The Angel's Fate

Chapter 6

Okay, this guy is insane.

Eternity?

I frown at him, hugging my arms closer to my body. I wish I hadn’t chosen such a revealing dress.

“Please, come inside,” he says in a voice that resembles the deep growl of a ravenous beast.

He gestures toward the castle, and the ancient drawbridge immediately begins to lower, filling the air with the sounds of clanking chains and creaking wood. I look around, realizing that there must be eyes on us lurking in the shadows.

The thought makes my skin tingle with fear, but I can’t let it show.

The drawbridge hits the ground with a loud thud, and the mysterious silver-haired man strides confidently across the bridge. I hesitantly follow behind while desperately trying not to stare at his naked backside.

“What did you mean... that you’ve been waiting for me?” I ask.

He stops and turns to look at me, just as we’ve crossed the foggy moat below. “You don’t feel it too?” He asks with a furrowed brow and pain in his amber eyes.

I raise my eyebrow at him. “Feel what?” This guy really is crazy.

Hot... but crazy.

“Mariel, are you part wolf?” He asks.

“Maybe? I’m part... a lot of things,” I mumble. “But yes, I can shift.”

“And you don’t feel a connection with me?” He asks curiously.

“I just met you,” I answer with a little nervous laugh.

“It only takes moments for a werewolf to imprint once they encounter their mate,” he explains.

“Mate?” I ask incredulously. What the hell is this guy talking about? I should’ve just stayed with Robin and the Fairies. This is all too weird.

“You can use the term ‘soulmate’ if you prefer,” he says as he turns back around. “It does sound less... animalistic. But it doesn’t truly capture the bond between a mated pair of wolves. It’s much deeper than that.”

My head is spinning. “So you think that I’m... that I’m your...”

He nods. “But I don’t just think it,” he says as we reach the enormous wooden doors at the castle’s entrance. “I know it.”

He pushes the door open with one graceful shove, and the calming silence of the hillside is immediately overtaken by a flurry of activity.

Dozens of golden-eyed wolves and people and are mulling about the courtyard, talking and laughing in a beautifully freed way. Some are unclothed, others are shifting in preparation for a hunt I assume. They all seem so... comfortable. So happy.

Eric grabs a pair of shorts and a tee shirt from a rack nearby and pulls them on.

Thank God.

Several of the passers by stop to stare at me, some in curiosity and others more aggressively. I have to resist the urge to hide my body again. I swear I hear a few of them growl at me.

Confidence. I have to exude confidence.

“So tell me, Mariel,” Eric asks, “What really brought you all the way here? I’m sure you’ve heard that my pack doesn’t take well to outsiders.”

“Bloodthirsty is the word I’ve heard most,” I say with a smirk.

He throws his head back in a dark but carefree laugh, and I can’t help but smile. “You must’ve been talking to the fairies.”

I narrow my eyes in anger. “They are my friends,” I growl protectively.

“Oh, I’m sure,”Eric says. “You’re a useful ally.”

“They aren’t using me,” I retort. But Eric has already begun walking away, expecting me to follow him I suppose.

So I do. I don’t really have a choice right now.

“The Fae are much more cunning than you realize,” Eric explains coldly as he continues along a pathway through the courtyard and into the heart of the castle. “They’re not like us. We have no time for games. We wear our hearts on our sleeves, and we aren’t afraid to let someone know exactly what we want,” he says, suddenly turning around to stare directly into my eyes, “And nothing stops me from getting what I want.”

I take a sharp breath as I stare into the eyes that mirror my own.

He smiles at me, and a bead of sweat trickles slowly down his forehead as he runs his fingers through his silver hair. He pushes open another door, revealing a giant dining room lined with heavy stone columns. There are people laughing and drinking while wolf children run about with squeals and howls and shrieks of joy.

The sight of them is like a knife to my chest. I never had a childhood like that. I grew up in hiding, lonely and secluded.

If I ever have children, I hope I can give them a life like this.

Eric takes a seat in a giant wooden chair at the end of a table that stretches the length of the room. The chair has thousands of intricate carvings along the back, and a howling wolf reaches out from the end of each arm rest. He gestures for me to have a seat next to him, and I oblige.

Here we go.

He raises a finger in the air and nods toward a man with shaggy brown hair standing in a nearby doorway.

The man nods in response and leaves the room without a word.

“So now I’m dying to know,” Eric asks as he leans back in the chair. “Why would you dare come to our home?”

“Well, since I... you know...” I stutter nervously.

“...Slayed the king of all evil?” He laughs heartily.

“Yes,” I answer. “Since then, the werewolves and vampires have been biting and turning humans, killing at will.” He leans forward, locking eyes with me. But I force myself to not be intimidated. “I can’t let that go on.”

A laugh explodes from his lips. “You can’t let that go on?” He teases.

I lean forward and mirror his alpha bodily language. “Yes. I. Me. You have no idea what I am.”

His eyes widen almost imperceptibly. “What are you then?” He asks with a touch of awe in his voice.

I decide to tease him a little. Get him on the hook so I can get what I want. I lean in a little closer. “I’ll show you... someday,” I mutter under my breath.

At that moment, the scraggly haired man returns with two goblets of wine and places them down in front of us.

Eric raises his glass to me. “I look forward to that day,” he says with a sly smile.

I raise my glass too, and give him my best sexy side-smile. I take a big swig of my drink and lean forward, so close that I can smell the sweat on his skin. “Here’s the deal,” I whisper, “I’ll show you under one condition. I want peace. We all want peace. Meet with me and the other leaders of the supernaturals so we can... negotiate.”

He exhales, and his breath smells like a wild hunt in the forest. It’s intoxicating.

“If I hadn’t imprinted on you, we would have killed you on the spot,” he whispers back.

I suck in a little air.

“Mariel, I would usually never consider doing something like this. But for you...” he continues... “I might. Under one condition.”

“What’s that?” I ask, still gasping for shallow breaths of air.

He gets even closer, his cheek almost touching mine. Then he whispers in my ear. “Kiss me.”