Page 25 of The Mating Need
Maybe these powers of hers could be used for good. But she didn’t want to explore that thought right now. It was toooverwhelming.
Just being here, in front of a Lupine and her child in a pack setting, was freaking out the introvert insideher.
Overriding that fear was an intense desire to know why such evil haunted this tree and this Lupinehousehold.
“Tell me what happened before. Did you know the stone was there? Could you feel the danger?” Jennyasked.
“Darius and I knew something was wrong.” Samantha passed Jenny and went to the tree, stroking the bark. “This old tree has guarded our home since we were mated and moved into the cabin. When our son was born, Darius dug that sand pit next to the tree so the branches would shelter him while Hunter played outside. But for the past two weeks, every time I came outside, I felt uneasy. It felt… like someone was watchingme.”
Unable to prevent a shudder, Jenny nodded. “I expect someone was, for them to get thisclose.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Darius is a powerful Lupine and warded this area twice. How could something get past hismagick?”
“The stone. Maybe the stone weakened the warding, enough for the evil to penetratethrough.”
“I put the stone inside the tree. It’s a Hermatite crystal, a stone Fae use for everyday protection. I placed it there more than a year ago to protect Hunter while he played outside.” Samantha shuddered. “How did it get likethis?”
“Are youFae?”
“Half-fae, halfLupine.”
Interesting. “In my former pack, no half-breeds wereallowed.”
Samantha didn’t blink. “Some packs are like that. Not this one. My mate, Darius, made sure of that, along with our alpha, Aiden. Everyone is welcome, as long as they are loyal and follow the rules and don’t endanger thepack.”
Back to the stone… Jenny thought hard. She had read a book written by a Fae once about crystals. “Some crystals are open to healing and protection, but they have to be infused once in a while with good magick if they are placed outdoors in openareas.”
Where they can be vulnerable to bad energy, like the type that invaded your ranch. But how did such negative energy get past your alpha’ssafeguards?
Questions swirled in her mind. Deep inside, she felt a nagging need to help these people, as if it were part of her blood and bone. But her own need for privacy and self-preservation nudged itaside.
And if Troy chose to stay here, whatthen?
Samantha nodded. “That makes sense. I had forgotten about it and maybe when that … thing… invaded our land, it centered on thestone.”
Still she felt the urgent need for a warning. “I’d watch out for more like it. Something dark wants to infiltrate your territory and like most darkness, it sneaks around doing it. You won’t see it until it’s toolate.”
Jenny knew about darkness, but mostly from the Skin world – alleys and corners where evil things like to hide. This kind of darkness was worse – it stank ofmalevolence.
“Thank you. Please, can you come inside and have something todrink?”
“I have toleave.”
“Please stay.” Samantha glanced at the woods. “I want to thank you for what youdid.”
“No thanks necessary.” Jenny flexed her hands, the need for privacy and isolation rising up once more. Nice as Samantha was, she didn’t want to get involved. Notfurther.
“Then at least tell me your firstname.”
She liked this Lupine, and was glad she’d helped. Names were personal, but she felt no harm in sharing her name, not when Samantha had been grateful andkind.
“Jenny. I have to go. Take care of yourson.”
Shifting into her wolf form, she fled back toward the forest, leaving Samantha staring afterher.
Leather creakedas Troy adjusted his weight in the saddle. Today he’d joined Darius, the pack beta, along with Snake and three other wranglers in watching over the cattle grazing in the summer field. Dale had assigned him to watching over the cattle because someone, or something, had been killing them. One cow each day, left in the field, drained ofblood.
All of the enforcers had been working long shifts, trying to protect theherd.
