Love Begins in Hell (The Moon Journals: Part 1) (6 page)

The movement of his black boots vibrating the dirt fascinated me.  As I listened, I watched each foot slam into the earth, sending a cloud of dust upwards, I immediately realized the ground was baked and without any nourishment.  A wasteland indeed.  I also became aware that I could see Dante’s movements.  Before they were blurred.  Now they weren’t.  Another realization made me want to howl at the red moon again because if I had access to this form, I wouldn’t need to call the Wolf.  I could defend myself against any demon.

“My blood unlocked your destiny, I’m afraid.  The elements of your Lunar ancestors,” Dante stated matter-of-factly.  “This wolf you keep referring to.  Does he have a name?”

I shook my head and sent a response telepathically since I didn’t trust myself to speak out loud, and since I didn’t understand what he meant.  “
I’m sorry.  What?
”

“
What is the Wolf’s name?
”

I shook my head again. 
“He won’t tell me.
”

The Fight

When I got a whiff of the first demon, I growled.  Dante heard me and dropped his fangs in response.

I saw three or four demons come into view and I knew we were probably surrounded.  Because Dante had pushed his back to mine to protect me, I couldn’t see how many there were.  A circle of two headed red demon dogs with glowing yellow eyes and fangs was enough for me to see.  Eight.  Maybe more.

Fight.

The Wolf’s voice ordered me.  Demanding me to engage in a fight I knew I’d lose.  If I was in mid-werewolf-transformation, my shift was not complete and I couldn’t begin to fight off these fiends.  They growled and hissed, slowly closing the circle around us.

Fight.

Feed, little wolf.  Feed.

The unfamiliar voice surfaced again.  That had to be Dante’s blood speaking to me.  His dark side.  It wanted me to kill and take the nourishment I needed.

You can do anything you put your mind to.

Dante’s deep voice flowed into my mind and drowned out the Wolf’s and the Blood’s commands.  Dante spoke to me in Fanged and I immediately understood his words. 
If the demons were dead, they couldn’t report back to Lucifer.  It would give us more time.

When I heard him unsheathed his swords, I jumped into action.

I ran as fast as I could and dove at two of the dogs.  I slid underneath the first animal and sliced his stomach open with my claws, from top to bottom.  His guts spilled out all over the baked earth and steam rose to the sky.  The second one I impaled with my claws as he looked on in horror.  Seeing a nearly naked wolf-woman racing around the night likely was not a normal sight for him, I assumed.

By the time I had a chance to look up, Dante had killed three dogs and was going for two more.  “Count your kills!  They travel in packs of nine,” he called out telepathically.

I flew into action, making a circle around Dante and the remaining dogs.  My two.  His three.  Two more for him.  Seven total.  That leaves two.  Two more.  I had two more to kill.  After about four or five strides, my body completed its transformation and I felt the heaviness of being changed into werewolf form.  My female form vanished and I realized I was a large mass of fur, claws, teeth, and muscles.  Each movement I made as I stalked the remaining two demon dogs, now wide-eyed and frozen in their place, sent waves of electricity down my spine.  The feeling of power and strength was orgasmic.  I’d never felt anything like it.  I gnashed my jaws a few times, getting Dante’s attention.

His sword slammed down into the skull of the second dog as he glanced my way.  His smile deepened into laughter.  “You want the last two, my sweet?”

I responded by shaking my fully furred body as I ran.  The sensation again sent a surge of energy through every limb.  My vision went red and I bounded over to the remaining dogs.  I could already tell being a werewolf was going to be extremely enjoyable.  “Hi guys, how are we doing tonight?” I asked mentally as I sliced open their throats with my claws.

***

As I finished tidying up and hiding any evidence, I realized demon dogs tasted a lot like chicken and their blood reminded me of huckleberry wine.  I didn’t want to tell Dante that because he’d probably think I was crazy.  I searched around the large rock where we had been, expecting to see him.  Suddenly I realized he had disappeared.  A twinge of panic hit me. 
Where was he?  Had I?

Out of nowhere, a black leopard nudged me hard in my shoulder.  I heard a low, rich purr.  “
Elana, I’m right here.
”

“
You’re kidding me,
” I replied telepathically, realizing the leopard was Dante.

The cat raced away, starting to cover ground.

I remained frozen. 
Demons couldn’t shift.  But this Demon had already shifted into a cloud of smoke and now a black leopard.
  What could he
not
do? I wondered.

Dante returned quickly.  I heard the low purring sound again as he leaned his forehead into mine and spoke telepathically.  “
We have to move now.  Jump in the first river you get to.
”

“
You can shift too, Dante?
” I mentally asked him.

He blinked his dark eyelids over gleaming green eyes.  He shook his panther head, showing me a row of razor sharp feline teeth amid a smile.  “
You said my name.
”

Another smell of rotting corpses and burnt onions distracted us.  We both raised our heads in unison and growled at the dark sky.

“
Come on,
” he roared.

I flew into action, running alongside Dante at breakneck speed on my all fours.

***

Once I saw the river come into view, I thought about stopping because I wasn’t sure where Dante was.  When I heard a growl at my left side, I hastened my pace and dove into the water.  I thought for a moment that the water may be too shallow and I’d break my neck or that the width of the river wouldn’t be wide enough for me in my werewolf form to maneuver through safely.

What I didn’t expect was for Dante to shift back into his human form and drag me beneath the current.  As I fought my way to the surface again, I saw the opening of the river sealing shut. 
I’ll drown.  I’ll drown.  I’ll drown.  And never avenge my sister and aunt’s deaths.

“It’s a portal, Elana.  We have to keep moving.  Dive down.”

I heard Dante’s words assuring me, but I struggled to trust his judgment because he was dragging me down, quite literally deeper into the waters. 
Couldn’t I trust him?

The Fanged Realm

“Wake up, sleepy head.  We have to meet Orlando and the others.”

Hearing Dante’s low, sultry voice in my ear, I smiled to myself.  Again he was right by my side.  The warmth of his body ignited my desire instantly.  I rolled over and gazed up at him.  When I saw the sunlight shining over his shoulder, I freaked out and sat upright with a jolt.  “The sun!  It’ll kill you!”

He shook his head at me as a few wisps of his black hair fell in his eyes.  He pushed them away.  “I’m okay.  I have these.”

Shoving his sky blue shirt off his shoulders, he turned around and showed me his back.  It was covered with a series of designs that appeared to have been carved into his rippling muscles with jet black ink.

“What are they?” I asked as I traced the designs with my fingers.

“My tribal signatures,” he said.  “They represent my current regiment in the Fanged Realm and the one I hope to be in someday.  They protect me from the sun.  Every member of the Fanged Realm has some signature.”

Oh really
, I thought, wondering now if I had any designs.  The words surfaced again in my head. 
Welcome to the Fanged Realm. 
I shoved the notion to the back of my brain. 
Later. 
“The leopard designs I get, but dragons.  Why dragons?”  I gasped.  “Don’t tell me you can shift into a dragon too?”

“Okay, I won’t tell you,” he chuckled with that laugh I was growing to love.  “I’ll show you instead.”

“Oh no, you don’t.”  I reached for both sides of his shirt and pulled him down upon me.  My lips briefly touched his.  “I’ve had enough adventure for one day,” I whispered.  Seeing that I too was in my human form made me think of the werewolf transformation as a dream.  It couldn’t possibly have happened, but I knew it had.  I would no longer be the same.

Dante tenderly traced the line of my cheekbone and jaw with his finger, gazing into my eyes.  “Actually I can’t shift into dragon form, but I hope to be able to once I join their ranks.”

“I could see that.  How is it that you can shift?  I thought only wolves could do that.”  His nearness sent a shiver of delight through me.

“I don’t know really.  I’ve always been able to manipulate my physical form.  My mother taught me how when I was a very young and Orlando helped me refine it.  But I can’t shift into just anything.  I have only a few shapes I can do successfully.”

“And that of a dragon isn’t one of them?”  His nearness was overwhelming and I recognized that it was difficult to concentrate on his words.  The closeness of his presence caused my heart to beat wildly and I fought back the urge to taste his lips.  Purposely I stared at the cleft in his chin as he talked.

“No.  Each form takes a great deal of concentration.  I can’t do it if I’m low on blood like I was earlier before we killed the demon dogs.  Being a member of the Fanged Realm, I can shift into the shape of a cat.  I prefer the black leopard.  Once I’m accepted into the Order of the Dragon, then I’ll be able to work on my dragon form.”  Dante twirled a portion of my hair around his fingers and studied it.  “Is every woman in the Garden as beautiful as you are, Elana?”

“Possibly,” I replied.  “Why?”  The grin on my face expanded as I leaned up close to him, ready to kiss him.

He shrugged his shoulders, refusing to say more as he continued to play with my hair.  His gaze fell to the expanse of my neck and he contemplated it for some time.

“You’re the most incredible man I’ve ever met,” I offered, leaning closer still to him so I could breathe in his male scent.  It was a dark, rich fragrance of spice like warm cinnamon or nutmeg.  I wanted to drink from his fountain and possess him.  “Kiss me,” I ordered.  “I want to be yours, Dante.  Here in this beautiful place.  Alone with you.”

Quickly he sat upright, glancing away.  His mood had again changed, but he did not move from my side.

Letting the silence between us grow, I marveled at the blue water, trying to forget it was the same color as the streams of my homeland.  A few waves rolled in and splashed against the platform where we lounged in a large hammock made for two.  I let my eyes trace the covered pier where we sat overlooking the beach on one side and the water on the other.  The platform extended out some sixty or seventy feet from a cove surrounded by palm trees.  It was breathtaking.  I had never seen anything like it.  Our rivers were green and calm, and wound around mountains.  This body of water must be an ocean, I surmised, recalling what my aunt had told me.

When I glanced over at Dante again, he was staring at me.  A rush of warmth rolled over me and my mouth began to water. 
Claim me
, I thought.

He pulled me toward him, cradling my head in his large hands.  Gently he stroked my cheeks with his thumbs.  “I was so dead inside until I met you.”

I merely stared at him, tongue-tied. 
This was real
.

“You feel it too, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I breathed.

He kissed the pulsing hollow at the base of my throat.  A low moan left my lips.  Then he brushed a gentle kiss across my forehead, teasing me, tempting me to respond.  Raising my mouth to his, I licked my tongue along his bottom lip.  The electricity sparked between both of us and I closed my eyes as his mouth covered mine. 
Yes, take me.
  His tongue sent shivers of desire racing through me and I returned his passion.  I was shocked at my own eager response to his lips.

***

“How did we get here?” I asked as he cradled me in his arms.

He remained quiet for a very long time.  My question seemed to float along the air, threatening to fall into the water.  Lightly I touched my fingers to my lips and felt the wetness from his embrace.  My lips were still radiating and warm.  His kiss had sent new spirals of ecstasy through me. 
I want you,
I thought.  As I settled back in Dante’s arms, I relived our recent kiss over and over again in my head.  I relived our first kisses by the rock.  I smiled up towards the white canopy and enjoyed the feel of his arms around me. 
Life with him would be Heaven.

“By way of the river,” he said finally.

“Yes, but where are we?” I questioned, remembering he had yanked me under the water.  “How did we get here exactly?” I repeated.

Dante stood up quickly, almost dumping me out of the hammock onto the wooden pier.  “It doesn’t really matter,” he muttered.  “I wonder where they are.”

“Who?” I snapped.  I felt abandoned at his hasty exit. 
He should always be by my side.