“Your wolf may ignore you, but he can’t defy me.”
Mark stared at him for a long moment and then nodded.
He shifted his focus from Mark to the rest of his household, an uproar of activity roaring in his ears. Calm had been replaced by frantic movement, moans of pain, and raised voices. Kyle burst into the room, but Caster ignored him. He grabbed Mark’s shoulders and kissed him hard. When he pulled away, confusion had replaced fear on Mark’s face.
“Why did you kiss me?” Mark’s breath was sharper, shallower. “You think we are all going to die and—”
He cradled his face. “I kissed you because I want to kiss you every time I see you. Now shut up, stop thinking, and transform.”
Amber replaced the brown in his eyes, and a growl filled the eerie silence as his hands and feet morphed into the paws of a large animal. Caster moved out of the way as the transformation took hold much faster than he’d ever seen it. White fur coveredhuman skin, Mark’s face disappearing into a snout in the space of a minute. He’d had numerous interactions with wolves, so he’d seen a transformation before, but never one this fast. A slowed transformation that took anywhere from ten to twenty minutes was the reason vampires had the upper hand in the war. It was easier to kill a wolf mid-transformation than one fully transformed or in human form. He’d hate to think what would have happened if they could all transform this fast.
He glanced at Kyle, who stared at the large animal taking up half the room like a threat he needed to contain.
Mark was also much larger than a beta wolf should be. Could that be the reason the witch was so fixated on him? Not that it mattered. She’d have to go through him first.
The animal growled at Kyle, sensing his hostility, but only looked at Caster, as if awaiting commands. He took a chance.Can you hear me?
Yes.The familiar cadence of Mark’s voice floated into his head.
Go find your brother, make sure he’s OK.
He hesitated.
Mark, don’t make me tell you twice.
The large wolf sprang into action, moving through the room with the care only a sentient animal can have, avoiding what’s left of the all-but destroyed furniture.
And don’t you dare leave the house.
“He transformed too fast,” Kyle said once Mark was out of earshot, his demeanor too calm for the moment. Kyle wasn’tafraid of much and was never frantic, but the dark energy invading the house should have had him taking action.
“Yeah. He’s also much larger than I expected. Why aren’t we already moving?”
“She’s here, but she can’t get in.”
“Are you sure?”
Kyle nodded. “Riley is. You might want to get dressed, Your Highness. I suspect your mother is on her way.”
“So, it’s a siege?”
“It would seem so.”
It was so surreal, seeing the world through his wolf’s eyes again. It had been too long. Part of him had been unsure he’d even be able to transform. But even his wolf, especially his wolf, had no choice but to bend to Caster’s will. The strength of his true nature as it moved through the house was inexplicable. He let it overwhelm him, knowing Caster’s protection would be there when it became too much.
Glass crunched beneath his paw with every step, the air thick with the familiar scent of everyone in it. The witch’s presence had faded in the last few minutes, but it was there, beyond the lush compound that surrounded Caster’s property. She was here, there was no mistaking it, but both sides of him didn’teven dream of going after her. It would be so easy, but Caster’s final command echoed in their shared mind space, and the wolf shifted its senses to focus on his brother. Caster was right. Mikey’s safety was far more important right now.
He saw Riley, Caster’s mother, Edie, and Riley’s mother gathered in the living room, their discussion a distant echo he couldn’t comprehend. In this form, words were only decipherable when spoken into his mind. They stopped talking as soon as they saw him, a hint of surprise mixed with fear emanating from the women, but Riley smiled. He recognized the appreciation in the powerful witch’s demeanor. Mark may have been absent during the war, but he was as capable of using the brute strength of his wolf as Dean. Today, the witch would find out just how formidable he could be. And when it was all over, he could have his forever with Caster.
He ignored the fear he could sense from the women. They had nothing to be afraid of and went through the house, following the unique scent that was Mikey. He found his brother in the kitchen with Caster’s younger brother Ben and Sophie. Sophie seemed hurt, though in wolf-form, he couldn’t quite make out the nature of her injury. Ben gasped, but the shock on Mikey’s face was almost comical.
Are you OK?He reached into his brother’s mind even as his prolific sense of smell scanned the room for his blood, finding only the unfamiliar scent that must be Sophie’s.
I’m fine.Mikey moved away from Sophie and Ben, his steps tentative, almost as if he wasn’t sure this was happening.How did you…?
I don’t know. I just could.It was a lie. Of course, he knew how. Caster was how, but he didn’t have time or the words toexplain that to his brother.
Mikey placed a hand on his head, and Mark pushed into it.My Goddess, I’ve missed you. We need to tell Dean.