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  Shaxoa’s Gift

  Book Two of the Twin Souls Saga

  by

  DelSheree Gladden

  Smashwords Edition

  *****

  Published by

  DelSheree Gladden on Smashwords

  Shaxoa’s Gift

  Book Two of the Twin Souls Saga

  Copyright 2010 DelSheree Gladden

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Also by DelSheree Gladden

  Escaping Fate

  Twin Souls

  Book One of the Twin Souls Saga

  Qaletaqa

  Book Three of the Twin Souls Saga

  Inquest

  Book One of the Destroyer Trilogy

  Coming September 2012

  For Abbey, who helped me pick out the “weeds” for the front cover

  Table of Contents

  1. Plans

  2. Fighting

  3. Direction

  4. Reassurance

  5. Too Far Away

  6. Kaya

  7. Small Cracks

  8. Necessities

  9. Home

  10. Trust

  11. Tip the Balance

  12. Samantha

  13. Expectations

  14. Slipping Out

  15. Fighting It

  16. Dreams

  17. Understanding

  18. Laws

  19. Confession

  20. Fluctuations

  21. Scarlet Lines

  22. Qaletaqa

  23. Losing

  24. Patience

  25. First Choice

  26. Resolve

  27. More

  28. More Hope Than Confidence

  29. Wrong

  30. Easy Way Out

  31. Time To Find Out

  32. Hope

  Also by DelSheree Gladden

  Sneak Peek of Qaletaqa

  About the Author

  Prologue

  The slight touch seemed to freeze time. I saw Kaya’s face slowly stiffen, her eyes lose their usual gleam and turn dull. The sensation lasted only a second before I could breathe again, but I knew something was wrong. Kaya’s body went limp. I caught her just before she collapsed.

  “Uriah,” Kaya whispered. She blinked several times before bolting up out of the chair. Her sister was quick to push her back down. “Uriah! I saw something. I saw it when I touched your arm.” Her hands were shaking.

  “What? What did you see?” My mind raced.

  “He’s about to take her,” Kaya said. Tears were cascading down her dark cheeks.

  “Claire?”

  “No, your Twin Soul. He almost has her.”

  “No.” The single word came out as a gasp. This was the first choice. I was being asked to choose between saving Claire and saving my Twin Soul. Making the wrong choice would bring me a life of pain. But which one? I was so close to rescuing Claire. When I spoke to her on the phone, she tried to keep her voice steady, but I could hear the pain and fear behind her words. If I left her to fight alone much longer, she would lose. We would both lose.

  “I have to go to Claire,” I said.

  I opened my mouth to tell Kaya that I would not change my mind, but no words came out. Paralyzing fear suddenly gripped my body. My heart stopped. My lungs refused to expand and my legs lost all strength. Without warning, I was on the floor, my entire body throbbing in pain. I saw her face. Pale white skin, wispy auburn hair, bright green eyes filled with tears and terror. The Matwau, bearing a face I had never seen before, cackled in maniacal glee.

  1: Plans

  The coyotes were still circling below. Rage boiled in the creature, making it difficult for him to maintain his human form. He was miles away from the house, but he could still see it clearly. It had been a long time since he failed to capture his prey, half a century since the last time one had escaped his grasp. His hands tightened in fury as he remembered that narrow miss and its connection to the horrible little town he watched. He could do nothing about that, or his more recent loss. His failure to capture Daniel was not what had him so angry.

  Once again, Uriah was the sole source of his foul mood. He would forget Daniel since the Twin Soul bond had already formed, but not Uriah. Since the moment he was created, the Matwau had been waiting for this young man to cross his path. There should have been an equal amount of fear in him along with his rage, but his fear had been buried so deep that he could no longer register it.

  Uriah was a child who did not even know who he was. The Matwau knew, and he was ready. The boy had not been prepared as he would have expected. The old woman had failed Uriah miserably by keeping her secrets from him, but the Matwau would not hold that against her. Her weakness only improved the creature’s chance at success. The boy stood no chance.

  Old wounds gnawed at his confidence, reminding him of what had almost happened when he had challenge the boy the day before. He laughed that thought away. It was a mirthless laugh, though. The fight had been filled with too many distractions. Uriah had been lucky, nothing more. The next time they met, there would be no one to interfere. He would make sure of that. The Matwau would not challenge Uriah again until the stage was set to his liking, and he knew exactly how to accomplish that.

  Remembering how he had put his hand on Uriah’s shoulder when they first met, he wondered what had caused the searing fire. Uriah had not fallen under his spell as everyone else always did, but instead recoiled from the pain his touch had caused. It was an oddity, but not one that was important to the Matwau. It was nowhere near as significant as what the Matwau had gained from the physical contact with Uriah.

  That brief moment had laid his new plans. Turning away from the tiny desert town, he smiled despite the turmoil raging under his skin. He knew it was time to start gathering his allies. They would be needed if his plans were to be fulfilled. Silently, he made the call. No other creature but his tainted allies could hear the call, but it was one they could not refuse.

  He found a secluded spot to wait. He hated waiting. His eyes closed, though not to sleep. Going over his plans, he perfected them until there were no flaws. Faint sounds of the ones he called registered in his ears, letting him know he was no longer alone. The Matwau did not respond. He would not acknowledge any of them until the last had reached the meeting.

  A hesitant shuffling some time later brought one of his allies as near the Matwau as the beast would dare come. It pawed the dusty ground before finally speaking. “The last one just arrived, master.”

  The Matwau raised his eyelids languidly. The creature’s matted grey fur quivered as its large, deformed wolf head dipped down in uneasy respect. The sniveling animal stood waiting for a response. A sharp nod was all it received. Backing away on trembling legs, it scurried out from under its master’s gaze. The Matwau sneered at the creature. He hated it. He hated all of them. They were weak, mindless animals, but he needed them.

  Uriah knew almost nothing about what was happening, but that had not mattered in the end. His natural abilities alone had proven too much for the Matwau to handle. His failures had brought his allies to him. His allies’ failure in the past had them groveling at his feet. Failure would not happen again.

  Walking through the desert sand, he approached the gathering. Twelve misshapen, dangerous animals stood waiting for him. He was their master. They would
do anything he asked them to do. They hated him for that exact reason. None of them wanted to work with him, but they could not refuse. The gods were divided in their allegiances, but they all believed in keeping things fair. It made the game more interesting.

  The Matwau did not believe in fairness.

  “I hope you all remember what happened the last time we were forced to work together,” the Matwau said. His voice was cool and even, but the words cut straight to their wounded pride. Snarls and whimpers erupted from the group. The snarling creatures remembered, and wished in vain that they could repay the Matwau for the penance he had made them suffer for their failure. The whimpering ones remembered as well, and would do anything to avoid a similar end.

  Three centuries earlier, the Matwau had been faced with an important hunt and very little time. He knew the young warrior was an important man. One of his many abilities was sensing danger to his creators’ plans. The young warrior would have played a vital part in preventing a series of detrimental events to his tribe. Knowing he had so little time, the Matwau had immediately called on his reluctant allies.

  At first the hunt had gone well. His allies tracked down the young man quickly, but that was where their usefulness had ended. They had been ordered to corner the young man, and hold him until the Matwau could come and claim his victim. Several of the strongest were tempted by the young warrior’s importance. Together, they decided to take the victim for themselves, thinking that they could replace the Matwau.

  They attacked the warrior, not realizing that they had no hope of defeating the young man. The Matwau had ordered them not to kill him. No matter how hard the three wanted to, they could not bring themselves to break the Matwau’s order. The warrior had beaten them back easily. Throwing down the last of the beasts, the warrior attempted to make his escape. The Matwau arrived in time to see his prey running into a dense forest. He left the damaged creatures behind. Tearing his way through the forest, he closed the gap between him and his prey in a matter of seconds. The end of the hunt came quickly.

  Calmly, he walked back to the valley where he had left the traitors. By that time, the others, the ones who had stood by and watched the three disobey his orders, were gathered around the fallen. Beginning with the weakest, he took each of his so called allies and used every one of his powers to instill his anger at their betrayal. Their screams filled the valley, only pausing long enough for the Matwau to discard one and reach for another.

  He left twelve, the twelve who had not participated in the actual betrayal, with enough life left in them that they would heal, and be much more useful to him in the future. The remaining three screamed and howled the loudest and the longest, only ceasing when their disfigured bodies were drained completely. They were left to rot on the forest floor.

  As he relived the memory, so did the group gathered around him. They cringed and huddled together in fear at the reminder.

  “Good,” the Matwau said, “you do remember.” He walked back and forth before the creatures. “This time will be much different. There will be no mistakes. Each of you will do exactly what I tell you to do and nothing more. You will not even think unless I tell you to do so. Do we understand each other?”

  Every gnarled head nodded.

  “Very good, because if one of you deviates from my instructions, even in the slightest degree, last time will seem like a pleasant memory.” The snarls and whimpering erupted again. The Matwau smiled, his lips curling viciously as he imagined the pain he could cause them. Finally, the group quieted, and one stepped forward.

  “What are your orders?” he asked.

  None of the creatures had names, but the Matwau knew each of them individually. This one was the strongest of the group. Of the remaining twelve, he tried the hardest to defy the Matwau’s authority, but he was also the best hunter. “Find my prey,” the Matwau said.

  One by one, he touched their disgusting bodies, showing them the face of the one he wanted. “When the prey is found, none of you are to do anything but report back to me.”

  Every head dipped in agreement.

  “Now go. It’s time to hunt.”

  It was time for the hunt that would either assure him immortality, or destroy his life and everything he had worked for.

  2: Fighting

  The instant Uriah touched my skin I had felt safe again. Still trapped within my own body, his loving strokes had filled me with hope. But when the hot liquid touched my lips, I knew something was wrong. A strange sensation filled me as memories of Uriah started to slide away. Desperately, I clung to them, to all the treasured moments we had spent together.

  Slowly my body began to respond to my commands. My lips parted and the searching plea came out as a whisper. “Uriah?”

  Gathering me in his arms, he kissed me, telling me that he loved me with such desperation I could instantly tell something was not right. The sensation suddenly took over my senses, forcing me to look away from Uriah. I saw him then, the boy from my dreams, Daniel. In my head I knew who he was, but my heart was struggling to reject him. “Daniel?” I asked.

  His blissful nod tore my heart in two. He was my Twin Soul, the other half of my soul split apart before birth. He was the one man meant to complete me, but I didn’t want him. Feelings of unending love and fulfillment forced their way into my mind, pushing me to accept him. It was nothing like the love Uriah and I had built together over the past year. It was sudden, and forced, and I tried to shy away from it.

  The look on Uriah’s face was pure torture. His kind eyes filled with glistening tears and his strong jaw tightened in an effort to keep it from shaking. I tried desperately to explain what I felt, that I loved him still, but he could only see the pain my struggle was causing me. Always caring more about me and my happiness than his own needs, Uriah stepped aside. “You’ll be happy, like you were meant to be,” he said. Love and pain twisted his features.

  I begged him to stay, to save me, but he couldn’t bear the idea of causing me any more pain. Giving me the chance to find more than he believed he was capable of offering, Uriah walked away. Every other thought was lost to me. I couldn’t live without Uriah. The feelings that surrounded me felt more like a delicious poison than some fantastic rebirth.

  “Claire, please,” Daniel said. He reached a hand out to me in comfort.

  Without thinking, I took it, but my heart begged me to pull away a moment later. The hurt on his face was agony. This wasn’t his fault. He had come with Uriah, thinking only that he could help me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. A second later he was next to me, his arms around my shoulders. It was impossible for me not to fall into his embrace. Tears for Uriah, for my weakness, battled with the overwhelming comfort Daniel gave me.

  Nobody else touched me. They let me sob in Daniel’s arms, and I was too filled with pain to care that they watched. The sharp squeal of the door opening was the only thing that roused me from my anguish. Praying it was Uriah, I looked up quickly.

  Quaile stood at the door, her ancient body leaning heavily on her cane. My eyes burned with disappointment at seeing the shaman. I had faith that Uriah would not truly abandon me. I knew he still loved me, but I also knew it was up to me to prove to him that I still loved him as well, and always would. Quaile took a quick step forward, her eyes scanning the room and landing on Daniel.

  “Daniel,” she said, “we must get you back to Roosevelt.”

  My eyes flew wide. Emotions battered against each other. The Twin Soul bond urged me to hold on to Daniel, to stay by his side forever, but what love I could hold onto for Uriah kept me still, begging Quaile to get him away from me as fast as she could.

  “But,” Daniel sputtered, “I don’t want to leave. I want to stay with Claire.”

  I couldn’t help but clutch at him, and feel terrible for doing it immediately afterward. Quaile stopped her march across the room. Her lips thinned as she pursed them tightly. Her hesitation gave Daniel courage to renew his hold on me. Turning to face me, he slipped his h
ands around mine, staring into my eyes with absolute adoration. It was the expression he always had when I met him in my dreams at night.

  Suddenly, I wanted to raise my hands to his face, to caress his soft features and profess my love for him. Except, I didn’t understand these feelings for him. The way he looked at me wasn’t the same as Uriah’s expression when he told me he loved me. There were the dreams, but did Daniel really know me? Did it matter when the bond was so insistent? I didn’t want to let him go.

  “Claire, please don’t send me away. I want to be with you,” Daniel said. “I know this must be very confusing for you, but if you just give me a chance I know you’ll feel like I do.”

  Time was what he wanted, time to bury my feelings for Uriah and accept this forced affection as real. I wanted to, but the lingering memory of Uriah’s touch gave me strength. “Please go. I love Uriah,” I choked out. His brow creased as he struggled to understand why I had not surrendered to the Twin Soul bond as easily as he had.

  My rejection brought a pained expression to his face, nearly matching the one Uriah had worn before stepping out the door. My heart screamed at me for hurting him. Could I not bring anyone happiness? The bond pushed me to console Daniel, to make right the pain he was feeling. Snatching my hands from his before I lost all control, I turned away. Breathing seemed to become harder and harder the more pain I caused Daniel. I never wanted this. All I wanted was Uriah. “Please leave, Daniel,” I begged him.

  “But, Claire,” Daniel said softly.

  Shaking my head, I stood and ran to my mother. Her soothing arms wrapped around me. “Shh, shh, baby girl. It will be okay,” she said.