by M H Soars
“Natalia!” A man’s voice shouts the name, scaring me even more.
I scoot back on the dirt, but then my panic dissipates when my heart recognizes him somehow, soaring in elation. The blond man from my vision is bearing down on me, jumping over rocks and ignoring when his clothes from a different era get smeared by mud. He’s a stranger. Yet, I know his face, but not from my vision. It’s like an old memory I had forgotten until now. How can that be?
Unable to move, I can only gawk as he runs to me. He slows as he gets nearer, then he drops to his knees in front of me so we can be at the same level. His eyes search my face in a frantic manner, as if he’s looking for any signs I’m hurt. Taken over by a sudden impulse, I throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tight.
“Robert,” I say, not understanding how I know his name.
His entire body tenses before he eases off, grabbing my hands between his. “You wanted to see me, so here I am.”
His voice is cold, detached, and it feels like a dagger in my chest. I drop my gaze to his left hand, seeing a gold wedding band there. He’s married, a fact that makes my pain increase tenfold. My vision begins to darken at the edges right before I lose the feeling of my body. My line of sight also changes. I’m no longer staring at Robert’s face; I’m hovering above a scene where a dark beauty stands before him instead. There’s a thread of faint blue light linking my ethereal form to hers. Holy shit. I think that’s Natalia Petroviski, the Mother of Wolves.
She drops her arms to the sides, her face now mirroring the cold mask that’s on Robert’s. “You need to convince the city council to stop with their witch hunting and focus on the real problem.”
Robert stands, taking a few steps back, but angrily scowls at Natalia. “You should be grateful. While they’re busy hunting witches, they aren’t hunting you and your wolves.”
It’s impossible not to notice the venom in his tone. What an asshat.
“You forget I’m a witch, too.” Natalia gets back on her feet, her eyes flashing a hint of ember. “Those self-righteous fools are torturing and killing my people.”
“There’s been signs of dark magic all around town. You can’t blame them for their actions. If the witches aren’t the cause, who is then?”
Natalia lifts her chin in defiance. “A demon.”
Robert doesn’t speak for several beats as he digests the news. I’m also on pins and needles.
“I beg your pardon?” he finally says.
“A demon named Harkon is behind all the killings. He says he won’t stop until he has what he wants.”
“Which is what?”
“Me.”
The blood drains from Robert’s face, and I bet if I had a body right now, the same thing would have happened to me. My mind is reeling, thinking about my close encounter with that demon in Valerius’s lands. If I’m the reincarnation of Natalia and there’d been a demon obsessed with her in the past, could it be possible they weren’t able to get rid of him, and he’s coming after me now?
Robert breaks the distance between Natalia and himself, holding her forearms tight. “Then we need to get you out of here.”
“I can’t leave!” She steps out of his hold.
“Because of your damned pack?”
“Yes and no. Don’t you understand? Running away won’t stop him. He’ll just come after me.”
Robert captures her face between his hands, moving closer. “I’ll come with you; I’ll protect you. We’ll go someplace he will never find us.”
With a shudder, Natalia closes her eyes. “Robert, I can’t leave. You can’t, either. You have responsibilities. You have a wife!”
Exactly, dude. She isn’t a homewrecker—or should it really be we aren’t?
“I never stopped loving you.” Ignoring her outburst, he kisses her swiftly, hard, and I’m sucked back into her body. Oh Lord? Why? I don’t want to feel this. The only problem is my body and heart don’t give a fuck about my morals. I put up zero fight, surrendering to the kiss instead. When we break apart, I’m breathless and horny, yet the surprises keep on coming. I don’t find Robert gazing at me… Instead, it’s Tristan.
“What the—”
Blinding light envelops me again, forcing me to close my eyes. I’m spinning so fast I’m getting dizzy. Only when I sense the force pressuring against my body is dissipating do I open my eyes again. It takes me a moment to regain my bearings. Everything is hazy. Slowly, I recover the sensation of my body. With it comes the awareness I’m in someone’s arms. As I blink fast to clear my vision, Tristan’s face finally comes into focus.
“Did you see that?” I whisper.
“Yes,” he answers tightly.
“What the hell happened? One moment, you were both standing there, then poof, you vanished.” Sam gestures wildly with his arms while Tristan helps me back on my feet.
I can’t find the words to answer Sam, too overwhelmed trying to process what I learned. Was Tristan Robert E. Saint in a former life? Would that account for the animosity he felt against me when we met?
“The diary worked as a portal to memories of the past. I’ve seen it happen before,” Grandma interrupts the Hundred Questions game I was playing in my head.
“So, are you saying Red and Tristan were transported to the past?” Sam swings around, studying Grandma almost disbelievingly.
“Something like that.”
“And what did you learn?” Dante takes a step closer.
Tristan turns to his brother. “Valerius is not our biggest problem. The demon he’s working with is.”
Blinking, I face Tristan. “So you believe the demon who was obsessed with Natalia back in the nineteenth century is the same one who is here now?”
“I suspect as much. You do as well, don’t you?”
Biting my lower lip, I break eye contact with him. “It’s one theory.”
“Why else would Zeke Rogers leave that clue for me? What purpose did that trip down memory lane serve other than making us aware a demon was after the Mother of Wolves?”
Tristan sounds almost angry. We learned other things equally important about ourselves, our link. Why is he brushing it aside?
“I don’t want to jump head-first on this demon theory, but I think it’s worth investigating. If a demon plagued Crimson Hollow in the past, then it must have been registered somewhere.”
“Santiago is older than dirt. Wouldn’t he know?” Sam asks.
Grandma shakes her head. “He didn’t move to Crimson Hollow until the 1920s.”
“Maybe the diary has the answer,” I say, then I realize I don’t have it anymore. I search frantically on the ground. “Oh my God. Where is it? I had in my hand before Tristan and I were transported to the past.”
“Don’t fret, child. I’m afraid that diary had only one purpose—to give you and Tristan knowledge. Now that the magic was completed, the diary is no more.”
“Oh, that sucks. All that trouble for nothing. We should have gotten all of them.” Sam shoves his hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture.
“We need to find out what happened back then. How did they stop that demon?” I say.
Grandma takes a deep breath before she searches my eyes. “There’s one book that contains every single account of supernatural occurrences in Crimson Hollow since its founding. The Midnight Lily Grimoire.”
“Isn’t a grimoire a book of spells?” Dante asks.
“Precisely. Since the Midnight Lily Coven was founded, one member in each generation was selected to record spells, as well as other interesting paranormal incidents. If there was a battle between a demon and shifters in Crimson Hollow, it’s written in that grimoire.”
“So basically, we’re screwed. No way will Mayor Montgomery give us access to that book,” Sam says.
“Georgina has no say in the matter. She’s not the grimoire’s keeper.”
“Then who is?” I ask.
“Her mother.”
Chapter 41
Red
&nbs
p; I’m bone tired when we return to the compound. The events from the past few days have finally caught up with me. I can’t stop yawning, a fact everyone noticed. When I step out of the car, Dante touches my lower back and whispers in my ear.
“Go rest. You look like you’re on the verge of falling asleep where you stand.”
“I can’t rest. There’s so much to be done. We need to get the grimoire, figure out a way to stop Valerius and his demon, destroy the chips I stole, remove the one in my head, get—”
Dante covers my lips with his index finger, silencing me. “Shh, we can get things in motion while you sleep for a couple of hours.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You and Sam didn’t get any sleep, either.”
“We also weren’t in captivity for the last few days.”
“Besides, you know if we get into bed with you, there won’t be any sleeping.” Sam chuckles nearby. His comment makes me blush as I remember our previous night.
I glance at Tristan, who has been quiet the entire way here. He hasn’t been the same since we came back from our trip to the past, and I want to know why.
“I’ll rest in a bit.” Skirting around Dante, I head in Tristan’s direction.
With his arms crossed in front of his chest, he turns to me. I’m surprised to see the scowl on his face.
“What’s the matter?” I ask.
“Nothing. You should listen to Dante and get some rest.”
I touch his face, hating to see the tension etched there. “I won’t go until you talk to me.”
“I have nothing to say.” Surprising me, Tristan swings around, entering the alpha’s manor in a huff.
“What crawled up his butt?” Sam asks.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
Resolved, I follow Tristan inside, not seeing him anywhere. It doesn’t matter, though, since the bond linking us tells me exactly where he went—up to his room. Taking the stairs two steps at a time, I reach the landing in time to hear a door slam down the hallway. Pissed at Tristan’s childish behavior, I stride to his room with angry steps, not bothering to knock before I push the door open. Tristan is staring out his window, and he continues do so even when I bang the door closed again.
“All right. Enough with this BS. You’d better tell me what’s going on or I’ll kick your ass.”
He snorts before glancing at me. “Are you back to issuing challenges?”
“Are you back at being an ass? I thought we were over that.”
The annoyance in his eyes fades away to be replaced by guilt. “I loved you more than anything in the world, yet I abandoned you.”
“What are you talking about?” I ease toward him, afraid if I move faster, he’ll leave again.
With a sigh, he faces the window once more. “I was stuck in Robert’s mind. I could feel how he felt about you, how torn he was when he left you to marry another. He still did it, though, chose duty over you.” Tristan drops his chin, bracing his hands against the windowsill. “If I’m him, am I fated to make the same mistake again?”
Pinching his chin between my thumb and forefinger, I make him look at me. “You’re not him. You never abandoned me, and you won’t.”
“How can be you so sure of that? I fucked up, Red. I let the pack down. Thanks to me, my mother got hurt. And it’s all because I was weak, just like Robert was.”
Tristan’s eyes are filled with tears. To see him so upset and doubtful like that breaks my heart. When the first drops roll down his cheeks, I wipe them off with my fingers.
“You were drugged, Tristan. You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“I was drugged because I was a fool, because I was too wrapped up in my self-pity. I didn’t see Seth’s betrayal until it was too late, despite Dante’s several warnings. All my life I’ve heard others say I was the one destined to be the next alpha, but they were all wrong. I’m the weakest link, the runt of the litter.”
“Shut up.” I raise on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. “You’re not weak, nor a runt. You’re a leader, Tristan. You can’t give up on the pack.”
“The pack will be fine without me.”
“I need you.”
“No, you don’t. You’re strong, Red. You’re our queen.”
Capturing his face between my hands, I force him to keep staring into my eyes. “And you are my love.”
Tristan’s breathing hitches while his eyes widen a fraction.
“I love you, mating bond or not. You’re in my heart, and there’s nothing you can say or do that will change that.”
Grabbing a fistful of my hair, Tristan brings my face to his, kissing me with the ardor of a man on the verge of losing everything. I pour all my love into that kiss, wanting to make sure he knows I meant every word I said. With impatient fingers, I reach for his T-shirt, ripping it down the middle with my bare hands. Grunting, Tristan lifts me up without breaking the kiss. In half a heartbeat, we’re on his bed and he’s kissing down my neck while his hands are under my shirt.
Fabric rips, then cool air caresses my feverish skin. The cold feeling only lasts a moment before Tristan’s tongue draws a hot path down my belly until he’s between my legs, kissing and sucking my clit. Arching my back, I curl my hands around the bedspread, my body electrified. I’m so close to the edge I can almost taste the bliss already when Tristan abandons my sex to flip me over. I let out a yelp, then turn my face, looking over my shoulder. My clit is throbbing like never before. Finding Tristan completely naked behind me, pumping his erection up and down, is almost enough to make me come.
Watching me through a lustful haze, he releases his cock, then grabs my hips, lifting them. Anticipation gives me shivers as I brace my forearms against the mattress. Tristan enters me with a powerful thrust, eliciting a sharp moan from my lips. Digging his fingers into my skin, he takes me hard, pumping fast enough to make me see stars even before I climax. He then runs his fingers through my hair, grabbing a handful to pull my body upward. His warm mouth finds my neck. When he runs his tongue over the sensitive spot below my ear, I fall off the edge.
He calls my name right before his warm seeds fills me up, but he doesn’t slow, which only gives me another orgasm. At this point, I don’t even know where I am anymore. All I can feel is Tristan, how my love for him will never cease, never diminish. I’ll always love him, the same way I will always love Dante and Sam. I never thought loving more than one person equally was possible, but my heart is not an ordinary one.
Tristan eventually slows until he collapses to the side, bringing me with him to nestle my body beside his. Our breathing is erratic, but in sync. Resting my head against his chest, I close my eyes, happy despite all the challenges we still have to face. I’m finally reunited with my mates. Together, we can face anything.
Chapter 42
Tristan
She slept, and I watched like a creep. I still can’t believe she’s in my arms. She said she loved me, something I hadn’t expected. The mating bond is the strongest link among wolves, but it doesn’t necessarily mean love. But she does, despite my flaws, despite my horrible treatment of her in the beginning.
Even knowing I did her wrong when she became a wolf, I still can’t do things right. I never said I loved her, too, something that became obvious to me when I tried to bring her back from Valerius’s lands. I don’t even know when it happened. The feeling came so suddenly that when I realized it, I had already fallen.
It almost feels like a dream to have her back safe and sound. My heart should be full, but there’s a wretched feeling in my chest instead, like a bad omen. I’d like to say I believe in Red’s confidence in me, but she doesn’t know the dark thoughts that have plagued my mind since the day she was taken, how all the decisions I’ve made in the last forty-eight hours were the wrong ones. My instincts have betrayed me again and again.
Finding out I was Robert E. Saint in my former life, a man who left his true love behind so he could abide to the rules of society, added salt to the wound. Now i
t festers. What if I’m doomed to repeat the same mistakes as before?
Going back and forth, I keep thinking about what I did and didn’t do to the point it brings back that awful headache. I should try to rest as well, but these dark thoughts won’t let me be.
No one comes to disturb us for the next couple of hours, and I don’t move an inch during that time. Eventually, Red becomes restless, starting to shake her head from side to side while murmuring words I can’t discern. I touch her shoulder, shaking her lightly.
“Red, sweetheart, wake up.”
She blinks her eyes open, her gaze not focusing on anything. Turning her face to me, she asks, “Tristan? Is that really you? I’m not dreaming?”
I crack a smile, then kiss her lips softly. “No, I’m real.” And so is the huge erection pressing against her hip. Our earlier lovemaking hadn’t even begun to satiate my hunger for her.
She melts against me, sighing while she presses her face against my chest. “I had a nightmare that I was back in Shadow Creek and Valerius’s demon was chasing me.”
I hug Red tighter, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll never let anything happen to you for as long as I live. I’ll face an army of killer wolves and demons to protect you. I can’t lose you again.”