Captive of the Wolf Pack:Captive 0f The Wolf Pack (Bonfire Falls Paranormal Romance Book 2) A Bonfire Falls Paranormal Romance

by Liv Brywood

  “You must go into hiding until this issue can be resolved and we can destroy the Academy.”

  I smile, touched by his concern. “Sir, I’m already in hiding. I escaped from the Academy, and I’m living with Remus now.”

  He nods in approval.

  “What are your plans for destroying the Academy?” I ask.

  “I need to meet with the leaders and elders of other shifter clans, including the bear clans. Together, we’ll decide what needs to be done. All shifter clans will have to come together and decide how to eradicate the Academy. We’ll all have to set our differences aside and work together to stop Lexus.”

  I nod gravely. “If we destroy Dark Magic Academy, we might be able to avoid this stupid war and have peace between us again.”

  “I hope so. Thank you for coming to see me. You’ve risked a lot to come and protect us from this great evil. I grant you safe passage back to Bonfire Falls.

  “Thank you.” I turn to leave but stop and face him once again. “I just want peace. Some of the people I love most in this world are shifters. I’ll do anything to protect them.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you at first. Please accept my apologies.”

  “Thank you.”

  Argus nods and we’re dismissed. The leader who’d brought us here approaches us.

  “Follow me.” His tone is completely different than the one he used earlier.

  He leads us back out of the maze. Although I am sure that Nyx, Remus, and Torak know their way around, I’m grateful that Argus is providing us with extra protection.

  Remus grabs my hand and gives me a soft smile. “Are you ready to go home?”

  Home. That word has never sounded better, and it’s never had so much meaning before. Remus’ house is my home. It’s where I belong.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Remus shifts into wolf form, and I mount him. I’m finally safe. It’s all because of Nyx, Remus, and Torak.

  9

  Nyx

  As Remus and Torak tidy up after breakfast, they move around like busy bees flying from one flower to another. Plates clatter in the sink. The sound echoes dissonantly through Remus’ kitchen. They laugh and whip each other with dish towels. I sit back and watch from the kitchen table.

  Like the good old country boy that he is, Remus has laid out quite the spread. We had sausage and scrambled eggs as the main course, with biscuits and gravy as a side. There’s a plate of peach preserves and a pile of sourdough toast waiting for me to eat them. A tray of butter sits in the center of it all.

  The scent of maple bacon and freshly brewed coffee should be enticing, but all I can think about is Iris. I haven’t finished my plate because I’m too busy staring at her through the window.

  As she strolls through the lavender field in a homespun country dress, I can’t stop thinking about how beautiful she is. The light blue color of her dress truly emphasizes the splendor of her eyes. Framed by golden sunlight, Iris is a true vision of beauty.

  A gentle morning breeze teases her hair. Lavender stalks dance on the wind. Her expression is a dark contrast to the beautiful day. Her shoulders are slumped, and a sullen frown darkens her beautiful face. The gravity of the situation has really got her down.

  I want to comfort her right now, but there’s more to it than that. My desperation rears up again—it’s hard to fight this desire. It’s so wrong to want her at a time like this, but I do. I’m hard as steel and the only thing I want to eat right now—is her.

  To be honest, I woke up early, hoping I’d have a chance to be alone with her. I’ve wanted her, for as long as I can remember. Not when we were really young, of course, but as we got older, she was all I could think about.

  Last night, seeing her in action made me want her even more. She’s not only beautiful, but she’s incredibly brave as well. Her ability to stand up to Argus without displaying so much as a whiff of fear stunned me. As I reflect back on it, I can’t believe she was so fearless before him. Or if she was afraid, she kept it well hidden.

  Either way, she has nerves of steel, and I can’t help but respect that.

  Iris is impressive. I knew she was a kick-ass woman, but after seeing her last night, my crush for her is burning on a whole new level. I can’t stop thinking about how much I want her. I want her to be my woman.

  “Nyx, are you finished with your breakfast?” Torak stands next to me. He reaches for my plate of half-eaten sausage. His eyebrows rise in query, and I nod my head. He looks kind of goofy wearing one of Remus’ spare Thyme and Country aprons.

  “I’m done. Thank you.” I rise from the table and put on my jacket. “I’ll go check on her.”

  I leave the two of them to finish their domestic duties and tromp out into the backyard. The lavender field stretches out before me. A light breeze causes a fresh wave of scent to envelop me.

  Iris strolls through the purple field at a leisurely pace.

  The turf crunches under my boots as I walk briskly along the dirt row between plants. It doesn’t take me long to catch up.

  “Hey.”

  She turns to face me. A sad smile creases her lovely face. Her beauty is dazzling, even with the gloomy expression on her face.

  “What’s up?”

  “I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

  Iris turns away and stares out at the lavender stalks. She idly reaches up and brushes away a windblown strand of hair from her face. Her body leans forward as she walks, as if she’s bearing a heavy burden.

  She’s too young and too innocent to have to suffer through trials like the ones that have been thrust upon her.

  “Maybe I’d feel safer if the Academy never existed.” She sighs, shakes her head, and turns her somber gaze toward me. “I know that sounds terrible.”

  I nod. We walk through the lavender together. Right now, the best thing I can do for her is listen and let her get these dark feelings off her chest. She’s a good friend, and I’m here for her.

  But she’s so lovely, it’s hard not to stare. I long to pull her into my arms and whisper that everything’s going to be okay. But I don’t know if it will be okay. Only time will tell.

  Our passage disturbs a flock of birds. As they take flight, their wings beat the crisp morning air and they caw madly in terror.

  My nose twitches a bit as I take in their scent. My wolf thinks those birds are good to eat, and if I were in wolf form, I might have tried to catch one.

  Iris watches the birds as they take flight. A slight smile spreads across her face.

  For a moment, I believe she’s feeling better, but when she speaks, there’s a bittersweet wistfulness that causes me to wince.

  “I wish I could do that—just fly away from all my problems.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.” I stare at the birds as they arc through the bright blue sky. Sunlight catches their black feathers and reveals dozens of other colors around their bodies. “Sometimes, when I’m on the highway, I think about driving away from it all, so I don’t have to deal with life.”

  She nods. She seems a smidge less depressed, but she isn’t smiling yet. I want to see her smile. It’s the only thing I want today.

  “I hope Argus can come up with a way to destroy the Academy once and for all. I’ll gladly use my magic to help him, if it comes to that,” she says.

  The idea of my sweet Iris going into battle against the dark arts sends a bolt of panic through me. Anyone who even thinks about hurting her is dead. Pure rage rises up to choke me. My fists clench.

  “I don’t think you should get involved.” We pause in our stroll, turning to face one another squarely. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  She seems surprised but not angry. She smiles, and my heart absolutely melts. I’d die for that smile.

  “You’re so sweet. I’m glad you weren’t busy with the club so you could have breakfast with us.”

  “Well, I was supposed to go on a run.” I’m a bit apprehensive, but I try not to show it. The motorcycle clu
b is pissed at me because I didn’t go on a scheduled run. I had to pull the family card to get out of going. Iris is my family, so the club let it slide. “I told them I couldn’t go last night. I wanted to be with you when you went to see Argus. I want to make sure you’re safe and protected at all times.”

  “I feel so safe with you.” She lays her hand on my forearm and the light touch sparks fire in my core. Desire runs fast and hot through my shifter veins. “You’re protective and understanding. And you cheer me up when I’m down. Not many guys are supportive like that. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Suddenly, she moves forward and flings her arms around my body. She nestles her cheek against my chest. I’m stunned for a moment, but then I quickly put my arms around her. I’ve waited a long time to feel her body pressed against mine.

  It feels so good, it hurts.

  I’ve wanted Iris for a long time, and I think she wants me too, but I’m still hesitant to do anything about it. I don’t want to ruin what we have by chasing an impossible dream.

  I could hold on to her forever, but I might not get the chance again. The moment is perfect for our first kiss, but do I dare?

  The tension between us is thicker than honey, but she’s my friend. She’s been my friend for a long time, and that’s been totally cool with me. I’m selfish for wanting more from her, but I can’t keep denying my heart’s desire.

  I can’t help myself. I gently nudge her chin up so that our gazes lock. There’s a long pause while we stare into each other’s eyes. I get lost in her eyes. They’re so full of sweetness and innocence and light. Sometimes I feel like I’ll be consumed by my need to claim her as my mate.

  My gaze drops to her lips. She inches closer. When our lips meet, I groan.

  Her lips feel amazing. They’re so soft and warm. I taste maple syrup on her lips, and a hint of something more. She isn’t pulling away. She’s leaning into me, fisting my shirt in her hands. Pulling me closer.

  We continue with slow, gentle kisses. There’s no tongue, not yet. Just a gentle exploration of each other. But the longer we kiss, the hotter it gets.

  I fall into the kiss and slip my tongue between her lips. She melts against me with a deep sigh of pleasure.

  She’s so sweet, so innocent. I should be happy with this hot make out session, but I can’t help but want more. Our bodies are pressed together. Surely, she must have felt my erection by now, but does she want more?

  To test her intent, I slide my hand down her spine, then lower. I firmly cup her butt and pull her even tighter against me.

  She laughs softly and pushes me away.

  “We should get back before they come looking for us.” She looks up at me longingly and then pecks me on the lips one last time.

  She squeezes my shoulders, then turns and strides back toward the house.

  I stand there for a long moment while I watch her walking away. My heart sinks with disappointment because she me cut off.

  I’m Nyx. I don’t normally get cut off.

  But I’m a real man, and a real man respects a woman’s boundaries. Besides, the kiss was so hot, incredible, and mind-meltingly awesome, that I’m bizarrely satisfied. She may not have commented on our sudden and intense make out session, but that kiss definitely had substance.

  I can wait until she’s is ready to take the next step. Hell, I’d wait forever for her.

  Besides, right now she’s busy with her evil witch stepmother. Maybe once all this drama with the Academy is over and done with, she’ll be ready to talk about what’s happening between us.

  I can only hope.

  10

  Iris

  Levitation spells are second nature to me now. They weren’t at first. On my first day at the Academy, I was the only witch who couldn’t levitate. I felt so stupid that I spent every night for two weeks in the practice rooms—the ones with shatterproof windows and padding on everything—to perfect the simple spell.

  Now I don’t even have to look at my target to successfully pull it off. I stare into space as I trace the spell symbols in the air with one hand and hold my wicker basket in the other. The snip of the levitating gardening shears and the gentle wisp of the herbs as they land in the basket tell me I’m on track.

  My lips still tingle from Nyx’s kiss, even though that was hours ago.

  I’ve come into the garden to distract myself. Obviously, it doesn’t work. One glance into my basket tells me I’ve gathered herbs I don’t need.

  Seriously, the last thing I need to make is a fertility potion.

  With a deep sigh, I cut herbs for protection spells instead.

  Remus’ garden is a work of art. Aside from the vast gardens at the Academy, I’ve never seen such an impressive collection. He even has mugwort, and it’s one finicky plant.

  I levitate a snip into my basket.

  A lot of witches underestimate the importance of herbs. Indeed, it’s not as flashy as sparks of lightning from your fingertips or thought manipulation, but herbs are literal lifesavers. It’s much easier to hide caches of protective herbs around a property than it is to continuously cast a protective barrier.

  Plus, it’s easy to tell someone to shove off via flowers. Oleander, begonia, and basil.

  “Hey,” a deep voice says.

  Apparently, I’m too focused now because I didn't hear him come up behind me.

  Before I realize it’s him, my fight-or-flight brain shoots a blast of wildfire. Remus dodges smoothly. His sage plant does not.

  The garden is immediately filled with the musky scent of burnt sage.

  “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about bad spirits,” he says wryly.

  I quickly cast a cooling blast of frosty air at the plant. All the leaves that didn’t crumble to ash are charred and useless. “I’m so sorry. I’ll replace it, I swear.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Sage is easy to grow. I’ve got plenty of seeds to spare. Sorry I scared you.”

  “You don’t need to apologize.” A smile spreads across my lips the moment I lock eyes with him. I can’t help it. Something about Remus evokes a smile. “It’s silly that I’m so jumpy in the first place.”

  “To run away from the Academy and a warmongering stepmother would make anyone jumpy.”

  “Don’t try to make me feel better.” I smirk.

  “Too late.” His smug smile is so sexy it makes my heart flutter. It should be illegal.

  “That’s not the only thing that has me on edge. Have you seen the ravens?”

  “I’ve seen one or two. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “They’re Lexus’ spies.” My lip curls up into a snarl.

  “Wow. I mean, I know ravens are smart, but are they smart enough to be spies?” Remus rubs the back of his neck and squints up at the bright blue sky. I follow his gaze to check to see if any big black birds are circling above us.

  “You know how most witches have familiars?”

  “Little animal buddies? Sure.”

  “Familiars have a magical link with their witches. Lexus has that too, but she’s crazy good. She can summon multiple familiars, and their loyalty is unshakable. She can even join minds with them if she needs to.”

  I’ll bet Lexus uses the ravens for their memory. She would’ve used hawks if she wanted to share vision directly, or maybe a cat.

  “That’s intense.”

  “You can say batshit crazy. That’s what it is. It’s batshit crazy.”

  “Ravenshit crazy.”

  I snort out a laugh.

  “You know what’s really ravenshit crazy? Your ability to make exile seem like a country vacation.”

  “I do what I can.” He closes the distance between us and gently grips my shoulders. His hands are warm and heavy, but their weight is pleasant. Solid.

  He leans down a bit to look me in the eyes.

  “Everything will work out.” He sounds so sure, I almost believe him. He’s clearly trying to give me peace of mind. I can’
t make myself contradict him.

  He leans back and frowns.

  “You’ll still have that little line between your brows no matter what I say, won’t you?” He presses his thumb between my brows. I scrunch them up on a reflex.

  If my eyebrows are tense, imagine how tense the rest of me is. My shoulders feel more like boulders. I should risk a trip to the massage studio in Bonfire Falls. If I do magic with tense muscles, I’ll look like a stooped hag from a fairytale before I’m forty.

  I self-consciously lift a hand and press it into the space between my shoulder and the curve of my neck. There are a lot of things that should be rock hard. My muscles shouldn’t be.

  “Are you all right?” Remus gives me a weird look.

  “Yeah, why?” My brow furrows again. Damn it, I have to work on that.

  “I poked your forehead, and then you went all quiet and squished your shoulder.”

  “Oh.” I shake my head. “My muscles are tense. I’m so scatterbrained lately. I guess I let myself get too in-my-head, you know?”

  “I know a cure for both of those things.”

  “What?”

  “Relax.” There’s that sexy grin again.

  “Very funny.” I roll my eyes.

  “Maybe some good news will help you relax.”

  I perk up.

  “News? You’ve had news this whole time and you're only telling me now?” God, why am I such a motormouth? Is this what stress does to a person? No wonder I’ve avoided it for so long.

  Thankfully, Remus doesn’t think my string of word vomit sounds insane. He laughs.

  “Argus wants to meet with you in a few days.”

  “How is that supposed to make me relax?”

  “You’ll get to tell him we have other witches to fight this battle with us.”

  My nerves cause some kind of delay in my brain. It takes a moment to process Remus’ second statement.

  “You found witches to help us?”

  “Minerva and Azealia. Do you know them?”