Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (47 page)

Bending over, Abram grabbed both knees
with his hands. The struggle to breath prevented him answering
right away. “If we could just rest a minute, Lieutenant, I’d be
able to finish tellin’ ya what the monster said when I came upon
him.”

Ty peered at his companion and
narrowed his eyes. “We don’t have time to rest. If you can’t keep
up, go back, and stand guard for Sonja.”

Jebedia straightened. “How you gonna
find this here place without me? I’m the only one who knows where
it is.” His hands settled on his hips. “Peers to me, you need my
information more than you’re lettin’ on.” He spit and glared at Ty.
“You’re moving so fast, I can hardly keep up.” Waving a hand to
brush away Ty’s concern, Abram went on, “I’ll manage, but you need
to listen to what I got to say.” Huffing out another impatient
breath, Abram struggled to keep up with Ty as he bound off down the
dim trail once more. Stumbling yet again, Jebedia growled and
yanked hard at his boot. “Confounded briars.”

Jeb’s comment reminded Ty of something
vague he’d managed to discard from his collection of thoughts. The
remembrance centered on these wooded glades. The undergrowth seemed
alive, not in the sense of springing forth and multiplying as
nature had intended. No, the phenomenon proved more otherworldly.
Small vines moved without provocation and followed a person’s
movements. If danger lurked nearby, tiny sounds went up as the
warning call echoed throughout the forest. Reasoning the things
he’d witnessed nothing more than an overactive imagination brought
on stress, Ty tried ignoring his senses. Yet, his movements had
been hampered in a solid attack. The vegetation could capture an
unassuming traveler by winding their tinicals around the victim.
He’d discovered this all too well on his last attempt at making it
through these woods.

A frown creased his brow as he
considered the phenomenon. If the events of the past several weeks
had taught him anything, it was the fact that another universe
suspended precariously under the reality he’d known all his life.
While the undergrowth thrived in a sunless environment, it took on
powers he’d never witnessed in other plant life. Having grown up on
a cattle ranch, the growth of plants was a point of concern most of
the time. Here it proved a point of major concern. When the plants
reached out and wrapped their vines around a man’s leg, bringing
him to his knees and binding him in order to prevent his movement,
the phenomenon became quire.

Slowing, Ty glanced back at his
companion. “Would you pick up the pace, Abram? We’ll never make it
before nightfall at this pace.” Wiping the sweat from his temple,
he paused with a sudden change of heart. The idea of a brief rest
would do them both good. No sense in pushing his scout to
exhaustion. After all, Abram was the only person with an idea where
they were going.

Lowering himself to the moss covered
earth, Ty’s eyes cautiously tracked to a nearby Morning Glory vine.
The vine twitched in response causing Ty to roll his eyes skyward.
Only a few days before, he traveled this way in search of Sonja
after she’d become a wolf right before his eyes. Mentally checking
his statement, he corrected himself. He’d traveled in search of the
white wolf, the one that was Sonja. A gnawing feeling of dread
crept past his guard. Slapping his Stetson against his thigh, Ty’s
mind went to her gleaming blonde hair like gold in the
sunlight.

The mental picture he carried with him
eased some of his foreboding and he dropped his head a moment to
regroup. Was he letting his emotions get the better of him? This
trek through the woods could be a fool’s errand – both ladies had
said as much when he’d announced his decision to save the men he’d
lost because of the attack on the Rebels’ supply train. The fact he
was responsible for that mission weighed heavily on Ty. When the
supply wagons ended up ditched outside of Spotsylvania, speculation
went up about where all the guns had disappeared. Jeb Stewart had
been killed by one of those confederate rifles Yankee soldiers
carried at the time.

“
Tell me what you know of
Jeb Stewart’s death.”

Abram dropped his head, sighing. “It’s
a powerful sorry story, sir. The bastards ambushed us at the Yellow
Schoolhouse. Our men were out manned and I would say out gunned
but...”

“
But what?” Ty urged Abram
to finish.

“
Well, it’s just peculiar
the way they all but swooped in and attacked. It happened so quick
and without much gunfire.” He shook his head. “I can’t recall them
firing the first shot come to think of it. I just figured they used
their knives and swords. No, they didn’t fire a shot,” he said with
a look of bewilderment creasing his brow. “All I heard was the men
screaming, begging for mercy. I heard lots of screaming before
things got real still. The Yankees was gone. Hell, I didn’t even
hear a cannon go off. Before any of us knew it, the whole mess was
over and the general was dead. I skedaddled back the way we’d came.
The witch found me and took me to her place. She said I was lucky.”
Abram’s shoulders hunched. His expression reminded Ty of a whipped
dog. “Peculiar how I didn’t feel all that lucky. But she said I
could lead the Rebels to the Yankee vampires’ hideout.” He tugged
off his cap, scratching at his skull. Bemused, he flicked a
hesitant glance at Ty. “Sure was odd how the strangest feelin’ came
over me. Felt like I knew just what she was talkin’ ‘bout, you
know?”

Ty understood exactly what Abram
meant. The sensation wasn’t new yet at one point not long before,
he’d had the same feelings assail him. The confusion he’d
experienced was something he’d never forget. If a man studied on
the perplexing aspects of the whole thing, he’d surely go mad. Ty
considered how he could best relieve Abram of the worry over
things, which didn’t make sense. While he pondered the answer, a
birdcall went up some place close to their location.

“
That ain’t no ordinary
bird, Lieutenant.” Abram peered owl eyes first left and then
right.

“
I know. Let’s get the hell
out of here. This place gives me the creeps,” Ty
growled.

Chapter 2 Belief

Soft, wet flakes of snow fell around her. The
ground underneath her was warm still. How long had she been there?
No twilight stars peeked from behind the clouds blanketing the
spring dusk.

Sonja took small uneven breaths as she
rose. The pain seared through her in waves, stealing her breath,
robbing her conscious mind of calm. Her mortal part realized she
would live while the beast in her raged at the atrocities she’d
endured. The havoc her beastly soul wrecked in the time before she
returned from her romp with the vampires was yet unknown to
her.

Gingerly, she tested the arm, which
sang out in agony with a touch. She needed time, she mused, time to
heal and a safe place from further attack. Night came quickly to
this part of the forest. She’d best be getting to a safer clime.
Since her house lay in ruins, she set her hopes on the barn. The
effort to rise brought on more waves of stabbing discomfort and
nausea. Stumbling toward her home place, her ears ever alert, her
keen wolf sight taking in every twig and flutter of a new leaf,
Sonja limped toward home.

She’d taken no more than a handful of
steps when a huge shadow stepped into the path ahead. His long arms
hung well past normal, making him appear to drag his knuckles on
the ground out of habit. Talons of a blue-green intensity jutted
from his hairy fingertips and reminded her of an eagle’s
claws.

Sonja recognized the soundless
appearance of the one called Guardian. “Damn it, quit doing that!”
She’d grown more accustom to his appearing and disappearing on
whims. Still in the aftermath of a battle, she senses remained on
high alert.

“
You could have helped, you
know,” she snapped the words out before thinking. Wouldn’t do to
antagonize the first assistance she’d garnered since the battle
began, Sonja mused.

“
How would that have
benefited your training?” The Guardian’s long wolfish silhouette
gleamed with droplets of dew clinging to the course, straggly hairs
on his snout and chin. “You did well.”

A small surge of pride sparked inside
her chest. “Of course you watched.” Her short snort of laughter
ended in pain. Stopped by the sharp thrust of what seemed like a
blade piercing her side, Sonja swayed. She reached out with her
good hand to grip a nearby tree for support.

“
Your injuries are many,
Sonja.” The Guardian stood alongside her and Sonja realized he’d
used his transport powers once more. His disappearance and
reemergence used to bother her. Perhaps she was growing accustom to
his strange talents, or possibly madness was slowly taking
over.

“
I’ll be fine with some
time.” Blinking at his great presence next to her, she asked, “Can
you get me to someplace safe?” The pain shot through her side again
and she caught herself before she winced. “I seemed to have burned
down my house.”

The grin, which appeared on his ugly
mug, couldn’t be described as pleasant. More of a smirk. “I’ll have
you safe in a few minutes.” With the statement, he whisked her into
his massive arms and the next place they came to was her sister’s
house.

A big strapline Cur dog rested in the
doorway to the modest but comfortable looking cottage. A trail of
flowering Jasmine peaked out from the trellises on either side of
the front porch. The steps down to the ground were steeper than
Sonja’s steps and immediate gratitude to the great one came over
her, when he deposited her on the planks of the porch rather than
make her walk up the small flight of stairs to the door.

“
I shouldn’t be here,” she
told him as he knocked on the portal for her.

“
You’ll be safer here than
in that rundown barn of yours.” Resting his great claws on her
shoulder, he reminded her, “Besides, there are few who can cross
one of Hortence’s protection spells.”

The truth of his words gave Sonja a
moment’s comfort. The old witch, the Guardian spoke of was both her
trainer and friend. Waiting on the moonlight rising over the ridge,
Sonja said, “She disappeared this morning before the fun started.
Are you two planning these disappearances or just scared of
vampires?” Her wry poke at her mentor’s behavior brought an arched
brow from the Guardian.

Without giving her room to argue the
point, Guardian simply scooped her up again when the door opened to
reveal a tall, slim redhead holding a large bowl full of
flour.

“
Sonja?” The young woman’s
voice quivered for a second before the bowl thudded on a nearby
table and she took a step forward, gathering Sonja in her
arms.

Guardian opened the door wider and
guided them both back inside.

“
I’m fine, sis, no need to
look so upset.” Sonja did her best to calm Briann’s concerns before
her older sister fell on her like a mother hen. “Just a few scrapes
and scratches is all,” she said trying to sound nonchalant. “I’m
sorry to barge in like this, but I seem to have no place to stay.”
Her sister’s mouth dropped open and Sonja shrugged. “Too many
memories anyway. I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”

With a wink at Guardian, she relaxed a
fraction as they settled her on a daybed near the fire. Her only
living relative lived only a few miles from Sonja with her two boys
since the passing of her husband, Stephen. Being an empath gave
Briann more defenses against danger than most

“
You sister should be
concerned. The woods aren’t empty of danger.” Guardian wandered
over to the small window of leaded glass and peered out. He formed
such a strange sight in the otherwise warm, homey room, Sonja
forced her eyes from him before addressing her sister and
explaining further why he was there to begin with.

“
Had I not the power of
reading people’s minds, I would have shot you a long time ago,
Guardian. Your mind is unreadable.” She glanced at Sonja. “This
mess, which has unwittingly become my sister’s life I wanted to
blame on you.” Briann paid little attention to the creature as his
bushy brows winged up. “But I can’t. I have to admit, if anyone or
thing could protect my baby sister, Sonja, it’s you, despite your
grotesque animal appearance.” Turning her focus on Sonja, Briann
winked, “At least you’re alive and we can deal with the cuts and
wounds until…” Biting her lip, her sister faltered over her next
words, “Until the healing you do commences.” She tried valiantly
for a positive smile and managed a trembling tight-lipped purse.
The tears welled in her eyes. Spilling in a slow trickle down her
face, she gave in resting her forehead against Sonja’s and simply
sighed. “Oh, baby girl, you’ve been getting into more and more
trouble ever since this whole wolf thing started. When will it ever
end?”

“
Someone’s coming.” The
Guardian’s words tightened. With his eyes, volatile and dark, the
wolf-god sought Briann’s help. “Make yourself useful woman and show
me to a room I can use for the change.”

Undeterred by his gruff command,
Briann pointed toward a set of doors against the back wall, one led
to her bedroom and one to the bedroom of her small sons, Ethan and
Nathaniel. “Be quiet, the baby’s sleeping,” she admonished
Guardian.

With as polite a nod as a werewolf-god
could manage, he disappeared into her bedroom. The change would
come on violently if he remained in the room with the new guests.
In seclusion, he would transform into a man with much more grace
and less noise.