Read Online The Mating Intent-mobi by Bonnie Vanak - Free Book Online Page A

from the path and attacked the bald cypress tree. Snarling, the panther pushed at the trunk with its big paws. Giving an unholy scream, the cypress shuddered as if uprooted by a Category 5 hurricane, and then crashed into the water.
    The panther raced to her side, nipped her sharply on the flank, urging her to rise.
    Sienna ran, following the panther. Droplets soaked the sandy shore. Horrified, she watched the tainted liquid eat into the ground.
    The panther shifted back into Gabriel. Strong, his body lean and muscled, he stared grimly at the water. Then he touched her neck, and the painful ache eased. His expression softened. “You okay?”
    She nodded. “For someone who almost got strangled by a tree root, I’m fine.”
    “I warned you not to touch anything else. It’s cursed.”
    “I didn’t. The darkness inside me reacted to the tree and the root pulled free from the water.”
    Weary, she rubbed her face. “Why did the tree fall over when you pushed it, but  you couldn’t free me?”
    Gabriel’s mouth tightened. “I’ve tried for two weeks to chop down that tree. No use. I could tell it was starting to contaminate the shore. It wouldn’t budge. It was only when it was weakened by your power that I was able to push it down.”
    He gave her a level look. “Your magick weakened it, Sienna. The magick of light, working through the power of darkness inside you.”
    Whoa. Not a nice thought. Though it no longer hurt, she rubbed her neck, unwilling to consider his words. “I don’t want to talk about it.  I’m still a little shaky, ‘kay?”
    He stroked a thumb along her neck. “Tell me what you felt when you touched the tree. Was it the same darkness you felt when Rex died along the river?”
    She stepped away from his touch. “Yes. The same smell, the same cloudy darkness, like black fog. It’s strong and very tainted magick. So it’s on your land as well?”
    He nodded. “It’s in the area outside my immediate home that isn’t warded. There is a blight upon our lands. It’s poisoning the trees, the plants, the water. And it only affects Others, not Skins.” Gabriel rubbed a hand over his nape and she saw the despair on his face.
    She sucked in a breath. This was both bad news and good. If Skins weren’t affected, the dark magick was less threatening to the world and they didn’t risk exposing the shifters to humans. The cloak hiding their world remained firmly in place.
    But they also had no means to defeat the dark enchantment until they could identify it.
    They returned to the campground. Hands on lean hips, Gabriel surveyed the Others.
    “Gabe, what happened? We heard a crash.” A red-haired, lean man approached, holding a crossbow in one hand. His left arm was secured by a white sling. “Scared the living crap out of everyone.”
    “A tree fell into the water. An old tree.” Gabriel exchanged glances with her and she knew he didn’t want to frighten the shifters further.
    “It was its time to go,” she added.
    The red-haired man relaxed and lowered the bow.
    “That’s a fine-looking crossbow,” she told him, wanting to put him at ease. “You’re a good shot?”
    “Not right now.” The bow fell from his hand and the man looked grim. “Not with this damn broken wing.”
    Gabriel put a hand on the man’s thin shoulder. “Sienna this is Roger, a red-shouldered hawk shifter. Roger was nesting in a live oak tree with his mate when the tree attacked him. The branches strangled his mate, who was trying to protect their eggs, and crushed the nest. Roger only escaped because he fell from the tree, one wing broken. He hasn’t shifted since.”
    “Not much reason to, anymore.”
    Roger’s gaze turned haunted. “I loved Ursula more than my life. When that tree attacked her… killing our young.” He kicked at the polished wood bow. “Useless. Like me. What’s the damn use of having weapons when you can’t even use them to protect those you love?”
    Turning, the hawk shifter