by Willa Hart
Like a beast, Sarkany explodes from his horse, his arm reaching out and hooking around me. An arrow whizzes so close to my face that the tip slices a bit of my cheek and the feather on its tail tickles my nose.
Whishhhth!
I land on the ground, but before I can turn and stand, Sarkany has already jumped to his feet and killed two of our assailants.
“Stay down!” he yells to me. His foot juts out, taking out the knee of a Roya assassin, and then he slides a knife deep into the base of the skull of another.
I focus my eyes onto the group that comes through the forest. A Wolveskin leaps and takes down three men. I focus my mind. None of them will be Eliterrati. “Jix, block your mind,” I say.
“Sir?” he asks, his eyes wild with terror.
“Think of something that you love so deeply that you can focus every thought on it. Then fill your mind with it. No matter what you hear, think of that one thing. Do you understand?”
Jix nods.
I focus my gaze and press my mind out hard and fast. There are only six Roya guards remaining. I send a tendril into each of their minds and drop them to their knees. They press their hands to their ears and open their mouths to scream. My tendrils pull at the base of each brain, yanking the stem from their spine.
No sound escapes. They fall to the ground. Dead.
“Well done!” Sarkany calls.
He presses his blade through the chest of the archer that tried to kills us both.
Sick swirls in my belly. I turn and throw up whatever was left from my last meal.
I’m not a warrior. I am a scientist.
I press my sleeve to my mouth. Jix’s eyes are still closed, his hands pressed to his ears. A vision so powerful it reaches out of Jix’s mind to mine… I squint. A thing he loves? So deeply? I yank my head back. Sarkany heads toward us. My warrior brother will not be generous to Jix if he discovers the Dreg’s thoughts of our mate.
“Jix.” I press my hand to his shoulder. I shake him. “Jix!” I say louder. He opens one eye, sees me, and opens the other. He drops his hands from his ears.
“Ah, sir…” His gaze travels to the guards that are dead on the ground before us. We both look at the carnage and then spin around. Lorelai stands with her hands pressed to her mouth stifling a scream.
“She survived your mindslay,” Jix says.
“I was very targeted,” I say. Nixal lies in the snow, wide-eyed and dead, his throat crushed by the Wolveskin.
“He planned to turn all of us over to them.” Sarkany nods toward the Regent Guards pinned to the trees with his knives.
“How did you…how did you know this?” Lorelai’s voice is a whisper. Fear is in her voice, and uncertainty over what she just witnessed.
“We saw him in the woods in the middle of the night,” Sarkany says. “Humans can’t ever beat a Wolveskin nose.” Sarkany presses his fingertip to his nose and nods toward the Wolveskin. Her work complete, the Wolveskin turns and pads past the trees to meet her packmates. “Check his pockets, you’ll see the money he took for us and his instructions from that bastard Regent,” Sarkany says.
Sarkany walks to the trees where the two Regent Guards are pinned by knives in their throats. Their eyes wide and mouths open. Tis a sick sight to see.
Lorelai slides from her horse and slowly approaches Nixal who lies dead in the snow. His mouth gapes open, and his wide-eyed death-gaze stares up into the grey sky. Where once was his throat is now only a gaping and bloody mass. Lorelai covers her mouth and turns away. She wretches.
“I…I’m sorry,” she says when she’s finished, and turns back to us.
Jix dismounts and walks to Nixal; he rifles through the dead man’s pockets, pulls out a satchel, and hands it to Lorelai. She opens it and her lips turn down. Gold coins and Regency paper tender. She takes out a paper and unfolds it. “I…I cannot read Eliterrati,” she mumbles as though ashamed by her lack.
Jix takes the paper from her and scans the words. “It’s just as Sarkany says. An exchange, a map, a time…all of it under the seal of Lord Regent.”
“What is our monetary value to the Lord Regent?” Sarkany pulls a knife from each of the throats of the two Regency Guards that are pinned to the tree, both dead. They fall to the snow.
Jix rifles through the bills and coins. “Ten thousand royas,” he says.
“Hmm…” Sarkany considers this as he cleans his blade. “I’d have thought much more.” He sheathes both blades and walks to his mount. “I’d hazard a guess that the Dreg leadership doesn’t even know we’re here,” he says. “They may not even know that we’ve left the Wolveskin and are on our way. Do you know a safe way into Ninaku?” Sarkany asks Lorelai and Jix.
“There is a passage that we use…or did when…before,” she says. “We’ll need to circle back through the woods and come out south of the wall.”
I look at Jix.
“What she says is true,” Jix says. “I know that entrance, and it’s one that when I left had still not been discovered by the Eliterrati.”
“First we must remove all traces of this, because once they’re confirmed missing, whomever made the deal with that Nixal will know we’re here.”
So we’re valuable to everyone, I think.
No matter dead or alive, yes, we are, Sarkany thinks.
Who do we trust?
Sarkany looks at me. “We trust each other, brother, we trust each other.”
I dust snow off my body and climb onto my horse. Suddenly very aware that science is a luxury that requires peace to fully practice.
Chapter Nineteen
Meela
The cold air licks across my skin. Normally I loathe the chill, but a feeling of desire for the cold stirs within me. The cold, the sky, the woods, the freedom—it all calls to a sense awakening within me. The scent of rabbit and snow wafts on the air. The snap of a branch to my right. My ear twitches. Fear twists in my belly, but then a growl rumbles deep within me chasing away my fear. Tomorrow is the Alpha challenge.
“Meela, we’ll begin by explaining how the female Alpha challenge works,” Rex says. He wears a leather cloak and Brianna stands beside me.
“When the sun sets tomorrow night, we will wait for two hours. Then you and Brianna will be blindfolded and tied and taken by a group of Wolveskin to a remote location.”
I pull my eyebrows tight. The last time I was blindfolded and taken I woke up a laundress with Dribble. I don’t like the sound of this at all.
“The two of you will be released.” Rex glances from me to Brianna. “This is normally when Wolveskin shift into their Wolveskin form during such a challenge, but—”
“Since I can’t shift…?” I ask.
“Brianna will shift, and in so doing will be able to convey information to you and protect you.”
“May I take a weapon?” I ask, thankful now for Sarkany requiring me to learn how to use a blade.
“No,” Rex says. “To do so is to admit defeat.” He sighs and turns toward the view of the mountains beyond and the woods that sprawl out before us. “We could leave.” His voice is barely above a whisper. “I could take you far from here…maybe somewhere in the distant lands, or we could go to Ninaku and I could—”
“My King,” I say, and bow my head. He grasps my hands and pulls me close. I know what he offers me. If he were to take me away now…he would lose not only his right to rule, but he would lose his pack and his honor, and he would give all of that up because of me. “I…I cannot ask that of you.”
“But I cannot ask you to die on my behalf.”
I press a smile to my lips. “I have no intention of dying, Rex,” I say. “I have every intention of winning.” I look at Brianna, who meets my gaze and nods at me as though she may be the first Wolveskin to actually believe that I have a chance to escape with my life.
“So, what’s next? You tie us up, blindfold us, and dump us off. Brianna shifts, and then what do we do?”
“Well, the goal is to be the duo that retu
rns to the lair first.”
“Ah…that’s not so tough? Right?” I glance at Brianna. “We simply find our way back first, and when we do, we’ve won.”
Again Rex and Brianna exchange a look, then Rex’s eyes lock onto mine. “Well, yes, technically, but here is the thing—you must survive and arrive first.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the other team may try to hunt you before returning to the lair…to ensure that you never return and therefore cannot be a threat to the Alpha ever again.”
I swallow. My stomach churns. I glance at Brianna, but I see no fear in her eyes.
“So, what you’re saying is that Arianna and her Beta will hunt us, stalk us, and try to kill us before we return to the lair, and in so doing they will win because we can’t return.”
“Yes,” Rex says. “That’s usually how it works.”
“But technically they aren’t required to kill us, yes? The winner is simply the duo that returns first.”
“Exactly,” Rex says.
“How many times has Arianna been challenged as Alpha?” I ask.
“Three times, but never in the last four years.”
“Ah yes, I can see that after killing six female wolves, one might think before challenging her. One might even think that an unarmed human would consider it very carefully before dashing off a challenge to a Wolveskin who has already attempted to kill her once before.”
Rex runs his palm over his face. ”We can leave—”
“Don’t,” I say. “We can’t leave. You cannot leave your pack. Luna and the White Wolf, for whatever reason, require that I do this.” A sour feeling courses through my belly and I fight the urge to throw up. Arianna is a superior warrior, hunter, and tracker.
“So, how do we train?” I ask.
“Well,” Rex says. “We wanted you to understand the woods and some defensive maneuvers where Wolveskin are concerned.” He looks to Brianna. “We also thought that you could practice riding Brianna.”
A gasp escapes my lips. I look at Brianna. She drops her gaze.
“I…I don’t think that would be right.” I look back at Rex. “I know what that means to a Wolveskin, to allow a human to ride their back and…” I shake my head. “I can’t ask that of Brianna.”
“You haven’t asked it of me, my lady,” Brianna says. She looks me right in the eye. “I have offered this to you. For my King. For your and his happiness.”
“Brianna, that is so kind.” I smile at the Wolveskin who has served my bound-mate for most of his life.
Grey fur sprouts on her arms and neck. Her nose grows long, and her teeth grow even longer. She falls forward onto her four legs. She’s in front of me, taller than she was as a human. Her Wolveskin head is the size of my chest, neck, and head. Her dark eyes stare at me, and the silver ring around her black pupils vibrates and pulses.
“Are you in there?” I don’t reach out a hand, but I lean forward. “Brianna?”
Her lip curls up the slightest bit, and I stay where I am. Frozen. She steps forward and her mouth opens.
My heart thumps harder. Her teeth, long like razors, could slice my head from my neck. A giant tongue slurps up the side of my face from my jaw to my hairline.
I smile. “So you are in there,” I say, and wipe away Wolveskin spit.
“Brianna is actually one of the best Wolveskin in the entire pack at understanding the human language even while in wolf form,” Rex says.
She turns her giant Wolveskin head toward her King.
“That skill will serve you well tomorrow night. Not only will Brianna be able to know where Arianna and her second are within the woods, but you’ll be able to communicate with Brianna while she’s a Wolveskin.”
She tosses her head and moves close to me, bumping me with her tail. Thick with fur and powerful, it knocks me back a step. I feel as though she’s smiling at me, being playful—as playful as a predator that weighs a ton and has razor-sharp teeth as long as my forearm can be.
“Now,” Rex says. “I want you to get on Brianna’s back and ride her.”
I lift an eyebrow.
“She’s already given you permission and—”
“No.” I shake my head. “Her human gave me permission, but did her wolf?” I point at the giant creature beside me. “I’ve been with all of you long enough now to know that your Wolveskin form is something else entirely.”
Rex nods. “While it’s unusual, it’s not unheard of. You rode me as did”—he takes a deep breath—“Sarkany.”
I grasp Rex’s arm. I realize now what a gift he gave me by saving my fated-mate and allowing him to ride his back to return to Wolf Mountain.
“Brianna allowed Prince Taraz to ride her when they returned from the hunting lodge. So my lady”—Rex lifts me like he’s lifting a small sack of feathers, and swoops me onto Brianna’s back—“if you are to survive tomorrow night, the two of you must get comfortable with the idea that you’ll be on Brianna’s back for most of the night.”
As I settle onto her, a low growl rumbles through Brianna.
“Brianna, it’s me.” I lean forward close to her ear. “Please…please tell your wolf that you said this was okay.”
Her head jerks back and her lip curls. Is she going to grab my leg and drag me from her back? Instead, she shakes her body beneath me and wags her tail.
“This is going well,” Rex says. “My turn.”
My love and bound-mate shifts before me. His black wolf dwarfs me and Brianna both. His head is level with my shoulder even while I sit astride a giant Wolveskin. His eyes stare into mine.
My heart leaps. I see you. I recognize you. My thoughts reach out to him, and yet there is much more than the simple thoughts that we can pass to each other as bound-mates…there is a new and unfamiliar primal connection. The beast, my Wolveskin, that paces inside of me howls. As though she calls to her bound-mate and King, as though she seeks release. Rex’s wolf tilts his head. Does he hear my Wolveskin? Can he sense that she’s awakened and grows impatient to be released? Rex tilts his head and howls into the sky. A response to the Wolveskin that barks and howls within me. A stirring beneath my skin, deep in my heart, in my mind. The prick of sharp canine teeth against my tongue.
Hold on, my Queen. The thought crashes into my mind, and I grasp Brianna’s fur. Rex takes off with Brianna and I right behind.
Day surrenders to night when we return to the lair. Brianna and Rex flank me in their human forms as we walk inside. Rex’s gaze scans the main chamber. Arianna sits with her second and her third, speaking with Eregos.
Rex stiffens by my side. As we walk past them, Rex nods to his brother and his Alpha. Once out of the main chamber we walk down the long hall toward the residences. He turns to us. “You must eat well tonight and tomorrow as you both will be awake all tomorrow night.” He looks at Brianna. “I’ve posted a guard outside your door.”
“But sir—”
“No, this has nothing to do with your ability to protect yourself and everything to do with the possibility of trickery and deceit.” He tilts his head. “Your meal is ready for you. Please, get much rest. Dr. Atta is on her way to you with a salve for your muscles. You have little time to recover from today before tomorrow night.”
Brianna nods, gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you, sir,” she says. Brianna turns down the hall toward her chamber. Rex turns back to me. He grasps my waist. “Now to take care of you, my Queen.”
We enter his bed chamber. Exhaustion infuses every cell of my body. I collapse onto his bed.
“Not yet, Meela. First you bathe, then dinner and a rub down, then you sleep. We must take care of your muscles and nourish you. You have much to get through.”
His attempt to hide his concern is honorable, but fear is evident in his eyes. He grasps my hand and pulls me into his bathroom. Steam whispers from the tub. Purple flower petals drift across the surface of the flower-scented water.
“Do you always take such an aromatic bath?” I ask. He unb
uttons my leathers and lifts them over my head, then slips my binding from my breasts. I’m naked before him.
“Bath? This might be my first one, actually. I bathe in the river while in Wolveskin form or take a hot shower as a human. No, my Queen, this precious bath full of flowers is not for me.”
He grins, then gently lifts me and places me into the tub. As hot water covers my flesh, the chill that threaded through me all day while we explored the woods is finally chased away with the cocoon of warmth.
“Heaven,” I say, and sink into the water. Only my nose and my toes are above it.
“From both angles,” Rex says, his voice gravelly. He removes each article of his clothing and uncovers his well-muscled flesh. My toes curl in anticipation. His cock is hard and huge, and even after the many times we’ve been together, I still struggle to believe that I can take all of him within me. My sex clenches. My nipples tighten into buds. He lifts his leg and slides into the bath. His arms lift me and settle me onto him. My back is on his front and my head rests on his shoulders. His cock nudges my backside.
“Oh, yes, I might now understand the appeal of this luxury,” Rex says. His hands find both my breasts and he tweaks my tight nipples. His cock twitches beneath me. His lips find my neck. He slides one hand from my breast and skims beneath the surface of the water across my flesh to the nub between my legs. His finger presses and caresses me.
“My Queen,” he whispers in my ear, “I’m going to fuck you so hard.”
“Oh Goddess, yes,” I moan.
His finger twirls around the engorged flesh of my clit. My hips rock back, pressing against the long shaft of his cock. I grasp his arm. The orgasm from his fingers sliding over my clit crests through my body. My teeth press against my bottom lip, his fingertip still stroking and teasing my clit.
“Meela, you are beautiful when you come.”
His words take me over the edge. My body tightens and the wave of pleasure washes over me. I open my eyes and feel his cock pressed against me. I want him inside me. I turn in the bath to straddle him. I rise up, clutching his shoulder with one hand, and with my other hand I guide his cock to the ring of my sex. Slowly I slide down, my flesh stretching to take all of him into me.