by Kimber White
My breath left me, and I ran my tongue along the points of my fangs.
As I locked eyes with Zendra, I knew with stone-cold clarity that I was staring straight at my fate.
Chapter Four
Zendra
I had him. Now I had no earthly clue what to do with him. Only one thing was certain, I couldn’t let Edward Kalenkov out of my sight. Or rather, I couldn’t let the medallion out of my sight. If I couldn’t take it by force, I was going to have to come up with something he’d be willing to trade it for.
He stared at me with those piercing, blue eyes. No. They weren’t just blue. That’s what humans would see. But I saw things differently. I hadn’t realized that at first when I came here. Edward’s eyes were almost white at the edges, rimmed with a thin, black line. Streaks of blue and indigo shot out like starbursts around the pupil. And when his passions ran high, which was often, his eyes began to glow.
Wolf eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I said. Edward had finished his dinner. He had a tiny drop of gravy on the corner of his mouth, and he licked his lips, sending a strange shiver of delight through me. My breath caught. I found myself moving away from him, scared he’d see the change in me.
“All right,” he said, letting the anger drop from his voice. “It seems we’re at an impasse. You have the upper hand, Zendra.”
“I’m not looking for any hand,” I said. “I told you. I just want to make sure you’re well.”
It was true, but also a complete lie. I’d seen Flavia in action in the store long enough to know I had to be careful how I approached this. The minute Edward Kalenkov knew how badly I wanted that medallion, the more his price would go up.
“Look at me,” Edward said, turning his palm upward. “I’ve got a full belly, a good nap. What more could I ask for?”
His eyes sparked with mischief. He wanted me to think the Dragonsteel wasn’t cause for alarm. He wanted me to think he was harmless. I knew nothing could be further from the truth.
“I really am sorry,” I said. “If I could have thought of another way to keep you from hurting yourself, I would have. This just seemed like the safest thing for both of us.”
“So,” he said. “You planning on telling me how a girl like you got ahold of this much Dragonsteel? It’s illegal, what you’ve done. You know that, right?”
“Shifter law doesn’t apply to me,” I said.
He leaned forward, and his eyes glinted a warning. “It does the minute you go around messing with a shifter. Haven’t you figured that out yet? I’m not the one you need to worry about. If you bought this stuff, it means you left a trail behind. If you stole it...well...I’m not sure even I can protect you from what’s to come.”
“I don’t need your protection,” I snapped, not meaning to.
“Yeah,” he said. “You do. The way I see it, you’ve got two choices. Either you take this stuff off and let me be on my way, or you sit here and wait for the sky to fall on your head. Because it’s going to, sweet cheeks, believe me. I’m the only thing that can keep you from disaster. I can tell them you came by this Dragonsteel legitimately, or that you took it off the market to keep it out of the wrong hands. Or, I can tell them the truth.”
“Who is they?” I asked.
Edward narrowed his eyes. “Does it matter? You seem to think you know enough about my kind to believe I need to be in these chains. That might keep you out of trouble if it’s only my kind who comes for me. On the other hand, it could be someone else.”
He paused. His intense gaze started to make me uncomfortable. He wouldn’t say the rest. Neither would I. It was as if we both feared that mentioning the Ring by name would somehow give them more power than they already had. And it told me he was perhaps afraid of them too.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll let you go. I think it’s foolish. I don’t think you’re ready to be out there yet. Another night here, resting until the full moon passes, would be far wiser. You can bluster all you want, but I know you're having trouble keeping your wolf under control. You’re right, I know enough about your kind to know how serious that is for you. I’ve heard of other shifters that had to be put down when they became a danger to themselves or others. Or worse.”
He snarled.
“But I want something in return,” I said, pressing what I hoped was my advantage.
“Name your price,” he said.
I sat slowly back down on the stool in front of him. I struggled to keep my fingers from trembling as I reached for him. I knew I couldn't show fear. I could barely show any interest at all.
“This,” I said. I placed two fingers on the medallion. Edward drew in a sharp breath but stayed otherwise still.
“What about it?” he said. “It’s a family heirloom of sorts. It’s not for sale.”
He was lying. Anger roiled inside of me. It was a family heirloom, all right, but not his.
“Everything’s for sale,” I said, repeating something I’d heard Flavia say at least a hundred times. Part of me wondered if perhaps I shouldn’t just bring her into this. Only, the fewer people who knew I desperately needed that medallion, the better.
Edward’s fingers closed over mine. The room spun. It got hard to breathe. His pulse seemed to rise out of his body and become a drumbeat inside mine.
“Tell me what you know about it,” he said.
“I thought you said it was a family heirloom. What could I possibly know that you don’t?”
“You knew I was wearing it,” he said. “You reached for it when you tried to give me that bullshit reading. Psychometry. Is that your racket? You can touch something that belongs to me, and what, read my fortune?”
I forcefully pulled my fingers away from his. “That doesn’t belong to you!”
I shouldn’t have said it. I tipped my hand. That smirk came back into Edward’s face.
“It’s mine now,” he said. “And I told you, it’s not for sale.”
I didn’t want to do it this way. He was about to leave me no choice. I tried to tell myself it would be for the greater good. He threw that family heirloom line out so casually. My eyes stung from holding back tears. I couldn’t let him see. I couldn’t give him that kind of power over me.
Family. My family. If I didn’t get that medallion off his neck, I might never see my own family again.
“Tell me what you know,” he snapped. If it weren’t for the Dragonsteel, I might have feared for my life when the fire came into his eyes. And yet, I didn’t think he would hurt me. Was that part of his power? Could he lull me into some false sense of safety, then go in for the kill? I knew some animals could do that. Their poison would numb you or immobilize you, then they would strike.
“I know it’s old,” I said. I would stick to as much of the truth as I could. “And I know it has no power unless it’s whole. So, it seems to me it’s worthless to you. I’m offering you your freedom for a piece of junk.”
“It’s not powerless,” he said. His tone turned dark. He cast his eyes downward. I knew in my soul, he was speaking from experience.
“What happened?” I said, unable to keep the desperation out of my voice. It didn’t matter. This was too important.
Edward held the medallion out away from his chest, fingering the markings. It made no sense. When I tried to lift it that far, it wouldn’t budge. That wasn’t part of the magic it contained. Something had been done to it.
“Listen,” he said. “I came here for a reading. You already know that. You think you’re helping me by keeping me chained up like this?”
“I don’t think,” I said. “I know. Why are you fighting me on that? Why can’t you just be honest with yourself?”
He raised a brow. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll be honest if you will. Because we’re not getting anywhere this way.”
I drew my knees up until I could rest my chin on them. He was asking me to trust him. Could I? Maybe, for now, I didn’t have a choice.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll go first. Yes. I felt a
little off-kilter last night. It’s true. But, you’re wrong if you think I can’t control myself. Zendra, if I’d wanted to hurt you, I would have. So, okay. I’ll play this your way. I won’t fight you. I’ll stay here one more night. The last of the full moon. If...you tell me what you know about this thing.”
He dropped the medallion, letting it fall beneath his shirt.
“That’s why you came,” I said. “For information?”
“Yes,” he said. “I have intel that someone at the Oracle might be able to shed some light on where this thing came from and what it’s supposed to do.”
“Intel? From who?”
“Look,” he said. “You know my name. Now, you probably want me to believe that means you’re psychic. I’m not a fool. You went through my wallet. Did you also see my business card?”
It was in me to deny even looking. Maybe he was right. A little trust and honesty might get me farther with him.
“I just saw your driver’s license. And you can count your cash. I didn’t take anything.”
“Do you mind?” he said, twisting, so his back pocket was exposed. I reached forward and slid out his wallet.
At Edward’s urging, I opened it. I thumbed through it until I found a black business card with silver lettering.
“Wolfguard Security,” I read.
“That’s right. That’s my employer. That’s who sent me here. I’m looking for information about this little trinket, and I’m willing to pay for it.”
I blinked. I was hoping he would sell the “trinket,” as he called it, to me. Now he was telling me he was the one buying. I could use that. If I could just get him to release whatever magic was binding it to him, I could disappear with it so quickly, even an Alpha wolf like him wouldn’t be able to stop me.
This was going to be far easier than I thought.
“All right,” I said. “Maybe we can help each other. But I’m going to need to see that thing up close and in a better light.”
I rose from the stool and went to my dresser. I pulled out a jeweler’s glass I kept in a drawer. It was nothing more than a prop. I used it during readings sometimes. It would suit my purposes perfectly now.
I held a hand out. “Can you take it off?”
“You first,” he said. “Take away these chains.”
“I’m not an idiot,” I said.
“Neither am I,” he said. “I said a little trust. Not all of it, Zendra. I’m not giving you the chance to take off with my property while you’ve got me chained up like this.”
So, we were at a stalemate. He had me, and he knew it.
Dammit. I really should have let Flavia handle the bargaining.
“Fine,” I said. I saw no other way around it. “But if you so much as glow your eyes at me, I’m throwing this back on you. I’m quicker than you think I am.”
“I have no doubt,” he said.
He stared at me with an amused expression that heated my blood as I unwrapped the chain around his legs. I set it on the bed and pulled my floor lamp closer. I didn’t need it. I didn’t need the jeweler’s glass. But, I was putting on a show.
Edward rose to his full height. Gods, he was huge. A solid wall of muscle and heat. He came to me. My heart tripped as he slowly lifted the chain from around his neck.
My breath caught. So close. I’d come so far. He couldn’t begin to understand how much that piece meant to me.
He placed it in my hand. I closed my fingers around it, feeling that ancient, familiar power surge through it.
In it, I could see my mother’s shining eyes. My father’s proud smile. My brothers. Home.
Then, the world came crashing down. My family disappeared. The room exploded in light.
I heard a crash and then breaking glass. The next thing I knew, I was flat on my back with a three-hundred-pound, keyed up, white wolf standing over me, his fangs dripping. My medallion swung from his neck.
Chapter Five
Edward
Zendra’s fear gutted me. Me. She was afraid of me.
I licked my lips. My wolf had a greater sense of her magic. I could see it. It swirled around her in a rainbow-colored aura.
Not of this earth.
The words popped into my head unbidden.
She’s not of this earth.
I sat back on my haunches. I let out a chuff and shook my head. Zendra got her feet beneath her. She rose on unsteady legs. If she made a move toward the Dragonsteel again, I’d bolt before she could touch me. I didn’t care how close she was to the truth about me. I would not live in chains.
Zendra’s fear left her. In its place, I felt her strong heartbeat.
There was a question in her pale, purple eyes. I lowered my head and scraped my front right paw on the ground.
It’s all right. I won’t hurt you. I’ll never hurt you.
I kept the last thought from fully forming. I would never hurt her, but neither would I let her hurt me.
Zendra came to me, her fingers outstretched. I lowered my head and allowed her to slide her hand down my back. Her eyelids fluttered with pleasure as she felt my silken, white fur. I don’t think she was expecting that. She imagined it would be rough and coarse. It was in places.
A tremor went down my back in a wave. I loved her touch. I nuzzled her legs.
Zendra straightened.
“It’s getting late,” she said. “I know what you need. But I’m going with you. I don’t believe you can control your wolf. I’ll give you a chance to prove it. After that...then we can talk. Deal?”
There was never any doubt about my answer. Zendra opened the bedroom door and peered down the hall. I could have told her we were alone. Flavia had long since retired. The shop was dark and silent.
I stayed in my wolf, hugging the shadows as Zendra and I made our way out the back. She took a hidden trail down to the beach. The lake seemed vast as the ocean, but calm tonight.
We avoided the pier and headed for a nature sanctuary about a half-mile to the east. We ignored the no trespassing signs and found a secluded spot among the dunes. No one would notice us all the way out here.
It was brave of her, or foolish. If she truly believed I couldn’t control my wolf, why in the hell would she come out here with me alone?
Answers. She thought I could give them.
“I’ll wait for you here,” she said. She picked a flat patch of ground. The breeze lifted her hair. The moon lit her face. She set a small drawstring bag on the ground. I hadn’t noticed her carrying it before. It was open slightly, and I saw she’d brought my clothes. I tilted my head to the side.
She would wait for me. What if it was all a lie? I realized it didn’t matter. I knew her scent now almost as well as my own. I could track her easily. Plus, the medallion seemed as important to her as it was to me. It was time for me to find out why.
For now, baser needs called to me. Zendra seemed to understand it better than I did. My wolf. The only way to control him was to let him out.
I left her there, watching me from a small valley among the dunes. I darted off along the shore, picking up the scent of a deer running north through the brush and into the woods.
I gave chase. The sand gave way to soft earth. The smells here intoxicated me. There was the pungent smell of dead fish and seaweed from the lake. Then, the warmer scents from the woods. Earth. Rotting logs. The blood of the various mammals taking cover in my wake.
I don’t know how long I hunted. Hours. The breaking dawn drew me back to the water’s edge. I felt calmer. More centered. And Zendra’s scent drew me as if she were my true north.
She stood on the beach, her hair flapping in the wind. She wore black, linen pants that caught in the breeze as well. She had on a matching black tank top. She hugged her bare arms around her. It was so cold here by the water.
I found my own jeans and slid them on. Then, I went to her. I resisted the urge to put my arms around her to warm her.
“You’re better,” she said, still watching the water. A freighter
chugged along in the distance, bound for the port of Toledo.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Why did you wait for me?” I asked. “You said you were trying to save me from myself. Well, as you can see, there’s no need. You were worried for nothing.”
Zendra turned to me. Those piercing violet eyes cut through me.
“What happens tomorrow?” she asked. “Or the day after that? Maybe you can lie to me, but you can’t lie to yourself forever.”
Her words stoked my anger. “Enough,” I said. “So, are you going to tell me what you know about this thing or not?” I held the medallion out. Zendra tried to hide it, but I saw her eyes spark. She wanted it. Badly. One thing was certain; though her magic threw me off my game, I knew I was on to something here. There was no way I was letting this woman out of my sight anytime soon. No more wild goose chases from Payne’s various contacts. I knew in my heart I’d find my answers right here in Luna Point.
Zendra reached into the deep pockets of her pants. She pulled a handful of gold bullion. It glinted in the rising sun.
If it was real, I guessed she was holding about twenty thousand dollars in her hand.
“It’s all I have,” she said.
“For this?” I asked, swinging the medallion.
“And information,” she said. “I’d like to know how you came into possession of it. It’s important to me.”
“I see that,” I said. “And I meant what I said. It’s not for sale.”
Zendra’s face changed. It wasn’t anger flashing through her eyes, though. Not even sadness. I couldn’t really describe it. It was as if she'd made some sort of decision. She slipped the bullion back in her pocket and zipped it.
“It’s not safe for you to be carrying that around,” I said.
“Mr. Kalenkov,” she said. “Let’s not pretend that you’re not the most dangerous thing out here.”
Heat flared between us. I felt it like a blow to the chest. She had no idea how true her statement was. Even now, I could feel the edges of my vision blur. It was just like back in the shop the first time I laid eyes on her. I was losing control. Fast.