Finding the Power Within

by C. C. Masters

  I tried to push away the bitterness that was rising within me. I had been tormented as a child, with Evelyn as the only person who cared for me. But she had never stepped in to protect me or tried take me away from my abusive uncle. She let me go back home to him every night, knowing what awaited me.

  If she was a paid caretaker, why couldn’t she just adopt me? Was her story about being hunted by a pack even true? I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and took a deep breath. Evelyn was not here for me to ask, but my father was.

  “Why-” My voice broke and I cleared my throat.

  “I didn't dare to get too close to you. I couldn't risk anyone finding you or realizing our connection,” Froston told me forlornly.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to keep my heart from thawing. "Why not?"

  He looked off into the distance as if searching for answers. "It's complicated."

  I felt my heart hardening. "So, uncomplicate it."

  "Anna, don't trust anyone. It's not safe for you here."

  "Not even you?" I shot back.

  He smiled at me sadly. "Only if we are alone. I have a part to play when being watched. Things would only be worse for you if they realized how much I care for you."

  I huffed in irritation. "Actions speak louder than words, you haven't shown that you care for me at all."

  He reached out for me, but I kept my arms crossed over my chest.

  He looked disappointed but dropped his hands into his lap. "I do care for you, Anna. If I didn't I would not have been able to stay away from you all these years."

  I scowled. Did he think I was stupid?

  "So what stopped you?" I asked him, not even trying to hide the accusing tone in my voice.

  "There are things you don't know-"

  "So tell me," I interrupted sharply. "Don't keep dragging this out."

  He nodded as if I had just confirmed something for him. "I am deeply indebted to the king. Our house is a noble house, but we continue to exist dependent on the king's will."

  He looked at me to see if I was following so I gave him a nod. "Magic runs deep in our blood. Legend has it that the gods formed our ancestors out of pure elements. That is why we have such a strong connection to the elemental magic around us."

  I frowned, thinking about the fire that had come bursting out of me. Using magic still seemed like a foreign concept to me; my brain struggled to put magic in terms of the science that I was familiar with. Gods forming people out of elements did not fit with the scientific explanations for the world.

  "So we are magical and indebted to the king. Why am I here?" I asked bluntly.

  He chuckled. "You are here because King Illian wants something from you. I wasn't the only one who felt the flare of magic that identified your position. One of the princes was in the human world and felt it as well. I did all I could to make sure that I was the one to bring you here, but we were closely watched. If I had given even a hint that I was not wholeheartedly doing the king’s bidding, someone else would have been sent for you."

  He leaned forward to signify the importance of his next statement. "You do not want to be in the care of anyone but me."

  "So… you kidnapped me to keep me safe?" I asked doubtfully.

  He sat back in his chair. "If I hadn't, someone else would have."

  I watched him carefully. I didn't sense that he was lying but he clearly was not telling me everything.

  "What does the king want from me?" I asked warily.

  Froston sighed. "He needs a weapon."

  My eyebrows rose in alarm.

  "You wouldn't have to harm anyone," Froston assured me hurriedly. "Just demonstrate your power, so that King Illian can tell the Summer Court that we have an entire army…like you."

  “I’m not going to hurt anyone,” I told him firmly.

  Froston smiled at me affectionately. “That’s why we need to teach you how to use your magic now that you’ve broken my barrier. I’m sure you don’t want to accidentally harm anyone in your pack?”

  I shook my head, my stomach clenched in anxiety. I had gotten lucky that my fire had only harmed my attackers. What if I had burned James while I was clinging to him? Or what if Austin and Cody had been standing too close? Tears came to my eyes at the thought. I had absolutely no control over what happened that night, and I would never forgive myself if I harmed anyone that I loved. I barely forgave myself for harming my enemies - the image of Ben, burned and broken, trying to crawl away from me was forever burned into my memory.

  I swallowed nervously. Maybe being here could be an advantage in the long run, but I needed to know more about what I was getting into. I knew nothing about the fae, I hadn’t even known they existed. When the barrier broke around my magic, I had never expected to be told that I was part fae. Sam had told me that panthers down in South America had shamans who could use magic, so I had just assumed that I was an unusual wolf.

  Froston was here now and he owed me an explanation. "I don’t know anything about the fae," I told him hesitantly. “Can you give me a crash course?”

  Froston laughed. “Human mythology usually splits the courts into Light and Dark, Seelie and Unseelie, but the closest English words for them would be Winter and Summer. Both are separated from your world by a veil that we need to use a portal to cross. Both courts can cross into the human world, but there is no direct link between Winter and Summer.”

  My heart dropped when I realized that I was not even in the same world as my pack any longer. How was I going to get back to them?

  I tried to focus on what Froston was telling me and not let despair overwhelm me. He was explaining how most of the fae in the Winter Court had powers related to winter, death, and destruction.

  "I would think that makes Winter more powerful." I interrupted.

  He smiled with amusement. "Life can be just as powerful as death."

  I shrugged unhappily. "What if I can't 'demonstrate my power'? I've failed at just about everything I've tried to do with it."

  Froston gave me a softer smile. "You're still just a child. It takes time."

  I made a face. “I’ve been on my own for years,” I told him defensively. “I’ve built a successful life for myself; I think that makes me anything but a child.”

  He smiled at me affectionately, but didn’t argue.

  I took a deep breath. “So after I prove myself to the king, I can go home?”

  He avoided eye contact so I pressed further. “How do I even get home? Where are we? Why did you take me to the Arctic? Who were those other men? Why didn’t they freeze to death instantly in the subzero temperature? Why didn’t I?”

  Froston looked surprised at my barrage of questions so I paused for a moment to give him time to start answering me. I was most concerned with any information he would give me on how to get out of here and back home.

  Movement caught my eye and I turned to see the door opening once again. This time a tall, dark haired man stood at the door, staring at me from the other side of the barrier with a smirk on his face. I sat up a little taller and looked at Froston. He had a slight frown that he quickly hid before turning his back to the door.

  He turned to me so that his face was not visible to the man at the door. "I need you to play along for now," he said urgently. “This man is dangerous to both of us.”

  I sighed but gave a quick nod. I didn’t know what was going on here, but I was hoping it would not hurt me to follow Froston’s lead for now. I was going to trust that whatever he was doing here was meant to help me and not harm me.

  Froston turned back to the door with a grin on his face. His attitude and mannerisms had changed back to the jovial character when I first met him. He let the stranger in the door, and there was no sign of the caring father that he had been playing only a moment ago.

  Which was the real Froston, and which was an act?

  My gaze went to the stranger as he crossed the barrier and moved into the room. He had wavy dark hair that fell almost to his shoul
ders, and green eyes that were even brighter than mine. The stranger was wearing all black, but the cut of his clothes was more old fashioned than Froston’s business-like slacks and button down. His dark shirt had an open neck and snug breeches tucked into knee-high boots. He was tall and lean, and had an almost ethereal beauty, unlike the rugged good looks of my wolves. But where my wolves radiated warmth, and Froston radiated the fresh coldness of a winter day, the stranger had a darkness about him.

  I extended my senses further to get more of an awareness of him. The darkness that exuded from him wasn’t frightening at first. It was almost seductive in the way that it drew me in, so I hurriedly backed off and tried to shut off those senses.

  Froston gestured for me to stand. “Anna, I would like to introduce you to our Prince Mandrake.”

  I stood and smoothed down my dress, unsure of how to greet a prince. “Um, nice to meet you,” I murmured.

  The prince looked amused by my obvious discomfort, but didn’t say anything. He gracefully took a seat in the chair that Froston had vacated, while Froston stood behind his chair. After he was settled he waved a hand for me to sit across from him.

  I tried to hide how nervous I was as I sat and pasted a smile on my face. Hopefully, it didn’t look as fake as it felt.

  “Anna,” He said my name slowly as if savoring it. “I’m glad your father finally brought you here.”

  My eyes flicked to Froston and he gave me what I thought was supposed to be an encouraging look. Luckily, the prince was not waiting for a response from me.

  “We will be starting our lessons tomorrow, I’ve made time for you in the afternoons.”

  I looked at him curiously. “What lessons?”

  Froston cleared his throat but the prince leaned forward to speak in a playful manner. “Now, Anna. I don’t expect you to observe pointless courtesies when we are alone. But if we were in public, I would have to punish you for your disrespect.”

  I just looked at him blankly before shifting my gaze to Froston. What was he expecting from me?

  “They don’t have royalty where Anna lives in the human world, my prince.” Froston told him cautiously. “Anna, you should address the prince as ‘Your Highness’ when speaking to him.”

  I turned bright red but mumbled an apology with ‘your highness’ tacked on the end. I looked up through my lashes to see the prince with a grin on his face. I wasn’t sure if he was amused by how uneducated I was, or by how embarrassed I was. But either way, I didn’t like the way his eyes quietly mocked me. But Froston had cautioned me that this man was dangerous, so I held my tongue.

  “My unique talents are best suited to teach you what I need you to do for me” the dark prince declared with a smirk.

  I hadn’t missed the double entendre, but I wasn’t sure how to respond. Froston didn’t miss a beat. “We are both grateful to you for your help, Your Highness.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” the prince murmured as he ran his eyes slowly over my body as if he were thinking about devouring me. A shiver ran down my spine as tendrils of his magic reached for me. My body might be responding to whatever magic he was trying to use on me, but my heart was already full. I had absolutely no desire to get involved with this man, I wanted to go home to my wolves.

  “How long do you think it will be before I can go home?” I blurted out. “Your Highness.” I added as an afterthought. I was not looking forward to spending time with this guy, especially not alone. I didn’t like the way that he made me feel, and I missed my pack.

  The prince laughed but Froston looked nervous.

  “I take it you have not told her our plans?” The prince asked, not taking his eyes off me. “No matter, we will have plenty of time to discuss it.” He stood and Froston motioned for me to stand as well.

  I thought about being defiant for a split second but stood as Froston directed. I forced myself to smile at the prince as he held out his hand for mine. I gave him my hand cautiously, but he merely held it for a moment.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I look forward to our time together.” The prince held my gaze as he slowly raised my hand to his mouth and gave it a gentle kiss. I tried to ignore the heat that flooded through my body, but I couldn’t hide the flush that rose to my cheeks. What was going on with me? I felt like my body was betraying my heart, was this some kind of fae magic? It was way too soon for my hormones to be affecting me this strongly, I wouldn’t be going into heat again until late December.

  The prince gave me one last smirk before turning to the door. “Froston, I require your assistance.”

  “Of course, Your Highness.” Froston murmured in response.

  I opened my mouth to object. There was no way they were going to give me little bits of info that just caused me to have more questions, then walk away without giving me answers.

  Froston shot me a look behind the prince’s back and waited until the prince had crossed the barrier with a shimmer. Interesting. Did the barrier only work on me?

  “I’ll explain everything,” Froston assured me. “Just give me some time.”

  I ground my teeth in frustration but gave him a nod. He breathed a sigh of relief then followed the prince through the barrier, leaving me alone in my prison.

  Chapter 3

  Austin

  I straightened my shirtsleeves and took a deep breath. Cody had gathered the majority of the pack here today for a meeting. All our team leaders were here, but we had left a skeleton crew to guard our boundaries.

  My pack was organized into teams of six wolves, the members of each team were expected to remain in close contact with each other at all times. Each team had a strong team leader and five other wolves whose skills complimented each other. The organization helped to keep my pack of over fifty wolves close and easily mobilized in case of emergencies.

  News of Anna’s disappearance had spread through the pack quickly and tempers were high. My pack might be civilized and well disciplined, but we were still wolves. Having a stranger come into our territory and take our most precious female was going to rile even my most dependable wolves.

  The loss of Anna had struck painfully deep in my heart. She hadn’t been gone that long, but I already felt the emptiness that echoed in the house without her warmth and her scent. The thought of her bright smile had gotten me through quite a few stressful days. Having Anna here had given me a renewed sense of purpose. She inspired me to work harder to make a better life for my pack. The thought of coming home every day to a house without her left me feeling empty inside.

  I strode down the hall to where my pack was gathered and tried to tuck my feelings away. My pack was waiting for my orders and needed me to be strong and confident. Cody and Trevor were attempting to keep order, but my pack needed direction and an outlet for their frustrations. As pack master, I could feel anger radiating throughout my pack. I needed to give these guys something to do before that anger boiled over into senseless violence.

  I stepped into the room and Cody’s eyes flicked towards me with relief. I knew things were bad if Cody was at the end of his rope. Cody and Trevor were the two largest wolves in the pack so normally they wouldn’t be having a problem keeping control over the rest of the guys. Even when we were in our human forms, we were still influenced by the instincts we had inherited as wolves. Our shape didn’t change that.

  “Enough!” I shouted, putting the full weight of a pack master’s authority into the command.

  Heads immediately snapped towards me, and there was silence in the room. I didn’t like using my abilities as pack master to control my wolves, but in this instance it was necessary. I relaxed my hold on them once I had everyone’s attention.

  “Everyone have a seat,” I told them briskly. There was not enough chairs or couches in our kitchen/dining/living room area for everyone, so some of the lower ranking wolves sat on the floor.

  “I know there have been rumors going around.” I met the eyes of each one of my team leaders, gauging their reactions
. Most gave me nods before lowering their eyes. One of them, Blendel, looked at me defiantly before lowering his eyes - he was going to need some special attention.

  “Anna has been taken by the enemy,” I announced bluntly.

  Angry grumbles and discontented murmurs drifted from pockets in the room. I made note of which teams that came from. I had debated on just how much I should tell my wolves. Would announcing that Anna was part fae put her in even more danger? Was it fair to my pack to withhold that information if we were going to be going up against the fae?

  “Just who is our enemy?” Blendel challenged. “There’s talk of fucking faeries and shit.”

  I met his gaze head on and let him feel the weight of my stare, putting my full power behind it. He quickly dropped his eyes, backing down from his challenge.

  “While most of us have been under the impression that the fae were nothing more than myths and exaggerated fairy tales, myself and other pack mates have stood in their presence and can assure you that they are real.” I looked around the room as I spoke and was met with incredulous and disbelieving looks.

  James picked that moment to walk into the room and stand behind my right shoulder. Some of my more cantankerous wolves quieted with his threatening presence. While I tried to be an approachable leader with an open-door policy, James made most of my wolves nervous with his mere presence.

  James narrowed his gaze on Blendel after scanning the room. “You afraid of fucking faeries and shit, Blendel?”

  Blendel scoffed but stayed silent, submissive for now.

  I cleared my throat. “This meeting was called before the events that occurred earlier this morning. I had planned to deliver some news that will be a pleasant surprise for most of you.”

  I paused, giving the pack a moment to take in my words and shift gears. The fear and uncertainty in the room decreased somewhat now that their curiosity was piqued. Good. That was the goal. “I’ve decided to recall our teams from overseas. We have withdrawn our bids for the next round of government contracts and will be regrouping here in Seaside.”