Awakening the Beast (2 page)

“It’s done. She should be fine.” Illiana opened her eyes, stood up, and walked back into the other room. Belik took her into his embrace. All she wanted was to feel the comfort of him and her other mate, to know that she was safe. Illiana snuggled into the raven’s arms as he stroked her hair.

“She’s going to be okay. You did the best that you could.”

She shook her head. “I know. She’ll be fine, but that isn’t the problem. Please, I need to get away from here.”

“Okay. We’ll go.”

“Will you come too?” she asked Ohanzee.

“Of course. Anything you need,” Ohanzee answered her with a small smile. However, concern lingered in his eyes.

“I need to get away from her and all this…” Illiana separated from Belik and untied her robe. It fell to the ground as she opened the door. Sunshine streamed in and fell on her skin. It warmed for a moment and then stirred all the elements. With the touch of something so primal, it raged all the elements inside of her as though a maelstrom was coming. Escape was needed. She slipped out of the door and let the air take her. Her inner raven was ready to answer the wind’s call. Her form shrank and feathers itched underneath her skin, darkening her flesh until they burst forth. Once she jumped into the air and let the current have her, she rose higher and higher trying to outrun the overpowering emotions that threatened to devour her.

Soaring higher into the mountains, she noticed another raven flying on her right. To her left was an enormous hawk. Ohanzee flew ahead of her, directing her farther into the mountains. A ring of fog hugged the stone points, but they went into the tree line passing through the fog. There she caught a thermal spiraling her upward until she darted alongside Ohanzee. In the last six months, he had filled the hole in her heart. She never thought she could care for him the way she had cared for Christopher. Ohanzee had gone against all odds and showed her that he really did love her even if at first she had no interest in him. Belik had been gracious enough to allow Ohanzee into their lives.

They glided over the mountains to the outskirts of the tribe’s territory. Illiana settled on a pine branch and watched the sun climb the sky. The wind rustled her feathers. Belik landed next to her and rubbed his head along her wing. As a raven, he was smaller than her. She was always bigger than the rest of the flock. They had never thought she could have the lighter body mass to shift and fly, but she had proven them wrong. Ohanzee alighted on her other side, and they were the same size. He extended his wing and brushed her other side. His comfort and love flowed through the mental and emotional bond they shared.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’d do anything for you. I never thought that you were ever going to be mine. My sister always believed my dreams were a portent of your coming. I never believed it until I saw you on the boat,”
Ohanzee replied.

Hearing his voice eased her worries. She shivered in her feathers. Belik was silent, but his love was there, relieving her uncertainties and quieting the elements within her. They were the keys to keeping her grounded. Knowing they would always be there for her provided comfort like nothing else could.

* * * *

Ohanzee ran his fingers over the latest carving. It was a golden tiger’s eye he had discovered deep under a few layers of rock. He had asked the earth to loosen the stone and the water had pushed it through the layers of soil until it had come to the surface. Then he had carved it into the likeness of the lion that lived inside of him. He had etched the figure with skill and care. It kept him calm when his emotions raged. Today the cat paced within his mind and the hawk pecked at its fleshy confines. Each animal wanted to be released and connected with the element it was linked to. Those pent up emotions were mostly being felt by his mate Illiana. Most times, he did not sense her emotions so heavily, but today she was frazzled.

A smile came to his lips when he thought of the woman in the next room. It seemed a lifetime ago since she had accepted him into her life and it had changed him completely. He had always been a pariah because he could not shift into his other animal, but she helped him reach into the darkness of his mind. Her adoration had healed his heart and it mended a hole in hers too, but when he looked at her he could still see the shadow of the love that she had given up when she came to his village.

With her dreams, portents of what was occurring in her forest so many miles away, he had begun to worry that she would leave him. Then her mother had appeared as if from the spirits and told of a great misfortune that had befallen the flock. Lelana had been asleep for two days even after Illiana had healed her. Ohanzee still did not understand how she could use the elements to heal a person. But in the end it did not matter because he trusted her with his whole heart and if that meant leaving the home he had always known, he would. Or there was the option she would want him to stay behind. He had considered it. If she did, would she find the man she had originally left and fall in love with Christopher once more? That darkness plagued him and swathed his heart. He might have been a second choice at the time, but she loved him.

Over these past six months, Belik had grown on him. He respected the raven shifter because Ohanzee knew how much he loved and supported Illiana. The man had proven to be a wonderful weaver and had gained a reputation within the tribe. Youths requested to be his apprentices and others had asked to learn from him.

“Has she woken up yet?” Ranolo came in through the door.

He glanced up from the stone lion and stared at the leader and shaman of the two-natured tribe. It was difficult to believe he was Illiana’s father because none in the village knew about her at first. Ranolo was almost as tall as Belik. His brown hair was peppered with gray and heavy with it at his temples. He had aged some in the time Illiana had spent at the village. His skin was more golden than tan. He was tall, but robust, muscular, and his brown eyes held a lot of wisdom. Side by side he could see the likeness of her father. She had his nose and the shape of face. Her hair had copper highlights in it that glinted in the light. Illiana explained that the flock were only raven shifters and they all looked alike, long black hair, pale skin, and black eyes. Although her aunt Coret had blue eyes because she was a priestess. She had always revered her aunt more than her mother, so Ohanzee knew the shock of Lelana flying this distance had not worn off.

Ohanzee glanced at the closed bedroom door. “I don’t know. Illiana hasn’t come out of the room.” Ranolo was about to go inside, but Ohanzee grabbed the other man’s arm. “What do you think about Lelana? I mean is she going to be okay? What do you think happened in the forest to make her come here?”

The shaman shook his head. “I don’t know. She was babbling when I found her. Illiana did a wonderful job healing her mother. She can be so much more. I know it, but she has to embrace the beast inside of her. It had to be something awful to make Lelana abandon the flock and come here.”

“What do you mean about accepting the beast? She’s already embraced both of the animals inside of her, wolf and raven. Are you saying that she has another beast inside of her? How is that possible?”

“No. She only has two animals within her, but if she doesn’t rein in all of the elements, they could control her. Think of each one as a living thing and they have a mind of their own and until she loses her fear of them, they will rage inside of her.”

“So the elements are going to possess her? Why didn’t you tell her that in the first place? Why haven’t you warned me and Belik about this?” He grabbed the leader of tribe and shook him.

Ranolo removed Ohanzee’s hand from his arm. “Illiana knew the risk. We’ve discussed it at length. There is a dread in her that she hasn’t mastered yet. That’s why we’ve been spending so much time together. Working with her mother was the first step to accepting her gifts and integrating the elements into her very being. If she doesn’t master it, then it could tear her apart. You’ll be there to help her and so will Belik. Now we have to focus on Lelana and her flock. Then we can go from there.”

He opened the door and Ohanzee peered inside. Illiana sat near the bed perfectly resolute. Her long black hair hung loose and covered her face. Her head was bowed so the strands brushed the tops of her knees. Firelight caught her copper skin and enhanced her beauty. It hardened his cock, but it was not the time for him to think about being with the woman that he cared about. He needed to focus on making sure her mother was okay and that everything was running smoothly around the house.

“Aren’t you going to come in too, Ohanzee?” Illiana asked softly.

The earth rolled beneath his feet and a small pebble hit his foot. The shiver of power that surged through him sparked his ability to talk with the element, but hers was so much stronger. It seemed every time she reached out and touched the elements that she was getting better control of them. He could not see how she was afraid of the elements inside of her. Her accuracy was pinpointed where his was miniscule in comparison. When he thought about the earth, the voice of the curmudgeonly old man who was always stubborn to talk with came to mind. Sometimes the element did not respond to him at all. The first time he had touched Illiana it had amplified his affinities with earth and water. He had helped her crack the earth and be able to communicate with it. But they had moved beyond that and into a realm where she was the teacher and he was the student. If he did have questions, he asked Ranolo because he was more experienced with the different aspects of the elements.

Ohanzee stepped into the room and a small smile turned up his beautiful mate’s full lips. “How is she?” he asked Illiana.

Illiana raised her head and pushed her hair back. Her eyes flashed silver and black for a moment before the silver died away and revealed her beautiful midnight eyes once more. “She’s better, but her dreams are troubled. I’ve watched her sleep. Whatever’s happened is bad. She’s been screaming in her sleep.”

“It’ll be okay. We have to wait for her to wake up,” Ranolo responded.

“No, you don’t. I’m awake.” Illiana’s mother opened her eyes.

Ohanzee’s stomach quivered in anticipation of the news. Whatever Lelana would reveal, it would forever change his life.

Chapter Two

“Mother, you should stay in bed.” Illiana tried to keep her mother down.

Lelana waved her off and wrapped the dress that Illiana had set out for her around herself. The midnight blue gown was too big for her mother and cut in the style of the flock. It was a wraparound dress that tied at the waist. All the flock wore similar dress because it was easier to drop the clothing and shift. Illiana had taken to wearing a mixture of clothing that the two-natured tribe wore and that of the flock. Her shirt was a long tunic that wrapped around her waist, but she wore pants as well that buttoned instead of tied. It helped her to fit in.

“She’s right, Lelana. You should rest. You had a rough ordeal. Your body hasn’t recovered from your arduous journey.” Ranolo stood at the end of the bed.

Lelana glared at her father. “Ran, I don’t need you to tell me what I can and can’t do. You lost that privilege a
very
long time ago.”

Her father sighed and a few lines creased his forehead. His brown eyes were troubled, but she could understand. This was a shock to him as well. Her parents stared at one another until her father finally looked away. Illiana had never seen her father back down from anyone. Not that anyone was afraid of him because he was a fair leader and balanced the spiritual role of shaman and chief, better than her mother had ever balanced leading the flock. Ranolo made time for her when she needed a word of advice. On the other hand, Lelana brushed her off and told Illiana she would realize one day that the goodness of the flock came before her personal life. Illiana understood that her mother kept an iron fist on everything, but to her that did not mean Lelana had to sacrifice her personal happiness. Her mother had made a lot of sacrifices because she thought it was best to raise her as a raven—like not informing her of her other animal nature until it woke up.

Christopher had been the catalyst to awaken her wolf. He had said some awful things to her in the heat of the moment, but he did not mean them. At the time it had hurt her more than anything because he had been her best friend all her life until he had rejected her. She had run and run until she lost all thought and feeling. At some point during the run, Illiana had become the wolf. It was challenging for her to pull up the memories of that long trek from the forest to the sea, which was over a hundred miles from the center of Corvi village. The next morning, she was human once more and knew that something special had happened to her. Nevertheless, those unhappy feelings toward Lelana lingered.

“Illiana, did you hear my question?” Lelana crossed her arms over her chest.

She glanced at her mother and that dark penetrating stare shot right through her. It was that same scrutinizing gaze, studying her to come up with some quip about her doing something else wrong. “No. What did you ask me?”

“Still daydreaming even after I flew all this way. I was hoping that you would’ve grown up by now and—”

“Begging your pardon, ma’am, but you have no right to talk to Illiana that way. She saved your life.” Ohanzee growled.

Illiana looked at her mate and saw the fierce look in his eyes. The same one he had when he was pursuing her. A fleeting look of shock moved across Lelana’s face. Ohanzee joined her and slipped his fingers through hers. It bolstered her spirit. She had found the courage to stand up to the woman before she left, and Illiana had nearly forgotten that. But this was her home. This was her mate. She did not have to be treated like she an unruly child anymore.

“Mother, this is Ohanzee. He’s one of my mates and you
will
respect me and him, along with my father in our house. I understand that there’s been a great tragedy and we need to know what happened, but this is my home. I’ve learned much in the time away from you. More than you can ever know.”