“We spend most of our time in human forms. It’s easier for us that way since we no longer live in an era where complete secrecy is made possible as a result of the overpopulation of humans in certain areas of this continent.”
“How do you survive and make money?”
Dawson smiled. “Is that your way of asking me whether I can take care of your daughter financially?”
Dad smiled. “In a sense.”
“I’m a lawyer. I earned my Ph.D. before I was twenty-one. I work for Markham at Markham, Stuart, & Riley. One day, I hope to buy into the firm and become partner. Any further interrogations.”
“Impressive,” Dad replied in awe. “I’ve actually met Dr. Markham. He’s very intelligent and studious. Is he a…?”
Dawson winked. “A shifter never reveals that kind of information.”
“Well, then, you’re very smart, as well. How do I know you have what it takes to protect my daughter?”
“I gave you my word,” Dawson said. “I will show you if and when the time comes, but my hope is that trouble never finds Alessia again. Would you like to see me as wolf—in my true form?”
I glanced at Dawson in surprise.
My dad nibbled at his bottom lip nervously.
“I don’t bare all for just anyone, Mr. van der Hoeff. What will it be?”
“Here?” Dad asked.
“Are you opposed to having a wolf in your kitchen?”
“No, I thought maybe the moon controlled you or something.”
Dawson laughed. “Nothing controls me.”
“Let me see your true form, then.”
The transformation happened in less than five seconds. The atmosphere vibrated with intensity. Dawson’s wolf aura brightened around him. A light haze clouded his human form briefly and then a wolf appeared.
Big, massive, mighty Dawson. Heavy testosterone hung in the air. No matter how many times I caught Dawson’s scent, the masculinity and woodsiness of it would always affect me.
“Holy Christ!” Dad exclaimed and jumped up from the chair.
I stood next to the wolf and held out my hand, palm down. The wolf walked right under the caress of my fingers. I glided my hand across his downy-soft fur. I wanted to do more than touch it. I wanted to lie next to it for years to come.
Dawson’s wolf sat next to me as I stroked him softly. I felt the attachment to his wolf, even more than the man. I knew we would always be together as the empathic witch and the domineering wolf. Just as much as I was his, he was mine.
My dad saw how much the wolf standing next to me affected me and his expression softened. His body grew lax right in front of my eyes.
“Very well, Dawson Caedmon. Very well done.”
I smiled, elated that Dad had accepted Dawson and his wolf.
Dawson shifted back to human form with a fluid grace that took my breath away this time.
“Alessia said that you mentioned acquiring protection for her in the form of a bodyguard. No need, Mr. van der Hoeff. That’s my duty.”
“I’ll take your word,” Dad said.
“That goes for you, as well. After all, you’re my mate’s father.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alessia
I stuffed some tools into a black duffle bag as Dawson perused the backroom of my art gallery. After missing a full day of work, I couldn’t bear not meeting client deadlines, even with my birthday tomorrow. I preferred to paint alone with very little distraction, preferably in my studios, but it wasn’t the safest place for me to be right now. Plus, today was Sunday, and the shop was closed. Except for the dry-cleaners on the far end of the shopping center and a private boutique two units down from mine, no other businesses were open in the complex.
“I never quite learned how to draw or paint,” Dawson said.
“Well, this type of career isn’t entirely taught. I learned with practice and patience.”
“Patience, huh?” He paused in front of a worktable. “That’s something I can definitely learn from you.”
“It’s not hard.” I smiled. “Good things come to those who wait. Better things come to those who work for it.”
“And you’ve definitely earned the right to have the most beautiful things.”
Ever since I met Dawson, he’d always made me feel as if I were the center of his world. I had been uncomfortable at first, but now I didn’t feel like I had to hide myself from him. Maybe some type of a normal life was possible with him.
As if he had read my thoughts, he came around the side of the table where I stood and slid a hand gently around my neck. He lowered his lips to mine, claiming my mouth with a gentle passion. I wrapped my hands around his waist and pressed my hips to his. As he showered me with love and slow, drugging kisses, my cell phone rang in my purse. I didn’t want to leave his embrace. I didn’t want to stop touching him. After a while, the cell phone stopped ringing.
I realized that we were standing in the middle of my gallery. I broke the kiss and glanced at the door, which was still unlocked. “We should finish this when we get back to your place,” I said.
“You about ready?” Dawson asked.
“Yeah. I think I have enough supplies to float me about a week. Can you pull your car around back? That box and this easel are a little heavy.”
He looked toward the back corner of the room where I had piled all the supplies I needed to work outside of the shop for the next week or so. “You are serious about working, aren’t you?”
“I could take a week off, but painting is more than just a means to earn a living,” I replied.
“Right. You told me. It helps you focus,” he said. “We’ll work out of my apartment next week. Just you and me. Except for your birthday, of course. We won’t be working at all tomorrow.” He grinned.
“Of course, we won’t,” I replied. “But don’t you have to report to work?”
Dawson shook his head. “I don’t have any face-to-face meetings or court appearances at the moment.”
I sighed. “This is the first time in my life that I’ve been worried about growing a year older.”
“Don’t worry. I’m here for you,” he said and then pulled his keys from his back pocket. “I’ll go pull my car around back.”
When Dawson left the building, I gathered up some paperwork from the front of the store and slid it down into my laptop bag.
I had never spent more than a few days away from home. The one-week stay I had planned with Dawson would be the first time. Maybe a change of scenery would be a good thing for me.
The door chime rang, and without looking up, I said, “That was quick.”
I figured he’d have a comeback, but the only thing I heard were heels clicking across the floor.
I rummaged through some drawers in search of my project logbook. “Let me grab one more thing and then I’ll be ready.”
Silence. Heels clicked across the marble floor some more.
“No need to hurry. Your little pet won’t be going anywhere anytime soon,” a woman spoke.
I jerked my gaze in the direction of the voice. A woman was standing in the middle of my gallery. At first glance, she looked young. Her skin was perfect and her figure was flawless, but the headful of gray hair gave her away. She wore clothes inappropriate for snowy weather—a stark white jumper and an opaque, silky, long vest that nearly reached the floor. Her stiletto boots were white, as well. Her shoulder-length hair was thick, curly, and frizzy.
Negative energy fell over the room like a curtain. This woman was the source of the energy, and she was directing it at me. My gaze shifted behind her. What had happened to Dawson?
The woman must have read me somehow. Her eyes widened and sparked like a lightbulb had been turned on in her head.
“Dawson? Is that his name?” The woman smirked.
I gasped. How did she? “Excuse me, but the gallery is closed.” I took a couple of steps back.
“You look just like her,” the woman said. “I wish she were still here. W
e could have done momentous things together.”
I shook my head. My palms grew hot, but I tried to stop my powers from surfacing. The last time I’d felt this way, with negative energy clouding my judgment, I had killed a man and his wolf.
“Why are you wasting your talent on this nonsense?” The woman waved a hand out in front of her. “These are beautiful paintings, but this is not your purpose.”
“Get out,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Oh.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “Is that any way to treat a customer?”
“I said I was closed,” I reiterated, more sternly this time.
“I’m not interested in any of your paintings.”
The woman walked, her heels pounding fiercely against my floor. She touched my paintings as she glanced around my gallery. Every time she touched a frame, the glass protecting the picture behind it cracked.
“Then get out!” My voice resonated around us, and all of the easels and tables clambered against the floor.
I opened my hand, palm up, and a letter opener gravitated to me. I wrapped my fingers around it and held it tightly.
The woman smiled. “That’s it, use your craft. I see you now.”
“Where’s Dawson?” I demanded.
“You mean your little pet? It threatened me, so I showed it who was boss.”
My breath rushed out in a panic and I moved out from behind the counter. “Who are you?”
The woman pressed her lips together. “Come on, now. Are you serious?” She laughed.
“Did you send me that letter?” I asked.
“Indeed.” Her eyes dropped to the amulet that I had found under the yellowwood tree.
“How did you find me?” I demanded.
“I sensed you and your maturing powers. The blood running through your veins is just as unique as your magic, which you’ve been using quite a bit these days. Either way, I wasn’t certain until you followed through,” she said. “So, it’s true…?”
“What’s true?”
“You were the only one who could get that amulet from the ground.”
“You knew about the amulet?”
She nodded.
“You said you’d show me who I was and have answers to all my questions. You wrote it in the letter.”
“The amulet first?” She held out her hand. “If you want answers about yourself and your mother, I need the amulet.”
I clutched the necklace. “Why?”
“Why not? It’s not like you need it if you’ve given up your craft.”
“I never took up the craft,” I said. My pulse quickened.
“Traitors aren’t allowed in our Circle, and definitely shouldn’t be bestowed with our powers. Give me the necklace.”
“How am I a traitor?” I asked.
“You little pet is not to be trusted,” she said with disgust. “He is Caedmon, and he killed my sister, our Priestess.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ignorance makes you weak. Your little pet can exploit weakness,” the woman explained. “Did he not tell you that they killed your aunt Shanhah?”
“I don’t have an aunt!”
“You have several…including me.”
I became lightheaded as the room seemed to spin around me. My energy ebbed and flowed.
“I’m your mother’s sister, Brennah.”
“You knew my mom?”
“I knew her until she didn’t want me to know her anymore. You miss your mom, don’t you?” She smiled sweetly, but her attempt to be polite didn’t match her demeanor.
“What happened to my mom?”
“The same thing that will happen to you if you don’t give me that amulet.”
Brennah moved forward.
I threw up my hand and knocked her back with some force. It was just enough to make her stumble a few feet.
She clutched her heart. “Oh, my. I think you’ve been lying to me. You have been practicing.”
I swallowed. I didn’t need to explain anything anymore. I didn’t have to answer to anyone.
“If you can do that now, imagine what twenty-five years will bring.”
“What will happen to me?”
“You’ll be a witch whether you like it or not. That’s what it means to be born an Osborne. You’re feeling a little lost these days, aren’t you?”
I nodded.
“It’s because you’re not being trained properly. You want to own your powers and it frustrates you that you don’t know how. Why would your mother want that for you? Why would she hide your lineage from you?”
I winced as my heart filled with pain. “So that I could live a normal life.”
“Normal life, my ass. She took your memories. That bitch might as well have taken your life. You are nothing without your memories. You are useless without your craft.”
I unleashed my anger, pushing it out through my pores. I took one step, but Brennah held up one hand and I felt an invisible force holding me in place.
“You sent me to get this amulet so you could take it, didn’t you?” I asked.
“Agnes is the one who put the spell on the ground. Only your powers at maturity could open it.”
“And you sent the wolf after me. You…possessed it.”
Brennah dropped her hand and the force holding me dissipated. “Very clever.”
“How?”
She shook her head slowly. “I’m not your teacher.”
“If I give you this amulet, I need to be sure that you know more than you’re letting on.”
“There is a spell that robs little pets like yours of their ability to shift and makes them human-like. It’s called spirit stripping and it’s a counter spell to the one that first created such a creature. The spirit is either destroyed or held in a vial. I did something similar and stripped the wolf that attacked you of his ability to shift into human, therefore he was stuck in his animal form.”
“That’s cruel.” Bile rose in my throat. “That doesn’t explain why he attacked me.”
“I gave him a task. If he brought me the amulet, I would make him human again. But I would never gift back his shifter spirit. You killed him. You took away his chance to live.”
“How did he know I would be there that night?”
“I suspect he didn’t. I bonded his wolf to that specific area and his den probably wasn’t that far off from the tree. His only hope of getting the amulet was to attack you after retrieval. I had a plan B, of course, and here I am.”
“Plan B?”
“Use your head. Have you gone simple without your craft?” she scoffed.
“Bitch, what was the Plan B?” I tore the necklace from my neck and held the amulet in a vice grip. “Answer my questions or I will destroy it.”
An unsettling look crossed Brennah’s face. “I had to be certain of who you were before coming this far to meet you face to face. Because of my sister’s self-righteousness, you became an orphan, but you could have been so much more.”
I shook my head. “Orphan?”
“Yes. It must’ve been hard growing up without family in a world filled with common humans.” She smiled smugly.
Brennah thought the fire had made me an orphan. She didn’t know that my dad had…
I cut off my thoughts before I inadvertently revealed too much. This witch was ignorant about what happened to me. She would remain ignorant.
I bit my bottom lip.
Brennah continued, “You did a good job of hiding yourself. You’ve never spilled blood and you’ve probably never even had a broken leg or arm before. Your blood was needed to trace and identify you. The perfect case scenario would’ve been your body in a coffin six feet under. You’re a traitor, after all. You’re just like your mother now. You’re worth nothing.”
“So, your Plan B was to set me up,” I asked.
She nodded. “I knew that wolf wanted his old life back, so I knew there would be blood during the struggle. Yours and his. If you succeeded
, that meant you killed the wolf. And you did. I had to wait until his people cleaned up his carcass from the ground. I didn’t want them to trace me. Then I went in and found what I needed. Your blood on the ground where you killed him. There was also blood on the board by the tree.”
Her account of what happened that night only infuriated me more. Just like I’d thought, I had been set up.
“How does one extract what’s in this amulet? Why is there a seed?”
Brennah smiled and shook her head. “Oh, no you don’t. You promised to give me the amulet.”
“I did, didn’t I?” I looked at the amulet. “Well, I lied.”
I used my powers to force her violently back into the wall and kept her there.
“You learned quickly,” she said. “Your mother made the amulet. She put the seed inside.”
“I already knew that.”
“Well, that’s what you asked. I won’t answer any more of your questions until you give me what I came here for. You’ve been marked a traitor to our family. I came to retrieve my sister’s gifts.”
“Did you kill my mom?”
Brennah paused. “I did.”
“Why?”
Brennah’s lip trembled. She looked remorseful for a moment, but then she regained her composure despite her entrapment.
“Rick was mine. She stole him from me.”
“Rick?” A vision faded in and out. My mom was arguing with my stepfather. “You can’t have everything your way, Rick!” she yelled. She was on the floor. Her arms were bound behind her back. My stepdad forced himself upon her.
Rage filled my heart. “He raped her!”
Brennah’s chest heaved up and down. “No…How could she marry him and then cry rape? She tried to tell father the same thing, but I saw her dozens of times with her legs spread wide for Rick. If she didn’t want him, she shouldn’t have gone through with the marriage. She had left the country to get away from him. We thought she was gone! I loved Rick. I would never have accused him of rape. When she came back, she ruined everything.”
“I don’t understand. I thought my mom was betrothed to him, to Rick, by her father.”
“At the age of ten, my father—your grandfather—made an agreement with the Priest of another Circle. We would join to become stronger through her betrothal to Rick. But she disappeared so she wouldn’t have to go through with it. She came back to lay her mother to rest and when our father promised her the world, she gave in and accepted. She wanted to be Priestess, but she was weak. She betrayed us. She wanted to do stupid things with her craft.”
Wolf's Temptation (Caedmon Wolves Book 7) Page 14
