Untamed Fate (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 2)

by Veronica Douglas

  I was going to die.

  Not if I can help it, the wolf inside me snarled, and she seized control.

  My body twisted, and my arms flailed out. The claws of my right hand

  ricocheted off the tower, then raked down along the stonework. Suddenly,

  they sank into the wooden lintel of a window. I gasped as my body jerked to

  a stop. My shoulder wrenched out of its socket, and an unbearable jolt of

  agony shot down my spine as my body slammed into the stone wall.

  The Soul Knife slipped from my belt.

  For a second, I watched it fall. Then the lintel split, my hand slipped, and

  gravity took hold once more.

  I thrashed wildly. There was one brief moment of clarity when I saw the

  clouds and stars whirl by overhead, but then my body erupted with pain as I

  crashed into the bushes. Twigs ripped into my skin, and I howled as I rolled

  out onto the grass.

  I groaned and wiggled my fingers. My shoulder was screaming, but at

  least my legs worked. I glanced up at the gaping hole in the tower high

  above. How was I even alive?

  You’re a werewolf now. We heal fast, and we’re damned hard to kill.

  It was a goddamned miracle.

  A shadow drifted over me, and a new wave of adrenaline brought me to

  my senses. I rolled to my side and looked up. High above, a monstrous four-

  winged shape circled in the air, descending quickly.

  The noctith demon.

  It was coming for me. Could I find cover in the tower? I looked toward

  the caves, where light glinted from the shattered doorway, and my gut

  clenched. Was the basilisk still in there, lurking in the shadows? I was

  trapped between a demon that could put me to sleep and a monster that could

  turn me to stone.

  Think.

  Heart pounding, I looked around wildly. Where was the Soul Knife?

  Something glinted in the middle of the garden.

  Whimpering in pain, I pulled myself to my feet and staggered forward. I

  grasped the Soul Knife by the hilt and headed for one of the dark openings in

  the face of the cliff, praying the basilisk wasn’t lying in wait. As I hobbled

  forward, I called the shadows around me. I just needed enough time to get

  inside.

  The demon screeched above, and I could almost feel its wings vibrating

  the air around me. With as much speed as I could manage, I turned and

  ducked into the caves.

  The earth shook behind me as the noctith demon landed at the edge of the

  garden. On its back sat Kahanov. That fucker.

  Though I was certain he couldn’t see me, he looked toward the caves

  where I was hiding. “Savannah…you should be more careful. I need you

  alive. Let’s not make this more painful than it needs to be.”

  The noctith demon shrieked and swung its strange head left and right,

  searching the garden with its hundreds of eerie, glowing eyes. I bit my lip

  until I tasted blood to keep from screaming, and pulled the shadows closer.

  “Fine,” the sorcerer called. “We can do this multiple ways. Nighty night.”

  The demon emitted another piercing cry and exhaled a plume of pinkish

  gas toward the caves. I looked around in desperation as the cloud billowed

  toward me. Did I have to inhale it, or would contact alone knock me out?

  I searched the cave hopelessly. The only cover was the pool. I ran over,

  gulped in the biggest breath I could manage, and slipped beneath the water.

  Closing my eyes, I began to count. Each second that passed was a prayer

  that the noxious gas would dissipate. I tried calming my mind, but every cut

  and gash in my body stung, and fear pressed in, heavier than the water around

  me.

  My lungs began to burn, but I fought down my instincts. Every time a

  second passed, I vowed to stay one second more. Finally, when I could stand

  it no longer, I lifted my head slowly above the water.

  The cloud of gas was gone.

  While every nerve in my body wanted me to gasp in relief, I sucked a

  breath in through my teeth as slowly and quietly as I could.

  The earth shook again as the noctith demon shifted position and released

  another plume of sleeping gas down the path outside.

  A little relief trickled through me. They didn’t know where I was. How

  could they not hear my heartbeat? It was practically ripping out of my chest.

  Then my pulse skipped a beat as something scraped on the wall behind

  me—massive claws scrabbling on stone.

  My stomach sank.

  Death was coming.

  26

  Jaxson

  Find her, my wolf howled in my chest. She’s in pain. Dying.

  I leapt from the hole in the wall where the window had been and hurtled

  down the face of the tower, using my claws as brakes to slow my fall.

  The moment they found wood, I dug in and swung myself onto the

  windowsill. It was a fucking ridiculous way to get down, but speed was

  everything.

  I heaved myself left to the next sill over.

  The noctith demon shrieked and swung its head from side to side,

  searching for Savannah in the garden below.

  Fucking Kahanov was on its back. I wanted to throw myself into the air

  and dive toward him, but it was too far to leap and have any chance of

  landing the attack. I had no idea what to do. Try to kill Kahanov? Take out

  the demon? Or simply find Savannah and get the fuck out?

  I crouched and prepared to leap again, but I froze. Something was off.

  Then I saw it: the shadows below were moving. A dark velvet wall drifted

  closer to the demon.

  Savannah’s magic.

  Damnit, what the hell was she doing?

  I had to get to her. I leapt for the next window down. Stone rushed past

  me, and then I slammed my claws into another lintel and swung myself up

  onto the stone sill.

  The noctith paused. Then both it and Kahanov looked up.

  I’d been spotted.

  The thing began beating its iridescent wings and started to rise. But

  suddenly, it spun to its right with unimaginable speed toward the caves and

  shrieked.

  Savannah’s cloud of shadows ripped away, revealing the hidden form of

  the basilisk. The noctith demon’s mouth split wide, and it spewed a pink gas

  toward the monster.

  But it was too late. The demon had looked the basilisk in the eyes.

  The noctith reeled backward and gave a twisted, piercing wail as its head

  and legs turned into stone. It clawed the earth and tried to rise, but its dead

  and hardened foot caught on the low wall, and the demon feebly flailed its

  stone wings and limbs in the air.

  It was already doomed. Half statue, half flesh and blood, the demon

  plunged over the edge of the garden, flinging Kahanov from its back. There

  was a flash of light, and he disappeared.

  Transport charm.

  Grinding my teeth, I leapt into the air and plummeted toward the garden

  below. I crumpled and rolled as I hit the ground, but my right shin shattered.

  Still, I roared and staggered to my feet, my bones already healing.

  Find Savy.

  I limped toward the caves, then slowed. The basilisk lay in the middle of

  the garden. I approached cautiously. Its chest rose and fell, but it made no

  movement in my direction.
It was sleeping, a victim of the noctith’s poisoned

  breath. But for how long?

  I sprinted toward the caves. She had to be here. She’d been controlling

  the shadows that had hidden and probably bewildered the basilisk. It had

  stumbled through the darkness, toward the loudest source of sound: the

  demon.

  Gods, that woman was smart.

  Her signature flooded my senses, and protectiveness coursed through my

  veins. “Savannah!”

  “Here…” came a feeble response.

  I ducked into the northern cave.

  She was lying at the edge of the pool, soaking hair draped around her.

  Her skin had been shredded by hundreds of cuts, though they were already

  healing. I dropped to my knees and wrapped her in my arms. She was limp

  and cold. I pushed my magic into her, a torrent of healing fire.

  She gasped and sat bolt upright in my arms. Her shoulder popped back

  into its socket, and the remaining cuts in her skin stitched closed, leaving

  white scars scattered like stars.

  I gritted my teeth as I gave her everything I had, pouring my strength and

  life into her. She trembled in my embrace and arched her back as her mouth

  opened in a silent moan of delight.

  I’d heard that the healing gift between mates was intimate, but I’d never

  seen it done. Not like this. It was the transfer of life. Of vitality.

  Savannah’s eyes flickered open. “My God, what did you just do?”

  “I healed you.”

  “Remind me to fall out of buildings more often.” She coughed, and as she

  turned to look around, a little bit of blood trickled down her lips. “Did I get

  Kahanov? With the basilisk?”

  I could barely think. The drop of blood quivering at the edge of her ruby

  lips mesmerized my mind. I wanted to lick it from them. To press my lips

  against hers and kiss her with abandon. My head began to bend forward as

  she turned her mouth toward mine.

  Suddenly, she jerked out of my arms and scrambled down into the pool.

  “Holy shit, my clothes are shredded!”

  She was looking at me like I was a filthy predator. And maybe I was. I

  scowled. “You’re a werewolf now. Get used to it. Also, don’t go adventuring

  in any outfits you’re too attached to.”

  I looked away.

  “Jax. Kahanov. Did we get him?”

  I cleared my throat and sat back. “The basilisk got the noctith. And the

  noctith got the basilisk.”

  “But not him.”

  “No. He escaped.”

  “Fuck.” Her head tilted back. “We were so damn close.”

  “It was a good plan.”

  She slammed her palm down on the edge of the pool. “I was so fucking

  close.”

  27

  Savannah

  Two hours later, I stepped up to the front door of Aunt Laurel’s house,

  completely and utterly drained. I had the Soul Knife but couldn’t shake the

  deep sense of failure. Kahanov had gotten away, and Amal was comatose,

  trapped in her dreams like the other sleepers.

  Everywhere I went, I brought disaster.

  Jaxson had called in the Order to secure the tower, and they’d transported

  the sleeping mage, his lover, and his staff back to Magic Side. Hopefully, the

  archmages could find a cure for the curse.

  I couldn’t bear much more guilt. Amal and the Italians had raised the

  number of sleepers to eleven. How many more would there be before this

  was over?

  With a weary sigh, I shoved through the door.

  “Savy? Is that you?” Aunt Laurel called from the kitchen.

  While it was almost five in the morning in Italy, it was only ten p.m. in

  Chicago, and my family was apparently still kicking it.

  I wandered into the kitchen like a zombie.

  Laurel and Casey sat at their usual spots around the kitchen table, having

  dessert. She smiled and motioned to the freezer with her spoon. “You’re just

  in time for ice cream.”

  It was like I’d strolled into a bizarre alternate reality, where everything

  was sane and homey.

  Moving in a daze, I grabbed a bowl of country-style vanilla, topped it

  with a pile of Fruity Pebbles, and plopped down on a stool.

  “You’re so much like your father,” Laurel said, eyeing my ice cream.

  Casey stood up halfway, eyes wide. “Gods, Savy, what are you wearing?”

  Oh, right. That.

  “Uh.” I looked down with no idea how to explain my current appearance.

  “An Italian man’s clothes. I think they’re really expensive.”

  My clothes had been incinerated by magic flames and shredded by a

  combination of demon claws, flying shrapnel, and plummeting into a bush.

  There hadn’t been much left. And while the mage had a palatial closet,

  there’d been nothing for a woman. I’d grabbed a pair of slightly too-tight in-

  the-hips wool trousers and a not-busty-enough shirt that was currently ready

  to pop at the seams.

  I was pretty sure Jaxson had appreciated that.

  I’d also borrowed a scarf and a purse. Technically, a murse. It was real

  Italian leather, and no one would know the difference.

  Casey leaned over to inspect the cuffs of my shirt. “Okay, I’ve got to hear

  this one.”

  Laurel raised her eyebrows. “Seems like you had an interesting night.”

  I leaned back. What should I even tell them? Nothing? Everything? I was

  too drained to care. “I went to Italy and sneaked into a mage’s tower. I fought

  a basilisk, a blood demon, another one of those noctith demon things, and the

  blood sorcerer. I managed to live but didn’t catch him.”

  My aunt dug into her bowl of ice cream. “My. That’s a lot for one

  evening. No wonder you seem exhausted.”

  Casey waggled his spoon at me. “You haven’t explained how you got the

  clothes, though.”

  I stared at them in disbelief. “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

  My aunt leaned forward. “Well, give us some details. Sounds exciting.

  What were you after?”

  “Whose clothes?” Casey added. “That’s what I’m most curious about.”

  I pushed back from the table. “You two are mad.”

  My aunt was taken aback. “What?”

  “What I just told you was literally insane. Like, out-of-this-world

  ridiculous. I don’t know how many times I nearly died tonight. And you act

  like it was the most normal thing in the world! I know I’m in Magic Side, but

  this isn’t normal, is it? Please tell me it’s not normal.”

  My aunt gave me a knowing smile. “Normal? Of course not. But then

  again, you’re not normal. You’re a LaSalle. And clearly, you were up to the

  task, to your credit.”

  I ran my hand through my hair in disbelief. “How are you not yelling at

  me for running around and diving headfirst into dangers I know absolutely

  nothing about?”

  My aunt narrowed her eyes and rested her elbows on the high table.

  “First, because it’s not my place. I’m here to help, not run your life. Second,

  it’s been clear from the start that the three ladies have their eye on you, and

  there’s nothing anyone can do about that.”

  “Who?”

  “The fates, of course. They have their favorites. From time to time, they


  pick a mortal and push as much on their plate as they can, just to see if

  they’ve got what it takes. Thankfully, I think you do.”

  My heartbeat rose as my temper twisted like a knife. “You mean this is all

  happening because some heartless cosmic entity is just fucking with me?”

  “It’s happening because you have the capacity to be great. To be special.

  And that draws danger like a light draws moths from the night. Trust me, my

  life at your age was an utter nightmare, too. But it made me like iron.”

  I gritted my teeth and glared at the table because I didn’t want to glare at

  her. This was messed up. I despised the way Jaxson could compel me with

  his alpha presence. The way Kahanov had forced me to sleepwalk into the

  arms of a demon. The way the wolf inside me could take control of my body.

  I was tired of being pushed and pulled and thrown around. I wasn’t going to

  give up control, even to the fates.

  “I make my own destiny. I refuse to believe in fate,” I hissed.

  “Well, clearly, they believe in you,” she said.

  I shoved my bowl of ice cream back as frustration and resentment

  strangled me to choking. I did my best to broadcast this is not acceptable into

  the universe.

  My aunt studied me silently for a while, then traced her spoon absently

  around her empty bowl. “What were you after in Italy, anyway?”

  I didn’t respond at first. Finally, with a sigh, I popped open my new,

  expensive-looking Italian leather handbag and pulled out the Soul Knife. Just

  touching the cool metal made my fingers sting. It felt evil.

  I set it down carefully on the table. “This was what Kahanov was after,

  and we got it. Jaxson Laurent said that the Order should take it, but seeing as

  I don’t know them from Adam, and since Kahanov is bent on using it to cut

  out my soul, I thought I would ask you where the safest place to keep it

  would be.”

  My family might be mild lunatics and weapons manufacturers, but they

  had been fiercely loyal to me. My aunt would know what to do.

  She leaned forward and inspected the knife. “May I?”

  I nodded in assent.

  She picked up the blade and turned it over slowly in her hands. “Very

  interesting. And dangerous.”

  I bit my lip. “To be clear, I’m not asking you to hide it in the house. I’m

  certain Kahanov will come looking for it, and I don’t want you two or Uncle