by Leia King
“Nathanial,” she croaked.
“I know. I am sorry you have to endure this, Cora.”
“How long will it take?”
“A few minutes.”
Crap. There was no choice, though. She couldn’t go on like this, she couldn’t hope to challenge all the enemies surrounding them with her power so severely compromised.
“All right,” she said, crossing to the chair. “Let’s get this over with then.”
She settled herself onto it.
Michael secured the restraints to her wrists and ankles. She tensed with every sharp snap, as each one of them locked into place. Then, she felt him moving behind her. She cringed when he pressed his hands to either side of her head. “Let me in, princess,” he beseeched her.
She forced herself to relax, allowing him access. She hissed as she felt a brief burning sensation. It was gone quickly, though. Drawing in a breath, she told Nathanial, “I’m ready.”
He came to her right side, hovering his hands over her stomach. “The site of the block,” he murmured to himself, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
His palms began to glow, quickly increasing in vibrancy. She’d never seen them so bright, his magic so intense and wild.
“I am sorry,” he told her, just before pressing them to her stomach.
Searing pain, unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, ripped through her entire being.
She could hear herself screaming like an out-of-control banshee, the awful sound echoing all around the room.
She bucked wildly against her restraints, her only thought to get away, to stop the agony.
“Stop!” she shrieked. “Please, stop! It hurts too much! I can’t! Stop!”
Nathanial didn’t stop, though. He kept going as though she wasn’t reacting at all, awash in deep concentration.
“Be careful,” she heard Michael warning him. “Your power is limited here in the human realm. Don’t draw too hard.”
She screwed her eyes shut against the pain, her nails digging into the palms of her hands, drawing blood with her ferocity.
And then the pain abruptly went away.
Michael’s hands left her.
She opened her eyes to see some sort of crystal floating above Nathanial’s open palm. He squeezed it tightly and it disintegrated under the pressure of his strength.
Barely a few seconds passed before she felt her strength return, before she came back to herself.
Suddenly, Nathanial wavered on his feet.
“Nathanial!” she cried, as she watched him go down hard, collapsing into a heap on the sterile tile. “Michael, release me!”
With a flick of his wrist, Michael used his power to break her restraints, and she bolted off the chair, dropping to her knees beside Nathanial.
“He used too much power to make it quicker on you,” Michael told her.
“Shit.”
“He needs to return to the Dark Realm. Now. It’s the only way his power can regenerate.”
“No, he can’t go back with Oriana there. She’ll kill him in this state.”
“Then he will die here.”
Cora shook her head vehemently. She took Nathanial’s hands in hers. He eyed her weakly, wondering what she was doing. She grunted and then released her magic.
“Holy hell,” Michael breathed. “That’s some power you’ve got there. I can feel it,” he exclaimed in wonder. “Now that it’s not blocked it’s—”
“Pure,” Nathanial finished for him as he suddenly sat up and pulled away from Cora’s grip.
“Was that enough?” Cora asked worriedly as they all climbed to their feet. “It was only a few seconds’ worth.”
“Enough? It has been a while since I have felt this… strong. Do you feel weak?”
She shook her head. “Surprisingly, no. Removing the block has clearly worked wonders. Thank you.”
“I apologize that it was so painful.”
“Yet another reason for me to kill my father.”
“No, princess. Remember my caution to you. Vazra must live,” Nathanial said. “Let me deal with him. Your focus is Oriana. I will teach you how to wield your power without dire consequences.”
“I’m ready to learn.”
Nathanial heaved a sigh. “Finally, a good student.”
“Who did you teach last?”
“My son.”
“Oh.”
“Come. We will train at the compound, so you may be with your son.”
Cora eyed Michael. “Does he need to come with us?”
“Black magic. I wield it. Without my help, you will not know how to deal with Oriana when she invokes it,” Michael told her.
Dammit. “I need to call ahead to warn Josh. The wolves won’t be happy about this.”
Nathanial nodded. “I understand. Do what you must.”
Nathanial watched Cora walking ahead of them, conversing on her cell phone with the wolves’ second-in-command.
“Do you think she can actually do this? Destroy Oriana?” Michael asked him.
Was that not the question of the day? Nathanial breathed out a heavy sigh. “She has the power now. You just witnessed its true might. I can teach her what is necessary. I can even school her on effective techniques to control her extreme power. However, it will be up to her in the end. If she allows her emotions to rule her, if she loses control, even for a moment—”
“Then she will perish.”
“We all will.”
7
Ryan paced up and down inside his tent in a pent-up state of intense anxiety, as his eyes strayed to Jada sleeping soundly in his bed.
What the fuck had he been thinking?
Clearly, he’d damn well snapped. Big time.
He’d been furious with Cora last night, adamant about never wanting to set eyes on her again, jealousy, rage, and hatred overwhelming every fiber of his being.
But, in the harsh light of day, now, he understood all of that had been fueled by a deep hurt. He hadn’t been able to reconcile such a weak emotion, so he’d automatically channeled it into anger. Well, a rage, really. He’d let the wolf reign over his actions. The part of him that didn’t do reason or entertaining consequences. The part that just sought out instant gratification of any kind.
Jesus Christ.
He didn’t feel better. The pang he’d felt last night had increased tenfold after what he’d done. He was sick to his stomach.
He wasn’t sure if he’d been looking for revenge on Cora for hooking up with Luca, or some sort of solace. Either way, she was his fucking wife and Jada wasn’t. Worse than that, she was the mother of his son. He at least owed it to Orion to try to work things out for his sake.
And now things had been made even more complicated by the weird connection between him and Jada. What the hell was happening? Their eyes were glowing for each other. It wasn’t only that either. The first time he’d met her he’d felt an odd pull to her, something similar to what he felt with Cora. But, it shouldn’t be possible.
He had to speak with Nathanial as soon as possible. If anyone would know what was happening and how to stop it, it would be him.
In the meantime, how was he going to deal with Jada? She’d been a vulnerable mess since they’d fucked around. The broken look in her eyes when he’d dismissed that they were mates had been fucking brutal. Jeez. He’d screwed around plenty before Cora came into the picture, but he’d never been an asshole about it. Well, except for that bitch, Alyssa, but she’d brought that on herself.
He had to somehow be gentle with Jada, treat her with kid gloves, which was not his area of expertise. At the same time, he had to make damn sure he didn’t encourage a deeper connection.
“Ryan? Oh, sorry, didn’t know you had company—oh!”
Ryan cringed at the sound of Damon’s voice. Jada’s fucking older brother, as well as his second-in-command of the wolves in the Dark Realm. Yeah, shit was complicated, all right.
“Listen, Damon—”
Damon waved his hand, grinning. “Oh, no worries, Ry.”
What? “Excuse me?”
Damon’s eyes strayed to Jada in Ryan’s bed, before returning to his. “She hasn’t stopped talking about you since you left. She’s been a mess. Crying and depressed the entire time, whining about how you’re her mate. You should’ve seen her last night when I told her you were back.”
Ryan struggled to absorb his words. “I’m married.”
“So what? Your wife’s in another realm. She’s not even wolf. You’re the Wolf King. You need a mate who’s the same species as you, who gets us. That wife of yours was forced upon you. It was never gonna work. You’re the ultimate Alpha wolf, the ruler of us all. You need a female counterpart to that. Wolf, Ry.”
“She… Jada really believes she’s my mate?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not possible. There’s only one.”
“Those White Realm fuckers are so manipulative. Maybe they engineered it between you and Cora. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve fucked with shit like that. What about her and the Vampire Prince?”
Ryan growled at the mention of Luca. Could what Damon was suggesting really be possible? Vazra was, without a doubt, the most manipulative son of a bitch he’d ever met. He wouldn’t put it past him.
“You marrying his daughter kept you in his pocket. Well, before your alliance with Nathanial, of course.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said, running his fingers through his hair. “I need to figure this out.”
Damon stepped into him and gripped both his shoulders firmly. “I can’t exactly give you orders. You are my King. But whatever you decide to do, do it gently.”
“When I met your sister she seemed unbreakable. Tough.”
“Yeah, well. She normally is, except when it comes to this shit. She is, well, was a virgin, remember?”
Ryan blinked hard. “What?”
Damon stepped back and eyed him quizzically. “You didn’t know?”
“Fucking hell. She didn’t say a goddamn thing.”
Ryan watched her stir. She was waking up.
Damon saw it too and dropped his voice low. “We need to talk about our coming battle. I need your help with some shields.”
“Good. Let’s go now.”
“You don’t want to… you know?” Damon asked, gesturing to Jada.
He shook his head. “Let’s go.”
“As you wish,” Damon said, leading the way out of the tent.
8
Ryan sat atop a hill overlooking the wolf camp.
He was savoring some much-needed solitude. He’d spent the last several hours meeting with the Dark Realm wolves, laying out their plan of attack against Oriana at the castle. They were all ready now, aware of the stakes, and what would be required of them.
He’d tested the shields that each wolf would carry. They were spelled with a magical deflector, meaning that any strike from Oriana would bounce right off the surface and ricochet right back at her. Ryan had been concerned about the durability against the physical strength of Nathanial’s guards, given Nathanial’s warning that they would all likely be under her control. He’d assaulted a couple of them with the full force of his strength as Wolf King, and they’d barely shuddered under the impact. They’d passed his test and would fare well in the coming battle.
During his meeting with them all, he’d managed not to show any sort of reaction to Jada. Judging by the hurt he’d both seen and sensed from her, it hadn’t gone over well at all. The last thing he wanted was to be an asshole about it. But, even if he hadn’t been before his wolves discussing business, he didn’t know what he would’ve done differently. What could he possibly say to her?
Damn, when she’d walked into his tent last night and offered herself to him, he’d never envisioned it being more than a one-night stand. Hell, it was a revenge-fuck in all honesty. But what’d gone down between them had thrown him for a loop. Not just the disturbing fact of their glowing eyes and what that signified. No, it was the act itself. The way it’d felt. It hadn’t just been an empty fuck, something to distract him from the hurt that’d been crippling him. And, he’d been with plenty of wolves before where that’d been the case. No, with her, though, there’d been a depth of understanding, a primal connection that he couldn’t simply ignore.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
He started at the sound of the sing-song voice. He’d been too caught up in his troubled thoughts to sense anything around him.
Turning, he took in the sight of the blonde bombshell standing there, the light shining upon her head, illuminating her hair like a damned halo. She was decked out in those cock-teasing, tiny shorts again. Thigh-high leather boots stretched all the way up to her thighs. A golden bustier pushed her ample tits together like a delicious offering. And those pack markings all over her body only served to emphasize her primality.
He patted the grass beside him. “Have a seat.”
She did as he commanded, sitting and drawing her knees up to her chin defensively.
He shifted his weight, facing her head on. “You didn’t tell me, Jada.”
She frowned for a moment, before her cheeks turned red and she looked away shyly. “Oh, that.”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I… uh. Because you’re, you know?”
“What?”
“Experienced. I thought you might not want me if I’d told you.”
He lifted her chin with his index finger, forcing her gaze to his. “I just would’ve been gentler. Took my time to ease you into it.”
“I didn’t want that!” she cried. “I wanted the real you, the raw, wild wolf that you are. The Wolf King.”
Damn. Her words were like fucking music to his ears.
“Fuck, Jada. Are you okay? I was real rough.”
“I’m a little sore.” She giggled softly. “In a good way.”
The sweet sound and her refreshing innocence had him throwing his arms around her before he could think about it. He held her tightly to him. “Normally, there’s a build-up to what we did last night. You’re a tough little thing.”
“Tough enough even for the Wolf King,” she said proudly.
“Yes.”
She pulled from his hold and looked away, murmuring, “After we storm the castle, you’re going back, aren’t you? To the human realm? To her?”
“I’m going back for my son. It’s difficult being without him.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Not to your wife?”
“We aren’t together right now.”
She nodded her understanding and didn’t seem at all surprised.
“What?”
“She’s not wolf.”
“Jada. Listen, I—”
Before he could get his words out, she pounced on him.
His back hit the grass as she pinned him to the ground with her hands and knees, straddling him on all fours. She growled in challenge and he growled right back at her, rolling them to the side, so that he straddled her. She fought him and rolled them over again. She was strong. Stronger than any of the human realm wolves he’d been with.
“You’re strong, baby,” he said, grinning at her. He gripped her hips. “But I’m stronger.”
She yelped as he wrestled her beneath him. They continued to play fight until they were rolling down the hill, laughing and growling like a couple of wolf-pups.
When they finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, Ryan looked down at her giggling beneath him. Her cheeks were flushed from exertion. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she fought to catch her breath. And her eyes were full of joy and reverence as she looked up at him.
He felt a freedom he hadn’t felt for a long time, where he could be himself without having to worry about his animalistic predilections. He didn’t need to worry about where his claws were, his teeth, how tight his grip was. No, with her, he could be every part of the animal that he was. She loved it as much as he did.
A primal sensation ro
se within him and he howled up at the sky. She joined him, her call fusing with his.
They both shifted.
He growled in appreciation as he took in the sight of her golden wolf. He curled his paw around her back with ease—he was three times her wolf size. He pulled her to him and they lay with one another, growling agreeably as they communicated in wolf tongue.
9
Nathanial shook his head with frustration when he watched Cora hit the ground once again.
He watched her frantically grab her bloodied arm and heal the scratch he’d inflicted upon her along the length of her forearm. She scrambled to her feet and grumbled at him, “Fuck, Nathanial!”
“I was holding back my power greatly, Cora. That was nothing.”
They had been at it, sparring with their magic, for the last two hours. To no avail. She was not improving.
“You’re not concentrating!” Michael accused, sighing heavily with the same exasperation that Nathanial was feeling.
“I’m doing my best! I don’t have centuries’ worth of experience at my back like you guys!”
“You’re not doing your best. And our experience is irrelevant. You are a natural sorceress. You already have the abilities, but you are squandering them, a slave, instead, to your ridiculous emotions!”
Nathanial stepped between them. “Calm yourselves!” He grasped their hands and teleported them outside the wolf compound, materializing on the other side of the gates. “Luca!” he bellowed out into the night.
Barely a moment elapsed before Luca had answered his summons, materializing in front of Cora, making her jump from the suddenness of it.
“Father?” he queried, eyeing the three of them, at a loss.
“Michael, join Haraz,” Nathanial ordered, waiting until he’d teleported away, before explaining the situation to Luca. “Michael is too easily vexed, given his dislike for Cora. It is hindering the process. She requires a friendly face at this stage of her training.”
