Jewel of Darkness (7 page)

Peri’s attention was drawn from her relationship woes by the sound of a door opening and closing behind her. She turned to see seven very ticked off looking male Canis lupus glaring at her.

“What’s happened now?” Peri wasn’t really sure she wanted to know the answer. What she really wanted to do was tell them to go lick themselves because she had more important things to do than pat their heads and tell them all would be well, but that was before Kale spoke.

“Costin, Gustavo, and the two lasses are gone.” Kale’s Irish accent had grown thick with his irritation.

“Gone? As in gone, gone?” Peri was pretty sure she’d never sounded more like an idiot, but the shock of Kale’s declaration had momentarily, and much to her chagrin for the second time that day, struck her dumb. “Where did they go?”

When none of them answered, Peri narrowed her eyes on them. She met each of their gazes until finally landing on Antonio, Gustavo’s Beta.

“Do you have any idea where they might have gone?” Peri asked him and before he could answer she held up her hand. “And please don’t lie to me. My patience is at an all-time low and it really won’t take much to make me go back on my decision not to turn any wolf who annoys me into a new rug. Why a rug, you ask? Because there is nothing so therapeutic as wiping my feet on the beast dumb enough to not take my threats seriously. Now” ― she waved her hand ― “please answer the question. Do you, Antonio, have any idea where your Alpha might have trotted off to?”

The other males turned to look at the Beta, their face tight with frustration. Antonio shifted and took a subtle step away from the group. Peri realized that the Beta did indeed know something and was a little worried as to how the others were going to react. She reached out her hand and muttered a few words. She nearly laughed at the shocked expressions of the males as their bodies went rigid.

“You can answer the question without fear of them going postal on you, wolf,” Peri told him. “They can’t move, not until I release them.”

“My Alpha is going to kill me,” Antonia breathed out as his shoulders slumped just a little. “Gustavo has been feeling the pull of his true mate. It was getting stronger and he mentioned that he thought that something was amiss with her. He didn’t tell me exactly that he was going to go and try and find her, but I didn’t get the impression that he was going to wait around much longer.”

Peri mentally smacked herself in the forehead. She was pretty sure that the wolves were determined to test her until she finally snapped. “Okay,” she mumbled as she began to pace. “Okay, so Gustavo must have convinced Costin to take him to the Pixie realm, and Sally, being the semi-smart female that she is, took Kara with them so that she wouldn’t be left here with a bunch of unmated males. So the question is, how long have they been gone? If it hasn’t been very long
,
then they are still in the forest.”

“We realized they were gone a couple of hours ago,” Antonio told her.

So then they were definitely still in the forest. Making her decision, Peri snapped her fingers, causing the gaze of all of the wolves to fall on her. “I’m going to release you. Do not retaliate against Antonio. He has no control of his Alpha and
,
therefore, is not responsible for Gustavo’s actions. If I find out that you have taken action against the Beta because you’re all pissed off that you didn’t think to go after one of the females yourselves, then I will give you the worst case of jock itch, crabs, and scabies known to man, complete with flea infestation. And I’ll throw in some lice so that no itching bug gets its feelings hurt from being left out.” She waited a few heartbeats letting her threat set in before releasing them from the binding.

“What are you going to do?” Kale asked as he rolled his shoulders. Peri imagined if he’d been in his wolf skin he would have given himself a good shake to rid himself of the effects of her magic.

“Well, I had come to let Costin know that I will be needing all of your help very soon. But seeing as how he has taken his happy butt on a little unauthorized adventure, I will tell you all instead. We attempted to get information on Volcan from the vampires.” Low growls filled the room at the mention of the blood suckers.

“The vampires haven’t crawled out of their holes for a very long time. Why would you think they knew anything?” Nick spoke up. Peri couldn’t help but notice that the usually easy going Beta looked agitated.

“Volcan is powerful and growing stronger. If there are even whispers of this, any and all evil beings, no matter the form, will seek him out. So I am simply following the proverbial trail of wicked, nasty beings. That said, with our first stop we had some complications.”

“What kind of complications?” Drayden, the Canadian Alpha, asked.

“The kind that involves an entire coven being destroyed.” Their eyes widened, but Peri didn’t entertain their curiosity. She didn’t have time to relate the whole
Dalton losing his cool
story. “I’m going to have to seek out some other source of information to see if I can find some clue, any clue, as to where Volcan might be holed up. Once I have that information, I will need you bloodhounds to be ready to hunt.”

“We will be ready,” Kale spoke for the group though the others nodded in agreement.

Peri gave her own nod in return and began to flash with the intention of going to the forest, but just before she disappeared she felt the residual magic of one of her own. “Dammit, Alston,” she grumbled and changed her destination to the Pixie realm instead. It was apparent to her in that moment that her threats were no longer enough. If she wanted the people under her protection to listen to her, she was going to have to remind them that she was truly capable of the things of which she boasted. Too bad for Costin that he just happened to be the most recent dumb butt to cross her.

N
ick stood silently with the rest of the wolves as they stared at the place Peri had just occupied. One by one they dispersed, each of them seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Nick’s mind was a mess. The minute he’d realized Kara was gone, his wolf had been pacing restlessly inside of him. He was angry. He was angry at Costin, Sally, and Gustavo for thinking they had the right to take her without telling him,
them,
he amended. He continued to tell himself it was because she was so young that he was worried about her.
Sixteen,
he told himself for the thousandth time. Regardless of her age, or his lack of understanding, what he felt was not going away. She was young, she was human, and she was a gypsy healer. Kara needed his protection. “No,” he muttered. “She needs our protection. All of us were brought to protect them.” Even as he said the words out loud, his wolf balked.
The others don’t give us such concern,
the beast told him. He couldn’t deny the wolf’s words. But he wasn’t going to allow himself to even take a step toward the road that his beast wanted to go. She was a kid, plain and simple. He had to look at her as simply a pack mate to protect.
She won’t be sixteen forever,
his wolf taunted. No, she wouldn’t be, and the fact that he was happy about that made him feel like a slime ball. He didn’t know if Kara was his. She was too young for the bond to form. What he did know was that for whatever reason, he felt it was his job to keep her safe.

He left Perizada’s home and walked out toward the field where he had found her that night months ago. Nick felt close to her when he was there. The sun was beginning to set and the fall air was growing cooler. He walked in a circle, his hand running lazily over the tall grass. Taking deep breaths, he attempted to cool the burning anger inside. When Kara had been close, it had been bearable to be unsure of her place in his life. But with her out of his reach and the uncertainty of whether or not she was his true mate, he was quickly becoming less and less sufferable.

“Did you know that worrying does absolutely nothing to change the circumstances that cause the worry?”

Nick turned at the sound of her voice and bowed his head. “Great Luna,” he said dropping to one knee. He was immediately reminded of the day he’d watched Kara plead with the goddess to let her take Jewel’s place, and it only deepened the ache inside of him.

“What troubles you, child of mine?” she asked him. Nick could hear the genuine concern in her voice and he was humbled by it.

“I am worried about Kara,” he didn’t elaborate on who Kara was. The Great Luna, after all, was well aware of all of her children — the gypsy healers were no exception. “I’m confused about her as well.”

“You care for her.”

“She’s only sixteen,” he said quickly.

“Seventeen, actually. She had a birthday, but told no one.” The goddess sounded intrigued by Kara’s actions.

Nick’s head rose slightly but he waited until she told him to look at her. “Why? Why would she not tell anyone?”

“Kara’s life has been a challenging one. There has never been a single birthday celebration in her life, not one. To her, it’s just another day.”

The Great Luna watched him intently. He wondered what she saw. “What am I to her?” Nick finally asked. He didn’t know if the goddess would tell him anything but he had to at least ask.

Her eyes softened as she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You are whatever she needs you to be. Be it friend, protector, confidante. She will need you, Nickolas, Beta of the Canadian pack. In the days to come as darkness grows, she will need you.”

“Is she mine? Is she my true mate?” Nick had stood up before he even realized what he was doing as he asked the question that had been driving him crazy.

“When the time comes, yes, she will be yours.”

Nick’s head fell forward, his chin nearly touching his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw at her declaration. He hadn’t wanted to hope, hadn’t wanted to give thought to the possibility of Kara being his mate, but now he had absolute confirmation.

“Why have I felt drawn to her if she isn’t of age? There aren’t supposed to be mating signs until the females are eighteen, right?” he asked as he raised his head to once again look at his creator.

“Circumstances often change necessities. It is necessary that the healers be protected. Who better to protect them than their true mates? I know your heart, child. I know you would never dishonor her. I trust you with one who has not yet come of age. She’s close, and in many ways, because of her experiences, she is more mature than many adults. I also know that Kara has been alone for a very long time, and it’s time for healing to begin ― not only in her but in all of my healers. Help her heal, Nickolas. Help her become the healer she is meant to be, and she in turn will help you become the wolf I intend you to be.” With that command, she was gone.

Her words absorbed into him and the mission the Great Luna set before him burrowed deep into his marrow and became his purpose. He would protect her, he would listen to her, laugh with her, bear her sorrow, and ― if it came down to it ― he would die for her: Kara, seventeen, orphan, gypsy healer, and
his
true mate.

K
ale sat on the bed in the upstairs room that held the scent of the one who belonged to him. It was all he had of her, just her scent. But that small detail was imbedded in his mind, and he would be able to recognize her anywhere simply by her scent. But he wanted to know more. He wanted to know what color her hair was, her eyes, and her aura. Kale wanted to know what her laugh sounded like and what her skin felt like. He wanted to know everything about her. The growing ache inside of him was beginning to fester like a thorn buried deep in his paw. Their bond was strong already, though he still hadn’t been able to reach out to her mind. He had tried many times, but he knew that, more than likely, he would have to be within a mile of her to be able to connect with her through their thoughts. It was frustrating as hell to be able to feel her but be unable to touch her. Kale wondered how long he could hold out before he lost his sanity. He’d thought that it was bad wondering if he’d ever meet his true mate, but actually knowing she was out there but being unable to do a damn thing about it was much, much worse.