Cage Me: A Wolf Shifter Romantasy (Immortal Vices and Virtues: Shadow Shifter Bonds Book 1)

Chapter 10

The moment Spencer took back her rejection, it was as if I could finally breathe for the first time in my life. At least for a few seconds, then I remembered the witch that will continue to stand in my way of true happiness until I’ve ended her life.

I hadn’t expected Spencer to take back her rejection so soon. Obviously, I’d hoped, but for the words to actually leave her mouth when I was still certain she’d remain stubborn—that’s something else entirely.

“I’ve mentioned briefly about my bound wolf, but I haven’t told you how he became that way,” I tell her, standing just outside a grassy area behind the buildings on our right.

“What do you mean?” she asks, head tilted and eyes narrowed. “Bound how?”

She must have been more distracted than I realized when I was just speaking.

“I turned down a witch named Kel, and she apparently wasn’t pleased with being told no,” I say. “She put a curse on me that kept me trapped inside my own mind for nearly one thousand years. It didn’t break until Caius broke through to Earth, but she must have used two different spells because my wolf is still chained inside me.”

I lift my shirt over my head to show her the actual chains surrounding my wolf tattoo. One that hadn’t been there before I met Kel. Though, the moment it’s exposed I realize it’s changed.

The chains that are drawn around my snarling wolf have begun to unravel. Not entirely, but he’s not as bound as he used to be.

Shit, even a few of the links are cracking. My fingers press over the black ink, and the same warmth I felt earlier returns, but I still don’t sense my inner beast.

Spencer steps forward, her hand raised. “This is your wolf?”

“A representation of him, yes.” I reach for her and bring her palm closer, curious if physical contact from our mate is what has made the changes I’m seeing, or if it’s just being so far from Kel.

Spencer’s hand carefully settles over my chest, and her fingers splay out over the tattoo. Less than a second later, a glow from beneath her touch begins to grow. It’s faint, but I know I’m not just seeing things because Spencer gasps, pressing harder against me.

“Am I doing that?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper.

“I wasn’t sure before, but I believe so,” I say just as reverently. “You’re breaking my wolf free.”

“Where is this Kel now?” she asks. Gone is the admiration she just spoke with, replaced with a rage I myself have lived with for far too long.

When her eyes move from my tattoo to my face, I can also see the flicker of wrath within their depths. A hint of jealousy that elates a part of me, knowing this woman is beginning to care for me with such intensity.

“I don’t know, but I followed her scent to the portal and confirmed with the guards that she came through,” I say. “Wherever she is, I’ll find her and make sure she can’t ever hurt you.”

Spencer laughs, but it’s not a joyous sound. “Hurt me? That’s not even a thought that crossed my mind. When was the last time you saw her? Do you have a picture of her or something of hers that we can track?”

The way her words come out with a growl has me enthralled. I never thought a woman could fascinate me as Spencer has, but for the first time in my existence, I’m beguiled. I want to know everything there is to learn about my mate. Every nuance, every curve on her body, the things that make her lips tilt upward, and those that do the opposite.

Except her tapping foot tells me that those things will have to wait.

“The last time I saw Kel was in Tartarus,” I say, answering her first question. “She had moved into my house and kept me frozen in place outside. I saw her leave one day, and it was over a month before the part of her spell that kept my body contained broke. I can only assume that was when she went to Earth. I followed after, but it took me weeks to get across the islands to the castle, and then I had to wait to be interviewed before being allowed in.”

“No wonder you were so pissed off when you came through that portal.” She smirks, and the look has a smile growing on my face as I cup her cheek.

“But you took all that rage away the moment I saw you.” My breathing becomes ragged, and I’m tempted to kiss her again, but her next words take away my opportunity.

“Well, it hasn’t taken away mine,” she says with a growl. “We need to find her and set your wolf free.” She pauses, her eyes roaming over my still exposed tattoo as she frowns. “He shouldn’t be trapped.”

The way she says the words with such conviction and allows her stare to linger over the black ink, I start to wonder. “Can you sense him?”

Briefly, her lips flatten. “Maybe? There are flickers of something that I thought was just the bond, but when I touched the marks there, I not only felt the heat of the energy between us, but there was also a coldness, a hollowness that threatens to…”

She looks away and doesn’t finish her sentence. I can only guess what she might be thinking, but I don’t ask her to elaborate. She’s already given me more today than I expected for weeks to come.

“I will find her and make sure she can’t hurt you or your family,” I promise. “Nobody will hurt you because of me, Spencer. Nobody.”

Her head lifts, and she meets my steady gaze. “We will find that witch. I’m going with you.”

“What about your mother and brother?” I ask, hoping they’ll be enough reason to keep her away from this mess. I don’t want Spencer anywhere near Kel. Not when I’m unsure what the witch may be capable of here on Earth.

“I’ve been safe here for months,” Spencer says confidently. “I can ask Kasha or Natalia to keep an eye on them. They’ll be fine as long as the witch doesn’t come here, tracking your scent.”

“And if she does and we’re nowhere near your family?” I ask. It’s a reality I’ve already thought about myself when it comes to Spencer and has given me pause on leaving at all.

Vengeance isn’t worth having if I lose everything else in the process.

Spencer seems to consider my words while also being distracted by the wolf on my chest. I slip my shirt back on and hold her cheeks within my hands, forcing her eyes to focus on me. “We don’t know each other, but if you believe nothing else, then know that I can handle Kel on my own. Stay here, protect your family, and wait for me.”

Her head shakes within my palms, and she jerks out of my hold. “No. I mean, you’re right, we don’t know each other, which is why you’re also wrong. I didn’t just let you in to be left behind.” Her hand gestures between the two of us. “Your rage, it’s like my own, building with every passing second. I won’t stand by and do nothing. You didn’t let me deal with my father on my own. This witch is nothing different.”

I hate to admit that she’s right, but she is, and if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t want to leave her behind. Not when I’ve only just found her.

Nearly a thousand years of living alone in my own head, trapped in my body as Kel convinced everyone I had a broken mind, a shifter who couldn’t control his inner beast, making sure no one went looking for me. Not a single person I’d gotten to know over the years had questioned her, thanks to the magic she wielded. As the years turned to centuries, my home was no longer mine, but Kel’s, and nobody ever spoke of me again.

“Okay,” I say. While I know she may think it’s for her benefit, I’m fully aware that my decision is selfish. “We’ll stick together. Whether that’s here or out there.”

She pauses, almost as if she doesn’t believe me, but finally nods. “Good. Now, let’s go check on my family.”

Her hand flinches, almost as if she’s going to reach out for me, but then decides not to. When she turns and gives me her back, I chuckle to myself. At least this interaction felt more like two steps forward and only one back.

Lengthening my stride, I’m at her side before she can get far. I lean in toward her and brush her hair out of the way before whispering into her ear. “You’re mine, Little Dove.”

There’s a hitch in her breath, but that’s the only sign she gives that my words have their desired effect. Outside of that, her speed picks up and I keep pace with her.

We get to another street, and across from it, I notice an arch that stands probably over five hundred feet into the skyline. It seems to serve no purpose, cracked and covered in dead vines, but I’m sure at one point, people marveled at its size.

“What the hell?” Spencer mutters, bringing my attention to right in front of us instead of lingering at our surroundings.

Two beings stand before us. One man, another wolf shifter, and a woman whose identity I can’t seem to suss out, but she’s some sort of shifter. I think.

She stares at Spencer with turquoise eyes that are shadowed by dark blue hair falling around her face. “You’re interesting,” she says first, speaking to my mate.

Spencer smirks and crosses her arms. “I could say the same about you.”

“Yes, you could.” The woman winks and stands a little straighter. “I didn’t come here for you, but now that I have. Her eyes close briefly and the man with her stiffens at her side, wrapping an arm around her and whispering in her ear so low that even my wolf hearing can’t hear his words clearly.

When I reach for Spencer, ready to get out of here, she’s already walking toward the strangers. Instantly, I’m on alert and sizing up the man. He’s tall, but still several inches shorter than me. His blue eyes flick between me and my mate as he rubs his jaw, a ring with a red stone at the center glinting under the moonlight above.

“Spencer,” I warn her, but she isn’t listening to me.

She seems to wait for the woman to reopen her eyes, and when they greet each other, Spencer tilts her head. “What are you?”

“Again, I could ask you the same thing,” the woman says with a chuckle. “I’m Lia. This is my mate, Markus. We were just checking out the area after…”

“Curious about the portal?” Spencer asks, keeping her tone light.

“Something like that,” Lia replies. “The two of you are headed somewhere.”

The way she says the words so confidently has me on edge. “Just out for a walk.”

I don’t mean to snarl, but after all Spencer has said, I don’t know who we can trust here, and the man Markus is too tense for my liking.

“Come any closer and I will tear your head from your shoulders,” he practically growls at me, then turns his attention to Spencer. “Both of you.”

Lia moves and stands in front of her mate, temporarily giving us her back. They seem to be having a silent conversation, and I use that as an opportunity to grab Spencer’s arms. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Hmm, I’m curious,” she tells me before I drag her anywhere. “Let’s hear what she has to say.”

“How do you know she has anything to say?” I ask, keeping my eyes locked on the couple.

Spencer shrugs and watches alongside me. Finally, the unknown woman gives us her attention again. “You’re headed somewhere,” she repeats. “You’ll want to go North, but not too far. Maybe just a couple hours and then wait there before coming back. You’ll need,” she counts on her fingers, “three portal spells. Don’t travel through normal means. You’ll only find more trouble.”

We both open our mouths to speak, but she cuts in with another laugh. “Oh, and Spencer? Try trusting those around you. Not everyone in the world is out to kill you. Once you quit running, you just might find that you’ve attracted all the right people into your life. Not just the wrong ones as you’ve been assuming.”

“Who the hell are you?” Spencer demands, finally with the appropriate amount of suspicion. She steps forward, stance wide and arms loose at her sides.

“Don’t fret. I assure you, I’m a friend,” Lia replies with a wide smile I can almost believe is sincere. “But I know you’re really asking what I am. I’m just another unique shifter who prefers not to be known. Something you’re all too familiar with.”

I expect Spencer to pop off with something rude or defensive, but instead, she surprises me for the second time tonight. Though, Lia’s words have me even more intrigued. What about my mate is so unique that I haven’t figured out yet?

“Thanks for the heads up,” Spencer says. “What are you really looking for? Maybe I can help you find it.”

Lia and Markus share another look, but this time, they’re both grinning. “We’re good on our own,” the latter replies.

They turn and walk away without so much as another glance, giving us their backs as if we’re not a threat.

“Today has been fucking crazy,” Spencer says with a heavy sigh. I almost disagree with her, because I know one day, when I look back on this time, I won’t remember most of this bullshit.

I’ll only remember Spencer.