Tears in her eyes, she ran back down the hall to her room. She’d climb out the window. She should have done that first.
She pushed the heavy brocade curtains aside, blinking rapidly as light flooded over her. The late-afternoon sun was turning the orchards and vineyards beyond into a glory of gold and red and orange. Summer was gone and autumn was already stamping the hills with its distinctive colours. Normally she would have stood there and breathed in the beauty of it, but she didn’t have time.
The window was old and stuck, but after a good shove she got the sash up. Thankfully her room was on the ground floor and she didn’t have to worry about jumping or climbing down a drainpipe. Her cat might have managed it, but as a human, she wasn’t what anyone would call nimble, especially with her bad foot. Nor was she exactly back in peak form. It was still a bit of a drop. The ground sloped away from the house at this point and she’d have to be careful not to twist her ankle. She clambered out of the window and let herself down gently onto the garden bed. She crushed a gardenia and winced—River would hate her for damaging a plant, but it couldn’t be helped.
Crouching where she landed, she looked around. There was nobody in sight—thank goodness—but she hadn’t been outside before and didn’t know which way to go.
There was the orchard spreading out in front of her. There was some kind of walled garden to her left surrounded by a huge hedge and then there was the house garden to her right. She wouldn’t go that way—there was evidence that there was some landscaping going on and while there were large bushes and trees she could hide behind, it looked like the paths meandered all over the place, so there wouldn’t be a clear way to go. The walled garden probably wasn’t a good idea. She’d seen it through the patio doors when she’d been in the kitchen, so knew those sitting in there talking would see if she headed that way. She had no idea if the drive led to the front of the house or wrapped around behind it because the walled garden hid it from sight—she didn’t want to come out on the drive. There would undoubtedly be guards there.
So, there really was only one choice. She had to go for the orchard even though she remembered seeing part of it from the kitchen as well—the patio spread across the back of the house, which was virtually a wall of glass. The Were loved their open spaces, it seemed. Not so great when you wanted to slink away.
She’d have to stay low as she ran over the grassy area that lay before it. There were a few trees on the edge of the grassy area that shaded the slope. If she kept close to them she might just escape the notice of anyone who happened to glance out of the patio doors. It wasn’t a great option, but it was the best one she had.
Breath in her throat, she took off as fast as her deformed foot would allow. Everything seemed heightened—the light of the late-afternoon sun around her as if she were in a spotlight; the sound of her feet slapping on the hard turf a thunder roll in her ears; the pull of her muscles as they strained to keep going—she’d barely walked in the last few weeks, let alone run pell-mell—her breath, harsh and grating, hurt her throat. The breeze carried every scent to her in a muddle so that she couldn’t make sense of any of it. Her skin was hot. Her fingers tingled. There was a shout. She turned, saw nothing, kept running.
She was halfway to the orchard when rainbow-bright colours flashed before her eyes. Oh Goddess! It was happening again. She closed her eyes against the sign that she was about to lose control, stumbled, caught herself, kept running. She couldn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. She had to get far away from those people who cared so much about her that they were waiting for her to wake up so they could bring her into the fold. It was all she’d ever wanted, but she couldn’t have it.
Fuck Morrigan. She wished that bitch of a witch was here right now so she could run up to her, wrap her arms around her and whisper in her ear, ‘Fuck you, Morrigan’, just before her power turned to flame and them both into ash. That would be justice. But she didn’t have that. All she had was herself, her deformed foot slowing her down, and a determination to get as far from everyone as possible.
‘You can’t do it, Eloise. Not alone. You’re too weak. Find me and we’ll destroy them together.’
‘No, Cain! I won’t hurt them.’
‘Why not? They deserve it.’
‘No, they don’t. I’m not listening to you.’
‘If you don’t listen to me, you’ll die alone.’
‘Then I’ll die alone!’
She pushed at his presence with her mind, willing him gone. She heard a grunt and then the press of him disappeared. Tears streamed down her face, breath a slicing gasp in her throat, legs wobbling like jelly. The trees of the orchard were only a few metres away.
Almost there. Almost there. She stumbled. Her muscles weren’t used to this much work yet. She’d not had enough time to build up her strength. Oh, Goddess. She was going to fail. She wouldn’t be able to get away and all because she was too weak.
‘No. No,’ she gasped. She was almost at the trees. A few more stumbling steps, that’s all, and then she could lean against one of them, hide behind the trunk, get her breath back. Just a few more steps.
A big black wolf leapt in front of her, snarling, raised teeth gleaming.
She jerked to a stop, then backing up, screamed, ‘Get away from me. I’ll hurt you.’
A second wolf, silver and black, leapt out of the trees to her right and bowled into the black wolf with a snap of teeth, stopping its advance. The black wolf rolled to its feet, snarled at the other wolf. The silver and black wolf made a strange growling sound, as if it was trying to get a point across. The black wolf backed off. Its eyes were still pinned on Eloise though, but it no longer looked like it was going to attack. The silver and black wolf edged forward, towards Eloise.
‘No! Don’t come near me.’
Rainbow light cascaded around it and then it was on two legs, hands stretched out, walking towards her. It was Iain.
‘It’s okay. You’re okay. We won’t hurt you. Will we, Adam? You’re safe.’
Safe? Oh Goddess. She was anything but safe. She stumbled back a step.
‘Eloise?’
He reached for her.
‘No! Stay away from me.’
‘I’m not going to hurt you, Little Bird.’
He thought she was worried about that? She shook her head, still backing away. ‘I know. But I’ll hurt you if I stay. You have to let me go. I have to go away.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘My power. It exploded. I hurt Adam.’ The other wolf growled, making her tremble and flinch. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said to the wolf, somehow knowing it was Adam. ‘I didn’t mean to do it. Didn’t even know I could.’ He didn’t seem to accept her apology, his lips rolling up into a horrific snarl.
‘Adam!’ Iain’s voice was sharp, the sound pulsing in her head with a sickening throb.
Covering her wince, she said, ‘No, he has a right to snarl at me. I hurt him. And I could have hurt you all.’
‘But you didn’t. And Adam is just grumpy you got the jump on him.’ He turned back to the other wolf. ‘I’ve got this. Thanks for stopping her. Now go snarl at Shelley. That at least will make you feel better.’
Adam threw him what Eloise could only call a sardonic look, and barked.
‘I’ll join you later,’ Iain said. ‘I want to make sure Eloise is okay.’
Adam didn’t look convinced, but after another snarling bark, he pivoted around and took off up the sloping grass towards the garden on the other side of the house.
Eloise couldn’t help but stare at him as he ran. He was so powerful. So big. He could tear her to shreds with a couple of well-aimed swipes of his paws. Morrigan had always said the Were were animals, that they were vicious and dangerous. But Eloise was seeing every day that even though that was true, it wasn’t the entire truth. Adam could have attacked her then—he’d had the upper hand. Even Iain wouldn’t have been able to stop him—but he hadn’t. He’d listened. He’d backed off because Iain had
asked. He’d almost talked with his expressions, his growls and barks. They weren’t simply animals. They were sentient beings with a strong sense of pack, family and friendship. They understood those things, understood loyalty more fully than her coven ever had.
She couldn’t ever have a part in destroying them.
‘Eloise. It’s okay. He won’t hurt you.’
She’d almost forgotten Iain was there, she’d been staring so hard after Adam. She turned to face him as he stepped closer and had a sudden flash of him pushing through the barrier she’d created with her unexpected power, reaching for her, touching her. He’d stiffened and then… That was all she could remember. ‘I… I think I hurt you.’ She looked at him. He wasn’t hurt.
He was completely naked though.
Her mind stumbled over the fact, surprised she hadn’t noticed before now. She should look away but he was so beautiful. Leonardo DaVinci would have loved to paint him as a study subject—the definition of muscle, the broad shoulders, the long lines of arms and legs, the V that pointed down to the… Her breath hitched. Crap! She was staring at his penis. She should be embarrassed but… Oh, Goddess! She had no idea they were like that. So big. So… so… upright.
‘Eloise?’
‘Here, put this on. I can’t talk to you when you’re standing there like… that.’ She took off her light jacket and handed it to him. With a knowing smile, he wrapped it around his hips.
‘Better?’
It was marginally better—although she could still see too much of him.
‘Eloise?’
He was reaching for her again. She stumbled back, her gaze snapping to his face. ‘No. You can’t touch me. It’s dangerous.’
A smile flitted on his face. ‘Touching you isn’t dangerous, Eloise. Not in the way you think.’
‘But my power… it exploded.’
She stared at him, confusion and something like desire in her eyes. His cock twitched. Her gaze arrowed in on the movement before flickering away. Iain tried to ignore what was happening to his body—usually he was completely fine about being naked, but right now, with this woman, having this conversation, it put him at a disadvantage. Particularly after she’d looked at him like she had, staring at his body, her gaze raking down to his cock and staying there for too long. The look on her face told him she’d never seen one before. He cursed the upbringing that had meant this sensual, beautiful woman had never been with a man before. Or maybe she just preferred women.
His wolf growled at that thought and he almost smiled. No, the way she’d looked at him, at his cock, she was attracted to men. Just a pity she’d discovered that fact right now.
Dragging his thoughts away from how he’d love to be the one she shared herself with for the first time, he tried to remember what he’d been about to say, but instead, her words suddenly registered. ‘Don’t you remember what happened yesterday when I touched you?’
She flinched. ‘Yesterday?’ She shook her head. ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m a bomb. Morrigan made me into a bomb. You have to let me go.’
‘Ahh.’ Now it made sense. It had been obvious she’d been trying to escape—the thought had made him furious when he’d seen her. Just by running over the uneven ground the way she’d been, she could have hurt herself, passed out, put her recovery back weeks. However it wasn’t fear of them that made her do it. It was fear for them. She wanted to protect them. He wanted nothing more than to reach for her, hold her in his arms and comfort her, but she was still so on edge. And he was virtually buck naked. So despite the fact that his wolf was lunging at his skin and howling for her touch, he made himself stay still. She looked at him, a thousand questions in her beautiful eyes.
‘You aren’t a bomb. That might have been what Morrigan had meant you to be, but it isn’t what you are. You are a gift.’
She was shaking now, but still he didn’t move towards her. ‘I don’t understand.’ She glanced away, eyes raking over the house. ‘My powers… they were so violent. I tossed Adam through the window with barely a thought.’
‘You were protecting yourself.’
She shook her head, eyes meeting his. ‘It wasn’t like that. I’m dangerous. I’m not sure how I didn’t explode, but I could go off at any moment. I can’t control it. You need to let me go.’
‘No!’ She jumped, looking as if she was about to bolt again. She was still skittish. His heart ached to see it. ‘No, don’t run. I didn’t mean that to sound so harsh. It’s just… you belong with us and I desperately want you to know it.’
‘Saying I belong with you doesn’t make it so.’
‘I know. I know. But it’s not just me saying it. It’s fact. It’s based on what happened yesterday.’
‘I almost killed you yesterday,’ she said, her voice a horrified whisper.
‘No. You didn’t.’ He was unable to help a smile from touching his lips. ‘I don’t know why you can’t remember, but it was the most remarkable thing. You have no ties to us, and yet, when I touched you, your powers channelled into me and enabled my wolf to soak them in. The same as it would if you’d been a Pack Witch.’
‘You changed?’
‘I changed. It was amazing. I’ve never felt anything so pure and golden before. It was like being covered in ambrosia. I felt like a god.’
She stared, blinked, then whispered, ‘It’s not possible.’
‘I know. It shouldn’t be possible for an unaligned witch to channel her powers into one of the Were, but you did it. Bron thinks maybe somewhere in your witch ancestry, you were tied to a pack. And when push came to shove, your powers followed the ancient link and saved us all. Either that or you’re that one-in-a-million witch the ancient stories speak of—one who can channel her powers into any living thing, even to reach into the ether to manipulate the power there.’
Eloise stared at him for a moment and then snorted. ‘Well, that’s hardly likely.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘I’ve never managed anything more spectacular than a basic healing charm.’
‘You can’t still think you have no power.’
She blanched. ‘No. I don’t think that. But it’s hardly likely I’d be this mysterious witch with amazing powers. There is nothing amazing or special about me.’
‘You don’t see yourself clearly.’
Her lips wobbled as tears brimmed in her eyes, but she blinked them away. ‘I see myself fine.’
‘No, you don’t. Morrigan really did a number on you.’ His fists clenched at his sides. ‘If I could get my hands on that bitch right now, I’d tear her to shreds for that alone.’
‘Get in line.’
Iain laughed appreciatively at the viciousness in her tone. ‘The little bird is growing up to be a hawk.’
Eloise’s lips twisted bitterly. ‘I’m not a little bird. But I do have claws.’
‘So I see.’ He loved the fire in her eyes, the colour it brought to her pale face. The fear and uncertainty were still there, but she wasn’t overwhelmed now and she was listening to him rather than concentrating on finding the best way to leave. ‘You really do belong with us, you know. This only proves it.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Your powers—they didn’t destroy, they fed into me, just like a Pack Witch’s power.’ He couldn’t stop the joy from spreading on his face. ‘I’ve been so full of energy in fact, I’ve hardly been able to sit still. I’ve been able to change into my wolf without losing any of that energy. It’s as if your power was made to align itself to ours. That alone means you belong with us. But this…’ He gestured towards her, the upright stance, the fire in her eyes. ‘You have a fire inside you. The fire the Were have always had that allowed us to fight all those years ago, and with Bridgette Colliere’s help, change our destiny. You can change your destiny too. Learn with our Pack Witches—they want to help you discover who you were meant to be. You can feed your power into us when it gets too much so you’re safe. And I can help you discover your shifter side, maybe ev
en find out where you are truly from. If you leave now, you’ll be on your own, a possible danger to everyone you get near. Definitely a danger to yourself. Stay. Let us help you learn everything you need to know to be the powerful witch and shifter you are capable of being.’
Her gaze skated over his face, searching for something there he could only guess at. ‘Will you let me leave if I want to?’
‘You are not our prisoner.’ He stepped back. ‘But please, don’t go. You need help. You need to let yourself get strong again—we need to keep up your physical therapy. But more than all of that, you have proved you belong with us and we fight for what is ours. We’ll fight for you, Eloise. If you let us.’
Her mouth worked and she looked away, eyes scouring the landscape, breathing as fast as if she’d run a race. Finally, when he couldn’t stand the silence a moment longer, she turned back and with a curt nod, said, ‘I’ll stay.’
He let out the breath he didn’t realise he was holding. ‘Good.’
She held up her hand. ‘Not so fast. You have to promise that if I can’t control my power, you’ll let me go.’ He began to shake his head. ‘No arguments or I go now. I’ve been used by Morrigan for too long. I won’t be her tool anymore. I will not be responsible for hurting any more of your pack.’
‘You’re pack too, now.’
An expression crossed her face, one of the most painful longing, and then she smiled sadly. ‘That remains to be seen.’
‘Come inside. Talk to the others. You’ll soon see I’m right.’ He held out his hand. She stared at it for a long moment and then reached out to take it, her movement hesitant, as if she was fighting herself. When their hands met, there was a zing, like electricity if it was made of warm water. She jolted and pulled her hand out of his.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
‘Was that my power?’ She looked up at him, eyes wide.
‘Maybe,’ he lied. It hadn’t felt like her power at all, but it had been just as earth-shatteringly good. ‘Come inside.’ He held his hand out, but she shook her head.
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