by Sydney Addae
Silas had no idea what he was talking about and stared at him.
“The place Hawke, Maheegan, and Radoff broke the Liege’s curse.”
“Now I remember. You dreamed you were there?” Silas recalled bits and pieces of the Hungarian Lord who dedicated millions of dollars to help protect wolves and the BlackWolf Clan. He set up a group that was supposed to help Pack. Over the years, greed corrupted the humans who changed their name to the Liege, and they decimated Packs all over. It would take several generations to rebuild from that disaster.
“Not there exactly, but nearby. In a glen or someplace with a lot of trees.”
Listening intently, Silas said. “That doesn’t sound bad.”
“It was dark, creepy, everything seemed to be changing,” Angus said. “Not dying exactly, but changing and it hurt to think of that change. Woke me up, decided to go for a run and sensed you out here. Why are you here?”
Silas told him of his dream.
“Whatever’s happening needs to hold off at least a week. It’s been a long time since I’ve had my woman all to myself and seeing her this happy, I don’t want anything to mess with that,” Angus said.
“Don’t even think along those lines. Nothing is happening. It’s either gas or indigestion,” Silas said.
Angus gave him a droll look for that ridiculous statement.
“Jasmine... she needs this week.” Silas said no more as he looked at the water.
Angus stood and shook himself.
They both turned to the right and stared through the trees at the same time. Standing, Silas morphed to human. Angus did the same as they jogged to the other side of the island. In the distance, the hum of an engine drew closer.
Angus pointed to the shore. Two pale human bodies lay unmoving, face down on the beach. “Dead.”
Silas and Angus remained hidden in the trees, watching.
The boat looked like a large fishing vessel, except it was sleek and long. Silas counted four men on deck although there were two more heartbeats onboard.
“They got far,” the older man said, leaning over and looking at the men on shore. The moon lit his face and he looked like an old pirate with long, wavy salt and pepper hair that moved in the wind. His well-lined angular face held an inner light as if he had won a prize or something. He stood around Shyla’s height of 5’-10”, average weight and size. But there was a menacing air around him.
Two men jumped into the water and waded to the bodies.
“Dead. Shot to the head on this one.” He picked up the man, tossed him over his shoulder and walked toward the boat. The young man standing behind the older man turned away and Silas wondered if he knew the dead man.
“Same with this one.” The crew person picked up the dead, tossed him on his shoulder, and waded back to the boat. It took some time and maneuvering but they got them back onboard.
“We need to contact their families, let them know. It’s a pity this has happened,” the old man said, confusing Silas.
“Was this an accident?” Angus asked watching as the boat left the way it came.
“Could be. Humans. That’s the reason the Goddess forbids us to hurt them, they’ll destroy themselves without any interference,” Silas said putting the men and the incident out of his mind. “The itching stopped when we left the Compound.”
Walking slowly in the direction of the house, Angus glanced at him. “Same here.”
“You never mentioned you were itching.” Silas stopped and stared at Angus.
“It came and left. I didn’t think it was the same thing since it wasn’t the same symptoms as yours. I apologize for not saying anything.”
“Didn’t it bother you?” Silas asked confused.
Angus shook his head. “No. As I said, it came and went. Nothing constant, not even for long periods of time. It didn’t sound like the same kind of itch that bothered you.”
“It’s beneath my wolf,” Silas said a few moments later.
“The one on your chest?”
Silas nodded. He only had one wolf.
“When you say beneath it, what do you mean?”
“Beneath the skin under my wolf and impossible to scratch or ease.” He ran his fingers through his hair and stared up at the moon. “Never happened before.”
“Nothing should —”
“I know,” Silas snapped and took a deep breath. “Nothing should interfere with the Goddess’ mark on my chest. My beast hasn’t complained, hasn’t behaved differently. I’m not sure why the itching is in that one spot,” Silas said, glad to be able to talk freely to someone who understood his discomfort. “Last week, I wanted to rip the skin from my chest to stop it from aggravating me.”
“But it’s stopped since we came here?”
“Since we boarded the flight. Nothing the entire day. Feels good. Leaves a lot of questions, though,” Silas said and started walking again.
“Stress?”
“Matt didn’t think so,” Silas answered. “He’ll be baffled when I tell him it stopped when we came here. The only thing here that’s not at the Compound is sand, fish, water, and palm trees.”
Angus chuckled as he pulled his earlobe. “If only it was that simple. The environments are completely different. The plane was completely sanitized from both locations.” He paused. “But you dreamed you were in another location, so did I.”
Silas held up his hand. “Stop. I’m not itching and that’s a good thing for me and Jasmine. I’m grateful and will allow Matt to run all the tests he wants when we return home. I don’t want to think of any possible problems with dreams or their meanings. Work and Pack business is off limits this week unless it’s an emergency.” He slung his arm around Angus’ shoulder. “Be selfish and think only of your mate waiting for you in bed and how much the two of you will enjoy each other this week.” He slapped Angus’ shoulder as he released them. “I certainly intend to.”
CHAPTER THREE
Jasmine and Silas sat at the dining table finishing breakfast. Normally, they ate a danish or muffin with coffee in the mornings because they always rushed to get to the office or to put out one fire or handle an emergency. After a night of making love, breakfast was a must. This was their second morning on the island and third day.
“Time is moving too fast,” she complained as she covered his hand. “I don’t want this week to end. I’m enjoying having you all to myself.”
“Same here, Sweet Bitch. We have several more days, what do you want to do today?” He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it while staring into her eyes.
“Yesterday you and Angus fished, are you doing that again today?” They caught quite a few but only kept four large ones which they cleaned and filleted. Last night they cooked the fish on the beach using Angus’s recipe. It had been delicious. She wouldn’t mind having more.
“No. I’m spending the day with you. We can lay on the beach or by the pool. You can rub me down with sunscreen or we can go have a picnic and make love beneath the trees.” He stroked his chin. “I like that idea best. Let’s have a picnic. Wear those shorts, a bikini top, sandals and nothing else.”
Warmth curled in her belly at his suggestion. “I want you to wear those drawstring pants I bought you and sandals.”
“I don’t have to wear anything at all. No one’s around. Angus and Shyla’s rooms are on the other side of the house. We’ll be on the other side of the island,” he said staring at her. “I like when your skin darkens like it is now. Sit in the sun naked so you’ll get darker.”
Her skin had been a light, warm brown with reddish-orange undertones. Two days in the sun and it had warmed to a nice darker, not quite caramel but close, shade. She wasn’t the only one. His skin had darkened too and it looked good on him.
“That’s because we were in the sun all day with you guys.”
Watching the two men fish had been hilarious. It became obvious fishing wasn’t the same as riding a bicycle. Neither man had been able to tap into their childhood memories
and wound up watching YouTube videos to learn how to prepare their rods and cast them into the water.
At one point, Silas had taken the net and walked a distance in the water until his head had been covered. When he resurfaced, there were a few small fish in his net which he released. Angus and Silas had decided they would only keep larger fish.
“Maybe I’m not cut out to be a fisherman,” he said with a slight smile.
“Is that why you didn’t want to go snorkeling with Angus and Shyla this morning?” Jasmine had been game but Silas hadn’t been enthusiastic, so they remained behind. Initially, she thought he had something special planned but now she realized he simply hadn’t wanted to go.
“Yeah. We can take out the jet-skis.” He looked at her and she noticed the glint of excitement that had been in his eyes yesterday was missing. As she continued staring at him she realized he seemed tense.
“That sounds like fun. For now, let’s chill on the patio, or get in the pool to cool off.” He looked relieved and snapped up her suggestion like a prisoner offered parole. What had happened between yesterday and this morning? Last night, they made love until they were both shaking and gasping for air. It had been unbelievably good. She slept like a baby and woke this morning to him nibbling between her legs. Sex this morning had been sweet and gentle with him telling her over and over how much he loved and appreciated her. It hadn’t taken long for her to come apart and he followed soon after.
Had something been off? She didn’t think so. In all honesty, if it had, her mind was so blown by the things he had been doing she hadn’t recognized anything different.
He pulled out her chair. She sat and took in the majestic beauty of the place while he sat next to her and took her hand. For several moments they sat in companionable silence.
“When are you going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked without looking at him.
“When we’re back home,” he said after a few moments.
“Why?”
“I don’t want anything to interfere with our time off. We deserve a break. I need this time alone with you, it’s feeding me in ways I hadn’t realized I needed.” His jaw ticked. “There’s nothing more important.”
His stone-faced declaration concerned her and she would need to tread carefully. “Have you heard from home? Jacques or Hawke? The twins? Or the four?”
“No. I made it clear they should only contact me in case of a real fire. At this point they can hold it down until we get back.”
Since they had discussed that repeatedly before the trip she changed directions. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing’s going on.”
She turned slowly and looked up at him. Seconds later he met her gaze. They stared at each other a few moments.
“Nothing that I’m aware of is going on. I haven’t slept well the past two nights, that’s all.”
She knew her man. “If you’re not sleeping here, with the soothing waves and quiet, something’s off.”
He turned to stare ahead. “Bad dreams. Both nights.” He spoke as if the words were torn from his throat.
“Really? What were they about?” She hoped this wasn’t something involving their kids or family or Pack.
He shook his entire body as if he was on four legs instead of sitting next to her. “Being places I shouldn’t be. Seeing things I shouldn’t see.”
“Do you wake from these dreams?”
He nodded.
“And then what?” She buried her disappointment that he hadn’t waken her to share his discomfort. Would she have handled things any differently if she had the nightmare? She wasn’t sure and gave him a pass.
“Went for a run to clear my mind. Last night I ran the length of the island.... Twice.” He fought down a yawn.
“Did it help? Were you able to sleep afterward?” She knew the answer but needed him to walk her through his steps.
“No.” He faced her. Deviltry danced in his eyes. “Instead, I counted the hours until I could wake you up for breakfast.”
Heat rose in her cheeks and she was glad her skin had darkened to hide her blush. “Is that what you’re calling it?”
“No. But I couldn’t think of anything else to call feasting on your sweet juices first thing in the morning,” he said.
Smiling, she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. “When you’re ready to share what’s really bothering you, talk to me. I don’t want to hear about it second hand or in the midst of a crisis. We’ve done that before and have moved beyond that. I know you don’t want anything to mess up this week. But if something’s bothering you, I pick up on it so you might as well share it with me so we can figure it out and enjoy the rest of our vacation.”
He stared into her eyes several moments. “I’m blessed beyond measure to have a woman as loving as you. A true partner and mate.” His voice cracked toward the end. “I love you Jasmine. With everything in me, I am yours.”
Heart in her throat, she swallowed hard as she read the truth of his declaration in his gaze. “And I love you, Silas with the same commitment. Together we’re unbeatable, remember that.”
He took a deep breath and nodded. “Something is happening. I don’t know what and I don’t know where. My beast hasn’t picked up on it yet which is a blessing.”
Frowning, she asked. “Why is that a blessing?”
“Because whatever’s happening has nothing to do with my Alpha status. If there was a problem within Pack, my beast would know. It’s part of the link between the wolf on my chest and my beast.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
The Goddess marked him with an outline of a wolf on his chest which meant whatever was happening had nothing to do with Her. Good. It was hard to reach the Goddess and almost impossible to get a straight answer when you did.
“What do you think is happening if it’s outside of the Goddess’ jurisdiction?”
“You picked up on that?”
She nodded. “I’ve learned a few things about Pack over the past two decades.” She repeated her question.
“That’s the problem. The places I’ve seen in my dreams no longer exist. They’re from another time. Worse, I always wind up getting hurt.”
Her head snapped up. “What?”
He held up his hands. “There’s this sense of danger that my normally intuitive wolf would pick up on and either avoid or carefully investigate. But in the dreams it’s as if he’s lost his compass. His abilities to discern what’s going on and like a babe on a teat, over the cliff we go.” He hit the table with his hand. “In my mind, my human side, I sense the danger while my wolf misses it.” He shook his head. “It’s as if my beast is blind.”
“In the dream you mean?” she asked to be clear. Silas’ beast couldn’t be in that condition while awake.
“Yes. I punished him last night and ran the length of the island a couple times.”
“You made him run for failing you in your dreams?”
He nodded. “My beast is a part of me and shouldn’t sleep while I’m in danger, even if we’re both asleep. He’s never done it before.” He snorted. “Defeated in my sleep? No. Not supposed to happen.” He slapped his chest. “My mark protects me from that.”
She hadn’t known that and understood why he was concerned. “Is the mark malfunctioning?” His incredulous glare made it clear that was the wrong question. Jasmine held up her hands. “Just asking.” When he didn’t respond or stop looking at her she continued. “It was a valid question.”
“No. It was not.”
Internally, she counted to three. “Then why didn’t the mark protect you?”
He opened his mouth. Snapped it shut, stood and left the patio.
<<<<>>>>
Stung by the truth in Jasmine’s words, Silas left the house and went for a walk. His body wanted to sleep but his mind raced at warped speed over the contradictions. No entity could access his mind or dreams. It would be dangerous for the Pack if it was possible. Jasmine was right. The
re was an unusual disconnect that allowed those dreams to get through.
He closed his eyes and sensed Angus and Shyla in the water within a mile of the island. Widening his senses for several miles, he locked onto Solo and Lucian on the mainland, two Honduran Alphas he was linked to. Inhaling deeply, he sent a wave of good cheer to each Pack member in the States, touching them lightly, reminding them of his presence.
The response was immediate and overwhelming, proving there was nothing wrong with his Alpha abilities. All his Alphas responded with good wishes for his vacation. Pack members thanked him for thinking of them and reaching out. His pups sent their love and asked if he and Jasmine were having a good time. He assured all six of them that all was well.
“Alpha, are you alright?” Hawke asked after the others.
“Yes. You?”
“The past two nights have been interesting,” Hawke said hesitantly.
“How?” Silas asked eagerly.
“Weird dreams of Plias and Alpha Nikolas. I dreamed he walked the land in Romania and Egypt searching for something. Have you heard anything about this?” Hawke asked.
“Not of Plias or Nikolas. But I’ve dreamed of Romania. Angus has dreamed of Konstantin’s lands where you broke the curse.” Neither spoke for a few moments.
“Any idea what’s going on?” Hawke finally asked.
“Not a clue. And I don’t want to know anything until after this week,” Silas said as if Hawke controlled dreams or life’s calendar.
“I won’t bother you, Sir.”
Silas sighed. “No. If you have another dream or learn the underlying reason for these dreams, let me know immediately. What I want and what’s happening seems to be at odds at the moment. One week. That’s all she asked for. Just one whole week. Why can’t I give my mate such a simple request?”
Hawke didn’t answer and Silas thought better of him for that. “Stay in touch.”
“Yes, Sir,” Hawke said.
“Angus?” Silas reached out.
“Yes?”
Silas told his brother what he had done and his conversation with Hawke.
“At least you know your mark isn’t affected,” Angus said.