Heavy Metal Heartbeat (9 page)

His turn to eat dirt.

He snapped at the wolf's legs, leaving a deep gash in his
hind quarters. He matched Perry blow for blow. Perry sported all kinds of wounds while Ozzie remained unscathed. The wolf staggered and Ozzie took his chance.

Fur, blood and bone filled his mouth as he locked his jaw and sank his teeth into the wolf’s neck, shaking his head from side to side in true dog attack fashion. Perry hit the tree and slid to the ground when Ozzie flung him through the air. 
With his heart pounding in his ears, he watched to see if Perry would get up. He cautiously inched over and nudged the limp body. Nothing happened. Howls and yips exploded around him. He scurried backward and frantically looked around. The blood lines opened and released Paige, allowing her to enter the circle.

The smell of blood excited his inner beast. The adrenaline fueled his aggression and desire. His gaze slid to the pure beauty walking toward him, dropping her dress as she moved closer.  A soft distant voice whispered in his ear as his body phased back to human.

“
You must finish the cycle. You have beaten the Alpha. Now defeat him by taking the mate he laid claim to.”

She inched closer and closer, and the annoyance of the voice was that of a fly.
He grabbed her and yanked her to him, planting a kiss against her mouth. Her response had his inner animal on overdrive. He lost control and dropped them to the ground when she pressed herself against him and kissed him just as fiercely. Everything disappeared. There were no wolves, no sounds; it was just him and her. Nothing else mattered as he claimed her for his own.

His nose and lungs burned from the smell of antiseptic and alcohol. An
inferno blazed in his chest as it lay open and exposed. His ribs and breast bones were broken and splintered; his chest was one massive amount of shredded meat. His breaths came rough and rapid through clenched teeth. Air filled his lungs with icy shards, stabbing the lining and crystallizing the mesh tissue. His body rigid and his muscles tight, he fought off the darkness that beckoned to him. He tried to listen to the people around him, but their words were like the buzzing of bees in his ears.

It
seemed like an eternity, but finally the soft clouds of peace rolled over his body and his pain slowly ebbed away. In this haze his ribs were repaired, his chest was healed and his agony was replaced by blissful happiness. If he had been able to move his body, he would have rejoiced and smiled at the voice fading in and out in his ear.

Anna.

“I fear what I’m going to do will ruin all of that...think of Paige…please forgive me.”

Forgive you for what? There’s nothing to…

A sinking pain bit into his neck and he could feel the life leaving him. The dark void started at his toes and wound its way up his body. He became paralyzed and couldn't stop it. A ghostly smoke swirled around him, swallowing his being, dragging him into nothingness.

No no no. Anna, help me.

His body sank into the mattress beneath him.

What is happening?

As if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, someone shoved him, and he fell.
It was a slow descent to nowhere, and the darkness swallowed him.

Where is…Paige?

Her beautiful face filled his mind and warmed his heart. He could almost feel the softness of her hair, the warmth from her skin and the aroma of tropical jungle flowers. Smiling, he reached for her hand, content to stay there forever.

Anna’s voice broke through his dream.

“
I’m so sorry, my friend…”

He felt
as light as air as he flitted across the bright blue sky like an angel. Bright white wings carried him effortlessly through the wind. Peace and serenity filled his mind with happy thoughts and the faces of his loved ones. Paige, always by his side, appeared in every flash of memory.

In an instant his new found world changed and his wings fell from him
, feather by feather, as he raced toward the dark oblivion. His body had weight and shape. Blood swam through his veins, awakening his nerves as he healed and came back to life. His heart beat in his chest and air filled his lungs.

He seemed to swan dive toward the ground at
break-neck speed. His body slammed into place, knocking the small amount of air he had collected from his lungs.

Lavender eyes filled his vision and carried a strong familiar voice. It was Anna once more.

“In the dark you wander, lost. With your blood you paid the cost. Now come to me and have a home or travel eternity forever alone.”

Darkness engulfed him and his blood ran cold.  An inferno waited
, he knew, but his world had turned to ice. Soft, whispered words tickled his ear.

“Paige is your greatest love. She is the connection to your life and she holds the strings to your heart. I hope this helps, it’s the best I could do.”

The darkness eased and sun
light sprayed the landscape. He sat cross-legged in the lush green grass of his ancestors. Sunrise was always his favorite part of the day. The peaceful scenery matched the quiet of his mind and the calm in his heart. He breathed in the cool springtime air as the old woman grew closer.

Red hair like that of an apple played around her aged but beautiful face. Emerald eyes sparkled when she smiled at him. The long
, flowing diamond-colored robe played around her feet, shimmering in the sunlight as she walked barefoot across the ground. She radiated a gold light that mesmerized him.

She knelt in front of him and took his hands. He noticed her gold glow covered both of them.

Whoa!

Her soft
sing-song voice was just as beautiful as the rest of her.

“
Ozzie, you have done well, my son. I am very proud of you.”

“
Who are you?”

“
I am your ancestral spirit guide. My name is Jacinta Bridgers Keelin. You can call me Jewels, it’s easier.”

Ozzie looked around before speaking.

“OK, Jewels, where are we?”

“The In-Between.”

He felt his face squish into what he was sure was a confused expression.

“Where is that, exactly?”

“That’s easy. We are between everywhere and nowhere; the place where everything and nothing exists.”

He tilted his head to the side
and stared at her perplexed.

“
OK, I am confused.”

“No worries, where we are is irrelevant. What you accomplished is what is important.”

He held up his hand to stop her advance in the conversation.

“Wait
, this is real? I haven’t lost my mind?”

“
No, you haven’t, and yes, it’s very real.”

He felt light as a feather as the weight of his burdens lifted from his shoulders when he sighed with relief.

Thank God, I am not going crazy.

He turned his gaze back
to the woman.

“Can you explain what is going on?”

“
Yes. We shall start at the beginning of your quest. You were lying in the grass with Paige. Do you remember?”

Where it began? What quest?

He thought back for a second.

Wait..Oh!

“
Yes. It was wonderful until Sebastian showed up.”

“
He was part of your journey.”

He rubbed his temples as he tried to understand.

“But I killed Sebastian.”

“Yes, and Perry.”

He studied her face. She looked to be enjoying this ‘lead the horse to water’ game. With each answer he gave, her eyes grew brighter and her smile widened.

“I don’t want to be rude, but can you just tell me what’s going on
? This is crazy, and I am sure there is a benefit to leading me to the answer, but I just really don’t feel like playing along.”

He never saw it coming.
His body rolled groggily onto the ground and a few feet away. He lay just outside of the gold glow. It was cold and dark. The side of his face ached from the slap and his back felt like he landed on gravel.

Ow!

Moving onto his side and elbow, he looked to Jewels. She sat with her hands resting on her knees and a witty look upon her face. Her words cut like that of a whip.

“I am here to help you. Therefore, you will show respect. I am over
two-hundred years old and have seen and lived through more than you can imagine, so quit belly-aching over there and get back in the glow, so we can continue.”

He shook the daze from his head and crawled back into the golden center.

“Sit crossed-legged with your hands on your knees!”

He did as instructed.

“I apologize. Please forgive me. I am confused, frustrated and on the verge of losing it.”

“I understand. Before your flippant tone, I was about to explain. May I finish now?”

“
Yes, please.”

“
You have power, lots of raw and untapped power, Ozzie, more so than your ancestors. Thanks to the company you keep…”

“
What does that mean?”

“
Be patient. I will get to it. First, take off that shirt.”

He looked down and
saw he was indeed wearing clothes, jeans and white T-shirt. Hand on each corner of the shirt, he pulled it over his head, dropped it to the ground and looked back to her.

“Now
, get on your knees.”

He followed along. His heart beat fast at the unknown. He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves.

Can we get on with it already?

“Place your hands at your sides
, and make sure you leave them there.”

Swallowing his comment, he slapped his hands at his sides. Jewels moved to her knees and faced him. The golden glow grew warmer.

“When your journey started, you were with the love of your life. The vampire Sebastian showed up. Explain to me what happened and I will explain why.”

“
Paige wanted me to bite her and I refused. She begged, even going so far as to tease the fangs in my mouth…”

He
absent-mindedly rubbed his teeth, checking for fangs.

Oh, thank God, no fangs.

“I still refused…”

“Why did you refuse to bite her
? She asked for it.”

Biting back his attitude,
he replied, “Because I’m not a vampire!”

“But you attacked Sebastian and ripped his throat out. Are you sure you’re not a vampire
? That was a pretty vampire thing to do.”

“
No! I refused to bite Paige because she doesn’t want to be a vampire, she can’t be a vampire. She’s a weretiger and she can’t become a vampire. If she is bitten, she will die. Sebastian threatened to bite her, that’s why I attacked him. I don’t understand. I can’t explain it.”

“
I can. Sit very still.”

The glimmer
from the knife caught his attention first, followed by her hand moving toward his chest. He fought his instinct to move away from the blade.

“You are part of a hunter bloodline. Here is where your journey began.”

He cried out and closed his eyes against the bright sizzle of the braided circle she etched into his chest.

“You are part of an old ancient Irish clan that formed the hunter brotherhood.”

He clenched his hands and his teeth as she scrawled the knotted clover inside the inner circle permanently into his skin. His breath came in deep, ragged pulls.

“You were bitten by a vampire. Even though you gave in and embraced your inner vampire, you overcame blood lust and kept your hunter instinct intact. Therefore, you overcame vampirism.”

Her hands were precise and moved without hesitation, this time drawing fangs in the top center of the middle circle. Something she had said struck a chord with him. He opened his eyes and looked to her, halting her movements.

“Wait. You said
embrace
…that is the same word Perry used when we fought. He said to embrace who I am and accept it.”

“
Yes, he did. You killed him. Did you embrace anything when you killed him?”

He thought about the fight with the wolf and the words that were spoken. He remembered being snapped in two
, and he remembered his discussion with Jaxson and how it had healed him and unlocked the secret, or so he assumed.

“I don’t know if I embraced anything. I guess you could say I accepted the wolf form. I tried to fight like a human, but it wasn’t working.”

“
So you accepted that form in order to kill him?”

“
Yes, I had to. Paige was dying, plus I didn’t want her to endure what Perry had in store for her.”