The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate (18 page)

He heard all the questions Paris had, mostly revolving around why

King Sterling was allowing Tyrell to even get so close. This time,

however, Paris didn’t ask anything. Instead, he followed behind the

king, spine straight, decision burning within him. Proud of his mate,

Jace decided that yes, he would trust Paris and trust himself that he

could protect the other wolf. They had just too much to live for and

too much love to share to allow anyone, let alone Tyrell, to get in the

way of their connection.

* * * *

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“Wow,” Aria said in a whisper as the Sidhe palace loomed ahead

of them. “These people really like living in the lap of luxury.”

“Stop admiring them. Focus,” Tyrell hissed, pinching her hand.

“We’re very close now.”

But Aria was focused, completely focused on her task. Her

loyalties might be questionable, but she knew that for now, the best

path for her lay at Tyrell’s side. She had been granted a very

important role, and she planned to fulfill her task to the best of her

ability.

“Good,”
Tyrell said in her mind.
“We are closer now, and we

must be extra careful.”

As if summoned by Tyrell’s thoughts, a Sidhe guard appeared,

scanning the area. Aria ducked behind a tree, shielding Tyrell from

sight. The rest of the witches and warlocks with them followed her

example and found a place to hide. Holding her breath, Aria waited,

hoping the Sidhe guard wouldn’t see them. Impatience warred with

annoyance inside her. She was used to having children around, but it

still irritated her to have to carry Tyrell around. She couldn’t wait for

Tyrell to get another body. Her job would be much easier then.

Tyrell’s chuckle echoed inside her head.
“I agree with your

assessment. I can’t wait, either. But make no mistake, I will get even

with those who brought me to this point, starting with that worthless,

treacherous scum I once called a son.”

Noah Hall, Tyrell’s son, was the man who had originally killed

Tyrell and destroyed his first body. After that, Tyrell had stolen this

child form, only to have it half ruined after the last attempted attack

on the shifters and Winter Tomacelli. Aria had to hand it to Tyrell,

though. This plan was perfect. Not only would it give Tyrell a new

body that he could use, but it would also be the perfect payback

against both shifters and Sidhe.

To a certain extent, it surprised Aria that Tyrell had come up with

this idea, since he’d never even tried to hide the disgust he felt for

shifters. Nevertheless, the warlock’s lust for power seemed to surpass

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his dislike for the species of the child whose body he meant to invade.

It made sense, since he had once told Aria that it was their behavior

and lack of focus that he loathed, not their physical forms. Aria was

inclined to believe him, at least in this respect, as he had never

showed the hatred he had toward shifters in his attitude toward her.

Of course, it would take a while until everything would be in

place, but revenge was always a dish best served cold. She suspected

that some of her current companions wouldn’t be so agreeable to what

Tyrell had in mind.

Several witches and warlocks had come to aid Tyrell with his

plan. Tyrell had explained to Aria that he could have snuck in on his

own with only Aria to carry him and watch his back, but he needed

the additional people to distract the Sidhe. Corbin and Winter had a

connection, and both of them needed to be unconscious so that Tyrell

could proceed with possessing their child. Unfortunately, he couldn’t

kill Corbin, since the resulting grief might cause Winter to lose the

baby. Therefore, he needed the assistance of some of the members of

his coven. They were young, inexperienced, and unaware of what

Tyrell truly intended. The only one who would leave this island was

Aria. Everyone else would be sacrificed so that their enemies would

believe Tyrell had been defeated.

Finally, the Sidhe watching the path moved away, and Aria could

proceed farther. At last, they reached the lavish gardens of the palace.

Things got harder after that, and several times, they were almost

caught. Aria cursed the witches and warlocks who became

increasingly nervous. She was actually wondering if she could ask

Tyrell to dump them quicker, but Tyrell just gave her an eloquent

look, and she remained silent.

Luck seemed to be on their side, as the gardens held a number of

ornate mazes they managed to use for cover. It helped that the

darkness of night had already started to shroud the area, and in spite

of the close calls, they at last managed to sneak inside the palace.

Sweat beaded Aria’s brow, and she steeled herself for the next step.

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Tyrell had told her that the Sidhe were very reliant on their wards and

wouldn’t expect such an attack, but Aria knew she still needed to be

on her guard. It would only get harder from this point on.

Through the information her connection with Tyrell provided,

Aria knew exactly where to go. It had taken a while, but Tyrell had

managed to find out the location of the island, as well as its layout and

the architecture of the palace from some Unseelie Sidhe. Following

the map that they had both memorized, Aria headed in the direction of

the family wing. It was very close to something the Sidhe called the

Silver Pool, although Aria hadn’t fully understood what it

represented. Tyrell himself wasn’t sure, but he seemed quite certain

that it could be a well of bottomless power that he could use for

pursuing his goals.

Groups of Sidhe clustered around staircases and in crucial points

on their path. Oftentimes, they needed to go around, lest they run into

foes they could not take on. Finally, they reached their destination.

Oddly enough, there were no guards in front of the door of Winter

and Corbin’s quarters. Suddenly, Aria had a bad feeling, and it

occurred to her that this might not be such a good idea after all.

Tyrell frowned at her.
“I thought you were stronger than that,”
he

said in her mind.

“I’m just recommending caution,”
Aria replied, still feeling a

touch strange about communicating like that with the warlock.

Predictably, Tyrell didn’t like being questioned. A spike of pain

pierced Aria’s brain.
“You will do as I say,”
the warlock told her.

“Now move. Most likely, they aren’t inside. We will wait for them to

come back from dinner.”

That was possible, and Aria berated herself for getting cold feet

now of all times. Tyrell was right. She was no coward. They could do

this. They
would
do this. Aria had many plans of her own and many

enemies who needed to pay for the humiliation she’d been through.

After checking the corridor one last time, Aria headed toward

Winter Tomacelli’s quarters and pushed the door open. Several things

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happened at the same time. A strange force pushed her forward so

hard that, in spite of her natural abilities, she couldn’t stay on her feet.

She fell to her knees, and in the process, accidentally dropped Tyrell.

The warlock was somewhat more graceful than her and instead of

collapsing to the floor, quickly whispered a spell that had him

levitating in thin air.

Sidhe started pouring into the room, from seemingly every

direction. The warlocks and witches who were supposedly Aria’s

backup attempted to push back and fight against the attack, but they

didn’t have a chance. They were outnumbered by far, and the Sidhe

also had the benefit of surprise. Angrily, Aria quickly got up, ready to

grab Tyrell and make a dash for it.

But then, before she could reach for Tyrell, another Sidhe

appeared, blocking her way. Instantly, she knew he wasn’t like the

others. There was something about him, a majestic strength that

warned her away, but also made her itch to attack. Behind him stood

Paris, Jace Wade, and a man she somehow recognized as Noah Hall.

She had never actually met him, but her bond with Tyrell told her

everything she needed to know.

It seemed clear at this point that this had been a trap all along.

Aria decided that Tyrell could reap what he’d sown. One way or

another, she was getting out of here. Noah and the strange Sidhe were

completely focused on Tyrell, and as such, the warlock was

distracted. He couldn’t hold her back. She remained his familiar, but

as long as Tyrell didn’t die, she’d be all right. And as far as she knew,

the Wades and those allied with them were all softhearted fools who

didn’t even kill their enemies.

Using her new abilities, Aria turned on her heel and rushed toward

the exit, struggling to make her way through the throng of battling

magic users. She was very close to achieving her goal when a heavy

weight landed on her back, causing her to temporarily lose her

balance. She staggered, but this time, managed not to fall. Growling

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furiously, she pushed off the wolf who had stopped her and turned

just in time to see him land on all fours.

Paris was still small, even in his beast form, making Aria wonder

how she’d ever given birth to such a creature. Still, there was

something about him that seemed different this time. She understood

the reason when a larger wolf joined Paris—Jace Wade. The little

whore must have mated Jace, but whatever. Aria could easily teach

the whelp a lesson. It would be better if she could take them out as

well, then make her way past them. It shouldn’t be too hard with her

abilities.

In the blink of an eye, Aria melted into her wolf form. Once again,

she lunged. She moved faster than a normal shifter due to Tyrell’s

gifts, her jaws snapping as she made for Paris’s jugular. Jace

intercepted her, and her claws raked over his chest as she tried to

dislodge him. He was strong, the Alpha’s blood powerful within him,

and with her own power, she wouldn’t have beaten him. As it was,

she pooled her magical energy in her muscles as Tyrell had taught her

and pushed him off her. Before he could recover, she jumped on him,

already aiming for his throat. His thick coat made it harder for her to

get a grip on him, and he wasn’t exactly helpless prey, either. But she

probably would have managed to slay him had her son not intervened

yet again.

Paris pushed her off Jace, his canines clamping in the flesh of her

shoulder. Aria howled with rage and agony, ready to tear the head off

this little pup who had dared to stand in her way. She attacked, but

Paris’s smaller size turned out to be an advantage. He dodged, moving

out of the way just in time. Even as she turned, intending to reach for

him again, he nipped her other shoulder. It wasn’t a serious wound,

but she felt the pain, regardless, and it distracted her.

He was fast, faster than she had expected, and this turn of events

took her by surprise. Aria had thought the main threat would be Jace,

but she’d been wrong, and that unbalanced her. Paris kept dancing

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around, his youthful agility giving him an edge he’d never before

exploited. And then, Jace joined him as well.

Aria summoned every power Tyrell had given her, her rage giving

her an extra boost of power. When she attacked again, Paris couldn’t

jump out of the way in time. Her blow fell over his shoulder, though,

which was quite annoying, since she had aimed for a more

incapacitating and perhaps even lethal hit.

She might have managed to defeat them, but the Sidhe finally

took out the warlocks and witches. Hell, Aria’s reinforcements had

been overpowered so thoroughly that the Sidhe hadn’t even been

forced to kill any of them. With her last allies gone, Aria found

herself the focus of the miniature Sidhe army. She made one last

attempt to jump out of the way, doubling back toward Tyrell’s

position. In the process, she ended up facing Tyrell once more. After