by Abigail Owen
Unfortunate timing given she needed to concentrate now and her desire to wrap around her mate was a major distraction. Maybe she should’ve gone first.
Marrok acknowledged the appreciative crowd with a modest bow of his head before he crossed the room to where she stood.
“I’m impressed.” Complete honesty because she was impressed. She wouldn’t want to get on the other end of those knives.
He cleared his throat. “Thanks.”
Was that a hint of a blush? Her new mate was apparently uncomfortable with compliments. Not that she could blame him. She was too. But most male alphas she met were narcissistic assholes who reveled in the adoration of others. Why did she find his modesty kind of cute though? Marrok went up a notch in her eyes.
Tala moved to the center of the dance floor and oriented herself. She’d chosen knives on purpose. They weren’t always her weapon of choice—she had several favorites—but had zero intention of revealing those to the Banes pack. However, she was still an expert with knives and knew she’d be able to put on a show to impress her new family, without giving too much away. Part of the reason she was alpha was no one saw her coming, even when they thought they did. Secrecy and innovation were key to her brand of fighting.
Her wolf didn’t bother to help her out with any added strength or skill. She knew Tala had this without the extra help.
She set her feet shoulder-width apart and raised one arm, pointing straight out, lining the tips of her fingers up with the target closest to Marrok. Tala raised her other arm, bent at the elbow with her hand behind her head, ready to throw.
“You forgot your knives,” Shyla called from the side. She held up the box she’d had brought out. Tala could always count on her little sister to play her part like a pro. Shyla managed to appear both embarrassed for Tala and helpful at the same time.
With a flick of her hand, Tala produced a knife, seemingly from thin air, and hurled it directly into the box Shyla held up.
Several exclamations rose around the room, most to the tune of what the hell. Not from Marrok, though. He crossed his arms and set his feet, his gaze zeroing in on her with what she might have described as deadly intent if she wasn’t his mate. And, just like that, he was every inch the alpha.
And damn it all if she didn’t find him even hotter.
Her wolf, however, growled inside her. She didn’t appreciate the subtle display of power one bit.
Tala ignored her animal. Rather than be intimidated, she drew on the subtle challenge. Time to show him why he should never underestimate her.
Another flick of her wrist, another knife appeared in her hand. This one landed on the target closest to her mate. He narrowed his eyes and she delivered the sweetest smile, right before she flicked her wrist and drew forth another knife. Slowly, one at a time, she circled the room, hitting the same targets he had. Not quite as accurate, as hard or as fast, but still deadly, and her ability to produce her weapons at will, was the true show. Her pack had learned—several of them the hard way—that Tala was never without a weapon, usually many, hidden all over her.
Tala was tempted to take things a step further and showcase what she could do, but her performance equaled Marrok’s, and that was enough. With a dip of her head, she too exited the floor, only to have Marrok snag her by the wrist and lead her back out to the middle of the floor.
“Want to try with a human target to avoid?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Do you trust me enough?”
In answer he crossed the room and pulled two knives out of targets. Then he walked over and placed one in her hand. “Do you trust me?”
He escorted her to stand in front of a target, then moved to position himself in front of one across the way.
Tala flipped the knife in her hand to grasp it properly, then hurled it at his body. The weapon lodged beside his head, but not touching. Without hesitation, Marrok set and threw his own knife. His aim truer, it lodged above her head, touching the top of her tiara as though he’d measured her height.
A twinkle in his blue eyes, Marrok came toward her and held out a hand. “I think that deserves a first dance as mates.”
Playful and deadly at the same time. A combination which warmed Tala from the inside out as a sneaking suspicion struck that she could safely put her life—everything about her life—in Marrok’s capable hands and let him figure everything out.
Tala stiffened as the seductive pull of that concept tugged at her heart. No one had ever made her consider not being completely in charge, completely in control. Why would a man once her enemy do so now? She shook off the sensation. It had to be the magic of their mating. The spell he had her under would dissipate. Go away. Right?
He smoothed a hand down her back as she moved into the circle of his arms. A soulful love song floated through the room.
“Relax,” he whispered close to her ear as they swayed to the music.
Goosebumps broke out over her arms and heat pooled low. But she shoved those reactions aside, still stunned at what she’d been thinking.
Her wolf growled again, pacing and unsettled now. Tala never had the urge to let anyone, let alone an alpha male werewolf, take over. She’d have to be careful around him. She couldn’t let herself give in to that dangerous desire, not if she wanted to keep her pack.
CHAPTER 6
As sunlight penetrated her sleep, Tala fluttered her eyes open only to encounter Marrok’s intense blue-eyed stare. The sandalwood and rum scent of him surrounded her. Even when they were apart, she could smell him on her skin. Her body clamored with a confusing mix of irritation and desire. At the same time, her wolf let loose a tiny huff of irritation.
What was with her? Before the mating, her inner beast had been all about Marrok and his wolf, practically begging for them.
Mate. Tala mentally chided.
Her wolf turned up her nose, then curled up and closed her eyes.
Perhaps the animal side of her was feeding off Tala’s own frustrated energy? Marrok, as a mate in the bedroom was…even now her traitorous body yearned for his touch. Marrok as a mate out of the bedroom? If she was submissive, he’d also be fantastic. But she wasn’t. She was an alpha with a pack watching her every move, their every interaction.
After the last few days, her pack was far from impressed.
Last night, following a series of meetings for various purposes all deciding various joint pack business-related decisions, Sandalio, the most ancient member of her pack, had pulled her roughly to the side after dinner.
“You are making the Canis Pack look like fools,” he’d hissed at her, his canines elongating. “Your new mate is making every decision without you. As our alpha you should be showing the Canis dominance.”
She damn well wasn’t about to get into yet another debate about the combining of the packs meaning they were no longer on opposite sides. However, the need to display dominance ran strongly in male werewolves. No wonder her kind couldn’t figure out how to live in peace.
She yanked her arm out of his tight grasp, drew to her full height, and faced him down. “Do not assume I don’t have a plan, Sandalio. And I suggest you draw your teeth in before I take that as a challenge.”
The last was a command, and she employed the final trick in her arsenal, using her alpha’s voice. Rarely did she bother with the voice, which had the power to force anyone in her pack to do her bidding, because she found the concept distasteful. She refused to be a dictator. However, sometimes she found the males in her pack needed reminding about who was boss.
Sandalio had glared but slowly retracted the razor sharp teeth, resuming his human appearance. “We’re watching.” His warning hung in the air as he slunk away, metaphorical tail tucked between his legs.
Asshole. He’d never had the guts to challenge for alpha himself, but sure loved to throw his weight around. As an elder he should support his alpha and give her advice. Not threats.
Unable to reconcile the opposing emotions buffeting her, Tala
flipped the covers back and hopped out of bed. A growl rolled out of Marrok, and she spun to face him, hands on her hips.
“Did you growl at me?”
He had the grace to give a sheepish grimace, but at the same time managed to appear unapologetic. “Come back here.”
A command. Anger, on slow boil up till now, bubbled out of the pot. Had he just used his f’ing alpha voice on her? Her traitorous body would have obeyed had the wolf inside her not leapt to attention and growled her fury. The deep rumble of it purred up Tala’s throat.
Marrok’s brows slammed down over his eyes. “What the hell, Tala?”
Did he really not get it?
Before she could answer, Marrok’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the number on the screen and grimaced. “Castor.”
Mouth tight, Tala waved at the phone. “Answer it.”
She moved away to the armoire where she’d stored her clothes the day of their wedding and opened a drawer. A shower might help.
“What’s wrong?” The concerned timbre of Marrok’s voice, laced with pure alpha, had Tala turning to pay more attention to the side of the conversation she could hear.
Marrok listened intently, and Tala said nothing to interrupt.
“Go. I’ll be right behind you.” Marrok hung up and got out of bed. “Kaios has a mage and is attacking the nymphs by the chapel in the woods. He has a warlock. I have to help them.”
Tala stepped into his path. “Slow down. Why would he do that?”
“I didn’t get a lot of info—they’re rushing to help. Something about an old grudge against Leia and not appreciating the nymphs faking the prophecy for us.”
Oh no. Dread sank heavy in her stomach. Leia had risked her life for them, more than once it now appeared.
Marrok moved past her and started pulling on clothes. Tala joined him. He paused when his phone rang again, but Tala, dressed, continued into the bathroom.
“Leia?”
Tala stuck her head out of the bathroom, arms above her head as she twisted her shoulder-length hair into a knot. He caught her listening and changed to speakerphone. “Why?”
“I bullied my people into a display of nature to fulfill a prophecy and help two good people. I’m not ruining all my effort, and your opportunity at peace, to take down the asshole werewolf responsible.”
Leia must be in the car already, because the noise of the engine was a constant hum below her voice.
“I’m still coming,” Marrok insisted.
“So am I,” Tala insisted. She slipped two hair sticks into the top knot she’d twisted her hair into to hold it in place.
“So is Tala,” Marrok repeated.
“Okay. But no one else.”
“Agreed.”
Leia hung up. Shoulders rigid and jaw hard as granite, Marrok turned to her. “Ready?”
“One sec.” Tala snagged a vest out of the armoire, slipped it on, and buttoned it up.
Marrok opened the door even as he raised his eyebrows. “Seriously? You need to look good to fight?”
She blew past him, head held high. “You’ll see.”
Usually being underestimated amused her. It gave her an advantage. But having her mate do so struck a raw nerve. Not that he knew her well enough to know better yet. Still…. The garment was custom- made by her own hands, designed to appear like a fashionable piece of clothing—dark grey, with tiny stitched pockets and a smart lapel—it highlighted her breasts. However, like her, the garment was much more.
The drive out to the church where they’d been married took way too long. Tala had to force her body not to fidget. Even as they drove, a thundercloud black as death swirled over the ridge of the mountaintop, despite blue skies everywhere else surrounding. Water poured from the clouds in a torrent, and lightning illuminated the sky with bright flashes. They rounded the bend, and, as the chapel came into view, Tala gasped. Over the tops of the trees, a wall of water raced away from them, the roar deafening. As they watched in horror, the water slammed against the side of the mountain, foaming white at the top like a tidal wave.
They were out of the car in a flash, running to the center of danger as screams sounded from the woods off the right.
“Go to the river. I’ll hit the woods,” Tala yelled.
“Wait!” Marrok called over the cacophony of sounds.
She stopped mid-stride and spun to face her mate, who pointed. Following his direction, she discovered Kaios slinking out of woods into the parking lot where they stood.
Before she could yell out, silence settled over the area like a thick blanket had been placed over them, muffling any noise. Not a creature dared move or even breathe in the wake of the madness.
Anger burned inside her. Whatever Kaios had done to Leia or the nymphs, he’d answer to Tala. Now.
She sprinted across the parking lot, her wolf pushing her to superhuman speeds. Kaios saw her coming, of course, and shifted to face the threat. Tala hesitated only a fraction at the speed with which he made the change—normally werewolves didn’t shift mid-fight because the process took a solid minute and left them vulnerable. But Kaios’s shift was so fast, she would’ve missed it if she blinked slowly. As a werewolf, he was massive, dark grey with eerie yellow eyes.
Still running, Tala pulled one of the hair sticks out of her hair. From one of the many secret compartments on her vest, she produced a tiny blow dart and slipped it in the end of her weapon.
“Tala, no!”
Although she hadn’t heard him behind or beside her, Marrok suddenly jumped between her and the ancient werewolf. She didn’t stop fast enough and slammed into his outstretched hand. Her momentum flipped her sideways, and her face connected with the window of a car with a sickening crack, the glass splintering under the impact. Nausea flooded her gut and crept up her throat as stars danced in her vision, competing with a blackness determined to consumer her.
She dropped to the ground, shut her eyes and sucked in a long slow breath, fighting the wave of unconsciousness. Finally, her head stopped buzzing. Forcing her eyes to open, she found Marrok kneeling over her, his face creased in concern.
“Kaios?” she asked, her head clearing quickly. Accelerated healing was one of the best bonuses of being a were. She levered up and got her feet under her.
“He ran off.”
“Dammit, Marrok. Why didn’t you stop him?” Her wolf growled inside her head.
“He was too fast. I’ve never seen a were move like that.”
“Why’d you stop me?” She could’ve leveled the bastard with one dart. The poison wouldn’t kill a werewolf but knock him out for hours. That’s all they needed. Her wolf snarled and pushed against Tala’s control, furious they’d been stopped.
“My mate was going up against a stronger wolf.”
She shoved him in the chest, and irritation rose as he didn’t budge. “Your alpha mate.”
An itching sensation in her eyes told her they’d changed as her wolf pushed harder. The metallic taste of blood dripped on her tongue as her canine teeth elongated in her mouth, and pricked lips shut tight around a multitude of expletives she held back. Pissed didn’t begin to cover it.
Marrok scowled at the evidence of her ire, but before he could comment, she stalked off into the woods before she lost control. Instead, she focused on following Leia’s uniquely fresh scent. Her mate followed in silence. Smart man. For once.
As they trekked deeper into the forest, the evidence of the water showed up first as puddles, followed by soaked everything. Water dripped from the needles of the pine trees with tiny rat-a-tat-tats. They found Leia, Castor, and another nymph standing over the unconscious form of a man.
Leia was talking to the other nymph. “Can you get the word out to everyone? I’m worried Kaios will try something else.”
The nymph nodded. “I’ll talk to them.”
Marrok and Tala stepped into view. “As a werewolf, he’s our responsibility,” Marrok said.
“What happened?” Castor asked. He was stari
ng at Tala’s face. She must have slammed into the window hard if physical evidence continued to show.
“We ran into Kaios in the parking lot.” Tala touched the welt and winced. “There’s a reason he’s stayed alive this long. We couldn’t stop him.”
“Why not?” Castor asked.
Tala glared at Marrok. “Because someone was too busy trying to protect a woman who didn’t need protecting.”
Marrok said nothing. Nor did he appear contrite in any way, which had her wolf pacing. He needed to get this savior mate complex out of his system, or her wolf might maul him soon.
“So…what next?” Leia asked.
Castor made a spur-of-the moment decision. “We call Delilah.”
“Good idea,” Leia agreed. “She takes care of all manner of supernatural issues. I’m sure she’ll have an idea, and I’m sure she could arrange additional protection for the nymphs here, in case he comes back.”
“She arranged our marriage,” Tala added. “I think you’re right. She’s a resource we can use.”
Leia nodded. “In the meantime, let’s tie him up and gag him. Calli?”
The other nymph glowered at the unconscious man on the ground. “We’ll hold him here until you come for him. Arrange protection for you too, Lyleia.”
“Why?” Leia asked.
“He knows you forced the prophecy. He’ll come for you too.”
Guilt weighed heavily on Tala’s shoulders. She had put Leia in this position. She had brought Kaios’s wrath down upon the sweet nymph. Tala would be damned if that werewolf got anywhere near Leia ever again. Tala would call Delilah later and work with her friend to make sure plans were in place to protect anyone Kaios tagged as an enemy.
CHAPTER 7
Tala and Marrok managed to return to their suite in the hotel, with none of their people the wiser about the issues with Kaios and the warlock. Curious, she went to the vanity mirror in the bathroom to check her face. What had been a baseball-sized bruise on her cheek when they got in the car was already smaller and reduced to green rather than black and purple. Thank the gods for accelerated healing; otherwise she’d have some fast talking to do today. As it was, by the time they attended their first meeting to discuss pack business, she’d be able to cover any visible remnants with makeup.
