Chosen Darkness (Chosen Series) (13 page)

The moon was slowly moving across the sky. Soon it would shine its light down on the clearing and on Falyn, and she would become the most highly sought treasure in both worlds. And Alex had just vowed to follow her. Now he understood why the Elder had told him what he had, but Alex did not feel any remorse at his promise to follow her.

He had come to this world to find a cure for Falyn and now it seemed these Witches were going to help her fulfil her destiny. They removed a silver bracelet from her wrist, tossing it aside as the elder went on about how the Moon Goddess would make her whole. The Elder vowed she would have control over all her powers once she drank from the cup and stood in the light of the moon. Alex felt her fear and he was about to jump up there with her when the taste of her hope hit him.

Chapter Thirteen: Follow Me

Falyn was desperately trying to hide the fear she was feeling. She was standing on a large white stone in the middle of a forest with a group of people in white calling to her in a chant. The moonlight was inches from touching her and all this was to change her into herself… The One? Who wouldn’t feel worried?

She swallowed hard as she looked at the faces below her. Her pulse jumped wildly, so she took a deep breath as the moonlight hit her face. She felt the sting of it on her skin.

Just like when she changed to and from a wolf, the pain rolled over her. However, she had trained herself to let it run through her and it did. She knew at what moment she was standing on the stone as a huge wolf because of the look of awe on the people’s faces – and the one of shock on Lark’s was clear.

Then, with the snap of her bones, she was standing there, once more human, and in her heart she felt the clearest form of love and power she had ever known. She could sense all the Druids before her, understand nature around her, and the knowledge of the runes of her mother’s people became clear to her. She immediately knew all the secrets of the Druids. She vowed then, silently, to uphold them for those in her following – the ones kissed with light.

As the moonlight moved away from her, she looked around. On the palm of her hand was the symbol of a flower; it was an orchid of some kind. It was a rune marked on her skin. It showed she was the Chosen One. She had been touched by the light now, in a similar way to how, as a Lycan
, she had been touched by the darkness of its shadow.

Falyn was Light who had previously been Darkness. This gave her the wisdom to lead the Children of the Moon. She would teach them to see they must become one nation and not be torn apart by how much of the moon ran in their bloods – whether they were pure blood Lycan, Bitten, half-bloods. It didn’t matter! They needed to unite.

Suddenly Falyn shook her head, trying to clear it. Something else, something new was happening to her now and it was terrifying. However, as quickly as it came, the sensation went again, and she couldn’t remember why it had frightened her.

Falyn saw Alex making his way toward her. She was a little shocked to discover she still felt angry with him. How dare he kiss another when he was hers? Hadn’t he come here to search for a way to cure her? Not to make out with some woman! She would forever be his, but she was not fool enough to think she could force him into caring for her. If he had moved on, then what could she do? Even if she was powerful enough to overthrow the Lycan laws about mating outside your bloodline, it would mean nothing if he wanted someone else.

“Falyn, are you ok?” Alex asked, his voice full of worry.

“Yes, Alex I’m more than ok. I now know who I am,” she assured him with a smile.

Alex let out a laugh. She could tell he was glad that she wasn’t harmed, but he was still wary. She was not sure why, but she could sense just how he was feeling and it was more than her wolf abilities allowing her to do so.

“You’re sure?” Alex asked her again.

Something in the back of her head screamed, “No, I’m not!” Falyn barely had time to be startled by it before it was gone.

“I’m sure, now let’s give it a rest!” she snapped.

“Forgive me for being worried, but for heaven’s sake, Falyn, nothing in this place seems right!” Alex’s voice was hard as he gave her a sharp glare.

“Worried about me? Ha! You just had your lips locked with some other girl’s!” she fumed.

Alex looked ready to kill someone, but before he could snarl anything back, Lark came to join them.

“Lark!” she smiled.

“Princess… or is it Lady Wolf?” he asked with a low bow.

“Don’t be silly, no need for such formalities. I’m still Falyn.”

“In that case…” He grinned, and before she could catch his meaning, he pulled her in for a kiss. She could have stopped it, but she knew Alex was watching and she was not above giving him a taste of his own medicine.

“Don’t do that again!” she warned Lark when he finally broke away.

“Of course,” Lark mumbled, a small blush on his cheeks.

“Because if you do, I will rip your heart out!” Alex growled from the sidelines.

Lark laughed, shaking his head.

“I will not touch her unless she asks me to, so calm down,” Lark told Alex as he moved away into the throng of people dancing around the fire.

“I can handle myself, Alex, thank you,” Falyn warned him.

“I’m sure you can, but I don’t like other men kissing you,” Alex stated.

Falyn looked pointedly at Luria and her meaning was not lost on him.

“I didn’t kiss her, she damn well attacked me!” he snapped.

Falyn sensed the truth of his words, and her lips almost gave way to a smile. But she was not ready to let him off the hook yet.

“Don’t worry, Alex. I won’t make you follow me. If you want to be your own man, then go ahead.” She waved her hands toward the fire.

Alex narrowed his eyes before his hands went to the buttons at his shirt. Falyn watched in bemusement as he pulled the shirt off his shoulders. On one shoulder blade were three dark half circles.

“Do you know what this is?” Alex asked.

“No,” she answered.

“It’s your mark. A claim on me as your mate.”

“What!” Her voice cracked.

Alex pulled his shirt back up and re-buttoned it. He glanced around, as if checking to see no one was watching them.

“You heard me! It means you want me, Falyn, so don’t stand there and act like you don’t care! You’ve all but marked me for death if your bloody Court ever learns about ‘us’,” he frowned.

Falyn didn’t know what to say for a moment. She had no idea she could mark someone as a soul mate!

“I’m not planning on telling the Court about us or what we did,” Falyn told him.

“The Court isn’t going to be in the dark about you forever. The mystics already know about you, your father and God knows who else. It’s not ‘if’ but ‘when’ they come seeking you, they
will
know about us because I’m not the only one marked!” Alex informed her.

“I have the mark too?” Falyn whispered.

Alex spun her around and pulled aside the fabric on her shoulder. His fingers tracing three perfectly shaped half circles on her shoulder blade.

“Yep,” Alex confirmed, his hands still on her shoulders.

Falyn turned to face him once more, her eyes meeting his. If she bore the mark too, then anyone else who saw the marks would know they had been together.

“You won’t have to tell them about me, they will know. If what I was once told by a friend is true, and I believe it is, they can seek out the truth from anyone. The Lycan like their rules, Falyn, and since you’re one of them, even if only half, you can’t think they won’t hold you to their laws,” Alex told her.

“I outrank even the Court. With me being the last of the Druids of Light, Alex, part of my line gets it powers from the sun. I don’t have to follow their rules!” Falyn’s voice was hard

“You’re meant to bring the races together, Falyn. You can’t expect them to follow you if go around throwing the fact in their faces that you broke the Lycan law and mated outside your bloodline. And with a vampire at that! We may not be at war, but no good blood flows between our kinds,” Alex reminded her.

Panic was growing in her stomach at what Alex said. It was indeed her duty to unite the races, not give them more reason to fight and stand apart.

The girl who had been lip-locked with Alex approached them now. She seemed a little wary.

“Alex, I need to talk to you.” A slight color rushed to her face.

Alex looked less than thrilled to be alone with Luria. Falyn decided to put the girl in her place. Even before she said the words, Falyn knew it was a bad idea but she could not help herself. It was as if she was being control by someone else.

Falyn stepped in front of Luria. She was a little taller and the girl had to look up to meet her stare.

“See this?” Falyn turned slightly showing Luria the mark on her shoulder.

“Falyn!” Alex hissed in her ear.

Falyn did not pay him any mind. She turned to him next and tugged his shirt down enough to show the girl the same mark on his shoulder.

“This means we belong to each other, so back off!” Falyn made sure her voice was hard and let the glow in her eyes show.

The poor girl nearly tripped over her own feet in a hurry to get away from Falyn. Once she disappeared again, Falyn turned to face Alex.

“Don’t give me that look! If she truly was after you then you should be thanking me!” Falyn spat out.

“Thank you,” he said tightly. “But that wasn’t wise.”

Alex took a deep breath. He looked troubled, and that hurt her more than it should, not knowing what was bugging him.

“Falyn, I’m not sure how this is going to work out,” Alex whispered, reaching out to touch her hand.

Her breath stopped for a moment.
He was not sure how it was going to work
? Falyn’s mind repeated to her. Well, forget him then!
I nearly lost everything and now he cares about the laws
? Falyn snapped inside but she kept herself together on the outside.

“Stop right there, Alex, I don’t... No, I can’t bear you telling me that you can’t stay. We have more important matters to deal with than our own little issues, don’t you agree?”

“That’s not what I meant...”

She did not let him finish.

“No, Alex not now!” she warned him, before turning away to go and find the Elder.

She hid the tear that slipped down her face and told herself to get a grip.

Later. Later I’ll get Alex to tell me what he’s worried about and I’ll have to deal with it, whatever it is. Right now, I need to finish what I’ve started.

The Wiccan Elder was sitting by the fire.

“Ask me whatever it is you need to know, Princess.”

“How do I find the exit gate from this world?”

“That won’t be an easy trip, I fear. You need to travel right into the heart of the Dark Druids’ lands,” the Elder replied.

“Are they a threat to me?” Falyn asked.

She was the Druid Princess; could these Dark Ones even touch her?

“Um, yes. They use the same magic, Princess, but they went to the dark side. They can hurt you, just like you can hurt them.”

Falyn nodded. So, she would have to be on her guard when she passed through their land. And since they had the same Druid power as she did, then her skills as a wolf might be the only thing she could use to beat them.

“I’ll use my other gifts then to get the better of them if I can’t make it through to the Gate undetected,” Falyn decided.

“Wise choice, My Lady, but you’ll also need the gifts of those in your closest circle,” he informed her.

“I’ll have Alex with me, and I planned on bringing Lark too, if he’ll come with me,” Falyn assured him.

“Good, but you’ll also need the Binder’s talents,” he told her with an arch smile.

Falyn did not say anything to this. She quickly looked away as she did not wish him to see that the idea of bringing Luria along too did not sit well.

“Rest easy, Princess. Luria is no threat to you,” the Elder chuckled.

“I never thought she was,” Falyn snorted.

“Your eyes speak louder than your voice on the matter of your heart,” he said, with a knowing look.

Falyn looked over to where Alex was standing. His face dark and his eyes closed, he seemed to be in a bad mood. She guessed this was her doing.

“He is a good soul, that one, even if he was born out of death. He knows right from wrong. Don’t make the mistake of writing him off; he knows what he’s saying.” The Elder’s tone carried a warning.

Falyn looked back at the old man.

“What are you trying to tell me?”

“Ah. Those from your world always want a clear answer, but in time my words will become clear. Just wait.” And that was all he was going to say.

He stood then, leaning on his stick, and soon two young women came to escort him into a large tent at the back of the clearing.

Falyn was angry with herself. She had let the subject of Alex dominate her conversation with the Elder and she had not asked all the questions she needed to.

“Great,” Falyn mumbled.

Perhaps she had gotten some sort of answer but it was not what she wanted. What she wanted was a clear map out of this place.

“Lark!” Falyn shouted.

“Here,” he cooed from right behind her.

“How do you do that?” she asked.

“Just one of my gifts.” He laughed.

“I need to know if you will come with me to my world.”

Falyn held her breath waiting for the answer.

“Yes,” he said, without even pausing to think it over.

“Thank you!” Falyn smiled with relief. “I need all the help I can get. And now, can you please seek out that pretty little redhead and send her to me.”

Lark nodded and, with a wicked grin, went to search out the Binder.

While she waited, she turned her attention to Alex again.

“Alex,” Falyn called to him, walking over.

He opened his eyes then closed them again. It was as though she was not worth looking at any more.

“Can we talk please?” she asked him.

“Sure,” he shrugged.

“I need to know if you will follow me… Not just follow me home, but into… into battle if necessary?” She wavered at the last part, her pride not wanting her to say the words.