Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Yeah…that wasn’t going to happen.
The woman had to be out of her damn mind if she thought I’d spill my deepest, darkest secret to anyone. I’d rather be thrown into a pit with a dozen angry alphas and a rabid pack of wolves than admit to anything that happened in my dreams.
Those fantasies were private. Personal. Absolutely not up for public discussion.
Which begged the question: how the hell did this woman know to ask me about them in the first place?
But even asking that would be a kind of confession in itself. So I opted to go the safer route—plain old denial. It was a classic for a reason.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The knowing smile flickered over her face.
“I think you do,” she said, before turning her face toward the fire.
Even though it didn’t need any attention, she still picked up the iron poker and gave the burning logs a couple of jabs.
Golden glowing embers rose up in the hot air, briefly burning bright before flickering out.
“Sorry, I just realized I’m being a terrible host. I never asked your name. ”
“Sophia,” I answered. “Sophia Torres.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sophia. I’m Hannah.”
“Hannah Carter,” I said. “I know. I went to the opening of your exhibition in Los Angeles.”
“You did?” The corners of her eyes crinkled as they lifted up in delight. “Did you enjoy it?”
Enjoy? That wasn’t the word I’d use.
“Your photos are breathtaking.” It wasn’t a lie. I had sat there for nearly an hour struggling to breathe after seeing them. “I’m sure the show is going to be a massive hit.”
“I’m happy to hear it,” she said, her smile wide and genuine. But if I’d thought that a little praise would distract her from the conversation, I was wrong. “The story of that show starts with a dream as well.”
“Uh…” I glanced past her toward the front door.
Its “lock” was just a wooden plank resting widthwise in two U-shaped brackets—a simple barricade like you might see in a medieval castle.
Surely, it wouldn’t take me more than a second to muscle it loose and slip out into the night.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have time for stories right now.
I really need to get back out there, and—”
“That’s not a good idea,” Hannah shook her head. “The Wilds are a dangerous place. Especially at night.”
As if I didn’t already know.
“Yeah, but—”
“Besides, you wouldn’t get far before Kyre tracked you down and flung you over his shoulder again. And that didn’t look comfortable.”
She was right. It wasn’t.
But it wasn’t her argument that kept me frozen in the chair. It was something else she’d said.
“Kyre? That’s really his name?”
My mind reeled. How was it possible that everything I’d dreamed about turned out to be true? His eyes. His body. His name. Everything.
Well, not everything.
His feelings toward me couldn’t be more different. In my dreams, he raced to be near me. He couldn’t wait to take me in his arms. He touched and kissed me like his life depended on it.
But in reality, he couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.
Which was good…right?
It wasn’t as if I wanted all those graphic fantasies that played out every night in my mind to come to life. Nobody in their right mind would crave that kind of attention from a ferus.
Hannah turned toward me, the deep V of her bunched brows showing her confusion. “You sound surprised.”
“I…uh,” I sputtered for a moment as I pushed down the shock. “I just hadn’t heard it until now.”
“You must have,” she countered confidently. “Both Tauren and I heard you screaming it. ‘Kyre, you son of a bitch. If you don’t let me go right now, I’ll put my foot so far up your ass you’ll be flossing your teeth with my shoelaces.’”
It certainly sounded like one of the nasty threats I’d hurled at him.
“And you’re sure I said his actual name?”
“Positive.” She nodded. “It was very memorable.”
Shit.
“Then I guess he must have told me, and I forgot.”
Hannah wasn’t buying it.
“Or, you heard it somewhere else…like a dream.” She poked at the fire again. Another spray of glimmering sparks shot off against the dark stones. “That’s where I first heard my mate’s name.”
“In a dream?”
“The same dream, night after night, for seven years straight,” she said. “And every time, I woke up screaming the name of someone I didn’t know.”
“Tauren?”
“Exactly.” Putting down the poker, she turned and rested her back against the stone wall housing the hearth. “Something tells me that’s the same way you learned Kyre’s name.”
Even though I did my best to keep my expression flat, I couldn’t stop the rush of heat that flushed my face. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Hannah looked at me for a long, silent moment before finally nodding.
“Okay,” she said, sounding somewhat reluctant. “You don’t have to. Not tonight, at least.”
That was fine by me because I wasn’t about to spend another night in this terrifying place. By this time tomorrow, I’d either be dead or back in LA with Felicity. As far as I was concerned, those were the only two options.
“Thank you for everything,” I said, grasping the arms of the wooden chair and pushing myself up. “But I really have to get out of here.”
She didn’t try to stop me. Not physically, at least. She just cocked her head to the side and asked, “What’s out there that’s worth risking your life over?”
“My friend,” I said. “She was taken by an alpha tonight. That’s why I snuck through one of the tunnels into the Wilds.”
“Taken?” Instantly, Hannah straightened up, her eyes wide. “What happened?”
I briefly retold the story, hitting all the important bits—the podcast, Chuck’s offer to drive us out, the alpha appearing out of the darkness. At least, I tried to keep it brief.
But by the time I was done, I spotted the alphas in my peripheral vision, looming in the hallway. Apparently, the men were back on friendly terms since Tauren had apparently lent Kyre one of his shirts. I couldn’t help but feel a stab of disappointment seeing his chest covered up again.
But that was nothing in comparison to the crushing blow of realizing I’d become so wrapped up in talking about Felicity that I’d missed my chance for escape.
Hannah looked over at her alpha with pleading eyes. “Tauren, we have to do something.”
“Do what?” he asked, his tone darkly solemn. “The alpha she described sounds like Lash. And if that’s true, then the kirre is—”
“—already dead,” Kyre finished for his friend. “That’s what I’ve been saying all along.”
“Holy shit,” Hannah hissed at the men. “What the hell is the matter with you two? Don’t talk like that in front of Sophia. That’s her friend you’re talking about.”
“But it’s the truth.” Kyre shrugged. “You’ve seen what Lash is like, Hannah. You know how he feels about the kirre.”
“The kirre?” What was that word everyone was using?
“It’s the ferus’ word for our kind,” Hannah explained. “It means civilized.”
“Domesticated,” Tauren corrected her.
“Tame,” Kyre threw in his own definition. “And Lash hates the kirre.”
“Why?”
“It’s a long story,” Hannah said. “I’ll fill you in when we sit down to talk about your dreams.”
Again—that wasn’t going to happen. “I never agreed to—”
But it was too late. Tauren had already snapped his attention toward Kyre. “Another kirre dreaming about the Wilds? Why didn’t you tell us when we first saw you?”
The corners of Kyre’s mouth pulled down hard, his expression turning as hard as stone. “Because it’s none of your concern.”
“None of my concern? Since when do you—for Fates’ sake!” Tauren narrowed his dark eyes as he stared down his friend. “You’ve been dreaming about her, too. Haven’t you?”
“Drop it, Tauren.” Kyre shook his head
“You know I can’t,” the other alpha said. “This is too important. If you two are dreaming about each other, then we need to—”
“I told you to drop it!” Kyre barked. I felt the whole room rattle with the force of his sharp tone.
For the first time tonight, I found myself siding with Kyre.
I wasn’t about to offer up the details of my dreams, especially not to a group. And I really didn’t want to hear Kyre talking about the details of his. Even if his dreams turned out to be only half as dirty as mine, I’d still die of embarrassment.
When the tense silence in the room became too much to bear, I broke the alpha’s stare down by clearing my throat.
“Please.” Even though I was still scared out of my mind, and my voice was small and shaky, I managed to force the words out. “I don’t care about dreams. I only care about my friend. If there’s even a sliver of a chance that she’s still alive, I have to try to find her.”
“Absolutely not,” Kyre grumbled, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “It’s too dangerous. I’m taking you back to the Wall tonight.”
“If you do, I’ll just look around until I find another tunnel. I’ll be back before sunrise,” I told him honestly. “Nothing is going to stop me. I’ll find a way.”
The words made me sound braver than I felt—but that didn’t mean I was lying. Even if I had to search every square inch of this endless wilderness to find Felicity, I’d do it. Brave or frightened, it didn’t matter.
“In that case, I say we help her,” Hannah spoke up.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kyre snapped.
“Don’t call my mate ridiculous,” Tauren barked right back. “Only I can do that.”
But Hannah didn’t look offended. Not in the least.
She simply crossed her arms, cocked her head to the side, and asked, “Why are you so insistent that Sophia leaves the Wilds?”
“I’ve already told you.” Kyre refused to meet her eyes. Instead, he kept his hard green gaze on the fire just behind her. “It’s too dangerous.”
“There’s no danger in this house.” Hannah shook her head. “She’s as safe here as I am.”
“That’s not true,” Kyre countered. “Lash has already threatened her life once tonight. If he catches Sophia’s scent and follows it here, her presence would put you both in danger.”
He had a point. “Which is why I really should get back out there now and keep looking for Felicity.”
“No!” Both Kyre and Hannah turned their heads and shouted me down in tandem.
Tauren, for his part, just kept silently glowering in my general direction.
“I still don’t see the problem,” Hannah continued to argue. “You’ve been trying to hunt down that pain in the ass for months now. If you really think Lash might be looking for her, then this would be a perfect way to trap him.”
“Not if it puts you and Tauren in danger.” Kyre lifted his chin. It didn’t look like he had any plans of backing down.
“Lash is no threat to me.” Tauren sounded insulted by the idea. “If he comes near Hannah or our home, I’ll tear his head off.”
While I didn’t doubt that for a second, I also couldn’t help but notice that the alpha hadn’t included me or Felicity in that list of things he was willing to protect.
Not that it mattered. I wouldn’t find Felicity by sitting here in a cozy cabin.
“As much as I love the idea of being used as bait, that’s not why I’m here,” I said, trying to sound firm but failing miserably. “I’ve wasted too much time already. I need to find my friend.”
I started toward the door, but only made it a couple of steps. Even though I was careful to keep my distance from Kyre, he still had no trouble reaching out and grabbing me by the wrist.
“No,” he growled. “You’re going home.”
“The hell she is,” Hannah snapped. “She’s staying here.”
“Shut up! All of you!” Tauren’s booming voice shook the floorboards.
The sound was so loud and intense that it nearly gave me a heart attack.
“No one is going anywhere or doing anything. At least not until morning. Once the sun is up, we’ll take the kirre to the village, and the Lykaon can decide what to do with her. ”
What to do with me? That sounded ominous.
“What is a Lykaon?” I asked.
“The pack leader,” Hannah answered. “It’s kind of like a king. The last one died a few months ago, and the village recently chose his replacement.”
“Okay…but generally kings aren’t chosen,” I pointed out.
“The position is usually passed down through family lines,” Tauren said stiffly. “I was the first son in generations to refuse the throne.”
Refusing power like that was impressive. And no doubt there was a hell of a story behind it. But right now, I was more concerned with my own future than the alpha’s past.
“And this Lykaon,” I said. “Do you think they will agree to help me find my friend?”
Kyre shook his head, his frown as deep as ever. “I doubt it.”
“That’s funny,” Hannah said. “Because I was just about to say the chances were pretty good.”
So it was a coin flip.
But 50/50 was a hell of a lot better than the odds I’d just minutes before. Definitely good enough to stick around for.
“Fine,” I nodded. “I guess I’ll stay until morning.”
Satisfied with my answer, Tauren shifted his attention over to Kyre.
“How about you?” he asked. “Do you swear to let the Lykaon decide what to do with the kirre and not force her back over the Wall yourself?”
Kyre looked down, grumbling to himself in frustration for a long moment before finally raising his head back up again. “You have my word.”
“Good.” Tauren gave a single, firm nod. “Then will you sleep here, or are you heading back to the village?”
Kyre’s green eyes narrowed, making it clear he wasn’t thrilled with either one of those options.
“I may have given you my word, but I don’t trust the kirre not run the second you’re asleep,” he said. “I’ll stick around and keep an eye on here.”
“Right,” Hannah chuckled. “That’s the reason you don’t want to leave her. That and nothing else.”
“Come on, love,” Tauren said, tenderly wrapping his arms around his mate before gently pulling her out of the room with him. “It’s time to stop teasing poor Kyre and his kirre and go back to bed.”
I heard a few more grumbles and giggles as the couple made their way down the hall to the bedroom. I didn’t dare look up at Kyre until I heard the door click shut.
“You really don’t have to stay,” I told him. “I swear I won’t try to leave.”
“I know you won’t.” He finally let go of my wrist, but only so he could settle into the massive chair across from mine. Except when he sat, he filled every inch of empty space. “Because I’ll be right here to stop you.”
“Suit yourself.” Tucking my legs, I curled up like a cat on the oversized seat and rested my head against the hard armrest. “But you’re in for a long, uncomfortable night.”
He leaned back and rested his head against the wood. Even though I kept my eyes fixed on the flickering fire, I still felt the warm weight of his gaze settling over me like a heavy blanket.
“That’s nothing new,” he said.
And as my eyelids started to droop, I couldn’t help but wonder what in the world he meant by that.