Wolf Love: Wolf Series Prequel Page 2

  I didn’t have time to comprehend what Hela meant before the wolf disappeared into the air and a blast of energy hit me, knocking me to the ground. Every nerve was alive with a new consciousness that sent my head reeling. I could hear things, see them, smell them… sense them.

  I had no idea where Hela went, but I could see through the wolf’s eyes, even though I was still in my own body. I wasn’t sure what was happening. Little did I know then, but we had become one.

  One foot in front of the other, I found my way to the void where Adonia was held.

  Hela’s shape slightly appeared, just enough for me to see him, but he was ghostly.

  Everything seemed so unreal. Although, I was in love with a witch, so any magic was possible. But, this was just unheard of. At least I’d never heard of anyone bonding with a wolf.

  The warlocks never saw the wolf coming, and my new strength surpassed those who were left to guard the void. The magic they used did nothing to me as I surged forward, with only one goal in mind. Spells bounced off me as if I were invincible to them.

  When I found Adonia, I knew things would never be the same. But the one thing that wouldn’t change was my love for her. And there would never be another moment when I felt inadequate or helpless. I had found a strength with Hela that was stronger than even the most powerful immortals.

  I only had one weakness… my wife. My love for her blinded me to dangers that could make life cease to exist.

  That had been many years ago. More than a hundred. And I had kept my vow of keeping her safe since that night.

  Shaking myself from the memory, I stared at Adonia. I would continue to protect her. Hela would protect her. And any other guardian out there would protect her. I was their alpha, and she was my mate, my bonded love for all eternity. A wolf mated for life with a bond so strong it couldn’t be broken, until death. Our lives were threaded together for an immortal eternity.

  I rolled back over and gave up on the thought of sleep.

  There was so much I wanted to tell her about the meeting with William, but I couldn’t. William was right not to invite her to hear what was said. The less she knew, the better.

  I didn’t want to upset her any more than I needed to. Our future was about to crumble, and there was little I could do to stop it. All I could do was make sure she survived it.

  Hell, it was half my fault. If I wouldn’t have made that deal with the Death Keeper. If only I knew then what I knew now. If only…

  Slowly, the warm early morning light peeked through the crack in the curtains. Adonia stirred just a little.

  I wondered how I would ever live without her. When my soul twisted in grief, I knew I would have to find a way. There was no way I could ask her to come with me. It would be too dangerous.

  We are not leaving her. Hela’s voice broke through my thoughts. There was almost a hint of a whine to the massive wolf’s tone.

  Hela didn’t have to be in his physical form for me to know what he was thinking. Every hair on his body, every feature, every bit of my spirit wolf was engraved into my mind. We were two halves of a whole. Neither one complete without the other. His snowy white hair was soft and thick, his eyes were a dark charcoal, and his paws were nearly as large as my hands. He was a proud alpha over the wolves, I alpha over the guardians, together we led our pack.

  I turned my head to stare at my wife, but made no sound to wake her, talking to Hela with our bond in my mind. We have to protect her. Even with a seer, danger lurks around every corner.

  Hela grunted. That is why we must stay with her. Who else will watch out for her?

  I cringed. Damn it, Hela. This is hard enough as it is.

  Hela’s tone lowered. I know how hard this is, but we can’t protect her that way. Separating isn’t the answer.

  “What if I lose her?” I whispered aloud.

  Hela’s form materialized across the room, the sunlight fell on him, making the white of his coat shine brightly. He padded over to the bed and put his muzzle on the edge of the mattress next to Adonia. Then we both lose her.

  Deep inside, I could feel Hela’s pain and worry mixed with my own. It didn’t matter what William said about assigning a seer to Adonia, there was no place safe for a witch. Maybe Hela was right, and separating wasn’t the answer.

  I didn’t have time to keep changing my mind. I had to meet with William soon and find out where I was needed.

  Gently, I touched Adonia’s shoulder. “Time to wake, my darling.”

  Adonia moaned slightly before her eyes sprang wide open. “What time is it?”

  “A little after six, but we need to get moving.” Such was our life, always moving, trying to stay ahead of the Le Coterie. This time though, I would be heading straight for them.

  Adonia sat up, flinging her legs over the side of the bed. She took the blanket with her, holding it close to her chest. “Have you made a decision?” Her voice cracked, her voice still hoarse from waking mixed with worry.

  “I have.” I sat up as well, going to my knees behind her, wrapping her in my arms. I never wanted to let her go. We could just stay here like this, hide out in a hotel room, but I knew better. My lips caressed the soft flesh of her neck, leaving a trail of kisses to her ear. “While it is a selfish need on my part, I would like you to come with me.” And curse me if something happens to her for my decision.

  She relaxed in my arms. “I would have followed you.”

  I chuckled. “I have no doubts, my wild one.” My weakness when it came to her would be the death of me. As long as I didn’t kill her in the process. I kissed the back of her head. “It won’t be easy. And I’ll do my best to protect you, but if something happens to you…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the words aloud. Saying them aloud made them too real.

  Hela moved, now resting his muzzle on Adonia’s leg.

  “You have little faith in my magic?” She asked, playfully taunting me. But I knew that she understood the consequences.

  “I will never doubt your magic. Now get up and get dressed, woman. We have a seer to meet.”

  Adonia breathed in deep and let her shoulders fall. “I’m not sure assigning me a seer is the best route to take. We can find another way.”

  I shook my head, then got up off the bed so I could look her in the eyes. Kneeling, I lowered the blanket from her, taking her hands in mine, gently giving them a squeeze. “There is no other way. This seer, Amiya, she has seen things that I wish weren’t true, but they are. We will need her to keep you safe. To keep our future safe.”

  She raised a perfectly curved eyebrow at me. “There’s always two futures. Perhaps my true fate is the other one she has seen?”

  “No,” I said without hesitating, shaking my head. “I won’t let the other future come true. It has to be this way.”

  “Torres, you’re scaring me.”

  I dropped her hands, standing up. Carving my hands through my hair, I exhaled loudly. This was hard. “I’m sorry. It’s just… Let’s not worry about it now.”

  Adonia stood, matching my stare. “No, we will talk about this now.” She glanced down at Hela. “What are you both not telling me?”

  Hela whined, looking over at me. Tell her. Or I will.

  I clenched my jaw before speaking. “Amiya has seen two futures, this is true, but neither of them is desirable. I refuse to let you die, so I don’t choose to let one of them happen at all. The other, well, it sounds callous and selfish, but it is the only way to keep you alive.”

  “And this other way, this is the one that affects our daughter?”

  I nodded. There was no easy way to put this and I was a monster for even thinking it. “One future I lose you. The other, we lose her.”

  Adonia’s face fell, the color draining from it leaving pallid shades of white. “You think I would sacrifice my daughter to save myself?”

  I searched her emerald eyes for a spark of forgiveness, none of which I deserved. “No. That’s why I chose for you.”

  “How could
you!” Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me.

  “Adonia, my darling, I can’t bear to lose you. And we won’t really lose her, and it will only be for a short time. A moment that will pass swiftly.”

  “Tell me, Torres, what will happen to her should I choose that future.” She said it with a malice that told me she would be the only one to choose.

  A glimmer of hope sprouted in my chest. Maybe if she knew the outcome, she would choose the same way. “Amiya said that Nicholas would take her, but that she would be found and kept hidden until we could find her. She will be safe.”

  Her voice broke. “But we won’t raise her?”

  The grief over what I had done prior to meeting my wife clung to me. The deal I made would haunt me forever. And now, it would haunt Adonia. But I couldn’t tell her about it. Not yet. “No, we won’t.”

  “So, we will lose her.”

  I took her hands and squeezed. “But she will be alive, and you will live. The other way, you die. It’s not a choice, Adonia.”

  Tears welled in her eyes and she nodded. “Okay, so what do we do?”

  Relief surged through me. I hoped she would accept my choice and live. “We meet Amiya and find out where we need to go. If we are to stay together, we have to be careful. One mess up and the other future could be sealed.”

  I would not let that happen. I would protect her until I stopped breathing, and even then, I would try to reach through the spirits to save her. She was my everything.

  Hela backed away, slowly dissolving into the air. The decision was made. Adonia would be going with me, and together Hela and I would protect our mate.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Adonia

  I smoothed my hands down the front of my dress, trying to remove any wrinkles for the millionth time since arriving at William’s home. Not that it helped, but in my nervous state, it kept me occupied.

  Seers were revered for their powers, and only assigned to important witches—and I was anything but important. At least not in my eyes. I was just Adonia Hernandez. Sure, I could wield some of the strongest magic, but to me, that wasn’t what made someone important.

  It was just magic.

  “Adonia, my dear, it is so good to see you,” William said, entering the room. His dirty blond hair was slicked back with pomade. He looked so confident as he strode across the floor of the parlor to greet me.

  His shoes made no sound as they sunk into the green and gold paisley carpet. Taking my hands, he lifted them to his thin lips to kiss. My instinct was to pull away, but I resisted the urge to disgrace him in his own house.

  A cold shiver coursed down my spine, begging me to get distance between us.

  His blue tailored suit formed his slim body perfectly, accentuating his bony frame. He looked nothing like the man I was married to, he was Torres’s opposite in nearly every way.

  I offered a soft, albeit fake smile. “Mr. Black, it’s good to be here again. You have a very fine home.” I hoped my flattery and sweet-talking would help me get on his good side.

  He let go of my hands and grinned like a little boy, even though he was a warlock of nearly three-hundred years. “I’m glad you like it. It is full of all the new amenities that man can afford. Perhaps a tour shall be in order after?”

  I struggled to smile again. “That would be nice. Thank you.” I glanced at the empty doorway before continuing. “About this meeting. I really don’t think a seer is necessary. Do you?”

  William stared at me, an expression filled with disappointment glazed over his eyes.

  A woman entered the room answering for him. “It isn’t just necessary for your survival but for mankind.”

  Her short red hair wasn’t as fiery bright as mine, but it hung in a straight bob just past her chin. Her blue pleated skirt stopped just under her knees and she wore a matching blouse and a felt hat. She was very tall, but her tiny build was skeletal and she looked frail, not anything like I had pictured for a strong seer.

  She pulled off her white gloves as if they were bothersome. Honestly, I wouldn’t have them as I found such articles cumbersome and not at all useful. Then again, I wasn’t concerned with fashion or what others thought about my lack thereof.

  “Amiya, I’m so glad you made it.” William greeted her the same way he did me, lifting her hands to kiss them a bit more gently. If I tried, I was sure I could count every bone from her wrist to her fingertips.

  Was this truly the woman who was assigned to me?

  The BOMB must think this was a joke. I had more strength in my pinky than this woman. How could she help protect me? It would be the other way around, and I would be stuck protecting her.

  Amiya pulled away from William, a sharp arch in an eyebrow rose as she studied him. “Don’t speak lies, Mr. Black. We both know you are upset about my presence here.”

  Hum, maybe this woman wasn’t so bad after all. I liked the brash way she addressed William without actually being rude.

  William straightened and turned to me to introduce us.

  Amiya waved a hand to shoo him off. “Applesauce. I know who she is, you fruitcake. I’ve seen her in my visions longer than you have been alive. Now why don’t you just leave us women to talk and go get us some lemonade.”

  I held a hand to mouth stifling a chuckle, and William tossed her an embarrassed smile before departing.

  “Now, child, let’s sit, shall we?”

  I nodded, complying, both because I was afraid and in awe of this petite woman.

  Amiya gracefully took a seat on the edge of the sofa. The cream-colored fabric covering the davenport looked pristine and untouched, with polished wooden legs and pillows that matched the green wall coloring behind it. I wondered if William had purchased it to use or to show off. Probably the latter.

  “Sit with me.” Amiya patted the seat next to her.

  I followed her lead and sat on the edge of the sofa. It was hard to not be captivated by this woman. She looked so young, twenty-five maybe, but her amber eyes revealed great wisdom and age. I knew, as a seer, Amiya was much older. Because of how rare it was for a seer to find another compatible enough to procreate with, their numbers had dwindled, leaving mostly just a small number of a very old generation.

  “Don’t be afraid, child.”

  I released a soft chuckle. “I’m not afraid. I’m… cautious.”

  “Is that what you call it now?” Amiya leaned over with her elbows on her thighs, holding her arms up so that her chin could rest on her fists. She continued to watch me with her golden eyes, as if searching my soul for truths buried deep inside.

  I could almost feel her gaze in my soul and shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa. “Well, truth be told, it is a bit unnerving to be here, with you. Everyone knows when a seer is summoned to a witch that things must be pretty bleak.”

  Amiya laughed. It was a soft tinkling sound that created waves of euphoric happiness over the room. But it wasn’t enough to settle my nerves.

  “My dear, that is more of an old wives tale like saying a broken mirror will give you bad luck.”

  A knock on the door made me jump slightly. “Sorry to interrupt.” William walked in carrying a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses.

  “Why, William, I never knew you liked to serve your guests yourself.”

  I wanted to clap at the look on William’s face. It seemed Amiya knew exactly what to say to him to get under his skin without ever being rude. It was a gift that I’d really like to learn. Especially seeing how Mr. Black reacted to the seer.

  William stiffened as he set the tray down on the small table in front of the sofa. “I had the impression that you would rather not have others around, so I have given my staff the day off, out of respect for you.”

  I hid the scoff by biting my tongue. I highly doubted he gave them the day off for us. More likely, he wanted to be the one to serve us to eavesdrop on our conversation.

  Amiya’s smile widened, but her eyes failed to reciprocate the humor. “T
ruly, you are a respectful man. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

  William stood straighter and puffed out his chest just enough for me to notice. “Of course, my dear seer. I am, if nothing else, simply here to help you.”

  “The lemonade will be sufficient. Thank you, William.”

  William grinned and turned to leave. “Let me know if I can be of any more assistance to you ladies.” Quietly, he closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with the seer.

  “How did you do that?” I was astonished at how refined this woman was. When I had pictured a seer, I had always imagined more of what the mortals pictured old witches. Long crooked nose, white hair, round eyes that seemed to follow you wherever you went. But Amiya was quickly proving me wrong.

  “A little persuasive flattery will go a long way.” Amiya picked up the pitcher of lemonade and filled two glasses, holding one out for me to take and keeping the other for herself. “Especially with a high-hat man such as Mr. Black.”

  I nearly spit out my drink, sputtering and barely choking it down, electing to just hold my drink for the time being rather than try to swallow anymore. No need to embarrass myself.

  Amiya grinned. “It seems we have the same opinion of Mr. Black. Father Time has a bit of an ego problem. Wouldn’t you say?”

  Setting the glass down on the table in front of me, I shifted on the seat. Was this a test to see where my loyalties lie? My heart hammered loudly in my chest as I tried to figure out how to respond.

  Amiya broke the silence. “Relax, child. I’m not here to trap you. I’m here to help you.” It was as if she could read my thoughts, and perhaps she could. It was something I would have to look into but in the meantime, I’d have to try to guard my mind.

  There may not be a lot of time or another chance to ask what I wanted to know. “I’m sorry, I just am not sure what I’m doing here. Why would a seer want me?”

  “Why wouldn’t a seer want you, is the correct question.” Amiya took a sip of her drink before also placing her glass on the table. “You may not think highly of yourself, but you are not stupid. With your powers and your husband’s unique abilities, together you have something that the other side wants desperately.”