Cloaked in Blood

by T. F. Walsh

  And still, I lived with the guilt of her injury. I never expected to see her again. After the arrow incident, Father told me I’d be killed by the sultan if I ever stepped foot in Turkey again. Of course, I had ignored the threat and went back for her, but guards drove me away, insisting Selena wanted nothing more to do with me and that she was being mated to someone else. My father told me to forget her and that he would kill her himself if I took her as my mate. Now she was thrown back into my life, stirring emotions I had tried to ignore for years. All that remained between us was a raging river of uncertainty, blame, and regret. My wolf wasn’t helping matters, pining to connect with her wolf like a damn love-struck teenager. For years, I’d convinced myself she was the past. Now confusion muddled my head. Sure, my wolf insisted she was ours, but I wasn’t convinced of her motives, who the real Selena was anymore, or whether she still carried any emotions for me. Only after I sorted out my crap with Father and Enre would I entertain the thought of uncovering where Selena stood. Mating was a whole different beast I wasn’t ready to tackle.

  Today, larger problems existed, like saving Enre and Daciana and removing Father from power. Then again, if this mating ensured a peaceful union between our two clans, I was all for it.

  But Selena refused to leave my thoughts, like a recurring wave, crashing into me, grabbing at my heart, then sliding away. I had to get my head together. This reaction wasn’t supposed to happen.

  On the second floor, Father opened the door to our visitors’ quarters: a compact living area with six bedrooms, two living areas, three bathrooms, and a kitchen. The Turkish alpha, his guards, and his daughters trailed inside.

  “Sultan, please enjoy your stay,” Father said, his voice dripping with noxious honey. “I’ll arrange for lunch to be sent to your room and will personally collect you for dinner.”

  The sultan bowed and accepted my father’s hand. “Thank you.” He receded into the room and shut the door.

  Father jerked around, a frown morphing his expression into a scowl, and he brushed past me toward the stairs. “Marcin, with me.”

  “I’m going to see Enre.”

  He halted halfway down the steps and offered me the kind of look that could scare off a slew of bears. “What for? You got what you wanted. He’s safe for now. We have another problem to handle.”

  He huffed and continued his hike down the curved steps, his hand gripping the banister for support.

  I took a long, slow breath to calm my spiking pulse. What I really wanted was to punch a wall. How many more problems could there possibly be in one day?

  Once we were inside his quarters, he slammed the door shut and pounded the floorboards in his rapid march from the window aglow with snow-capped mountains to the door leading to his bedroom. Father had no need for furniture in the main living area. It would only get in the way of his deadly pacing ritual.

  The crackling fire threw shadows across walls covered in tapestries, a menacing puppet show.

  I strolled toward the window and leaned a hip against the frame, the outside cold chilling my back.

  “I’ll strangle that Turk.” Father’s hands throttled an invisible foe. “No, better yet, I’m going to throw him off a cliff. Or tear him limb from limb.”

  “I liked his suggestion.”

  “You would.” He paused and glared my way. “Next time you defy me in public like that, I’ll cut your tongue out.”

  With Enre gone, I’d be the only heir to Father’s legacy, and even though he showed no intention of dying by natural causes, it was pretty late for him to mate and start over with another son. I’d bet that was the only reason he hadn’t yet cut out my tongue.

  Father sighed, his lips drawn into a thin line. “That Turk is here barely a second, and he gives me orders. I’ll make this work our way.” He tapped the side of his temple and nodded. “You enter the tournament, win, then claim a boon to take over Transylvania for your pack. Enre and Daciana’s packs will merge under yours, giving you the largest pack in Europe. We ... you’ll be invincible.”

  The hairs on my neck bristled. I was too tired for all this crap. “No. That’s not going to happen.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Don’t upset me now with your righteousness. You’ll mate with that Turkish bitch and gain land into Turkey through her dowry. We’ll finally make inroads there.”

  The seething beneath my skin bubbled to boiling point, but defending Selena would only aggravate him further. “Is that all I am to you? Your pawn for taking over territory?”

  He strode over to the fire and rubbed his hands. “I won’t expect you to understand. It’s a wolf-eat-wolf world. Either we make the first move, or the Turks will finish us off.”

  “Fuck that. Have you thought that maybe the Turkish are honest about desiring peace between our clans?”

  The way he stared at me, his cocked eyebrow and tilted head, said it all. A peaceful solution hadn’t even entered his mind. He was a cloak and dagger, stab you in the back kind of wulfkin.

  I crossed the room in a few quick strides. Enough of this conversation. “This ends now. I’m telling the sultan things have changed. They should leave. The deal is off.”

  “You do that and Enre and Daciana will die. Whether it’s now or later, death will come swiftly to them if you go against me on the boon in any way.”

  I froze in the doorway, rage burning a hole through my chest, and responded without turning around. “Do you ever do anything with good intentions?”

  “Ha. What use would that be?” He broke into a chuckle. “You can go.”

  I left the raving lunatic behind. The sooner I pushed Father aside, the quicker we’d end his antics. I raced down the steps to the ground floor. At the moment, with Enre, Father had my balls in a vice. But if I convinced the council to back me, we stood a good chance of overruling him, stripping him of his power and his pack—the only way to stop his savagery. My own pack had grown to a strong twenty-four, not yet outmatching Father’s, but considering each of my warriors could take two of his, we weren’t far away.

  First, I’d pay my brother a visit, then the council, and see where we stood. Surely, after witnessing Father’s earlier madness in the great hall, they’d be eager to replace him.

  I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and stepped out into the snow-covered courtyard, taking a sharp right toward the dungeon’s entrance. First order of business was getting my brother and Daciana transferred to comfortable quarters.

  A rasping sound from behind me sliced through my thoughts, and I glanced over my shoulder.

  Selena was across the yard, dragging a plant in a terra-cotta pot to who knows where. The scraping sound raised the hairs on my arms. A red line tarnished the concrete from the door to her position, bleeding into the melted snow, looking like a trail of blood.

  I was convinced that plant had once belonged in the front foyer. Now snow dusted its green leaves and white bell-shaped flowers.

  “Need a hand?” I asked as I strolled closer, the tightness in my gut returning threefold. How was I supposed to get anything done if I acted like a puppy dog each time I bumped into her?

  “Nope.” She didn’t turn, but continued dragging the plant.

  “You’re really determined to get that plant out here, aren’t you?”

  She shoved the pot into a snowy corner, protected by an overhanging ledge several feet above, and dusted her hands. “Did you know these are snowdrops and survive better outdoors, rather than choking to death inside?” When she faced me, her cheeks were blushing. Movement stirred behind her eyes. Maybe we were strangers after all. My hands tingled to reach out and take her into my arms; my wolf demanded we run free in the woods, but I had no idea where I stood with her.

  “So you’re doing the plant a favor?” I asked. Only Selena would care for something like a potted plant when anyone else considered it insignificant.

  “Figured if I’m going to live here, I’ve got to make it feel more like home.” Her voice sharpened as if cha
llenging me.

  But I wasn’t my father and preferred a less aggressive approach. “Would you like me to show you around the place?”

  “Thanks.” She tucked a loose lock of long, dark hair behind her ear and approached to stand beneath a window awning where the light scattering of snowflakes didn’t reach her. “But I promised Aisha we’d go exploring together.”

  “Fair enough.”

  A wall of silence jutted up between us as the quiet closed in around me. Any other woman, and I’d have no trouble striking up a conversation, but right then, my mouth refused to work. I couldn’t get enough of staring at how different Selena had become. She was more attractive than I could have imagined, from her long, slender neck to her delicious full lips, and those almond-shaped sexy eyes framed by black makeup that curved upward at the corners. When we were in Turkey, we expressed our attraction through long, passionate kisses, bodies pressed together, but we’d never had sex. She wanted to wait until we were officially together, and I respected her decision.

  I reminded myself that Selena was in the same position as me, probably forced into this arrangement.

  A breeze fluttered past, sweeping long hair off her face. I glanced around the empty yard, but her gaze didn’t leave me. It burned into me.

  “Funny how things have turned out. When we wanted to be together, our parents tore us apart, and now we’re being forced together—” My voice died. Heat scorched up my neck and cheeks. Damn, that came out wrong.

  Her eyes squinted, and her shoulders stiffened. “I voluntarily agreed to this mating.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “It’s okay, Marcin. I understand exactly what you meant. Look, I’d better head inside.” A disgruntled mien slid across her expression.

  Was she sulking? Would she have preferred if I took her into my arms and stated I’d make a perfect mate for her and everything would turn out all right? I wasn’t sure I had that much arrogance or the confidence to spin such a lie.

  “Selena.” I reached for her, but she brushed past my hand and hurried toward the door before vanishing inside.

  Idiot.

  As much as my instincts craved chasing after her, I headed in the opposite direction, my head hanging low. Nothing I could say would alter our situation. That we’d known each other before didn’t mean shit. Nine years was a long time. Especially after I’d tried so hard to explain the misunderstanding about the arrow that struck her shoulder, yet she outright accused my family of trying to assassinate her. Somehow, because I didn’t leap to her defense, I was in on the whole thing? Bullshit. How could she ever think I’d harm her? Obviously, she wasn’t the wulfkin I thought she was, but now, so much time had passed between us that I had no idea if we were a good match anymore. And I had no intention of spending a lifetime with someone who didn’t trust me.

  Damn, even two of my pack members had sworn they witnessed a Turk release the arrow targeting me. It was a long time ago and maybe we’d never find out the truth, but a lot had changed for me—I’d gained a pack and more responsibility. We were different wulfkin, led different lives, and held different beliefs. For all I knew, she supported my father’s dictatorial approach, though I somehow doubted anyone could stoop that low.

  Over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of the potted plant that lit up the dingy corner, giving the place a new look. It was somehow inviting. I pushed on.

  Snowflakes melted against my skin, and the cold winds tugged on my shirt. At the other side of the courtyard, I pushed open the doors and greeted the two burly guards, who jumped to their feet from slouching positions.

  “At ease,” I said.

  The bearded one smiled and settled heavily back in his seat. Father made them work grueling, long shifts, so all the guards were exhausted most of the time.

  I stepped around a corner and descended a curved stairwell, the smell growing mustier. Torches on the walls created pools of light across the flagstone steps. At the bottom, I reached an iron door protected by a wulfkin I recognized all too well.

  Sanyi’s hooked nose creased when he looked up. He’d broken it so many times that even with wulfkin healing, it refused to mend properly. A few months ago, the guard had requested to join my pack, but he didn’t cut the grade after getting into a brawl with me, then Vincent. No one should get on Vincent’s bad side. My second-in-command was the strongest fighter I’d ever come across. Sanyi got his nose smashed in, again, and ended up as Father’s prison guard instead.

  “Open the door.”

  His lips curled upward, flashing a smile of black decay. “Can’t do. Your father gave instructions that no one was allowed inside.” He squared his heavy shoulders and shifted to stand in front of the door, his coat pulling across his wide girth.

  I stepped closer, my wolf shoving against my insides, well aware of how much this wulfkin needed a lesson in manners. “Open up or I’ll deliver on that promise I made when I caught you cornering the kitchen helper last week.”

  His cheeks paled. “I ain’t risking your father’s anger.”

  My voice deepened. “If you don’t open up, you won’t have a life to risk.”

  Sanyi glanced over my shoulder and back, his chest rising and falling with each quickened inhale. Getting in trouble was only the start of what was coming for him if I ever caught him near a young girl again.

  He reached for the keys at his hip and licked his lips.

  It took every inch of strength not to smash his head against the stone wall. He just had to slip up once more, and I’d deliver the blow. I had eyes all over the castle.

  “Open the door.”

  He hesitated at first but threaded the key into the hole, the clang resonating around us. “I will have to tell your father about this.”

  I refused to respond to his weak threat and walked through.

  Once inside, the door smacked shut and a cloud of dust blew around me. Bastard.

  Farther down a murky corridor that reeked of mold and urine, two guards nodded my direction.

  “I’m looking for Enre and Daciana.”

  “Next level down,” one said and handed me a flashlight.

  Of course Father would put my brother in the worst pit. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. “I need the keys to their cell.”

  The wulfkin handed them over, and I headed downstairs, into darkness. I switched on the light, noting the wooden beams covered in cobwebs overhead starting to rot at the corners. A squeak near my feet revealed a large rat scurrying across my boot and into a hole in the cracked masonry wall.

  At the landing, I swept the light across the circular enclosure in the center of the room. Two layers of iron bars, as thick as my wrists, meant no wulfkin was ever breaking out of there. It had been built to house dracwulves—vicious and unstoppable wolf creatures that had been banned for good reason.

  Inside, Enre and Daciana were on their knees, side by side, their wrists chained behind them to a boulder. My heart sank.

  Mud squished beneath my boots as I hurried. Sweat, urine, and brackish water smells cloyed at the back of my throat.

  I unlocked the first door and stepped inside to the next one, hinges groaning as I swung it open.

  Every memory flooded back: the whippings Enre received, the time his pet fox was butchered in front of him, Father spreading vicious lies about Enre not being his legitimate son. Not that anyone could prove or disprove it since we’d never known our mother. She had vanished soon after Enre’s birth.

  “Enre, Daciana, I’m so sorry you’re in here. This should never have happened.” I rushed closer, placed the flashlight on the ground, and released them from their iron manacles, which rattled and fell into a heap. The guilt of watching Father beat Enre as a child stuck to my insides like tar. I should have done more, should have suggested we run away together at a younger age, should have ... a shivery whisper of bitterness seethed in my gut. I should have taken Enre’s side in front of Father and shown him his actions weren’t acceptable.

&nbs
p; But at seventeen, I was powerless and weak against a warlord. So, I did the only thing in my control. I aided Enre’s escape, even if he didn’t know it at the time. And now was my chance to help him once again.

  “What’s your game?” Enre asked, standing barely a few inches from me, his words sharp. The cuts and bruises on his face were already healing.

  “No game. I’m doing what Father should have done the moment you arrived home.”

  “This isn’t my home.” His tone dipped, and his eyes morphed into wolf eyes.

  Daciana approached, her sharp gaze on me. The stories I’d heard of her beauty weren’t exaggerated in the slightest. With the darkest of hair, pale skin, and a wild look, she could enslave any wulfkin.

  “We appreciate your help, Marcin,” Daciana said. “And it’s nice to finally meet Enre’s brother.” She took me into an embrace, and I hugged her back.

  My chest squeezed at the warm reception when I’d expected a slap or worse. “It’s my honor. Honestly, if I knew you were coming, I would have made sure Father didn’t get his way or treat you as he has.”

  Daciana’s weak smile did little to conceal the concern crammed behind her eyes.

  Enre glowered at me. “I don’t buy this. You want something.”

  The depth of his suspicions was fully given, except he didn’t have all the facts about how I had previously helped him escape, the numerous times I stopped Father from beating him. Enre didn’t know I generally took the brunt of it. “Everything I’ve ever done was to protect you from Father.”

  Enre released a long breath, accompanied by a low growl. “Sure you did.”

  I doubted it would make a difference to explain myself now. Enre wasn’t ready to discuss the truth or believe me.

  “I don’t expect you to ever forgive me, but I will participate in the tournament quest. My second-in-command and I will represent both of you, win, and give you back your lives, your peace, and Transylvania. Father won’t ever touch you again. Until then, I’ve arranged for you to stay in one of our guest quarters and be treated as visitors, not enemies.”