Marked for Life
Marked
f
or
Life
Jaxx
Steele
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Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Editor: Dawn Sievers
Marked for Life © 2010 Jaxx Steele
ISBN #
978-1-920484-05-7
All rights reserved.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the Licensed Art Material, is a model.
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Publisher
Silver Publishing
http://www.silverpublishing.info
Dedication
For all my fans that emailed me with the question,
'Hey Jaxx, will you ever do a shifter?'
Thanks for the inspiration. This one is for you!
Trademark
All characters are fictional and the property of Jaxx Steele.
Prologue
Charles came from the back room of the cabin to see his wife feeding their son. He stood in the doorway for a moment to watch them with a sigh of happiness. When he shifted to lean against the door his movement caught his wife's eye. She turned and smiled at him. He returned her smile and crossed the room to them.
"Hi sweetheart, did you enjoy your nap?" she asked him, accepting the kiss he placed on her forehead.
"Very pleasant Regina, thank you."
"Victor just woke up as well. Do you think we can bring him out to play by the lake for a while before I start dinner?"
"Of course, darling."
Charles took the child from her as she gathered their things to go to the lake. The old log cabin and the nearby lake had been in Charles's family since long before his birth. The cabin was about an hour south of Indianapolis in Connelly, Indiana where the industrialization of the forest was still kept at bay. Only a few feet outside of the home's back door, just beyond a fire pit and a large tree stump used for chopping wood sat a crystal clear lake. The sun could not be seen through the dense leaves of the trees, but its warmth could still be felt. Its light illuminated the area and glistened on the water in the late August afternoon. Charles escorted his young family outside and they settled on a blanket by the water's edge where they splashed and frolicked happily.
Sometime later, Charles lay back on the grass playfully tossing the babe into the air then suddenly his head jerked up to look behind him.
"Honey, did you hear something?" he questioned his wife.
Before Regina could answer a wolf burst from the trees into the clearing, startling them both. Regina screamed and Charles jumped to his feet instantly. He shoved the infant into her arms and pushed them behind him. The wolf was huge with a wide body and thick, sandy fur. His yellow eyes glared at them and his snout wrinkled as he snarled menacingly, baring his teeth. There was no doubt the wolf was preparing to attack.
"Run, sweetheart! Take the baby back into the house," Charles commanded.
Regina moved to do as her husband told her, but the wolf leapt in front of her blocking her getaway. Charles stepped in front of his wife again.
"Yah! Yah! Go away wolf!" he shouted flapping his arms wildly.
The wolf held its ground, growling and snapping at him, undeterred by his display.
Charles looked about frantically for something to defend himself with, but as soon as he took his eyes off his impending attacker, the wolf advanced. The animal landed on the man's chest, knocking him to the ground with a loud thud, but Charles would not give up without a fight. He grabbed the animal by the throat and pushed its snout upward to keep the sharp teeth away from him. The animal was heavy and it took all of Charles's strength to fend him off. Charles swung and landed a strong punch on the wolf's muzzle, stunning it enough to roll the beast off him, but the wolf regrouped swiftly. The wolf bared his snarling, drooling jaws at Charles again. Charles turned on his hands and knees to run. The wolf pounced again, flattening him to the soil. He thrashed back and forth trying to dislodge the beast, but to no avail. The sharp canines found their mark.
Frozen with fear, Regina's knees gave way. She clutched the baby to her chest as she sank to the ground. Blood stained the fur around the wolf's mouth, flying to the left and right as the beast shook Charles's neck violently. The smell of death filled the air quickly. Tears streamed down Regina's face as she watched the horrifying demise of her husband, but when those evil eyes landed on her, self preservation kicked in. She hopped to her feet and bolted, but it was too little, too late. With a loud bark the wolf dropped the body in his mouth and took off after her, quickly ending her run. The weight of the animal crushed her smaller body into the grass as he landed on her just within reach of the cabin's safety. She tossed the baby forward as she collided with the earth. Being half the size of her husband and with the wind knocked from her lungs, Regina could put up no fight and another human became a casualty of the animal's vicious abuse.
Blood dripped from the wolf's mouth as he lifted his head to the sky and howled triumphantly. The air around him started to crackle and sparkle in the daylight and his body started to change… stretching… reshaping… reforming. The fur fell away from its skin, disappearing before it hit the dirt. The howling continued, but then it too started to change, sounding more like laughter. His front and hind legs morphed into hands and feet. The body continued to elongate until a man stood over the fresh kill on the ground. The man continued to laugh as he took in his surroundings.
"That has to be some kind of record for me," he exclaimed, unashamed by his deed. "I wish I had a watch to time myself." He turned toward the crying baby on the lawn beside the garden. "And you, little one, are not even worth the sport. You are not old enough to feel the fear that fills my nose and sets my blood boiling. You cannot even run away so I can test my abilities," he muttered with a disgusted sneer. "You, I will kill so your rotting carcass doesn't leave a foul scent in the forest. At least the wild animals will dispose of your remains when they smell your blood."
Before the man could take another step forward he sniffed the air and his head snapped around to look over his shoulder. Another wolf stood at the opening to the trees. The man chuckled and faced it.
"So, you have taken to following me, Mark? Anything to stay near the pack, eh?"
The black wolf's penetrating golden eyes stared at him for another moment before it took a few steps forward and then it, too, shifted silently into a man. Mark looked at the dead man as he passed him. His nose wrinkled at the smell of new death on the air. He shook his head sadly.
"Only a lowly creature with no honor kills for sport, Raymond."
"How else am I to improve my skill if I don't use the humans for practice?" he asked rhetorically. "I cannot kill our own."
Mark scoffed. "You, above all, know I don't believe you for a second."
Mark stood before Raymond, his opposite in all ways. Raymond's long blond hair swayed around his shoulders, rippling in the light breeze. Mark's ebony locks were cut short too short around his head to move. Raymond's limbs were longer and leaner, making him taller than Mark. They squared off against one another, Raymond glaring down at him with an air of supremacy. Memories of their last confrontation flittered through Mark's mind.
"You can't keep doing this, Raymond. It is forbidden for a reason."
Raymond sputtered. "That will be the first thing I change when I become chief," he confided arrogantly.
The infant's whimpers had gone un-noticed by the two men as they spoke until it started to shout again. Mark's brows furrowed in confusion as he looked down at the child. The unknown scent that brought him to the clearing reached his nose again, mingling with the water, trees, and the stench of death. His head turned to catch the surprising aroma. It startled him at first, for he had never smelled anything like it before. Closing his eyes, he inhaled, letting his olfactory senses decipher and isolate the fragrances he recognized, allowing him to concentrate on the new one. The faint trail led back in the direction of the infant. His senses came to life, alert and on fire. Mark's eyes popped open as comprehension dawned.
"Don't touch him," he said as Raymond advanced on the helpless tot.
Raymond looked over his shoulder, giving Mark a smirk of contempt, and continued moving.
"Leave him be, Raymond," Mark warned with a threatening edge to his voice.
Raymond stopped and turned. "Are you challenging me for this child, Mark?" he chuckled in amazement.
"Yes," Mark answered without hesitation.
Raymond's smile disappeared and he drew himself up to his full height. "Need I remind you that you've challenged me before, Mark? And lost?" he asked arrogantly.
Mark didn't need reminding. Even all these years later, the failure still remained fresh in his mind.
* * * *
The hunting party had broken off into groups. Raymond, Mark, and Stephan were in one group and spied a large buck that would take two of them to bring down. During the chase Raymond held back while Mark and Stephan attacked. Stephan gave the buck a crippling bite to its hind leg and Mark took the opportunity to deliver a death blow to its neck. The two wolves were holding the animal to the ground waiting for the buck's death kicks to cease when Raymond ambushed Stephen from behind. The fight was neither fair nor equal, Raymond being twice the size of his victim. The attack was unprovoked and unexpected. He clamped down on the soft spot on Stephan's throat from behind, ending his life. His death was swift and brutal.
Mark howled his rage at Raymond's disgraceful assault on one of their brothers, Mark launched himself into the air in defense of his fallen friend. Mark gave him a good fight, but unbeknownst to him Raymond had recently taken a mate. In their race, taking a mate allowed the two to become one. Once their souls joined, each would get the best of their partner's abilities, thus enhancing what they already possessed and adding new skills to their arsenal.
His fangs tore into Mark's hide repeatedly and without restraint. Bleeding profusely, Mark fell to the dirt, but Raymond continued to viciously maul him. Unable to defend himself, there was no doubt in his mind that he was about to die. Only the arrival of the rest of the pack stopped Raymond's attempt.