Mates in Life and Death (2 page)

surrounding him, and smoke choking him. He dreamt about someone

else there with him, someone he couldn’t rescue, no matter how much

he tried.

In time, he’d managed to bury the part of him that screamed to let

out, too busy trying to build himself a future. But when he’d been

abruptly thrust into the world of the spirit wolves, the thing inside him

reemerged.

According to Valerius, he was not only Daniel Lawson, former

deputy in the bland town of Tennington, but also Caesar D’Averam, a

member of one of the most important spirit wolf families. Caesar had

died many years back in a fire with his mate, Linden. Everything fit,

and Dan knew he’d somehow found his past life.

Still, everything confused him terribly, from the idea of

reincarnation to his sudden transformation from a human to a spirit

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wolf. It made no sense. His dreams had returned with a passion, but

they brought flashbacks of his past life. Dan felt as if he were losing

track of his very sense of reality. He needed help in reorganizing his

mind, and fast.

As such, when Grant Hart, Trent’s father, suggested they arrange

a meeting with the leader of all spirit wolves, the Magistrate, Dan

jumped at the chance. He was tired of living with this uncertainty, and

he intended to talk to the man anyway. He wouldn’t easily forget the

attack that almost killed Drew.

The suggestion led to the dilemma as to who would accompany

Dan in his journey of discovery. Valerius needed to go, of course, as

the spirit wolf closest to him. Only, Drew now insisted that Trent go

with them as well, worried about what could happen. The two wolves,

however, were concerned about Drew’s safety, an understandable fact

given the assassination attempt not a week ago.

By Dan’s side, Paulie, Drew’s teenage son, looked just as

disconcerted as Dan felt. In spite of the little time they’d spent here,

Paulie had already become quite attached to Valerius and Trent.

Seeing them fight couldn’t be good for him.

“Babe, please understand,” Valerius told Drew, “we can’t both

leave you.”

Drew glared at Valerius. “I’ll be fine. You’re needed elsewhere.”

Valerius shared a look with Dan, and Dan felt an odd sense of

connection between them. They weren’t brothers by birth, but the soul

didn’t lie. Dan had a brief vision of Valerius dressed in old- fashioned

clothes, holding a glass of liquor and laughing with him. “I’m glad

you’re happy,” Valerius had said. “Linden is a wonderful person.”

Paulie’s voice ushered him from the past back into the present.

“Dan? Dan, are you all right?”

The teen sounded concerned, and Dan struggled to give him a

smile. “Never better.”

Paulie didn’t seem very convinced. “You want to hear what I

think?” All eyes turned to him, and Paulie gulped, obviously nervous.

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Nevertheless, he did offer his input on the situation. “Dad is right.

You guys should go with Dan. Mr. and Mrs. Hart have the whole

compound locked down tight. Not even a fly can come in without

being seen.”

Paulie’s intervention gave Marion Hart the chance to pipe in. “I

will join you,” she said. She’d kept out of the debate so far and didn’t

mention her opinion on it now either. But as the matriarch of the Hart

household, she had quite a lot of influence in the spirit wolves’

societal structures. Dan couldn’t be happier that she would join them.

He operated on the premise the more the merrier.

It might have been odd that Marion chose to go, while Grant

stayed behind, but the explanation came a few seconds later. “I’ll stay

behind and with him at all times,” Grant said.

Clay, Trent’s brother, chose this moment to intervene. He’d

remained quiet until now, and as far as Dan could tell, it wasn’t

unusual. He became a bit more exuberant when his sister, Amy, was

present, but more often than not, he seemed a very serious young

man. “I’m not much of a fighter,” Clay said, “but I promise you I’ll

guard him with my life.”

His father and brother’s words seemed to reassure Trent, and he

nodded. “I suppose. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Besides, you can come back and visit, can’t you?” Paulie offered,

his gleeful voice making everyone smile.

“Very well then,” Valerius said. “It will be as you say.”

Once the decision was taken, Dan headed toward his room. His

life had changed so much in the past week or so, but he hoped this trip

would help him understand it.

* * * *

The flight to the Magistrate’s Den took far too long for Dan’s

liking. He regretted his decision of going almost as soon as they left

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the ground. He didn’t feel prepared to see the leader of the spirit

wolves.

Unfortunately, it was too late to back down. He distracted himself

by focusing on practical considerations and listened to Marion’s

advice on manners at the Den.

“Keep your eyes on the floor until the Magistrate tells you to

come forward,” she said. “You’re not in danger in any way, but being

on his good side always pays off.”

Dan nodded. “What about the rest?” The attack at the compound

remained unaccounted for. So far, the spirit wolves seemed reluctant

to approach the issue. Valerius had said he had doubts the Magistrate

ordered it, but he didn’t want to put Drew in danger by bringing it up.

“Let’s focus on you, for now. If it’s possible, we’ll bring it up

without making any additional comments.” Translation: Without

mentioning Drew.

As soon as they came within sight of The Den, they stopped all

conversation that could draw attention. The helicopter landed, and

Dan waited in trepidation until the blades finally stopped. At last, the

guards with them opened the helicopter door and led them out.

They were met by a tall and handsome spirit wolf. “Welcome to

the Magistrate’s Den,” he said. “I am Klaus Fleischer. Please, come

this way. His Lordship is waiting.”

Klaus led them through the cavernous halls of the Den—an

inappropriate name to say the least since the building had nothing in

common with an animal’s lair. In fact, it looked more like a palace or

an administrative building than anything else. Still, the distinctive

features of the spirit wolves appeared all over the place. Mostly, Dan

spotted engravings and pictures of canines, as well as of the goddess

they worshipped, the Spirit Mother. It also held an elegance and

spirituality that reminded Dan of pictures of Celtic temples.

At last, they came to a halt in front of a humongous door. The

statues of two marble wolves guarded it. At each side, soldiers waited,

watching them with penetrating gazes.

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Klaus knocked and entered the room. After a few moments, he

came out and said, “The Magistrate will see you now.”

The door opened, and they walked into what looked like the larger

version of a lawyer’s office. It had always seemed odd to Dan that the

spirit wolves used these titles for their administrative affairs, but all of a sudden, it began to make sense. A couple of desks lay around the

room in a mathematical pattern, laden with papers, and hardwood

bookcases lined the walls. There seemed to be hundreds of files there,

and a spark of knowledge from his previous life invaded his mind.

Detailed accounts of the geographical locations and assignments of

the entire spirit wolf population were stored here in their original

form. Countless amounts of transcripts and copies also existed in the

Den archive, to make sure nothing was ever lost. Judging by the

computer placed in the center of the largest desk, the data had

probably been converted into electronic format as well.

The click of the door notified Dan that K laus had taken his leave.

He registered it distantly, too busy taking in the sight in front of him

and struggling to keep his composure. Behind this desk, a man sat,

typing away at the computer. His salt-and-pepper hair spoke of a

somewhat advanced age, and Dan distantly wondered about the

Magistrate’s age. He seemed familiar, so he’d clearly been an

important figure during Dan’s previous life. Then again, Valerius also

lived over three hundred years, and he didn’t look a day over thirty.

The three spirit wolves knelt, so Dan followed their example.

“Rise,” the Magistrate said.

When they obeyed, he spoke again. “Valerius D’Averam. Trent

Hart. Marion Hart. Greetings. Who is your guest?”

“Greetings, My Lord,” Marion said.

Trent and Valerius echoed her, and Valerius continued. “This is

Daniel Lawson. His presence is very important.”

The Magistrate hummed thoughtfully. “I am told you wanted to

see me regarding your brother and your new mate. I admit your first

request surprised me.”

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“Yes, My Lord. First, I’d like to acknowledge Trent Hart as my

true mate.”

“And I would like to acknowledge Valerius D’Averam as my true

mate,” Trent said in turn.

The Magistrate pressed some buttons on the computer keyboard

and then looked toward them once more. “Noted. I trust you’ll have

an official ceremony?”

“Yes, My Lord, as soon as we can,” Marion replied. “There are

other issues to deal with now.”

“Regarding Mister Lawson.” The Magistrate got up and left the

desk. He crossed the room until he stood straight in front of Dan.

“Look at me, Daniel.”

Daniel obeyed. His gaze met the Magistrate’s hypnotic one. He’d

never seen eyes like that. He couldn’t even identify their actual color.

They seemed to turn from green, to blue, to black, and gold, a myriad of nuances that amazed Daniel.

The spell was broken when the man looked away. “I see. I’m very

happy for you, Valerius. Welcome back, Caesar. You were missed by

our people.”

Dan fidgeted. He felt uncomfortable being called Caesar. Even his

brother called him Daniel, since his previous name triggered all sorts

of memories, memories Dan couldn’t yet control. “Thank you, My

Lord. If I could be so bold… I admit the situation is very confusing

for me.”

“Your two lives are blending into one,” the Magistrate said. “Yes,

I can see it. You need help to put your thoughts in order. Well, that’s

what I’m here for. To begin with the beginning, let me introduce

myself. I am Wolfram Rozenstadt, and I am magistrate over our

people. I wish to welcome you, Daniel Lawson, as a member of our

pack.”

He returned to the desk and sat back down, much to Dan’s relief.

The Magistrate exuded a power that made him feel weak and humble.

His entire being screamed to bare his neck and expose his belly. And

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who the fuck thought such things? He was Daniel Lawson, not some

random wolf from the wild.

When the Magistrate looked away from them, Dan stole a look at

Valerius. “O ur pack?” he mouthed. Yet another thing that confused

him. So far, he’d never seen any sign of a wolf- like community.

“It is an old-fashioned formulation. The packs we have are whole

clans, but he means our nation,” Valerius mouthed back.

Wolfram addressed Dan once again. “At any rate, you are

welcome to stay here for as long as you like.” Wolfram retrieved a

bell and rang it. Almost instantly, a side door opened and a servant

appeared. “Prepare rooms for our guests. They’ll be with us for a

couple of days. And bring refreshments.”

The servant bowed lowly. “Understood, Highness.”

The Magistrate waved the man off. When the servant made his

discreet exit, Wolfram got up once more. Worry not, Daniel. You’ll

find your way. I promise you.” He headed toward another door.

“Come with me. Valerius, join us.”

Dan gave Valerius a puzzled look, but the other man just gestured

for him to obey. Dan’s apprehensiveness didn’t come from any doubt

toward Wolfram. Instead, he feared what he might find out if he

looked too deeply into the past.

Wolfram led them to another room, a dark lounge furnished in

tones of brown and black. “First, you should know a few things. It’s

not uncommon for spirit wolves to reincarnate. They can even

reincarnate to human parents. This is because our power is in the soul

and not in the flesh. Such situations are trickier, since latent abilities are hard to discover. It can even happen that the spirit wolf in

question might never acknowledge the potential of his soul, if

something doesn’t trigger it.”

Strangely, it made sense to Dan. Some of Caesar’s distant

memories reemerged, deepening his understanding. If the power was

in the soul, then the body would mold after it.

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Wolfram gave him a few seconds to process the information, and

then said, “Sit on the floor.”

Dan felt doubtful about the suggestion, but obeyed. As he did so,