by Loni Lynne
Nonni sat forward, leaned on her cane and stared at her. "You are the new world. You are the medallion…and you are the mother of a new generation of Dacia."
Silence engulfed the room. The icy chill drifting through her blood stream had nothing to do with the evil eye Nonni was watching her with—but with the power of her statement.
"You know it to be so." Nonni sat back as if she'd done nothing more than to reveal a secret family recipe and not a pre-ordained millennium old foretelling of the gods.
"Mr. Delvante." His assistant, Kassidy MacDonald came in. "Therron is here to see you."
Rick stopped writing the memo he was working on. That's all he needed, the head of the Dacian Alpha Board to deal with. As if he didn't have enough on his plate.
Rick wiped the fatigue from his face. "Fine. What's he want?"
"Rick."
The voice registered and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is it, Ron?"
"Oh my God!"
The feminine voice was not something he expected to hear, and he threw his head up to see the one woman he definitely didn't want to see. It had been years, a little over twenty-five to be exact.
"Diane," he said calmly. He figured someone needed to be the composed one here, might as well be him. It sure in hell wasn't her, not with the look in her eyes.
"You sonofabitch! You bastard!"
Yeah, he could deal with the names, had for centuries. One more person wouldn't matter. And if he ever deserved the names, she would be the one he'd accept them from.
Ron held her back by her forearms as she tried to come at him. She probably wanted to tear him apart, reach in to his chest and rip his heart out. Yep, and she had every right to.
"So…the mighty Rick Delvante is defeated." Nonni stepped forward from behind the couple.
"Come to gloat, Old Lady?"
"No. I come to see you get filleted like the slippery eel you are. It's time a woman puts you in your place."
"Is that why you kidnapped her and brought her here? So you could watch her gut me?" Rick tsked. "I thought you'd have better things to do like brew up some 'bat-wing' surprise or turn men into toads."
"Bah! Men are toads—they don't need a woman to turn them into one." Nonni threw her hands up. "I not kidnap her. She comes to Dacia on her own, looking for her daughter."
Rick looked to Diane. Her eyes spit venom, hatred and the worst thing he could ever see…hurt. Closing his eyes he sighed.
"Everyone leave. I want to talk to Diane alone," he said calmly.
"Good. It is time." Nonni turned to leave. "Therron, come."
Standing his ground, Ron refused to move.
Rick had counted on him as a trusted sentry over the years, even made him leader of the Alpha Board. But strain on their differences of opinions at times in the changes of democracy over the centuries had caused their friendship to weaken. There was always respect on both parts, though. Their differences were nothing new. Ron was there protecting Diane. Rick could see the determination in his eyes and an awareness of a connection he should be jealous over. Diane was his wife—technically they never divorced. But twenty-five years of abandonment would make her single in the eyes of the court.
"I'm not going anywhere." Ron crossed his arms over his chest in defiance, glaring at Rick. The protective stance Ron took as his body overlapped Diane's gave Rick pause. He didn't want to think about what that might mean. And he didn't want to get into a pissing fight over territory. Diane was no longer his territory. He'd given her up a quarter century ago.
"Fine. Stay then. But I refuse to have two women nagging on me."
"I go." Nonni said. "But you hurt her…"
"He won't have the chance, Nonni," Ron spoke out with deadly calm. "It's all good."
By the time Nonni left, Diane looked as if she might pass out. She hadn't said a thing, moved a muscle or twitched. Was she in shock?
He stood up and walked around his desk to face her. "Are you all right?"
She nodded slightly.
"Can I get you some water?"
She nodded again.
Going to his water pitcher, he poured her a glass and handed it to her. Within seconds he was drenched and standing in the center of glass shards where she had thrown the glass to the floor.
Taking out his linen handkerchief, he mopped his face. "I'll let you have that one, Diane."
"How dare you!"
He cocked his head. "Depends on what the issue is—"
"Don't play cocky with me…Richard Reddlin, Rick Delvante…whoever the hell you are. "You knew Marilyn was safe. All this time you knew where she was, and yet you made me believe you had no idea." She walked around him, sizing him up for the kill. "You are a bastard!"
Ron took a step back. His eyes widened on Rick.
Rick sighed. "I can explain—"
"Can you? Can you explain telling the world you've been missing for twenty-five years? Can you tell your widow how you just decided to leave because she was pregnant with your child?"
"You were unfaithful. I'm Dacian for Christ's sake. We can't breed."
"Well then how in the hell do you want me to explain our daughter?"
Ron stepped forward, staring at Rick. "For the love of the gods! Marilyn is your daughter?" He thought for a moment. "This all is starting to make sense now—"
"Ron…don't," Rick warned in a pleading tone.
"She's part Dacian. That's why she can shift into a wolf!"
"What?" Diane gasped.
"When we met her, she was dealing with the change. Kurren and I noticed she was in heat."
"Ron, stop…you don't understand…"
"She is one of us because…" Ron sat down on the nearby leather sofa, shaking his head, "…because you are the chosen prophet, the one chosen by the gods to produce the heir to Dacia. That's why Nonni sent her the medallion."
"Wait! Marilyn has the medallion? Which half?"
"The head of the wolf…"
"Does Aiden know she has it?"
"I don't know, why?" Ron asked.
"Because if he does all hell is about to break loose, and Marilyn is right in the thick of it."
Diane stood toe to toe with him. He towered over her by nearly a foot, but he knew she could take a man down in a heartbeat. "I don't know what is going on but if our daughter is in trouble, you've got some major explaining to do, and you better tell me everything or so help me God I will have your testicles on a silver platter!"
Chapter Eighteen
Nonni told her and Kurren to wait here. But Marilyn didn't know for how long. As spacious as the log house was, it wasn't enough and claustrophobia settled in. She knew she needed to run but why?
Usually there was a reason. Well, it could be because they had yet to hear from Draylon. She'd checked with Ren every fifteen minutes to see if anyone had heard about his whereabouts. He'd tried to calm her down, saying it wasn't unusual for them to go their separate ways after a raid, especially with Dacia involved. It wasn't good for all involved to come back to their native origin at the same time. They usually dissipated and regrouped a few days later.
Still, something didn't sit right. Her nerves were on edge. Just because she'd found her mother didn't mean things were back to normal. Draylon could take care of himself, after all, he'd taken care of her, rescued her from all the evil things that had happened to her in the past month, two months, weeks…hell, however long they'd known each other. These rips in time were screwing with her too much to know what day it was much less month.
"Why don't you go lie down?" Ren suggested. "You look exhausted. You've been through the wringer and it won't do anyone any good if you pass out."
He was right. She'd been on overload for so long she couldn't remember when she'd had a good sleep. "You'll wake me up the minute you hear anything about Draylon?"
"Yes. Now go—get some sleep. You'll be safe here."
"Than
ks Ren…for everything."
"No sweat, sweetheart." He winked.
If she ever had a brother, Ren would be it. He was protective and sometimes a pain in the ass, but she liked him anyway. As handsome as the brothers were, she didn't feel the attraction she had with Draylon. Her thoughts turned to him, and she started to worry all over again.
Sleep eluded her, but her mind drifted in and out of consciousness. Prior dreams mixed in with her recent reality, making for a hodge-podge of weird emotions and new ideas. She wondered if Doc Johnston might have anything to sort out her thought patterns.
Marilyn kicked off her covers finding the material overwhelming, burdensome and frustrating. She lay there looking up at the dark ceiling, willing her body to relax. But it was more than a muscular thing, her heart beat felt all wrong, skipping beats and racing out of control. Stress and anxiety had to be getting the best of her. She needed to run.
Marilyn.
The simple word echoed in her brain. Had someone called her?
Marilyn…are you…are you safe?
Draylon? Draylon, where are you? she called out in her head.
Not sure. It's dark and small…I can't see anything. Are you okay? Does Ren have you? Did he get you to Rick's?
I'm fine. She focused on him, where he might be. She hadn't realized she could do this, but the dream she'd had that night at Mike's house proved they did have a mental connection of sorts, when either one was open to it…or too weak to block…
He was weak. She could feel pain, his pain. His body lay on a hard, cold ground but closed in, tightly closed in. She inhaled only to find her ribs ache with each breath she took. It was his breaths she felt, his ribs aching. But his mind wasn't functioning. It was drowsy, cloudy and had trouble comprehending function. He moved only to have pain shoot through her hip and thigh—was his leg broken? Why wasn't he healing?
Draylon? Try to show me your last memories? What do you remember?
No! You need to stay safe. Stay with Rick…he'll protect you and keep you safe.
Damn it! Listen to me, I'm fine. Let me send help. I need to know where you might be.
No. It's not worth it. Besides, I think I'm being used as bait. Aiden wants you…he wants to know why you are so special. I know why you are special—because you are one hell of a woman, Marilyn. If I could, I would love you forever.
I'm holding you to that, Draylon. She could feel her eyes misting. But the longer she talked to him the more she could see into his psyche. There were details of images in his memory she studied as she mentally talked with him, keeping him alive. You can love me forever.
No, I can't. Even if I was out of this hell hole, I could never love you the way you need to be loved. There are things about me that would scare the living hell out of you. I could never trust myself not to terrify you. I'm what nightmares are made of. Just ask any folk historian.
She'd got it. The image of him being shoved into a deep hole…by Gerlich.
Hold on, Draylon. I'm coming.
You better be referring to the sexual release, Marilyn because if not—I'm going to kick your ass
Kiss my ass? You promise? Don't threaten me with a good time, Draylon, I'll hold you to that.
No I said 'kick your ass'—
But she'd already cut off connection by blocking her thoughts and actions from him. She had all the information she needed to track him down. Now she just had to break into Aiden's fortress and get him out safely.
Slipping out of bed, she tied her sneakers and made her way towards the door.
Ren stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going back to Vamier's."
"What? Like hell you are."
"Draylon's being held captive somewhere in the fortress. He's injured and close to dying. I won't be responsible. If Aiden wants me, he's going to get me…and all that I am."
"Marilyn, don't do this. If what Nonni says is true, you are the key to everything in the Dacian curse. If he has you, it could mean the start of the apocalypse," Ren warned.
"Maybe that is what I was meant for. Maybe it's up to me to bring about a new world."
"You don't understand the powers behind the curse," he stormed.
"Then it's time I learned."
She didn't have a damn clue what she was doing. Going off half-cocked was not her at all. She'd been taught to plan everything down to the minute detail before approaching a situation. But she needed Draylon. They were connected on a level so intense that neither one could survive if the other didn't. He was her destiny. She knew this was the right path.
Marilyn tried to weigh the pros and cons in her head, but her heart over-ruled. She'd never had such a strong connection with a man or any human being for that matter. She was no longer a true human, she was part wolf—and other things she wasn't quite sure about, but she sensed them within her.
"I don't like this, Marilyn," Kurren said as he followed her through the early Dacian dawn.
"It's not for you to like. It's for me to do." She stopped and he barreled into her. Toe to toe they stood. "Did you ever get the sense of rightness and know you had to follow through with it?"
"For us it's constant. We call it instinct."
"Well, this is a first time for me. Since my trip here to Romania, I've had a lot of firsts. But I've never had the connection I have with Draylon with any other man."
"It's the telepathy. Somehow you two are connected mentally." He agreed.
"No…it's something deeper. Something so basic and raw it's as if we are two parts of a whole." She started walking again, moving branches out of the way. "If I'm to be here in Dacia for the rest of my life, I can't imagine being here without him."
"Still, you're willing to go in there, knowing it might be a trap and sacrifice yourself?"
"That's what Draylon did. He's forbidding me to come save him to keep me safe." She stopped again. "But you need to let go and believe in something greater than your sacrifice. If your love drives you to sacrifice yourself—how can you enjoy sharing an eternity of immortality with the one you're meant to share it with?"
Ren looked at her with a touch of confusion. He wasn't following her train of thought. Truthfully, she wasn't sure she followed it herself. She shook her head and moved on. Yes, she knew what she was doing, she needed to stay positive.
"Well if you insist on going back to Vamier's then let me get you some weapons and a crew to go with you."
"No. I have all the support I need, right here." She patted her chest, feeling the security of her medallion. She hugged Ren. "Keep my mom safe for me." With that she ran on ahead of him, losing herself in the woods towards Cluj.
She still didn't know what the hell she was doing, but some inner peace had her believing this to be the right direction, her direction.
Draylon had given up hope. He lay in his prison-grave weary and in pain. He'd tried morphing into all of his creatures. Nothing worked, not even his mightiest creature, his true Zmei form. It had no room to morph. So he lay here trying to save his energy and heal from the wounds suffered at Gerlich's hands. But whatever drug they'd given him interfered with his normal healing rate. His inability to breathe deeply suggested he might have suffered some broken ribs. He knew he had a broken leg but what was worse was his broken spirit.
Draylon, can you hear me?
Marilyn. His head lifted from his arms where he sat. Where had she gotten the ability to communicate with him like this? He wasn't going to answer. She'd pissed him off by closing off her telepathy from him when he told her to stay away.
So you're pissed at me? Why? You want to play the hero? Fine, let's see you do it. She sighed. Why do men have to be such pains in the asses? Wasn't it you who told me I needed to make my own choices and decisions? You were the one to tell me not to be afraid of taking a stand.
I was referring to other's control over you.
Ah, so you are there.
&
nbsp; The imp had conned him into revealing himself. Shit. He set his jaw and narrowed his thoughts onto her. He could see her running through the woods on all fours. She'd morphed into a bobcat?
Yeah, about that—damnedest thing happened. I started running and then I felt the change coming on, but my mind conjured up this form. You didn't tell me Dacians can shift into more than one form. Kind of cool if you ask me.
They can't. Dacians are wolves or human, nothing more.
Well then I must be special, like Nonni said.
What?
Nonni told me she'd sent me the wolf half of the Dacian medallion for my twenty-first birthday because I was chosen by the gods. Right now, I've got to get to you. How are you holding up?
Dacian medallion? Wolf half? The only medallion he knew of was the—oh hell no.
Marilyn! What are you doing? He didn't have to ask. He could see from her vision Vamier's fortress before her as she lurked beneath the overgrowth of the forest. You are the Chosen One. If Vamier finds out, your life is over.
Nope. That is where you are wrong, Draylon. I've finally figured it out…I'm only the Chosen One if we are together.
The outside of the fortress was up lit with massive searchlights giving it more of a menacing effect. Were they still on the lookout for her? Marilyn made her way through a side entrance, keeping to the shadows. She had to admit she felt vulnerable in her naked state, the only security she had was in her medallion.
She made her way through the various corridors hoping to find some insight into Draylon's whereabouts. Instead she at least found some bed linens that she fashioned into a simple sarong-style dress to keep her from feeling exposed. There had to be an easier solution to all this changing and ending up without any clothes. Or maybe she just needed to embrace being naked.
"Ah, you are back." A voice with a slight German tone startled her from behind as she rounded a corner to see if it was all clear. She guessed not. "Aiden will be so pleased."
Gerlich stood, leaning against the wall, looking smug and self-satisfied. It was too bad his smarminess interfered with his good looks. Calming her racing heart down, she smiled.
