Witching the Wolf a Werewolf Romance: Skinwalkers, #2

By Lorraine Kennedy

Witches, Wolves and Romance!
Witching the Wolf is the second book in the Skinwalkers Trilogy.
Mya Reynolds was conceived in a world of witches and demons, but it's a world she doesn't know, not until her ill-fated summer on the Navajo Indian Reservation. There she discovers a world that exists just below the surface of reality, and like many before her, she also discovers that loving the wolf can have disastrous consequences.

David Bray is the alpha of the wolf people, known to the Native Americans as the Sinapu. His destiny is with the wolves. This is a fate he has always accepted, until the day he set eyes on Mya.
David and Mya share a forbidden love, a love destined to bring them heartache and despair.
After being separated from David for months, Mya is lured back the reservation by the Sinapu's enemies. They will use David's love for her to destroy the wolves.
If Mya can uncover the mysterious circumstances surrounding her birth, she might be able to stop the Skinwalkers from destroying her lover, but will it be enough to stop a predestined fate?

Skinwalkers Series

Book 1 - Bad Moon Rising
Book 2 - Witching the Wolf

Book 3- Song of Wolves

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorraine Kennedy
• Release date: Mar 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507079690

Book preview

Chapter One

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She was trapped. With her back against the rocky cliffs, there was nowhere left to go - no place to run. From the darkness, she could see his radiant silver eyes – hungry eyes that would devour her body and soul.

Mya searched for a way to escape, but it was no use.

Then he emerged from the shadows. Beneath the light of the moon, he appeared ethereal - almost divine.

Her knees grew weak and she felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. No matter what she did, she could not pull enough oxygen into her lungs.

Reaching behind her, Mya’s hand searched for something to hold onto to – anything that would keep her on her feet. It was impossible to tear her eyes from the tall - powerful figure steadily moving in her direction.

A soft breeze teased at the long black hair that fell across his wide shoulders, making him seem even more feral than he already did. He stood before her - his natural splendor illuminated by the pale moonlight.

The magnetic allure of his eyes drew her in – coaxing her to surrender her will.

A familiar feeling of warmth stirred deep within her. She could not still the trembling as heat coursed through her body like liquid fire.

Now he was in front of her - so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Her eyes were drawn to the sight of muscle moving beneath the smooth skin of his chest.

Air rushed from her lungs when she felt his firm thigh forcing her legs apart. There was no time for thought or protest.

His mouth was on her throat and she could feel his sharp teeth scraping against her tender flesh.

She felt no fear, only an intense - all consuming heat. Her need for him erupted into something beyond anything she could comprehend.

Fear clawed at her consciousness. She was afraid of what he was - of what he could do to her, but her body betrayed her. Like an animal, instinct took over. Her hands went to his shoulders and she pulled him closer.

His mouth claimed hers and she found herself being pulled into an inferno that threatened to overwhelm her entire being. It was only the pain of his teeth nipping at her kiss-swollen lips that kept her from slipping away to that point of no return.

Suddenly she was being ripped from her dream world. No matter how hard she tried, she could not hold on to him. The vision evaporated like puffs of smoke rising into an endless sky.

Mya’s eyes fluttered open.

She still trembled with the need her dream had invoked.

But something had awakened her?

The stiff muscles in her back and shoulders screamed in protest as she tried to get into a sitting position. Sleeping in the front seat of her car was probably not one of the wisest things she’d ever done, but she’d been too tired to keep driving.

Mya looked around the empty rest stop. She was in the middle of nowhere - someplace between Flagstaff and Window Rock.

It wasn’t really a rest stop, but more of a pull off with a small table and an outhouse.

Her eyes strayed to the half moon suspended high above the rocky cliffs to the east. Mya noted that it had moved little since she’d pulled over and closed her eyes.

She probably hadn’t slept longer than an hour, but maybe it was enough that she could make it the rest of the way to Window Rock. The last thing she needed was to end up driving her car off the side of the road because she was too sleepy to drive.

She’d only meant to rest her eyes for a few minutes, but had quickly fallen into a deep sleep. Like most nights, her dreams were haunted by visions of David. It had been months since she’d left the Navajo Reservation. She’d hoped to hear from him, but there hadn’t been a word. According to Uncle Donny, no one had seen him since she’d been gone.

The fact that he was keeping a low profile didn’t surprise her, considering the threat of the Skinwalkers.

But still, why hadn’t he at least sent word that he was okay?

The low - ominous growl sent shards of fear into her heart.

It was coming from just outside her car.

Mya’s eyes flew to the window. At first all she could see were shadows, but suddenly one of those shadows moved.

Her heart jumped into her throat.

Nightmarish visions scrambled to the front of her mind. Once again the memories were crowding in on her - memories that she’d spent the last several months trying to forget. Her time in Arizona would be forever tainted by the murders of her parents and best friend.

David had warned her to stay away.

The Skinwalkers would do anything to bring the alpha wolf do his knees, even if that meant killing the one they’d created to destroy him.

Is he were to die, she would still serve her purpose. Killing her would distract David and prevent the Changing.

It had taken all her strength to keep from returning to the reservation to find him, but then Trent Metzger had called and asked for her help. He’d been arrested for the murder of a young Navajo woman.

Trent claimed he had nothing to do with it, and though she might be a little crazy, Mya believed him.

Trent’s family was deeply involved with the Navajo witches more commonly known as Skinwalkers. In fact, most people on the reservation believed Trent Metzger himself was a Skinwalker.

Unlike the Sinapu, who were true shifters, the Skinwalkers were evil practitioners of the dark arts. According to legend, the Tchin'dih were demons that possessed the bodies of the Skinwalkers. It was these demons that gave them their power.

Trent’s people were Skinwalkers, but he hadn’t embraced the Tchin'dih.

Because Trent had once saved her life, Mya decided to make the trip back to Arizona to see what she could do to help.

Returning to the reservation brought back all her old fears and anxieties.

Was it possible that anxiety was causing her mind to play tricks on her?

Maybe there wasn’t really anything out there in the dark.

Forcing herself to breathe, Mya tried to remain calm.

It was nothing.

There was no way they could have tracked her already.

Mya froze.

The growls had now turned to snarls. Something crashed against the car so hard that it rocked.

Startled, Mya shrieked in terror, but quickly clasped her hand over her mouth.

She reminded herself that screaming would accomplish nothing but to let them know she was afraid. The Skinwalkers would feed off her fear and become stronger.

She had to think.

It had to be Skinwalkers. They wanted to scare her. If they terrorized her, she would be that much easier to subdue.

Shaking, Mya turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened. The starter wouldn’t even turn over.

They had done something to her car while she slept.

How had they found her so quickly?

The Skinwalkers had to have been waiting for her. Somehow they’d picked up her trail and followed her after she’d crossed onto the reservation. They’d lured her back to the Arizona and right into their trap.

Through her terror, it dawned on Mya that there were several sets of eyes staring at her from the darkness. These were not the eyes of Skinwalkers, but the eyes of wolves - the Sinapu.

They were no more than inky silhouettes against the full moon, and although the Sinapu were in human form, a surreal light radiated from their eyes.

The car doors were already locked, though she knew locked doors wouldn’t stop them. The thought had just formed when the passenger side door was ripped from its hinges. There was no time to react. She felt hands on her arms, yanking her from the car.

Screaming, Mya struggled to free herself, but nothing she did made a difference. Their snarling rage continued.

There was a sudden moment of clarity when she realized that these Sinapu were fighting the change.

If they lost their human form, would they also lose any sense of humanity?

Let me go! she screeched, kicking wildly at her assailants.

Ignoring her struggles, they pulled her across the tiny parking lot and into the desert.

Mya stopped fighting. She had to stay calm.

They hadn’t torn her to shreds yet, so maybe they weren’t going to kill her.

The moon provided enough light that she could see the three men had no clothes. They weren’t even wearing shoes to protect their feet, but this didn’t seem to faze them. These men were at home in the desert, as wild as any creatures that roamed the night.

Mya wasn’t as lucky as her captors. After walking for less than an hour, her feet were already killing her.

The Sinapu continued to lead her into the wilderness. Slowly the sagebrush gave way to pines and juniper. They were heading into the mountains.

No one would find her in such a remote region.

Her car would be discovered, and the Tribal Police would probably come to the conclusion that she’d been abducted, but they wouldn’t have any idea where to look for her.

Even Uncle Donny would get it wrong. Though he was one of the best detectives on the force, he would assume she’d fallen victim to the Skinwalkers. He’d never suspect the Sinapu.

The pack didn’t want their alpha having any contact with Mya. They feared she would be the downfall of the Sinapu and the Navajo people. The Sinapu had made no secret of the fact they would kill her to prevent this.

David couldn’t know what was happening. He’d never permit it.

Are you sure? Whispered the small voice in her head.

No matter what was in her heart, she had to remember he was their leader. It was his job to guard the Heart of the People.

What if he saw her as a threat to that? How far would he go to fulfill his duty to the people?

Finally they stopped walking. The men were speaking amongst themselves in a language she couldn’t understand. Although Mya didn’t know much of the Navajo language, she knew enough to realize the men were not speaking the language of the Diné.

Through the trees, Mya could make out what appeared to be a small log cabin. Before she had time to wonder why they’d brought her to a cabin, they started walking again. Even viewing the cabin through the darkness, it was evident by the gray - weathered logs that the building was old.

Once inside, Mya found it was too dark to see, but the Sinapu weren’t about to go through the trouble of providing light. They didn’t need it. Wolves could see just fine in the dark.

Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see that there was a bed in the far corner of the room.

One of the men nudged her toward the bed.

Hey! I want to talk to David! Mya yelled at their backs as they were leaving.

They didn’t so much as glance over their shoulders in response.

To scream would have been futile and a waste of energy. Her Sinapu captors would ignore her, and she was too isolated to be heard by anyone else. Her current situation reminded her of Lucy, her biological mother. The Skinwalkers had held her prisoner in a shack very similar to the one she was in now. She’d been forced to conceive a child, and then died giving birth.

Though indirectly, Mya had been responsible for the death of her biological mother. Maybe there really was something evil about her. It sure seemed that the people around her met tragic endings. First her real mother died bringing Mya into the world, and then she’d lost her adoptive parents and best friend.

Mya had been robbed of the chance of ever knowing the woman that gave birth to her. No one knew for sure if Lucy died from giving birth, or if the Skinwalkers killed her, but Mya vowed that someday she would find out.

From before the time she was conceived, the Skinwalkers had intended for Mya to be the downfall of the alpha, which in turn would bring down the Sinapu. If they succeeded, the Skinwalkers would gain control of the Heart, and if that happened, they would become virtually unstoppable.

Mya didn’t blame the Sinapu for their dislike of her. After all, she had been born for the purpose of witching the alpha, but not all had gone as planned. The Skinwalkers hadn’t anticipated the emotional bond between Mya and the Sinapu alpha.

Mya had fallen in love with David, regardless of the fact that their chances for a happy ever after were slim to non-existent.

Pushing thoughts of him from her mind, Mya concentrated on finding a means of escape. She could see shadows moving outside the window. They were still out there - still guarding the only exit. There was the option of simply opening the door and making a run for it, but she was smart enough to realize it would be wasted effort. They would run her down before she got five feet.

Exhausted, Mya collapsed into the lumpy mattress. Though she tried to stay awake - tried to come up with some kind of escape plan, lack of sleep finally caught up with her and she drifted into a fitful slumber.

Chapter Two

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It was the sensation of fingers tenderly caressing her face that brought her out of the deep dark abyss of dreamless sleep. The gentle touch reminded her of a balmy summer breeze - comforting her - lulling her into a sense of warmth and security.

Awareness returned so abruptly that it was akin to diving into a pool of ice water.

Mya’s eyes flew open.

David sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at her with silver-gray eyes - eyes that were misted over with the same hunger that had been gnawing at her night and day for months.

Seeing that she was awake, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. When he did, his long black hair brushed against her face.

As her shock began to subside, Mya was overcome with the urge to scream at him. She wanted an explanation.

Why had his people taken her?

Anger raged within her, but at the same time she could not suppress the joy in her heart. After months of being without him - of not knowing, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He was still alive.

In the end, the frustration and loneliness that had been a fixture in her life for so long overshadowed her happiness.

How dare you have your people do this to me!

I had no choice. I told you not to come back here, David grumbled.

Mya glared at him through narrowed eyes.

Looking away, he told her, They would have killed you if the pack hadn’t stepped in.

What are you talking about?

The Skinwalkers that have been trailing you. Why didn’t you listen to me? I told you that coming back here would be too dangerous.

Really! Mya arched one brow. "You mean more dangerous that having a pack of Sinapu rip my car apart and drag me up here?"

Yes, he whispered.

Your people want me dead. You know that don’t you? Don’t you think that sending them to intervene was a little risky too?

David shook his head. They wouldn’t dare.

Well I’m here ... so now what? Mya asked. She was happy to see him, but in