Melting Her Wolf's Heart: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves, and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 9)

by Vella Day

  “Vinea, stay back,” Devon commanded. “When you can, run!”

  Those were the last words Devon said before he shifted. The first wolf with a white spot on his forehead leapt in the air and landed on Devon. She cringed and clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Just as the other two wolves crouched, ready to spring, she waved her hand, focusing all of her attention on freezing time.

  A second later, both wolves became suspended in the air. Devon was safe from them for now, but she didn’t know how long she could keep them at bay. He yelped when his attacker’s teeth dug into his side, causing her to lose a bit of focus. Thankfully, the freeze remained in place.

  After managing to throw the wolf off, Devon spun around and swiped a claw across the spotted wolf’s nose. The animal retreated. Perhaps it was the rush of adrenaline from seeing the other two animals halted in mid air that gave him the energy to charge this wolf. With a lunge, he landed on the animal’s back and took a huge bite out of his side. The spotted wolf cried out and dropped to his haunches.

  Scraping paws from down the hallway charged toward them. Just as they reached the doorway, Vinea’s ability to hold the freeze broke. The two wolves that had been suspended dropped to the ground and came at Devon. But before they reached him, the most beautiful white tiger raced in and sped toward those two. Behind him came another wolf, one that was dark gray with sand colors woven in.

  Vinea pressed her back against the wall, not wanting to get in the way of the mayhem. The coppery stench of blood filled the small space, along with growls and whines. Slowly, the whimpers subsided and three dead men lay naked and broken on the cold floor. The fight was over before it had really started. The white tiger and both wolves shifted back. She recognized Connor but not the other man.

  Heart pounding too fast, her muscles didn’t unlock for a moment. When they finally did, she ran to Devon who was down on one knee, breathing fast. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” He rubbed his arm where teeth marks had left an impression.

  Devon picked up something that he then placed in his ear. He eased to his feet and rose, clasping a hand on her arm. “We need to get out of here.”

  “I’d like nothing more.”

  A bit hunched over, Devon wrapped an arm around her waist and led her out the door. Connor and the other man followed. They were halfway down the hall when the lights clicked on, and all three men stopped. Devon tapped his ear bud. “Kip, did you turn on the lights? Then what’s going on? Gotcha.”

  Devon tapped his ear once more and then faced his men. “Two Changelings just entered through the back. Sam was able to incapacitate the rest, but these two came from a different direction.”

  The white tiger shifter nodded. “If there are only two, I can take them. You get Vinea to safety.”

  “I’ll help you,” Connor said to the tall man.

  Before Devon could lead her away, angry voices sounded, and suddenly Brother Jacob appeared with a man she didn’t recognize. Jacob stopped and held out a hand for the man to halt. Jacob’s lips twisted, and the hair on his face darkened. “What are you doing here?” he said with a sneer on his face.

  She thought the answer was obvious.

  “Vinea, go out to the front,” Devon commanded through gritted teeth. “Our men are out there. You’ll be safe.”

  No way in hell was she going to leave Devon with Brother Jacob and that other man. It didn’t matter that Sam had incapacitated all the other men or that Connor and the other weretiger could help. She might be able to do something. “No.”

  “Don’t argue with me, just do it!” Devon practically shouted.

  Not wanting to distract him, she turned toward the main entrance and pretended to leave, though she had no intention of actually doing so.

  Without warning, Brother Jacob and his sidekick shifted, forcing her to look in their direction. The man who had been the white tiger stepped forward, but Devon held up his hand. “Dalton, Brother Jacob is mine.”

  Vinea wanted to shout at him to let his friend help, that he didn’t need to be some hero to prove something to her, but the stubborn man never listened.

  All three men shifted again. This time Connor and Dalton stalked Brother Jacob’s sidekick while Devon crouched low in front of the black and tan wolf. She had thought Devon was a large wolf, but Brother Jacob was even bigger. His genetically defective genes seemed to have imbued him with extra weight and muscle. She could only hope that Dalton and Connor would kill the sidekick and then come back to help Devon with his foe.

  Brother Jacob snarled and charged, aiming for Devon’s hind leg. He hit the mark, biting down on Devon’s upper thigh, and when he yelped, her breath hitched. Yes, she could freeze time again, and maybe even interfere somehow, but Devon would never forgive her if she did. He needed to battle with this man—whether it was to prove something to her, to himself, or to his family.

  Part of her didn’t want to watch the fight-to-the-death, but her love for Devon made her stay put. The sidekick howled, and the tiger and wolf stepped back as he transformed into a dead human. Yes! One down. Only one more to go.

  She expected both friends to jump into the fray, but they merely surrounded the two fighters, honoring Devon’s wish. Keeping out of sight, Vinea held her breath, wincing every time Brother Jacob got in a good scratch or bite. Devon growled. Keeping his eyes on the red-eyed devil, he circled him, while Dalton and Connor moved back to give them room. As if the two fighters heard a shotgun go off, they both launched themselves into the air. Teeth collided, and they pawed at each other, jockeying for the best position. When they landed, Brother Jacob had a hold of Devon’s throat.

  No! Vinea’s knees nearly buckled. Her mind swirled, trying to think of something she could do to save him. If she’d been able to become invisible, she could have rushed in and kicked Brother Jacob. He deserved all the pain she could give him for what he’d done.

  When both Dalton and Connor moved closer, Devon’s growl stopped them.

  She couldn’t watch, so she closed her eyes and prayed to her sister, to her mother, and to her father, begging them for forgiveness. When she opened her eyes a minute later, blood covered the floor, and the strong stench of copper stung her nostrils.

  Both wolves stood facing each other, poised to charge. This time, Devon made the first move. Instead of leaping like he had before, he kept low. When he was close to Brother Jacob, Devon rolled onto his back and then latched onto Brother Jacob’s neck.

  Jacob’s red eyes practically glowed, and then his legs gave way. Not until he collapsed on top of Devon, did Devon let go. When the man she loved didn’t move, Vinea rushed to his side. No sooner had she knelt down than Jacob died, transforming into his human form.

  She feared Devon’s wound was too much for his wolf to handle. Without giving it a second thought, she placed her hands on his head and concentrated on drawing out all of the evil. Pain soared through her veins, but she would willingly take ten times that amount if it would help him heal. Her heart fluttered, and her body weakened.

  When Devon opened his eyes, she let go and tried to smile, but she didn’t have the energy. A set of hands grabbed her shoulders, and the last thing she remembered were her eyes rolling back in her head.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

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  Devon was beside himself. He paced in front of his bed, watching Vinea’s chest slowly rise and fall, willing her to open her eyes. He’d contacted Missy again, and after she performed her magic, she said while she couldn’t make any promises, she was hopeful Vinea would recover. After all, Vinea had healed quickly the last time.

  What had possessed Vinea to try to heal him again? If Missy hadn’t been able to rush to the rescue, Vinea might have died. Why couldn’t she understand that his wolf would have taken care of him?

  Vinea’s eyes slowly opened, and Devon immediately sat on the bed and picked up her hand. “How are you feeling?”

  She took a moment to respond. Vinea glanced around, prob
ably trying to figure out where she was. The last thing she would have remembered was being in that terrible house.

  “Kind of weak, but okay.”

  He blew out a breath. “That was a pretty foolish thing for you to do,” he said, keeping his tone light. “You know my wolf would have healed me. It just would have taken some time.”

  She glanced away. “You would have done the same thing if I’d been injured,” Vinea said struggling to talk.

  “Yes, I would have.” This discussion seemed to be stressing her out. Her breath was quickening. “You need to rest now. We’ll talk later.”

  “I’ve rested enough.”

  “Vinea,” he said in the same voice his father used to use on the kids when he was young—stern but compassionate.

  She grabbed his hand. “I need to find out about Mr. Sanford. He never showed up at the café, and I’m worried about him.”

  Devon remembered she was on her way to his house when she disappeared. “He’s fine. I spoke with him. We’ll talk about it later.” A small smile flitted across her lips, and then she was out.

  Confident that Vinea would heal, Devon returned to the living room. As soon as Dalton and Connor had helped them both home, they had gone back to headquarters to make sure things were ready when the shit hit the fan. The Changelings would need some time to regroup after losing their leader, but they would return with a vengeance. While killing Brother Jacob had been one of Devon’s finer moments, it might have been his stupidest one. In the past, the Changelings hadn’t come right out and attacked his Clan. Now, they might.

  Needing to stay in the loop, he called Connor. “How’s Vinea?” Connor asked without saying hello.

  “She was awake for a little bit, but she’s asleep again now.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  Devon was pleased that his brother sounded so concerned. “I think so. It will take some time though.”

  “Look, I owe you an apology.”

  He sure did. “I’m listening.”

  “I misjudged Vinea.”

  That was all he needed to hear. “I get it. She hurt me the first time, and you didn’t want it to happen again.”

  “Sorry, bro. I was an ass. I should have trusted your instincts.”

  “No, I was fooled by the evil Vinea the first time, and we both know it. You believed she was that same person. You were just trying to protect me, and I appreciate it,” Devon shot back.

  “So we’re good?”

  Devon could never stay mad at Connor for long. “We’re good. Have you heard any scuttlebutt about the take down?”

  “No. The Changelings are keeping everything quiet. I imagine it’s not something they want to brag about. I figure it will take some time for them to take care of the mess and regroup. They’ll need to find a new leader, though it will probably be John Ernst.”

  “He might be worse than Brother Jacob. Shit, maybe I made things worse.” The door to the bedroom opened. “Look I gotta go. Vinea needs me.”

  “Tell her I’m sorry.”

  “I will.” Devon hung up and rushed down the hallway. “You should be resting.” Yes, he sounded like a broken record, but he couldn’t help himself.

  He reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled her head against his shoulder, and her scent shot his damn wolf to attention. “I’d rather rest out here with you.”

  He placed an arm around her waist for support and led her to the sofa. “Fine, I’ll get you propped up on the couch, and then get you something to drink. Or are you hungry?”

  “Do you have any hot chocolate? I’ve found that it relaxes me.”

  “Coming right up.” Devon came back carrying the steaming cups. After placing them on the coffee table, he then pulled it closer so she could reach it easily. He lifted her legs and sat down, placing them over his lap.

  “So tell me how you ended up in that house,” he said. He hadn’t wanted to discuss the tragic events until he was convinced she was strong enough, but she seemed on the mend.

  She blew on the steaming mug then sipped her hot chocolate. “A man I’d never seen before came into the café around the time that Mr. Sanford usually shows up and asked if I’d seen him.”

  “And once you realized your regular customer was late, you began to worry.”

  “Yes. The man was supposedly Mr. Sanford’s lawyer.” She explained about the house he’d driven her to. “I remember thinking that it didn’t look like how Mr. Sanford had described it, but I didn’t say anything. I should have gone with my gut instinct and vanished.”

  He almost smiled at her answer to everything. “If you had disappeared, it might have made you a more valuable target.”

  “True, but in this case, they already knew who I was. To finish the story, just as we reached the door, someone came up behind me and hit me on the head, knocking me out. I felt a pinch and then the sting of being injected with a drug. I don’t remember anything until I woke up in that room.”

  Anger at the attack once more stabbed him in the gut. “If I hadn’t already killed Brother Jacob, I would rush up there now and tear him limb from limb.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t think it would have been that easy. By the way, how did you get past the guards?”

  “Sam incapacitated them.”

  “Wow. After what I tried to do to him, I’m surprised he was willing to help.”

  Devon smiled. “Everyone believes that you’ve changed. I think Sam has even forgiven you.”

  “I’ll have to thank him.”

  Devon nodded. “What else do you remember?”

  “When I came to, I was really mad at myself for not leaving when I had the chance. My lapse must have been because I had been worried about Mr. Sanford.”

  Devon looked off to the side. “The Changelings must have been planning this for a while. They knew just which of your buttons to push.”

  “I know.”

  Vinea was vulnerable. If anyone doubted the change in her, this would prove it. She was almost too kind. “If something like this ever happens again, we need to get something straight,” he said after drinking some of his now-cooled hot chocolate.

  “What’s that?”

  “You can’t keep healing me.”

  She placed a hand on his arm. “What was I supposed to do? Let you die?”

  “As I said, my wolf would have healed me.”

  She shook her head. “If you had seen yourself like I did, you too would have thought you had maybe an hour to live. Besides, when Naliana shot me with light, part of the process to rid my body of the evil was to give me the ability to heal. As I become a better person, my ability to draw the pain from others increases—or so I’ve found.”

  “I don’t like it. If you keep doing that, people will learn of your abilities, and you’ll have hoards of people flocking here to ask for your help. Some might even be Changelings.”

  Not that he and Vinea would be in Silver Lake for much longer, as he had his own office to run in Pittsburgh.

  She looked off to the side. “I had wondered about that. I should probably restrict my healing only to those I love.”

  Devon stilled. “Love?”

  “Yes, love. Like you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, I love you, Devon McKinnon, and I have for a long time.”

  He lifted her legs, and she sat upright beside him. Devon leaned over, cupped her face, and then kissed her gently, not wanting to take advantage of her when she was still healing. Even that small touch caused his wolf to wake up and demand more. Devon had to work hard not to mate with her right then and there.

  His breath came out too fast. “If I continue to touch you, I’ll want to make love with you, which will lead to mating.” Devon couldn’t believe how far they had come since their first meeting. “You are the most important person in my life, Vinea. I love you.”

  She grinned. “Then show me.”

  “You aren’t ready for that yet. You need to rest more. Actually, you
should be in bed.”

  “With you, maybe, but geez, I’ve been in bed for almost a day now. Besides, Missy’s magic worked.”

  He was so happy to hear that. “I think ever since she mated with Zane, she’s become a stronger healer.”

  Vinea smiled. “Then I can recommend her to anyone who needs help.”

  He stroked her face. “I like that idea better.”

  Vinea set down her drink and straddled him. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Ahem,” said a female voice in the direction of the kitchen.

  Vinea’s eyes widened, and she jumped off his lap. “What are you doing here?”

  Devon twisted around, and they both shot to their feet. “Naliana?”

  His tongue was barely able to say her name. He had forgotten that the white moon was tonight, the one night Naliana made her appearance. With everything going on, it also had slipped his mind about her being Vinea’s sister.

  Naliana smiled. “I came to congratulate you, my beautiful sister.”

  Vinea’s eyes widened “For what?”

  He could see the family resemblance. “Because you finally allowed your white light back inside you and are fully embracing it. As I’ve said before, I tried to help when you were sent to the dark side, but I was told that it wouldn’t be for long. I’d just met James, and after I informed them that I wasn’t ready to return, my punishment was to be kept away from you.”

  Vinea clasped Devon’s hand. “I never did understand how you could defy our parents.”

  Naliana shrugged. “Think of it as letting my heart guide me. I figured if I was supposed to be the one to pair shifters and Wendayans, I needed to live among the mortals and learn about love.”

  Vinea staggered back, and Devon slipped his arm around her waist. “How about we all sit?” he suggested.

  Naliana floated in front of them and then took the seat across from the sofa.

  “So you really wanted to contact me all those years ago?” Vinea said to her sister.