Keeper of the Wolves (32 page)

Canvas and dried grass lit with relish and
danced in the early morning breeze. Soldiers yelled, grabbing for
horses and supplies. The wolves around me stirred, but I held my
position until Vesut’s tall form stepped from the centermost tent.
A bark of command ripped from my chest loud enough to echo around
the camp. Wolves took off in every direction, pulling down soldiers
and stirring up those who still stared bleary-eyed at the hungry
fire that fed around them.

I ignored everything but Vesut. My heartbeat
pounded in my ears and red burned at the edges of my vision. Here
was the man who had taken the woman I loved. He intended to do her
harm; it had been in his eyes at the ball and twisted his face when
he grabbed her arm and yanked her from the tent door.

My heart slowed at the sight of Koya with
her arms tied in front of her, her wrists raw from the rubbing of
the ropes. Her golden hair hung in a tattered mess, while her blue
gown was ripped and marred by dirt. A bruise colored the side of
her face and blood had dried at the corner of her mouth. Still, she
fought him. Even with fire raging around them, Koya yanked her arm
free and tried to run. Vesut kicked out at the last minute and
caught her ankle with his leg to send her sprawling near the edge
of a flame.

Fierce animal rage burned through me,
demanding that I change. I pushed it down and ran across the last
few feet between us. Smoke obscured Vesut from view for a moment;
when it cleared he was looking straight at me. Recognition dawned
in his gaze along with fear. He turned to steady his stance, but I
hit him with the strength of an angry bear before he could get his
feet set.

We both rolled when we hit the ground. I
rose a few feet from Koya.

“
Victus!” she
cried.

I met her gaze long enough to see relief and
tears in her eyes. There was something else, something brilliant
and shining. When she smiled at me, the love she felt flowed from
her in a sweet wave that took my breath away.

I barely heard Vesut’s step. I threw up an
arm in time to avoid being bashed on the head by a log thicker than
my wrist. I spun and grabbed the log, ripping it from him and
pulling him toward me at the same time. I lashed out with my broken
wrist and felt his nose crumple as pain flared up my arm. He backed
away with his bleeding nose cupped in his hand.

“
I heard you were a beast,”
he growled.

“
I heard the same thing
about you,” I replied.

He spat blood on the ground and lowered his
hand. The thick red liquid flowed down from his nose and mouth;
firelight danced in his eyes, making him look deranged. Tents
burned around us and a soldier on horseback galloped by in pursued
of Vesut’s men. Wolves took down others before they could reach
their horses. Everywhere I looked, fire burned and madness flooded.
The soldiers who outnumbered us ran like rabbits pursued by wolves
and Joven’s men through the chaos.

“
You’re through, Vesut,” I
said with a hint of a smile.

He let out a roar that reminded me of the
bear with the fish. I dodged a fist, then heard the sound of metal
sliding from a leather sheath. I punched his nose again and jumped
back to avoid a wicked slice at my stomach. Before he could get his
footing set, I punched him several times in the ribs with my good
hand. On the last one I felt his ribs crack; a grunt of pain
answered.

Anger rolled from him in waves. He swung and
I blocked a stab for my head, then drove my fist into his throat.
He took several steps back, his eyes bulging. He bellowed a
strangled roar of fury and attempted to drive his knife into my
eye. I grabbed his wrist with my good hand, then ducked under my
grip. The move twisted his arm tight, forcing him to drop the
knife. I kicked it away.

Mindless rage colored his face. When he
punched again, I turned to avoid the blow and elbowed him in the
stomach. He doubled over with a gasp of pain. I attempted to drive
my elbow into his back, but he was ready for me. He swept my legs
out and landed on me when I fell. Vesut’s fists slammed into my
back over and over again. I rolled over and one of his fists
connected with my wrist.

Agony flooded my senses and a cry of pain
escaped my lips. Vesut’s eyes lit up like an owl spotting an unwary
mouse. He hit my wrist again. I gritted my teeth and tried to roll
to the side, but he had me pinned. He hit my arm again. Tears of
pain blinded my vision. He leaned down and spat, “You messed with
the wrong man, Victus Tramarius. I’ll make you live to regret
it.”

He hauled me up with my wrist pinned behind
me. When I tried to move, blinding pain shot up my arm.

“
Let him go, Vesut,” Koya
demanded. She stood near the edge of the fire with a wooden club in
her hands.

“
You’ll pay for every last
bit of this,” Vesut said, his voice dark with hatred. “This little
whelp has done nothing I can’t fix. I’ll marry you and make you
suffer every moment of your life, however long I decide that should
be.”

Koya’s face blanched, but she held the
branch firmly. “I’ll never marry you.”

He gave an ugly laugh. “You’ll do whatever I
say.”

He advanced toward her, daring her to hit me
to get to him. Every step hurt. I fought to breathe, to think. I
could change and end it; I could tear out his throat as a wolf and
let him fall lifeless to the dirt. With Vesut out of the way, his
army would surely fall apart and retreat if they haven’t already
done so.

But it would be too easy. He needed to live
and pay for what he had done instead of escaping his punishment
through death. My ability to fight in human form was limited to
luck and strength. Vesut was bigger and had a longer reach. I
needed something to turn the advantage.

Metal glinted in the firelight as we neared
Koya. A quick glance showed Vesut’s knife amid the trampled grass.
I gritted my teeth and dropped down. My wrist popped, sending a
flood of pain up my arm. Vesut let out a string of foul words. I
grabbed the knife, spun on my knee, and rose behind the Lord of
Vashold with the knife pressed against his throat.

His breath caught in surprise. I felt him
tense, ready to struggle, and pressed the knife deeper against his
throat. “Try it,” I said in a low growl.

He did the one thing I didn’t expect. He
ignored the knife at his neck and lunged forward. The blade slid
across his flesh, but he was quick and the wound was minor. He
ripped the knife from my grasp and turned, then shoved it into my
stomach before I could react. I stumbled backwards.

“
Victus!” Koya
cried.

Vesut grabbed the branch Koya held and hit
her in the face. She fell back into the fire that surrounded the
camp. A scream escaped her as she scrambled for safety with Vesut
at her heels.

“
Get back here,” he
growled.

I pulled the knife out. It fell to the
ground with a soft thud. The blade had been stopped by the leather
armor Joven insisted I wear. I made a mental note to thank him for
that later.

Vesut was almost to Koya when shadows broke
from the flickering flames and barred his way. The eight wolves of
my pack let out low, angry growls. I had defended their pups and
the pack numerous times in the wild, and now they protected the one
I loved from the man who threatened her. Joven appeared behind Koya
and pulled her to her feet. He glared at Vesut, the anger in his
eyes as sharp as any dagger.

“
You threatened a member of
a Ralan royal family, Vesut. You know the laws. Vashold is forfeit,
and so are your titles.”

Vesut looked back at me, his eyes wide and
rolling. The wolves’ growls intensified as rage and hatred on the
edge of insanity flowed from the man in waves. His eyes flickered
behind me and they lit up. I glanced back just long enough to see
his tent being devoured by flames. Vesut rushed toward me.

Instead of bracing for the impact, I folded
when he hit me. The instant my back touched the ground, I kicked
out, sending Vesut over my head and into the tent. It crumpled
around him. He rose as a flaming demon from its fiery embrace. I
sprang to my feet, worried he would charge at Koya and Joven. An
unearthly scream tore from his throat. He turned and ran, trailing
fire toward the tree line. Eight wolves loped past me and brought
him down just before he reached the forest. I turned away as his
scream was cut short, ended by the mercy of a wolf.

Koya pushed away from Joven and ran into my
arms. I hugged her tightly. She sobbed against my shoulder as all
the terror and uncertainty from the past several days came to a
head. I smoothed her hair and murmured softly, “Shhhh. It’s all
over now. I’ll never leave you again, I promise.”

She held me tighter. “But what about Joven
and the laws?”

I met the young Lord’s eyes over her head.
He grinned at me and the last shred of worry fled my heart. “We’ve
worked things out.”

She sniffed and pushed back from my chest to
turn a heartbreaking gaze on her brother. “Is it true?”

He nodded. A strangled laugh escaped her.
She ran to him and gave him a hug which he tolerated momentarily
before sending her back to my side. He smoothed his tattered
clothing, looking rumpled far beyond his normal composure.

Koya ran into my arms again and hugged me as
if she would never let me go. I was filled with awe of the girl I
held. I barely dared to believe she was mine. I feared she would be
taken away, that somehow we would be torn apart once more; then her
lips were on mine and my worries were lost in the taste, smell, and
feel of her. I was surrounded by meadow gold and vanilla. She
filled me in ways I hadn’t known I was empty. My broken heart was
made whole by the touch of her hand on my cheek and the way she
stared up into my eyes. I lost myself in her sky blue gaze and
vowed never to return from their depths.

Chapter 20

A fortnight after the battle with Vesut, the
main doors flew open while Joven, Koya, and I were eating breakfast
in the empty dining hall.

Lord Brayton walked in with a frazzled
Steward Wies at his heels. “I’m sorry, my Lords and Lady,” the
Steward sputtered. “I tried to stop him. He wouldn’t listen to me
and-”

Joven held up a hand. “It’s alright, Master
Steward. Let him pass.”

The Steward glowered at Lord Brayton who
walked straight to our table looking more than pleased with
himself. I was happy to see him, and by the looks of things, he
wasn’t surprised to find Koya and me together again. His spies must
have been busy.

“
To what do we owe the
pleasure of this visit, Lord of Miduan?” Joven asked formally. Then
he broke into a smile. “It’s good to see you.”

Lord Brayton shook his hand. “Actually, I’m
here to see Victus.”

Surprised, I rose and shook his hand as
well. He grinned. “You look like you fit in here.” I smoothed the
front of my tailored jerkin self-consciously and he laughed. “It
looks good, trust me. Joven wouldn’t let anyone sit poorly dressed
at his breakfast table.” His smile faded and his expression became
serious. “Victus, the Dukes, Duchesses, Lords, and Ladies of Rala
owe you their deepest gratitude, and I’ve heard that of yet none of
them have thanked you for coming so selflessly to our aid.”

He glanced at Joven and the Lord confirmed
it with a nod. Brayton gave a loud sigh. “Their stiff royal necks
should be stretched to remind them how dearly they value their
lives.” He shook his head. “Well, I can’t help them act
appropriately, but I mean to do what I can to make up for what they
lack.”

He clapped his hands. Steward Weis obeyed by
grudgingly opening the door once more. In walked several of
Brayton’s guards wearing Miduan white and red led by Lieutenant
Aled and four of his soldiers. In the middle of the group, almost
lost in their midst, walked a lone girl with a hooded cloak over
her head. The assembly stopped at the base of the dais.

Lieutenant Aled and his men saluted our
table with a fist to their hearts. When I returned the salute along
with Koya and Joven, the Lieutenant’s eyes twinkled merrily. I
wondered what secret he was privy to.

“
A hunter caught her in a
trap below Miduan and brought her to me.” Brayton walked down to
meet the woman in the middle of the group. “She’s a little shy.” He
helped her gently lower her cowl. There was a softness to his
expression I recognized. He smiled as if in looking at her he saw
his entire world. My heart knew the same feeling every time I met
Koya’s gaze.

Brayton stepped back to show us the girl.
She had raven black hair and piercing green eyes. Something about
her sent a shiver of familiarity up my spine. Brayton whispered and
the men closed around her for a moment, shielding her from our
view. When they stepped back, a black jaguar stood where the girl
had been. Her green eyes met mine with fierce intensity.

Brayton laughed at the amazement on my face.
“Perhaps we are even,” he said with a satisfied grin.

About the Author

Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful,
talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with
light and laughter. She married her best friend, Michael, who
changes lives each day in his Chiropractic clinic. Cheree is
currently working as an independent author and mother. She enjoys
reading, riding her motorcycle on warm nights, and playing with her
twins while planning her next book. She is also a bass player for
her husband’s garage band.

Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they
rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop
dreaming.

If you enjoyed this book, please post a
review at either Amazon.com or Goodreads.com so that others can
find it.