The Girl and the Wolf (Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Sanctuary Book 2) Read online

  Her pull was stronger, more powerful than whatever ancient energy awaited them. His love for her overflowed his heart, filling him to bursting to the point where it hurt. But it was a good kind of hurt.

  Amanda stroked his head. “I love you, Santiago. Promise me you’ll make it out of this. Promise me that you’ll find the home you’ve been searching for.”

  He couldn’t stand it any more. His wolf couldn’t form words, and he needed to speak to her. He shifted, pulling her into his arms. “Amanda, I found my home. It’s here with you. The thing I was searching for wasn’t a place. It was you. And now that I’ve finally found you, how can I let you go?”

  “You don’t have to let go,” she said, placing a hand over his heart. “I’ll always be here with you, wishing you a good and happy life.”

  “I love you, Amanda.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He kissed her, hard and deep, wishing that time could stop and the kiss could last for eternity.

  “How many goodbyes do you two need?” Eliza asked, appearing beside them and shattering the moment.

  Santiago pulled away from Amanda with a feeling of loss. If looks could kill, Eliza would have crisped to ash in front of him. She didn’t seem to care.

  “Let’s get this show on the road,” she said, twirling a finger in the air. “Santiago, shift back like a good little doggie.”

  He punched her in the jaw. He hadn’t meant to do it, but he couldn’t restrain the pure hatred he felt for Eliza.

  Her head rocked back, but she didn’t fall. Her hand came up to her chin, rubbing at the spot where he’d hit her. She chuckled. “Okay, I probably deserved that for the doggie comment. But that’s the last free shot you get. Any more bullshit and the girl is mine. Got it?”

  Santiago didn’t answer, but he did shift back into his wolf form. Eliza gripped him by the fur on his neck and pulled him up the steps of the pyramid. Amanda followed.

  The top of the pyramid was flat with a wide, gaping hole in the center. It yawned like the jaws of some great beast, waiting to devour them. He looked down into the inky black, unable to see how deep it went.

  The rest of the platform had been etched with symbols that Santiago didn’t recognize. Twisting, spidery script from some forgotten language. He got the feeling that the symbols were magical, but that might just be because they were mysterious. For all he knew, they were ancient graffiti, saying like “Joe was here.”

  Eliza shoved Santiago onto a carved stone circle, and he knew this was more than just graffiti. As soon as he was inside the circle, the symbols glowed with an ethereal blue light, almost blinding in the darkness.

  Eliza whooped with joy. “I knew it! Just look at that. It’s working.” She grabbed Amanda by the shoulders and positioned her in another circle. This, too, began to glow. But that wasn’t the most impressive effect.

  The dark hole filled with dazzling blue light. A pillar of dancing flame shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds themselves.

  The soldiers surrounding the pyramid gaped up at the spectral flames. Eliza hopped around like she’d just won the lottery. Santiago felt like his world was ending.

  Eliza approached the edge of the hole and threw her arms wide in supplication. “Oh, mighty forest god, hear my prayers. Accept my offering!”

  Amanda’s eyes met Santiago’s, brimming with unshed tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but Eliza darted in between them, blocking Santiago’s line of sight.

  “I feel like you two are ramping up for another tearful goodbye,” Eliza said, moving to stand behind Amanda. “That’s sweet, but I don’t have time for that. Off you go.” Eliza kicked out with a booted foot, catching Amanda square in the back. She went tumbling into the spectral blue flames.

  Amanda hung there suspended for an instant. Just long enough for Santiago’s eyes to meet hers again for one final, silent goodbye. Then the blue fire engulfed her and she was gone.

  Chapter 13

  Santiago howled his despair into the night winds. A last tribute to the only woman he’d ever loved. From a distance, a chorus of wolves joined his cry. It was like they understood that the woman who’d come to save them had sacrificed her life for theirs.

  Eliza paced around the platform searching for any sign that the ritual had worked. The pillar of light had disappeared along with Amanda. The glowing sigils had faded back to dull stone. Santiago’s heart felt the same way.

  The light had gone out of it, leaving it cold and lifeless.

  He sat on his furry haunches, staring at the spot where Amanda had vanished, hoping beyond hope that she might somehow reappear. He searched with his other senses, too. The smell of her was gone. It was like she had never existed.

  Except for the permanent mark she’d left on Santiago’s soul.

  He could sense the wolves just beyond the camp, as if they’d been drawn by the ritual but were too afraid to confront the armed men. Santiago silently willed them to come. Together they could overpower the soldiers and punish Eliza for what she’d done.

  But the wolves didn’t respond. Santiago’s abilities didn’t work that way. There was no psychic link for him to broadcast on. If he wanted their help, he would have to gather them himself.

  Eliza kicked a stone angrily into the black hole. Santiago never heard it hit the bottom.

  “Well, shit,” Eliza cursed. “I don’t feel anything. My tiger is still gone. And I’m still thirsty for goddamn blood.”

  Santiago watched her silently with his golden eyes.

  She planted her hands on her hips and stared back at him. “You know what this means, right? It means you were telling the truth before. It means you didn’t love her.”

  It was the last straw.

  Santiago lunged at her. Eliza sidestepped in a blur of motion, easily evading his attack. But hurting her hadn’t been the point. He wanted to get her out of the way just long enough to sprint down the other side of the pyramid.

  He raced down the stone steps. A hail of gunfire thundered around him, but none of them found their target. Eliza screamed with fury. “Catch that son of a bitch!”

  Santiago never broke stride. He bounded through the woods, into the safe cover of the trees. He might never be able to get Amanda back. But he could sure as hell make Eliza pay for what she’d done.

  ***

  Amanda awoke in a dark place. The ghostly fire had consumed her, but it had been freezing cold instead of hot. It burned her up just the same.

  She floated weightlessly now, like she’d returned to the womb. So this is the afterlife, she thought. Not what I was expecting.

  “This is not the afterlife.” The deep, masculine voice came from everywhere and nowhere, almost like it was broadcasting inside her head. Then she realized she didn’t have a head. Or fingers or knees or a chin. She was formless in this endless void. “And this place is not meant for you.”

  “I didn’t come here on purpose,” she said somehow, even though she didn’t have a mouth to speak. “Feel free to send me home at any time.”

  “I called to your companion. The wolf.”

  “Well, you ended up with me. Sorry, Mr. Forest God.”

  “You,” the voice said. “I need to see your face.”

  “I don’t think I have a face any more.”

  A pinprick of light broke through the void. In the absolute black, that tiny light burned as bright as a sun. The pinprick widened as if it were moving towards her. Like the light of an oncoming train approaching her on a track.

  The light took on form as it neared, transforming into a giant, glowing wolf. His gleaming eyes examined her, even though there was nothing of her to see.

  “Nothing physical exists here,” the wolf said, as if reading her thoughts. “This is a place for spirits.”

  “So my body is gone then?” she asked sadly.

  “Your body is not here.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “It’s the only answer I have to give.”

  She
would have shrugged if she had shoulders. “So where is here, anyway?”

  “This is one of the realms between worlds. I watch over my forest from here, keeping it safe.”

  “I don’t like it here.”

  The wolf blinked at her, confused. “What’s wrong with it? It’s a perfectly good realm.”

  He seemed legitimately upset. Amanda felt guilty for insulting his home. “I mean, I’m sure it’s fine for you, but it’s just a big empty void.”

  “No one’s ever complained before.”

  “You get a lot of visitors in your big empty void?”

  “Not for a long time.”

  “Well, I guess the last people who came here were fine with a whole lot of nothing. But it’s really depressing. Have you ever thought about brightening up the place?”

  “It never occurred to me.”

  “It’s just an idea.”

  “Alright, since you are my guest and I am your host, let me make it more amenable to you.”

  She could feel him searching her memories. It felt like a cool breeze flowing through her mind. Images flickered around her, like three-dimensional representations of places from her past. She caught glimpses of her little apartment in Virginia. Her childhood home in Texas. Her cramped cubicle at the NCC.

  The locations surrounding her shifted in stuttering jerks, like she was watching an old silent movie. It made her feel dizzy, which seemed silly since she no longer had a head. Finally, the images slowed down and stabilized.

  Warm wooden walls stood around a scattering of tables and chairs. A long counter appeared with a young woman behind it. Amanda smelled coffee brewing.

  “Oh, come on. A Starbucks? Seriously?”

  “You don’t like it? You go to this place almost every day. I assumed it is one of your favorites.”

  “You’ve got a lot to learn about the modern world, Forest God.”

  “I suppose I do. What would you prefer?”

  “Let’s keep it simple. Pick a spot in your forest. Something nice. With big fluffy clouds overhead and some chirping birds in the trees.”

  “Done.”

  The scene around her changed. She recognized the place immediately. An ancient oak tree hung out the side of a hill. Half of its roots exposed. Walls of branches had been woven through the roots, making a hidden shelter.

  It was the place Santiago and her had stayed for a couple of nights. Her heart swelled with joy at the sight of it. She thought she’d never see this place again. She supposed she wasn’t really seeing it now, but it was close enough.

  “Better?”

  “Absolutely. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” The wolf seemed pleased, although it was hard to tell expressions on his face.

  “So what now, Forest God? We just hang out for the rest of eternity? You might need to conjure up a deck of cards or something.”

  The wolf shook his shaggy head. “Your time here is limited. You came here for a purpose, did you not?”

  “Not really. Eliza sacrificed me to you. Do you know Eliza? Did you see everything that happened up there? Fucking bitch kicked me.”

  He nodded. “I saw. I’ve been watching her for some time. The night creature wants me to grant her wish, as if I were some common genie in a lamp.”

  “Genies are real?”

  “Yes, but that’s not what you really want to know, is it?”

  “No. Are you going to grant her wish?”

  “Of course not. That’s not what I do. I watch over this forest and keep it safe. The wolves act as my guardians.”

  “No offense, but you’re not doing a bang up job of it. I mean, Eliza’s been terrorizing these woods for weeks, and you haven’t stopped her. You didn’t stop her from killing me. I mean, I’m just saying.”

  “I can watch over the forest from here, but I can’t affect it. I am a creature of spirit. I need a physical vessel to walk your world.”

  “Like a ship?”

  “Like a body.”

  “Interesting. You know, I used to have a body. If you can find it for me, I’d be happy to give you a ride.”

  “What you’re asking, it comes with a price.”

  “What kind of price?”

  “I require a sacrifice.”

  “Hello? I’ve already been sacrificed to you. Wasn’t my death enough?”

  “What use would I have for your death? It’s your life that I need.”

  ***

  Santiago found the wolves gathered loosely in a moonlit glade. They rose to greet him, not welcoming but not threatening either.

  The wolves were smaller than him, but they were powerful in their own right. They weren’t shifters, but they weren’t completely normal. They vibrated with with power, like a pale echo of the power at the pyramid temple.

  They must be servants of the deity that watched over this place. It explained why they’d been attacking Eliza’s troops. To keep them from disturbing their master. Too bad they hadn’t been able to stop Eliza before things had gotten this far.

  But maybe if Santiago could guide them, together they could bring the vampire woman down. The question was how to get them to follow him. It wasn’t like he could give them some rousing speech. They wouldn’t understand. And even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. The only thing wolf packs respected was strength.

  Santiago had learned that growing up. It didn’t matter that the pack leader was a sadistic asshole. All that mattered was he was the strongest. It was the reason the place had never felt like home and the reason he left.

  Santiago snarled at the wolves. They shied away from him except for one.

  A hulking gray wolf lumbered from the shadow of an overhanging rock. He was bigger than the rest. Almost as big as Santiago’s wolf. This was the Alpha.

  The Alpha’s eyes locked with Santiago’s, searching for intent. Santiago narrowed his eyes at him and growled a challenge. The other wolves perked up and watched. Their Alpha had been challenged. If the white wolf emerged victorious, he would be the new leader of the pack.

  The Alpha howled in response, signaling his acceptance of the challenge. It wasn’t like he had a choice. To turn from this fight would be a sign of weakness. The Alpha would lose his spot at the top of the pack without a fight. His only option was to win.

  The two wolves squared off against each other, preparing to battle.

  ***

  “What does that mean? You want my life?”

  “Your spirit is strong. We can merge together as one and return to your world. But you would have to agree to devote the rest of your life to keeping these woods safe.”

  “That’s fine. It’s why I came here in the first place. I’m not seeing a downside.”

  “It means you can never leave the borders of these woods.”

  “If it means I can go back, if it means I can make sure Santiago is safe, that’s a small price to pay. Wait. Is Santiago still safe?”

  The wolf closed his eyes for a moment, as if lost in thought. “The white wolf still lives. But he’s not safe.”

  “Well, then let’s do this.”

  “Don’t take this decision lightly. Once we merge, there’s no going back. You’ll never be the same.”

  “Does that I mean I won’t be me anymore? Because I kind of liked being me.”

  “You will still be you. But also me.”

  “That’s pretty confusing.”

  “It would make more sense if you were shifter,” he said, sounding almost snippy.

  “Hey, it’s not my fault I’m here, remember. I just got kicked into a hole. So maybe try explaining it to me.”

  “Fine. Shifters share a link with a spirit animal. This animal lives in two places at once, inside the shifter and in a spiritual plane like this one.”

  “Sorry I asked.”

  “You’ll understand if you choose to accept my gift. It’s really not that complicated.”

  “I feel like you’re talking differently now. Or am I crazy?”

  �
��Probably. But you’re not wrong. It’s been some time since a human has visited me. My speech patterns are adapting to yours.”

  “You’re inside my head right now?”

  “I am everywhere in this realm, including inside your mind. Just kidding. I’m not in your head.”

  “Was that a joke?”

  “It was supposed to be. But since you’re not laughing, I’m going to pretend it wasn’t.”

  If Amanda had a mouth, she would have smiled. “You’re alright, Forest God. You’ve got a deal. Merge with me, and I can return like a vengeful goddess, powerful and immortal.”

  “Whoa, I never said you’d be immortal,” he cautioned.

  “But you’re immortal right? I just thought, you know, since we’re merging…”

  “No, I am immortal, but you will still be human, fragile and delicate like the rest of your kind. So try not to do anything stupid. I don’t want to wait another thousand years for someone like you.”

  “Okay, well, that’s not as fun, but I’ll take it. How do we do this?”

  ***

  The Alpha proved to be a worthy opponent. He was a match for Santiago’s speed and skill, dodging and attacking expertly. What the Alpha lacked in human intelligence, he made up with raw animal instinct.

  Santiago had a number of bites and scratches along his flanks, staining his fur a violent red. But the Alpha was just as hurt. The difference was that Santiago’s wounds were constantly healing, while the Alpha’s weren’t.

  Given enough time, Santiago was confident he could wear the other animal down. But the clock was ticking. Eliza and her mercenaries had to be out searching for him. It would only be a matter of time until they found him.

  When they did, he needed the wolves to fight at his side, not scatter to the four winds.

  He had to figure out a way to end this fight soon. Aside from his fast healing, Santiago had one other trick up his sleeve that the Alpha didn’t. Santiago could shift.

  He waited until the Alpha lunged at him in the air. With its feet off the ground, it couldn’t switch direction. Couldn’t dodge. Couldn’t turn.

  Santiago shifted instantly, standing in front of the airborne wolf. When it got close enough, Santiago grabbed the wolf’s paws and swung sideways, using the animal’s own momentum to fling him into a rocky outcrop.