CHAPTER ONE

T he day was turning cold, and the sun was setting fast. Harley admitted to himself that he should have set up camp sooner. He was looking for the right spot and nothing seemed right and now he was going to be setting up in the dark. Such a rookie mistake but there was nothing to be done about it. Find the best for now and get situated for the night and do it in a hurry.

"Shit." He said as the mallet slipped and bounced off his foot. The tent was, as a rule, easy to set up, but not tonight. It was a terror, but finally, he had it somewhat set and decided to just make it work. He would do better tomorrow, but tonight, he just wanted to have a bite to eat and lay down. He should have planned better, but at the time, he just needed to get away and get away fast.

Never go on a hiking trip alone, especially when you're in the grips of an emotional meltdown. That was good advice for next time but for now, he needed to figure his shit out and do it fast. The wind was picking up which was making a horrible situation just a little bit worse.

After an hours long tiresome struggle Harley had the one-man tent stable and his sleeping bag along with other necessities settled. It was full on dark by the time he crawled inside his tent and lit his lantern. This was such a bad idea but seemed so right at the time. Come morning he would head back to where he'd parked his car. "Why the hell did I not simply go to a hotel for a few days?"

He shook his head and poured coffee from his thermos and pulled a protein bar from his pack. He could be enjoying room service right now what possessed him to go hiking in the Alleghanies? He knew what it was, but it was hard to admit because it was painfully immature.

His best friend and roommate, Ashton was getting married tomorrow, and Harley was informed earlier just after breakfast that he was uninvited from Ashton's bachelor party and from the wedding because Ashton's fiancé decided she didn't like Henley. She didn't want outsiders there and she saw Harley as an outsider and what truly hurt was that Ashton agreed with her.

It was a shock, and at first, he thought it was a joke, but then Ashton told him he was serious and that he would not go against what his bride wanted. They had been friends for years or so, he thought. He thought they were friends, but Ashton saw him as insignificant and expendable. Damn, that hurt.

Other friends were all still invited. Only Harley got the boot, and apparently, he was supposed to be okay with it. Harley told him to go fuck himself and walked out of the room. He packed a few things and left, intent on staying gone for the weekend. They would be out of the apartment by Monday, and Harley would not have to see either of them. The hiking thing was Harley's attempt at being alone with his thoughts and feelings, but now he finds himself alone in the cold and the darkness. If he's honest with himself, he's a little lost.

Once his heater was running and he was tucked into the warmth of his sleeping bag, he began to think. Come morning, he would make his way back to his car and find a nice hotel. He was too angry and unfocused to be camping and hiking. With that settled, he closed his eyes and pushed his hurt feelings to the back of his mind.

It was several hours of him trying to sleep when suddenly he was wide awake and clutching a large knife he brought with him for protection. Something was outside his tent. It was nearby, and it was clearly stalking him. "Fuck." He said as fear spiked through him.

"The sensors in the eastern quarter of the Mountain Lodge compound have been tripped." Surveillance sent the message to Micheal who dispatched two of his team to investigate. Since the Coven had been reunited the Lodge along with the adjacent outbuildings had been locked up and alarms had been set. The alarms notified them in the event any part of the buildings or property was breached.

"It looks like the border on the eastern quarter was entered," Michael informed Gage and Dumas the two guards that were heading out to investigate. "Fisher will send you the coordinates."

"Yes, sir," Gage stated.

"It's probably just wildlife, but we can't pick it up on camera, so we need someone to check it out," Micheal explained.

"We'll take care of it, sir," Dumas assured as he and Gage got into the large black SUV.

"Fisher will also hook you up to the cameras in that area. Be safe." Michael said and then waved them off.

"He's probably right; it's likely just a bear or mountain lion," Gage commented to Dumas, who was navigating their way out of the underground garage and onto the main road. Fisher sent them the coordinates, and Dumas loaded them into the GPS. He also hooked them up to the cameras in the area they were heading. Gage studied the images, but nothing showed up.

"Whatever it was may be gone by now." Dumas offered.

"Yeah, probably but we'll do the search maybe it's a camper or hiker. It's off the main trails but people get lost." Gage interjected.

Dumas was a hellhound and a very good friend of Gage. They'd petitioned membership with the Hadden Coven at the same time. Master Hadden had put out the call and was enlisting all able-bodied men and women to help defend the Coven against the growing threat of evil. They both answered that call. Gage was looking for a comfortable home with integrity and leadership, and Dumas was looking for a purpose.

A curse had been laid upon the Hadden Center a forty story building in the heart of Pittsburgh and also the home of the Hadden Coven. The curse was ancient, deadly and presented a growing threat to Pittsburgh and the area beyond. Thankfully it was brought to heel and sent back to the underworld by a very specific and very powerful individual known as a Charmer.

The members who were housed away from the city at the Mountain Lodge for their own safety were brought home, and the Hadden Center was once again the focus and home of the Hadden Coven. Gage and Dumas had been with the Hadden Coven for less than a year, but both considered it home and their fellow guards and soldiers as friends. It was a good place, and Master Hadden was a fine and fair leader. Gage saw himself staying for a very long time and maybe forever.

"Evan, our resident Charmer, didn't look like someone who could go up against something as insidious as the evil behind that curse, but he sure proved me wrong." Gage laughed.

"I couldn't have been more shocked when he suddenly transformed into that massive being of light. Not what I expected, but it was certainly what we needed." Dumas chuckled. "Conrad definitely has his hands full with having the Charmer as his beloved. I can't even imagine."

"They'll take good care of each other, but I agree that's a lot to deal with." Gage glanced out the side window at the forest that was slowly taking over the terrain. "Personally, I hope my beloved is someone quiet and unassuming, someone sweet and loving with minimal drama." Gage glanced over at Dumas with a half smile. "What about you?"

"Haven't really thought about it. I suppose I'll just leave that up to Fate. She always makes the right choice." Dumas had the right attitude, and Gage could agree, but still, a part of him hoped for a gentle lover. He'd been raised in a violent home, which he left as soon as he was old enough, and that had been many years ago.

He didn't want a home like what his parents had. He wanted peace and comfort and security in the knowledge that his partner loved and honored him and no one else, at least not in the same way. His parents weren't a Fated pair so that probably had a lot to do with their inability to get along and their constant cheating.

He wondered if they'd ever found their true matches or if they were still slugging it out together. Contact had been cut off several decades ago and Gage had no desire to reconnect. "I could be very happy with a sweet gentle human." He imagined.

"I hope you get your wish," Dumas said, and Gage nodded with a smile.

"I hope you do, too, friend."

Harley had been running forever it seemed and still he felt the pressure of eyes upon him. He'd panicked and left everything at his campsite and now he was probably lost and defenseless. He stopped by a large tree and tried to catch his breath while still listening to the forest around him. There was something there following him, and he wondered how long it would stay hidden.

It could have easily overtaken him but instead it seemed content in letting him exhaust himself. Harley wasn't sure what to do other than continue to run and hope that a plan of escape presented itself. The woods were thick, and he hadn't had time to lace his boots when he stumbled out of his tent. The thing, whatever it was had rushed the side of his tent forcing him to run but then dropped back to simply follow.

It wasn't going to end well no matter what the thing had in mind. Harley ran into a cluster of dense pines and found the shelter he was seeking. There in hidden in the pines was a small concrete building. The door was steel, and it was locked with a padlock. Thankfully, Harley had one obscure skill from some misspent years in his youth, and that was picking locks and he was thanking the lord for that skill in this moment.

He popped the lock and removed the chain going inside and quickly closing the door behind him. He then took the chain and threaded it through the handle on the inside and secured it with the padlock. It was sturdy and hopefully would deter his pursuer. If nothing else it gave him a moment to rest and to try and figure out how he was going to get himself out of this mess.

He had his phone but no service although the light came in handy since there were no windows in the small structure. Flashing it around the area he noticed that there was nothing there just a concrete building, and he wondered as to its function but that soon fled his mind when someone started pounding on the door ramming it actually.

Harley held his breath and froze while watching the steel door with the chain and lock resist the pressure from outside. It wasn't an animal; the method of chase and attack was not that of an animal. He wanted to call out and demand what they wanted and tell them to leave. He wanted to say that he'd contacted the police, which was a lie, but the sound would not form in his throat. Fear held him in a merciless grip.

The pounding stopped, but a deep growl filled the air. Whatever it was, it was angry and tired. Harley had no idea what it was, but the threat it presented was immeasurable. Then, there was silence apart from the faint sound of his own shallow breathing. If he lived through this, he would be tormented by the memory for the rest of his life. It was that disturbing.