Seizing Shadows (Fur Fangs and Fairies Book 2) Read online

  Seizing Shadows

  By

  Mariana Thorn

  Published by

  Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, LLC.

  Novi, Michigan 48374

  The right of Mariana Thorn to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it was published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Cover art by Rue Volley

  Edited by Elizabeth A. Lance

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing.

  All rights reserved.

  To Sabina

  Your support means the world to me

  The blades of the helicopter were whirling overhead drowning out the voices coming through my headphones. My foot tapped on the floor in my frustration. My hand strayed to the hilt of the fae sword I carried. It had been a gift and never left my side. I rarely used it, but always carried it.

  "Why did he not wait for us to arrive," I shouted into the microphone to my companion sitting across from me.

  "You know Val. He wouldn't have wanted to wait," Fane yelled back at me.

  Yelling was the only way we could hear each other. I abhorred yelling.

  "It was imprudent," I growled, my fangs were out tonight.

  "We’ll land in a few minutes," he said, trying to calm me.

  I looked out at the darkened landscape below. It would be over by then. I could make out people bellowing into their communication links. There were already bodies. I heard Dante yell that Radek was down. My body tensed. My mind screamed, no. I could not hear Val yet, so he must still be shifted or worse. I hated being unable to do anything. The next few minutes felt like hours. I gripped the edge of the seat as the pilot started to land. My foot was still tapping. I was so tense that when Fane laid a hand on my leg I nearly jumped from my seat. I sent him a glare and he just winked at me.

  Once we were clear of the helicopter, we made our way to the farm. We both still had our communication links in so we could hear what was going on. I heard Val's voice finally. He was agitated. It sounded like some serious injuries.

  Removing my earpiece, I took a deep breath, drawing in what was happening around me. I felt Fane put a hand on my back to guide me as my eyes closed.

  The information filtered through my senses. The scent of blood and death was heavy in the air. My skin tingled with the magic of the shifters and vampires that were present. Then the emotions started hitting me. Fear and rage were warring for the top spot in my senses. They were coming from Val. It was not usual for him to be uncontrolled. Something disturbed me, I was unsure what it could be.

  My feeling was that Fane knew something of which I was unaware. That made me glance his direction. He towered over me by about a foot. He just nodded ahead. There was a group of humans with guns; they had some other humans on their knees in handcuffs. The one that seemed to be in charge approached us, as we got closer.

  "Who are you," he asked.

  "I answer to no human," I growled. My lips tugged into a smile as he fought with himself not to step back.

  "What Kalypso means is, that we are here because we work with Director Valdimir," Fane said. He knew how I felt about humans that got in my way.

  "Um. I guess you can go ahead I don't know where he is at the moment," the man said.

  "Like I would need the assistance of a human to locate anything." I rolled my eyes as I continued on my way.

  "You haven't changed a bit, you know," Fane said, walking next to me.

  "Once I was worshipped as a goddess by the humans," I told him, saying it loud enough for the foolish man to hear.

  "I've heard stories," Fane said.

  I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "Who have you been talking to?"

  "Wouldn't you like to know?" He smirked, as we got closer to the house and barn.

  "We will discuss this later," I told him stepping around the body of a dead werewolf. The poor creature had been ripped to shreds. The scent of her blood was familiar. It was not the reason we were here for, so I paid it no mind. My mission was to hunt down Val and express my outrage at his actions. I followed my senses to behind the house and barn. There were bodies and blood everywhere. The scents were strong, causing me to remember the last time I had consumed blood. It must have been over twenty-four hours past. With the cold weather, it would not be long before I would need some. Lowering my standards to consume dead blood was not an option.

  "Where is your mind at now," Fane asked.

  "Wondering who is going to be my next meal."

  We walked into the clearing and stopped. This was the highest concentration of bodies. Werewolves were on the ground dead or dying everywhere. The fight had been brutal. Two live and relatively uninjured werewolves stared at us from where Radek lay bleeding. I recognized them as Madon and one of his female wolves. Val was leaning over Radek naked except for the blood that covered his body. The only ones missing were Dante and Natalya. I took care not to get gore on my new boots as I made my way to Val. When glancing down, I noticed a body of a werecat.

  "It seems Thane decided to join this party." I could not help but observe.

  Val ignored my question. His anger and concern pulsated off him. It was irritating me.

  Dante entered the clearing carrying an injured and unconscious tiger. I felt Fane stiffen next to me as he saw his half-sister in the vampire's arms.

  "She's fine, just lost some blood," Dante assured Fane.

  "You will not be needing my assistance," I stated. My focus stayed on Radek and Val.

  "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to heal him," Val growled at me. My gaze traveled to his face.

  "Calming down would be in your best interest, old friend. My work cannot be done with you acting in this manner." I was furious he chose not to wait for us.

  He growled at me in answer. That was it, he was out of control and I was enraged. Before anyone else could move to stop me, I had Val by the throat and up against the tree. His brown eyes got wide as he lurched out of his anger. I did not give him anytime, to stop me. His hands came up to rest on my arm as I sank my fangs into his neck below my thumb. Blood rushed into my mouth. I swallowed, and then stopped. It was wrong. His blood it was wrong. I tensed up, realizing he had been keeping a secret from me. My venom had already taken affect he was unconscious. The wound closed and he slid to the ground. I turned and glared at Fane. He had to have been aware of Val’s illness.

  "Nice, Kali," he said, not bothering to look away.

  "We will talk later," I growled.

  He nodded at me, letting me know it was as I suspected. My two most intimate friend’s had some questions to answer. My gaze traveled around the clearing. Madon stood in front of his female wolf. Dante held Natalya in his arms. Fane watched me, waiting for me to act. He, being the only one present that had the ability of inhibiting me from harming anyone. That, of course, was not my intention. Val had been behaving in an unreasonable manner. I had only done what was needed.

  "Fane, gather Radek. You can retrieve Val later. The barn should be a s
uitable place to work. Dante, proceed with Natalya to somewhere safe," I said.

  "Who made you queen of Sheba, again," Fane asked.

  "I was acquainted with a queen of Sheba once. She was willing to take any man to her bed. I do not see what she would have to do with our predicament. Now, do you have a better idea?" I could not help rolling my eyes.

  "No, just don't get used to ordering me around." He picked up Radek and started walking toward the barn.

  It was nearly impossible to keep the gore and blood off my new boots. The dead werewolves just lying there seemed like such a waste. They would have been a suitable refreshment. The amount of blood I had consumed from Val was not enough to satisfy. Healing Radek would require me to feed well, tonight.

  An odor on the air caused me to pause. My hand to drifted to my sword. It was a vampire known to me. He was a contemptible bastard. The powers that be had yet to allow me to dispose of him. It was fortunate for him he had already left the premises. The scent was faint enough, that I knew he was not near. Andrei, the vampire, generally avoided me. He feared me over all other creatures in this realm. With good reason, of course. I was toxic to vampires, one bite and he would meet a permanent demise.

  He was not my issue at the moment, so I put him from my mind. Upon entering the barn, I found an adequate table from which to work. It made me relived that I would not have to work on the ground. That would have put me in a foul mood.

  Fane placed Radek onto the table then stood aside. "I'm going to bring Val in here. He won't be happy when he wakes up and I don't want anyone getting in his way."

  "That would be helpful. Also, I am in need of a volunteer or two from which to feed." I was already focusing on the wounds on the tiger in front of me.

  Crimson blood soaked his orange and black fur. I started to clean away what I could in order to assess the wounds. The worst seemed to be the back of his neck. Blood seeped from the still open wound. From the scent, I could tell who had caused it. Thane had ripped open the back of Radek’s neck exposing the bone. If this had been the other side of the neck, there would be no saving him. Continuing my examination, I found claw marks in several areas, but they were already healing. I was cleaning debris when Fane returned, carrying a still unconscious Val.

  "You know doing things like this is why the rest of the Council hates you," he said.

  I snorted. "No, they despise me because it would be easy to rip out their throats, if I chose to. Also, because I am an enforcer for Alkaios. It makes no difference to me if they like me or not."

  "I still can't believe that he hires you. You aren't even a hellhound."

  "We have known each other for some time," I said. It brought to mind how Alkaios and I had first met. I had assisted him in gaining the title of master in the hellhound community. He had done a favor for me as well. None knew of the pact we had made all those years ago.

  "He never told me that story.” Fane was probing me for answers.

  I smiled at Fane's obvious curiosity. "There may be a day I shall divulge that story, but not today. Now, I need to consume something. Radek will need stitches. He was too injured to heal on his own. I will need supplies."

  "I'm not your servant, you know," he muttered.

  "I do not know why you act this way. If you insist. Fane, would you please locate a donor and supplies. This would be of great assistance." He always took great pleasure in annoying me.

  Over the years, Fane and I had formed a special relationship. It consisted of seeing who could get the other in the most uncomfortable situation. My personal favorite was when he had used me as collateral in a poker game and intentionally lost. I would never inform him that it amused me more than irritated me.

  Fane returned some time later with a satchel slung over his shoulder and dragging a werewolf.

  "Is this the best you could do?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

  "Just be thankful I brought you this. He is one of the ones set for execution. If you kill him it's no big deal." He threw the wolf at my feet. It cowered and whined.

  "Killing it is not required. I am no monster," I snarled at Fane. Vexing me was not in his best interest and he knew that.

  "Whatever. Let's just get Radek fixed up before Val wakes." He placed the satchel next to Radek.

  Without another word, I leaned down and sank my fangs into the frightened werewolf. I took only what I needed then released him. He slumbered where he fell to the ground. Then turned my focus to Radek and Fane.

  "Watch over Val while I do this," I instructed Fane.

  "I forgot how bossy you were," he muttered.

  "Maybe I would be more agreeable if you would cease in keeping important details from me."

  "You know exactly why I didn't say a word so get over it," he growled back.

  "That is no excuse. Do not pretend that Val has that much sway over your actions. Take care or you might be joining him in the corner," I warned. It was a baseless bluff. Tasting his blood was the last thing I would ever do. He was half hellhound. Being the most powerful of all the shapeshifters, their blood had a greater impact on me. The last time I had consumed hellhound blood, I destroyed two towns and killed thousands. That was not something I wished to live with.

  Fane moved to stand near Val, causing my annoyance to dissipate. I rummaged through the satchel until I located what was required for the task at hand.

  "Could you keep Radek from shifting?" I asked Fane. That was one of his many skills.

  "On it, your highness," he said, mockingly.

  I gritted my teeth and ignored him. My focus needed to on my task. Radek had fallen into a deep healing slumber. Humming the song of healing as I sewed his flesh back together would increase his chances of survival. The ability to heal came from my fae mother. Her people were the ruling class of the light fae. Someone like her would have been able to heal with just a song and a touch. My abilities were not that strong, but I would do everything within my power. He should live as long as he did not shift while the stitches were in place. The amount of blood he may have lost was the only concerning thing. There was not much that could be done for that but wait. He had a fair chance to heal and survive. This was not the first time and I doubted it would be the last that I had done this.

  Blood covered my hands. The only thing that was available to clean them were the alcohol wipes. I abhorred them, but I did not wish to have his blood all over me.

  Then it was about time to be waking Val. He had gone under fast and still slumbered. This was cause of great concern. That one taste of his blood had told me the cause. If one of the witless fools had informed me, I would have taken more care. Sorrow and fear welled up in me. These were not emotions I was comfortable experiencing. They were placed deep into my dark heart. It was not prudent to deal with them, at the moment. Later, when I was alone, would be the time to express any emotions that were needed.

  Kneeling in front of Val put me nose to nose with him. I patted his face, knowing that he was going to come out swinging. "You brainless fool of a cat. It is time for you to wake."

  Val’s muscles started to twitch. I prepared myself for him to come at me.

  "You can really be a bitch when you want to," Fane said stepping back.

  "You hush up. He deserves this and worse for keeping secrets like this from me," I said. My attention stayed on Val. It only took a moment to look him over for injuries. His skin bore few marks. Those seemed to be healing well.

  As he began to stir, his right arm lifted, swinging at me. Since he was not completely awake, it took no effort to block it. "You should be more polite to the person that took the time to heal your son."

  He glared at me for a moment. "It's not like you have room to talk."

  I stood up and held my hand down to help him up. "I was within my rights. You did not wait until we arrived. In addition, your attitude needed adjusting. How could I assist Radek with a growling tiger waiting to pounce on me at the slightest provocation?"

  "I'm sure you would have d
one just fine,” Val answered.

  "You always were nicer to him," Fane mumbled.

  "I am vexed by you two. We will have a chat soon and you will tell me everything. Radek will be well as long as he does not shift. It would be prudent to move him somewhere protected."

  "Gregory's will be the best option." Val brushed his hand through his dark, thick hair.

  "I would advise you cloth yourself. The humans are sure to speak to you. While I care not about your unclothed state, they may feel otherwise."

  "I'll go handle the humans and find you some clothes," Fane said, then left the barn.

  "He is only being helpful because he realizes I am vexed by him," I mumbled.

  "Are you two at each other's throats again?" Val sounded tired. That made the emotions well up again, forcing me to push them away.

  "Keeping important secrets of this nature from me displeases me greatly," I growled.

  Our gazes met, mine furious, his resigned. Hiding his illness now was fruitless. His blood had been bitter with it. It infuriated me that he had not informed me.

  "Later," he said.

  "Yes, we will speak of this. How are you feeling?" I accompanied him to the table where Radek lay.

  "I feel okay. Just tired. Is he going to live," he asked running his fingers through Radek's thick fur.

  "There should be no need for alarm. He is a healthy tiger in the prime of his life. Once he is settled at Gregory’s I shall keep watch over him. You will see in a day or so he will be out and about like normal."

  "I couldn't stand losing him," Val said.

  "Which makes me confused as to why you didn’t wait for Fane and me?"

  "Didn't think we would really need you guys. Andre's presence was a surprise. It sent Natalya off. I should have planned for that."

  "Were you aware that he was in the territory," I asked.

  "Yes, he had already tried to get Natalya a few days ago."

  "Was Dante able to break Andrei’s control over her?"