Wolf Mate (10 page)

Rebecca's hand grew soft and
warm in her grasp, and Melynda saw flashes of soft pink before her
eyes. The pastel color was gentle and accepting, and Melynda nodded.
“Thank you, Rebecca,” she whispered. “I will
begin now. Just relax and...think of Levi. Show me your feelings
for Levi.”

Melynda kept one hand on
Rebecca's shoulder and straightened up. With her other hand, she
drew the symbol of the moon in the air, and chanted softly.

She could feel Dax glaring at
her, but she didn't care. This was not about him. This was about
Rebecca and Levi. She had to concentrate and get this right.

Still chanting the spell
quietly, she stepped back from the bed and moved to the center of the
room. A faint light was glowing above Rebecca's chest, hovering just
above her heart.

The light pulsed and grew
brighter, expanding and spreading down the length of Rebecca's body.
She saw Rebecca's lips quiver slightly as the light floated to Dax's
side. Melynda's eyes rounded a little, but she kept chanting
steadily. Clearly, Rebecca wanted to show Dax something. She knew
who Dax was, and she knew he was the one who could help Levi.

“
Show him, Rebecca,”
Melynda whispered earnestly. “Show him everything.”

The light stretched and
twisted into shapes beside Dax. The pure white light was tinged with
pastel hues, as it formed into a tall, broad shape. Melynda
recognized Levi's muscular silhouette and she smiled a little.
Rebecca was trying to show them Levi as she saw him. They were
seeing Levi through her eyes.

Levi's facial features began
to appear and his silhouette came more distinct, more solid. His
image was clear, but it wasn't entirely solid. It was more like a
hologram, a very sharp, vivid hologram.

Melynda held her hands out,
using Rebecca's emotions to power Levi's image. Levi grew bigger,
broader and a dazzling smile materialized on his face. Brilliant
blue eyes blinked and turned to stare at Dax. Levi's gaze shifted to
Rebecca, and Melynda could see the love shining so clearly and
strongly in his eyes. Levi's smile gradually faded and his eyes
became fierce and feral as he stared into the distance.

Another image began to take
form in front of Levi. Melynda saw a man, shorter and stockier than
Levi. The man had an ugly scowl on his scarred face, and his eyes
looked crazed with hate and rage. He sported a buzz cut, had
bloodshot eyes and had numerous, jagged scars snaking down his neck
and arms. The man had been tortured by a blood demon, and Melynda
could see the terrible wounds on his neck, wounds that had been
inflicted by long, serrated demon fangs.

She felt a brief stab of pity
for the man. But that was before she saw what he did.

Rebecca showed them exactly
what he did. She didn't flinch and the images remained clear and
unwavering.

Melynda had to force herself
not to turn away. She couldn't. She had to continue channeling
Rebecca's emotions and manifest her emotions, however wrenching and
painful they were. She couldn't let Rebecca and Levi down. They
were counting on her.

Through shaky breaths, Melynda
continued reciting the spell, holding her voice low and steady. Her
hands trembled as she held them out, keeping the lifelike images
within the sphere of her magick.

Melynda stared at the
heartbreaking, horrific scene that Rebecca was dredging from her
memory and manifesting for them. She saw the man now, without his
scars, but still he had on that scowl. Rebecca was showing them an
earlier scene. The man had not yet been taken and tortured by a
blood demon. His nature, his violence had nothing to do with his
ordeal. He was already abusive, before he was abused.

Melynda saw the man storm
towards a sleeping Rebecca and drag her from her bed. The man's
image was pulsing blood red, and Melynda could feel Rebecca's terror
and fear for her life. Rebecca knew that he was perfectly capable of
killing her. She had whimpered and begged, but her pleas only made
him crazier. The more she pleaded, the more powerful he imagined
himself to be. And the more violent he became. Melynda saw him
laugh obscenely before smashing his fist into Rebecca's face.

Melynda staggered back, almost
doubling over. She could feel Rebecca's explosive pain and fury.
Blinking quickly, she regained her composure and continued powering
her spell. Rebecca was trying to show them everything, exposing her
pain, her shame, her soul. She trusted them.

“
Go on, Rebecca,”
Melynda wheezed through gritted teeth. “I'm here for you.”

Dax was watching the images
intently, his expression grim. His gray eyes flicked from Rebecca to
the man, carefully watching their changing colors and their actions.
Melynda knew he was assessing the accuracy of Rebecca's memory,
watching for inconsistencies or improbabilities. He was a lawyer,
and he never allowed his emotions to interfere with a case. That was
what made him such a good lawyer.

A good lawyer, but a lousy
mate.

Melynda shook her head. He
was
not
her mate!

Dax Ferro would never take a
mate...again.
Never again.

He had serious trust issues,
but that was his problem, not hers.

Melynda narrowed her eyes and
focused on her job. She felt Rebecca's hardening resolve and
determination to defend herself. The woman wanted to live. She
would not let the brute kill her. She would not let him take her
life!

Rebecca's image became even
sharper as she twisted in the man's grasp. Biting and scratching,
she fought to free herself. Her hands scrabbled desperately on the
floor, searching for something, anything that she could use to fight
back. Her fingers closed around a pair of scissors and she grabbed
it. When the man hauled her up and raised his hand to slap her, she
lunged forward. He dodged, and the scissors merely grazed his
shoulder. He wasn't in the least bit hurt, but his face twisted
savagely when he realized what she had done. She had fought back.
She had tried to hurt him. The bitch!

With a roar, he dragged her
into the kitchen and slammed her against the wall. Again and again.

The images grew hazy, but
still Melynda could see the man attacking Rebecca.

Then the scene shifted.

This time, the man bore the
wounds and scars of his torture at the hands of a blood demon lord.
He had been confined to a psychiatric hospital after his torture, but
he had escaped. Melynda saw him through Rebecca's eyes. This time,
his image was weak and yellowed around the edges. Rebecca no longer
felt any fear or hate towards him. To her, he was simply a relic of
her past. She was divorcing him and picking up the pieces of her
life, a life he had tried to destroy. Melynda saw Levi and Rebecca
sitting side by side, holding hands and just talking. She saw the
smile on Rebecca's face, saw the security and safety she felt with
Levi.

And then the picture of calm
and tentative happiness shattered.

Melynda saw the man chasing
Levi and Rebecca from her home. He was slashing at the air with a
long blade as he pursued them. When Rebecca stumbled, Levi picked
her up and carried her over his shoulder. He continued running,
trying to get Rebecca to safety and avoid a bloody confrontation with
the man. Melynda saw them run for miles, and as they neared the
beach, the man hurled himself at Levi's back, dragging his blade down
his back. Rebecca scrambled away as Levi shifted into his bear form
to face the man.

The man might look human, but
his eyes revealed that there was no trace of humanity or rationality
left in him. There was only murder in his eyes. Levi sought only to
defend Rebecca. The bear didn't want to wound or kill the man.
Seizing on Levi's hesitation to attack, the man flew towards Rebecca
and grabbed her. She fell with him, hitting her head against the
rocks. The images began to flicker, and Melynda saw the man stab her
repeatedly until Levi smashed into him. Levi roared and crouched
over Rebecca to shield her. There were flashes of red and blue, and
Melynda glimpsed police cars through the pulses of blinding light.
Then everything went red.

Just before the images snapped
off, Melynda saw the man again. This time, she saw him in her mind,
not as a projected image. The man was glaring at her, his red eyes
boring into her mind, her soul. He bared his teeth and hissed, “You.
Die.”

She gasped, and he was gone.

Melynda collapsed to the
ground, utterly drained, shaking and sobbing.

She felt Dax holding her, and
she leaned into his arms, resting her face on his solid shoulder.

His voice was gentle. “Are
you all right, Melynda? How do you feel?”

“
I'm fine.” She
took a deep, painful breath. “Rebecca...”

“
She's a survivor.”

Melynda nodded, and sniffed.
“She's so brave, so very brave. We have to help her. You have
to help Levi!” Melynda clutched his arm. “You saw,
didn't you? Levi didn't kill the man! He only protected Rebecca!
That man is still out there, and...oh my God!” Her eyes
widened. “Do you think he knows...? If...if he knows that
Rebecca is still alive, he...he would try to kill her...again!”

When Dax didn't reply, Melynda
gripped his hands.

“
You saw her emotions,
her memories, Dax! You saw the truth! We have to protect her!
She...” Her eyes flicked to Rebecca, lying on the bed, hooked
up to machines, unable to move, unable to open her eyes to see who
came into her room, unable to open her mouth to call for help or
release a single scream.

“
She might die,”
Melynda whispered.

“
And then Levi would be
facing two counts of murder instead of one,” Dax shot back.
“He'd be accused of killing both Rebecca Rose and that missing
man.”

Melynda's mind spun. No!

But even through her shock and
pain, she caught one word that revealed Dax's view of the situation.

“
Missing,” Melynda
said slowly. “That missing man,” she repeated Dax's last
three words and sucked in a deep breath. “You believe he's
missing, not murdered.”

Dax held her gaze for a long
while. “Yes,” he said at last. “Phin Lester is at
large. But I don't think he'll try to attack Miss Rose again. Not
while there is a police officer standing guard outside. Phin is
cold, but he's calculating. He won't walk into a trap. He'll lay
low. At least until Levi has been convicted of his murder.”

Melynda shook her head. “He's
an animal!”

“
And animals are smart,
Melynda. They can sense danger, and they know how to hide and hunt.
They will watch and wait in the shadows, just waiting for the right
time to pounce on their target.”

Melynda winced. “So...he'll
just hide away, until...Levi has been put down, for a murder he
didn't commit.” She narrowed her eyes and spat, “What a
conniving, cunning coward!”

Dax inclined his head at her.
“I...agree with your assessment of him.”

Melynda was about to turn
away. “Really?” She swiveled round to face Dax. “You
agree with me? That's a first,” she muttered.

“
You have a class
tonight, don't you?” Dax said suddenly.

“
Huh? Oh. Yeah, it's
the last class on Potions. And then we have a week to study before
the final exams,” she mumbled. Honestly, she was surprised
that Dax remembered. He usually just grunted and dismissed her
grudgingly when she knocked on his door and informed him that she
couldn't work late because she had to attend class that evening.

“
I'll take you to
dinner,” he said curtly, steering her towards the door before
she could respond. “You need to eat, to replenish your energy.
I'll drive you to class later.”

Melynda wrapped her jacket
tightly around herself, hugging her books and files to her chest.
Class had ended a little later than usual, since everyone stayed back
to ask the lecturer some last minute questions. It was the last
chance to clarify their doubts and questions before the final exam
next week. After tonight, the students would be left on their own to
study and revise.

But as she hurried along, she
found herself thinking of Dax, rather than the exam topics. It was
the first time they'd had dinner together. The first time was
always...less than perfect. In fact, it was plain awkward.

Dax had been silent and stern
as he sat opposite her at the diner. He just made sure that she
finished everything on her plate. Then he'd ordered a large slice of
apple pie for her, and made sure she finished that too.

The apple pie was delicious
and she had rather enjoyed it. As she ate her dessert, his eyes had
drifted to the window. From the crease between his eyes, she knew
that his mind was on a case. She had seen that look, often when he
was poring over a file at his desk. Dax would clear Levi's name.
She was sure of it.

She wasn't that worried about
Levi. Levi had Dax to defend him. And Dax was a pit bull when it
came to defending his clients. Even pit bulls had nothing on him.
He would fight tooth and nail, fang and claw, for his clients.