Davis, Liz - Under His Spell (Siren Publishing Classic) (7 page)

Once the metamorphosis completed itself, Takoda stood tall and proud in his human form. His hair lay like a blanket across his wide shoulders and his nude form was illuminated in the light of the pure, silvery moon. He started down the hill, heading toward his pickup truck. As Takoda descended the hill, his feet covered the tracks he’d made as a wolf, replacing them with the footprints of a human.

* * * *

Engaged in a fitful night of sleep, Lynn’s dreams were filled with places she’d never seen before. The dream she was currently having took place in the wilderness, and she was walking along a path in the forest, searching for something or someone. She wasn’t sure just what she was looking for, but something inside of herself told her to keep on going. Paths changed and some of them converged, until finally she found herself walking along a road in the forest that was lined with pebbles. It seemed that the further she went, the large the pebbles grew. Eventually the pebbles became rocks and then increased in finally became the size of large stones.

Then suddenly she found herself standing in front of a person who was kneeling on the ground, and although this man’s back was to her, Lynn instantly recognized the person as Takoda.

With his knees planted on the ground, Takoda was leaning forward over something which was lying on the ground. His shoulders shook in silent grief and as she walked closer toward him.

 
“Ehawee….Ehawee, nooo!” Takoda cried out in anguish.

“Takoda?” Placing her palm against his back, Lynn tenderly stroked it. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Turning his head to face her, she could see that tears were flowing from his eyes. “She’s gone. One of those things
killed
her.”

“Who did they kill? Tell me.” Lynn’s voice was filled with urgency.

She waited for him to answer, but he chose instead to remain quiet. Curious as to who he was grieving over, Lynn glanced over his shoulder and saw there was a wolf lying on the ground. Its fur was matted with blood and its head was cocked at an odd angle. Peering closer at the animal, Lynn saw that the wolf’s neck had been slashed and she sadly stared at its lifeless body. Finding herself at a loss for words, she began to wonder just who or what could do such a terrible thing.

Still kneeling beside the animal, Takoda tenderly stroked its blood-streaked fur, speaking softly to it in a language that Lynn didn’t understand. It was clear that he felt great love for this animal, and as she listened to him quietly talk to it, she realized that a gradual change was happening. Takoda had lifted his gaze from the body of the wolf’s, and his eyes stared out into the forest. They darted back and forth, seeming to search for someone who was hidden in the thickness of the trees. Then suddenly and without any warning, Takoda’s voice boomed through the air. Caught off guard by the sound of it, Lynn’s shoulders gave a nervous jolt upward.

“Come out from your hiding place, you cowards. Come out and face me now! I will not leave until you show yourself!” Rising up from the kneeling position, Takoda got onto his feet and angrily clenched his fists.

She didn’t know who he was calling for, but she knew that whomever they were would surely pay the price for the slain wolf. The sound of rustling leaves from somewhere in the forest caused Takoda to direct his attention there, and as he focused upon a point in the trees, he began to walk toward it. She noticed that his nostrils flared with anger and the muscles in his jaw were flexing. As he walked off the path and headed into the thicket of trees, Lynn called out to him.

“Wait, I’m coming with you.” She struggled to catch up with him, but with each step that she took, he seemed to take three. He was moving too quickly for her, and she didn’t have any hope of being able to catch up with him.

Eventually he was so far ahead of her that she gave up trying, and before she knew it, he’d disappeared into a thick, unrelenting fog.

“Takoda!” As she called out to him, the sound of her voice echoed through the forest, reverberating the sadness in her voice.

Then suddenly she woke up, and as she realized she’d been dreaming, her pulse began to slow. Yet despite the fact that she was now awake, she found that she just couldn’t shake the sharp pangs of emotion which lay inside her heart.

As she thought about the dream, she recalled how strong his emotions had been. She’d been able to feel everything that he felt and somehow she knew that Takoda truly was connected to that wolf in some way. She wasn’t sure exactly how, but that animal meant something to him in his real life.

Lynn took a few swallows of water from the glass which sat on her bedside table, and then she lay her head back against the pillow. She pulled her covers up over her, but after a few short minutes she’d kicked them back off again. It was a cold night out, but for some reason she was feeling unbearably hot. She was used to sleeping beneath a heavy quilt, but tonight she couldn’t even stand the feel of a thin sheet across her body. In the back of her mind something was telling her that there was something wrong here, and yet she chose instead to ignore it.

Releasing a heavy sigh, she turned her mind back to the dream she’d had. She was hoping to find out the meaning behind it, and since she’d read enough dream books to last her a lifetime, Lynn figured she could at least work out some of the symbols.

The first thought that popped into her head was that the dream was trying to warn her to keep her heart protected. It was a bit late for a warning like that, she supposed, but it still served as a good reminder. Yet the more she thought about the possible meaning behind the dream, she realized it made a lot of sense. She’d given herself so freely to Takoda within such a short amount of time, and where had that gotten her? She was all alone now, left completely heartbroken and sad. He’d left her behind in the dream, and in real life she’d been left alone as well.

As she thought about the dream, Lynn knew that the decision she’d made to shut Takoda out of her life had been a good one. He’d called a few times since the night they’d spent together, but she knew he was probably only calling to ease his conscious. He’d sounded guilty in every one of the messages that he’d left her, but if he was really worth her time, he would never have left after the passionate evening they’d spent. If he could walk away so easily from such a connection, then that truly meant that he didn’t deserve to be a part of her life.

Grabbing the glass of water from the bedside table, Lynn took a large gulp of water, completely emptying it of its contents. She didn’t know why she was so thirsty, but she desperately felt the need for more liquid. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Lynn stood up from the mattress and headed for the kitchen, but before she could even make it out of the bedroom she began to feel very dizzy.

Realizing she was in no shape to be walking around the house, Lynn got back into bed and closed her eyes, hoping that she wasn’t getting ill. Suddenly feeling cold, Lynn pulled the quilt up over body, nestling beneath its thickness and warmth. She didn’t know what had brought this sickness on, but she obviously had a fever. She wasn’t used to being sick and found herself hoping that it would pass by the morning.

Closing her eyes and willing herself to sleep, Lynn lay quietly for a few minutes before her eyes flew open. There was a strange, frightening sensation that came from the area beneath her right collarbone. As she placed her fingers against she spot, she realized it was the area where the claw mark was located, and strangely enough it seemed to be pulsating.

Freaked out by it feel of it, Lynn removed her hand. Taking a deep inhale, she held it in her chest for a few moments and then slowly let it out. Trying to clear her mind and calm down, she hoped it was just the fever making her feel and imagine things that weren’t really there.

As she lay there staring at the ceiling she found herself feeling very frightened. She also felt an urge to touch the spot again, but she was afraid that doing so would only confirm that the pulse was still there. She gave herself a few more moments, taking a few more deep breaths, and then she placed her finger against the scar. Sure enough, it was still pulsing beneath the skin.

“What the heck is going on?” Her voice came out as a frightened whisper.

All sorts of crazy thoughts began to go through her head as she thought about the meaning behind the mark on her chest. Had something been implanted beneath her skin, and if so, who had done it and why? Or maybe this was all just a figment of her imagination. Perhaps she was going mad and she just didn’t know it yet. Maybe this was the first step toward her becoming full-blown crazy.

No, it can’t be. Crazy people don’t question their sanity, do they?

Releasing a shaky sigh, she began to wonder just what had really happened on that night that Takoda had left her. Had he seen or heard anything strange before he left, and if so, why hadn’t he protected her? She desperately needed to know who or what had marked her, and what did it all mean?

Frustratingly, she didn’t have an answer to any of these questions, so all she could do was just lie there and wonder.

* * * *

It was Friday afternoon, and Takoda was finished for the day. As he drove home in his truck, he thought about the difficult paint job he’d just completed. It was a two-story house he’d been working on, and a complete bitch to paint, due to the fact that the owner kept changing her mind about the colors she preferred. At first she’d wanted it blue, with yellow trim. Then she changed it to peach with blue trim. He’d painted nearly all of the trim on the windows blue before she decided upon a third change. This time, she’d wanted the trim on the windows to be painted in white, and by the time that happened, he’d already reached the end of his rope.

He hadn’t gotten angry, though. All he could do was remain polite and continue to accommodate her. The pay had been very good, but if he had known ahead of time that she would be so indecisive, he never would have accepted the gig in the first place. The lady who owned the house he’d been painting had closely watched as he worked, and he could tell from the feel of her eyes upon him that she wasn’t just concerned about the job he was doing.

Every time he’d turned around, he noticed that her eyes were firmly planted upon him, eyeing him up and down with a gaze which clearly expressed that she was sexually interested in him. She was an attractive woman, he couldn’t deny that even if he tried, but he hadn’t been interested in returning any of her lascivious glances. His mind had been on his work, and besides, he already had a woman in his life. Whether or not she was currently talking to him, well, that was a whole other story, but he still considered Lynn to be his. She might not know it yet, but she was already his mate. It would just take some time to break the news to her, to let her know what exactly had gone down that night. He wasn’t sure just how she’d react, but he was hoping that she would still accept him. She was the one he wanted and he wasn’t going to give up on the idea of them being a couple.

As Takoda turned onto the long road which lead toward his house, he suddenly felt the urge to turn around and drive toward Lynn’s. Turning the wheel sharply to the right, he made a U-turn and headed back in the direction from which he’d just come. She could avoid his calls and refuse to answer the door, but if he showed up before she arrived home from work then she would have no choice but to speak with him. He didn’t want to do it like this because it sort of made him feel like a stalker, but he just didn’t know what else he could do. He needed to speak to her and he wanted to get it over with before he could chicken out again. He couldn’t stand leaving things hanging between them like this.

Once he arrived at her house, Takoda made sure to park his car so that it would be out of sight from the driveway where she would pull up. After getting out of the car, Takoda leaned against his truck and glanced up into the sky. Gray clouds were moving in and the air was moist and heavy, signaling that a storm was on its way.

After some time had passed, he glanced down at his watch to check on the time. Nearly half an hour had passed since he’d first arrived, but he wasn’t getting impatient. He didn’t care if it took two hours for her to come home, he was staying put until she arrived. As thunder rumbled in the distance, the air became filled with the earthy scent of rain. Another fifteen minutes passed and then he saw a car approaching the house. As the tires rolled over the gravel driveway, he made sure to obscure himself, hiding behind the trunk of a large oak tree. He felt like a creeper doing it, but he didn’t want Lynn avoiding him before he had the chance to speak to her.

He heard the sound of her car door slam, followed by her shoes crunching against the gravel of the driveway. Coming out from behind the tree, Takoda began walking toward her.

“Lynn.” Takoda moved quickly toward her so he could reach her before she rushed inside and slammed the door in his face.

Turning her head toward the sound of his voice, she looked at him with eyes full of surprise.

“Takoda, what are you doing here?”

“Lynn, we need to talk. You won’t answer my phone calls and you refused to answer the door when I came over the other night.

“Well that obviously means I don’t want to talk to you, so I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“Come on, Lynn. Just hear me out for two minutes so that I can explain.”

“And why should I? Why do you even care?” she snapped.

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re on my mind every day, and I need you to understand that I never wanted to leave you. It’s just something that couldn’t be helped.”