Emerson made sniffling sounds.
“What’s that, baby girl?” Palmer asked, crouching near her.
Jordan winced. Sasha kept her distance, likewise holding her tongue. Out of everyone in the pack, Palmer would be the hardest to get rid of. Better if he paid his visit then left on his own. Better still if he did it before Tabor and Elsie returned.
Sasha glanced in the direction of the den as though thinking the same thing.
Emerson groaned miserably. It was as if her body had begun rejecting speech as it did food.
“Jordan, why isn’t she in bed?”
The reprimand snapped Jordan out of her trance. “She was a moment ago. She came out here to be sick.”
Palmer stood tall, his attention now focused entirely on Jordan. “Did she sleep last night?”
“Yes.”
He nodded, his face relaxing slightly. “And she ate the food Kallie prepared?”
“Yes.”
Again the nod. “She should rest more and try to eat again at midday. Francine wants her to get some protein in her stomach at her next meal.”
“Sure,” Jordan said.
Palmer narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Maybe meat will bring out her wolf,” Jordan added.
Palmer pursed his lips and studied Jordan a moment before answering. “There’s a good chance it will. The moment she’s able to shift, this will all be over.”
Jordan went to her sister’s side and held a hand out. “Hey, Emmy. How about we get you back in bed,” she coaxed.
Emerson whimpered.
“Take my hand.”
“Leave me here.” Emerson moaned.
“You can’t lie out in the dirt,” Palmer said, jabbing a hand to his hip. “Once the midday sun rises over you, you’ll feel worse. You don’t want to feel worse, do you?”
Jordan’s hand ached with the urge to slap him. “He’s right,” she said instead, amazed at how steady her voice sounded. “Let’s get you beneath the cabin’s shade.”
At least Palmer helped her lift Emmy, taking one arm to help her to her feet. As they steadied her, Jordan noticed that Sasha had disappeared, maybe to head Tabor and Elsie off. Good thinking. Jordan felt sure Palmer would make himself scarce once Emerson was back inside.
Her stomach felt queasy every time her sister groaned as they moved her, but Palmer did have a point about getting her out from under the sun. Roasting outside would only magnify Emerson’s misery.
“Hang in there. Tabor’s coming,” Jordan whispered for her sister’s ears only as she set her on the bed.
Palmer waited outside, calling in, “Get some more rest, Emmy. I’ll send one of the women with a roasted rabbit in a little bit.”
Emerson lay on her side, staring stony-eyed in the direction of the open door. Jordan stroked her head one final time before joining her father outside. His head swiveled around as he looked at the small clearing around the cabin.
“What happened to Sasha?” he asked.
Jordan shrugged. “She probably took off so Emmy could rest.” You should do the same, she wanted to add, but that might goad Palmer to do the opposite.
Forehead wrinkling, Palmer glanced around one last time before his eyes rested on Jordan. Puffing up his chest he said, “Until one of the women comes by with food, let Emmy rest.”
“That’s the plan,” Jordan shot back.
Palmer sniffed and stared at her a moment longer before taking measured steps toward the path that connected with the trail into the den. Jordan leaned her back against the cabin’s outer wall and folded her arms. Palmer shot her one last look before dissolving into the trees. It took a great deal of patience for Jordan to wait a safe amount of time before pushing away from the wall. As she stepped forward, Sasha, Tabor, and Elsie emerged from another path in the woods.
With her petite frame and long, silken brown hair, Elsie looked like a child, vulnerable and frail. But she walked purposefully and hadn’t blushed or cowered once since her father left her with the pack. She’d even managed to keep her long white dress clean. It brushed gently against her legs as she went inside the cabin, followed by Jordan, Tabor, and Sasha.
Reaching Emerson’s bedside, Elsie placed her slender fingers on Emmy’s forehead. “You poor thing,” she fussed.
“Are you going to help her?” Jordan demanded, patience running thin.
“An abrupt shift could be rough on her in her condition,” Elsie said softly. “The spell was developed decades ago by wizards as protection against bear shifters. A forced shift happens at a much more accelerated pace than the natural process and is harsh on the body.”
Jordan sucked in a breath. Moments ago, there’d been no doubt in her mind that she wanted Elsie to shift Emerson. Now, doubt crept inside her mind like midnight shadows casting hidden dangers in their pallid light.
Emerson’s entire body shook. Sweat slicked her hairline, and she shivered, groaning. “Do it,” Emerson said, deciding for them all. “Do it before it’s too late.”
Tabor moved to his sister’s side and looked down at Emerson. “You might want to get on the floor for this next part.”
Jordan hurried over and held Emerson’s arm as she slipped her legs over the edge of the bed. Sasha joined them, and together they lowered Emerson gently to the ground. Emerson pulled her dress over her head then nodded up at Tabor and Elsie, her face squeezed in pain.
Without further hesitation, Elsie began whispering in tongues, her blue eyes brightening as she focused on Emerson.
Jordan’s shoulders bunched in anticipation. With Flynn, the spell had worked instantly. Jordan sent a silent prayer to the moon that Elsie would be as successful as her father and that no ill consequences would come back to haunt them.
As soon as Elsie spoke the last word, fur erupted over Emerson’s body. Her face elongated, ears rising to the top of her head. Arms turned into legs and fingers into paws. With wolf lips, she made a smacking sound then smiled and rushed out of the cabin on four legs.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Jordan said, already unzipping her pants.
Leaving her clothes in a heap on the floor, she walked outside to shift. As she left, she heard Sasha say, “You probably saved Emerson’s life. Thank you both.”
Jordan would have to thank them later.
* * *
Emerson remained in wolf form for nearly a week. One of the first things she’d done was hunt down a vole, which she digested without any problems. She’d quickly moved on to a rabbit from there. Jordan shadowed her sister the entire time. If there was one good thing that had come out of the whole horrible event, it was that she’d gotten to spend a week with her sister rather than with Raider. If she was really lucky, perhaps she could convince Jager to let her watch over her sister for the entire patrol cycle. Knowing Jager, that would only delay the pairing. She wouldn’t put it past the old coot to simply move their pairing to the next month.
Although the single shifters slept clustered together as wolves, Emerson stayed away from the pack during the night, as well as day, sleeping only with Jordan. Every night, she chose a different location. On the sixth night, she went to the lake, slowing her steps as she padded up to the water’s edge. Jordan figured she meant to take a drink, but when Emerson reached the shoreline, her body quivered. She shifted and stood, blond hair cascading down her back, radiant in the moonlight.
Upon seeing her shift, Jordan did the same and jumped to her feet. It was far less graceful than Emmy, but her heart was bursting with joy to see her sister standing.
Jordan rushed to her side. “Emmy! How are you feeling?”
“Like I need a bath,” Emerson said, her teeth glinting in the light of the moon when she grinned. She turned and waded into the lake until the waters reached her shoulders then dunked her head.
Jordan watched from the shoreline,
waiting for Emerson as she rinsed off before making her way back. She gathered her hair over her shoulder and squeezed the excess water out. It rained over the pond’s surface. Water dripped down Emerson’s skin. Her eyes shone, filled with life.
“Thank the stars,” Jordan breathed as though whispering a prayer.
“Thank Tabor and Elsie,” Emerson said, bending over to shake her hair out using her fingers. After giving her tresses a thorough brush, she tossed her head back. “I’d probably be dead without our wizardly wolf and his half sister.”
Jordan looked her sister over from head to toes. Thanks to the shift, Emerson had filled back out. She was still slender, but no longer skin and bone.
“You look well,” Jordan said. “Do you feel fully recovered?”
“I feel fine,” Emerson answered with a note of defiance in her tone. She tossed back damp strands of hair that had fallen over her breast. “In fact, I’ve never felt more alive. It’s like I crossed over to the land of the dead then reemerged stronger than ever, reborn and ready for anything.”
Jordan squinted at her sister through the darkness. She looked well, but her usually lighthearted tone had taken a cynical edge. Jordan worried her lip. She hoped the near-death experience hadn’t altered Emmy’s personality.
Clearing her throat, Jordan inclined her head. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see you back on your legs.”
“Yeah, too bad so many shifters saw me on my hands and knees with puke in my hair,” Emerson said bitterly, her nose wrinkling. She wrung out her hair some more and finger combed the ends. “What a lovely sight I must have been bent over in the dirt.” Her lips drew back, exposing her gums.
“Emmy, no one was paying attention to how you looked,” Jordan said gently. “We all just wanted you to get better.”
Emerson shook her head. “I’ll never forgive Camilla for this.”
“Camilla?” Jordan tilted her head and squinted.
“I don’t know how she managed to slip something into my stew, but I’m going to make her regret her actions very soon.”
Jordan rubbed her lips together. “What makes you think it was Camilla?”
“Raider, of course!” Emerson had never snapped at her before. Her sister snarled through clenched teeth. “I don’t even want him, but I’m half-tempted to mate him just to rub it in the bitch’s face.”
“Before you go after Camilla, you should know it’s possible that Taryn and Janelle tried to sicken me the night of the claiming ceremony with that squirrel stick I passed to you.”
Emerson shook her head. “I handed that thing to Jager. He looked like he needed it more than me.”
Jordan’s mouth gaped open, and her stomach clenched. She knew she was right about the river, but now she’d gone and falsely accused Taryn and Janelle of attempting to poison her, which would make her first claim almost impossible to pursue. That also meant that she and Emmy had both been targeted. “We need to figure this out.”
“I already have it all figured out,” Emerson said. “The night before I fell ill, I set my stew on a stump to let it cool and went over to talk to Aden. He makes a great patrol partner, by the way.” Emerson flicked her hair back. “Anyway, after chatting with Aden, I moved on to Raider and Jager, who were discussing council business, so naturally I stuck around to hear if Raider had spoken to Wolfrik yet. Nothing crucial, just a small task Raider was assigned to ban Wolfrik from the den, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. And how rotten is it that while I was actively engaging in council matters to better serve the pack, Camilla poisoned my stew? It was still sitting where I’d left it on the stump—plenty of time for the jealous bitch to have at it. I ate it all, and the very next morning, my body felt like it had turned inside out.”
Jordan chewed on the inside of her cheek. There was no denying Camilla had motive and opportunity, but it went completely against her character. She’d always been all bark and no bite. But who did that leave? Jordan could no longer blame Taryn and Janelle—not when Emerson had passed on the squirrel meat.
Maybe Sasha was right. Maybe it had been something more natural.
“I don’t know what to think,” Jordan admitted.
“Sleep on it,” Emerson suggested. She pointed beneath a tree. “I’m staying here. You’re welcome to join me.”
After Emerson shifted, Jordan stood watching her for several minutes. Despite the ill that had happened, relief coursed through her at seeing her sister shift twice on her own. Emmy curled into a ball, pressing her face into the furry hide above her hindquarters. She looked peaceful, which made it all the more jolting the following morning when Emerson shifted and jumped to her feet, her fingers tightening into fists. Her eyes blazed as her snarl silenced the birds.
“Where’s that little bitch? Where’s Camilla?”
It took Jordan a moment to get her bearings on her wavering legs. She’d shifted the moment she saw her sister shift. With the grogginess of sleep still cloaking her mind, Emerson’s words didn’t register right away.
“My wolf will find her,” Emerson said, grinning manically.
Before Jordan could get a word in, Emerson dove forward, shifting before her paws hit the ground. The moment they did, she was off and running.
“Emerson!” Jordan yelled after her, now fully awake. But it was no use. Light-gray fur streaked through the forest, disappearing as swiftly as a pebble below the surface of a pond.
Jordan dropped to the ground, shifted, and took off after her sister. Emerson’s scent permeated the air, becoming less pronounced only when she neared the glade.
The smell of cooked grains wafted through the trees. In wolf form, it never appealed to Jordan the way the scent of roasted game did. She ran past a cluster of wolves blinking sleep from their eyes. Emerson’s scent drifted faintly from the glade.
She cut straight through, her nose leading her to the Sakhir River. With the steady rush of water filling her ears, she didn’t hear the female voices until she reached the small group at the river. Camilla stood naked and knee-deep in the river’s flow, her friends Olivia and Rosalie up to their waists behind her. Emerson had shifted and stood straight-backed at the river’s edge, glaring at Camilla.
As soon as Jordan shifted, she heard Camilla’s haughty voice rising above the whoosh and flow.
“You’re mad!” she said, flinging the words at Emerson. “I don’t need any help winning over Raider, and I’d never hurt a member of my own family no matter what.” She flipped her hair back. “Besides, I know this is all just a game to you, whereas I actually care about Raider.”
Malice edged Emerson’s laughter. She stepped into the river and walked with slow, deliberate steps directly up to Camilla. “If you think you can scare me off, you’ve got another thing coming.” Emerson’s smile was full of promise.
Camilla’s lower lip quivered. “I didn’t do anything. You can’t go around blaming me for getting sick. For all I know, you did this to yourself.”
A snarl lifted Emerson’s lips as though her wolf wanted out. “Why the hell would I poison myself nearly to death?”
“I don’t know.” Camilla hunched her shoulders. “Maybe you wanted Raider to nurse you back to health. You probably weren’t counting on getting as sick as you did, so you ate a little more than you should have. It’s a brilliant plan when I think about it.” Camilla’s shoulders relaxed as she looked at Emerson with consideration. “Make yourself ill to force Raider to care for you, then accuse me of poisoning your food to make me look bad.” With her arms crossed, Camilla glared at Emerson. “That’s a low blow, Emmy, even for you.”
Olivia and Rosalie waded over, each flanking one of Camilla’s sides and giving Jordan a sense of déjà vu.
“Let’s go, girls,” Camilla said, sloshing around Emerson with jerky movements, “before my sister accuses me of making David disappear.”
Jordan’s hear
t stuttered to a stop, along with her breath. “What?” she gasped.
Planting both hands on her hips, Camilla lifted her chin into the air. “While the two of you were racing around yesterday, David went missing.”
Pressure squeezed over Jordan’s heart as though a boulder crushed her chest.
It made no sense. Shifters didn’t disappear from Wolf Hollow. The only person who had ever left was Wolfrik, but that had been his own choice. David had been enjoying his induction into Hudson’s and Chase’s boy club too much to run away.
Camilla shivered. “He went missing while patrolling the hollow’s southeast corner.”
Jordan’s mind raced to the southeast corner as though it had sprouted legs. The Manama River and mountains bordered that corner, and beyond that, the crumbling cities.
They’d been taught to fear humans. Those who had survived the fall of civilization were more savage than wild beasts, and more dangerous with their cunning minds. Even so, they stood no chance against the pack, but if they managed to single out a shifter on duty, they could easily overpower the wolf, especially if they had firepower.
“Be grateful Sydney didn’t get snatched, too. David was her partner, and she was with him right before he went missing.”
A cold shiver ran through Jordan as though icy river water rushed through her veins instead of blood.
Within the space of a week, she’d nearly lost two sisters.
chapter ten
Early-morning dew clung to the leaves and left the earth moist below Raider’s paws as he padded down the narrow trail. A squirrel ran straight across and up a tree before he had a chance to snatch the flighty rodent. If he didn’t catch something soon, he’d have to continue the search for David on an empty stomach.
From off the path there came a frantic screeching that made Raider’s blood pound in his ears with excitement. He dove into the brush, soon reaching an opening in the trees where Wolfrik had pinned a rabbit to the ground. The animal shrieked uselessly as the massive pureblood crushed its neck in his jaws. Lifting the small tuft of wheat-brown fur in the air, Wolfrik jerked the rabbit from side to side until it went silent then dropped it on the ground and ripped it apart before digging in with savage brutality. Upon noticing Raider’s approach, Wolfrik’s head snapped up, blood dripping from his lips. He snarled viciously.
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