Wolf Shifter Diaries: Lies Tamed (Sweet Paranormal Wolf & Fae Fantasy Romance Series Book 2)

by E Hall

  She whirls in my direction. “Exactly.”

  I nod. “Me too.”

  There aren’t any other guests at the resort, at least that we can see. Maybe that’s part of the magic.

  I light a campfire, and we feast on the provisions we brought. Stricken with sudden and strange exhaustion, I lean next to Kenna who gazes fixedly at the horizon. I lace my fingers through hers.

  As the fire crackles, she starts to hum a mournful tune. I don’t understand Kenna’s words so much as feel the melodious lyrics in the center of my chest. It’s almost as though each of the words is a small arrow, piercing something inside me. Not in a painful way, but injecting me with warmth and passion.

  My eyes grow heavy. I could sleep for a day or ten, preferably in a hammock or that cushy bed back at the casino.

  With a startle, I wake to a murky dawn. Kenna’s song must have lulled me to sleep. My hand is empty. She isn’t beside me. She’s not in the van either. I hustle down to the shoreline, my shoulders braced against the wind.

  Low tide exposes the rusted hull of a boat, tilted on its side. A little farther out, there’s another, deck-side down as though a giant had picked it up and then tossed it away like an abandoned toy. Still farther out, the ocean churns restlessly.

  I creep closer, the water cloudy with sand as it erodes the metal of the ship. I wonder just how many vessels the ocean has claimed, not to mention lives.

  The sun and salt faded the ship’s name, the passengers and crew likely nothing more than a sad memory, and the tragedy a mere blip in history.

  I sense Kenna before I see her. Relief sweeps through me. She sits on a piece of driftwood and with her feet in the water. Her eyes match the clouds, which match the roiling waves.

  “Sorry I passed out,” I say.

  She shrugs. “I didn’t sleep much. This place—” She shrugs. “It feels like the right place, but is also spooky.” She throws her hand in the direction of the beached ships, the metal groaning as a wave shifts their skeletons.

  “I don’t like it here,” I admit.

  “It’s just cloudy. Wait until the sun comes out.”

  “No, it’s something else. Something eerie.” I slide onto the sand and wrap my arm around her, pulling her close. “Have you ever heard of ghost pirates?” I ask.

  “I thought there were only three types of ghosts.” Kenna wrinkles her nose. “I have to admit, although Alister was nice, the concept still freaks me out. When I was a kid, I had a dream that the librarian at my school turned into a ghost and a shark—at the same time.” She waves her hand. “Admittedly, I’d watched a retro double feature at our drive-in earlier that night—the movie Jaws and Ghostbusters.”

  I chuckle. “These ghosts are stuck like Alister, except they haunt the sea, and I don’t mean in a friendly butler about the manor kind of way.” I clear my throat. “I’ve heard that ghost ships patrol the oceans, searching for elusive treasure, and hoping that if they add one more member to their crew, they’ll find what they’re looking for. They never do. They’re cursed to sail the sea on an endless hunt.”

  “Do you think those ships are—?” Kenna asks, pointing.

  “I don’t get a good feeling. That’s all.”

  “Have you ever seen a ghost pirate or ship?”

  I shake my head.

  She claps her hands together. “As soon as the sun burns through the fog, it’ll be fine.”

  The battered and creaking boats lift the hairs on the back of my neck, but there’s no sign of ghosts, pirate or otherwise, or her father for that matter.

  Fog persists through the morning. The only thing that pierces the cloudy silence are the invisible calls of seagulls.

  A thick, foreboding feeling closes over me and before I can stop myself, I shift into my wolf.

  Chapter 17

  Kenna

  I feel something inexplicable—maybe it comes off being a little crazy and uncertain, but I feel, deep down as though there’s a reason for me to be at Bahia Magia. Plus we don’t have much else to go on.

  The wind shifts. One moment, I’m gazing at Corbin in physical form. The next, he’s a wolf.

  My breath stills in my lungs as I feel his Alpha tugging on mine. The pressure of my bones pressing against my skin and my insides changing shape is like a snapping, whipping, and gouging feeling that I can hardly resist.

  But I do.

  I catch snatches of his voice speaking in my head as he communicates in the wolf-way. Kenna, we have to leave here. This place is stained. Bad things happened here. I know it.

  Wolf-Corbin paces along the shoreline. He must have shifted on pure instinct. His shoulders ripple with power as he gazes toward the sea. He’s tracking something. He’s protecting me. He senses something out there that I don’t—just like he intuited the password to tell the guard to access this place.

  I want to shift, but if there’s something out there and I do change, and then we need to make a hasty getaway, I can’t very well drive as a wolf.

  “Corbin, come back,” I call.

  He’s coiled between me and whatever is out there.

  I tuck my head, defeated. When I look up, a shadow moves through the waves. “Wait! There is something in the water. A man.” At least I think so. Oddly, I’m not afraid. Rather, I’m drawn to the water.

  Before I can stop myself, I rush past Corbin, kicking up sand. I plunge in. My legs push through the resistance of the incoming waves. It’s as if my intuition kicked in. I have to go find the person.

  I scan the murky water, looking for ripples or bubbles or whatever I saw. My wolf recedes into the background. All of a sudden, I feel heavy all over like I’m under a shroud or caught in a net.

  Trying to move to the surface, I’m pushed deeper, blinking the seafloor into focus.

  As the air leaves my lungs, my surroundings take on a rainbow hue. Stars dot my vision. Then it’s as though the moon brightens around me—how can that be?

  But I can’t breathe.

  We shouldn’t have come.

  I was wrong about this.

  Dead wrong.

  Someone jostles me. I try to respond, but it’s as if I’m floating away. Then all at once, I’m above the surface, gasping for air. The sky is still steely. Wolf-Corbin stands in the shallows. Water drips off his fur. He inclines his head, snarling in warning.

  Beside me, a man grips me from under the arms, holding me upright. He saved me.

  Or at least he’s the likeness of a man. And there is no mistaking the smoky gray ghost eyes that reflect my own.

  “Dad?” I whisper, choking slightly.

  He nods. “You’re either really dumb or really brave.”

  “Hello to you too,” I stutter in a way that matches the hammering in my chest. The rushing waves and thick whitewater threaten to knock me off my feet as I struggle to keep my footing.

  Greyson’s face lights up with a smirk. My eyes don’t betray me. But he’s gray and smudgy like a child cut him out of an old photograph and dropped it in a puddle. However, the vagueness of him stops me from wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders. He seems cold and barely there, but fear and sadness burn away within me to reveal hope and joy.

  Being so close to the certainty of him renews my power. I could move the ocean with one swipe of my hand or draw all the sand close and dump it in if I wanted to. I straighten, flexing my fingers and breathing deep.

  “I’m Kenna. Where have you been?” I ask with a hand on my hip.

  “Waiting for you,” Greyson says or whispers or maybe it’s the wind. It’s hard to tell.

  “Are you a hollow ghost?”

  He nods his head, his eyes sad and happy at the same time.

  Corbin, still a wolf, stands sentry by the shore.

  “Can you come out of the water?” I ask.

  “With your help. But do I want to come out of the water? It looks like you have a watchdog.” Ghost-Greyson eyes Wolf-Corbin.

  “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.
You have a lot of explaining to do, Greyson Slade.”

  His lips twitch. “You remind me so much of your mother.”

  “I take that as a compliment. And you can be sure she wants to give you a talking to, as well.”

  His gray outline is still visible as we leave the water and step onto the sand.

  “I was held underwater for a while. Did you try to drown me?” I ask.

  “No, you had to pass through the veil. It’s what separates the living world from the otherside, a place where hollow ghosts and others dwell. You did a brave thing.”

  “I didn’t know what I was doing so maybe I am dumb,” I say, echoing his earlier comment. “I went on instinct.”

  I swiftly assess him and whether he’s a threat. I don’t sense as much. Rather, this might be the single most exciting thing ever. My father is back. I can’t believe it. I wasn’t wrong or crazy. I smile, wanting to hug him.

  From behind me, Corbin bares his teeth with a low snarl. Right now, he feels like the only danger here.

  Unlike Alister who glimmered like ghosts in movies, my father is a smudged charcoal drawing against a gray canvas. We walk toward the campsite. He’s tall and well-built for a ghost. He must have been formidable when he was still whole.

  “So what brings you here?” Greyson asks.

  “You know, looking for my father who’s a hybrid like me. Mom said I might find you at Bahia Magia. She also mentioned I have magic after keeping that to herself for nearly eighteen years. Oh, and your ghost butler, Alister, sends his fondest regards.” My tone has sharp edges.

  “And I’m here to haul you in for crimes against magic-kind,” Corbin says, having shifted back to physical form.

  My father dims. I stand between them. “Corbin, that wasn’t what we talked about.”

  He glares at me. “No, but this man is a criminal. He’s harmed countless people, started the Klave, and is wanted by the Council.”

  Greyson laughs darkly. “I see that you’re wrapped around the fae’s finger.”

  Corbin’s lips pike down.

  “If you’re referring to me, I lean heavily toward my wolf nature,” I say.

  My father flickers. “I can explain everything, but we need to get out of here.”

  I park my arms in front of my chest. “Not before you tell me what brought you here.”

  Corbin edges menacingly closer.

  Greyson glances over his shoulder toward the sea. “I made some discoveries. The only way for me to confirm the truth was to make a trade.”

  “A trade for what?”

  His pause hangs in the air until the wind shifts. “My existence.” He ghosts a sigh, literally.

  Our eyes meet. Gray and gray. I wonder if that’s why he’s named Greyson. Something ripples between us that’s less antagonistic and more like patience or compassion or some other virtue that I was feeling short on until a moment ago.

  He opens his hands as though helpless. “I’m sorry, Kenna. I owe you more than the ghost of whom I was, but that’s all I have to give other than information.”

  “Then I guess that’ll have to be enough,” I say more harshly than I mean to.

  “Our family tree plays directly into what’s going on in the magical world.”

  “The one you’ve been trying to destroy,” Corbin says not giving up.

  “Sometimes ruin comes before rebirth.”

  “I think our understanding of what that means differs.” Corbin stands tall with his arms crossed.

  I can’t think about the disappointment I feel in him right now at how aggressive he’s being. I’m glad not to be wearing the engagement ring. Worry that he deceived me again burdens my mind. How are we supposed to be in a relationship or a family if I can’t trust him? How is he the person I call my true mate if he’s acting this way?

  Greyson turns to Corbin. “I assure you, I’m no threat. At least not physically. I’m a hollow ghost.”

  “All the more reason not to trust you. You must have been pretty desperate to make that trade.”

  “I think of it as a sacrifice.” He doesn’t hang his head as if he’s not ashamed of his choices. “As you know, your mother and I broke some rules. Call me a rebel, fine. But I don’t accept them. Why was the intermingling of magicals forbidden?”

  Corbin scoffs. “Because if different magicals come together, they’ll create monsters.”

  I level him with a glare. “Really? You think so?”

  “There’s too much unknown.” Corbin’s nostrils flare.

  “I agree, but what is the unknown other than a new frontier?” Greyson says.

  “Spoken like a madman,” Corbin says.

  “Did you come here to argue or to help me?” I ask my mate sharply.

  His eyes narrow.

  What feels like a sharp spike of betrayal pricks my chest. “Wait. You didn’t come here to help me.”

  “I came here to make things right. To call Greyson Slade to account for his crimes.”

  “Corbin,” I gasp. “How could you?” I was hoping his earlier comment came from shock, fear, his Alpha. But he’s serious.

  “I’m sorry, Kenna. My Alpha duties are critical.”

  I feel like my insides are being cut, crushed, and battered all at the same time. I cannot believe what I’m hearing from Corbin. The man I love.

  I want nothing more than to run away, scream, cry, but maybe we’re not entirely different. That same sense that connected with my father keeps me rooted to doing what I think is the right thing.

  Seeing Greyson is like that feeling when you look at an old photograph and remember being there or doing the thing pictured even though you hadn’t thought about it in years. Another part of me is freaking out, but there’s no time for that because at last, my dad is here, talking to me.

  Chapter 18

  Corbin

  I cannot think about how much I’ve hurt Kenna. Rather, I focus on how many people, mates, and magicals Greyson has destroyed.

  Seeing him causes my Alpha to shake with rage. I want to shake Greyson and tear him to bits, but he’s immaterial, a ghost.

  Kenna levels me with a glare, sensing my anger, feeling the sting of my betrayal.

  “You lied to me. I don’t accept your pithy I’m sorry, but I will ask you to listen to what my father has to say. If you find his story unsatisfactory, fine, bring him to the Council. Lock me up while you’re at it because if you recall, I’m Magical’s Most Wanted.” She practically spits the words with disdain.

  “I’ll tell you as much as I can, but not here. As a hollow ghost, I am bound to the trade I made. However, we’re allowed one boon, if you will. We’re able to leave a connection open to one person in the living world. Like getting to make one phone call from jail. But they’ll soon be seeking me.”

  “You chose me as your one call?” Kenna asks.

  Greyson nods. “My biggest regret was not fighting harder to stay with you and your mother.”

  “What about Clove?” I ask.

  “Who?” Greyson’s pale eyebrows lift. He looks genuinely unsure.

  “My brother. Your son.”

  “Your mother had another child?” His gaze softens.

  “No, you did. With a fae. Jana, I think?” Kenna says.

  Greyson’s expression falls. If he could pale, he would’ve. “No, no. That’s not possible.” Then his eyes widen. “She ensorcelled me.”

  “Likely story,” I mutter.

  “This is much bigger than I thought.” Greyson paces much like Kenna does when she’s upset.

  I hate the similarity. I despise him for all the wrong he’s done, and the way he’s trying to conceal or deny it.

  Not wasting any more time, Kenna gets in the driver’s seat of the van and her father follows. I get in the back so I can keep an eye on him. There’s no telling what kind of magic he’s capable of or what he might do once we’re clear of Bahia Magia.

  I’ll let them have their reunion, then he’s going straight to the Council and likely
the Iron Tower if he’s not put to death first.

  I’m hardly listening to his story, not at all interested in his lies.

  But when Kenna speaks, I listen. Rather, my wolf does. He can’t help himself.

  “What’s it like being a hybrid magical?” Kenna asks.

  “It’s the only thing I’ve ever known. But when I was younger, sometimes it felt like I existed in two pieces. Torn. But then after my mother disappeared and my father—” He shakes his head. “I became fascinated by it. I wanted to explore how the two forms of magic came together in my being.”

  We bump over the rutted road after exiting Bahia Magia.

  “I was on a quest to find others like me.”

  “No, you were bent on creating an army and using your power against us,” I say from the backseat, keeping my wolf close to the surface now that we’re outside the resort.

  Greyson turns to me. “The truth and what’s taught or perceived can vary widely.”

  I grunt.

  Greyson lets out a long breath. “Let me explain something. Long ago, the fae were benevolent creatures. When they encountered a human, they’d grant them a boon, a gift if you will. The idea was that they acted as guardians of the people.”

  “Historically, the word benevolent doesn’t define the fae,” I mutter.

  “Maybe not in recent history, but yes, long ago. The wolf-shifters were warriors, as you know. Their instincts were to protect and be of service.”

  I nod. At least he has that right.

  “And the vampires?” Kenna asks.

  “They were cursed. Their curse slowly spread, bite by bite, turning some, killing others.”

  We near the main road. Kenna changes lanes.

  “You’re missing the part about how the base nature of the fae is to torment the minds and bodies of humans, wolves feed off the flesh, and vampires the blood. We’re the ruin of men.”

  Greyson shakes his ghostly head slowly. “You’ve been led to believe that, but it’s not so, Corbin.”

  “When left to our own devices, we needlessly kill. We’re violent without the Accords. And having various magicals inter-mate creates monsters.”