Wolf Dream Read online

  I felt an unfamiliar heightened sense of protectiveness, but over whom I wasn’t sure. It filled my body like a warm liquid poured through my veins. I looked away, staring at the floor, then the ceiling, waiting for the awkward feeling to subside.

  “You okay?” Ian asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, just a little hot in here.”

  Ian huffed before walking over to the thermostat and turned it on high. I continued to look up at the ceiling, waiting for the cool air to help. Maybe it was the confrontation that overwhelmed me and made me sick. I didn’t know what else to say that could help. No matter what I said to either of them I was going to be wrong.

  “You’re not wrong, they are just worried,” Dregan said from across the room as he sat and watched Ian pace. “We all are. I think we need to do what Ian says. Nicholas needs to die, and then there won’t be a deal for Davin to keep.”

  Ian returned to pacing. I knew he heard Dregan, the same as I had. Luna pushed her head against me while in my lap. “It’s the bond. Don’t worry, soon you’ll be used to feeling more than just me.”

  I looked down at her and Ian stopped walking. “What do you mean, the bond?”

  She sat up a little. “Well, if I must explain how you two sealed a guardian companionship, then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

  My mouth fell open and Ian ran his hands through his already disheveled hair, letting it fall back over his forehead.

  “I forgot that part. I guess with everything happening, I just didn’t think.”

  Ailaina looked at both of us. “Would either of you care to explain? I can’t hear the wolves, remember.”

  I felt heat creep into my cheeks and I looked down at Luna. “We, uh, Ian and I, uh, you know…” I shrugged.

  Ailaina waved her hands in a crisscross in front of her. “You know, any other time I would love to talk to you about that, but I just can’t with him in the room.”

  I laughed. “Good, cause I don’t want to either.” I knew that later she’d make me dive into details, but right now wasn’t the time with him only three feet away from us. There were some things girlfriends just didn’t do in the same room as their boyfriends. “Anyway, it means that we’re bonded and that means that not only can I hear Dregan, but I can feel him as well now. I just feel warm and queasy, overrun with emotions.”

  Ian dropped his hands to his sides. “I didn’t think either. I’m sorry, Es. I hope you don’t regret it. I mean, you know, about…” He tipped his head.

  I held my hand up. “Stop. Ian, I could never regret anything with you.”

  Oh my gosh. It all made sense now. Earlier, before I fell asleep, I was overwhelmed with so many emotions, that must have been me bonding with Ian. My heart leapt in happiness, like I just confirmed finding my soul mate.

  Ian glanced at me with his eyes glossed over. “I felt it, right after…you know.”

  Ailaina stood up. “Okay, well, I think I need to leave you two alone cause this is getting a little too sappy for me, and I have no one to suck face with when I leave this room, so I don’t wanna hear it.” She gave me a secret grin and wink with her back to Ian and mouthed ‘later’ to me.

  I had to stifle a giggle as she turned to leave. All I heard was the click of the door to know that she was gone.

  I looked up at Ian, who stopped pacing. “What do you think?”

  He walked over to me and dropped to his knees, nestling himself between my legs. “I think I am one lucky man to be with someone like you for eternity.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You don’t regret it? I mean, I might die soon.”

  “No, I don’t regret it and you won’t die. I never bonded with anyone before cause I never wanted to fall in love with anyone but you. You’ve had my heart for so long.”

  I could feel him shake slightly, but more importantly, I could feel everything he wanted to say but couldn’t. “I know. Ian, I love you.”

  He tipped his head up and gazed into my eyes. “I love you too. Es, I can’t lose you. He will die before your time is up, I promise.”

  I leaned my head so I rested against Ian’s forehead. “What scares me the most right now, is that he wouldn’t even tell me how I would die. He said he hadn’t thought of how, but I think he just didn’t want to tell me.”

  He took a deep breath. “Don’t worry about it, cause it’s not gonna happen. Did you forget who you’re dating? I’m like the king vampire hunter here.”

  I stifled a small laugh. Our small moment of affirmation of love was over, but I still felt it radiate from him, enveloping me—all of me. “Well, Master King Vampire Hunter, what is your plan?”

  “My plan is to get you dressed and ready, we’re going hunting.”

  I sat up straight and cocked my head. “Hunting? In Spain?”

  “Yup, now conjure up some black sexy clothes to wear.”

  I laughed. “Black sexy clothes, huh.”

  He slapped my thigh playfully as he stood. “Yes, we’re talking skintight leathers, baby.”

  “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

  “A guy can dream right?”

  Ugh, boys.

  I got dressed in my new sexy black clothes—minus the leather—and looked at myself in the mirror. It was so hard to believe I was nineteen and worried that I would die before I turned twenty. I ran my fingers through my long red tresses and magicked a little makeup. I wasn’t sure who we would be hunting, but if it stopped my death sentence, then I was all for it.

  “Hey, Princess, you almost done in there? We’re not going to the opera, you know.”

  I groaned at Ian’s impatient attitude. “Seriously, dude, I’m coming.”

  “Alright, just saying you don’t have to primp.”

  I opened the door hard, letting it hit the wall. It was hard to be mad at him while my heart raced to keep up with my hormones. He was clad all in black as usual, but the way he looked at me in his jeans and T-shirt, leaning against the dresser with his arms folded, made my mouth water. His eyes roamed over my matching attire, lingering longer at my curves.

  “Do I look okay?” I asked. Maybe he was hesitant because I wasn’t pulling the bad girl look off as well as he hoped.

  “Damn, girl, this is why you’re mine.”

  I laughed. “Okay, but seriously, I feel strange wearing all black, like I’m supposed to blend in with the shadows or something.”

  “Exactly. You don’t want to be seen while hunting. It could mean the difference between the death of another or killing yourself. And we both are trying to avoid the latter.”

  A knock on our door averted my attention. I turned and opened it, letting Ailaina in. She smiled widely as she sat on a bed. “I’ve got it. I totally saw everything. Wait, why are you all matchy-matchy? You two really need to take some time apart.”

  Ian and I both laughed. “She’s wearing black cause we’re going hunting.”

  Ailaina scrunched her brows. “Okayyyy. Why does she need black? Is it like camo or something?”

  “Yeah, sort of. Ian thinks I can blend into the shadows this way.”

  “Alright, well, you two have fun with that. Jeesh, whatever happened to dinner and movie for a date? Hunting vampires is so, um, you know, it’s never been in the top ten on my list of fun things to do on a date.”

  Ian wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “That’s cause you’ve never dated anyone like me.”

  “Thank God,” she said dramatically.

  I figured I better break them up before it became an all-out pissing match. “So, what did you see?”

  She stuck her tongue out at Ian and I shot him a look that told him to zip it. “Well, I saw this Davin guy, you didn’t tell me he was freakin hot by the way, and he was in a room with a huge fireplace. I’m not sure where he was at, I didn’t recognize it. But anyway, he was alone and thinking about you. Not a creepy kind of stalkerish way, just thinking. He seemed really lonely though. He saw me. It was strange, but so neat. We talked and ta
lked.”

  “Okay, Ailaina, I get it. What was he thinking?” Ian interrupted.

  “I was getting there, jeesh. He doesn’t want to kill you but he has to as long as Nicholas is alive. Which is what Ian suggested we do, I know, but even if Nicholas dies, Davin still wants you, Es, but not for the reasons you think. I know how to fix it, but I can’t tell you right now. You’re just gonna have to trust me, and when the time is right, you’ll know.”

  “Trust you?” It’s not that I didn’t trust her, I just wanted all the answers right now.

  “Yes. Trust me. Please.”

  “Hey, I think as long as we can kill Nicholas, we can do anything. I trust you.” Ian grabbed his leather jacket and pulled it on. “You didn’t tell us a timeframe. How long do we have before he has to kill her?”

  “Not long. Maybe two weeks, maybe a little more.”

  I gasped. I expected a lot longer. I couldn’t die in two weeks; I had so much to live for.

  “Hey, Princess, it’s okay, remember. You’re with the Hunting King.” He gave me a wink.

  Ailaina groaned out loud and I chewed on my lip. I was tired and my days were numbered. I would see how tonight went and then make a decision. If we couldn’t find Nicholas, then maybe my best bet would be to make a deal with Davin.

  I snatched up my jacket from the end of the bed as I stood. “Okay, I’m ready.” I spun around to Ailaina. “Are you coming with us?”

  She gave me a coy smile. “No, I kinda wanted to see if I could see anything else, you know, with Davin. I told him I’d be back to talk more.”

  “Mmmhum, you just be careful, you realize you’re playing with fire, right?”

  She giggled. “I know, hot fire.”

  It was useless to argue with her. “Fine, I’ll be back in the morning.”

  She waved me off. “You don’t have to report to me. Adonia and Torres might be a bit miffed you didn’t include them though.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t think of that.”

  “Luna, can you tell Hela that we’re gonna be out all night hunting? I don’t want them to follow, although they can help by looking for Nicholas on the other side of the city if they want.”

  “Of course, although, I guess I should tell you that they are already out looking. They left right after hearing about Davin.”

  I sighed. “Okay, whatever. We’ll meet you and Dregan in the park in fifteen minutes.”

  “We’re already here.”

  Of course they were. Luna was always watching.

  We made it to the park in record time. Actually, I was sure it was because Ian drove like he owned the road, which was normal, but with the whole death thing hovering over me, I wanted to take extra precautions.

  It was the Parque Del Retiro, or Royal Park. This was the place on the map that shimmered the other day. I knew we’d find an answer to something here. One day I’d like to come back just to walk through it. It was huge. Tall trees covered most of the three-hundred-and-twenty acres, along with all kinds of flowers and shrubs. Soft music from some sort of string instrument sounded from somewhere in the park, its beautiful notes carrying on the breeze. I looked around in awe. It was much prettier, even at night, than the brochure in the hotel room said. I knew that somewhere in the middle of the park was a man-made lake, and buildings and statues were scattered around the entire park. I sighed. Maybe one day I could go somewhere just to enjoy it, but tonight wasn’t that night.

  I saw Luna’s eyes before I actually saw her body. She looked like she had on the plane, her wispy form hiding in the bushes. When I got closer she took her full wolf form and rubbed against my leg.

  Dregan came out in his full black glory, looking more like a shadow than a living wolf. He stood between Ian and me. I squatted down to pet them both, then I hugged Luna and buried my face in her soft fur. She smelled of pine and I instantly wished I was wherever she just came from, anywhere but here.

  Ian placed a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, it’s getting late and we have a lot of ground to cover.”

  “He’s right. I’m more than ready to end this.”

  I realized Luna had a lot at stake too. If I died, she would too. I swallowed hard to keep my emotions from rising too far to the surface. I nodded and stood up. “Do you think we can find him tonight? I mean, we’ve had months to find him and kill him. What makes you think we can do it tonight?”

  Ian took my hand. “Because we only have two weeks before the Death Keeper takes you and that makes me work a little harder. Besides, Nicholas knows you know about his deal, since he was the one who took you to Davin in the first place. I think he finally wants to be found. He thinks bringing you out will make it easier for the Death Keeper to kill you. He wants your power, and doesn’t want to wait anymore. He thinks he has the upper hand.”

  That made sense, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to believe it. “Okay, so what do we do first, oh mighty hunter?”

  “You know, I can get used to all this Mighty Hunter King stuff, you should keep it up.” He gave me a smile and winked.

  I wriggled my hand from his and pushed him forward. “Just keep walking before I call you something else.”

  He chuckled and I could hear Luna and Dregan laughing as well. I shook my head. It was going to be a long night.

  We walked through the park, making it to a place that I recognized from the brochure. “Oh, I know where we are.” I got a little closer. I deeply wanted to be a tourist with no crossbreeds or vampires to hunt. I wanted to take Ian’s hand and stroll through the moonlit park and not have a care in the world. I wanted to be able to enjoy the historic buildings and take in the flowers. I sighed. I was too distracted. “This is the, um, the…” I snapped my fingers trying to remember the name of the monument. “Oh, I don’t remember, but I think it was named after some Alfonso dude, or something like that. The other side of it should be the lake.”

  “Okay, teach, but can you save the history lesson for later?” I frowned at Ian, but he stopped walking and lifted his finger to his lips.

  “Listen, it’s a crossbreed for sure.” Luna’s hackles rose.

  I listened, but didn’t hear anything. I decided to feel out for it instead. A hollow, dark sensation made me sick to my stomach. Ugh, definitely a vampire.

  Ian stepped lightly forward. “Ian says to stay here and cover this side of the monument. He’s gonna go around and see if he can find them.” Dregan’s voice growled in my head. I knew he was just as riled about everything as we all were.

  I nodded at Ian as he glanced at me over his shoulder. I grabbed the stake I had in the holder strapped to my back, under my jacket. I needed to be prepared for whoever was around.

  Ian and Dregan disappeared behind the monument toward the lake. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as my anxiety grew. I felt out for Ian, needing to know he was safe. Not that I thought otherwise, but I wasn’t sure I would get used to having a heightened sense of emotion for him. Or Dregan for that matter. I wondered if he was doing the same thing with me. If he was, I knew he’d never let on that he did.

  A small scuffle sounded beside the building, but I couldn’t see anything. I tiptoed closer, hoping to see who it was. I held my stake tighter.

  “Es,” Dregan’s voice filled my head. “Ian is coming back around to the right, I’m pushing a breed out the left side; meet us there. Luna, be ready.”

  I couldn’t see Dregan or the crossbreed he talked about. My body tensed as I waited for them to show up. Out of the corner of my left eye I saw movement. I spun carefully to investigate. Luna kept right beside me. I could feel her need to growl, but she stayed silent. The moonlight gave an eerie glow over the archaic building and the shadows from the trees moved with each sway of the branches in the breeze.

  I lifted the palm of my free hand, letting my magic sizzle, small sparks of blue and red flickered off my skin and disappeared into the air. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I twisted slightly to look behind me. I swallowed the lump in my throat when I sa
w two shadows lurking behind the trees.

  “Luna, there are two more behind us. I’m not sure where Ian is, and this is just a guess, but I think we’re surrounded.”

  Luna bared her teeth and let out a growl. She backed up to me so together we could watch all around. Dregan snarled as he came around the side of the building. A man who had fresh blood smeared on his face headed my way, not too far in front of Dregan.

  I could feel Dregan, Luna and Ian’s overpowering desire to protect me. The sensation was heavy, making me feel like my body was weighed down by lead. I didn’t understand why I felt so much of their emotions, and right now wasn’t the time to have them crush my own senses. Luna’s I was used to–they felt the same as mine as if we were one. Ian and Dregan were different–they made me feel two sets of emotions, confusing me. I really hoped our emotional bond wouldn’t get in the way tonight while hunting.

  I shook my head, trying to clear my head.

  Luna growled again then looked up at me. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, just trying to shove away Ian’s feelings so I can focus,” I mentally whispered back.

  “I hate to say it, but right now isn’t the time to worry about feelings.”

  “No kidding, you think?” I shifted my weight slightly and watched the man amble slowly toward me. I wasn’t sure if he saw me or just sensed me, but either way he knew I was here.

  “Well, well, what do we have here?” one of the men behind me said. His voice was nasally with a slight eastern accent.

  Luna and I shifted in our small circle so I could see the one who talked. I let out a small gasp when I saw three more men emerging from the tree line. There was no way to escape them now. We had to fight. Wasn’t that what we were here to do anyway? I lowered my hand with the stake. “Looks like we got a couple dead breeds.”

  The man laughed. “Big talk for someone who only has a wolf to protect her.”

  “She’s enough to handle you,” I said as I silently prayed we would get out of there alive—at least, I hoped tonight wasn’t the night Davin chose to finish his deal. Despite what Ailaina said about two weeks, I knew more than anyone how plans change.