Into The Mist
Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced
It's your world...unlaced
An Excerpt From: INTO THE MIST
Copyright © LACEY THORN, 2009
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Prologue
The old grey wolf settled along the bank of the pool and closed his eyes. It was as if
he was waiting for something and would not leave until he had it. He sat for an hour
before the rustling of the trees gave way to the ethereal beauty of a tiny woman.
She was dressed in a sparkly dress of blue that played well against the deep blue of
her eyes and the black curls that hung to her feet. She approached the wolf and,
reaching her hand out, softly stroked his fur.
“You may show yourself, Lynx,” she murmured and stood back as wolf transformed
into man.
When he stood before her, she once again felt a pang of regret for what could never
be between them. No matter how much time passed she still felt a burning desire to
lie with the man she longed for, the only man she would ever love. But theirs was a
forbidden joining, no wolf could ever be mated with one of her kind. It would lead to
the death of them both. Yet fate had made them lovers in their hearts and souls and
so no other had ever come between them.
“I’ve missed you, Serena. You grow more beautiful every year.” His words were
like a stroke along her skin. She marveled at the beauty of the man before her. His
body was as big and strong as ever, as healthy as it had been in their youth. She
loved the way that his muscles rippled as he moved, as much an animal even in his
human skin. His cock jutted heavy and full from the thatch of hair that surrounded it.
She licked her lips, only realizing what she had done when his groan pulled her
attention back up to his face. “One day, my queen,” he promised. “One day I will
take you away from here and there will be none to stand in our way.”
“Wishes and dreams,” she whispered but in her heart she prayed for the same thing.
“You called the woman for my brother’s sons.” It was more a statement than a
question but she nodded anyway. “How did you get her to come? How did you
know that she would listen to you?”
“I hoped. I did not know for sure, Lynx. I only hoped that she might be one of those
capable of passing through and entering the Valley.” She had sung for days, a song
of entreaty and longing. It was her way of trying to help save the were of the valley.
“Your women grow fewer in number with every new year. I shudder to think of the
Valley with no more of your people in it. We need you.”
“Do you need me, Serena?” His fingers whispered through her hair and it took
everything she had not to give in to the forbidden touch. She longed to curl into his
arms and give life to the need that was like an extension of them both.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “You know that we can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” he snapped and she felt the first tear slide from her eye down her
cheek. “Damn it.” He reached out to wipe it away before cupping her jaw and
forcing her to look up at him. “I’m sorry, my love. I know how much your family
means to you.”
If only he did know why she couldn’t be with him, why she must deny them both the
ecstasy that she was sure they would find in each other’s arms. She could never
have what she desired most in life so she did everything that she could to see that
his family was happy. It was her magic that mixed with the water of the bridal pool.
Her magic that kept the Valley hidden from those who might seek to destroy or
harm it. Her magic that would continue to call forward mates for the groups of weres
who still waited for the woman they would take and bond with.
But her magic came at a high price. The one thing that she could never do was
spend even one moment with the man she loved, the man she craved with all her
heart and soul. For in one moment of jealousy, the man she was betrothed to had
cursed them all to a solitary existence. His intention had been to bind her to him but
instead he had bound her magic and with it the fate of the Valley. For if she followed
her heart and consummated the love she shared with Lynx, she would lose
everything else. Her choice. Either the man she loved or the life of everything and
everyone in the Valley.
There were days that she hated the White Valley, days when she was engulfed with
anger so deep that it was hard to breathe. But those days were few and far between
and the Valley had a way of thanking her for her gift. Her betrothed had long since
died, cold and alone. He had hoped that she would come to him when she was
denied Lynx but that she could never do. She would rather spend her life alone than
with any man other than the one she had loved since her youth. There would never
be another for her.
“Perhaps a woman will appear for you,” she murmured though it hurt even to think
about him with another. He could easily have mated with the same woman as his
brother but had declined, instead allowing his brother to have what no other of his
kind had, a woman who was his and his alone, a woman who, without a second
mate, would never find her wolf. It was something they all struggled with, but as yet
his brother refused to take another as his second.
“There will never be anyone else for me,” he vowed again, the same as he always
did. “You or no one, Serena. I will settle for no other than the woman of my heart.”
She turned away and glided back toward the trees where she had entered. “More
will come. I don’t know how many or when but they will come. I will continue to sing
and lead them to the sacred waters that will ready them for the claiming. It is all that
I can give to you, Lynx. It is everything that I can give.”
“For now, it is what I will gladly accept.” He followed after her, reached out and ran
his fingers through the back of her hair. “But someday we will find a way to be
together. We won’t be denied forever. Someday, my love, you will know the feel of
my skin on yours.” She felt the whisper of his breath beside her face and wanted so
badly to lean against him, to revel in his strength if only for a moment. “One day we
will be as one. One day you will be the one who comes.”
She felt the rustle in the air behind her and knew before she glanced back that he
was once more a wolf. She turned just in time to see him run between the trees and
disappear toward the heart of White Valley where the were lived. How she wished
that she could go to him. But it was never to be. With a weary sigh she turned back
the way she had been headed and with a shrug released her fairy wings and took to
the sky. She had more singing to do, more enchantments to weave before the night
was through. The entire Valley was counting on her.
Copyright © LACEY THORN, 2009
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Prologue
The old grey wolf settled along the bank of the pool and closed his eyes. It was as if
he was waiting for something and would not leave until he had it. He sat for an hour
before the rustling of the trees gave way to the ethereal beauty of a tiny woman.
She was dressed in a sparkly dress of blue that played well against the deep blue of
her eyes and the black curls that hung to her feet. She approached the wolf and,
reaching her hand out, softly stroked his fur.
“You may show yourself, Lynx,” she murmured and stood back as wolf transformed
into man.
When he stood before her, she once again felt a pang of regret for what could never
be between them. No matter how much time passed she still felt a burning desire to
lie with the man she longed for, the only man she would ever love. But theirs was a
forbidden joining, no wolf could ever be mated with one of her kind. It would lead to
the death of them both. Yet fate had made them lovers in their hearts and souls and
so no other had ever come between them.
“I’ve missed you, Serena. You grow more beautiful every year.” His words were
like a stroke along her skin. She marveled at the beauty of the man before her. His
body was as big and strong as ever, as healthy as it had been in their youth. She
loved the way that his muscles rippled as he moved, as much an animal even in his
human skin. His cock jutted heavy and full from the thatch of hair that surrounded it.
She licked her lips, only realizing what she had done when his groan pulled her
attention back up to his face. “One day, my queen,” he promised. “One day I will
take you away from here and there will be none to stand in our way.”
“Wishes and dreams,” she whispered but in her heart she prayed for the same thing.
“You called the woman for my brother’s sons.” It was more a statement than a
question but she nodded anyway. “How did you get her to come? How did you
know that she would listen to you?”
“I hoped. I did not know for sure, Lynx. I only hoped that she might be one of those
capable of passing through and entering the Valley.” She had sung for days, a song
of entreaty and longing. It was her way of trying to help save the were of the valley.
“Your women grow fewer in number with every new year. I shudder to think of the
Valley with no more of your people in it. We need you.”
“Do you need me, Serena?” His fingers whispered through her hair and it took
everything she had not to give in to the forbidden touch. She longed to curl into his
arms and give life to the need that was like an extension of them both.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “You know that we can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” he snapped and she felt the first tear slide from her eye down her
cheek. “Damn it.” He reached out to wipe it away before cupping her jaw and
forcing her to look up at him. “I’m sorry, my love. I know how much your family
means to you.”
If only he did know why she couldn’t be with him, why she must deny them both the
ecstasy that she was sure they would find in each other’s arms. She could never
have what she desired most in life so she did everything that she could to see that
his family was happy. It was her magic that mixed with the water of the bridal pool.
Her magic that kept the Valley hidden from those who might seek to destroy or
harm it. Her magic that would continue to call forward mates for the groups of weres
who still waited for the woman they would take and bond with.
But her magic came at a high price. The one thing that she could never do was
spend even one moment with the man she loved, the man she craved with all her
heart and soul. For in one moment of jealousy, the man she was betrothed to had
cursed them all to a solitary existence. His intention had been to bind her to him but
instead he had bound her magic and with it the fate of the Valley. For if she followed
her heart and consummated the love she shared with Lynx, she would lose
everything else. Her choice. Either the man she loved or the life of everything and
everyone in the Valley.
There were days that she hated the White Valley, days when she was engulfed with
anger so deep that it was hard to breathe. But those days were few and far between
and the Valley had a way of thanking her for her gift. Her betrothed had long since
died, cold and alone. He had hoped that she would come to him when she was
denied Lynx but that she could never do. She would rather spend her life alone than
with any man other than the one she had loved since her youth. There would never
be another for her.
“Perhaps a woman will appear for you,” she murmured though it hurt even to think
about him with another. He could easily have mated with the same woman as his
brother but had declined, instead allowing his brother to have what no other of his
kind had, a woman who was his and his alone, a woman who, without a second
mate, would never find her wolf. It was something they all struggled with, but as yet
his brother refused to take another as his second.
“There will never be anyone else for me,” he vowed again, the same as he always
did. “You or no one, Serena. I will settle for no other than the woman of my heart.”
She turned away and glided back toward the trees where she had entered. “More
will come. I don’t know how many or when but they will come. I will continue to sing
and lead them to the sacred waters that will ready them for the claiming. It is all that
I can give to you, Lynx. It is everything that I can give.”
“For now, it is what I will gladly accept.” He followed after her, reached out and ran
his fingers through the back of her hair. “But someday we will find a way to be
together. We won’t be denied forever. Someday, my love, you will know the feel of
my skin on yours.” She felt the whisper of his breath beside her face and wanted so
badly to lean against him, to revel in his strength if only for a moment. “One day we
will be as one. One day you will be the one who comes.”
She felt the rustle in the air behind her and knew before she glanced back that he
was once more a wolf. She turned just in time to see him run between the trees and
disappear toward the heart of White Valley where the were lived. How she wished
that she could go to him. But it was never to be. With a weary sigh she turned back
the way she had been headed and with a shrug released her fairy wings and took to
the sky. She had more singing to do, more enchantments to weave before the night
was through. The entire Valley was counting on her.