Magic Side: Wolf Bound Complete Series: Books 1-4, page 56
He glared at me, and I heard the rumble in his chest. “You lead. I don’t trust this place, and I’m not taking my eyes off you.”
Dread pooling in my belly, I took off after the lights as they disappeared into the trees. They reminded me of the lights in Alia’s apartment, but they seemed to be sentient, or at least under Cavra’s command.
Pretty little lights, leading us to our deaths.
We moved quickly, and my breathing became heavy. The forest was humid, and my shirt dampened with sweat. The whole place pulsed with a hypnotic drone that made me drowsy, despite the adrenaline pumping through me.
Every motion I made felt a little too slow. I ducked under a sheet of silvery moss that hung from a branch high above and tripped on a root. No—a rock.
Jaxson wrapped his arm around my waist, catching me before I faceplanted. “Keep your eyes on the ground.”
His deep voice dragged over my damp skin, and I couldn’t help the tingles that spread through me. Once I’d found my footing, he released his arm, though I could still feel the heat of his body behind me.
“Holy hell,” I whispered, taking in the sights ahead. The dilapidated ruins of what looked like ancient stone buildings rose from the jungle, partially covered by the dense vegetation. “What is this place?”
“Legends say that the Dreamlands have been populated by different species of Magica for millennia. This must be the remnants of one the Great Cities,” Jaxson said and softly pressed against my back. “Come on, let’s keep moving. We don’t want to be left behind.”
I nodded and caught up with the lights, which had kept on winding their way deeper into the trees. God, I hoped we could find our way back.
We circled around a giant bust of a humanoid creature with almond eyes lying half buried on its side.
Taken by its unique features, I slowly stepped around it, but Jaxson grabbed my arm and stopped me short. His hand cupped over my mouth as he towed me down behind the stone bust, gesturing with his chin to the bushes on our right.
Heart pounding, I searched the trees for any sign of what Jaxson had seen, but all I saw were the same strange birds from earlier. I glanced around at Jaxson, whose hand was still covering my mouth, and gave him my best what the fuck look.
His body stiffened, and his gaze was locked on something behind me. Slowly, I turned my head, focusing on the trees. Still, I saw nothing, but then the slightest movement caught my eye.
At first, it was too subtle to make out its form, but when it moved again, my brain finally processed what I was seeing: a squat, hunched body, no more than five feet tall, with arms that hung to the ground. As it moved, its skin shifted and blended with the foliage, making it virtually impossible to see. Where there should have been hands, there were two hooked, obsidian talons.
I jerked backward into Jaxson, stifling the squeak that tried to rip from my throat. My claws and muscles ached as my wolf jumped in my chest, but Jaxson pressed his magic into my back, and I relaxed slightly.
Shit, Cavra hadn’t said anything about these things. What else was lurking out here?
Movement to our left revealed a second creature rooting around under a rotten trunk. Something told me that that was what those hideous claws were for.
Jaxson slowly released his hand from my mouth and motioned for me to follow. We slipped back around the head of the ruined bust, keeping a wary eye on those things.
Apart from the shrill squawks of the birds and the skuttling of things in the underbrush, the jungle was quiet, which meant those creatures hadn’t seen us. Probably.
The glowing lights that had been guiding us were long gone, and there was no telling in which direction the bloodstone lay. Still, Jaxson pushed forward, and I followed wordlessly.
We continued in silence searching for any sign of the lights, but they were gone, and everything looked the same.
Panic began to fester inside me, and my skin chilled. As if sensing something, Jaxson paused mid-step. He cocked his head to the right, scanning the trees, and then he whispered, “Run.”
It took a second to register, but when he pushed me forward, I sprinted into the trees. Thunderous movement crashed behind me, and I stole a glance back, dread coiling in my stomach. Jaxson stood immobile, crouched with his claws out, ready. I spun behind a tree and peered around the side of the twisted trunk.
What was he doing? Why hadn’t he come with me?
Suddenly, a giant thing launched out of the trees and soared through the air toward Jaxson. Its skin kept shifting colors, and its two hooked talons glinted in the light that permeated from the leaves overhead.
Jaxson shot forward and ducked beneath the monster’s talons. In a flash, he’d grabbed the creature’s arm and twisted. There was a snap, and then Jaxson hurled the monster backward.
The beast landed nimbly and paused. As if sensing my presence, it bent its reptilian head and looked right at me. It tilted its neck back and barked like a goddamned velociraptor. Seconds later, a similar bark echoed through the jungle, followed by another.
“Run, Savannah!” Jaxson roared as he leapt out of the monster’s striking distance. “Get the damn stone. I’ll find you!”
With my gaze locked on the monster, I took a step backward and spun. But my foot caught on a root, and I tripped, landing hard on my palms.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
With my pulse pounding in my temples, I scrambled to my feet and sprinted away from Jaxson and that thing. More barking cut through the jungle, and the sound of something large moving through the trees toward me made my blood curdle. Was this a trap to lure us to our deaths?
No. I had the sense that if she had wanted to, Cavra could have killed us right there. I was certain she believed we had a chance.
But maybe just a slim one.
I skuttled behind a crumbled wall and listened. Apart from the pulse of the Dreamlands and my pounding heart, there was nothing nearby.
I wished that Sorsha had prepared us a little more for this. All she’d told us was that navigating the Dreamlands was more about your intent than geography.
Maybe that was something. Hope dwindling like sand in an hourglass, I squeezed my eyes shut.
I need to find the heart of the woods.
Repeating the thought over and over like a mantra, I opened my eyes and began moving forward with a pool of dread in my chest. Ducking under branches and moss, I scanned my surroundings for any sign of that damn basalt pillar with the bloodstone.
Nothing.
I pushed onward, scrambling around and over the ancient ruins that the jungle had claimed. Finally, as my mind grew numb from repeating the mantra, the lights from earlier appeared ahead.
I brushed an oversized palm leaf aside. The lights had stopped and were clustered and hovering around a pitch-black void in the trees.
The Glen of Shadows. It had to be, judging by the way the darkness leaked out of it like tendrils of smoke. I glanced behind me, praying that I’d see Jaxson, but he was nowhere.
“Crap,” I muttered, forcing my feet forward. I took several gasps, trying to get my breaths under control. I just had to go in, move quickly, and find the stone without looking at the shadows. Piece of cake.
I stopped just short of where the darkness started, and my skin tingled.
A chorus of faint whispers filtered out of the blackness: Join us. In the darkness, you will find your answers. Take what you want. You belong here. You are one of us.
Shit, I didn’t want to do this.
I don’t either, so now would be a great time to figure out how to get out of this, my wolf said.
I laughed. “I think we’re out of options.”
Well, glad you’re driving this time.
Although that wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence, warmth filled me. I wasn’t alone.
I bit my lip. I hope Jaxson is okay.
He’s fine. I’d know if he was hurt, my wolf said in my mind.
Would she? Why? There was so much I didn’t understand about werewolves.
I pushed the nagging thoughts out of my mind and steeled my courage. Then I stepped into the glen.
37
Savannah
I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dimmed light. Despite what it had looked like from the outside, it wasn’t pitch black, but rather like the tail end of dusk.
Unfortunately, the shadows I’d seen snaking out were also inside, moving across the ground like liquid mercury. They must have sensed me because they began pooling and drifting in my direction.
Cavra’s words rang in my mind. If the shadows catch you, they’ll drag you down into the earth, where you will slowly be devoured.
I picked up a broken branch and tossed it into the shadows. It disappeared when they shifted away.
That was creepy.
A least I was good at seeing in the dark now—a byproduct of my own shadow magic. It was very easy to differentiate between shadows, and the shadows.
I moved as quickly as I could, while keeping my eyes peeled. The glen had the same flora as the outside but none of the animals, which hopefully meant there wouldn’t be any of those monsters.
The shadows probably had eaten them all.
My sense of direction was shot, and the deeper I moved into the glen, the darker it got.
“Where the hell are you?” I hissed in frustration.
All around you, just take a look.
I jumped at the whispers. Was that the darkness answering?
“I’m looking for a bloodstone. Where is it?” It didn’t hurt to ask.
The air cracked around me, and the whispers turned into growls. You can’t have it. It’s ours. OURS… like you are ours, little sister.
Oh, hell, no.
I kept moving, even though the fear that had taken root in my heart urged me to curl up in a ball. I kept my mouth shut and focused my intention on the heart of the woods.
Ahead, the crumbling wall of an ancient building blocked my path.
Want some claws? my wolf asked.
I’ve got this, I answered, feeling her challenge.
Grabbing hold of the vines snaking along its side, I hauled myself up, praying that I’d be able to see the pillar from the top.
Chest heaving, I finally reached the top of the wall, and my heart leapt. In a small clearing ahead was a black pillar of stone with a ruby-red gemstone sitting atop it.
I moved to climb down the other side when something beneath me shifted. Stones skidded, and then the face of the wall caved in beneath me. I landed hard as the limestone and rubble showered down around me.
I struggled to get up, but my body jerked. My foot was stuck.
Grunting, I shifted my weight backward and saw that my leg was trapped beneath a huge limestone block that had tumbled over. Fuck.
Panic surged through me, and though I gripped the stone and pushed, it was too heavy and wouldn’t budge. I twisted my foot and tried to angle it out of the hole between the blocks, but it wouldn’t fit. Sighing, I took a breath and closed my eyes, attempting to calm my nerves. It would do me no good to panic, I needed to stay calm and figure out a solution.
When I opened my eyes, my heart froze. Shadows were snaking around me as dark tendrils moved down the ruined wall and across the jungle floor, shrouding everything they covered.
My chest ached, and my fingertips itched.
Let me take over! the wolf inside me shouted.
But I didn’t trust her. What if she was still stuck after we shifted? And would she have enough sense to grab the bloodstone?
Shift, or we’re dead, she urged.
No. I could handle this.
Magic coursed through me, and a wave of cool spread across my flushed skin. My darkness pulsed inside before pushing out and enveloping me in a shadow of my own creation. It strained against the darkness of the glen, pushing it back.
My teeth chattered as I fought to hold my focus. Every muscle in my body burned, and yet, I was barely holding back the shadows. I kept my gaze down, heeding Cavra’s warning and avoiding any direct eye contact with the monsters.
My hands trembled with the strain, but slowly, with each agonizing second, the shadows inched backward.
I was stronger, but how long could I hold this?
I looked past my shaking arms at my trapped foot. “A little help, here?” I said to myself, hoping to God that the beast inside me was listening. She was stronger than me—physically, at least—and maybe she could give me a little of her strength.
Now you want my help? she answered.
“Can you help me move this block or not?”
Probably, but you’ll owe me a bacon cheeseburger when we get home. And a run.
“Fine,” I croaked, feeling my strength waning.
Okay, give it a shove.
I said a silent prayer and released my magic, dropping my hands to the stone at my foot. Taking a breath, I shoved it with everything I had. That we had.
My muscles strained with a power I had never felt before, and the block lifted and tumbled over to the side.
“Holy shit!” With my foot now free, I leapt up, shocked by my sudden strength.
My strength, my wolf chided.
“Our strength,” I corrected, as I tested my ankle. It was scratched but fine.
The shadows of the glen crept toward me, and I choked on a laugh as I lunged toward the basalt pillar, which was just twenty feet ahead.
The whispers flooded my ears, taunting and warning me not to touch the stone: You will die. Cursed for taking our heart. Ours, ours, OURS.
But I was a bitch with one goal: get the bloodstone.
The shadows were on my heels, so I didn’t slow when I reached the pillar, and my body all but collided into it.
“Now would be a good time for claws!” I shouted to my wolf.
My fingers erupted into talons. Ignoring the pain, I began clambering my way up. The stone was too hard to sink my claws into, but they were perfect for latching onto thin cracks. I heaved myself up, arm over arm, and finally drew a breath of relief when I saw the stone sitting unencumbered at the top.
Encased in a gold setting, it was the size of my fist and as red as blood. I reached forward and scooped it up. The instant my fingers touched the warm gemstone, a screeching hiss reverberated around me, and I moaned as my eardrums throbbed in pain.
Gritting my teeth and clinging to the pillar, I clutched the bloodstone to my body. Seconds that felt like minutes passed, and then the screeching stopped.
I steadied my heaving chest and looked around. The shadows and darkness of the glen had faded away, and though the place was still dim, it was a little less dark and creepy.
I leapt down from the pillar and landed hard on the jungle floor. “Okay, nice job. Let’s find Jaxson.”
You still owe me a bacon cheeseburger, remember, my wolf said.
I had full confidence in Jaxson’s ability to take care of himself—I’d seen him fight many times. Still, I couldn’t shake the worry and unease that had settled in my bones. Lately, the more time I spent away from Jaxson, the more I’d felt unsettled. It was strange and disturbing, and I didn’t like it one bit.
I jammed the stone in my almost-too-small pocket, and hurried back in the direction I’d come, careful to watch my footfalls so that I didn’t twist an ankle or get my foot stuck again.
When I finally stepped out of the glen, I recoiled as my senses were overwhelmed by the commotion ahead. Grunts and screeches cut through the jungle, and the iron tang of blood burned my nostrils.
Jaxson.
Fear wrapped around my heart, and I shot forward, following the sounds and smells. I broke through the trees but pulled myself back as Jaxson and one of those monsters nearly collided into me.
Jaxson’s shirt was torn, and so was the flesh of his bicep, but he still managed to tackle the beast and pin it to the ground. It was missing an arm and looked worse for wear, and its shrieks cut out as Jaxson squeezed its throat. The thing struggled under his grip, trying to slice at Jaxson’s back with its hooked claw.
Without thinking, I leapt forward and grabbed the claw. “I could use a little wolf power, now!”
My muscles surged, and I rammed the beast’s arm into the dirt. It writhed as I pinned back the claw, while Jaxson kept squeezing. With each second that passed, its movements slowed, and then its body slumped, lifeless at last.
Jaxson released his grip and stood, turning to me with a deadly expression on his face. Blood caked his skin, and the wound on his arm began to slowly knit together. I dragged my eyes up his body, lingering on the patches of his sculpted chest visible beneath his torn shirt.
“Did you get it?” His voice was animalistic, and I had to fight off a wild urge to run to him and take him right here in the middle of this bloodbath.
What. The. Fuck?
My wolf was incorrigible.
All you, she quipped.
I squeezed my eyes shut, silently cursing as my cheeks blazed.
“What’s wrong?” Jaxson stepped toward me, concern making his voice even more ragged.
“Nothing. I’ve got the bloodstone,” I blurted, taking a step back because I didn’t trust my traitorous body being so close to him.
He narrowed his eyes and watched me closely. Too closely.
“Are you…okay?” I asked, glancing down at the lifeless monster at his feet before meeting his eyes.
A slow, devilish smile spread across Jaxson’s face. “Worried about me?”
“Of course. Those things were horrifying. Did you get them all?” I scanned the jungle and shivered.
“Yes, I got them all.” Jaxson grunted and scooped up his phone from the ground. I couldn’t help but admire how fine his ass looked in those jeans.
When he looked back at me, I knew from the glint in his eyes that he was reading my thoughts. “This way. We better get back to Cavra.”
I nodded, and Jaxson led the way through the jungle. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, which was a mercy, as I had no freaking clue if we were heading in the right direction.
38
Jaxson
I sensed the maenad before she stepped out of the trees.
