Kassandra's Wolf (The Dragon Ruby Series Book 3)

by Leilani Love

  For a moment, she thought he’d press the issue, but instead he gave her a quick nod. Damien gave her a quick hard kiss before walking out into the garage. As he pulled away, Kassandra thought back to the attack. She’d guessed that they were hunters, but she didn’t have much to go on. The few that they’d been able to capture had not been very forthcoming and to be honest, had very little information. John was the leader and would know the most. Depending on how much John trusted his guards that were with him, he might have only told them bits and pieces. Viktor did not believe in torture. Eva, the second oldest Earth Witch sister was a telepath. Her ability to read minds was growing stronger and she often came in when they questioned any hunters to see what they actually knew. If he refused to answer, maybe Eva could fly out here and help. Kassandra picked up the phone and called Aithne, needing some advice on how to proceed.

  Aithne answered on the second ring, and Kassandra brought her up to speed, telling her that the drummer might have information about Damien and Hope’s family and the Orion Hunter’s.

  “My God, Kat, we’ve been worried about you,” Aithne said. “Look Eva gets out of class soon. If I pick her up, we should be able to be there in two hours. Let your new friends know we will be there soon. Don’t question them until we get there. We will help them figure out what happened.”

  “Thank you, Aithne,” Kassandra said. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  After hanging up, Kassandra paced the living room. John had hinted that things with Damien’s pack weren’t what he believed, but she didn’t know what that meant. Kassandra had debated about researching his pack, but since Damien had nothing to do with them, she dismissed the idea. Kassandra sighed. She’d found herself so pulled toward Damien, she’d chosen to only focus on him. If she hadn’t been so distracted by her attraction, maybe she would have answers for them.

  A loud grumble came from her stomach. Kassandra hadn’t eaten since that morning and her dragon would have used more energy in healing her injuries, and she would bet that Damien would be hungry too from healing himself. Kassandra looked around and pulled a half dozen burgers from the freezer and got started.

  The burgers almost done, she heard a car pull up in the driveway. Not hearing the garage door open she knew it was Hope and listened as the door opened and closed. Hope appeared in the doorway and sent her a small smile as she looked around. “Damien went to your house to bring John back.”

  “Yeah, he texted me and told me he was at my place and would be back soon.” Hope said, looking rejected.

  “I thought everyone would be hungry.” Kassandra said watching her out of the corner of her eye as she flipped the burgers. They were almost done and she hoped Damien would be home soon. The longer he was gone, the more she worried that something might have happened to him.

  “It feels like it’s been days since we had breakfast.”

  Before Kassandra could agree with Hope, she heard the garage door open and she let out a sigh of relief. They were both quiet as they waited for him to join them in the kitchen. Not sure how anyone took their burger, she pulled out the condiments she’d found earlier. Hope came around and started pulling out plates for them, and chips from the cabinet.

  CHAPTER 30

  Damien did his best to hide his frustration as he walked back in the house. How could he have been so stupid to not take the journal with us? What if Mom is still alive? What if the only way to find her is in the book he . . . the book he so carelessly left behind in his rush to get back to the bar and try to save Kassandra?

  When he walked into the house, the smell of food hit him and his stomach rumbled, letting him know he was starving which pulled him out of his thoughts. When he stepped into the kitchen both girls gave him a confused look. “Where’s John?” Hope asked.

  “Apparently the guards that escaped from the bar went straight to your place and took him and the journal,” Damien said and winced when he noticed how bitter he sounded.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I have some people, Aithne and Eva, coming to help question the drummer. Maybe we can get some answers and find out where they would have taken the journal,” Kassandra said, studying his face.

  “He said that the key to finding our mother might be in the journal…” Damien said, his voice trailing off as he locked eyes with his sister.

  “We’ll find her first,” Hope said with conviction in her voice.

  “Look, let’s eat. There’s not much we can do until Aithne and Eva get here. I think they will be the best at getting the answers.” Kassandra gestured toward the food and they all agreed, making their plates. Despite being hungry his foul mood made it hard to enjoy the burgers she had made them.

  The group ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Kassandra sat next to him and he kept reaching out to touch her, assuring himself that she was still there. He still wasn’t keen on the idea of her fighting, but it no longer mattered. Damien could not let her go and now he just needed to convince her to stay with him.

  Once they’d finished, Damien looked at the clock, “What time are your friends getting here?” he asked Kassandra.

  Kassandra shrugged. “It depends on how long it takes Eva to get ready after class, but the plane shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to get here.”

  Damien raised an eyebrow. “You have a kid in school coming to question him?”

  Kassandra laughed, and Damien frowned. “Eva’s in college, but she’s also a telepath,” Kassandra said. “She’s one of the Earth Witch sisters. Aithne, my future queen, is also coming with her. Eva will read the guard when you ask him questions; she’s young but her abilities are amazing.”

  “Why would they come and help us?” Damien asked. He and Hope were two lone wolves who grew up with the vampires. He knew that there was a truce between the vampires and the dragons, but he wasn’t sure how that extended to him and his sister.

  Kassandra pulled back into herself. “Because I asked them to.”

  Damien could feel Kassandra’s pain through their connection, but couldn’t understand its cause, which frustrated him. He stood, offering to clear the plates. He needed something to keep himself busy, otherwise he would dwell on today’s events.

  They sat around in the living room waiting for them to arrive. When the doorbell rang, Kassandra got up and answered it. Hope gave him an exasperated look before she got up and followed Kassandra to the door. With a long sigh, Damien got up and followed.

  Standing in the doorway was a very tall lithe woman with long red hair and emerald green eyes. She wore black leather pants and a green blouse; he was surprised when she moved, the light caught the hilt of a silver blade attached to her hip under her jacket. The other girl was much younger. Her jet black hair made her blue eyes stand out and her easy smile was contagious as she smiled at Hope and Kassandra started doing introductions. She could barely be older than twenty, dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and a t-shirt, she turned to him with a grin as Kassandra turned to introduce them.

  Both girls shook his hand and he was surprised at how relaxed he felt around them.

  “Why don’t we go sit in the living room and talk for a moment?” Kassandra asked, ushering everyone inside.

  A moment of awkward silence passed once they were all seated. Aithne gave Damien a searching look. “Damien, Hope, I want you to know that we’ll help you find the truth, but there’s no guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

  “Why would they say our mother was alive?” Hope asked.

  “I don’t know. I know that since Eva and her sisters have been discovered, the human hunters have become more organized. Looking for something. We just haven’t been able to figure out what it is.” Aithne said, glancing at Eva.

  “Are you ready?” Kassandra asked Eva. Eva took a big breath, then gave her a small smile and nodded.

  Damien dragged Nathan out from the closest, dumping him in the empty chair Hope had brought from the dining room.

 
“I won’t tell you anything,” Nathan said between gritted teeth.

  Eva stood, and Damien felt a subtle shift in the air. Eva gave him a bone-chilling smile. “Who said that you need to say anything?”

  Nathan swallowed hard and Damien felt his lips tug in a smile. There was something about Eva that caused fear in the guard and Damien admired that.

  “Ask your questions,” said Eva. “Nathan here is doing nothing to block his thoughts from me.”

  “Why were you looking for my mother’s journal?” Hope asked.

  The room remained silent, and Eva tilted her head. “They think your mother is alive. She apparently had several journals, and the one they found so far didn’t help.” She paused and smiled. “The one they found was about your father and how excited she was to be pregnant with you both.”

  After a few moments of silence Damien finally asked, “What did John mean when he said that we didn’t know anything about what happened with the pack?”

  Eva furrowed her brows. “He’s not sure, but he heard something about a trick, and magic being used to keep your people under control. There’s a rumor about someone being held captive.”

  Eva paused at Hope’s soft gasp, and Damien didn’t miss the look of sadness that crossed her face. “The rumor is that the bond between Hope and the wolf she imprinted on is what’s keeping both packs under control. He’s really not sure, just that he heard whispers.”

  “Does he know anything that can help us? Where did John take my mother’s journal?” Damien asked, hoping that he could at least get his mother’s book so he could look for her.

  There was a soft rustling of the air, and Eva frowned in concentration. “If he does, I’m not strong enough to find those memories. The only thing I can pick up is that John was supposed to meet someone after he got the book, but only John knew where.”

  Eva took a shaky seat next to Aithne. “I’m sorry; maybe if my sisters were with me, I could have helped out more.”

  “Thank you,” Hope whispered.

  “No, you were amazing, thank you so much,” Damien echoed, concerned about the worry on Hope’s face. “I doubt we would’ve been half as successful without you.”

  CHAPTER 31

  The moment Eva mentioned a captive, Hope felt her entire body tense. A distant memory of her mother teased her memory, her mother telling her that one day her mate would need her to be strong. Was this what her mother had meant? Were these rumors even true?

  Hope felt Damien’s concern for her and she tried to send him a smile. Kassandra squeezed her hand.

  “Aithne, I think you should take him back with you,” Kassandra said. “Maybe Eva can learn something more with her sisters’ help and see what you can find out about John. He seemed to be the ring leader while Damien, Hope, and I can go check out their places and see if they left a clue for us to find.” Kassandra suggested.

  “What do you plan to do about your pack?” Aithne asked, this time looking at Damien.

  Hope watched her brother, waiting for his answer. If there was even a remote chance that the rumor was true, she needed to find out.

  “I think it’s time I went home and found out what’s true and what’s false,” Damien said.

  The room was silent. Aithne nodded, then directed her gaze to Kassandra, “Kat, would you mind walking me to our vehicle and helping me secure our new friend?”

  Without waiting for an answer, Aithne stood up and gave them both a smile. “Whatever you two decide, we’ll help you in whatever way we can.” With that, she grabbed Nathan and dragged him to his feet. Kassandra grabbed his other arm and the two of them escorted him outside, leaving Eva with Damien and Hope.

  “I’m still not really sure what you’re supposed to say when you meet someone who finds their mate,” Eva said. “Congratulations?”

  Hope found it hard to believe that the sweet, young girl in front of them was one of the witches that everyone was trying to get to.

  Damien laughed. “I guess that works. I don’t really think Hallmark makes that card yet.”

  Eva grinned before nodding in agreement, “I should write them and tell them to get on it.”

  Hope felt Eva’s eyes on her and she smiled. Something about her calmed her wolf, despite everything that had happened today. Hope remembered asking Lazzaro about the witches after Chase and Violca’s wedding. He’d said that they were all unique, but that he generally admired the oldest one. When she had asked about the other four sisters, he had simply said that they had their unique charm with a smile. After meeting Eva, she wondered why he’d left out that she was quick-witted and beautiful.

  Eva opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, and closed it when the door opened. She stood and gave them both a smile. “I really look forward to seeing you both again.”

  Her smile was contagious and Hope smiled back at her. She noticed that Damien was smiling as well. They walked her to the door, to where Kassandra and Aithne were whispering. Hope watched as her brother walked to Kassandra and possessively took her hand. Kassandra gave him a smile and stepped closer to him. Eva and Aithne both grinned and she had a feeling that if they weren’t heading out, they would be teasing her right now.

  “I meant it when I said that we will help you any way we can,” Aithne said. “We also hope that you come for a visit soon.” Hope looked to Damien. An invitation from the dragons’ queen wasn’t to be ignored.

  Eva gave her a quick hug, surprising her. Hope carefully wrapped her arms around her. When she looked up, she saw Aithne give her a smile and nod her head. Eva smiled at Damien before giving Kassandra a big hug. When she pulled back, she noticed them exchanging a look before she went outside.

  Definitely more reserved, Aithne told them all goodbye before turning to Kassandra. “We’ve got things handled until you come home,” she told Kassandra.

  A soft growl came from Damien at the mention of Kassandra leaving and Hope couldn’t help but notice Aithne’s lips twitch upwards in a smile. With that, the two of them got in their vehicle and left, leaving the three of them alone. Hope gave them both a look before heading upstairs, to give the two some privacy while she cleared her head.

  ***

  “Are you planning on leaving?” Damien asked Kassandra, as he followed her out into his backyard. His voice was sharper than he’d meant it to be as he released her hand.

  “You do know that you were dropping me off before this all happened. Nothing has changed for me. I’m still going to fight for my people and to protect Eva and her sisters,” Kassandra said as she took a step back.

  Damien ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a loud sigh. Since this morning, everything was different. He didn’t know what to do about his former pack. His sister wanted answers and he needed to go find them for her. The only thing he knew in this moment was that he couldn’t let Kassandra go.

  “What if I asked you for help?” Damien blurted. “I need to find out if what Nathan said was at all true.” He wanted to ask Kassandra to stay, but found himself scared she’d say no. However, he knew she wouldn’t turn down a chance to help.

  She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. “Of course I’ll help you.”

  His phone suddenly started ringing, stopping him from asking any more questions. He gave Kassandra an apologetic look and mouthed “Robert, “before answering the phone, “How’s the new mom and baby?”

  “Both are doing beautifully and are being released from the hospital tomorrow afternoon. I was calling to see if we could get you to bring the car and baby seat. Maybe get an update on...”

  Damien smiled, “I’ll be happy to bring you the car. You have a spare set of keys in the house right?” Robert said yes and he confirmed that he would see him soon.

  “I’ve got to drop off the car and catch Robert up on what’s going on.” He cupped Kassandra’s cheek and pulled her closer, noticing her eyes darken before they closed.

  “I heard.” She whispered before turning her head and kissing hi
s palm. The kiss was chaste and he watched as she closed her eyes, stroking her cheek against his palm.

  “I don’t think I can let you go.” The words were out of his mouth before he even realized he was going to say them.

  Her eyes fluttered open and met his. “Then don’t.”

  Damien angled her face up for a kiss, then heard the neighbor’s dog barking. He placed his forehead against hers and swore softly.

  “Let’s go inside,” Kassandra said. She took his hand and led him to the living room, where Hope was sitting on the couch. She put her hand on Hope’s back. “We’ll find you some answers soon, Hope.”

  “I want to be there when you do,” Hope replied, shooting Damien a don’t argue with me look.

  “Tonight, after I bring Robert and Alyssa’s car to them, let’s rest. After that, we can figure out what to do.” Hope opened her mouth to protest, and Damien put up his hand to stop her. “It’s been a long day. Let’s rest.”

  When Hope finally nodded, he let out a breath. “Stay here tonight. Just in case John or his people come back.”

  CHAPTER 32

  After excusing herself for a much-needed shower and pulling on one of Damien’s undershirts, Kassandra heard Hope and Damien talking softly in the kitchen. She could hear the pleading tone in Hope’s voice. “Look, I know what they said about our pack and that it might not be true. But if our people are being tricked…”

  “I just don’t want you hurt again.” Damien’s words cut her off.

  Kassandra felt guilty for eavesdropping on the two and cleared her throat. The house fell silent, then Damien stepped out of the kitchen and gave her a smile. “You have perfect timing, just pulled the steaks off the grill.”

  Dinner was delicious, although Kassandra couldn’t help but notice anxious glances between Hope and Damien. What they discovered in the coming days would affect Hope the most.