Shadow Falls: A Sensual Werewolf Romance (The Wolves of Shadow Falls) by Mary Andrews Read Free Book Online Page B

prepared to fight back, with all the strength I had in me. There was simply too much at stake. I had to fight for Aislen, for our children and our future.

Everlasting
    The immortal bitch had disappeared without a trace along with her pack and my family. The mine was empty, the walls the stripped of the drawing they once depicted. It was as if they were never there. There was simply no trace of my family left behind for me to follow. Storm and I were baffled. Where could they have gone?
    Aislen and the kids had been missing three weeks now. I had my mother buried in the plot next to my father’s grave. Finally they were together again, reunited in death. The trail had gone cold in the search for my family. Storm moved into the house with me and we worked together to try and make sense of what had happened. The days dragged on as the trail got colder and colder. By this time I had read enough books on vampires to know that killing one was extremely difficult let alone one that was millenniums old. I had grossly underestimated the enormity of Despina’s power and it was going to take more than two slighted wolves to defeat her.  As much as I loved Aislen, I was afraid it was not enough to break her free from her captor.  The house was a constant reminder of what was at stake. The smell of my son’s blanket, the soft white teddy bear that my daughter loved and Aislen’s picture were like fuel to my soul, egging me on. I cradled the piece of crystal that laid on my chest, almost praying into the rock for a miracle.

    Storm seemed distracted and after catching him several times, staring at the open window with a pensive look on his face, I finally inquired about his sudden change. When he looked at me, his eyes were heavy with tears; his expression deep with sorrow as though he had just found out a loved one had recently died. “What was or is her name?” I asked assuming that it had to be a woman. I knew his expression, because I wore it before. “Aislen” he replied, his voice breaking as he answered. “Is she alive?” I continued, reaching out to touch his shoulder, “I don’t know” was his broken response. It was difficult for him to speak without bursting into deep sobs, so I refrained from pressing him further. I was certain that when he was ready to open up about this mystery women that clearly meant a lot to him, he would.   The way his eyes looked as he mentioned her name, made me realize that we had much more in common than I thought. I wondered if the vampire that kidnapped my family was responsible for the pain Storm felt.  In the weeks following the disappearance of my wife and kids Storm and I had grown close.  We were like brothers now.

    The rain was beating heavily on the roof and it sounded like little rocks crashing into the shingles. It was difficult to sleep with such a disturbance. The wind howled as it blew. Lightning flashed frequently brightening up my room as though it were sunlight. The thunder roared. This was the third sleepless night for me. Each time I attempted to close my eyes, a branch would knock against the window or a night owl might hoot, denying me the peace I needed for a restful sleep.  It had been raining like this, every night, for weeks.  In fact ever since Aislen and the kids were taken, it rained constantly, day in and day out. I was sure if I slept, I would awaken to a town submerged in flood. Fortunately, the infrastructure of the landscape of the town would not allow for such a disaster to take place.

    As I tossed and turned in my bed, I was haunted by visions of Aislen, crying and reaching out to me.  Each time she appeared the crystal around my neck glowed brighter and brighter almost blinding me as I gazed into its light.  I tried concentrating on the images.  First she would appear sad, she was trapped in some type of cage and my children were not with her.  Then she would be standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean below. She would look