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    Black Wolf
    Black Wolf
    Black Wolf
    Ebook235 pages3 hours

    Black Wolf

    By Lizzy Ford

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    About this ebook

    Black Wolf may have traveled west to ransom the heir of Lost Vegas, but he quickly discovers his destiny lies in a different direction. All roads, and all paths, lead to the cursed city and the war brewing around it – including his. Except this destiny, he must face alone. His beloved spirit wolf returns to the spirit realm, leaving the skinwalker with the sacred duty of helping her six magical pups find the people they are destined to guide, before he, too, dies.

    Caught up in the Hanover family drama, the solitary Black Wolf is forced to accept allies to assure the outcome everyone wants. But even he is uncertain of how anyone – especially a scared girl, a half-skinwalker, a displaced heir, and a Native seeking vengeance – will defeat a man whose power and reputation for cruelty are spoken of in whispers for thousands of miles.

    The skinwalker’s fate and death may be predetermined, but little does he know the importance of his role in the final battle.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLizzy Ford
    Release dateApr 21, 2017
    ISBN9781623783174
    Black Wolf
    Author

    Lizzy Ford

    I breathe stories. I dream them. If it were possible, I'd eat them, too. (I'm pretty sure they'd taste like cotton candy.) I can't escape them - they're everywhere! Which is why I write! I was born to bring the crazy worlds and people in my mind to life, and I love sharing them with as many people as I can.I'm also the bestselling, award winning, internationally acclaimed author of over sixty ... eighty ... ninety titles and counting. I write speculative fiction in multiple subgenres of romance and fantasy, contemporary fiction, books for both teens and adults, and just about anything else I feel like writing. If I can imagine it, I can write it!I live in the desert of southern Arizona with two dogs and two cats!My books can be found in every major ereader library, to include: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Smashwords.

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      Book preview

      Black Wolf - Lizzy Ford

      Chapter One

      The presence of his wolf drifted out of the skinwalker with the same gentleness the creature had always used to guide him. One moment, the subtle, warm energy hummed within him. The next, it was gone, replaced by a void that felt cold. Empty. Alone.

      The skinwalker sat up, focusing hard on the spirit wolf. No whisper of her energy remained. No image of her appeared in his mind.

      He bowed his head and wished her safe passage back to her realm, and then stood. The spring night was cool without being cold. The air smelled of the rainclouds blown in by a stiff breeze. The weather was unpredictable this time of year, though warmer than he was accustomed to.

      The skinwalker slept apart from the others, who had all sought shelter from the elements in one of the burnt out buildings remaining of the village that once stood in the shade of pine trees, beside the great expanse of grasslands covering the distance between this forest and distant mountains. He had created his own shelter out of the poncho and fur cloak in his possession.

      Black Wolf left his shelter, impervious to the chill in the wind, and strode to the place where the trees met the prairie. He stood, senses outstretched and thoughts drifting among his options.

      They were few now that she was gone. Neither of them would ever see his homeland again. This much he knew without a doubt.

      He stood silent, unmoving. For the first time since he was a child, he did not entirely know what to do. His guide had found him when he was five and had been a constant source of wisdom.

      He felt the magic of the pale-faced girl brush the back of her neck before she spoke, and twisted his head to see her from the corner of his eye.

      I hope you do not intend to run, she said. Her voice was firm with him alone. Around the others, from whom she had no need to fear anything, she cowered and spoke tentatively.

      Black Wolf faced the prairie again, a half-smile on his face. The pale girl afraid of her shadow was a predator who responded to another predator in her territory. While he had learned the arts of both offense and defense at a young age, the Hanover girl knew only defense.

      She’s a half-predator. His smile faded. His wolf would have appreciated his humor.

      But she was gone, and he was alone in the world.

      Your fingers are tiny, he said and turned to confront the Hanover girl full on. You will do something for me.

      Her guarded expression grew suspicious, and she folded her arms across her chest. Unless he attacked her companions, she was harmless. Ignoring the swirl of power around her, Black Wolf retreated to his shelter for a knife and then sat on a stump nearby.

      The waif followed.

      One hundred braids, he said.

      There was a pause.

      You want me to braid your hair? the Hanover girl asked with no small amount of confusion in her voice.

      Yes.

      Why?

      My wolf has died. I will burn my hair with her body. He felt the shift without seeing the woman behind him.

      I am sorry she died, the Hanover girl whispered.

      Black Wolf said nothing. Seconds later, her light touch was on his hair. She released the leather tie that kept his hair length at mid-back rather than its full length past his ankles.

      Why do Natives grow their hair so long? she asked absently and shook out his hair.

      It is an extension of our spirits. Hair is sacred.

      The Hanover girl asked nothing more, and the power around her gradually relaxed and became stable again. He had never met someone with her unique sort of magic. After a lifetime exploring his own capabilities and the world, he was not surprised she existed, only that she had no idea how to wield the immense deformities she possessed.

      She started on the left side of his head, and he on his right.

      The skinwalker glanced towards the shadows. He had placed the knife three feet from where he sat, aware of the assassin lingering in the darkness, charged with guarding the Hanover girl. One day, he hoped to test her abilities, but not while she was guarded, and not when she was fully rested. Whether an enemy possessed physical strength or magical, it was never wise to incur the wrath of someone at full strength but to wait until the circumstances favored him.

      Your wolf was very kind to me, the Hanover girl said.

      No one could understand the depth of his relationship with a companion he had traveled with for a hundred years. Those who could speak to his guide had been very few – the Hanover’s, an ancient skinwalker Black Wolf met on his journeys, two shamans, and a random stranger who had fled screaming when the wolf spoke to him some forty years ago. The skinwalker remembered everyone who spoke to his spirit wolf, even though he dismissed the faces and identities of all the lives he had taken and deals he had made, once he received his payment.

      Those who spoke to her were special. Those she chose to spoke to were even rarer. There was something about the Hanover siblings his wolf had liked upon meeting them. For his part, Black Wolf had not wanted to understand initially. The brother and sister had caused him more trouble than anyone else he could recall. On the surface, and in their thoughts, the two were too simple to interest him. The girl’s thoughts were always pure, naïve, the boy’s proud and kind.

      They were boring.

      Except … they were also complicated. Predators who chose to dote over prey rather than realize the extent of their abilities. The combination of purity and magic, of kindness and strength, of absolute power and selflessness, was rare enough in the world that Black Wolf reluctantly understood his spirit guide’s fascination with the siblings. Even he was forced to acknowledge they had been drawn into something unique.

      With four hands braiding, the job went quickly. He gathered a handful of hair into one hand.

      Take the knife and cut them at the base, he said.

      Tiana hefted the knife. I cannot guarantee I will not cut you, she replied.

      I have seen the scars on your arms. You know how much force it takes to penetrate skin. Use less.

      Her breath caught in what he assumed was embarrassment, and she tugged her sleeves down to her wrists. The Hanover girl returned to her position at his side and began to carefully cut the clumps he created from his scalp.

      The touch of cool air against his skull was unwelcome. It felt as if the wind slid through his skin to join with the void that had formed earlier inside him.

      The Hanover girl was slow in her duty, and dawn lifted the night from the forest. An odd silence fell when she had finished. He sensed no threat and twisted to see what she was doing.

      The Hanover girl was studying the braids in equal parts curiosity and understanding. He glanced at the hair he had grown over many decades and noted the stripes of white that had not been present before his guide died.

      You are dying, too, she said.

      So I am.

      Are you afraid?

      No.

      She met his gaze with her Ghoulish eyes. But you are, he assessed. You cut yourself and fear death.

      I know what to expect from pain, she replied with the honesty that was unique to her.

      He shook his head. What you fear is not death. No man fears eternal peace. He fears dying at a time not of his choosing, before he has accomplished all he wishes to.

      Is this what they tell you before you murder them? she asked, a flicker of wariness entering her gaze.

      It is what they tell me when they cross over.

      Her eyes dropped to the space beside him, and he sensed one of the spirits was visible. Her expression became shuttered.

      You are grateful I will die soon, he said with a faint smile.

      Her cheeks blazed red, and she looked down. In truth, I was not thinking of you. The Hanover girl set the braids gently across his lap and stepped back. It is not right to wish anyone dead.

      To wish and to kill are different, he replied. You murdered Ghouls. Sentient, intelligent creatures who resemble us and act differently.

      Self-defense is different, she said, though she was frowning. I think.

      Black Wolf did not have enough time left in the world to mold her into the predator she was capable of becoming. He gathered the braids and stood but left the knife as a truce offering to the assassin whose energy he felt each time Rocky poised for action.

      Voices came from the direction of the burnt out cabin where the two western Natives accompanying their party had slept.

      They never stop arguing, the Hanover girl said, looking in the same direction.

      Black Wolf half-listened to the Natives with his keener-than-human senses as he placed the braids of his hair into a satchel.

      Do you know why they are arguing? the Hanover girl called after him.

      Over you. Over me. The route we took. The route they want to take to return. Whose father will be charged with leading the first assault on the city. How many more trained warriors each one of them has. Whose tribe has first rights to trade agreements when the Hanover’s are gone. Black Wolf shrugged. Meaningless chatter.

      Meaningless? the Hanover girl exclaimed. This seems important to me!

      None of those things matter.

      She shook her head, clearly not understanding. He debated leaving her small mind to figure it out for herself. Acutely aware of his waning existence on this plane, he decided to enlighten her rather than wait.

      If you or I choose to enter the assault, it will not matter how many warriors exist in the world. It will only matter whose side one of us is on, he explained.

      Realization crossed her face. I am not like you. Or my father, she said. I will fight no war.

      If I hit you, you will let me. If I hit him, he pointed into the trees, you will crush me.

      Her quizzical gaze went to the area where the assassin had been hiding for hours. Rocky emerged from the brush when Black Wolf pointed.

      If the man you fear threatens those you care about, you will take the war to him. It is only a matter of time before he hurts the person who will compel you into war. Black Wolf said. He saw the truth in her eyes before she ducked her head once more and mumbled her disagreement. Gather your things. We are leaving now. He packed up his shelter swiftly before striding towards the two Natives brooding after their latest disagreement. We must go, he told them.

      They both looked at him. The resentment in Diving Eagle’s eyes had been present since the Hanover girl prevented Black Wolf from murdering everyone in the village. The female warrior, however, was unconvinced of the danger, or she would not be arguing with her new ally about the threat both skinwalker and Hanover posed.

      Now, Black Wolf added.

      Prisoners do not give orders, Chases Deer snapped.

      Diving Eagle, however, nodded. We’re leaving now. Rather than remain and argue, he snatched his possessions and left the area.

      Chases Deer remained defiant.

      Black Wolf lingered, unaccustomed to backing down when challenged. As if sensing his magic shift, the Hanover girl’s shield tightened its grip around him.

      There may come a day when you are not so fortunate, he growled to Chases Deer before turning away.

      The waif, flanked by the assassin, was watching him closely from a distance. The assassin’s casual stance and smile were more deceptive than Black Wolf had ever been about anything in his life. The Hanover understood Black Wolf’s threat and was willing to oppose him – but she had no comprehension of how dangerous her other companions were. Black Wolf posed no danger to her.

      The assassin did.

      Diving Eagle did.

      Chases Deer did.

      And yet the Hanover only had eyes for Black Wolf.

      This, too, made him smile and would have amused his deceased spirit guide, whose otherworldly magic had given her unparalleled insight into people and their motivations.

      The Hanover girl frowned. She did not relax again until Black Wolf had put some distance between Chases Deer and himself. Diving Eagle motioned to the Hanover girl without speaking. She lowered her eyes to the ground and approached him, without the assassin.

      Black Wolf watched. Diving Eagle spoke roughly no matter whom he addressed, but his tone took on a softer note with the Hanover. Their exchange was short, and she responded with two nods, before the Native moved away.

      Black Wolf did not know what had passed between them, but the Hanover girl flung her head back to stare at the sky when Diving Eagle was gone and did not move, as if deep in thought. The assassin approached and nudged her after a moment, and she went, following Diving Eagle, who had stalked into the forest.

      The skinwalker followed them both. The dynamics around him had shifted subtly but noticeably in the short time he had spent with the four. By the time they reached their destination, he hoped to understand the motivations of those around him better, without the aid of his guide, who had always acted to protect him.

      When it became clear Diving Eagle meant to leave her if she did not comply, Chases Deer trotted after them to make up the last member of the procession.

      The two snapped at one another often as they walked, he in his language, she in hers, and both ignoring the three people separating them. Black Wolf listened for details he could use later or information that would flesh out the motivations of the two. He had thought their dislike of one another superficial at first, two people with competitive natures who would gradually learn to work together. But after spending time with them, Black Wolf suspected they just could not stand one another. Whether it was a shared history, clashing personalities, the tension created by the shifting alliances, or a combination, they genuinely despised one another.

      After three hours of trekking through the forest, the silence between the two seemed ready to last.

      I never hear our names mentioned among the many discussions between Diving Eagle and Chases Deer, Rocky observed. What do you all call us, if not by name?

      Neither of the Natives spoke, and Black Wolf knew why. "The Diné refer to the Hanover girl as daughter of my enemy or enemy blood or the not yet dead. When one of them is particularly upset, it is much more interesting. They have created an entire language around cursing the Hanover’s, he replied. Chases Deer refers to her as the girl with no muscles. Both of them call you the smiling assassin."

      Sounds like I got the better end of that deal, the assassin replied.

      They have had hundreds of years to invent names for my family, the Hanover girl said. I imagine there are many, none of them pleasant.

      One is, Black Wolf replied.

      Diving Eagle gave him a sharp look over his shoulder.

      The Hanover did not ask, as if suspecting the sliding scale of insulting names could never be pleasant. Black Wolf kept this tiny secret, and Diving Eagle’s warning look, for use later. When trading or dealing with someone new, he always waited to name his price until he had time to study the person more. Diving Eagle had two weaknesses – his people and position as the next chief. Was it possible there could be a third weakness?

      Black Wolf was not yet certain.

      With time, he always uncovered the greatest weakness.

      The group was quiet. Since he was leading them through the forest, Diving Eagle chose the path. After the last argument between the two western Natives, Black Wolf understood their destination to be Chases Deer’s village.

      Black Wolf had planned to return for his wolf’s body and her pups anyway, before deciding his next move. He would make no more agreements now that his wolf was gone, and he had already decided to dismiss those he was not likely to fulfill. His time was short; he felt the truth of this to his soul. The only agreement that mattered: the one he made with Diving Eagle, a deal he suspected would put him on track to meet his death.

      The half-breed is in the city? he asked, focusing on the back of the Hanover’s head.

      Her name is Aveline, and yes, was the quiet response.

      Your brother as well?

      Yes.

      The man who hired Black Wolf to find the Hanover heir was located near Lost Vegas. And Diving Eagle indicated the target Black Wolf was supposed to kill was inside the city.

      All roads led to the city Black Wolf had thus far avoided. If his spirit wolf was watching, was she amused or concerned? For in very few

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