Amber Flame (The Flame Series Book 4) (13 page)

He repeated her former action of smelling the air left to right in an arc.
I see what you mean. I wouldn’t have picked up on it except that you mentioned it. Must be your fae sensitivity combined with your growing wolf.

So, what is it?

He shook his head, yet his nostrils kept elongating, then returning, back-and-forth.

Uneasiness crept through her though she didn’t know why. She held him tighter. Her heart started pounding. The strange odor in the air intensified and her fae senses lit on fire. “Fergus, get down!”

She pulled him with her, falling onto the pavers. Within the same split-second, automatic rifle fire sounded from the forest opposite. She’d hit the stone hard and her cheek felt bruised as well as her knees.

The guard-wolves all started shouting. Still on her stomach on the stone pavers, she lifted her head enough to see four of the wolves fly swiftly into the air, angling southwest.

When Fergus started to get up she held him down.
That smell is still there.

Can you locate the source?

Mary lifted her nose.
It’s straight out front.

The remaining guard wolves crouched behind stone planters.

We need protection,
she said. Glancing to her left, she saw that a large planter, housing a tightly pruned tree was her best bet.
Move it, wolf,
she all but shouted telepathically.

She tugged on him as she levitated in a horizontal pattern and landed behind the planter. Just as Fergus followed, another layer of automatic fire kicked up stone shrapnel off the pavers right where they’d been.

He covered her body protectively with his own.

She had so much adrenaline in her system, she shook all over. He rubbed her arms. “You saved us both, Mary. Jesus, it’s as though you’ve become my bodyguard.”

She twisted her head to look at him. Given the angle, she craned her neck hard.
I think that’s funny when you’re this powerful Savage wolf.

But you’ve got some badass wolf-senses developing as though you’re combining both your fae abilities and my wolf skillset.
His eyes widened suddenly.
Holy fuck Mary, did you just levitate horizontally to this position?

Mary glanced back at the stone.
Oh, my God. I did.
He was so close she felt his breath on her cheek.
Fergus, what’s happening here is extraordinary. I’m experiencing your levitation ability as though I’ve always been able to do it. I could do somersaults in the air if I wanted to.

He kissed her cheek.
I think it’s great. But more than that, I’m glad you’re alive right now.

One of the guards called out. “Warren and his team are on the way.”

“Thanks,” Fergus responded.

Mary swallowed hard.
What do you think is going on out there? Is it a rogue sniper, pissed off and shooting at us, or what?

Worse. I think it’s Sydon’s illegal pack. The initial attack was designed to lead off a portion of the protection squad. They were gunning for me.

A few seconds later, the air was filled with Warren and his men flying above the forest. One thing about wolves, as
alter
predators, they could see extremely well in the dark.

It wasn’t long before two single shots hit the air followed by a yelp. Two more, shots, then nothing.

Mary stayed where she was, but the reality of what had probably just happened sunk in hard. A rogue sniper wolf, possibly two, had just been killed.

She couldn’t regret it because this was a war against Sydon now. The loyalty of his rogue pack had grown increasingly clear. They would do whatever their alpha wanted.

Reality struck hard. She’d been comfortable in Revel with no pack wars and dominance battles to worry about. Revel had other issues, of course, as each of the Territories did. But the level of conflict in Savage always hit Mary square on the chin.

She rested her forehead on the pavers and huffed a sigh that carried a slight wolf grunt. She couldn’t deny what was happening to her, that she was definitely taking on wolf characteristics, but this wasn’t the life she’d planned for herself.

She’d hoped one day, even as a mere
alter
fae, that a Revel man would find her, they’d date, fall in love and live quiet lives together. She’d treat parakeets and horribly obese lap cats. Together, they’d binge-watch TV, maybe develop a taste for specialty beers.

Instead, she was face down on a stone walkway in front of an alpha’s compound, waiting for an all-clear to avoid getting her head shot off.

She heard Warren’s voice. “We’re good. My men cleared the forest.”

When she felt Fergus lean back and rise to his feet, she joined him. He and Warren were immediately laying out plans to set-up blinds in the forest to watch for Sydon’s followers.

“The real problem,” Warren said, arms folded over his massive chest, “is that the snipers weren’t after me or my men. This was about you and the Gordion Pack.”

“I know.”

Mary wondered just how smart she was being in sticking around Savage. Yet, the thought of returning to her very safe life grated in a way it never had before.

Was this what her sister had felt? Why Alicia had spent half her time in Savage? She’d dated several wolves, each one a little more dangerous than the next. She’d talked about the sex being amazing with a creature that could sprout fur.

Mary definitely agreed with the last bit. As she looked up at Fergus, a mating warmth flowed over every inch of her skin. He glanced at her, then took her hand in his and squeezed. He was feeling it, too.

She understood something in that moment; she couldn’t go back. She couldn’t return to her old way of life. But it also didn’t mean that she had to stay with Fergus long-term. His pack was his priority and it seemed unlikely she could ever truly fit in.

Also, on some level she questioned if any of the wolves in Savage would actually live out the same long-life that other species could. Savage had the lowest overall population because of the frequent pack wars that sometimes involved every pack in the territory.

A woman’s voice whispered in her ear.
How’s it going?

Mary gasped softly as Sharon appeared off to her left, away from Fergus and Warren.

Fergus was still speaking with his fellow pack alpha and didn’t seem to notice Mary’s gasp.
What are you doing here?

Oh, just hangin’ around. You did good earlier.

Thanks. I think. You could see all that?

I could.

Mary glanced at Fergus, then back to Sharon,
And he can’t see you, right? He doesn’t know you’re here?
For a ghost, the woman’s expression grew solemn as she stared at her husband.

He wouldn’t want to know. I didn’t leave him on the best of terms.

Because you cheated on him.

Sharon’s ghost-mist floated around unevenly as she nodded.
I did, more than once. But the last time was with one of the worst men in Savage, the same man that killed me.

Before Mary even asked the question, she knew the answer.
Holy shit, you were with Sydon and he killed you during sex.

How do you know it was during sex?

Mary pursed her lips.
When you were murdered, the details were all over the web, that your neck had been ravaged by wolf teeth and broken in what I have no doubt was a hard, killing shake. He had you from behind, didn’t he?

Yes, but it was more rape than consensual.
Sharon huffed a sigh.
A broken neck ended my consciousness with a gray-white explosion through my head. I was dead before I could even form the thought, ‘oh, the bastard is killing me’.

I remained by my body for a long time, staring down at my glassy eyes. Sydon rose up over me, smiling. I didn’t understand why he would have done this to me until I realized he’d planned this from the beginning. Getting rid of an alpha-mate opens a pack up to takeover. A pack is strongest when a woman’s energy aligns with her wolf. Loyalty doesn’t just double within the community, it becomes an exponential increase and a solid layer of protection for all the wolves. I know I brought that to the Gordion pack, even if I was ill-suited to the role.

Sharon’s face wrinkled up. Mist trailed down her cheeks like tears.

Mary considered her for a long moment, all that she’d lost when she’d become an
alter
wolf and that she’d never taken to Savage.
You should know something. Fergus has never said an unkind word about you.

That’s just him. His code of honor.

Mary shifted on her feet. She could hear Warren and Fergus conversing, but her attention remained fixed on Sharon.
What if I don’t want this? Being here in Savage, I mean?

Sharon laughed.
You’re already in so deep, you don’t even know it. You’re holding an alpha’s hand. Do you have any idea how significant that is?

Mary sighed.
Well, it doesn’t have to be permanent. Neither of us thinks it can be.

Like hell. But your relationship isn’t even the biggest problem here. There’s some impediment to Fergus bonding with another woman. Several of his female wolves have tried and failed and each had alpha-mate potential. You may not be able to forge a real wolf-bond with Fergus even if you wanted to.

Then, what’s the point of all this?

I know this may be hard to hear, and I don’t have all the answers, but the survival of the Gordion Pack will one day hinge on you and your role in Fergus’s life.

But why is this on me?

How the hell should I know? I’m just here relaying information. I think what it boils down to is that the path isn’t clear, only the objective. So stick close to him, keep him alive, and if you can do it, forge the damn bond. But now I have to go. My supervisor seems displeased with my attitude.

Mary felt Sharon vanish. She was relieved. Sharon seemed to be dumping an awful lot of responsibility on Mary’s shoulders. Worse still, every fae instinct in her body told her that Sharon was right. For reasons she still didn’t understand, everything that was happening right now was a serious turning point for Savage Territory. Sydon wasn’t finished with his bid for a takeover.

The Gordion Pack needed a bonded alpha. Even she had felt the desperate lack of it while in Fergus’s compound. Which meant that all this time, Fergus had born the weight of the leadership alone.

Yet Sharon seemed to think Fergus might never be able to complete the necessary bond. And if a real wolf couldn’t bond with Fergus, then there was no way she could. Not that she even wanted to.

Her frustration mounted all over again, about being drawn into a situation that seemed so juxtaposed to her life as a fae woman.

“Are you okay?” Fergus’s wonderful resonant voice pulled her out of her reverie.

She turned and lifted her gaze to meet his. And there it was, the profound attraction she felt for him. “Just thinking about some things.”

“Are you ready to go?”

“I am.” Was she ready for everything else her relationship with Fergus appeared to be demanding, she had no idea.

He released her hand but slid his arm around her waist and led her closer to Warren. He spoke quietly. “Mary and I are still headed to my cabin. You can reach me through my cell or telepathically anytime you want.”

“Good deal. And I’ll be sending a security team to guard the property through the rest of the night.”

Fergus dipped his chin to Warren, then turned toward Mary. He held his arm wide, a signal he was ready to fly her to their destination. But she looked down at her own feet and lifted off, rising a foot, then two. Fergus tracked with her, sticking close.

When she was well above the compound, she switched to telepathy.
Lead the way and in case you didn’t know it, I love levitation.

~ ~ ~

Fergus had been talking things over with Warren while making use of telepathy half the time. Warren had asked if Fergus intended to attempt an alpha-mate bond with Mary. His response of ‘we seem to be headed that way’ had left him feeling unsettled.

How could a fae woman possibly serve his pack and provide the profound level of communal bonding even his most powerful female wolves couldn’t achieve?

The whole situation made no sense. But then it hadn’t from the beginning, from the time he’d first held Mary in his arms and had howled like he’d discovered air for the first time.

While talking to Warren, telepathically or aloud, the whole time he’d sensed something was going on with Mary. The part of him growing in fae powers knew she was distressed, but he didn’t know by what. He’d glanced at her several times and had felt a series of emotional shocks hit her, but he didn’t know their content or source.

Now he flew with her slowly in a southeasterly direction while she worked her levitation sea-legs.

“You’re flying beautifully,” he said.

“I can go faster if you need me to, but I’m entranced by the way the forest looks below us. All these pines. Who would have thought they could grow in the desert.”

“Reclaimed water has made it possible.” He flew a little faster, adding, “We’re almost there. I’ll guide you in.”

He slowly dropped down to the narrow opening in the trees. He sensed that someone had been in his home and he would have drawn his Glock, but the fae part of him could tell he wasn’t in danger. Focusing his attention on the cabin, he soon realized that several women of his pack had gone in to tidy up. He could also smell a fresh-baked apple pie with tons of cinnamon. His mouth watered.

He levitated straight down in front of the stone path.

He watched Mary glide in and land easily next to him. Her face was glowing and she grinned as she held her hands wide and said, “Tah-dah!”

He laughed. “You did great.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

As he walked her up the path, she asked, “Not that I’m complaining, but I thought we’d be heading to the Gordion Compound.”

“I have to get rid of Sydon first. The fact is, I won’t be able to stay there until the dominance battle has taken place and that won’t be until tomorrow night. It’s pack law.”