Dark Heart Wolf - Haley Weir Page 0,36
where the camp was still visible, but it was far enough to where she knew Sam could not see or hear her unless he wanted to. When she was finished, Mary Ann tidied her poncho and strolled back towards the camp to help pack up.
“I saw a cabin,” she announced.
“I saw it last night too. Didn’t want to go knockin’ in case it caused trouble. I thought it would be best just for us to hunker down and play it safe.”
“Did you see the symbol on the door?”
He grew very grim. “I did. They’re skinwalkers. Their scent is all over the other side of the river. I’m guessin’ they might be bears. They know enough to mark their home to protect themselves from the witches, so maybe they could be allies.”
“So far, we’ve seen coyotes, foxes, eagles, rabbits, and now bear shifters? What’s next?”
“Actually, when Wesley was out with Charlotte huntin’ down the outlaws that work for Ethan, he thinks he sensed a cougar. Let’s just hope, whoever these big bastards are, that they’re on our side. Lord knows we don’t need more enemies.”
~*~
Sam kept his eyes sharp in case more shifters were in the area. He watched every inch of forest that surrounded the mountain path and sniffed the area for anything that might have been hiding. Mary Ann was still quiet, but he hoped he was making progress with her. He knew he had to move slowly and earn her trust again. Sleeping next to her was the best thing that had happened to Sam since he left her house that night.
“I think now would be a good time to tell me what to expect when we get up there, don’t you?” she said suddenly. “I mean, whatever told you to climb the mountain would not have asked you to do it for no reason, right?”
“We make it to the top together, and then I have to bare my soul to the ancestors. Itsá says that it will take shape and that I must battle the spirit of the wolf and earn clarity. If I win, then I will be given a chance to petition the ancestors for forgiveness for my mistakes in the past and speak with Savannah and Malia. Through them, I’ll earn peace.”
“What do I have to do?”
Sam glanced over at Mary Ann. “You have to keep the other spirits on the mountain from takin’ over my body while my soul completes the trial.”
Mary Ann didn’t look too concerned. She simply nodded her head and shrugged, not showing any of the worry he had expected.
“You ain’t afraid of what that could mean?”
She shook her head this time. “I’m your mate for a reason. I may not have faith in much anymore, but I have faith in that. You know I would protect you to my last breath, Samuel. I got no problem watchin’ your back because I know you always have mine.”
“It’s takin’ everythin’ in me not to lean over and kiss you right now,” he said with an ache in his chest he knew would not go away until he could hold her properly again. Mary Ann flushed violently and glanced away, unable to meet his stare. Sam felt foolish for ever walking away, but he knew he could never love her completely until he found a way to let go of his past. He was a broken, miserable man, and he was tired of his problems hurting her.
“Charlotte said she knew how to defeat the witches, right?”
“She did,” he answered.
“How?”
“She said somethin’ about a grimoire hidden in a tomb that’s concealed by a spell at the heart of the forest. Her vision showed a giant tree that looked much older than everythin’ else around it. She thinks she saw it the first time the Skadegamutc appeared.” Sam didn’t like the thought of the ghost witch guarding the grimoire needed to kill the witches. He didn’t need to know the horror of her legend to understand that she was an omen for death. As one of the evil spirits that had risen for the war, he was suspicious that she hadn’t attacked them as the Wendigo Spirit or the coven had.
“What about the Draoi?”
Sam stopped. “The what?”
“Gabriel mentioned that the third spirit was known as the Draoi. It’s more of an entity than a physical being, able to tear open this world and the next. He says the Draoi will allow creatures this world has never known to cross over and that the Draoi