Shadow of the Wolf hd-1

by Dana Marie Eberharter

  Chris growled. He was holding his wolf back with everything in him, but it was close. Zach had put his mate in mortal danger to save him, and Chris was furious.

  Somehow Zach had taken the hellish wounds from him, grounding the evil power through Lana, cleansing it before allowing it to return to the earth. Because of Zach, Lana had suffered horror before finally blacking out. She’d been unconscious ever since.

  Zach deserved at least a beating for putting Lana through that. “If you hadn’t done what you did, she wouldn’t be lying half dead in my bed right now.”

  Zach glared at him, power sparkling in his eyes. “If I hadn’t done what I did, you would be dead. Lana would be alone. Fuck, Chris! Some of the Godwins are still fucking out there. What did you expect me to do? Let you die?”

  And that was the only reason he’d been able to keep himself from attacking Zach. He could almost understand what had driven Zach to torture his mate. He wasn’t quite certain he wouldn’t have tried to do something similar if it had been Zach lying on the ground like that. Not that he understood exactly what Zach had done. None of them did.

  The scariest part was the fear Annabelle tried to hide when she looked at her new protégé.

  Still… “If Lana had died, you would have lost me anyway.”

  Zach growled. “Lana was not going to die.”

  “She might have.”

  That weird glow was back around his baby brother, and it was beginning to scare the shit out of him. “I wouldn’t have allowed it.” Zach took a deep breath, and the glow died down. “Trust me, Chris.” Zach turned away and headed for his room. “For once in our lives just … believe in me.”

  Chris watched his brother walk up the stairs, his heart hurting at the defeat in his brother’s face but unable to give up his anger. He would, given time. Zach was right; Lana was still alive, and that was what he needed to focus on.

  * * *

  “I won’t kill him, but I’m still going to fucking kick his ass.”

  Lana felt the darkness receding, Chris’s voice rolling over her in a furious wave. Uh-oh. Wonder who pissed Chris off. Her head pounded, and her mouth felt like she hadn’t had anything to drink in days.

  Gareth’s voice was low and soothing. “You can’t kick his ass if he’s in Cleveland, Christopher.”

  Who’s going to Cleveland? She tried to turn her head, but the pain was too intense.

  What the hell had she been drinking? This was the worst hangover in the history of drunkenness!

  “I don’t care. I’ll figure out a way to do it. How dare he use her like that?” It sounded like Chris was pacing. But Chris never paces. She frowned. Wait. Who used me? And for what?

  “It saved your life, Chris.”

  “So?”

  “She volunteered.”

  “She shouldn’t have had to go through that!”

  “Christopher.” She could hear Gareth’s frustrated sigh and wondered how long they’d been fighting. “Grounding it through you wasn’t an option. You know that.”

  It was starting to come back to her. Chris had been lying on the ground, bleeding badly. Cole’s body had been close by, eerily still. The Godwins had been fighting the Becketts while the Arbiter tried to stop it all and failed miserably.

  “He could have asked someone else.”

  “We were all dealing with the Godwins. Damn it, Chris! Zach had seconds to act. If he’d waited for one of us, you’d be dead.”

  Oh. Zach. That picture was probably going to stick with her forever. Zach kneeling over Chris’s body, glowing and holding out his hand, begging for her help. At the thought of the new witch, Lana winced. The spell he’d used, forcing the toxins from the wound through her, purifying them before grounding them, had been excruciating. But with no time to come up with an alternative way it had been the only way to save Chris from the wound that was rapidly killing him. Cleansing the taint before releasing it into the ground meant no one else would suffer ill effects from the demonic power. Otherwise the clean earth of the dueling circle would have been twisted and perverted, unable to sustain the spells of the wizards who used it.

  The power Cole Godwin had held was apparently nothing compared to what Davis Godwin had. The second wound had been more horrific than the first. Thank the Lord and Lady the wand was destroyed. She’d hate to think what would happen if an object of such evil was ever placed in the hands of someone even stronger than Davis Godwin.

  She shifted her leg, hoping in some weird way that it would alleviate the pain in her head. That’s when she realized it wasn’t just her head that hurt. Her whole body did.

  “I think she’s waking up.” A hand gently picked up hers, even that soft touch painful. “Sweetheart?”

  “Ow.” She hoped he’d heard her, because the barely there whisper was the best she could do.

  “Get Annabelle. Now. ”

  The authority in his hushed voice was reassuring. She felt her lips curl up at the thought of her mate being his usual bossy self.

  “I don’t know what you’re smiling about, sweetheart. The minute Annabelle gives you a clean bill of health I’m spanking your ass so hard you won’t sit down for a week.”

  He stroked her hair away from her face. She thought it trembled. “I still can’t believe you and Zach did that.”

  She couldn’t really speak, couldn’t move without wanting to scream, so she did the only thing she could. She pursed her lips and blew him a kiss.

  His breath caught. “Fuck it.” She felt the bed dip. “Annabelle can kiss my ass.”

  If she had the strength, she would have giggled.

  “I know it hurts, so I’m not going to try and hold you.” His hand came to rest against her stomach. “But I can sure as hell touch you.”

  She licked her lips. “’Kay.” It did hurt a little, but there was no way she’d tell him that.

  She felt his lips press against her arm. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you wake.”

  “Mm.” She drifted off, trusting him to keep his word.

  * * *

  Christopher stared down at the woman sleeping in his bed. She hadn’t opened her eyes once, barely spoke, and he’d never been more relieved in his life. She’d been out for two hellish days, days in which his baby brother had been whisked out of the house to face possible punishment for going against the wishes of Annabelle Evans, casting spells when she’d expressly forbidden it. He had the feeling the punishment would be more severe considering the cost to her granddaughter.

  He yawned, weary beyond belief. He’d barely slept since they carried Lana into his bedroom, too afraid she’d wake up and he wouldn’t be there.

  Lana looked horrible. Her eyes were sunken, her skin sallow, her hair limp. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she suffered from a life-threatening illness. Her palm was bandaged, hiding the damage the protection amulet had done to her. He’d wanted to see the damage but Annabelle had told him to leave the bandages in place. The only good thing he could see was that her hand wasn’t swathed the same way Zach’s had been.

  And she’d done this for him. He still couldn’t quite get over that.

  He’d have to make sure certain things were clear to her from now on. First off, he was never letting her out of his sight again. Second, she was to stay away from his insane brother. She and Zachary were a deadly combination. Third, he’d have to make sure she understood exactly what she meant to him.

  In the meantime, he’d wait. When she woke, he’d be there. There was no where else he’d rather be.

  “How is she?”

  He turned his head slightly, careful not to jar his mate. “Sleeping again.”

  Annabelle frowned and studied Lana through narrowed eyes. “Let’s take a look at her.” She waved a hand at him. “Off the bed.”

  “No.”

  She glared at him. He glared right back, making sure his hand stayed relaxed against Lana’s stomach. “I told you not to jar her at all. We’re still not certain of
the full effects of the spell Zach used.”

  “I was careful.” He kept his voice low, but couldn’t keep the warning out of his voice. His wolf was still howling in grief at the damage done to their mate. “We need to be here.”

  She cocked her hip, reminding him forcibly of the woman lying beside him. “Oh?

  We? ”

  He had no intention of getting into how the Beckett family curse worked with her.

  Annabelle Evans might be a powerful witch, but he was a wolf with an injured mate.

  There was no way in hell he was getting off that bed. “Do your examination.”

  She bristled at his commanding tone before huffing out a breath. “Wizards. Always have to have things your way.” She bent over her granddaughter and began her careful examination.

  Christopher watched, keeping a close eye on Annabelle. Her expression slowly eased, and so did the clamp around his heart.

  When Annabelle smiled at him, he sighed in relief. Lana was going to be all right.

  “You look exhausted. As long as you don’t jar her too much it should be safe for you to sleep there.” She smoothed his hair back from his forehead, much like his own grandmother had done when he was a child.

  “Annabelle?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Thank you.”

  She nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  The door shut quietly behind her, and Chris followed her advice. For the first time in two days he allowed himself to fall asleep.

  * * *

  Something woke him later in the day.

  “Chris?”

  “Mm.”

  “Chris.”

  He opened his eyes to darkness. “Still sleepin’.”

  A soft sigh blew across his hair. “Chris.”

  “What?”

  “I’m thirsty.”

  He stifled a yawn. “M’kay.” He turned on the bedside lamp and stumbled to the bathroom. Grabbing a cup he filled it with water and headed back to the bed. “Here.”

  She blinked up at him. “Help me?”

  “Mm.” He took her into his arms and held the cup to her lips, her gasp of pain bringing him full awake. “Oh crap. I’m sorry, little witch.”

  She took a sip of the water and settled in against him. “It’s okay.” She shuddered, her face pale and drawn. “Everything hurts.”

  “I have some ibuprofen Annabelle left for you in case you woke up, but she said you need to take it with food.”

  She grinned up weakly at him. “I’ll wait while you fetch something.”

  One brow rose. “Fetch?”

  “Go, boy! Go!”

  He shook his head at her. “How can you be making jokes right now?”

  “We won.” Her bandaged caressed his cheek. “We’re here, and Cole isn’t.”

  “But his family got away.” In the scramble to save Chris, the rest of the Godwins had gotten away. He wasn’t certain what punishments the other family would receive but one thing was certain. The Godwins were out of the running as far as the court of the wizard king was concerned. The fact that it had slipped everyone’s attention that Cole and his father were actually warlocks had several of their sages scratching their heads. The entries into the Registry were clear, yet no one had thought to check until Gareth had started wondering exactly who Cole was working with. Once he’d pointed the entry out to Daniel, it was as if a veil was lifted from their eyes.

  There were rumors that the Godwins would suffer no consequences other than formal expulsion from the wizard’s court for all of their warlock family members. What Davis Godwin would do from there, Christopher didn’t know, but he had the feeling that this wasn’t over. With Cole’s death, the war between the Becketts and the Godwins had reached a new level.

  “So you think it isn’t over?” She snuggled against him with a wince.

  “No. I don’t. I’m sorry, little witch. I never meant to drag you into something like this.”

  She shot him a disgusted look. “Yup, you just grabbed hold of my arm and pasted a sign on my ass that said ‘Warlocks Eat Free’.” He growled. She giggled, then gasped.

  “Oh, remind me not to laugh.”

  “I’ll go grab a snack for both of us. You settle back down and try to rest.” He placed a kiss on her forehead before heading for the kitchen.

  A light was already on. “Hey, Gareth.”

  “Chris. How’s Lana?”

  Chris frowned when Gareth adjusted his sling. His older brother was in pain but ever since the fight with the Godwins he’d refused to take any of his medications. He said he didn’t want his brain fuzzed if he had to “wolf out”. “She’s hungry and wants some ibuprofen. She’s in a lot of pain, but at least she’s talking to me now and her eyes are open.” He reached into the fridge and pulled out some cheese and grapes, hoping they’d be easy on her stomach.

  “It’s good that she’s awake.” Gareth spooned up some chocolate ice cream and reached for the chocolate syrup on the counter. “We’re looking further into how the Godwins managed to tamper with their entry into the Registry.”

  “We?”

  Gareth started to shrug but stopped. “Daniel and I.” Gareth stirred his ice cream and chocolate syrup together, making a sort of milkshake in his bowl. He’d been doing it since he was a child. “I think Daniel’s going to want the ring soon.”

  Chris blinked. “Why?”

  “Have you noticed how remote he’s become?”

  “He’s always been a little aloof.” He thought back to Daniel’s recent behavior, the way he seemed to have closed himself off. “He’s been worse?”

  “He’s holed up in his office or his house all the time now. He doesn’t leave except for family stuff like this.”

  That sounded very familiar to Chris. He’d done the same thing before going to his father and begging him for the ring. “I’ll talk to him, let him know that the ring will be ready for him.” It gave him ideas on what sort of engagement ring he’d buy for Lana; perhaps he’d replace the family emerald with another one. He liked the look of Venus’s stone on her hand. Besides, now that she wore his mark, she no longer needed the ring. It would pass on to the next Beckett who was ready to find his mate.

  “Chris?”

  “Yeah?”

  “He told me earlier he’s thinking about transferring to Philadelphia.”

  Chris finished loading the tray with two glasses of milk. “Really?”

  He picked up the tray and turned to find Gareth studying him closely. “You don’t sound surprised.”

  Chris laughed wearily. “First off, I think I’ve used up all my surprise for the next month or so. Second…” Chris shook his head and headed out of the kitchen. “I don’t know. Something tells me it would be the right move.”

  Gareth followed him up the stairs. “Isn’t it Lana’s job to go on instinct?”

  Chris snorted. “Open the door for me.”

  Gareth opened the bedroom door, but stopped Chris with a hand on his arm. “Hey.”

  “What?” At this point Chris just wanted to crawl into bed with his mate.

  “They did the right thing.”

  “Who?”

  “Lana and Zach.”

  Chris growled.

  “You don’t know what it did to Zach, Chris.”

  He stopped growling. “You do?”

  Gareth grimaced. “Let’s just say I don’t think he’ll ever be the same.” The sorrow on Gareth’s face had Chris rethinking a few things. “Just don’t be too hard on him the next time you see him.”

  Chris nodded and, satisfied, Gareth let him go. “Good night, Chris.”

  “Night, Gareth.” He entered the bedroom and pushed the door closed with his foot.

  Lana was watching him with a frown. “What?”

  “Did you give Zach a hard time?”

  He sighed and walked to the bed, putting the tray down on the bedside table. “Don’t start, Lana.”

  “You did, didn’t you?” She tugged on his arm, the moveme
nt casing her to hiss in pain. “You don’t understand.”

  He placed his hand over hers, the bandage rough under his palm. “I understand that you didn’t have to go through this.”

  “Oh yes I did!” She was becoming agitated, her legs moving restlessly under the covers.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to calm her down. “Do you think this was worth it?”

  “Yes!”

  He gave her an ibuprofen, holding the milk for her while she swallowed it down.

  “No. Seeing you in pain isn’t worth it.”

  Her brow furrowed, her lips thinned, and her eyes flashed up at him. “I would rather go through this, knowing I’ll heal, than have you dead, you stubborn son of a bitch.”

  “Hey. Mom doesn’t like to be called that.”

  It worked; her eyes rolled, but her body relaxed. “You know what I mean, wolfman.

  No way could I live with you dead.” She grabbed hold of him again, ignoring her own pain. “I can’t lose you.”

  “You won’t.”

  “You were bleeding so much.” She was beginning to cry.

  “Shh.” The hell with Annabelle. Chris carefully pulled Lana into his arms. “I’m here.

  Cole’s gone. You’re safe now.”

  He was surprised when she punched him in the arm. “Idiot.”

  “What?”

  “Get it through your thick skull! You. Almost. Died!”

  “Ow.” She’d pinched him, hard. “Okay, okay. I get that. But why you?”

  “You think men are the only ones who can ride to the rescue?”

  He decided not to answer on the grounds that he might be incinerated.

  Lana glared up at him impatiently. “I thought so. If I had been the one on the ground and Zach reached for you, what would you have done?”

  He didn’t even hesitate. “Whatever was necessary.”

  “Because…?”

  Because I love you. He blinked. A slow smile spread across his face. He’d never felt so happy in his entire fucking life, not even when his mark had appeared on her skin.

  “You love me.”

  “Duh.”

  “Duh? The best you can say is duh?” He held back the urge to tickle her, to force her to say what he already knew.