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One stood by the fire. “Almost ready now.”
The second grinned, showing sh
arp teeth. “Yes, I can tell that it is. These pretties will make an excellent soup. Sorry we didn’t catch the mum. She was a nice, fat one.”
Kaja felt a tiny foot stamp on her shoulder. Apparently fat was not a good thing to be. For a wolf, it was nice. It tended to mean a wolf could survive the harsh winters, but the pixie seemed to take offense.
“All right, then,” the First said. “We’ve waited longer than we promised. It ain’t our fault they aren’t out here. If those buggers have a lick of sense, they found another plane to hide on.”
Kaja wasn’t sure which bugs the being was talking about, but she felt a need to save these. The little mother was very upset, and no wonder. Kaja could see the small pixies with their gossamer wings being held in the cage. Her babies. The mother couldn’t allow her babies to be turned into some form of food.
Kaja turned her head carefully. She put her finger to her mouth to let the little pixie know she shouldn’t shout out.
In a blink, Kaja changed, her world moving from two-legged to four. The pixie landed on her snout, looking seriously into Kaja’s eyes. If the pixie was frightened of Kaja’s wolf, she didn’t show it.
“Please.” The pixie repeated her refrain.
Kaja nodded, and the pixie took off, her wings flapping.
On soft feet, Kaja burst through the bushes and attacked the first green thing.
“Get the wolf!” A man’s voice shouted, and Kaja could feel what she should have sensed all along. She was surrounded, but they had masked their scents or stayed downwind. The soldiers from before were all around, and more green beings leapt from their hiding places.
Too late. She realized the trap had been laid and baited.
“Don’t hurt her,” the leader said. He was the tall vampire who had been kind to her and fed her treats. He seemed to only have a real problem with Dante.
Dante. He was going to be so angry with her. He was going to punish her, and maybe not in a nice way this time. Dante did not like it when she risked her life. She turned and sought a way out. The little pixie was trying so hard to get the cage open and let her babies free. At least she hadn’t betrayed Kaja.
There was nowhere to run, but she could do what she set out to do. Kaja leapt and pulled down the cage. It clattered to the ground, and the door flew open. Pixie wings fluttered as they all got away.
“Saved them, did you, pet?”
Kaja looked up at the man who had caught them before.
“I rather thought you would,” he said, not unkindly. He turned to his men. “I know it doesn’t make a lick of sense, but that wolf is a consort. She is to be taken care of and protected.”
But he held the magic box in his hand. Light flowed from it and into her.
She felt fire in her veins, and Kaja fell.
Chapter Thirteen
Dante felt her fall. It was like some invisible connection that was always there in the back of his mind had been cut off abruptly. As though Kaja was in his brain, a low soothing hum, and now it was silent.
“Something’s wrong with Kaja,” Dante said, getting to his feet.
His heart was racing, panic threatening to overtake him. Maybe he’d fed too much. Gods, if he’d hurt her, he would die himself. Please, please. He sent out silent pleas. Let her be all right. Let it be a mistake.
But he knew it wasn’t true. He knew something was wrong. The connection between them had been cut. Kaja wouldn’t do it. She didn’t even know how to. Dante pushed through the brush and into the small copse where he’d left her sleeping.
Why had he left her at all? He knew how dangerous it was. He was an asshole who couldn’t even take care of his wife. He’d left her here alone and vulnerable because he couldn’t deal with how she made him feel. He was as irresponsible as everyone made him out to be.
She was gone. Her clothes had been left behind in a neatly folded pile. The grass around them was a mess, but he couldn’t count that as evidence that she’d been dragged away. He’d fucked her on this grass. He’d rolled with her and played and screwed. He’d let her fall asleep in his arms.
Where the hell had she gone?
“Dante?” Meg’s soft voice reminded him that Kaja wasn’t the only female he was responsible for.
