Witch for the Wolf

by Annabelle Winters

  “Why would you lose your magic?” said Caleb, rubbing his buzzed head as he paced the room like a wolf in a cage, trying to work off the energy that had built up from the arousal. He wanted to smash something. Bite something. Destroy something. He wanted to run, to howl, to feed, to . . . to mate! She was his mate! Couldn’t she see that?! How could anything be more important than following that need?!

  “I don’t know for sure,” Magda said, folding her arms over her chest, her jaw going tight. She didn’t say anything else, and her brow furrowed as if she’d just thought of something. “But if my magic didn’t work on you while we were . . . while you were . . . while that was happening . . .”

  Caleb felt the chill of realization creep up along his back as he finished Magda’s sentence. “Then maybe your other spells were broken too. Like the spell holding Murad’s dragon in check,” he muttered, blinking as he looked down at his hands and frowned. He thought back to how Murad’s robe had glowed with the spell holding back his dragon, and then the chill turned into full-scale panic as he looked at the children. “Shit,” he said. “We need to get the kids out of here, Magda. Because if your magic was turned off, then it’s possible Murad’s dragon broke through. And in dragon form he could track down his grandchildren, couldn’t he? Track them down and . . .”

  Magda opened her mouth to say something, but her voice was drowned out by a hideous screech that almost exploded Caleb’s eardrums. A shadow passed across the room as if the sun had just gone behind a cloud, but there were no clouds in the desert sky.

  “It’s Murad!” Caleb shouted, glancing over at the kids and then at Magda as every instinct in him came alive: The instinct to protect his mate, to protect the blood of his alpha, to protect his crew, his family. A moment later his wolf had burst forth, and he raced to the children and stood before them, teeth bared, claws out, every fiber on alert, every muscle in his lean wolf’s body tensed and rippling as he prepared to fight to the death. He felt clear-headed in that moment, like there was no doubt about what he needed to do, about who he was, what he was. He was a soldier, part of a crew, and he would defend every member of his crew until he was torn apart and couldn’t snap his jaws together again. He knew he didn’t have a chance against Murad’s dragon, but he didn’t feel an ounce of fear. Perhaps he could hold off the dragon long enough for Magda’s magic to get Murad under control again.

  He glanced at the witch through his narrowed eyes, and he saw her step to the balcony and shout out the words to her spell. But the only response from the dragon was another screech that sounded like a thousand demons, and when Magda turned to him, Caleb knew her magic wasn’t powerful enough to make Murad’s dragon go back inside the man.

  “Run,” he growled to Magda, feeling that other instinct come alive: The instinct to protect his mate. “I’ll handle this.”

  “He’ll kill you,” Magda said, shaking her head as she turned back to the window. Outside Caleb could see the massive black dragon, its eyes like gold fireballs, its talons shining like pillars sharpened to deadly points. It had circled the mansion and was making a turn in the distance, preparing to smash through the walls and destroy everything inside. “He’ll kill us all. It’s over. I was wrong. I’m not strong enough. I was never strong enough. I’m still that awkward girl with the fat ass and big red zits. My magic isn’t strong enough. I’ve failed. I was a fool. I—”

  Caleb stared at the witch as his mind raced. Murad’s black dragon had made its turn and was swooping in for the final attack. Already its maws were opening as it prepared to envelop the mansion with fire, and Caleb knew that although the speed of his wolf would allow him to get out in time, he’d never be able to do it with two kids and a woman on his back. Save yourself, or die with them. That’s the only choice.

  With a grin Caleb stepped away from the children, and a moment later he’d jumped at Magda, knocking her away from the balcony as he stood up on his hind legs to face the black dragon’s onslaught. He wasn’t fucking running! This was his mate, and the kids were part of his crew. His life wouldn’t be worth shit if he turned his back on them. He was a soldier, a warrior, a protector, a defender. And what better way to go out than in a blaze of glory, teeth bared in defiance, claws shining and deadly in the last moment, eyes fearless and focused on the enemy! Bring it on, you big bird! Bring it on!

  He saw the telltale wisps of blue flame swirl from the dragon’s jaws, and he took a deep breath as he prepared to leap out from the balcony. Perhaps he could leap right into the dragon’s mouth, run right down the overgrown bird’s massive gullet, rip its throat and insides to shreds from within! Hell yeah, he could do that!

  “See you in hell, witch,” he growled to Magda, barely hearing her scream as he pushed off with his powerful hind legs and launched himself into the air.

  “Not yet, Flying Squirrel,” came a deep, rumbling voice suddenly, and Caleb roared in surprise as he felt himself knocked backwards in mid-flight. He landed on his feet, back on the balcony, and when he shook his head to clear it, he saw the second dragon.

  It was Adam, and with his body the younger dragon blocked his father’s flame, protecting his crewmate as he spread his gold and green wings like a shield. In a flash Caleb understood that when Magda had lost her magical powers for that short time, all her spells must have been broken—including the one obscuring the children’s location from Daddy Dragon. He howled in delight at the sight of his old friend the dragon, going up on his hind legs and raising his paws as he considered leaping onto Adam’s back to join in the fight!

  “Protect my children,” came Adam’s deep voice through the dragon. “Take them and go. I’ll handle Grandpa.”

  “We’ll handle Grandpa together,” growled Caleb, licking his chops as he felt the fever of a fight rushing through him. Damn, it felt good! Nothing like a good old ass-kicking to release all that pent-up energy from that mating fiasco.

  And then images of Magda came rushing back to him, and he whipped his head around to where she was standing by the children. She seemed frozen, thin and pale, her lips moving but no sound coming out. Was she trying to cast another spell? Was she scared? Was there something else going on? Could she even be trusted?

  “Protect my children,” Adam said again, turning in the air and repelling another barrage of hot flame from Murad’s dragon. Caleb could feel the heat almost singe his whiskers, and he knew this was no place for even a powerful wolf-shifter. Only a dragon could take on another dragon and hope to make it out alive. “And protect your mate.”

  Caleb turned back to Adam, his eyes wide, wolf-head cocked. Adam’s head was turned, and Caleb swore he saw the massive dragon wink at him with those green-and-gold eyes of his old buddy, his military brother, his alpha. “How . . . how do you know?” Caleb growled, even though the battlefield was neither the time nor place for talking about women. Or maybe it was. He glanced back at Magda, then once more at Adam, who had just shot a fireball the size of the moon at his own father, who screeched as he whirled in the air to avoid the onslaught.

  Once more Caleb felt the urge to join in the fight. He didn’t give a rat’s ass if he got burned to a crisp. He wanted in! But then he heard the children cry out as Murad’s dragon swiped at Adam with a massive wing, sending Adam spinning in the air, spewing fire all over the place as he turned for a counter-attack.

  “Get my kids out of here, you goddamn furball!” roared Adam. “That’s an order, Soldier!”

  The urgency in Adam’s voice broke through to Caleb, and he finally nodded and ran back to where Magda and the children were standing—all the way inside the room, against the back wall. The mansion was made of black marble, and it wouldn’t burn—not easily, at least. Caleb wasn’t sure if there was anything that could withstand dragonfire for too long.

  “We need to go,” he barked at Magda. “Get the kids and climb on my back.”

  Magda didn’t reply. She didn’t move. She was ju
st staring at the two dragons fighting in the distance, her pale lips trembling like she was a fish out of water. She looked like she was going into shock or something. Perhaps a trance. Or was she trying her magic again?

  “Wait,” he said as something occurred to him. “If your magic is back, can’t you just get us all out of here to someplace safe? Spin us out of here with that spell? What the hell are you waiting for? It’s getting hot in here, woman! Teleportation by magic is better than galloping through the goddamn desert on my back! Do it!”

  But Magda just stared at him, her eyes black and cold, her lips frozen in a tight smile. Caleb couldn’t tell if she was out of her senses or if this was part of her plan, if she wanted to watch the two dragons fight it out until the world was reduced to ashes. Hell, maybe she didn’t want to get out of here! Maybe her magic would protect her own skinny ass from dragonfire. As for the kids . . . well, they were dragons, weren’t they? They wouldn’t burn! They could be eaten, sure. But Adam wasn’t gonna let Grandpa chomp on his kids for breakfast, so they weren’t in as much danger as it had appeared. Hell, the only one in real danger was Caleb himself, he realized with a lopsided grin.

  Once again Caleb felt like two paths were laid out before him: Save your own furry ass and let the witch do whatever she’s got planned. Or stay here and . . . and do what?! Die?

  Caleb could feel his Shifter heart pound in his wolf-chest, and as his big ears stood straight up, he thought he heard the sound of another heartbeat. He frowned and cocked his head, zeroing in on the sound until he realized it was Magda’s heartbeat. He’d never noticed it before, and it puzzled him. Why the hell was he hearing it now?! How the hell was he hearing it now? After all, the air was full of screeching and crashing as the dragons fought each other in the open skies above the burning desert. The kids were screaming in fright. And the loudest sound in his wolf-head was the heartbeat of a cold, dark witch?!

  She is our mate and there is no turning away from her, whispered his wolf through the chaos. You have opened that door, and now you must step through it. There is no going back. She is ours, and we have to claim her. Nothing else will bring us peace. Nothing else will stop what is unfolding.

  And as Caleb listened to his wolf, he realized that his own heartbeat was in lockstep with Magda’s, two hearts beating in time, two hearts beating as one. Again he looked into her dark eyes, wondering if he could trust his wolf, trust his heart, trust her heart! She was a dark witch, after all! She’d made a deal with dark powers at some point in her life, and Caleb knew enough to know that dark powers were . . . .well, powerful! She’d been strong enough to hold Murad’s dragon in check, strong enough to imprison Bart the Bear, strong enough to bring Caleb himself to his knees. Wasn’t Caleb better off getting the hell out of here so he could fight another day?

  The thoughts came rushing in with the cool calculation of his military training. Common sense dictated that he was of no use to anyone if he was dead. But the sound of his heart and her heart beating in time was deafening, and when Caleb remembered what Adam had told him—Protect my kids. Protect your mate—he knew that common sense could go fuck itself. He wasn’t going anywhere. Adam was his Alpha, and Magda was his mate. He wasn’t going anywhere without them.

  “All right,” he muttered, shaking his furry head as tried to step towards her. But he couldn’t, and with a grunt of surprise he realized he was frozen in place by her magic. He roared in frustration, and when he looked into Magda’s eyes he realized that mate or not, she was all dark right now. She wasn’t grabbing those kids and climbing on his back, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to spin up a teleportation spell to get them the hell out of here. Which meant there was only one thing to do.

  “All right,” he said again, steeling his resolve as he prepared to do what seemed ridiculous. “If you won’t use your magic, then we’ll have to use my magic. Pucker up, witch. Here comes your wolf. Or rather, here comes your man.”

  He couldn’t move, but he could still Change, and in a flash he Changed back to the man, standing up straight and tall, his muscled body ripped and tense, his jaw tight with resolve. He could feel the heat from the dragonfire searing his back, feel her spell binding his body from the front. But he gritted his teeth and fought with everything he had, somehow taking three steps towards his mate and cupping her face in his rough hands.

  And as the dragons screeched and the babies screamed, as the dark witch stared up at him, her cold heart beating in time with his, he kissed her. He kissed her hard, with authority, the wolf claiming his witch with his lips, breaking her spell with his kiss. He kissed her. God-damn, he kissed her!

  6

  Magda could feel the dark power building up in her again, and she welcomed it just like she’d welcomed it all those years ago when her animal had been stolen from her, leaving a void that needed to be filled. Her lips were frozen in a tight smile as she watched the two dragons spin and twist in the air, shooting flames at one another, Adam’s dragon spreading its wings to stop his father’s dragonfire from reaching into the mansion.

  This was the plan, she told herself as she heard the children scream from behind her. To release Murad’s dragon, put it front and center with its own kind, its own blood, its son and grandchildren. It was the only chance Murad had to gain control over his beast; and he needed to gain control over his dragon if he wanted to command an army of Shifters. The children weren’t in real danger, she’d told herself. Murad the man might have ordered Caleb to kill the children, but the dragon wouldn’t allow its own blood to be executed! The dragon operated on instinct, no matter how twisted and dark it had become after years of being bottled up by magic. And the instinct to protect your bloodline was too deeply rooted to be overcome by cold logic. The instinct to protect your offspring was the foundation of all life, big and small, mundane and magical.

  Along with the instinct to actually create your offspring, came the thought as Magda’s attention wavered at the sight of Caleb standing guard at the balcony, his massive wolf’s body looking magnificent and strong, giving her a sense of security that made her feel warm inside. She’d screamed when Caleb had leapt off the balcony, fearlessly heading for Murad’s dragon and certain death. But then Adam had swooped in, and Caleb had headed back to her . . . headed back to her, Changed back to the man, and kissed her.

  Kissed her!

  Suddenly everything spun forward, and Magda blinked in confusion as she felt the heat of his lips against hers, heard his powerful heart beating in time with hers, felt her dark power once again recede to the background as if it couldn’t sustain itself in his presence. She struggled as the conflict blazed through her along with the heat of arousal, the need of her animal, the need of her feminine.

  If we give ourselves to him, do we lose our magic, came the thought from somewhere deep inside. She thought it was from that dark place, that place where her magic lived, that place in her soul which belonged to the dark powers with whom she’d made her deal all those years ago, when she was broken and angry, filled with hate and rage. They’d killed her animal, and she wanted to kill them back! Kill them all!

  But your animal is still alive, she thought as she felt it inside her even as Caleb’s tongue twisted into her mouth. Had it ever died? Was it all a trick? Was she tricked into making that dark deal? Tricked by whom?!

  Tricked by me, came the whisper of her animal, and Magda gasped as her eyes flicked wide open with the shock of realization. I’m a fox, honey. There’s a reason for the saying “Sly as a fox.” They wanted me dead, so I played dead. I played dead, and you found new life. With dark magic we’re more powerful than ever. Fox-shifters don’t have the brute strength of the bear or the blinding speed of the wolf. We’re smart and sly, and that’s our game, honey.

  “It was you,” Magda whispered in confusion, her voice muffled as Caleb held her face tight and kissed her again. “You made the deal with darkness!”

  Sly li
ke a fox, whispered her animal. You were too good and innocent to do it. You would have let those government scientists kill me with their drugs. Perhaps you would have let them kill you too. I made a deal with the darkness for your sake. For our sake. And look what it has gotten us, honey!

  What has it gotten us, Magda thought in despair as she felt her body pushing against her robe once more as Caleb kissed her harder even as the dragons fought in the background.

  It has gotten us everything, replied her fox. Power, good looks, and our mate!

  Except we lose our magic if we accept our mate, Magda thought. And without our magic, we’re nothing. It all goes away. Even if Murad gains control over his dragon, without magic I’m of no use to him. He’ll take control of his army and take over the world! His dragon’s hoarding instincts will push him onward: He will claim everything as his, and destroy everything that stands in his way! That isn’t the vision! The vision is to cleanse the world of evil, destroy the ones who hold prejudice and hatred in their hearts, return us all to the Garden of Eden. I need my magic to do that!

  And you will have it, whispered the sly fox from inside her. You just need to accept the darkness like I did. You’re only losing your magic because the human in you never accepted the dark deal. It was me. I sacrificed for you, for us, for this. Now it’s time for you to do the same, honey. Say yes and you’ll keep your magic, keep your mate, and maybe even keep your tight little waistline! You’ll have it all, honey! Just say yes. Say yes, little Magda. Say yes!

  “Yes,” Magda mumbled as the heat from Caleb’s kiss mixed with the heat from the dragonfire, all of it swirling together in a way that seemed to make perfect sense amidst the chaos. Man and woman had left the Garden of Eden because they’d taken a path of darkness, hadn’t they? So perhaps the way back to the Garden was to walk the same path! Follow the same road and it’ll lead you to the same place! Perfect sense! “Yes,” she said again, this time with more confidence, her voice strong and steady. She could feel the dark power rise up again in her, but this time it felt different, more complete. In that moment she knew her animal was right: The human in Magda had never given herself completely to the darkness, which was why Caleb’s kiss made her lose her powers. Shifters could only mate in human form, and her mate’s kiss brought forth the woman in Magda—the human woman untouched by darkness but also stripped of her magic.