The Half-Breed

By Maggie Jane Carter

What started as a relaxing camping trip quickly took Dakota Pyne's world for a spin, leaving her with heavy doubts about who she really was. She found herself being hunted as she was thrust into the journey of discovery, unraveling the mysteries of her past, learning of her destiny, and realizing that nothing was ever as it seemed and yet exactly as it should be.

After that night, Dakota knew life wouldn't be the same and that her path would forever be altered. But no amount of preparing could have readied her for what was coming.

Other worlds, dimensions, portals, vampires, and other creatures of the night—they were never folklore, never simple bedtime stories. They were the tales of the past, of the real world, told to her so that if she was ever discovered, she would be ready to accept the truth.

She's a half-breed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796040074

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Maggie Jane Carter.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2019907594

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-7960-4009-8

                Softcover        978-1-7960-4008-1

                eBook             978-1-7960-4007-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 06/12/2019

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

The Beginning of the End

Chapter 2

Discovering More Than Wolves

Chapter 3

A Search for Cool Waters

Chapter 4

The Injured and Wounded

Chapter 5

Watching Over

Chapter 6

Awake and Confused

Chapter 7

Sage’s Family Home

Chapter 8

History Class

Chapter 9

Prepping for the Worst

Chapter 10

A Meeting of Minds

Chapter 11

Harsh Understanding

Chapter 12

A Cabin in the Woods

Chapter 13

Confessions

Chapter 14

Back to the Grind

Chapter 15

Meeting Moiragetes

Chapter 16

Bonding

Chapter 17

Hawthorne Loses It

Chapter 18

The Ritual

Chapter 19

Trapped in a World

Chapter 20

How They Died

Chapter 21

An Awakening

Chapter 22

Catching Up

Chapter 23

A Night under the Stars

Chapter 24

Chayton Goes Missing

Chapter 25

Using Magic

Chapter 26

Going North

Chapter 27

The Human Scavenger Hunt

Chapter 28

Being Found by the Wrong People

Chapter 29

Getting the Army Together

Chapter 30

Suspicious Activities

Chapter 31

Getting Closer

Chapter 32

They Go Too Far

Chapter 33

Powers Are Unleashed

Chapter 34

Escaping

Chapter 35

Mayhem Causes Death

Chapter 36

The Fight Comes to a Head

Chapter 37

What’s Next?

Chapter 38

The PMA

CHAPTER 1

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

NOVEMBER 26, A SUNDAY

HAWTHORNE

If I get a chance, I’m gonna kill her. Maybe run a stake through her heart. Or drown her. If I watched more horror movies, I could figure out something more creative.

I heard a man sigh, and my eyes dragged themselves to the culprit.

I’m not sure which one I want to kill first. Her or her boyfriend, the suntanned vampire. Doesn’t she get that his ability to walk in the sun makes him that much worse?

And what the fuck kind of name is Stone? Sounds like a bad joke.

We sat around my fireplace and sipped coffee. At least Stone was good at faking enjoyment of the aromatic drink. He closed his intensely large eyes. I love coffee.

Can you even taste it? I asked, sipping mine thoughtfully.

Tammy turned to me and scowled. Her long black hair was so loose in that bun that strands toppled over her face with the movement. Do you mind not being an ass?

I ignored her. Mainly because I was pissed off, also because I knew it drove her nuts. For being the oldest, she sure was easily triggered. I thought we had bled that out of her during her psychotic teen years.

Stone smiled. Yes, I can taste it. Not everything tastes like it used to, although I don’t really remember what much of anything tasted like anymore. Still, coffee is one of the few things that tastes the same, dead or alive, from what I hear.

You don’t know from personal experience?

He smiled. I wasn’t alive when coffee, as it is known today, was initially discovered. I had my first taste of it from a traveler when I was young, but then it wasn’t called coffee, and the man didn’t roast them. But I do know vampires that were around when it became this. He lifted his cup. And many of them are addicted to it. They claim that it feels like a bridge to their former life.

Tammy gave me a droll stare. Satisfied? Her dark eyes sparkled with amusement.

I turned back to Stone. So why are you two here?

He glanced at Tammy before turning back to me. He adjusted his posture and sighed. That’s for Tammy to tell you. Not me.

Okay. So let me ask, why are you here, Stone? Why my sister?

Hawthorne, I swear to the gods—

I’m sorry. Am I not allowed to ask my sister’s boyfriend questions? That’s against the rules now?

What’s your problem? I thought you’d at least appreciate me coming out to the middle of fucking nowhere to come see you.

Normally, I would be, but not like this.

Like what?

My gaze roamed to Stone. His large eyes were raised with awareness as he lifted the cup to his lips. If he wasn’t a vampire, I would be hard-pressed to find something wrong with him. He had accentuated cheekbones and a thin, narrow jaw that fell into a solid, angular chin.

Oh, you racist asshole!

I took my eyes off him and turned toward my sister. Tammy stood up and stormed out of my cabin, slamming the door so hard that it flew back open.

Stone grinned. And I thought I was good at pissing her off.

I stood up and looked toward the door. I should go after her. I should at least try to have a conversation with her. But I have a right to be angry. She has no idea how dangerous it is for Dakota to be around vampires. She should have known how I would react. I’m Dakota’s bloodline, for fuck’s sake. Of course I’m gonna react badly.

But I was her brother too. Should I have been more supportive? Maybe. I would have been if she were dating a Zeotheon, but no. She was dating a fucking vampire. I looked back to Stone. Don’t touch anything. And if you so much as step foot off my property, I won’t hesitate to run a stake straight through your fucking heart.

He seemed amused by this whole ordeal, which just irritated me even more. Wouldn’t dream of it, Thorn.

Don’t call me that. The only ones that can get away with that are my siblings. Not that I liked it even then.

When I stepped out, I knew exactly what she had done. She shifted into her hawk. She always did when she was angry.

Damn it. I really didn’t want to shift. I suck at conjuring clothes. I rubbed my face and growled before changing and taking flight.

It didn’t take long for me to find her either. She was sitting in her human form, fully clothed, on a fallen tree about a mile from my cabin. She looked like our little sister far more than I did. I still held the same features that showed my family came from the indigenous people of this land, but those two looked like they were full-blooded Haida.

I changed several yards away from her and attempted to conjure some semblance of clothing. They looked like they had been sewn by a toddler. I don’t think I’ll ever get a handle on clothes. I walked toward her loudly to allow her time to steel herself.

Instead, she got up and started walking away. Tammy, will you please stop?

Screw you, Thorn. She stopped and turned toward me. How dare you tell me who I should and shouldn’t love!

My mouth dropped. I stopped several feet from her and just stared. You love him?

She looked startled for a moment, then rolled her eyes. That’s not what I meant. You know what I’m saying. You of all people should understand that. You know what it’s like to have people not accept you for who you are, who you love.

I took a deep breath and looked around nervously. Was there anyone out here? Anyone who might have heard that?

Oh, give it a rest. I didn’t say anything to expose your secret. And no one’s out here. No one’s gonna find out you’re gay.

She said the last couple of words with the exaggeration of any irritated sibling. You know, I love you, Tammy. But sometimes you can be a real ass.

Yeah, well, you started it.

You brought a vampire to my home, Tamara! I pointed angrily behind me. My anger increased at the fact that he was there alone because Tammy had to react like a child.

She gasped. Don’t you dare use that name!

What, your real name?

Fuck you, Hawthorne. And he’s not just any vampire. He’s helping me with Dakota.

That made my hackles rise. Why? What’s wrong with Dakota? Gods, I’m gonna have to do some damage control. I can feel it.

Tammy looked up into the trees. There’s a rumor. She turned her head to look at me, a glimmer of fear in those dark eyes. Okay, don’t freak out. Yeah, that phrase was gonna make me relax. But there was this premonition about … twenty-eight to thirty years ago that there would be another goddess of the earth. Half goddess anyway. And the description of the kid, her golden eyes … I’m pretty sure it’s Dakota. I think the vampires are after her, and I think that’s why Moiragetes is always interfering in our lives.

How did she know all that? How did she find out, and how much more information did she know? I had a sudden jump in my heart at the idea of Moiragetes hopping in right now and giving me some cryptic warning about keeping my mouth shut.

Tammy’s face scrunched up awkwardly. You already knew that, didn’t you? She pointed at me like a mother scolding her child. You already know what’s going on!

I know how this is gonna play out. She’s gonna want me to spill my guts, tell her everything I know. I put my hands up in defense. Don’t, Tammy. Please. I can’t tell you.

She rushed me and punched me hard in the arm. Tell me. Now!

Tell me what you know first. I fought the urge to cringe and simply rubbed the soreness out.

Why should I? She folded her arms across her chest and scowled.

Because I can’t tell you anything, Tammy. I just can’t.

Why? Because Moiragetes told you not to? She gave me a repugnant huff, rolling her eyes.

No, because Dakota’s safety depends on it. I half expected Moiragetes to show up by now, but he was nowhere to be seen. I can’t tell her what I know. Especially if Moiragetes is right, which … why wouldn’t he be? He’s fate himself. No, no matter how much information Tammy has, I will not be adding to it.

Especially if she’s screwing a vampire.

Her mother is a goddess. She paused and watched my response, which was lacking to say the least. Which means she’s a key to the gateways. If the vampires get her, they’ll hand her over to Victoria, and then she’ll have free range to go anywhere in the known galaxies. Am I right so far?

Shit. Yes. I closed my eyes and tried to shake the feel of dread from my brain. That’s why I don’t want any vampires around her, Tammy. I opened my eyes and stared at her. She just didn’t get it. She didn’t understand how dangerous it was for our little sister. If he can be in the sunlight, that means he’s a direct descendant of Victoria, and she can control him. How do you know she’s not controlling him now just to try and get to her?

She looked worried now, which was what I needed. I needed her to understand how much danger our little sister was in. If only I could tell her more. She swallowed hard. Because he’s looking for the legend so he can learn how to protect himself from her. Because he knows all of this, and still, they haven’t gotten her yet. Because he— She stopped herself and bit her bottom lip hard before looking away. If he was working for her, Victoria would have already taken her.

There was a reason why they called her the legend. He was gonna be searching for a very long time, if he was really looking at all. Maybe I should tell her the truth about how Lewis and Gwen died. At least the part about the vampires. I felt a shimmer around me, as if I could feel the god in the outskirts of existence, ready to stop me any second. Okay, so that was a definite don’t tell Tammy about that.

He could be just telling Tammy that to throw her off. And who says they’re not waiting? They could be making sure that she is the one before they go and abduct her. Victoria has had a few mishaps lately trying to get off this planet. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to waste a bunch of energy on something that won’t pan out. And with how well Tammy’s taught Dakota to control her emotions, it would be hard to actually see any proof of what she was.

I don’t trust him, Tammy.

She was desperate. I could see it as clear as I could see that birthmark on her neck. Just try, Hawthorne. Try to not judge him before you get to know him.

I took a few cleansing breaths and tried to see it from her point of view. I will try. But if I think for a second that he’s gonna hurt her, I won’t hesitate to kill him. And he wouldn’t be the first one I’ve killed in her behalf.

She smiled. I know. You wouldn’t be able to stop yourself if you tried.

That was, sadly, very true. So why are you here?

She groaned and laughed. Ah, our favorite god told me to be scarce for a couple weeks. I was obliged to listen, only because I thought he might wipe me out of existence if I didn’t.

Why? Does Dakota know you’re gone?

Nope. Told me that I needed to be gone so that she would run into someone, blah blah blah. She sighed and twirled in the air. Apparently, her and her boyfriend are about to have a falling-out, and I can’t be there to comfort her when he breaks her heart. She tried to act as if it didn’t bother her, but I knew better. Because anything that bothered me bothered her too.

You want me to go check on her, don’t you?

Of course I do. Because I can’t go anywhere near her without little Moira getting his panties in a twist. I swear she has a death wish.

Go back to the cabin. I’ll be back in a minute.

I don’t mean for you to go right this minute!

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I just need some alone time for a minute, all right? I needed to calm down, to be honest. My senses were on edge. I needed nicotine.

Fine, you go do your loner thing. I’ll go spike my coffee.

And she would too. She started to walk away when I grabbed her arm. Sis? She looked at me and lifted a brow. He’s pretty cute … for a vampire at least.

She smiled. He is pretty adorable. He’s got the whole ‘pouty lip’ thing going for him.

And did I detect a slight dimple on his cheek?

She laughed. Yeah, you did. It’s hot, isn’t it?

Is Stone his real name?

She shook her head. No. Victoria gave it to him when she met him as a little boy. My confusion was obvious. I don’t know the whole story. Just that his family had been shunned from his home, this place that’s now part of South Korea, and his dad used to make fake papers or something. I don’t know. But they escaped to Japan, and his dad would send him to the docks to try and sell fake family stones. The way he described them sounded kind of like family crests with the English.

Weird. So she changed his name to Stone?

She said she didn’t like his real name.

Why does he go by Stone? Why not his real name?

Tammy sighed. Because he fought her on the name so much that she put a curse on him. Now he can’t say his real name, no matter how hard her tries.

That would make me hate her too. Maybe he really was looking for the legend. I’ll give him more of a chance, all right? She kissed my cheek and thanked me before heading back toward my cabin. And I better not walk into anything disgusting when I get back.

She didn’t respond, but I knew she heard me. I looked around, got my bearings, and then headed to my hiding spot. A small shed that once used to house hunters in this area a long time ago. They didn’t come around anymore, thanks to me. I grinned at that.

Reaching inside the tiny shed, I grabbed a pack of cigarettes I hid for days that I was flying and wanted a smoke break. I grabbed the green lighter and lit the end.

Never took you for a smoker.

That deep Scottish voice had me practically jumping out of my skin. Zander, I swear to the gods, don’t sneak up on me like that!

The man was way too adorable for his own good, and he knew it. Sorry, love. Didn’t mean to startle you.

He didn’t look sorry. He looked amused. I took a hit of my cigarette and blew the smoke out slowly as my mind raced with possibility. How long have you been out here?

He leaned against the tree behind him and smiled wide. Why wasn’t he wearing a shirt? He even had a little spattering of that strawberry-blond hair right above his very low-sitting pant line. Why did he have to be so hot? Long enough to learn quite a bit about you and your sisters.

I felt my heart race. I glanced around, seeing if Moiragetes was gonna pop out of nowhere and condemn me to a life of servitude. Either that, or some bad shit was gonna happen because of this. Zander, please. Whatever you heard, you can’t tell anybody.

Which part? The part where your little sister is part goddess or the part where you’re gay?

My heart stopped. Both.

He seemed pleased by that. I had a feeling you were in the game, ya know. He mimicked swinging a bat.

I frowned. You date women, I thought.

Zander shrugged. I date who I like—male, female … even an alien or two. Well, ‘date’ is a bit of a stretch. He pushed himself up from the tree and walked over to me. He seemed extremely … excited.

Why are you grinning like that?

Because I wanna play.

Play what? And if it’s what I think it is, why would he want to play with me? Um … I can’t. I … I got this thing. With my sister. I need to go check on her.

Road trip?

No. Just me.

What if you try and do something stupid, and I have to bail you out? He was enjoying this. I could see it in his fantastic smile.

You’re the irrational one, not me.

So not true. I’m wild, not irrational. You tend to let emotions control you, which is far more dangerous.

I do not.

Oh really?

I nodded.

Then why haven’t you come out yet?

I looked away, wishing I could tell him all about my past—that he would understand.

You can tell me on the road trip.

I whipped my head up, shocked.

What the fuck? Nobody could get into my mind. Not even my siblings. How could he not only speak to me telepathically but also hear my thoughts?

Maybe if you’re a good boy on our trip, I’ll tell you.

He turned around and headed toward my house.

Where are you going? And you’re not coming with me.

"We are going back to your cabin. And yes, I am."

I just shook my head and followed behind him. He’s gonna cause me a lot of grief.

49791.png

DECEMBER 2

SAGE

You okay?

Of course I wasn’t. Yeah, I’ll survive. I didn’t turn to look at her. Didn’t have the stomach for it.

You’re not fine, Sage.

No, but I will be. I stared thoughtfully at the carving Hawthorne had started. Nothing but chipped wood at this point. A beautiful pine that smelled like Christmas. Sorrel loved Christmas, which always confused me, considering our Christmases usually consisted of whatever wildlife I could catch and stories or songs I would make up to entertain my siblings.

I felt Denni moving closer to me. It made me extremely uncomfortable. Talk to me, Sage.

I laughed more venomously than I had intended. Shouldn’t you be talking to Corey?

Sage, that’s not fair.

None of this is fair, Denni. Not a damn little bit of this shit. None of this should have happened. I didn’t want to think of Sorrel anymore. I wanted the pain to go away. I wished I could switch off my grief. I cleared the lump in my throat as best I could. So how are you gonna find out who the father is without Corey knowing?

I can talk to Eric, see if he has some kind of potion or something that can—

I turned to face her, cutting her off before she said more than I was willing to deal with. It was a mistake. I should never have turned around. In her eyes, I saw pity, and it pissed me off more. Don’t bother.

What do mean? Don’t you wanna know if you’re gonna be a father or not?

Not really. That wasn’t the entire truth, but she didn’t need to know that. Corey would be a better father than me anyway. The kid’s gonna be better off raised by him than me. Your other kids would be better off with him too. Not to mention that Corey had always dreamed of a big family, had the chance at having one now, and was madly in love with Denni.

She looked like she had just bitten into a lemon. You don’t want to know if the baby is yours?

Of course she wouldn’t understand. Hell, I didn’t even understand completely. Denni, I just lost one brother. I’m not gonna lose another.

So you’d rather risk losing your child?

Ignorance is bliss. Isn’t that what they say? If you never tell me differently, I’ll never know. I’ll never be missing anything, will I?

We stared each other down for a while. At least it felt like a long time. The night had settled around us, causing the cat inside her to peek through her eyes. Flickers of magic danced through them, and I knew then that her jaguar was pissed.

Wow. I would have never guessed when I met you that you would be such a little pussy. Guess I picked the right brother after all.

That cut deep, deeper than I thought was possible. Fuck this. I don’t need this on top of everything else that’s going on, Denni! My twin brother and his wife were brutally murdered only three and a half months ago. My nephew is traumatized and may never recover. And you choose Corey over me. So what do you want from me? You want me to fucking cry about it? I have worse shit to cry about than losing you!

We were never dating, remember? You had too much on your plate and didn’t want a relationship. She looked away, steeling herself. It somehow made her petite frame larger when she did that. Maybe it was the jaguar. She looked back at me. I didn’t choose him over you, Sage. You told me we would never be more than casual lovers. You encouraged me to go on a date with him! I can’t help that I ended up falling for him, all right?

She loves him too?

She sighed. It wasn’t in the plans. Neither was me getting pregnant, but it happened. The magic in her eyes died, and I saw sadness take its place. I want to know that you’re actually dealing with this instead of stuffing it all down like you normally do.

I turned to head deeper into the forest. I just didn’t have it in me to deal with this shit right now. I just couldn’t.

Sage, don’t walk away. Let’s talk about this. Please.

Just leave me alone, Denni. Please. Just leave me alone. That’s all I’m asking for right now. I can deal when I’m ready.

She stopped following me, hearing my thoughts clearly. Good. I had grown tired of talking. I’d grown tired of a lot of things.

I wasn’t sure how long I stayed out there. Time seemed to be nonexistent as I sat there, forcing myself to hold back tears. I had found a place to sit and think, which was really the last thing I needed to do.

At one point, I thought I heard Hawthorne’s brother James screeching loudly into the night. Another time, I thought one of my fellow wolves had come out to check on me and left shortly after. Eventually, I decided to walk some more, walk deeper into the forest where I had never trekked. Somewhere that no one would find me.

That was when I came across something so magnificent that I thought maybe it had been a mirage. It was a pond, surrounded by lightning bugs and overgrown weeping willows. Deep purple and gold and blue flowers filled the bank of the pond and sparkled under the light of so many of those majestic insects. Despite the darkness around us, the pond seemed to glow, as if it had its own internal light. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen.

I waltzed through the flowers and brushed my hands against them. For a moment, thoughts of my troubles, of the overwhelming pain I felt seemed to fall back deep in the recesses of my mind. It was amazing to have a brief moment of peace.

I had made a full circle around the pond when the image of a woman formed in front of me, made of a multitude of tiny crystal blue lights. She was tall, with strong, sharp cheekbones and what I could only assume was dark brown hair. She wasn’t really there, just an image of a woman made by the energy of the gods. I knew that well enough.

All gods were intimidating, but she had something else that I couldn’t place. It felt worldly, earthly. She reached out to me and touched my forehead, and I could hear her in my mind.

Close your eyes, Sage. I want you to see me.

So I did. I could stay there and wallow in self-pity and grief. Or I could take this moment to let go and allow this goddess to help me, however she felt was necessary. I closed my eyes and felt myself drift into a blissful comatose state. I was fully aware of the world around me, of reality, but I suddenly found myself in another dimension. A different state of being.

It was dark and light at once, life and death. The yin and yang that held the universe together. It was the energy of all things. And it was so overwhelming that I felt as if I might throw up. The darkness became clearer to me then. Dark, shadowed caverns were all around me with minimal light in the form of small torches that were spread too far to make it comfortable. Two corridors lay before me, neither one more welcoming than the other.

A shadow moved inside the corridor to my left. It was brief and indiscernible, but it left me cold and curious. I steeled myself as best I could. Manned up, as they say. I stepped into the darkness and allowed the dim light at the end to guide me. I had to use the damp, chilled walls to keep my balance from time to time since I felt as if I were tilting side to side every time I took a step.

Thankfully, the corridor wasn’t as long as it seemed. I rounded the corner rather quickly to find myself in a large expanse of a room. A woman knelt over a large plant, stroking the leaf with tenderness, and whispered kindly to it before turning to another plant, even larger than the other.

I had a feeling the entire room was full of plants, although I couldn’t be quite certain as the only light was from the torch on the wall behind me. And that left me with another question: how could they grow in this environment?

They grow because I give them life. The soft cadence of a voice echoed in the cavern around me. She stood slowly from her knelt position, lifted her hands to the ceiling, and stretched them wide as a white orb formed above us. It brightened the room so much that I had to squint. Logic hadn’t escaped me. I was fully aware that I wasn’t in reality, but it didn’t stop my eyes from aching at the intensity of it.

Once my eyes adjusted, I was able to fully appreciate the room I was in. The ceiling was far too high to be touched by the light from her orb. Large trees and plants, bushes, and even a stream flowed through the cavern so naturally that it seemed as if they had always been there. It reminded me of an oasis, but with plants from all over the world.

I thought I had heard birds, perhaps even a squirrel or two, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t see anything moving within the miniature forest. I figured it would take several long minutes to walk through it all. It’s far more than you see. I didn’t even realize she had moved until she was standing next to me. She was tall and slightly curvy, with a gown so sheer that it left nothing to the imagination. I tried hard not to think of her breasts.

I forced my eyes onto her face. Her skin was golden, and her hair a dark chocolaty brown. Her eyes, they shimmered like liquid gold and amber. Her cheekbones swelled with a kind smile. I cleared my throat. Um … nice show. As soon as I said the words, my mind went south, and I about choked on my tongue. I mean the light. It’s neat. Not your breasts. Not that I was looking. I just didn’t want you to think I meant that.

Hush, wolf. Her voice was soft and dreamlike, and she stepped closer to me. I have felt your pain. You hide in the forest to release it.

I stepped back. I’m not hiding, and I’m not trying to release anything into the forest.

But you are. I feel your pain every time you go to the forest. You’re afraid of being seen as weak, but we are all weak, Sage. In one way or another, we have our weaknesses. Your weakness stems from your parents.

I watched her slowly, not agreeing or disagreeing, although I knew she was right. No. I just wanted to watch her, to follow her with my eyes and notice the subtle way her body moved and flowed.

She began walking through her miniature forest, marveling in her creations. The world is old, Sage. Far predating your kind. The Zeotheons are old, but they are nothing compared to the age of others. The god that created you predates time itself. In a brief moment of nothingness, he could see the potential of the atoms. Of the protons and neutrons. He did not create all that you see, but he most definitely helped guide us all in creating it.

She stopped and knelt between two bushes. She held her hand out and encouraged a large red flower to grow before her. She closed her eyes and whispered something to the plant. I believe I caught her saying something about a sacrifice before the flower and half of the stem fell softly into her open hand. She kissed the petals and stood back up. Do you ever take the time to think about your own sacrifices? What you have given up in order to protect those you love?

No. I just do it. I do what others won’t.

She stood and walked toward me, still holding the flower in her hands. You do what your parents failed to do, right? You play the mother, father, big brother, caretaker. Do you ever want to be happy?

Who says I’m not?

She smiled, and I found it wickedly seductive. You cannot fool me, Sage. I too have given my happiness away for the happiness of others.

You’re a goddess of the earth, aren’t you?

She nodded. I am Pachamama. The gold in her eyes lit up as her face grew more serious. And you are here because I want you to help me.

And how could I possibly help you?

I cannot leave this place. I have bound myself here to protect those that I hold dear. Because of that, I cannot protect what is mine. She handed me the flower. It looked like a mix of carnation and rose with a long wiry stem and crooked leaves. You protect mine. I will hold yours.

What do you mean by that? Protect yours? Hold mine? I didn’t mean to sound frustrated, but I certainly did. It irritated me that she was talking about my sacrifices, and now she wanted me to add another one. How about I decline? I’ve had enough shit happen.

I turned to walk away. He is your son, you know. I stopped just as the darkness of the corridor blanketed my face. The child she bears, he is yours. And he will be afflicted.

I felt my stomach curl into a ball. What do you mean, I spat out between gritted teeth.

The little boy is special. He will inherit from you both … if he lives.

He’s gonna be a jaguar and a wolf? I’ve never heard of such a thing happening. A guardian is one thing … unless that’s what she’s talking about. That he’s going to be a guardian. The thought made my stomach turn. I’m a bloodline. I’ve already lost Sorrel. Could fate be that much of a prick that he would send me another guardian to watch over?

I turned and watched as she sashayed toward me. His body will be too weak to make it through childbirth. His heart will not be strong enough.

So he’s gonna die.

She nodded slowly as she came chest to chest with me. But he doesn’t have to. I could save him.

Perfect. And what do I have to do?

Her eyes sparkled once more, burned with their internal light. Her expression was severe as she reached up and grazed my face. You just promise me. Promise me that you will take care of my blood, and I will take care of yours.

This could end badly for me. Most things did. And who is it that I’m supposed to be protecting?

You will know when it’s time.

I swallowed hard and closed my eyes tight. This just can’t be happening, can it? On top of all the other shit going on, now I had to make this decision. A decision I didn’t think I would ever be able to make.

Did I want the child to survive? Did I want the hassle of it all? What if I think we will all be better off if he doesn’t survive? I opened my eyes and looked up at a face ridden with sympathy. What if I don’t want to deal with what might happen afterward?

Do you want to be the cause of this child’s death?

I wouldn’t be the cause! He’s afflicted, remember? That’s not on me. Don’t try putting that on me!

Her eyes flashed with magic. You have a chance to save his life. If you choose not to accept, you will blame yourself forever. That’s not a threat. It’s reality, and you know I speak the truth, Sage.

I wanted to scream. Maybe lie on the ground and throw a real tantrum just to express the emotions that were coursing through me. And what happens if I agree and don’t keep my end of the bargain? Will the child die?

No.

Will I die?

She stepped close and touched the stem of the flower. Once an oath has been made, those matters are out of my hands. Fate decides.

Decides what?

Her eyes blazed with a harsh honesty. Fate will decide whose blood will be spilled to satisfy the oath.

Oh, this isn’t good at all. It’s so fucked up. I don’t even know what to think. I could die, my family members could die, or the baby could die. A baby that will die during birth.

A baby that Corey will be completely and madly in love with by then, who will be heartbroken at the death of the child he believes to be his.

Tears started to fall down my face, tears I hadn’t shed since the day I found Sorrel massacred on his living room floor. Well, here’s hoping fate is kind and kills me if I fuck up.

She smiled so wide it looked almost painful. Then I felt something sharp rake across my fingers. I looked down, released the flower that was in my hand, and stared in awe while it floated in midair and my fingers bled from a cut it had obviously given me.

Pachamama reached out, grazed her fingers along the leaf, and slit the tips of her fingers. It must be bound with blood. Then she took her left hand and interlaced it with mine so abruptly that it almost knocked me to the ground. Now we pledge to each other, Sage.

I woke up on the ground, next to the pond. The lightning bugs had settled down, and the sun was just starting to find its way above the horizon. I stood and dusted myself off before looking around to try to find my way from this sacred ground.

I’d had enough gods for the night.

As I started to leave, I looked down at my fingers and saw tiny cuts that were already healing. I fingered them with my thumb thoughtfully. I had a really bad feeling about all of this. I was already regretting it.

CHAPTER 2

DISCOVERING MORE THAN WOLVES

AUGUST 13, A SUNDAY, EIGHT AND A HALF MONTHS LATER

DAKOTA

I loved the outdoors. The smell of wood and pine, the hints of wildflowers floating in the air, the sounds of birds singing beautiful melodies in the distance. It made me feel whole, being in the middle of it all. Like it was where I should be, where I should have always been. But you wanna know what would ruin it? Loud, obnoxious douchebags that were only there to party. Yep. And guess who I was with on this camping trip? You guessed it! Said douchebag.

I crawled out of my tent and immediately smelled beer. Seriously? It’s no more than seven in the morning. Can’t be. They’re drinking this early? Or did no one go to bed last night? Why did I let Stacy talk me into a blind camping date? Oh yeah, she said camping. She knows my weaknesses.

My douchebag date, whose name was Cody, was sitting next to Stacy’s boyfriend, Kyle. He was a little douchey too, but not nearly as bad as Cody. What in the hell was Stacy thinking, pairing me up with him? He was so tanned it looked fake, along with his highlighted tips and perfectly straight teeth. What happened to teeth anyway? Everybody’s teeth looked fake nowadays. It was disheartening. There was once a time that someone’s smile gave them character. Now it just shows whether their parents got them braces as children.

Cody caught me stepping out and beamed at me. Hey, there you are. We’ve been up for about an hour. We were worried about you.

I scowled at him. It’s only, what, seven?

He laughed. No, man, it’s after eight.

Grrr … did he seriously call me man? I gave him a malevolent stare. I’m not a man. I stood and headed to my book bag by the portable generator, ignoring some sexual comment he made about noticing that I was not, in fact, a man. I had my phone tucked in a side pocket and looked at the time. Shit. I was way off. It was almost eight thirty. I grabbed my things from the ground, snagged a handful of bacon, and headed back to my tent.

Stacy called after me. Dakota, what are you doing?

I turned to her with a mouth full of bacon and said, I have to pee and take a walk. I’m gonna change my clothes before I do.

Cody piped in, I can walk with you.

I gnawed loudly on the bacon, squinting at him with the hopes of turning him off. As I smacked my bacon loudly, I said, I don’t pee in front of guys on the first date.

I can give you your privacy. He smiled brightly, and I knew it would be of no use. I swallowed the bacon with a snarl before stomping over to Stacy and stealing a swig of her coffee. It was hot as shit! I almost spit it all over myself but was able to stop that initial reaction.

I looked down at Stacy, who was currently laughing her ass off. You could have warned me!

Her shoulder-length brown hair was done up in two messy buns on top, like she had attempted the Princess Leia look and failed. Her body convulsed with laughter. It’s much more fun watching you do stupid shit. I playfully kicked her foot. She kicked back, and I couldn’t stop the smile that ensued. Stacy stopped and shooed me away. Go, jungle girl. Be with your kinfolk.

Yeah, yeah. I winked at her and grabbed a water from the cooler by her feet. Not like I didn’t have any in my tent, but this was still cold.

I turned back into the direction of my tent, walking through the harsh smoke that billowed from the once-grand campfire. So what do you say? Mind if I tag along?

I turned slightly to see Cody staring at me with an unnerving hunger. Did he really think I needed him? I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Give me five minutes. I slipped inside and zipped my tent up. He’s gonna be waiting longer than five minutes. I grinned as I glanced back at the other exit.

I slid on my comfy olive-green cargo pants, a sports bra, a tank top, and some hiking boots. After throwing a couple long-sleeved flannel shirts in my book bag in case I stayed out there too long and it got cold and dark, I checked to make sure I had plenty of water and some snacks to last me a while and snuck out.

I walked a ways as light-footed as I could before I felt comfortable enough to not worry about them hearing me. Still, I did my best to be cautious of the animals that inhabited this forest. I placed a small inconspicuous green ribbon on the branch of a small Pacific yew tree and looked up into the canopy above me. The trees here were different from those in Colorado, but still just as majestic. Taking in a deep breath, I relished in the scent of the earth around me. The wilds of Northern California were gorgeous. When you got away from the swanky metropolitan areas, this state could be quite invigorating. I wouldn’t have been able to survive out here the last fifteen years if it hadn’t been for that.

For a couple of hours, I hiked through the brush, taking the path less traveled, marking trees and taking as many deep breaths as I could. The forest was quiet then, barely a whisper of a footprint or a rustling of a leaf.

I knew that the animals were instinctively steering clear of me, of my loud boots and my not-so-stealthy breathing. But if I could just find a nice place to sit and relax, life would be grand. Eventually, the animals would make their way out, and I could sit back and watch as life happened around me.

I stopped for a moment, setting the book bag down to remove my tank top. The sweat had started rolling down my stomach from my breasts about an hour in, and the heat of the early summer day was starting to make it worse. I tucked the damp cloth into my bag and hiked it back up onto my shoulders. As I started again, I heard a wolf howling off in the distance.

I stopped instantly, my eyes widening with excitement. A wolf? A wolf might mean several wolves. A wolf might mean a pack. And it meant I could see my favorite animal in