The two Okami wolves had been listening to his conversation since the moment his daughter mentioned them. The russet wolf in question, Toren, shifted into human form. Val Jean admired the young red-haired male’s beauty. Striking blue eyes stared at him intently. “Will you let him go as well?” Toren dared to ask, nodding at the wolf beside him.
Val Jean noticed that the other wolf, Zeveride—a big, sexy black beast with unusual streaks of blue and silver in his pelt––was watching him with a predator’s gaze.
Toren had been wild and unruly when he was first brought in, something that Val Jean did not tolerate. Then before he could have the young wolf put to death, Zeveride had shifted for the first time since he arrived weeks before. Standing tall and proud in human form, Val Jean admired the large, handsome male. Speaking for the first time, Zeveride told Val Jean that he was the more dominant wolf, and that he’d keep Toren in line.
So far, he’d been as good as his word. Val Jean anger rose. How dare this wolf ask for anything?
“I think not, and you might want to stop before I change my mind about you as well,” Val Jean said, staring at the wolf.
Toren swallowed deeply. “Then please let me stay. I’m happy here.” He glanced down at Zeveride, an unfathomable expression in his eyes.
With a scowl, Val Jean studied the wolf. This was an interesting turn of events and he couldn’t help but wonder what might be between the two wolves. Turning back to his daughter, he nodded. “Contact this wolf, set up a meet down at the river for the twenty-fifth.”
“Daddy, that’s Christmas day!” Serena whined, impatient that she had to wait that long.
“I have something to take care of first and I won’t be back until then,” he said, cutting her off.
“What could be more important than me?” Serena asked with a pout.
Val Jean grunted. “Just business, it would bore you,” he said.
“Does it have to do with your brother?” she asked.
Val Jean stayed silent.
Serena swallowed. “Doesn’t he like to destroy planets?”
“He does,” Val said quietly, trying to fight the worry inside of him. This was his world. He tried to convince himself that Val Dagan had no business coming here. Yet after absconding with a young wizard who didn’t belong to him, he had lived in fear of the day Val Dagan would show up to reclaim the child.
“So, what does this mean? What’s going to happen?” Serena asked with a frown.
Val Jean knew she wouldn’t want anyone messing up her perfect life.
“I’m not sure, and that is all I am saying,” he said.
Serena sighed deeply. “Fine. Christmas day will work then, but not later, right?” she asked.
“No, no later,” Val Jean said.
“Thank you, Daddy.” With a kiss on his lips, Serena slipped off his lap and he caught her satisfied smile as she sashayed away. She may be impatient, but she was still happy at the thought of getting her own pet back.
Chapter Ten
A Home
Soroyan met Kyrian at the large slab of rock that was ideal for sitting and gazing out over the valley to the south.
“How are you, brother?” Kyrian asked.
Soroyan looked away, unsure how to answer. The simple fact was, he was very unsettled about what he was contemplating.
“You are healed from the fight?” Kyrian asked. The Ilyium and Were-wolves had attacked, wanting Thaniel and Mark back.
Soroyan nodded. “Yes, and the pack?”
Kyrian let out a little sigh. “Wounds are healed, but the heartbreak of more loss will take time.”
Soroyan didn’t say anything. He understood all too well, though he had his doubts about time healing.
“Nothing yet?” Kyrian finally asked.
Soroyan shook his head. “No.” He spotted a group of white-tail deer grazing by the edge of the lake down below. “Nothing other than it is confirmed that this Val Jean has him,” he answered.
Kyrian eyes were wistful as he too spotted the deer. “Well, that’s something at least.”
Soroyan thought of the scents he’d caught the evening before while out running. “I scented cat last night near the house, and not the little one, Thaniel, or the female in heat,” he said.
“Yes, Sami brought a couple of Were-cats out to help the female who turned Thaniel,” Kyrian said.
“They are still here,” Soroyan added.
“Yes, one is with Elianna in one of the cabins, the other left,” Kyrian said then continued. “Sami has made a deal with Enyowas. He’s the leader of the Spokane Were-cats. He has some of his cats keeping an eye on the Were-wolf den for us. They will call if anyone returns there.”
Soroyan didn’t respond. He’d seen the place. It was trashed and he didn’t imagine anyone would be going back. Still, it was a good idea.
“Tierney and Jax took Thaniel as mate,” Kyrian said, watching him.
Soroyan went completely still. While the news felt like another arrow in his heart, it didn’t surprise him. “I knew the leopard had feelings for them,” he said, not meeting his brother’s gaze.
“You know, I’ve seen how some of the females in the pack look at you,” Kyrian said, drawing a glare from him. Kyrian sighed and let the subject drop. “Tierney has made us a proposal I couldn’t refuse,” he said instead.
Soroyan frowned, not sure he was going to like what his brother was about to say.
“She’s offered the pack a safe, protected place to live,” he announced.
Soroyan couldn’t help scowling. The thought of even closer contact with their allies left him conflicted. “In that monstrosity of a home of theirs?”
Kyrian smirked. “No, not really, though they did offer us the use of their home, facilities, rooms, everything.”
At Soroyan’s snarl, Kyrian snorted. “She offered the pack their underground garage. It’s large, heated, ventilated, and has very good security, which will be to our advantage.”
Soroyan was unable to refute that.
“I’m tired of always running, moving, worrying about the pregnant and young,” his brother said and Soroyan understood.
He’d been tired of it for a very long time as well. Still, to live with people they didn’t really know? He knew that his brother had a vision, telling him to come here—that they’d have allies in their war against the Ilyium. They’d also learned years ago that to ignore his visions courted dire consequences.
So they’d made their way to Washington state where they first observed Tierney and her family, until Kyrian finally deemed them trustworthy. Not that either of them thought the four living here were harmless. In fact, they’d watched them train in various martial arts, as well as weapons for months before making contact. It was clear that they were very lethal, which would be beneficial to an alliance. Still, despite Soroyan’s doubts, Kyrian went ahead and made contact.
He was just glad that Kyrian had been right about the situation, as the four below had proven themselves more than worthy. Plus, they had an actual safe home with heat, which would help in the winter months for the young and the few elderly they had left in the pack.
That didn’t make the idea of it all any easier for Soroyan. His wolf stayed so close to the surface that his wild instincts and urges often influenced the human side of him. With an inward sigh, he realized that it didn’t matter. He would just stay outdoors, keeping an eye on things from a distance. At least the pack would finally be safer than they had been in a long while. It might even be a good thing if he weren’t around any longer.
“Good. That is good,” he finally said, drawing a shocked look from his brother.
It was a moment before Kyrian spoke again. “You should come down to the house for dinner tomorrow.”
Once again, Soroyan’s mood turned black and he snarled. “I may agree to stay close by while you live down there, but why would I want to do that?”
Kyrian’s silver, all-knowing eyes bore into him and for a fleeting mo
ment, Soroyan caught a glimpse of desperation before it disappeared. “It is Christmas,” he said quietly.
Soroyan snorted, but without any rancor.
Kyrian continued. “I know we’ve never celebrated that human holiday, but maybe it’s time to embrace some new traditions. Life, though long for us, can end at any moment, maybe it is time to enjoy it once again.”
Soroyan thought about his brother’s words, but didn’t respond.
“Besides, we’ve been invited.”
Soroyan took a deep breath and slowly let it out. His brother was right. They’d known that their way of life needed to change. He just didn’t know if he was ready for it. Finally, sensing how badly Kyrian wanted him there, he nodded. “Fine.”
“Good,” Kyrian said, and a moment later he turned and started down the trail. When he was ten feet away, he drew on his power and shifted into his wolf.
Blueish-gray streaks caught the sun and gleamed in the silky silver-and-white coat as he walked away at the same slow, thoughtful pace. Soroyan watched his brother until he was out of sight.
Kyrian had grown up fast. Too fast, Soroyan thought, feeling guilty. Still, his brother had survived and so had the pack. Well, some of them anyway.
He thought of eating a meal in Tierney’s home. It would be hard to watch her with her two mates, though the idea of once again sitting down at a table for a real meal wasn’t such an aversion.
There had once been a time when they all lived in homes outside of a small town. They had tried to fit in, but back then, it was not an easy task. Humans were nosey.
He glanced toward the south, where the city of Spokane lay. Nowadays, it would be much easier. In fact, a few of their pack did live in the human world. They were the ones who helped the rest of the pack with things like cell phones and other items when needed.
For the first time in months, he thought of another, a pack mate who had dived into the human world and stayed there for over twenty years. Ransom. The lone wolf had even joined the humans’ causes, and went off to fight on the other side of the world. When he finally rejoined the pack, he’d taken a mate.
Soroyan wondered where his pack mate and the closest thing he had to a friend might be. After their last battle with the Ilyium in Nevada, Ransom had lost his mate and left, desiring only to be alone. Soroyan had wanted to stop him, but in the end he understood and let him go. Just like he’d let others go.
Tired of feeling guilty over his past mistakes, he shifted into his wolf and trotted off up the mountain.
Chapter Eleven
Christmas Dinner
Tierney looked up and down the super-long table they had set up for Christmas dinner with a happy smile on her face. Up until this year, Christmas had always been a small, quiet affair. A time when they wished that their long-dead loved ones could be with them.
Things had changed. Their little family was growing, and fast. Over fifty of them sat around the table, though a lot of the Okami wolves had taken a plate of food outside, not yet comfortable here in the dining room.
Turning her gaze on her best friend, she watched him with his pregnant mate for a moment. Hellfire, a Phoenix shifter, had given Sami hell before they mated.
Gods, up until a month ago, Tierney had no idea there were so many different supernatural beings on Earth.
Feeling her gaze, Sami turned and smiled at her. Tierney knew he had major doubts about being a father to his and Hellfire’s twins, along with the baby he and Goldy were having. She knew he’d make a wonderful father.
Hearing a good-natured laugh, she smiled at Goldy. The Genesis Dracones that Sami had rescued while in Calgary, had become enraptured by another Dracones named Isoul, who’d recently been dragged into their home. Poor guy had been in rough shape, but he was slowly regaining his health, along with his depleted power.
Tierney turned her gaze on Hellfire’s twin and grinned at the sight of his strange woman-friend oohing over all the food. One moment she was a gorgeous-looking woman, and the next she’d shifted into her minute form and was darting all around. Tiny gossamer wings fluttered as she checked out the dishes she couldn’t reach from her seat.
“Good thing she can’t read minds,” Jax said beside her and smirked. They had learned not to call her Tink, or Tinkerbell, after Brimstone told them what happened when he’d mistakenly done so. They had all gotten a good laugh when Sami told them that story.
Really though, who would have thought such an innocent looking thing like that could be so deadly? The Svrite had sucked most of the life force out of Isoul in order to locate Brimstone, following his mental signature here to Earth from Tartaria.
Poor Isoul who was only part Dracones, didn’t seem to know what to think of Goldy. He’d been trying to keep his distance since he had a mate back home in Tartaria, though Tierney had noticed that when he thought no one was looking, he couldn’t keep his eyes off Goldy either.
Goldy absently rubbed her belly, smiling at something that seven-year-old Lilly said, and Tierney felt a twinge of longing.
She’d love nothing more than to have children of her own, but she also knew that normally, it wasn’t so easy for a Dracones to get pregnant. She didn’t imagine she’d be any different. As it was, she was still awaiting her awakening, which would allow her to shift into her dragon.
“Are you all right?” Jax asked from where he sat on her left.
Tierney smiled at her mate and nodded, before looking to the right and smiling at her other mate, Thaniel. The happiness she saw in her sweet Were-leopard’s eyes warmed her heart.
Then she realized who was missing from the whole scene and with a frown, she turned to Kyrian who sat across from her. The king of the Okami wolves looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and she supposed it was.
Any day the Raizarch wolves would show up expecting to mate their youngest female to Kyrian’s youngest son. They had a very limited window of time where they were able to stay in human form, for the mating to take place. Once the mating was done, the curse on the Raizarch pack would be broken. A curse that had kept them locked in wolf form for the last five hundred years, other than the short six hours they were granted once a week to shift into their human form. Well, that and the short window of time right now from the magical blood moon eclipse that had just happened in Tartaria. Unfortunately, Toren happened to be Kyrian’s one and only son, and he was missing.
Although she knew Kyrian’s brother was doing his best to extract information from Marcius on the missing wolf’s whereabouts, he still needed to eat.
“Did you tell Soroyan to come down for some dinner as well?” she asked, thinking about the dangerous, dark, surly wolf whose unfathomable stare once sent a chill down her spine but who no longer scared her.
“Yes, I asked him to come. I thought he’d be here—” Kyrian stopped speaking abruptly and Tierney knew he was communicating telepathically with someone. When he paled, she frowned and switched to telepathy herself. “Kyrian, is everything all right?”
The leader of the Okami wolves glanced around the table before looking back at her. “He was supposed to come down earlier. Now I can’t contact him. I sent one of my wolves up to the cave, but he’s gone.”
Tierney knew the cave was where Soroyan was holding Marcius. “Gone?”
Kyrian nodded, and Tierney as an empath could feel his worry and fear.
“Maybe he took a run, or just didn’t want to come?” she suggested, but Kyrian shook his head.
“No, he said he’d be here, besides, the prisoner is missing as well.”
‘Shit.’ Tierney bit her lip and looked over at Jax and Sami. “We should all talk in private.”
Kyrian agreed.
“We will find Soroyan, and your son,” Tierney said as she stood up. She wanted to make it a promise, but her own gripping fear prevented her from doing so.
“Sami, Jax,” Tierney called her friend and mate. “We need to meet in Dad’s office.”
***
T
ierney leaned up against her dad’s desk while Kyrian explained to Jax and Sami that Soroyan and Marcius were both missing.
“Is there any evidence of a struggle?” Jax asked.
“No,” Kyrian answered.
Movement at the door caught their attention. Tierney smiled. “Come in, Thaniel.”
The shy Were-leopard that she and Jax had just bonded and mated with entered cautiously.
“Soroyan and Marcius have disappeared,” Jax explained, letting his anger go so as not to scare his new mate.
Thaniel’s eyes widened at the sight of them all. Tierney patted the spot beside her and then put her arm around Thaniel when he slid in next to her.
Sami checked all the security footage he had via his phone. “I’m not seeing anything, but we only have surveillance down here around the house. Still, I’ll keep looking, you never know.”
“When did you last see or talk to him?” Tierney asked.
Kyrian shrugged. “I saw him just yesterday. He agreed to join us for dinner.”
Tierney held back her shock. She didn’t think the big bad wolf would agree to come in and sit at the table and would have thought the surly wolf was just avoiding them, if it weren’t for the fact that Marcius was missing as well.
“Disappearing without a word is not like him,” Kyrian said, running a hand through his long, silvery-blond hair with blue streaks.
“That is exactly like him,” Sasha said, walking into the room.
The pretty Okami healer’s frost-blue eyes took in everyone before settling on Kyrian.
“Sasha,” Kyrian said and then pursed his lips.
With a deep sigh, Sasha let whatever drama they had going on drop for the moment.
Tierney thought about what Soroyan had been doing with Marcius and couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for anyone to do what he did.
Dracones Boxset Books 1-5 Page 135
