by A. Mashburn
Gretchen came to with the softest lips against hers. The calming smell of lemon and pine was in her nose. Strong arms wrapped around her body and gave her a sense of security she never knew she could feel. Nicoli instinctually cupped her face and kissed her passionately. She gasped as she felt electricity crackle across her skin and traveled down her body to her core.
She moved closer to the warmth he provided and felt his hand as it began to roam her body. He kissed down to her neck and sucked gently at the tender skin there as his hands slid under the hem of her sweater and teased the bare skin with his gentle touch. His skin against hers was heaven embodied as she leaned her head back and opened her eyes. As they gazed at each other, panting, the tenuous moment collapsed, and reality settled into their bones.
Gretchen gasped and stiffened in his arms. He pulled back from her but kept his hand on her waist. She was transfixed by the most hauntingly beautiful turquoise eyes she’d ever seen.
“Fuck,” Nicoli said, “Gretchen, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Xavier—you, fucking asshole. Xander laughed in his mind as he receded further into the darkness.
Gretchen looked around her as she realized she was somewhere wholly foreign and her eyes widened.
“Wait, wait, I can explain. Please do not freak out,” Nicoli pleaded.
“Freak out? Don’t freak out. Okay, so please explain to me how I got from the woods to here, because the last thing I remember—” She looked at him and stopped short.
“It’s not what you think. You passed out and I brought you here because I couldn’t leave you in the woods and wanted to make sure you were safe.”
Well, that’s not exactly a lie, Xander grumbled in their mind, unimpressed by his human counterpart’s half-truths.
Shut up, Nicoli growled.
“Mhmm, so why did I pass out, Nicoli?” she pressed, as her eyes pierced him with a pointed glare.
“Well, you saw a wolf fight and it frightened you. It’s not every day someone sees something that vicious, so fainting is not unexpected.”
Her jaw dropped and her voice laced with indignation as she spoke. “Okay, so are you going to tell me that a crazed wolf didn’t try to attack me? That I didn’t see a huge black winged wolf rip its head off, deliver it to my feet and then morph into you?” With her shoulders squared, her spine straight and her chin lifted in defiance, she looked every bit the royal princess she was.
She must be in shock, Nicoli thought to Xander.
That or well shit, I don’t know my friend, but this is weird, Xander replied.
Nicoli cleared his throat somewhat nervously, “Well, I showed up and stood in front of you to help you after the wolves fought, so maybe you—”
The fire began to dance behind her eyes as they narrowed on him. “Do you think I’m crazy or stupid, Nicoli?”
“What? Neither,” he insisted.
That heated gaze penetrated directly into his soul as venom echoed in every word. “Well, either I’m crazy enough to be calm about the fact that I saw you turn from a winged wolf into you, or I’m stupid enough to believe that I was seeing things and it was all a figment of my imagination.” She cocked her head to the side asking, “Which one is it?” By the tone of her voice, it was as if she were daring him to say the wrong thing.
Nicoli gulped audibly; she is so like her mother.
“Gretchen, please. I know you’re not stupid, and you’re not crazy, well not in the sense that you’re insane—”
“Seriously?” she asked incredulously. “So, how am I crazy then, Nicoli?”
Nicoli began to pace as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh, come on, I don’t know how to do this. Why the hell did you come into the woods, Gretchen?”
“That’s irrelevant because you obviously had it under control.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with that stubborn jut to her jaw.
“I did.” He turned to her and asked, “What’s the first thing you remember?”
“From today?” she asked evasively.
Nicoli closed his eyes as he prayed to the Moon Goddess for patience. “No Gretchen, ever.”
“I woke up at the hospital. There was an accident when I was eight that caused a brain injury, and I don’t remember anything before that. After I was released from the hospital, I was sent to an orphanage because no one came to collect me. Shortly after that, I met Mo at school, and she has been my best friend, blah, blah, blah. Why? What does that have to do with anything?”
Nicoli let out a long breath as he mulled over what he should to tell her. Everything, Xander pushed the thought forward. Nicoli knew he had to give her a choice, even if he already knew what decision she was going to make.
“Gretchen, listen, we have two choices; I can tell you everything and your life will change forever in the most drastic ways possible, or I can call a friend of mine, take you home and it’ll be like you lost a day to illness. It would be like none of this ever happened, but it can’t be both ways; if you decide you want me to tell you everything, you won’t be able to go back.”
Gretchen chewed on her bottom lip, the same way she had since she was a kid when she contemplated what to do. “Are my parents really dead? Did they really die in a car crash?”
“No, and no,” Nicoli answered honestly and watched as she walked across the room to sit in front from him.
Her eyes widened and he heard her heart skip. “My parents are still alive?” she asked, each word laced with hope.
A smile spread across Nicoli’s face. “Very much so Princess, it would take a lot more than anything my brothers could ever do to kill them.”
Gretchen straightened her back and made her decision. “Tell me everything.”
Nicoli eyed her warily as he asked, “Do you trust me?”
“What kind of question is that? I hardly know you. You say you have answers for me, so speak. It matters not if I trust you,” she snapped as she glared at him.
He grinned as a little of the old language accent slipped past her tongue. “It matters. Now—do you, trust me?”
She crossed her arms, frustrated. “Yes.”
“Why?”
Fire glinted in her eyes, frustration dripping from every word. “What the fuck, Nicoli? As I said, I hardly know you; I just met you at the gym. I run out into the fucking woods to save a man who probably isn’t even a fucking man. I’m sitting here like a good little girl, not even screaming bloody murder when every horror story I’ve ever read or watched says I’m going to be your next meal. So, do I trust you? Yes, and fuck you for it, too. I don’t know why. I just do and to be quite frank, it’s pissing me off.”
Nicoli was amused at her frustration; she was adorable when she was pissed off. “Alright, now that we’ve established you’re pissed off and that you trust me, I’ll start from the beginning.”
His heart began to gallop in his chest as he started to tell her about her past and who he was. “First off, I’m a Pterolycus, a winged wolf. My wolf counterpart as you saw is black and sports a pair of wings. So, yes, before you ask, I can fly in either form. Pterolycus have the ability to partially shift, which was how I got you here. I released my wings and we flew.” Gretchen’s lips parted slightly and shock shone in her eyes.
Nicoli grinned and continued, “We—you and I, grew up in Scotland, the Highlands, to be a bit more precise. Your parents were also Pterolycus and the most powerful of our kind. So much so that they are the closest thing to what we would call royalty among shifters and you are their only heir.”
“Wait, what?” She gaped at him as shock shone in her blue-green orbs.
“Let me finish.”
“No Nicoli, I have a question. You are saying my parents were like you—that would mean...” she drifted off in thought.
“Yes, you are as well,” Nicoli finished for her.
“I think I’d know if I had ever shifted into a winged wolf,” she scoffed.
Nicoli raised his eyebrow at
her indignance; that’s her father’s side showing for sure, he remembered the male fondly. “Right, well, if you’ll let me finish, I could get you all caught up ‘til today.”
Very mature, he thought to himself as she rolled her eyes and rotated her hand giving Nicoli the universal signal to continue.
“Okay, as I was saying, your family is royalty among our kind. As the firstborn princess from two powerful Pterolycus, you were—are—very powerful. My brothers and I spent a lot of time at the palace after you were born, getting to know you and your family.” He couldn’t stop himself from smiling fondly at her, as he thought of the young cherub-faced girl with the tear-stained face each time he had left her side for training. He left out the fact she would’ve been betrothed to one of them because, well, it’s irrelevant now anyway.
“One day, when you were about five, you took me by the hand and told me that your lycus had spoken to you, which was unheard of for our kind. At first, I chalked it up to a child’s imagination. I was sixteen at the time so, I smiled and humored you and asked about your wolf, because ultimately that’s what you would be, a wolf but with wings. As I waited for an answer, your eyes clouded over and after a moment you smiled at me and told me her name was Genesis. I knew then I had to tell your parents because to have gained your wolf so young was unheard of. You were more powerful than anyone thought. Your parents and I tried to keep it a secret from everyone at the castle. For the next two years, you trained in private with my little brother, Jade, and me. We watched over you and one day you asked to see my wolf.”
“Xander?” she asked.
He cocked his head to the side, surprised she knew his name. “Yes, but how did you—”
“I have had dreams about a black wolf with wings. In one of them, there was a fight outside my window and a young man—” She paused as she strained to remember the strange dream. “I think he was a friend because I liked him but he was hurt. I don’t know how old I was, but I remember seeing him on the ground, wings spread at awkward angles, and an older boy with a knife to his neck.” She began to cry.
“Gretchen, hey, hey. Stop, none of that. Yes, that happened and yes, that boy was me. I’m getting to that point but it’s important for you to hear all of this.” Nicoli held one of her hands and tilted her face so that she was looking at him while he brushed away a renegade tear. “Look at me; none of this is your fault. What I’m about to tell you is not easy and its possible your memories may have manifested over time into dreams, okay?”
She sniffled and nodded her head.
“So, when you asked to see my wolf I told you no. I said that your parents wouldn’t allow it; that it was too dangerous. You pouted and cried until I caved.” Nicoli sighed and wished he didn’t have to go on. “I told you to stay back because young wolves are dangerous during their shifts.” He hung his head in shame, walked behind her, and glided his hand across her back.
She gasped and turned to him. “My scars…”
Nicoli nodded his head. “It was an accident, but you were too close and got hurt in the process. I should never have shifted near you, let alone in your quarters. I’m so sorry, Gretchen.”
She squared her shoulders. “Hey, now look who’s crying—stop—it was an accident. If what you say is true, then obviously it wasn’t anything purposeful because if my parents loved me as much as you say, my father would have had your head, right?”
He nodded in acknowledgment but felt the guilt wash over him as though it had happened just yesterday. “You don’t understand Gretchen, I scarred you.”
“I do understand and I think they’re pretty bad-ass, especially now that I know I got them from a werewolf.” She winked at him playfully. Nicoli knew how she had hidden them all her life, so he knew that what she said was untrue. Yet, with her lopsided smile and playful attitude even after everything she’d been told thus far, Nicoli felt a little of the weight lift from his shoulders.
He cleared his throat and explained, “First off, I am not a werewolf. I am—we are a breed of Lycan, direct descendants of the Moon Goddess. Werewolves are bitten or born but they don’t have wings nor any special abilities, usually.”
“Ahhh, okay, so, are your brothers Pterolycus as well?”
“No, Jade is a mighty Lycan but no wings. He’s got brute strength, which makes up for what he’s lost in brains.” The memory of his childhood with his brothers’ flashed through his mind and a warmth speared his heart—life was so much simpler then. “Jayce, he’s complicated, but he’s not like us either. We should continue with the story though.”
She nodded, and he continued, “Your parents were lenient. When I brought you to them, you kept telling them you just needed a bandage and it wasn’t anything serious. You tried to lie for me, but I explained what happened. I was a foolish lad. Luckily, your parents had some of the best healers and they had you up and running around within a couple of days. But, for my offense, I became one of their guards, a small price to pay since they were having me train there anyways and our kingdoms would have joined eventually. But I digress; they sent my brothers home but told me my one job for the offense of injuring you was to make sure no one else could ever do so again. You forgave me easily and Xander felt so bad that he refused to shift for months until your wolf talked to him. I’m not sure how they could do it, he never really explained, but somehow, your wolf has telepathy.”
“I don’t have telepathy, Nicoli.”
“I know but that’s because your wolf is bound, which we will get to momentarily. I told you it’s a long story. Your wolf, Genesis, as you called her, explained to Xander that everything was as it should be and convinced him that punishing himself was doing nothing to help you or her. By this time, you had just had your seventh birthday and I was eighteen. I rarely talked to my eldest brother, Jayce. But Jade still came and stayed for weeks, sometimes a month at a time. You and I were connected at the hip. Xander even let you ride him.” As the memories replayed in his mind, Nicoli smiled softly, looking up at Gretchen through his thick eyelashes.
“Your parents treated me as one of their own. But unfortunately, all good things come to an end. I received word that my brothers would be visiting the palace. Jade had shifted and was built like a brick house and the moment he walked through the door, I approached him for a brotherly hug or some shit and he laid me out flat, accusing me of stealing their place at your side. He believed himself or our older brother to be your mate.” Nicoli peered at Gretchen who was seemingly enrapt by his story and continued knowing he had her full attention.
“I tried to explain what happened but, he wasn’t hearing it. He demanded that I back off and to stop manipulating you. Which, of course, was an easy task because I was never manipulating you to begin with; after our argument he stalked off in the castle to find you. Someone had told him about your injury and when he found out I was the one who inflicted it, he then said that I was abusing you.”
He paused as he heard a gasp from Gretchen. “But—”
He held up his hand to stop her before she could continue. “Again, what Jade had said was a false statement but he wouldn’t hear anything I had to say. He attacked me and when Jayce came along to see what the commotion was about, he attacked, too. There wasn’t much I could do. My eldest brother held a knife to my throat and we heard a growl from above. When we looked, there was a little ball of white fur with wings diving at us with fire in her eyes—you—and with that valiant act, your secret was out.” He looked towards Gretchen, who had tears in her eyes. “Don’t cry, really, you saved my life.”
Her voice cracked in an attempt to contain the emotions that were raging within her. “Why do I feel like by doing that, I caused the downfall of my kingdom?”
“Who said anything about a downfall, Aingeal? Yes, things moved quickly after that. Jayce was more determined than ever you were meant to be his and he convinced Jade they had been deceived. When your parents denied him and Jade a stay at the castle and to spend time with you, they started a war
, which caused your parents to leave me as your guardian—your protector. I left with you and brought you to America. There was a lot that happened on the travels that you’ll remember in time but aren’t as important as the fact that you flourished here, and I’ve watched over you while you did.”
“Lemon and pine,” she whispered as she looked up at him.
“What?” Nicoli asked.
“My recitals, spelling bees, when I went to college and those guys —they almost—”
A growl rose from Nicoli’s throat at the memory. Those sorry excuses for men had tried to rape her and died for their efforts.
“Did you? Their bodies were found dismembered in the woods, the police said they were attacked by an animal, Nicoli. Was that you?” she demanded.
Nicoli chuffed, “I don’t regret my actions, even if you think me a monster. They would have—” He stopped himself and growled as he sliced the air with the palm of his hand and stood. Xander was rising inside him as he attempted to take control. Nicoli forced him back down and took a breath. “You know what they planned for you and they deserved everything they got. The only regret I have is that I didn’t prolong their pain longer than I did.”
He felt a soft touch on his arm and sparks exploded from the contact. “I’m not angry with you, Nicoli. A little creeped out and overwhelmed, yes, because this is a lot to take in. There’s a huge part of me that wants to laugh it off and say, Good one. You had me going. But, as crazy as it seems, I believe you.”
As Gretchen looked up into his beautiful turquoise eyes, she was overcome with a sense of assurance. She knew in her gut he was speaking the truth. All she wanted right now was to get her memories back, if that were possible.
“What happened after the war?” she pressed further.
Nicoli looked intently at her hand which still laid on his arm and said, “Honestly, Princess, I don’t know much. Your parents fought back and won for the most part. They pushed them back and secured their kingdom but to my knowledge, they are constantly at the brink of war. I would imagine that is why we’ve not been summoned home. If it’s not safe, they wouldn’t risk your life.”