Maria refused to look back as she marched to the front door. Just as she raised her hand to knock, the heavily oiled wood swung noiselessly open.
Okay. She took a deep breath and moved forward.
She’d taken one step inside before misgivings seized her. Spinning around, she sprinted back outside. “Wait!”
Ryan had just climbed into her car, though he hadn’t yet started it.
“Don’t go.” Feeling foolish, nonetheless she stood her ground.
Instantly, he left the car and hurried over to her. “What’s wrong?”
All she could do was shake her head. “I want you with me.”
Gently he pulled her close. He smoothed her hair away from her face and kissed her on the top of her head. “It’s natural to be nervous. Don’t worry, you can do this. I have faith in you.”
Gazing up at him, humbled by his belief in her, she nodded. Every second standing with him so close, her certainty grew. She’d never been one for esoteric things like intuition, but this time she knew what she needed. “I don’t know why, but I have a strong instinct to keep you with me. Maybe I can’t do this without you.”
He glanced from her to the house, so low-key, yet at the same time vibrating with powerful energy. “I don’t know if they’re going to allow me inside.”
“They will.” Of that she felt positive. “On the drive here, I realized something I should have figured out a long time ago. Right now, I hold all the cards.”
“How so?”
“And that is the one thing I can’t tell you.” She smiled to lessen the sting of her words. “But they want something from me. And they want it badly enough.”
“Maybe.” He sounded doubtful, and she couldn’t blame him. “But if my presence angers them enough that they report me to the Pack Protectors, there’ll be hell to pay.”
She spoke with more confidence than she felt. “I can promise you it won’t come to that.”
“I don’t know...”
His uncertainty seemed so uncharacteristic, she studied him closely. “This isn’t like you at all,” she observed. “This reticence. You seem so confident, I’d have thought—”
“There’s a reason,” he interrupted quietly. “This isn’t my show, it’s yours. I don’t see how my being part of this can help you. In fact, as far as I can tell, my presence might actually hurt you.”
She took a deep breath, looking back at the house. “Going through this alone will hurt me worse. And, no, I don’t actually know what exactly this training will consist of. All I know is every instinct I possess is telling me you need to stay.”
His concerned expression relaxed and he flashed his trademark grin. As always, warmth uncurled inside her at the sight.
“Fine. I came all this way with you, because I wanted to be with you in case you need me. If you want me to stay, then I will. But honey, eventually you’re going to have to trust yourself.”
Trust herself? She blinked, wondering if she should correct the misconception, and then realized she couldn’t without saying things she couldn’t.
“The door’s still open.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on. Let’s see what exactly waits for us inside.”
The instant he closed his fingers around hers, she felt the rightness of having him at her side.
Together, they retraced her steps and stepped into the foyer. As Ryan tugged the door closed behind them, she half expected to hear a disembodied voice intone some sort of cryptic welcome, à la The Wizard of Oz.
Instead, nothing but silence greeted them.
“This is kind of weird,” Ryan murmured.
Keeping hold of his hand, she took another step forward. “Hello?” she called. “Is anyone here?”
A tall, white-haired, bearded man with austere facial features stepped around the corner. His cool gray eyes appraised first Maria, then Ryan. “Can I help you?” he asked, his tone remote and disinterested.
Frowning, Ryan opened his mouth and then closed it, glancing at her, instead. Maria drew herself up, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin. “I’m Maria Miranda.”
There was a subtle shift in the older man’s posture as he looked from her to Ryan and back again. “What is he doing here?” His mouth twisted downward.
“He’s my bodyguard,” she said with a straight face, proud of herself. “I know you want your valuable resources guarded.”
“We can take care of our own.” From that point on, he never once glanced at her, choosing instead to glare at Ryan. “Your servant can leave.”
Ryan laughed. “Just so you know, buddy, passive aggression has never worked on me. If Maria wants me to stay, I’m staying.”
The man stroked his long white beard. He lifted one hand and languidly wiggled his fingers. Immediately, some invisible force propelled Ryan toward the door, so quickly he appeared to be flying.
Magic. Every cell in her body tingled in response. Though rusty and long out of practice, she remembered she had dormant power of her own residing deep within her.
Her dragon rose at the threat to Ryan. So did her magic.
A low growl resonated in her throat. Flicking her fingers, she pulled Ryan to her while at the same time sending the other man hard against the wall. The old one’s eyes widened as he put out his hands to keep himself from hitting the wood.
“Maria, stop. Don’t hurt him.” Though he appeared only slightly nonplussed, Ryan’s accelerated breathing told her he wasn’t as unaffected as he wanted to seem.
Reluctantly, Maria closed her hand and made a fist, releasing her captive. “And you—don’t use magic against my friend.”
“Well, well, well,” the man said, his movements agile for someone of his age. Narrowing his eyes, he strolled over and looked Maria up and down. “You do know how to use your magic. Have you been practicing on your own?”
Glaring back at him, Maria wasn’t sure whether or not to speak. In the end, since she’d come here to learn, she decided to tell him the truth.
“No. My magic came to life, but only just now. And only by instinct. I didn’t want you to hurt Ryan, so I mimicked what you did and it worked. I’m not entirely sure how.”
He laughed. “Either way, well done. My name is Micah.”
Since he didn’t offer a handshake, she dipped her chin in response. “I’ve already given my name. This is my friend Ryan.”
Micah sighed. “And what do you propose we do with him during your lessons?”
Ryan laughed. “Exactly the point I tried to make.”
Frowning, Maria shook her head. There were a hundred different reasons she didn’t want Ryan to go, but none of them came from logic.
“How long will these lessons take?” she asked instead of answering.
“That depends on you,” Micah replied.
Cryptic. And mildly annoying.
“Can you give me a rough time frame? And maybe more information? If I’m going to send Ryan into town to explore Boulder, he’ll need to know what time to come back and get me.”
“There will be no set time. You won’t be leaving here until you’ve mastered your magic. How long this takes will be, as I said before, completely up to you.”
Torn, Maria looked down.
“Maria, I’m going to take off.” Cupping her chin, Ryan lifted her face to his. “I know I promised to keep you safe, but it seems you’re in good hands here. I definitely don’t want to interfere with your destiny.” The inflection he put on the last word made her realize he was still a bit peeved that she’d refused to reveal exactly what said destiny might be.
Before she could respond, he gave her a quick kiss and hurried out the front door. “Call me when you’re ready for me to pick you up,” he called over his shoulder.
Only after she heard the throaty purr of her car driving away did she turn and face Micah. His stony expression seemed at odds with the cold anger in his gaze.
“What did you tell that wolf about your destiny?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
Crossing her arms, she held her ground. “He simply knows I have something important to do for my people. No more than that.”
“Are you certain you haven’t revealed anything else?”
“Absolutely positive.”
“Good. Because I can tell you the truth right now. That wolf is not your mate.”
Heart sinking, she jerked her head in a curt nod. She’d known this all along, of course. But to actually hear it spoken out loud by one with powerful magic still stung.
“How can you be sure?” Her plaintive question revealed too much, but she couldn’t help herself. “I mean, I’ve suspected ever since I met him, but...”
Micah’s stony expression remained unchanged. “In addition to magical abilities, some of us have the capability of foreseeing the future. I am one of those so blessed.”
Ouch. “Oh, really?” She knew she sounded flippant. “Then since you’re taking a look at my future, tell me this. Will I find a man I can love and who will love me back so I am able to conceive?”
He didn’t even hesitate. “Most definitely.”
Mingled emotions swirled through her hearing this. Relief, of course, and something else, a complex sort of sorrow she didn’t want to look at too closely.
In desperate need of distraction, she took a deep breath. “Shall we get started?” she asked, rubbing her hands together. “I have a feeling I have a lot to learn.”
* * *
There had been times in his life when Ryan had been alone and relished the solitude. There’d been others when he’d been surrounded by people and felt utterly alone. Driving away from the house perched on the side of a mountain above Boulder, he couldn’t decide how he felt.
Maria still fascinated him. He’d ached for her the night before, but on some level he understood why she couldn’t use her energy for sex. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know more, like peeling a ripe fruit to get to its core. Her many contradictions, the disparity between the often confident woman who ran her own business and bravely went to a bar alone, and the woman who seemed timid, almost cowed by some mysterious destiny she couldn’t even discuss, intrigued him.
While she’d been clear she couldn’t date him, her reasons made no sense. So she didn’t want to be in the spotlight? He could work around that. A certain famous pop star and he had managed to keep their entire six-month relationship a secret. To this day, no one in the press even had a clue. He suspected Maria was aware of this possibility, as well.
Which meant she wasn’t telling him everything. Since he knew her most compelling reason—at least to herself—was somehow tied up in her mysterious destiny, he knew he had to find out what it might be if he wanted to be able to overcome her objections. Which he would, with enough time.
Ryan hadn’t ever met a woman like Maria, who cared nothing about fame and money. She had to know he could buy her whatever she asked for, but she’d requested nothing, unlike some of the women he’d dated in the past.
Thinking of Maria’s secrets, he realized he needed to be completely honest with her, as well. He had a perfectly valid reason for avoiding commitment, one that had less to do with his parents’ horrible divorce than with the sneaking suspicion that he might have inherited his father’s inability to be faithful to any one woman. After seeing firsthand how much his father’s constant stream of women hurt his mother, Ryan understood what he had to do. Lay the cards out up front, explain how things were going to be, and move on when the mood struck.
So far, this lifestyle had worked for him. Once he’d made his fortune, he pretty much had his pick of beautiful, sexy women. Right now, though, he only wanted Maria. Her refusal to even consider it only made him crave her more.
Putting her from his mind, he attempted to focus on checking out Boulder. The town had an eclectic, yet laid-back vibe. He strolled the Pearl Street Mall, stopped in an Irish pub and had a beer, and listened to various street musicians perform, tipping them all well.
The scenery couldn’t be beat, with the jagged rocks of the Flatirons as backdrop. He took a drive up to Flagstaff, noted the gourmet restaurant and made a mental note to secure reservations and take Maria for dinner before they drove back to Texas.
He checked in with his assistant, Timothy, and learned the Galveston police had joined the fire marshall in requesting his presence. After giving instructions to stall them as long as he could, Ryan asked for his usual updates on the company. It stung slightly that it seemed to run like a well-oiled machine without Ryan’s presence, but he knew that only meant he’d done a great job in choosing his top employees.
After his conversation with Timothy, Ryan read his email on his cell phone, took a look at Facebook and then drove back to the hotel. Once in the room, he wondered what Maria would learn and how long it would take her to master it.
* * *
Magic was energy. Repeating the words after Micah, Maria tried to keep from yawning. Most of what the older man said sounded like words from a new age self-help book. So far he hadn’t provided one piece of concrete knowledge for her to latch on to.
Suddenly, she felt an invisible force lift her from the ground. Hovering four feet above the bamboo, she eyed Micah without speaking, wondering what he might be up to. Regardless, this action felt a lot better than listening to him drone on in one platitude after another.
Micah flipped his hand, and Maria found herself hanging upside down, feet to the ceiling, head near the floor.
What the...
He motioned again, propelling her ahead of him, down a long hallway and then down a flight of stairs. Though she struggled and tried to use her own magic to right herself and regain control over her own body, she couldn’t. Maybe using it once had depleted it or something? The thing was, she didn’t know.
Still, she’d never been one to give up easily. As she drifted along, she noticed the scent—not quite incense, not drugs, but something herbal. “What are you doing?” she asked, only to be ignored.
Once they reached the bottom of the basement, Micah waved his hand and sent her into a dark, windowless room.
“Enjoy your stay,” he said, his mocking smile matching his voice. “At least you’ll be safe here.”
And he closed a door, leaving her hanging upside down like a bat in total darkness.
Chapter 8
The instant all light cut off, Maria panicked. She’d always been claustrophobic, and even at home she kept a small night-light on to sleep. Hyperventilating, she clawed at nothing and at everything, feeling as if she might black out from all the blood rushing to her head.
Working diligently, she managed to twist herself around until she’d reversed her position and no longer hung upside down. Mostly upright, she thought, though the complete and utter darkness made it surprisingly difficult to tell.
That accomplished, she got her breathing under control, pushing away the terror.
After fear, came anger. What the hell? Who did this Micah person think he was anyway? She’d come here with the Council’s agreement, to learn magic. Not to be locked up in a dark basement and treated like a criminal.
He’d said she’d be safe here. Maybe so, but the question was—from whom?
At some point—maybe minutes, maybe hours—it was difficult to tell time—she realized this had to be some sort of test.
She tried to think. First, she needed light. In her dragon shape, she could breathe fire. Though normally she’d never do something like that inside a structure due to potential damage, this time she would be willing to take the risk.
Inhaling deeply, she stripped off her clothes and initiated the change to her Drakkor shape. For the first time since she’d been able to shape-shift, she struggled.
In the fight against some invisible force, she could smell her own fear and taste the faintly metallic scent of her perspiration. Still, she pushed through. With agonizing slowness, she felt her body begin to stretch, her bones lengthen and change. At this speed what was usually painful became excruciating, ye
t she gritted her teeth and continued.
Finally, she flexed her claws and screeched. Her dragon had fully emerged. Strength flowed through her as she reared up, still suspended above the floor. Certain she could end this, she gave one powerful beat of her wings and tried to break the spell, but nothing happened.
Tired of the blackness, she let loose a breath of fire, enough to see she’d been put into some kind of concrete bunker. At least it was fireproof, she thought grimly.
At one end she saw the door she’d come through. This door appeared to be made of wood. Once again she flapped her massive wings, striving to reach it, with no success.
She realized that if she kept on in this vein, she’d exhaust her limited reserves of strength. Plus, she suspected she’d continue to get nowhere if she didn’t figure out a way to access her magic.
Was this why Micah had done this? To show her how to call on her inner magical ability?
If so, she was failing miserably.
Forcing her entire body to relax, she allowed herself to hang there, wings curled in close to her sides, while she considered her options. How long did Micah plan on leaving her here in the dark? Worse, it occurred to her this might not be a test, but rather a protest against a female insisting she be taught how to use abilities that had always been considered in the Drakkor males’ domain only.
Again and again, she reached tentatively inside herself, knowing she merely needed to ignite that kernel, that tiny spark, and let it ignite into enough magic to free herself. She knew she had it; after all, she’d used her magic on Micah when he’d tried to push Ryan out the door. Surely she could do it again.
At some point, she took herself into a meditative state, aware that if she would ever be able to reach a higher level and access her magic, she could possibly do so then.
And, finally, she dozed. And began to dream.
The dream! Blinking, she opened her eyes to the all-encompassing blackness. One quick breath of flame eliminated that. She realized how she’d been able to draw forth her magic before.
Emotion. Seeing Micah push Ryan away had infuriated her. Anger had provided the spark she’d needed. She needed to get good and riled up, which shouldn’t be difficult.
Billionaire Wolf (The Pack 17) (Nocturne) Page 10