Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (211 page)

Convulsing its whole body, the serpent flung me away. I fell hard against a tree. My breath caught in my lungs. My terrified hands scratched at the sand, pulling me forward. Finally catching my breath, I staggered to my feet. Springing from its coil, the serpent was out of my reach before I could even react. It was heading straight for Daniel. I ran for him, Claire’s only hope of survival.

Agony filled the air. I was too slow. The mountain lion was on the serpent, raking it with his claws, but it had reached Daniel regardless of the mountain lion’s efforts. The serpent’s razor fangs sliced through Daniel’s calf. Cole pulled Daniel back with all his strength as the serpent did the same. Blood streaming from his calf, the howling pain was undoubtedly the only thing keeping Daniel from passing out.

One more step.

I gripped the cold body, barely feeling the fire at all. My hands that had sheared dozens of sheep lovingly, clamped down, crushing the snake with impossible strength. An inhuman scream from the creature echoed his pain and forced it to release its grip on Daniel’s leg. Cole wrenched Daniel backwards. The bloodied mountain lion jumped in front of them. Using strength I had no explanation for, I hurled the serpent against the sandstone boulder behind me.

A sickening crack resounded as flesh met rock. My chest heaved. Surely that was enough. My quaking knees dropped me to the ground but my eyes never left the creature. Watching in amazement, I saw the slithering mass convulse, changing once again. Orange and black spotted fur sprouted quickly, legs, tail, and teeth followed. Its spine jagged oddly, and its legs were twisted at strange angles, but the animal kept itself together as it raced awkwardly away. Wolf and coyote sprang after it, but were quickly outdistanced by the stunning cheetah.

Daniel screamed again and I quickly called the animals back. The fight was over, for now. I turned to Daniel and saw that Cole was already helping him. Dropping to the ground beside him, I stared at the wound. The serpent’s large fangs had stabbed clear through Daniel's leg. Cole’s hands held his leg above the wound in a rough attempt at a tourniquet as the crimson blood pulsed out, pooling on the ground.

“I need a bandage,” Cole said, his voice shaking so badly I could hardly understand him. “There’s a first aid kit in my pack.”

I hurried to the motorcycle and ripped the pack from its bindings, my hands searching it as I rushed back to Daniel. The small case was buried beneath Cole’s clothing. I worried it wouldn’t be enough to help Daniel. Tossing the first aid kit to Cole, he threw his shirt back at me.

“Put pressure on the wound,” Cole ordered.

I pressed the shirt against Daniel’s leg. Hissing through his teeth, Daniel turned his head away from the blood. Cole’s hands were back, pushing away the blood soaked shirt. Pouring water over the wound, Cole sighed in relief. The blood flow was slowing. Cole wiped the wound with a clean cloth and quickly applied treated squares of gauze.

Carefully wrapping Daniel’s leg with a bandage, Cole looked over at me. “It bled a lot, so if there was any venom it should hopefully be gone now. I don’t know if freaky magic snakes even have venom.” Cole shook his head at how idiotic that should have sounded. “But all we have for the pain is some extra strength aspirin.”

“He’s a tough kid,” I said, hoping Daniel would believe it himself. “He’ll be okay until we get back to Sophia.”

Cole grimaced. Leaning closer, I turned my body to shield Daniel from Cole’s voice. “He’s going to be in a lot of pain when the adrenaline rush wears off. He’s not going to be able to ride very well. Not without tying him to the bike. I think we’re going to have to stop for the night.”

Searching the horizon, my chest tightened at the thought of staying in the grove much longer. “We can’t stay here.”

“No,” Cole said quietly, “of course not. Let’s get him on the bike and ride as far as we can before the pain sets in.”

I nodded and wondered how long Daniel would last. Small spots of red were already starting to soak through the bandages. The pain would come quickly. “Let’s hurry,” I said.

“Daniel,” Cole began, “we have to move. I’m going to help you onto the bike.”

Daniel came up to his elbows, wincing with the small movement. He steeled his face and lifted a hand. Grabbing it, I pulled him to his feet in one swift movement. Daniel stood gingerly with his injured leg barely touching the dirt. His faced paled and he grabbed for my arm. Cole may have been a little too optimistic. I wasn’t sure he would even make it out of the piñon grove.

“I’m going to pick you up, okay?” I said. Daniel nodded. I slipped my arm under his legs and hefted him over to the bike. Cole was right behind us, carrying his backpack in his teeth as he quickly pulled on a spare shirt.

“Wait for me to get on, Uriah,” Cole said. He stuffed his pack through the straps on the back of the bike and settled onto the motorcycle’s wide seat. It was awkward trying to lower Daniel onto the bike, but after a few painful moments, he had his arms wrapped tightly around Cole. The mountain lion approached silently, speaking to me without words. The creature was gone. He and the others would follow us, though. Just in case it came back.

There was no “just in case” about it. It was definitely coming back.

I
had
no way of keeping track of time in such a strange state, but I had been able to fall asleep, somehow. The dreams hadn’t been restful. Dreams of Uriah were constantly interrupted by the face of the stranger. I had been sitting on the bank of the river with Uriah again, our favorite spot, when a stabbing pain dispelled the dream.

I woke, still trapped in my body, watching the most bizarre scene swirl in the blackness around me. Desert animals attacked a man made of writhing shadows. Uriah fought beside them. Cole held the stranger from my dreams. The stranger. I wanted to see Uriah, to know that he was safe, but the images centered on the stranger instead. I saw blood pouring from his leg.

As I stood watching the young man screaming in pain, I felt a strange compulsion come over me. I wanted to help him. No, I needed to help him, to go to him and comfort his pain. Fear washed over me. I was suddenly terrified he would die and leave me alone. I couldn’t control the strange thoughts. I tried to push them away, to force them back to Uriah, but I couldn’t. Panic for Uriah fought with my desire to find the stranger.

Cool hands touched my face and wrists. I could feel their calming nature on my unconscious body, but my mind was still racing. I focused on the hands, trying to escape the images in my mind. The murmur of voices surrounded me. Another set of hands began stroking my forehead. Uriah. Uriah. I repeated his name again and again, praying that he would hear me. I didn’t know why I was seeing this, but all I wanted was to have Uriah by my side again. I wanted to cry, but my body wouldn’t respond. Ephemeral tears that dissipated as soon as they dropped from my skin were the only relief this strange place offered me.
Uriah
, I begged,
please come back to me.

Daniel. The name crept into my mind. I knew in an instant that it belonged to the boy from my dreams. It was his face that haunted me. This boy, Daniel, was badly injured and I yearned to be with him. No! I screamed it, though no one could hear me. I didn’t care about Daniel anymore. I made my choice. I wanted Uriah. Only Uriah. My pulse raced in fear that I would never see him again.

I tried to push the images of the strange dream away entirely, but they had taken over. No matter how hard I tried to move back toward Uriah, something was pulling me closer to Daniel, willing me to ease his pain. Suddenly, I was running. The images faded from my view, but the feelings remained. I ran faster.

The battle between my heart and mind made it hard to think of anything for too long, but I fought to keep bringing Uriah back to me. I remembered every kiss he had given me, the passion behind them that he let out so rarely. As soon as I pulled a memory into my mind, it flitted away. Where had Uriah gone? He might be strong enough to do whatever it was that took him away from me, but I wasn’t. I needed him near me, holding me in his strong arms.

The room quieted around me. The hum of voices I couldn’t quite hear had dissipated. I wondered how long it had been since drinking the tea. The tea. In my earlier panic, I hadn’t even considered the problem of tea. What had been in it and who had put it there? Replaying the scene in my head, once again, I remembered my dad bringing the tea tray into the room. I had barely glanced at him, but now I focused intently on his face.

In my mind, I could see his smile. I found a new emotion to stave off panic. Anger. Uriah had left me because of my dad. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he had done, where he had gotten the tea, but I was sure of one thing. I would never forgive him for this. Uriah was my life. My dad would not keep us apart.

Gaining some small understanding of what was happening, I thought I knew why Uriah had left me. There was a way to fix what my dad had done, and Uriah had left to find it for me. My anger calmed again, as I thought of Uriah. If my life was in his hands, I knew I was safe. He wouldn’t stop until I was whole again.

I called Uriah to my mind, but was shocked to find Daniel’s face forcing him out once again. Panic seized my whole body. Right away, I began humming the lullaby Uriah sang to me when we were alone together. The song made it easier to hold Daniel off, but the urge to turn back was unbearable. My feet pounded through the blackness as I pleaded for Uriah to come back to me. The aching bond followed me wherever I went.

My chest was heaving as tears washed my hot cheeks. I couldn’t escape. Dropping to my knees, I curled my arms around my body in bleak desperation and filled my mind with Uriah. He was the only one who could save me now.

T
he drive
only lasted half an hour before Daniel’s pain became too much for him to handle. When Cole announced that we had to pull off, a curse of irritation slipped through my teeth. He ignored the comment and signaled for a right turn. I did feel sorry for Daniel, but Claire was my biggest concern. I felt guilty that I only cared about his health because without him Claire would die, but I hated the thought of spending another day in the desert, wondering if Claire’s condition had changed.

There was little in the way of shelter out here, just a few sandstone formations, and some piñon trees. Cole rolled to a stop near the largest boulder. He was off the bike in an instant, reaching for Daniel. Cutting my bike’s engine, I hurried over to help him. My unconcern for Daniel vanished when I saw his face twisted in agony.

Pale and limp, Daniel hung in my arms, barely conscious. Cole searched our packs for anything soft and arranged them into a hasty bed. It would still be horribly uncomfortable, but it was all we had to offer. Carefully, I lowered Daniel onto the bed of shirts and sweaters.

“Thanks, guys,” he croaked after downing a few more painkillers. Cole passed out the flattened sandwiches from the gas station. We ate quickly and in silence. Glancing at where the sun had disappeared behind a row of bluffs a while ago, I prayed Daniel would fall asleep.

“Um,” Daniel began.

I groaned. Please fall asleep.

“What exactly happened back there?”

Maybe I could knock him out before Cole could stop me. He needed to sleep anyway, didn’t he?

“Uriah, you want to handle that one?” Cole said.

I definitely did not want to answer his questions. I knew they would inevitably lead to Claire. Cole’s look told me that I had better not try to dodge Daniel this time. “I guess,” I said dejectedly.

Daniel struggled to pull himself up enough to face me. He was eager for answers, but he stiffened just as a familiar presence brushed the edge of my thoughts. The mountain lion padded into our camp from behind me and settled itself next to my folded legs. He didn’t even need to mention that the others were nearby. They knew the creature would be back, just as I did. Our fight wasn’t over yet.

“It’s okay, Daniel,” I said, stroking the cat’s fur. “It won’t hurt you.”

“What is happening?” Daniel asked, his voice higher than usual. “Wild animals. Shape shifting monsters. You guys just show up at camp, and I’m stupid enough to go with you. What was I thinking?”

“Daniel, the animals are only here to help,” I said. The rest was still a mystery to me, but I had to tell him something. “That thing that attacked you, I don’t really know what it is, but the animals will protect us from it.”

“Why was it trying to kill me?”

It had said that it was only fulfilling its purpose, but that gave me no better understanding of what it was or why it was hunting me or Daniel. “I don’t know for sure, but I think it has something to do with why you’re coming with us. I know it doesn’t want you to help Claire.”

“What does that monster have to do with your sister?” Daniel asked Cole. Daniel’s eyes were getting wilder with each half-answered question. Filled with pain, Daniel’s face begged Cole for a real answer. Cole merely shrugged. He was no help at all.

“I think you’re going to have to tell him a little more than that, Uriah,” Cole said after a few seconds of silence.

“Uriah, I think I deserve an explanation,” Daniel said, glancing to his leg, then back to me. The firm set of his face told me he wasn’t going to give up. Sighing, I began what I knew would be a long story, full of holes.

“Claire isn’t sick or hurt. She was poisoned by her father.”

“What? What kind of dad poisons their own kid?” Daniel asked, his accusing stare focusing on Cole. Cole’s jaw clenched tightly. I knew he wanted the same answer.

“My father is a very selfish man,” Cole muttered.

Glancing away from Cole, Daniel asked another question. “Why couldn’t you guys just take her to the hospital?”

“The poison was from the Shaxoa, the witch of our tribe. It put Claire into a coma, where she will die unless she’s given the antidote,” I explained. “The only way to save Claire is for her Twin Soul to give her the antidote.”

“What’s a Twin Soul?”

“Our legends say that a soul is made up of two parts, the male half and the female half,” Cole explained. “Most people never find their Twin Soul in human form, but for the ones who do, an unbreakable bond forms between them, completing the soul.”

“So, it’s like a soul mate,” Daniel said. “I don’t really believe in that kind of stuff.”

I could have hit him right then if Cole’s warning look hadn’t threatened worse against me. All the sympathy I had felt for Daniel was gone. Wild animals had come to defend us against an evil giant snake that nearly bit his leg off and he didn’t believe in “soul mates.” Even if that was dumbing it down considerably, it should have been the easiest thing to swallow at this point.

“Well, you better start believing, Daniel, because things like that shadow creature believe in it, and it will apparently stop at nothing to prevent you from reaching Claire,” I said.

“Shadow Creature?” Cole questioned.

“That’s what the mountain lion calls him,” I said.

“That’s what the mountain lion calls him?” Daniel repeated. His face turned back to Cole. “Am I missing something, or is Uriah claiming he can talk to animals?”

Cole regarded me closely. I hadn’t meant to tell Daniel about the way the animals communicated with me. It just slipped out. I was so distracted with Daniel’s idiocy that I spoke without thinking.

“Uriah,” Cole said patiently. I had told Cole as much already, but I knew he was just as curious for details as Daniel was.

“I can’t really talk to them, like people can,” I explained. “They put images in my mind and show me what they want me to know, and I can do the same back to them.” Daniel stared at me in confusion while he brooded silently. Cole was the first to speak.

“Have you always been able to do this?”

“No,” I said quickly. “Well, I don’t know, actually. I think I have, but I didn’t really know it. The way animals have always been so tame around me, I think that it might have been me making them calm. Last night when the mountain lion walked into our camp, he showed me he would keep watch while we slept. He warned me about the creature and told me other animals would protect us from it. That was the first time anything so blatant has ever happened to me, but it felt really natural, too.”

I offered it up as a possibility to Cole, trying to make it easy to take, but at this point I was positive that this ability had always been there. It had something to do with the creature. Admitting those two things made me wonder about everything else. Was the power I had over other people, and the affect Claire had on me, related to the creature as well? Was all of this wrapped up in whatever it was the adults in my life were lying to me about?

“The wolves that came the first time we met the creature, how did you know to call them?” Cole asked, bringing me back to the conversation.

“I didn’t know if it would actually work,” I said, “but I tried anyway. I sent out images of the creature and begged them for help.”

Cole nodded. I think we were both equally glad it had worked. Daniel was still staring at the mountain lion with wary eyes. “Really, Daniel, it’s not going to hurt you. It saved your life, for crying out loud,” I said.

“It’s just a little weird, okay,” Daniel said. The mountain lion’s ear twitched, making Daniel flinch. The sudden movement brought a hiss from Daniel. His bandages were bloodier than before we left the grove.

Finally Daniel’s gaze lifted from the sleeping mountain lion and turned back to me. “What’s your stake in all this, Uriah? I mean Claire is Cole’s sister, so of course he wants to help her, but what about you? You can barely look at me without wanting to punch me in the face.”

My fists tightened and pressed into my knees. Cole watched me with pity in his eyes. I did not want to discuss this with him, but I couldn’t deny him the answers he deserved. “Claire is my fiancée.”

Daniel’s eyes widened in shock. That was definitely not the answer he had been expecting. “Claire is your fiancée, but you’re not her soul mate, Twin Soul, whatever you call it. You guys are saying that I’m Claire’s Twin Soul? That’s why you told me I could help her, right?” Daniel said. I nodded. “So what exactly does that mean? What about the unbreakable bond?”

That was all I could take. Standing up, I stalked away from Daniel. The mountain lion, disturbed by my sudden movement, stood as well and followed me from the meager camp.

Cole’s quiet voice followed my retreat. “It means, Daniel, that as soon as you save Claire’s life, the Twin Soul bond will form and she’ll forget her love for Uriah completely.”

“Oh,” was Daniel’s only response.

Quickening my step, I walked past the motorcycles and collapsed by a small boulder. The mountain lion nuzzled my arm, pushing his head into my lap. The gentle nudge of his question startled me. Interpreting the images he sent me was getting easier. I hardly had to take the time to interpret the thoughts he sent me, anymore. I could practically hear his thoughts as simple words when he spoke, now.

The picture of me sitting next to the rock with my head hanging was tinged with sadness.

“What’s wrong?” he was asking.

“Daniel,” I replied.

The mountain lion’s answer was a feeling of indifference. He saw no obvious problem with the guy. My pain was hard to explain, even with words. With only thoughts, I didn’t know if I could make him understand. With no one else to turn to for sympathy, I needed to try. I pictured Claire, her milk chocolate eyes and brown, silky hair. Her smile was soft and kind. I pictured us at our wedding. It was the future I was still clinging to, though hope was fading fast.

Memories of her drinking the tea and falling unconscious swept through my mind on a wave of anger. Daniel was the only one who could save her, but he would also take her away from me. The mountain lion tried to deny these thoughts, feeling my deep love for Claire, but I feared he was wrong.

I worked to explain Twin Souls, picturing the soul together, then separated at birth, only to find each other again. I tried to show him that this was what would steal Claire away, and to my surprise the mountain lion understood. He knew of Twin Souls already. Now that he understood, he shared my misery. The great cat curled around me, lending me comfort when it seemed like no one else could.

For a long time, I sat there stroking the animal’s thick fur. Eventually my thoughts and feelings calmed, allowing me to focus on the many other dangers we were facing. I still understood so little of what was happening. Glancing down at the mountain lion, I wondered if he knew more than I did about our situation. Already he had proved more knowledgeable than I expected.

The question formed slowly, but the mountain lion understood. “What is the shadow creature?”

“Matwau.” The answer was laced with fear and anger. Enemy.

I already knew that the creature was an enemy. I repeated the question. “But what is it?”

The cougar huffed and shook his head. I must have misunderstood his answer. “Matwau,” he repeated, “not
an
enemy,
the
enemy.”

I still didn’t understand.

The mountain lion’s thoughts sharpened and his answer became more specific. “The Matwau destroys happiness. Before, I was not sure. Now, I know, because he wants to kill Daniel. The creature is the Matwau.”

The explanation astounded me. I had heard many stories of beings that caused misery and unhappiness for fun or selfish indulgence, but this idea of one enemy meant to destroy life and joy was completely foreign to me. I couldn’t understand why such a creature wouldn’t be mentioned in our tribal legends. Surely people should know this devil existed, for their own protection, if nothing else.

Suddenly, I realized there was a much more important question I needed answered. “What does he want?”

“Twin Souls are the greatest happiness. The Matwau hunts Twin Souls. He keeps them from uniting. Once the bond is formed the Matwau cannot harm them.”

My mother had told me stories of Twin Souls reaching each other despite the odds stacked against them, but never had I heard that there was an evil being doing everything possible to keep them apart, including killing the one searching for their other half. I tried to dig deeper into my memory for answers when Quaile’s words snapped to the front of my mind. I
had
been told of this creature.

Quaile tried to warn me of forces that didn’t want me to save Claire. The Matwau must have been what she was referring to. Frustration made my teeth grind together. Her riddles were driving me mad. Things could have gone much more smoothly if she had given me real information about the dangerous beast rather than a vague warning. I had a few choice words for Quaile when we finally made it home.

“Are the animals bound to protect Twin Souls?” I asked. “At the grove you said you were only there for me.”

“No,” the mountain lion answered. He sent memories of the fight filtering through my mind. He reaffirmed that the animals had been concerned with protecting me, not Daniel. The memories ended and the mountain lion continued his explanation. “We feel no desire to protect your friend, only you.”

“Why? What makes me special?” I asked. Several times now someone had told me that there was something more to me than I realized. I wanted to argue, to explain that I was only a rancher from a small town, nothing more, but I was beginning to believe it myself. The Matwau himself said he wanted me specifically. I didn’t understand why anyone else thought I was important, but it was difficult to argue against so many strange events.

Where did the strength come from when I crushed the Matwau’s shoulder, or when I threw it against the boulder? Why did this evil being seek me out and challenge my every step? Why were the animals drawn to me? Realizing that the mountain lion had never answered my question, I repeated the query. “Why are you helping me?”