Read Autumn's War (The Spirit Shifters Book 4) for Free Online

suffered in the moments leading up to it, or the horror of the things her blood had created.
    Lakota must have sensed her fear. He placed his lined hand on her arm. “It will be different this time. I promise.”
    She tried not to remember the needles, and the knives, and of course, the blood.
    “We don’t have anything,” she said, suddenly panicked by the enormity of what they were about to do. The horrific images of what had happened to Tala, and the officer, Romero, back at the facility flashed through her head.
    “What do you mean?”
    “We don’t have any syringes, or scalpels, or disinfectant.”
    He gave a wise smile. “Do you think my people had these things in the past?”
    She glanced to the ground, shaking her head at herself slightly, her cheeks heating. “No, I guess not.”
    “Sit on the couch, Autumn. You’ll want to be comfortable. Tocho, you take the chair opposite for the moment, but when the time comes, you will be better on the floor.” He risked a smile. “You can’t fall off the floor.”
    She glanced over at the other man. Tocho’s whole body was stiff with tension. However she felt, his fear must be a thousand times worse.
    Autumn wished Blake was here to hold her hand, but the memory of Blake being dead hit her full force. He would never be able to hold her hand again. She pressed her lips together and blinked back tears. She needed to be strong. Blake would have wanted her to be strong.
    From his pocket, Lakota pulled an item bound in cloth. Carefully, he unwrapped it, and within its folds appeared a piece of granite-like black rock, its edges sharp. The rock glinted in the light like glass.
    “What is it?” Autumn asked.
    “Obsidian,” Lakota replied. “An incision from obsidian causes less chance of an infection than using man-made tools.”
    “So I’ll still have to be cut?”
    “Yes, I’m afraid so, but only a small one.” He pointed to the middle of the piece of obsidian. “Do you see this groove here?”
    She leaned down. Closer up, she made out a line which ran down the center, ending in a small, hollow circle.
    “This will funnel the blood, and enough will collect in the pool. Then I will repeat the process with Tocho, only this time I will be funneling your blood into his body, rather than taking blood from him.”
    “Aren’t you worried about diseases? Contamination?” Her scientific mind would never rest. “What if something in my blood gives him an infection?”
    Lakota smiled. “Spirit shifters do not need to worry about infection. They heal faster than any infection could spread.”
    She breathed out a sigh.
    “Do you have any more questions?” Lakota asked, looking between them both. Autumn shook her head, but Tocho still had something on his mind.
    “How much will it hurt?”
    Lakota focused his steady brown gaze on the other man. “It will hurt more than you can even imagine. But it won’t hurt forever. Once the pain passes, you will experience life through another being. Nothing could be as worthwhile.”
    “I guess it must be worth it, or spirit shifters would never shift.” Tocho managed a smile.
    “That’s right.” Lakota turned to Mia. “I’m in need of a candle, or something else that will burn. Could you search for me?”
    She nodded, and headed out to search supplies. David went with her, offering to help. Within a few minutes, they returned. Mia held out an ashtray and a lighter. “Sorry.” She wrinkled her nose. “It was all I could find.”
    Lakota took the offered items. “They will be adequate, thank you.” From around his neck, he pulled a pouch. He opened it up and took out a pinch of something, dropping it into the ashtray. To Autumn they appeared to be leaves, grass and twigs.
    “What is that?” she asked.
    “A mixture of different herbs and oils. Cloves, ginseng oil, pine, and woodworm, among other things. It helps to communicate with the spirits, to welcome them in.” He flicked the lighter, causing flame to