Spring's Wolf (A Court of Shifters Chronicles #2) Page 5

  “Do you know much about my world?”

  “Do I know of the Fae Courts?” She nodded. “Yes. But I will not call myself an expert. There are few who can be an expert on a place they are not from.”

  “But you know enough to understand the significance of my picking a mate?”

  “I believe I do. And I believe you already know that Creighton and you have something special.”

  “You really think I might be a healer?” It was hard to contain my excitement. What a power. Maybe I could save my mother. I could save anyone who needed saving.

  “You already know the answer to that. You can feel the same way I can.”

  “But I can’t heal anyone now.” Not yet. That needed to change.

  “Only you know the answer to that, but my guess is it will take time.” She squeezed my shoulder “And other things.”

  “Yes. And other things.” Like mating with Creighton. Which couldn’t happen. At least not yet. I barely knew him. And hot as things were between us, that didn’t mean we were really meant to mate. But what about my new abilities? Was that coincidental? I had no idea what to think.

  “But there is no reason to worry about that just yet. Take some time.”

  “Will she be okay?” I pushed my excitement aside. It was selfish to focus on myself with everything else going on.

  “The girl? Your mom?”

  “Both.”

  “I don’t know the answer to that anymore than you do.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.” I was hungry for answers, and Gytha seemed to be the only one who could give those to me.

  “Would be nice to have all of the answers.”

  “Yes it would. But not perfect. I know from my father that foretelling comes with its share of negatives. I am sure knowing everything would too.”

  “Every positive has to come with a share of negatives. It is the balance of things.”

  “Yes. Life requires balance.” Everything required balance.

  “Things will be okay even if they are not what you want them to be.”

  “None of this is about what I want.”

  “But it can be. It is okay to make it partially about what you want.” She removed her hand from my shoulder.

  “No. It isn’t. I have to put my court first.”

  “And who says you are not putting the court first just because you are considering your wants? The two need not be mutually exclusive.” She entwined her fingers.

  “None of that matters now anyway. We need to find out what’s going on.”

  “You also need to eat.” She put a hand on her stomach. “You can be of no help to anyone if you do not take care of yourself.”

  “I am fine. I have gone way longer without food.” The Fae have fasting days I always followed.

  “But not under these conditions. I am going to finish up.” She touched my shoulder again. “Hang in there. Take all the time you need out here, but do not freeze yourself too much. A bit of fire is good for you.”

  A bit of fire. I thought over her words while I let the cool air run over me.

  I was protected from the worst of the elements because we were underground. Nearly all of the house was, aside from that open room Creighton had taken me too. That was above ground, giving a break from the dark. It was just like how we all needed a bit of fire. A bit of fire. There was something to those words. Something more than what she said. But I wasn’t sure what. I held onto them as I turned and headed back inside of the house.

  Creighton

  The light nearly blinded me. I blinked over and over again trying to clear my vision so I had some idea of what was going on.

  I was still in my wolf form, which gave me some comfort as I had greater strength and my other senses were heightened. At least in theory they were, though I heard and smelled nothing. Absolutely nothing, which made no sense. I should have at least smelled the blood. There were few scents that got my wolf’s attention more than blood.

  “Are you friends with the wolf and the elf?” A sultry, female voice asked.

  “Who is asking?” James gruff reply matched what I would have said, had I been able to speak.

  “Oh, just us,” another female answered. Her voice was higher. “But I take it the answer is yes.”

  “There are lots of elves and wolves. We may be friends with some.”

  “Funny since you two are a similar set. You are what though? Not quite a human, but not supernatural?” The first voice asked.

  I still saw nothing, which was incredibly infuriating. I strained my ears waiting to pick up the sound of something. But it was dead silent beside the few spoken words.

  “I am who I am. But tell me, who are you?” James seemed to be struggling to keep his cool. I felt exactly the same way. Maybe worse as my wolf was impatient and hated these sorts of games.

  “You can’t tell?” The second voice asked.

  “I cannot see you. Your light is pretty bright.”

  “That’s not our light.” She laughed. “But we can fix it.”

  The light turned off. I blinked, still waiting. Just because they were female did not mean they weren’t dangerous.

  And I was very glad to be in my wolf form. Somehow that made me feel less awkward as I took in the two naked women in front of me. They were attractive. There was no question about that, but I felt guilty. Guilty? Guilty as if I were somehow wronging Lacey by witnessing these women and their nakedness through no fault of my own. I kept my eyes fixed on their faces even if it were hard being positioned so much lower to the ground.

  “Uh. I think you two forgot your clothes.” James shielded his eyes with his hand.

  “We need clothes here?” The one with the higher voice, a brunette, said with a grin.

  “Yeah. It is a tad cold.” James still averted his eyes. I felt bad. He was currently the only one of the two of us who could communicate with them. Not bad enough that I would shift. We still didn’t know what we were up against.

  “Someone will warm us up. It’s easy to find a willing volunteer.” The other woman, this one with long blonde hair put an arm around the first. “Or we can warm each other up.”

  “Okay. Enough of that.” James looked up at the sky. “What were you saying about the wolves and elf?”

  “We were asking if they were your friends. And we said wolf. Not wolves.” The blonde twirled some of her hair around her finger. “Pretty simple question I’d think.”

  “Why?” James gave me a look. Only one wolf? Were they talking about different people?

  “Because we have a message to share if you are.”

  James didn’t answer right away. He looked over at me, and I gave a small nod. We needed any information we could get. “We may be friends.”

  The brunette laughed. “That’s not going to be good enough. We need to know for sure that you are friends. You have to prove it.”

  “How about we start with their names?” James adjusted his gaze down to the ground. He was struggling to find the right place to set them, and I did not blame him. Being my wolf made it seem a little bit better. “Elron, Preston, and Frost.”

  The women exchanged looks. “That could be a very lucky guess, and we have no idea who Preston is, but maybe they lost him along the way. We will trust you. They have been detained.”

  “Detained how?” James asked.

  I was starting to wish I was in my human form so I could ask questions. Relying on James was already getting frustrating. But shifting would leave me naked, and adding more nudity to this situation seemed like a very bad idea.

  “Detained by a powerful man wondering why they have been making chasms.” The brunette pressed her hand into the bark of the tree.

  “He thinks they have been making them?”

  “Yes. Haven’t they? They took full credit.”

  To protect Wren. I shot James a look. Hoping he understood. “And who is this man?”

  “Come with us, and we will show you.” The brunette gestured to c
ome toward her.

  Not a chance that was happening. I still had to find Ajax. Besides, I had just found my mate. Was I really going to leave her and run off with a couple of naked women? No. The answer was no.

  “You have to be kidding.” James laughed dryly. “Follow you somewhere?”

  “What choice do you have? You want to find your friends, don’t you?”

  “We have other friends.” James sounded dead serious.

  “Is that supposed to be a joke?” The brunette narrowed her eyes.

  “No. But if it was funny to you, great.” James was a hard man to read sometimes. I knew he was joking, but I was not completely clear on what he was hoping it would do. “We have work to do. Please share your information, or leave us alone.”

  “What is it about arrogant men that turn me on so much?” The blonde bit her lip. “Ever so much.”

  “I am taken, ladies. Don’t waste your time.” James kept the same bored tone.

  “My guess is he’s quite a specimen in his other form.” The brunette pointed at me.

  “How do you know he has another form? Maybe he is my pet wolf.”

  “Pet wolf?” The girl rolled her eyes. “Right.”

  “We aren’t going to hang around all day. There are other men to entertain us.”

  “Entertain you? I thought you were here looking for us.”

  “Doesn’t mean we can’t find entertainment along the way.”

  “Who is the man?” James sounded just about as patient as I felt.

  “I already told you, come if you want to find out.”

  James looked at me, and I knew what was coming. He was going to suggest I go. But why not him? Because he had significant power in Energo. Far more power and authority than I did. He also had a fiancée that was going to kill him if he followed these women, who I knew were not regular women. The pieces were falling together.

  “If he goes with you, know I will kill you if he fails to return.” James' hand went to where he wore his sword on his hip.

  “What if he doesn't want to come back?” The blonde winked at me.

  “He wants to come back. I can assure you of that.” James yawned. “And this is getting old.”

  “We won’t hurt him. But we want to see his other form.” The blonde licked her lips.

  “Then first we need to find everyone some clothes.” James turned his back to the women. “We need to tell the others our plan anyway.”

  He could not be serious. Bring these women back with us? How the hell was I going to explain this to Lacey? To my mother? I brought three women back last time, but at least last time everyone had been dressed.

  “Fine, why not?” The blonde skipped away from the tree. “Always worth exploring a new place anyway.”

  “True. You never know who you are going to find.” The brunette linked arms with the blonde.

  “No one is looking for action here right now.” James called over his shoulder. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “Oh. We both know that isn’t true. You aren’t. But that’s because you’re taken. We know who you are, James Mendel.”

  “I seem to be more famous than I thought.” He picked up his pace. “But why are you only admitting that now?”

  “Because.” The blonde pulled the brunette to catch up with him. I stayed a little ways behind, keeping my eyes on James’ back.

  “Because. Such a fantastic, detailed explanation.”

  I laughed. Or laughed as much as I could as a wolf. Not that I would complain about my form. Showing up with fur would not help me out completely, but at least Lacey was less likely to jump to conclusions.

  Although she would be seeing me as my wolf for the first time. She would be fine with that. I knew she would. Now, seeing me show up with naked women, and nymphs, for that is what these women were, would be something entirely different.

  The storm was still raging outside of the forest. The deep magic of the woods combined with the tall trees kept the hail and wind at bay, but as soon as we left the cover of the woods we were once again bombarded by the elements. I knew the nymphs enjoyed their nakedness and would probably be fine in the storm, but it still made me uncomfortable and worried. They should have had something on for protection.

  “Are you sure neither of you want my coat?” James offered for the second time. “Maybe you could share it.”

  “We prefer our natural form.” The brunette stretched out the arm that was not linked with her friend’s. “The way the universe intended us to be.”

  “If you change your mind, the offer is still there.” James picked up his pace.

  The way back felt faster. That tended to be the case when I was in my wolf form, but this time I was also dreading having to explain things to Lacey. Things were complicated between us already. Before long we made our way back down the stairs, and I braced myself for James to knock on the door. But his hand never touched the wood. The door was pulled open and Wren peeked out. “Oh.”

  “Uh, hey, Wren.” James started inside. I let the women walk in before I followed.

  “I thought you were engaged.” Wren frowned.

  “Oh, I am. Very happily engaged. These nymphs know where we can find Frost and Elron.”

  “Where?” Shock and interest replaced the frown on Wren’s face. “Where are they?” Wren stepped right up to the blonde. She seemed completely undeterred that the woman was naked. “And you didn’t mention Preston.”

  “Whoa there, girl. Down.” The blond laughed. “We haven’t even introduced ourselves.”

  “You are naked and know where my mate is.” Wren made no move to step back. “I’m not concerned with your names.”

  “Mate, eh?” The brunette put her chin in her hand. “That explains why the wolf wasn’t interested.”

  “Of course he wasn’t interested.” Wren scowled. “Now fill me in. And why did you just say Frost and Elron?”

  “I have no idea who Preston is. Is he cute?” The blonde asked.

  “Do I want to know what’s going on here?” Lacey stood in the doorway.

  “They know where Frost is!” Wren yelled the words. “And they won’t tell me where.”

  “You still haven’t introduced yourself.” The blonde put a hand on her hip.

  “Fine. If that’s what you need to hear. I’m Wren. And you are?” She was clearly struggling to keep her cool.

  But I could only focus on Lacey. She was staring at me. I needed to shift back, but I needed clothes first.

  My mom walked into the front. “Oh, dear. Creighton. Get dressed.” She pointed down the hall. Thankfully I always left extra clothes there.

  Lacey watched as I left the room. I got changed quickly, not sure I was ready to explain myself, even though I had done absolutely nothing wrong. But it looked wrong, and no matter how connected Lacey and I were, we lacked a history. And we would not have a future unless this turned out well.

  She was waiting in the hallway.

  “Hi.” I waved. It may not have been the best greeting, but words were failing me.

  “So… you seem to like picking up new friends and bringing them home.” Her face was expressionless.

  “Believe it or not it, it is not a habit of mine.”

  “Well, then today must be quite an eventful one.”

  “Meeting you was the eventful part.” I reached out for her hand and wrapped mine around hers. “Kissing you.”

  “So meeting two gorgeous naked women wasn’t eventful?”

  “Could not hold a candle to meeting you.” I brushed my lips against hers, fighting the urge to make the kiss so much more.

  She kissed me back before stepping away. She kept her hand in mine at least. “Who are they?”

  “They are nymphs. I have no idea how Frost and Elron ended up with them. But they may be in trouble. And before you ask, they don’t know where Frost’s younger brother is. But right now we have to follow the lead for two out of three. Also, James thinks I should go with them.” I let the words all fl
ow out together. Might as well get it over with.

  “Oh. Does he now?” She sighed. “Of course.”

  “Yeah… I am about as excited as you are about my going.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “Wait… you are?” I knew she would not be thrilled about my going, but asking to go was not expected.

  “What? You don’t want me to?”

  “Uh...” I searched for the right answer. I was still too surprised. I wanted her to be with me, but I had no clue what we would be walking into. I could not put her at risk.

  “What’s the point of me staying here? I can’t help with the chasms like Wren. But if we get Frost back she may be able to do more.”

  “This may not be safe.” I should have said more, but the selfish part of me really wanted her to stay close.

  “Is it as cold as it is here?” She wrapped her free arm over her chest.

  “I do not know.” I had no idea where we were even going.

  “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  “It means I do not know.” I wished I had more answers.

  “You didn’t ask the nice, naked nymphs— which yeah because that makes it so much better— where they wanted to take you?”

  “Okay. That does sound bad. Really bad. But, I promise I am hiding nothing. And I mentioned what they are to explain why they sound so flirty. I promise nothing happened, and nothing will.”

  “I’ve thought about things. And things happened while you were gone.”

  “Things?” I knew there was alarm in my voice because I felt alarm. Why was she just mentioning this now? “You have to give me more than that.”

  “I may have a different ability than what I thought. I can feel things. And your mom thinks I may be able to heal.”

  I relaxed some. Nothing bad had happened to her. “That is quite a gift.”

  “It is.” She pressed her hand into my chest. It was an easy gesture, a natural one. “An amazing one even if it is overwhelming. But I think I need to be with you. And I need to figure this out.”

  “I can say no.” I could not leave her. Not after she had admitted she wanted to explore our connection further. “To James. He does not command me.”