Devi: Matefinder Book 2 Read online

  Devi

  A Matefinder novel

  Book 2

  By: Leia Stone

  Copyright © 2015 by Leia Stone. All rights reserved.

  Cover Art by Adithya Kaushik, Copyright © 2015 by Leia Stone

  Devi/Matefinder characters, names and related items are trademarks owned by Leia Stone.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced. Stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, live or dead are purely coincidental.

  Stone, Leia

  Devi

  For information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book go to www.facebook.com/leia.stone

  [email protected]

  ISBN: 978-0982068731

  “When you know how to listen, everybody is the Guru.” Ram Dass

  For my courageous daughter who is every bit as spunky and feisty as I was as a child, and for my dear son, who has the kindest heart and works so hard. I love you both more than any earthly language can describe.

  Contents

  Affinity

  Attack

  Rogue

  Chase

  Alexa

  Luna

  Clubbin

  Shaman

  Tara

  Canada

  Vision Quest

  Ready

  Hot Springs

  Mexico

  Wedding Bells

  Mother

  Max

  Begin

  Big Day

  I Do

  News

  Death

  Kai

  Rescue

  Home

  Protect

  Pest

  Goodbye

  Affinity

  I waved the eagle feather in a light zig zag motion over the smoking sage bundle. “Cleanse this space so that only white light remains,” I told the smoke as Sylvia and the coven looked on. Sylvia had initiated me into her coven a few months ago. Now I was learning magic. Kai wasn’t crazy about the idea but I loved it. I loved learning about all of the different spells and ways to read and manipulate energy. It felt like I could study magic for 100 years and never know it all. I walked over to the copper bowl that held white salt and grabbed a handful. I sprinkled it in a circle around us. “This casting is blessed,” I told the coven with confidence. Sylvia looked at me with pride. She walked over to the large wooden table and began to arrange certain items in a circle.

  “Ladies, we are blessed to have Aurora in our coven. These times have become uncertain. The balance has tilted in favor of the vampires and so we witches, who like to remain neutral, have had to take a side. We have sided with humanity, and therefore, with the werewolves who protect them. Aurora is special. She’s lived her entire life believing she was human, and now she is a witch and a werewolf. This gives her a wonderful perspective. We have gathered here tonight to ask our ancestors and spirit guides to reveal her affinity so we may help her develop her magical gifts.” Sylvia carried herself with such confidence and authority. I now recognized her as an Alpha in the witch world.

  I stared at my shoes nervously.

  “Aurora, Aurora, Aurora.” The witches began to chant and started interlocking their hands to make a circle around me and Sylvia as we stood in front of the table.

  Sylvia gestured to the objects on the table. There were five colored gemstones in a circle. “These are affinity stones. The white stone is a scrying stone. Witches with this affinity have the gift of future sight. They are seers. I presume this will be your affinity because of your Matefinder abilities,” she told me. “The black stone is the spell casters’ stone. This is my affinity. Any spell I do is ten times more amplified than an average spell caster.”

  Whoa. That must be why she was the high priestess of our coven.

  “The blue stone is the healers’ stone. They have a natural affinity for healing spells. Gretchen is an affinity healer.” Sylvia nodded to an older witch who smiled at me.

  “The green stone is the alchemy stone. Any metal or mineral can be mutated at the alchemists’ wish. They are usually very rich because they love turning steel into gold.” She flicked her eyes to a middle-aged witch with long black hair. Her neck was adorned in golden chains. Large chunky diamond rings glittered on her fingers. She smiled at me and I caught the glint of a gold-capped tooth at the back of her mouth. Interesting.

  Sylvia continued. “The last stone, the red stone, is the power stone. Usually only an affinity to dark witches, it makes them hunger for and absorb other witches’ power.”

  My mouth dropped open. I was reminded of Prudence, the dark witch working with Layla. That had to be her affinity. Sylvia gave me a slight nod as if she knew what I was thinking.

  “Now Aurora, when I say the enchantment, you will hold your hand over the stones and see which one calls to you. Then you will be mentored by a witch who has mastered that affinity. Ready?"

  I let out a deep breath. "Sure," I said, and tried not to let my voice croak. I got hit by a car a few months ago. Then I got turned into a werewolf, found out I was some rare Matefinder that could match up wolves to save my race with procreation, and now this. Not too much to handle. Nope. I could do this. Just breathe.

  Sylvia threw some yellow powder over the stones.

  "Turmeric," she told me. "To purify."

  I was still learning after all.

  Sylvia threw her hands up in grand fashion. "Guides and teachers, hear my call! Aurora has chosen to follow her magic, let us put her to the test. Help her choose straight and true; help her be her very best!" I wondered if rhyming was required for spell casting. Mist flew from Sylvia’s hands and surrounded the stones.

  My palms began itching. Sylvia had told me before that it was rare that I could see the mist, that I could visually see magic. So maybe I would get the seer stone. I was already able to see the futures of the mates I paired up in my visions. I wouldn’t complain if I got the alchemy stone but I didn’t want the red power stone. My palms were warm and getting hotter. I looked at Sylvia, who nodded. I let my palms hover over the stones and made a circular motion. The white seer stone began to wobble. Whoa! It was moving! Then it rolled a few inches into the center of the circle.

  "Good girl! A seer!" Sylvia told the coven and everyone clapped. I smiled. Just as I was about to pull my palm away, I felt it itch again and radiate warmth. A second stone began to wobble, the blue healer stone. I could hear gasps of breath all around me as the blue stone rolled into the center and softly clanked against the white one. My palm cooled and I lowered my hand. I had forgotten about healing Kai’s leg in the woods … Was that an affinity?

  "Two affinities," Sylvia said in shock.

  "She's a Devi. A flesh wanderer!" another witch declared.

  "We don't know that!" Sylvia answered sternly.

  Oh, God. Not again. Not another freak thing. What the hell was a Devi?

  "Two affinities. Werewolf and witch. There are many signs that she could be a Devi," another witch commented, looking at me curiously.

  "A Devi?" I rubbed my sweating palms on my jeans. The word was foreign to me. The witches pronounced it Day-vee.

  "Sweetheart, do you believe in reincarnation?" Gretchen asked me.

  "Enough! She's had enough!" Sylvia suddenly yelled and the other witches quieted.

  "This casting is over. So be it. She will be trained with two affinities." Sylvia had the sweet mom thing going on ninety percent of the time but the other ten
percent, she was a force to be reckoned with. This was one of those times. No one challenged her.

  I could hear the witches gathering their things and leaving. Gretchen approached me. I could smell her. Frankincense. She placed a hand on my shoulder and I immediately felt comforted and at peace. Was she healing me?

  "It will be okay, dear," she whispered, and then she left.

  I stood before Sylvia. Something was wrong. She was wringing the hem of her shirt in her hands. She sighed.

  “Just tell me.” My voice echoed off of the walls. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could take much more. I didn’t think there could be much more.

  Sylvia turned to face me. Her green eyes and striking auburn hair reminded me of a cat. Her eyes transformed and glowed silver. She was in the zone.

  “When the balance here on Earth is threatened, a Devi incarnates with a great purpose, to make things right,” she told me in an ominous voice.

  “Okay … that doesn’t sound so bad.” I was picking at my cuticles nervously.

  “Well, it’s not. It’s just that … legend says, when the Devi is done with their purpose, they leave.”

  “Like after that life is over, they die?” This conversation was getting weird. My wolf was coming to the surface. I sensed a threat.

  Sylvia cleared her throat nervously. “Like, after their purpose is completed, they leave their body immediately. They always die young.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Yesterday my life couldn’t get any weirder but it just did. I made a classic Aurora decision then. Denial. This wasn’t happening. Buh-Bye.

  “I’m not a Devi, and I’m not going anywhere. Goodnight, Sylvia.” I turned and left. She was right, I had had enough. I slammed the door on my way out. It made me feel a little better. I would probably apologize to Sylvia later for running out, but I couldn’t deal with this nonsense.

  Sylvia lived deep in the woods of Sandy, Oregon. Her home was a short drive down the mountain from ours. As I drove back up the mountain, I tried not to think of reincarnation and Devis. My brain was a traitor because that’s all it wanted to think about! As I passed the spot where I had my car accident, I slowed. My palms grew sweaty. If I hadn’t been in that accident, then Kai wouldn’t have changed me and I would still be a human with a simple life. Destiny, my wolf told me.

  But, then I wouldn’t have met Kai. My stomach warmed at the thought of him. I didn’t trust men. All men in my life had abused me, cheated on me, or walked all over me, but not Kai. I pulled up to the private drive that led to our expansive home on Mount Hood. The trees were so thick on our property, the sun barely made it through. A fine mist covered the ground. It was a cool time of year. I loved the crisp bite of the wind against my face as I rolled down my window to breathe in the morning air. This mountain settled my soul.

  I parked my car and sat inside for a few minutes clearing my mind. I didn’t want Kai picking up on my anxiety. I took another deep breath and rolled up my window. After clearing my thoughts, I entered the home we shared. I could hear talking at the back of the house in Kai’s office. I knocked lightly at the door. He had been spending a lot of time in there over the past few weeks, always on the phone, always with hushed voices. He was constantly having ‘meetings’ that took up most of his time.

  “Come in, Aurora,” his deep, husky voice said through the door.

  I smiled. Of course he knew it was me. I could smell him through the door as well. My werewolf nose was very good. My wolf and I had become one; we were working together like a well-oiled machine. I entered the room and let my eyes roam over my mate. At six foot one inch tall with caramel East Indian skin, I could genuinely say that Kai was tall, dark and handsome.

  Never one for beating around a subject, I blurted out what I was thinking. “What’s with these hushed meetings you are having in here?”

  Kai smiled and the tips of his canines pressed onto his plump bottom lip. “I can’t slip anything past you, can I?”

  He pulled me up onto his lap. I straddled him in his office chair and let my long blonde hair fall like a curtain around us. I nipped his bottom lip gently. “So?” I pressed him again. He sighed but didn’t say anything. I took that as a sign things were about to get serious and stepped off of him. He growled.

  “Aurora, I want to marry you,” Kai stated.

  Not this argument again. “The vampires want to take my fertile blood after our mating ceremony and create baby vampire spawn. We can’t have that happening, and I can’t kill all of the vampires myself, so …” I put my hair into a big bun, fastening it with a pencil from Kai’s desk. Kai’s father, Raj, had originally advised us not to marry. The intel he discovered a few months ago said I was infertile, but would become fertile after we had our mating ceremony. It was true. I checked it out myself. Infertile. Kai had some big plan to take out Layla, the queen of the North American vampire clan. I thought it was too dangerous. I wanted to marry Kai, I did. But at what cost? Werewolves didn’t exactly have high numbers to rival the vampires.

  “So … what’s the plan, boss man?” I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

  Kai stood then and crossed the room eerily fast. His gift of speed never ceased to amaze me, even though I had the same gift. He cupped my face in his hands. His eyes turned yellow; his wolf was out. “Aurora, I need you to trust me. I can’t tell you my entire plan now, only that I have accepted an offer to join the werewolf council.”

  I recoiled slightly. “Really? You hate politics! You denied their request three times. Why now?” I remembered the awful day Kai had taken me to the Alpha council meeting and I collapsed in front of everyone when I had my big vision. The council members didn’t exactly seem like a bunch of chummy folks. I couldn’t imagine Kai grouping with them.

  Kai’s eyes turned brown. “Trust me, Meri Pyari.” He kissed my nose and smelled my neck. I growled softly. Why the hell was he keeping me in the dark? He thought I was fragile, that I couldn’t handle things. I didn’t like secrets.

  Kai gave me a look that said don’t be mad.

  “I have a self-defense class to teach at Safe Haven,” I reminded him with just enough sass in my voice to tell him I was upset.

  He closed his laptop. “I will come along.”

  “Now I can’t be alone? I need a bodyguard?” I grabbed the keys to the new car Kai bought me. Why was everyone trying to protect me all the time? I could take care of myself. Kai grabbed my wrist and turned me to face him.

  “Aurora, you are the Matefinder, the most rare and hunted wolf. Excuse me if I seem over protective. It’s because I love you.”

  Okay. Dammit. He knew just what to say. I kissed him long and deep and left a growl in his throat when I turned away. He followed.

  Attack

  The moment we pulled up to Safe Haven, I immediately knew something was wrong. The front glass door was shattered, sirens could be heard in the distance, and it smelled like vampire. Without thinking, I struggled out of my clothes and shifted into my wolf form.

  “Aurora! We’re in public,” Kai scolded me.

  It was instinct, I couldn’t help it. If I was going to run into a vampire, I wanted to be a wolf; not a hundred and thirty pound human girl with no weapon.

  I ran to the open doorway, whimpering as glass cut my paws. Kai followed behind me in human form, gun drawn. The entire pack carried weapons ever since the vampires had waged war on our kind by trying to poison our water supply with liquid silver. Kai held the gun, loaded with silver bullets, in his outstretched hands. The sound of a scream came from the gymnasium, the fur on my coat stood, I ran back there. I nudged open the gym door with my snout. When I smelled it, I howled. Death. Blood. Human. Vampire.

  Safe Haven was a shelter, a safe place for women and children to come and escape their abusive lives. The woman that lay before me, was gutted like a fish. I gagged as rage built up inside me. It was a horror show, purposefully meant to send a message. Our wolf, Andy, who was supposed to be on guard duty, was unconscious in the cor
ner. Smart. If they killed him, we would have felt it through the pack bond, but if they quickly knocked him out, it wouldn’t raise alarm. Two women were sobbing and shaking in the corner. I could hear footsteps and saw other women and children coming out of their rooms.

  ‘Kai don’t let them see! They have seen enough blood,’ I urged him through our bond. The women were supposed to feel safe at the shelter. However, one was murdered before me and two were traumatized in the corner. Livid didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I wanted every vampire alive to be a pile of dust!

  Kai quickly turned to address the women. “Ladies, there has been an accident. Please go back to your rooms while I talk to the authorities. The gymnasium is off limits.” Kai shut the gym room doors. All of the women knew Kai; they trusted him. Damn, he was good with public speaking, an Alpha trait, I guess.