Part 18

A/N: So this is technically the beginning of the new ending I've been working on. All the parts from here on out will be new! Also, there was a big change at the beginning (regarding Ronan's past) that is going to play an important role. So go back and reread parts 1-3. Thanks as always! PS- Just a reminder that my science fiction romance novel, Chasing Shadows, is now up for sale! It's on Amazon and Kindle, but until Sunday you can get it off my publisher's website at a discounted price! Just use this link :http://www.pulsepub.net/chasing-shadows.html

xoxo!

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There were no dreams. No pictures, colors, lights, or anything at all. Just darkness and shadow, shrouding her consciousness like a heavy, black cloak. Each time she struggled to wake, it wrapped around her once again and pulled her back under. It could've been mere minutes, or perhaps even days by the time her eyes fluttered open and the world returned to her piece by piece. Zara's vision swam and she struggled to keep her eyes open, focusing instead on wiggling her toes and fingers. Her fingernails scraped against soft, damp earth and she could smell the scent of pine needles.

"Sleeping beauty, awake at last."

Hearing his voice was like having a bucket of cold ice dumped over her. It's effect was instant, snapping her back to awareness. Her eyes opened and the first thing she was Ronan, slumped against the trunk of a tree in front of her. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, one arm clutching his stomach. Dark dried blood was smeared beneath his chin, the same shade as the stains on his shirt. Her heart clenched, wondering what they had done to him while she was unconscious. His eyes met hers and she almost recoiled from the anger in his eyes, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn't direct at her but toward the man standing between them.

Her eyes flickered toward Ardon while her hand instinctively went toward the sword at her hip— only to find it was no longer there. She cursed beneath her breath, hand falling limply into her lap. Ardon was suddenly crouching in front of her, waggling a slender finger and clucking his tongue.

"You didn't think I would be foolish enough to let you stay armed, now did you?" He asked with a low chuckle.

Her eyes narrowed. "What did you do to me?"

He shook his head. "Nothing permanent. Just a little nocturne position to knock out any remaining resistance you may have had lurking inside you."

Several tall, lanky figures moved behind him, some pacing the forest floor while others leaned impatiently against nearby tree trunks as they awaited instruction in their human form. She recognized the dark haired and white haired men from earlier among them. She squeezed her eyes shut again as the last words Ardon had said to her fluttered back into her mind. Welcome to the family, my niece. It sent a wave of nausea rolling through her. It couldn't be true. It was impossible. How could she be related to that-that monster? Just the idea made her feel dirty, as if she were tainted with something. When her eyes opened again, he was watching her with anticipation.

"You're wondering if I'm telling the truth. Let me assure you, I wouldn't bother with if it weren't true," he said in a low voice, head cocked to one side. "It's unfortunate that the strongest of blood magic requires just that— the blood of a direct descendant. Unfortunate for you at least...You are going to be of great use to me. Your blood anyways."

Zara let her head fall back against the tree trunk, still feeling weak from the effects of the potion. Blood magic had been forbidden even before the essence had been sealed away, considered too dark, too dangerous, for practice. It opened doorways that would be better off shut, turned people into shadows of their former selves, and never ended well. Rarely did anything good ever come from its use, though she supposed that depended on the user and his intentions.

Blood magic was at the tail end of her list of questions, though. "My father..."

"Of course, curious one." Ardon nodded, giving her a sardonic smile. "My brother had the inconvenience of falling in love with a mortal." He spat the word out, as if it were a nasty curse word. "When your mother died during child birth, he left, knowing full well a wolf wouldn't be able to raise a child properly on his own. He's been long dead. He attempted to come back to the pack after his...indiscretion. And well, I'm not a very forgiving man."

His words did nothing but to feed the inferno raging inside her. This man- no, not man but creature- was her last living relative. There was some sort of twisted irony there, that the very monster she had sworn to protect the people outside the forest from, was the one remaining piece of her past. It made her feel ill to even look at him, her eyes automatically searching for pieces of her self in his face, his cold blue eyes, pointed chin, and hollow cheek bones. They shared the same family, the same blood, the same...Zara froze and a small twinge of fear gripped her. Her subconscious whispered a realization in her ear that she was no ready to accept.

"If he, my father, was like you. Then I..." She couldn't finish the thought, wanting to blanch at the mere idea.

"You are partially correct," Ardon answered. "The gene lies dormant inside you, waiting to be triggered. It's why you have such keen eyesight, why your movements are quick and soundless, why I can speak to you in your dreams," he said, watching her reaction carefully. "Tis a gift."

"A curse, you mean," she spat at him.

He lifted his eyebrows. "Perhaps. Not everyone is fit for this lifestyle. You and the rest of the world treat us so coldly, afraid of our power. Afraid that we will once again rise up and take our rightful places at the top. Which we will, in good time."

She was shaking her head before he had even finished. She could feel Ronan's eyes on her, but refused to look at him. Shame made her skin flush, wondering what he would think of her now, knowing what she was. Though why should she care? It was his fault she was even in this mess in the first place.

"Unfortunately, you won't live long enough to see it," Ardon sneered. "You see, it's your blood that's going to make all this happen. You are the key I have been waiting for, and I have been waiting a very long time. "

Zara's pulse jumped and a very real, cold fear washed over her. So he meant to kill her no matter what then. For her blood. She knew enough about blood magic to follow the trail of hints he was leaving her, like tiny poisonous breadcrumbs. "Blood sacrifice." She was unable to stop herself from letting her eyes flicker to Ronan for a moment, to see him wearing an expression of dread that perfectly matched the way she felt.

Blood magic had been outlawed for decades, and for good reason too. It was considered the darkest, most violent kind of magic that existed. Most of its uses were for selfish reasons...immortality, skill, power, control. There was one very important difference between a typical blood magic spell, and a blood sacrifice. One required a mere drop of blood, and the other required death. A blood sacrifice was powerful, but rarely used. Even when it had been considered legal. The repercussions were too great, the sacrifice too large. Yet what did Ardon care about killing off a niece he had never met before now? With her blood, the power he could harness would be deadly. Which was exactly what he wanted. However, there was one glaring flaw in his plan. He would need a witch, something no one could find these days. Not after the witch hunts following the wars.

Ardon's lips curled into a smile. "Very, very good. With your blood, my entire pack will be unstoppable. Invincible. And I can't think of a more noble way to die, than to sacrifice yourself for the most noble of causes."

Zara gritted her teeth. "You mean revenge? Vengeance? Those are nothing but weaknesses." As soon as the words flew from her lips, she knew they had been a mistake.

In a flash of movement, he was back on the ground in front of her, both hands digging painfully into her shoulder and keeping her pinned against the tree. Over Ardon's shoulder, Ronan sat up with a start and Zara glared at him pointedly, silently screaming at him to not get involved.

Ardon's dangerous tone voice attracted her gaze back toward him. "Well then I'd say it's a blessing you won't be around to witness it then. You are the one who is weak. Before this is over, you'll see that."

She fumed beneath his gaze, her back teeth grinding painfully together. She felt helpless, the cogs in her mind working furiously to come up with some other option, some other way to win this. But there was nothing. Ardon's pack prowled behind him, making it clear just how very outnumbered she and Ronan were. Even if she were to get a hit in on Ardon somehow, find a way to get a weapon and take him out, she wouldn't live long enough to appreciate it. Neither would Ronan. She had enough blood on her hands without adding his. Ardon knew that and was using it against her.

There had to be another way. She just needed time. As long as Ardon didn't have a witch yet, then that would be her ally.

"I love watching that conflict in your eyes. So much desire to do good. To save the world. You are blinded by your righteousness." He said in a growl. Abruptly, he let her go and strode toward Ronan, grabbing a fistful of hair. The huntsman flinched, but his jaw was set, determined not to show pain. "It didn't help to save your partner, it won't help him—" He shoved Ronan into the forest floor, "—and it won't help you now. Perhaps this is justice. You left Gray to die, and now...now you will die and your death will be the beginning of ruin."

At the mention of Gray, her anger rose to the surface and she leapt toward him only for his boot to collide with her chest. Her body slammed back into the tree, her lungs gasping for air as the wind was knocked clear out of her.

"Let me make this very clear. I need you alive for now. Resist me, and I will bring you to brink of death and keep you there. Tethered to this world by a thread and begging for the end." Ardon said calmly, as she lay on her side, looking up into his yellow eyes. "That's a promise."

He turned as if to leave her but seemed to suddenly change his mind, turning and aiming a hard kick at her ribs. The pain was blinding as she cried out, curling in on herself. She could hear him laughing as he walked away and she rolled onto her back and stared up at the canopy of trees. Underneath her, the ground seemed to vibrate. She lay still, and felt the magic buzzing in the air. She hadn't noticed before but it seemed more alive than ever.

As if it somehow knew that she was its next victim.

#

Ardon left them alone after that, disappearing off into the forest and leaving under the ever watchful eyes of his pack members. She waited for her breathing to return to normal, for the pain in her ribs to dull to a tolerable throb.

"Zara, are you alright?" Ronan's voice was soft, tentative.

She ignored him at first, closing her eyes and focusing on leveling her breathing. The anger was still there, simmering just beneath the surface. She though again of what Ardon had said, of the gene inside her. Suspended and waiting for its release. The unknownness of it, the inability to control it...that made her fearful. She had come this far without triggering the change, but had no way of knowing what would or if it was inevitable. Though according to Ardon, she wouldn't live long enough to find out either way.

His plan laid heavily on her shoulders, especially knowing that she was playing the key role. If she couldn't find a way to stop it, then there would be no ending the darkness that would spread from the very center of the forest to cover the rest of the world. He needed her alive. The thought hovered in the back of her mind. Although she would be glad to give her life if it meant saving others, in this scenario, her death meant the opposite. There had to be a way out, another path she hadn't seen yet.

"Zara"

Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up with a groan, her side aching. Ronan had propped himself against the tree once more, watching her with a worrying gaze. She couldn't decide how angry she was at him, especially when most her energy was being used to deflect it all toward Ardon. The fact that he had lied to her, that his story had been a fabrication that she so easily believed, made her feel incredibly foolish. And yet the sight of him sitting there, battered and bloodied, made her hurt.

She turned toward the closes member of Ardon's pack, who stood watching over them from barely a few paces away. "Where are my supplies? My bag?" she snapped.

If the man had heard her, he didn't budge. He looked younger than the rest of them, his chest only sparsely covered with blonde hair. His pale skin was smooth, unlike the others who seemed to be riddled in marks and scars. With his tall, slender build, more gangly than muscled, he looked like he was a pup still growing into himself.

He didn't answer here, though, giving no indication that he had even heard her at all. "Could his royal highness, Ardon, at least spare his prisoners a canteen," she added sarcastically and heard Ronan mutter her name in a warning. She didn't regret the words, though, especially when they caught the attention of the young werewolf.

He glared at her with dark eyes.

A moment later, though, he let out a low whistle that garnered the attention of another pack member who stalked over to see what was wrong. The younger wolf gestured at Zara and muttered to his companion in a low voice. They shared a similar sneering expression before the youngest walked off. When he returned a few moments later, it was only to unceremoniously toss canteen into the dirt in front of her. She saved her breath, and instead of thanking him, made a grab for it. She shook it and the amount of water sloshing around inside was laughable.

She turned toward Ronan, crawling closer to him until she sat at his side. He eyed the canteen in her hand and she thrusted it at him. "Drink only a little. The rest I need to clean you up."

"But what about you? Shouldn't you—" he insisted and Zara silenced him by pushing the canteen into his hands. He gave her another questioning look before putting the container to his lips and taking a small sip. He wiped his mouth the with back of his hand before handing it back to her. It cleaned a little of the blood from his chin, but not all of it.

She worked carefully to tear a small strip of red fabric from the end of her cloak, feeling a momentary pang of guilt for destroying the material. Once she had a small strip in her hand, she held it to the open mouth of the canteen and wetted it. She didn't meet Ronan's eyes as she brought it to his face, removing the last of the dried blood. Then, she silently pushed aside the fabric of his shirt and began cleaning the cut across his abdomen. She felt a momentary rush of heat as she remembered the kiss they had shared only hours before. Only hours. So much had changed since then.

The skin was raw and pink, clearly irritated. He would have an impressive scar there if they survived this. He flinched, letting out a hiss of pain as her cloth cleaned the edges of the cauterized wound. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, more slowly. His eyes burned into her skin as she worked, and so many times she saw him from the corner of his eye start to say something only to close his mouth. Her fingers lingered on his skin a moment longer before she sat back, letting her hands fall into her lap.

Ronan reached for her, grabbing one of her hands in his much larger one. She stiffened, but didn't pull away. She found she couldn't. She felt weak as the sudden desire to give in and let him comfort her flared inside her.

"I am truly, truly sorry for what I've done. For misleading you," he finally said, squeezing her hand. "If I had any idea what my lie would lead to, if I'd have know this was going to happen..." he trailed off and there was a pulse before he began again. "It's just, she's my sister. She's all I have left."

Zara swallowed hard and finally allowed herself to meet his eyes. They were a volatile cocktail of emotions, ranging from deep sadness, to anger, to regret. None of them seeming to stand out stronger than the other. One side of her understood why he did what he had done.

They both know she wasn't innocent of wrongdoing in her life, and there was a side of her that understood. Had it been her gran, or Gray, she would have done the same thing. Anything to save the ones you love. She knew he was being true, that he did feel sorry. But that did nothing to change what had already been done. Trust was not something she played with, and he had ruined hers.

She tugged her hand from his. "I understand, but that doesn't change the fact that you played me for a fool. You used me to help you. How am I supposed to believe anything you ever said—ever did— was real?"

"My feelings for you haven't changed. I will find a way to make this right. To get us out of this." His eyes pleaded with her to believe him.

Zara so badly wanted to spit out the words 'well mine have' at him, but they wouldn't come. They wouldn't force themselves out of her mouth because they were lies. She did care about him. Feelings that seemed all but useless now.

"No," she said quietly. "I will find a way."

There was a sudden quiet in the camp and she looked over to see their young guard had gone very still. She noticed the others had done the same and followed their gazes to where a wolf, as black as night, had prowled into their midst. Ardon, returned from wherever he had disappeared to. He seemed to grin a wolfish grin at her before changing once again before her eyes. He stretched in his human form, joints popping and cracking. Then, his eyes turned towards her.

"It's time." He said, and motioned for her and Ronan to both stand.

Grudgingly, she pulled herself to her feet before reaching out for Ronan's hand to help him. Once he was on his feet, she pulled away before he could hold on.

"Where are we going?" Ronan asked, although Zara already knew they weren't going to be given a real answer. Ardon enjoyed his mind games entirely too much for that.

His mouth twisted into a chilling grin, one that seemed to insist he was harboring a secret she didn't want to know. "Patience. Let us build the anticipation first."

Zara tried to keep her expression neutral, to show him he didn't scare her. Yet she knew he saw right through her. The king of wolves grinned at her tauntingly.

It twisted her stomach and filled her with dread, the kind that made a person feel small and helpless. For Ardon's anticipation came at the cost of one important thing. Her life.