Chapter 30: Chapter 30

A/N-For those of you who have finished the story, it originally ended on Chapter 30, but with the shortened chapters, it has extended further. The story will remain the same, but some chapters are split into two parts. Thank you for reading!!! Luv you all!! AM

After we finished our meal, we headed out to the stables.  I knew immediately that Shadow Caster could sense me.  She moved to the front of her stall and watched me intently.  "Hey girl."  I ran my hand down her muzzle.  "Feel like riding?"  She moved around excitedly, gently stomping her hooves.

"Would you like me to saddle her for you?"  A voice came from behind me. I turned around to see a handsome blond young man standing next to the tack room, his hat in his hands.  "I don't believe we have met.  I'm Alex.  Savannah told me you guys might be ridin' while you're visitin'."  His voice was soft, and held a hint of Texas drawl.

Dustin and I exchanged a glance.  "I'm Katie and this is Dustin."  Dustin held out his hand, and Alex stepped forward to shake it.  The minute their hands touched, Alex became ringed in a brownish glow.

"Do you work for Savannah?"  I asked, trying to ignore the pulsating light emanating from his form.

"Yes ma'am."  He fiddled with the brim of his hat.  "Miss Savannah has been kind enough to give me a job carin' for her beautiful horses.  I mostly work on this ranch, but occasionally I accompany her to her other properties, to care for those animals as well."

The glow began to recede, as Alex looked from me to Dustin.  "Can I help you guys get ready for your ride?"

"Sure.  I'd like to take Shadow Caster.  If you can get me her tack, I know how to put it on."

He bowed his head slightly.  "Yes ma'am.  Sir, do you have a horse in mind?"

Dustin walked slowly down the row of stalls.  "I'd like to ride the Arabian at the end."  He pointed to a dark brown horse, who was looking directly at him.

"Good choice, sir.  Amaretto is one of my favorites.  I'll be back in a moment with the tack."

I grabbed Dustin's hand as soon as Alex headed to the tack room.  I linked my eyes to his and sent him a mental message.  "Alex is a werewolf."

He narrowed his eyes at me.  "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure.  He has a brown Aura and Brian told me that brown is the werewolf energy color.  I have never met a werewolf before."

His posture stiffened.  "Savannah must have him cloaked, otherwise I would have known right away."

I broke eye contact when Alex came around the corner carrying two saddles and two bridles.  "These here are Shadow Caster's."  He set her equipment down in front of her stall, and hauled the second set to Amaretto's stall.  "I'll be around doin' barn chores for a while.  Let me know if you need anything.  It's always nice to meet friends of Miss Savannah."  He tipped his hat.

"Thank you."  I watched him leave, a million questions running through my mind.  How was I able to see Alex's aura and Dustin couldn't? Why would Savannah need to cloak him? Even though the Aura's themselves didn't bother me anymore, it was still unnerving to realize that someone who looked like a regular human, was hiding a secret identity.  I knew very little about the other Supernaturals outside of vampires and Magic Casters, and it made me more curious to know how the other groups functioned.

I slowly approached Shadow Caster's stall, bridle in hand.  She watched me, a little wary, but I could see her curiosity winning over, and she stuck her head over the door and whinnied.  I grinned at her, as I leaned forward and placed my hand on her cheek.  She nuzzled into me for a moment, then tossed her head towards the bridle.  I opened her stall door and stepped inside.  She knew exactly what to do, and it only took me a few minutes to get her ready for the ride.  I could sense the excitement coursing through her as I led her out of the stall.

Dustin was already waiting for me outside of Amaretto's stall.  "Will he be okay with you?"  I gestured towards the beautiful, dark brown gelding.

Dustin smiled and nodded.  "We had a conversation, and we're good."

I pulled myself up on Shadow Caster's back and took the reins.  "Where should we go?"

"Savannah said there's a stream a few miles east of here, and I figured we could check it out."

"I'll follow you."  I watched as he turned Amaretto towards the stable doors and urged him into a trot.  Shadow Caster didn't need any encouragement, and she took off after Dustin, her hooves pounding the ground like rain on a tin roof.

The sun was shining as we led our mounts east, towards the stream.  It felt amazing to be riding again, and I was overcome by happy memories of my childhood.  I never felt freer than when I was flying in the wind on the back of a beautiful horse.  I cleared my mind and tried to focus on the task at hand, steering Shadow Caster around bends and under tree branches.

It took merely a half an hour to reach the stream, which was surrounded by low hanging willows.  We dismounted and tethered the horses to a tree before laying lazily along the bank, dipping our toes in the warm water.

"Katie, I know we didn't get the vacation we wanted, but while we're here, we can still enjoy ourselves."  Dustin leaned in for a kiss.  "I got you something."

"Oh, Dustin, please tell me you didn't have Savannah enchant anymore jewelry for me."  I teased him.

"No, this jewelry isn't enchanted."  He pulled a box from his pocket.  "It's just a small symbol of the love I feel for you, and the gratitude that I don't always know how to express."

I took the box and opened it.  Inside was a ring with a large solitary diamond.  "Dustin."  I breathed.  "It's beautiful."

"I know we haven't been together for very long, but I can't imagine my life without you.  I've searched the world for my one true love, the person who would complete me in that perfect way, and there was never anyone until you.  I love you, and after all this craziness is over, I want you to be my wife."  He slipped the ring on my ring finger, and brought my hand to his lips.  "I've never felt this way before, and I want you with me forever."

I held my hand up and marveled at the beautiful sparkling stone.  "Dustin, I really love it."  My heart was pounding.  I knew I loved him, but sometimes I worried that our Link was enhancing what we already felt.  Were we really this head over heels for each other, or was the Link pushing us together?  "I love you so much, but do you ever think that maybe the Link has influenced our feelings?"

He glanced up at me, a hurt look in his eyes.  "You think I only love you because we are Linked?"

"That's not what I mean, exactly."  I began.

"Then what do you mean?"

I sighed.  "Before the Link, I had never felt emotions this intense.  But with you, it's truly like life or death.  I don't want to make the mistake of rushing into something this important if there's a chance that the Link is influencing our feelings."  I struggled to make him understand.  "Sometimes our intensity scares me."

He looked down, an embarrassed blush staining his cheeks.  "Do you love me?"  He whispered.

I felt his confusion in my own heart.  "Yes, but..."

"But?"  His voice was still low.

"I've never loved anyone before."  I replied, slowly.  "At least not like this, so I have no idea what it feels like.  But I know that my feelings are a million times stronger now that I can feel you woven through every fiber of my being.  I just want to make sure that we are taking this step for the right reasons."

He stood up and dusted off his jeans.  "I know what I feel for you, Katie.  There's never been anyone else, in all the years, that has made me feel the way you do.  Yes, we are Linked, and yes, that makes our feelings even stronger, but it doesn't make me question what I feel for YOU."  He untied Amaretto and swung himself into the saddle, giving me one last look.  "Maybe you need to do some soul searching and figure out what you truly feel about ME."  He dug his heels into the Arabian's flank and rode off, leaving me staring after him.

I sighed and turned back to the gently flowing stream.  So much had happened in such a short amount of time and I was overwhelmed.  I thought back to before my accident, when Dustin and I first started seeing each other.  It was intense from the beginning, with both of us jumping head first into each other.  Was I reading too much into it?  Was it possible that we were just simply in love, regardless of the Link?  I knew that the Link was forever, so did it really matter what brought us to this point, since we now had a lifetime to love each other?

I jumped up and untied Shadow Caster.  She looked at me with her big, haunting eyes.  "Yah, I know."  I leaned my head against hers, feeling her concern ebb slowly into my mind.  "I'm an idiot."  I pulled myself into the saddle, and turned her away from the stream.  She took off at a gallop, sensing my need to get to Dustin as fast as I could.

By the time I reached the stables, Amaretto was back in his stall, and Dustin was nowhere to be found.  I quickly worked on removing Shadow Caster's tack, feeling a painful emptiness growing in my heart.

"How was your ride, ma'am?"  I heard Alex's voice behind me.

"It was fine.  Did you see my boyfriend when he brought Amaretto back?"  I led Shadow Caster into her stall and removed her bridle.

"He was here briefly, but I'm not sure where he went.  He had me take care of the tack, and said he had somewhere to go."

I felt my heart skip a beat.  "Thank you."  I hurried towards the house.

When I reached the drive way, Dustin's car was gone.  "No."  I whispered.  I rushed in the house and up to our room, hoping he had just taken a drive to clear his mind.  But his stuff was gone.

It felt like my heart was breaking in half.  I sank to the floor, feeling the tears start pouring down my face.  What had I done?  My stupid insecurities had caused the man I loved to leave me when I needed him the most.  I grabbed my phone and dialed his number with shaky hands.  It rang four times before it went to voicemail.  "Dustin, please call me back.  I'm so sorry.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I love you and yes, I will marry you!  Please come back."  I pressed end and threw the phone across the room.  It bounced off the wall and landed on the bed, a small crack visible on the screen.

My breath was coming in huge, ragged gulps.  I tried to calm down, but it was no use.  I threw myself on the bed and sobbed uncontrollably into my pillow.  My fragile world was on its side and it was my own fault.

Suddenly, I heard commotion behind me, and looked up in time to see all the books fly out of the bookshelf and crash to the floor.  A moment later, the desk chair flew into the air and smashed against the wall, leaving wood splinters all over.

"Katie!!"  Savannah and Kaitlyn ran into my room.

I jumped up and faced them, my head beginning to throb.  "He's gone!  I can feel him getting further and further away and it's excruciating."

"Katie, you have to calm down.  You are going to hurt yourself."  Savannah came towards me slowly.  "Listen to my voice.  Empty your mind and block the pain."

But it continued to grow as I started to lose control.  The windows in the room began to rattle, and the door slammed shut.  "Katie!"  Savannah raised her voice.  "You have to calm down.  Please!"

The pain rose to a crescendo and I screamed, letting all my agony take over.  Kaitlyn tackled me and Savannah to the floor just as all the windows in the room shattered, spraying glass everywhere.  She covered our bodies with hers, protecting us from the airborne shards.

She flipped me over and brought her eyes to mine.  "Sleep, she ordered.  It was the last thing I remembered.

A/N- Now Katie's all alone. Will she be able to control her emotions or will she end up hurting herself? Let me know what you think! Vote and comment below. Luvs as always!!AM