Magic Claimed, page 10
He tugged his jacket off to reveal a black shirt that strained at his biceps and across his wide shoulders. “Let’s get this over with, Mate.”
The way he said ‘mate’ might have been how he said ‘trash’. I kept my face neutral through the flash of unexpected hurt that shot through me. I shouldn’t feel anything except relief at his comments because I’d found my weak link and my way out of this bond.
If he fought the bond hard enough, then it would be two against two. To Alerick and Eike, Jarom was their Second. They’d probably grown up together. Worked together. They trusted each other. I was nobody to them. A slave they’d accidentally run across. They’d pick Jarom over me any day.
All I had to do was exploit that and make them think Jarom was correct. My ticket out of here was marginally looking up.
“Yes. Let’s get this over and done with. You can go back to your lives and leave me the hell alone,” I said.
“That’s not what we want, and you know that,” Alerick said, looking all too masculine in his white shirt and black breeches. Even the frown he wore looked good on him, damn it. I forced my gaze to the ground, not wanting to notice anything more about them. Anything that would bind me further to them.
“You should listen to your Second. Maybe he knows something you don’t,” I said.
Alerick flashed an unfathomable look at Jarom, who didn’t look as though he noticed because that dark gaze was trained on me. “What do you think I know?” Jarom said.
I notched my chin. “I think you know this is all a mistake. That you all Changed when you came in contact with me for another reason.”
Jarom dove on me, standing so close his body heat and scent wove about me, sending my equilibrium into a nosedive. “And what reason would that be? If you’re going to come clean, it’s best to tell us now.”
Anger flashed through me, making my eyes narrow on the object of my angst. “What makes you think it’s my fault? You’re the one who didn’t let me go. You’re the one who took me to Alerick and Eike. If you hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be standing here in the middle of the forest waiting to get naked, would we? I’m the one wearing this collar. Maybe Esoti be-spelled it to repel the wolf with an attitude up his ass. Who knows? This is all your fault, so you work it out. If you have any theories rattling around in that handsome head of yours, let’s hear it now.” I’d jabbed my finger in the middle of his very hard, very solid chest and realized that his eyes were glinting dangerously in the moonlight. Oops. I dropped my finger.
Jarom snapped to rigid attention. “Wolf with the attitude up his ass?” he growled.
“You heard me. It can’t come as a shock to you,” I said between gritted teeth.
“Jarom, cut her some slack. It’s her first intentional shift, and she’s understandably nervous,” Eike said.
“All I’m saying is that we don’t know her, Alpha,” Jarom said, his gaze never leaving me.
“No, you don’t. Best go with your gut, Jarom. I’m not the Mate you want,” I said, hoping I wasn’t layering it on too thick.
“Enough!” Alerick laced his words with Alpha strength and my wolf obeyed; the traitor. I noticed with some satisfaction that Jarom looked contrite. Almost. Asshat.
I crossed my arms over my chest and sweat broke over my body. My wolf writhed inside me, fighting to get out. If I knew how, I’d let her and run to get away from here.
“Come, Little Mate. Let’s get you ready.” Alerick undressed in front of me. So close I could reach out and run my fingers all over those smooth abs of his. My nostrils twitched as oak and cinnamon teased me. My fingers twitched beneath my armpits, where I’d lodged them so I could resist touching that massive, delectable plane of male flesh.
Eike disrobed. Although he was half a head shorter than Alerick, his body was no less impressive. His locs fell halfway down his back, almost to the curve of his rounded backside. Thick, muscular thighs led to calves that looked carved from muscle. And the manhood between his thighs hung long and heavy.
My gaze slid to Alerick. Gold glinted in the moonlight and I realized the end of his cock was tipped with a golden bar piercing. His cock swelled, and I realized I’d been staring at him. I gasped, my gaze flying to him to find his fathomless eyes tangled with mine. He’d stood still. To allow me to look at him. To let me become familiar with his body.
Jarom snickered, and my gaze fell to the grass at my feet, heat flaring across my face. I didn’t need to be caught admiring Alerick and Eike’s cocks. Not by Jarom, at least.
“You’ll have to undress, Little Mate. For the Change.” Alerick’s deep voice sounded loud in the silence of the forest.
“Is it going to hurt?” When Alerick had forced my Change before, it had been excruciating.
“You might feel uncomfortable for your first intentional shift but the more you Change, the easier it will get,” Eike said.
I nodded. I had to trust them. I really had nothing to gauge what I was attempting to do.
A rustle of clothing to my side and slightly behind me told me Jarom had undressed, but there was no way I was going to look at him. I swallowed the hard lump down my throat. If I undressed, I would be completely vulnerable to them, but if I didn’t, I’d have to walk back naked to the castle. My best option was to undress here. At least one of them was disgusted by me, and Alerick and Eike seemed to hold some morals. I should be safe-ish if I was quick.
I turned away from them and quickly removed my clothing. The thin, ragged dress was my only clothing. I bundled up the dress and shoved it in the branch of a tree so I could retrieve it later.
A skimming touch to my shoulder blade made me yelp and jerk. I looked over my shoulder and wished I hadn’t. I’d forgotten about the scars on my back and all three of the wolves were looking at them. Eike’s face held sadness. He’d been the one to touch me. Alerick’s jaw muscle ticked and there was absolutely nothing on Jarom’s features. I knew they’d seen my scars at the cabin, but now I was wholly cognizant and it was a different matter altogether.
I cleared my throat, keeping my back to them, my posture straight and my eyes ahead. “Can we get on with this, please?”
“Of course. This may be difficult, but I will guide you through every step of the way,” Alerick said smoothly. “Close your eyes and concentrate on the middle of your chest where your wolf resides. See if you can find her.”
I drew in a deep breath and did what he asked. My wolf spun in a circle, happy to have my attention. In my mind’s eye, I saw her. She was beautiful with perfect, long white fur and burning, bright blue eyes. She sat on her haunches and her pink tongue lolled from her mouth as she smiled at me.
This was the part of me I’d been denying. The part I never knew existed. While my human body had been ravaged by Esoti, this one part of me, the part deep inside, was absolutely flawless.
I couldn’t help myself. In my mind, I knelt in front of her and buried my hands in her ruff. The strands were silky soft, and tickled against my skin. She leaned into my touch and rested her head over my shoulder. I tightened my hold around her neck and her fur tickled my cheek. I didn’t think I’d touched anything so luxurious. A wave of peace and rightfulness settled inside me.
A burst of tingly energy splintered through my body and the next thing I knew, I had four feet and the magnified sights and smells of the forest burst over me. Eike knelt before me, twin dimples appearing in his cheeks when he smiled at me. Dimples. So not fair.
He buried his hand in my coat in a similar fashion as I’d touched my wolf. “Can you believe that, Alerick? You didn’t have to tell her what to do.”
I looked up at Alerick’s face and the astonished expression on it, which didn’t seem to be that far up. I glanced at my body. I wasn’t a small wolf. I was massive!
And I wanted to run!
With an excited yip, I bounded through the trees and bolted through the woods as fast as my four legs could carry me. This was different to my first Change, where my legs wanted to move in different directions. My wolf body was now an extension of my mind. I’d never felt stronger. Freer.
Ripples of magic burst behind me, and then the sound of three sets of heavy galloping footfalls pounded after me. My skin tingled with awareness and excitement that didn’t come from me. It was from my wolf.
She gave a yip of exhilaration, put on the speed and dashed around shrubs and trees, as if I had winged feet. Her excitement was my trepidation. She might want them to catch her eventually, but I definitely didn’t because she didn’t understand.
My mates were coming for me but they could never catch us.
Chapter Fifteen
Thunder pounded behind me and a massive jet, black wolf bounded over me. I skidded on the damp leaves, changing my trajectory. I dashed between two slim trunks, rattling leaves when I jumped through. Earth dug beneath my claws as I raced on.
At my side, a gray wolf with cute white socks ran with me. Eike kept pace with me, his mouth open in a giant doggy grin. His tongue lolled from the corner of his mouth, his footfalls in sync with mine.
My wolf sent Eike a doggy grin, her heart pumping with joy because her Mate ran beside her. Stupid, simple wolf. But then Eike put his nose to the ground and let out a yip. He followed a scent and my wolf followed him. I tried to stop her, but she got a whiff of the same scent and my senses went haywire with the need to follow that particular path. That path was the only thing I could concentrate on. The enticing scent on the ground, and the scent of smoke and whiskey wove through me as we ran side by side.
The jet black wolf flew over us, landing on the path, leading the way. My wolf’s heart expanded in joy as another of her mates joined us, and then the three of them bounded over the leaf-strewn land, jumped over rocks and through a meandering creek. Her heart, my heart, pumped with elation, but there was something missing. Someone not there.
And then he was. A dark brown wolf ran behind us, his burning blue eyes trained on me. Jarom. I barked with joy that he had joined us, and then we were running faster, faster, faster. The three of us leaped and bounded through the forest, following random scents, jumping over each other, nipping at heels and tails and a joy and light feeling I couldn’t name filled my chest. I’d never felt this way before.
Eike jumped in front of me and blocked my path. I lost my footing and rolled across the ground, the world tumbling around me. He came up to me, nudged me with his nose and whined when I panted, sprawled on the ground, catching my breath. He circled me, his paws making soft impressions in the mud. Alerick and Jarom bounded across to me. I stayed still, waiting for Eike to walk past my head, then leapt up and nipped his tail. He jumped in the air, four paws leaving the ground. His surprised yip echoed through the valley. My wolf made a hoarse chuffing sound that I realized was me. Laughing!
My laugh ended with a surprised snort. I didn’t laugh. I never laughed. And especially not with the wolves. This would not do.
I tore through the forest, running from them and from the laughter Eike had torn from me. We came upon a fallen tree, so wet and covered in moss that I almost missed it in the darkness. If I didn’t jump, I was going to run headlong into it.
Golden energy rippled through me and infused my limbs. I pushed off the ground as hard as I could and easily soared over the log. My mates didn’t follow me though, and I landed in a leafy dale that was infused with the same golden energy that had helped me jump over the log.
It pulsed beneath the ground. I sniffed it, filling my nose with the scent of ozone and power. I breathed it in until my body flowed with its energy.
A bark drew my attention before my mates trotted toward me and I swore I could see confusion on their lupine faces. The enticing energy flowed over me and I couldn’t help but look around in wonder. The leaves and trees about me glowed in the beautiful light and a shimmering, golden line appeared on the earth, leading through the alluring forest.
I followed the line, drawn to the scent and the power that imbued into me as I trotted along it and then ran. I couldn’t stop myself. My mates surrounded me and I ran faster than them. On and on I ran, filled with the tingly vitality. My heart was light and I laughed inside as pure freedom flowed through my veins. I was strong. I was powerful. I was invincible.
A flash of dark brown caught my attention before Jarom soared over me, blocking my path with an echoing bark. I didn’t let it stop me. I flew over him with a powerful leap, soaring above his form with ease. I crashed through the undergrowth. Low hanging branches whipped past me, leaves scattering to the ground. Yips and barks echoed from behind me, but I paid their urgent calls no attention. Footfalls thundered behind me, but I was too fast for them to catch me. I reveled in the power, knowing I was faster than the Alpha wolves.
I broke through a line of trees. Before me was a massive gash of pure darkness. Too late, I heard the rumble of a waterfall crashing into a river in the gorge far below. I was going too fast to stop in time. I called on the potent energy soaring through me. Golden light exploding within. My paws dug into the edge of the cliff, stones coming loose beneath the force of my jump. I drove myself upwards, using the power that thrummed through me and.
I.
Soared.
Cool air whipped through my fur. I became one with the wind as it seemed to bind to me, taking me higher, higher, higher. Far below me the river churned over boulders, forced through the gorge with the weight of thousands of gallons of water as fast as a shotgun.
Bushes lined the far side of the gorge, leaves glistening with tiny droplets of water and infused with the beautiful golden glow. The light glimmered on the ground at their roots, shifting and swirling as it mixed with the energy of the Earth. I didn’t understand how I knew that, only that it was obvious to me looking at it with my wolf eyes.
My legs arched and I landed gracefully on the other side of the gorge, safely on the soft soil. I looked behind me to see the three massive wolves staring at me from the other side of the wide gorge, their paws digging into the loose stones at the edge. They hadn’t leapt. They hadn’t followed me.
A rush of energy and a pop of ozone burst across me and Alerick stood in place of his black wolf, his glorious, chiseled naked body glistening with sweat. He stood at the edge of the cliff, flanked by his Seconds and stared at me, his silver eyes unreadable.
I knew why they hadn’t taken that jump after me.
There was no way they’d have made it across, even with the power of an Alpha’s strength behind the jump. Eike threw back his head and howled.
His mournful howl echoed through the forest as I disappeared into the underbrush, ignoring the urge of my wolf to stay for her mates. My mind was becoming stronger and I could overcome the baser urges of my wolf. The run had thankfully tired her out. I trotted back to the castle, my body replete after the exhilaration of the forest and the charged jump over the gorge.
I only knew that I was stronger than the Alpha.
I was stronger. Than. The. Alpha.
It took me hours to wander back and if that collar wasn’t on my neck, I would have run and run and run. Away from everything. The castle. Esoti. My mates…I ignored the way my heart jolted when I thought of leaving them. A bit of fun in a forest wasn’t enough to change my mind.
I had to make Eike and Alerick see me like Jarom did. Nothing more than dirt under their feet. An inconvenience. I had to control my wolf enough to do that, because she wanted them with a ferocity that was unequalled. She didn’t think of them as being a trap. She saw them as desirable, worthy mates. She trusted that Fate had chosen well for her.
Well, fuck Fate. Fate had thrown me at the mercy of a mother who’d sold me for the price of a meal to Esoti when I’d been too young to remember. Fate and I were not on friendly terms.
I would not be owned. Never again. And now I knew I had some sort of power in my body, there might be a way to get rid of this collar and then I would disappear and not look back.
I had to work out a way to get the collar off. Esoti had spelled it with a powerful incantation and he was an all-powerful warlock. But I’d been a slave all of my life. I knew how to work things out. I knew how to look after myself simply because I’d had to, but for the first time in my life, I had hope.
I padded around the stables as the sun kissed the horizon, keeping to the shadow in the space between the wall and the ground. My wolf was replete from her run and when I released my metaphorical arms from about her neck, I stood on two legs instead of four. A slow smile crossed my face.
I stole another dress from the rag closet and slipped into the kitchen to wait for Cook to put together Esoti’s breakfast so I could attend to him. Nobody saw me slink into the kitchen.
Cook only looked for me when the tray was ready, and she gestured for me to take it. My mind spun with possibilities as I trudged up the stairs. Today was different. Today I had a chance. Nothing would hold me back. I’d take Gilda and we would go.
I would go straight to the outlands. Esoti would never find me. The wolf Alpha and his Seconds would never find me. The bond would shrivel and die and they would find another Mate. A true Mate who would stand by them and who knew what it took to be an Alpha’s Mate. Someone who wanted them.
My wolf whined, thumping me with her head and waking me with her tail. Jealousy raced through me, making me stumble. Her jealousy. Not mine. I pushed her down, locking the door. It didn’t matter what she thought. Nothing between me and the wolves would happen.
It was with that hollow thought I rapped on Esoti’s chamber door, but nothing could prepare me to face not only Esoti, but also Titan and Drisella. It was unheard of that they’d come for a second visit so close to their last.
“Good morning.” Esoti’s calculating smile sent an icy shiver up my spine. My fingers clenched around the tray and my shaking hands made the cutlery rattle. He knew about my wolf. He must, otherwise why look at me like he did? Heat flushed through my body while my mind spun in haphazard circles. A tingle raced over me as Esoti’s magic closed the door behind me. The snick of the lock made me jump.
