Wed to the Wild God (Aspect and Anchor)

Only to have one of the wolves tackle me and drop me into the dirt again. Immediately, I'm surrounded by the snarling pack, and I curl up in a ball as they loom over me.

Teeth grab the leg of my jeans and there's a deep warning snarl. I can just imagine what it's saying. Don't fucking try that again, human. "I get the picture," I whisper, cradling my hurt arm protectively against my breasts. "Message received."

My head bounces off of a root as they yank me along, and I groan with pain. This is going to be a rough ride. I twist in my jeans, but one of the wolves lunges at me, snarling, and I yelp, curling up again protectively. Maybe they're taking me back to camp. Maybe—

The tether between myself and Kassam stretches, pulls tight. I let out a whimper as pain washes over me. "Stop," I call out. "I can't leave. Stop!"

The wolves ignore me. One growls, a low warning, but to the rest, my pain is insignificant.

The tether grows painful, and I cry out, twisting wildly. "Stop! Stop!"

They never stop, though, and it wracks my body, worse than anything I've ever experienced before. It feels as if I'm being pulled apart from inside, and I scream, and scream, and scream. The wolves never let me go, and no matter how much I twist and struggle to break free, they don't release me, either.

The pain just keeps coming, and I drown inside it, utterly lost.

32

The throb of my injured arm wakes me from my sleep. Carefully, I keep my eyes closed and pretend to be sleeping, remembering the pack of unearthly wolves that dragged me away. My skin feels scratched up all over my back and stomach, and my bra is pushed up past my breasts and around my neck. Terrified of what that means, I mentally assess my body. My jeans are still on, so I don't think anyone has molested me. I tug my bra back down to cover my tits, and as I do, grass, leaves and dirt fall out of it. Okay, it must have crawled up my body when the wolves dragged me. It occurs to me that other than being banged up and my arm throbbing, I'm not in pain. The horrible, excruciating pain that comes with the tether between myself and Kassam being stretched past its limits.

That means he must be nearby. He's come for me. Exhaling in relief, I look around.

I'm in some ancient stone building. Or maybe it was a building once, but there's no roof. There's only broken pillars framing a thick stone floor, and I'm reminded of the Greek ruins of the Parthenon. Grass pushes its way between the enormous flagstones that make up the floor, and between the crumbled pillars, there are enormous, heavy pots with withered plants inside them. Everything's covered in dust and detritus from neglect. The wolves are nowhere to be seen. They must have brought me here and dumped me.

As I sit up, I notice that I'm at the top of a set of five heavy stone steps that lead up to a dais. Getting to my feet, I dust off my filthy jeans (a useless action) and look behind me. I've been left at the base of an altar.

Not just any altar. A pair of carved antlers that loom over the slab of weathered stone make it very clear whose altar it is. My mouth goes dry at the realization, and I stare at the dead flowers, animal skulls, and pelts that cover every inch of the surface. They're all ancient and faded, as if the people who left the offerings gave up long ago. All of this has been abandoned for a very, very long time. I turn, gazing out past the pillars. I can see the thick forest in the distance, but around the broken temple is nothing but knee-high, waving grasses. There are no roads, no homes, no nothing. Just an abandoned temple in the middle of nowhere.

I'm positive I was brought here to send a message, and my skin prickles with the realization.

"CARLY!"

It's Kassam. He's somewhere in the distance, shouting my name. I race down the steps—

—only to have one of the gargantuan shadow wolves appear, blocking my path. It looks at me as I skid to a halt and growls.

Okay, then. I get the picture. I cup my hands to my mouth. "I'm here!"

"Carly!" I watch as a tall form emerges from the trees and races toward the temple, toward me. I remain where I am, bouncing on my toes, because I can't wait for him to come and get me. I feel safe at his side. Protected. And right now, I need to feel safe desperately.

More wolves slink out of the shadows, until the temple has at least a dozen of them lurking in wait. "Be careful," I shout. "There are wolves everywhere!"