by Quinn Loftis
“Can you find her?” Peri asked him drawing him from his thoughts. She apparently hadn’t been eavesdropping when Dalton had told Dillon he’d completed the Blood Rites with his mate.
“We completed the Blood Rites before he took her. She is mine; the bond is complete.”
“So not only can you find her, but she will begin to feel the discomfort of being separated from you and, by the way, where in the world have you been for the past three days? Did Volcan have something to do with you being AWOL?” Sally suddenly materialized out of the trees with her mate beside her. Dalton was beginning to feel like it was some sort of twisted intervention. But the compassion in her eyes, despite her obvious irritation at him having been gone, was humbling considering he had not been one of her favorites for some time now. Dalton had known when he marked Jewel that he would only be increasing the pain she would endure at being away from him, but that wasn’t enough reason for him to leave her unbound to him. He needed to know that if she left this world, he would be joining her―as was his right as her mate.
“She will,” he agreed as his eyes met Sally’s. “And yes, my absence was Volcan’s doing.” He left it at that. There was no need for them to know that he had laid naked, frozen against his will, unable to aid his mate in a fairy field.
“She’s strong, Dalton,” Sally said her lips attempting a small smile.
Dalton nodded once. “She’s stronger than she knows.”
“So are we just going to stand here complementing her and hoping that her awesome strength will rescue her own ass, or are we going to do something?” Peri’s hands were on her hips as she tapped her foot restlessly.
“I’m leaving within the hour, but I have a stop to make before I begin to hunt my mate.” He had been contemplating his next move and one thing he felt with absolute certainty was that there was one person who might be able to help him.
His Alpha’s eyes narrowed on him. “Where are we stopping?” Dalton didn’t miss the fact that Dillon had just subtly told him that he would be going with him whether Dalton wanted him to or not.
“Yes, do tell. What could be as important as going after your female?” Peri asked.
“I need to speak with her mother.”
Their eyes widened at his words and Sally took a step forward. “Do you think now is the time to be meeting your future mother-in-law?”
“She knows things. That was the only explanation he offered. He didn’t want to explain that he knew a little about the power of names related to the elements. Jewel’s mother had obviously known as well because she gave Jewel a powerful name. The woman had obviously foreseen that her daughter would need it. “She might be able to help,” he added, in case they didn’t catch on to that fact. Dalton felt edgy as he stood there with the group watching him, as though the expected him to suddenly break into hysterics. If they were expecting him to express how he felt about losing Jewel, then they would be disappointed. He didn’t want to talk; he wanted to move. But he knew the worst thing he could do for his mate was to run headlong into the fight without a plan.
“She’s yours,” Dillon said. “So I’ll let you take the lead on this hunt.”
Dalton nodded his thanks at his Alpha, but didn’t bother to mention that there was no one who could stop him from taking the lead. Jewel was his. He had been through hell and back and endured centuries of loneliness and finally found her. He couldn’t lose her and he wouldn’t entrust her rescue to anyone but himself.
Peri let out an irritated huff as she turned to leave. “Fine, we go in an hour; Dalton leads the hunt and, Sally, please be a dear and write this down for future reference. If we needed the damn gypsy healers to sacrifice themselves in order to protect the rest of us, I would be the first to start passing them out like Halloween candy.”
Dalton watched Peri flash and then turned to Sally his brow slightly furrowed.
Sally shrugged sheepishly. “She’s a little bitter over the fact that I died to save her.”
Costin growled as he looked at his mate but spoke to Dalton. “It seems our healers have a tendency to want to help.”
Sally rolled her eyes. “Imagine that, a gypsy healer wanting to help, oh the horror,” she said dryly.
Dalton let out a huff of laughter that was anything but humorous. “Perhaps, you should warn the other potential mates to the healers.” He looked at Dillon and then back at Sally. His voice was unyielding as he spoke. “The females of our packs are the heart and soul. It is never your place to sacrifice yourself. You are to be protected, cherished, and loved. Never put your mate through that again.” As he turned to go he met Dillon’s gaze. “One hour.” Then he took off in a jog back towards Peri’s home.
He jumped through the window as he had done so many times before, but this time there was no one for him to see. There was no beautiful redhead lost inside of herself in need of his company. The room felt lifeless and void of all of the light that she brought to it simply by being there. He crossed over to the bed and picked up the pillow that her head had laid on. Her scent hit him before he even pressed it to his face. He breathed deep, treasuring the precious scent of his mate. It amazed him that her scent alone stirred his wolf. In all of his long life no other smell had ever created such strong and numerous emotions.
“Can I just be really honest and say if I didn’t know about this whole true mate thing, that would be really creepy,” Kara’s voice drifted in from the hall, and she wasn’t alone; he could smell Nick nearby as well. That was a thought that would have been interesting to him had he not just lost his mate. Dalton didn’t turn to face her. He knew his eyes would be glowing with the wolf so close to the surface, and he didn’t want to scare the young female.
“Is there something you need?” he asked as gently as he could. He knew that the only reason he was even taking time to speak with her was because Jewel cared about Kara. They had gone through something traumatic together, and it had created a bond between them. Dalton would never want to hurt someone Jewel loved, because it would in turn hurt his mate.
“I just wanted to tell you that I have faith in you. I know you will get Jewel back.” Her voice didn’t shake nor did he hear any tears in it. But he didn’t doubt that Kara was hurting. She was simply hardened by already having lived a life wrought with pain and fear. He didn’t know her story, but he could see that Kara’s eyes were much older than they should be at the tender age of sixteen. She had seen too much, been through too much, and though she seemed okay, there was no way she had emerged unscathed by her past.
Dalton was surprised by her words. He couldn’t remember the last time a female, other than Jewel, had seen something good in him or bothered to tell him. He didn’t say anything in return; he simply nodded as he placed the pillow back on the bed. He heard her footsteps begin to walk away and then she paused. “Are you alright?” He heard Nick ask her and the gentleness in his voice surprised Dalton. “I just wanted him to know that he is capable and that I have faith in him,” Kara explained. “Did you need something?” Because their connection was obvious to the big wolf, Dalton waited for the male to say something like, yes I need you. Dalton understood the other wolf’s hesitancy, perhaps because he had tried to deny his own bond. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Male Canis lupus can be a little volatile when their mates are in danger,” he answered. A shy thank you was the end of their conversation and they finally walked away and Dalton was thankful to be alone again.
As he glanced around the room his mind sifted through the memories of the nights that he had spent there reading and talking to her. He thought of all the times he had held her hand, kissed her forehead, or ran his fingers through her hair, and he vowed that they would not be his last.
With one last look at the bed he turned and left heading for the living room where he could hear the others gathering.
Peri stood on the first step of the stairs so that she could be a little close to eye level with all of the males. Her eyes met Dalton’s as he ent
ered, and he gave a nod to her as he stopped in the center of the room and folded his large arms across his chest.
“Listen up, wolves,” Peri called them to attention and the rumbling voices grew silent as all eyes turned to her. “Dalton is in charge of this rescue mission. You will set aside your dominance issues and get on board, or I will bind you to this house, put an apron on you that reads this is what stupid looks like, and you will stay here cleaning toilets and washing windows. Get me?” She waited until every head had nodded. “Good. Now, listen up to what Goliath has to say because I have a feeling he will only say it once.”
Dalton cleared his throat before he began. “For the time being I will defer most of your tasks to Peri. I prefer to work alone. Since I know that is not going to happen, I will agree to three of you. Take no offense,” he said as he glanced at each male from the other packs, “but my control is not what it needs to be and I feel it would be easier for me if I wasn’t around unmated males. Dillon, Peri, and Lucian will accompany me.” He turned his gaze on Sally and Costin who looked like they wanted to argue. “You two need to stay here with Kara; it would not be right for her to be here alone with all the unmated males. Once we know more we will come up with a plan that will utilize as many people as necessary to get my mate back. Are there any questions?”
“Do you have a plan right now?” Drayden asked.
Dalton clenched his teeth as he attempted to remain patient. He didn’t want to be answering questions; he wanted to be moving, needed to be working towards the ultimate goal of getting Jewel back. “Not fully. As soon as we are done here I’m going to find Jewel’s mother to speak with her.” He turned back to Peri. “Are we ready?
Peri shrugged. “You’re the one in charge; we’re ready when you say we are.”
Dalton nodded once. “In that case I will no longer spend time explaining myself. You can follow without question or stay behind.” There was no anger in his voice, no irritation. He was simply being honest. It was best that they knew what to expect if they were going to work with him, because when they did start asking questions, which they would, he would remind them of this very conversation.
Peri headed toward him with Lucian and Dillon flanking her as she gave a sardonic laugh. “I have a feeling you’ve used up all your words for the next month so it’s not like you’re going to say anything more. Might as well be on our way.” She glanced at Costin. “Don’t let your mate, or Kara for that matter, do anything that they might think is heroic and/or sacrificial for the pack.” Then to Sally and Kara. “And if either of you feels the need to save someone, for the love of werewolf sanity everywhere, please just plant a tree, drive a hybrid, turn off a light, and save the earth like the rest of the humans.” She held out her arms on either side of her for Dalton, Dillon, and Lucian to touch. “Let’s go boys, we’ve got a Gem to find.”
Dalton grabbed the smallest piece of Peri’s shirt that he could on her sleeve and then he was swallowed by the darkness as the fae flashed them from her home. They reappeared on a crumbled sidewalk, tall thin weeds bursting forth from its vein-like cracks. As Dalton looked around he saw that the neighborhood was long past its picket fence days.
“This is it.” Peri’s voice pulled his attention to the small shack of a house in front of them. His eyes narrowed on the rundown structure and his lips thinned into a straight line. “This is where she grew up?” He turned to look at his Alpha. “I could have prevented this.”
Dillon shook his head. “She is who she needs to be because of where she’s from. There is a reason she’s lived the life she lived.”
Dalton knew he was right, but that didn’t mean he had to like the fact that his mate had lived in a shack in an unsafe neighborhood with no protection from a loving male.
Suddenly the door opened and out stepped a woman. For a split second Dalton’s breath caught because he could have sworn it was Jewel standing there. But then she stepped into the daylight and he saw that though she did look very much like her daughter, and was still very beautiful, life had taken its toll on Gem Stone.
“I have dreamt of you,” she said without introduction. Her voice was strong as her eyes met his and held. “If you are here, then it means that he has her.”
“How do you know who I am and why I have come?” he asked her, needing confirmation that Gem truly was a seer as Jewel had told him. There were hundreds or more humans that played at being seers, or fortune tellers as they called them, but there were few that truly had the ability. He did not want to get his hopes up if Gem was one of the posers. Her eyes seemed to cloud over and the wind around them picked up. “Dalton Black, only surviving son, once a tortured soul, avenger, executioner, lone wolf but now….” Her eyes snapped open. “You are mate, friend, lover, savior to my daughter. I have seen you, I have named you, and now I so call you to be her champion. If you fail, our world will come to an end and a new era will begin. An era of darkness, blood, and death ruled by a merciless king, and if you fail, Jewel will be his queen.”
Peri turned to look at Dalton, a single brow raised. “I suppose it would behoove you not to screw this up, just the fate of all mankind and the soul of your female at stake.”
Dalton ignored the fae and looked back up at Gem. “Do I succeed?”
The strange power that swirled around her was now gone and the air had died down. Her eyes were clear and bright again as she shrugged. “I don’t know. I cannot see what happens.”
“Why not?” Dalton asked.
“Because I die before it is made known.”
“Man, that’s a bummer,” Peri muttered under her breath.
Gem looked the fae and added not unkindly. “Many will die before the end.”
Peri let out an exaggerated sigh. “A-a-a-a-nd it just keeps getting better and better.”
“You have much to do,” Gem told them. “But before you begin your journey there are things you need to know.” She motioned for them to follow her as she turned and headed back into her house.
Once they were inside Gem motioned for them to take a seat at a small, circular dining table. They crowded around it and though Dalton knew that it would be more polite to wait for her to begin, he found that with his mate in the clutches of another he was running very thin on courtesy.
“Will what you tell us help us defeat Volcan?
Gem looked at him with wide eyes and a creased forehead. “Volcan cannot be defeated.”
Dalton felt his heart drop. He had no idea what to say to that. Peri wasn’t quite so tongue tied.
“What the hell do you mean he can’t be defeated?” she barked as Lucian put a hand on her shoulder attempting to soothe his prickly mate.
“Volcan’s downfall must be of his own making. His demise must come from the decisions he makes. You’re only chance at victory is to force him to move in the direction that will lead him down that path.”
“So this is more like a battle of strategy, not magic and fur?” Peri asked.
“He must believe he is outsmarting you.”
Dalton’s muscles tightened as he processed the information and as he considered the possibility that they might not be able to beat him. He then remembered what Gem had said outside. “You said that if we do not get Jewel back that she would become his queen. What do you mean by that?” Dalton’s eyes narrowed as Gem’s face grew pale. Whatever she was about to tell him brought her pain, and he could tell she didn’t like having to be the one to tell him.
“Dark magic is a seductive force, Dalton Black. Like radiation soaks into everything that stays in its proximity, so dark magic does as well. It calls to the part in us that desires to serve self and nothing else. It whispers to us that we deserve power, that we are entitled to anything and everything, and we begin to believe it. The effect that darkness has on an individual is based on the length of exposure, the depth of the depravity of the exposed individual, and the ability for the victim to resist the pull. I know my daughter. She has much goodness in her, but she has not em
erged unscathed from her childhood and adolescence. She bears not only the physical scars from her encounter with the sorcerer, but scars on her soul as well. She has endured painful things that have created crevices for bitterness to take root, which gives darkness and evil a foothold. She isn’t evil, but the longer she is surrounded by the evil that has so completely engulfed Volcan, the greater the chance that she will not remain unaffected.”
Dalton wasn’t surprised that Gem knew of Jewel’s injuries; she had proven herself true.
“You’re saying she will choose to be his queen. She isn’t forced.”
“Sometimes, only the goodness of another steering us in the right direction can keep us from falling. You are her goodness, Dalton, just as she is yours. She brings out the best in you and you do the same for her. You can help her heal those cracks that have opened and let the darkness in. You can love her as no one else can, and love covers a multitude of sins. Love gives hope and hope leads to belief and belief leads to action.” She paused and took in a deep breath. “There’s more.”
Dalton nodded his head for her to continue though he was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear what she was about to say.
“If you do not get to her in time, even before she is queen, she will become with child.”
