by Jen Talty
“I was five,” she managed to say as every inch of her skin sizzled with the anticipation of his lips exploring her body.
“That’s part of why it was so amazing. You danced like a seasoned professional. You made me look good.” His thumb traced her lower lip as his gaze followed the motion. “Watching you today, made me want to leap onto the stage and perform with you.”
She gasped. Dancing with him had been a wild fantasy, one she stopped entertaining years ago.
“You’re captivating,” he whispered, leaning in and kissing her cheek. “When the curse is broken, and I know my pack is safe, you and I will dance again, it just won’t be on stage.”
“Um… oh… okay.” She blinked, trying to get rid of the image dancing in her head of him naked under bedsheets, his hair all ruffled from a night filled with sex. “I should go get my father,” she managed to ground out.
Darrell took a step back, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll be back shortly. Make yourself at home.” She turned on her heels and as gracefully as she could, she scurried out of the living room and down the hallway toward her father’s office. She tried to push the idea as far out of her mind as she could that Darrell not only found her attractive...
But wanted her.
“Dad?” She knocked on the door. Her father, Prince Albert, was a powerful warlock and the head of the Royal family and leader of the Coven of the Silver Flock. His duties went far and wide, and one of them was making sure every coven followed the rules.
Most did.
But a few didn’t.
“Come in,” her father shouted. “What brings you by this evening?”
Quietly, she closed the door behind her and greeted her father with a hug and kiss. He stood over six feet tall, and his personality was larger than his thick, muscular body. All her life, he’d been her personal hero, and all four of his girls had been the apple of his eye. Neither she, nor her three sisters, ever felt as though one was favored over the other, though being the baby meant Avery got away with so much more than her sisters.
“An old friend of mine needs help.”
“Old? Sweetheart, you don’t get old friends until you’re at least in your fifties,” he said with a laugh. “Let me guess, it’s—”
“Darrell Hughes.” As a small child, interrupting her father would have gotten her cell phone privileges taken away. As an adult, it brought a scowl.
But today, it brought an arched brow and the faintest of smiles. “Is this the dancer whose pictures covered your bedroom walls when you were a teenager? The one you said you were going to marry. The one—”
“Dad, please.” She folded her arms, giving him her best ‘I’m a grown-up’ look. But it did nothing except make her father laugh harder.
“I’m sorry, but that is a name I haven’t heard since you turned seventeen.” Her father ran his palm over his mouth. At least he tried to wipe the grin off his face. “How is it that he’s an old friend?”
She cocked her head. “I did meet him.”
“Once.” He held up a finger.
“Not the point and someone cast a locked black magic spell on his pack,” she rambled off as quickly as she could, diverting her father’s attention.
His grin quickly turned into a grimace. “Go on,” he said.
“All I know is that one wolf has already died and every male, including the Alpha, are exhibiting symptoms.”
“Did they call in a witch doctor?” Her father rested his elbows on the large desk. “Is he part of the Red River Pack?”
She nodded. “Dr. Holken from the Coven of the Leos, but he couldn’t find the source. Said they’d contact the council.”
“Dr. Holken reported an incident and requested that we look into a situation. It’s the first agenda item at our next meeting.” Her father had developed his skills as a warlock and powerful wizard. However, he hadn’t used even an ounce of darker witchcraft since he’d been a teenager. “I’ll need to meet with his pack leader.”
“He’s the Alpha, and he’s in the living room.”
“Let’s go get him.” Her father pushed back his chair, running a hand through his graying hair. “I was told his pack had a new Alpha when…shit, his father died a month ago.”
She gasped, gripping the doorknob. “He didn’t tell me that. Didn’t even hint to it.”
Her father rested a hand on her shoulder and gave a little squeeze. “I’m sure the emotions are raw, and if a witch cast a locked spell, then he’s also grappling with the idea his father was murdered.”
“Oh, Daddy, that’s horrible.” She rubbed the sensitive skin under her eyes, hoping to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks.
He nodded. “I’m going to call Gabe and have him schedule an emergency meeting of the council for tomorrow. Bring Darrell back here. I’ll leave the door open.”
***
Darrell stood in front of the sofa, staring at the family portrait, focusing on Avery’s father. He sat on a bench, his arm around his elegant wife and his children surrounding him, all smiling.
The last time Darrell had seen his father alive, he could barely lift his hand. Whatever illness he’d contracted had aged him at an accelerated pace.
The ache in Darrell’s joints reminded him that what happened to his dad, was happening to him.
He inhaled the fresh scent of lilies.
Avery.
He smelled her minutes before she raced into the room.
“Whoa,” he said as she collided into him, wrapping her arms around his body. “What’s this about?”
“I’m so sorry about your father,” she whispered into his neck. Her hot breath tickled his skin, exciting every cell. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He threaded his fingers through her long, auburn hair. Since his father died, he hadn’t been able to grieve. His pack, his mother, and his siblings needed him to step into his father’s shoes and lead The Red River Pack during this time of uncertainty. Fear gripped the hearts of all members, and they looked at him, wondering if he was half the man his father had been.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. He wouldn’t allow himself to grieve the loss of the greatest wolf that ever walked the earth. His father had been a leader of leaders, and everyone admired and respected him, and now he was gone.
“It’s not something I really want to talk about right now,” he admitted.
Her gentle touch helped ease some of the tension, but it also reminded him that even if they found the source of the spell, he could be dead within the year.
Needing to put some space between them, he took a step back.
Her thick eyelashes blinked over her watery sea-blue orbs.
It would be impossible to resist her, but he’d have to, at least for now. “Can your father see me?”
“Oh, yes. He’s waiting for us.” She took his hand and led him through a long hallway.
He should pull away. Right now, he had nothing to offer but a broken heart. Instead of taking the new job so he could be near her, he should have gone through the proper channels to get the help he needed from her father and the council.
“The problem had been brought to his attention, and right now he’s trying to schedule an emergency meeting.”
She stopped at an open door. Her father sat behind a large desk, his cell pressed to his ear, waving them in.
Darrell tugged his hand free as he stepped across the threshold. He’d never met a prince before. The title alone intimidated him, but seeing the tall, muscular man in person, terrified him. He puffed out his chest. He never really thought he’d be Alpha of his pack, at least not this soon, but it was time he started acting like one.
“Thanks,” her father said as he set down the phone, stretching out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, but I’m sorry for the circumstances.”
“Sir,” Darrell said, not knowing the proper protocol. “Thank you for seeing me.”
“You can call me Albert,�
� her father said, pointing to a seat in front of the desk. “Avery, please go get us some coffee and your mother’s muffins.”
“Dad, I—”
“I need a moment alone with your friend.”
Darrell glanced over his shoulder as he took a seat. Avery crinkled her nose, obviously not thrilled about being dismissed. But she nodded and disappeared into the other room, leaving him alone with her father.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” her father asked.
Darrell snapped his head, catching her father’s gaze dead on. “Know what?”
Prince Albert stared at him with an arched brow and a deep scowl. “That you’ve imprinted on her, and I take it you did that years ago.”
“May I ask how you know that?” Darrell sat up taller. Alpha or not, her father deserved respect, and he’d give it in spades.
“I’ve always suspected,” her father said, clasping his hands and resting them on the desk. “She came home one day from dance with the happiest aura I’d ever seen. I thought it was because she’d made the company, but every time she spoke of you, or saw one of your performances, her aura went nuts, and when she walked into my office a bit ago, it was there, expanding into the room. It’s a beautiful array of blues, yellows, reds, and greens, all blending together. The feeling it sets off is contagious. But she also has a thick gray layer of worry since she’s learned of your father’s passing.”
Darrell wished he could see what her aura looked like, but he did feel what her father described. It was as if he’d been wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket. It both humbled him and angered him. It would be pure torture to destroy that kind of sensation if he were to succumb to this curse. “I don’t mean to change the subject, or be rude, but she mentioned she couldn’t see mine. Why is that?”
“I suspect that is part of the spell cast on your pack.” Prince Albert opened a drawer and pulled out a beat-up, old book. “This is the Royal Families Book of Shadows. It contains a lot of black magic and spells, but nothing like what the doctor describes regarding what is happening to your pack.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Darrell had known many witches over the years, but he’d never grown close to any of them, nor did he comprehend their witchcraft.
“Every coven has a legacy of black magic from centuries ago. We’ve tried to document all the spells and curses from each one that has been banned. However, there are a few covens who have locked their black magic, thinking it will prevent witches from using it, only it has devastating effects.”
“What kind of effects?” Darrell shifted to the edge of his seat.
“Let’s say a witch casts a bad luck spell that has been locked, they will suffer bad, like tenfold the strength of the spell.”
“So, whoever did this to my pack, the same thing is happening to them?”
“Could be,” Prince Albert said as he let out a long puff of air. “I need to find out more about the spell, and the only way I can do that is by tapping into the inner aura both past and present of the source.”
“But we don’t know the source and what if it was my father?” Darrell didn’t need to be a witch to understand the implication of what that might mean to his future.
“With your permission, I’d like to start with you.”
“By all means. And I know my high council members will be willing to do anything. We’re only forty-five minutes from here, so I can gather them quickly.”
Prince Albert held up his hand. “There is a lot I can find by looking through your old inner aura rings and if you’re not the source, I could potentially find it.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s do this old inner aura ring thing.”
The sound of ceramic shattering on the floor echoed in the room.
“No, Dad. You can’t do that,” Avery said, standing in a pile of broken mugs and a coffee pot spilling its hot liquid onto the floor.
Worried she might cut herself, Darrell jumped from the chair, careful not to step on anything sharp, and lifted her into his arms. It felt as though he’d come home. She was meant to be his, and he would do whatever it took to make sure they had their chance at love.
“Put me down,” she said sharply, glaring at him.
He let out a low growl but set her butt gently on the seat next to his.
“I have to do it,” her father said, folding his arms. “It’s the only way.”
“It could kill you both.” She ran her hand over her knee, massaging gently. “There has to be another way.”
“What’s the likelihood that we will die?” He forced his gaze away from Avery, whose eyes turned a dark cobalt, like the angry waves of the ocean.
“About a ten percent chance for me, maybe twenty for you.”
“I’m going to die if we don’t do something, so for me, it’s a no-brainer, but I’d understand if you didn’t want to take the risk.”
Prince Albert shook his head. “I’ve looked at past rings before, where no one else on the Royal Council has, and I have a stake in the outcome.” He arched his brow, glancing at his daughter. “Avery, I need you to call Jackson. I think having a wolf here will be beneficial.”
“If you insist on doing this, I’m calling Dr. Kilby as well,” Avery said, still rubbing her knee.
Darrell had no idea why he focused on that movement, or why he wondered if her favoring one leg over the other had anything to do with what was going on with his pack.
After all, he’d imprinted on her years ago.
Chapter 3
“You don’t have to do this right now,” Avery pleaded with Darrell as she paced in her parents’ living room. She didn’t care that the power her father’s magic held surpassed most warlocks, looking to a person’s memories was dangerous and had other side effects besides death. “We can wait one day for the Royal Council to meet.”
“I know you’re nervous about your father—”
“And you, too.” Avery stopped at the end of the sofa, hands on her hips, and glared down at Darrell.
Everything about him made her insides melt and her outsides rattle with a combination of anxiety and desire. The schoolgirl crush she had on him for all those years bubbled from her heart, only nothing about what she felt for him was childish.
No.
Her grown-up body wanted to savor every succulent flavor that floated off his skin.
“Sit down.” He patted the cushion.
She let out an exasperated sigh, plopping herself on the couch. As she bended her leg, the cold, sharp pain, like an ice pick jabbing her joint, ricocheted to her teeth. Instinctively, she grabbed her knee and groaned.
“Are you injured? I noticed you had your ankle and knee wrapped at rehearsal.”
“Overuse injury,” she said, though honestly, she had no idea what was wrong, and she hadn’t been to a doctor. It would have to wait until after this performance because no way was she letting Olivia have it. Maybe in a year or two, Avery would be ready to step down and move onto something else. “Happens all the time,” she lied.
“I noticed how you favored it.”
She turned her head, lowering her chin. “Nice try, but I’m not letting you change the subject. What you are about to do is dangerous.”
“Doing nothing is more dangerous.” He slipped his fingers through hers. His silky skin kissed her palm, causing her heart to thump heavily in her chest. She could understand why she’d be drawn to him, but what the hell was he doing? All the touching, kissing on the cheek, and picking her up in front of her father?
Talk about weird.
And then there was her father’s reaction to all this. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Do you know what my father meant when he said he had a stake in this, too?”
Darrell closed his eyes, dropping his head back. “It’s not important right now.”
She bit the inside of her mouth. “But you know why he feels like he has to risk both of your lives right now.”
“
If I said no, would you believe me?”
She let out a curt laugh. “Tell me why.”
He didn’t get a chance to answer as her father and brother-in-law, Jackson, strolled into the room.
She pulled her hand free while Darrell sat up, running his hands up and down his jeans. While she felt a strong bond to him, a wave of awkwardness rolled through her body.
“This is Jackson, and he experienced a bit of what you will be going through last year.” Her father carried a small vile in his right hand.
“And what is that, exactly?” Darrell asked.
“To make a very long story short, Alfred’s sister cast a couple of spells on me to keep me from mating with Amanda. We had to banish them, and it’s quite painful,” Jackson said, sitting in the wing-back chair. “And then my lovely mate put her father’s magic in my hands, and I almost died. Let’s hope Avery here doesn’t have to do that to you. I didn’t get the chance to imprint until after the banishing—”
“Perhaps we should get started,” her father said.
But her mind kept playing Jackson’s words over and over again.
“You imprinted? On who?” she asked, staring at Darrell. She understood the concept of how wolves took a mate. She’d done a paper in school on various rituals, but focused on the concept of imprinting, which normally happened during the dating process, but sometimes, it happened without either party having any control.
Fated mates.
Soulmates.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Jackson muttered, glancing at her father. “You didn’t tell me she didn’t know.”
“Know what?” Avery asked, glaring at Darrell. “And don’t you lie to me either.”
“Right this second, it doesn’t matter.” Darrell shifted to the corner of the sofa. “If we don’t find the source of the spell, I’m going to be dead within a few months, so my imprint on you will disappear anyway.”
She bolted from the sofa. “You did what to me? When? The day we danced?”
Her father placed a firm hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “You claimed me when I was five? How the hell would you even know I was the girl for you?”