by C. D. Gorri
“What the hell?” She blinked her brown eyes open and pressed a hand to her temple, rising onto an elbow. Turning her head, she took in her surroundings, confusion contorting her delicate features. “Am I dead?”
He could see how she might think so. His pocket dimension rendered the world around them colorless, as if they stood in a bubble in the middle of a fog.
“You’re alive…for now.” His gravelly voice startled her, and as she took in his form, she scrambled to her feet.
“Grunch.” She tilted her head, squinting at him.
He cringed at the derogatory name. “I’m a gargoyle, not a Grunch. That name was given to us by the humans…the very people we were supposed to protect.” They considered him and his brothers a family of albino deformities, with their stone-gray skin, hunched postures, and demon-like faces, and they exiled them to the outskirts of town. In their homeland, the gargoyles could transform completely to their human forms, but the piece of Thropynite they’d brought with them to New Orleans didn’t have enough power for full transformations, so they were frozen in this abhorrent in-between state.
She scoffed and shook her head. “Protect them from what? You eat their hearts.”
They had to keep their demon sides fed to maintain their power, much like a werewolf was compelled to hunt in his wolf form despite what the man had eaten. “We sacrifice a few to shelter the masses.”
“From magic.” She crossed her arms.
“Magic is an abomination.”
“What do you think made you?”
“You know nothing about me,” he growled. He was tempted to end this conversation for good and absorb her knowledge the demonic way, but she could be of use to him alive. “I will not tolerate your insolence, witch. Now, tell me how you acquired the Thropynite.”
“I’m not a witch.” She called on her magic and transformed into a snarling wolf.
Alrick grunted. She was a she-wolf, after all. The magic he used to create this small dimension normally kept both supernaturals and humans away. They couldn’t sense the pocket lying parallel with their world, but they’d acquire a feeling of foreboding unease if they ventured anywhere near it. Perhaps the Thropynite had guided her here.
The wolf rocked back, preparing to spring, and Alrick crossed his thick arms. Baring her teeth, she lunged, aiming directly for his neck, but she slammed into the invisible wall of her cell, bouncing off and hitting the floor with a thunk. She sprang to her feet and dove to the side, where she encountered yet another wall.
“You won’t escape.” He sank into a chair he’d brought in from the earthly realm. “Your prison is fortified by magic only I can unravel.” His threat wasn’t entirely true. His witch had finally broken the spell after decades of imprisonment, but this she-wolf didn’t possess the ability to undo demon magic.
She growled before transforming into a woman. “Do you hear yourself? You’re using the very thing you’re trying to rid the world of. You’re the abomination.”
“Indeed I am, as are my brothers.” He gestured to the other gargoyles frozen in stone. “We cannot fight our demon natures, but it was a sacrifice we willingly made.”
“To protect the masses.”
“Precisely. And once we purge all the magic from the world, we will end our lives for the greater good.” He cradled the Thropynite in his palm. “Where did you get this?”
She crossed her arms and inclined her chin.
“You will tell me.” He rose to his feet and loomed toward her, but she simply shook her head, unfazed by his threatening stance. A strange flutter rose from his gut, her lack of fear intriguing him.
“Maybe you’re not aware,” she said, “but werewolves hunt demons. That makes me the predator and you the prey.”
He lowered his brow. “Yet you’re the one in a cage.”
“For now.” She lifted one shoulder dismissively. “But not for long. We hunt in packs.”
He was well aware of how werewolves hunted. The mangey mongrels were the reason he and his brothers fled Europe. It was the only way to survive. Werewolves were intelligent and fierce, and this she-wolf was no exception. Hollow threats would get him nowhere with her.
“My name is Alrick,” he said.
She let out a cynical laugh. “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but you’ve locked me in a cage in another dimension, and once I’m free, I’ll send you back to hell where you belong.”
He grunted. “I’m familiar with your instinct to rid the world of demons. The cage is simply for your safety.”
“My safety? I think you mean your own.”
“On the contrary. If you attempted to attack me, I would crush your skull, absorb your knowledge, and devour your heart.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
Another flutter rose from his gut. “It would be the last thing you saw, she-wolf.”
“Don’t call me she-wolf.”
“What would you prefer I call you?”
“I’d prefer you let me out of this cage so I can kill you.”
He chuckled. “You’re going to be here for a while, she-wolf. Unless you want to tell me where you found this shard of Thropynite so I can acquire more, you’d best get comfortable.”
“Bite me.”
“Don’t tempt me.” He returned to the chair. “I was engaged to a witch before the Sect recruited me.”
“Poor her.” She remained standing, her arms crossed, feet wide. He could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she planned her escape.
“I didn’t always look like this.”
“Your point?” She pressed her fingertips against the invisible wall, giving it a hard shove before returning to her guarded stance.
“You remind me of her. She was beautiful, intelligent, cunning…insolent like you.”
“Lucky me.”
“I don’t want to kill you.” Not yet anyway. She was far too intriguing. “Tell me your name.”
She pursed her lips, her eyes calculating as she drummed her fingers on her biceps. Her jaw clenched, and she rested her hands on her hips. “It’s Nylah.”
Chapter Eleven
His wolf had been ravenous. The magic had been dormant inside him for twenty-nine years, and as it rose to the surface, it had one thought on its mind: to feed.
Noah had tried to take control. Seeing the fear in Amber’s eyes as he prowled around her—the way she screamed when he lunged—had ripped into his soul like a thousand razorblades.
He almost killed her.
She was his best friend, the one woman he could see himself spending forever with, and his wolf had tried to eat her. Fuck.
Now he sat in the passenger seat of Luke’s truck, staring out the window into the swamp while his pack stood a few yards away and discussed what to do about his behavior.
His behavior. More like the behavior of a wild animal who had taken over his body. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He remembered Nylah’s first shift as if it happened yesterday. They’d gone to the hunting grounds with their father and the alpha on the full moon after their thirteenth birthdays. When Nylah shifted and he didn’t, she didn’t try to attack. She’d obeyed the alpha like she would have in human form.
Even Bryce, a human who’d become a werewolf after being attacked and left for dead, had no problem obeying the alpha after his first shift.
So what the hell was Noah’s problem?
Luke said something, though their voices were too quiet for him to hear, and Alexis lifted her arms, dropping them at her sides like she couldn’t answer his question. Bryce shook his head and fisted his hand over his heart as he spoke. Chase said something, and Luke nodded before heading toward the truck.
Noah stared straight ahead as he climbed in and slammed the door. Thank the gods his wolf had finally submitted to the alpha. Now the best course of action for the man was not to speak until spoken to.
Luke kneaded the steering wheel, the tendons in his neck tight as he clenched his jaw. “First, I’m sorry abo
ut Nylah. I know you’re grieving.”
“Thank you.” He lowered his head. He should have been grieving, but he and his twin shared a bond, what Cade called his Wonder Twin senses. Somewhere, deep inside his soul, the bond was still there, unbroken.
It didn’t make sense. The only way he could have inherited the shifting ability was if Nylah died…yet he couldn’t ignore his gut instinct that she was still alive.
“What the hell happened out there?” Luke started the engine and pulled out onto the road.
“I’d say I lost control of my wolf, but I never had it to begin with. The moment I shifted, the animal took over.”
Luke glanced at him before focusing on the road. “You could have killed her.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Sorry didn’t begin to describe his level of regret. “Are you going to see her now?”
“I am.”
“Can I come? I want to apologize.”
Luke sighed and gave him a curt nod. “You can. Maybe hearing her side of the story will help you gain some control. I’ve never seen her so terrified.”
His throat thickened. Neither had he.
“Until you do gain control, you will not shift without me present. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow night, and every other night until I deem it unnecessary, you will hunt with me. Clear your calendar.”
“Okay.” Noah fought the urge to sink in his seat. It was bad enough being babysat while he was on probation, but this was humiliating. Though, after the way his new wolf had behaved, he understood. He deserved worse.
“And no more patrols until you have control of your wolf. I want you indoors by nightfall unless you’re with me.”
“Understood.” He was a grown-ass man being put back on the leash…a disgrace to his pack.
Luke parked behind Amber’s Mazda in her driveway and killed the engine. Noah slid out of the truck and followed him to the door. When Amber answered, her eyes tightened as she met his gaze, driving a knife into his heart.
How could he have done that to her? His wolf should have claimed her as his fate-bound the moment he emerged, not tried to make a meal out of her.
She stepped aside and motioned for them to enter, so he followed Luke into the living room. As Amber joined them, Noah took her hand in both of his. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile and tugged from his grasp, twisting the knife even deeper.
“Can I get you guys a beer?” she asked. “After tonight, we could all use one.”
Noah waited for Luke to answer “yes” before nodding and saying, “Thanks.”
As Amber disappeared into the kitchen, Noah sank onto the sofa and Luke took the teal accent chair adjacent to it. A fireplace with a white brick mantel occupied the wall across from him, and he caught his reflection in the blank screen of the television mounted above it. His hair was disheveled, so he ran a hand through it and cast his gaze to the potted ivy in the window instead. He couldn’t bear to look at himself.
Amber returned with three bottles of Blue Moon and sat on the corner of the couch, as far away from Noah as she could get.
“Walk me through it from the beginning,” Luke said.
Noah took a long drink from his beer, focusing on the way the citrusy bubbles cooled his throat as Amber recounted the incident step by step.
“I’m glad you got there when you did,” she said. “I don’t know what would have happened otherwise.”
“You have to know that wasn’t me.” Noah scooted toward her and pleaded with his eyes. “I was there, like a floating subconscious, but I had zero control over what the wolf did. It didn’t know who you are. It didn’t know how important you are to me.”
She looked into his eyes, her voice thin. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry.” He scooted closer until his knee touched hers. “You helped me. When you got out of the truck and yelled at us, that was what brought me to the surface and let me take control. I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t there.” She wouldn’t have been in danger if she wasn’t, dumbass.
“Somebody had to talk some sense into you.” She gave him a small smile. “Don’t let it happen again.”
“I won’t.”
“He’ll be under close observation,” Luke said.
Like a puppy on a leash. Noah set his beer on the coffee table. Amber took another drink from hers, and when she reached toward the table to place hers next to his, it slipped from her grasp.
Noah instinctively stretched his mind, using the energy in the air to grip the bottle before it could spill. With a flick of his wrist, he positioned it upright on the table. Amber didn’t flinch at his use of power; he’d been doing things like that around her for as long as he could remember.
Luke cocked his head. “Interesting. Your wolf was out of control, but your second-born gift seems unaffected by the change.”
“Why would it be affected?”
“Most lose their gift when their dormant wolf is awakened. It’s rare for a shifter to have any other abilities, unless they have witch or Voodoo ancestry.”
“Lucky me.” He’d gladly give up his telekinesis if it would tame the rabid beast inside him. Even now, sitting in Amber’s living room, his wolf was restless. Though he lacked the connection to understand and communicate with it, he could tell it wanted to run…to hunt…and it took every ounce of willpower he could muster to keep the animal subdued.
“Are you okay?” Amber’s eyes held concern…and a hint of fear. “You look pale.”
He glanced at the alpha. “The moon is calling me, I guess. My wolf wants to hunt again.”
“The pull is always strongest on a full moon. Tomorrow it should be easier to control. You’ll sleep in our spare bedroom tonight in case anything happens.”
Noah held in his groan. He wasn’t just being babysat. Now he had to have a slumber party too.
“Do you want to inform your parents about Nylah, or should I?” Luke asked.
He clenched his teeth. He didn’t want anyone to tell them anything. Not while he felt his sister could still be out there. “I will.”
“No.” Amber shook her head. “Nylah isn’t dead.”
Luke straightened, looking at her quizzically. “Details?”
“You know by now details are scarce. She’s out there somewhere, and she needs us to find her.”
Luke rubbed his thumb and forefinger on his chin. “Not to discredit your ability, but is it possible your desire for her to be alive is clouding your senses?”
“I don’t think so.”
“She’s right,” Noah said. “I can feel it too. If she were dead, I’d know.”
Luke stood and paced into the kitchen to toss his bottle in the recycle bin. Noah looked at Amber, and she mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
“If she is alive, how do you explain your new ability to shift?” Luke stood behind the chair, resting his hands on the back.
Noah took a deep breath and blew it out hard. He’d have to choose his words carefully, or he could end up incriminating both himself and his sister. “I think it could be the Thropynite. It has the power to grant shapeshifting abilities, and it can be used to fuse two souls into one body.”
Amber gasped. “That makes sense.”
Luke sank into the chair and rested his elbows on his knees. “How do you know so much about the stone?”
Noah grabbed his beer and took a long drink, hoping to wash down the knot in his throat. It didn’t help. “When you mentioned it the other day, I did some research online. A stone that could awaken my wolf sounded too good to be true, so I was curious.” That was only a half-lie. Both he and Nylah had researched the Thropynite extensively, long before she left the pack.
Luke arched a brow. “Do you have the stone?”
“No, of course not.” He didn’t, but Nylah most likely did.
“The Thropynite must be in New Orleans, and it awakened your wolf along with
the Grunch.” Amber rested her hand on top of his, and his chest tightened.
Luke lowered his brow. “If that were the case, every second-born in the area would be a shifter now.”
“But Noah was supposed to be one,” Amber said. “He’s a twin…the only one in our pack.”
Luke studied him, narrowing his eyes as if processing the idea. “I’ll put another call in to the congress tomorrow. We don’t have enough information on the Thropynite to confirm your theory. I don’t trust the internet; people can post anything there.” He rose to his feet and looked at his sister. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She released Noah’s hand and stood.
“Let’s head home.” Luke strode toward the door. “We can swing by your place to pick up some clothes.”
“Okay.” Noah rose and followed him to the door.
“Do you mind if I talk to Noah alone for a minute?” Amber asked.
“I’ll be in the truck.” Luke gave his sister a quick hug and strode out the door.
Amber chewed her bottom lip as her brother walked away, and she turned to Noah. “We didn’t get to finish our conversation, and I know now isn’t the time. Do you want to have dinner tomorrow night? I get off at eight.”
“I have to hunt with Luke tomorrow night.”
“Oh, okay.” Disappointment was evident in her eyes.
He knew where the conversation would lead. He had a wolf now, so he didn’t have an excuse for not being with her. Hell, he wanted to be with her. “I’m free the next night.”
She smiled. “It’s a date.”
He turned to leave, but she caught him by the hand. “Is there something you’re not telling me about Nylah?”
He forced his gaze to her eyes and shook his head. “I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek and strode out the door.
Chapter Twelve
Amber sat in her office, her desk in perpetual disarray, and went over the bar’s inventory orders for the week. They were running dangerously low on hurricane mix, so she’d have to pay extra for rush shipping. The syrupy-sweet rum drinks were a top seller, thanks to the buy-one-get-one-free special they ran for tourists who signed up for the haunted history tours that operated out of a side room in the bar.
