Untamed Fate (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 2)

by Veronica Douglas

  hating family or the psychopath sorcerer or my condition. If only I could just

  forget it all and start a new life.

  Or we'll be a wolf all the time, and you can be a human when the moon is

  full.

  Deep down, we both knew there was no escaping things.

  The chatty old guy dropped me off at a strip mall in a small town called

  Forks. He even gave me twenty bucks to grab a bite to eat.

  I ordered a large turkey club from Subway and put on my best smile

  when I asked the cashier to borrow his phone. Thankfully, he was a teenage

  boy, and I could tell he had the hots for me. He unlocked the phone, and I slid

  into a booth and pulled up Google. I hadn’t memorized Jaxson’s or Casey’s

  numbers, so I looked up the number for Eclipse.

  As the phone rang, I prayed to God that Jaxson was there and not still

  stuck in the Dreamlands. Just the thought of that place had my mind

  wandering, and I couldn’t shake the image of Jaxson's lips pressed against

  mine as his fingers worked me in all the right places. Had that really

  happened, or was it all just a dream?

  My cheeks blazed when I realized that my skin was flushed and there was

  a mounting tightness in my center.

  Jaxson's rough voice answered, and tingles worked their way up my

  thighs.

  “Jaxson, thank fuck,” I blurted, clenching my legs together.

  “Savannah! Where are you?” His words vibrated with agitation and

  exhaustion.

  “I’m in Forks, Washington,” I answered. “And I found the bastard.”

  43

  Jaxson

  I pulled into the crowded parking lot of the strip mall, my frustration

  mounting. Why was this small town so packed? Who’d ever heard of Forks?

  I ground my teeth.

  Savannah was close. The bond between us was taut and pulling

  uncomfortably in my chest.

  I had to get to her. She was hurt and alone, and it was all my fault. I’d let

  my guard down. I’d lost my focus while drunk on wine and lust, and I’d let

  her fall asleep. After she’d disappeared, I’d nearly turned Cavra’s revel into a

  bloodbath before getting a hold of Sorsha and exiting the Dreamlands. I’d

  woken in the tent, but Savannah was gone.

  I’d been almost overcome with relief when I’d heard her voice on the

  phone. She’d survived, but that didn’t absolve me of anything.

  “Do you think she’s still here?” Neve asked. As soon as I’d gotten off the

  phone with Savannah, I’d grabbed Sam and headed to Neve. She’d used her

  planes-walking powers to teleport us to SeaTec airport, the closest location

  she was familiar with.

  “Yes, she’s here,” I growled as I wedged the rental SUV into a handicap

  spot.

  Sam raised her eyebrows and glanced at Neve. “Somebody’s in a rush. I

  think we’ll give you two a mo—”

  I was out of the SUV and striding across the lot before she finished.

  The bell of the door rang as Savannah stepped out of the Subway. She

  was barefoot and dressed in black leggings and a poorly fitting sweater. Her

  gaze instantly locked on me, and my heart missed a beat.

  She’d known I was here. Was she also feeling the pull of our bond?

  I wove through the parking lot. A car slammed on its brakes and squealed

  to a halt in front of me as I crossed the street. The driver blared the horn, but I

  paid him no attention.

  Savannah leapt into my arms as the driver gave one last defiant honk. I

  shot him a look that stilled his heart and had him throwing his car into

  reverse. I pulled Savannah close, burying my face in her hair. Her familiar

  scent wound around me, and my wolf stirred, excitement filling us both.

  “Glad you’re here,” she whispered.

  I set her down, and anger surged through me when I noticed the swollen

  red welt on her cheekbone and the scrapes on her skin.

  “Are you hurt?” I gently cupped her cheek. My voice was ragged,

  strained by the emotions flooding through me—relief, contentment, desire,

  anger. And most of all, guilt.

  Fuck, it was too much.

  “Just a little bruised and tired.”

  Exhaustion pulled her shoulders down, and I could tell she was lying

  about the severity of her wounds.

  My chest churned with guilt and shame. I should have been more careful,

  should have protected her.

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry—sorry you had to face Kahanov alone, sorry

  I let my guard down, sorry for what happened in the fore—"

  Her cheeks flushed and she lowered her eyes, cutting my words short.

  “So that did happen.”

  My pulse raced.

  Gods, the woman was getting under my skin. What had happened

  between us couldn’t happen again. I knew I was playing with fire, and I

  needed to shut this down before it got any more complicated.

  We’d deal with Kahanov, then we’d cure Savannah. Once she was no

  longer a wolf and the mate bond was broken, we’d be free of these irrational

  emotions.

  Lies.

  “The Dreamlands is just that—a dream that’s best forgotten. Kahanov

  almost got you, and every second we linger, he might slip away. Come on.” I

  nodded toward the SUV and walked away. She trailed behind, and I could

  smell her offense and anger.

  Good. It was better if she hated me. It’d be easier for both of us.

  The SUV’s taillights went on as we approached, which meant Sam had

  slipped into the driver’s seat, forcing me to share the back with Savannah.

  Shit. It wasn’t the time for her to play matchmaker. The emotions

  flooding me were too intense, and I needed space. That, and I needed to heal

  Savannah, and sitting side by side wasn’t going to make that any easier to

  deal with.

  “Wait.” I turned and stopped Savannah as she approached the SUV. I

  placed my hand on the small of her back, and she gasped as I poured a short

  burst of healing magic into her. Though it weakened me each time I used it, it

  would cure a few of her cuts, and hopefully, her exhaustion.

  Her eyes dilated with surprise, and I could smell her undeniable arousal.

  “Did you just…heal me?”

  “You need to be on your A-game for what’s coming. I could tell you

  weren’t.”

  Savannah’s eyes turned cold, and the scent of her desire waned. Good. It

  was going to be hard enough to think just sitting in the same car as her.

  I opened the door for her, and she slipped into the back seat without

  sparing me a glance. I kicked Sam out of the front, loaded up, and gunned it

  out of the parking lot.

  We headed out of town, looking for the place where Savannah had been

  picked up. My fists tightened on the wheel at the thought of her hitchhiking

  alone, but I pushed it from my mind.

  Sam hefted a cheap gym bag onto Savannah’s lap. “I brought you some

  spare clothes.”

  “Thanks,” she said as she met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “I don’t

  think I’ll change right now, but I’d kill for some shoes.”

  “There’s a pair of old sneakers.”

  I heard a zip as Savannah opened the bag. “Thank God, my feet are

  killing me and super gross. You’re a sai
nt, Sam. I owe you…like, a new

  wardrobe.”

  “Deal. We kill the sorcerer, and then you take me shopping. But for now,

  tell me how you lost your clothes in the first place.”

  As Savannah yanked on Sam’s old sneakers, she gave us the details of

  everything she’d seen and what Kahanov had said.

  “Apart from Kahanov and the sleeping shifters, did you see anything or

  anyone else in the cave?” I asked.

  Savannah shook her head. “No, but I wasn’t in there long. It looked like

  the place might go quite a ways back, though.”

  “If he’s expecting us, I’m betting he’s summoned some backup,” Neve

  said.

  I tightened my grip on the wheel. “He’s expecting us.”

  The bastard had been one step ahead of us the whole time. I hated going

  into his fucking lair, but I had to find my pack members before he learned the

  extent of what Cavra had done.

  About thirty minutes down the road, Savannah leaned forward. “This

  looks familiar. I think I saw it on my way into town.” She’d unclicked her

  seatbelt before I even finished pulling over. “Once we get to the beach, I

  should be able to find the cave again. It was crazy looking.”

  We climbed out, and I reined everyone in. “Okay. Backup is on its way,

  but for the moment, it’s just us. We need to go in quietly and take him out as

  quickly as possible, or drive him back further into the caves, away from the

  sleeping wolves. Savannah, can you cloak us in shadows once we’re inside?”

  She nodded and led us past a few cabins along the forested slope toward

  the ocean. I could have followed the path just as easily myself. Her wolf had

  come this way, and the scent drove my own wolf to the edge of madness.

  Savannah slid down a sandy rise onto a deserted beach. Stacks of sun-

  bleached driftwood scattered the waterline. After we’d walked at least a

  quarter mile down the rocky, empty stretch, she whispered, “There it is.”

  A chill ran up my spine.

  A twisted, storm-hardened tree clung to the eroding coastal bluff, its roots

  framing a dark cave that looked like a hole leading to the heart of the earth. A

  steady breeze blew onshore, smelling of kelp and fish, and Savannah shivered

  as she stared at the entrance.

  “I hate caves,” she said.

  Sam snorted. “You and me both.”

  But this place wasn’t just a cave. It was an entrance into something far

  worse. I could feel the magic radiating from the opening—a low, hypnotic

  pulse. I’d felt a similar pulse in the Dreamlands.

  It was some kind of portal or rift between that strange realm and our own.

  It had to be, and that must have been how Savannah was able to physically

  exit the Dreamlands.

  We began to move toward the cave, but I held up my hand and froze. A

  sickly-sweet scent of rotting fruit burned my nostrils, and my adrenaline

  surged.

  I knew that smell all too well. A noctith demon.

  In the darkness of the cave entrance, a shadow twisted and unfolded.

  “Watch out!” I grabbed Savannah’s waist and yanked her aside as the

  dark shape burst out of the cave.

  Sam cursed and dove out of the way, while Neve launched skyward.

  The monstrosity reared up on its six legs, and its head split open,

  revealing rows of pointed teeth. A pink gas billowed from its throat and

  spread across the ground.

  I pulled Savannah along. “Sleeping gas! Run!”

  Sam scrambled to her feet, but just as the gas was about to consume her, a

  wind tore across the muddy beach.

  Neve. She floated in the air, hands outstretched, and called a gale.

  Flying sand and grit cut into my skin, and I had to brace myself to hold us

  upright, but the gas dissipated instantly.

  The noctith demon staggered back and dug its clawed feet into the earth.

  Then it shrieked into the howling wind.

  Savannah clutched her ears and doubled over in agony, and as my

  eardrums burst, I felt a warm trickle of blood seeping down the side of my

  neck.

  Gritting my teeth against the pain, I ran and leapt into Neve’s torrent of

  wind and sailed through the air. The second I landed on the demon’s back, I

  sank my claws into its segmented carapace. The thing was momentarily

  shocked by the impact, but then it let out another shriek, and its body

  thrashed.

  I dug my claws deeper and began tearing off pieces of its hard

  exoskeleton. It screeched louder and bucked, and one of its hairy legs reached

  up and gripped my calf. I snarled as its claws tore into my muscles. My grip

  loosened, and I was thrown sideways. I slashed one of the beast’s wings

  before I hit the ground hard, my shoulder screaming.

  The demon tilted its head back and opened its razor-lined mouth, but its

  shriek was cut short.

  “You guys go! I’ll take care of this thing!” Neve roared. Her voice shook

  the air like a thunderclap, and her eyes burned with fury. Her hand stretched

  toward the demon, whose neck was throbbing and spasming. She slammed

  the beast down onto the ground, and it clawed at the sand and rocks with its

  legs and tail.

  She was suffocating the thing with her magic.

  Savannah gaped in horror. I grabbed her hand and towed her into the cave

  after Sam.

  Darkness enveloped us.

  44

  Savannah

  My ears rang, and I shook with fright at what I’d just witnessed.

  Between Neve and the demon, I didn’t know which terrified me more.

  Kahanov.

  I sucked in a slow breath to steady my nerves as we moved deeper into

  the cave. What the hell was I doing? I’d just escaped from this nightmarish

  place, and now I was headed back in.

  I rubbed my ears, but nothing would get rid of the pain. Suddenly, I felt

  the light touch of Jaxson’s hand on the base of my back. I took a sharp breath

  and closed my eyes as his magic pulsed through me. The pain in my ears

  subsided, but my heartbeat still pounded.

  “Stay close,” he said gruffly as he flicked on a flashlight and stepped in

  front of me. His woodsy pine scent wrapped around me, and a deep ache

  settled in my chest at the memories that rose in my mind.

  Sam pulled out two flashlights and gave me one as we followed behind

  him.

  Jaxson’s power to heal me drove me to the edge of fury. I hated the way it

  aroused me, the way I suddenly found myself warm and wet and breathless.

  Fuck.

  I bared my teeth at his back. He’d made his position clear: what had

  happened in the Dreamlands stayed in the Dreamlands. Wasn’t that what I

  wanted, too?

  What an idiot, I thought. I should have known better than to have opened

  myself up to him like that.

  Do you ever stop thinking about him? my overly snarky wolf asked.

  She was right. I needed to get my head in the game, but that was the last

  place it wanted to be. As long as I distracted myself with Jaxson, I wouldn’t

  have to think about walking into doom.

  I could smell it on the air. The cruel death the fates had planned for me. I

  didn’t care anymore. Just as long as I got to take Kahanov down.

 
; The dripping of water grew louder as we pushed deeper into the cave.

  I glanced back toward the entrance, fear fluttering in my stomach. We’d

  left Neve to deal with the noctith demon, but after seeing what she could do,

  something told me she could take care of herself even if its friends showed

  up.

  Jaxson stopped abruptly.

  “What’s that?” Sam whispered behind me.

  I inclined my head and listened. A low, faint scraping noise came from

  the passage ahead.

  “It sounds like something scratching or digging,” Jaxson said.

  Hope and dread flared in my chest, and I cautiously stepped around

  Jaxson. “Maybe Cavra’s spell woke the shifters. They might be trying to get

  free.”

  It was a long shot, but if there was any chance, we had to get them out of

  there before Kahanov noticed. I drew the shadows around me and sneaked

  ahead down the hallway.

  “Savannah, wait,” Jaxson hissed as he grabbed for my arm.

  I slipped out of his grasp and pushed forward, moving toward the fork in

  the cave that I knew was ahead. I flicked off my flashlight. “I’ve got this. I’m

  practically invisible.”

  “Damn it,” he growled behind me, and I could smell his frustration. But

  he wasn’t my alpha—or at least he wouldn’t be for long—and he held no

  power over me.

  I ignored my wolf’s snicker and paused where the tunnel split to let my

  werewolf vision adjust to the darkness. The stink of sweat and bodies was so

  strong, I almost gagged.

  I peeked into the cavern, and my heart dropped. The sleepers still hung

  from the walls, roots snaking around their bodies. They hadn’t awakened.

  Their chests still rose and fell softly like they were deep in a dreamless sleep.

  The strange scratching sound wasn’t coming them, but from the roots digging

  into dirt.

  I covered the end of my flashlight with my hand, flicked it on, and let a

  thin ray slide over the cave walls.

  The sorcerer wasn’t here, just slumbering wolves.

  I breathed a long sigh of relief, and waved Sam and Jaxson into the room.

  “The coast is clear.”

  Sam froze as the beam of her flashlight illuminated the suspended bodies,

  “My gods…”

  A dark rage spread across Jaxson’s face as he shone his light from one

  body to the next. The muscles in his arms twitched as his signature boomed