Chapter 6
Chapter Six
We cross the border into The Wilds just after sunrise.
Kade and two of his friends accompany us in their wolf form with the plan to journey with us to the Tribezian Portal.
Because of its vastness, The Wilds is almost impossible to pass through using normal means of transportation.
A series of short portals exists throughout its expanse to aid in travel.
Though I’m trying to maintain a brisk pace, I know the journey would be cut in half if it weren’t for my presence.
Dom would take his raven form, and Kade and his friends would run at a faster pace.
Instead, we plod along as I gawk at the ever-changing scenery and the diverse population of otherworlders on their own journeys.
The entire time, I steal glances at my lover, who returns them with heated gazes that send my body into overdrive.
We spent the night of the party and the entirety of yesterday in his bed among the treetops, where Dom repeatedly showed me the heights of pleasure my body is capable of scaling. Every time I reached a peak I believed impossible to surpass, he relentlessly drove me past its edge.
Last night, lying prone beneath him, his cock sliding between the globes of my ass, I was sure he’d enter me and, while fucking me, draw out my power.
I was stunned by how much I craved it— not only the ecstasy of being taken by him, but the primal need to share an essential part of myself with him.
Instead, he flipped me over, took my cock in his mouth, and deep-throated me until I saw stars.
Afterward, while lying sprawled out on his bed, my nerves still firing with pleasure, he rose onto his knees and began jacking his cock until he came, marking my chest and stomach.
It wasn’t until hours later, as I lay in the circle of his arms as he slept, that I realized he had not yet claimed my power as was his due.
Distracted by my memories of last night, it takes me a moment to notice the stream of otherworlders coming from the direction that we’re headed. Dom stops a tree nymph, who tells him that there’s been a skirmish between two troll warlords that has blocked all entrances to the portal.
If the portal is closed, there is no way to reach the Albasynnian Coven in time to retrieve the orb before Gremple’s imposed deadline of human Christmas.
Pure relief floods me in such strong waves that I feel my knees weaken in response. I hadn’t realized that with every step I’d taken toward the portal, I’d been hoping that some minor misfortune would intervene and impede our journey.
Dom thanks the nymph and returns to my side.
“The Tribezian portal is impossible to reach.” For the first time since we crossed the border this morning, I take a deep, freeing breath and wait for him to tell me that there’s nothing left to do but return to the Durrand pack lands.
“Fortunately,” he flashes me a triumphant smile, “I know of a smaller, lesser-known portal hub east of here that we can take.”
Dread hits me full force. “Are you sure we’ll make it to the coven in time?”
“It’s gonna push us back a few hours, but I think we can still make our timeline.”
But what if I want to forget all about orbs, covens, and the Order of Mergen to go back to your nest with you? The thought pounds in my brain but fails to travel to my vocal chords. Instead, I feign relief that our plans haven’t been derailed and follow Dom and the wolves toward our new direction.
Dom slows to walk beside me and keeps up his typical flirty banter, which I absently respond to, but eventually we both quiet, and I spend the rest of the journey going toward a future I only thought I wanted. When the portal comes into sight, my feet stop, and I just stand there staring at it.
It doesn’t have to be a troll war or something else out of my control that decides my future. I could just turn to Dom and tell him I’ve changed my mind. We could turn directly around and make the trek back to the Durrand pack lands and jump right back into his bed.
“Why are you stopping?” he asks, his eyes scanning me. “We’re almost there.”
“Why haven’t you taken my power from me yet?” I demand.
My question seems to ruffle him. He looks at the portal hub almost longingly. “You want to have this conversation now, when we have an orb to steal?”
“Yes. I do.”
He runs a hand through his dark hair. “I didn’t want to complicate things,” he admits. “Make them messy.”
Of course. He doesn’t want me to begin to think the deal between us is anything more than a transaction or that his sweet touches are more than just the seeking of pleasure—or in the case of our bargain, the seeking of power.
The orb, and by extension me, is just another job for him.
I believe he truly likes me and enjoys the way our bodies ignite against each other, but if I were to turn to him, moon-eyed, and announce I want to give up this adventure in favor of moving into his nest with him, he’d probably shift into his raven form and flee.
Years of experiencing rejection allow me to meet his words with a cool nod and not show the intense clutch of pain they cause.
“Thank you for the clarification, “I say emotionlessly.
“Human Christmas is less than two days away. “We’re going to have to retrieve the orb quickly to ensure there will be time for the—”I fumble for the right word—“power transferal before I return to the order.”
Instead of assuring him I’m not making things “messy,” my words seem to anger him. His sapphire eyes narrow, and he leans in toward me. “Is that your way of asking for a quick goodbye fuck, sweetheart?”
Stiffening at his vulgarity, I regard him with my best Mergen scholarly arrogance.
“As we’ll never see each other again once the orb is retrieved, I want to make sure, as per our agreement, you are adequately compensated for services rendered.
” Before he can respond, I pick up my satchel and begin walking ahead of him to the portal.
The portal transports us a few miles from the perimeter of the Albasynnian Coven.
I’m immediately stunned by the difference in the landscape.
Pastel colored skies and sparkling clouds are replaced by a flat, almost desert-like plain.
The air is covered in a thick, grayish fog that smells distinctly of sulphur.
“Here.” Dom hands me a cowled mask to pull up over my nose and then dons one himself. He then places a chain with an amulet on it around my neck. “This will cloak your presence from the witches and should allow you to cross their wards without detection.”
“Thank you,” I reply in the same cool tone all our conversations have used since we said goodbye to the wolves and entered the portal hub. Out of necessity, we went over the plan to steal the orb one last time and then silently sat next to each other as we waited for our turn.
The closer we get to the coven, I feel a heavy dread overtake me.
Since I made my initial, hasty promise to Gremple to retrieve the orb, I hadn’t let myself think too much about what I knew about the history of the Albasynnian Coven.
They are the most infamous witches in all the worlds.
Known for using deeply dark ritual magics and their merciless treatment of their enemies, rumors abound of their virgin sacrifices and ravenous consumption of newborn flesh.
We finally reach the high walls that encircle the coven.
They are illuminated by torches that are lit with fire magic and are covered with elaborate stone carvings of otherworlders.
Something odd about the carvings catches my attention, and I take a closer look.
“Oh my gods,” I yelp, jumping backward and colliding into Dom’s chest.
“What is it?” His arm comes around to steady me against him, and I can’t help but take his comfort.
“Look.” I point to the carving we’re standing in front of. “Look at their eyes and their mouths.”
He shifts us slightly closer and clutches me tightly to him as he sees the pain-filled eyes blinking back at us and the mouth open in an eternal, silent scream.
“Oh fuck. They’re alive.” The horror of what he’s seeing sinks in. “They’ve imprisoned their enemies in stone.” He pushes me in front of him and prods me to start walking faster. “Come on. We’re grabbing the orb and getting the fuck out of here.”
Because we’re sneaking into a witches’ coven, and most use of spelled devices will be easily detected, Dom’s plan is to stage an old-fashioned break-in and then let his raven’s instinct lead him to the orb.
So we circle the disturbing walls of the coven until he spies a weak spot that, with a few strong kicks, crumbles enough for us to squeeze our way through.
The fog helps to conceal us as we make our way into the main compound. Just as we reach a gate that opens up to an atrium behind the coven, there’s a series of high-pitched barks, and before we can react, we are surrounded by a circle of red-eyed, razor-teeth-bearing hellhounds.
Dom immediately kneels on his haunches and holds his hand out toward the biggest, most ferocious hound of the pack, who growls menacingly at him.
“Dom,” I say uneasily, unhappy with how vulnerable he is and wanting him close to me.
“Dogs like me,” he says, and the hound who was growling at him seconds before butts his nose against Dom’s palm, demanding to be pet. Dom does as he’s prodded, and soon all the hounds are licking him and demanding his attention.
He takes out a bag of treats and scatters its contents to the ground. “Now be good puppies for me, and let me do what I came here for.” Obediently, the dogs abandon him to greedily devour the food.
Dom rises and dusts off his pants. “Let’s go before the hellcats show up.
They’re a lot harder to win over.” He grabs me by the hand and leads me to an almost imperceptible door that leads into the compound.
The door is locked, but he takes out a thin metal wire and inserts it within a few seconds, and the door swings open.
Dom grins at me, and I can tell he got a kick out of picking the lock without using any magic.
Once inside, Dom uses his enhanced shifter hearing to detect sound. Finding the compound strangely deserted, we quietly move throughout its winding halls. “Do you think it’s a trap?” I whisper.
“If it were, I think they’d have confronted us by now. Maybe they’re gathered around a pyre, sacrificing virgins or something.”
His comment isn’t as reassuring as he meant it to be, considering technically, I’d qualify to be their next sacrifice. He reads the alarmed look on my face. “We’ll take care of that as soon as we transport home.” He drops a quick surprise kiss on my lips. “No pyres for you while I’m around.”
His kiss feels too good. I pull back. “It will be a two-for-one special,” I say, trying to sound flippant but coming out bitter. “I’ll be safe from magic rituals requiring purity, and you’ll finally receive your payment for stealing the orb.”
His eyes darken. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t want your —”
“This isn’t the time for this, “ I interrupt, not wanting to hear how he doesn’t want things to get messy or complicated again.
He lets out a frustrated groan. “You’re right, but as soon as we’re back on the pack lands, we’re going to settle this.”
He takes my silence for agreement and returns his attention to stealing the orb. My instinct is pinging me that the orb is stored on one of the top floors, maybe even the attic.
“There are at least ten floors to this place, and the staircases are located in the main area. There’s no way we won’t be seen if we use them.”
“The quickest way to get up there is for me to shift.” He opens the nearest door to a room that seems deserted. It’s cold, and dusty drop cloths cover the furniture. “I think this will be the safest place for you to wait for me while I fly up and retrieve the orb.”
As unhappy as I am at being sidelined, I have no choice but to agree to his logic.
“Remember, our amulets are linked. Push it if you’re discovered.”
“I will,” I promise.
Dom stares at me for a long moment like he has something important to say. Instead, he steps closer and pushes me against the wall and takes my mouth in a deep, hungry kiss that I return with the same fervor.
He drags his mouth from me and steps from our embrace. His deep chuckle fills the room. “We seem to be making a habit of this.” Walking backward toward the door, he gives me a wink, and then in a flash of a second, he’s gone.
I go to the door to peek out but see no trace of Dom in either of his forms. Closing the door, I turn around, and the barren room is transformed into a lushly decorated parlor, complete with a large stone fireplace with crackling flames warming the previously cold room.
Standing directly in front of me is a witch of indeterminate age, with long silver hair interspersed with streaks of violet.
”Hello, Ari,” she greets in a deep, purring voice. “We’ve been waiting for you.”