It had been over an hour, and we still weren’t there. We were going farther and farther in the opposite direction. I was getting more and more uneasy. If Sion was the size of Conner, he could make up ground fast. Conner wasn’t even going full speed and Logan and Kai could barely keep up. Sion could make up the distance easily, but I didn’t like not knowing.
My wounds were healing up and I should be feeling pretty good at this point. I wasn’t. I was so fatigued that I had to concentrate just to hold on to Conner. It shouldn’t feel like this. Sheena was still with me, but it felt like her presence was faint.
Don’t leave me again Sheena.
I will conserve my energy after I finish healing you. Your body is rejecting me. It is putting a lot of strain on your body.
I don’t care how much strain it puts on my body. Don’t leave me.
What was going on? Why was my body rejecting my wolf? She is part of me. I noticed Conner began to slow down before he finally stopped. He lifted his nose in the air and so did the other two. Even with Sheena’s faint presence, the smell of decay crept into my nostrils. What in the world is it?
Another sound raced towards them from the side. Crashing through the brush. I watched as the leaves and twigs snapped and a large body emerged. It was Demetri.
“Clover!” Demetri looked down at the snarling lycan that was warning him off.
“Conner, it is okay, Demetri is a friend—” I started to say, but Demetri interrupted me hastily.
“There isn’t time. Give me Clover. We’ve got to get out of here. There is an army of creatures called the voidless and Seekers. They are coming for you Clover.”
“Wait… I don’t—”
“There isn’t time to explain. They are almost upon us.” Demetri looked at Conner pleadingly. “You can’t fight with her, and you won’t be able to escape with her. I can carry her weight and get her to safety.”
“I can fight.” I said indignantly.
“No, you can’t. You are struggling right now. I can help you.” Demetri’s eyes were focused on me. How did he know all of that?
Conner… I entered his mind, shocking him. He turned his head to look at me.
Something is almost here. Do you trust him? Conner’s ears were perked up as he looked in the distance.
Wait a minute. I’m not leaving you guys here to fight. I listened as he snorted at me.
The brush began to move, and these pale clay-like creatures emerged. They looked like they had been risen from the dead, as if they were zombies. The creatures moved in our direction, but they weren’t alone. There were Seekers with them. You could tell these rogues were all part of the same pack just like before. Were all of them under Dr. Snydes control? There were too many of them.
Clover go! We will buy you time to escape. We will follow after you.
Fvck! I slid off of Conner and Demetri instantly scooped me into his chest.
“I’ll carry you. You can’t hold on at the speed we will be going.” Demetri then nodded at Conner, “Don’t get caught up in the mess. Run when you have the chance,” and galloped away. I looked back over his shoulder as I watched the three of them stand there firmly blocking the incoming army. “They’ll be fine. They will run as soon as we get some distance. I have some backup coming to make sure they get away.”
“You know what is going on with me?” I asked as a smile reached his lips.
“I do know and it’s going to be okay.” I could hear the sounds of fighting, but it was growing fainter as we got farther away. “I should have gotten you earlier before you left the Sulfur pack. After you left there, I wanted to wait until you adjusted at the Chance pack. Of course, at the time I didn’t realize…” He stopped.
“You didn’t realize what?”
“There is a lot to talk about. About the Chaos pack and the Dark War. I’ll explain everything, but not right now.”
“Wait… Sion is expecting us to be somewhere else. He might end up running into the army trying to find me.”
“If he comes this way, my scouts will see him.”
“His pack is in trouble. They are all being manipulated.” I glanced up to see Demetri’s lips pursed together.
“I was worried about that.” He finally said. “I was planning to come and get you tonight once I found out the nycrops was involved.” I looked at him in shock. Okay, this guy… well fuzzy centaur dude… really did know a lot. “Don’t worry… you’ll be able to help them, you just need some time.”
“I can help them?”
He smiled and nodded his head. “Yes.” That was all he said. He didn’t elaborate anymore than that.
There is something about him. Sheena said as I felt her fluctuating in strength.
What is it?
I’m not sure. But there is a bond between us.
I stared up at him curiously. He arched a brow as he continued to look forward as he ran. "Is there something on my face?"
"It's weird that I just left with a complete stranger and how comfortable I feel with you…” I watched as his smile widened but he didn’t say anything. What was this? Some sort of mystery game, and I was a contestant? “Aren’t you going to say anything?” He then chuckled.
“That makes me happy to hear. It means you can feel our connection.”
Okay, this weirded me out. What connection? I was getting ready to chastise him when I noticed the serious expression that washed over his face. His hooves pounded harder into the ground as he flew through the woods. He was already running fast but this was another level. The dirt kicked up behind him as the brush beat against him.
“Da.mn they really want you…” He held me closer and changed his direction slightly. I watched as he headed towards a lake. “We are going to get a little wet,” he said moments before he plunged into the water. Very quickly the water was up to my neck. I listened to splashing sounds and saw several wolves treading water towards us. I looked up at Demetri, but he didn’t look worried at all. Suddenly, one by one, the wolves were yanked below the surface. Oh gosh, what was in the water?! And were we next?
“Don’t worry Clover. They are allies… kelpies and some sirens.”
“Wait you are friends with kelpies and sirens?”
“My family has always been close with fairies. You know centaurs belong to the fairy kingdom. My grandfather, Drake, is very close to the fairy queen. He had the hots for her when he was younger.” He chuckled as he reached the shore stepping out of the water. He moved up the bank and then took off at a run again.
“Damn… we are going to have to go into hiding.”
I looked around, not seeing anything, but Demetri’s eyes had a slight glaze over them. A familiar look with those who are mind linking. He then moved into thicker brush and then slowly walked up a shallow creek. I looked ahead of us at a rocky mound that he was heading towards. The large rock was covered in vines that he moved aside to reveal a dark tunnel. “There is an underground path in here.” He said as the vines brushed over my head as he walked through.
The tunnel was dark but luckily, I could see with my wolf sight. The sound of his hooves echoed slightly off the hard ground and cavernous walls. There was a soft trickling sound resonating in the tunnel as well.
“I had hoped they wouldn’t have figured out what you are. But it is obvious they know.”
I looked up at Demetri, whose brows were furrowed.
“Can you elaborate on the they and what exactly am I? Am I really a—”
“Sheya. Yes, you are part sheya.” He smiled down at me. “They refer to the demons. They now have a nycrops working for them so I had hoped they wouldn’t be after you anymore. Of course, you are too rare and valuable so they want your power.”
“You mean visions of the past and the power of suggestion?”
He nodded his head slowly as he looked ahead. “Is that all you know about the sheya?”
“I don’t think anyone really knows about sheya and what they are… what they do… are there more that are sheya? Everyone thinks they are wiped out.”
“There are a few left but they have scattered and gone underground. Well, first off sheya don’t look any different than a regular human. Just like a witch looks like a normal person. It is the power they hold that sets them above. Sheya are neutral creatures. They are neither good nor evil. They align with fairies and technically belong to their kingdom. All sheya have the ability to see the past. Sometimes it just happens when they touch someone or something, but they can also force a vision. When they get better at controlling their abilities. The same thing goes with the power of suggestion. As your power grows you can reach more and more creatures at a time. These are their basic powers. Then there are unique skills depending on rank and bloodline.” Demetri looked down at me studying my face. “Your mother was the highest ranking sheya. A high priestess…”
I watched as a soft smile reached his lips. “Your mother was a great person. What happened… was a tragedy. Both of your parents were great people, and the Chaos pack wasn’t evil. What happened to them wasn’t much different than what you say has happened with the Chance pack now.”
“The cave opens up just ahead. We will stop and rest there for today. We can’t go anywhere right now until the mess outside gets cleared up. They will send word when it is safe.” He then grinned, looking at my objecting face. “Don’t worry. Those wolves… and lycans will be just fine.” Okay he knew everything about everything. He was right, I was worried about my friends and Sion. How could I just rest safely inside of this cave?
“After we get situated, I will explain to you about what happened. It’s a sad story Clover. However, hopefully, it will have a happy ending.” Why do I feel that last part was about me?
The path opened up into a large stone room. Demetri sat me down and he reached into his leather strap and pulled out a lighter. He then walked over to the wall and lit a few torches. Okay… he has been here before. I watched as he walked to the far end and gathered wood in his arms. I arched my brow at this.
“We keep this place ready in case we need a safe refuge.” He answered, as if he could read my thoughts. Wait… maybe he could? Was he part sheya too and that was a skill. “I’m not a mind reader. Your face just gives it away.”
Okay… he weirds me out a bit. I walked over to a stone and sat down as he lit a fire. I still was trying to figure out if he was a mind reader or not.
“So, is your fur coarse or fine?” I said and listened to his rumbling laughter.
“Come and feel.”
“Really? I mean… you are fuzzy, and I am curious…” He began to laugh loudly at me. He walked over to where I was sitting, and I reached out to touch his surprisingly soft fluffy fur. “Okay, so how is this possible?!” I retracted my hand back as he tucked his feet underneath him so he could lay down.
“My father is a centaur, and my mother is a werewolf…” Okay, I couldn’t help myself as I tried to figure out how that worked. How exactly did they… you know what? Never mind. Some things you are just not meant to know. I needed to change the subject to get that mental image from creeping into my mind.
“So… uhm…you said earlier that we were connected? How so?”
I watched as a smirk rose over his face as he turned to look at me. “I didn’t just casually tell you about my parents for no reason.” Okay… what was he getting at here? I squeezed my hands together nervously.
“What do your parents have to do with our connection?” I felt like my throat was tightening and I had no spit left to swallow.
“How else would you feel connected to me? You are my mate… I think that much is obvious.” This cave was getting hotter and smaller. And the air was incredibly thick, right? Where was the oxygen? I need a damn canary to see what the carbon monoxide level is. I licked my lips nervously.
“Uhm… well… the thing is… I have Sion… and—”
“And? I don’t mind sharing. We can make a schedule and take turns.” I stared at him as I tried to think how to reply. I didn’t even want to think how taking turns with a centaur would work. Not to mention I wasn’t into sharing. I wanted a more traditional family lifestyle. I needed to let him down gently but make my position clear.
“I don’t feel any mate pull towards you and—”
He busted out laughing as I watched him dumbstruck. I failed to see the humor in this.
“I’m just teasing you, Clover.” His laughter quieted as he smiled at me. “My mother was your father’s sister.”
My lips parted in shock as I stared at Demetri. “So we are—”
“Family. Cousins to be exact.” He had a sad look in his eyes as I listened to him sigh. “We were supposed to be close. I was supposed to be your beta. In the Chaos pack, the Alpha and Luna have their own officers. You know luna is just the female name for alpha, right? The Chance pack had their luna and alpha as equals. Both were equal leaders in the pack. The way it was always meant to be. Not all packs work this way. A lot have their alphas ahead of the lunas, but they were always meant to be equals.” I watched as he poked the fire with a stick as he stayed lying down. The fire danced in his eyes.
“Tell me what happened?”
“I am… I’m just waiting…”
“Waiting?”
I watched as he grinned and looked up at me. “Yep, waiting… for our guests.” He then looked down the tunnel.
I turned my head and peered down the dark pathway. I didn’t see anything. I looked harder and then the smell of sassafras embraced me making my heart beat faster. A moment later, a colossal black smokey lycan stepped into view. He was magnificent. He was like the titan version of a werewolf. Behind him I saw three others stepping forward. Conner’s lycan, Kai and Logan’s wolves. They were all here… and safe.
Sheena’s voice rang out in my mind clearly, as I breathed in his welcoming scent.
Mate!