by Aileen Erin
He raised a brow. “Do you mind being mated to one?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” If the wolf was Mr. July, I was in.
“Well then, hand me the knife.”
I handed it to him as another vampire tried to go through the fire, and instead, burned.
I ducked down in front of Lucas. “What now?”
He took the sharp knife and cut across his left hand. “Now you.”
I took the athame back from him, but paused, holding it over my left hand. “Won’t this turn me into a wolf?”
“No. It has to be my saliva directly into your blood stream.”
Did that even make sense?
“Make the cut. Do it quickly. Mine’s already healing.”
Crap. I didn’t have any more time. If I wanted to live—and I really did—I had to do this. And if I was honest with myself, I wanted it, too.
I counted to three and slashed the knife across my palm. Before I could do anything else, he grasped my left hand in his.
“What’s mine is yours and yours is mine. From earth to air to fire to water. Moon and sun. I will be yours to the end of time.”
I gasped as his aura rolled over mine. All I could see was gold. I felt his aura. I’d been thinking that it was sunlight, but it really was like the sun. Warm. Kind. He had this deep well of patience and respect for others that I wasn’t sure I had. It was beautiful.
My mother had always told me to look for a good man. I never really knew what she meant, but I did now. Lucas was a good man. A really good, tenderhearted, strong man.
And then I felt it. The pack. Each bond running from him to the various members. Hundreds of them. Like little tendrils, reaching out across a great space. They were all moving. Running through the forest. They were following the bond with their Alpha. It overrode whatever magic was hiding this valley. I could almost feel the wind brushing against their fur as they headed straight for us.
But they wouldn’t get here in time.
“Knowing what I have to offer, will you accept me and this bond?”
He was quiet, not even breathing, as he waited for me to answer. I almost didn’t. Feeling what he felt—knowing how strong and good he was—I didn’t feel worthy. But I wanted to be.
“Yes.”
It was as if a tether wrapped around my heart. I could nearly feel it pulling my soul out of my body as his soul wrapped around me.
Then something snapped so loud I could almost hear it break.
The oath to Luciana. Her anger rolled at me, but fell short. I was free of her. After years, it was over. Just like that.
I wanted to cry and laugh. The relief I felt was so strong, for a moment, it was as if I were weightless.
Then the pressure of the mate bond increased. My breaths came in quick pants. It was too much. He was too much. All this power. I couldn’t—
“With these words the bond is complete. I share all my power with my mate.”
It rushed at me. Filling me up. The empty well was now overflowing.
I blinked a few times as his aura faded a little from view.
A hand reached through the fire, yanking on my braid. For a second, I slid away from Lucas, but he tightened his grip on my hand. Moving fast, he threw the athame across the fire.
The vampire yelled and let go of my hair.
I had to do something. Now.
Lucas pulled on my hand until I was sitting on his lap. My legs wrapped around his waist. Our left hands were still grasped together, trapped between our bodies.
I couldn’t think enough to rhyme, but I didn’t need it. I had more power—more magic—at the tip of my fingers than I’d ever had before.
“Burn.” I pictured the vampires drowning in flames. Turning to ash.
Screams filled the chamber.
The magic swelled through our bond and I grabbed it. “Burn. All of the evil in this temple. Burn.” The magic flowed out of me. It didn’t feel like my magic. It felt like Lucas. Like the pack. Like ancient witches. But it didn’t matter. It was working. The cries of the vampires told me that.
I kept repeating the command until it was quiet. Until I felt the magic expanding beyond this room. Going upstairs. Turning every undead monster to nothing more than a pile of ash.
Sweat rolled down my back, and even with all that added magic, I felt drained.
I leaned back from Lucas. “Are they all dead?” My voice was horse.
“I think so.” He leaned back against the leg of the altar. “I can’t hear any of them moving. How about putting out the fire?”
I nodded. My throat was sore, so instead of saying it aloud, I closed my eyes and pictured the fire going out. When I opened my eyes, it was done.
Sweat made Lucas’ hair look spiky instead of messy. I ran my hand through it, and he closed his eyes, leaning into the touch.
That feels nice.
I heard Lucas’ voice in my head and froze.
Lucas opened his eyes. “What?”
“I heard you.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“In my head. I heard you.”
“Of course you did. You’re my mate, princess.”
“I thought you weren’t going to call me that anymore. It’s still a little demeaning.”
“It’s not meant to be.” He ran his thumb down my cheek. “A very long time ago, I was once a prince. And that would make you—my mate and wife—a…”
My jaw dropped open, and I sat there stunned for a second. “But you called me that when you first met me.” He couldn’t have known then that he wanted to be my mate. He couldn’t possibly have known. “I remember distinctly you calling me princess and being annoyed about it.”
He nodded slowly, not looking away from me, and I could feel what he felt when he saw me that first time. He really had liked me—more than liked me—from the beginning. I couldn’t be anything other than shocked. I’d been attracted to him, but the idea of spending my life with him had seemed so far-fetched at the time.
Only now, it was a reality.
Holy moly. I was bonded—more than married—to a freaking wolf.
I felt his amusement at the direction my thoughts had gone, and instead of weirding me out, it made me feel a little more comfortable. I wasn’t sure why, but even if part of me thought this whole thing was nuts, another part of me was thrilled. And knowing that he’d felt this way all along… It made me more secure. Like it was okay to want this—safe to feel like this—because he wanted it just as badly.
Being in his head was odd. Teresa had visions and slipped into peoples’ minds all the time, but I never had. I almost felt like an intruder, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know more.
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“When Muraco called to tell me you were coming, he mentioned that mating with a wolf could rid of your oath. Even though you were tied to someone against your will, you wouldn’t take a mate to get out of it. I took that to mean you didn’t like Weres. But when I saw you, I knew. When the others heard what I called you, they knew, too. But I wanted to give you a little time to get used to this. If we hadn’t been trapped, I would’ve given you a lot more time.”
It was true. I’d said that I didn’t want to bond with a wolf, but he wasn’t just any wolf. He was my wolf.
I leaned forward slowly. Even though I was still a little bit unsure, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him. The second our lips touched, it was almost too much. I could feel everything he was feeling, and it only made my feelings—love and lust and everything in between—that much stronger.
When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine.
I looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being you. I…” I wanted to say that I loved him, but I was scared. My heart was pounding. It was almost like I was jumping off the highest cliff.
“I know you do. I can wait for the words.” He paused. “
Just because we hit fast forward here, doesn’t mean that we have to skip all the other steps. We have time. Lots of it.” He picked me up off his lap and placed me in front of him and I missed being so close to him. “We should get out of here before those brujos come back.”
Raphael. What was I thinking, wasting time like this? We had to go.
I took Lucas’ hand when he reached down for me.
The room was a ruin of smoking ash. The smell was horrible, but it was better than being dead. The only thing left untouched by all the grime was the saint. He rested there, still perfectly preserved. Only missing a hand, some hair, and a few accessories.
I reached down, and put the hand in my purse. At the last second, I spotted the on the floor in a pile of ash across the room and went to grab it. The knife had our blood on it, and I wasn’t leaving a drop of it behind.
Lucas made a face at the hand sticking out of my purse. “Witches,” he said with a laugh.
“Without magic, we’d be dead right now.”
“True enough, princess. True enough.”
We stepped over piles of ash and rot on our way out. By the time we reached the exit, I was more than ready to be outside. The cool mountain air flew over my skin as Lucas pushed open the door, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Now all I had to do was get to San Jose and somehow heal Raphael.
I was enjoying the air so much that I didn’t notice Lucas had stopped walking until I was jerked to a stop. “What?”
Lucas growled, looking ahead of us, and I turned. All I could see was forest. But I knew Lucas had much better night vision than I did.
I stepped back to stand next to him as we waited.
The brujos are still here, Lucas said in my head.
What? I tried answering back the same way.
There. In front of us. They’ll be here in a second.
They? My stomach knotted as I took in the severity of that word. It sounded like more than just one of those creepy brujos. Just Father Valentine? I asked.
No. All of them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ten men dressed in black robes stepped into view in a wall of black and red aura that made my heart beat faster. Father Valentine’s white hair made him stand out.
The pack isn’t far, Lucas said, his voice was deep and gravelly. His wolf was close. But if they attack, I’m going to switch forms. Don’t be scared. I’m going to try and keep him away from you—stall until the pack gets here—but keep the knife handy.
I felt along his pack’s bonds, but the other wolves wouldn’t be here. Not soon enough. I reached into my purse, feeling for the cool metal, and gripped it tightly. Okay.
“You surprise me,” Father Valentine said. “I didn’t expect you to get out alive.”
We needed more time. “Why did you do it?” Not that it mattered, but if I was going to stall, I might as well ask him something relevant. “I wasn’t doing anything to bother you. I would’ve taken what I needed from the temple and left. You never would’ve seen me again.”
Father Valentine grinned, and I took a step back. “I would’ve thought you’d have figured it out by now.”
Figured it out? I’d missed something. What was it?
The only reason he might not want me dead was if he was working with Luciana. “You taught her?”
He spread out his hands. “Who else?”
It made sense. Their auras weren’t the same exactly, but they both had a heavy dose of black in them.
Matt stepped around Father Valentine and a small gasp slipped free.
I hadn’t seen him since he attacked me. I hadn’t really had time to think about it. Everything had been a rush the past couple days. I would’ve thought anger was going to be my first reaction to him. But it wasn’t.
I saw Matt, and all I felt was fear. It was powerful—making my whole body shake with tremors. I wrapped my arms around myself.
I’m here with you, Lucas said, as he stepped in front of me, blocking Matt.
“You’re not still upset, are you, Claudia?” I ground my teeth at the sound of my name—Clod-ia—coming from him. “You don’t use your powers for yourself. I need them. So, you might as well give them to me.”
Give them? Give them? I’d given everything I had to everyone else. I knew what giving felt like. No. He’d tried to take them from me. And failed.
I stepped beside Lucas. I needed to be strong, not cowering behind him, or else I’d never feel strong and safe again. “I’m not giving you anything.”
Matt stepped closer, and the moonlight hit his face, revealing a cold look in his eyes. There was something wrong with him—with the color of his skin. It was too gray. I scanned him, trying to figure out what else was making my skin crawl, and I kept coming back to his eyes.
Matt had never been a nice guy. He was always rude, even when he’d been trying to win me over. But this was different. The way he looked at me…
It was the way Luciana looked at me. Like a thing instead of a person.
His aura was the same as it always was—pink and gray—and I wondered if this was a side of him that had always been there or if it was new. A real change. If so, it wasn’t for the better.
“I need to go, Matt. I have somewhere to be. Let’s not turn this into a fight.” I had zero faith that we’d get out of here without at least some kind of a fight, but I had to try. This was a waste of time. A very dangerous waste of time.
Matt spat on the ground. “If you won’t give me what I want, I’ll take it from you. In case you missed it, you’re outnumbered.”
I focused on the bond that linked Lucas and me together, and felt for his pack again. The wolves were closer. Minutes away. If I kept him talking a little bit longer, then maybe they’d get here before—
Everything happened all at once.
Matt moved his fingers.
Lucas shifted.
Father Valentine started muttering a spell.
I made quick knot in the air, matching the ends. The magic heated against my skin. With the protection spell in place, I felt better, but there wasn’t any time to waste.
Lucas knocked against me as a flash zipped by, narrowly missing me.
Fire.
What was with today and fire?
The smell of sulfur burned my nose.
Dread crawled up my spine, and I focused on drawing as much magic as I could through Lucas.
The priests had formed a circle. Lucas ran at it, but hit an invisible barrier. He flew back a few feet and skidded across the ground.
Matt ran at me. His lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
I pulled on the pack magic to fuel what little I had of my own. “I block your spell. I bind you well. It’s you I’ll quell.”
He was still running at me.
No. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. The spell should’ve worked by now.
I dropped to the ground, wrapping my arms around my head as I braced for impact, but it never game. Instead, I felt a breeze against my back as something flew over me.
I looked up to see a wolf I didn’t know standing on top of Matt. His muzzle nearly touched Matt’s face as he snarled.
Matt tried to move, but the wolf snapped his teeth a hair’s breadth above Matt’s neck.
The smell of sulfur grew stronger as the brujos’ chanting got louder.
The pack was starting to arrive, but in time for what? If the brujos raised a demon, we were dead.
I’d only just found the white mages. There hadn’t been enough time to figure out how to banish or kill demons yet.
Something started burning my leg.
I yelped, as I tried to figure out what it was. Nothing was touching me.
My pocket.
I dropped the athame and upended my pocket. The burn disappeared as the crystal fell to the ground, glowing blindingly bright.
What on earth…
I carefully picked it up, but it didn’t burn me. Not anymore.
I didn’t have the
words for a spell. Didn’t have the rhymes. I couldn’t think. But I needed to break that circle. And it had to be done before the demon rose.
“Break the circle.” I paused, and held the crystal above my head. The wolves started running at the circle, each one flew back with a whimper. “Break the circle.” I pictured the circle breaking apart, but nothing happened. The priests didn’t move. The wolves weren’t giving up. Some were swatting at it with their sharp claws. Some running against it. Their golden auras clashed against the dark, shimmering barrier, but it wouldn’t budge. “Break! Break! Break!”
My voice burned from screaming. My chest heaved as I pushed magic and will toward the circle, but nothing was working. I was failing.
Lucas nudged my side. “What do I do? This isn’t working,” I said as I rand my fingers through his hair.
His muzzle nudged me. Run. Break. Now.
I looked down at his dark face. Apparently his wolf didn’t speak in full sentences. “You ran at it and nothing happened except getting knocked on your behind.” I waved my hand at the wolves. “Look at them. They’re all trying.”
He nudged me forward.
“Fine.” It was better than nothing.
I took a step toward the brujos and the crystal grew brighter. Another step. Brighter. Another. Same thing.
Okay. Lucas knew something I didn’t.
I started running. Full out. When I hit circle, I passed right through it, and stopped in the center. I’d gotten through, but they still held their circle.
Lucas’ panic hit me, but I blocked it out. The wolves howled and started rushing the barrier, but none got through.
It was just me stuck in here. Surrounded by the brujos and whatever they were trying to conjure.
I blinked as I tried to catch up with what was going on. I wanted to run back outside, but if I didn’t stop the brujos, then who would?
Their magic passed over me in a wave of energy that sent me reeling. I knocked into something on my way to the ground.
The men stood around me. Their arms stretched above their heads, hands touching as they chanted. Their eyes glowing red as they stared down at me, half-tranced.
Something bristly scratched my side and I screamed.
I wasn’t alone in the center anymore. I was too late. They’d raised a demon.
