Blood Runs Through the Heart Page 11

  About an hour into the walk, Peggy got quiet. The glow from her skin disappeared beneath worry. She slowed down. Bringing up the rear, she was falling more and more behind. With an arm tug, Brandy Lee stopped Raven in her tracks. She motioned towards Peggy, with her head, who was swatting at a fly. Raven stepped past Brandy Lee. She headed back down the path toward Peggy. Brandy Lee followed.

  “Hey, what is going on? You’re not singing, and you’re falling behind.” Raven came to a stop in front of the young girl. “You feel all right?”

  Peggy sighed and sat down on a rotten fallen tree. Raven and Brandy Lee joined her, flanking her on both sides. They waited for words, but none came. Peggy placed her face in both of her hands. Tears soon followed, and she felt her cheeks moisten. Heaves of sorrow lifted her shoulders up and down as she started to cry. A hand touched her shoulder.

  “Talk to us, Peggy,” Brandy Lee asked.

  “I’m dying.”

  Those three words caught the other two women off guard, their own words at a loss. Brandy Lee leaned over, placing her head on her shoulder. Raven did the same. They sat there in silence. The two women knew loneliness would kill Peggy. Hopes that the companionship with them would be enough fell short. “Tell us how to help.” Brandy Lee's voice rang out.

  “You can’t. I need my kind.” Peggy wiped at her eyes. The rainbow tears staining her face, streaks trailing over her skin like war paint. “It’s useless.”

  “No, it's not.” The young man’s voice yelled from behind a cluster of trees, startling the girls. Stepping from behind the branches was Randy, Andy, The Smittens, and a few more from the lake. Except, they were not children any longer; they were grown-ups.

  Raven wasted no time and jumped in the middle of the path. Her fingernails extended to sharp blades, and her fangs grew. She hunched as she hissed at the twins. She didn’t think about the outcome before she hurled herself at them. It was Andy that lifted his arms, and a swirling ball of air hit Raven in the middle of the chest, sending her plummeting to the ground.

  “Stop, Andy!” Peggy yelled before joining Raven on the ground.

  “She started it. Hissing at me like some snake.” He looked down at Raven. “I don’t mean you harm. We were under the control of Theo, and it limited our choices. We want Peggy back. That is all. There have been enough deaths already.” He stepped closer, holding his hand out to Raven.

  Her eyes roamed from one fairy to the other for a sign of evil. There was none. Minutes passed until she took the hand and felt her body pull to a stand. She gave a quick smile before returning to the Brandy Lee’s side.

  “Come here, Peggy. You are weak. You need us.” Randy said, stretching his arms into a welcoming hug. A ribbon of lights of all colors jolted back and forth between his arms.

  Peggy didn’t hesitate. She ran into his arms. Rays of light circled the group as they all hugged. Peggy stood in the middle gleaming. Randy kissed the top of her head. She smiled. “I missed you.” Raven and Brandy Lee watched. The love between the two was as loud as the wind. Peggy broke free then found her way back over to the girls.

  She smiled from ear to ear before speaking. “I need to go with them. Please understand.”

  They smiled at their friend. Brandy Lee cupped the pure skin of her cheek. “We’ll be fine. We’re almost there, thanks to you. You need to be with your frollick. We’ll miss you.”

  “Thank you, Peggy, for everything. We understand.” Raven stepped in and hugged her close. “Can’t say that I will not miss that magic of yours. It comes in handy.”

  “I’ll miss you too. When you least expect it, I will be back.” Peggy kissed both girls on their cheeks. “I hope you find your answers.” She smiled. “Protect her, Raven,” Peggy said before stepping back into her group. Randy wrapped his arms around her, and they turned into seven balls of rainbow lights. They lifted into the air and hovered for a movement. In one of the balls, Peggy’s face appeared. Their eyes met one more time. A few tumbles in the air, and they whisked off upwards into the sky.

  Raven and Brandy Lee stood there, watching the empty sky. They thought of how they would miss Peggy. Their hearts ripped between happiness and sadness for the fairy.

  They turned to each other and kissed. “Let’s put the tent up. We’ll reach the council tomorrow. We need to rest. Brandy Lee leaned into her chest with her arms wrapping around her tiny waist.

  Brandy Lee's words slipped out between sniffles. “I’ll miss her.”

  “Me too.” Raven held her tighter. “Me too.”

  23

  Last Leg

  The sun sat low on the horizon with the vibrant colors of rust painting the sky. Clouds so low, you could run a hand through the puffy white cotton. With the air thin, a breath was hard to catch. Roots, vines, and plants thickened as Brandy Lee and Raven traveled through the forest. The dense bush protected Raven from the dipping ball of fire, enabling the women to get an early start. Both wondered what Peggy was doing, but both felt happy that she was again with her frollick. Today was the day. They would reach the She-Wolf Council, thereby pleading their case that Brandy Lee was royalty. They could ask them to get the kill order removed, and then head back home to ordinary life. Well, as common as life could be. Raven’s life could go back to serving as Queen Lana’s assistant. Brandy Lee’s life was still uncertain, but one thing was for sure. Raven wanted Brandy Lee in her life.

  Raven reached back and helped Brandy Lee over a huge tree stump blocking their path. Just as Brandy Lee's foot lifted over the top, she toppled. They hit hard, knocking the wind out of them. As they sat up, they sucked in a small gasp of limited thin air.

  “Damn that hurt. What happened?” Raven asked, wiping the mud off her knee. Her finger found a hole in her pants with her finger sticking through it. “Shit!” She said, wiggling her finger. She was on her last pair of shorts, finding that the council couldn’t come fast enough. A hot, long bubble bath sounded so becoming. Brandy Lee's words ripped her from the short daydream.

  “Something caught my foot.” Brandy Lee jumped up and wiped the mud from her pants. Walking around Raven and placing both her arms under the armpits, she pulled her up. Brandy Lee brushed the sexy butt free from dirt. She shook her head to distract her from the cute derriere.

  “I see you looking at my ass.”

  Brandy Lee smiled and wrapped her arms around Raven’s stomach. Her chin rested on the back of her shoulder blade. With a deep content breath, she whispered, “It’s a cute ass.”

  Raven laughed. She unraveled the arms wrapped around her and spun in one motion to face Brandy Lee. Her arms laid on Brandy Lee’s shoulders, with fingers interlocked behind her. “What have I created?”

  “Hey, you created nothing that you can’t handle.” She placed a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. Brandy Lee felt the smile spread across Raven’s face. There was a movement at the bottom of her feet, causing Brandy Lee to break the kiss and jerk her eyes earthward. Their shoes were barely visible through the jungle of brush at their feet. “It wasn’t this thick a few minutes ago?”

  Raven kicked one foot from the thicket and repeated with the other. Long claws extended to sharp weapons. With one swift strike, the vines cut into pieces, and Raven bent over pulling them away. Noticing the sexy ankle, Raven wrapped her fingers around it with the tip of her nails indenting the skin. Her fingers drifted the calf, teasing behind her knee. Small goosebumps peppered the flesh, and the leg shook. Raven smiled at the response. “You’re shaking.” She kissed the inner crease, letting her tongue trace a circular pattern. Raven’s fingers feathered over her thigh. She slipped up her body spending a moment on the hard nipples. “You’re still thinking about my cute ass?” Raven kissed her before Brandy Lee could answer. Their tongues swirled with moans releasing into each other. In the depths of a forest stood time. At that moment, it was only the two. Their pounding heartbeats synchronized.

  Brandy Lee deepened the kiss. “Mmm…” Rolled from deep in her throat.

  A sudden separation of their lips had them breathless. Their eyes widened, their pupils enlarging as both sets of feet pulled together. They grasped the other’s arm to stay upright. Their eyes fell as vines wrapped around the ankles, squeezing them together. They looked at each other in disbelief. A sharp stabbing pain hit them both, causing them both to grab at their necks. The world started to sway. A long dart protruded from each woman. Both dizzy with blurred vision, Brandy Lee and Raven tried to hold each other up in a stand. Something unseen yanked at their legs and they fell forward. They reached, desperately, with their hands before they were ripped apart and dragged into the forest. Names screamed in the darkness as they separated and disappeared underneath bushes.

  24

  Destination

  “Ugh!” Her head was killing her. The tile under her body was cold and damp. Her face became indented by the texture of the floor. The air smelled like an old furnace. Brandy Lee pushed up on her arms, holding her weight with straight elbows. She shook her head. A pain seared through her temples. She peeked an eye open but then closed it. The slightest light filtering in the room hurt. She raised a hand and touched the bandage on the side of her neck. A dart? She remembered a dart sticking out of her neck. Raven? She had one too. Her eyes opened wide, and she searched the area as she ignored any radiating pain. It was a dungeon that caged her. Dull walls were moist from dampness. A tall ceiling with one window at the top was unreachable. The sun was out with rays streaking the walls fifty feet above into kaleidoscope forms.

  She ran over to the solid steel bars that held her. Brandy Lee stretched her neck to the last millimeter. Her eyes roamed down the candlelit passage. She twisted and looked down the other way. A shadow passed at the end of the room. Brandy Lee watched as it paused for a moment,
and in thought, she continued traveling.

  “Hey! Where am I? I see you. Don’t ignore me. Where’s the other woman?” Brandy Lee’s words fell on death ears. The shadow evaporated into a mist. “Damn it. Someone needs to answer me.”

  “Screaming will do you no good.” The older voice came from the cell next to hers.

  “Who are you? What is this place?” Brandy Lee wrapped her fingers around the bars, her face pressed against them.

  “Me? Oh, I am a lost soul. A wolf that will never see the daylight of these dungeons’ walls. My name is Agatha.”

  “What’s your name?” The woman’s voice asked.

  “Brandy Lee. Where are we?”

  “You’re in the lovely accommodations of The She-Wolf Council. Your hostess is Alpha Victoria, along with her many deltas and betas. They serve dinner at six; lights out at seven in the evening.

  The pacing started, and her breathing became ragged. Panic started to set over her. Why was she locked up, and where was Raven? The thought of Raven burning again – or worse – caused her heart to skip a beat. She grabbed the bars again, but this time for support. She bent at the waist, trying to suck the air into her lungs. She was changing.

  “That won’t do any good.” The older woman’s voice grabbed her attention. “Changing, that is. The bars are too strong, and it will just weaken you. If you’re worried about that woman that came in with you, they dragged her down the end of the hallway and into the cells.”

  Brandy Lee took a breath. “Was she okay?”

  “She was unconscious; appeared drugged. She’s a vampire, isn’t she?”

  “Yes. She helped me find this place. The sun is up, and I am worried about her.”

  “Those cells don’t have any windows, so the sun wouldn’t be able to reach her. Why in the world would you want to come here?”

  “Looking for answers.” That was all the information Brandy Lee would disclose. Agatha seemed nice, but since they left the lake, Brandy Lee found it hard to trust. “Why are you here? Locked up?”

  “Well, I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar.” The older woman answered. “Been here, I think thirty years. I’m not sure. It could be longer. Time seems to stop in this hell hole.”

  “Thirty years? Jesus. That’s a long time for theft. What’d you try to steal? The royal jewels?”

  Agatha’s laughed echoed off the hollow walls. “Oh, lord! I haven’t laughed like that in years. I haven’t had a conversation with anyone other than the betas in thirty years, and they have no personality. You’re refreshing.”

  “Good to hear, I guess. But that still doesn’t explain why Alpha Victoria sentenced you to do thirty years for stealing something.”

  “I am not a thief, my dear. I got caught with my hand inside Cookie’s jar. The mate’s name of Alpha Victoria was Cookie. Understand now?”

  “What?” The lightbulb lit up in Brandy Lee’s brain. “Oh! Oh! You have been down here this long for that?” Brandy Lee asked.

  “Alpha holds a grudge. Here is better than the punishment Cookie received. That gorgeous woman has been missing for three decades. She disappeared off the face of the earth. Supposedly, her body got thrown in the quicksand pit.”

  Brandy Lee slumped down against the wall. She remained quiet for a few minutes as she looked up at the window. It was hard to be sure, but it appeared there was close to two more hours of sunlight. Her heart was breaking, thinking of Raven alone surrounded by the prison's dark walls. Talking to Agatha helped with her anxiety, but Raven didn’t have anyone. Brandy Lee rubbed her temples. A headache lingered in the background, and she needed to use the bathroom. Her eyes traveled over to the dark hole. Nope! Not going to happen! She thought. To take her mind off the screaming bladder, Brandy Lee went over her words that she would say in front of the council. They had to listen to her, and with the thought, a sigh released.

  “What’s the matter? Well, other than the obvious.” Agatha questioned.

  “I was thinking of my friend, the one they captured with me. She shouldn’t be here. She should be home and in her mansion with Queen Lana. Not tramping around a forest with evil and not being burned alive. She should not be held as a prisoner in a dark dungeon.” Brandy Lee ran at the solid bars and shook them. “Hey! Someone let me talk to Alpha. Now!” She screamed, anger filling her voice. Tears flowed down her cheek.

  “I told you that would not help. No one can hear you. They’ll get you when they are ready. Not before.”

  “Ah! I’m so frustrated.”

  Brandy Lee leaned her head back, closing her eyes. The sound of heels clicking down the blocks of stone caused her eyes to open wide. The closer the footsteps got, the louder the toe-to-heel beat ricocheted off the walls. Appearing in front of the bars was a tall, thin woman with short brown hair. Her eyes were the color of the blue sea. She wore a long red dress slit up to her thigh. Brandy Lee’s eyes lowered to admire the nine-inch heels. The woman held a tray of food. She glared at Brandy Lee with endurance, demanding obedience.

  Beauty of nature. Brandy Lee lowered her eyes and dipped her head in respect. She knew her status did not reach this woman’s level in the pack. A beta wolf, she held her pose with confidence and power.

  “Are you going to bite me, like your companion did when I handed her a glass of blood? If so, I would be glad to turn into my wolf form and remind you who I am. You can call me Beta Nichole.”

  “No, Beta Nichole. I won’t try to bite you. I need to see Alpha Victoria, please.” Brandy Lee’s pleas were ignored; although, it was worth a shot.

  “Our Alpha will see you when she is ready. Tell me, what’s your name?” Nichole barked the question.

  “My name’s Brandy Lee, and…”

  Her sentence ceased midway by a raised hand. “Stop. I don’t care why you are here or how. I serve my Alpha; that’s all. Whether you live or die does not matter to me. Now, take this platter from me.” Another ordered barked.

  Brandy Lee swallowed her pride and took the tray with closed lips. A fight to the death would be useless. “Thank you, Beta Nichole.”

  Nichole nodded and turned on her nine-inch heels. The clicking noise continued down the passageway. The faint clicking sound, along with Brandy Lee’s hopes, whispered away. She set the tray down on the floor and slumped back down against the wall. “What’s she like? The Alpha?” She asked Agatha.

  “Powerful; beautiful; determined. Loyal to her followers, but she will take your head off without hesitation if needed. You need to eat. I have a feeling you will need your strength. Oh, and the food sucks here.”

  Brandy Lee rubbed her eyes. A long night was ahead of her.

  25

  Alpha

  Beta Nichole arrived two hours later with wolves by her side. She remained in her human form, but her companions appeared as she-wolves. They were small in stature, but with lean muscles and demanding power. Nichole leaned against the bars with one shoulder and her eyes falling to the half-eaten plate. “Glad to see you ate.” Nichole’s long red nails wrapped around the bars. The curve-hugging dress captured Brandy Lee’s eyes. “You like what you see?”

  The question caught Brandy Lee off guard, and she weighed her answer. How could she not admire such beauty? “You’re gorgeous, but I’m with someone.”

  Nichole huffed at the answer the young she-wolf gave. “Alpha wants to see you. You need to wash yourselves. So,” Her words stopped. Nichole turned her back to Brandy Lee and swayed over to the two wolves sitting in waiting. Her hand ran over their heads, giving a deep rub. “So, my friends will watch you take a bath. Oh, and don’t take their petite size as a weakness. They’ll rip you apart.”