Chapter 4

“What’s going on?” Dylan yelled, catching up to us quite quickly.

Fuck, he’s fast, I smiled, skidding to a halt 20 yards from the portal.

Dylan was on my right, staring at me like he wanted answers. Rosy was on my left, with her crossbow strapped to her left arm, and her sword in her right.

I quickly strapped my crossbow to my right and had my sword in my left. I had learned a long time ago that Rosy and I were not always the same.

“Anna!” Dylan tried to get my attention.

I whirled around and glared up at him, “I do not have time to explain this!”

His eyes widened, and for a moment he looked startled. “There are about to be a lot of people in this yard, and if you wanna help, fine!” I offered him my sword. “Make yourself useful if you want to help us!”

He took a little longer to take it than I expected, but after a few seconds he took my sword, and faced the spiral that was now appearing.

I drew my knife from the side of my bra, and readied the bow.

Dylan glanced at me, “Whatever this is, is normal isn’t it?”

I nodded, “Yes it is, but not 2 breaches in 1 day.”

“So I take it we can have our coffee date after whatever is about to happen?” He looked hopeful as the first dead came through the portal.

I shot off an arrow and the man fell to the ground, but many came behind him.

As I shot arrows I continued to talk to Dylan.

“Yes!” shoot, “We can have,” shoot, “coffee after this,” I grunted as I swung my sword, decapitating one of them.

He was fairly good at using the sword. He moved in quick but fluid motions. He looked almost angelic.

“Ahh!” He cried out as one of their swords connected with his shoulder, knocking him to his knees. He spun around and plunged the sword into the dead’s stomach, stopping him in his tracks.

“That’s enough,” he glanced at me. “I’m done fighting half fair.”

With a smirk he stepped back and shifted into a beautiful dark gray wolf. He was easily 5 feet off the ground. His head was level with my face, and all I could do was smile as he took a cautious step towards me.

A dead man tried to catch me off guard from behind, but I spun on my heels and my sword decapitated him. I looked like a person from a movie for a minute the way I posed after that move. My arms were wide open, my sword dripping with blood, my head down, my face hiding behind my hair, and all you could see was a slight smirk.

Dylan leapt over me and tore through the remaining 4 dead like they were made

of butter. Amanda sighed dreamily as I stared at our mate. Even I had to admit he looked amazing.

But a flash of white behind him made me realize that we may have a problem.

As if he could sense my change of mood, he turned around and came face to face with

Rosy’s tiger. She bowed her head, hoping he would understand that she meant no threat.

I watched as Dylan’s muscles tensed.

He doesn’t recognize her! Amanda yelled, snapping me out of my momentary

shock.

“DYLAN!” I screamed, running towards them.

He didn’t register my voice as he brought his paw up to strike her. She looked up just in time to dodge his swipe. He leapt into the air trying to land on her, but I jumped into the air, shifting into my black tiger, and tackled him.

We landed and rolled a few yards. I sprung up to my feet growling at him. Rosy snorted at me and began dragging the bodies to the pit. Dylan and I were having a staredown. It was a battle of wills.

He growled at me, and I bared my teeth.

If you really want to fight, then bring it on! I linked him, crouching down. You might be my mate, but that’s my sister, and I will kill you!

His wolf looked shocked. It’s very difficult to link someone who is not a part of your pack, or who is not family.

Thankfully Rosy and I had learned from our mother how to cut into other pack’s links. It came in handy, especially right now.

Anna? Dylan sounded confused as he took a step towards me.

I met him halfway and smiled a toothy tiger grin. Yep, it’s me. And yes I know you are my mate.

He rubbed his face across my cheek and down my neck. Amanda purred in response and pressed against him. He growled in response, but I knew it was his wolf’s way of letting me know he was happy.

Okay Amanda, this is enough, I told her, taking back control.

I was not about to let them get all lovey and come anywhere close to mating. I never wanted a mate, but I also didn’t want to reject him.

I pulled back from him and stormed off, leaving him confused. I started helping Rosy drag the bodies to the pit, and thankfully Dylan helped.

It was when we had finished moving them, that we realized that we had just killed 23 dead who crossed over.

It was not only insane that they crossed over 2 times in 1 day, but also that so many had come through.

We still didn’t know why they came back. All we knew was that they came to kidnap the living, to drag them back to the land of the dead.

I’d tried spells to close the portal, but none of them stopped the portal from coming back. Rosy and I had finally come to terms with the fact that we were stuck doing this for the rest of our days. We couldn’t let the world be overrun by the dead.

Rosy and I huffed and laid on our stomachs next to the pit, still shifted, because we were exhausted after dragging all those bodies. Dylan sat on his haunches next to me, his tail and ears twitching at every sound, like he was expecting us to be attacked at any time.

I glanced up at him, and remembered him getting hit with the sword. His shoulder was still leaking blood all over his gray coat. As if he could feel me staring at him, he looked down at me. Even in his wolf form, his eyes were a beautiful icy blue. I

froze under his gaze. Amanda wanted him. She wanted her mate. Your mate is supposed

to be your other half. Someone who is supposed to love you unconditionally and make you happy beyond all belief. I kept wondering if that was something I wanted though.

Once the thought of not wanting him crossed my mind, I looked back down at my

paws. I drew a deep breath, stood up, and shifted back into my human form.

Rosy glanced up at me and shifted back, too.

Dylan looked like he was about to, but then linked me instead. Can you please grab me the change of clothes out of my truck?

I nodded, and walked around the house to his truck, while Rosy got the pit lit. As I opened the driver’s side door, I heard noise behind me, and paused cautiously,

listening. From the sounds of it, there were quite a few wolves behind me, trying to sneak up on me through the treeline surrounding the property.

I heard a loud menacingly growl that made me spin around, and crouch down in a fighting stance. I hissed as about 25 wolves stepped out of the trees.

Dylan’s clothes were on the driver seat, and for some reason my brain was telling me to close the door so he didn’t get blood on his clean clothes.