Sorcha's Wolf (24 page)

“Get her out of her here, come back if you have to, but get her free.”

Alex didn’t waste time arguing, he twisted away from a Jackal and raced to where Sorcha still struggled. Above his head, he felt something snap and the ropes nearest him broke. The massive circle tipped and she suddenly faced him. She had her hands free, but clutched the wooden cross beams so tightly he could see the whites of her knuckles.

A Jackal hit him hard from the side, knocking him off his target and down to one knee.

“Alex!” Sorcha’s frightened scream echoed in his head. His wolf snarled, seeking to get him to his feet and free from the man trying to take his head.

“Fuck!” Alex tossed the man off and leapt to his feet, his sword connecting with the jackal’s in a shower of sparks. With more skill than any of the others so far, the man met each of Alex’s attacks with one of his own.

“You’re the wolf whose been killing my men,” he snarled. Yellow and black haired, the man stood nearly the same height as Alex, with a reach that made his broadsword deadly.

“If your bastard jackals weren’t out to rape women and kill me, they’d not be dead,” Alex grunted.

The jackal lifted a lip in a snarl, revealing canines nearly as big as a Lykae. The man smelt of sweat and power, but no evil stained him. Alex would still kill him. Behind him, he heard the circle crash into the rocks and Sorcha’s short, frightened shriek. His wolf surged up and he used the power to tackle the man to the ground, holding his killing blow at the last minute. Sword to the jackal’s throat he met the man’s yellow eyes. “Stop trying to kill me and mine.”

He left the man down. Sorcha was his main priority. She wasn’t visible, but he saw the top of the circle and the two remaining mages. Another rope snapped and he dived, barely making it to her before the entire circle swung around and toppled with a deafening crash against the side of the rocks. He jumped and landed on the edge of the circle. For a moment, their eyes met. Sorcha looked white as a ghost. The wood under his boots shuddered and with a suddenness that made Sorcha squeeze her eyes shut tight, the thing shot straight down.

“Get them! Don’t let her go!”

The angry shout followed them, but he caught Sorcha’s trembling body to him, trying to get her to release her death grip on the ropes. They jarred to an abrupt halt, teetering for a long, intense moment before the circle landed with a crash against the rocks.

“Come to me, let go, sweetheart, let go.”

He hated how she shook her head, fear dripping from her and making his wolf insane to kill someone for frightening her. The circle tipped again but halted again abruptly against the side of the chasm. He released her closed fist and sheathed his blade, quickly bending to slice the remaining rope around her ankle with a knife.

“Did you break the potion?”

She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut.

“We need off this thing. Let the wood go and take my hand. Open your eyes, Sorcha. Come, trust me.”

She opened her eyes a crack.

“Give me your hand, sweet.”

She nodded, fearful, but with such complete faith in her green eyes, he felt like she’d knocked him in the chest.

The wood creaked and he knew the thing wasn’t going to last. It had jammed but if he shifted his weight, it was going to tip the frame and they’d both go down again. Above them, he heard yells and fighting. Along the sides of the chasm, he heard the sound of boots hitting rock—running soldiers.

“We need to move, let go and grab my arm. There’s a ledge and a tunnel. We go, now.”

They didn’t have the time for this, but he pulled her to him gently and urged her slowly onto the ledge. The shift unbalanced the circle and they tipped backwards two feet. She gasped and her hands slipped from him.

“Damn it, hold on.”

“I’m trying!” The fear and frustration in her tone made him smile, but he helped her to him one step at a time off the damn thing. “I hate heights, Alex,” she whispered as soon as she reached him.

Two more ropes snapped above them. Alex stepped onto the ledge and the wooden circle made a horrible creaking noise then tumbled end over end down the rocky chasm. It fell until they couldn’t hear more than the rumble of its decent. Sorcha clutched his shirt and shuddered at the sound of it.

Suddenly he smelt blood—her blood. “You’re hurt!”

She nodded against his chest. “Do you have the other potion because I can’t break the poison,” she murmured.

Weakness from Sorcha scared him more than anything he’d faced in his life. She was never weak and had never sounded so frail.

“What did he do to you?” He hunted along her body until he found the slice on her wrist. It was deep and angry looking, seeping blood at a rapid rate. “What is this? How did he do this?”

“A knife, spelled.”

He tore a piece of his shirt off quickly, hearing the sound of men coming closer through the tunnels. Her wrist looked so small, he lifted it to his lips, but she stopped him with a hissed breath.

“No, no it might be dangerous. Just bind it.”

Nodding, he wrapped her wrist tightly and reluctantly let her arm go. “I have the real antidote. I want you to take it all. You must take the entire contents, but—” He broke off, worry attacking his mind from all angles.

“But you’re not sure what it will do to me.”

He nodded. “Aye, best to get you somewhere safe.”

She gave him a peeved look and huffed out a breath. “Alex, you brought it as your back up plan—”

“There! There he is!” The shout cut her off mid-sentence.

Shit, no time, no time to tell her he’d rather die a million deaths than have her suffer like this. What if the antidote harmed her more?

She took the decision from him simply by digging into his pocket and taking the vial herself. The damn witch—how she’d known where he’d stashed it was beyond him.

“Kill them, Alex. Then we kill
him
.” With that, she pulled the stopper from the vial and tipped it to her lips.

The enemy burst into the chamber and from above him, he heard Agni’s shout that Zith had escaped.

All Alex’s plans came down to this—
here and now
—but everything spun too fast along paths he’d not anticipated. The only thing that
was
clear was that this woman was all that mattered to him now.

He turned and took a full hit to the chest, hearing Sorcha scream his name behind him in a tone he’d never heard before—
fear
.

Chapter Twenty-Five

As Sorcha watched, Alex fell backwards, a sword pinning him to the wall. The tip had embedded in his chest, and already blood pooled around the white of his shirt. With a jerk, the jackal pulled his sword free and Alex slid to the ground, as if his legs couldn’t hold him any longer.

The next seconds burnt into her mind as time seemed to slow. She let go of her fear, her anger, all her emotions, and latched onto the antidote even now burning through the barrier in her mind. With a mental shove, she ripped the poison aside and flooded her system with the magic surrounding her. The rock beneath her feet shook as her homeland welcomed her. Power surged through her system, cleansing a path through the spell Zith had cast when he’d sliced her wrist to drain her. Welcomed warmth spread to every inch of her body.

“Welcome, daughter.”

The feminine voice startled her for only a moment before she opened her eyes to see the sun shining through a green canopy of trees.

Trees?

Alex. Where is Alex?

All around her, the woods of her home shone bright with colour and life. One woman stood away from the forest.

Bridget.

Her goddess walked to her slowly. Bow slung over her shoulder, her sword strapped to her waist, the goddess moved like a warrior—strong and capable. At her side flew a black raven, its eyes holding more knowledge than any mere bird should ever possess.

Sorcha fell to her knees, too stunned to recall the proper words of greeting.

“Bah, who cares about that, or this kneeling stuff, up, up, you’ll make me feel odd doing that,” Bridget called, bringing Sorcha up with a hand on her arm. “You have done well, Sorcha. Your home welcomes you.”

She stared at Bridget’s beauty and all she could think of was how much she wanted this—to have her goddess welcome her—but not, actually, right
now
. Now she wanted Alex—wanted him so badly she felt a dull ache spread through her chest where her heart should be beating.

As if reading her mind, no doubt she was, Bridget grinned and crossed her arms. “You do not want a welcome?”

Sorcha ignored that and focused on what was important. “Why am I here? Why now? All this time I needed you and now I need to go back, back to help Alex. He’s—”

“You would argue with my timing?” Bridget tilted her blonde head. The raven landed on the arm she lifted and climbed daintily to her shoulder.

“Well,” Sorcha suddenly realised that was exactly what she’d been doing. She ducked her head and tried for calm when inside she burnt with the need to reach Alex.

“You need to make choices Brightest Star. You can choose this male, make a life for yourselves or stay and kill this evil mage, losing the wolf forever.”

Sorcha gaped at Bridget, only realising when the goddess grinned, that she knew how impossible those choices were. And how simple. “I choose Alex, now let me go back, he’s …”

She couldn’t continue with that thought. He couldn’t be dead.

“He is fine. You have helped him embrace his wolf and together they are hard to kill, eh?”

“Don’t say that!”

Bridget laughed and gripped her shoulder. “Tis only a small joke, witch. Now, we must talk before you rush back to—”

“Is he lying there hurting?” Sorcha demanded, nearly dancing from foot to foot with impatience.

“Ah, so you are the wise and calm leader of our coven, eh?” Bridget teased with a grin. “Time has stopped Sorcha, not slowed as it does in the Fay Realm. He knows nothing of our talk.”

Sorcha should have been relieved, but anxiety bit at her to return. “What do you wish to talk with me about?”

Bridget shook her head and snorted. “You will survive this battle, Sorcha, but this mage, he is an evil that will have to be dealt with. He corrupts the very land we love. The snow demon was a part of that corruption, but this mage is staining our home with his darkness. You must return to Scotland. The coven cannot remain on this far off continent any longer. It is time for you to return.”

She wanted that—to live here, in her homeland with Alex. “I will.”

“The entire coven, Sorcha. The move will balance the scales. When you settle with your mate, you must hunt this mage and kill him. The fight with the Death Stalkers will continue as it should, no evil such as theirs should be allowed to live, but this mage, he needs to be destroyed.”

That would be harder. “That might be difficult, not the killing Rage part,” she pacified Bridget when the warrior frowned, “but moving my coven. I mean, we are strong, and even feared, but we are independent for the most part, and scattered throughout the land. I can’t predict if they will follow my lead here to—”

“It is time you handed over your rule to the rightful head of the Jade.”

Sorcha stood silently, too dumbfounded to speak for several seconds.

“Circerran is ready. You allow her too much time to heal. Her rule will be just, and her power and need to fix the wrongs around her will bring your coven from the lofty place you’ve taken it to heights the two of you will someday celebrate. You have given her a chance, now allow her the rule she was born for.”

“My sister? Trouble? The sister who never attends meetings, or is there when I need her? Or who gets the coven into trouble every time I turn around?
That sister
?”

Bridget’s eyes danced with merriment, no doubt laughing at Sorcha.

Fine. That will do.
She was tired of everyone coming to her, let Circerran take the reins and answer every call.

“Fine. That works for me. As soon as I get—”

“She will not be pleased at first.”

“Uh, that is an understatement.”

Laughing, the goddess folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head. “You have done well, daughter. Go save your mate, but remember, this time you must let this mage go, or else you will lose Alex forever. The choice will not be easy, Sorcha, but you must make a decision, no matter the cost.”

Goosebumps rose on Sorcha’s arms, but she didn’t get time to ask what her goddess meant. Instead, Bridget shone brighter than any star. Sorcha closed her eyes and when she opened them, the battle raged around her.

Alex was exactly where she’d seen him, slumped over, his tanned face drained of colour, but now he stared at her with such a look of misery she gathered her power and cast a spell that cleaned the tunnel of every man standing. The wind she used forced them back until with a suddenness the sound and wind ceased. With a shout, she landed at Alex’s feet, her hands already glowing with power as she covered his chest, casting a spell to bind the wound and surged energy into him as fast as she could. The wound knitted together under her hand, and deep in her own chest, she felt the sharp blow, then as quickly as it had struck, the pain disappeared. Above her, Alex suddenly gripped her shoulders and swayed.

“Sonofabitch, witch, warn a man next time,” he complained.

She hugged him around his waist, still on her knees, but not able to stand yet. She felt all wobbly inside, not weak, but overwhelmed with too many emotions and events to guarantee she could stop the flood of tears quickly enough.

“Sweetheart, damn, don’t cry, goddess, don’t cry, not when you’re on your knees like this, eh?”

The teasing sounded forced, and she hugged him harder, not falling for his attempt at humour. He’d nearly died. She knew it, deep inside where she knew with absolute certainty that his wound would have killed him.

“Just stand, my love, just stand for me, eh?” He tried to urge her to her feet and after a few more seconds of simply holding him tightly, she stood with him and scanned his handsome face. She reached up and brushed his brown hair from his forehead. She stared down at him, still rocked by too many emotions to speak for several seconds.

“You nearly died, Alex.”

He tilted his head, reminding her of Bridget for a second before his frown disappeared. “Nearly isn’t dead, eh?”

“There was poison on that blade, Alex, you would have—”

He stopped her from scolding him with a kiss. He didn’t let her respond, but pressed her mouth open with the urgency of his lips. As soon as she melted against him, he wrapped her tighter in his arms and drove his tongue into her mouth urgently. He used his hands to touch her everywhere, on her back, her ass, her hips, her neck, along her hair, finally urging her closer by lifting her thigh and settling her against his aroused body. Shocked she felt a growl vibrate from his chest. He pressed her gown up her legs and with another low snarl released her mouth.

Breathlessly, he watched her. “I want to claim you, here, now. I never want you out of my sight again without being able to speak to you—mind to mind.”

She froze—stunned to the point that she almost didn’t hear the sound of more men. Alex did, but he merely tightened his big arms around her.

“If you will have me, eh?”

“I want you,” she began, pressing a finger to his lips when he would have interrupted her. “But not so you can know where I am!”

He grinned and tipped his head back to laugh so long and loud, she pinched his side to get him to stop. He only laughed longer and pressed kisses to her face and jaw, nipping her a few times when she still struggled with him.

“Why are you laughing at me, you silly wolf? There are more men coming and we have to go.”

“Aye, sweet, but you, my love, are going to have to learn I am here to stay. You won’t be able to rid yourself of me, no matter where you run off to, eh?” With that startling admission, he bent and kissed her once more, then released all but her hand. “Come we need to get to safety and this tunnel is not safe. Your strength is back?”

“Yes, but Alex we need to leave. Is Agni here?”

“Aye, up top.”

As he spoke, he pulled her along, making sure to scan the tunnel ahead as they went. The light spilling along the passage worried her. What caused it and worse, what if it suddenly stopped? Alex halted them at a crossway, tilting his head as if he were listening then turned left. This new shaft of rock wasn’t as bright, and she stumbled several times on the uneven surface before she used her free hand to trail along the rocky wall.

“This heads down. Agni and I misted in at an opening at the top of the mountain. If I’m right this will lead us out at the bottom.”

“If you’re right?”

Alex tossed her a quick grin over his shoulder and squeezed her hand. “Trust me, eh?”

“Oh, I do, just maybe not your underground mountain sense.” The tunnel gradually darkened to the point she drew light in her palm to light their way. Immediately Alex stopped.

“No, drop the light. I can see. I won’t lead you wrong.”

She huffed at his bossy tone, but let her light dim and go out. The pitch dark surrounded them, making her feel colder in the light gown than before. Her imagination picked out sounds she knew weren’t dangerous, merely them walking silently, but the image of some creepy monster following them wouldn’t dim.

“What of your arm? Is it healed?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Are you sure you know where we are going?” she asked.

Alex squeezed her hand again, but she still felt unsettled. When the scream broke through their silence only part of her startled, the other part nodded as if yes, now they were out of the frying pan and into the fire.

A sudden light appeared. She squinted, her eyes stinging after so long without any sort of light. Rage stood mere feet from them and at his side a witch stood. Agni knelt next to the young witch, attached to her wrist by a leash and collar around his neck.

Holy Danu.
Agni lifted his head and she realised she’d whispered those words aloud. His handsome face was dark with blood. Along his blond hairline, a jagged wound sliced along his temple and cut through his sideburn and past his ear. His black T-shirt was torn and his side glistened with more blood.

“Ah, I see you recognise my new pet. Deidre has tamed him, but for you, I believe I might trade such a worthy addition to my collection.”

“Fuck off,” Agni growled.

Alex lifted an arm to hold her back when the witch did something and Agni started to shudder—in pain—but silently. Blood eased from his clenched lips, and as she watched a red swath of more appeared along his stomach.

“Stop it!” She raised her arms, fully drawing on her power.

Rage laughed. The sound brought a chill to her, but she still struck out at the witch, tossing her backwards in a heap of agony. Agni fell with her, writhing in pain next to the woman.

Sorcha swallowed and shut her spell with a snap. Both fallen victims struggled for breath, Agni gaining his first then his feet. The leash between him and the witch pulled taunt and he had to bend to stand, but he faced her with a determined look.

“Fuck this shit, Alex, get her out of here.”

“What? No! No, I won’t leave you like this!” Sorcha struck out at Rage, only then realising that the mage had sent a projection and didn’t stand facing her at all. She fought Alex’s hold on her arm and shook him off to throw a slicing spell at the leash. Agni fell to his knees with a low groan of pain.

“Sorcha, stop it!” Alex yelled.