Chapter 6
The Future
"Let's go. Just leave and never look back." Sonja's face told him, his idea did not sit well. "Why not? We've got to do something." Time was running out, and they had to decide.
She shook her head as she faced him head on. "All right, you have to go."
Concise and to the point. "What makes you think I'm going without you?" he countered.
"Because! This is how it's meant to be."
"No, it isn't." He could hear his blood starting to churn, a sure sign the wolf wanted to take over. "Hortence said you're my mate." He sounded a little foolish, even to his ears. "The Guardian said the same thing! Are you going to argue with him?" Ty figured she knew what he meant. After all, the Guardian stood seven feet tall and reminded him of the color of tar. He impressed Ty with his prowess and strength. He was not a werewolf, but a god of sorts, the ruler of the underworld or some such nonsense. Ty did not want to think about the particulars, he simply wanted to get the hell out of there. Hortence small cabin was secluded and with the help of a magic spell remained concealed. Ty did not trust the vampires, more would come. The sooner he got Sonja out of there, the better off they would be, he mused.
Sonja glanced around her. "I can't leave."
"Ahhh, for the love of all that's holy! What are you talking about now?" He ran his hand through his hair and bit down on the reply he wanted to share with her. The woman was not rational. None of the situation he found them both in was rational. "Why not, pray tell?"
She did not answer.
"I asked you a question. Sonja, why not?" He could not stop the interrogation. "Where were you last night?"
She dropped her head while contemplating her hands clenched in her lap.
The room grew silent.
Finally, Ty rose and walked to the door. "We go over the same ground every time you disappear like this." He waited. "Fine, if you won't tell me, I guess we have nothing to discuss. Snatching the battered cavalry off the peg, he headed for the door. With one hard glower in her direction, he paused, shoving the hat on top of his head. "I'm leaving. I'll be gone awhile. No need to wait supper." With the words looming like a vast expanse between them, Ty stepped onto the porch.
"Wait!" Sonja got up and walked over to the doorway where he stood. The sunlight gleamed on the pistol strapped to his leg. She sighed heavily. "I went to see my sister." Dark lashes fluttered down. She toyed with the button on his faded cotton shirtfront.
Exhausted, Ty released the last patient breath he owned. "Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be traipsing through the swamp alone and at night?"
She shook her delicate curls. "I wasn't alone, silly." She stepped away, before walking back to the table, nervously arranging the silverware laying there. "I had Hortence with me."
Ty figured he had been too tired to hear her right. "What did you say?" He moved to stand behind her. Watching the gold glisten in her hair always made him want to reach out, fisting his hands in her locks. "Honey," he turned her gently, looking into her soulful brown eyes. "Honey, she's dead." Shaking his head, Ty tried his best to make her understand. With all, they had been through, the fact that Hortence died probably would not process. Sonja needed to deny the fact to remain sane. He could understand the reaction to trauma. He had seen men close themselves off to reality dozens of times when faced with the death of a comrade or friend in battle. After what they had been through, the reaction certainly seemed normal to him. He gathered her close and made another attempt. "Look, I know how much you thought of the old girl?but, Nymph, she's gone."
"Who's gone?" The question came from behind him. Ty forced back the need to charge the door with Sonja in tow. Blinking, his mind worked out a plausible excuse for the woman standing in the doorway. He had been through a lot. What with learning he had become a werewolf and then staring down a firing squad before escaping with Sonja. They were all perfectly good reasons for the image of Hortence to be standing in the doorway. Pointing to the door, Ty looked back at Sonja. "I have the same problem sometimes." He gave the door a quick scan. Yeah, the damn ghost still stood there. "I see her right now, as a matter of fact. Doesn't make her real, Nymph."
The old woman snorted. "I beg your pardon, boy, I'm as real as a Union gold piece." Stepping across the threshold, she shoved him aside as she went around to the other side of the table settling in one of the pressed oak chairs. Pinning him with that beady eye, she continued companionably. "Don't believe everything you see and none of what you hear." Wagging a finger at him, she smirked in agreement with herself. "That's my motto."
"But how are you here?" His mind simply could not process the fact she sat at the table as if they were discussing nothing more important than the weather.
Sonja's face beamed with pleasure as she moved to give Hortence a big hug before offering Ty an answer. "She pretended to die."
"Pretended?" He glared hard at them both. The silence made Sonja glanced toward the window.
"Yes, I wanted to tell you but you never returned. The court-martial happened. That's when I planned on telling you last night, but we a?" Her color rose when she glanced back at Hortence, who sat with her hands folded over her stomach. I had to go to my sister's and well, there never seemed to be a good time, that's all." She lifted her hands and shrugged, her plump bottom lip disappearing under her top one.
He continued to scrutinize them both. "Woman, you'd best be explaining how she can pretend so well. I watched her die!" He threw out a hand in emphasis. "Nobody can pretend to stop breathing."
Hortence nodded. "You're right, of course. But, a trance is a different matter." Her squint drew his attention to her faded, lined face. "Your relatives know a thing or two about such talents, don't they?"
There was that reference to his Indian heritage again. Unable to accept the fact that the old witch sat as alive as ever at the rustic kitchen table in the small hovel she called home proved terribly disquieting. Finally, Ty gave in. A multitude of strange things had happened of late. He could not discount the possibility of such an occurrence. "What now?" His tone held an exasperated tension.
"I thought we'd bring her with us." Sonja glanced up eyeing him hopefully.
For a moment, Ty could say nothing. How did she think they would make it out of the situation, much less with a witch in tow? He decided to test the theory. "So, if she comes along, you'll go with me, is that it?" Exasperated with her, Ty growled low and threw up his hands before wheeling for the door. "How do you plan on this happening?" he asked in the frame of the front door.
"Hortence has a disappearing spell that should do the trick."
"Of course." He turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Sonja's question held unease, which Ty could not help but enjoy.
"To see to the buckboard. If we're leaving, we'll need provisions."
Sonja squealed and rushed forward to throw her arms around him. "I knew you'd understand." The joy in her expression made Ty realize how much he wanted to do whatever the Nymph asked of him. He caught her spinning her around for good measure. "Woman, you do test my patience. How did I know what awaited me when I looked across that field of death and saw you coming through the mist?"
"Fate, Lieutenant." Her whiskey brown eyes held his in love and affection. "You didn't know it was just fate."
The End
Books by Catherine Wolffe
The Lady in the Mist (The Western Werewolf Legend #1)
The Civil War took Sonja Brooks' husband and left her alone. Unprotected and scared, she runs headlong into a life-changing event when she is attacked by a wolf. Her fate as a werewolf is sealed. When she stumbles upon Ty Loflin, a Rebel soldier dying of his wounds, she nurses him back to health. He is the perfect mate but will he want her once he knows the truth?
In Book 1 of this new series by Award-winning author Catherine Wolffe, the Western Werewol
f Legend weaves a new blend of western romance with paranormal elements involving werewolves and vampires.
Waking Up Dead (The Western Werewolf Legend #2)
The truth, Sonja Brooks understands is relevant. She's a werewolf with a special 'gift' and faces danger at every turn. Now, the bloodsuckers stalk her family and the man she loves.
He vowed to protect his men despite the cost. Tyler Loflin must save them and Sonja from the threat of Yankee vampires. Seeking help from one of them will test his faith in the human he once knew and his own strength as a newly born werewolf.
Escaping to a better place, Ty and Sonja set out for Texas, but will the freedom and safety they seek elude them?
Wolfen Secrets (The Western Werewolf Legend #3)
Not only do our dreams hold secrets to our future, but as Sonja Brooks discovers they also hold the keys to immense danger for her kind. Sonja finds the western werewolf pack in great peril when she and her mate, Tyler Loflin have to take on the vampires and their undead magic.
When confronted with vampires that won't ever die, Tyler Loflin has to formalize a plan to protect the woman he loves as well as the men who are like brothers to him. The only problem is keeping the plan a secret from Sonja, who is the alpha she-wolf of their pack.
Salvation's Secrets (The Loflin Legacy Prequel)
Seth Loflin didn't expect to discover the love of his young life bathing in the creek on Loflin land. Yet Celia satisfies his body and his heart the moment he sees her. But trouble isn't far away when his father finds out about his oldest son's summer romance with the beautiful Comanche half-breed.
Charles Harrington walks a thin line between right and wrong. One false step could land him in jail or at the end of a hangman's noose. His only friend, Seth Loflin guards his secret with his life. The burden of guilt he has carried weighs heavy on his heart for the family he unwittingly put in harm's way.
Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1)
From the moment Celia, the emerald-eyed, Comanche half-breed, gets off the stage in Tyler, Texas, Seth Loflin realizes he is on a collision course with the past. She was his first love and now the Shooter Creek's ranch boss can't allow her to succumb to the danger that stalks her. Someone wants to kidnap her and sell her as a slave, but now that she's in his protective arms, he intends to keep her safe.
Celia can't run back to the safety of her former life in South Carolina. If she stays at Shooter Creek with Seth, she'll be putting the man she has always loved and his ranch in danger of harboring a Comanche. Seth refuses to leave her side, and his vow to protect her gives Celia the hope and courage she needs. Now she'll fight for her new life with Seth...or die trying.
Casey's Gunslinger (The Loflin Legacy: Book 2)
When Casey St. Clair returns to Tyler to locate her birth father, she seeks the help of the town's attorney, the wickedly handsome, Charles Harrison. Abandoned as a baby by the town's most influential man, Earl Loflin, Casey's plan includes going to any length to shame the man who sired her. Charles sees her plan as a foolhardy attempt at revenge. He'll do his best to protect her without resorting to the methods of his past. But when his past comes calling and Casey walks blindly into a trap, he's the only man who can save her and any future they have together.
A Dance in Time (J.T. Leighton, Time Traveler #1)
J.T. Leighton was a good Marine until one extraordinary night in Iraq. Now he's a good Private Investigator with special skills. He's on the trail of a woman who's acquired a priceless necklace. His superiors want her killed, but J.T. wants her. Discovering why will put their lives in jeopardy.
Jessie Colter always wanted to be a dancer. Now, her life's on hold until she can understand what the strange request left by her deceased parents means. She turns to J.T. Leighton, the only person who believes her, and in doing so, understands more than she'd ever imagined.
Desire's Embrace
Morgan Latimar hires Laura Sinclair as a nanny to his children. From the start, he's told his plan is a bad idea by those near to him. He's a shifter and that secret alone would put him and his family in mortal danger. He's also a renegade against the U.S. government. Living as an outcast, he struggles daily with the desire to be normal and secure a future for his children.
Laura Sinclair grew up as an orphan after the death of her mother. She wants to be an independent woman, so she answers the ad from the mysterious man from Louisiana. At first, Morgan admires the courageous spirit Laura possesses. But when she plans to help his daughter regain her health without his knowledge, they draw a line in the dirt. Stubborn to a fault, she seeks the help of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Little does she know that Marie is the reason Morgan is a shifter. She also wants payment for her services in the form of the soul of a 'Seer'. Laura is that seer. Morgan can't hide his desire for Laura any more than he can hide the need to run free as a wolf. The Voodoo priestess kidnaps Morgan's daughter Sara, in exchange for Laura and her powers. Morgan uses the powers of the wolf to save both the women he loves more than life itself.
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About the Author
Catherine Wolffe enjoys writing. She loves experimenting with the genres and her latest book reflects a blending of the traditional western romance with paranormal elements. Dabbling in time travel, fantasy, as well as witchcraft, she mixes elements of the fanciful or otherworldly with solid historical figures. Showcasing cowboys, Indians, strong-willed women and steamy romance is her passion. In her romances, her heroines will have a mind of their own, while her heroes will have hearts of gold. All her characters will follow their dreams, because without them, there wouldn't be a story.
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