The Wolf King's Bride, page 18
“The marks on your arm. They’re gone.”
“Yes.”
“So, you control earth?”
“No. Most elementals, they manipulate with their power. Like sending a gust of wind to push a ship forward. I cannot do that.”
“Then what did you do?”
“The earth does call to me. But not for me to control it or manipulate it. I cannot project out or tell it to do anything. Magic does not come out of me like it does my people. I don’t control elements. Instead, energy flows into me. The earth gives, and I receive.”
Kellan knelt in front of Nora, wanting to see her skin up close. He didn’t touch her, but he did bend forward to look.
She didn’t stop him, but she also didn’t look at him. Nora focused on the far wall.
“When my mother died, the magic was ripped out of her soul. It was so intense, it left behind a hole in mine. Theron thinks it is similar to a slow, steady leak and I must fill it continuously. It heals me from the inside, this energy. If I don’t accept what the earth offers …”
Nora closed her eyes. It was difficult to admit what she’d always been forced to keep secret.
“What happens?”
“I’ll die.”
Kellan’s nostrils flared. “Your father let you risk your life by coming to live in a sickly forest? If you pulled energy from it, not only would the forest be weaker, it probably wouldn’t have clean energies to heal you. True?”
She swallowed.
“True.”
Kellan stood and paced. His mate’s life was at risk, and not just from the Sephtis Kenelm. How could they have kept this from him?
He wrestled with the chaos mixing and roiling in his head. He was livid with Nora and her family. He was also frightened by this new quandary and what it meant for his wife.
Kellan released a deafening roar into the sky, not knowing what else to do with his frustration.
His mate was in danger. Sephtis Kenelm might only need the passage of time to succeed in killing her off. Every single day of her existence her life had been at risk, literally draining from her body. And Kellan had been purposefully left in the dark.
“How could he let me take you away? And without telling me?”
“Father didn’t think the Burghards would appreciate it if their queen could further harm their beloved forest. We decided not to say anything and risk someone challenging me. You know they would see me as weak or sickly. But, ultimately, he thought I would be safe here.”
Kellan spun towards Nora. “Why would he think you would be safe here, Nora?”
The tears returned to Nora’s eyes. “Because he thought that you would tie your life force to mine. He thought you would save me.”
Nora believed there was no chance of that now, not with how cross he had become after finding out her truth. He would probably send her back to her father.
It was just as well. They obviously were a poor match. For a few days, she had thought him perfect, thought she could truly be falling in love with him, and he with her. Now the illusion was shattered.
Kellan stood there, watching as his wife buried her face in her hands and wept. He thought about her words. Blood-mating would tie her life to his. Would it heal the hole in her soul? There was one way to find out.
Kellan bent down and scooped Nora up into his arms. She never pulled her hands away from her face, nor did her crying cease. Kellan wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what his mate thought of him, but if they needed to blood-mate to save her life, they would do it.
He quickened his strides, feeling an urgency to complete the bond.
As he approached the door to their rooms, he told the guards, “We are not to be disturbed unless there is an absolute emergency. And by emergency, I mean someone is dying.”
Kellan entered the room and kicked the door shut behind them. He walked to the bed and laid her down, not really wanting to let her out of his arms. He moved to the chair next to the bed and began taking off his boots and belt.
Nora heard the rustling of his clothing and rolled to looked at him. “Wh-what are you doing?” she sniffled.
“You said tying my life force to yours might heal you. We will blood-mate. Immediately.”
Nora jack-knifed off the bed, rubbing her eyes, untrusting her ears. “You cannot be serious.”
Kellan narrowed his gaze. “I’m quite serious. If you are unwell and I have it in my power to heal you, I will do it.” He stood and removed his shirt.
“What? No!” Was he so desperate for an heir that he would bind himself to someone he thought had betrayed his trust?
Kellan threw the shirt across the room, ignoring her protest.
“I said no, Kellan. We are not going to blood-mate.”
“I say we are.”
He unbuttoned his pants.
“You cannot force me.”
“Oh, I doubt I’ll have to do much forcing, Wife. You seem to like it very much when I’m inside you.”
Down went his zipper.
Nora slapped her hands on the bed in frustration at his pompousness. She looked around for something to throw. The only things within reach were the pillows.
Kellan ducked when the first fluffy pillow flew at his head. He advanced towards her, wondering the best way to relieve her of her clothing. His claws peeked out of his flexing knuckles and he decided shredding them would be the most efficient option.
“Kellan, stop! I do not want you!” she yelled as she scrambled for the other side of the bed.
“Your scent says otherwise, my love.”
Nora froze, outraged. “You are not allowed to say that to me.”
“But it’s true. I can smell it.”
“No, the other part. You are not allowed to use the word love when referring to me.”
Kellan stopped in his tracks, straightening his body, confused by Nora’s words.
“Why in the hell not?”
“Because you don’t mean it. How could you? You don’t even like me. You—you called me a witch! You bruised me. You hurt me more than I ever thought possible.”
“Nora—”
Someone pounded on the door and Nora jumped, startled at the interruption. But she welcomed it.
Without taking his eyes off his wife, Kellan yelled, “Someone had better be dying!”
“My lord! King Edward! Something has happened on his journey here. You must come.”
The vision from earlier came back to Nora, clear as day. Instead of sending word, Nora’s father must have decided to come to Castle Burghard.
How could she have let it go like that? She should never have allowed Kellan—or her own vexations—to distract her from what she saw. She was failing everyone at every turn. That stops now.
Nora ran for the door and Kellan caught her by the waist. “I don’t think so, love.”
She clawed and scratched at him, using her combat training to try and get free. Her father was in danger. He needed help.
Kellan was bemused by his wife’s strength. She managed to score her fingernails across the side of his face. She drew blood and Kellan was half-proud of her.
In his stupor over witnessing her abilities, he must have hesitated, because she landed a hard knee to his kidney. Kellan grunted, but did not let go. He was the strongest wolf in the pack. His little mate was no match for him.
He carried her to the bed and held her down with one hand. He reached for his belt on the floor and his kidney suffered another blow.
Despite his efforts to avoid it, his cock hardened. He made note to revisit this in the future. Battling with her in bed was something he wanted to explore.
A punch to his mouth was enough to dampen his lust. He growled, seizing her wrists and slamming them above her head.
Holding them with his left hand, he looped the belt around them with his right. Nora was bucking like a madwoman, so he flung one leg over to straddle her ribs as he tightened the restraints.
It took longer than it should have. Nora was a skilled fighter. Yet another secret withheld from him.
“There,” he proclaimed once she was secured to the bed. Her feet were still loose, but he didn’t think she could get her arms free.
“Please, don’t do this, Kellan. My father … please!”
“Nora, calm yourself. I will find him. Did you think I would ignore the vision? I may be furious with him, but I’ll not ignore my father-in-law’s need for help. Trust me to do what is necessary.”
“But I can track him. The earth, it will tell me where he is.”
“As will my nose. Do not worry. I will handle it.”
“Don’t you dare leave me like this, Kellan.”
He ignored Nora as he started to dress, then thought better of it. He would leave the castle in wolf form, so he could track Edward.
“I will return as soon as I can.”
Kellan bent to kiss Nora. Instead of allowing it, she tried to hit his forehead with her own.
“Woman, will you calm down?” Kellan did not want to get his nose broken.
“How could you? Are you trying to ensure you’ve earned my abhorrence? Because I can assure you it’s working,” she seethed.
Kellan recoiled at the vehemence in her words. “No. Do not say that.”
“How could I not? You do not listen to me. You have no regard for me. You think of me as a witch. Do not pretend that you’re not disappointed I’m not a she-wolf. I bet if I was wolf you would let me go to my father. Instead, you’ve tied me to your bed like a damned animal.”
“You are tied to our bed, so I can ensure your safety, Nora. I will be gone from the castle and you refuse to stay put. I cannot concentrate on whatever your father is facing if I am worried about you. You are my mate. Nothing is more important to me than you. Do you hear me? Nothing. I care not that you are an elemental. I shouldn’t have called you a witch. I am sorrier than you could possibly know. My anger got the best of me. It won’t happen again. Just as you will not lie to me again. Mates do not lie to one another. Ever. I am hurt that you could do it so easily. But we’ll discuss it later. I have to go.”
Kellan had his hand on the door handle when Nora landed her final blow.
“I may be your mate, but you are not mine. I am Gwydion. We don’t have mates.”
He bowed his head as his heart filled with more sorrow than he had ever known. He took a calming breath, wanting to ward off the reaction he was having to Nora’s harsh words, but the grief inside him was too big to hide.
Kellan turned his head towards his wife, eyes wet from the enormity of his heartache.
Nora was shocked to see tears forming in Kellan’s eyes. One spilled and mixed with the blood from the scratches on his face. The ones Nora had put there only a moment before.
“I may not have your heart, Nora. But you have mine. You can wound it easily. Yet, I give it to you, freely, with no expectation of anything in return. I’ll endure your hatred to ensure your safety. For this, I’ll not apologize.”
With that, Kellan exited the bed chamber, leaving behind the only thing he had ever truly held onto—hope that his mate loved him.
Chapter 20
Nora screamed in frustration. Her arms were worn-out from fighting the belt, her legs tired from kicking and flailing. Her mind was fatigued from worrying about her father.
The worst of it was her heart. It was exhausted from fighting with her husband.
She was confused. His actions did not match his words. Nora believed he had not meant to mark her arm, but the ‘witch’ comment sat heavy on her.
She had known he would be upset with her if he ever found out about her visions or her condition. She never anticipated feeling quite this wretched about it.
She deserved most of his animosity. She was, after all, the deceiver in this. Not Kellan.
As she laid there, replaying today’s mess in her mind, she acknowledged his right to feel betrayed. For that, she was truly sorry. She merited some degree of his bitterness, but it did not give him the right to tether her to this bed. He may as well have thrown her in a cell.
She chose not to acknowledge his parting words. They only muddled her thoughts further. It was not possible to hold his heart and be treated so unkindly. She could not reconcile it.
Nora did not want to admit she could have injured his heart as easily as he had wounded hers. How could that be love?
There had been moments when she looked at Kellan and thought she could love him, that she possibly did love him. Perhaps this was what love was, experiencing agony in the face of betrayal. If she did not love him, she would not feel so miserable.
Kellan was miserable, as well. The tear mixed with his blood, the sadness and the pain, together in the literal sense, were on his face after she had thrown careless words at him. It was too much to bear.
A wolf howled in the distance and Nora’s attention went to the window. She could not see anything from her position, but she listened. No other sounds emerged from the forest. She closed her eyes in defeat.
The chamber door opened, and Mara rushed inside.
“Nora!” she exclaimed. Mara raced to the bed and undid the belt.
“Mara? How did you get in?”
“I had some help,” she said, nodding to the door, where Agatha stood.
“Thank you. Thank you both. Mara, we need to get to my father. I—I had a vision. A clear one.”
Mara and Agatha shared a look.
“Tell me. What did you see?” Mara demanded.
Something in her tenor was off, but Nora attributed it to nervousness. Mara and Agatha were breaking rules and Kellan would not be pleased.
“Just, my father. He’d been gravely injured. That’s all I saw. You know I can’t tell when these things will happen, only that they will. But then a guard came to the chamber and told Kellan something had happened.”
“It could be a trap, with all that’s been happening, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Agatha said.
“I know. We must help him.” Nora would not be deterred.
Mara nodded and grabbed Nora’s hand, pulling her up. “You’re right. I can find him quicker than a wolf can.”
Agatha snorted.
“It’s true. You have to pick up a scent in order to track it. The earth will simply tell me where to go.”
“She’s right,” Nora agreed, disliking Agatha’s superior attitude. Gwydions were not without skills.
The she-wolf shrugged and stepped back through the doorway. Mara rolled her eyes, trailing after Agatha.
Nora followed Mara out the chamber door. Three guards were on the ground, but they were breathing so Nora knew they were alive.
“What happened to them?”
Agatha smiled. “I gave them a snack. Don’t worry. They’ll be awake in an hour or two.”
But Nora did worry. Greatly.
* * *
Kellan and three of his men ran in wolf form, speeding through the woodland, dodging obstacles and ignoring the large thorns catching on their fur. With single-minded determination, they tracked Edward.
Apparently, the group had been attacked by one of the creatures of the forest. A scout had smelled the blood while patrolling and went to investigate.
The scout informed Kellan he had seen the group being attacked from atop a ridge. He’d stopped and rubbed his eyes to make sure he was indeed seeing what was occurring below him.
Apparently, a gigantic wild boar was ramming into the males’ bodies, one by one, mowing them down with its tusks. Boars were unpredictable and capable of killing creatures much bigger than themselves. The children of Burghard were taught early to keep their distance from the aggressive beasts.
The scout watched as not one of the men raised a finger to stop the assault. In fact, they simply stood there, as if frozen, as the animal tore into their flesh. By the time he got down the hill and ran it off, all four men were on the ground, bleeding.
The scout checked their vitals and made the decision to get help. He could not save them all on his own.
Kellan could not work out why they would not fight back. Something was not right with the situation. Hell, nothing seemed to be going right period.
They tore over the ridge and down the hill, following the scout. He picked-up the scent of the injuries immediately.
They shifted when they reached the downed men. Kellan’s misery grew when he saw Foley and two other wolves on the ground. Edward’s breathing was shallow. Kellan didn’t know which of them needed to be tended to first.
He knelt beside his friend as his men assessed the other wounded. “Foley? Can you hear me?”
Blank eyes stared back, but he wasn’t dead. Kellan could hear Foley’s heartbeat and it was strong. Wolves healed fast, so his injuries should not be life-threatening.
“You’ll be okay, my friend,” Kellan told Foley.
He moved to Edward, whose injuries seemed to be the worst. Kellan could see down to the bone in one of Edward’s legs.
“Do you smell that?” asked Alec, one of Kellan’s best trackers.
“The blood?” Kellan replied as he tore Edward’s clothing to create makeshift bandages.
“No, not the blood. Another scent. It’s similar to the one in the clearing where we found Isla—but not the same one.”
Kellan lifted his nose and scented the air. “Here,” he said to Alec, handing him the strips of fabric. “Finish these and try to stop the bleeding.”
Kellan shifted and made a circle around the men. He was a few feet off the path when he caught it. Vampire. His suspicions were right. One of the Prajna was involved—or, two, if Alec’s assertions were correct.
He shifted back to human form. “It’s not the same one?”
“No. It’s Prajna, but not the same one.”
Kellan exhaled harshly. He had killed the Sephtis Kenelm demon. He would bet his life that this scent belonged to the Sephtis Kenelm vampire. The group was active. This would mean there was also a wolf and an elemental to root out.
As for the scent of the vampire in the clearing, he had no explanation. It could have been coincidental, but Kellan highly doubted it. It was possible they already had their next generation of recruits.
