Into the Light (Lightbearer Book 1)

Chapter

Two

Hell of a way to figure out his father’s grand plan. Quentin didn’t want the Lightbearer’s magic for himself—he wanted it for Tanner. In a stroke of shocking genius, Quentin had at some point come to the realization of his own mortality. The magic would be wasted on him, he determined, because he was growing too old to manage this large pack of carnivorous shifters.

So give it to Tanner instead. Made perfect sense.

The process would also cement Tanner’s position within the pack, and would prove to the world that he really was Quentin Lyons’ prodigy, in every sense of the word.

Tanner wanted nothing whatsoever to do with the plan. He considered simply leaving again, but he couldn’t. If he left, they would kill the Lightbearer anyway, and she’d done nothing to deserve such a fate. Nothing other than escape from what she considered her boring life, at the wrong time, in the wrong place.

Damn it, he had to stay.

This wasn’t how he intended for his life to play out. In truth, when Tanner left the pack ten years ago, he’d gone just far enough to be out of his father’s reach, just far enough that he could integrate himself into human society and separate himself from the pack. His intention had been simple: to live his life, on his own terms. Without the pack, without the psychosis of his father’s beliefs hanging over his head.

They found him periodically, over the years, just as they had today. Until today, Tanner had steadily refused to return to the pack, and just as soon as the messenger left, he packed up and moved. Again.

It was hard for a shifter to leave the pack. Shifters were by nature pack-like creatures. They did not like to be alone. They thrived in an environment that lent itself to close quarters, to regular intrusions by other people.

But Tanner made it work. It was better than turning into his father. Except now that was exactly what his father intended for him to do.

Quentin waited until just before dusk to pull the Lightbearer out of her underground prison. She’ll have a little light to regenerate her magic, Quentin explained. But not enough to escape before you kill her.

Despite his verbal assurance, Quentin ensured her wrists were bound by iron chains. Just in case.

The pack master summoned his pack to a mandatory meeting. While they waited for everyone to gather, Tanner stood off to the side, next to the manor house, and watched his family and friends pour onto the grounds. Some caught sight of him and hurried over to welcome him back. Others averted their gaze, probably feeling guilty for accepting his father’s ways. Shortly before he left the pack, Tanner had tried to convince those he felt closest to, to come with him, to start a new life out from under Quentin’s thumb.

Not even his own mother would take the chance.

He’ll kill us all, Tanner. You go. He’ll let you go, because you are the one person in this world he remotely respects. But the rest of us, we don’t have that choice.

Tanner doubted Quentin’s allowing him to leave had anything to do with respect. The only one Quentin ever respected was himself. Egotistical bastard. So much so that he never stopped believing Tanner would return someday.

You’re just sowing your wild oats, he said, seven years ago when he arrived on Tanner’s doorstep himself, instead of sending one of his messengers. You’ll be back. You’re pack. No one leaves the pack. Especially not the future pack master.

Fates be damned, was Quentin right? Here he was, ten years later, back in the pack and waiting for his father to introduce the fabled Lightbearer—and expecting Tanner to kill her.

Tanner’s childhood best friend, Freddy, and his mate, Lisa, stepped up to greet him. Freddy held a young female pup in his arms. Lisa’s belly was fat with their second pup.

Tanner, it’s so good to see you, Lisa said warmly, as she awkwardly reached over her protruding belly to hug him.

He embraced her, gave her a squeeze to let her know he was genuinely happy to see her. Look at you. Freddy managed to make an honest woman of you after all, huh?

The three of them were once called the Three Musketeers, although Tanner always referred to himself as the third wheel. For as long as he could remember, Freddy and Lisa had been in love with one another.

Lisa laughed and patted her belly. I finally let him catch me. This is Sofia. She just turned four.

Sofia, in the way only a four-year-old could, nodded solemnly. Are you going to kill a Lightbearer, mister?

Sofia, Lisa hissed, while guilt immediately took over Freddy’s face.

Don’t tell me he turned you two, Tanner said darkly. His closest friends. They were some of the very few who had been willing to go with him ten years ago. But Tanner’s mother was right—Quentin would have hunted them down and killed them. If they’d gathered enough shifters to create a large enough pack, they could have stood a chance. But the three of them—Tanner knew they’d never make it, not with Quentin after them. So he’d convinced them to stay. Had he sealed their fates?

Hell no, Lisa said. But Freddy likes to tell our daughter stupid faery stories.

Lightbearer stories, Momma, Sofia admonished. And they aren’t stupid.

What they are is not true, Lisa said. She turned to Tanner, gave him an earnest look. It isn’t true, is it? He didn’t really catch one, did he? I thought they were extinct?

Afraid he proved us all wrong, Tanner admitted glumly. And now he thinks I’m going to kill her so I can inherit her magic.

Freddy gave him a considering look. Well, if they really do exist, maybe the legends about inheriting their magic are real too.

I don’t give a fuck if they are real or not, Tanner said hotly. An image of the beautiful caged Lightbearer popped into his head. I’m not going to kill some innocent woman on the off-chance I might inherit her magic.

Lisa reached over and covered her daughter’s ears with her hands. Do you have a plan? she whispered.

Tanner shook his head. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do. But just in case, you guys should stay to the back of the crowd, so that you can make a fast escape. Especially you, he said sternly, looking at Lisa. No offense, but you look like you’re about to whelp any minute now.

Lisa smiled. "I am about to whelp any minute. I’m due within the week."

You shouldn’t even be here.

Lisa rolled her eyes. You think a little thing like imminent whelping is a good enough excuse to ignore a summons from Quentin Lyons? You’ve been gone too long, Tanner. She gave him another quick hug and then dragged her mate away to join the crowd gathered in the wide yard that was shadowed by the mountain protruding from the west.

Quentin stepped out onto the porch of his home. He was dressed for the occasion in a loose fitting black button down shirt and a pair of black slacks. His silver beard stood out in stark relief against his tanned skin and dark clothing. His dark eyes glowed with anticipation.

He lifted both arms and the crowd fell almost instantly silent. Quentin ruled with an iron fist. No one wasted time before obeying his commands.

He spoke eloquently, reviewing what he considered pertinent pack news. Tanner knew his game; the man was building the anticipation within the crowd. The rumor had already spread far and wide. Everyone in the crowd wondered, Is it true? Has he really captured a Lightbearer?

How I am going to get out of this mess?

Tanner noticed his mother wasn’t present. He’d gone to visit her earlier in the day, after Quentin informed him that he would be the one to kill the Lightbearer. She had her own suite in the manor home, on the opposite end of the house from Quentin’s own elaborate private quarters. Tanner had been shocked to find her bedridden, pale and thin as a starved child. Her hair had gone white and her face was sallow, her pale blue eyes shadowed by great, deep circles.

Mom, he gasped as he fell to his knees next to her bed. What happened to you? Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?

Ariana Lyons lifted her frail, veined hand and petted her son’s thick black hair. I had hoped I would be gone before you came back. I thought that might ensure you never did.

What are you talking about? What’s wrong with you?

Ariana shook her head and refused to tell him. Go, she commanded, although her voice was too weak to hold much force. Leave here now and never come back. That man is cursed. I do not want you to turn out like him.

I’m nothing like him, Tanner insisted, even as he wondered, Am I?

Ariana reached out to her son, squeezed his hand with her own. I know. And I want you to stay like that. Go away from here, Tanner. Go back to your life with the humans. Find a girl. Mate with her. Give her sturdy, strong, happy pups.

Tanner gave his mother a wane smile. Humans call it marriage. They birth babes, not pups. And I doubt very much I would ever be able to convince one to mate with a shifter. Which is okay, because I don’t want to find a mate.

I don’t want to take the chance that I really might turn into Quentin. My bloodline ends with me.

You deserve to be happy.

So do you. I’m going to get you out of this place. Take you to a human hospital. I’m sure they can fix you.

No, Ariana said. No. It’s too late for me. I’ve made my bed. I’ve protected you, my one and only pup. But you aren’t a pup anymore. You can protect yourself now. I can die in peace.

Don’t talk like that, mother, Tanner pleaded. He did not want to think that his leaving the pack did this to his mother. The guilt would surely kill him. How many times over the years had he wondered, Did I do the right thing by leaving?

His thoughts returned to the moment, just as Quentin began to hint at his great surprise. With a flourish, the pack master motioned at the front door of the manor home, and it opened from the inside.

The Lightbearer walked as if she were royalty. She held her head high and refused to avert her gaze, while the crowd of shifters stared at her as if she were a freak show at the circus. Her blonde hair was still disheveled and dirty, her face and arms were scratched, indicative of a fight before she’d been subdued, and her dress was torn and stained. Yet she walked as if she were treading on a plush velvet carpet, as if she wore an elegant gown and headed toward her rightful place on a throne.

Tanner’s respect level ratcheted up a notch. I have to save this woman.

The gathered shifters gasped and made small shrieking noises before they began chattering amongst themselves. The noise rose to a low roar, until Quentin called for quiet.

Yes, he said, with glowing eyes and a great flourish of his arm. It is what you think it is. A Lightbearer. All these years I have searched. I have never given up. And I was right! His voice rose to a shout as the excitement level of the crowd increased with his words.

Quentin expounded some more on his decades-long search for the Lightbearers. Through it all, the Lightbearer remained stoic, standing with her back ramrod straight, her eyes staring into the crowd, her face a blank mask.

My son, he said as he waved his arm in Tanner’s direction.

Tanner’s only acknowledgement of the introduction was to step up onto the wide front porch. He walked over to the Lightbearer and stood next to her. She did not even glance his way. Stubborn. As far as she was aware, he was her only friend among a pack of wolves—literally—and she didn’t even give him so much as a frown of acknowledgement.

His respect level rose again.

My son, my blood. My heir. Tanner Lyons is to be your next pack master. But first, he will demonstrate his loyalty to the pack by killing this Lightbearer. And when he does, he will inherit her magic. He will be the most powerful shifter of all time. My son! His voice rose to a shout again as the Lightbearer jerked her head around to finally greet Tanner with an angry glare.

This wasn’t my idea, he wanted to shout at her. Instead, he stepped closer to her, so that they were an arm’s length apart. The pack of shifters, encouraged by Quentin, were clapping and shouting their encouragement for Tanner to kill the Lightbearer.

I don’t suppose you have the ability to disappear, do you? he asked in a low voice that only she could hear over the din.

She glared up at him and said, Hardly, in an impressively haughty voice.

Can you create a gun? Bomb? Smoke screen? Anything we can use as a distraction so we can get the hell out of here?

Her eyes widened. You don’t want to kill me?

Tanner’s eyes narrowed. Of course I don’t want to kill you. I thought we’d already established this?

I’m not quite in a position to believe such a thing, at the moment.

What’s your name? he asked abruptly.

She glared silently for a moment, and then apparently deciding she had nothing left to lose, she murmured, Olivia. Olivia Bennett.

Well, Olivia Bennett, I promise you, I do not want to kill you. Unlike the pack master, I happen to have moral issues with killing people in cold blood. And I don’t really give a rat’s ass about your magic. You have about three seconds to choose to believe me.

She took a deep breath. I can produce light. A great deal of it. Enough to make everyone shield their eyes or else become temporarily blind. It will exhaust me to the point of near passing out, though, especially since I’ve been locked in that damn basement all day.

Fair enough. When I give the signal, shine the light and then run like hell. Go back through the house to the back. Don’t stop until I catch up with you.

What’s the sig— He didn’t give her a chance to ask. He could tell Quentin was growing impatient. It was now or never.

He grabbed the iron chain and pulled it from her wrists. Olivia gasped as if she had been underwater for too long.

Now would be good, Tanner growled at her. The crowd of onlookers had not yet comprehended that he meant to set her free, not kill her. But Quentin was coming to that conclusion—fast.

Now! he shouted at the Lightbearer. A moment later, he shifted into the form of a lion and lunged at his father. Just before he made contact, Tanner squeezed his eyes shut. The light the Lightbearer produced was so bright, Tanner saw dark spots in front of his eyes, despite the fact that he’d closed them before her magic flared.

Quentin gave a yell and then Tanner landed squarely on his chest, knocking him to the ground. There was more yelling, and screams and shouts of confusion, as the crowd of shifters tried to figure out what just happened. People shuffled about, arms outstretched, as their eyesight was temporarily robbed from them. Parents snatched children into their arms and began to run, clumsily, as they tripped over shrubbery and bumped into trees in the process. Others blindly bumped into one another and then reacted in anger and frustration. Small fistfights broke out, almost comical in appearance, as shifters struggled to punch one another through blurred vision.

Quentin shook his head to clear his eyesight. He roared, loud enough to rattle the windows on the manor home. Then he shifted into the form of a great black bear and threw Tanner from him. Tanner’s lion form rolled several times and like the cat he was, he landed on his feet. A quick glance around indicated that the Lightbearer was good at following directions. Either that or she’d already been swept away by someone else.

Tanner charged at Quentin again, and the two of them crashed together, claws and teeth snapping. Quentin rolled away into the crowd. Shifters scattered like bowling pins after being struck by the ball. Tanner leapt to his feet, shifted back into human form and rushed into the house.

When he burst through the back door, there was no Lightbearer to be found. Son of a⁠—

Tanner, over here!

He whirled around and only just jumped out of the way of the SUV bearing down on him. The vehicle came to a screeching halt. Freddy was at the wheel, and Lisa was in the passenger seat.

Get in.

I can’t. I have to⁠—

She’s in the back.

Tanner glanced into the SUV. Olivia slumped in the backseat, next to little Sofia, who stared at her in fascination, clearly unaffected by the stress of the moment.

What did you do to her? Tanner demanded, instantly bristling.

Freddy shook his head. Nothing. She stumbled out onto the back porch and collapsed there. I figured you had some kind of plan, so I grabbed her and stuffed her into the car.

How come you’re able to see? he asked Freddy.

Lisa answered. We were already sneaking away, around the back of the house, when that light-bomb or whatever it was went off. She glanced at her mate. Freddy said you made him nervous when we talked to you, and he was worried something like this would happen.

I need to go get my mother, Tanner said.

Freddy reached out the window and grabbed Tanner’s arm. You can’t. If you go in there, you won’t come back out again.

Tanner turned toward the house and lifted his gaze to the third level. His mother’s bedroom suite. She was up there, lying in bed, probably nervously wondering what was happening below. She’d done so much for him, and now she was dying, and Freddy was right. He couldn’t go back inside.

A lone figure came jogging around the side of the house and skidded to a halt when he saw Tanner, standing next to the SUV. Finnegan Hennigan. His shaggy hair was lighter than the majority of shifters, and had a touch of copper in it. His face was scruffy and his pale blue eyes were far too observant for Tanner’s taste.

Tanner heard Freddy swear softly, and he knew it was because Finn was one of Quentin’s guard dogs, one of the best trackers in the pack. Tanner had always liked Finn, had always been a little jealous of Finn because he and his siblings and parents were a tightly knit—and happy—family.

Now, he wondered if he’d have to kill the man.

Finn stared at him for several heartbeats and then he suddenly turned away and disappeared around the corner. Tanner distinctly heard him call out to his fellow pack mates, suggesting that Tanner and the Lightbearer had run toward the woods—in the opposite direction of where he stood next to the SUV. Not everyone, it turned out, was loyal to Tanner’s father.

Get in, Freddy commanded, and after one last longing look at the manor house, Tanner did as he said, sliding into the backseat next to the Lightbearer. Freddy pressed the gas pedal and the SUV lurched forward.

The Lightbearer’s eyes fluttered open. She turned and struggled to focus on Tanner. Cici, she whispered.

Duck down, Lisa commanded from the front seat. Tanner grabbed Olivia and pulled her down onto the floorboard of the backseat.

Cici, she whispered again. I need Cici.

What’s cici? Tanner asked.

She appeared to be struggling to stay awake. Cousin, she finally managed. Left her ... in Vegas. She slumped against him, unconscious.

Chapter

Three

I’m alive.

Olivia assumed as much because she felt reasonably certain that the Summerlands would not appear to her as a little girl’s bedroom with walls painted purple, with pink and purple hearts drawn all over them. She didn’t even like the color purple. Surely the fates would not make her live with it for all of eternity.

Olivia lay on her back in a twin-sized bed and lamented the fact that there was no sunlight shining directly into the room. She could really use a nice, bright ray of sunshine right now. She was exhausted to the point that even rolling out of the small bed and making her way to a bath chamber sounded like far too much work.

As she lay there, blinking and unmoving, her thoughts sifted through the events of the last few days. It all started with her father, making that proclamation she’d been dreading for very nearly her entire life. He’d barely gotten the words out of his mouth before she turned and fled the room, sought out her cousin and best friend, Cecilia Druthers, and dragged her out into the woods that ran along the northern edge of the lawn surrounding the beach house in which she lived.

They were safe in the woods, because the woods were still within the magical wards surrounding the coterie, and they could be alone there, so that Olivia could lament what she referred to as her lot in life in private, where no one but Cici would hear.

As Olivia continued to complain, Cecilia proclaimed, We should go on an adventure.

What sort of adventure? Olivia asked hollowly. There were no adventures within the coterie, and they were strictly forbidden from ever stepping foot outside the warded, invisible walls that separated their little world from all other worlds.

In the human world. I know the perfect place.

Olivia knew her cousin periodically snuck out into the human world. Cecilia had the unique ability to get through just about any lock, any ward, any barrier. She also had an insatiable need for excitement, and there wasn’t much to be had within the confines of the coterie.

But Olivia never went with her, had never considered going with her. Cici used to try to convince Olivia to join her, but Olivia was far better at following the rules.

We can’t go out there, Cici, she whispered. What about the shifters?

Cecilia waved her hand dismissively. I’ve been out there loads of times, and I’ve never once seen a shifter.

Olivia was dubious, despite her anger and frustration over her father’s recent proclamation.

Not a single time, Cecilia reiterated. Then she began expounding upon one of her more thrilling experiences outside the coterie, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Olivia went from listening to one of Cecilia’s tales to living one herself.

Suddenly, they were running through the woods hand in hand, giggling like schoolgirls. Then she felt the telltale shimmer of magic as they stepped through the wards protecting the coterie.

How do we get back inside? Olivia wondered as she turned around to observe what now looked like an endless forest of trees, even though a moment earlier there had been a stream that burbled along to the edge of a cliff, where it trickled down the side and into the Great Lake beyond.

Don’t worry, Cecilia said with a laugh, and then they were off again, running toward the nearest town, which was inhabited by humans. Then they were boarding a bus, a massive vehicle made of painted iron and plastic and rubber. Olivia had never seen a bus before.

It’s made of iron, she pointed out as Cecilia tried to step inside and Olivia pulled her back.

Just don’t touch those parts, Cecilia advised, and then she hopped onto the bus and waved a hand in front of the driver’s face. His eyes went blank for a moment, and then he smiled and thanked them for handing him a ticket.

A ticket? Olivia asked as she trailed Cecilia along the narrow corridor between the seats.

We are supposed to pay for this ride, but human currency is different from our own. It’s easier to use magic to convince the humans that I’ve given them currency, than it is to use magic to actually procure the currency.

Her cousin sounded awfully damn worldly. She had been impressed and a little jealous. Olivia had never done anything but follow the rules, for all of her life, and now she was faced with the prospect of being utterly miserable for all the rest of it. Cecilia had been a rebel from day one, and unless Olivia missed her mark, her cousin was far happier than Olivia probably ever would be.

Las Vegas? Olivia said two days later, as she and Cecilia stepped off yet another bus, into a wall of breath-taking heat. Along with the heat was the unrelentingly bright sun, which was nice after being surrounded by iron for the last two days. Olivia lifted her face and closed her eyes and soaked up the regenerating rays.

Sin City, Cecilia said with a giggle.

You’ve been here before? This place was an awfully long way away from their home. Despite lamenting that she wanted some excitement in her life, Olivia was distinctly nervous and exposed at the moment. But if Cecilia had been to this place without issue in the past...

No. I’ve only read about it. I cannot wait to see for myself if all of those tales are true. With those words, Cecilia grabbed Olivia’s hand and dragged her down the street, toward the bright lights and neon signs and throngs of humans milling about.

My father is going to kill me, Olivia complained after the first several hours of exploring Vegas and discovering the human world was far more ... different than she could have possibly imagined.

No he won’t. You’re his only heir, Cecilia pointed out. Then she grabbed Olivia’s hand again. Come on. Let’s go play.

For three days, they played. They gambled in opulent casinos and dined at fabulous restaurants. They watched a multitude of shows and had a chuckle over the fact that the acrobats flying through the air were not human, but the rest of the audience had no earthly idea.

Cecilia flirted with every good looking male