Circle of Wolves

by Jacqueline Roth

  Kira stopped suddenly and turned to look at him. He was caught. He waited for the embarrassment but it didn’t come. His face colored a bit but he didn’t feel the guilty shame he’d expected at being caught watching what he had been caught watching. She smiled at him, almost shyly and it was she who blushed. Evan felt a surge of something he could only describe as strength move through him. He suddenly felt righteous, as if he had every right to have been watching her. The feeling of power was intoxicating. He began to walk again, moving even with her. He reached out and let his fingers brush her hand. This was absolutely right. He watched her smile and she began to walk.

  This man might be a bit shy but he was definitely all man. She swallowed hard. She watched the profile of his face as they continued. His expression had changed. His head was up and a proud almost cocky grin was fixed on his lips. This was the first sign of what she knew, what she hoped, lay beneath his calm and easy demeanor. She could feel the repressed power in him, guarded harshly and forced into submission. Oh yes, there was wolf in him. A powerful wolf. Kira felt her pulse speed up and her heart became almost audible in her ears.

  Several minutes later she opened the infamous gate. In this spot it was not the giant metal structure that Alexi had led him through, but amounted to a large wooden door set just to the side of the other gate whose top and bottom opened independently of one another. They had certainly covered the mile she promised when they finally reached their destination. She opened the door to what seemed to be a small house. The living area had been cleared except for a long table with benches along either side. About seven children sat around this table. Their clothing indicated an advanced state of poverty, not from its condition as it was clean and well mended but from its obvious age. Her arrival was greeted much differently here. Bright smiles lit faces and several children began talking to her at once.

  “Miss Kira, come see what I did…”

  “Miss Kira, look at my map, isn’t it good…”

  “I finished the book you gave me, Miss Kira, thank you…”

  One small boy had approached and was tugging at her shirt. He was no more than three or four with soft dark brown hair and eyes. She dropped her bag and knelt down. “Hello, Demetri.” The small arms circled her neck and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him and lifted him. He was a slight child and seemed almost lost even in her delicate embrace.

  A woman’s voice called from the doorway to another room. “Miss Kira, we hoped you’d come today.” She walked toward them and began urging the children back to work. “You know how Miss Kira feels about your studies. We will visit later, work now.”

  She turned to them and her eyes gazed into Evan’s briefly, before moving away. “We are so glad you came, aren’t we Demetri?”

  The little boy was staring at Evan. He leaned down to whisper in a child’s whisper, which can be heard by everyone, “Is he really one of us?”

  She looked at his face, puzzled and then at the teacher. “Althea? What is he talking about? Oh, I’m sorry…Althea Theopolis, this is Evan Forester. Althea comes to us from Athens. Mr. Forester is a teacher himself.”

  Evan extended his hand and the woman took it warmly. “It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Theopolis.”

  “Althea, please. You’re a teacher?” The sound of her inquiry was markedly in contrast to the previous woman. Where that voice had implied that there was something horrific and dangerous about Evan interacting with children, this woman seemed delighted and filled with wonder that one of her kind and yes she was a werewolf just as he was, was allowed to teach.

  “Yes, I teach at a small private school of sorts. My students are gifted. Most a bit older than yours but equally enthusiastic.” He smiled at her while his brain accessed memories of his students. He missed them. He would be happy to get back.

  “Miss Kira,” the small voice interrupted, “is he?”

  Althea removed the boy from Kira’s arms and shooed him away with a quiet, “Yes he is, now get back to work.”

  Evan noticed the older students question the boy. His answer brought several stares his way. One boy in particular seemed to watch him openly. He was older than the rest, perhaps thirteen or fourteen. Evan had no doubt what was going through the boy’s mind and was sad for it. The boy was thinking, “If he can, why can’t I…” But this boy was no mage, he had no Lawrence Ryder to patronize him. Or did he?

  He looked at Kira’s face as she waited for Althea to answer her question. Smiling, the gray-haired woman finally did. “Demetri is just learning to categorize and verbally label scents. He noticed last time you were here that you ‘smelled wrong’ to his nose.”

  Kira shook her head sadly. “They grow up so quickly.”

  “I’m sure it seems that way to you.” Althea had a strange amused look on her face.

  Kira chuckled, “Shut up, ’Thea. You’re supposed to respect your elders, not torment them.”

  Elders? The woman, Althea, was obviously past sixty. Her once black hair was more gray than black and her face was lined. Kira couldn’t have been older than he, in fact he doubted she was fully twenty-five.

  Before he could say anything, ask any question, the conversation moved to the books they had carried with them. “They aren’t new,” he heard Kira saying, “but they are still in very good condition.”

  Althea was examining the books excitedly. She turned to the children. “Boys, come and take these to the back room. Then we shall have a mid-morning break with our friends.”

  The children not dragging away the books were cleaning up the table. Evan had offered to carry the bags but the older boy had looked downright offended and had shouldered the bag proudly, while the younger boy dragged his behind him.

  “Come, sit.” Althea was motioning to a wingback chair she had just slid up to the table. “Mr. Forester, you sit here.”

  “Evan, please,” he said and began to defer to Kira when he noticed that she had seated herself in a rocking chair pulled up to the opposite end. Demetri was once again in her lap.

  Evan watched her as the children gathered around her. They showed her pictures they had drawn, test papers and essays that had gotten excellent grades. He was reminded of a queen sitting on her throne as the peasants scrambled at her feet to please her and he didn’t like the image at all.

  As he watched, a second child, a young girl younger than Demetri, crawled into the chair as well. She laid her head on Kira’s shoulder and put her thumb in her mouth. Kira hugged her close and began rocking slightly. Demetri looked momentarily put out but quickly assumed a similar posture. The older children scrambled for her attention. A tall, leggy girl nearing twelve was reading her an essay on World War II.

  Althea came to sit next to him. “No room for any of us when she shows up.”

  “The queen has commanded her audience it seems.”

  The woman looked at him sharply. “You’re wrong. It’s not like that at all. She’s not some princess who appears before the people to bathe in their gratitude. Most of the people here have no idea of all that she’s done for them. We have this school because of her. Everything you see here she’s provided. Not her family, not the great Stanislav Gregoravitch but Kira. And she’s had to do it without attracting too much attention. Every time I need something I’m amazed how the other school suddenly gets new materials and just happens to have extras.”

  He watched her more closely. She applauded the young girl as she finished reading. Her smile was not patronizing but enthusiastic. The older boy stepped up and with two younger children began to enact a scene from a play they had been reading. This tragic death scene elicited more applause, not just from Kira but from Althea and Evan as well.

  After an hour of show and tell, the older children reluctantly went back to their studies. The small ones on Kira’s lap were sound asleep. He rose from his seat and walked toward her. Althea was lifting the little girl and carrying her away. Evan leaned in to lift the boy from her but her arms tightened around him. Evan fl
inched and jerked back as if she had struck him. She didn’t trust him to touch the child. Was she afraid he, a pup-eater, would hurt him?

  He watched her face and saw a small tear slide down her cheek as she nestled her face against the child’s hair. She looked up at Evan and saw the painful disbelief. She realized what she had done and how it must have looked. She reached out her hand and touched his. “Evan, could you lift him? I’m afraid I’ll wake him if I try to stand and Althea shouldn’t be lifting children this large.”

  If this was a peace offering, an act of contrition, he didn’t want it. He searched her eyes but saw only acceptance and sorrow. Sorrow gave the blue eyes a haunted sadness. He carefully lifted the boy from her. She rose and led him into the side room. This must once have been a bedroom but now seemed more of a dormitory. Three sets of bunk beds lined the wall. Althea was just headed for the door after settling the girl. She smiled at the sleeping boy as she passed. She reached out her hand and Evan thought she meant to pat the boy. She didn’t. She placed her hand on Kira’s still wet cheek and smiled sadly. “Me too, my girl. Me too.”

  Kira covered the wrinkled hand with her own for a moment then turned away. She indicated a bed to Evan and he laid the child on it. Kira tucked in his small body and placed a kiss on the forehead. Rising she turned to look at Evan.

  “Back there, Evan. It wasn’t what you thought,” she said softly.

  “What did I think?” he whispered evasively.

  “That I thought you would harm the child. That I saw you as a curse wolf, a pup-eater and that I was afraid for the child.” Her honesty caught him off-guard.

  “Isn’t that what you thought?”

  “No. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I’d thought for one minute you’d hurt one of these children. It actually had nothing to do with you.” She looked at his face and saw he wanted to believe her but couldn’t. She let out a long slow breath. “Evan, I was remembering the past and thinking of what might have been. Demetri reminds me of someone I knew when he was this age. Someone who isn’t with us any longer.”

  She turned and walked from the room. He looked down at the child and wondered for a moment who it was she was reminded of and what might-have-been this child stirred in her. Then he followed her out of the room.

  The walk back was quiet. She was lost in whatever memory the boy had awakened in her. He was lost in speculation and in trying to sort out what was happening. He even failed to notice the stares of the people inside the gate as they walked past. A few mothers pulled their children closer and several people averted their gaze, fearful that Miss Gregoravitch might see their expressions and have cause for displeasure.

  She left him at the door to his room. “Evan, would you like company for dinner? I’d enjoy it and I’m sure Alexi would too. I’d include Nico but I’m convinced that would be a thoroughly bad idea all the way around.”

  He’d have rather be just the two of them, but based on the fiasco of the previous night, perhaps it was better that Alexi would be there. “That sounds perfect.”

  She smiled at him. “Will you find a way to fill the rest of your day? I have a great deal of work to do or I’d stay.”

  He wondered what kind of work she did. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

  “If you want to swim, I’m sure we could find a suit for you.” Her eyes danced with mischief. “Or at least clear the area so you would have privacy if you prefer the natural approach.”

  He laughed almost inaudibly, “I’m not much of a swimmer and I’m certainly not much of an exhibitionist. I’ll probably prowl the main library and the garden. Besides, I’m sure Alexi will descend upon me shortly. He seems to feel it his duty to be sure I’m tended to. Seems to feel a bit responsible for me.”

  A strange look crossed her face. Before he could question it, she was speaking again. “Thank you for coming. I know I wasn’t the best of company on the return trip. I am sorry for that.”

  The sadness in her eyes tugged at something deep inside him that demanded he act. He watched her face for a long moment as he battled that voice, the one he had spent his entire life trying to silence. But what if this time it was right? What if what it was telling him about this woman, as crazy as it sounded, was right. That she would welcome his attentions?

  “It’s all right. Sometimes it’s okay to be quiet.” He reached out for her hand and grasped it. As he again waited for the hesitation he should feel, he realized it didn’t come. This was right. This was what he was supposed to do. He looked at her face. “I’m just sorry something has saddened you. If there is any way I can help, any way at all, please come to me. Even if you just need a stranger’s ear, don’t hesitate.”

  She smiled up at him. He truly was a dear soul. “I don’t think I’ll be able to count you as a stranger’s ear for much longer.”

  “All the more reason to take advantage of it now.” Uncertain what form of insanity overtook him, he lifted the hand he held and pressed it quickly to his lips. The flush that filled her face told him without a doubt that he had chosen correctly. Leaning in, he kissed her. Inside him the howl of the wolf rang in his ears. Something in the feel of her made the creature come alive in a way he never before known. For the first time, just for those few seconds, he didn’t fear the animal inside him. For the first time the howling wolf didn’t feel like the enemy but like a part of him. A missing piece of his soul slid into place. And Kira. Something about Kira spoke to the wolf. He only wished he understood what was being said between them.

  Kira placed her palm on his cheek as his lips moved over hers. She hadn’t wanted this, yet she had yearned for it from the moment she saw him. Her mind had told her it was foolish to hope for but the cry of her soul knew this man for who he was, what he was. Even more she knew the potential that flowed within him. She knew it as all her kind knew it. The kiss that he pressed deeper, his lips parting slightly, only confirmed to the She-Wolf that the man before her was the one.

  It was impossible. It was not to be considered. It was dangerous. But the truth was there. He was curse wolf. He was mage. But he was also cerieshe.

  Evan let her pull back away from him. She looked into his eyes deeply for a long moment. He felt lost in them and in the ranting of the wolf inside his chest. And just as quickly as the creature had slipped into place within him, it pulled back out. Again he was at war with the demands of the animal part of him. It screamed for him to grab hold of her, to pull her in and kiss her again. It clawed at him and howled its fury that he didn’t say it. What he was supposed to be saying he didn’t know but the wolf was savaging its corner of his mind in its rage that he just stood there mute.

  Did he know? Kira wondered how strong the wolf was in this man. Did he know what their blood, what their minds were saying to each other? When he made no declaration of the thoughts that should have been in his head she sighed. She wasn’t wrong. No she’d never felt this before. No one she knew had ever felt it. But it didn’t matter. The She-Wolf knew it. He must know the truth but for some reason he resisted. Confused she tugged loose the hand he still held and turned away, walking quickly down the dark hall.

  Two pairs of eyes watched them. One from the recesses of an alcove beyond Evan’s door and one from the darkness of a stairwell that led down to the family rooms. Blue eyes filled with anger and hate. How dare that thing touch his sister? How dare he kiss her? But worse, how dare she allow it? His beloved sister dropped in his esteem at that moment. Mother was right. She wasn’t to be trusted. He’d find a way to stop this. He’d find a way to get rid of Evan Forester and his kind forever.

  Brown eyes held amusement. His little friend was fitting into his plan perfectly. He wanted to help this green pup. He wanted to find a way to remove the sorrow from his sister’s eyes. The change in scent that welled up between them the moment they kissed told Alexi what he could never even have hoped for but what made his heart soar. It seemed his salvation, his redemption, was in this most unlikely of sources. If this kept
working, if he could pull this off, he might—just might, earn forgiveness from them both. Forgiveness from Kira and forgiveness from Evan.

  Circle of Wolves

  Chapter Eight

  Know Thyself

  The day after their visit to the school, Kira rousted him from sleep early. They met Alexi and a young man who looked to be several years younger than Evan, about twenty, standing next to a flat-bed truck loaded with stacks of lumber and other materials he was unfamiliar with. “Okay,” he said warily. “What exactly are we doing here?”

  “Ever build anything, my little friend?” Alexi was wearing a smile that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up in warning.

  “Yes but somehow I don’t think that experience is going to be helpful.” Kira’s reaction to his use of magic made it doubtful that anyone here would be impressed by the fact that as an earth mage he could cause the very stones of the earth to pile themselves to form a sturdy wall around a frame of trees he’d caused to grow in such a way as to form the supports for a small building. Marcus, Seth and he had once done this to make what for a normal boy would have been a fort. For them it was a secret dueling chamber that doubled as a werewolf cage one night a month. Marcus and Seth had added protections and supports. Seth had called upon his water element to make the structure impervious to rain. That was one roof that would never leak. Marcus had set a blaze around the entire building that had melted the edges of the rocks together, eliminating the need for mortar, while leaving it undamaged. The “cage” had been an important part of managing Evan’s transformations. Transformations that had begun the first full moon after he received his bite.

  He caught the almost frightened look that passed between the brother and sister. The stranger with long blond hair, who’d been introduced as William, the son of Alexi’s older daughter paled. They just stood there quietly until Kira broke the uncomfortable silence. “Come on you lazy lot. This addition isn’t going to build itself.”