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The memory was too fresh to deny. While turning the medallion in my hand, my view of the garden room disappeared, revealing the night that had changed me forever. I was just a teenager, just old enough to go through puberty, and I was forced to become a man overnight.
We were grabbed from our hiding space. We were lined up. We were forced to watch Papa suffer the first blow of many. They didn’t beat him for very long. They didn’t seem particularly concerned with him as they had with my mother.
My eyes widened.
Maman knew something. I bowed toward the fern in front of me, its miniature leaves stroking my cheek.She knew about Arnaud and the fortress. But so did Papa. Why would they torture her instead of him?
I shook my head.
I didn’t want to think about this. But what other choice did I have? Sasha brought me the medallion at the behest of Donovan. The alpha stated that it needed to be kept by the proper owner—which was me. And Sasha stated that the moment the medallion was in her possession, she felt drawn to hand it over to me.
None of this was adding up. Did my father know about the medallion? Or my mother? Was that why we suffered?
Or was it simply because we were wolves?
It was then I realized we were no closer to an answer than we had been when we started. All that time wasted chasing ghosts—and Rose didn’t even want to be around me.
My lips twitched with irritation.She had called me a murderer.
The haze of her recovery was an easy explanation. She wasn’t in her right mind, nor had she gotten much rest when we finally got her into the hospital bed. She fought us every step of the way. The strength of that woman impressed me. Not only had she survived fighting vampires, but she had also survived falling off a damn cliff.
I almost lost her, I thought. The ring around my neck singed my skin. I hissed while pulling it out, staring at the gold band.She’s my responsibility and I almost got her killed. I shouldn’t have brought her with me.
The medallion weighed heavy around my neck. I tucked it beneath my shirt, feeling the sureness of it, therightnessof wearing it.
Arnaud wore this, didn’t he?I ran my fingers through the leaves of the fern, trying to ground myself.And if he wore this, and it was only meant to be on a Beauchamp, and it’s spelled, then what in the world does it do?
That was the next piece of the puzzle. If Rose was up to it, we could figure out what the medallion was for and why it belonged to my family. Did it do something to vampires? Or was it something for wolves?
No, that didn’t make sense either. It burned other wolves when it wasn’t in my possession. So, what was the big secret?
Those vampires said I was needed to relieve their curse. I clutched my mother’s wedding ring in my hand.They need me. I’m the key to their salvation. But why?
The ring sang in my fingers. One moment it was freezing cold. The next, it was scorching hot. It was like being around Rose. Hot, humid summer nights clashed with frigid winter days. We were quite a pair.
Was that why we argued so much?
Or was it because we weren’t supposed to be together?
My canines ached. The urge to mark her overwhelmed me, a sudden desire that bounced me to my feet. Two minutes later, I had paced to the door and into the hallway beyond, my muscles carrying me back to the Orchid Suite. Why Rose permitted me to stay when it wasn’t clear whether she wanted me around confused me.
And it comforted me, too.
Inside the suite, her scent assaulted me. It was impossible to get away from her, to forget about all the stupid fights we had prior to her near-death experience. Pushing her away was a bad idea. But keeping her close wasn’t really that good of an idea either.
My feet led the way. I folded my hands behind my back and paced the suite three times over, memorizing every indention my shoes left on the carpet and the way the tile of the kitchen floor ran like a street grid in every direction. The shimmering marble floor of the bathroom swirled like toothpaste.
Standing near the tub made me flush with anger and arousal. Without her, I was lost. Next to her, things didn’t quite add up. When would either of us be relieved of this strange nightmare?
My chest caved as my shoulders folded inward. Nothing but defeat crept into my muscles. Forget the exhaustion, the fear, the agony. All I felt was the heavy blow of being outmatched. I would never be able to outrun Domingo. He had vampires everywhere.
And apparently, he also had magic on his side.
We weren’t going to win this war. We weren’t going to be able to figure outwhostartedthe damn thing, let alonewhatstarted it. The pawns we had at the beginning were smashed to the ground. Everything was toast. And we would shortly follow, turning into dust.
Three knocks cut through my thoughts. Agitation propelled me to the door, wondering who the hell had the audacity to knock this late in the evening. I hadn’t eaten much and my bones were aching for a nap, but I couldn’t rest when Rose wasn’t beside me.
Another round of knocks made me bristle. “Yes, who is it?”
