Chapter 27
TALIA
T hey had found me.
For a moment there, I had hoped I would be safe here with Declan.
I had hoped that maybe we could start to grow this bond and the threats on the edge of his lands would disappear.
Hope was a bitch though and once again fate had fucked me over.
“Declan! Get her out of here now!”
That voice...
It sounded like Isla.
I jumped off of my mates lap and ran towards the door.
“Talia, stop!”
Declan roared as I ripped the door open and tore down the hall towards the cries of my friend and mate’s sister.
An ear-piercing scream left Isla as I ripped the front door open, my heart thudding in my chest with my increasing panic.
Footsteps thudded behind me.
“Natalia!”
Declan yelled for me but it was too late.
My heart stopped in my chest making it hard to focus on anything but the sight in front of me.
A man with short blond hair, eyes so dark they were almost black and tattoos climbing the side of his neck stood in front of the house.
Wolves surrounded him, a mage on either side of him.
Their magic filled the space, making it hard to take a deep breath as I stared at Isla, my lungs constricted.
His hand was fisted in her hair and I watched in horror as his blade sunk into her skin, slicing the side of her face.
Blood poured from a wound on her chest and her hair was matted with blood.
Tears streamed down her face as she began to sway, a pool of scarlet blood at her feet.
My wolf growled as the wind picked up around us.
My magic was making its way to the surface.
I wanted blood.
I could feel my heart pounding in my ears, noises were only a buzzing sound around me.
My teeth were lengthening, and hair began to sprout on my arms.
I stepped forward to complete my shift just as a strong arm yanked me backwards.
His smell surrounded me, my wolf whimpered, and I knew it was my mate.
But not even he could calm me from the rage consuming me.
I struggled against his hold as he growled into my ear, “What the hell are you doing?”
“I will not lose someone I care for.
I will not run.
I will not hide from any threat,”
I said, as I ripped myself from his hold and turned to face him.
A whimper came from Isla, causing Declan’s focus to turn back to his sister.
He stiffened as he noticed his sister swaying on her feet in front of us, and being held against her will.
A loud grow escaped my mate’s throat as his hand curled around my waist.
“Give us the princess and no more harm will come to this female or the rest of the pack,”
his grip tightening around handle of his blade as he shouted, “Refuse and we shall slaughter everyone here.”
He turned to the man behind him and nodded briefly.
“How about you give me the female, I keep the princess, and I don’t slaughter you and your friends.
You have trespassed on my land, harmed my pack members, and dare threaten what is mine? You have no idea who you are dealing with!”
Declan shouted as his wolf came to the surface.
The man laughed.
“Oh, you will let me have her.
Alpha.
Or should I call you The Death Blade? That is what our king calls you is it not?”
My mate stiffened behind me.
What was this man talking about? “Be careful of what you speak, you do not know my truth . ”
My mate stepped in front of me while still holding my hand.
Declan, what is he talking about? I asked through our newly formed bond.
Looking back towards me with a tortured expression on his face he said, I will explain it all later.
Right now, I need to save my sister.
Releasing myself from his grasp I stepped to the side of him.
I didn’t need him to protect me, although the gesture was noted and appreciated.
“Who are you? Why do you want me? Are you going to try and drain my blood and sell it to the vampires as well?”
Declan’s head whipped towards me so fast I thought he was going to break it.
“They tried to do what?!”
he growled.
“His buddy mentioned it when he was attacking me back at the pack gathering the night we met.
Yeah, don’t think I didn’t recognize him standing next to you.”
He was sporting a nice new scar across his face, from his eyebrow down to his nose.
I hoped I was the one who gave it to him.
A deep throaty growl escaped him as he replied, “My name is Orin”.
He shifted closer to Isla, his blonde hair falling forward with the movement.
She whimpered as a drop of blood trailed down her neck.
“Please stop hurting her.”
My voice sounded hoarse from holding in my tears.
Isla and I had grown close these past few weeks.
She was a good person, sweet, loyal, and caring.
She didn’t deserve to die.
“The king wants you returned to him; no harm will befall you if you come with us.
I will release her and call off my wolves as soon as you are standing by my side.”
A tilt of the corner of his lip, as well as the fact that they had tried to kill me on many occasions already told me this was not the truth.
“She is going nowhere with you.”
Declan’s eyes were now glowing so bright I was surprised he hadn’t shifted yet.
Growls and bodies being slammed against the cold hard ground echoed around us.
“Poor choice but your choice has been made.”
Orin growled out.
“The king will not be pleased to know you live and are harboring his heir, Blade of Death.”
Declan lunged for Orin just as he slid the knife across her throat.
Her skin sliced, scarlet blood began to pour own of her throat, her eyes widening as she began to choke on her blood.
Orin shoved her to the ground, her body hit the floor so hard I could hear the crunching of the ground beneath her.
She cradled her neck as I ran to her side.
“Shift! Damnit! You need to shift!”
Terror filled my veins, tears streamed down my face as she choked, blood gushing from her wounds.
Blood poured between her fingers and she tried to stop it from bleeding.
The wind picked up around us as I screamed.
Isla’s eyes widened as a tunnel formed around us blocking the world around us out.
“I will not let you die!” I cried.
I reached for the magic deep inside of me.
My knees hit the ground as it clawed its way towards the surface.
I placed one hand on her neck wound and the other on the earth.
I gripped the forest floor with my fingers, the coolness of the hard soil filling my fists.
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
I almost gave up just as purple mist began to form at my fingertips.
I had no idea if my magic could heal someone, but I would be damned if I let Isla die.
I willed every ounce of magic I had into her wound as I focused on her healing, the wound closing, and the bleeding to stop.
I prayed to the moon goddess and begged her to heal her.
The wind began to die down and I opened my eyes to find Isla sitting up, eyes glowing and with only a slight scar on her neck from the knife wound.
Holy shit. I did it.
I looked down at my hands and choked on a cry as she threw herself into my arms.
“Thank you… I don’t know how you did it… but thank you.”
A tear slid down her face as she stood up and began to shift.
The second her shift was complete, she took off like a flash of light, ignoring the slight limp she still had.
She leapt up, attacking a wolf with red fur that was going after Celeste.
I was shaking, I couldn’t believe what had just happened, but there was no time to process it.
My pack needed my help.
The coppery tang of blood was heavy in the air, the snarls and growls and whines of the wolves fighting around us, shouts and cries of the women and children being forced to shift to protect themselves met my ears.
My head snapped in the direction of a loud snarl.
Jaxon had shifted and was fighting a large gray wolf.
Luckily, he was larger and seemed to have the upper hand.
He pinned the wolf beneath him and tore out his throat. Anger consumed me, a growl tore through me as my teeth began to lengthen, Sionn pushing to the surface. My clothes began to tear just as I was grabbed from behind. “Where do you think you’re going, bitch? ”
A deep male voice growled into my ear.
I screamed as I was kicked from behind, his foot connecting with my legs, something popping as my knees slammed into the frozen ground.
My head was ripped backwards as he threaded his hand through my hair, gripping it so roughly tears began to pull in my eyes.
Another scream tore through me as I forced my head to the side in search of my mate.
Time seemed too slow as I noticed a mage striding towards my mates unprotected back.
He was amid a fight with a large brown wolf, who seemed feral.
Blood-tinged saliva dripped down his face as he snarled at Declan.
His eyes glowed red, and the fur on his body was falling out, as if he was rotting from the inside out.
The mages brows furrowed in concentration as he formed a large ball of fire magic between his palms, his purple robes flowed freely behind him as the winds began to increase.
His hands widening as he increased the size of the fire, he pulled his right arm back while muttering words I was unable to hear, his lips moving as quick as a lightning strike.
“Declan watch out!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to get his attention.
Declan quickly turned, my shout causing him to lose focus from the opponent in front of him, giving his opponent the upper hand.
As he turned around a dagger lodged itself in his left shoulder. “Fuck!”
he shouted, his eyes widening at the large ball of purple fire magic now aimed for him.
I focused all my energy on my mate, pulling from my magic and pushed what I hoped would be a shield of protection his way.
My body was thrown back as my mate was hit with the force of the mages magic.
His body launching across the span of the clearing in front of the house.
Burning pain spread throughout my shoulder as blood began pouring from a wound not inflicted on me.
The air was knocked from my lungs as my body hit the ground beneath me.
A loud groan met my ears as I realized I was lying on top of my attacker.
I tried to get my but an arm was wrapped around my waist, his breath warm on my ear as he growled, “You will not get away from me so easily.
I am not done with you yet.”
I looked up to find a woman with shoulder length dark black hair standing over me, a cruel smile on her bright red painted lips.
She was holding onto a gold pendant and was muttering words in a language I didn’t understand.
I tried to pull from the man’s grasp but my body was frozen, my arms and legs feeling heavy like cement was weighing me down.
My eyes flitted to the side to see Declan rising from the ground, he cursed as he ripped the dagger from his shoulder, blood spurting from the wound before slowly knitting itself shut.
That blow should have incapacitated him, the force of which the mage threw it… did my shield work? A scream tore from my throat as I was pulled to a standing position from the woman in front of me.
She must be another witch.
She smiled and spoke, a quiet yet feminine voice, “So this is her? I expected so much more.”
I was shoved backwards as my attacker jumped to his feet.
My body slammed into him causing a grunt to leave him.
He wrapped one hand around my waist, the other gripped my throat tightly.
His chest rising and falling at a rapid rate behind me.
The sound of a dagger being drawn from its sheath caused my heart to increase.
Still frozen and unable to move or speak I stared towards my mate.
The wind began to pick up behind me, trees were being forced into the shape of a doorway, their roots and branches tightly twisting together.
Bright blues and greens were swirling around the opening of it.
It was a beautiful yet terrifying sight.
My eyes blurred as the brightness of a portal opened. The force of the winds pulling us towards it.
What was on the other side of that portal?
“Hurry!”
the witch yelled.
“I can only hold it open for a few minutes! Her voice shook, as sweat began to drip down her brow.
I could see her hands beginning to tremble as she widened them, trying to hold the portal open.
" Declan! The portal… I can’t get away!" I screamed down the bond.
The witch was weakening.
The feeling of my body was slowly coming back.
I slowly turned my head to see if I could fully move.
When my head turned without a problem, I put my full weight into throwing my head backwards.
A loud crunch sounded, “You bitch!”
His release lessened enough for me to reach for the dagger I luckily had strapped on my thigh.
Pulling it out of its sheath, I twisted my body and stabbed him in the leg, the blade of my dagger tore through his flesh as he thrashed, blood leaking from the wound as I yanked it out.
My heart pumped, the adrenaline flowing through my body as I felt the release of his hands on my body.
A sense of relief overcame me as hope began to filter in.
Now, I needed to run now.
If I could get away from the portal, maybe I stood a chance of surviving this.
A chance at getting to know my mate better.
A loud snarl tore from his throat as he yelled, “Fuck! Stop fighting me!”
I began to push myself forward, not getting far as he was right behind me, throwing his arm around my waist and yanking me back against his body.
His body vibrated behind me with rage.
Cold.
He felt so cold, different than any other shifter I had met, but his voice… why was it so familiar.
“What are you?”
I forced out between gasps.
“Who are you?”
“You’ll find out soon, pet.”
He replied, a manic laugh escaping him.
A sickening crunch reached my ears from the direction Declan had been in, followed by a loud roar.
I forced my head to turn just a small amount to see my mate running at me in shifter form.
His large wolf covered the stretch of forest floor in seconds.
I was being drug towards the portal as Declan attacked the witch trying to get her hold on the magic to fail.
The sounds of bones snapping met my ears, Declan shifted mid-air, leaving him running towards me.
He pumped his arms, pushing himself faster, as he roared, “Sasha!”
I turned my gaze in the direction Declan was yelling, Sasha was across the field, holding a vibrant yellow shield of magic around women and children.
Women and children who seemed unable to shift and fight.
Unable to protect themselves from the threat I brought upon them.
“I can’t release my shield!”
Wolves were throwing their bodies into it, the impact was shaking the ground beneath me.
The rest of the pack was fighting.
The enemy wolves kept growing in numbers.
Cries rang out all around us. “Daddy!”
a little girl with blonde curls behind Sasha’s shield cried out while her mother held her back.
Tears streaming down her face.
I followed her line of sight to a dark brown wolf who was lying on the ground.
His throat torn out.
No child should have to see their parent die in front of them.
Memories began to flash in front of me.
Memories of that same women dying in front of me… the woman I was certain was my mother.
I choked on a cry, I could stop this.
Fear consumed for my pack consumed me, my heart thudded in my chest as my hands shook, my vision began to blue at the edges.
It was like looking through a fishbowl. I could stop this. If I just went with them. I would try anything to save them. To save Celeste, Declan, Isla, and Jaxon. my pack and their families. The second I relaxed my body, the man tightened his grip on me further. “Smart choice pet,”
he sneered
"Don’t you dare go through that portal Natalia! " Declan growled in my head.
The first time he used the pack link, his marking me, the acceptance of our bond allowing me to hear him in my head while he was in human form.
I closed my eyes, reveling in the feeling of hearing his voice.
I would hold onto it.
The deep timber of his voice.
So many people were being injured because of me.
My mate’s pack, my pack was in danger, my friends were being injured.
I didn’t want any death because of me.
" I have no other choice…" I whispered down the bond.
Fight damnit! You are doing what they want! I cannot lose you!
The shield around the kids was failing.
Sasha was starting to shake, her energy failing.
Without the help of her coven, she could only do so much.
The children began to cry louder, huddled against their mothers who held on to them so tightly in fear of losing them.
I know you’ll find me.
I will survive this.
As I was pulled backwards into the portal, I heard Declan roar, bones snapped, flesh tore as he shifted back into his wolf and saw him jumping at the entrance as it was closing.
" Natalia no! " His anger and terror vibrated down the bond.
My wolf let out a cry in the back of my mind as the sound of our mate’s voice calling out for us faded into the background as everything disappeared.