Wolf Marked (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 1)

by Veronica Douglas

  Jaxson was on my heels, his feet ricocheting against the ground with impossible force. I swore I could feel his breath on my neck. My heart was thudding and my breathing ragged, and the thrill of the race coursed through my blood.

  Suddenly, he was beside me. Startled, I caught my foot on a rock, and my thundering speed boots catapulted me into the air. I braced for impact, but instead of the ground, a hard body collided with mine, and arms wrapped around me. The air was driven from my lungs as we rolled several times, Jaxson’s body shielding me from the brunt of the impact.

  With a thump, we came to a stop. The man beneath me was staring back with deep, honey-gold eyes. His heat melded with mine, and my chest tightened. I struggled for air, grasping at my throat, but my lungs wouldn’t respond.

  Panic surged through me, but Jaxson gripped my hips and lifted me so that I was straddling him. “Breathe, Savannah.” His hands gently cradled my back. His voice was calm and low and filled with power. I felt my fear melt into his golden eyes, and the tension in my body released.

  Chest heaving, I sucked in steady gasps of air until my lungs no longer ached and the panic left me. Then I realized just how close Jaxson and I were.

  The tightness in my chest grew, like something was trying to claw its way out. Heat pulsed through me, settling at the apex of my thighs, and all I could think of was his strength beneath me and the tenderness of my skin.

  I began to move.

  “Savannah.” Jaxson’s voice was thick, and he slid one hand up my back. His touch left a trail of tingles rippling down my spine, and I gasped. “We can’t do this,” he growled. His eyes flashed honey, and he gripped my butt with his other hand.

  I felt his hardness beneath me, and I tipped my head back and moaned as I ground my hips into him.

  He pressed against me, following my rhythm, “We need to stop.”

  Jaxson’s words were the exact opposite of what his body was telling me, and I didn’t care. My skin was flushed and sensitive, and I had the overwhelming urge to tear off my clothes. It made no sense at all, and yet there I was, pulling up the bottom of my shirt and—

  Oh, my God. What was I doing?

  My senses returned to me like a rogue wave slamming into the shore.

  I looked down at the impossibly beautiful and dangerous man beneath me. Had I really been…grinding on him? Embarrassment, shock, and confusion rushed through me, and I scrambled off Jaxson’s lap. “What the hell just happened?”

  It had been like my body was overcome by a fever, and I was stuck sitting in the passenger seat, watching it all unfold.

  Jaxson’s shoulders rose and fell, and when he at last met my eyes, he looked just about as confused as I was. His silence spoke volumes.

  Was there something he wasn’t telling me? He looked distraught about what had just happened, and unease flooded through me.

  “We should go,” he said at last.

  “Jaxson?”

  It took him a second, and then he looked at me as if I’d just disturbed some deep inner thought. “I’m sorry. My wolf must have taken over back there. Are you all right?”

  I nodded weakly as my mind reeled.

  He forced a smile. “Everything is okay, I promise. It’s getting late, and we should go.”

  He wasn’t the same man from moments before. I’d let my guard down and almost forgotten that he was a damn werewolf. Had I lost my mind?

  There was another Jaxson locked away inside of him—a savage creature with animal instincts. A Jaxson that I didn’t know at all.

  31

  Savannah

  I took a swig of Old Style, hoping the beer would relax me. Between our freak heat-filled encounter along the shore and the prospect of scrying again, I was on edge.

  After our jaunt at Avery’s Point, things had been pretty awkward, and we’d barely spoken a word on the drive back. Jaxson hadn’t wanted to return to Eclipse, probably because he was afraid I’d make another scene, or maybe he was ashamed of what had just transpired between us. Probably both. I was just an unruly LaSalle, after all.

  Ultimately, we needed somewhere private to scry, so we’d headed to The Boiler, a homely little corner bar in the southern part of Dockside. Jaxson had led me straight to a private room in the back like he owned the place. Maybe he did. Either way, no one asked a single question, and no one bothered us other than to drop off our drinks.

  “Ready to give it another go?” Jaxson asked, nodding to the flask of silver and red liquid that I’d placed on the table between us.

  I pushed the noxious scrying potion toward him. “Maybe you want to do it this time?”

  He didn’t touch the flask. “I’m a wolf. Your blood in that potion attunes it exclusively to you, but even if it didn’t, our kind doesn’t have the innate magic necessary to control the effects. Moreover, scrying is forbidden.”

  I crossed my arms and leaned back in the booth. “Forbidden? Or simply illegal and dangerous, which you neglected to tell me when you first asked.”

  Jaxson flinched slightly, but he kept his eyes trained on me. “Forbidden. Dabbling in the occult is taboo in our pack. Knowing the future, far-seeing, they’re the domains of the moon-mother and not meant for mortals. She watches over us, and only she sees the future.”

  I leaned forward. “But you went to a seer.”

  “I was desperate. I needed answers.”

  I wondered how that went over with the rest of his pack. “What did she tell you about our adversaries? About me?”

  “My prophecy is my own, just as yours belongs to you.”

  I scowled. “But you heard part of mine.”

  “Not the prophecy, just the fortune teller’s interpretation of the cards. That’s different.”

  I chewed on my lip and dug my nails into my palm to keep my frustration from boiling over. He was chintzier with information than Alma was with sweets. “Can’t you tell me anything?”

  Jaxson released a low, exasperated rumble from his throat, then leaned toward me. “The seer helped me find you and told me to protect you. She said you would lead me to answers, and that if anything happens to you, it’ll mean ruin for my pack.”

  Of course—that was why he was so interested in me. The wellbeing of his pack. And to think I’d begun to believe he saw something in me.

  I scowled and hoped he could smell my annoyance. “Fine, let’s do this. By which I mean I’ll do it, seeing as you can’t or won’t.”

  My palms were wet from the condensation on the beer bottle, so I rubbed them on my jeans and uncorked the flask. “Bottoms up.”

  I screwed up my face as the bitter liquid burned my throat, making me feel slightly nauseated, and then I choked as I started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Jaxson asked, his eyes narrowing in on me like lasers.

  “Honestly? I was thinking of throwing up on you. This tastes so bad.”

  He inclined his head, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. It was so easy to ruffle his fur. “Focus, Savannah. This is important.” His voice was sharp and impatient.

  I took a breath and closed my eyes, concentrating on the picture of the she-wolf I’d drawn. The potion began working its way through me like the tingle of a low-voltage current. My arms became leaden, and my fingers felt like they were merging with the wood. Black shadows and forms swirled in the darkness, drawing me in.

  “Tell me what you see.” Jaxson’s voice was far off, like a dream.

  I tried to speak, but the darkness tugged me in all directions and muddled my mind. I clenched my eyes shut as hard as I could and imagined the face of the bitch from Belmont. Her rage. Her hatred.

  The shadows behind my closed eyes began circling me like wolves. Hungry. Impatient. The hair on my neck rose, and I had the distinct sensation of being watched by unseen eyes.

  “Savannah. Is it working?”

  “Something’s different. I can’t…it’s not right. Very not right. I’m not alone…”

  Jaxson’s hand pressed against my back,
and warmth poured through me, awakening a power deep within. He spoke in honey tones. “You’re not alone. I’m here. Concentrate on the woman.”

  His signature washed over my body, and I wanted to drink it in. It filled my senses, and suddenly, despite the darkness around me, I felt like I was running through a cold and snowy forest with crisp air on my face. The stalking shadows in my mind peeled away and fled through the darkness. Light appeared. Suddenly, the forest wasn’t just the scent of Jaxson’s signature. It was there, bathed in summer sunlight, all around me.

  I was moving through the woods, following the woman.

  My pulse began to slow. “I see her.”

  “Tell me everything.”

  The vision was blurry, and I could only catch snippets of the images.

  “She’s entered a house, no, a cabin in the woods. It’s got wooden walls, and it’s really run-down. She’s messing with something. I can’t make it out—like red cables.”

  What the hell were those?

  “Describe every detail. Is there a demon summoning circle?”

  “I can’t see, she’s moving around the cabin. There’s another person, but I can’t identify them. Wait, she’s picked something up and is heading outside. There’s lots of trees. Tall pines, but I can see blue. It’s a lake! She’s walking to a lake.”

  “What’s she carrying?”

  I didn’t have the right angle to see clearly. “A box of vials or bottles. Maybe potions? Okay, she’s down at the lakeshore. It’s all white limestone cobbles. There’s a boat with someone in it. She’s taking the box to a man in the boat!”

  My heart pounded against my chest.

  Jaxson’s voice was low and controlled. “Savannah, look for any landmarks. Could this be her home or a base of operations?”

  I tried to look around, but I could barely control my vantage point, and my vision swirled like I was on a carousel. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Something caught my eyes, and I tried to focus. “There’s a lighthouse nearby.”

  “Describe it, quick, before the vision ends.”

  “It’s on a promontory or spit. I think it’s abandoned—the light might be broken. It’s tall, smooth, cylindrical…a white tower with a rusted red roof. There’s a fence around the top.”

  “Excellent.” Jaxson pressed his hand on the small of my back and gently squeezed, and elation shot through me. “Do you see who she’s handed the box off to?

  I pivoted my view, and the world spun. I felt myself sliding off my chair, but Jaxson’s hands caught me and held me upright. The spinning stopped, and finally, I was able to get a fix on the boat.

  My attacker waded into the lake, picking her way carefully over the slippery, greenish, algae-covered stones. When she reached the edge of the waiting boat, she lifted the box up. I held my breath and strained my mind. I needed to see who was there.

  A man reached down and took the box. “I see him, but…”

  My stomach dropped, and horror trickled through me.

  “But what? Tell me, Savannah.”

  The man’s face was a black hole. Swirling darkness leaked around from the edges of his body, distorting the air like grease over water. Confusion and panic tore through me as my mind tried to make sense of what I was seeing.

  “His face is a blank. It’s like he’s got no face. Just darkness.”

  “He has an anti-scrying charm. Try to concentrate, try to break through. You can do this.” Jaxson’s breath was soft on my neck and sent power vibrating through my body. Every word of his was confident, cloaked in certainty. He believed in me without question.

  I strained as hard as I could, imaging what my magic had felt like, trying to call the sensation forth, to force my way through the darkness. Suddenly, the man snapped his head up and looked directly at me with that horrifying, blurred-out face.

  “Holy shit, he sees me!”

  “Not possible,” Jaxson said.

  Adrenaline surged into my veins, and my heart hammered against my chest.

  The faceless man slowly tilted his head, and words formed in my mind: No peeking, Savannah.

  Then there was only pain.

  32

  Jaxson

  Savannah screamed and tumbled from her chair.

  I caught her and started to set her upright, but she clung to me, shaking and wide-eyed. “Oh, my God, Jaxson, I think he saw me! He spoke to me!”

  The blood in my veins froze. “What?”

  Her hands were trembling, and a trail of blood began to drip from her nose. Not good.

  “Everything is okay,” I said with more confidence than I felt. I kept my arms around her, unsure if I should pull her close. I had no idea how I should react after the incident in the woods, but I knew how my body wanted to react. The sweet tangerine scent of her signature brought water to my mouth. When her heartbeat against my chest began to slow, I set her back on the stool before my own heart could start racing. “Tell me what happened.”

  Panic shone through her watery eyes. “He looked at me and said, ‘No peeking, Savannah.’ But, like, in my mind. How could he see me?”

  How, indeed?

  I let my presence wash over her, calming her fears. I pitched my voice low and soft, holding back any sign of the alarms going off in my head. “He may not have actually seen you, just identified your presence. Some powerful spellcasters can protect themselves from clairvoyance and other forms of observation. I’m guessing he must be a sorcerer. Or a mage.”

  She shook her head slowly. “It felt like he was digging into my soul with his eyes, and I couldn’t even see them. I couldn’t see anything beyond that horrible darkness where his face should have been.”

  A bead of blood had pooled on the top of her lip and hung there, quivering. I had an inhuman urge to taste it. I was a predator, after all, and the scent of blood always climbed above the chorus of other aromas. But this was different. It smelled exotic, pungent, almost like a drug.

  I dipped a napkin in my ice water and softly wiped the blood from her lip, wishing it was my mouth instead of my hand. “It’s all right. You did great, and I think you got us the information we need.”

  After she’d calmed and repeated everything that she’d seen, I left her for a moment and had the bartender retrieve a pen and paper from the back. I placed them down in front of the shaken woman. “Draw the lighthouse.”

  She set about sketching, and as the dark lines appeared on the paper, the tension in her body melted away. The art had an almost magical hold over her. It centered her in a way that even my alpha presence could not.

  Her hands flew over the page. “I bet this is in Wisconsin, or at least on the edge of Lake Michigan. The beach was white limestone cobbles. I went to a lot of beaches like that when I was a kid. We might be able to track down the lighthouse. They’re all different.”

  I took a picture of her illustration and sent it to Regina, and then Savannah and I started scrolling through our phones, trying to identify the lighthouse. It took a half hour of searching through various historical society pages on the internet, but she finally found an obscure reference to the lighthouse, plus a couple of old photos. “This is it! It’s the Jasper Point lighthouse in lower Door County.”

  Adrenaline surged through my body as I compared the images on her phone to her illustration of the lighthouse. “Well done. The location makes sense. Most of the disappearances have been isolated Magica living in eastern Wisconsin.”

  I dialed Regina. “We’ve got a location. Call Tony and have his Belmont team meet us at the Mobil station on Wisconsin Road 42. Tell them to plan on shifting, but bring guns as backup. Then grab Sam and a couple of others and meet us at the docks so we can arm up with Billy.”

  I hung up with her, grabbed Savannah, and headed for the truck.

  Twenty minutes later, we pulled through the checkpoint into the docks and rumbled over the broken asphalt to a derelict section of the port. I parked beside a rusted container that appeared abandoned but was one of the secure p
laces in which the pack stored firearms.

  Regina and Sam were already on site, and Billy emerged from inside the container as we drove up. He dumped an armful of weapons into the bed of his truck and glared at us as we slipped out. “You brought a LaSalle into the docks?” he growled, giving Savannah a deathly stare.

  I slammed the door and put a calming hand on the small of Savannah’s back before she flew off the handle in response to Billy’s challenge. “She’ll know not to come here.”

  Savannah relaxed slightly beneath my touch, though she was shooting daggers at Billy with her eyes. She had a quick temper and no idea how to navigate pack hierarchy, an explosive combination that I didn’t need going south, particularly with a pile of guns at hand.

  “What’s the situation?” Regina asked, grabbing a rifle and inspecting it. I could tell by her scent and the jut of her hip that she was also clearly at odds with having Savannah present, but unlike Billy, she wasn’t going to push it.

  “The rogue wolves are using a cabin on the shore of Lake Michigan as a base of operations. By Savannah’s description, it sounds like a temporary arrangement, so we need to move quickly.” I grabbed a pistol and a couple clips of silver bullets.

  Billy looked from me to Savannah. “A cabin? How did you find out about it?”

  “Savannah has sorcery in her blood, so she scried.”

  Billy growled, and Regina sucked in a quick breath, even though she’d been in on my plans from the start. It was still taboo.

  “You’re messing with the fucking dark arts,” Billy snarled, reeking of rage and hate. His eyes flashed yellow, and I could tell his wolf was getting near the surface.

  Including him might have been a mistake, but Billy was part of my inner circle, and I couldn’t just cut out the voices of my advisors when I felt like it. That would defeat the whole point of having them. I needed every perspective I could get, and Billy reflected the beliefs of many in my pack.

  “I understand this isn’t ideal, but we learned a great deal and confirmed that a sorcerer is involved. He was hidden from the spell, so we can’t name him, but at least we know who summoned the demon.”