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“It’s going to be a long night then,” I groaned, rolling my eyes as I pictured it. I guess if the challenges continued for the rest of the night…I’d at least be entertained. As long as the invitation didn’t come with any strings attached, then I was ready for whatever the night delivered.
CHAPTER 4
RUNE
Iwoke up with a gasp on my lips, unable to remember my dream, but it still startled me nevertheless. Sweat had my hair sticking to the back of my neck, and I didn’t want to know what I’d seen in my dreams if I’d woke up like this.
Wilder and Daxon remained on either side of me, snoring softly. I got up, moving quietly so I didn’t wake them. I stepped through the tent opening, looking for Ares, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I pushed my arms into the air, stretching my back, unable to believe that I’d slept so well on the ground in my men’s arms.
Sunlight stretched out over the landscape, reds and oranges drenching the sky. There was something beautiful and tranquil about being out in the woods, and I made a mental note to camp more with the guys.
I needed to pee, so I moved to the edge of the campsite where I had at least a little privacy.
At the same time, a tingling buzz surged through me, identical to what I’d sensed right before Wilder had touched me in the castle and gotten thrown out of the room with Ares.
Apparently, I gained power from my mating mark with Daxon.
I’d never heard of someone growing more powerful with a mating mark. Just another thing different about me from other wolves.
I had more questions than answers on all the strange things about me…but answers seemed to be in short supply.
One of the guys made a grunting noise in their sleep and I grinned to myself at the thought of crawling back in the tent. Everything in me hoped I could wake up between them for the rest of my life.
I really needed to relieve the pressure on my bladder first though, and I rushed towards the shrubs to take care of business.
There was a gurgling river right behind the camp. After I’d peed, I wandered over to splash my face with the crisp water.
I knelt by the shore, still feeling sleepy, thinking over the wild day we’d had yesterday. We’d found a way to remove the curse, and my wolf was free again. I really was getting tired of these assholes messing around with my gorgeous wolf. She huffed inside me, in total agreement that everyone should leave us alone.
With my wolf back, we could return home to Amarok. It still amazed me how I’d stumbled onto that town after I crashed the car in my escape from Alistair–that was a lifetime ago and so much had changed since then.
I was no longer the meek girl I’d once been. Now, I had a home, friends I cherished, and men I loved.
Twigs snapped behind me, and I smiled to myself that one of them had followed me out to the river.
I twisted around to see which one it was, only to be stopped dead in my tracks.
It wasn’t my men.
It washer…
She stood there, her appearance pristine as usual. With her perfect black hair that trailed down to the ground, perfect porcelain face, and a perfect transparent dress revealing everything. Her silverish skin glowed in the morning sunlight, her crystalline green eyes glinted. She was stunning. Her beauty would always make me a bit jealous when I thought of Wilder dating her.
“Daria,” I murmured at the sight of the Fae Queen, trying to sound brave as fear pummeled through me. “I would say it’s good to see you, but I don’t like to lie.”
The last I’d heard, Alistair and Daria had partnered up, both of them wanting to win the award for my worst nightmare. Apparently that quest extended to Romania…
Excitement flickered across her expression, her gaze glinting with malice. “And here we are, all alone, Rune. Isn’t this just wonderful?”
“No, not at fucking all.”
There was no pause, nothing but me darting away from her frantically. But I’d barely taken a step when she spoke magic words, and something dark burrowed beneath my skin. It came at me so fast that my knees buckled out from under me. Before I could scream, I hit the ground, unable to move. The last thing I saw was Daria, that bitch, bending down to stare into my face with a smirk.
“Be a good little dog and stay down this time.”
Then my world went black.
* * *
