LOVE IN THE DARK CHARMED LOVE

Lupa 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, Lupa'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.

Lupa'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.

Lupa looked around the empty rest stop. She was in the middle of nowhere - someplace between Wolfmoon and Howlingwater.

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. Lupa 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 Howlingwater. 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 Caleb. 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 Shapechangers.

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.

Lupa'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.

Caleb had warned her to stay away.

The Shapechangers 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 Caleb 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, Lupa believed him.

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

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

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

Because Trent had once saved her life, Lupa 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, Lupa tried to remain calm.

It was nothing.

There was no way they could have tracked her already.

Lupa froze.

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

Startled, Lupa 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 Shapechangers would feed off her fear and become stronger.

She had to think.

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

Shaking, Lupa 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 Shapechangers 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 Lupa that there were several sets of eyes staring at her from the darkness. These were not the eyes of Shapechangers, 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, Lupa 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.

Lupa 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.

Lupa 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 Shapechangers. He'd never suspect the Sinapu.

The pack didn't want their alpha having any contact with Lupa. 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.

Caleb 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 Lupa 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, Lupa 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, Lupa 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 Caleb!" Lupa 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 Shapechangers 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, Lupa 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 Lupa into the world, and then she'd lost her adoptive parents and best friend.

Lupa 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 Shapechangers killed her, but Lupa vowed that someday she would find out.

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

Lupa 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 Shapechangers hadn't anticipated the emotional bond between Lupa and the Sinapu alpha.

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

Pushing thoughts of him from her mind, Lupa 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, Lupa 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.