by Meg Xuemei X
Heat rose to his eyes at my purr. He nodded toward his man, and the horned Dragonian shoved Lenka away from him.
“See, being nice is all I asked for,” the ringleader said with an easy smile.
His words and smile didn’t charm the red she-wolf at all. She wheeled and lunged toward her former captivator. She flashed an image of her tearing his throat out into my mind. I wouldn’t object to it if we could win.
Lenka, I ordered, fall back in rank.
She snapped her head at me—she didn’t like it one bit, but she obeyed and retreated to stand beside the white wolf with a sequence of snarls.
My pack flanked me, two on each side, baring their teeth with drools.
I halted my advance and theirs.
“What are you?” the Dragonian leader asked.
I narrowed my eyes to slits, but I had to tilt my head to look at him. I was at an average height of five foot six, comparing to his seven feet. “What are you?”
He chuckled good-naturedly. “Are you a shifter? If you are, there’s no shame in that. We’ve got one right here.”
“No, she isn’t,” the sandy-haired shifter said. “She smells good, but she doesn’t smell like my kind.”
I gave him a once-over.
He was extremely good looking, in a boyish way. He was the youngest among his companions and I guessed he was a year or two younger than I was.
The shifter broke into a wide, friendly grin at my appreciative assessment. I could see he did that often, particularly to girls who checked him out.
“I’m Lucas,” he offered.
The half-blood leader gave him a hard look, and Lucas let his charming grin drop. The leader cleared his throat, trying to turn my attention back to him.
I let my gaze linger on the shifter a second longer before turning to the ringleader, just to rile him up.
“A human girl became a wolf alpha?” asked a hornless Dragonian. “How did that happen?”
There were three other Dragonians, and they all looked the same with the same blue skin tone at first glance.
I gave the horned one an evil look.
“She isn’t a pure human either,” the advanced human said. “She’s half blood, but I can’t pinpoint her other origin.”
Of course he couldn’t. No one, except the Angels who hunted me, knew what I was. I was the first hybrid of an advanced human and Angel, and not just any Angel—but the Angel King.
It was unheard of that a mortal could conceive offspring from the super race. When the Fey Empress had sent my mother to be her spy and the Angel King’s courtier, the Empress had gifted my mother Fey immortality, which must have altered my mother’s genetic composition. By a dark twist of fate, the impossible happened and I was the unwanted product.
If the Dragonians learned about my true origin, they would kill “the abomination” on the spot. Cold perspiration dampened under my armpits.
I knew what I was when I could first form a thought. Even in my mother’s womb, I’d absorbed her knowledge and part of my monstrous father’s. I could assimilate the knowledge of those I touched.
“Good luck figuring that out,” I sneered to conceal my fear of being discovered.
“We don’t need luck,” a Dragonian said smugly. “We have science. Our Atlantis lab can decipher any genetic chemical letters.”
I hissed. Like hell would I let them drag me to Atlantis and throw me onto the operating table to dissect me. Death’s dark light danced in my eyes; I would let death kiss them one by one.
My wolves snarled, attuned to my mood. One silent command and they would go for the enemies’ throats again.
Halt, I ordered.
They threatened you, Freyja, they barked. We must tear them apart.
Cunning and patience, remember? I asked.
They snarled more aggressively, yet remained beside me.
The ringleader studied us.
“You’re prettier than any human girl I’ve ever seen,” the shifter said, trying to ease the tension in the air. “You aren’t half Fey, are you? You don’t have pointed ears. And you’re more vibrant than a Fey.”
Thankfully, I had no wings, so no one here could make a connection and attribute my angelic face and dark blue eyes to the angel race and the Angel King.
The ringleader sent the friendly shifter another harsh glance. He didn’t share the shifter’s flirting style.
“We have no intention of harming you, wolf girl,” the leader said.
“Then I’ll allow you to pass by my forest in peace,” I said. “Be gone now.”
“We’re leaving,” he said, his eyes never taking off me, “but not without you.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You’re coming with us,” he repeated.
I gave a high-pitched laugh. “Very funny.”
“It’s not a joke,” he said. “I’m asking nicely.”
“If I refuse?” I cocked my head to the side, my eyes cold.
“Then we’ll kill your pack and drag you in chains behind us,” he said, steel in his voice. The former lightness and amusement had deserted him completely. This one wasn’t used to anyone disobeying him. His amber eyes turned to ice, as if he wasn’t already intimidating enough. “There’s an easy way, and there’s a hard way. You choose.”
Another round of fighting would end us. I hadn’t expected to live long ever since I was a child, but I would do anything to preserve my pack.
“You saw the odds,” the leader continued, softening his tone. “Make the right choice, wolf girl. I can see that you’re a practical one.”
My eyes narrowed; my mind wheeled. Were they the Angel hunters’ pawns? They couldn’t be. The Dragonians hated Angels even more than Fey. The war of Earth against the Heavens decades ago was the reluctant alliance of the Mysthian Fey and the Dragonians battling King Agro and his Reaper army, with the assistance of the Angel High Prince’s Fallen Angels.
That period of history was epic, bloody, and complicated.
“Who sent you?” I demanded.
“Who could send me?” the leader asked with pure arrogance.
Only a Dragonian warlord would use this tone and sound so offended at my implication that someone else was above him.
“The Fey. The Angels.” I tested him. “They’re mightier than your kind, and you’re only half Dragonian.”
“If she knows whom she’s insulted—” a Dragonian murmured but stopped abruptly at his leader’s stern look. I could tell these three hornless Dragonians apart now. This one had a bluer skin than the other two.
The shifter smiled. “Unlike others, the lovely wolf girl isn’t afraid of you, Ares.”
Afraid of him? The ringleader might think he was death, but he had no idea what I was.
I feared not death but something worse—something the Angel hunters had planned for me.
“Wild and untamed, but she’ll learn manners and discipline,” the leader said confidently, the heat in his fiery amber eyes was blatant.
Many men looked at me with desire when I removed my cloak and exposed my face. Those who had tried to force themselves on me had brought a dark end to themselves without me having to raise a finger against them.
I was untouchable. I couldn’t wait for the day to see the agonized look on the half-blood Dragonian’s handsome face when he dared to lay his hand on my bare skin.
The image of his large, rough hand running over my body caused me to shiver.
“You’ll learn yours sooner than I,” I said. I spoke the truth. Only he didn’t know the truth, which would be too costly for him to learn.
I gave his hot body another quick scan. What a shame.
“We’ll see,” the leaders said. “Go pack if you have anything to pack. We’re leaving.”
“Are you sure she’s the one we’ve been looking for?” asked the horned Dragonian.
“Positive,” the leader said. The hard look had departed his eyes, which now sparked with delight, as if he believed he’d found a treasure.
“The Oracle said we must find the wolf girl first, and this—” he jerked his chin in my direction, “—is our wolf girl.”
Shit! It was never good when an Oracle was involved.
“What makes you think I am the wolf girl you want?” I said. “There’re dozens of wolf girls out there. You’re wasting your time taking the wrong girl.”
“Dozens?” the ringleader snorted and his men snickered.
My wolves gnarled.
“We’ve been hunting you for nearly four months,” the leader said. “We’ve swept over every forest, and you’re the only girl leading a pack of wolves. Wolves don’t obey a human or a half-human. They regard humans as a delicacy.”
My wolves thought him a delicacy.
The ringleader arched an eyebrow. “How did you get mixed up with the beasts?”
“Beasts?” I said. “They’re better than any of you, and you aren’t worthy to lick the dirt under their paws.”
His men exploded into laughter. Their leader didn’t share their belly laughs, but a bright smile wheeled in his eyes.
My pack and I weren’t amused. They growled.
While my face burned in rage, my heart sank into ice.
Now not just King Agro’s surviving sentinels knew about my existence, but the Oracle as well, and the Oracle had betrayed me to these brutes. Had the Oracle led the Angels to me in the first place? Had the Oracle told this man more about me other than me being the wolf girl?
“What Oracle?” I demanded.
“That’s not your concern,” the leader said. “All you need to do is lead us to the First Witch.”
My hands grew cold, and I willed my heartbeat to resume its normal tempo. They would suspect I was more than I appeared if they detected the turmoil inside me.
“Then you’re out of luck,” I said blankly. “I don’t know anything about any witch or where she is. As you can see, I live in the forest and have no connections to the outside world. You’re wasting your, and my, time.”
“The Oracle said you’d take us to the First Witch,” the leader said. “She’s never been wrong. So you’ll do just that.”
So, the Oracle was female. When I had a chance to hunt her down, I would shut her up once and for all, so no more hunters would come my way.
“Let’s go,” the ringleader said. “No more stalling. We’ve wasted enough time just to find you.”
He gave a piercing whistle.
Vast wings appeared above the forest, casting dense shadows. I looked up and drew a sharp breath as they shot toward the edge of the forest.
My wolves howled in hostility.
I hadn’t been mistaken when I thought I’d glimpsed wings soaring overhead. Except they didn’t belong to Angels but some sort of creatures. And the Dragonians rode them.
I dashed toward my daggers on the forest floor, but the Dragonians were faster.
“We’ll keep them for you for now,” the leader said.
I snarled at him, and my pack barked furiously.
The leader turned, not bothered that I could send my wolves to go for his throat, and he expected me to follow.
My nostrils flared at his sheer arrogance.
When he didn’t see me tag along after several yards, he glanced at me over his shoulder and frowned. “What now?”
“After you help us find the First Witch,” said the shifter, “you can return to your wolves and you’ll be bountifully rewarded.”
I didn’t trust anyone’s promise.
“Yes,” the ringleader said impatiently, “you’ll be rewarded riches beyond your wildest dreams.”
What could gold do for my wolves and me? All I wanted was my pack’s safety and me to be left alone. Once again, I had to fight for my freedom. My only choice was to lead the barbarians far away. When the opportunity came, I would finish the lot one by one in their sleep.
“We’d love to have you among us,” the shifter continued to smooth over things. “What’s your name, wolf girl?”
I ignored him.
“Now can we go?” the Dragonian leader asked. “Or must I carry you like a bag of potatoes?”
I trailed after the jerk as I silently and sternly commanded my pack not to follow me.
Let him think he caught me. If he knew whom he’d really abducted, he would have run from me as fast as he could, screaming all the way.
I stared at his backside with a wolfish smirk.
CHAPTER 3
Wind Guardian
My amused smile froze as soon as I saw what landed in the clearing.
Four vast alligator-like creatures folded their enormous wings of talons and swept their tails that could impale a man with one strike. Each creature had seats strapped on their scaled backs.
They bared their fangs—serrated and longer than my forearm—and stared at me with interest. They liked seeing me scared. I lifted my chin and glared at them with disdain in turn.
If I got on those fearsome creatures, they would take me far away, and then it would be more risky for me to journey home since I would have to worry about the Angel hunters. I’d never dared to venture too far from my forest after I’d escaped them years ago.
The savage leader strode toward the alligator that had the largest, most overdeveloped wings. He patted his ride with affection and beckoned at me to approach it. Both beast and man looked formidable and magnificent. Now that the Dragonian leader was relaxed and affectionate, his sex appeal rolled off him like waves.
His sculpted armor fitted him perfectly and highlighted his broad chest. Hard muscles flexed on his arms. My gaze dipped to his long, firm legs before I tore it back to his face.
He had a strong, square jaw, a straight nose that one only saw on the faces of nobility, and long, dark eyebrows. His sensual lips could lead to wild, immodest imaginations. This half-blood had the most symmetric features I’d ever seen, and none of them hid his brutal strength.
For the first time since our encounter, he wasn’t watching me. He wrapped an arm around the beast’s thick, scaled neck in a hug, and the beast purred. It purred!
“I’m not getting on that thing,” I said.
Last time I had been taken to the sky, the Angel had spun me in the air, released me, and only caught me before I hit the ground. Before he had hijacked me, his companions had dropped an Aryanian, a mortal subspecies who had a short lifespan, from the air. Her skull had exploded less than two feet beside me like a cracked egg, her blood and brains splattering all over me.
The sadistic demonstration had been for punishing me for fighting them off.
And then the Angel had soared into the sky with me, ready to show me the extreme sports, despite that my clothes were matted with the girl’s blood and brain. When I had spotted the lake beneath, I’d managed to touch one of his beating wings when they’d come down toward me. His screams of agony had been like music to my ears. His corpse had fallen into the lake after me.
When his companions had reached us, I had been lurking in the depths of the lake. The sky creatures weren’t so powerful in the water. With a touch, I had sent another Angel to Hell, and had buried an angelic blade into the eye of the last Angel.
I’d killed them all.
I was twelve then.
When my pack had found me and dragged me back to the woods, I had had two broken ribs.
“The hell you won’t,” the half-blood leader snapped his head toward me, his amber eyes emitting dark fire. He seemed to have run out of patience with me. This tyrant just couldn’t handle anyone disobeying him.
But he was the one who had invaded my forest and tried to take me away from my home.
This ended now. At this moment, my pack was retreating toward the far north region. They would be safe.
“I won’t fly on that creature,” I repeated. “In fact, I won’t fly at all.”
“You’re my prisoner now, wolf girl,” the Dragonian leader said. “So get used to doing whatever I ask you to.”
“Make me,” I said.
“If
that’s what you want,” he said.
I inhaled the earthy fragrance of the forest. This could be my last breath, but I would bring him down with me. His scream of agony would be a melody.
His men would never find the First Witch, even if they turned every stone on Earth.
I sauntered toward him to meet him halfway, planning to use the beast as a shield after I was done with the ringleader.
The alligator leapt and swept his rider behind him with his mighty wings. The beast faced me, his big ice-blue eyes meeting my dark ones.
Hello, Witchling, the alligator said.
What? I stumbled back. What the hell?
I didn’t expect you to be the nervous type, the alligator said and let out a chuckle like a half-thunder.
Did you—did you talk to me? I asked.
Who else can I talk to other than the only witch who can communicate with my kind? He sighed. He actually sighed as if he thought I was dumb.
How do you know who I am? I demanded, my mind’s voice hard and cold as panic shot through me. You must have taken me for someone else!
I won’t tell your secrets, Witchling, the alligator said lazily, if that’s what you’re worried about.
My taut shoulder muscles didn’t relax at his easy promise.
C’mon, get on my back, he said. I won’t bite and I won’t drop you. Never drop you.
Are you the Oracle? Even as I said that, I knew it couldn’t be. The Dragonian leader had said the Oracle was female. He now darted his piercing gaze between his alligator and me, his face unreadable.
No, no, no. The alligator shook his huge head as if I kept him amused. I’m Ventus, Guardian of Wind. I won’t harm you, Freyja.
I narrowed my eyes. How did you know my name?
You talked to your wolves, and I overheard, he said. Now get onto the seat before everyone gets suspicious.
Fine, I could use him if he turned out to be an ally.
“I’ll ride him alone,” I told the Dragonian leader as I put my gloves on, “if you want me to go with you.”
“He’s my rightful ride, so you’ll ride with me,” the ringleader said. “Each guardian will only take two passengers.”
I looked around. His men had mounted the alligators, two men on each beast.
