Amerie awoke with a start. He dream of the bloodied white wolf had played over and over. A voice shouting her name still rung in her ears. Rubbing her eyes, she rolled over to see that it was only four in the morning. She grabbed her phone to check the message thread for the officers for any update on Matt. They’d temporarily given up searching around midnight after not finding anything, deciding to wait for the sun to come up. The search dogs had lost his scent only fifty feet into the forest from the Nature Center and hadn’t been able to pick up anything around the coordinates where Amerie had heard Matt. They planned on calling in a search plane and helicopter later today. She set her phone down and sighed. There had been so much blood. Had Matt hurt himself in the field or was he really attacked just outside the door without any of them being the wiser? How had no one heard something?His shouting echoed in her head. She prayed to whatever higher power would listen that he would
The man held up his hands and took a step toward her. “I’m not here to fight. I won’t hurt you.”Amerie wished she had her gun. All she had was her bear spray, which could still give her time to get away if needed. “You took my friend. I don’t believe you.”He eyed her stance and smirked slightly. “We didn’t take your friend, Ranger. We saved him.”“Then why won’t you let me see him? Why haven’t you reported him found or brought him to a hospital?”His expression clouded over. “It’s more complicated than that,” he said sternly, crossing his arms again. “Explain it. Or I’m calling this in now. Tell me who you are.” Her hands bunched into fists at her side. She could feel her nails starting to pierce the skin. His eyes darted to her fists. “Your little buddy had me hide in a house as you both kept things from me when a man was in danger. Start. Talking.”He ran a hand through his midnight dark hair. “Let’s go back and sit by the water. I’ll tell you what happened, and I’ll see what I c
Fallen leaves crushed beneath Amerie’s boots. The calls of crows filled the air around her. She was getting close to the small house where Kierian had brought her. Before she forgot, she pulled out her phone and sent Everett a quick message asking for a rain check. He responded quickly, saying he had planned to suggest the same thing when she got to work but had just heard she was taking the day off. He told her to feel better and promised to update her on the search efforts, then Amerie pocketed her phone. If she didn’t know any better, the forest would seem a peaceful place. Sunshine warmed her face. The trees blocked a gentle breeze that caused the high and thin branches to sway slightly. The occasional squirrel darted across her path, no doubt preparing for winter. She’d seen no evidence of an Embertaur. There had also been no sign of the white wolf or black eagle, both of which she’d grown so accustomed to seeing that it felt odd to not. She stepped into a clearing with tall
She kept her eyes closed for a moment, feeling the soft grass with her fingertips. The sun warmed her from head to toe. Birds chirped lightly around her and she smelled sweet wildflowers nearby. A nearby stream bubbled and gurgled. Amerie slowly opened her eyes. She once again found herself by the same small forest stream, it’s water sparkling and reflecting the patches of lupine. A bouquet of wildflowers sat beside her. A woman sat on one of the rocks by the stream with her back to Amerie. Her hair was long and silver. Two small braids wrapped around the crown of her head, and the rest fell in loose waves down to her hips. She wore a flowy white dress that sparkled in the sun. Amerie got to her feet slowly and approached her. The woman’s face was angelic. Her pale skin made her look almost fragile, but the war waging in her purple eyes said otherwise. Pink, full lips parted and smiled at Amerie. “You’ve had quite the past couple days, child. Come. Sit and rest for a moment.”Ameri
Bright white light blinded Amerie. She raised her arm in front of her face and grimaced. Firm, cool ground was against her back. She heard the muffled voices of the three trying to wake her. An annoyed moan escaped her. The flame in her chest had sputtered out as Asteri brought them back from whatever that place had been. “Open your eyes slowly,” Kierian instructed. Amerie didn’t want to, but she obeyed. The sky was once again free of clouds. Their three faces hovered above her. Apollo and Kierian looked mostly annoyed, but Mae’s expression was only filled with curiosity. Apollo smirked. “If you’re done napping, we can go back inside now.”Amerie’s fist connected with his nose before she knew what she was doing. His eyes widened in shock as blood began to drip. The other two stared at Amerie with open mouths. “You left a lot out, cocky bastard,” Amerie snarled. “What the hell? You ran outside and passed out! Didn’t exactly give me a chance to tell you more!” Apollo shouted. “You p
The cavern was bathed in silver flames. The other three ducked, but quickly realized there was no need. An invisible barrier protected them from the heatless flames. They stared in awe. Amerie herself was hovering above the water, encased in a shell of sparkling crystal with flames dancing on its surface. Her eyes burned white and her hair fanned out in every direction. A roar escaped her, shaking the cavern. The echo of the roar died out. The flames slowly withdrew and the crystal casing around Amerie faded into nothing. She slowly lowered to the water, halting as her feet touched the surface. Her eyes remained glowing white as she took a step, the surface rippling where her foot landed. Billowing, white material glittered as it wrapped around her delicately. She took another step, water again rippling. The stars in the depth of the pool burned brighter with each step. She finally reached the gravelly ground by the water’s edge. The delicate white material stilled, it’s cape and tr
Amerie awoke from a dreamless sleep to multiple text messages. She set her phone down without opening any of them just yet. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, earning a lick on the face from Milo. Throwing open the bedroom curtains, she was excited to see the world blanketed in pillowy white snow and a few snowflakes still falling. She padded over to the kitchen to start her coffee pot and let Milo out. Her yard was covered in prints of all kinds, but her eyes went straight to the wolf prints, large enough to be Apollo. No other wolf prints littered the yard, so she seemed to still be safe here from Embertaurs for now. Picking up her phone, she began to open the string of messages. The group message for the rangers informed everyone that Matt had come home. He had been found by a hiker and brought to a small medical center in the mountains then driven to a doctor near home when he was conscious. Or so the story said. Blaze was asking if she’d gone on the date with Everett. Amerie r
Asteri snarled down at Apollo in his human form. Her icy blue eyes burned bright and cold, immense power glistening in their depths. Clouds parted slightly, a single beam of golden light falling on Asteri and making the tips of her black fur shine with silver. “Classic Celena,” Asteri mumbled to Amerie in their shared mind.Apollo’s eyes widened with recognition. He moved to step toward Asteri. She growled at him, forcing him to take a step back. Kierian and Mae began slinking closer, awe and wonder plastered on their faces. Apollo’s face was pale, as if he’d seen a ghost. Kierian seemed to notice his ghastly expression first and slowly stepped closer while keeping an eye on Asteri. She huffed at him to continue. Kierian placed a hand on Apollo’s shoulder. “What’s going on? You feeling okay?”“No,” Apollo replied through clenched teeth, then gestures toward the black wolf. “This is Asteri.” Her ears twitched slightly at the mention of her name. Apollo continued, “The Spirit visited