The Falcon Ridge Series Book 4: Art of a Girl

(Chapter song ‘Ukotto of the Elder Dark' by e.hillman)

SAMMY

I hit the floor with a thud. My face throbs. My head pounds. My hands clench on the black of my mind as blood from my nose drops and creates a dark red splashes across the void. I groan as I try to rise.

‘I told you. You can't win, child. I'm too strong.’

I roll my head to meet her glowing pink eyes. The vision of me in a black, shoulder-less dress and armor stands tall. Her hair is piled up on her head and she looks down at me with superiority.

‘I will get out and next time… I’ll bury you so deep in here, they'll never find you.’ Her lip curls and her fists ball.

I wince at the pain in my body as I gingerly pick myself up. I hold my ribs and wipe the blood from my mouth as I cross the void to face the animal that needs to accept that she’s part of me now. Whatever's wrong with her needs to be dealt with and I’m not backing down this time.

I stop just in front of her and stare into her eyes. Like twins, we mirror each other's image as we fight for my mind. “You won't get control. Not again." I sneer then spit blood on the floor.

‘Look at yourself.’ The beast walks around me and I follow her with my eyes. ‘Pathetic! Weak! There's not one ounce of strength in you. You're too much of a coward to take what's yours. That's why I exist.’

She stops in front of me and raises her chin. ‘Someone has to take the path destined for us. And that someone… will be me!’ She lands another punch to my head and sends me flying across the void.

I bounce off a wall and crash to the floor. My entire head explodes with white light and I shake to try and get my vision back quickly.

"I'll fight you." I struggle as I get to my hands and knees. "I'll kill you." I grind as I fight the white-hot pain in my head.

She takes big steps to me and stops. She looks down at me with a stone face. ‘Child, you couldn't harm a fly and the way I see it, you're as good as dead now.’ She snarls her lip and delivers a kick to my chest.

I cry out and roll to my back. I hold the pain delivered to my ribs and try not cry because of it. I need to be tough. I need to be Bastian if I’m going to survive. I need his strength.

‘I can't believe the creator chose to pair me with the garbage that lays at my feet. The human side is supposed to be stronger.’ She grabs my hair and pulls me to my feet. ‘You want me to bow to you? I'll kill you first' She growls loudly and throws me across the void.

I struggle to get up again, but I still stand which seems to piss her off more.

‘Stay down!’ She yells.

"No." I grit as I stand on wobbly legs.

'Come on, Sammy. Fight it. Come back to me.'

"Bastian." I whisper, looking around the black. I pant through a growing smile as his voice echoes around the black.

‘Ah, yes. The Alpha. Quite the specimen. I'll enjoy peeling his flesh from his bones once I deal with you.’ The beast gives me a menacing look as she postures for another attack.

Images of the beast torturing Bastian again fill my mind. The pain of seeing it and the anger I felt quickly rose inside me as I get to my feet.

She smirks as she crouches and I shoot daggers at her. "No. You. WON'T!!" I holler as rage fills my very core.

I feel myself take control as I break into a run. She prepares herself as I slide to a stop, pull down my fist and bring it up with almost superhuman strength. My fist connects with her jaw and the uppercut I delivered rocked the void. She's thrown through the air and swallowed by the blackness. I lean on my knees and pant as I watch where she disappeared. Is it over? Did I win?

Just as I think those questions, a low deep growl grows in the dark. Glowing gold eyes peer at me from the black. I rise up and hold my chin up as I watch a dark paw step out into the light. Another soon follows and I bite my upper lip as the large body of my wolf fills the room. Her lip curls and she lets out a barking growl before licking her lips. Her fur is standing on end and her challenge is clear.

Her gold eyes glow with hatred and I tilt my head wondering why they aren't pink like mine anymore. She stalks closer, snapping and snarling as drool hits the floor.

‘Your mind is yours. The dream state has many levels and you can control every aspect of your dreams. You just need to realize you’re real and the dream isn’t.’

Memories of one of many conversations I had with Chase surface as I face the animal inside me. Is it really that simple?

I lower my eyes to the angry mutt. "You want a wolf fight? Fine. I can be one in here, too."

As I stare her down, I call the wind like I've see so many others do, but it's not wind in my mind. It's the pink lights. My body lifts off the floor and my skeleton rearranges. My clothes shred off and I see my wolf step back. She barks and snaps at me as the lights shine on her.

My chocolate brown paws land with an echoing thud on the floor. My eyes cast a brilliant pink glow across the darkness.

I feel the power of the wolf I’ve become. It's overwhelming. I feel the need to rip and tear. Not as a murderer, but as a savior. The savior I was destined to become all along.

I will fight my beast within me on her turf, on her level and she will lose. I feel the power build in my chest as it's carried out in a massive growl. We both flex our paws and break into a rapid sprint.

We clash in the center of the void like two gigantic Titans fighting across the land. Every throw down. Every punch. Every shove causes the void to shake and vibrate.

I grab her by neck, slam her back into the floor and pin her down with my paws on her chest. I rear up and bring my opens jaws down, landing a painful bite to her neck. She cries out agonizing yelps as she pushes me off and I roll across the floor.

My claws grip at the void, as I get to my feet and run at her again. I lower my head to the side and ram my body into her ribs. I roll with her, then latch on to the scruff of her neck. I pull her head back and repeatedly slam her muzzle into the floor. Every hit causes her to yip and cry out with growls that try to intimidate, but it’s not working. I feel the control and I’m using every bit of it.

I feel her warm blood in my mouth and I go for another hit, but she bites my leg, forcing me to let go. She scrambles to her feet snd wraps her jaws around my spine. I yelp as she delivers more bone crushing pressure. I spin my head around and grab the side of her neck in my teeth and rip her off. I throw her and she rolls across the floor.

She recovers quickly and lunges at me with full force, but I dodge her. As she runs by, I grab her by the back, lift her straight up into the air and twist down. I drive her head and shoulder into the floor at my feet. The hit was so hard, the void rocks and seems to come unglued for a moment before coming back together.

I take her in my teeth, lift her and throw her against the walls. I waste no time, and refuse to allow her to stand before grabbing her again and slamming her into the floor. I feel like I have the power of ten wolves as I relentlessly attack her until she shifts.

Once I realize she’s human again, I shift, too. We’re both breathing heavy, bleeding from everywhere and my beast can barely move.

She lifts a narrowed eye to me as her brow stitches up. She wipes the blood from her nose. ‘You…have strength.’ She breathes as she starts to crawl across the floor. ‘I didn’t believe you were capable...’ She laughs as she rolls on her back. She rolls her head to me as I stand over her.

I lean on my knees and lock with her eyes. “From this moment on…You will listen. You will behave and you will let me be in control. Do you agree?" I growl.

She lips shrink and she doesn't say a word.

I curl my lip, reach down and grab her by the throat. I lift her to my rage filled eyes. "DO YOU GIVE UP?"

Her eyes fill with fear and I can feel her shaking in my hand. ‘Yes.’ She whispers.

I look in her eyes and I can see the truth in them. "Who's in control?"

‘You are.’ She breathes.

"That's right. Now, you will cooperate with me from now on. Do you understand?" I search her face.

She nods again. ‘Yes. We will become one. I see that now.’

I toss her to floor and she lands with an oof. "Rest." I say as I step over her bloodied body and head for the wood door in my mind.

"Sam!" She calls to my back and I turn back around.

She's sitting on her knees. ‘You can't stop it.’ Pain and regret fill her face as I slowly walk back to her.

I tilt my head and cross my arms. "Stop what?"

‘Chase. You can't stop him. He knows where we are. His plans. They’re not over.’ She wipes the blood from her face.

"How does he know?" I step closer.

‘I sent him a message while you slept. I told him everything. He's not bringing the army Falcon Ridge. He's bringing them to Black Rock and gathering more. You can't stop it, Sam.’ Her image turns back into my wolf and she whines. She turns around and walks into the dark.

My eyes go wide, my jaw drops and I frantically spin around. I rush to the door, throw it open and leap into the reality side of my mind.

"BASTIAN!"

****

BASTIAN

For two days, I've watched Sam sleep. I've watched helplessly as she struggled with herself. I begged for her to wake up every minute. I’ve had to hold her down as she lashed out fighting the war in her mind. The noises she made killed me. It was brutal. I’m terrified that when she does wake up, her damn wolf will have destroyed her mental health. I held her arm every moment I could hoping my energy will give her the strength to beat this.

Through the whole ordeal, the doctor and Camilla monitor her, but no one knows what's going on in there. They can only tell me it’s a heavy fight. I’ve seen people struggle with gaining control before, but never like this. It’s like her wolf is tearing her apart inside.

By the end of day two, I was losing hope that my beautiful artist would ever be the same.

When she seemed to calm down, I took a moment to sit in the chair beside our bed and close my eyes. I must have fallen asleep because I was jolted awake by the scream of my name.

"BASTIAN!"

I sit up with a start and Sam is sitting up in bed looking scared and panic.

I practically leap from the chair onto the bed and grab her cheeks. "Sammy?!! Oh God! I was so worried! Are you ok? What happen?

She grabs my forearms and looks at me with wide eyes. I feel her fear pouring off her. "Bastian! They're coming!" She pants.

I cinch my brows and study her eyes. "Who, baby? Who's coming?"

"The Dragon army. Bastian, they're coming here. Chase is bringing them here!" Her eyes are wild with fear.

"They threatened Falcon Ridge, Sam. Our intel said….” I try to calm her down.

She shakes me off. "Your intel is wrong. My wolf told me. She linked Chase. Told him where I am and how to get to me. Bastian, there's not much time. We have to go." She insists as she throws the covers off.

"Baby, you're not making any sense." I follow her out of the room and we jog down the stairs. "Sam, will you stop!" I yell after her.

"Anton! Nigel!" She yells through the house.

"In here!" Nigel calls from the common room.

I chase after her as she skids to a stop at the couch where the two are sitting on.

Catching her breath, she starts barking orders. "Call Alpha Blake. Tell him the Dragon army is headed to Black Rock, right now! Please you have to hurry." I step her side and see the terror in her eyes.

Nigel looks at me. "Do it." I order.

Anton sits on the edge of his seat. "The Dragon army. Coming here? What? Why? How?" He's clearly as confused as I am.

"Look. I know how this sounds, but my wolf told me. She ordered her army to march on us. She told me after I kicked her ass." I look at Bastian and give a tiny smile

"You kicked your wolf’s ass?" My lip ticks up.

She nods, standing tall. "Yeah. We've come to a bit of an understanding."

"That's my girl." I grin and drop a kiss in her hair.

Nigel joins our circle. "Blake's on the phone." He puts him on speaker.

"River?" I answer.

‘Sam's right. We had it wrong and it's not good. We just caught it on the radar. They were headed north and completely changed direction. They're headed your way. Bastian. You have a week. Maybe less.’

I rub my forehead. "How many?"

‘All of them. It looks like the entire city of Aurora. You need to evacuate now.’

"Ok. You guys are coming right?" I ask.

‘Yes, we're mobilizing now. Bastian. I don't know how, but they've increased their numbers. We're looking at close to 9000.’

"Fuck.” My brows stitch up as I glance at everyone. “Call everyone in. Even Jayson's reserves. I've got five hundred at the ready and I'll put out a notice for any able body to fight. River. We're in trouble here. Big trouble. We need everyone in Black Rock." I pace as I talk.

‘I'm on it. Don't worry.’ He's says before hanging up.

I meet Nigel and Anton's eyes. "Get the word out. Anyone who can fight, report to the training arena today. Get them ready."

I turn to Anton. "Mobilize the units and I'll be there in an hour. Lock this place down. No one in or out."

"Yes, Alpha." They say as they turn on their heels and run to initiate their orders.

"What do you want me to do?" Sam asks.

"You stay here. You'll be protected. I'll have soldiers posted so no one will get in. I have to fight. You stay here and you'll be safe."

"Bastian, I can help. I want to help."

I press my finger to her lips. "You stay... here." I lean down and kiss her as I leave her to get ready for the biggest battle I've ever fought in my life. I've never had to fight for my own pack before, but I know I will die before I let Chase take it from me.

I pack my things quickly, then head back down stairs.

Sam runs to meet me at the door. "Bastian, please. Something’s not right. Don't leave me."

I drop my bag and cup her cheeks. "Listen. I'm going to fight for you. I'm fighting for my pack. It’s something I should've done for years instead of hiding out in here my whole life. You taught me to fight, Sam. I'm going to win. When I get back, I'm going to smother you in so much love, it'll make you sick." I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her.

"Please don't die." She whispers looking into my eyes. "You need to come back to me."

I separate and place my forehead on hers. "I love you so damn much. A million Dragons couldn’t keep me from you. I'll be back before you know it."

"Bye." She squeaks and I can see her adorable pink eyes glass over.

"Don't cry, baby doll. I want to remember your smile while I'm out there, Ok?" I kiss her forehead.

She smiles as a tear rolls down her cheek. "Please be careful."

I wipe her tear away, pull back from her and grab my bag. "I will. You stay here. Do not leave this house until I come back. Understand?"

She sucks in her upper lip and nods.

"Bye, baby. I love you."

"I love you, too." She hitches.

I shut the door and head for my truck. I throw my duffle in the back and drive to the Black Rock Training center where my own army awaits their Alpha.

As much as I'm scared to leave her, I know there's no way the Dragons can get to her. The mansion is a fortress under lockdown. The men I'll place there will protect my angel from harm. As long as the Dragons don't breach my border and over take the city, my beautiful artist will be safe.

I hope.