by Jen Talty
In the painting, his dark coat had fluffed out, protecting him from the cold. Snowflakes dotted the sky. Her white wolf image had drawn so close to him that her fur tangled with his.
“You see it here too.” He tapped the canvas.
“Well, there you’re all cleaned up. Not like you were when we dragged you into this cabin. I thought I’d die from the stench. And you looked like you’d seen your last sunrise.”
“That’s funny because I distinctly remember a strong connection between us a few moons ago and at that time, you thought I wanted to hurt you or my Wolfairy family.”
She shook her head. “How can you be a Wolfairy? The Legend says the new creature will be formed at the first union of the princess and the wolf. There is nothing in any of my research that explains you except for Norse and perhaps the boy who didn’t exist, but I can’t confirm that yet with what I have so far.”
“Why don’t you tell me about everything you’ve uncovered so far,” he asked, inhaling her peach scent. God, he could get used to waking up to that every day. Then again, he’d been smelling death for years, so anything would be a welcome change of pace.
“My family has been through one attack after another. I won’t allow it to happen again, so I’m not giving you anything until I know for sure I can trust you.”
He shrugged. He might not understand some things, but the connection they had formed couldn’t be denied, even if she tried. The longer they spent time alone together, the faster she’d accept it and he could get on with filling his destiny. “Do you think these books will help you?”
“Yes.” She tapped the paper with her pencil. “But since you seem to know everything, why don’t you fill me in on all the missing pieces?” She pursed her lips in a mocking gesture.
He frowned. “I don’t know the history. My knowledge only comes from what I experienced as a wolf, and that wasn’t much. Where I got most of my knowledge was from being inside Coral.” He pointed to the vase where Norse had been trapped. “Once Norse left Coral’s body, I could smell him and knew I needed to find him.”
“Let me get this straight.” She shifted in her seat, tucking one foot under her adorable ass. “You remember all your time in both places?”
“I don’t know about all my time since I’ve traveled from one human sister to another until Coral was born. As far as the wolf goes, well, that was a very lonely experience, and I was losing my mind not being able to communicate with anyone.”
She pushed one of the books aside and pulled out a small, bound leather notebook. “We found this when we were trying to help Coral get Norse out of her before she went bonkers. Read this section.”
“His name is Dayton. He almost lived long ago in a faraway land. He could have been a happy boy, spreading joy and sunshine throughout the world. His spirit is kind and loving.
But Dayton is the boy who will never exist. He won’t sprinkle his kind of magic on those in need. He won’t be able to heal the sick or make the sad laugh. Dayton, the boy who never existed, will have only one purpose now. Some might think it trickery. Others might think it innocent. And others will brush off the boy who never existed as exactly that.
However, there will be one, and she’ll see the boy for what he really was and while she will only be able to unlock the man, she will spread the joy of the boy who never existed through a vessel so great, sealing the fate of all who helped bring the boy to a man. Dayton, the man, will live in this land, and he will seal our fate.”
He set the book in his lap. “So, I’m the boy. Is Coral the one who sees me for who I really am? I mean, she did feel my presence. I know that to be true.”
“Isadore said growing up, she was oblivious to what went on around her and insanely happy all the time, but this isn’t about Coral.”
“But it sounds like she was full of all fairy and nothing else.” Norse had protected Coral’s innocence, and she kept him alive. But the moment she mated with her one true mate, she began pushing him out and he wasn’t ready to go.
If he was being totally honest with himself, Norse liked the constant connection with another being and fought leaving, even when he sensed the wolf was near.
But he didn’t know why that mattered at the time. “I take it you read the entire book?”
“I have. Read the beginning of the next chapter.”
He flipped a couple of the pages until he found the section Cheryl mentioned and started reading out loud.
“After the ruins of the Royal Castle were uncovered, many documents, books, and journals were discovered. One such journal was that of Suvee, Aria’s maid. We’ve translated the ancient writing below as best we can.
“I fear I may have made a huge mistake when the werewolves and witches stormed the castle. The visionary was in the middle of splitting the unborn child’s spirit. It had to be done before Aria was murdered. I was to make sure no one got into the nursery, but one of the werewolves, in human form, charged with protecting the castle came to me. He said he needed to see the visionary, so I let him in and he killed them both. I heard Aria screaming. Begging for mercy and then bone-chilling silence. I hid in the closet, and I was shocked to see an Odon leave the room. I was tricked and now the unborn king is dead.”
“You looked like an Odon.”
The pounding in his head grew louder and stronger. He rubbed his temples, hoping to ease the ache. “An Odon is really a Wolfairy.”
“How do you know that?” Cheryl pushed herself from the table. She jerked upright, knocking over the chair.
He glanced in her direction, holding up his hands. A steady stream of dust flowed from the book to his body.
“What the hell is going on?”
“I’m reading all of the book.” His brain filled with images and words. They collided with the knowledge he’d gained over the years living in two different beings. His mind sorted them so fast, he wasn’t sure he remembered everything. “Here.” He reached for her hand, wanting her to experience this new wonder.
“Oh no. That shit burns me.” She rubbed her wrist where the crest of the Royal Fairies had been scorched into her skin.
“It won’t anymore, my Queen.” He circled his fingers around her biceps.
Her muscle flexed. Her strength impressed him, but it was the life that ignited in her eyes that made his heart fill with the kind of love he’d only imagined. The kind of love Norse wanted to spread, and the wolf wanted to feel.
“And you will be able to control it when you learn to create it on your own.”
“You have to be part fairy to do that,” she mumbled, tensing her body and yanking her arm.
But he wasn’t about to let go. “You have to trust me.”
“I can’t trust you.” She struggled to break free.
He held her tighter, hating that he put a frown on her pretty face and fear into her deep eyes.
“You killed Aria and her unborn baby.”
“That’s absurd. Norse wouldn’t have willing entered my body if I wasn’t his wolf half.”
“Trickery. All trickery.”
Yanking her to his lap, he shoved her hand into the stream.
“Stop it, you big…oh.” Her body relaxed as she leaned against his chest. “That’s amazing.”
“I know.” He watched her face light up like the stars filled the night sky. “So, now you can read all this in minutes.”
“Yeah, but it’s not answering the most important questions.”
“And what are they?”
“Why the Wolfairy babies have no magical power outside of the farm? The legacy states that once the unions are made between your sisters and my brothers, then they will be able to shift anywhere and use their powers anywhere.”
“Have they shifted yet?”
“They are too young to do that, but when Chaz takes them off the farm, they have no fairy scent and no powers.”
“Not having a scent is good. It helps protect us when we have to leave the castle.”
“How do
you know that?” She stood, planting her hands on her hips, glaring at him as if he were the big bad wolf and she Robin Hood. “You could only know that if you were there.”
“In a way, I was there,” he mumbled. ““For as long as I can remember. I’ve heard this male voice telling me that I was the son of King Lear. The true King of the Royal Fairies and that when the time was right, I’d be whole again and then I’d be able to fulfill my destiny so all Wolfairies would be safe both inside the castle walls as well as outside.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s what the voice told me.” He snagged the orange and bit into the peel before using his fingers to rid the tasty treat of its bitter outsides.
“Which half of you heard that?”
“Both.”
“Liar,” she said with venom so real it cut into his heart. She jabbed her index finger into his shoulder. “I saw the wolf Suvee described when you showed me the book and that wolf is identical to you. You showed your hand, and I’m going to make sure my brothers put you down.”
5
There was no way Cheryl was getting out of this cabin alive.
She stared into the dense darkness of Dayton’s eyes. Little flashes of light drew her deeper. She blinked, trying to shift her focus on how she could warn her brothers. If the visionary hadn’t completed the separation of the soul, and the werewolf killed them all, then everyone was going to die anyway.
A fact her brothers needed to know.
But that didn’t make sense. The wolf had merged with Norse, and she knew Norse had existed, and they had been actively searching for his other half.
“Smoke is coming out of your ears.” Dayton laughed. “When you’re done spinning your wheels, let me know. I’m going to go see what’s in the fridge. I’m starving.”
“Why don’t you just put me out of my misery and kill me?” Well, that was a stupid question. She didn’t need to put that thought in the beast’s head.
He turned, taking one step toward her.
She shot her hand up as if that would stop him from grabbing her with his massive hand and snapping her neck with one squeeze. Heat prickled her fingertips. White specks of dust trickled from her palms. “What the hell?”
“That’s interesting. Can any of your brothers emit fairy dust?” he asked with a chuckle.
She ignored him, and his stupid sounding-sweet-like-hot-fudge voice. What softly glided from her hands to the air was exactly what she saw when she looked into Dayton’s eyes.
“What are you doing to me?” She shook her hands, but that only created more dust. It snaked up to the ceiling and wrapped around the fan before dropping on top of Dayton.
If only she could cage the beast again. Then she could do her research without having to worry if he was going to shift and turn her into dog food.
“Shit,” he muttered. “Please stop.”
“Why?” Not that she knew how to turn off the sudden flow of fairy dust.
“I can’t move,” he mumbled behind a tight jaw.
“Seriously?” A smile tugged at her lips. She raised her hands, pushing the dust in his direction.
“Now you’re crushing me.” His face contorted, and his eyes grew wide. “You’ve got to call the dust off.”
“I have no idea how to do that.” A combination of awe and panic gripped her heart.
“It’s a living extension of you. It’s why fairies have a hard time hiding their emotions. Wolfairies are better at it, so this should be easy. But hurry. You’re going to start breaking my bones.”
“Maybe that’s what I—”
“Do you really want to kill me? Because that’s what you’re doing.” His projection came through as a tight whisper. “Negative energy brings negative dust, and you’ve got a shit ton of anger directed at me.”
“I don’t trust you.” Instinctively, she waved her hands above her head, swirling the dust. She collected it into a ball like she’d seen Drew do. Clapping her hands, she broke the knot and then tugged at all the dust still wrapped around Dayton. Slowly, it floated away.
Dayton dropped to his knees. His knuckles hit the wood floor with a thud that rattled the planks under her feet. “That fucking hurt.” He snarled as if in his wolf form. “A Queen should not be allowed to do that to her King.”
“I’m honestly thrilled I can do it. Just in case I need to kill you.” She pointed her finger like a gun and blew on the tip. “But now I need to find out why I can do it, because I’m no fairy.”
“Nope. You’re not. You’re a Wolfairy, just like me.”
“Ha. Ha. You’re such a comedian.” Next time, she would be sure to squish his dry sense of humor. She tucked her hair behind her ears and went back to the table. Somewhere in all this new stuff they’d found on the Royal Fairies and the legends that went with them, there had to be something on a wolf gaining fairy abilities. Her brothers had all developed stronger senses and were able to experience much of the fairy magic their mates possessed, but she’d never seen them shoot off fairy dust from the palms. “I’m half human, so it’s impossible.”
“Your mother hasn’t come into her powers? I would think that should have happened when Chaz and Daphne mated.”
“I don’t find you amusing,” she said.
“Coral used to wander around her town. She’d skip and sing, and Norse loved that. But he listened to everything, and he overheard Isadore and Coral’s father discussing something they found regarding the Alpha of your pack and his non-human wife.”
“That’s impossible. Trust me, my mom is human.” Cheryl swallowed. Her mother could communicate telepathically with more than just her husband. But that wasn’t a fairy power. That was a wolf thing, and she wasn’t that either.
Isadore and Coral weren’t witches, even though they were raised by them and had their powers until their fairy selves were released.
Shit.
“So, you agree it could be possible your mom is a fairy,” he said more as a statement of fact than opinion.
“I’ll agree it’s not impossible.”
“That’s keeping a half-open mind.” Dayton stayed on the ground on all fours, huffing and puffing.
“That’s all you’re going to get out of me on that subject.” She felt horrible she’d hurt him, but no way would she let him know that. She needed to keep the upper hand while trapped in this cabin if she was going to come out alive.
Of course, he could have been faking. Some fairies, especially the tiny lighted fairies, were full of trickery.
“What are you looking for?” Dayton asked with a throaty growl.
“One of the Royal Fairies that had been bottled up for a few hundred years had with her a book of folklore written by a human. There were stories in there about fairies and a prediction about the Wolfairies. At first glance, it didn’t appear to have any value, but maybe it’s worth a second look.”
“What did it say?” He took in a large breath before pushing to his feet. He groaned. “Damn, you’re strong.”
“Remember that, because you do one thing that puts me on edge, and I will crush you.” She leaned under the table to grab a box of papers and books that hadn’t seemed important, but she knew better than to disregard them all together.
“I won’t soon forget that.”
“Here it is.” She pulled out a thick, hardbound book. “Whoa.” She tossed it on the table. Red sparks flickered from the cover. “That didn’t happen before.” They snapped at her skin. It didn’t hurt, but it did freak her out. “I feel like I’m in a house of horrors or something.”
“There’s going to come a time where you will want to be locked in a romantic cabin alone with me.”
She laughed. “You think this place is romantic? You’ve got to be shitting me. It smells like raw meat left out in the sun and drizzled with cat droppings.”
He bent over, pushing his nose at the spot on her neck just under her ear. “It smells like peaches and cream to me.”
She pressed both hands on the
table and slowly closed her eyes. Every nerve ending in her body awakened, sending signals to places she didn’t want this man to have any control over. The incident in college had changed how she dealt with men and their advances. If she wasn’t totally in control, making all the sexual decisions, it was a no-go.
With Dayton, she didn’t think she’d ever have control. She wanted to tilt her neck, giving him better access to nibble on her earlobe. If she were bolder, she’d take his hand and place it over her breast, pushing her hard nipple against his palm.
Her chest rose as she heaved in a deep breath. Her lungs burned with desire.
“I will never hurt you.” Dayton pulled back. “You have to believe me.”
“I don’t,” she admitted. The flashing of what looked like little firecrackers floating from the book had stopped, so she reached for it again. “Right now, you’re the only one who would have killed Ralph.”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“Then who did?” The book fell open, and the pages flipped by themselves. Things were just getting weirder and weirder. “Because Ralph’s body was torn up by fangs the size of yours.”
“There are wolves that are close to my size.” Dayton headed toward the kitchen.
She was happy to have some space between them. “Not on this farm. And the largest I’ve ever seen is my father, and he’s still not as big as you.”
“What about a shape-shifter? How many of those do you having living on the farm?”
“None living on the farm right now. Chaz thought it best to keep those coming and going to a limit until we know the Wolfairies and Royals can use their magic off the property.”
“A Marrok-shifter could pose as anything for extended periods of time,” Dayton said as he opened and closed the fridge before rummaging through the cabinets.
She could have told him that all they had were some protein bars, bread, and peanut butter and jelly, but she rather enjoyed him being in a different space.
“Everyone on this farm is family. Or members of the pack or the Twilight Crossing Council, and the fairies that came to us early on. A Marrok-shifter would have shown it’s true self by now.”