Once Scorched Always Safe

‘he Past Unveiled

ic (Edmund)

ayne sat with Parker on the couch across from him, Arabella stood behind his chair with her hands on both temples, her voice soothing yet unnerving. he was trying to calm his nerves, open his mind to help ease the way for her magic to work. He was nervous about what this would lead to. What his ind held in its dark grip. What would he be like once she put his memories back together?

ould he remember everything? Would there still be missing pieces? The questions swirled around his mind as she concentrated on her spell, on iming the turmoil of his broken soul. If this worked and she made him whole again, he would owe Arabella a great debt, one he wasn’t sure he could

er repay.

ure you ready. Edmund?”

e merely nodded his head. He couldn’t find the words to tell her how nervous he was, yet in the next instant a calm settled over him. Then darkness escended, blanketing him as what felt like silk slid across his mind.

lashback

years ago

he war had been raging for three months now. There didn’t seem to be any end in sight as every day he lost more warriors. Wilson was no help at all, pent almost all day and night drunk while his children stayed with Mia and Rayne in the bunker under the mansion. All the elders, children, and mhifted wolves were safely down in the bunker as the war crept closer and closer to their borders. Edmund was doing everything that he could to keep is pack together despite their failing Alpha. He was tired, wounded from a skirmish a few nights ago, and running a pack alone while Wilson drowned imself in boorr.

Their ganima David died in the fight a few nights ago when three wolves from another pack attacked him at the same time. By the time Edmund could

reak free of his fight. David was dead. They brought their dead home for their families to mourn, only to go back out the next night to aid their eighbors as they too w

were raided. Wilson was again missing in action, no doubt buried in his bottle of gin, drowning out the memory of his dead mate.

While Edmund could understand Wilson’s pain, losing one’s soul mate was unimaginable for many. If he ever lost Mia, how Wilson had lost Kara, he was sure he would lose his mind too. Alec and Bridgette lost their mother and father the same day Kara died, Wilson was alive, but was a ghost of who te once was. A once powerful, gentle Alpha that the pack was proud to stand behind. Now he was a drunk who hid from the world, while his children and his pack suffered

Tonight, Edmund was hoping to have a few hours of peace, to spend it with his mate and his daughter. He missed their faces. When he made his way down into the bunker, he found them curled up on a bed fast asleep, so with a soft sigh, he climbed in with them, held his family tight for a few hours of sleep. If only he knew that it was the last time, he would see his mate, or hold his daughter while she slept.

He was woken up by the screaming of women and children, the growls of his warriors as they were trying to protect the bunker. From the sounds coming from above them, he knew that they had breathed the mansion. The war was now on their doorstep, his fear level spiked for his family, for his pack. He jumped up from the bed, pulling Mia and Bayne up with him.

“Rayne, baby, I needed you to go find Alec and Bridgette. Take them to your fort by the Glenn, stay there until I come for you. Do you understand?” Her pale green eyes looked up at him, fear written all over her little face.

“Yes, Papa,” Her little voice squeaked out as he knelt to wrap her in a tight hug.

*Now go, fast and silent as I taught you, through the back tunnel” He turned her around, gave her back a little pat to get her moving.

As the ran away, s eyes watered. His breath hitched before he stood and turned to face Mia. “You ready for this, my love? They are here and are not backing down. I need you to fight with me. We have to take this fight to them so that Gavin and Terry can get the rest of our pack to safety.”

“I got this Eddie. I was a warrior before Rayne was born, I can fight.” She rolled her shoulders as she got into her fighting stance, the fire in her heart igniting behind her eyes.

“Then let’s go help our warnors fight.”

The night wore on as they fought for the survival of their pack members, for their children. Every warrior he had was weary, wounded from previous fights, but they trudged on, launched back into the fray to protect what was thrink. At some point, he lost sight of Mia, but he knew she was a powerful fighter and could hold her own, though he would feel better if he knew she was still doing line.

He saw her woll off to his left, streaking through the woods. She launched into the air onto the back of a wolf going in for the kill on one of their fellow

The Past Unveiled

warriors. Mia bit into the neck, snapping it to the side, killing the wolf instantly, then streaked off to find another fight. The warrior she saved rolled over, shook off the near–death, then followed her. His mate was amazing.

A low growl to his right forced his attention back to the fight. Out of the trees, a dark brown wolf stalked towards him. A scar across its snout made him. frown. Why was Wilson out here fighting? If he was sober, that would be a helpful addition to their battle. From what Edmund had seen of the man from earlier that morning, there was no way he was sober. Wilson was in stalker mode as he circled Edmund. This would not be good.

What are you doing, Wilson? The fight is our there in the forest, not here with me He said through their mindlink.

*You have it all, don’t you, Eddie?

What the fuck was he talking about? They were at war, for Goddess’s sake.

“You have a warrior goddess as a mate. An amazing daughter.

“Kara was not your fault, Wilson. She died in childbirth.”

You have it all…. and I HAVE NOTHING!! With the last part, Wilson launched himself at Edmund.

The last shred of his Alpha’s sanity had snapped, Edmund pivoted as to his left as Wilson flew at him, turning as he went past him. He faced his best friend with determination. He didn’t want to kill him, but would if it meant protecting his pack. He rushed forward, snapping his canines at Wilson as the fight began. They were both powerful fighters; they knew each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and fighting styles. They had never defeated one another in the past when they sparred. This fight would be different, Wilson was sluggish because of the alcohol, but he was still strong.

Edmund growled out in pain as Wilson swiped his back with his claws. He spun around, bitting onto Wilson’s front paw as he tried to move away. They went back and forth clawing, bitting, and snapping at each other. One minute he had the upper hand, the next Wilson was in control, then the horrible pain he felt sear across his gut. It was not his pain; he was feeling Mia’s as she took a claw across her abdomen. He took his focus off Wilson, which was all he needed.

Wilson swiped his right front claws across Edmunds’s face, tearing a line down the left side of his face, then kicked him off with his back paws. It sent Edmund flying a few feet away, landing against the base of a tree, pain searing through his head as it bounced off the trunk of the tree. His vision blurred as he fought against the pain. He would not go out like this, he had to finish this fight and get to his mate.

As he struggled to his feet, he saw her. She came limping out of the trees behind Wilson, her canines bored as she growled loudly to get his attention. Wilson swung his head around as she stalked forward to join the fight. He growled loudly as his rage spiked at seeing his Beta’s mate alive. He turned back around, ran towards Edmund, with the obvious intention of ending the fight..

“Papa!!” Rayne’s voice came out of the darkness.

Edmund lifted his head to look to where he knew with a sinking heart that his little girl stood, struggled to stand as he saw Wilson swing his head in Rayne’s direction. Mia saw it too, dashing forward to put herself between Wilson and her daughter, which to Edmund’s utter horror was where Wilson was now moving to

His best friend was now going to hurt his child.

Edmund struggled to his feet, darkness blurring his vision as he gained his feet, as it cleared the sight before his eyes made him falter. Wilson had Mia by the throat, his teeth embedded deep, blood staining her fur. With one final powerful move, he ripped her throat out, and Mia fell lifeless to the forest Прог

“Mama!!!!” Rayne screamed, backing away, her eyes filling with tears, fear wafting off her in waves.

Edmund rushed forward, launched himself onto Wilson’s back, snapping his teeth into the fur at the back of his neck until blood flowed freely. Wilson roared in pain, bucked trying to get Edmund off him, he succeeded by flinging him to the ground, Growling loudly, Wilson turned and fled into the woods, leaving Edmund bleeding on the ground next to his dead mate

He jumped up as Rayne fell over her mother’s body, then he raced after Wilson to put an end to the man that just brutally murdered his mate. He found him a few miles away from pack borders, whimpering in pain, Edmund launched himself at Wilson full–on as he took him by surprise. With the upper hand, he went for the throat to rip it out as Wilson had with Mia, but Wilson got out of his grip. His rage was overwhelming as he fought viciously to kill Edmund. They both were now suffering the loss of their soul mates.

Yet Edmund now fought for his daughter, for Rayne was all that was important to him now.

Wilson had to die for her to be safe. She was a witness to the horrible crime her Alpha had committed; he knew Wilson would try to kill her too. Pain exploded in his back as he was kicked away, hitting the ground hard. Before he could regain his feet Wilson was above him. He slammed his head into Edmund’s over and over, then swiped his from left pow down his chest, blood spewing from the jagged tears in his flesh. With one last swipe of his

The Past Unveiled

claws, Wilson stepped back and fled.

Darkness dotted Edmunds’s vision as he felt his life drain out of him as he bled out. All he could think of was Rayne, how he had left her behind instead of staying to protect her. His vision narrowed to a pinpoint of silvery moonlight. He prayed to the Moon Goddess to protect his daughter where he had failed. Then everything went dark as he faded away.

End Flashback

Lyric took a gasping breath as the silk slid free of his mind, leaving him staring across at Rayne who had tears streaking down her face. Her hand was Lightly gripping Parker’s, his arms wrapped around her as she cried. Arabella had linked them together so she could help Rayne unlock her memories of that night as she pieced him together. Arabella took a step back as he stood from the chair, he walked across the small space the separated him from Rayne.

He went down on his knees in front of her, reached his shaky hands up to cup her face, “Ray, baby, I am so sorry that I left you. I should have stayed with you. I am so sorry”

Rayne launched herself out of Parker’s arms to tackle Edmund in a long–overdue hug, her arms wrapped around his neck as she held onto him and sobbed out her pain. “It wasn’t your fault, Papa. He killed her because she was protecting me. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I left you alone, Ray, because of that he hurt you in more wa

ways. I saw in your mind

and what he did to you.”

She flinched at his words, pulled back from him, “No, that was not what we saw tonight. No.” She scooted away from him as fresh tears streaked down her face.

“I saw it yesterday. I was here in the morning before I met you in the bar.”

“What?”

I was

was walking by on the beach yesterday morning, I was humming to the birds, then I felt this intense wave of pain wash over me, then I looked up and saw you rocking back and forth with a blank look on your face.”

“You were who I chased into the woods when I got back from the bar,” Parker spoke for the first time since they began the spell.

“All I did was soothe her with my song, pick her, put her on the couch. I covered her with that blanket, then left after I fought the feeling that I knew her somehow, I did not know she owned that bar that I would later walk into for a meal.”

“I would have chased you more if I had sensed any ill intent, but when I lost you in the woods, Rayne was my only priority.”

“For how you love her I will forever be grateful you.”

Rayne let out a soft sob, “Papa…”

“Come here, I will let no one hurt you ever again.” When she came into his embrace, he shared a look with Parker. They nodded to each other.

They made an unspoken pact between the two of them to protect the one woman that they both loved. He knew that if Wilson ever crossed their path; be was a dead wolf. That thought gave him more comfort than anything else had so far today. Edmund would make him pay for–Mia’s life, for the abuse he put Rayne through, and most of all for taking away her innocence in the brutal way he had.

For Rayne, he would rip Wilson’s head clean off.

Rayne

Hours later, she sat in her room as she was still processing the memories that were revealed today. She finally had answers to why Wilson had treated her so horribly, why he had beat her into what he thought was submission. He wanted to keep her afraid, to keep her memory of that night locked in her mind. He was afraid of her nightmares more than she was.

Afraid that Rayne would remember the way he had murdered her mother as she tried to protect her mate and her child. He would lose the position of Alpha and be killed for his crime, not banished, but he would face death for the murder of a pack mate. His crime was not one of self–defense, but of cold–blooded murder.

Oh, how Rayne wished she would have remembered years ago what he had done that night.

Her father had left shortly after to go for a run after Arabella had helped him connect with his wolf Maxwell. Parker had helped talk him through the transformation, then went with him for the first thirty minutes, then left him to connect with nature and his wolf. Parker was in the space above the

The Past Unveiled

garage, taking measurements on what they would need to do to get it in shape for Edmund to live there.

Between the two of them, they had convinced her father it was a good fit. He balked, but caved, saying that it would only be temporary until he found a job and a place of his own. Telling him that there was no need for any of that was met with a stony look, then silence. She knew he would stay.

They had so much time to make up for. She would make that time count for everything she had to give. After fourteen years, she had her father back. The man who taught her to be stealthy like that night, to run like the wind, and sang her to sleep every night. Her papa was alive and she would help them live their best lives possible.

As soon as she dealt with Morty and his demon problem later today. Arabella agreed to talk to him, unsure if she could do a spell of that magnitude, but she will try. Now all they could do was wait while she prepared what she needed for the spell. She had gone back to her house in Paris, saying that she would be back before sundown.

So with any luck at all ninety percent of her stress level would be solved by tonight.

The thought of the unknown danger that Jazmine mentioned still lingered in her mind. Who could the man be that wanted to hurt her? She already knew who the guilty man was, Sebastion. Would he be the next person from her past to just suddenly pop back into her life? How would she handle that? How would Parker handle meeting Sebastion?

They had only met briefly that one night, but he had left a poor impression on her, cementing in her mind at the time that she never wanted a mate. How would that affect her now that she and Parker were in this new stage of their relationship? She hoped she was wrong, that Sebastion was not the guilt–ridden man in Jazmine’s vision.

He was not wanted in her life

Not then

Not

Never.

Her Returned Male (The Bathering Shadows Series, Book 1)

Magic gone wild, A face from the Past revealed.

She was optimistic that it would work, but nervous since she had Arabella returned with all she needed for the spell Morty requested her to attempt. not cast a spell of that magnitude in a very long time. Rayne knew she was capable of potent magic, hoped that they would all walk away alive. She was getting dressed in her room, Parker and her father had left for the bar already, Ambella was out on the beach gathering a few more ingredients she would need for the wards at the bar

Rayne grabbed a simple pair of blue jeans, a loose–fitting white t–shirt with Mickey Mouse posing with a peace sign on the front, then grabbed her canvas sneakers and called herself done. She was not out to impress anyone at the bar and left to her own choice in clothing tonight. She decided lazy casual was the way to go. Who knew what would happen tonight if the spell failed?

They were up against demons and Dark Witches, so she had Parker pack weapons capable of hurting both of them, on the off chance that they had located Morty and his family already. Since she hadn’t heard from Morty, and they had breached none of the wards during the day, she figured that they were all still safe.

Rayne walked out onto the deck to wave Arabella into the house, they would need to leave soon, the bar would open in a few hours, she was hoping to have all this dealt with before ten p.m. Realistically she knew that they may have to close the bar for the night; she didn’t want to put her employees or patrons at risk of what was coming. They dealt with risk nightly, but nothing of the magnitude that they could tonight..

Dark Witches.

Goddess knew how much Rayne feared them from her experience. She reached to where she still sported the scar from the silver dagger that was used to torbate her. Shaking her head clear of that darkness, now was not the time for another trip down memory lane. She then turned to head back inside when Arabella made her way towards the house.

“Would you rather me teleport us there or do you want to drive?” Arabella asked as she came inside to gather her bag.

“For convenience, let’s go with the first one, but oh, how I dislike the feeling after.”

Arabella chuckled as she gripped Rayne’s hand, then in the next instant, they were in Rayne’s office. Parker sat behind her desk, going over something on her computer screen with her father. Both looked up as they appeared in the middle of the room. The sight of them together warmed her heart. Parker had befriended her father, and by the looks of the two, she would say that the friendship went both ways. That would be fun to watch the progress as they lived their lives after tonight. Her lover, best friend, and business partner now friends with her recently returned from the dead father. As far as things were now, her life was doing pretty well.

“I am

n going to down and meet Morty,” Arabella spoke as she turned to the door.

Straight to business tonight it seems, no jokes, no snarky comments from the White Witch. “Is everything alright?” Rayne looked to her friend in

concern.

“Something dark lingers near, it isn’t demons or witches, but it is seething with hatred and ill intent. How close it is I can’t pinpoint, as it is circling the area around the bar Arabella closed her eyes as she projected her power outward and upwards as if she were seeking more information.

“Parker, do

you i think we should close the bar tonight? Will the others be at risk trying to come into work?”

“Argyle, Spencer, and Malcolm can more than handle themselves. That old werebear Malcolm has seen his fair share of witches.”

“Werebear? Those exist too?” Edmund piped up with a look of surprise.

“There are many types of wereanimals Papa, if you work here with us you will meet summe, others are not always social outside their wereanimal species.”

“Ray, you have gained so much knowledge of the world, a world that I never even dreamed existed outside our pack borders.”

*There are ten of them out there, one is their leader, the darkness I am sensing is coming from him,” Arabella spoke then left the office to go to the bunker to meet Morty.

“Well, that we can handle, let’s close the bar but call the boys and have them come in. Tell them to use the south tunnel under Tim’s garage,” Rayne turned to leave, paused looking back at Parker, “When everyone is here, let me know.”

Parker nodded his head, picked up his cellphone to make the calls.

Mage gone wild, A face from the Past revealed

The bar was built on a tunnel network that had once been used in the twenties during prohibition to smuggle booze in and out of the bar. They bricked up all but the south tunnel that let out a few blocks away under what is now a mechanic’s shop. The owner had no idea it was there, they had warded the entrance and the entire length of the tunnel, and used it as an escape plan if they ever needed it. So far, they had only used it once. Until tonight she never thought they would need again, but she wanted her boys safe and hidden as they came in tonight.

As she entered the sale room, Morty was laughing at something that Arabella had said. His mother and sister were sitting on one couch, talking low. Rayne looked around the room, seeing that Arabella had set up her things on the har. With luck, tonight would be successful. Then they could open the bar to their regular customers.

“How are things going down here?”

Morty turned to look at her as she spoke, “So far we have agreed to try the spell, but we are going to try it one at a time,”

“A mass spell would be difficult, and I haven’t tried one of this caliber solo”

“There are two other White Witches in town we could call in to help.”

“Lynn is not powerful enough on her own, who is the second one?” Arabella looked at Rayne with a frown.

“She is our new bartender, Jazmine Calhoun, she is powerful.”

“Then get them both. The more power I can harness, the stronger this spell can be,”

Rayne went back upstairs so she could make those calls since the safe room was lead–lined. There was no way to make calls down there. As she entered the kitchen she jumped as she saw Argyle leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, Jazmine stood behind him with a stormy expression in her

eyes.

“Well, th

that saves me a call, Jazmine can you head downstairs to meet Arabella, Argyle can you go to Lynn’s and escort her here?”

“Yes boss,” He turned around and was gone.

“Follow me Jaz, there is someone I think you should meet.” Rayne pointed back towards the safe room entrance.

“I sensed there was a need for me. As we came in, I sensed that same darkness circling the bar.” Jazmine looked at the entrance to the underground

room.

“Yeah, Arabella sensed that when we got here, the wards are strong, unless we let them in willingly, I don’t think there will be an issue.” Rayne moved to the entrance, “We will deal with that once we get Morty and his family safe.”

An hour later, they were all gathered downstairs after Argyle returned with Lynn. They would go forward with the spell. Argyle, Spencer, and Malcolm spread out along the walls, while Parker stood next to Rayne. Edmund stood at the bar Arabella wanted to use him as a focal point to guide them all back once they completed the spell.

The hu

way

hum of magic was heavy in the air, three voices rising and falling as the spell ebbed and flowed like waves on the shoreline. The spell wrapped around Morty and his family as it weaved its way into their bodies, hopefully to hide them from all those hunting them. If the spell worked the Arabella said it would, the spell would also hide them from all forces of darkness. No demon or Dark Witch could see or harm them. They would vanish to all those seeking to do them harm.

Rayne was in awe of the amount of power swirling around the room, it was almost overwhelming in its intensity. The spell crested, spilling magic out throughout the room, pushing at everyone as it pulsed and throbbed. The room rattled as their voices rose with power, thunder sounded from above them, static crackled making all their hair rise. Magic surged, then exploded in the small space, forcing everyone to their knees. The eyes of the three White Witches popped open, shining with luminescent white light.

The

power of the three of them overloaded the spell, spilling out onto everyone in the room, wrapping them all in a blinding bright light as it hit its peak. The voices faded, the magic let out an audible pop, then with a whisper of a blessing on the wind, everything in the room went silent. Everyone fell to the floor breathing heavily, the tension in the room fading, the air returning to normal.

“Well, goddamn, that was amazing.” Parker wheezed out as he sat up.

A chorus of chuckles followed as everyone else sat up and look around the room. Rayne looked over as Morty went to his mother and sister, helping them to stand. She reached for Parker’s hand as he helped her stand, then looked around to see if her father was ok. Edmund was helping Arabella to her feet, Lynn was laughing at something that Jazmine whispered in her ear, all seemed to be fine as they recovered from the result of magic overload.

Arabella looked around the room at everyone, “That had a much stronger effect than I had expected.” She looked at Jazmine. “You have more power in

Magic gone wild. A face from the Past revealed.

you than any White Witch I have met in a very long time.”

“My family is from a long line of witches, dating back to before the civil war.”

“You’re from Emmalia Calhoun’s line?”

“Yes, she is my great–great–grandmother.”

“I should have seen that when I met you, I have spent time with her in my past. You have so much raw power within you.”

“I am still learning to control it, but that was an amazing,” Jazmine said as she looked around the room. Her eyes landing on Argyle before she looked back at Arabella.

“I can help you learn if you will let me,” Arabella looked to Rayne, “The spell hit everyone in this room, all of us here tonight will now have the Immunity Morty was looking for. That side effect was unintended, but with the darkness still circling you and the bar, we solved two problems at once. He is still out there, I can sense him, but he cannot harm you, at least not directly.”

“What does that mean?” Parker asked

“The man that is seeking Rayne has others that are following him, they are out there with him now. They do not know what he wants to do, only what he has fed them.”

“I know who it is,” Edmund spoke low as he came to stand by Rayne.

She looked at him confused, “What do you mean? Who?”

“I saw a glimpse in his mind a moment ago when the spell finished. You know him too, Ray, he killed your mother.”

“Wilson?”

Just like that, the past she never wanted to have to revisit was coming back to slap her in the face. That bastard Wilson was still alive, and he was gunning for Rayne. After all this time, he was still angry with the role she had in getting him banished from his pack. His actions caused that, but he would never own up to that.

The one thing that gave Rayne comfort now was knowing that she was not alone at his mercy this time around. She had Parker, her father, and as she looked around the room at all her friends, she realized she had allies that she could count on to have her back. That thought gave her more comfort as Parker grabbed one hand and her father grabbed the other. Her men would have her back, as much as she would have theirs.

Wilson would not win this time.

He had no

ower

over her.

Her Returned Mate

Battle Plans and New Alliances

Parker