by Eve Newton
“What’s going on here?” I hear the bartender call.
The two Ambassadors in front of me turn and fire bolts of black magic at him. It propels him into the shelves stocked with liquor behind him. I slap my hands to my ears as the awful sound of shattering glass assaults my sensitive wolf hearing.
And then something occurs to me. Why the hell haven’t they fired their magic my way yet?
“You’re not here to kill me,” I say.
“One of our commanders is missing,” Rightie answers.
“And what the hell has that got to do with me?”
“His name is Cahl,” he adds.
Oh shit. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
Leftie grins. “You are lying, wolf.”
“Do not worry. We have methods of making you speak the truth. And once you do, we will rid this world of you,” Rightie threatens.
Making me speak the truth? They mean torture. They’re fools. They won’t get a thing from me.
They both raise their palms. I glance behind me at the other six outside. I’m trying to figure out my best escape route here. The silver cuffs will compromise my ability to take them all on in a major way. That means I need to run. But I have to wake Ember first. I can’t leave her here.
A blast of black magic hits my left cuff suddenly. Holy shit. It burns like a bitch. It’s doing something to the silver. Intensifying the effect! I can feel it travelling through my entire fucking left side.
Another blast hits the right cuff.
Shit.
I collapse to my knees. The pain is beyond anything I’ve ever felt before, tearing through every part of my body. Unbearable.
I can feel the assholes advancing on me.
There’s only one thing left to do.
The one thing I’ve been avoiding for months now.
I close my eyes and relinquish control.
To the wolf within.
Being more than any other wolf in existence, I can shift instantly. No waiting.
I feel my human instincts take a backseat as the wolf takes center stage, its primal instincts becoming my entire being.
My wolf roars ferociously, the sound reverberating so profoundly through the area that it shatters the chandeliers above and they rain down in a hail of glass and crystal.
The Ambassadors advance.
The wolf isn’t having any of it. No mercy. No hesitation.
I swipe my paw at Leftie and my claws severe his head clean from his body. Rightie tries to draw his sword, but I pounce quickly and maul him viciously until he’s as dead as his comrade.
My senses alert me to movement behind me and the wolf spins on all fours to see the six soldiers outside readying their swords and magic.
But my reflexes and speed in wolf form are completely beyond theirs.
I leap through the air, crashing through the mammoth windows into the parking lot outside. Glass shatters all around me, but the wolf just shakes it from its fur.
And then I attack, ripping into the soldiers, as the bloodlust of the wolf takes over, fueled by the burning pain in my wrists. I thought the shift would’ve snapped them in two, but they’ve somehow adjusted to the growth in size.
As I decapitate two Ambassadors with a single swipe of my paws, I feel the other four circling me.
In seconds, all hell really breaks loose, raining down on me. They launch into what can only be described as a full-on magical missile attack. I’m far more agile in wolf form, but even that’s not enough right now to avoid being hit by their burning magic.
Jesus fuck!
The wolf roars at the top of its lungs as the four soldiers force it to its knees with their relentless attack.
It lets up suddenly. The wolf struggles back onto its paws, wondering why it’s been granted a reprieve.
They’re being attacked! A bolt of black magic slams into one of them, propelling him through the shattered glass windows and all the way into the bar.
Holy hell.
It happens to another.
And then I see him.
Cahl.
He’s standing there, his palms outstretched and firing magic at his own men. What the hell?
I don’t even get the chance to process it as a blinding blue light assaults my sensitive wolf vision.
The remaining two soldiers scream as blue flames lick at their boots and travel up their bodies, completely engulfing them until they are nothing but ash.
As soon as the blinding light disappears, I fight to adjust my vision. And that’s when I see Draven. He’s standing over at the far end of the parking lot.
The wolf doesn’t like this interference to its destruction. Nor does it like the confusion that them showing up brings. Are they true allies, or enemies?
It can’t afford to entertain a distinction.
It pounces at Cahl, driving him onto his back. He grunts as my claws rip clean through his armor and into his chest beneath.
“Calm!” Draven shouts, taking a huge risk by coming close.
The wolf snarls viciously at him, threatening him and warning him to stay back.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he says.
“Do not,” Cahl gasps at him. “I have this.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I was an Ambassador Commander.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that much from the uniform. What are you doing here? Why are you protecting her? What’s your game here, huh?”
“I am no longer with the Jurisdiction.”
“Really? I’m going to need more than your word on that.”
Cahl blows out a frustrated breath. “Observe the evidence, warlock. Why else would I be assisting Aria? Why else would I assault those who desire to harm her? If I were still working alongside my former employer, I would have killed her by now. Do you see now? Does that satisfy you?”
Draven hesitates for a moment or two, clearly thinking over Cahl’s words.
“Fine. You mean no harm to her.”
“I do not.”
“What about Ember?”
“I know your mission, warlock. I wish to assist all three of you.”
“All right.”
“Good. Now, pull back. I have this.”
“You have seconds to prove that to me. I can’t risk her tearing this place apart. The situation is messy enough as it is without more casualties.”
Cahl struggles beneath me and manages to free his arms. The next thing I know, they’re on my wrists, covering the silver cuffs that are still causing me absolute agony. The only relief is the rage of the wolf that’s transcending everything else.
The wolf starts to struggle against his grasp, not understanding the tenderness of his touch.
“Shh,” he says softly. “I will banish the pain. Just let me, Aria.”
Aria? Hearing him say my name reaches something buried within me. The human part of me. I watch him close his eyes. Moments later, I feel the burning in my wrists subside.
The wolf lifts its paws, one at a time. The cuffs are gone.
I can feel it calming and starting to take a backseat as it lifts its weight off Cahl and sits back on its hind legs, eyeing him dubiously.
He sits up slowly, holding his hands out in a show of surrender as he gets to his feet.
He crouches low as he approaches me. “I came here to help you,” he says in that velvety soft voice of his that does things to me.
He reaches his hand out cautiously and touches my head. The wolf grunts in surprise, but Cahl doesn’t pull back in fear. He just smiles and starts stroking my fur.
The wolf likes that as much as the human part of me does and, before I know it, it’s lying down and making a contented purring sound.
I close my eyes.
I don’t even realize I’ve shifted back until I hear Draven gasp and say, “Well done,” to Cahl.
My eyes snap open and I sit up.
Oh shit. I’m naked.
I see Draven look away quickly, turning his at
tention to the destruction that I have caused. Cahl snaps his fingers. I look down to find myself back in my leathers.
“Thanks,” I tell him.
He smiles. “You are most welcome.”
“You proved useful in taming the wolf,” Draven tells him.
“Taming?” I spit, as I get to my feet.
He holds up his hands. “My apologies. I misspoke. Calming.”
“Better,” I say, still pissed that he used that word at all.
Draven rests his hand on Cahl’s shoulder. Suddenly, he disappears in a flash of blue light.
“What the hell? Where did you send him?”
“To my dungeon.”
“What?”
“He is the enemy, but, as one of their chief commanders, he is more valuable alive right now than dead. That’s more than can be said for the rest of them,” he says, gesturing to the ash and corpses all over the parking lot.
“He won’t hurt us.”
“As he has claimed. However, the proof of that isn’t there, except when it comes to you. He’s shown he won’t hurt you. But Ember and myself? We can’t be certain. And I won’t take that chance.”
“I—”
“Take me to her.”
“She can’t leave the room in the daylight.”
He waves his hand dismissively. “I can help with that. Just lead the way.”
As we make our way back inside the hotel, I watch Draven raise his left hand at the windows. They repair themselves instantly, as do the chandeliers inside. All the carnage disappears as if it’d never happened. I even see the bartender getting to his feet behind the bar. Draven must’ve healed him. Wait. No. It’s more than that. The bartender glances around, looking really confused for several seconds.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I have erased all evidence of the attack from his consciousness and that of any other mortal being within a mile of this hotel.”
“A mind-wipe? Is that what you mean?”
He nods. “It was necessary. We cannot risk exposure.”
“Wow.”
He flashes an arrogant smile. “That’s nothing.”
“Really?” I challenge, as we reach the lobby and approach the elevators.
He nods and then eyes me intensely. “You have issues controlling your wolf, because it’s so strong. I may be able to help you with that.”
I scoff. “Thanks, but I’ve been to so many people about it and no one can do a damn thing.”
He grins. “You haven’t been to me.”
Okay, now I’m speechless.
The elevator arrives and Draven ushers me inside, smiling at my stunned silence.
Chapter 15
~Aria~
I make it down the last two steps into what I think is the dungeon area of the Coven mansion. I look back quickly. No one is around. Phew. My wolf senses should be able to pick up anyone nearby, but Draven and his Coven have magic, so who knows if they use those blocking spells like Tony and Cahl have used on me recently. I can’t risk it.
No one will understand what I’m doing here.
Hell, neither do I.
All I do know is that I need to see him. It’s like a physical thing. Like some sort of overwhelming craving.
Fortunately, Ember’s sleeping in one of the many rooms upstairs. Draven, Jacob and the rest of the Coven are in some sort of meeting. They have been for hours.
I make my way down the corridor in the basement level of the incredible mansion. This area is definitely dungeon-like. Dank, dark and creepy as fuck.
I know Cahl’s down here. I can smell him.
I follow his scent until I reach the door at the far end of the narrow corridor. It’s a good thing I have these abilities, because there are about thirteen doors altogether. Six on either side and then this one, just set off slightly and adjacent to the other twelve.
I grab the bronze doorknob and turn it sharply.
Huh. It’s not locked.
I glance behind me again and then step inside quickly, shutting the door behind me.
“Aria.”
I spin around, my back smacking against the door in my haste, to see Cahl suspended in the middle of the room. He’s hovering several feet off the ground in a field of blue magic.
He’s not wearing his armor now. Draven or one of his Coven members must’ve stripped him of anything that could be used as a weapon. He’s shirtless and wearing only a pair of black satin boxers.
Whoa. He’s ripped beyond belief. His chest is all hard muscle with abs that look like they’re carved out of stone.
Without thinking, I reach out to him.
“Shit,” I cry as the blue field zaps me, sending a bolt of electricity through me.
“Are you all right?” Cahl asks me, concern filling his eyes.
I glance down at my hand. It’s burned, but it’ll heal quickly. “Yeah,” I say, looking back up at him. “I’ll be fine.”
“Do not touch the field again, princess.”
Like I’d be that stupid twice. I roll my eyes at him. Wait. Princess? Did he just really say that? Wow, that came out of left field. I’m not sure what to make of it, so I decide to just blow past it.
“Are you hurt?” I ask.
“No. The warlock has not begun his interrogation as yet.”
“He won’t need to, will he?”
He smiles. “No.”
“You’ve already defected from the Jurisdiction.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Do you not already see why?”
“I—”
“I found the answer to my question.”
“Question?” I ask. But then I remember. The weird conversation we’d had that’d shocked me back at the hotel the other day:
“It’s kill, or be killed.”
“Is it?”
“What?”
“Is there not more than…this?”
“There is more. You have shown me that, princess.”
“I’m not your princess,” I snap, not comfortable that I’m softening so easily with him.
“Your wolf begs to differ, I believe.”
Well, he’s got me there. I shrug. “She just wanted the cuffs off.” Blatant lie.
He grins. “I see,” he says, although it’s clear he doesn’t believe me.
“Well…good.”
“I wonder if anyone else has succeeded in calming your wolf before?”
He asks it in such a casual way, but I know damn well there isn’t anything casual about it.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“On the contrary, it matters more than anything.”
This whole thing is beyond messed up. “Don’t you hate my kind?”
He shakes his head. “It was never about hate. Emotion did not enter into it.”
“Then…what?”
“Duty.”
“Duty?” I scoff.
“You may not understand as you are not one who follows orders. You give orders. I was raised to do this duty and nothing else.”
“I get that. What I don’t get is why you suddenly defected. So, what, you suddenly saw me and decided to turn your back on everything? I know I’m a hot piece of ass, but still. It’s a little hard to believe.”
“Hot piece of ass?” he questions, the words sounding so weird coming out of his mouth.
For some reason, it has me blushing. What the hell? This man affects me in the strangest ways. “I…I mean, you found me attractive.”
“Oh,” he says, smiling with amusement. And then his expression becomes serious. His eyes lock with mine, the intensity causing my heart to skip a beat. “No, it was more than that. I realized who you are. Your eyes. Your hair…such a vibrant red. A shade I have only seen once before. I should have realized the connection immediately. It is clear to me now that the Jurisdiction lied to me about your true heritage.”
“What?”
“You are the daughter of Alessandra.”
“Alessandra?”
“Your mother.”
“You…you knew my mother?”
Before he can answer, the door flies open and Draven strolls on in.
“Aria,” he says, sternly. “A word, please.”
I eye Cahl, hesitating, as he was about to reveal something major to me. He shakes his head at me, letting me know that he won’t say anything with someone else here. Shit. What the hell does he know about my mother? How does he know her? And who the hell could she be to have him doing a complete one-eighty and defecting from his own people just to spare my life?
I blow out a frustrated breath as I allow Draven to usher me out of the cell.
He shuts the door and I watch him sweep his hand over the lock. It shimmers with blue magic and I know he’s just spelled it. Dammit.
I fold my arms across my chest as he regards me seriously.
“You must be careful. We don’t know his intentions yet. This could be a trick.”
“If you hadn’t interrupted, I could’ve found out.”
“He has power over you.”
I scoff. “Please.”
“You can’t dismiss it. I was there. He was able to subdue your wolf. A wolf that is stronger than any other wolf on this earth. That is great power, Aria.”
“I—”
“Borne from love.”
I burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of what he’s suggesting. “Powerful, good looking and a sense of humor. Ember’s a lucky girl.”
“She will be once I break through her stubbornness,” he says with an annoyed frown. In an instant, his serious all-business expression is back as he tells me, “But I am not joking about this. You know it, even if you can’t admit it aloud. Be careful. Until I can be sure of his intentions, you won’t go near him again. The spell will see to that.”
“I—”
“Ember is in the dining hall. You can join her for dinner.”
Argh. He’s stonewalling me. There’s not much else I can do, given the fact that I don’t possess any magic of my own, let alone his extreme power.
“Fine,” I mutter, walking away.
I’m aware that he isn’t following me.
I turn back to see him still standing at the door to Cahl’s cell.
“Draven?”
“Yes?”
“He doesn’t need to be interrogated. He’ll tell you what you want to know. You don’t need to…force it out of him.”