Phantom of the Heart (21 page)

The foreign scent she had got from Orla earlier. Rom had smelled that way too. It smelled like something wild and untamed. She met the cold, pale stare, and felt her eyes fill up with tears again. This was the reason Orla was sending her away. Her eyes studied the huge canine as it wagged its tail slowly, its fur bristling slightly. She knew enough about wolves to know that the beast was readying itself for an attack.
Prevent a bite at all times.
Cybralle's words rang through her mind. She met the cold eyes again, and was struck by the intelligence she saw in them.

Orla was still in there, even in that form.

Sterling remembered hearing the heartrending sobs, as she pushed through the dense growth to find Orla. It was obvious that Orla was hurting too. This was a sacrifice her wife was willing to make to protect her. Orla must love her tremendously to want to give up on their love which was so great and only came once in a lifetime.

Sterling took a shuddering breath. It was her turn to make a sacrifice too.

***

Had she not been in wolf form, Orla's jaw would surely have hung in shock as Sterling stretched out on her stomach and slowly began to crawl toward her. What was wrong with the woman? She snarled and adjusted her body to make her stance more threatening. When Sterling simply looked up at her with a tearstained face and resumed her crawling, Orla bared her teeth. Strings of saliva dripped from her open mouth to the ground. Still, the stubborn woman advanced on her. Orla could smell her fear, and she gave a mock charge. Sterling simply covered her head with her hands and lay still for a few moments. Then she lifted her head and revealed fear-filled eyes. Orla bared her teeth again and gave a warning growl. The red head lowered again and, to Orla's surprise, Sterling resumed her crawling. For a brief second, Orla was tempted to nip her on the butt for being so infuriatingly stubborn.

***

Sterling had to bite hard on her lip, to prevent her teeth from clattering with sheer terror. The wolf looked even bigger up close, its growl so deep that she could feel it reverberating through her own body. She found herself a few centimeters from powerful front paws and slowly rolled over, exposing her throat and stomach in a submissive pose. The pale eyes were glacial as they pierced her. The wolf bared its teeth again, and Sterling heard her own teeth clatter in fear this time. She quickly averted her eyes. She gasped when a string of saliva landed on her cheek and trailed down her neck to disappear underneath her clothing. She lay like that for a long moment, waiting for the wolf to make the first move.

***

Orla stopped her growling. It was not as if it had worked anyway. Sterling lay before her, her eyes turned away and her stomach and throat bared. She sat back on her haunches and pinned the human with a hostile glare. When it sunk in that the growling had stopped, Sterling turned her head to make eye contact. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Orla wondered what the infuriating woman had planned now.

She did not have to wait long, because Sterling slowly rolled onto her stomach again and pushed herself to her knees. With hands placed on her thighs, she sat and looked up at her. Orla gave a soft growl and snapped at Sterling's shoulder. Sterling quickly averted her eyes. Orla was now genuinely curious. She had growled at the woman, almost took a nip at her, mock charged her, and drenched her in saliva. Sterling had endured all that just to get closer to her. Now that she was here, Orla wanted to see what her next move would be.

Sterling's head lifted and she threw a quick glance up. Orla's ears lifted, as she looked down at Sterling, who appeared rather small from the great height Orla was looking from. The redhead began to slowly push herself to her feet, keeping her eyes averted. With Sterling standing upright, they were on eye level. Orla noticed how Sterling was shaking as she stood before her.

“I know you are in there,” Sterling’s voice startled Orla. “You were willing to sacrifice our love to protect me from what I do not know. I love you, Orla, and I will do anything for you—even wet myself to make contact with your wolf persona.”

Sterling lifted her head, and her silver eyes held a look of determination. “I want you to listen carefully. You will only be out of reach from me when you are dead. Being an Ulv will not allow you to forsake our wedding vows. I will chase you to the ends of the earth to fulfill my wedding promise to you. I will love you in sickness and in health and forsake all others till death do us part.”

With a badly shaking hand, Sterling stroked the hair on Orla's neck. “I will be scared again later, if you want me to be, but for now I just need to be close to you. I need to feel for myself that you are indeed alive.” Sterling took another step closer until she was leaning into Orla. Her arms slowly circled around Orla’s neck, and her human body pressed tightly against Orla’s furry body. “You have no idea how wonderful it feels to hold you again.”

Orla wished she was in human form to say something back, anything. With those last words, Sterling had just expressed to her that she was accepting Orla in any form. A soft whimper escaped her lips, and Sterling leaned back to look into her eyes. The silver eyes were warm.

“I love you.”

The joy inside her was too much to restrain. Throwing back her head, she let out a deep, mournful sounding howl. She must have startled Sterling, because she clung to her, shaking even more than she had before. By way of apology, she bumped her snout against Sterling's shoulder. She threw her head back and howled again. Her ears perked as a sweet, slightly off-key, voice joined in. She looked down to see that Sterling had thrown her head back too and was howling, or rather doing a human interpretation of a howl.

When she Orla stopped howling, Sterling looked at her with sparkling eyes and a slight blush on her face. “That was so liberating. We should do it again.”

Orla's tongue shot out and she surprised Sterling with a long wet lick over her face. Sterling gasped and giggled, as she tried to protect her face from another attack.

“My…my…what a happy reunion.” The strange voice propelled Orla to her feet, bumping Sterling over in the process. With the princess sprawled out on the ground, Orla stepped over her, shielding her with her own body.

Orla bared her teeth at the newcomer. He was tall and skinny, with light-blonde hair caught in a ponytail at his neck. He looked rather unassuming, except for his eyes. They were solid black— evil eyes.

“Why, cousin, you look surprised to see me.”

Orla felt her blood run cold.

Ridat!

Chapter 21

Cybralle sat up at the sound of the howling. It sounded too close for comfort. She saw that some of the men were also sitting up now.

“Commander?”

“That was rather close. We need to be on guard.”
Oh, Sterling, please be alive. Your mother will die if something has happened to you.
She tightened her grip on her sword. Unlike the last time, she was ready for them.

“Commander.”

She turned to a young soldier who lay but a few feet from her on his roll. “Yes?” The boy seemed to hesitate. “What is it, soldier?”

The soldier swallowed. “My uncle was a hunter and he always used to befriend wolves in the forest.” He blushed when more soldiers turned to look at him. “He took me with him a few times. What I am trying to say, Commander, is the howling we heard just now was a happy howl.”

One of the men chuckled. “It must be breeding season.” More men chuckled at hearing that. Cybralle shook her head at their inanity even in the face of danger. She turned back to the blushing soldier. She had a feeling he wanted to say more.

“Why are you telling me this, soldier?”

The boy swallowed. “It was not so much the howling of the wolf. I heard something else too. My uncle taught me to listen to the howling, to prevent us from stumbling upon a mating in progress. Wolves get aggressive during that time.”

Cybralle wondered where this was going. “Yes.”

“I believe I heard a human voice blend with the wolf's howl.”

Cybralle frowned. “What does it mean?”

“I do not know, Commander. I just thought it was strange to hear a wolf, and by the sound of it an alpha, howling with a human. Low ranking wolves are, in some instances, punished for partaking in howling by high ranking members of the pack. A human would rate even lower than the lowliest wolf in the pack.”

Cybralle bit on her lower lip. What could it mean? A human traveling with a wolf?
Think Cybralle, think
, she urged herself. According to Prince Halen, this part of Arnat was basically deserted. With the wolf plague, many of the villagers had fled their homes out of fear and moved closer to the royal seat. From her time as the leader of the Arnati army, and long before Mesmeria had asked for her hand in marriage, she had done border patrols with the army. If memory served her right, this particular area was too rocky to grow crops. The closest villages would be another day's ride in the opposite direction the howling came from. The only other humans she could think of who might be in this area would be Sterling and Rom.

There was something about Rom that still did not sit well with her. The fact that he had not aged in twenty years and…How in the gods’ names had he survived that wound? She came to her feet.

“I will go and see what is happening over there.”

The men surged to their feet. “You cannot go alone, Commander. It is too dangerous.”

Cybralle shook her head, as she sheathed her sword and checked her quiver to inspect her arrows. “I am going alone. If I am not back by dawn, I want you to come and look for me.”

“At least take a few men with you, Commander.”

“It is too dangerous, Captain.”

“With all due respect, Commander,” the captain continued, “we did not accompany you here on a flower-gathering expedition. We know what we are up against, and we are ready. Please take at least twenty men with you. I will personally march the other four hundred and eighty into the forest come dawn.”

Cybralle hesitated. “You do know that I might be taking all of you to be slaughtered?”

“I understand, Commander. Give me a moment, and I will select ten archers and ten swordsmen.

Throwing up her hands, Cybralle smiled. She was still flummoxed by the kind of loyalty Sterling commanded from her men.

***

Rom was seething with anger. About an hour ago, one of the sentries had raised the alarm. Ridat and his mongrels had crossed the river into their territory. The man was never so bold, and Rom could not help but wonder what had brought on this strange behavior.

“It will take a few minutes before the others join us,” one of the men said, and Rom nodded as he made a quick head count. He had about fifteen men with him. Ridat had brought close to thirty. They were more than evenly matched. All of Rom’s men were Ulvs, whereas Ridat's were simply dogs with large teeth.

“We will be fine with what we have. Tell them to stay down wind and to wait for my command.”

***

Ridat was so excited with his capture that he wanted to do a happy dance. Here he had expected to find Rom with the princess, only to find Gentro and his mate. Even better, they were alone with no guard in sight. How foolish love made people. Had Gentro really thought them completely safe having a lusty romp in the woods? He noticed how the wolf kept the woman shielded between his legs. Maybe he would kill her and make Gentro watch. Afterward, he would kill him too. He never thought he would get any access to his cousin, but here he was, gifted with the perfect opportunity. He could just as well destroy Gentro forever.

He studied the black wolf carefully. The pitch-black hair and pale eyes were unmistakable. Gentro was a perfect mix of his father and mother. He was one of only a few Ulv royals to be born with light eyes. Ridat remembered how, when they were children, everyone fawned over the handsome prince. He, on the other hand had to look on from afar, eating scraps from the table of the royals. Even though they were banished, his mother had a loyal friend who made sure they did not starve to death in their forest hideaway. It had irked him to know that his mother's friend took the uneaten food from the royal table and brought it to them. For his mother's sake, he ate the food without choking on it, especially when she assured him that, one day, he too would rank up there with the royals, because he had received the gene.

It had taken ninety-seven years for him to reach this stage in his plans. He thrust out his hands and smiled as tan colored fur began to shoot out on his arms.

“I have been waiting for this moment for so long.”

***

Two things troubled Orla.

If she engaged Ridat, Sterling would be left unattended. The second was that she could not kill Ridat. None of the Ulvs in Gentro’s pack could kill him. She wondered if Ridat knew that.

She had to find help, someone to guard Sterling. She threw her head back and let out a howl. By now, Ridat was fully transformed. He was a little smaller than her, but she was not going to misjudge him. He had been a wolf longer than she had and must have a trick or two that she did not know about.

More of Ridat's minions came out of the darkness and circled the clearing just as Ridat began to slowly advance on her.

***

“That was different. It sounded like the same wolf, but this was a distress call.” The young soldier pointed north. “It is not far, probably about ten minutes if we move fast.”

“You heard the man,” Cybralle said. She immediately took the lead. She wanted to get there, but did not want to announce their arrival to everyone. “Be as quiet as you can while keeping up.”

Cybralle led the men on a brisk pace over the rocky terrain toward the copse of trees a few meters away. The moment they entered the protection of the trees, Cybralle called the men together.

“We will move closer and then I want the archers to go for a higher vantage point. Use the trees closest to where the action is. Remember to make every arrow count.”

“Commander.”

“Yes,” Cybralle answered without looking at the man.

“We have been spotted.”

Cybralle mumbled a curse under her breath as she turned. She could make out shadows stepping from behind the trees. Their small group was completely encircled.

“Who are you?” She lifted her sword. No one was going to come between her and Sterling. She had come for her daughter, and she was going to take on the gods themselves to get her back safe and sound.

The leader stepped forward. “Commander, what are you doing here?” The voice was familiar and held surprise.

Cybralle's back stiffened. “Where is my daughter, Romulus?” She pointed her sword at him. Rom held up his hand when his men all took a step forward.

“We are also here to save her.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because she is in grave danger,” Rom said quickly. “We are wasting time discussing this. Instead, can we not work together?”

Cybralle wanted to fight the issue, but knew Sterling’s chances at survival were getting slimmer by the minute.

“Good. This is what we will do…”

***

Sterling pushed to her feet, but was unceremoniously shoved back down by Orla. She landed with a grunt and muttered a curse.

“Stop that. I have to help you.”

The wolf growled at her, but she shook her head. “I can help you. Let me.” She drew her sword, and a ray of moonlight hit the silver blade. “I know they fear silver.”

With a snort, the wolf stepped back and allowed her to her feet. Sterling nodded and placed a hand on the wolf's head. “Fight well, my love.”

She turned to watch the fair-coated wolf circle them. Some of the smaller wolves came closer, and she held up her sword. Without warning, the pale wolf stormed at Orla. Orla crouched. Using the other wolf's aerial momentum, she pushed her large body into the air and slammed into the wolf's belly, tossing it through the air. Sterling watched as the wolf landed a few feet away. When it climbed back to its feet, it shook its head and turned to look at Orla.

This time, when it approached Orla, Sterling detected a slight wariness in its movement. It was good to know that Orla could take care of herself. She turned to face the other wolves just in time, because two were coming right at her. They were smaller than both Orla and the golden wolf, but they still greatly outweighed Sterling. She waited until the first wolf was close enough before she swung her blade. The wolf howled in pain, as the blade pierced its neck, staining the blade dark with blood. The second wolf did not let up and came at her. She flung herself in the air, giving a downward slash as she vaulted over its head, narrowly escaping its claws. When she landed on her feet behind the wolf, she was glad to find she had severed its spine. Three more wolves broke into the clearing. Suddenly, Orla was between her and the advancing danger. Her claws shot out and she grabbed one of the wolves by the neck, spinning it around and tossing it at the advancing alpha. The two wolves landed in a tangle of legs and paws, giving Orla the scant opportunity to tear into the other wolves.

“I will take care of these. Concentrate on the other one,” Sterling shouted and blinked when Orla reluctantly turned away. She had actually understood and listened. Sterling did not have long to deliberate over that thought, because Orla's body suddenly slammed into hers, flattening her. She rolled onto her back with a grunt of pain to find the alpha on top of Orla, snapping at her neck. She quickly jumped to her feet and hacked at the alpha with her sword. The wolf snapped in her direction, but that lapse of concentration was enough to give Orla the advantage. Orla drew her hind legs up under the wolf's belly and pushed hard. The wolf flew through the air, crashing into the three wolves which were coming for her.

Sterling pushed back against Orla and was surprised to find her still lying on the ground. Oh, gods, she must be hurt. There was no time to look for injuries, because four wolves broke into the clearing and jumped on Orla. Using her sword like a wand, Sterling swung wildly at the four, managing to cleave through two. The third turned its shaggy head and dove for her. Sterling fell back and, using the wolf's momentum, slashed upward with her sword. With a piercing howl, the wolf rolled off her and Sterling saw its intestines hanging through a large cut in its belly. She turned to find Orla still lying on her back, hacking at the last wolf with her claws.

“Come on, dearling, get up,” she shouted desperately. The alpha was back on its feet, though still a little dazed. “Please, get up.”

***

Orla was trying not to concentrate on the wound in her side where Ridat's claw had slashed her, but pain radiated through her, making her nauseous. As she tried to fight off the wolf snapping at her neck, she heard Sterling’s desperate plea. If she remained in this position, she was surely going to get killed. But her concern was not so much for herself as for Sterling. Ridat would slaughter Sterling just to show his dominance. He still thought Orla was her father.

She centered her power and felt a strong current rush through her, even stronger than before. It must be Sterling's presence. With her mate nearby, she was growing into her power. Already in wolf form, it took her but a few moments to release her Ulv. Her legs elongated, as her skin stretched to accommodate the thick layer of tissue and muscle that spread over her body. Her head grew heavier and larger, as her claws lengthened. Her body felt so light, yet so complete. It felt almost as if she was in human form. She threw her head back and let out a thundering roar.