Wolf Mountain Peak Complete Series, page 72
part #1 of Wolf Mountain Peak Series
“From left to right we have: Amy Benson, Olivia Hunt, Ava Gordon, and Breanne Thomas.” The scout stated as an introduction.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, girls,” Helena addressed them with a polite smile. “Now…” she sucked in a deep breath. “I believe your Alpha has told you a lot about what we are up against. Vampires are really fast and dangerous over short distances. What you probably don’t know yet, is that the Redfield clan is planning to attack Shandaken. Within days, that town will cease to exist as you know it.”
“That’s right,” Raul interjected, stepping beside the witch, as the four women glanced at one another in disbelief. “The vampires are out for blood. Unless we stop them, the humans will be slaughtered.”
“Generally speaking, they’re unpredictable,” Helena went on. “Do not forget how cunning they are. They’ve already misled us once. I’m sure they’ll try again, if we let them. But, just like you, they have instincts, and they’re guided by them. For my plan to work, we need to appeal to their most basic instinct.”
“Don’t tell me you want to send those girls over to seduce them,” Raul scoffed at her suggestion.
“Please; don’t interrupt me again,” The witch requested, flashing him a sullen look. “I spoke about their most basic instinct, firstborn. There’s a more powerful instinct in this world than breeding. I’m talking about feeding. I’m going to give Kate one bottle of human scent, for each one of you. Make sure to bathe in them. Otherwise, the vampires won’t take the bait.”
“H-human scent?” stuttered Amy, as her jaw fell open in shock. “You can do that?”
“Yes, I can,” Helena replied with a firm nod. “The reason I sent the males away is that women are romantic. It’s more likely for them to take a walk in the woods than men. Believe me; if Redfield’s goons smell four humans in the vicinity, they’re going to go wild.”
“Ok, you lost me,” Raul confessed, his confusion sending his voice down an octave. “Let’s say they take the bait. They hunt them down. Then what?” he questioned, completely clueless.
“I forgot to mention. Girls, don’t get too close,” Helena advised, intensifying her stare. “When you smell them, stop. You don’t need to get deeper into their territory, for them to catch a whiff of you. And we sure as hell don’t want the entire clan chasing you. There’s an abandoned windmill, about half a mile northwest of Shandaken. Meet me there tomorrow night at 4am. I’m sorry, but, if we succeed, the rest of their kind will want to storm out into town. They’ll think twice if dawn is too close.”
“It’s good,” the Alpha commented as his eyes filled with appreciation. “We lure them out, we take them out. Where will you be?”
“Out of sight,” Helena said, as a smug smile burst upon her lips. “Don’t worry girls; you’ll know where I’ll be. Bring them to me. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Smoke…” Raul murmured, as he sniffed the air around them. “It’s faint; it’s coming from the west.”
The witch glanced up at him, ready to ask more about it, but, before she could do so, Ray’s truck roared down the road to her left. The tires screeched, as the vehicle entered the driveway. The Alpha’s brother jumped out of the vehicle, and, for some reason Helena couldn’t fathom, he burst towards them.
“Guys, it is Riker’s building!” He cried, his face hard with panic, as he neared them. “It’s on fire!”
“I’ll look into it,” Helena spoke, her voice cool, unaffected by the information. “You boys stay here.”
“No, you stay here!” Raul growled, furrowing his brow, as he leaned closer to her. “It’s time we did something.”
“You will, if my plan works,” she stated with an emphatic tone, as she glared up at him. “The FBI doesn’t have anything against you, but no one said the case is closed. That place is still considered a crime scene. They could be on their way there as we speak. Do you really want to risk them seeing your wolf?”
The Alpha didn’t have a rebuttal to her short rant. Raul dragged his gaze away from her, keeping his mouth shut, in silent approval to her suggestion.
“That’s what I thought,” Helena added. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Notify me, if anything changes. Goodnight.”
Chapter Eighteen
Tall flames licked at the charred, outer walls; the smell of burning wood wafted out with the smoke; ashes swirled up, swept hither and yon by the breeze. The entire setting seemed eerily familiar, apart from two, major differences: first and foremost, when Helena had set fire to that building, she had done so in broad daylight. Secondly, Helena had not used any accelerants, but, as she closed in on the building, she couldn’t help but notice the distinctive smell of gasoline. Still, she wouldn’t concern herself with the similarities between the two fires. The witch of Paxton was not alone. A large shadow on the grass ahead of her, forced Helena to focus on the stranger that stood before the building, with his back turned to her. The few beams of moonlight, along with the leaping flames, cast their light on his head, revealing to her his hair color: short and black. It was Cliff Daniels.
Her heart leapt for joy. She believed she would never see him again. With a snap of her fingers, she changed into black jeans, a purple sweater and a brown coat. But, her initial excitement didn’t last long. Helena had broken up with him for a reason. Being close to him was as dangerous for him, as it was for her. She could not linger there. Nevertheless, the sound of a pinecone, being squashed beneath her boot gave her away. Cliff turned around and faced her, the green in his eyes sparkling under the moonlight, sending shockwaves coursing through her body. Helena desired to speak to him, tell him how much she had missed him, but, as their eyes met, and he started towards her, the shame that brushed across her senses robbed her of the will to part her lips.
“It worked,” he uttered in his deep voice, as he halted before her. “You’re here.”
“What worked?” she inquired, lightly shaking her head sideways, as she stared up at him.
“I didn’t know where you lived, and I wasn’t sure if you’d pick up your phone if I called you,” Cliff explained, as the black circles under his eyes became all the more clear to her. “I’ve had a pretty hard couple of days. I’ve really missed you, Helena.”
“Cliff, please,” she sighed, breathing heavier, as she tore her gaze away from him. “Please, don’t do this to me.”
“Do what to you, Helena?” he wondered, his hot breath puffing along her jaw, as he leaned over her.
“Tempt me;” yes, that’s what she desired to tell him. With his mouth so close to her, his saddened eyes taking hold of every bit of her, she longed for one more kiss: one more embrace; one more time with him in bed. Yet, she didn’t have the heart to confess anything to him.
“You set fire to a crime scene,” Helena remarked, glancing up at the flames above him. “You could lose your job for this.”
“That building was already destroyed,” Cliff countered, as his lips curled into a bitter smile. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What do you want me to say, Cliff?” She spoke in frustrated tones, unable to hold her emotions back anymore. “That I’ve missed you, too? That letting you go was a mistake? What? Will any of it matter?”
“Yes, it will,” he croaked, his forehead gently brushing hers, as he gazed deeply into her eyes. “It will to me. I was drowning in grief when you found me, princess. I was losing it; I didn’t even want to get out of bed in the morning. You made everything…” he paused, “so much easier.”
“Princess?” breathed Helena, feeling her heart thumping in her chest, as he traced his index fingers up her hands.
“Yes,” Cliff whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “You look like a princess of old, frozen in time, still waiting to be rescued by her knight in shining armor. Like the finest, porcelain doll I’ve seen in my whole life.”
“Cliff…” she said, her voice wobbly, her lips quivering, as she felt his warm hands on the sides of her neck. By then, his confession had knocked down her defenses. He had spoken more kind words to her in a few seconds than she had heard in decades. Helena’s temptation was getting sweeter by the second, as he struggled to claw his way back into her life. And he was so gentle with her, so true that he made her heart melt. She couldn’t resist him anymore. Placing either hand on his hips, she held him near, as she tipped her head up. All the tenderness she had been missing out on poured out on her lips, as their mouths joined in a hot, passionate kiss. Helena circled her arms around his waist, eager to sense his body heat, as Cliff’s fingertips caressed the back of her neck. He threaded his fingers into her long strands, his warm breath puffing along her chin, as the tip of his tongue teased her lower lip. Never before had a mistake felt so right. Never before had giving in to temptation tasted so sweet. Intoxicated by his sensual kiss, the witch put her inhibitions aside. Her shame gave its place to the desire to have him, hold him in her arms, and the need to keep him in her life. To do that though, she had to reveal her most precious secret. But, who would she share it with, if not with him? Who would she confide in, apart from the man who had persisted, the man who had been honest with her, since the day they met? Yes, he worked for the government, his job dictated that he reported everything to his superiors, but Helena trusted that he could keep it secret. If he didn’t, he would lose her forever.
“Cliff…” she whispered, opening her eyes, as he laid a short kiss between her nose and her upper lip. “Listen to me. I didn’t end it between us, just because of the distance. There’s more; a lot more.”
“Talk to me,” he urged, sliding his hand up her head, as his face was lit up by a broad smile.
“I can’t. Not yet,” Helena responded, her voice picking up volume as she did. “Give me thirty-six hours, and I’ll tell you everything. Do you still live in ‘Star Deluxe’?”
“Yeah,” Cliff responded sharply.
“I’ll be there tomorrow night,” she sighed, as a cool breeze blew through her hair, tossing it about. “I’m not sure about the time. Please, wait for me.”
A simple nod served as her answer. Helena leaned in, and rested her head on his broad chest, feeling wave after wave of relief washing over her. She hadn’t lost him. Once again, he was there, determined to win her back. He had offered her the prospect of a real relationship with him; a relationship she had turned down before, but now, she was not going to make that mistake again. The witch of Paxton had been waiting for an end to her loneliness for far too long to let it slip out of her grasp.
Chapter Nineteen
Helena returned to Roman’s sanctuary that night, her heart filled with a mix of contentment and joy. And, for the first time in a while, she went to bed with the happy thought of Cliff’s image, swirling in her mind.
The following morning, she considered meeting with her friends, and letting them know of her intentions. Still, this was a thought she knew she would quickly come to regret. The battle with Redfield’s clan was only hours away. Her friends would tell their mates; then, they would surely have the biggest argument in their entire lives. They had to be united, and Helena could not jeopardize that unity by disclosing something that could wait another day. She could already imagine their reactions. None of them would like it: they would shout at her; accuse her of being reckless; but, even if they did, she would not change her mind. Monica’s words had been in her mind, ever since their chat at “Joe’s” diner.
“It’s time you did something for yourself.”
Helena might have been the guardian angel of Paxton; yet, this was a title that could not melt the ice in her heart. The pack could honor her a hundred times, and she would still feel lonely. There was only one way for her to break the chains of her loneliness; only one man who could pull her out of the solitude that she had chosen for herself; and she was not prepared to let him go, regardless of the cost.
A few minutes before 4am, she was standing in front of the windmill she had mentioned to the four females the previous night. The elevation helped her have a wonderful view of the beautiful town that the vampires wished to ravage. Flickering lights; narrow roads; cozy, wooden cabins; barns and stables; all were spread out before her, bringing peace and tranquility, that was only disrupted by the occasional dog bark. The scent of wood, burning in fireplaces, drifted in the air. The atmosphere appeared to be so clear that she could even notice smoke rising from chimneys in the distance. Helena couldn’t take her eyes off the majestic scenery, not even when she caught a glimpse of the four shifters, strolling up the hill.
“Good morning, Helena,” Olivia’s high-pitched voice tore the silence, as her beautiful face blocked the witch’s view. “We’re waiting for your orders.”
“Take a good hard look around you, girls,” Helena urged, her tone firm. “This is what we’re fighting to save. Follow me.”
“It sure is pretty out here.” Amy agreed, as the witch turned around.
“Did you bathe in those scents I sent you?” Helena asked, as they began their ascent up the hill.
“Yep,” Olivia was quick to reply. “Hazelnut, strawberry, azalea, cherry… I got the strawberry one. It smelled so good I wanted to drink it.”
“Good,” Helena praised, as she strode past a broad fork between two trunks. “Guys, things are going to get ugly out there. When Redfield’s goons start chasing you, you will all feel the need to shift. It’s your nature; that’s how you respond to danger. But, you have to fight it. Unless one of them catches you – which is highly unlikely, if you ask me – do not shift. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Amy said, walking alongside her. “I still haven’t figured out how you’re going to destroy them. Would you mind telling us?”
Helena slowed her pace, unwilling to continue this conversation. Her company was young and ignorant, but she was not there to satisfy their curiosity. Their mission was simple. What she would do was her own business. Furthermore, she had to find a suitable hiding spot. So, the witch kept her mouth shut, as she took a few, inquisitive glances around her. The edge of the cliff was less than fifty yards to the right. If their enemies were close, the shifters would have smelled them. Helena focused her attention to the rest of the woods. Sadly though, the weak moonlight was almost of no use. Only a few beams were peeking through the vegetation, just enough to help her make out shapes of trees and bushes on the forest floor. A massive balsam fir lay a few paces to the left. One of its branches was thicker than the others, and more than twenty feet above the forest floor.
“That’s where I’ll be.” She raised her hand to point up at it, as she lowered her voice. “Continue east. Do not talk to each other. When you smell them, laugh out loud to draw their attention. Good luck.”
The young shifters ambled off in the direction Helena had advised, as she found herself on the branch. She pulled her staff out of her cloak, and leaned forward, to peek through the leaves. To her pleasure, they were all silent. Indeed, the only sounds she could pick up were brush, twigs and leaves, giving way as Amy, Olivia, Ava and Breanne marched on. Olivia, the blonde and the tallest of the lot led the way, while her comrades followed on her flanks. Their sight filled Helena with hope for the future. They were all obedient, and concentrated on what they had to do. Their relaxed posture could fool everyone into thinking that they were actually taking a walk in the forest. None of them would even steal a glance around her. Inevitably however, in a matter of just a few minutes, the four women passed beyond her sight. Disappointment unfurled in her chest. Helena pressed her lips together, wondering about her next move. It was then that she recalled the vampire’s ambush, and the spell she had used to save the brothers’ lives. Still, before she could utter the first word of the incantation, a hearty, feminine laughter resounded through the wilderness.
“Come to mama, cold ones,” she thought to herself, wrapping her fingers around both ends of her staff, as she pointed it down to the ground. Killing rage began to sweep through her, as the vampires’ feral snarls ripped through the air. Olivia was the first to emerge on the path, looking over her shoulder, as she hurtled back, in the direction they had come from. Breanne, Ava and Amy were just a few yards behind her. Just after the straggler came into view, Helena spotted a pair of yellow eyes in the darkness, running parallel to the trees. Snarls grew in ferocity and number alike, as more of his kind stormed out into the woods. The witch glanced left, only to discover that even more vampires were hunting them. The girls’ strides were long and very fast indeed, but their foes’ quick bursts of speed brought them closer to them by the second. Helena counted a total of twenty-three pairs of eyes, chasing after the four friends, as they neared the balsam fir she was on.
“Gods of war – Forge my path
Bring the cold ones to my wrath
Heathen kings – Feel my desire
Trap them all behind a wall of fire”
A dark-red beam shot down the top end of her staff, as she completed the incantation. The bright light flew across the forest, singeing branches, twigs and leaves in its wake. Brush and undergrowth were thrown across the forest floor, as it landed just behind the legs of the last vampire. Maintaining a firm, steady grip on her stick, Helena began to draw a line of fire, parallel to her foes. Leaping flames revealed their faces, as they gained height. The one leading the lot looked up at her, as the fire bypassed him. The witch dismissed him with an ironic smile, as she turned her staff slightly left. One by one, the vampires sped to the left, away from danger, as she prepared her trap.
“Jump!” cried Olivia, as the fire shot past them. Each and every one of the shifters lunged through the flames, as Helena’s fiery noose surrounded her adversaries and scorched wood and leaves in its path. A deep grunt fled her lips, as she completed the circle. Nothing could save them from their doom now. Speed or any of their other skills were utterly useless. With a snap of her fingers, she teleported back to the spot she had stopped earlier, facing her masterpiece, as her company rose from the ground. Holding her staff in front of her, she tapped her index finger on the top end, as she sucked in her deepest breath. She tipped her head down, as a small fireball sprang from the tip. Her strong puff instantly turned it into a massive blaze, roaring as it shot towards her trap. Trees bent in the wind, as one by one, the bodies of her enemies were scorched. Helena sighed in relief, watching, as their ashes flew up into the air.
