Wolves’ Bane (4 page)

Chapter Six

The Oracle

Cal was annoyed with both Lance for his tactless interference and himself for groping Morgan while he slept. Luckily, Morgan didn’t seem too bothered by it, but really, he needed to get himself under control. This was all new to her—the last thing she needed was some Neanderthal move like cupping her breast. He might have been sex deprived, and Morgan might have been marked as his mate, but that didn’t give him a green light for frat-boy shit.

“The Oracle wants to see you,” Ken said as he poked his head out from the kitchen, a huge deli sandwich halfway to his mouth.

Cal brushed his fingers against Morgan’s lower back, fighting the urge to spread his hand over the tantalizing curve there. “I’m going to get you settled in your room. You need some sleep.”

Morgan nodded as she rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, I’m pretty exhausted—too exhausted to bug you about who
the Oracle
is.”

He motioned for her to go up the stairs. “I’ll give you all of the details you want and need to know. I promise. But first you
must
get some sleep.”

Morgan gasped and grabbed his left arm, halting him mid-step and pulling him down to examine his tattoo. “It’s a wolf. Of course, it’s a wolf.”

He closed his eyes for half a second, reveling in her touch as she traced the design. Under her fingers, the symbol came to life, shooting jolts of pleasure through his body with such intensity he thought he might come right then and there.

So much for keeping things under control.

He dropped her duffle bag to the floor and laid his other hand over hers so he could gently pry her fingers away, clearing his throat as he did.

“It’s the symbol of the Order and it’s imbued with magic. I can use it to find you. When you trace it…well…it just feels really damn good.”

Morgan looked up at Cal, eyes going wide with understanding. “Oh,” she said as she looked down at his arm again. “So, you like it when I touch you?”

When she looked back up at him, it was through her eyelashes, a coy gesture that did nothing to hide a sparkle of interest there.

Does she want me? Now?

He cleared his throat again as he quickly bent down to retrieve her bag. “We have a lot to talk about, Morgan, but first rest.”

She watched him as he straightened and secured the bag over his shoulder, staring for a moment longer before blowing out a burst of breath that lifted her bangs from her face. Cal motioned for her to move ahead of him with a shrug, she finally nodded and slowly began her trek up the stairs, her exhaustion evident in every dragging step. He might have been a horny fool, but he knew the need for sleep when he saw it.

They continued in silence down the long hallway, their feet barely making a sound on the plush carpet. Their room was located in the west wing, the part of the grand estate that boasted large suites, space reserved for each bonded couple. At the moment, there were three couples—including him and Morgan—only one of which was bonded.

But that will be remedied as soon as Morgan gets some rest.

The east wing was where the Hunters slept and trained. Until they reached the peak of their powers, and their Huntresses were found, they had no need for luxuries, just a hot shower, lots of food and a comfortable cot. The rest of their time was spent training. It was a simple life, but one that had suited Cal as long as he could remember. Being the only Hunter actually born of a Huntress, he’d lived at Wolves’ Bane his entire life. So this was, and always would be, home.

He opened the door to their room and watched with concealed amusement as Morgan’s smile grew wide—beaming, in fact. He had never understood the need for such luxury until that very moment. Obviously, it was for the Huntress’s pleasure that they catered to her in such a way.

“Like it?”

Morgan took a few steps into the room and turned in a slow circle, her eyes appraising each feature. “It’s beautiful.”

Cal followed her in, deposited her bag on the floor and surveyed the room himself. He had only been in one of the west wing suites, the Oracle’s, and hers was set up to look more like a hospital room than anything else—stark and functional. This room was the total opposite. It was warm and inviting, the plush carpet complementing the dark walnut furniture. A king-size sleigh bed was nestled between two large windows topped with the softest looking pillows. Nightstands were on either side of the bed and bookshelves lined one wall. The room looked fit for a queen. It was updated with the newest technology as well—a laptop on the desk opposite the books and a flat screen mounted on the wall across from the bed.

Morgan turned toward him, her eyes alight with excitement. “Are you serious? This is my room? What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment?”

Our room.
“You’re very special to us, Morgan.”

She cocked an eyebrow but raised her hand when he started to explain. “I know, I know, you’ll fill me in later.” She turned toward a second door adjacent to the bed. “Is that a washroom? With a shower? I’m going to get cleaned up before I hit the sack.”

Cal clenched his fists. The thought of Morgan wet and sudsy in the shower had him hard and wanting her all over again. What he wouldn’t give to be there to help her scrub her back. He gave his head a shake and cleared his throat. Morgan whipped her gaze to him, suddenly making him feel like she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. She arched her eyebrows as if in challenge, looking all the more sexy and daring. But when she opened her mouth to speak, he stopped her with a few hasty steps to the door.

“I’ve got to go see the Oracle.” He pulled the door toward him. “I’ll check in on you later.”

The last thing he saw before shutting the door was her frown-lined face.

Holy shit!
Unless he was reading that girl completely wrong—which by the pulse of his cock, he wasn’t—she shared his lusty interest, a revelation that he wasn’t prepared for. But he supposed that the bonding attraction would go both ways. If she was destined to be his mate, it would make sense she would feel attracted to him as well.

Giving his head a little shake, he turned in the direction of the Oracle’s room, suddenly conscious of his own need for a shower and a change of clothes. He assumed that his clean clothes, the few items he owned, had been moved into his new room with Morgan, and at the moment, it would be a bad idea to go back in there. Especially if she was all wet and…

Oh Christ, this woman is going to drive me mad!

Cal reined in his devilish thoughts and focused on the task at hand. One didn’t keep the Oracle waiting. Not because she was some kind of evil witch, but because she deserved all his respect.

Kelly, their Oracle, had come to the compound at the age of fifteen, so she had lived and trained alongside them for years. Once they’d become accustomed to having a woman around, all had grown to love her like a sister. When the time had come for her to be bonded with her mate, Andrew, the Hunters all expected status quo. No one thought that she would be lost in the process.

Cal turned down the hall that would take him to Kelly and attempted to straighten his clothes as he walked. He hoped bonding and then training with Morgan would have no major hiccups. Usually, the Hunters got to the Huntresses young—like their latest find, Candy, an eighteen-year-old who came to them only a year ago. She was adapting to the training well and by the time she was of age her body would be honed and ready for battle. Morgan looked good—
damn, did she look good—
but she wasn’t in fighting condition.
Not yet anyway.
It would take some hard training to get her in shape.

The door to Kelly’s room was closed, so he knocked lightly, unsure if it was a good time to stop by or not.

“Come in, Caleb,” Andrew’s cheery voice bellowed from within.

Cal opened the door and stepped in. Every time he visited, he hoped he would see something different—like Kelly sitting up in bed, smiling and welcoming him, full of life as she’d once been. But instead, and to be expected, really, she lay as she always did. On her back, eyes closed, body hooked up to all kinds of machines. The
whosh-whosh
sound of the oxygen apparatus and the beeping of the heart monitor were the only things that hinted that she was still alive.

Andrew’s special ability was deviation—prophesy to a limited degree. His powers were weak and unreliable, never able to portent things beyond what would be served for breakfast the next day. When he bonded with Kelly, she immediately adopted his powers, which was normal. What was not normal was the degree. Although it was commonly believed the female of the bonded pair would ultimately embrace and use the male’s power in a stronger capacity, the Order had not expected how strong Kelly’s would be. Upon gaining Andrew’s magic, Kelly had immediately fallen into a coma, unable to move, eat or even breathe on her own and had been like that ever since, going on six months and counting.

Cal ran his hand along the back of his neck, tension riding his shoulders. He wasn’t worried about Morgan becoming overwhelmed or consumed by his powers, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask the Oracle anyway. Morgan wasn’t only his destined mate—she was also a beacon of hope for the Hunters.

Andrew stood from his chair to embrace Cal, patting him roughly on the back before he pulled away. “Nice to see you home safely, Cal.”

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s been a long couple of days.”

Andrew chuckled as he returned to his chair. “Kelly gave me a play-by-play on your struggles with Morgan. She’s a feisty one, eh?”

Cal shook his head, not at all surprised that Kelly had seen everything that had happened. “I’m not looking forward to training her.”

Andrew chuckled again. “Oh, I think you are.”

Cal rolled his eyes, hardly able to hide his smirk. “Okay, there are certain parts of the training that I’m looking forward to.” He moved around the bed and took a seat next to Kelly. “No change?”

Andrew shook his head, his smile fading. “No, she’s locked in there still. The scholars seem to think there might be information in the texts that could release her from this coma.”

Cal nodded as he shifted his gaze from Kelly to Andrew. “That sounds like a wise path. We should have thought of it sooner.”

Andrew motioned toward Kelly’s head. “So, the reason why she called you…”

“Nothing bad I hope?”

“No, no.” Andrew’s smile returned briefly before his face settled into business mode. “Kelly has been having visions of you and Morgan. She foresees some kind of roadblock or barrier, but it’s unclear what exactly is going on. She wants you to bond with Morgan today—now. Like get yourself back to your room and do it.”

“Morgan needs some sleep.” The words made sense, but his body revved up at the suggestion. Not that it would take much where Morgan was concerned, but he was pumped and very willing to follow through with Kelly’s wishes.

Andrew waved his hand in dismissal. “There will be plenty of time for rest later. For now, Kelly is quite anxious to have the two of you bonded. Morgan is linked to Lazarus.”

Cal nodded. “So it’s true then? Morgan is Lazarus’s bride?”

Andrew frowned as he turned his gaze toward Kelly. “His bride? Shit, we didn’t see that. Makes sense though.”

He grew pensive as he communicated with Kelly, his hand trailing up and down her forearm, his brow furrowed, lips pressed tightly together, his stare vacant.

Minutes passed before Andrew returned his gaze to Cal. “She knew that something was going on with Lazarus. In her vision, he was adamant about locating the girl himself. She just didn’t get the whole story about Morgan being his bride, but it makes sense. Lazarus wants her.”

Cal frowned. “So she’s his destined mate?”

Andrew shrugged. “That I don’t know. The texts talk about a powerful Huntress coming who will turn the tide in our favor. Morgan could be that one if she is linked to Lazarus. If she is able to kill him…the lunar eclipse is only three weeks away, timing is right. It’s making more sense now—Kelly’s insistence on you two bonding, Lazarus’s quest for her in the first place. Means a battle is coming. We could have the advantage this time.”

Cal shook his head. “There hasn’t been a lot of success with that, historically speaking.”

“I know.” Andrew sighed. “It hasn’t ended well in the past.”

Cal snorted. “That’s an understatement.” His stomach clenched.
A huge fucking understatement.
History had proven that battles between the Huntress and Lazarus had never turned out well, especially when the Huntress was linked to him as his bride. There had only been three, one of whom was Cal’s own mother. The irony that he’d been chosen as Hunter for Lazarus’s bride was not lost on him, when his own mother had faced off with him almost thirty years before and had not lived to tell about it.

“We could forgo this battle, hide Morgan until the next lunar eclipse, when she’s better trained, more equipped to face off with Lazarus.” Even as he said it, Cal knew this was a no-go. The lunar eclipse only happened once every thirty years. Although the timing sucked, if Morgan was Lazarus’s bride, he’d come for her, do whatever it took to have her in his clutches.

“The lunar eclipse is our greatest chance of defeating him. We got to her first, we have the advantage. There will be a battle and it will be on our terms.” Andrew’s voice held conviction, like he expected only success. Cal wished he felt the same way.

It was vital that Morgan be initiated into the Order and begin her training. If she was indeed Lazarus’s bride, she’d need all the strength and knowledge that Cal could give her, and that started with the bonding process. He rose from his chair and looked down at Andrew, and then Kelly. “I’ll bond with her and get the training underway.”

“You know what this means though, right, Cal?”

Cal frowned and nodded. Unfortunately, he did.

Andrew rose and walked him to the door. “It’s important that you stay neutral with her, try not to get too attached.” He patted Cal on the back. “Kelly has high hopes for this girl, but she can’t see the future as clearly as usual. There’s something about this whole situation that has her a little freaked out. I’m going to spend some time trying to decode the images that keep popping up, but for now we’re flying blind. We’ve talked about this possibility; history always has a way of repeating itself. Every Hunter here has vowed their loyalty, even in this kind of situation. You know what must be done and you’re the best Hunter for this scenario. Keep her at arm’s length. It’ll be simpler that way.”