Hungry Like a Wolf

by Jessica Lynch

  Maddox would do everything he could to support her in the future. He totally understood the source of her fears, and was willing to help her any way he could. Therapy? Sure. Hypnosis? Okay. Asking a witch for help? Well, the head witch had already been way overpaid by Colt. Maybe she knew someone.

  And if it meant that Evangeline never could ride in a car again, then he’d fucking shift and give her a ride on his back if that’s what she wanted. She was his life. His world. And, about an hour after she woke up, groggy but happy to see him, Evangeline was his fully bonded, fully claimed mate.

  No one could take her away from him—

  —at least, that’s what he thought.

  The Para who notarized their bonding license was a Dayborn vampire. Dayborns were a subset of the Vampire Nation; considered the “good” vampires because they didn’t need blood like their Nightwalker counterparts, Dayborns were more like Ants than other Paras. They had a few strengths—like most Paras, they could tell when someone was lying, even though they couldn’t lie themselves—with their most noted being an ability to walk in the sun. They had milder temperaments than the vicious Nightwalkers, mercenary witches, and growly shifters. They were also unusually efficient.

  After a couple of quick questions, an analysis of their blood—another trick that only a Dayborn could do—to prove that the mate bond was there, and a couple of signatures, Maddox had their bonding license tucked in the same manila envelope that held the marriage certificate.

  A copy of the bonding license was also uploaded to the Web. The Web, with its uppercase ‘w’, was an online database that served Paras only. It was the same database that the Ants at the D.P.R. used to check on a paranormal’s status. From the moment the Dayborn affirmed that it went through, Evangeline’s file had been updated to say Evangeline Wolfe, shifter’s mate.

  He couldn’t wait to rub it in Wright’s face.

  Maddox tucked the manila envelope under his arm as he led Evangeline out of the Dayborn’s office, bringing her back out into the busy Bumptown streets. The office was along Sunset Boulevard, the vampire part of the settlement, about a fifteen minute’s walk back to Colt’s place, on the edge of the Zoo.

  It was beautiful out. He had his mate’s hand in his, the proof of their bonding clasped under his arm, and the summer sun was shining. Evangeline was chatting happily about all of the sights she saw; the Bumptown was clearly something she hadn’t recovered her memories on and she marveled over how distinct each neighborhood was.

  Maddox was just telling her about Cemetery Row—where Dodge spent his time when he wasn’t with Colt—when his mate stopped dead in her tracks. At first, he thought she was staring at a bear shifter out for a roam in her fur. But then he noticed the patch of smoke about fifteen feet in the distance. Long and narrow, it was about the size of a full-length mirror, without any color to it at all.

  He sniffed. It didn’t smell like fire—it didn’t smell like anything—so he couldn’t understand what the smoke was about. That’s when Evangeline shuddered, taking her hand from his as she covered her mouth with her fingers.

  “Oh, no,” whispered Evangeline. “Not now… not again.”

  She was staring at the smoke. Again, she said. What did his mate know that he didn’t?

  “Angie? What’s going on?”

  “It’s her. She’s followed me here.”

  The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up at her pronouncement. Evangeline’s voice was flat, the sort of emotionless tone she had when she didn’t know who he was or what he was capable of.

  His stomach clenched. The smoke was billowing toward them, but there was nothing to distinguish it from any other patch of dense fog. It had no scent—

  Wait.

  It had no scent.

  Like Evangeline had no scent when she wore that stupid fucking perfume Wright gave her.

  Magic. He reached out, grabbing her elbow. “Come on, we have to go.”

  She didn’t react. It was like she hadn’t heard him. She continued to stare at the patch of smoke, growing thicker as they watched. Shadows moved in the colorless smoke. Was that a hand? A torso? Legs?

  Was there someone in there?

  He hesitated too long. Before he knew it, the smoke rushed toward him, wrapping him up in its tendrils. It did something to his wolf, turning it borderline feral. He lashed out, forcing his beast back, maintaining his shape only because he knew, if he let his wolf out, Evangeline would be caught in the crossfires. With the smoke muffling all of his senses, his wolf might attack its mate first, not realizing she wasn’t a threat until it was too late.

  He couldn’t keep his claws back. Letting go of Evangeline’s elbow a split second before they would’ve sliced her to ribbons, Maddox howled, then shoved at his wolf. It was wild, snarling, and spitting, its hackles raised.

  And that’s when he heard Evangeline scream.

  Her scream was high-pitched. Terrified. Pure fear in a single sound. It had the power to make Maddox’s focus turn deadly. Whatever this smoke was, it was no match for an enraged alpha wolf.

  “Angie!”

  His nose was bombarded with an array of overwhelming scents. The smoke might have blinded him, but his sense of smell had always been exceptionally keen. Warm vanilla to his right—Evangeline. Baby powder nearly dampened his senses, it was so strong. That was the magic.

  There.

  A hint of spice, coated in frost. Only one person in the world had a scent that reminded him of cold heat.

  “Priscilla!”

  A laugh filled the smoke, echoing around him. His body tensed, his muscles locked as he swiveled to and fro, searching for the witch.

  He didn’t see her, but he heard Priscilla Winter’s notably clear laugh, then her girlish coo,“Miss me, my love?”

  My love. Maddox shivered at how easily she called him that. He thought back to the countless amount of times both Colt and Dodge teased him, pointing out

  But Cilla knew she wasn’t his mate. She had given up on her stupid, unrequited crush when they were kids—

  Hadn’t she?

  “Priscilla,” he growled, “what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  “Something I should’ve done years ago,” she retorted. “Now, listen to me, Maddox. You’ve had your fun and I’ve been patient enough… but, tsk, tsk, you never should’ve filled out the bonding license. Not when we both know you’re mine.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Maddox,” cried Evangeline. She sounded shaky and scared and, while he could sense her nearby, he couldn’t see her. “Where are you?”

  She obviously couldn’t see him, either.

  “I’m right here, sweetheart,” he called out.

  “I wouldn’t call her sweetheart, my mate. You know how jealous I can be.”

  “Cilla, you—”

  The witch snapped her fingers. He heard the crack, then felt the rush of power that came with it.

  The smoke was suffocating; he couldn’t break out of it, fight through it, or find Cilla hiding inside of her magical shield. A flash of light danced across the dense covering, blinding him for an instant, the only sign that Cilla wasn’t as cheery as her voice would have let either of them believe.

  “Don’t think that piece of paper will stop me, either. The bonding license means nothing to me, not when my name will be on it before long. You’ve forced my hand, Maddox, but you’ll have forever to make it up to me. I just wish I didn’t have to take care of your pesky human sooner than I wanted to. Pity. I was having so much fun with her.”

  Cilla’s cheery fun was punctuated by another scream from Evangeline.

  Maddox growled. “If you lay one finger on my mate—”

  He’d kill her. Childhood friend or no, he’d strike Cilla down in a heartbeat if she continued to threaten Evangeline.

  Another flash, like lightning across a midnight sky. “She is not your mate,” retorted Cilla. “I am.”

  Maddox had known Cilla for years, since he was a p
up and she was a witchling. She could be recklessly stubborn, the type of woman who refused to take no for an answer without a good reason behind it.

  He stepped closer, leaving about a foot of space between him and Evangeline. Threatening Cilla never worked, but sometimes—when he was desperate—he could reason with her. “You’re not my mate.”

  She was obstinate.“I will be.”

  “You know that’s not true. I only get one mate, and she’s right here with me.”

  “She was.”

  Maddox went still, his angry wolf suddenly on alert. He could sense Evangeline trapped in the magic smoke right next to him but, keeping his eye on the threat he could perceive in front of him, he didn’t dare turn away from where he thought Cilla was. “What?”

  “You want her?” Another laugh from the witch. He didn’t know what it was about it, but it sent shivers coursing down his spine. “Come and get her.”

  A clap of thunder rolled overhead. A wave of almost unbearable pressure slammed down on Maddox, nearly sending him to his knees. He forced himself back up, searching through the smoke, instinct warring with panic as he realized that he couldn’t sense his mate at his side any longer.

  His hand closed on air. Cilla laughed once more, her high-pitched chuckle closer to a cackle by the time the wind carried it away.

  The smoke disappeared next, as if it had never been.

  That wasn’t the only thing that was missing.

  Evangeline was gone.

  Magic. He couldn’t track magic.

  Maddox felt a wrench in his chest, like his heart was being ripped in half. That was his bond being tested. Priscilla had stolen into the Bumptown like a thief in the night, cleaving Maddox in two as she grabbed Evangeline and disappeared with her.

  Her last mocking taunt rang in his ears. You want her? Come and get her.

  It was fucking impossible. His nose could follow Evangeline’s scent through time itself, but not when magic was involved. With Cilla placing a spell over their bond, dampening it, he couldn’t even rely on his connection to Evangeline to follow her.

  It was like the night of the crash all over again. Only, this time, he knew Evangeline was still alive.

  But for how long?

  Beneath the sickly sweet baby powder stink that warned of Cilla’s inherent paranormal power, Maddox caught a whiff of another underlying stench. It was dark and viscous, like hot tar, and he recognized it from a few of the inmates he crossed paths with in the Cage. The demented, the disturbed, the Paras who crossed over to the bad side, who gave up on their instincts and did as their cold, empty hearts demanded.

  Those were the dangerous Paras who were locked up, not because they were unstable due to a lost bond, but because they were incapable of bonding with anyone. Sociopaths who had unbelievable power, whether it was shifter strength, vampiric abilities, or magical powers. They were the true danger to society, humans and paranormals both.

  Evil. That’s what Maddox used to call that stench. Pure evil.

  And it clung to every inch of his childhood friend.

  Maddox knew then that it wasn’t as simple as Cilla being jealous. She might think that she was doing this because Evangeline was the one thing standing between her happily-ever-after with Maddox, but there was more to it than that. She had somehow fixated on his mate, using her as an excuse to indulge in the darkest of magics, all in the name of a long ago crush.

  And now Cilla had Evangeline.

  He burst through the Bumptown, dashing past shifters who knew better than to stop him while he was on the verge of rampaging. Every Para sensed his urgency, moving out of the way before he ran them down. His wolf clawed at the inside of his chest, eager to break out, convinced it could find its mate.

  Maddox just managed to stay in his human form. He needed to. No way could he dial a phone with claws, or get his message across with yips and snarls.

  He bolted toward the truck he left parked in front of Colt’s house. As he raced, he yanked out his phone, jabbed his thumb into the redial button. Wind whistled through his ears, the echo of the phone ringing dulled as he poured on the speed.

  Answer, answer, answer—

  A click.

  “Colt?” Despite his speed, he wasn’t out of breath at all. “Where the fuck are you?”

  An annoyed huff. “Hello to you, too, Mad.”

  “Cut the shit. I’m not fucking kidding. Where are you? And don’t tell me you’re in the Bumptown ‘cause I’m here and you’re not.”

  “I had to go out of town. Didn’t think I needed permission—”

  Maddox cut off Colt’s smart ass answer with a roar that reverberated through the cell phone.

  “O-kay. You’ve got my attention, bro. What’s up?”

  The truck was about ten feet away. Maddox leaped for it, nearly ripping the door off the hinge with the grip of his yank. “She’s got my mate, Colt. She fucking took her.”

  “What? Who?”

  “Priscilla. Now, don’t make me ask again: Where. Are. You?”

  “I’m in Grayson,” Colt said hurriedly. “What can I do to help?”

  Grayson. That worked. Quickly, he rattled off Evangeline’s address. “That’s Angie’s apartment building. Sixth floor. It’s the eastern most window if you’re looking up from the street. I don’t know if Cilla would bring her there, but it’s worth a shot. Cilla said to come and get her. It means she’s going somewhere I know. I’m about an hour out of Grayson, half that to Woodbridge. Cilla used to live there. I’ll check that out, you check Angie’s place. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go back to Wolf’s Creek.”

  Colt didn’t waste any time asking Maddox any stupid fucking questions. “I’m maybe ten minutes away from that street. Five if I let my wolf out.”

  “Go fur,” ordered Maddox.

  “Already yanking off my jeans. I’ll keep my phone in my pocket, carry the jeans in my jaw. When I get there, I’ll call you back, let you know what I find. Shoot me a text if you need to.”

  “I’m getting in the truck as we speak. I’ll be skin for now, but I’ll let you know if that changes. Find her, Colt. Please.”

  “I’m on it. We’ll get her back, Mad.”

  “I’m fucking counting on it.”

  31

  “Wake up. Oh, come on, no one stays out that long after a simple transportation spell. Either you’re faking it, or you’re a weaker version of me than I thought. Goddess knows you’re an Ant so I didn’t hold much hope for a worthy opponent. But this is ridiculous.”

  Evangeline tried to ignore the menacing voice snapping at her. She was still feeling a bit shaky as she lay sprawled out on her side on a hard floor. Her head wasn’t hurting, which was a damn miracle, and she kept her features expressionless as she pretended to sleep.

  The clear, familiar voice filtered into her ears from somewhere above her. She thought about risking a peek, making sure it belonged to the witch she thought it did, then decided not to. The longer she could pass for being out, the more time she bought.

  Too bad the witch didn’t agree.

  A heavy sigh, followed by the clack-clack-clacking of high heels across the floor.

  “Maybe I should kick you and see—”

  Evangeline couldn’t help herself. Her eyes popped open.

  The voice turned smarmy. “That’s what I thought.”

  Now that the jig was up, Evangeline pulled herself into a sitting position. The witch stood in her living room—

  Wait.

  This was her living room. In her apartment.

  She looked around. Everything was exactly as she left it the fateful morning she headed over to Mugs for a drink. The only difference? The witch looming just in front of her coffee table, and the large circle of diamonds that was spread out on the floor.

  She couldn’t even count how many of the precious jewels—all different shapes and sizes—were piled upon each other. At least three inches thick, it made a circle around eight feet wide, taking up most of her living roo
m. Evangeline had been dropped right in the middle of the circle.

  As if she needed another clue apart from the purple eyes and the transportation spell that this Priscilla was a witch, now she found herself surrounded by diamonds.

  That, uh, didn’t bode well at all.

  Because she almost didn’t want to know, she didn’t ask. Instead, she said, “Who… who are you?”

  It was another stall tactic. Knowing that she had to rely on Maddox to find and rescue her now, Evangeline was trying to buy time. She didn’t know this Priscilla—at least, that’s the name Maddox has called her—not really, but she was intimately familiar with the witch who haunted her dreams.

  There had to be a reason why the witch had finally chosen to step out of the shadows and into the light. Considering her comments to Maddox, it didn’t take a super genius to figure it out.

  She’d been warned. Even Evangeline had to admit that. The witch had warned her.

  It wasn’t supposed to happen, though. There was no denying that she was Maddox’s mate—or that he was hers. So what was wrong with this witch?

  She was flat-out delusional.

  Simple as that.

  And delusional people with the power to back up their delusions were nothing but trouble.

  Evangeline glared up at her. Pricilla looked exactly the same as she had when she visited Evangeline in her dream two nights ago. Pin-straight black hair that fell past her shoulders, creamy caramel-colored skin, a face that might have been sculpted by the masters themselves, all capped off with a pair of exotic Para eyes.

  There was insanity and the promise of retribution in her lovely purple witch’s eyes.

  “Don’t you recognize me?” she purred.

  Evangeline looked away. Confused, scared, and alone, she didn’t want to fall into the witch’s gaze in case she got lost in there.

  “I saw you in my dreams.”

  “Very good.” Sarcasm laced the witch’s cheery tone. “So glad to see we’re on the same page. Now, please, don’t be too afraid. I want you to look at me. Angie, look.”

  There was power in the command. Evangeline was unable to resist the order.