The Wolfborne Saga Box Set

by Cheree Alsop

  The voice in the back of my mind pointed out that having to shoot me to get me there should have clued him in.

  I met Alia’s gaze and was happy to feel nothing but friendship toward her. “Virgo, well….” I hesitated. Virgo was right about my loyalty. It may have been tested to the limit a time or two in the past week, but it remained nonetheless. “He found out about some people in trouble and we went to help.”

  Alia watched me for a moment as though judging just how honest I was being. I hoped my face revealed nothing; human expressions were hard to control, but I felt as though I was getting better at it.

  Alia sighed. “Fine. I’m just glad you’re back.”

  “We’ll be gone in the morning.”

  She stared down at me. “No, you can’t.” She gestured to my leg. “You need to heal, Zev.”

  “Someone’s in trouble,” I told her. “Someone I…,” I swallowed and admitted, “Someone I care about.”

  Alia’s breath caught in her throat. I heard it even if she was unaware she had given herself away. She forced a small, unaffected smile. “You care about someone? I didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that.”

  “Is it so hard to believe?” I asked, looking up at her.

  I had very nearly told her the same thing, once. But what I felt for Fray went beyond that. Like the dhampir had said, there was something between us that couldn’t be defined by words. Being around her felt as though the scars on my body and soul were merely that, marks from the past that showed I had survived. She bore her own scars.

  But it was deeper than that. The wolf side of me wanted to defend her with my entire might; I wanted to protect her and be with her all the time. I felt whole when I was around her, and knowing that she was in trouble hurt even worse than not phasing.

  “No,” Alia said quietly. “I’m happy for you.”

  A howl cut through the air. I glanced toward it.

  “I’m happy for you and Mitch.”

  That brought a smile to her face. “I am, too.” She reached out as though she wanted to touch me, then withdrew her hand and set the blanket on the side of the couch. “Just take care of yourself, alright?”

  “I will,” I replied.

  I wondered how many times I had promised her that as I watched her walk back to the house. I definitely hadn’t kept up on the promise, hence the need for a couch in the moonlight. But now I felt as though I had something more to live for. I would heal for Fray and get her out of wherever she was as quickly as I could. We would find the cure and heal her, and then she would be safe.

  Until then, I needed to focus on healing.

  I closed my eyes and stretched my injured leg out. It twinged angrily. I focused on the warm tendrils of the moonlight soothing the ache in my leg. Sleep pressed against the edges of my mind. Rosalinda had given me tea in a plastic cup this time, making it more of a joke than a precaution, and I felt the effects of her brew easing its way into my thoughts. I gave into the urge to let go and slept.

  The wind swept past my nose with the promise of winter. I relished the chill in the air. It couldn’t get through my thick fur and would drive the deer down the side of the mountain to avoid the coming snow. I lifted my muzzle to the sky and howled into the night.

  There was no answer to my call. I don’t know why I expected one. I didn’t have a pack or a mate who would answer. The sound of my voice echoed against the mountain and then faded away to silence. Being alone felt wrong; someone should have called back. I hadn’t expected another wolf’s voice. Instead, it was the voice of the one I cared about, the one who was missing.

  The thought sent my heart pounding hard within my chest. I had to find her. I had to free her. I would fight for her with every ounce of strength I had left, but first, I had to track her down.

  Footprints caught my attention. I sniffed at the impressions in the rich dirt of the forest floor. The scent of licorice and sage made my heart slow. It was her.

  But the burnt wood smell of fear lingered on the bushes she had passed. Someone followed her. Other footsteps became visible. They were deeper with a thick sole. Their scent was predatory, human, and male. I could smell the too-sweet tang of malicious intent along with the metallic odor of silver. He was armed.

  I lowered my head and started running, following the trail with my nose to the ground. The further I ran, the fainter the footsteps became. I checked behind me in case I was going in the wrong direction, but they had disappeared. I pushed myself faster, following the trail as it faded. Desperation filled me. If I couldn’t find her, he would. Of that, I was sure. I had to find her before he did.

  The trail vanished completely. I searched the bushes, the trees, and the ground in a frantic circle, but I couldn’t find where it had gone. Terror pushed me on. I ran and ran. The forest faded until I was running in darkness, but I couldn’t stop.

  “Zev.”

  My eyes flew open. The feeling of being a wolf confused me. The moonlight shone on me, beckoning for me to join it. I remembered running, the way my legs responded, the sight of the trees flying past me.

  The want to phase rushed through my limbs. I welcomed it, anxious to be a wolf like I had been in my dreams.

  My bones shifted and a yell tore from me.

  “Zev, breathe! You can’t phase!”

  I tried to pull back. The pain surged through my leg like fire, burning through my nerves to the marrow of my bones. It made it hard to concentrate, to realize what was happening.

  “Zev, let it go! Don’t phase! You’ll lose your leg!”

  Virgo’s panicked tone centered me. I held onto the notes of fear and let it pull me back. I took quick, short gasps through clenched teeth. My body burned with the heat of a hundred fires. All of the scars along my body seared as though I had just received them. It was hard to focus past the pain. Sweat soaked instantly through my clothes.

  “Easy,” Virgo said. I felt his hand on my arm. A sharp cold flowed from his fingers, chasing away the worst of the fire. “Take a breath. Don’t let it win. You’ve got to stay human.” He set his other hand on my chest. Cold flooded through it as well.

  His touch helped me remember what it felt like to be in my human form. I didn’t have fur or paws. I didn’t have a snout that could smell the origin of a piece of paper to the forest it once came from. I had fingers and toes, long legs that walked upright, and a face that gave away a thousand emotions.

  “Come on, Zev. You can do it,” Virgo encouraged. “Come on back.”

  The pain receded as my leg settled back into the line of mending bones. Each segment ached angrily. I couldn’t tell how much damage I had done.

  I let out a shaky breath and opened my eyes.

  Virgo’s head blocked out the moon. I couldn’t make out his expression in the silhouette. Blue light glowed. I glanced down and saw that the runes on his hands were bright. At my look, he pulled both hands away. The chill left my arm and my chest.

  “You used magic on me?” I asked with mixed emotions.

  He crossed his arms. “It was the only thing I could think of.” He moved slightly to the side so I could see his wary expression.

  I pushed away my anxiety about magic and focused on the part where he had probably single-handedly saved my leg.

  “Thank you.”

  A relieved smile crossed his face. “You bet. Were you dreaming?”

  I nodded. I felt like he deserved a better explanation, so I said, “I was trying to track Fray, but the trail disappeared.”

  His expression gave nothing away when he said, “We’ll find her. Don’t worry.” A smile touched his face and he pulled a book from his back pocket. “On the bright side, I found Wolfbane’s novel.”

  He blew on it and dust filled my nose. I sneezed.

  “Sorry,” he said. “The bookstore’s in a bit of disrepair. It’s going to need some real work when we finally get back to normal life.”

  “I’ve got it!”

  Virgo and I both looked toward the house.
James jumped off the porch without using the steps and ran across the lawn to us.

  “Wolfbane’s address! I found it!”

  He held out a piece of paper with writing scrawled across it. Virgo took it and gave it a skeptical look.

  “I’ll rewrite it,” James said. “I just wanted you to know that I found it.”

  “He’s north,” Virgo said. “We’re going to need the chopper.”

  James’ eyebrows rose. “A helicopter? Seriously?” He lowered his voice. “You really were working for a government agency, weren’t you? Let me come with you!”

  Virgo and I exchanged a glance. It was Virgo who said, “They only take witches, warlocks, and werewolves right now. The, um, three w’s.” At James’ fallen expression, he rushed on to say, “But if they need anyone who can find anything on the internet, we’ll let them know to call you.”

  James’ face brightened. “Awesome. I’ll be waiting.” He waved the paper. “I’m going to rewrite this so they know I’m not a doctor.”

  A chuckle escaped me as he ran back inside. “The three w’s?”

  Virgo grinned. “Inspiration comes to me sometimes.” He gave my leg a meaningful glance. “I’ll go call the Division. You should stay here soaking in more of the moonlight.” He hesitated, then said, “But maybe don’t fall asleep.”

  I couldn’t agree more. “I’m not planning on it.”

  He grinned and left toward the house.

  I picked up the book he had set on the arm of the couch. The familiar, dusty smell of Virgo’s used bookstore clung to its pages. Several of the corners were folded down. I opened the book to one of them and began to read.

  The vampire wove his way among the trees, his focus solely on the drops of blood the created a trail he had no choice but to follow. With each step, the smell grew stronger. His mouth watered. His incisors sharpened and lengthened, ready to feed. The vampire’s steps quickened until he ran with a speed the most voracious predator would be hard-pressed to match. The shadows flitted before him as if loath to cross his path.

  He spotted her in the distance, light-footed and graceful but nowhere near as silent or deadly as he. She held her side and ran faster as if she knew that he neared. This quickened the vampire’s heart, drawing him on with the thrill of the hunt.

  He was nearly there, a hand’s breadth from her golden hair, when she stopped. She held perfectly still. Her chest rose and fell with the exertion of the run and drops of blood pattered to the ground near her foot despite how tightly she held her side, yet she didn’t move.

  The vampire swallowed against the ache in his throat. He stepped around to face her, his feet barely touching the ground. As soon as he was directly in front of her, her eyes lifted and their gazes met.

  The vampire’s mouth instantly dried. His fangs receded. What was left of his heart that still could be called such slowed beneath his cold, pale chest. He was slayed by her look as surely as if a stake pierced the selfsame heart. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t speak. She had stolen the heart of him with that one unafraid glance.

  “Pretty great, right?”

  My head jerked up. I hadn’t heard Virgo’s approach.

  “It really sweeps you away, doesn’t it?”

  I nodded, but uncertainty pressed against me. “If it’s fiction, why would he have the answer?”

  Virgo leaned against the couch. “I’ve always suspected that the author’s stories are based on fact. There’s too much that’s true in there not to have come from somewhere.” He crossed his arms. “Besides, you said Borig told you to find Wolfsbane. That’s a pretty good lead if you ask me.”

  It was true. We didn’t have anything better to go on, and if Wolfsbane had anything that would help Fray recover from the demon bites, then it was worth it.

  “The chopper will be here in an hour. They’ve asked us to meet them at the drop-off.” He eyed me uncertainly. “Can you walk all the way there, or should I get James to give us a lift.”

  “It’s in the middle of the forest,” I told him. “I don’t think the car could make it.”

  “We could go get my truck,” the warlock offered.

  I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.”

  I regretted those words by the time we reached the clearing. Apparently nearly phasing had undone whatever healing my leg had achieved before that night. The moonlight had done a bit to take the edge off the pain, but the ache remained in a permanent, angry way that I refused to mention to Virgo.

  I was acutely aware of the way he watched me, his hands ready in case I fell. It made me that much more determined to stay on my feet and not need his help. There was something to be said for a werewolf’s stubbornness.

  The werewolves flanked us in wolf form to ensure our safety. Though I had told them it wasn’t necessary, Mitch had insisted. I had a sneaking suspicion that he had actually missed me when I was gone. The glances the other werewolves exchanged when we climbed onto the helicopter showed sorrow that we were leaving. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that.

  Some part of me thought they should be relieved without me in the forest; but I had a sneaking suspicion that I told myself it to make me feel better about leaving them again. The truth was that I also missed them. A pack without one of its members felt like a mouth with a missing tooth. And here I was, the lone tooth, rising into the sky.

  A wry smile touched my lips at the weird metaphor.

  “What’s up?” Virgo asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing.” I glanced at him. “Do you regret leaving?”

  He looked out the window at the town receding into the distance. A small sigh betrayed him. “It was hard to say goodbye to my mom; harder than I thought.”

  I gave him a sympathetic smile. “We’ll be back.”

  He nodded, but uncertainty showed on his face. “We almost didn’t come back this last time.”

  I thought of the feeling of the grenade in my mouth before I blew up the tentacled demon at the first doorway, and of the creatures pressing to escape at the dark warlock’s command before Virgo banished him from this world.

  “It was close,” I agreed. “But here we are; something has to be said for how hard we are to kill.”

  Virgo snorted, but a smile touched his lips. “That’s for sure.”

  I watched the sun rising outside the window. The light touched my face with its warmth. We didn’t set down until the sun was halfway to its pinnacle.

  “Call us when you need us,” Swift said. She winked. “Whether the Captain approves it or not. You guys have my loyalty forever.”

  “Yeah,” Gunnison echoed. He bumped fists with Virgo and then me. “You guys rescued us when it wasn’t even your mission. We’ve got your backs.”

  “Thanks,” Virgo said. He held up his phone. “I’ve got your numbers.”

  Swift picked up something from beside her chair. “That reminds me,” she told us. “The Captain asked me to give you this.”

  She tossed the box to the warlock. He opened it to reveal a small, black cellphone.

  “We already have a burner from the Division,” I told her, confused.

  She shrugged. “Maybe he figured you guys might get sick of each other. “You know him. He likes to be prepared.”

  Virgo’s expression said he thought the second phone was strange, also. The warlock already had a cellphone. He shrugged and shoved it in his pocket.

  “Well, ready for this?” he asked me.

  I nodded. “Let’s figure out why Borig sent us here.” I waved to Swift. “Thanks for the lift.”

  “Anytime,” she called back. She maneuvered the helicopter into the air. I shielded my eyes until the beating of the blades faded into the sky. I looked around. “Where are we anyway?”

  Virgo grinned. “Welcome to the auto district. Ready to buy a car?”

  Landing in a helicopter had certainly attracted a number of salesmen and women. They flocked toward us like cats who had spotted an unwary grasshopper.


  “We can’t buy a car,” I reminded the warlock. “We’re too young.”

  He shook his head and pulled something from his pocket. I took the object he held out.

  “Your driver’s license?” I looked closer. “This says you’re twenty-two.” The picture looked like an older version of my friend. “There’s no way—"

  I glanced at him to argue and saw his runes fade. Shock filled me when I realized he had used magic to age himself. He looked exactly like the picture.

  “It’s an in for now,” the warlock said. He glanced at me, then whispered, “But only if you stop staring.”

  I forced myself to look away. Uncertainty filled me. “And Wolfsbane is here?” I winced inwardly at even saying it. What an unfortunate last name to be born into!

  “James said the publishing address led here.” He looked around. “Apparently the author used his work address when he published it.”

  I had to admit that it was a good cover. If the author really did have information about the paranormal world, there were others who might not have such good intentions for that knowledge. I watched fake smiles and a few real ones spread across the faces of the salesmen and women who approached us and wondered which one was Wolfsbane. They didn’t have nametags. I doubted they had an employee list available for random shoppers.

  Virgo had a more straightforward plan. “I’m here to buy a car from Wolfsbane,” he announced.

  The salesmen and women looked at each other with baffled expressions.

  “There’s no one by that name here,” a man wearing dark sunglasses said.

  Virgo’s smile faltered. “Are you sure?”

  Several of the others nodded.

  “Yes, but I can show you around if you’re interested,” the first man offered. “We have a new stock of high end vehicles fresh out of detailing.”

  Virgo looked at me. “What do you think? Want to test drive something shiny?”

  I shook my head. Fray didn’t have any time to waste. If Wolfsbane wasn’t here, we had to find another lead.

  Virgo sighed. “Sorry, but no.” At the man’s crestfallen look, he said, “Maybe next time.”