Chapter Fourteen
Nita arrived back at her camp after taking a dip in a nearby creek to wash off the remnants of her tryst with Vlad.
She had done the unthinkable, and given herself to a vampire.
Shifting back into human form, she stoked the embers of her fire and huddled in front of it, wrapping her arms around her knees to stay warm.
What have I done? she wondered for the hundredth time. Did she have no control when it came to the Impaler?
Her body betrayed her every time she was in his presence. Even when not in his presence, she silently admitted in disgust, remembering the car and shower scenes.
Nita rested her chin on her knees, watching the flames of her fire grow higher, licking at the sky in search of the oxygen required to stay alive.
Vlad had become her proverbial oxygen, taunting her from a distance, teasing her with something just out of reach.
But he hadn’t been out of reach tonight, and he’d taken her to unimaginable heights.
She needed to get a grip before he became an addiction she couldn’t do without.
The hair suddenly stood up on her arms. Miles Castro’s scent reached her long before he stepped into the light.
Nita scrambled for a blanket, quickly wrapping it around her body while facing her unwelcome guest. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking on you,” he announced, stopping in front of her. “May I sit?”
“This is a sacred place, Miles. I’m here in search of spiritual guidance.”
He dropped to his haunches, a small smile on his lips. “I won’t stay long. I just came to apologize for my abrupt proposal. Not that I’m sorry for asking you to mate with me, but I feel that my timing could have been better. Forgive me?”
Nita relaxed, returning his smile with one of her own. “There’s nothing to forgive. Ease your mind, Miles. I’m not upset with you.”
He appeared relieved. “Thank you, Nita. Please take all the time you want to decide. I only need to know that you will consider me when the time comes.”
Nita knew in her heart of hearts that she would never mate with Miles Castro. No matter that he was everything that she should want or need. But he wasn’t. Not even close. “I’m sorry, Miles. I truly don’t want to hurt you, but my feelings for you don’t go beyond friendship.”
Something flashed in his eyes before he peered down at his hands. “Love comes in many forms. It can be instant for some, and grow over time for others. Love is a decision, Nita. I believe that with all my heart.”
“You might be right, Miles. But love is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment.”
Nita turned her face away as he leaned in to kiss her. “Miles, don’t.”
“It’s that vampire, isn’t it?” Miles snarled, grabbing her by the arm. “I can smell him on you. It’s faint, but there.”
Anger reared its head. “It has nothing to do with Vlad. I just don’t feel the same for you as you do for me.”
“Vlad? You’re on a first-name basis with him now?”
“Leave, Miles. I don’t need this right now.”
Miles let go of her arm and jumped to his feet. “If the pack finds out you’ve been consorting with vampires, you won’t have to worry about divine intervention. Not even the spirits will save you from their wrath.”
Nita knew he spoke the truth. She returned her gaze to the flames as he shifted into wolf form and disappeared the way he’d come.
* * * *
Nita lay on her side, covered in a fur-skinned blanket. She had been in the mountains for five days without food or water, calling to the spirits for guidance only to be met with silence.
She hadn’t had a vision since the first night she’d made camp, hours before she’d given herself to Vlad.
Conjuring up what little strength she had left, Nita dressed, gathered her meager belongings, and stumbled her way down the mountain toward home.
She arrived in front of her cabin a couple of hours later and let herself inside.
After dropping her things on the couch, she made her way to the kitchen and sucked down two glasses of water before making a sandwich.
A knock sounded mere seconds after she’d scarfed down her food.
Nita made her way back to the living room and opened the door to find the Shaman standing on her porch.
She backed up a step. “Won’t you come in?”
He shook his head. “Follow me.”
Nita glanced down the hall toward her bathroom, longing for the feel of a hot shower. “Now?”
He didn’t reply, only shuffled off in the direction of his dwelling.
With a sigh of exhaustion, Nita strode off after him. She didn’t dare disobey her Shaman.
They arrived at his place a few minutes later. He held the door open for her and followed her inside.
“Sit.”
Nita pulled out a chair in the same kitchen she’d been in less than a week before, and waited for him to speak. She didn’t have long to wait.
“The spirits are displeased, leader of the Kiana. The fate of our people is shadowed in uncertainty.”
Nita’s heart lurched. “Tell me what to do, wise one.”
“What is done cannot be undone. We all must pay for our transgressions.”
“Do you know what is going to happen to my people?” Nita whispered in a pleading tone.
The Shaman shook his head. “Only the spirits truly know the outcome.”
“So there’s nothing that can be done?”
The old man sat, sorrow swimming in his faded brown eyes. “You must be purged in the old ways. What happens from there is not of my control.”
“I had a vision on the mountain,” Nita blurted, remembering the robed man standing near the river of blood.
“Tell me of this vision.”
Nita took a deep breath and recited everything she’d been shown, from the robed man to the dead vampires and shifters. “There were humans as well, rotting in the water. Does this mean the end of us all?”
The Shaman rested his wrinkled hands on the table before him. “You must make a great sacrifice to the spirits for the Kiana’s salvation. If you are willing.”
“I’m willing!” Nita vehemently whispered. “I will do anything to save my people.”
The Shaman stood, staring down at her through wise old eyes. “Get your things in order and return to me when the sun sets.”
Nita didn’t have to ask what he meant by that statement. He didn’t expect her to survive the ritual.
Rising on shaky legs, she numbly staggered toward the door, stopping with her hand on the knob. “I’ll do what it takes to right what I’ve done. Even if it costs me my life.”
“Sacrifices are sometimes required by the spirits, sweet Nita. Perhaps you will find mercy in their eyes.”