Dark Fates (A Paranormal Anthology)(63)

He had a mate to help it feel like home. Maybe there would be more than survival. Maybe there would be a future.

But first people had to die. And he would be their executioner.





Chapter Six


Chelsea had no idea how she’d gotten where she was, and she really didn’t care to find out. The moon shone down on Hayden’s bare back. He walked through the woods wearing his black pants as if they’d been made for him. She wanted to get them off his body immediately. She’d push him against one of the many trees and finally get his cock deep down her throat.

Her * wept at the thought, and she nearly tripped over a root in her distraction. He turned around and grinned at her. “You’ve got to keep up, princess, or we’ll miss the appointment. Then you’ll never catch up to me.”

She heard the laughter in his voice, and although he normally chased her for fun, this time she didn’t manage charging after him as though she was the one with wolf blood instead of him.

“Hayden.” A male voice called him from a distance, and she stopped short, nearly colliding with her mate when he halted.

She grabbed his hand in hers, wondering if the forest had really dropped ten degrees or whether it was only in her own head. “Who is that?” she whispered, although why she felt the need to be quiet was beyond her when whoever had spoken clearly knew they were there.

“Lucian.” Hayden dropped her hand and put his hands on his hips. “I wonder what he wants here.”

“Lucian?” Her voice squeaked. “Isn’t he dead?”

When Hayden turned to regard her, he had one of his eyebrows raised. “Where would you have gotten an idea like that?”

As if conjured by the moonlight, Lucian appeared before them. She blinked rapidly. How had he done that? In fact, what was going on here? How had she gotten in the woods?

“Don’t worry, seer. This will all make sense soon.” Lucian turned to Hayden. “I made a mistake. You have to find him. It was always you who would.”

She tried to focus on what her mate said to the man who had nearly destroyed him with his dark expectations, but all she could seem to hear was the soft swishing sound the wind made and all she could see was the way the moon the shone down on them all.

Daughter of mine.

She gasped and covered her mouth. Had the moon spoken to her?

They chose humanity to have you. You and your sisters. Have you forgotten? Has it already left your memory? Why are you not feeding the dreams? Your mate is in danger of losing himself.

Wait…what? Her mate was right next to her. She turned to look at him and found that he wasn’t there. Nothing surrounded her, not even the trees, just the light of the moon shining down on her.

You need to see, daughter of the moon. You need to see.

She grabbed at her eyes as energy surged through her and brought her to her knees. This wasn’t real. This was a vision. She’d fallen asleep and woken up in another reality. That was the only explanation she could come up with. Chelsea couldn’t remember previous visions, but she hoped they hadn’t all gone like this. Did she end up in horrible pain every time it happened?

The scene changed, and instead of the woods with the moonlight, she stood back in the labs. Well, specifically one of the offices connected to the labs. Hayden stood in front of her. He was dressed this time in the same clothes he’d been in before they’d made love.

“Hayden.” She called out his name, but he didn’t turn around. “That’s right. This is all coming back to me. You can’t hear me. I can only see what might be happening to you. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe this is some kind of possibility that will never actually occur. I hate these f*cking visions.”

Hayden moved forward, and that was when she saw the doctor. He’d wanted her to call him Robert. And then he’d poked at her, sneered at her, and ultimately made a pass at her before threatening her life.

“You.” Hayden pointed at Robert. “You’re going to answer my questions. Or I’m going to make you hurt. You can believe me when I tell you about the pain. Dishing out punishment always came easily to me. But you and I don’t have to go there. Not if you answer my questions.”

Robert jumped to his feet. “No one talks to me like that. Certainly not a werewolf like you. All of your kind need to be put down.”

Hayden sighed “That’s what I thought you’d say.”

“Hayden.” She called out last though he could hear her even knowing he couldn’t. “Don’t do that. You’re not that man anymore. You’ve made a life for your pack. You have me now. There’s no need to go back to the darkness.”

If he continued forward, that was what would happen. Hayden, whose eyes hooded when he talked about his time with Lucian but who glowed with light when he walked through his vineyard or managed his pack, could not be allowed to travel backward to the place he had left behind. Not for her. Not ever.

She could stop him. This hadn’t happened yet. It could still be prevented. She needed to wake up. Open her eyes. Stop the vision and get help before it all faded away. Somehow she’d done it before, and she could do it again.

She. Had. To. Wake. Up.

Her eyes flew open, and she darted upward. A hand restrained her, and she blinked, trying to clear her blurred vision. Two figures, a male and a female, stared down at her, and she didn’t know either of them.