Maybe I can have it all, Magda thought as she felt her robe loosen around her, her body tightening into that rail-thin frame of the witch. My magic, my mate, and my vision of the world.
But even as she thought it, she felt her vision changing form as the darkness snaked its way through her as Caleb kissed her deeper. Suddenly those old feelings of hatred for the people who’d tried to kill her animal returned front and center, and before she knew it the only thing she could feel was hatred and anger, the need for vengeance, the craving to destroy everything and everyone, all humans, good or evil. She felt a cold clarity as she ran her fingers across Caleb’s buzzed hair, opened her mouth wider, laughing silently as she felt his tongue twist inside her like a snake.
Yes, she thought. Humans left the Garden of Eden when they lost touch with their animal selves, when they learned to be ashamed of their bodies. Humans are the problem—all humans! They all need to go!
“We need to go,” came Caleb’s voice through her insane thoughts, and Magda blinked when she felt him draw back from the kiss. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted him to take her now. Who gave a damn if they were in danger of being burned alive by two dragons fighting each other in the skies outside their window! “Magda! We need to go now! Adam’s doing all he can to control his father, but the black dragon is too strong. I don’t know if—”
The rest of Caleb’s words were lost as the thick marble wall at the far end of the room crumbled like a cookie as the massive wing of Murad’s black dragon came crashing through. Magda screamed as she saw the talons rush towards her and her mate, and she felt real fear then, real horror, real failure. All those years of using her magic to hold Murad’s dragon inside had done more damage than good. It was like winding up a spring, and all that pent-up aggression was out of control. Suddenly she realized that the dragon might indeed kill its own grandchildren! It might indeed kill its own son! It was all dark, all destruction, all evil.
And it was all her fault.
She felt a ripple of conflict flow through her insides. It was almost like the darkness in her was fighting for full control, like there was still a part of her that hadn’t given itself away. It made her feel sick, and her head spun as she tried to chant the spell that would take Caleb and her and the children to safety. But her words came out slurred, the spell powerless as the conflict raged inside her. She couldn’t tell if it was because Caleb was near. She couldn’t tell if it was because the human in her hadn’t accepted the darkness all the way. She couldn’t tell if it was her animal’s conflict now that it was so close to its mate. All she knew was that she felt powerless, broken, confused. She needed her man. She needed her mate.
Magda opened her mouth to speak, to tell him she’d failed, that she’d started all of this and now she’d lost control. She wanted to say she was sorry, sorry that they were all going to die, die before they even got a chance to really live.
But she didn’t need to say anything, because she could see the determination in Caleb’s eyes, which were flashing that deep blue of the open seas. She felt a smile come across her face as everything slowed down for her, a strange peace washing through her body as those deadly talons of the black dragon swept their way across the room.
And then Caleb was a wolf again, the Change coming so quickly Magda gasped in shock. He crouched down and barreled into her legs, knocking her off her feet and forcing her to land on his broad, furry back.
“Grab the children and hang on,” he growled through sharp fangs as white as snow. “Hang on for your goddamn life, woman, you understand?”
Without thinking Magda grabbed the twins and pulled them against her breast. They instinctively grabbed onto her with their tiny but strong hands, and Magda leaned forward on the wolf’s back, driving her heels into him until she felt secure. The children were pressed tight between her and the wolf, and Magda clutched Caleb’s thick fur as she felt the wolf break into a blindingly fast run.
Caleb leapt over the sweeping talons of the black dragon, heading straight for the gaping hole at the far end of the room. Magda stared as the wolf made no move to slow down, instead running straight through the hole and launching himself like a bullet into the air, high above the hard sand of the desert.
“What are you doing?!” Magda screamed into Caleb’s ear as she felt the air rush against her face. “We’re all going to die! We’re—”
“It’s called teamwork, babe,” Caleb snarled as Adam’s dragon came roaring in below them, controlling its flight perfectly so that the wolf landed squarely on its back, its claws digging deep into the dragon’s scales. “Right, brother?” he yelled at Adam, his snout hanging open in a grin of pure delight. “Now get us the hell out of here, you overgrown parrot. Your dad still has some fight left in his hollow old bones. We might need reinforcements to win this one.”
7
Caleb let his tongue hang out and flop against his snout as the dragon glided in for a landing atop the massive open roof of its lair in the Caspian Sea. The smell of the sea was like a drug to Caleb—he was a Navy Seal after all. What the hell had he been doing in the desert all these years, anyway?!
He turned his head halfway and sniffed the air, taking in the scent of the woman crouching tight on his back. He could smell her clearly, smell her feminine musk, her hair, her skin, everything. But there was also another scent mixed in, and he cocked his head as it came through stronger in the clean air above the Caspian Sea.
“You’re a Shifter,” he said matter-of-factly, the scent of her animal unmistakable now. Perhaps it was the clean air. Perhaps it was because he was free from the clutches of her dark magic. “A canine. Not a wolf. Fox? Yes, fox.”
“I don’t know what I am,” Magda mumbled after a long pause, during which Caleb had heard her heartbeat speed up. It had made his heart speed up too, reminding him again that she was his fated mate, that their hearts shared the same rhythm, that they were bound together by destiny, made for each other whether they liked it or not. “I thought I did, but I don’t.”
“Stop being so melodramatic,” Caleb shouted above the screaming air as they swooped down on the dragon’s back. “We’re free. We’re safe. And we’re together. What more can you ask for?”
“We aren’t free, and we’re certainly not safe,” Magda replied. “Yes, Adam’s dragon flies fast enough that Murad couldn’t keep up and we lost him. But now that Murad is in dragon form, it’s only a matter of time before his dragon tracks its own blood and finds Adam's lair. And then what?”
“Then we fight, right, Adam?” Caleb said with a shrug. “Adam flies Bart and me up there. We drop down onto the black dragon’s back, where his fire and talons can’t reach us. Then we just rip through his scales and eat his goddamn heart! A real heartbreaker of an ending, yeah?”
Adam turned his massive head and opened his maws. Wisps of white smoke came chugging out as the dragon laughed, and Caleb’s wolf barked and howled in delight. Damn, it felt good to be with Adam again, Caleb thought. His mate on his back, the smell of the sea all around! Shit, this was heaven! How did it all work out so quickly for him?!
Be careful, whispered the wolf from inside. She is our mate, but she is not what she seems. Her fox is not to be underestimated. Foxes are sly. They are thinking animals. Conniving. Creative. Always cutting deals to make up for their lack of physical strength.
If she’s our mate then nothing else matters, Caleb thought as the dragon landed on the white stone floor of the open terrace. He felt so damned happy right now that he was certain nothing could go wrong, nothing would go wrong, not now, not ever! He felt fresh and alive, and all he wanted to do was greet his military brothers, hug them in the flesh, and then excuse himself while he did what needed to be done with his mate behind closed doors.
Or in the open perhaps, he thought with a hungry grunt as he blinked in the blinding sunlight reflecting off the pristine white tiles of the open terrace.
He leapt off the dragon’s back, landing softly on all fours and crouching down so Magda could get off his back with the children. She felt light as a feather, and Caleb furrowed his furry forehead as he thought back to when he’d kissed her that last time back at the mansion, amidst all the chaos. He’d felt her body react to his kiss, and he’d been waiting to feel her curves pop out the way they’d done the first time. But it hadn’t happened all the way, and she’d been that rail-thin witch in her fake body ever since. Still, he decided as he heard footsteps and voices in the distance: She was his mate, and everything would work out. That was what fate meant. Yes, foxes were notoriously sly tricksters, but they were still animals. Her animal would forget all its schemes and plans once it was claimed by its mate. It was as simple as that. They would mate. She would get pregnant. And then they’d figure out the rest of the story together.
Not that the rest of the story would matter once they had babies, Caleb thought as he felt the urge to create new life burn strong in him. Yes, babies. That was the endgame, wasn’t it? Babies, babies, and more babies! Let the games begin!
8
So many babies, Magda thought as she sat quietly at the dinner table and looked around at the group. Everyone was in human form, cleaned and dressed like this was an event. There was Adam at the head of the table, his wife Ash at the foot, their twins at either side of her on high chairs, grinning wide as they ate seared meat—which seemed to be the only thing dragons liked to eat. Magda and Caleb sat on the left side of the long, oval table, and across from them were Bart the Bear and Bis the Leopard with their three girls, all of whom were munching away on chicken legs in perfect unison.
Magda glanced furtively at Caleb, blinking as she quickly turned back to her plate and looked down. He looked so happy, so fulfilled, so full of life and purpose. They’d been around each other for months now, but it still seemed strange to be sitting here beside him at a table full of mated couples. She still felt the undeniable truth that Caleb was her mate, that since her animal was alive, it would seek out its mate by pure instinct. But actually mating . . . now that was complicated. There was so much at stake, wasn’t there? Losing her magic? Losing what made her powerful? This wasn’t the time, was it? Not when Murad’s dragon was unleashed on the world. Yes, she hadn’t been able to stop it back at the mansion, but her magic might still be useful. If Murad Changed back to the man, her magic would likely work to keep his dragon locked up again. She had to hold on to it. Hold on to that darkness just a little while longer.
She thought back to that conversation she’d had with her fox, about how she’d said yes to the darkness. Her fox had said if the human in her accepted the darkness, she’d be able to keep her magic and get her mate! It seemed like a dream now. Had it really happened? There’d been so much going on: dragons fighting, children screaming, her mate kissing her. Could she risk letting Caleb claim her? What if she really did lose her magic, her powers, leaving her with nothing but a fat ass and an animal she wasn’t sure she could trust! No. She couldn’t. She’d trusted no one but herself for her entire life, and this wasn’t the time to start trusting anyone or anything else. Not her animal, not her mate, not the universe.
She glanced over at Caleb once more. He was laughing and joking with his buddies, throwing chicken bones at Bart the Bear, making the children squeal with laughter as they imitated Uncle Caleb until Bart the Bear was growling and giggling as he protected his face from the onslaught. Everyone was smiling and laughing, but Magda was silent and still. It made her feel evil, like she was deceiving him, deceiving them all. They’d already accepted her into their group, but she didn’t feel like she belonged with these happy, complete people.
She pressed her gown against her thighs. Her legs looked like toothpicks covered in cloth, and she sighed as she thought back to how she’d changed to that curvy girl she’d left behind years ago. She looked up once more, surveying the other two woman in the room and then sighing again. They were voluptuous, curvy women, with heavy breasts and wide hips, strong thighs and thick arms. And they seemed just fine with it, both Ash and Bis wearing form-fitting gowns that only highlighted their curves instead of hiding them!
I could never do that, Magda thought, hugging her bony shoulders and shivering as the cool night breeze drifted in through the large open windows of the castle. I’m not like them. I don’t have the confidence to pull that off. I need my magic to look like I do.
A strange chill went through Magda as she allowed that thought to swirl through her mind. Was she so desperate to hold on to her magic for the most superficial of reasons?! With all the power her magic had given her, was the power to make herself look thin the one she truly cherished?! Was she that petty, that shallow, that insecure? Had being teased and bullied as an awkward, oversized girl affected her so much that being thin was an obsession, some kind of mental illness now?
“You aren’t eating,” came Bis’s accented voice from across the table. “Is there something wrong with the food? Can we get you something else?”
“We’ve got dessert coming up soon,” said Ash from the foot of the table. Her round face was glowing as she said the word dessert. “You have a sweet tooth, don’t you? Well, my frosted bear-claws will take care of that. Here, let me bring them out now.”
“No, I’m fine,” Magda said hurriedly, forcing a smile and then quickly picking up a chicken wing from her plate. “This is fine. I ate earlier, actually.”
“Really?” said Caleb, frowning and cocking his head at her. “When? I’ve been with you for at least twenty-four hours straight, and I didn’t see you eat a thing. Unless you used your magic to knock me out so you wouldn’t have to share. Bad girl. Bad witch.”
Everyone laughed, but Magda turned bright red, the anger and shame rising in her as memories of being teased came roaring back through her like it was just yesterday. She thought back to those traumatic moments in the school lunchroom at the international school she’d attended in Europe. Kids from all over the world seemed to have one thing in common: The ability to bond together and pick on someone.
Massive Maggie, the British kids had called her.
Maggie the Most-est, the American girls had named her.
Maggie the Manatee, the Eastern European teenagers had added.
Maggie didn’t even know what a manatee was, and she suspected those spoiled brats didn’t either. But when she looked it up, she cried for an hour alone in the library. She’d felt so alone, so powerless, so humiliated in that moment that she wondered if she was going to just burst, just explode right there, Massive Maggie splattered all over the stacks! She’d stayed in the library that night, crying until she was out of tears, the sadness slowly turning to hate, the despair transforming to determination.
And that’s when it happened: She Changed.
Right there in the empty library, with the half-moon smiling at her through the large windows, Massive Maggie Changed. The animal burst forth from her awkward, unwieldy body, a sleek red fox with a bushy tail and sharp eyes! It raced around the empty library, yipping and yelping in delight as Maggie felt its energy rush through her in a way that was so exhilarating she’d started crying again—this time with joy.
She’d burst out into the dark forest surrounding the school, bounding through bushes, jumping over rocks, swimming through little streams that looked silver in the moonlight. She felt so light and free that it was all she could do to stop herself from howling and yipping so loud that it would have woken up every girl and teacher in the school.
She’d raced through the woods all night, and when morning came she’d finally Changed back to the girl, her sleek fox disappearing. But that feeling of lightness had stayed with her, and the next day she just smiled as the other girls teased her. She smiled because it didn’t seem to matter anymore. She had a secret, and they didn’t matter. The humiliation and hatred was gone, and Maggie spent each day just waiting for nightfall so she coul
d become that lightfooted fox again, become her true self, an animal that was pure instinct, with no place in its heart for hatred. Hatred was a human emotion, and Maggie wanted to be all animal.
For months she Changed back and forth unnoticed, spending her nights roaming the forests, in her element, exploring her animal self.
And then they found her.
And they took her.
They killed her animal.
Leaving nothing behind but the girl.
The girl and the hatred.
9
Caleb saw the hatred flash in her eyes as he made the quip about not wanting to share her food, and immediately he knew he’d messed up. Fated mates or not, the truth was they still didn’t know each other as people. Sure, his wolf wanted her, but they were humans too, and the human mating ritual was slightly more complicated than the simple instincts of the animal to see its mate and then take its mate.
“Hey, I was just kidding,” he said softly, reaching out and touching her thigh beneath the table. She recoiled at the touch, and Caleb frowned as he sniffed the air for the scent of her animal. He couldn’t pick it up, which was strange. He was certain she was a Shifter—he’d picked up the scent earlier, when they’d kissed the first time and then later when she was holding onto his back as they fled the scene at the mansion. But now it seemed like her animal was buried deep inside her—so deep that even his wolf couldn’t find it. A chill passed through him when he remembered that this woman sitting beside him was also a witch—a dark witch. Yes, she clearly wasn’t evil through-and-through, but there was still so much about her he didn’t understand.
Witch for the Wolf Page 4