Dire Cravings: Arctic Wolves Series, Book 2 Read online

  That was strange. Why would the Hunters attack but not show force?

  “You don’t find that odd?”

  “Didn’t say it wasn’t strange. Only said shit didn’t happen. Something’s up. Victor wanted to feed Nerina before he came looking for you. He doesn’t think it’s safe here for the human female. I think he’s going to see about getting her off the mountain by tomorrow.”

  “That’s not an option. If she goes, I go.”

  “Yeah, man, I get it. Trust me, I do. But, if the Alpha says that’s the way it goes, then that’s the way it goes.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Blue grumbled.

  “See about what?” Victor asked, stepping into their circle.

  Blue turned to stare at his longtime friend. “I can’t let her leave.”

  “Even if it’s to protect her?”

  “She’s not in any danger. Not if she is with me.”

  “That may be true, but she endangers the Pack if we let her stay. Today was a glitch. Everything was quiet until she showed up. I don’t think that’s a coincidence, and even if it is, I’m not taking any chances.”

  “You really think they are making noise because she’s here?”

  “Man, she knows Nerina’s father. Give me a fucking break.”

  “She doesn’t know him. Not personally.”

  “Don’t care, not going to risk our safety for a human.”

  Santos chose that moment to interrupt.

  “Why don’t we use the two of them to draw the Hunters out? Have her and Blue go into Talkeetna. We can send a few of the others with them. Have them stay in Nerina’s old cabin.”

  Blue didn’t like the idea of using Olivia as bait. Victor rubbed his chin. “I don’t know.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what you know. I don’t like it. We can’t use her as bait.”

  “Why the fuck not? I’m gonna use your ass as bait, too. We need to get rid of Roman and his men.”

  “He won’t stop until he gets the Bow.”

  “Well, he can’t fucking have it!” Victor roared, his chest heaving with the force of his voice. The others around them all stopped what they were doing to watch the argument.

  Blue squared his shoulders and took a step toward Victor. Not a challenging one, but enough to let the other wolf know that he meant business. “I am not Pack. I am my own wolf. Follow my own rules. And I’ve never shown you an ounce of disrespect like you just showed me. You want us out of your mountain, fine. That’s all you had to say. But I’m not using her, not like that.” Blue’s nostrils flared, and he knew his fangs were present, but he didn’t care. He would not use Olivia as bait.

  “What choice do we have, Blue?”

  “I’ll leave with her. Take her back to New York. But I’m not leaving her side.”

  “And what happens if someone pisses you off and you lose control?” Why would Victor bring that shit up? I haven’t had an episode in over fifty years.

  “That’s not gonna happen.”

  “We need you here,” Santos stated firmly.

  “Then she stays. We find another solution that doesn’t involve her.”

  “I don’t know if I can agree to that.”

  “You don’t have to, Vic. Either you need me, or you don’t. If I’m here, so is she. Your choices are…with me, or without me. You pick.”

  Blue walked away but not before Victor tossed out a string of curses.

  Olivia woke up on a bed of fur. The male with the piercings had to be from her dream. There was no way any of it was real. The horses alone were unimaginable. What the hell did Blue spray the cabin with? The smell was sweet. Overly so, and it was starting to make her stomach turn. And why was her arm so sore?

  “That smell is Lion’s Heart,” a voice in the dark said. It did not belong to Blue.

  Had she asked the question out loud? She must have.

  “Where am I?” Because she knew she wasn’t in Blue’s cabin. This room was older, almost ancient. With a thatched roof and a fire burning in a massive stone fireplace that took up most of the far wall.

  “You’re here, in this room.”

  “I know that. But where is here?”

  “Ryse’Dyn.”

  “I’m still fucking dreaming,” Olivia said in a harsh voice as she rolled to her side. Her head still hurt, and the smell of the Lion’s Heart only made her more uncomfortable. The voice in the room belonged to Bast. That much she knew.

  “My mate would say you’re pretty, maybe even beautiful. You’re naturally appealing for a female, I guess. Peyton thinks of you as fish meat.”

  Peyton? As in Blue’s Peyton?

  “Are you talking of the one Blue fell for? The princess?”

  Bast laughed, but it sounded more of cry than laugh, his shoulders were slouched as he shook with glee.

  “One and the same, one and the same she is. She doesn’t want you to survive the night. Blue has left her heart broken and alone, but not for long, not for long. For Peyton is strong, fish meat.”

  “Fish meat?”

  “Yeah, food in the ways of our people.”

  “Now you’re talking about eating me? That’s unsettling. How about we end the nightmare, so I can wake up.” She wasn’t about to show him any kind of fear.

  “You are awake. You’re here in the now, with me. In a shelter I paid for you to be in. I would say you owe me at the very least. A ‘thank you, Sebastian. You are beyond awesome for doing this for me,’ would be nice.”

  “A thank you for what?”

  Bast walked from the corner of the hut where he stood. His face was highlighted by the flames, a faint violet glow emanating from the rune-like markings on either side of his face. The skin under his clothing gave off the same faint glow.

  “Nord and Duloc, the young elders from your realm asked that I keep an eye on you. They want you to have something that is not of this realm, or yours.”

  She’d not heard the name Nord or Duloc before.

  “Who are the young elders?”

  “The Packs of your realm follow them. I of course answer to no one. I do however grant favors from time to time. Like I will tonight. As I said, I have something they want me to give to you not of this realm or yours.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Bast said nothing for long minutes. He stood next to the fire, humming to himself as if he were in deep thought. A nod or a shake of his head happened every few seconds. Olivia found herself more agitated by the second and would have stormed out of the room if her foot weren’t chained. The shackle glowed with the same faint violet luminescence as Bast’s markings.

  “What the fuck kind of bullshit is this?”

  “Language. I’m sure you don’t speak to your elders in such a way, Olivia. Ah, our queen is named Olivia, too. Did you know that? Is that why you chose the name? To resemble our matriarch?”

  “No, I was given the name, I didn’t choose it.”

  “Shame, one should be able to choose their own name, don’t you think?”

  Bast was rambling, and she didn’t know if it was his normal way or if he were stalling for some reason.

  “Enough with the weirdness. I want out of this place, and I want out now.”

  If werewolves and vampires were real, then this place had to be, too. What was it that Blue had called it? Xosha. That’s it. She was in Xosha.

  “Tit for tat, tat for tit, kill the human and be quick.”

  Kill the human?

  There was no other human she knew of that he would be referring to except herself. She was starting to get worried. She was chained in a room with a male she knew had to be crazy.

  “Now hold on a minute. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m innocent in all of this.”

  “Innocent?” he snorted. “This is all your fault! Peyton’s ailing heart, Blue and his constant banter back and forth, promises, promises. My Olls would feel it’s our duty to hold you here until he got bored with you. He’d probably want to play with you in more ways tha
n one.” Bast rolled his eyes, and Olivia bit her tongue to keep from giving him attitude. His dramatics were beginning to get on her nerves. “Olly’s not here right now, though, that’s why you should be thanking the gods. He’s away on a mission and I can only keep you for a moment’s time. Alas, I can only keep you for a moment’s time.”

  “Who is Olly?”

  “My lover, my friend, my enemy, my life’s blood. He is all those things rolled into one. He is the one born one, but still two; male and female, father and mother. Assassin to all, but a lover only to me.”

  She wasn’t about to touch that. From what she could gather, Olly was his duel gender, assassin lover. And the shit just keeps getting weirder.

  “How long is a moment’s time? And who exactly is Olly?”

  “The time is now, and no longer in the moment.” A smirked revealed one pure silver fang with a diamond tip. His amber depths danced in amusement. Those same dancing eyes, darkened to an almost black and the mirth left his face. “Olly is Orpheus, one godly Abomination you don’t want to fuck with.”

  “Can you stop talking in circles and get to the point?”

  Bast threw back his head and laughed, the blackness leaving his eyes, returning them to their normal bright amber hue, the coherent voice from before and in the valley once again gone, replaced by the near hysteria. “Get to the point, the point was on you, in you, and has marked you,” he said, pointing to her arm.

  Olivia looked down and gasped. On her arm, was an intricate sleeve of geometric patterns. Three inverted triangles overlapping one another with two intersecting circles, and a line straight through it that looked almost like an arrow. But the weirdest thing was the color of the ink. It was silver, and if she turned her arm a certain way, the marks would disappear.

  “What the fuck did you do to me?”

  “What the chick with the long, white hair wanted. Probably my best work yet.”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  Bast chuckled again. “That’s what she said, but hey, in return for inking you, I get to ensure that not only will I see you again, but Peyton will see Blue again. Gotta keep the family happy and all that. Now off you go, back to the land of milk and honey. Or is that blood and fangs?” Bast shrugged. “Either way, Cull will lead you through the mists.”

  “What do you mean, Peyton will see Blue again?”

  “I am speaking your tongue. I have marked you, now I can find you. If Peyton wishes an audience, I will make it so.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she wills it. That’s all you need to know. If I were you, I’d worry more about the family of house Vega, they are the ones holding your chains.”

  House Vega? What in the hell was he talking about?

  The chain on her leg suddenly unlocked, and then Bast led her through what appeared to be an empty inn and through a back door to the outside. There was a meadow and a gurgling brook with a Shadow Mare grazing near the water.

  “Cull, you beastie. Take Olivia to her Blue. You may stay if you’d like, as my gift. You will be needed there, my old friend. No arguing, Olls already cleared it.”

  The horse that looked more like smoke neighed and huffed before walking towards Olivia. The creature was massive in size. There was no way she’d be able to mount it.

  “I can’t ride him.“

  As if the horse understood her, it bent low, its long, beautiful mane of silver locks resting on the ground.

  “Up you go. Now, remember, you must tell Blue we miss him, and that the one who came with Duloc and Nord, she insisted we hand over the Silver Arrow of Power to you personally. It is your burden to bear. Not ours. Gods forbid that fucker Ambrogio come here. Olly would have a killing party in his honor just to hear him scream. Do us all a favor and get lost.”

  Before Olivia could say another word, the Mare was standing with her astride. Bast had playfully patted its ass, jump-starting the horse into a fierce gallop. She barely had time to grab hold of its mane to keep from falling off. She had no idea what Bast had meant about her burden to bear, but she wasn’t going to wait around and find out. As soon as she was back on the mountain, she was leaving. She didn’t care how, but she was going the fuck back to New York.

  9

  She wasn’t in the cabin, and she wasn’t with the others. A sick feeling settled in his gut as Blue searched for Olivia. He’d returned to their cabin to find a familiar scent that dug deeply into his senses. Lion’s Heart. There was only one place it could be found, and that location was not of this realm.

  Fuck.

  He wanted to believe it was because he’d told the story earlier and it was only his mind reminiscing about a time long forgotten. But the longer he stood in the room, the more he realized that something was amiss. Olivia had been taken. He was certain. He didn’t know how or by who or even why, but he was going to find out.

  Making his way to the main cabin where Victor and Nerina stayed, he knocked on the door. Nerina answered.

  “Luna.”

  “What is it, Blue?”

  “Olivia’s been taken.”

  Her eyes widened before she stepped out onto the porch. “Are you sure? By whom? The valley is secure.”

  “It is from Hunters, but not from meddling Silver Fangs.”

  “Silver Fangs?” she asked.

  “Yes, those from another realm.”

  “You mean Xosha?”

  “Yes, but Bast and his mate Olly love to play games. I thought for sure I’d never see or hear from them again. I was wrong.”

  He was worried. There was no telling what could happen. Especially if Peyton ever found out that he’d taken a mate. The girl was more than certifiable. There wasn’t a word that described her brand of crazy.

  “What do we do?”

  That was the question. He didn’t know how to get back to the mists. He’d been exiled. But with Nerina’s connection to the goddess, maybe she’d be able to point him in the right direction.

  “I was hoping I could get an audience with Selene.”

  “What do you mean exactly?”

  “Well, you do have a direct line to her. Can’t you call her up?”

  “You mean like via cell?” Nerina scoffed.

  “No, however it is that the two of you speak.”

  “We don’t. It’s not like that.”

  Palms sweaty, and his brow damp from his constant worry for Olivia’s safety, he took a deep breath. Blue was about to express his agitation the only way he knew how when someone started yelling for him. It was Ima. He turned to watch the little girl rushing towards them, her arms waving excitedly as she ran.

  “Ima, slow down, what’s gotten into you?”

  Ima’s eyes were wide as she looked up at Nerina. “Sorry, Luna, but… Olivia is here, and she’s…she— “Ima bent down and placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath. “She’s on a Shadow Mare, just like the one from your story, Blue. And the Mare won’t let her down. Come quick.”

  Ima turned and started running towards the river where a crowd had gathered. Blue could see the Shadow Mare. It was taller than a British Shire horse. This Shadow Mare, Blue knew intimately. Cull. The Mare had been his during his time in Xosha. Olivia sat atop the beast, her hair wild as she tried to control Cull.

  Blue called out to the Mare. “Cull, come.” He immediately calmed and trotted over to Blue, playing in the shadows of the trees. He would fade in and out as he approached, appearing almost invisible at times. The children that were gathered, and even some of the adults, seemed amazed by Cull’s unique abilities. “Come on, old friend. Be nice to Olivia. Did you know she is my most cherished?”

  Olivia snorted. Blue smiled.

  “Most cherished, my ass. If I were so cherished, why’d you let Bast take me? Why weren’t you watching over me, huh?”

  “If I’d had known it was even a possibility that you could be taken, be assured I would have done everything in my power to stop it from happening.”

  Olivia raise
d a brow in challenge. “Yeah, right.”

  Cull stopped in front of Blue, and he rubbed the Mare’s head playfully. Stepping up to Olivia’s side, Blue offered her his hand. When all she did was look at it, Blue took matters into his own hands. He lifted her by the waist. All the sass he’d seen in her eyes was replaced by surprise and warmth. He knew she felt what he did when they touched. That unmistakable urge to fall into the other. An unbreakable bond that would complete them and make them whole. Why she fought him, he didn’t understand, and it would normally bother him. It had when Cassandra refused to bend to his will. But Blue found that with Olivia, he looked forward to the challenge. He was excited about her restraint and her blatant refusal to submit.

  He made sure that her body slid down his, slowly. He wanted to feel every lush curve of her body and inhale the scent unique only to her. She was short compared to him; perfect for all the things he wished to do to her. When her right arm came into view, he took a step back. She’d not been tattooed before, and he realized with surprise that this ink was silver. Pure silver. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled as memories long forgotten surfaced.

  “Where did you get that?”

  “From your friend, Bast. He said it was my burden to bear, and that Nord and Duloc tasked him with bestowing the Silver Arrow of Power on me. Whatever the hell that is. He also said something about seeing both of us again. Oh, and that he misses you.”

  Blue let out a string of curses before taking her right arm. He knew he was walking fast but he didn’t want to stop until he reached Victor and Thorn. He knew that what Olivia said was true. They were in for the biggest shitstorm ever. The Arrow was a relic, but paired with the Bow, the one who wielded it would be unstoppable. Or completely controllable, depending on who ended up with both.

  “Can you slow down?”

  “No.”

  “You’re walking too fast, even Cull is having issues keeping up.”

  “Cull is fine. He simply wants a place to graze.” Blue stopped abruptly, turning to address his old friend. “Take rest by the river, no one will bother you.”

  The horse turned in the direction Blue pointed and trotted off.