Circle of Wolves

by Jacqueline Roth

  “And yet I sense so much magic in this house,” the salamander replied.

  “And a great deal of it in the woods beyond,” Keita confirmed.

  Kira lifted her head from Evan’s and turned toward the speakers. The lizard was gone. In his place was very slender young man. His face was uncommonly handsome and his eyes shone like bright coals in a fire, glowing orange and then red. Their words registered.

  “You are sensing me. I hold some…” She breathed deeply before she spoke the word, “magic”.

  The young man turned to her and seemed to examine her closely before nodding his head. “Yes, I sense you. But there are others.”

  Kira nodded. He must be feeling Sasha and perhaps Katerina. Her slender hope that they were wrong about her niece narrowed. She watched the beautiful face turn back to Keita before speaking again. “But the magic in this house is different from what is in the woods.”

  “Yes, Orunjan.” Keita nodded. “I think that is why you frighten Mistress Kira so much. She was not that frightened of Isaura or me.”

  “Water?” Evan asked as he rose to face the elementals.

  Both nodded. “She carries a great deal of it along with the magic of her kind,” Orunjan confirmed. “Again I offer my apologies, I had no wish to frighten. Perhaps that is why Keahi declined to come.” The word declined was spoken with more than a bit of amusement.

  “No offense but I wondered at that. Your master usually sends him when he is forced to deal with me.” Evan felt the twisted smile slip onto his face.

  “He told our master that there would be and I quote, ‘Too many K’s floating about.’ He seemed to think it would be a bit confusing.” The orange eyes burst into flames that danced in his sockets and a bit of a glow infused his skin. The thin lips twisted into a smile.

  Evan laughed quietly. “That sounds like him.” He turned back to Kira. “Vadim Wyton was a water mage. You scrying with the water bowl made me wonder but all three of the elementals have concurred that you carry the water magic with you. And no we don’t need to call in an undine to check.” He fixed Keita with a stern gaze and she shut the small mouth that had already started to form words. Then he reached for Kira’s hand. “That’s probably why Oranjun’s appearance unsettled you so much. Water and fire are opposites as are earth and air. You saw Isaura’s reactions to me?” She nodded quietly, her eyes narrowed and fixed on the salamander. “It’s the same for fire and water, only Oranjun has better manners.”

  “Oranjun has more fear of his master,” Keita said sagely.

  Kira expected the fire elemental to argue but he simply smiled politely and nodded. “Mistress Arianna is not quite as, shall we say, firm in her control of Isaura as my master is with us.”

  “Is he unkind to you?” Kira asked, her throat felt dry and something about talking to the creature felt wrong.

  “Never,” Oranjun assured her. “My master is not cruel no matter what some may think. But neither would he approve of my discussing him with others.” The eyes shifted back to Evan, his shoulders squared and the voice that had been as soft and soothing as a slowly dying fire well contained in its grate became strong like the flare of flame when a burning log cracks and shifts. “I carry a message from my master to the earth mage Evan Forester.” Evan too straightened and Keita stepped away from the salamander and stood beside her mage.

  “My master bids me say to the earth mage, ‘Fifteen minutes at the east gate.’” Oranjun bowed.

  Evan gave an impatient grunt low in his throat. “Fifteen minutes from now or from when you arrived?”

  “I would assume from my arrival,” the creature replied, trying to stifle a smile.

  “Damn it.” Evan turned and grabbed for his bag. His belongings had been transferred to these rooms at some point between when he left to meet Kira’s friend Elena and when they returned mated. He pulled out his clothes and began to dress hurriedly. “Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “I’m afraid I cannot do that, Master Forester. I am not to draw attention to myself or to my master.” The salamander bowed once more and with the sound of a large candle being doused, disappeared.

  “Damn him,” Evan muttered again. “He loves this. He loves catching me with my pants down, literally and proverbially.” He was stuffing his feet into socks and his old sneakers when he noticed Kira laying a clean shirt on the bed beside him. “Kira I’m sorry. If Julien Amiens thought it important enough to come here to see me, it must be damned important.”

  “I gathered that.” She was smiling wearily at him.

  “At least this answers one question,” he continued as he slid the t-shirt over his head. It felt tight across his chest and he paused a moment remembering the full moon would rise in hours from now. His body was already starting to respond, causing his clothing to feel restrictive. “I know who the dark one was.”

  “Shall I come?” He’d all but forgotten Keita in his haste.

  “No dear.” He chucked her under the chin. “Go tell Adem to stop fussing and make sure all this uproar hasn’t unsettled Ilan. Tell Damek to stop crying, he’s older than all of you for pity’s sake. And tell Arianna I said to calm down and not blab. I’ll be heading home in a couple of days and I’ll tell Master Ryder, Seth and Marcus in my own way.” The gnome was gone as soon as the last of his words left his lips.

  He walked quickly to the door before turning to his mate. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. It won’t take an hour. I’m sorry. Give my apologies to your parents. This is either help or disaster and I don’t know which yet but I have to go.” He closed the door and tried to push back her concern. The last thing he needed now was to get caught in the looping emotions. He needed to be calm when he faced this man.

  The more distance he put between them the easier it was to compartmentalize his thoughts. Hers were there, strong and clear as he jogged down the path to the gate. He even knew the minute she entered her mother’s presence. Her anger rose and resentment merged with regret. He felt her steel herself and stopped for a minute and focused on his love for her. The answering wave of pleasure and gratitude made him smile. He was going to like this bond thing.

  He resumed his run, quickening it until he reached the gate. He slipped out and stood leaning against it, what he hoped was casually.

  “Why are you always the one making things difficult?”

  “Just lucky I guess,” Evan drawled and followed the familiar voice to see a man standing in the shadows. Despite his orders to the salamander, he had made no attempt to disguise himself as anything other than what he was. In fact he looked more the dark mage now than he probably ever had. He was tall, though not as tall as Evan, and menacing, his harsh expression cut lines that seemed chiseled into his flesh. Power and strength flowed from him in a way Evan had never noticed before. He’d seen this man’s power but he’d never seen it project in this way, almost as if he too were responding to a wolf’s struggle for dominance. A black, hooded robe covered him, hiding his face in shadows. Except for his eyes. Eyes that should have been dark but were an unearthly shade of pale blue peered at him intently from those shadows.

  “They’ve agreed to a meeting,” the dark man said simply. “With the rumors we’ve heard, with you living inside their precious gate, why have they agreed to this?”

  “I suggested it. I hoped it would be you and that this might avoid bloodshed.” Evan pushed off from the wall and stepped closer to the sinister figure.

  “There is no way to avoid bloodshed and you know it. You simply seek to postpone it.”

  “Perhaps. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Hoping to be gone by the time the fighting begins?” A derisive smile broke the sharp angled planes of the face. “You were always good at that. Sitting by quietly and watching what was going on, never actually taking part to harm or to help.”

  Evan let out a short snort. “Grow up, Julien. The rest of us did. Remember, we’re supposed to be on the same side.”

  “You and I
will never be on the same side, Forester, because you never manage to choose a side. You’ve never made a decision or had an opinion someone else didn’t give you in your entire life.” Julien Amiens lengthened his already ramrod straight body by lifting his chin higher. “Ryder took a big chance letting you come here. And from the pretty little stories circulating amongst these people and what our spies saw last night, I’m not sure he’s going to get the results he wanted. He sought allies among these people,” he dropped the last word from his lips with distaste, “not the division of loyalties.”

  The irritation this man always managed to muster in him rose to the surface starting with the lack of respect he showed as he refused to use the honorarium Master for the man who had trained him. And then there were the digs at his “condition”. In the past he would have laughed him off as ridiculous but after yesterday the words landed on him, not like drops of water to be shaken harmlessly off but as stones. “Do you question my loyalties? You, Julien? The traitor and betrayer challenges my loyalties?”

  “I don’t care what you believe of me. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. Not Ryder, not Carsten and not you.” Anger flared in eyes that seemed almost to glow. “You, I’ve never trusted. How can you trust a creature who can’t even decide if it is man or animal? How can you trust a creature that loses so much of itself it would attack its own friends in a mindless bloodlust?”

  “Welcome to the real world, Julien. Life is never pretty and neat. It’s rarely fair and it can kick you in the teeth if you’re not watching.” He had no patience with this foolishness. He could feel Kira trying to sort and stifle her reactions to his feelings.

  “Real world? This from the boy who never grew up? This from the boy playing at being a man while he hides himself away from the world in the nice safe confines of his master’s home? You’ve never lived in the real world, Forester, you’ve spent your life protected from it, first by your parents, then your nasty little friends and even Ryder has kept you closeted away like the nice little pet that you are. Is that what you seek here, Forester? Even more protection from the real world the rest of us live in? The world where people kill or die every day? You stand there talking about avoiding bloodshed as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Talk to me about growing up when you’re forced to feel the blood of one on your hands to stop the killing of others.” The piercing eyes glared at him and the lifted chin seemed like the worst of affronts.

  “What do you know of it? I didn’t think the ‘real world’ held enough interest for you to lower yourself to be part of it. It’s just a necessary evil, a distraction from your quest. But that’s it isn’t it, Jules?” The shortening of his name narrowed the man’s eyes and Evan could smell the cold contempt give way to anger. “I was wrong. You do have blood on your hands, because your little vendetta, your secret quest has always been more important.” Evan’s blood was roaring through his veins and the wolf, terrifyingly close to the surface, was snapping its jaws furiously. He felt the snarling rise in his own voice and the twist of his lips as he bared his teeth. It was hours to moon rise but the wolf in him was stronger than it had ever been. “You don’t care who gets hurt as long as you get what you want.”

  Something in him was different. Evan had allowed the animal so much power this last week that it now refused to retreat. It fought for control, it demanded submission. But not from him. For the first time the battle the creature wanted to fight wasn’t with him. For the first time it stood united with its human counterpart against an external foe. He wanted Julien to submit, to back down. Never in his life had it been important to him to win against the dark mage. He’d even surrendered to him in what he’d believed to be the most important fight of his life. The fight over Cassandra. But now he would make Julien respect him, make him see…

  Hands lifted and black sleeves fell back to reveal a series of scars along the inside of the arms as the dark mage pushed back the hood on his robe. Blue-black hair caught the new morning light and sucked it into its depths. The medium toned skin that stretched over the angular planes of the face was unmarked and clear as porcelain. Any young woman would have envied the mage that glowing tanned skin. Then Julien smiled nastily. He lowered his eyes and his chin. “My, my, won’t the folks at home be impressed.” His gaze swept behind Evan and along the wall until it fixed on the large edifice of Kira’s family home. He stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before again meeting the blue-gray eyes that still held Evan’s anger. “So different you are Forester, so much what I never believed you ever had the nerve to be. I think you have chosen your loyalties. I wonder that you will care about the news I bring you.”

  “If you have something to tell me, do it Julien.” Evan felt Kira’s anxiety rising in his chest and fought to contain the reactions that the mage was provoking in him.

  “They’ve called a vote. Tonight.” Julien’s regard became inscrutable.

  Evan’s eyes flew open in shock. “What? The vote isn’t due for another month. How did Ian manage this?”

  “The same way he’s always managed everything.” The calm was gone from Julien’s face. “The old man always underestimates him. Always. All of you do. He’s a fool, yes. He’s not got half the power he thinks he has. But he knows how to use what he has and he knows how to get others to use their power for him.”

  “But no one has the power to change the decisions of the conclave. They said three months.” Evan shook his head in disbelief.

  Julien lifted his eyes heavenward as he allowed himself a short derisive laugh. “Think mud-rat. Think.”

  The hated childish nickname for young earth mages barely registered as realization dawned. “The Oracle.”

  “Yes, the Oracle.” Julien’s face was once again closed and hard.

  “No,” Evan shook his head. “Celie? No Julien, Cecelia Ryder would never turn against her brother.” A subtle shift in the man’s face gave Evan the answer he didn’t want. He’d seen that look once before. As they faced each other over Cassandra’s grave. “No.” This time the word was an agonized whisper. The old woman had known his secret and had never made him feel anything but welcome and loved. And he loved—had loved—her too. Inside him the wolf howled its misery.

  Evan’s breathing was ragged and his head swimming. Then it hit him. An emptiness. Kira was gone. Not gone but not in his mind. He still felt her but could no longer feel any emotion or find her feelings in him. Julien was talking to him again.

  “I assumed they’d told you.” The cold words were measured and even.

  “Julien…” Fighting the panic and fear inside him Evan took a step toward the man, lifting his hand seeking to offer comfort to another as he battled to comfort himself. Celie Ryder had been the only person, besides the young Miss Ryder, who could ever reach the dark mage. “I’m sorry.” He breathed deeply and tried to find Kira inside himself. He felt her presence, she was there but it was as if she had suddenly drifted into a deep sleep.

  The dark-haired man stepped back and avoided the outstretched hand. “A new Oracle has replaced her, one who has reportedly seen omens and signs that indicate the conclave must meet tonight. Some tragedy that must be averted.

  “Tell them not to meet with us. It is not necessary. It is clear that a decision has already been made. Any emissary they send at this point will be walking into death. A painful death as an example to the others.” He stepped back further in a gesture that could only be read as dismissive. Evan was gasping for air, his focus divided between the two calls on him, Kira and this link to his world.

  “Oh and Forester, congratulations.” A ball of flame had appeared in the man’s hand. “I understand you’ve managed to find yourself quite the prized bitch. Now, do werewolves drop litters or is it one at a time? Either way, many happy whelpings to you.” And he was gone in a soft pop.

  A softly spoken but deeply meant stream of expletives followed the man. Gods, Evan had always disliked him. Now he was certain he hated him.

  Kira. The empt
iness called him back to her and he set off at a run back to the house. He burst through the side door and tore up the stairs, heaving violent gulps of air as he checked her room first. Alexi met him at the door with a stern expression.

  “What the hell happened, Evan?”

  “What do…you mean? Kira? Where is…she?” he panted.

  “Inside,” Alexi said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder and stepping between his new pack mate and the doorway. “Wait. She’s fine. She’ll be fine, what happened?”

  “What happened? What the hell happened to her?” The anger was rising in his chest. If Alexi didn’t get out of his way, he’d…

  “She collapsed. Her face went pale and she collapsed. Sonya says it’s the bond, something to do with you. We were just sending people to look for you. We were worried you had been hurt or even…” Alexi’s face grew ashen. “What happened, Evan?”

  “Unpleasant company, unpleasant news from home and a bit of a shock.” He pushed hard at Alexi’s shoulders and forced his way past him. The big man didn’t try to stop him. As he reached the doorway to the bedroom, he turned back. “Don’t go to the meeting, Alexi. It’s a trap. They know about Kira and me. They know the decision has been made. You’d be walking into death. Don’t go.”

  Passing through the doorframe he saw Sonya sitting beside Kira. She was pale and her eyes were closed. A cloth was on her forehead and her brother’s wife was cooing softly to her. “It’s all right Kira. Evan is here. He’s all right.”

  “What happened?” He was tired of repeating this question and getting no answer.

  Sonya’s smile was reassuring. What was not reassuring was the presence of a tall imposing blonde woman whose hands were clenched together before her and the look on her face one of disgust as she glared at him.

  “You. You are what happened.” Her unaccented speech surprised him vaguely but the nasty tone of her voice didn’t. “You and your gadje problems. You and your foolish battles for power. That is what has caused this.”

  “Ivanna, you know that’s not true,” Sonya was saying softly, her eyes on Evan. “Whatever happened this morning while you were gone rebounded hard on her. Your bond is new, raw emotion must have poured through the bond and it overwhelmed her. Her mind shut down.” Sonya’s voice was reassuring and she was touched by the absolutely panicked look on the young man’s face. Kira had chosen well. “She’ll be fine. Last night you tore apart the veil that shielded your minds and souls, that kept you isolated from others. That veil will mend itself and come to enfold you both, stitching each of your pieces together. Until that happens you are both a bit vulnerable. That’s why we usually keep newlyweds confined to the family for several days after the mating.”