The Dormant: The Elemental Witches (Book Two)

Chapter 13: This Piggie Went Up

~ Lucas~

¨You should go speak to him, Kiera.¨ I sat down beside the white-haired, dark-skinned she-wolf who was intently watching the Eagle leader, Cheveyo. She bit her lips, smiling and then getting red. She smacked me on my shoulder with the back of her hand. ¨No you have no word on this wolf. I am not going over there and talking to him. Even so, what could I say?¨ She sighed, thinking hard, giving a small reluctant smile. ¨I would make a fool of myself in front of the whole tribe. Do I have to remind you I was the sucker who got bitten by a rattlesnake the first day?¨ I laughed, giving her a side hug.

Cheveyo turned his head towards us. His smokey eyes glimmered with a glimpse of something as he continued to bark orders to his people, clearly uncomfortable with our closeness. I knew what it was I saw in his eyes, lust for the woman I was holding in my arms. I could nearly hear him breathing hard with every squeeze of her shoulder. I didn't know what was the word for growling when you were a bird, Squawk? Either way, for some reason, I like giving this man a hard time. So I lingered a bit, giving her another squeeze.

¨You sure you aren´t mates?¨ I asked as Cheveyo's eyes lingered where my hand rested. My eyebrows raised as my head went back and forth between the two. She shook her head, turning her face away, another shot of red crossing her face. ¨No I had already talked with several women in the tribe. Eagles have the same mating ritual as us wolves. They feel the scent and then the rest of the signs yabi yada.¨ She made a rolling sign with her hand. c*****g my head to the side, I pondered. ¨Good to know.¨ Then that meant the love-hate relationship Makya and I were carrying was just that hate and an increasing peculiar want to put her lips into any other use other than bickering with me. I knew she was a witch but she was first an eagle and now I knew how eagles work. ¨No, I am just smitten by that hair… and those pecs… and that delicious…¨

¨Kiera...¨ I warned, getting my hand away from her fast and raising my eyebrow. ¨ Behave like a…¨ She stood up, bouncing and getting inside one of our tents. ¨Can I remind you I am no lady.¨ I laughed at her, passing a hand through my hair. ¨You surely not.¨ Through the mind-link, she finished speaking. ¨I am a warrior, and as one, I have a right to lust on men. You should come to bed , Lucas. It is getting late.¨ I nodded. ¨In a few, let me check on the others.¨ I could feel her judging eyes making a hole in the back of my skull. ¨You are going to see Makya, don't you? Next time I am eye-f*****g that delicious eagle boss….¨ ¨Kiera.¨ I warned her a little bit more stern, making her realize she was talking with her commander.

But my feet were indeed already making on their own accord their way to the other side of the tribe. For some reason and after talking to the Moon Goddess, their god had accepted us, and now we were here. Our pack of twenty She-wolves on one side and their tribe of sixty to seventy eagles on the other, but how could you successfully integrate two very dominating and two very proud kinds into a single land.? ¨Apparently, drawing a line in the middle and going into a toddlers tantrum, of this is my side, and that's yours.¨ I mumbled to myself as I was about to commit the sin again. The sin of stepping into the ridiculous border, I took a glance back and saw the chief entering his sleeping quarters.

Now here I was, crossing the invisible flimsy treaty border that allowed us to stay in their area. But I was a wolf. I would never be comfortable without looking out for the entire parameters. It was coded in my blood to keep everyone safe. That was what I told myself as I took the ridiculous small step. Walking, my eyes finally fell on the creature I was definitely not searching for.

Makya sat beside what she called the ¨Tribes Spirit¨ I knew her as Tuwa. To her, I was actually thankful she was the one who had decided to grant us haven until our Alpha came. I watched intently to the other side, remembering why I was breaking the rules. ¨Check borders, right.¨ I stated with my index finger up. Looking around, everything was fine. Everything smelled fine, so I decided to turn around and go back to the wolf's side when I heard the annoying voice screaming behind me.

Turning again, I saw her. She was wearing a white caftan dress, her warm colored skin glowing slightly with the flickers of the campfire in front of us. I looked up, and her black raven hair was set in a twisted braid that went down to the curve of her breast. She had a turquoise thread on her forehead, three or four brown feathers hanging from one side.

Her delicate nose was wrinkled, and as I looked down, her bow-shaped lips opened and closed as she talked. At that moment, I couldn't hear, I was just mesmerized by the beauty of the creature in front of me. She hopped up from her sitting position and, with a sensual saunter, walked towards my general area. I watched as her hips swayed from side to side in the most feminine way.

My mouth agape, breathing slowly. I blinked twice and all my senses started awakening again. ¨I said, are you stupid? I thought my brother already told you wolves to stay by your side at night.¨ How can a creature be so beautiful and at the same time so annoying? My lips closed immediately into a thin line, and my eyes squeezed at her. ¨He did, but I was making sure we were all safe.¨

She gave me a sarcastic look, her mouth opening slightly and shaking her head. ¨Unbelievble so now we can't even protect ourselves? This is so of you people thinking we need you to survive…¨ She snapped her finger in my direction, opening her arms. ¨Newsflash wolf, we have been in this land for centuries now, and we have never need outsider help for anything.¨

Rolling my eyes, I took a step closer to her. She leaned her head back defiantly, our lips so close I could feel every angry ragged breath she took. ¨What are you talking about you people, woman? Don't you realize you are not an eagle? You are a witch.¨ Her eyes lit on fire as my lips quirked in an unassuming smile as I delivered my wordly punch. ¨Checkmate?¨ I whispered, raising an eyebrow, turning and walking to my side.

I felt her almost on my heels as she tried to get me back to fight with her. ¨ I might not be able to shift like my brother does, but I am as crucial in this tribe as any other member. When I talk about you people, I am not talking about wolves. In fact, your women are more than welcome by me in these lands.¨ I turned my head at her quizzically as I heard Kiera behind me prompt me to come back to our limit. ¨Lucas…¨ She began whispering, making me put my hand up for Kiera to stop speaking. I needed to let the witch speak. What she said was now making my curiosity peak. ¨What are you talking about, witch?

Makya took two steps forward, putting her head up in defiance, looking straight into my eyes, hatred oozing out of them. ¨I am talking about entitled white males who think they can enter any land they don't belong and take without consequence.¨ Opening my mouth and shaking my head. I couldn't answer. What the hell was she talking about? ¨I have no idea what you are talking about, woman, I haven't taken anything or never done anything for you to think this way of me.¨

¨Oh you don't have to…¨ She hissed, taking a step backward, motioning her surroundings with her hands up. ¨Makya...¨ The low growl coming from chief Cheveyo made us both break eye contact, and now I stared around me. All my girls were outside of their tents, watching as did the eagle people.

Cheveyo began hissing in their language. Marking each word as if they were threats. Makya kept looking at me but slowly answered him. Her eyes glistened as she repeated twice whatever she was telling him. Then she turned, taking a deep breath, and walked away as he came in front of me. ¨Wolf, you are in my tribe, as long you stay in our borders, you will do as I said.¨ His foot tapped the invisible line that separated us. ¨You are welcome at day, but at night I must ask again , for you to respect my word. This area is off limits. It is for the best of both our tribes.¨ I closed the distance between us as I felt his words, though polite, hiding a hint of a threat in them. My chest puffing in pride. ¨Yes, Chief Cheveyo. We should do as you say.¨ Kiera had walked fast beside me, putting her hand to my chest and looking straight into his eyes.

They sort of lingered for a while, and without thinking, I grabbed her elbow hard and turned her, walking away to our side. ¨That is the last time, Kiera, you disregard my commands this way.¨ She shook my hand of her arm. ¨And what let you fight with them? pretty smart Lucas…¨ I let a loud growl her way making her jump, and I angrily entered my tent.

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I woke up early so we could get ready for the Alpha´s return. Noah was supposed to enter the tribal lands at about ten am, I guessed, as I took a basin full of water and washed my face.

Pondering on what happened the night before I closed my eyes, I didn't felt guilty; I didn't do anything wrong. Still, the expression on Makya's face professed otherwise. Shrugging my arms, I put on my pants and opened my tent, quickly going out. It was about eight am. I had figured it out, but I was taken on a wind whirl when I looked up into the sky. Everybody was looking into the sky. The tribal people had scared eyes, and most of them were crying.

~ Danielle~

We walked; that was the only thing I could think of as I watched the meremen hovering around the sides of the bubble. We only walked, as uncomfortable silence spread upon our group. What had started as a fun adventure to Atlantis with jokes, singing, and talking, had become a torturous silence that made everyone cringe.

It wasn't that we liked the silence, but how could anybody joke after yesterday? On the one hand, you had the whole you were abandoned by your parents gods and left to die thing Calipso was having. On the other one hand, the wolves with the you were scolded by a Godamned god because you were eavesdropping on the baby abandoning situation.

I cleared my throat, and as soon as I did, I heard Rowan through the mind-link. ¨Don't even start.¨ Making me sigh and keep on walking. Finally, after a while, we stopped to rest for the night and eat. ¨Gadeus says that we are near the Sicilian coastline, that we should arrive at a boat he has set on the surface by tomorrow midday or morning if we quicken our steps.¨ Calipso remarked her boring words. I didn't want to hear about this. I wanted to know what she was going to do, what she was feeling and thinking. I wanted to know everything. What about the wolves, and why were they not speaking? I was never good at being kept in the dark. There's always power in having information, and at this exact moment, I was feeling everything but the sweet release of confidence.

I looked at my mate as we sat down and ate. ¨At least Sour wolf, you should talk to me.¨ I pointed out the obvious as Benjamin gave me a sweet look. Shrugging my arms, I stated. ¨If something important is going to happen and has something to do with you, at least me, as your mate, should know about it.¨ He gave me a nod, his mouth on a tight line, thinking how was the best way to relay this particular information. ¨Just pull the plug is not like I am about to do something crazy.¨ He coughed and let out a chuckle, the first chuckle I've seen since we left Atlantis.

¨Okay crazier, fine, but with your faces, I can see it's something serious, and if you say so, then I would take it that way.¨ Putting my hand on my waist now, I gave him a pointed look, meaning I meant business. ¨You know I can be serious when the moment really demands it.¨ He sighed, nodding again. ¨I know, witch, but I don't want you to worry about me.¨

Pursing my lips, I pressed my index on his hard chest, barely making an indentation. Damn, that chest was buffed. Shaking my head, I went back to the topic. ¨ If you don't want me to worry, then you will talk to me as honestly as possible because, by hiding stuff, you are making me three times more worried… Look at my finger.¨ I showed him my pinky fingernail that now was half the size as it started.

He grabbed my hand, kissing the pink fingertip. ¨The Goddess needs strong wolves to go through some test.¨ He stopped talking, unsure of how to say it. ¨And…? Like a band-aid, Sour Wolf just rip it.¨ I moved my hand in a circling motion, prompting him to keep on. ¨This ritual will help us increase our abilities, transforming our beasts inside.¨ He stopped talking again. ¨Oh come on, Benjamin talking right now with you is like pulling teeth.¨ I pressed my hands on my knees and spoke to the water above or the sky above. ¨If what she says is true, I should become a Lycan.¨

My head turned back towards him, clearly in question. ¨Lycan? Can she do that?¨ ¨Apparently yes.¨ He raked a hand on his shaggy hair. ¨Rowan is also going to be part of this.¨ I blinked, not understanding. ¨Wait Lycan?¨ Nodding Benjamin then understood my confusion. ¨It is a stronger wolf. We haven't had any of them alive in my lifetime. In fact, they haven't been any for centuries.¨

I smiled. How bad can this be? I couldn't understand the death face he was pulling. So I smiled, putting a hand over his and squeezing him. ¨You would be an amazing Lycan. I haven't met another wolf as determined and strong as you are, sour wolf, so don't worry about it.¨ He sighed. ¨They were hunted to extinction. The power they possessed was too strong for the wolf community and the magical community.¨ Now I understand why he was hesitant. Becoming this would make him a target.

¨I won't be able to protect my witch if I have to constantly look over my shoulder. Also, there's the fact that the only way to kill a Lycan is to destroy its mate.¨ I bit my lip, a small smile and a pink hue appearing on my features. I wasn't afraid. Hell, I wasn't even mad at the Goddess asking this from him. ¨Wolf.¨ I snapped my fingers, making him look at me. ¨You don't need to protect me. I can do that myself. I preferred when you said we could watch for each other.¨

He rolled his eyes. ¨But Danielle, you are mine to love and to protect…¨ He stopped talking, and in the lowest of voices, he repeated it maybe to himself. ¨...You are mine.¨ Giving him a pointed look, I remarked before he could finish. ¨I can protect myself, you know that I know how to.¨ I bit the inside of my cheek, getting a better idea. ¨If it makes you feel safer, then while you go through your Lycanism I´ll take every kind of self-defense class available. That way, you know at least I can kick ass while you get to me.¨

Benjamin thought for a second. ¨I would love you to do that, yes.¨ I smiled, clapping both my hands on my knees. ¨Then it is settled practice for me, lycanisim for you. Good, I am happy we are moving on from grunts, growls, and snappy comments.¨ He laughed. ¨I haven’t growled one since we began walking.¨ Another pointed look from me. ¨They weren't directed towards you. It is directed towards the situation.¨. Giving incredulous nods, I gave him a sarcastic answer. ¨Sure, Sour Wolf, Sure. So what's the plan?¨

He shrugged his shoulders then blurted everything out. ¨We are going to Rome to get another wolf needed for...¨ He pressed his eyebrows. ¨How did you put it lycanisim?¨ I nodded emphatically. ¨Right the lycanisim ritual, and then we have to travel to Chewattean country on the Arizona desert to start everything.¨ He finished making me almost shriek in glee. ¨Back to Charlotte and Noah.¨ ¨Yes¨ He confirmed. Making me clap and smile. ¨I miss that b***h so much, finally!¨ He opened his eyes big. ¨That is our Luna Danielle show respect.¨ I tried to muffle a chuckle with my hand. ¨That bitch... was first my friend and then a luna I have a right to call her whatever I want.¨ ¨Fine but try not saying it in front of Noah.¨ Benjamin pursed his lips, trying to stiffle a small smile while shaking his head. ¨I known the b***h before Noah. Hoes before, bros…¨ Now he raised his eyebrows at me. ¨Not before you, of course not before you.¨

Grabbing my arm, he slammed me against his chest, pressing his lips in a searing kiss. ¨More like it, I like to hear you say things like that.¨. He let go, letting me swoon where I sat. ¨Damn wolf, you can't go kissing a girl like that and don't expect her to need more.¨ ¨Is that a dare?¨ He gave me a slow smile and a knowing look. I shifted my eyes from side to side. ¨Maybe?¨ He put his mouth near my ear and marked his words so slowly they sounded like molten lava. ¨When we have time for ourselves, I promise you, witch, I would have you in my bed four times a day for at least a month.¨ I opened my eyes my breathing got caught in my lungs. Then I looked down at my womanhood. ¨I don't think she could handle the exercise.¨ Benjamin let go. ¨You dare me. Now eat so we can get time for ourselves faster.¨ Nodding enthusiastically, I grabbed the pita bread that Calipso had brought and started chewing on it.

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We rested that night, and in the morning, we continued walking. The bubble finally stopped. As she did the first time, Calipso opened her arms, and a swirling waterslide appeared in front of us. ¨How do we go up?¨ She looked at it and pointed. ¨Easy just sit on the edge, and the water current would take you up like this.¨ She grabbed a bag and sat down on the edge, quickly getting sucked in.

¨That looks more dangerous than coming down.¨ I stated now, feeling apprehension about going up. Something wasn't feeling right, like this bubble was the safest I have felt in a year. If it had a bedroom and enough food, I would probably stay here forever.¨ I grabbed a bag myself and slowly sat on the edge. Feeling my body being pulled up, swayed, and thrown around.

I pop up in the middle of the ocean. A boat was anchored nearby, so I swam towards it, quickly being pulled up by Hektor. I looked at the sky around me, and it was night. That didn't seem right. I looked at Calipso, who Gadeus was now drying off with a fluffy towel, and she was also looking at the sky.

My feet went beside her. ¨Calipso sorry to ask, but I thought we were getting here in the morning. It looks like midnight.¨ She turned towards me. Her face was ashen, and fear struck her features. ¨What now?¨ Cassie came beside me, and she did the same as I did. Something in the air wasn't right, something that we all felt deep in our bones.

¨I don’t know.¨ Calipso put her hand on her mouth. ¨Something is really wrong, and I don't know... Gadeus!¨ She turned towards her mate, who was now helping Benjamin up the boat. Hektor was by his side, pulling Rowan up. Finally, Zheng came up inside the boat, all of them standing behind us, witches.

Zheng's face was also fear-stricken, and he finally broke the eery silence. ¨In my culture, there's a myth that has passed from monkey to monkey. It's called the -Wuyin de Yewan- or the time of the endless night.¨ Gadeus' face also turned white even with his tan. ¨My people also have a myth like that it was called the darkness from above.¨ Calipso turned to them. ¨Do you mean like the one the Persian had about the night of the ten thousand days?¨ Benjamin took a step forward. ¨What are you guys talking about?¨

The three of them turned towards him. It was Zheng who spoke. ¨It is said that a light being was abducted, taken to the underworld to become the bride of the underworld lord. While she was under his control, a long night seeped in, and creatures not known from this realm rose, taking control of this world, destroying every living thing they could find. Humans almost went extinct.¨ I raised my eyebrows. ¨Its probably an eclipse, guys.¨ Rowan, who was behind, mumbled. ¨There was not supposed to be a solar eclipse this year.¨ Now Benjamin spoke. ¨And if it was an eclipse, we wolves would have definitely felt it.¨