“How do you know all this?” Divina asked finally.
With a warm sigh, Sonia stroked her hand up and down Divina’s arm, “I’m an old witch who has been waiting for her own fate to arrive. I told you. It was foretold that I would train the witch of the prophecy when the Ember Witches failed.”
Tightening her lips, she felt it sounded far too convenient. “Who told you?”
“My mother,” she hummed, “before she passed.”
Divina lifted her chin, her wide-eyed attention on Sonia’s face. Childlike in Sonia’s arms, she felt ill prepared for what was laid at her feet. Yet Sonia’s maternal guidance made the burden feel almost bearable.
“I have to teach you a lifetime of spells and enchantments in just a few weeks,” Sonia said with her finger curled under Divina’s chin. The softness in her almond-shaped brown eyes lulled Divina into a sense of security. She wouldn’t have to face this alone. Sonia would be in her corner.
Divina’s blue eyes brimmed with tears. “I’m already overwhelmed.” Her voice wobbled with the admission. Like a dam bursting, the emotion exploded from her. Her shoulders shook, and she released the pressure that had been building for three years, coming to a head when Rori showed up at her vardo again. Divina let it all out in a series of trembling sobs.
“Shhh.” Once more Sonia tucked Divina against her chest. “You’ll learn. You now know the grave circumstances. You know the full extent of your role and what’s expected of you.” She resumed stroking Divina’s hair. “You’re strong beyond your knowledge. You must have faith in yourself. It’s the only way you’ll succeed.”
Burying her head in Sonia’s chest, Divina wrapped her arms around Sonia’s middle. Crying into the witch’s shoulder, she absorbed the comfort of someone who had faith in her. The tension, the pressure, all of it seemed to dissipate. Despite the ache in her heart, she needed to feel someone else’s strength. The relief that she’d shared the burden overwhelmed her as she cried. In that moment, Sonia took some of the weight of it with her. Rocking Divina and offering sanctuary while she processed, she gave Divina the opportunity she needed to come to terms with her role. She was the witch of the prophecy, and nothing would change that.
“We don’t have to get back to it right away,” Sonia said after a few moments of the two women holding one another.
Wiping tears from her cheeks, Divina pulled back. She cleared her throat and nodded. Blotchy-faced and red-eyed, she took a deep breath to regain her composure. “That would help,” she agreed.
Creases bracketed Sonia’s smile. “Food, then,” she offered. “We’ll need the energy.” She stood from the couch and searched one of the end tables. “Ted from the diner will bring us something.”
As her stomach rumbled in agreement, Divina sat up on the couch. Chuckling, she let go of the tension from the last few hours. “That sounds great. A giant burger and a bucket of fries would be amazing.”
Sonia grinned as she held up her cell phone triumphantly. “And once we’ve eaten, we can get to it. We’ll work day and night until we’ve increased your knowledge and strength.”
Divina’s face fell. “Oh.” She hadn’t thought of that. “No sleeping?” She had to sleep.
Sonia tilted her head and lifted a brow as she put the phone to her ear. “Of course, sleep. I’m an old woman!” she said with a half laugh before placing the order with whoever answered the phone.
Relief once again filled Divina. Sleep. She needed sleep. She hadn’t slept all that well in the truck the night before. She’d need to get a hotel or something in the area to continue witch boot camp.
Sonia finished her call and set the phone back on the end table. “I’ve got a spare room. When I’ve worked you to the point of exhaustion, you can retreat there. While I’m at work, you practice, and when I’m off, we work together,” she said as though she had read Divina’s mind. She flopped back onto the couch with a book in her lap.
“Oh. I didn’t think…” Divina couldn’t finish the statement because she truly hadn’t thought. She hadn’t given an iota of consideration as to where she would stay.
Sonia flipped through the pages of the book on the coffee table. “It’s the only way to maximize what little time we have,” she said as she landed on a page, though her guarded expression and concentration on the book hinted at an additional reason. “How about this? While we wait for our food, we keep it slow and just review plants some more.” She gave the book to Divina.
Before Divina could respond, Sonia launched into a lecture about another herb which didn’t grow in her garden. Doing her best to listen, Divina focused on taking in what was said. The importance of it weighed heavy on her. Despite her best efforts, her mind drifted to the idea that the fate of all nonhumans rested on her ability to learn what Sonia was trying to teach her. Just as self-doubt crept into her consciousness, the words in the book she held blurred. Shortly afterward, they fell away entirely, and she slipped into blackness.
Divina hadn’t been aware she’d fallen asleep until the knock at the door startled her awake. She sat on Sonia’s couch with a book in her lap and her head tilted back at an awkward angle. A cat strolled across the book. Sonia grinned at her and made her way to the door.
Closing the book, Divina placed it on the end table beside her. Rubbing one eye, she tousled her hair with the other hand. The foul taste of sleep in her mouth had her looking for a drink as she turned her attention toward the door.
Sonia pulled open the door to find a young man, maybe in his late twenties, with a mop of curly brown hair atop his head and similarly soft brown eyes. He revealed a dimple when he smiled at Sonia, holding up a box of food. “Dinner!” he sang.
Smiling, Sonia stepped aside to allow the man entrance. He stood about four inches taller than her, was lanky, and strode into the room comfortably. Self-conscious, Divina pulled at her shirt to reassure herself that she didn’t look like she had slept in it, despite having done just that.
“I think we should go out to the backyard,” Sonia proclaimed. “The night is young, the stars are out, and it’s warm. Plus”—she glanced at Divina—“it’s a bit stuffy in here, no?”
Divina swallowed and glanced from the man to Sonia. “Okay,” she agreed as she stood. She eyed the attractive man carrying the food with curiosity.
The man followed Sonia as she led the way through the house toward the yard, and Divina brought up the rear. The man turned to her. “I’m Ted,” he introduced over his shoulder.
She smiled. “Divina.”
He pointed at her. “You’re the girl from the diner this morning, right?”
Heat spread into Divina’s cheeks as she furrowed her brow. “Uh…” She rubbed her arm, unsure how to answer.
He chuckled as they entered the yard, then placed the food on the garden table. “We don’t get a lot of new folks around here,” he said, picking up on her nervous state. “When a new face shows up, it’s a big deal.”
“Oh.” Divina looked toward Sonia for confirmation.
Sonia peeked into the bags of food. “Bunch of nosy bastards, if you ask me,” she commented without looking up. “All up in everyone else’s business. Yes, there’s a new person in town. Keep your pitchforks to yourself.”
Ted laughed as he began to unpack the food. “It’s not like that.” He shook his head and glanced at Divina. “You could say we kinda take the whole ‘stranger danger’ campaign to the nth degree. Don’t let it bother you.”
Divina managed a warm smile as he placed a bag in front of her that smelled of seared meat. “I’ll do my best.”
CHAPTER 9
Jaw ticking, neck straining, Aric tried to block out the incessant wolf within him. The beast paced and whined the whole ride to Smitty’s house.
“We’re getting to her,” he whispered in an attempt to ease his inner animal. It didn’t work. Nothing he tried worked. One thing would bring his beast peace, and the process was taking longer than both Aric and his wolf liked.
Thr
owing the truck into park, Bruce glanced at Aric with a frown. “Wolf restless?” He stated the obvious as a question, as though that would somehow make it better.
Aric hung his head and ran his knuckles over the pain in his chest. “He wants his mate.”
Bruce nodded. “It’ll be settled soon,” he said as he pushed open the door. “You need to be near her for the pain to stop. The whining, though, that won’t stop until she accepts your bond, or she doesn’t.”
“Has that ever happened?” Aric shot back at the nonchalant words.
“Not in my life, but I’ve heard of it happening.” Bruce sighed. “It doesn’t end well. A madness takes over. This is why you need to be more careful when claiming a human.”
Aric wasn’t sure which was worse: the physical pain in his chest or the headache from the whining wolf in his head. The mate ache would only increase, and Aric had no desire to see how bad it could get.
Looking toward Bruce, he discovered the man had exited the truck already. Lingering in the cab a moment, he sighed. Letting his head fall back against the backrest of the truck seat, he ran his hand down his face. The stubble on his chin prickled his callused fingers.
Bruce said she felt it, too. He had to convince Divina to accept the bond. He didn’t want her in any pain. Even if her pain was a tenth of what he felt, he didn’t want to be the cause of any discomfort for her. Sure, his wolf would drive him to insanity if she didn’t accept the bond, but that wasn’t his concern now that he knew just how badly he’d messed up. Now, his only concern was that Divina was in pain. That needed to be rectified.
With a deep breath, Aric closed his eyes. “We’ll fix it soon. We won’t let her feel this for too much longer,” he whispered to his wolf before he shoved open the door and stepped out of the pickup.
With the sun setting, orange and pink hues stained the sky. Aric and Bruce stood in a gravel driveway beside an old tan Sedan. Aric’s gaze trailed up the worn dirt path cutting through a weed-infested lawn to a gray house, with a sagging wraparound porch. Seated in a rusted metal chair was a man about Zeke’s age with long black hair pulled back loosely in a ponytail. He smelled of wolf. At first, Aric’s wolf stopped his whine, curious about the one who would know where to locate Divina. However, as they approached, the whine resumed.
Running a hand through his hair, Aric gently patted the back of his head as though that would somehow silence his inner beast. With steely eyes, the man watched them approach and only stood when they got to the stairs of his porch. He regarded them with an arched brow after inhaling deeply.
“You Zeke’s uncle?” he asked with a thick Cajun accent.
Bruce nodded and ascended the stairs. “Yeah. I’m Bruce, and this is Aric. We hear you got some information for us. We won’t be long.”
Aric walked behind Bruce but kept silent, merely nodding in greeting when introduced. As much as he wanted to demand Divina’s location and run off to find her, he knew it would be best to let Bruce handle the conversation. It was his nephew’s contact, after all. The passive position didn’t sit well with his wolf, who had resumed pacing. The animal let his discontent be known by snapping his jaws between the whines that echoed within Aric’s mind. As far as the wolf was concerned, they’d waited long enough. Each second that passed meant more time apart from his mate. The animal was miserable and planned to keep Aric that way, too.
“Smitty,” the man said, gesturing to some chairs on his porch in invitation.
Aric hesitated, though Bruce went to sit. He didn’t want to stay and chat. He wanted to find his mate. He wanted to go to her and convince her of the need for their bond. Swallowing hard, he looked toward Bruce and saw the nonverbal command: patience. The requirement was patience. Aric had little left, with his wolf’s incessant, tormented howling in his head. But Bruce was the elder, and pack hierarchy dictated that Aric was to obey him. Clenching his jaw, Aric ground his teeth as he shuffled past Bruce to the farthest seat. Flopping down, he gripped the armrests until his knuckles turned white.
“We don’t get a lot of folks coming through these parts,” Smitty explained, “so when someone unknown shows up, we notice. She went to the diner down the road a piece this morning after Officer Owens caught her sleeping in her truck.”
Aric’s jaw tightened as he listened. She had opted to sleep in her truck rather than his bed. She had opted for discomfort over his arms. Wincing at the sound of his howling wolf, Aric gripped the arms of the chair so hard the wood creaked.
Bruce cleared his throat and did his best to ignore Aric. “She’s a human,” he said in a low tone meant only for wolf hearing, “and doesn’t fully understand the mate bond or its implications.” He waved a hand at the suffering Aric. Breathing deeply, Aric did his best to hide his discomfort.
Smitty regarded him with suspicion. “You went and mated with a human girl without telling her what it all meant?”
Aric glared at him. “My wolf—”
“It’s a complicated situation,” Bruce interrupted. “It seems she’s torn between Aric and an old vampire lover who isn’t taking too kindly to a wolf nosing around his familiar.”
Aric growled at the mention of Rori.
Smitty narrowed his eyes. “A vampire,” he repeated with a far-off look in his eyes. For a moment he sat there, stroking his chin as though considering the word. His brown eyes shifted between the two men. “Man, I hate them undead fuckers. My pack’s been doing our damnedest to keep ’em out of our town.”
Bruce nodded. “You’re lucky,” he said. “We don’t have that option.”
Nodding, Smitty snorted. “She’s still here,” he offered. “She’s been with a witch who works at the diner. I haven’t gotten too close, just been watching her a bit after Zeke asked me to. Plus, ain’t everyday someone comes through smelling like the dead. Gotta keep an eye on folks who do.”
Aric leaned forward. “Where?” he said through clenched teeth, not meaning to growl. He shifted from foot to foot. Between his wolf’s pleas for his mate, knowing she was around and not being able to get to her, and the two acting like he had all goddamn fucking day, Aric wanted to jump out of his skin.
Bruce flung an arm out and caught Aric in the chest. It acted as a steel bar, preventing Aric’s further advancement. “Forgive the young wolf,” Bruce apologized. “The mate bond is new, and he’s in a lot of pain, desperate for his female.”
A feeling like fire blazed over his skin as the wolf pushed forward. He wanted out. She was close, and the old wolf and the young one, they were keeping Aric’s inner animal from his mate. To Aric’s beast, they were becoming enemies. Keeping mates apart was forbidden. It took everything Aric had to keep his wolf inside—his human half understood what the primal beast could not.
Smitty nodded, oblivious to Aric’s pain. “She’s about a block over.” He stood and went to the end of his porch. “They’ve been in there a while,” he said with his back to the other men. “You can see the house from here.” He pointed.
With the slow drop of Bruce’s arm, Aric rose, utilizing his preternatural speed. At the edge of the porch, he stared in the indicated direction. Bruce used human speed, practically lazed, as he moved beside him. He rested a hand on Aric’s shoulder and squeezed.
“That green one there, with the porch.” Smitty continued to point.
Aric narrowed his gaze. With the advanced night vision of a nocturnal predator, he could see it as clearly as though it were daylight. Although similar to Smitty’s, the house had less of a porch, more overgrown grass, and plants all over the place.
He moved to start in the direction of his mate but was held in place by the hand on his shoulder. With his wolf growling, he glared at Bruce. What was the holdup? His mate was at that house. Not going after her was against instinct.
“You can’t go barreling in there without a plan,” Bruce said with his focus on the house in the distance. “You did that before, and she took off.”
Aric snarled, “My mate.” The two words repea
ted in his mind like a mantra.
Bruce turned to him. “If you want to keep chasing her while you live in pain, go right ahead and stomp your scary ass up to that house like a caveman and hit her over the head. Why don’t you drag her home while you’re at it?”
Smitty snorted.
Aric narrowed his now golden eyes, his nostrils flaring as his breathing shallowed. Pushing and scratching, his wolf did all he could to urge his human to pursue his mate. She was right there, and yet they stayed.
With a stern expression, Bruce stared hard. “Rein it in,” he ordered. “She is human. You have to be more delicate.” Each word was spoken clearly and annunciated with an edge to ensure Aric received the message. “Consider this pain your punishment for not seeking her consent sooner,” he bit out. Pack hierarchy continued outside pack lands. Aric knew he should do best to remember that.
The thrashing of his wolf within had his eye twitching. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm the animal, calm himself. Impulsivity got him into this; he needed to do better for her. He needed to be human. Logic needed to supersede instinct. Bruce was right. His way hadn’t worked. She was human. She didn’t understand.
“I don’t mess with human chicks for exactly this reason,” Smitty commented. “They don’t understand the wolf.”
The raging cry of his wolf tore through Aric’s mind. The animal wanted to be heard. Every muscle in his body tensed. Knowing Smitty meant no harm with his statement, Aric told himself to relax. Smitty talked about women in general, not his female. His wolf, however, heard only insult.
“Calm,” Bruce urged.
Aric gripped the railing of the porch so hard the wood splintered. With his beast barely under control, he strained to keep the wolf within. If the animal got loose, Aric wouldn’t be able to control it; his wolf would seek Divina and tear through anyone in his way without remorse. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth as he clenched his teeth harder. His chin lifted with the strain in his neck of trying to keep himself human.
The Wolf of the Prophecy Page 7
