Marked for Life Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Note from the Publisher

  Dedication

  Trademark

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  About the Author

  Also by Jaxx Steele

  Marked

  for Life

  Jaxx Steele

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED:

  Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the South African Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated and is punishable by imprisonment and a fine."

  Cover Artist: Reese Dante

  Editor: Dawn Sievers

  Marked for Life © 2010 Jaxx Steele

  ISBN # 978-1-920484-05-7

  All rights reserved.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the Licensed Art Material, is a model.

  PUBLISHER

  http://www.silverpublishing.info

  Note from the Publisher

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for your purchase of this title. The authors and staff of Silver Publishing hope you enjoy this read and that we will have a long and happy association together.

  Please remember that the only money authors make from writing comes from the sales of their books. If you like their work, spread the word and tell others about the books, but please refrain from sharing this book in any form. Authors depend on sales and sales only to support their families.

  If you see "free shares" offered or cut-rate sales on pirate sites of this title, you can report the offending entry to [email protected]

  Thank you for not pirating our titles.

  Lodewyk Deysel

  Publisher

  Silver Publishing

  http://www.silverpublishing.info

  Dedication

  For all my fans that emailed me with the question,

  'Hey Jaxx, will you ever do a shifter?'

  Thanks for the inspiration. This one is for you!

  Trademark

  All characters are fictional and the property of Jaxx Steele.

  Prologue

  Charles came from the back room of the cabin to see his wife feeding their son. He stood in the doorway for a moment to watch them with a sigh of happiness. When he shifted to lean against the door his movement caught his wife's eye. She turned and smiled at him. He returned her smile and crossed the room to them.

  "Hi sweetheart, did you enjoy your nap?" she asked him, accepting the kiss he placed on her forehead.

  "Very pleasant Regina, thank you."

  "Victor just woke up as well. Do you think we can bring him out to play by the lake for a while before I start dinner?"

  "Of course, darling."

  Charles took the child from her as she gathered their things to go to the lake. The old log cabin and the nearby lake had been in Charles's family since long before his birth. The cabin was about an hour south of Indianapolis in Connelly, Indiana where the industrialization of the forest was still kept at bay. Only a few feet outside of the home's back door, just beyond a fire pit and a large tree stump used for chopping wood sat a crystal clear lake. The sun could not be seen through the dense leaves of the trees, but its warmth could still be felt. Its light illuminated the area and glistened on the water in the late August afternoon. Charles escorted his young family outside and they settled on a blanket by the water's edge where they splashed and frolicked happily.

  Sometime later, Charles lay back on the grass playfully tossing the babe into the air then suddenly his head jerked up to look behind him.

  "Honey, did you hear something?" he questioned his wife.

  Before Regina could answer a wolf burst from the trees into the clearing, startling them both. Regina screamed and Charles jumped to his feet instantly. He shoved the infant into her arms and pushed them behind him. The wolf was huge with a wide body and thick, sandy fur. His yellow eyes glared at them and his snout wrinkled as he snarled menacingly, baring his teeth. There was no doubt the wolf was preparing to attack.

  "Run, sweetheart! Take the baby back into the house," Charles commanded.

  Regina moved to do as her husband told her, but the wolf leapt in front of her blocking her getaway. Charles stepped in front of his wife again.

  "Yah! Yah! Go away wolf!" he shouted flapping his arms wildly.

  The wolf held its ground, growling and snapping at him, undeterred by his display.

  Charles looked about frantically for something to defend himself with, but as soon as he took his eyes off his impending attacker, the wolf advanced. The animal landed on the man's chest, knocking him to the ground with a loud thud, but Charles would not give up without a fight. He grabbed the animal by the throat and pushed its snout upward to keep the sharp teeth away from him. The animal was heavy and it took all of Charles's strength to fend him off. Charles swung and landed a strong punch on the wolf's muzzle, stunning it enough to roll the beast off him, but the wolf regrouped swiftly. The wolf bared his snarling, drooling jaws at Charles again. Charles turned on his hands and knees to run. The wolf pounced again, flattening him to the soil. He thrashed back and forth trying to dislodge the beast, but to no avail. The sharp canines found their mark.

  Frozen with fear, Regina's knees gave way. She clutched the baby to her chest as she sank to the ground. Blood stained the fur around the wolf's mouth, flying to the left and right as the beast shook Charles's neck violently. The smell of death filled the air quickly. Tears streamed down Regina's face as she watched the horrifying demise of her husband, but when those evil eyes landed on her, self preservation kicked in. She hopped to her feet and bolted, but it was too little, too late. With a loud bark the wolf dropped the body in his mouth and took off after her, quickly ending her run. The weight of the animal crushed her smaller body into the grass as he landed on her just within reach of the cabin's safety. She tossed the baby forward as she collided with the earth. Being half the size of her husband and with the wind knocked from her lungs, Regina could put up no fight and another human became a casualty of the animal's vicious abuse.

  Blood dripped from the wolf's mouth as he lifted his head to the sky and howled triumphantly. The air around him started to crackle and sparkle in the daylight and his body started to change… stretching… reshaping… reforming. The fur fell away from its skin, disappearing before it hit the dirt. The howling continued, but then it too started to change, sounding more like laughter. His front and hind legs morphed into hands and feet. The body continued to elongate until a man stood over th
e fresh kill on the ground. The man continued to laugh as he took in his surroundings.

  "That has to be some kind of record for me," he exclaimed, unashamed by his deed. "I wish I had a watch to time myself." He turned toward the crying baby on the lawn beside the garden. "And you, little one, are not even worth the sport. You are not old enough to feel the fear that fills my nose and sets my blood boiling. You cannot even run away so I can test my abilities," he muttered with a disgusted sneer. "You, I will kill so your rotting carcass doesn't leave a foul scent in the forest. At least the wild animals will dispose of your remains when they smell your blood."

  Before the man could take another step forward he sniffed the air and his head snapped around to look over his shoulder. Another wolf stood at the opening to the trees. The man chuckled and faced it.

  "So, you have taken to following me, Mark? Anything to stay near the pack, eh?"

  The black wolf's penetrating golden eyes stared at him for another moment before it took a few steps forward and then it, too, shifted silently into a man. Mark looked at the dead man as he passed him. His nose wrinkled at the smell of new death on the air. He shook his head sadly.

  "Only a lowly creature with no honor kills for sport, Raymond."

  "How else am I to improve my skill if I don't use the humans for practice?" he asked rhetorically. "I cannot kill our own."

  Mark scoffed. "You, above all, know I don't believe you for a second."

  Mark stood before Raymond, his opposite in all ways. Raymond's long blond hair swayed around his shoulders, rippling in the light breeze. Mark's ebony locks were cut short too short around his head to move. Raymond's limbs were longer and leaner, making him taller than Mark. They squared off against one another, Raymond glaring down at him with an air of supremacy. Memories of their last confrontation flittered through Mark's mind.

  "You can't keep doing this, Raymond. It is forbidden for a reason."

  Raymond sputtered. "That will be the first thing I change when I become chief," he confided arrogantly.

  The infant's whimpers had gone un-noticed by the two men as they spoke until it started to shout again. Mark's brows furrowed in confusion as he looked down at the child. The unknown scent that brought him to the clearing reached his nose again, mingling with the water, trees, and the stench of death. His head turned to catch the surprising aroma. It startled him at first, for he had never smelled anything like it before. Closing his eyes, he inhaled, letting his olfactory senses decipher and isolate the fragrances he recognized, allowing him to concentrate on the new one. The faint trail led back in the direction of the infant. His senses came to life, alert and on fire. Mark's eyes popped open as comprehension dawned.

  "Don't touch him," he said as Raymond advanced on the helpless tot.

  Raymond looked over his shoulder, giving Mark a smirk of contempt, and continued moving.

  "Leave him be, Raymond," Mark warned with a threatening edge to his voice.

  Raymond stopped and turned. "Are you challenging me for this child, Mark?" he chuckled in amazement.

  "Yes," Mark answered without hesitation.

  Raymond's smile disappeared and he drew himself up to his full height. "Need I remind you that you've challenged me before, Mark? And lost?" he asked arrogantly.

  Mark didn't need reminding. Even all these years later, the failure still remained fresh in his mind.

  * * * *

  The hunting party had broken off into groups. Raymond, Mark, and Stephan were in one group and spied a large buck that would take two of them to bring down. During the chase Raymond held back while Mark and Stephan attacked. Stephan gave the buck a crippling bite to its hind leg and Mark took the opportunity to deliver a death blow to its neck. The two wolves were holding the animal to the ground waiting for the buck's death kicks to cease when Raymond ambushed Stephen from behind. The fight was neither fair nor equal, Raymond being twice the size of his victim. The attack was unprovoked and unexpected. He clamped down on the soft spot on Stephan's throat from behind, ending his life. His death was swift and brutal.

  Mark howled his rage at Raymond's disgraceful assault on one of their brothers, Mark launched himself into the air in defense of his fallen friend. Mark gave him a good fight, but unbeknownst to him Raymond had recently taken a mate. In their race, taking a mate allowed the two to become one. Once their souls joined, each would get the best of their partner's abilities, thus enhancing what they already possessed and adding new skills to their arsenal.

  His fangs tore into Mark's hide repeatedly and without restraint. Bleeding profusely, Mark fell to the dirt, but Raymond continued to viciously maul him. Unable to defend himself, there was no doubt in his mind that he was about to die. Only the arrival of the rest of the pack stopped Raymond's attempt.

  Raymond quickly told them he and Stephan that had taken down the buck and Mark had been the one who callously turned on them. That Mark had muttered something about challenging the chief on his next rampage and Raymond had decided the only way to save their leader from Mark's treachery was to destroy him.

  The members of the group looked to Mark for an explanation, but Mark's injuries prevented him from shifting, so he could not speak. He tried sending the correct details of what transpired into the minds of his brethren using the mind link they all shared in wolf form, but the pain radiating through him was so great that he could not focus on anything else. Unfortunately, they accepted his silence as an admission of guilt and Raymond's deceit prevailed.

  His people left Mark where he fell, wounded and teetering at death's door. They had all turned their backs on him and left him to die. The agony he felt in his limbs was nothing compared to what was in his heart. But even in his suffering he was aware the odor of his blood rode on the wind, attracting other predators and scavengers of the woods; staying where he was would result in further slaughter.

  Mark spied a nearby tree hollow and tried to crawl to it. Exhausted with his efforts he collapsed just inside the opening, his breathing raspy and shallow. When a tree sprite appeared before him, his chest rattled so noisily as he took in his last breaths that Mark mistook her for a death dream. She was beautiful, with flowing russet hair, smooth brown skin, and sparkling leaf-green eyes. He whined, satisfied with her being the last thing he saw, and then closed his eyes to welcome oblivion.

  Brave wolf, do not be afraid. Your journey will not end here.

  Shocked, Mark had opened his eyes. His ears did not pick up the sound of her voice because the words were spoken directly into his mind. She sat beside him, gently stroking the blood-soaked fur on his neck. Her touch eased the ache enough for him to drag himself fully into the shelter of the tree.

  You tried to right a wrong and you will not die for it. I will heal you and though you will be a loner you will not be alone. When it is time for you to right the evil done to you, I will return.

  * * * *

  Mark stood before his betrayer and knew the outcome of this fight would be different than the last. He must save the baby at all costs. Lustful feelings grew within him as the child's aroma wrapped itself around his senses. It rushed through his bloodstream, riding the adrenaline now surging through him. His cock hardened from its effect as he squared his shoulders and widened his stance. Mark's body immediately recognized the baby as his mate, but he of course, realized the child was much too young for him to claim. If he was able to save the baby's life today, Mark knew he would have to step out of the picture and allow the child to grow up before he could claim him as a life mate.

  "You won't touch the babe, Raymond," Mark repeated unflinching.

  Raymond looked Mark up and down with a scowl on his face. "I don't know how you survived the wounds I gave you so long ago. I thought surely you would die from them. Since you didn't, know this; if you fight me again, your death will be the only outcome."

  The disdain in Raymond's words and the slight adjustment to his posture told Mark he was preparing to attack. Mark morphed swiftly into his wolf form
just as the sandy wolf appeared. The beast launched himself into the air and collided with its ebony counterpart. They dropped hard to the ground, ripping and tearing at each other. Black and tan fur filled the air around them as they continued to fight. The lighter wolf took first bite, snapping the front leg of the darker wolf who let loose a high-pitched yelp. Although he faltered from the wound, Mark retaliated with his own bite, tearing away part of the other wolf's ear. Together the wolves stood staring at one another, drool dripping from their fangs as they growled at one another. Slowly, they walked in a circle, eyeing each other, preparing for the next attack.

  It came fast, with Mark taking first bite. He landed on his enemy's back and bit down on his shoulder, causing the pale wolf to yowl in pain. He planted his claws into the dirt and bucked his abuser forward, catapulting his opponent and causing him to crash-land on his back. Before Mark could right himself, Raymond was on him, snapping and snarling. Mark clawed and bit at Raymond's front legs and chest, striking back until he managed to return to his feet. Once he was upright the fight resumed. Simultaneously, they snapped at each other's face, their heads connecting in a loud thud. Mark shook off the dazed sensation first and caught Raymond's paw in his mouth, the maneuver crippling his assailant who fell over, writhing in pain. Battered, bleeding, and hobbling, the two wolves gathered their wits and returned to their circular motion to catch their breath and ready themselves again.

  Why do you fight to protect this human, Mark? Raymond sent into his mind. What is he to you?

  That is not your concern, betrayer.

  Betrayer? Oh, brother, why do you use such harsh words toward me?