Megan Powell (ed) - Nemeton by A Fables Anthology

Author:A Fables Anthology
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-12-16T14:35:47+00:00

It dusk when Caleb woke. Black curtains swayed in the breeze which wafted through the half open window, and the quarter moon shone like a lemon slice suspended in the dark sky. Even before he moved, his entire body ached, but not nearly as much as his pride.

By pack law, he should be dead and his body left for scavengers to devour, yet because of the connection he’d made with the world of men, he was alive. And because of Tia.

“Caleb,” she called softly from the doorway. Her dark hair was braided over one shoulder and her sleek body was covered in one of his white cotton shirts which dangled to her knees. “You’ve had a fever since this morning. I was worried.”

She sat by the edge of the bed and reached out to brush the tangled hair from his forehead, but he turned away.

“It’s nothing. You spent too much of your life with human beings.”

Her eyes widened slightly at the viciousness of his tone. “I might have been raised among them, but I am a shapeshifter, Caleb, and I know that for one of us to have a fever for nearly a day is not good. It’s rare that we even get sick…”

“Will you stop talking about me for a minute,” he snapped, grasping her wrist to stop those gentle caresses which were far too comforting. “I’ve lost the pack, Tia.”

“It was an unfair fight…”

“Now Mette is in charge,” he went on, ignoring her. “What have I done?”

“Stop saying that!”

She shook him, her fingers biting through the bandages on his shoulders to the raw flesh beneath.

Tia continued, “You’re alive. That’s all that matters. When you’ve healed, we can take back what’s ours.”

“Don’t you get it? I lost to Mette. We can never go back there, or at least I can’t. You can still return if you pledge acceptance to Mette.”

“Pledge acceptance to…I think you hit your head way too hard when you fell downstream.”

“Why not? I shamed you, and I failed the pack. You always said one Alpha’s as good as another.”

She stared at him in disbelief, “This isn’t you talking, Caleb. It’s fear or stupid pride or guilt, but it isn’t you.”

“Leave me alone, Tia,” he murmured, rolling painfully onto his side. Moments later he heard the bedroom door close.

It was nearly an hour later that he collected himself enough to move from the bed, wash, and dress in black drawstring pants and a T-shirt. He painfully descended the steps, favoring his injured ankle. Tia was sharing a meal in the kitchen with Curtis.

“It’s about time.” Curtis’s words were sharp, but his eyes showed relief.

“Thanks for all you’ve done, Curtis.”

“Does it warrant a pay raise? Just kidding.”

Caleb turned to Tia who had placed her fork beside the plate of rare meat and fresh salad. She looked so much like she had when he’d first approached her after years of separation.

Curtis excused himself, leaving the couple alone.

“So are you done feeling sorry for yourself yet?” Tia demanded, pushing aside

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.