Wolf Creek Alpha (Texas Pack 1) (33 page)

“Yes, but I can’t repeat it.  She placed it in my mind and told me only Lisa could use it.  Once Lisa has the spell, she should be able to break any hold Ciar would have.  The reason I’m not allowed to speak it is t
hat it’s a very powerful spell
. 
She doesn’t want the words uttered until they are needed. 
Our Queen doesn
’
t
want this spell given to anyone else.  She is trusting Lisa to use it only against Ciar
,” Niall told them.

“
I’m glad the Queen trust
s
Lisa.
She
must know Lisa would never use a spell to harm anyone
,” Liz said.

They all nodded, agreeing. 
Knowing that Lisa would be confronting Ciar worried them all.  There was no other choice.  He was coming for her and she was the only one powerful enough to stop him. 

“So who’s brave enough to go get Rafe and bring him up to speed?” asked Devlin.

Trying to break the tens
ion, Ian suggested rock, paper, or scissors.  Robert lost.

Rafe raced up the stairs to Lisa’s room.  He burst through the door without knocking.

Lisa jumped three feet when the door flew open.  She had been quietly sitting against the headboard, reading her book with her knees drawn up.

“Son of a bitch!” she exclaimed.
  “What? What’s wrong?” she asked, scared now.  His face looked grim when he came in.  Coming towards her, he suddenly looked relieved.

Rafe strode quickly over to where she perched on the edge of the bed.  He scooped her up and settled back against the headboard with her in his lap.  He held her so tightly, she couldn’t move.

Realizing something must have happened, Lisa
squirmed
in his arms
so he would loosen his hold
.  He started rubbing her back, seeming to have calmed down.

“You ready to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

Drawing a deep breath, Rafe told her about Melissa’s latest vision.  He reiterated how he would never let anyone hurt her.

She appreciated his comforting words, but knew in reality
that
he could not keep her safe all the time.

“I’m moving you to my bedroom.  You’ll never sleep alone again.  We both know you
will
be moving there soon anyway,” Rafe commanded.

Knowing he was right, Lisa
agreed
.  She’d already admitted to loving him.  There was no reason to hold back.

“I told you I loved you when we left for
Ciar’s
castle.  I heard your words given back to me.  Now I want to say them to you face to face.  I love you.  You are my life now and I’ll have no other.  You will be the mother of my children.  I
know
that you will help me lead and take care of our pack,” he said resolutely.

Lisa had tears in her eyes.  She looked up at him, knowing this life
was the one
she chose.

“I love you too,” she said quietly.  “I never imagined I would find someone that I could love so deeply.  I was blessed with parents that were soul mates.  It was what I always
wanted,
but never thought I’d find.”

Rafe gently lifted her chin, placing his lips on hers.  Slowly moving against her mouth,
he gently bit her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. 

Lisa felt butterflies dancing around in her stomach when he rolled h
er beneath him, not breaking the
kiss.  She lifted her arms so she could run her fingers through his hair. 
She loved touching his long, soft hair
.
  Pulling back from his kiss, she was then able to nip his chin
gently
. 
She moved her hand from his hair to slide under his t-shirt. 
As she
ra
ked her nails along his back, she
felt his chest rumble when he growled.

Feeling his hands slip under her nightshirt, she arch
ed her back, pressing her chest
to his. 
Gliding his hand up
from
her
waist
, his fingers stroked the underside of her breast.
 

Rafe was about to pull her shirt up and over her
head,
when someone knocked on the bedroom door.  He tried to ignore it, but they knocked a second time.

Lisa whispered to him, “It has to be important.  No
one would bother us if it weren’t
.”

Rafe laid his forehead against hers, groaning.  “I’d like to take you far, far away where nobody knew where to find us.”

Kissing her hard, he then rolled over and took several deep breaths. 

“I hope you’ve made a will, you’re about to die,” he
snarled at
the door.  He wondered who
was dumb
enough to disturb them.

Lisa giggled, “Be nice, it could be your mother.” 
That
sent her into more giggles. 

Shaking his head, he stomped across the floor, yanking the door open.  “This had better be worth it.”

A grinning Robert stood in the doorway.  “Hi lass, sorry to disturb you.  I see you were reading
.
Is
it a good book?” he asked.

“Yeah, you should read it when I’m done,” Lisa grinned at him. 
She was happy and nothing was going to destroy that, she decided. 

“You have three seconds left in your sorry life,” Rafe snapped.

Sobering, Robert told him he needed to come downstairs.  Niall was back and they had more information from Melissa’s vision. 

Hearing him
, Lisa told them she was coming too.  Robert left and Lisa quickly pulled sweats and a large t-shirt over her nightclothes. 

As she walked to the door, Rafe wrapped his arms around her, growling, “We’re not done.”

“
Well,
duh.  You went and got me all worked up,” Lisa said as she slipped away from him. 

When she entered the great room, she saw Robert sitting very close to Melissa.  Squirming away, Melissa was trying to put some distance between them.  Deciding to get payback, Lisa went over and squeezed
between them.  Turning towards Robert, she smiled innocently at him. 

Robert chuckled
, knowing
he’d been out
maneuvered.
  He saw Rafe standing directly in front of him, obviously waiting for him to slide over so he could sit beside Lisa. 

Once everyone was settled, Ian began his long report.  When he finished what they had concluded about the dirk, he
let Melissa tell of her revisiting the vision. 

Lisa listened intently.  As Melis
sa went on, the blood left her face. 
If Ciar could appear in her room, she wasn’t safe anywhere.  Rafe was again trying to reassure her while rubbing her thigh. 
Lisa went from scared to furious in an instant.  She jumped up and started pacing in front of the fireplace.

“I am so tired of this asshole.   I say we go after him.  Surprise attack.  I’ve been working on my magic and I’
m ready to go Rambo
on his ass,” Lisa said angrily. 

“Calm
down,
Ms. Rambo
.  As long as he has control with that dirk, we aren’t going anywhere.  We have to neutralize his power someway first,” Rafe said.

“
Weel
, Niall may
have
our answer,” Robert said nodding to Niall for him to
tell
Rafe about the Queen’s spell.

When he was done, Rafe looked to Lisa to see how she wa
s taking this.  She looked determined
, and relived he was surprised to see.

“Do I read the spell from your mind?  I want to be ready when he shows up.  I’ve had enough of being scared and feeling helpless,” Lisa said. 

“
Yes,
lass, you do.  My Queen is giving you her trust with this spell.  You may never use it for evil, only against it.  I know you
won’t
abuse her trust, but I had to tell you that,” Niall said.

“I understand, and please tell her how much I appreciate her help and faith in me,” Lisa told him solemnly. 

Nodding his understanding,
Nial
said, “W
e should do it now, if
yer
ready.  No sense waiting.”

The others made room on the sofa for them to sit.  Lisa took Niall’s hands in hers and looked into his eyes.  She was getting used to this now.  With her training and Melissa’s teachings, she slipped easily into his mind.  Of course, he wasn’t trying to block her either.
  She quickly moved through his head, finding the spell like a beacon in his mind.  Lisa drew it towards her,
absorbing the spell.

She was in awe of how simple the spell was.  She was expecting some long, dreary rhyme.  Well, it did rhyme somewhat, but the power behind it was what really floored her.  She knew the Queen had gifted her with the power to stop Ciar now.  She almost cried she was so thankful for her help. 

Opening her eyes, she looked at Niall with tears in her eyes.  “I didn’t understand how powerful your Queen was.  I can see her
caring
and love in
this spell.
 
It
will work without really hurting him.
  I don’t think I can thank her enough.”

Niall patted her hand.  “You understand our Queen.  Now you know why we serve her.  She loves and protects all
that
she can.
  I believe she looks on every one of us as her children
, but
I would never be brav
e enough to call her Mum
,” Niall said smiling. 

Taking in the room, Lisa told them it was time to make a plan.  “I don’t want him suddenly showing up while I sleep.  That freaks me out more than anything
else does
.  The thought of someone standing over me,” she shuddered. 

Ian spoke before anyone else, “I don’t want him showing up here. 
I think everyone should get a good night’s sleep and then tomorrow, we go.  No sense
in
waiting.  I assume everyone in here will be going, except Mom and Melissa.”

“I think you forget, I’m a cougar.  I
’
ll go to help fight Ciar too
,” Melissa said, staring Ian down. 

“There’s really no
need
,
lass,” Robert said.  “With myself, Niall, and my other guard
Jem
,
Mack,
Rafe, Ian, Devlin and Dunstan, not to forget Lisa, I believe we’ll be just fine.”

“I’m coming,” Melissa stated flatly.

Robert didn’t argue any longer.  He figured he would just make sure he stayed near her the entire time they were there. 

“I want to come too,” Ann
a said quietly from the bottom of the stairs
.  “This man made me lose my family.  I’ve spent
too
much time running scared
and
afraid to live my life. 
I need to be there.”

“I would really prefer
that
you didn’t go, but I understand why you feel the need.  You have to promise to stay in the background, behind one of the other men.  I’m sure our ‘loving father’ will call me out and I don’t want
you
near me
,” Dunstan said.

Anna simply nodded.  She had her own agenda and didn’t want to give them any reason to leave her behind.

“It’s late.  Let’s all try and get some sleep.  We’ll plan on leaving after everyone has breakfast, around
nine,” Rafe
told them. 

Ian, Robert and Devlin left to patrol the area and check in with the other guards before bed.  Mack and Liz decided they would sleep at the castle tonight.  The others left to go to their rooms, leaving Lisa and Rafe alone. 

“I know you’re afraid, but know that I’ll do everything in power to keep you safe,” Rafe said.

She wasn’t as afraid as she had been.  Sure, she was still scared but knowing the spell made her feel empowered. 

“What if he freezes me before I can say the spell?” she asked.

“I’m not sure that he could freeze
you,
but we’re not going in blind.  You are going to wear a cloak with the hood pulled up over your head.  I want you at the back, behind everyone.  The less chance he sees you’re there, the better.  Anna and Melissa will be cloaked also.  The
three of you will stay behind the men.  Call me sexist.  I don’t care.  It’s in my blood to protect
all of you,” Rafe told her.