The Wolf Who Played With Fire: New Adult Paranormal Romance (Cry Wolf) (15 page)

I blinked, not expecting to hear that. Her son? What had I stumbled into?

“Fine. Show us your magic tricks. Help find them, but then you’re out of here, and that’s for your own good. If we see you around here again, you’re dead, witch.” The Alpha walked back to the head of the table.

Now was as good a time as any when I had some semblance of power. The woman wanted to find her son, and she’d talked the Alpha into having me help, so that meant they weren’t able to find him on their own. If that were the case, I might be allowed have Ethan, instead of him mating with a female werewolf.

Chad touched my arm and I looked over at him. He shook his head as if he knew what was going through my thoughts, but I couldn’t just sit back and not try.

“That’s not good enough,” I said, surprising myself at my boldness. “If I help you find her son and Ethan, then I want you to acknowledge that Ethan is
my
... mate...my boyfriend.”

The Alpha growled and marched toward me. “You are a stubborn and stupid girl. Don’t think you can push to have your own way here. My word is law.”

“Father, they already have a relationship—”

The fireball still burned in my palm, and if I didn’t want to seriously injure myself, I needed to extinguish it or throw it. The Alpha was making that decision much easier by the minute.

“Silence!” The Alpha loomed over us as if he thought we could be threatened so easily.

Chad shrank back a little.

Well, at least one of us could be threatened. However, I had nothing to lose here. If I couldn’t be with Ethan, then it was like death. I couldn’t imagine going back to the kind of abusive relationship I’d been in with Greg, and he was more than willing to take me back.

“If I can get my son back, then give her what she wants. That boy wasn’t born a wolf. It doesn’t matter if he’s mated to a female werewolf. Jacob was. Do you think it’s better to not have her assistance in finding our missing, or caving in to the witch’s one demand?” The mother werewolf leaned forward at the table. The nonchalant and uncaring look on her face had disappeared. She looked like a woman willing to do whatever it took to get her child back. “Besides, I’d rather have my boy mated with a female wolf. A wolf born as a wolf. Don’t you agree?” She narrowed her eyes at the Alpha. The others around her nodded their agreement.

The Alpha slammed a fist on the table, not happy to be challenged, and the group quieted down. “Fine, but you will die if you don’t find them. You won’t walk out the front door.”

The fireball flickered out in my hand and my palm was bright red with a few blisters forming. My gaze landed on a wall clock. Oh, shit. The tea was starting to wear off now.

Chad tightened his grip on my arm and he watched me with a new look in his eyes. The normal Chad was back, not the man who had protected me. He opened his mouth to say something, then he stopped.

“I will find them.” I lowered my gaze a little, feeling very uncomfortable with all of the tension in the room. I couldn’t let my fear overcome my abilities as a witch. If I did, then I might as well be dead, because that’s what would happen.

“You better,” the female werewolf said.

The Alpha nodded. “Take her away. She should get started on her ‘magic tricks’ right away.”

I gulped.

Chad pulled me with him, grabbing the crutches and my purse on his way out. I could barely keep up with him hopping and that made me hurt more.

“Slow down. Please.”

Only when we were in a different part of the house or should I say mansion, did he finally stop, shoving me away from him.

I gripped a wall to keep from falling.

“You used me. You put something in that tea.” His face scrunched up with anger. “You have no idea what you’ve done. You think you can come in here and fling your magic around like you’re hot shit, but you’re only putting yourself in danger. You may think my father won’t kill you, but you’re disposable to them.” He wrenched open the door to my right, grabbed my upper arm and pushed me into the room. “Get busy.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Mia

Night had descended, and I sat in the back of the car. I’d been able to get a general location by scrying a map of the area, but I’d had to come along to get something clearer since I didn’t think a fifty mile radius was exactly what we needed right now. The werewolves had obliged... barely.

Chad was glued to my side as both my pseudo protector and one of the main people holding a big grudge against me. I shrank away from him and the incredible power that billowed around him like an angry wind.

The other werewolves in the car weren’t thrilled about my presence either, but I think some of the problems with their emotions were due to Chad giving off so much negative energy.

I elbowed him softly. “Calm down. You’re affecting my magic.”

Instead of turning to me or saying anything smart, which I had highly anticipated him doing, he just took a deep breath and looked out the side window. Within moments, the atmosphere in the car was a lot more bearable. Even the other wolves grew slightly less agitated. Thank goodness for sensibility.

“Please, stop at the next intersection long enough for me to scry.” During the last two, the werewolf had blown through as if we starred in a police drama or action movie and were in hot pursuit of a bad guy that didn’t follow traffic signs.

No offense to them, but I wasn’t a werewolf. If someone rammed the car as we barreled through an intersection, the werewolves would be just fine. Me on the other hand, I wasn’t equipped with their massive healing capabilities.

“Do as she says,” Chad grumbled.

They reached the intersection and the car skidded to a stop. My neck jerked forward, then back, and my stomach jolted within me. I almost wished I hadn’t mentioned anything, except this was one of the ways scrying worked.

The crystal would lead us to the direction we were meant to go. I held it still for the briefest of moments, since the werewolf driver had caused it to go spinning out of control, then I focused my thoughts on asking where we needed to go.

It swayed side to side.
Go left
. Frowning, I took a deep breath and looked one way, then the other way. “The crystal says left.”

The werewolf glanced back at me, as if looking for verification that I wasn’t making things up. His gaze locked with the swaying crystal in my hand, then went to my face. But he turned to the left just as I’d requested.

When we came to the next intersection, he stopped again. This time the crystal swayed from the front to the back. “Keep going straight.” Very rarely did the crystal want us to turn around, so I was fairly confident in my estimation. However, while I liked to think I was being super useful with scrying, it wasn’t something I’d done too much before. I had a long way to go before I could claim mastery.

Mostly I’d played with it when I was younger to ask questions on when I’d meet a boyfriend, or answers on multiple-choice homework. A few times, I may have frustrated my deity since the answers were mostly incorrect. After that, I gave up scrying. Then again, I didn’t always have the best relationship with Karma, as noted by the horrible break-up with Greg last month.

I frowned at the way the crystal suddenly started swaying as we passed an old gas station. “Wait. Turn around. I think we found something.” I couldn’t tell since it was so dark.

The seat beside me groaned as Chad moved. “Do it,” he said.

When we got back to the abandoned gas station, the men spread out and knelt low to the ground sniffing. None of them bothered to shapeshift, but it was for the best. I didn’t want to see that. While I loved Ethan, seeing a werewolf change into a wolf would probably be more than I could handle.

“They were definitely here.” The driver pointed to skid marks bolting from the station that were headed in the direction we’d come.

The passenger sniffed a little closer in a spot away from us. “Jacob’s scent lingers over here. Just barely. There’s another werewolf with him. Female, I think.” He crawled over to another area, sucking in another deep breath. “There were at least three men after them here.”

I couldn’t help the fascination coursing through me at watching him work. To know I was making a difference made my heart soar. However, we still hadn’t found them.

“Looking at the tire tracks, I think our destination will be there.” Chad pointed toward the woods. “Jacob must have parked his car here while coming after this mysterious female, and if that’s the case, we’re not that far.” Relief sagged his shoulders, and he glanced in my direction, the faintest bit of respect in his eyes. “Thank you, witch.”

I smiled. “I’m happy to help.” The other two werewolves stared at me, and nervousness wedged into my chest. “What do we do now?”

“I’m going to call my father and have the other werewolves in the area help us. You’re going to wait in the car.” Chad nodded his head to the wolf who’d been in the passenger seat, and the wolf stalked toward me.

I bared my teeth at Chad, but hurried back to the car before the wolf could touch me, then rolled down the window to try to hear the phone conversation. The wolf crossed his arms over his chest, keeping watch on me as if I’d make a move to get out of the car. While I didn’t want to be in here, there wasn’t anything for me to do right this second.

“Father, I have good news. We have a location.” Chad beamed. I only hoped he didn’t forget who had given them the location. It had taken a lot of my power to concentrate on the crystal, and only now did I realize the strain it had put on my body.

I didn’t hear the full response from the other end, but whatever the Alpha told his son, it seemed to please him. A small smile crept onto his lips. “We’ll wait for them and check around a little beforehand. I’d like to get this done and over with,” he finally said before hanging up.

There must have been a look on my face as he turned toward me. With a shrug, he finally relented his secrets. “We’ll be getting some backup. However, I still want you to be out of the way. When the men arrive, tell them we are scouting ahead. The enfor… the guy asking will know what that means,” he stated, wolf amber tinting his dark eyes in the moonlit night.

I was too tired and anxious to answer him. After being stuck in the car with three wolves, I needed some space of my own. However, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the men in charge of taking the werewolves and Ethan drove by. I slumped further in the seat.

The werewolves took off jogging through the woods, following a trail only visible to their noses. How amazing it must be, truly feeling and sensing the world through more than just their eyes. The trail had been out in the elements for weeks, but they were able to follow with ease.

Yet I wouldn’t want their lives. My own magical world was dear to me. With a sigh, I turned and scoured the road, waiting for the rest of the wolves to arrive.

After fifteen minutes, I heard the rumbling engines of several cars. A small convoy pulled into the gas station and parked around the driver’s car. S
tern faces scanned the woods around me. Here and there, I saw noses flaring. The wolves were eager to hunt.

A broad-shouldered man got out of the first car and lifted his golden eyes to capture mine. There was very little humanity left in them. All I could sense was impending doom for anyone stupid enough to get in his way. There was no question, no words spoken from him. There was no need.

“They headed that way,” I said, pointing to where Chad and the two wolves entered the forest. “They are scouting ahead. Chad wanted me to tell you that.” I would’ve continued, but he gave me a sharp nod cutting off further conversation.

“Thanks, witch. Stay here. We will be back soon. No one will be here to hold your hand, so don’t move from that car,” the brutish man growled before ordering the wolves out.

My thoughts fractured as they departed through the woods, heading to Ethan’s location. Glancing up at the sky, the nearly full moon shone down on me. Tomorrow, he would be one of them. Tears burned in my eyes.

As long as he lived. That was all that mattered.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ethan

My wolf shook inside my skull, straining against my flesh, wanting to be released. The uncanny feeling had grown stronger by the day.

A pair of fluorescent lights on the ceiling lit my prison. The shades they cast around the room seemed to move and shift around me, making me uneasy. I knew the flashing came from one of the bulbs that would fail soon, but it did little to calm the beast beneath the surface.

Here and there, my mind played tricks on me. I thought I heard noises or smelled things that didn’t belong to this part of the country. No wonder the female lurked on the edge of insanity. Suddenly, something drew my attention from my contemplation. The faint clink of metal came from somewhere outside the room.
Had I imagined that too?

Moments passed and I nearly gave up hope. The general alarm blared to life around me. Something was taking place. First screams of distress and steady gunfire came from the other side of the thick walls around me.

I wanted to shout, give my location, but how would anyone hear me?

The doors along the hallway were torn from the hinges. Metal screeched, coming ever closer to my containment unit. Long trailing claws breached the door, shredding through like it was cardboard. The wolf inside me howled its relief, nearly driving me to my knees, waiting for whoever was coming for me.