Chapter Eleven
Onyx barely dared to breathe. Dagen’s face turned to stone. The image of a wolf semi-imposed on his face before fading. The temperature of the room plummeted. Goose bumps broke out on her skin.
Death whispered in her ear that the end was at hand. She dug for hope but found none. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke.
“You’re telling me Solange Dupree, my most hated enemy, is your mother?” His voice was hoarse, almost raw, as though he’d been yelling for hours.
“Not a mother.” The very idea was repulsive. “I’m part of her grand experiment.” The silence drew out. It was a waiting game to see which of them broke first. Tension crept through her, tightening every muscle in her body. Her magic reacted, curling through her belly, steadily building.
Dagen’s chest and arms gleamed under the lights, every ridge of his hard body sharply delineated. His hair fell to his shoulders in a curtain of black. It was the only soft thing about him. Even his lips were pressed firmly together. The white tattoo pulsed with every heartbeat.
Prickles crept up her scalp. Her breathing increased. He wasn’t threatening her, wasn’t moving, but her life hung by the narrowest of threads. Unable to stand the wait, she tugged on her braid, the black strands twining with her natural red tones. “Whatever she did with your blood guaranteed our outward appearances mirrored, but it goes deeper. It goes beyond blood deep. There’s a magic link that connects us and will forever, unless it’s broken.”
He stirred for the first time, his chin lifting a bare inch. “It can be broken?”
It was no surprise he’d homed right in on that fact, but it hurt nonetheless. She’d found strength in their connection; he saw it as a shackle. He wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t natural or right. She’d clung to it because she’d had nothing else. He’d had his wolf and the other lone wolves. It was his choice not to reach out to them.
She gave a jerky nod. “It might be possible.” Here was the tricky part. “I believe if I study the copy of the journal, I can figure out a way to counteract Solange’s spell.”
His frown deepened. “Out of the question. That copy needs to be destroyed as soon as possible. Its existence is a threat to the lone wolves.”
He wasn’t wrong. She wondered if he realized how much of the knowledge was stored in her memory. Not all, but a good portion of it.
“Tell me about your childhood.” A command, not a question. She could be stubborn and refuse to tell him about it, but it served no purpose. Not at this point.
“I never had a childhood.” When he started to speak, she held up her hand. “No, if you want me to get through this, sit there and listen.” Surprisingly, he settled back against the sofa. Not relaxed, by any stretch of the imagination, but no longer quite so ready to pounce.
She cleared her throat. “My first memory is of being alone in a room. The doors are locked. There are no windows. It contains a bed, open shelves for clothes, and a small, basic bathroom. She came daily, to experiment, to teach me how to read and write. She brought books on various subjects—increasingly more difficult—for me to study. Not because she cared about my education. It was to facilitate my understanding of basic magic, science, and mathematics to communicate with her. It was important for her work.”
Don’t be stupid, girl. Study harder. You’re absolutely useless. Not worth the money it takes to feed and house you.
The memory made her flinch. Solange always undercut her confidence, making her feel less than. “She took blood weekly, trying to isolate your blood within me to understand how it worked. All her attempts failed.” She allowed herself a small smile. “Our blood had bonded to the extent the two couldn’t be broken apart.”
A growl reverberated through the floor and into her body.
“Figured you wouldn’t like that.” She stared at her hands, at the delicate blue veins, marveling at the blood pumping through her, keeping her alive and bonded to the man sitting next to her.
“Did she hurt you?” Hands fisted on his thighs, his black eyes bored into her. “Stupid question.” He gave his head a shake. “She imprisoned you. She took your freedom and your blood. What else did she do?”
Those were memories she wasn’t about to share. “It’s not important.”
“Of course it is.” He took a deep breath and rubbed his hand over his chest, over his tattoo. “You were a child.”
Tears welled in her eyes. Not out of fear but because of his unexpected caring. She blinked them back. “Not to her.”
Her quiet acceptance had him heaving a sigh. “Finish it.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed, praying to get through this last bit without breaking down. “When I was ten or eleven, she brought a boy to the lab and locked him in a cell next to mine. She’d decided I was no longer enough. She needed to test my blood and that of a normal werewolf.”
“She abducted a pup?” The overhead lights began to flicker.
Onyx glanced up at the ceiling and back at Dagen. He might look composed, but he was one spark away from an explosion. “Theo.”
“The boy from the picture in your wallet.”
She nodded and took a moment to compose herself. Thinking about him was difficult enough. She never talked about him, ever. “I was in awe of his bravery, his defiance. Until that moment, it had never occurred to me I could disobey Solange.” Prison and cruelty were all she’d known. Theo had opened up the outside world to her.
“While Solange did her best to break him, she experimented on his blood. We were alone for hours, sometimes days on end. There was ample water and dried and packaged food to keep us alive if she was going to be gone for a while. He tried to escape.” It still amazed her that she’d never thought to try.
“I warned him what would happen if Solange discovered what he was doing.” Food and light deprivation for minor infractions, excruciating pain for major ones. With their blood connection, her captor didn’t have to touch Onyx to inflict it. “Theo didn’t care. He was so brave.”
“Caging a wolf will drive it insane. That he was young and hadn’t made his first transition was likely the only thing that kept him from dying.”
“He was out of his mind, at first. Missed his parents and pack. He ignored me for about a month. Then he tried to befriend me. I understood it was to use me, but I didn’t mind. As time went on, we both changed. He talked of the outside world, showed it to me through his words. I taught him how to best navigate around Solange to avoid punishment. Through it all we plotted and planned.” The wonder of it still made her breath catch. “He wanted me to go with him. I wasn’t expendable to him. He chose my name based on my eyes.”
“She didn’t name you?”
Onyx shook her head. “Why would she? I wasn’t a child to her, even though she’d carried me for nine months. I was a tool.”
“How did you escape?”
“I learned basic magic by watching her.” She placed a hand on her stomach. “The first time I felt it stirring inside me, it scared me. I didn’t want to be anything like her. I actively suppressed it. I feared it. It was Theo who urged me to practice in secret, convinced me I could use it to aid our cause. It took months of sweat and trial and error, but I figured out how to manipulate the locks on our cells. We decided the next time Solange was going to be gone for a few days, we’d make our break.”
“Something happened.” He was seated on the edge of the sofa, their knees touching.
“Yes.” The night came rushing back. Theo’s screams haunted her sleep, especially on stormy nights. “He made his first shift.”
“Fuck.” He grabbed her hand. “Inside? In a cage?”
She nodded. “I knew something was wrong. I used magic to open both our doors. He was on the floor, writhing in agony.” He’d been naked, sweat coating his skin, his mouth contorted in pure agony. It had terrified her that he’d die and leave her alone.
“It’s always done under the open sky with family and the alpha there to support the pup.”
“I was all he had. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to soothe him, to ease his pain. Theo told me to get him outside. It took forever, but I finally got the main door open. I dragged him down a hallway and up a flight of stairs. I’d never been outside. Never felt the whip of the wind or the patter of rain against my face. That’s when Solange found us.”
Lightning had flashed through the night sky, followed by thunder that had made the earth beneath her feet tremble. “She sent a blast of magic into Theo, into the wolf he’d become. He dropped to the ground. So still,” she whispered, still able to see his unmoving body. “She stood over him screaming that all her work was for naught.” On stormy nights, Onyx often heard the shrill shrieks echoing between the ear-splitting booms. She hated storms.
“She dragged me inside and tossed me into my cell. She lost control, destroying everything. When it was over, she left. I honestly think she momentarily forgot my existence. I knew if I stayed I might end up dead like Theo.” She licked her dry lips, her heart pounding at the remembered fear. “The door was open. I took the pillowcase from my bed, grabbed food and water and other supplies, and crept out. Theo’s body was gone. I ran. I haven’t stopped running.”
Her clothes were damp with sweat. She swiped a hand over her brow, as exhausted as if she’d run a marathon. There was a curious weightlessness about her, as though she’d released a heavy burden she hadn’t realized she’d carried. “Now you know everything.”
“Don’t you find it odd Solange let you go?”
Every muscle inside her clenched. “She was out of her head.”
“I’m not buying it.” Fury snapped in his dark eyes. “I think she did it on purpose. Just another part of her grand experiment.” He ran a finger over her cheek. It was gentle, yet somehow threatening. “You’re of her blood. What if she can track you through that connection? You’ll lead her right to me.”
…
Onyx’s story was heartbreaking—if it was true. He had only her word for that, the word of Solange Dupree’s daughter. Physical sensations didn’t lie, and, right now, she was sweating, her fear tangible.
But was it fear of the past or fear he might uncover she was lying? That was the question, one that could cost him his life if he answered it wrong.
What she’d gone through—and he didn’t doubt at least some of it was real—put him in a killing mood. His claws pressed against his fingertips. A snarl caught in his throat. His wolf had claimed her, accepted her, and was demanding an outlet for its fury. His grip on his wolf was tenuous, the beast close to feral.
She hadn’t even had a name. The pain in his chest swelled until it threatened to burst. It was difficult to be logical, when all he wanted to do was comfort her.
Solange had much to answer for.
Onyx’s eyes widened. “I have to get out of here.” She jumped up, raced to the kitchen, and grabbed her knapsack. She was halfway to the door when he vaulted over the couch and caught her. “Let me go.” She fought him when he clamped his arms around her. “It’s not safe for you to be around me. Oh God, what have I done?” Her despair washed over him.
It might be safer to let her go, but he wasn’t certain he could. The idea of it sent him into a panic. For better or worse, she belonged with him.
“Stop it.” He shook her lightly when she continued to struggle. “That damage is done. We’ve been here long enough for her to track us, if she’s capable. Think,” he snapped. “Do you think she’d wait if she had us in her sights?”
“If it served her purpose. She’s like a spider, spinning webs. You’re caught in her trap before you realize it’s there.”
“You’re reacting like a frightened child.” His tone was deliberately harsh to snap her out of her terror. “You’re a grown woman, a mage.”
She stiffened in his arms, her spine going rigid. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You think you understand what you’re facing, but you have no idea.”
“Then explain it to me. Talk to me so we can come up with a plan to defeat her. I’m sorry about your friend, about Theo.” The death of any child was tragic, this one doubly so. His kind had much lower birth rates than humans. To die in captivity was brutal for a wolf, the worst fate imaginable. At least the boy had made it outside before the end. He’d take solace from that.
“But, Onyx, I’m no pup barely out of transition. I’m the fucking lone wolf.” He turned her so she faced him. “And you’re a resilient, intelligent woman with untapped abilities.”
Before his eyes, her face became a blank slate. Even the air around her changed. It was as though a vacuum had sucked every emotion back inside her and slammed the door shut, keeping him and everyone else out. A shroud of detachment swirled around her.
Her complete about-face was a reminder that she was highly skilled at controlling her reactions. It gave her the potential to be a brilliant liar. His wolf growled, bewildered by the sudden change. It was as though everything that made Onyx who she was had vanished.
“I’m Solange Dupree’s spawn. Nothing I say or do can change that. Can you honestly say you trust me?”
He ran his hands over her shoulders, down her arms, and back up again, anchoring both of them with touch. “No.” It would be easier to lie, but he refused. “I am willing to listen. I believe you hate her.” Her anguish had been real. Even his wolf had been unable to detect any prevarication. “Help me end this, end her.”
Her shoulders slumped. “It didn’t occur to me she might track me to you through my blood. I always assumed if she could do such a thing she would have found me years ago and dragged me back.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “I know better. She plays the long game, always setting new traps. If you won’t let me leave”—he shook his head—“then we need to make plans and move quickly.”
“We need to contact the other lone wolves, share what we’ve discovered, and find out what they’d gone through with Solange. We need to understand her strengths and weaknesses. It’s time to pool our knowledge.” It was something he’d never thought he’d do. In some ways, he lived no differently from how Onyx was acting now. He’d detached himself from the others, watching over them from afar. His ability to stand on his own was a huge asset. His inability to trust, to reach out to the other wolves, was a weakness.
“It would be helpful to talk with them. You realize if they discover my origins, they’ll never trust me.” She nibbled on her bottom lip, her eyes glazed with worry. “You don’t and we have a blood tie.”
He swallowed a moan, his cock jerking to life, making his jeans unbearably tight. Not even finding out Solange was her mother dampened his attraction to Onyx. Blood and magic, he reminded himself. “We won’t tell them.” His voice was deep and husky.
“Have you ever met them?”
“Have you?” It was disturbing to realize he had no idea what she’d been doing all these years. So much of her time was unaccounted for. She’d been out in the world alone, unprotected.
“The gray wolf and his lady,” she reminded him. “That’s the only time.” Onyx had recently used her magic to help the couple. “I’ve never met the white wolf. You’re the only one I’ve stalked around the world.”
His wolf preened inside him at her admission. The beast had already decided Onyx belonged to them. He couldn’t afford to rely solely on instinct, not when their unnatural ties could be muddying the waters. “Kade will be disposed to trust you because of your assistance.” The gray wolf wouldn’t forget Onyx had helped him and his woman, Luna West, when he’d needed it. “Devlin, the white bastard, doesn’t trust anyone. He’s gotten worse since he hooked up with his woman, Zoe Galvani.” Dagen kept tabs on all of them.
The corners of her mouth twitched. “I’m not sure you can call him out for that, considering how you are.”
Her light teasing unwound the knot in his belly. “That’s different.”
“Why, because it’s you?”
Since there was no answer that wouldn’t make him sound like a hypocrite, it was safer not to comment. “To answer your earlier question, I hadn’t met either until recently. Like you, I helped the gray wolf, or rather the broker did. He has no idea I’m a lone wolf.”
She gave a long, low whistle. “Hope it was a big favor, or he’s going to be severely pissed off when he discovers your identity.”
Dagen remembered the chill of the night air, the scent of blood, and the sharp edges of debris digging into his skin as he dug through the remains of a building, searching the rubble for the gray wolf. “Big enough.”
“We should contact them now. There’s no telling when Solange will make her next move. We need to be ahead of her.” She reached up and took his face in his hands. “I couldn’t save Theo, but I will save you.”
Like the blood vow she’d taken when she burned the journal, this one resonated inside him. Eyes as black as midnight stared at him, hardening with resolve. Whatever her agenda might be, in this she was telling the truth.
The banked fury inside him morphed into something as dangerous but decidedly more pleasurable. His blood surged through his veins. His erection pulsed in time with his heartbeat, demanding attention.
A touch of color highlighted her cheekbones. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. Her nostrils flared and her lips parted on a deep breath. A hint of sweet arousal reached him.
Cursing himself, he swooped down and captured her lips, slipping his tongue inside. Kissing her was supremely stupid. He needed to keep his distance if he hoped to remain rational. He needed… God, he needed to touch her.
Her bag slipped from her shoulder, landing on the floor with a thud. Her fingers slid over his scalp and gripped his hair, holding him closer as their lips met again and again in a fiery embrace. The two of them were like a runaway train. The ride was wild and exhilarating, but, eventually, they’d run out of track and crash. A part of him even now questioned her trustworthiness, but it didn’t negate the yearning burning in his soul. He drank in the sweetness of her lips, drowned in her scent.
Take her. Take her. Take her. The command was like a heartbeat, pounding at him. The bedroom was only steps away. Hell, the sofa was closer.
With a roar, he yanked his mouth from hers, cursing himself for starting something they couldn’t finish. Time was wasting. Solange and Charles were out there. The mage might be the more dangerous of the two, but it was stupid to underestimate a werewolf of Charles’s age and standing. He had an army of werewolf mercenaries at his command.
Chest heaving, he stared at her slightly swollen lips. Anyone looking at her would know she’d been kissed. It had been subconscious but the result was the same—he’d marked her as his.
He held out his hand. “Let’s contact the others.”