Chapter 13
Rourke watched as Jiprix drove off, not sure if he'd done the right thing or not by giving him a few cookies. Ezra wasn't a healer, was he?
"So..." Ulric gazed along the road where Jiprix had disappeared. "Did he want to check on Ezra or are those cookies important?"
"I don't think he gives a shit about Ezra." Geri looked furious, which took Rourke by surprise. Since when did Geri care about Ezra? Had the cookies changed his men?
"We can ask Ezra how those cookies work when we find him, but we have to find him." He rubbed his chest again. "We can rule out him going back to the clan. Jiprix wouldn't have come here to beg for cookies if they'd had Ezra in the coven."
"Where is he then?" Ulric looked straight at him. "In the forest? I'd have known if he crossed through the ward, right?"
Rourke nodded. Twice Ulric had sensed when a witch approached. The wards must work. "Let's search the woods."
The four of them rounded the main building and walked in among the trees. They fanned out to cover a larger area but made sure to be close enough that they glimpsed each other now and then between the trunks.
They walked for a few minutes as the darkness thickened around them.
"He'd have trouble seeing in this." Rourke spoke loud enough for Farkas and Ulric who were closest to him to hear. "He has crappy night vision."
They didn't reply.
"His scent is here!" Geri's voice came from the other side of Ulric and they walked in his direction. Rourke inhaled. Yes, Ezra had been there.
Geri pulled his shirt off and undid his jeans.
"I'll shift to be able to smell better." He shoved his clothes at Ulric and melted into a large, almost black wolf.
He dropped his nose to the ground and walked forward.
Rourke followed, as did the others. An owl hooted, and Rourke scanned the surroundings. Why the hell did Ezra come here?
They walked for a bit, then the scent of blood, Ezra's blood, had Rourke rushing past Geri.
"The tree." Ulric motioned at a beech. "He marked it before too when he set up the ward."
"We're at the edge?"
"Yeah, when he started to get tired, I cut through this area instead of having him ward the entire forest. Figured it was large enough to start with. He bled on this tree."
"He's bled on it again." Farkas leaned so close his nose almost brushed against the bark. Geri ignored the tree in favor of following a scent on the ground.
"Why?" Rourke didn't understand. Why would he cut himself and smear his blood on a tree?
Ulric shrugged. "To undo the ward? To exclude himself from it? I don't know."
Geri continued forward, walked right through the ward without any reaction from Ulric.
"So he's left pack land." Farkas spoke low, more to himself than to anyone else.
Fuck, this wasn't good. Rourke followed Geri with gritted teeth.
They moved quickly, almost jogging, but it kept on and on and on. The trail was twisting and turning with no real aim. How long had he been out here? Geri trotted forward, then took a sharp turn to the right. What had made Ezra shift direction? Did he have any idea where he was going?
"He must've walked for hours." Ulric frowned at him. "Did he leave...right after?"
Rourke didn't know. How had he gone out without anyone seeing him? He didn't expect his pack to keep track of his mate, but someone always noticed something.
Geri followed a game trail out onto a clear-cut area. Rourke had no idea who owned this land, but it wasn't theirs. Was there a witch clan in this direction? Ezra might not return to his clan, but maybe he sought out another.
There was no scent of witches other than Ezra, and he didn't smell like a witch. He smelled like Rourke. He rubbed his chest again, more worried than angered by the clawing there. They had to find Ezra.
Geri stopped, making snuffling sounds as he lingered on a spot on the ground. Rourke crouched. The scent was more intense. Ezra must've lingered there.
As they moved forward, Geri moved a little slower, his nose against the ground. Rourke had the feeling Ezra had slowed down. Maybe it was the darkness falling that kept him from moving as fast as he had before. Did it mean they were close?
Minutes slipped by as they walked, then Geri stopped. Rourke inhaled and caught the coppery scent of blood. His heart leaped to his throat, and he rushed forward.
Ezra sat slumped against an oak tree, his head lolling to the side. Rourke snarled and ran toward him. When he was a couple of steps away, Ezra jerked and screamed, a blood-curdling sound that tore through Rourke's soul.
"Easy, easy. It's me." But it didn't relax Ezra at all. He scrambled backward, tried to put distance between them, tried to get away. His frightened gaze jumped from Rourke to the shadows around them.
Ulric, Farkas, and Geri stood some distance away. Smart of them.
"Ezra. Calm down." Fuck, the scent of his fear was so strong Rourke looked around too in case he'd missed something, but no. He was the only one close enough to pose a threat.
"Ezra." He held out a hand, but Ezra ducked as if he believed Rourke would hit him. It made him freeze. What the fuck?
"Easy, honey. There is nothing to be afraid of. It's only me, Ulric, Farkas, and Geri."
It didn't soothe him.
Rourke sighed and grabbed him. Ezra pushed and kicked, a terrified whine building in his throat, but Rourke wrapped his arms around him. If he'd lied about his skills, this would be the moment he'd turn Rourke inside out.
Nothing happened other than Ezra struggling in his hold. Rourke cooed and rocked him slightly. "Shh." He didn't know what else to say. A minute or two of Ezra's struggling ended with a sob as he slumped against Rourke.
They stood there for a few seconds, then Rourke lifted him into his arms bridal style. Hopefully, he wouldn't trip on anything.
Ulric gave him a disapproving look. Farkas didn't look at him at all, and Geri was too busy sniffling the ground to pay them any attention.
Yeah, Rourke might have fucked up. How many could say their mate tried to run away from them?
He'd never heard of anyone. Mates wanted to be together, needed to be together.
The clawing in his chest calmed to a pleasant glow as he held Ezra in his arms. Ezra should feel the same.
* * * *
Ezra's heart was pounding so fast, he feared it would overdo it and stutter to a stop.
Rourke had found him.
He should've known he would. He hadn't considered him asking one of his men to shift into a wolf and track him. He should have. Stupid. They weren't human, but he'd forgotten what it meant.
Had he ever stood a chance to disappear? Car, he needed a car. Wolves couldn't track them, right? But Ezra didn't know how to drive. It was never something Shixyll had believed he needed to learn.
"Are you hurt?" Rourke's voice was low, growly.
He didn't reply. He was cold, hungry, and scared. But he wasn't hurt.
"I smell blood, Ezra. Are you hurt?" His hold on him tightened.
Ezra shook his head. His arm gave a painful thud, but it was no more than a few scrapes. He feared what would happen when they came back to the house would be much worse. How did wolves punish people?
They walked in silence, and it took both an eternity and no time at all before Ulric made a sound and pushed up the sleeve of his shirt. "Ward." His voice was growly. Ezra couldn't make out the goosebumps in the dark, but he was sure they were there.
Rourke growled. "If that fucker is back, I'm gonna kill him."
"Nah, I think it's us." Ulric was quiet for a few seconds. "Yup, the breach is here."
Ezra could sense him looking at him. "Didn't you dismantle this part of the ward?"
He shook his head. "I only let myself out. No use in having a ward if you have holes in it."
Ulric sighed. "I guess not. The blood here was to...what?"
"Untangle the thread from the web and then reattach it when I was on the other side."
Ulric huffed. "You tried to run away, but you made sure the ward was in place before you carried on?"
Ezra didn't reply. If he'd been a real witch, he'd most likely have deactivated the ward altogether. It's what Shixyll would've done. He shivered, and he didn't know if it was from cold or failure.
They kept on walking, and Ezra didn't know if it was because shifters were huge and had long legs or if there was magic involved, but soon they found themselves in front of the house. Lights spilled out of the windows, and Ezra shivered as he imagined the warmth from inside.
Farkas kept walking when the rest stopped. He waved and disappeared around the corner. Ezra had no idea where he was heading, and he didn't much care.
They'd reached the punishment part.
Rourke lowered him to the ground, only to put his hands on his shoulders, then he gave him a gentle push forward, urging him to walk.
He did. There was no use in struggling now. Maybe they'd kill him. Hopefully, it would be fast.
"See you tomorrow."
Ezra jumped and looked in the direction of Geri's voice. He stood naked in front of a door, and Ezra quickly averted his eyes. The wolf.
"Your clothes." There was some rustling as Ulric moved, but Ezra didn't look. Rourke nudged him forward again.
Shortly after, Ulric stopped. "Sleep tight."
Ezra slowed his steps as Rourke's door came closer. He didn't want to go in there. Ulric slipped into his room, leaving Ezra alone with Rourke. He guessed he should be glad they didn't all plan to take part in the punishment.
Rourke pushed the door open, and Ezra balked. He dug his heels in. He didn't want to enter the room.
Rourke didn't push or drag him, instead, he watched him with all the intensity in the world.
"Ezra."
He jumped at his voice, and Rourke grimaced.
"Come on, get inside."
Would it be worse if he stood here? Most likely. He took a step forward, and Rourke closed the door behind him, the lock clicking in place.
"All right. Care to tell me what's going on?"
Ezra stared at him.
A deep sigh left Rourke, and he grabbed Ezra's hand and pulled him closer. Ezra placed a palm against his chest and pushed in an attempt to keep distance between them.
"Ezra." The tone was calm if a bit exasperated. "This morning you woke warm and cozy in my arms, and now you're trying to run away from me. Why?"
Ezra found no words. Why? How could he ask why? He was trying to kill him. It would take a few days, but he'd starve to death nonetheless. Or maybe he'd explode from his magic since he wasn't allowed to bake or cook or do anything.
"I don't want to die." His voice wobbled, and he cursed his weakness.
There was a stunned look on Rourke's face. "Of course not. What makes you think you're gonna die?"
"You said I'm not allowed to eat or go near any food. I'll die."
Horror crept into Rourke's eyes. "What? No." He pulled Ezra into his arms. "No, babe. I never meant you're not allowed to eat. Fuck." He buried his nose in the cook of Ezra's neck and inhaled. "If you die, I die."
"You forbade me to go near any food and told me I'm not to bake or cook anything."
"No, I...I might have said that, but I didn't mean you can't eat."
Ezra was quiet for a few seconds. "Even if you allow me to eat, I'll die from not using my magic. If I'm not allowed to bake or cook..."
Rourke blew out a breath, his shoulders slumping, and his face still hidden against Ezra's neck. Then he raised his head and looked at Ezra with wolf eyes. "Get in the shower to warm up. I'll get you something to eat." He raised his hand and pointed at him. "Don't run away."
Ezra stumbled toward the bathroom. He did want to warm up. He didn't know if the punishment would come after the shower, but he'd handle it better if he wasn't freezing to death.
* * * *