Chapter Nine

Kangee woke with a start. She stared into the darkness, her gaze darting from shadow to corner, from ceiling to floor, from wall to wall. Nothing moved. Her senses were raw and jagged from everything that had happened that day.

Staring up into the bit of night sky revealed, she realized not much time had passed since returning to the longhouse. She turned her head and found her father. He slept in one of the beds with Skye cuddled in his bear-like arms. Kangee rubbed her arms and wished she were once again a small child able to seek comfort in her father’s arms.

Though she was safe in the lodge, surrounded by both her family and Night Warrior’s, chills paced up and down her spine like an agitated wolf guarding the borders of his territory. A loud snort burst the quiet. She jumped, then shook her head. Her father sounded like a hibernating bear.

The normalcy of her family should have reassured her, but it didn’t. She should have felt safe and protected not vulnerable. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on her breathing. Deep breaths in, slow breaths out. In. Out. In. Out.

Would the evil spirit, Ardong, return to invade her dreams and her mind? She had no trouble seeing again the red-eyed creature that had radiated hatred and pure evil. She shuddered and pressed a hand to her stomach.

It seemed unreal, as though she were living and breathing a bad dream, but it was real. She’d sought and found her mother and, in doing so, found an ancient evil being, one that had blazed a trail into her mind.

She shifted onto her stomach and rested her chin on her fisted hands as she tried to take in everything that had happened that day—without remembering the horrors of being surrounded by Evil.

Take her. Take her. Take her.

The words spoken by Ardong hammered and echoed. Panic sent her heart racing. Was she remembering or had the shattered soul breeched her consciousness again. She moaned and dropped her head to the fur she slept on and covered her ears with her hands.

The thought of facing the evil spirit terrified her. Yet, if she wanted to free her mother, she’d have to.

Tears gathered at her eyes. She wanted more than anything to have taken her mother from that place when she had the chance earlier. So what if Ardong went free? If legend was right, the son of Dragon had split and scattered his soul. What harm could one piece of one soul cause?

Remembering the hideous monster, Kangee wished she knew more about the legend. She ran a hand through her hair. Over and over, questions circled her mind. How was she going to save her mother and her unborn twin brothers? She sat up and clasped her knees to her chest. Grandmother had said it was up to her to free her mother. How was she going to bring her mother back to her family without freeing Ardong?

Across from her, Conrad snorted again, which both startled and comforted at the same time. Accepting that she would not get any more sleep that night, she stood. Accustomed to the dark, she had no trouble seeing as she checked on the twins sleeping in one of the top bunks.

One of them shifted, then the other so that they lay in a tangle of arms and legs, much as they must have done when in the womb. Their voices were muffled as they muttered in their sleep. She shook her head. Even in sleep, the girls talked to one another.

She went to the doorway, pulled aside the flap, and stared outside. “Ina,” she whispered. “How do we free you?”

She thought of her aunts and uncles. Each of them was a strong SpiritWalker and her grandmother, the most powerful of them all, so why did it fall to her to save her mother? She had no gifts or special abilities.

Yet, of them all, she was the one who had somehow connected with her mother. It didn’t matter how—visions, dreams, seeking, then finding her. Kangee had sought her and found her.

And Ardong.

Protesting or fighting against the task that had fallen on her shoulders helped no one. She accepted that her grandmother was right. Good or bad, it was up to her. And if she failed?

She gripped the hide door as she faced her biggest fear—not death, not even Ardong. Above all else, she was afraid of failing and disappointing her family, especially the man who’d treated her as his own and her young sisters.

Trying to get away from her thoughts and fears, Kangee slipped out into the pine and cedar scented night. The air, cooled by night, and a misting over the lake helped clear her mind.

Beneath the ghostly canopy of trees surrounding the village, Kangee wasn’t afraid of the night shadows. The rustling of small rodents in the thick undergrowth accompanied her as she wandered to the wide stump where earlier she’d sat and entertained the children with stories. Dark shadowy shapes darted into the brush as she neared.

She was as much a part of the night as these small animals, for she was a child of the earth and moved as one with the night world on silent feet. She swept a hand over the worn and smooth surface of the tree stump. Though the tree itself was long dead, its spirit remained to form a connection to the earth, one she had felt when she sat there earlier, telling stories to the children.

Needing to move, needing time to think and calm her mind, heart, and spirit, Kangee slipped through the trees and brush and embraced the chill wind sweeping over her.

Sensing a presence in the shadows to her left, she stopped, drew in a deep breath as she scented the air. Then she relaxed. Just one of the warriors standing guard in the night. Knowing he would not allow her to leave the safety of the village, Kangee grinned like a mischievous child as she planned her escape.

Anything that cast shadows had a spirit and that spirit could be called upon in time of need, including the shadows themselves, which she pulled around her and formed a cloak to shield her presence.

The poor warrior would be left puzzled when she faded from view. She passed him when he neared. Away from the village, she headed toward the lake.

Reaching the shoreline of the misty lake beneath the light of Moon, she stopped to let the gentle smack of water rolling over land soothe her and draw her closer. A tickle of cold water brushed her bare toes. She shivered. Summer had faded. Soon, the nights would grow darker, colder and longer. She walked along the bank, kicking up droplets of water, making her way to where a huge fallen pine blocked her path.

The giant tree lay partially on land, and partially in the water. Mist drifting across the lake hid the tip of the tree. She followed the thick, tall trunk to its root ball. In the night, the huge hollowed out ball yawned like a gigantic monster ready to swallow anything foolish enough to get too close.

She remembered her amazement when she’d first seen this tree, for the root ball was taller than perhaps four warriors. Beside it, she felt as small as an ant.

She gripped one thick root and climbed until she stood on the humongous trunk, then walked cautiously to the end where the top section of the tree, shrouded in mist, was submerged. The trunk beneath her feet rocked gently with the motion of the lake.

Kangee touched the trunk with the tips of her fingers and drew in the comforting presence of old spirit. A faint breeze brushed over her as she stood and stared up at the full moon and let the energy of the moon wash over her.

Focused on the mist-covered moon, she took several deep, calming breaths, drawing into her the light, the power, the love that was Grandmother Moon. Holding her hands out to the side, palms open to the rays of silvery light, she felt them tingle and grow warm. She let her head fall back and adjusted her feet to keep her balance as the waves in the lake grew stronger and caused the trunk to sway with each wave. Slowly, she raised her arms.

Warmth flowed into her and surrounded her. She turned her palms inward, splayed her fingers wide, and felt the energy forming into a ball that she rolled and maneuvered, swirling the moon’s energy into a tight ball.

Playing with the ball with the abandonment of an innocent child, she suddenly realized she was no longer alone. Using pure instinct, she whirled around and with a push of her hands, sent the ball of energy outward.

****

Waves of warmth flowed over Night Warrior like water from the lake roused from its depths by the wind to sweep over land. The sensation was incredible—a heated breath of love chasing away the pain that hounded him day and night.

His mind, blessedly clear of the fog caused by unrelenting pain, accepted and embraced the unexpected gift. He closed his eyes, amazed how his body vibrated with strength.

He drew in the scent of the night—the trees, misty moistness of the lake, and the woman standing high above him. Deep inside him, something stirred in response. His heart—no, the intense feeling rising inside him came from deep in his soul.

Desperate for answers to the questions, Night Warrior’s mind shifted to become that young warrior who’d once embraced what could not be seen or explained.

He accepted the gift from Kangee and the power she so easily and naturally commanded in a way he’d never even imagined possible. He watched as she walked along the trunk toward him.

Limping more than normal due to doing too much that day, he stepped into the cold lake water. “How did you do that?”

Kangee shrugged.

For once, he didn’t even think about the fact that he could now see in the dark.

“SpiritWalkers are of the Earth. Air and her sisters, Water, Earth and Fire, created us. Air breathed life into us and we became.” She held out her hands. “I am a child of the gods and live as one within our world.

He glanced up at the full moon. The moon was Wo Wakan, belonging to the mysterious. Sun, Moon, Sky, and Stars were all considered taku wakan, things mysterious and therefore sacred to his people.

“You command the moon as well as the wind?” His voice sounded awe-struck.

Another shrug. “I use what is available to me.”

Night Warrior just lifted a brow.

She laughed. “Any who live on earth can touch and feel the energy that is Moon.”

Night Warrior shook his head as he watched Kangee. The log even at this point in the water was at least twice his height, and with a light mist gathering and forming a halo around her, she looked more like a god than a human. “None of my people can do what you just did.”

Kangee lowered herself to sit. “Powerful shamans and healers know how to call upon the power of the moon.”

“Not like this.” He had seen his uncle working in the moonlight many times and he’d never done anything close to what Kangee had managed.

Head to the side, she studied him. “You have it within you to command this power.”

He stepped back toward shore. “No. I cannot.” His stance dared her to argue with him.

She shrugged again, then sighed as her feet dangled over the side of the log, the water lapping against her toes. “Grandmother said tonight that you are one of us. Your people also call you a shaman. You have the knowledge to do as I just did, for our people can hold the power of Moon in our arms.”

Night Warrior eyed the moon. His feet and legs were numb to the cold. There was so much he wanted to know, he didn’t mind a bit of discomfort.

“You have much to learn, Warrior.”

The sound of her voice swept over him, enveloped him in her youthful innocence and sweetness, and tugged at something deep inside him. Sadness slid into his heart. He had nothing to offer this woman or any other woman. He squared his shoulders and held his head proudly. Step back, return to the village. He didn’t need more pain, especially that of the heart.

But his thirst for knowledge compelled him to stay. “Show me,” he challenged.

She held his gaze. “Will you accept that you can do this and what it means?”

Frowning, he considered his answer. “There is much I can now do that I could not do before our healer gave me back life.” He still refused to believe he was one of them. Just as it was easier to tell himself he was not a shaman rather than face and admit that when he’d accepted life, he’d taken the path to becoming the shaman his uncle had once declared him to be.

Tonight, he would not deal with his being a SpiritWalker or a shaman. Tomorrow and all it brought would come much too soon. Right now, he wanted to hold and command the power of the moon with this woman.

Kangee stood and faced the nearly full, glowing moon. He did the same. When she held her hands out to her side, he followed suit. “Close your eyes. Concentrate. Feel the light of Grandmother Moon touching your palms.”

Night Warrior did as she commanded. He studied the bright light of Hanwi, focused on what looked to be an aged face, and concentrated on the light, on the faint ring around the moon, fingers of light that fanned outward and downward. Toward him.

“Let me feel your warmth and your power,” he said in a low whisper. Unexpectedly, his palms tingled and grew warm.

“Hold the moon. See her resting on your palms, feel her weight, her life, her power.” Kangee raised her arms.

Concentrating, imagining the moon in his arms, he followed her instructions and mirrored her movements. And felt as though he held something big, heavy, and warm between his hands.

An exuberant sense of accomplishment went through him as he raised his arms. A sudden sharp shooting pain shot up into his injured arm, forcing him to bring his arm back to his side. He swallowed the grunt of pain and stared at his palms with wonder.

“I held Grandmother Moon.” His people had their myths and lore, but tonight, he’d gotten his first glimpse into another world. He shook his head, and his lips twisted. “Thank you for this. I fear it will be a while before I can hold the moon on my own.” If ever.

“I will help.”

He shook his head. “Even you, sweet one, cannot fix what is wrong with my body.”

Kangee nodded. “Only time can do that. But I can give you the gift of moon. Do you accept?” She waited, her gaze solemnly holding his.

Pride warred inside him. The warrior in him demanded it should be him doing the comforting and offering his help to the woman with haunted eyes and frightening dreams. But once again, his thirst for knowledge won out. He nodded.

She held out her hands. He moved closer and offered up his uninjured arm. She held on with her hands and slid off the log. He stared down at the woman who was but a breath away. “The water is cold. Let us move.”

“No. We are grounded by Earth, surrounded by Water as we once were in the womb. The connection to Earth and Water will make this easier. And more powerful.”

With Kangee so close that her warmth chased the chill from his body, Night Warrior found it difficult to think, to move, and even to breathe. Her scent beckoned him, urged him to bring her closer, to hold her so tight that he wouldn’t know where he ended and she began.

He stared into her eyes, the swirls of color that reflected silver beneath the moon, and he forgot all else. There was just her. And him. The very air around them stilled, as if life itself held its breath.

Reaching up with his uninjured hand, he cupped the side of her face, amazed at how soft and delicate she felt beneath his large, rough hand. For a moment, she leaned into his hand, their gazes locked.

Once more, something stirred deep inside him, then as though held prisoner, it burst free and filled him with an incredible sense of love being utterly complete.

“How is it that I know you, have always known you?” Warmth from where they touched sent shivers racing throughout his body. He wanted to pull her close, feel her against all of him.

Kangee rested her palm against his face. The air between them crackled with energy. A faint cast of silvery light brightened the surrounding night.

A halo of light that surrounded Kangee and grew to encompass him. It reminded of the strange dream-like world he’d walked in after he died—the fuzzy cocoon of light, the bluish bubble, and the ball of light that had commanded him to life. The light surrounded them, blocking the darkness.

“The circle is complete,” she said, awe in her voice.

He stumbled back, slipping on the slick bottom of the lake, but regained his balance. He ignored the chill of air on the side of his face where her warm palm had rested. “What are you doing?”

She took a hesitant step forward and held out her hands. “It is not what I am doing, but what we together have done.”

She gave him a sad look of regret. “You are not ready to hear more.” Another step brought her closer. “You wanted to touch the moon.”

He would rather touch and hold her. And more. He also wanted to flee from what was happening to him—to them—but he was no coward. Except that he agreed he wasn’t ready for any more shocks. Silently, he nodded.

Kangee turned, her back to his chest. The brush of her long hair against his belly sent shooting darts of awareness through him.

“Hold your arms out to the side, like mine.” her soft voice lured him into holding out his arms behind hers. He leaned forward, drew in her scent and the warmth of her body so close to his.

Smoothly, she moved her hands so that her palms rested on the back of his hands, their arms twinned. She leaned back, rested her head against his chest. Instead of causing pain to his wounds, warmth that had nothing to do with Moon’s guiding life force slid through him. “Concentrate on the warmth and light falling over us.”

His chin brushed the top of her head. It took no effort on his part to feel her warmth. His gut clenched, and blood pooled between his legs.

“Let the light from Moon enter through your palms. Hold her between your palms.”

Breathing slow and deep, Night Warrior concentrated on the moon, rather than the woman resting against him in the moonlight. “I see her beauty, her light, her life.” Along with the beauty of the woman in his arms.

“Now touch her, let her touch you.” She lifted his arms out to their sides and held them there.

Heat swirled inside him. How could he feel the moon when every sense was tuned to Kangee? He focused on her voice, the words she spoke in a language he’d never heard before. Over and over, she chanted.

In his mind, he repeated her words. When she lifted their arms, he held his breath, determined not to allow the pain in his arm to stop him this time, but he only felt heat swirling across his palms and up his arms. Focusing all his attention on the moon above their heads, he gave himself over to the woman and moon. There was no pain. Just awe as Kangee continued to lift their arms up higher.

Her palms grew hot against his skin. “Feel the ball of energy flowing between your palms.”

Amazed, Night Warrior kept his gaze on the moon and imagined that he held that sacred globe between his hands. Heat and energy tingled and pricked his skin. Together, they brought their hands over their heads, her hands sliding down from the back of his hand to his elbows.

The energy pulsed against his hands, and when he rolled his hands side to side or up and down, it seemed as though he really was playing with a ball of light. “I feel her.”

“Now, release the power we hold.”

Night Warrior recalled how she’d sent that ball of warmth at him, as though tossing it like a child tossed a hoop. Drawing in a deep breath, he first gave a silent prayer of thanks to Hanwi, then quickly pulled their joined arms to the side and down. Pure energy flowed over them as the water from his dreamscape had cascaded down over them.

With their hands still locked together, Night Warrior held onto Kangee. She leaned back, and her scent, her warmth surrounded him and made him yearn for more. He closed his eyes with a long sigh. Everything he wanted was here, in her. All he wanted at that moment in life was to hold her tight and keep her close to his heart.

He wanted this woman. More than anything. Including regaining his status as a warrior.

The realization shocked him. With eyes open and wide, he tried to pull his hands free and step away, but Kangee turned around, keeping his hands in hers.

Staring into her moon-shadowed eyes, emotion flowed through him and around them. The colors, normally sharp, clear and distinct were now swirls of silvery, glittering mist with the hint of a rainbow lurking deep in her gaze. He felt as though he were falling deep inside her. Had his life depended on it, he could not have broken eye contact with her. All that mattered right now was Kangee and the aching need inside him.

“I cannot resist,” he murmured, lowering his head slowly, giving her a chance to refuse, and hoping she would not.

Faster, with more force than the rushing streams in spring, his insides churned and boiled, and his heart swelled and pounded so hard he could barely breathe. He slid one hand up her back, beneath the dark curtain of her soft-as-silk hair, to cup the back of her neck.

Her arms lifted, her hands sliding over his chest, leaving a trail of liquid fire in their wake. Her fingers inched up his neck, her thumbs stroking up the center of his throat. He swallowed. Hard.

“What can you not resist?” she asked, her husky voice low, a mere whisper of sound.

Night Warrior slid one hand beneath her chin and tilted her head back. “This,” he said, bringing his lips closer to hers.

Kangee’s breath hitched in her throat. At the first touch of his lips against hers, hers parted on a deep sigh. One of his hands moved to her jaw.

She leaned into him, her arms tightening around his neck, bringing him closer. For just a moment in time, his mouth hovered over hers with a touch lighter than air. Then his lips moved over hers in a kiss that was demanding yet gentle.

His lips played over hers, teased her. One-minute hard and firm, the next, soft and light. Her fingers slid into his hair and gripped the back of his head. Needing more than this sweet teasing, she pulled him closer. This time, she demanded. She kissed him hard, needing to be closer. The taste of him excited and thrilled her.

“More,” she whispered.

He needed no coaxing. He pulled her tighter to him and moved his mouth over hers, taking what she offered and gave back that and more. The kiss deepened, grew hotter, and tasted sweeter. Kangee moaned, and when his tongue snaked out to lick at her lips, her knees weakened as desire struck deep at her core.

Holding her tight to him, Night Warrior entered her welcoming mouth and ignited the passion born beneath the light of the moon. He couldn’t get enough, and he wanted more. His tongue swept over hers, danced with hers. He was drowning in the incredible sweetness of her mouth. Each soft little gasp or moan drove him harder, faster, and deeper. He needed this woman, had to have her but should stop, put distance between them.

As though she sensed his withdrawal, her tongue darted into his mouth. He groaned, opened himself to her, and encouraged her tentative exploration until he could refrain no longer.

Biting gently, he captured her tongue with his teeth and suckled. Kangee cried out—not in pain but in pleasure—then he gave her the same freedom to mimic his actions.

The pull from tongue to groin sent shudders throughout his body. When her hips moved against him, stirring him to hardness, igniting a passion that was close to consuming him, he froze. The knowledge that he wanted nothing more than to claim this woman as his own at whatever cost to either of them made him lift his head.

He rested his forehead against hers. His blood sang in his veins, urging him to taste more of this woman who’d so quickly found a way past the walls he’d built to keep him separated from others.

Her hands slid from his neck, but instead of dropping her arms, her finger traced his mouth, lightly playing over his face, as if committing him to memory. Something deep inside opened, like a flower blooming. As though her soul had its own voice, it burst into full song. Everything around her grew brighter, and in her eyes, colors turned to sparks and a wavy aura that seemed to encompass him in the bright colors as well.

“You are the one.” Her voice was breathless and wonder softened her features.

The look in her eyes, the love shining there shattered the cloud of passion holding him hostage. He pulled his hands free and stepped away, crossing his arms across his chest. He’d come too close to taking this woman and making her his.

He had to break the spell passion had spun around them. “You should not be out here alone.”

He watched the show of color fade from her eyes.

Kangee narrowed her eyes and frowned at his abrupt change of mood. “I am not alone. I am with you.” As we are meant to be with each other. What she’d suspected was true. He was her SpiritMate. Night Warrior, her warrior of the night and her dream warrior. Hers.

But she kept that to herself. She and her dream warrior were bonded, mated. The connection that had been between them from the beginning now made sense. Their souls and their hearts had known the truth. She accepted this, but her mate needed more time.

She tipped her head to one side as she regarded the stony set of his mouth. He could deny what he felt, ignore the sparks of emotion flying from her to him then back, but nothing changed the truth.

“You may return,” she murmured. “I chose to remain here beneath Grandmother Moon.”

“I cannot leave a woman out here, alone and unprotected. You will return to where you are safe.”

“I am fine here.”

His lips tightened, and she knew he thought of himself as unable to protect her due to his injuries. She wanted to comfort her SpiritMate, but any show of sympathy or recognition of his limitations would not be welcome. Instead, she lifted her eyes to the moon. The ray of light in her soul swelled, grew brighter, and burst into a vast and colorful array of pure joy that longed to break free and dance in celebration.

Hadn’t her mother always said she’d know when she found her SpiritMate? But Kangee hadn’t understood the depths of feelings that the discovery would bring to her. Was this love? She was sure she loved this damaged warrior who chose to close himself off from those around him.

There is no greater joy in life than finding your SpiritMate—except falling in love with him. For there is nothing so great than the love that will fill you and consume you when you truly discover you love that person with all that you are.

The words her mother had spoken to her on the day she became a woman filled her mind and warmed her heart. She took a small step toward Night Warrior, part of her yearning to throw her arms around him and pull him close, eager to share her discovery.

She searched his face, and she calmed her excited heart and mind for Night Warrior wore no expression. She moved close, keeping her eyes locked with his. Each step forward she took, he stepped back. The hot desire she’d seen in his eyes was gone.

How could he not feel the pull between them, the tie that bound her soul to his? Her mind reached out to his, but he’d closed himself off to her. She could breech it without too much effort, for they were connected, but respect and free will kept her from doing so.

She breathed in a calm, deep breath. “You are my SpiritMate.”

Their souls had recognized one another from the first day she’d set eyes on this handsome yet damaged warrior, but with all the worry over her mother, she hadn’t noticed the tiny flutters of awareness seeping into her soul.

“No. I am—” Night Warrior closed his eyes as though in pain. “No.”

Though he couldn’t see it, Kangee sent him a smile of pure love. They were bound. He, an injured warrior, and she, a SpiritWalker with no great talents and little hope of freeing her mother. They each lacked something in body, mind, and spirit, but out of the sorrow and pain in each of their lives, they’d found one another. He belonged to her and her to him.

This was the absolute truth, yet no matter how much she wanted to embrace this wonderful feeling and share it with her future mate, she held back.

Free will.

It was that simple. As his SpiritMate, Kangee respected Night Warrior’s need to keep his mind hidden. She sensed in her heart and mind that he knew the truth, had from the beginning when he’d first become aware of her presence within his lodge. He’d known whatever it was that drew them together was special. She chose to acknowledge it. He did not.

She sighed and turned to stare up at the moon. A slight breeze cooled her heated flesh. Shoving her hands beneath her heavy curtain of hair, she lifted the strands off her neck and let the air cool her.

Night Warrior remained still and silent. He would not leave her out here alone, yet the last thing she wanted was to return to the lodge. She’d get no more sleep this night. Turning back to the warrior, seeing deep lines of pain etched around his mouth and eyes, she sighed and closed the distance between them. “We belong together. We are connected and have been since we first met. Deny it if you choose, but it does not change the fact that I speak the truth.”

He drew himself up, a movement Kangee knew had to hurt. “I am drawn to you sweet one, but I cannot belong to you or to any other. I will do what I can to help you find your mother. But do not expect more.”

He turned and waded out of the water. At the bank, he waited.

Kangee’s feet were like ice as she left the water. “I choose to walk.” She stalked past him but froze when he stopped her with a hand to her shoulder.

“You will return with me.” His voice was hard.

Kangee turned her head and smiled without humor. “I can take care of myself. Release me.”

“No.” His hand slid down to her arm and pulled.

With a quick strong twisting motion, she freed herself, and when the warrior moved toward her, she narrowed her eyes and drew upon her indignation and the innate confidence in her ability to take care of herself. Lifting her right hand, she shoved her palm outward toward him.

The powerful gust of wind caused Night Warrior to stumble back. He lost his footing and fell, landing in the shallows of the lake.

Kangee stood over him. “I can take care of myself. Do not forget this.” Then she walked away.

Before she’d reached the shadows of the forest, she’d faded from view. Night Warrior tried to find her but she was gone. He couldn’t even hear her.

Part of him was furious that she’d used her powers against him, but he also saw the humor in her actions. She had spoken the truth when she said she could take care of herself. Respect, along with something he was afraid to name, grew as he sat there, feeling overwhelmed and out of his element.