The Unforgettable Wolf

by Jane Godman

  “Violet. Is her name important?”

  “Very.” Nate rose to his feet and began to move toward the bedroom door. “There’s someone I need you to meet.”

  Chapter 13

  Violet came awake slowly, as if she had crawled down a long, dark tunnel to get here. It felt like her brain and her body were fighting each other. Her brain was forcing her to do this thing, to open her eyes, to look around her. Her body was telling her it wasn’t worth the effort, to curl up, stop fighting...just fade away.

  No! She forced her eyelids apart, even though the effort made her want to sob. When she did, the room swam dizzyingly in and out of focus, but she caught a glimpse of Nate’s long, denim-clad legs and fixed her gaze on them. Focus on him. Fight for him...for us. She forced every cell in her body to obey her. Something was different, and she frowned. Two pairs of denim-clad legs? Was she seeing double, or was there someone else in the room?

  Nate knelt beside the bed and brushed her hair back from her face. His expression was tender, and she wished he wouldn’t smile at her that way. That is how he’ll smile at my memory when I’m gone.

  “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  Another man crouched down next to him. “We’ve met before.”

  Violet frowned in an effort to remember. She should remember this man. He was strikingly handsome, with strong features and unusual silver eyes. “I’ve lost my memory.” She tried to explain, but her voice was so feeble she wasn’t sure if any sound came out. He must have heard her, because he replied.

  “That’s why I’m going to take you home. My name is Cal.” That name. She had heard it before. He was Nate’s friend, the one who had saved him when he was a feral werewolf. But there was something else about it, something she should know. “I’m going to take you back to Otherworld.”

  Otherworld. So it wasn’t just part of her imagination. It existed. It was her home. Tears stung her eyelids. I’m going home. She closed her eyes. A dozen feelings swirled around inside her, trying to claim her attention. There was joy that she might get well again. Relief that she hadn’t been going mad when she had believed there was another world. Shock that she would be leaving this world and everything in it that she had grown to know here. But there was one feeling that rose above and overwhelmed all the others. It was determination. Because there was one person she would never leave.

  She opened her eyes again and stared directly at Cal. “Not without Nate.” This time she made sure her voice was strong enough to be heard.

  “Mortals cannot enter Otherworld.” His tone was regretful.

  “Then I will stay here.”

  Nate took her hand. “Violet, you know you can’t remain here. Your wolf self is dying. Now we know why. You were right when you said you didn’t belong here. For some reason, you are unable to survive in the mortal realm. You have to go home to Otherworld.”

  “I belong with you.” With a huge effort, she managed to raise their joined hands to her cheek.

  Nate turned his head to look at Cal, a desperate appeal in his eyes. “Violet will die if she stays here. You are Merlin, the greatest sorcerer the world has ever known. If anyone can make this happen, you can.”

  Violet watched as Cal’s eyes traveled from her face to Nate’s and back again. There was something about those silver eyes, something that made her feel he could read the secrets of her very soul. “Very well. But there is no time to lose. We must leave at once.”

  “The band...?” Violet was so tired she could barely speak.

  “Leave the details to me.” Nate kissed her cheek. “Rest. We have another journey ahead of us.”

  She nodded, allowing her eyes to drift closed. The two men rose and moved away from the bed. Although Violet dozed, snippets of their conversation penetrated her consciousness.

  “I wondered if seeing you again might bring her memory back,” Nate said. She heard sounds of him moving around the room and decided he must be packing their belongings for the trip to Otherworld. The thought had a surreal quality to it. She would soon be traveling to another world. One that was her home.

  “I think that was too much to hope for.” Cal kept his voice low in an attempt not to disturb her. “We are acquaintances rather than friends.”

  “Once we reach Otherworld, her memory may return immediately.” Violet could tell Nate was looking at her by the way his voice softened.

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  Nate sighed. “Then I’ll tell her. All of it. But only when she is strong enough to hear it.”

  “You can stay at the palace.” Cal became brisk and businesslike. “It’s not my palace, of course. It belongs to the Faerie King and Queen, but they happen to be good friends of mine. Stella and I have our own wing, as our home and for the Alliance headquarters.”

  “What is the Alliance?”

  “The Alliance was formed several years ago to keep the peace in Otherworld when the previous Faerie King, Moncoya, was threatening to take the territories of the other dynasties by force. All the rulers of the dynasties are members of the Alliance, and we hold regular meetings to iron out any issues. I am the leader of the Alliance,” Cal explained.

  “It all sounds very official.”

  “It’s a fucking nightmare.” Cal might be the leader of this Alliance, but his language tended not to be diplomatic. He gave a frustrated groan. “When I took the job, it was meant to be temporary. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a hell of a lot easier now that Moncoya is dead, but there are always issues, like this one with the werewolves, to contend with. Are you ready?” He lowered his voice, but Violet could still catch what he was saying. “I think we need to leave straight away.”

  “I have to explain to Ged, the manager of the band, why I’m leaving in the middle of a tour.” Violet heard Nate’s footsteps heading toward the door.

  “Will he be okay with that?”

  “No, but I’m hoping he’ll understand.”

  * * *

  “I don’t understand.” Ged looked at Nate with an expression of blank astonishment. “You can’t seriously be intending to leave us in midtour.”

  “You know I wouldn’t do this unless I had to.” Nate was pleading with his friend for acceptance. “Violet will die if I don’t take her home.”

  Ged ran a hand through his hair. “I had no idea things were so bad.”

  “Her condition has deteriorated fast.” Nate felt the tears burning his eyelids and forced them away. This man had picked him up when his life was meaningless. Letting him and Beast down didn’t feel good and it didn’t come easy, but he had to make Ged see how important this was. And he had to do it fast. Time was running out for Violet. “You have spent your whole life saving shifters who are hurting, or in danger. Now it’s my turn to save just one.” His lips wobbled into a smile. “My motives aren’t as pure as yours. I’m being selfish and doing this because I love her. But the principle is the same.”

  He didn’t tell Ged the devastating news that Violet was the daughter of Nevan, the Wolf Leader. Nate had never told Ged about that whole side of his life, and now, when he could actually have used a friend with whom to unburden, he didn’t have the time to tell the story.

  The truth was that, on top of the pressure of dealing with Violet’s illness, discovering her true identity had sent him into a state of emotional shock. His thoughts were alternating between stalling and racing into a confused jumble.

  He had spent the last six years of his life clinging to one certainty. It wasn’t pleasant, and he sure as hell didn’t like the statement it made about him, but the only truth Nate had known about himself was that he hated Nevan, and that he intended to kill him.

  Then Violet had entered his world, and a whole new vista had been opened up to him. She had brought love into his life and lifted the dark clouds. Through her eyes, he had begun to see himself differently. Vengeance h
ad been relegated to second place. Even, if he was honest with himself, half-forgotten.

  To discover that the two driving forces in his life were linked. That the man he hated and the woman he loved were father and daughter? His brain, already overwrought by Violet’s illness, was having a hard time dealing with that.

  All he knew for certain about this devastating piece of information was that it didn’t change how he felt about Violet. Nothing could. That was the simple, unalterable truth. As long as he lived, no matter what life threw at him, he would love her.

  Did it alter how he felt about Nevan? He couldn’t answer that. His shellshocked brain refused to let him think beyond the fact that his whole world had just been turned upside-down.

  And, before he could deal with anything else, he had to make sure Violet was safe and well.

  Ged must have sensed something of his inner turmoil, because he rose to his feet, placing a large hand on his shoulder. “If you have to do this, then go.”

  “What will you do about the band?”

  “Finglas will step in.” Finglas was a young Irish werewolf. Ged had rescued him from a horrible situation a few years ago when he had been captured and faced certain death. He played guitar in an Irish folk band and was a diehard Beast fan. “He’s not you and he can be even wilder than Khan, but he’ll do.”

  Nate nodded. “Finglas is okay. He has real talent.”

  Ged held out his hand, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this is goodbye.”

  “It’s not forever. I’ll be back once I know Violet is safe.” Nate took the huge, paw-like hand.

  “No.” Ged continued to shake his head. “You won’t be back.”

  Nate didn’t have time to argue. As he took Ged’s hand, the other man drew him forward, enveloping him in a genuine bear hug. When Nate left the room, he took the stairs running, two at a time.

  Cal had moved their bags to the door. “Ready?”

  “Ready.” Nate lifted Violet into his arms. Alarm ran through him again at how frail she was. She felt as light as a child, and he could feel the protruding bones of her ribs under his fingers. Her head slumped against his shoulder, but he felt a tingle of relief as she placed her arms around his neck.

  When they reached the courtyard, his bandmates were waiting for him. It was clear from their faces that Ged had told them what was happening. He registered their shocked expressions when they saw how ill Violet was. Nate had never pictured a scene in which he said goodbye to Beast. These were his fellow broken souls. Ged had rescued each of them from a place that was darker than death. With sudden clarity, he knew Ged had seen the shifter inside him, even when Nate couldn’t see it himself. This was his brotherhood, and he had thought he would be part of it forever. He gazed down at the pale face in his arms and knew he had found the only thing strong enough to break his bonds to this group.

  Torque stepped forward first, his unusual, mystical eyes filling with tears. He pressed his hand to Nate’s shoulder and lightly touched his lips to Violet’s marble cheek. “Make her well again, man.”

  “That’s the plan.” Nate’s throat was in danger of closing up as each of his friends copied Torque’s gesture and stepped close to wish them well. “We have to go.”

  Ged raised a hand. The gesture had a curious finality to it. “We’ll take good care of your gear.”

  Nate smiled as he walked away. His gear. Once he would have been ready to kill at the thought of someone else touching his precious guitars. Now? He shrugged. Finglas was welcome to them.

  Having loaded their bags into the trunk, Cal was waiting behind the wheel of a hired car. It seemed strange that a sorcerer should need to travel by mortal means, but Nate wasn’t going to argue with the ways of magic. He eased Violet carefully into the backseat and slid in beside her, supporting her against him.

  “How fast does this thing go?”

  Cal laughed as he started the engine. “You sound like Stella. She always wants her transport to be supercharged. Don’t worry, we don’t have far to go.”

  “How does this work? How do we travel from here to Otherworld?” Nate asked. “Do we have to travel into space or journey to the center of the earth?”

  “Nothing quite so dramatic.” Cal swung the car out of the hotel grounds and onto the road that led into the city. “To understand Otherworld, you have to stop thinking logically. All ancient mythologies—Roman, Greek, Norse, Indian—believed in the existence of an Otherworld in some form, but didn’t agree about its location. It variously existed in planetary space or in subterranean caverns. My own ancestors, the Celts, thought it was a series of islands set far out in the Atlantic. Even now, there are stories that it will appear magically now and then to sailors, only to disappear when they get closer. The truth is simpler and yet more complex. Otherworld exists everywhere. It is right here, alongside our mortal realm, out of sight but easily within reach. All we need is a belief in its existence and the desire to go there.”

  “So I close my eyes and click my heels three times?”

  Cal laughed. “Not quite. There are portals all over the world. You just need to know where to look for them. Some, like Stonehenge, made a grand statement. Most are quieter. Some portals, like those used in the past by Moncoya for his darkest schemes, are known as dark houses. Others, like the stone circles of the Druids, have existed for thousands of years. Getting in? Easy. All you have to do is believe Otherworld exists.”

  They drove across the bustling city, following a route that led them to the hilly outskirts. When Cal halted the car, they were on a quiet, tree-lined street in an exclusive area. Elegant mansions overlooked the road, and Cal indicated the one opposite. Although very little of the house could be seen in the darkness, Nate gained an impression of a unique property with quirky architectural features, including asymmetrical turrets and balconies of twisted wrought iron. Tucked away behind high, ornate gates, the house clung to the hillside in what must surely have been the most prestigious location in Barcelona.

  “La Casa Oscura.” Cal’s voice held a world of memories, some affectionate and some distasteful. “Once the most notorious dark house of them all. Until recently, this was Moncoya’s headquarters. Until his death, this was the portal used by Moncoya to traffic beings between worlds. Dark houses hide Otherworld’s sleazy secrets. Older than time, dark houses are the gateway to an underbelly darker than the pit of hell itself.” He shrugged off his introspective mood. “Now the casa is just another portal. Follow me.”

  Cal got their bags from the trunk while Nate carefully lifted Violet from the car. The barbed wire that was wrapped around his heart tightened painfully as he held her poor fragile body. She was so still that he had to check she was breathing. The tiniest sigh touched his cheek as he bent his face close to hers. This time, she didn’t lift her arms to his neck. Panic, a foul, choking sensation, rose in his throat.

  “We have to hurry.”

  Cal led him through the gates and across a darkened courtyard. Skirting the house itself, they made their way around to the terrace at the rear of the house. From this point, the views across Barcelona were second to none. Below them, the whole city was spread out like a jeweled carpet, its lights flickering in the darkness.

  “The best time to do this is at dawn or dusk, but, because you are with me and my power is so strong, now should work just as well.” There was no arrogance in Cal’s tone, only certainty.

  “What do I have to do?” Nate was impatient to get started.

  “Take my hand.” Cal’s grip was firm. With his other hand, he clasped Violet’s limp fingers. “Close your eyes and believe.”

  Nate obediently closed his eyes. He wanted this so much, how could he not believe? This was Violet’s last chance. Her weight in his arms felt like no weight at all. Like she was leaving him already. Otherworld was her only hope. He forced his mind, his heart, every fiber of his being to
believe in this. His sweet, beautiful love needed this from him as much as she had needed that silver bullet in a werewolf’s heart on the first night they met.

  “Open your eyes.”

  Slowly, Nate followed Cal’s instruction. As he did, the sensation of being in a dream made him feel light-headed. He was standing on a different terrace, high on a rocky cliff. Far below him the twinkling lights of Barcelona had disappeared. Moonlight illuminated a chain of tiny islands clinging to a turquoise-and-gold coastline. He turned his head, gazing upward in disbelief. La Casa Oscura was gone, too. In its place was a soaring, white marble fairy-tale palace of endless turrets and towers.

  “Welcome to Otherworld.” Cal’s smile was one of pride.

  Nate wasn’t sure what he had expected to see. The name Otherworld had conjured up images of darkness and danger in his mind. This place was so beautiful it took his breath away.

  He followed Cal from the terrace onto soft, springy pasture. Nate bent his head to whisper in Violet’s ear. “We’re here. You are home.”

  Something was wrong. It hit him like a thunderbolt of pain, as if someone had punched him in the gut. Even that tiny breath he had felt earlier was gone.

  “It’s too late.” His voice broke as he called out to Cal. “She’s dead.”

  Cal dropped the bags onto the ground and broke into a run. “Wait here.”

  Gently, Nate placed Violet’s body on the grass of her homeland and knelt beside her. This wasn’t how he expected to feel when he lost her. He expected to feel a giant hand punch a hole in his chest and rip out his heart. But there wasn’t a heart to rip out. There was nothing. No pain. No ache. No tears. Just nothing. The world just got a whole lot smaller and a whole lot darker. And Nate felt numb.

  She looked so beautiful lying there in the moonlight. Like a beloved memory. He wanted to feel something. He owed her some feelings. But nothing came. He wanted to tell her what the last few weeks had meant to him. How much she had changed his life, but his voice didn’t want to work. It was lodged somewhere in his throat. Everything inside him had stopped working. And he dreaded the moment it all started up again because he knew, when it did, the pain would be unbearable.