg into the pentagram along the lines of the spirals of ancient trees. I stood, determination straightening my back as I stepped through the wall of magic and across the knotted web of tree roots. Here, power was pulsing from across the plane, and being channeled by five of the most powerful Tuatha Dé Danann at the nexus of a huge sacred grove, fueling this pentagram. I reached my mind out to the earth, calling out for Gaia’s help.I moved to stand next to Kiara, and then stretched at hand toward one of the twelve trees. A vine rose from at my
As the world around us solidified, I felt us both tip forward, landing hard in the snow pack. I looked around and instantly felt weary as if I had run 100km, and my body demanded rest. I reached through the snow to try and touch the ground, but here in our own world, the magic of the land was feeble and weak at best. I didn’t dare take from the earth here, for fear of damaging this forest and sapping it of vital power. I would just have to give my body time to recover and learn to tap deeper into the earth.As I got my feet back under me, and tried to help Kaira to her feet, I was amazed at just how different our world felt compared to the pulsing power that permeated Tír na nÓg. There, every blade of grass tingled with so much power that the very leaves glowed with energy.Now, the winter wonderland around us looked exceptionally gray in comparison, with a few dull greens where the evergreen trees peaked though.“Eileen?” came a