Jensgar held Lily tight as she continued to sleep. It had been two days since Net’s visit and his mate had yet to wake up. Doc had been in several times to check on her, and after the first bag of blood had been administered, he declared Lily physically fine. If she were fine, she wouldn’t still be asleep. He’d yelled enough at the doctor that now he kept this opinion to himself.
He knew he was getting close to inconsolable, and the pack members respectfully gave him a wide berth, knowing that having an injured mate was excruciatingly painful. His wolf had been growly since finding their mate slumped over on their bed. Now that Jensgar had opened the bond between them, he could feel her emotions and sense her chaotic thoughts.
It was new and imperfect but he managed to catch glimpses and feelings. The confusion, fear and rage surprised him at first, but what concerned him most was Lily’s growing sadness. It weighed heavy, causing him to pull her even closer in the dim predawn light coming in the bedroom window.
Ceva had left eighteen hours ago in search of Net and had yet to return. They hoped to have more answers when Lily finally awoke. To that end, Ceva had placed a slim gold band around his mate’s wrist that would alert Ceva when Lily woke, saying it was faster than any call could hope to be.
Marcus, Amalia, Thomas, Katrina and Bain, among others, had come to visit for news of any changes and to keep Jensgar company during his vigil. His wolf had gone over the top, in complete protection mode and Jensgar was having a hard time not growling when anyone moved too close to Lily. The doctor’s visits were their own kind of hell.
The first inkling of consciousness shocked him, but the second had him rolling Lily onto her back and hovering over her searching for any movement. Her long lashes quivered before her beautiful blue eyes opened wide. Shock quickly blended into relief, as her eyes softened and she threw her arms around his neck.
“I’m back,” Lily cried. “I missed you so much. I love you, Jensgar.”
He could feel hot tears running down his cheeks. “I love you too, my mate. Don’t ever leave me again. I don’t think I could survive it.”
“Our bond…it feels different,” Lily stated as she looked up at him with so much love.
“Yes, I got my head on straight and fixed it.” He smiled at her sheepishly.
Lily reached up and caressed the side of his face. “You’re not the only one needing forgiveness.”
“Yeah, yeah…you’re both sorry, blah, blah, blah. I want answers,” Ceva’s voice echoed in the room, causing both Jensgar and Lily to moan at the interruption. “Oh, stuff the moaning. You scared me, young lady, and I don’t like the feeling much.”
“She woke up a moment ago. You couldn’t give us five minutes?” Jensgar asked as he helped Lily sit up and lean against the headboard.
“You’ll have plenty of time after we figure out a way to stop Net,” Ceva declared before sitting in a chair that had been set beside the bed.
“No,” Lily almost growled, putting Jensgar on alert.
“Honey, she’s the one who keeps doing this—whatever it is, to you. She has to be stopped,” Ceva explained as if she were talking to a frightened child.
The corners of Lily’s mouth perked up as if she were fighting back a smile. “Yes, mother. I am aware of what she does.”
Ceva huffed and threw her hands into the air. “If you’re not confused, then you’re insane because this has to end.”
“Trust me, I’m neither.”
Jensgar gently turned Lily’s face for her to look at him. “What’s changed, love?”
“Everything,” Lily declared, then she told her love and Ceva what she’d seen and heard in the vision Net had transferred to Lily.
Jensgar listened intently, unsure what to think of this new information, but pushed the questions aside to puzzle out later. The moment Ceva disappeared his need to care for his mate kicked into high gear. He and his wolf refused to move more than a few feet away from her, and it seemed Lily felt the same way.
Food was delivered to their bedroom because Lily had to be hungry, though she hadn’t complained once. As soon as she had eaten her fill, Jensgar began to fill the tub so that they could soak her cramped muscles from days of lying motionless.
With Lily in his arms, he sank down into the hot water, scented with lavender oil to help ease Lily’s aches. They exchanged soft kisses and touches but neither spoke as their bond settled into place. The depth of their connection joined them on a level more intimate then any words could ever attempt to convey.
Later that night they made love slowly, exploring each other with gentle touches as if they’d been apart for years and not days. Their shared passion increased as their physical and emotional senses merged into a haze that neither wished to end.
As the dawn of a new day flooded their bedroom with its warm glow, Jensgar held his mate close and formulated a new plan.
This curse had to be stopped.
***
Bain was white as a sheet and shaking. This had to be the worst plan ever. Lily brought him a glass of water as the remainder of the people in the conference room sat in stunned silence. Ceva and King Leonidas had joined them with members of the Royal Guard, as Lily broke the news to Bain, Katrina, Amalia, Thomas, Marcus and the remainder of their warriors. Lily thought informing the rest of the pack would be catastrophic, considering they were under a curse and all that it meant. She didn’t want to cause panic.
Lily wished she could take the stricken look from Katrina’s face but knew nothing she said would help. She’d known Bain and Katrina had grown closer over the time they’d been living here. Even Marcus seemed content for the first time. The three had become inseparable, and now this.
“Net,” Bain repeated the name aloud for the first time. “We were mates until I died and was reborn by Fenrir.”
Lily couldn’t come up with anything else to say, so she went with the truth. “Yes.”
“And I’m paralyzed due to a god named Vengier.” Bain’s voice was eerily cold.
“Yes.” Lily didn’t like the look in his eyes.
“I want to meet her,” Bain said without emotion.
Marcus gathered Katrina into his arms and they left the room without looking back. Lily imagined the three had quite the difficult time ahead of them if what they had between them survived.
“We will be returning to the forest today to have a discussion with Net, at a distance that won’t adversely affect us,” Jensgar explained and Lily couldn’t help but smile as her mate pulled her chair closer.
“We need to find a way to remove the curse to restore the land and set Net free. That is the only way to save the Evergreen pack,” Lily stated before turning to Ceva to continue.
“Fenrir is oddly silent on the matter,” Ceva began. “However, I was able to uncover information on Gamal, or as he prefers, Vengier, and Net. Net is a goddess of the forest. Her brother Vengier is a god of beauty. That was until he killed Fenrir’s mate and was scarred in the ensuing battle. Over millennia Vengier was driven to madness and blamed wolf shifters for his ruin.”
“But he killed Fenrir’s mate. The bastard deserved worse than what he got,” Chris huffed in disgust.
“Yes, he did, but Vengier disappeared after cursing his sister. Rumors have placed him on a parallel plane, but as of yet I have not been able to find him.” Ceva stretched her black wings wide, checked the many weapons strapped to her body and continued. “I will carry on with my search while you have your discussion with Net.” She vanished without further discussion. Ceva wasn’t much on formalities.
“Thomas and Amalia will stay here to oversee the pack in case something happens to us.” Lily said as Jensgar growled fiercely.
“Nothing will happen to you,” he stated with confidence.
“We have to be prepared for every scenario,” Lily assured as she twined her fingers with his. “But I don’t intend for any of us to get hurt.”
“We’ll be taking my Royal Guard and half of your warriors with us,” King Leonidas announced. “The remaining warriors will stay to protect the pack. We don’t know what to expect, but all precautions will be taken.”
Jensgar and Lily stood as a unit. They were a team, this was their pack and they would do whatever it took to save it.
***
The forest was much the same as in her vision. Even though she had been here before, Lily hadn’t had the time to notice the little things she’d seen in the vision. The way the ground slopped gently, how extensive the trails were, or the leaves and branches reaching out to her. She couldn’t help but run her fingers over the colorful petals as Jensgar kept hold of her other hand.
The warriors spread out, while the king, Jensgar, Bain and Lily remained on the trail. There had been no sign of Net and the sun was now low in the sky. They’d have to turn around soon and try another day. Lily decided to give it one more try.
“Come on, Net, we came here to talk. We need to try to figure out a way to break the curse. The least you could do is make an appearance,” Lily yelled into the dense forest, having lost her patience long ago.
There is no way to break it. Only my death can reverse the damage done to the land. I’ve tried to figure out a way to do the job myself, but in this form, it is impossible. Net’s voice bounced off the trees and echoed around them.
“There has to be a way,” Jensgar growled. “We will not allow this pack to die out.”
“Show yourself,” Bain ordered with barely contained anger. “After all this time, show yourself.”
Her shadowy outline appeared many yards away before his last syllable was spoken. Bain began wheeling himself in that direction until Jensgar stood in his way.
“You can’t go any closer to her. She could drain the life out of you.”
Warriors stepped out of the trees, but all gave Net space, not wanting to end up on the ground unconscious.
“I want answers,” Bain growled. “I’ve been coming here for centuries and you never once showed yourself or spoke. All those years of wondering who I was, where I came from, why the only thing I could remember was my name, and you had the answers all along.”
It would have done more damage for you to know.
“More damage…” Bain’s voice broke as he waved his arms over the wheels of his chair.
Lily lost track of the conversation as their strong emotions beat at her like a drum. Jensgar sensed her distress and soon she was back in her mate’s arms.
The hurt, anger and regret felt as if it was being poured into her. Lily knew the love they had once shared. She had felt it. The loss of that tore at her until a tear slipped down her cheek and fell to the ground.
A deep rumble was their only warning as the earth shook and rolled. Cries and shouts were almost deafened by the earth’s roar. Jensgar covered her body with his own, protecting her from the falling branches and debris.
As quickly as it began, all movement and noise ceased, leaving an eerie silence in its place. Slowly Jensgar rose and helped Lily to her feet. Dust was still floating in the air, making it difficult to make out the other people in their group.
“Are you hurt?” Jensgar asked as his hands travelled up and down Lily’s body to check for injuries.
“No, I’m fine. What about you?”
“A few cuts and bruises, but they’ll heal,” Jensgar answered before his eyes shifted to something over Lily’s shoulder. “Shit.”
Lily turned to face whatever was behind her only to gasp in shock. “Net?”
The stunning woman she’d seen in her vision stared back at her with disbelieving eyes. Net was semi-transparent now and Lily could make out a lot of her features even with the remaining shadows.
A growl caught Lily’s attention as a large silver wolf came to stand beside her. She looked over to see Bain’s overturned wheelchair and torn clothing. He must have shifted during the earthquake. Though she knew Bain could shift and have full use of his body, this was the first time Lily had seen it.
What have you done? Net asked as she held her hands out in front of her in shock.
“I haven’t done anything,” Lily shot back.
Jensgar’s arm wrapped around Lily’s waist, making her turn her head up to look at him. Her mate’s eyes were locked onto one of the trees, which was now glowing yellow. Warriors surrounded them as Jensgar began leading her further away from it. The bark began to break apart and turn to ash, raining down into piles around its roots and leaving behind a vile creature.
“Vengier.”
Net still remained a good distance away as to not take anyone’s life force, but the pure hate in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Now, who do we have here?” The scars on both sides of Vengier’s face crinkled in a macabre fashion when he smiled. It gave Lily the creeps and made her skin crawl.
Vengier, you bastard. You’ve been hiding inside that tree all this time.
“Yes, but not hiding. I’ve received centuries of satisfaction as I watched you mourn these dogs, as the land dried up and died around you. I basked in your pain, day after day and no one was the wiser. The great Fenrir couldn’t even track me down.”
“You really are an asshole.” The words were out of Lily’s mouth before she even registered that she was going to speak. Damn.
Jensgar quickly placed Lily behind him and the warriors moved in closer. Even Bain stood in front of them, snarling at Vengier.
“And there’s the girl of the hour,” he mocked. “Come to save the dying pack and set my sister free. I don’t think so.”
With a flick of his finger, Vengier threw each of the warriors, the king and Jensgar to the far side of the clearing. Lily ran to Jensgar’s unmoving body, the replay of events from long ago was not lost on her. Mid-stride, Lily was picked up into the air and squeezed as she hovered several feet above the ground.
Net surged forward and slammed a massive tree limb crashing into Vengier’s body and dropping Lily to the ground. The hard ground stung her back but she knew nothing was broken and surged to her feet ready for the next attack.
“Oh, there’s still some fight in you, sister. Let’s see how much is left.” Vengier raised his hands and a glow enveloped the area. When the light cleared, Lily found herself inside a dome of sorts with Jensgar lying unconscious beside her. Inside the dome with them were Net and Vengier. “So we have no more interruptions.”
Release them. Net ordered as she neared. Lily could feel the pull as she closed in.
Net retreated to the farthest side of the dome but Lily knew it wasn’t going to help in an enclosed space. Warriors clawed and stabbed at the barrier but nothing made it through. Lily kneeled close to Jensgar, having already noted he was breathing. She knew her mate was alive, but he wouldn’t wake up.
“And why would I do that? You worried you’ll suck the life out of your new friends like Beth.” Vengier’s laugh was hideous. “If you want them freed you have to defeat me.”
Net roared as she charged Vengier and the fight was on. Lily dragged Jensgar as close to the edge of the dome as possible. She raised her hand to touch it but was unceremoniously jolted by a bolt of electricity. It was then that she realized the warriors, the king and Bain were all being shocked every time they attacked the dome.
She tried to tell them to stop because they were only hurting themselves, but no one could hear over the sounds of fighting coming from behind her. The siblings traded blows but it quickly became apparent that Net was too weak to carry on much longer. Suddenly, Lily’s ears began ringing as something much louder hit the outside of the dome.
Ceva, her black wings wide, eyes glowing and fangs bared chopped at the barrier with an axe Lily had never seen before. Small cracks began to appear on the surface where the white witch was aiming every shot. A scream drew Lily’s attention back to the fight only to find Net attempting to stand. What she could see of Net underneath the shadow was bloody and torn, but Net stood tall and looked at Lily with such sadness before charging Vengier once again.
Lily looked down at Jensgar and she knew what she had to do. She lowered her head and kissed her mate for what would surely be the last time. “I love you, Jensgar, never forget that.”
“Don’t you dare, young lady,” Ceva bellowed from the other side of the barrier. There were spider webs of cracks all over now, thanks to Ceva’s axe.
“Promise me you’ll pull him out of here,” Lily demanded of Ceva. “Swear it.”
Ceva stopped hammering for the briefest of seconds. “I swear.”
Lily let her shift overtake her as her clothing tore away from her much bigger wolf form. With a final lick to Jensgar’s arm, she turned and dove headfirst into the battle. If she could buy Ceva more time to break through, her mate might have a chance of surviving.
While Vengier was distracted by Net, Lily raked her claws down his back, pleased by the bloody trail she’d left behind. Vengier’s cry of pain spurred her on as her jaws clamped down on the back of his head, taking chunks of flesh and hair with her as she dodged a blow directed at her face. Unfortunately, Lily didn’t see the second one before she was knocked off her feet.
She could taste her own blood and the pull of energy from being too close to Net, but she clawed her way back to her four feet and went for Vengier’s throat. Inches from her target, Net’s body crashed into hers, sending both into the barrier. The electrical shock didn’t even faze her as Lily tried to stand, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t make her muscles respond. Net was too close to her.
“This is where it ends, sister. With you dead alongside the mongrels you love so much, and this time I’ll make sure your favorite pet stays dead.” Vengier spat as he neared the two of them. Net wasn’t moving.
Lily tried to push harder to get to her feet but it was no use. This was where she would die. She only hoped that Jensgar had been rescued. She was about to look over to where she’d left him when a flash of gold blurred her vision and Vengier was suddenly gone.
For a moment she wondered if he’d taken off, which made no sense, until she heard a battle raging somewhere behind her. Lily dug her claws into the ground. If she could move her head a bit she’d be able to see what was happening. It felt like it was taking so much longer than she’d hoped but she did manage to turn enough to watch her worst nightmare come true.
Everything seemed to play out in slow motion. Warriors continued to attack the barrier as Ceva hacked at it with the axe. Jensgar in his wolf form now stood as tall as Vengier, and her mate’s tattoos were glowing red through his thick golden coat of fur. He was breathtaking. She hadn’t seen him in his wolf form since he’d woken as an alpha.
“You think to challenge me, dog,” Vengier bellowed but Lily could sense his apprehension. “Your worthless god won’t be able to save any of you this time.”
Jensgar growled and bared his long, sharp teeth in response before charging Vengier and taking the evil man off his feet. Claws and teeth flashed as flesh was ripped from bone. Vengier’s shouts slowed as Lily concentrated on trying to get to Net. Her pull of energy was waning, meaning Net was weakening.
Lily shifted and felt each and every wound as she fought through the waves of pain to crawl to the goddess’s side. Net’s entire body had returned to a physical form, all traces of the shadow gone. Her eyes no longer glowed bright, the light fading quickly. Lily reached for Net’s hand knowing it could mean her own death but the goddess deserved comfort before she died.
She realized the fighting had ceased and looked over to find Jensgar standing in the midst of what remained of Vengier. Lily couldn’t help but send him all her love through their link but it was cut short when her mind became fuzzy.
Net squeezed Lily’s hand but remained silent, her eyes growing even dimmer. Jensgar came over to her side. Lily could see the damage he’d sustained, but he was alive and that was all that mattered.
“Net,” Lily called as she squeezed her hand. “Thank you for protecting the people and this land for as long as you have. You can rest now. We promise to take good care of it for you.”
Moments later, the light in her eyes faded, and Net’s hand went limp. The pull on Lily’s life force stopped. The goddess Net was dead. Jensgar shifted and took Lily into his bloody, healing arms and there was no other place she wanted to be.
The tears started slowly but quickly turned into a flood. Sadness at the pain Net had suffered simply because she loved the wrong person was a little too close to home for her. Lily wiped the tears from her wet cheek before touching Net’s unmoving hand.
The dome shattered as Ceva and everyone else rushed in, but Lily’s body and soul had been through enough. This time, when blessed darkness took her under, she welcomed it like an old friend.