Wolfish: Mateborne

by G. K. DeRosa

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Holy dragon babies was Talon huge! I stared at the massive dragon shifter as he filled the doorway of my den. Standing beside Hunter, he made my mate look small, and he was anything but at a little over six feet. The two males greeted each other, then the infamous Azara appeared. She moved past Talon and dipped her head at Hunter before settling her gaze on me. A female warlock-demon hybrid and dark lord of the sixth realm of the Underworld. Yeah, I was a little intimidated.

  But my wolf wasn’t. She awoke and rammed her head against my ribcage, eager to come out and play. I shoved her down. We’re supposed to be playing nice, remember wolfy? We needed Azara’s help if we had any hope of catching Grams.

  “Thanks for coming,” I finally said.

  “Yes, thank you, Dark Lord Azara,” Hunter echoed, slanting me a look as he enunciated her title.

  “Please, just call me Azara. It makes me sound so sinister.” Smirking, her gaze darted toward Vander who sat on the couch next to Cass.

  My bestie was on the edge of her seat, her arms firmly wrapped across her chest. I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling right now. Azara was gorgeous and crazy powerful, also slightly dark and scary. Definitely not someone you want to imagine as your boyfriend’s ex. Hunter had been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing, so I had nothing to go by. He said it was Vander’s story and if he wanted to tell it, he would.

  “And of course,” she continued with a tight smile. “Vander’s an old friend, and I’d do just about anything for him.”

  A hint of crimson colored Vander’s cheeks before he coughed and covered his mouth, hiding the evidence.

  Talon and Hunter whispered among themselves, oblivious to the strain in the room, or just really good at ignoring it.

  “Do you guys want some water or coffee or something before we head out?” I offered, when the tension heightened to an uncomfortable level.

  “Sure, water would be great,” said Talon, cutting off his conversation with my mate. “I’m parched from the flight. We portalled to the edge of Marlwoods then took the scenic route. We don’t get out of the Underworld much these days.”

  “I’ll take one too,” said Azara, sweeping her dark locks behind her ears. “Every time we return to the mainland, I feel like my entire body is coated in a layer of ash.” She grimaced. “Same goes for my mouth.”

  “But I hear you’ve accomplished a lot in the past two years.” Hunter eyed the beautiful dark lord with more interest than I liked. “Securing a seat on the Etrian Assembly alone is incredible.”

  “Well, that’s only because Luci is too lazy to do it himself.”

  I choked on my sip of water and gagged. Did she just call the prince of hell, Luci? Hunter was at my side in the space of a heartbeat, pounding at my back.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine,” I rasped.

  Lucifer is Azara’s grandfather, Sierra. Don’t you follow Azarian politics at all? Hunter’s voice boomed through my mind.

  Obviously not close enough. Holy shift! The devil’s granddaughter was sitting in my living room.

  “How about you, Hunter?” Talon asked. “Will you be claiming the coveted seat of the shifter realm soon?”

  He grunted. “Not as soon as I’d hope. I’ll tell you about it later, it’s not a short story.”

  Azara put down her glass and settled her dark gaze on me. “Do you have your grandmother’s location ready?”

  “I have to wait until the last minute, otherwise she’ll get away. She’s been playing this game with us for days. As soon as I close in on her signature, she vanishes.”

  She nodded. “So she’s either traveling with a warlock or has the portallis stone.”

  “What’s a portallis stone?” Cass and I asked in unison. My friend had been uncharacteristically quiet, and I’d almost forgotten she was here.

  “A mythical—or rather not so mythical anymore—stone that provides the bearer an opening across realms. Only powerful magic users can utilize it, and since your grandmother is the High Priestess of the Lune Sacré coven, she’d definitely qualify.”

  Damn, this girl was good. She knew her stuff, and she’d done her homework on my family. No wonder Vander and Hunter had been so adamant about only working with someone they trusted.

  “That’s probably it,” I finally said. “I can’t imagine her trusting anyone enough with her actual location.”

  “Well, with any luck we’ll catch up with her today.”

  “Yeah, we’ll get this taken care of, man.” Talon squeezed Hunter’s shoulder in a very manly display of affection, and I couldn’t help a smile from curling my lips. Though my mate hadn’t told me much about Azara and Vander’s history, he had told me about Talon. Apparently, the dragon had lost his parents when he was young and been adopted by Vander’s wolfy family. He’d spent about ten years of his childhood in Moon Valley growing up with the guys.

  “If we’re ready, I’ll scry for her?”

  Everyone nodded, and I rushed over to the coffee table where I’d left my mystical supplies. Cass helped me stretch the map of the USA across the table as I unsheathed the dagger. Here we go. The blade sliced into my flesh, and Cass held the small glass vial to collect the blood as it dribbled from my fist. Knowing Grams, we’d have to repeat this procedure more than once, and I’d rather get all the bloodletting over with at one time.

  Muttering the words to the spell I now knew forwards and backwards, I channeled my wolf and let her magic free. I poured a few drops of blood on the map as the air became thick with the charred scent of magic. The globule of blood hovered a millimeter off the surface, dancing across the map as I continued the incantation.

  Azara appeared over my shoulder, her brooding intensity only adding to the overwhelming power in the room.

  The blood continued to dart across the USA like a maddening ping pong ball.

  “Try another map,” said Cass.

  I grabbed Canada next, then South America, repeating the procedure each time. Finally, my mystical blood settled in Europe, a small town in Southern Italy to be exact. “Got you!” I shouted and jumped up.

  “Let’s go,” said Azara. She eyed my small apartment and shook her head. “Is there somewhere else we can do this? I don’t want to wreck your place with the portal.”

  “Yeah, out in the woods.” I grabbed Hunter’s hand and dragged him toward the door. Before rushing out, I waved at Vander and Cass over my shoulder.

  “Good luck!” they called out.

  Azara cursed, slamming her palm down on the old wooden table at the quaint café. Our tiny espresso cups rattled, and I grabbed mine just before it toppled over. “I can’t believe she got away again!”

  We’d been tracking Grams all across the Italian peninsula, and somehow, she’d managed to slip by us yet again. We’d been so close this time. I’d even seen the winds of her portal shrink into a tiny pinpoint right as we landed.

  “There’s too many of us.” Azara shot back the espresso and slammed it down on the worn wood. “That’s what’s slowing us down.” She glanced back and forth between the three of us. “Guys, you’re going to have to sit this one out. Sierra and I will have to go solo.”

  “No,” Hunter growled.

  Azara rolled her eyes at him, and I had to bite back a chuckle. “Listen, I get the mate thing, I do. It took Talon awhile to get that I could take care of myself. I’ve only known Sierra for a few hours, and I already know she’s perfectly competent. Just let me go with her so we can move faster. I promise as soon as we catch her, I’ll jump back and get you.” She seared her dark gaze into him. “You wouldn’t want to stand in the way of your mate would you?”

  Another growl vibrated Hunter’s throat.

  “Azara’s right,” said Talon, jabbing his elbow into his friend’s side. “The girls can handle this. It’s not like her Grams would hurt her, right?”

  Hunter snorted. “I’m not sure what she’s capable of.”

  I shook my head and laced my fingers t
hrough his. “She wouldn’t hurt me, Hunter, not physically anyway. I’m almost certain.”

  “Almost isn’t good enough.” His fingers tightened around mine, cutting off the circulation.

  “I can do this, Hunter. You have to trust me.”

  He huffed out a breath and lowered his head. “I do trust you. I just want to keep you safe.”

  “I know,” I whispered into his ear. “And I want to save you, so just let me, okay?”

  “Fine.” He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me hard against his chest.

  “Aren’t they cute?” Azara smirked. “Remember when we were like that?”

  “Were?” Talon barked. “We’re still like that.”

  The pair held hands under the table, and a hint of jealousy reared its head. I wanted what they had: mated, married, and in love. We deserved that too.

  Azara shot up, and Hunter’s arms slowly released me. “Let’s go, we don’t want to miss our chance.”

  I nodded quickly and turned back to brush my lips against Hunter’s before following her out of the café.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Shit!” I couldn’t help the curse from bursting out as we landed in a field of ancient Roman temples a few hundred yards from the Coliseum only to see the back of Grams’ head disappearing into another portal.

  Azara huffed out a breath and braced her hands on her knees. “Dammit, that was close.”

  A stab of guilt pierced my gut as I watched her hunched over. She’d been burning through magic faster than a dragon on the hunt for its treasure. I clenched my fists and buried my temper, forcing my wolf back. “Are you okay?”

  She straightened, a glint of citrine streaking across her dark irises. “Fine. I just need a minute to recharge. Without the guys slowing us down, we can get her next time I’m sure of it.”

  I nodded quickly.

  She folded down beside the dusty ruins and snapping her fingers, summoned two bottles of water. Handing me one, she leaned back against the crumbling column and took a long sip. “Do you have a plan when we catch up with your grandmother?”

  “I was hoping to talk some sense into her.”

  She arched an incredulous brow at me. “Coming from a dark and twisty family with their fair share of secrets, I recommend you revisit that plan.”

  I snorted and took a big chug of water. “It’s almost as if you knew them.” I scanned our surroundings, taking a minute to enjoy the epic historical scenery. When I was back in human high school, I’d always dreamed of coming to Rome. The Coliseum had been number one on my wish list, but now after competing in the Alpha Trials, the arena was the only thing that came to mind when I admired the ancient structure.

  Damned Tyrien had even ruined Rome for me.

  “How are you with holding spells?” Azara asked, tearing me away from my thoughts.

  “I’ve never done one, but I know the incantation.”

  She set down her empty bottle and stood. “I say we blast her with one the moment we come out of the next portal.”

  “Doesn’t that seem too aggressive? I was hoping I could try to reason with her first.”

  She placed her hand on my shoulder, her lips thinning. “Sierra, I don’t know your grandmother, but if she’s gone through such lengths to get away from you, I doubt reasoning with her is going to work.”

  I let out a dramatic sigh. “You’re right. I mean, I know you are. It’s just, she’s the only family I have left. I was hoping somehow we could work this out, but it’s stupid, I know.”

  “It’s not. Believe me, I get it. I’ve dealt with many a disappointing relative—grandparents especially. I lucked out with my parents because they’re pretty incredible, but my grandfathers…” She shook her head, letting her words fall away. “Anyway, we’ll do what you want, but if you need my help, I’m sure between the two of us we could conjure up a snug little magical jail cell for her.”

  “Okay, let’s do it.”

  A wicked smile lit up her crimson lips, and a flash of her demon rose to the surface. I made a mental note never to get on the dark lord’s bad side. “You get her location, and I’ll work on the spell. The next time we jump, she’s ours.”

  I stretched the map across the dusty floor and poured out a few dribbles of blood. As I muttered the spell for the hundredth time, the crimson globule jogged up the Italian peninsula, finally stopping at the border of Switzerland. Great, we were going into the Alps, and I didn’t even have a winter coat with me.

  Ugh, checking another gorgeous destination off my bucket list.

  “I got her,” I called out to Azara.

  The swirling winds of the portal whipped hair across my face before I even turned around. Azara stood in front of the magical doorway, her face alight in a brilliant blue. She handed me a slip of paper and eyed the familiar spell. “We’ll start the chant on my count right before the portal opens, okay?”

  My head bounced up and down, jostled by my nerves. My stomach roiled as I pictured Grams’ face. I’d practiced what I wanted to say to her a million times, and now, my mind was a complete blank.

  “Okay?” Azara repeated, snapping me from my inner freak-out.

  “Okay.”

  “If it means anything, I think you’re doing the right thing.” Her words were caught in the windstorm, but I managed to make them out nonetheless. “Hunter is your mate. He’s your family now, and it’s your job to protect him as much as it is his to protect you.”

  Hot tears burned at my eyes, but I blinked them back. This was it. I’d sworn to do anything to free Hunter from the curse, and the time had come.

  Azara held out her hand, and I wrapped my fingers tightly around her palm. “Just follow me.”

  We leapt into the portal, the brilliant lights soon giving way to the thick gelatinous void. Black consumed my vision, and my heartrate skyrocketed. Dread swirled in my gut, a maelstrom of emotions warring within. Love for my Grams, turned to hatred and betrayal.

  “Now,” Azara shouted.

  I could barely make out her words as she began the incantation, but I repeated them all the same. A second later, a blinding light appeared, and the portal spat us out atop a thick blanket of snow.

  Grams stood in the center of the clearing, immobile, as wisps of violet and electric blue magic swirled around her form. Towering evergreens encircled the snowy glade, offering a natural barrier as snow-capped mountains provided the picturesque backdrop.

  Grams’ eyes widened as they lanced over me, then Azara. “What are you doing, child?” she hissed. “Release me at once.”

  “Not until I get some answers.” A puff of my breath swirled in the frosty air.

  Crimson blossomed on her cheeks as she fought against our magic, but I could feel Azara’s, and it was strong. The heady dark mix of warlock and demon powers fueled my own magic, buoying it against Grams.

  “I told you never to come after me,” she spluttered.

  “In a note!” I cried. “How could you do that to me, Grams? How could you abandon me like that when Mom had just died?”

  The corners of her lips twisted down, and for a second, I saw a glimpse of my Grams. “Montana’s death was harder for me than anyone.”

  “You’re wrong!”

  She slowly shook her head. “Believe what you will, Sierra, but I did what I thought was right.” She eyed Azara. “And who is this demon? Where is Aristaeus? Did you finally come to your senses and abandon a hopeless future with Tyrien’s son?”

  “No,” I hissed. “Actually, Hunter is why I’m here. We’ve completed the bond.”

  Surprise then anger rolled across her pinched face. “I feared as much, but I prayed to the goddess it wasn’t true.”

  “It was the goddess Luna that blessed our mating, actually.” I paused, letting my words sink in, then turned to the demon dark lord beside me. “Azara is a friend, and thanks to her, I was finally able to catch up to you.”

  “I refuse to discuss anything in front of a stranger.”

&
nbsp; Azara leaned in, whispering in my ear. “You’ve got this. Your magic is much stronger than I imagined. You can hold the spell, and I can jump back for Hunter to give you some time to speak in private.”

  “Are you sure she won’t get away?”

  “I’m sure. And anyway, it’s time you learned exactly what you’re capable of, little wolf.” She winked and strode away, disappearing into the thick copse of evergreens. From the corner of my eye, the deep blue glow of the mystical portal lit up the forest.

  “Where is she going?” Grams asked, her eyes narrow.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I muttered. “You wanted privacy so now you have it. Please, make me understand how you could be so selfish and cruel.”

  She shook her head, wrenching her hands together. “You know nothing of cruelty, Sierra, not until you’ve lost a child.” Tears filled her eyes, and guilt’s fingers squeezed my heart. “I only wanted Tyrien to feel the same loss, only I wanted it to be never-ending.”

  My mind spun as I tried to put her words together. “But Mom just died. What does that have to do with the curse you placed on Hunter twenty years ago?”

  Her face fell, wisps of gray hair falling across her haggard countenance. “Because twenty years ago, I had two daughters.”

  “What?” I screeched.

  The winds of the portal whipped hair across my face, turning my attention to the mystical doorway. Hunter jumped out and raced toward me, and I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding since we’d separated back at the café. His arms encircled me, wrapping me in his vanilla and cedarwood scent, in his undying devotion and safety. For a second, I forgot everything else.

  “No!” Grams’ shout pried me from Hunter’s arms. Her magic struggled against mine, but I focused on my wolf and her power surged through my veins, quickly shutting Grams’ down. “You cannot be together,” she muttered the words as she dropped to her knees. “How could you be so foolish?”

  “Please, Hyacinth,” Hunter started. “I’m so very sorry for all the horrible things my father has put you and your family through. But Sierra is my mate, and I will dedicate my life to making her happy.”