Page 24 of Sasquatch's Claiming

“She’s an alpha, born of alphas. You have no say over her,” her father shouted.

“You are no alpha, nor her sire,” her uncle hissed.

Her mother carried her outside. She was swaddled in a blanket and stared up at the sky.

“Blood moon tonight. Bad magic,” her mother crooned, covering her with a blanket. “Don’t look baby. Bad moon. Blood moon.”

Bernadette shook the memory away, not understanding it, or the sudden urge to howl at the shimmering colours above her. It was like an instinctual urge to scream.

“Don’t look up at it,” Caleb remarked breathily while running. “You could be mesmerized by it. It’s blood magic.”

Bernadette didn’t know what that meant, but she closed her eyes. “Are we close?”

“Almost,” Caleb responded. “He’ll be okay.”

“I sensed something was wrong.”

Caleb grunted in surprise. As if he was shocked that she could sense Ben. And why shouldn’t she feel completely connected to Ben? She had been for months, even without her memory intact, so it only made sense.

Her one worry now was that she’d lose Ben. What would she do then?

I’d die.

That was a certainty, she felt it deep within the pit of her soul. There was no living without Ben.

It almost seemed impossible to go back to her real life and she didn’t want that. It was a thought she didn’t want to entertain, because it made her all teary-eyed.

Caleb finally slowed his stride. There was a group of other Sasquatches clustered together, as well as a slightly transparent woman shimmering as she hovered. They weren’t the only ones, there were other beings and all eyes were focused on her as Caleb brought her closer to the gathering.

Immediately she got the feeling they weren’t too pleased to see her.

One particularly beautiful pink-haired woman hissed, her skin flashing from pink to grey, and her eyes went red and she had fangs.

Holy crap.

Bernadette shuddered and she could feel tears trailing down her face as Caleb set her in front of the group of big feet. There were five others, besides Caleb who brought her, and they all looked a bit like Ben.

“She’s crying,” the largest of the Sasquatches shouted.

“I did nothing to her except bring her here,” Caleb protested. “I swear, Adam.”

As soon as Caleb said “Adam” and Bernadette looked at him, she remembered him and his mate. The banshee who had wiped her memories. She recalled with vivid clarity them crashing in on her and Adam in that garden outside that bar by the waterfront in Thunder Bay. As she glanced over at the pink-haired woman, she remembered her too.

Maybe not with the red eyes and fangs, but she remembered her. She owned the bar.

All of it was coming back.

The banshee materialized solid. Her expression was one of worry, but she also looked very similar to that wraith Cillian who had been in the basement of the hospital. The one who had told her to find her mate.

The one who had helped her remember Ben.

“We’re not going to hurt you, Bernadette,” the banshee said. “My name is Aoife. We’ve met before.”

“I remember meeting you and I don’t really believe that I’m not in danger.”

“Why?” Aoife asked.

“Well, no one seems happy,” Bernadette replied.

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