Rylee Adamson: Shadowed Threads Part 1

Shadow Threads.

Shannon Mayer.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

WITH EACH BOOK I write, the list of people whoave stepped up to the bar and helped me present a book of high quality keeps getting longer, and I canat thank them enough! Editors Melissa Breau, and N.L aJinxiea Gervasio, who help me smooth out (sometimes with a steam roller) the rough edges until the pages are presentable to the public. Thank you to me proofreader Jean f.a.ganello a.k.a aMoma who despite all the bad words still finds it in her heart to read my books, and point out anything Iave missed. (And still crossed out every bad word she comes across with a red pen.) A brilliant thank you to Damonza and the cover art he produces that knocks my socks off every time. My a.s.sistant, and now close friend, Lysa Lessieur for your unwavering support, encouragement and ridiculous amounts of wicked awesome that you are in my life. Thank you!

Now to my husband. Without you at my side, I never would have begun to chase this dream of writing. You are the guy my readers should all be thanking, not me. You saw in me more than I ever could, and you believed in me more than I even do now. You are my aLiama my heart, and my life. I love you.

CHAPTER 1.

LONG WHITE TEETH bared to the icy cold, running with his belly low to the ground, the wolf breathed in the scent of his quarry. Fear and magic filled his nose, the distant tang of witch made him hunger for the screams that would precede the manas dying breath. Never again would the wolf be held against his will; never again would he be collared and commanded to obey.

Sunlight sliced through the trees, illuminating the man as he spun to see behind him. The wolf dropped to his belly. The mana"the witcha"stood still, his chest heaving for breath. His eyes were wide, dilated, and the wolf could see the rivulets of sweat sliding down his face even with the crisp dawn air here in the north. Birds sung as though the drama below them wasnat happening, which the wolf preferred. Let the man believe he was safe; let the birdas songs soothe him. Let him hope for rescue.

The witch lifted his hand and a light bloomed over his head, shooting into the sky. The wolf knew what would happen. More witches would come. They would see the light and they would come to the aid of this one. Perfect.

Creeping forward, the wolf advanced on the witch, one that would collar him if given the chance. Each step closer made his lips curl higher over his teeth until they rippled with his fury.

Sinking to his knees, the man clasped his hands in front of him, his lips moving in a low rumble of words in a language the wolf didnat understand. Ten feet away now, the wolf hesitated, pausing in mid step.

c.o.c.king his head, the wolf listened to the rise and fall of the manas voice, almost remembering, almost wanting to.

No. We arenat going back. Ever.

In an explosion of powerful muscles, the wolf catapulted toward the man on his knees. Black fur slammed into white flesh, blood flew as powerful jaws clamped down on the fragile skin, bursting through to the pumping lifeblood inside.

The wolf bore down, felt the miniscule thump of magic against his side, the last ditch effort of a dying man trying to save his life. It would do him no good. The wolfas teeth dug deep into the manas neck, and he ground his jaws around the spine until the satisfying snap of vertebrae rang in the morning air; a symbolic clash against the birdsa raised songs amongst the trees.

The man twitched once, limbs falling like dead branches to his side. Lifting his nose to the sky, the wolf let out a long, shattering howl. Around him the world went silent, birds stilling their songs, wind stilling its breath, bowing to him, as it should, in recognition for who he was. Here he was King; here he ruled.

Let the witches come.

He would show them the meaning of fear as he hunted them one by one, and tasted their dying screams on his tongue.

The black panther slammed into my chest, dropping me to the ground. I rolled, and struggled to reach my whip, the only weapon I had on me. Heart pounding, I fought with all I had, but the cat was big and solid, nothing but muscle and predatory reflexes. I jammed my legs between our bodies and kicked hard with both feet, prying the big cat off, giving me some s.p.a.ce. At least for a second.

aRylee wins!a Alex cheered me on, but didnat make a move toward us. Not that I was complaining, Iad specifically told him to stay put, and stay out of this. For once head listened to me.

From the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the werewolf giving me hisa"quickly becoming trademarkeda"two claws up, with a goofy grin on his muzzle.

aShe did not win,a Pamela said, and though I couldnat see her, I had no doubt her hands were on her slender hips. aWill was knocked off, not pinned. Those are the rules, Alex.a aRylee always wins. Will stinks,a Alex grumbled, his tipped claws drooping.

With Willas weight off me, I yanked my whip free and rocked back on my shoulders, then flipped to my feet. Will paced ten feet away, tail las.h.i.+ng. Waiting for me.

Too much of a gentleman, this training was as much for him as it was for me. He had to learn to fight, and fight dirty, if necessary. There was too much cop in him, despite the fact that he was big a.s.s shapes.h.i.+fter.

I adjusted my grip on the whipas handle, and s.h.i.+fted my weight, finding the balance I looked for. The makes.h.i.+ft training room was in what had once been Jackas carriage house. Bare walls and floor, wead painted a circle on the concrete floor. The rules being what they were, you either had to toss your opponent out of the circle, or pin them in such a way that you could, if circ.u.mstances were such, kill them.

Something of our own fight club.

I beckoned to Will with my free hand. aCome on then, letas see what youave got a p.u.s.s.y.a His lips curled back over teeth that made Alexas look like stubbed off Tic Tacs. Will didnat sprint toward me. Nope, he made a move that took me by surprise.

He leapt; one powerful spring and he was in the air. A single heartbeat was all I had to react. The whip let out a crack as I slung it forward, the braided leather coiling around his neck, a perfect catch on the cat. A pretty new collar for the big boy.

His eyes bugged out as I yanked the whip, putting my entire body into the pull. The coiled leather tightened on his neck and dragged him to the ground at my feet, his kitty cat green eyes bugging out.

I didnat loosen the whip, but stepped forward as he scrabbled to get the leather off, and put my foot on his shoulder. I made a slas.h.i.+ng movement with my free hand, as if I had my sword in it.

aYouare dead.a Alex let out a howl of triumph. I bent and loosened the whip from around Willas neck. Gacking and choking, he backed away from me, a low growl of irritation escaping him. Third time in a row Iad bested him and, by his hunched back and narrowed eyes, he wasnat pleased about that. Apparently, he wasnat the only one.

Pamela stepped in front of me, blue eyes glaring. aWhy do you have to be so mean? This is supposed to be training, I thought. Not just you beating him up.a Ah, here we went again. She struggled with the harshness of my techniques, particularly when it came to her crush, Will. This was not the first time shead tried to get me to ease up in the last few weeks.

aYou want him to survive?a I coiled the whip and re-attached it to my hip, not even needing to see the clasp anymore. aYou want me to survive? Alex? You? Because this kind of training is the only thing that can do that.a Her lips tightened and the air tensed around us. Witches, what the h.e.l.l was with them anyway? Moody and hormone driven to the extreme. Most days Pamela was fine, but the minute Will showed up, she was a different girl.

She lifted her hands and the air around her stirred. aThen maybe you and I should train together more, instead of me and Deanna.a My eyebrows shot upward of their own volition. aAnd you think that if you best me, that will make Will feel better about me besting him? All it will do is show him that both of us can take him. Not the way to make him feel like a strong, tough man.a Her hands lowered, and her thin shoulders quivered, but no tears fell. No, not Pamela, she was turning out to be tough as nails, if still somewhat ruled by teenager angst and hormones.

aCome on then, you want to fight? Letas do it.a I beckoned her forward with a single finger. No, not that finger.

She tipped her chin up and lifted her tiny fists in front of her face, stepping into the circle as Will stepped out from behind the screen wead set up for him to s.h.i.+ft behind.

His eyes darted between the two of us. aWhat are you doing?a aPamela wants to train with me.a I didnat look at him, just waited for her. Stilling my body, my muscles relaxed, stance balanced to move quickly.

Her first swing was true, aimed at my chin, but easily seen coming. I took a step back and slapped her hand away from me. aAgain.a Lips tight, she punched, missing me as I side-stepped and batted her hand down with ease. Over and over we repeated the motions, as if we had planned it, a dance that involved me slapping her fists, and her fists and then feet coming at me as fast and as hard as she could.

aYou getting angry yet, witch?a No, I didnat need to ask her. I knew she was p.i.s.sed. Maybe I should have had her training with me like this sooner, but Iad thought she needed more time to get over some of the trauma shead experienced in her young life.

Again, apparently I was wrong.

Her swings started to get wild, the strain on her under-developed muscles showing in the tremor along her arms, the beads of sweat on her forehead.

But she didnat back down, didnat pull away. Just kept swinging. d.a.m.na"I batted her fist away, reached in and shoved her shoulder making her stumble backwarda"she was so much like me; it was more than a little scary.

Finally she broke, going to her knees, chugging her air back as if it were water and she was dying of thirst.

aDone?a I asked, crouching beside her.

A shuddering breath rippled through her body. aYes.a aEvery morning from now on you and me will work on this.a I stood and turned to see Will frowning at me as he slipped a s.h.i.+rt over his heada"tawny hair getting mussed in the processa"then sliding it down on over his rock hard abs. Yeah, I could see why Pamela had a crush on him. I could.

Only thing was, I had a wolf waiting on me. And if Jack didnat start training me soon, I would go after OaShea without the extra knowledge the old Tracker could give me. Screw the consequences.

Will stepped back into the circle and tossed Pamela a bottle of water, but addressed me. aYou donat have it in you to go easy on people, do you?a aNo. Going easy gets people killed in the long run. And Iam tired of the people I care about getting killed and hurt.a He reached over, touched my elbow and tipped his head to one side. I followed his lead, calling back to Pamela as we left the carriage house. aCool off and then go to the dining hall. Iall meet you there.a Will closed the door behind us and headed across the lawn toward the pond out back. He stopped at the edge of the marshy water, and folded his arms across his chest.

aDeanna and Daniels are going to have it out soon, but they wonat tell me when. If Deanna doesnat win, Daniels has already said that she plans on purging the land of all those who oppose her.a His eyes flicked over to me, the concern in them apparent.

I shrugged and mimicked him, folding my arms. aIf she comes after me, Iall kill her.a He nodded. aI know. But I wanted you to have a heads up.a aThanks.a Will stared over the pond, and I watched the emotions dance across his face. Uncertainty first and foremost.

aIf youave got something to say, spit it out; otherwise, Iave got to go finish Pamelaas lessons for the day and try to figure out why the h.e.l.l Jack is stalling on me.a aStill wonat teach you?a An unease settled over my shoulders as I shook my head. aNo, he wonat. And I canat figure out why.a That was a problem. If I was going to learn all I could about being a Tracker, I needed Jack to teach me. Stubborn old coot that he was, head been avoiding me one way or another for the last three weeks, locking himself in his library where he wouldnat let anyone in.

The rain pattered down on us, more of a heavy mist than a rain, but it was still getting me wet, which only worsened my mood and irritation at Willas inability to wrap this up.

aSay what youave got to say, Will.a He closed his eyes and shook his head. aNo. Iave nothing more to say. Just be careful. Daniels has tricks up her sleeve, and sheas power hungry beyond anything we all realized before. She wonat stop. Not ever.a I raised an eyebrow. aThen why donat you just kill her, and be done with it?a aBecause I have no cause, just suspicions. Not everyone has your lat.i.tude when it comes to taking a life, Rylee.a He snapped, his eyes flas.h.i.+ng.

My jaw tightened, and I flipped him off. Yes, that finger now.

aYou know what, Will? Go f.u.c.k yourself.a I turned and strode back toward the house. What did he know about life and death? Nothing. Head never fought for either, never been placed between a rock and a G.o.ds-be-d.a.m.ned hard place. Never seen the light in the eyes of someone he loved get snuffed out while he begged them to stay.

There was no way he could understand me, or the choices I had to make.

There was only one person who did.

And I had no idea where the f.u.c.k he was.

CHAPTER 2.

THE NEXT MORNING Pamela sat across from me, her blue eyes narrowed, lips pinched together, bangs hanging down past her chin. I reclined in the Easy Boy that Iad dragged in from the sitting room, the springs creaking under me as I s.h.i.+fted in an attempt to get comfortable. My eyebrow twitched upward with her intensity. aYou done yet trying to lift me up?a aNo.a She stared harder, finger twitching.

As an Immune, I wasnat affected by her magic, but Pamela was just stubborn enough to try and find a way around it. Sure, I could have peeled my Immunity back, but where was the fun in that? There had been instances in the past where a spell would slip through the Immunity, but it seemed that the older I got, the less that was the case. Which was just fine by me.

Thinking back to when my abilities had come on-line, I could see that over the years my Immunity had been strengthening. It had been a long time since a spell had slipped through it.

I closed my eyes, my throat tightening. OaShea had been with me then. I missed his constant presence in my life. Iad spent so long wanting him gone; then as soon as I changed my mind, head been ripped away from me.

I glanced up at Pamela and smiled as she threw her hands into the air. Now that Will had gone back to work, shead gone back to being her normal self. Or at least as normal as a witch got.

aI donat understand, how you cannot be affected? Itas magic, it affects everything.a She let out a gust of air that blew her bangs off her face.

Pus.h.i.+ng with one foot, I rocked in the chair. aMagic does affect everything; youare right. But there is a balance in the world. There has to be. I guess as an Immune, Iam here to balance out all of you crazy witches throwing magic s.h.i.+t around.a She stood, stretched and wandered over to the pictures hanging on the wall of Jackas dining room. Alex, Pamela, Eve, and I had been staying with him since head been released from the hospital. His cancer seemed to have gone into remission and Jack had been allowed to go home. At least for now.

Home to Jack was a two-story sprawling mansion that covered close to ten thousand square feet. When he did venture from his d.a.m.n library, he grumbled and cursed the fact that we were here, taking up s.p.a.ce.

As Iad pointed out to him the night before, if head just teach me what I needed to know, we would get the h.e.l.l out of his way. The only thing head helped me with so far was calming me down when Iad Tracked Berget and felt nothing once more. Head pointed out that shead probably been taken, or had gone, across the channel to the mainland. That had been his one contribution to my life in these last few weeks.

aDo you think these paintings were here before Jack, or do you think he had them put up?a Pamela reached, standing on her tiptoes, and touched the ornate edge of a painting five feet across, her fingers skimming along it lightly.

aThey were probably here. I donat think he cares much for paintings.a She tipped her head to one side, staring up at the monstrosity of an oil painting. Nothing like the one OaShea had in his home. Again, a pang of longing shot through me. Soon, I had to go after him soon.

The door opened on silent hinges and Jack stepped into the room, using a cane but nothing else.

I got up out of the reclinera"it was his after alla"and he glowered at me.

af.u.c.king houseguests warming up my G.o.dd.a.m.n f.u.c.king chairs everywhere I go.a His tri-colored blue eyes sparkled up at me, but not in good humor. Not that I was bothered by his potty mouth, mine was almost as bad. Almost.

Pamela spun and glared at him. Funny how she defended Will from me, and me from Jack.

Her chin tipped up slightly, a sure sign she was setting her heels in. Oh, this was going to be good. Wouldnat be the first time the two of them had a go round since wead been here.

aDonat you talk to her like that; if youad teach her, wead leave and be out of your way.a He thumped over to her and poked at her stomach with his cane. aSmart mouth little witch. Mind your own f.u.c.king business.a She flicked a hand at him and lifted him into the air. aIam on Ryleeas team, and you promised to teach her. So teach her.a He squirmed and huffed and I let out a sigh. Yeah, playing referee wasnat my idea of a good time, but I seemed to be doing it more and more with this motely group.

aPut him down, you might break him.a The b.a.s.t.a.r.d had the nerve to spit at me, the gob hitting the floor at my feet. aBreak me, my a.s.s.a I glared up at him. aDonat you have an appointment to be at?a I knew d.a.m.n well he had another session with Deanna.

He glared right back, eyes flas.h.i.+ng with anger. aWhat is it about women and the need to run every G.o.ds-be-d.a.m.ned piece of my ever-f.u.c.king life?a He squirmed, but Pamela held him just above the floor, teasing him.

aPam, put him down.a aButa"a aJust do it!a I pointed to the floor and she lowered him the last foot.

With a snarl, he hobbled away from us, muttering all the way out to the front door.

We watched him go, in silence. Jack was hiding something from me, on top of not teaching me. Well, I was d.a.m.n well tired of waiting on him to teach me, and his f.u.c.king secrets could stay that way for all I cared. Except for the somewhat large possibility that his secrets, and his inability to find the time to teach me were likely intertwined, knowing my luck. d.a.m.n.

With all the time head been spending in the library, that was probably the best place to start. I made my decision and didnat question it.

aItas time you learn about how to perform a B&E.a I strode out of the dining room and down the long hallway to my bedroom. Pamela trotted to catch up to me.

aWhatas a B&E?a aBreak and enter.a I reached my room and grabbed my sword. Spelled by my former best friend, Milly, it would cut deeper than any other blade and was nearly impossible to break.

The handle was a comforting presencea"a perfect fita"in my hand.

With my sword, I felt better. Like I could face anything down. I didnat bother to shut the door behind me, just strode back into the hallway. The library was at the far end of the house. Our steps were m.u.f.fled by the thick rug, which hadnat seen a proper cleaning in what looked like a decade. Pamela struggled to keep up with me without jogging every few steps.

aJack will be angry. Doesnat that bother you?a aJack is going to be angry at me no matter what I do. There comes a time when you canat d.i.c.k around anymore. And Iam at that moment.a I paused in front of the doorway. aThis might give me a clue at least as to what the h.e.l.l is going on, and if he will ever teach me.a aYou think itas something bad?a She whispered, her eyes going wide, a glimmer of the child she still was showing through.

d.a.m.n, that was exactly what I thought. When head promised to teach me, I thought it would take a day or two. Not three weeks of him dodging me.

Which could only mean one thing.

That whatever the h.e.l.l was going on was no good. Son of a b.i.t.c.h, what was it with the men around me lately that they couldnat just spit things out? Nothing like OaShea, who always spoke what was on his mind.

Again, a sharp stab of longing gutted me. I breathed in slowly through my nose, working around the pain. Focusing on my task, I lifted my sword and slid it between the two ma.s.sive doors. Whoever had built the house had done a sloppy job on them. While they did lock, there was a half inch gap between them. Though it was a tight fit, I could still draw the blade down, slicing through the old lock with very little effort.

aThe trick is to make it look like you were never here.a I pushed the door open. aUnlike this B&E, where Jack will know that I was here the second he goes to open his door.a She bobbed her head, taking my words in like a sponge. Scary. aYou did it that way on purpose then? You want him to know you were in his library?a I glanced around the library, took it in with a single sweep of my eyes. Two sets of floor-to-ceiling windows that were bordered by long red curtains, also floor to ceiling. Rows and rows of books, again, floor to ceiling. A huge oak table with a few wooden chairs, a couple of overstuffed recliners, and not much else.