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“I can see what you thought you were doing. And I forgive you for that,” I said slowly, realizing I truly did. Esme had clearly been doing what she thought would keep me safe. “But that isn’t how things turned out. I…I thought I hated Fenris when I first met him, but now I can’t imagine my life with anyone else. I would do anything to keep him safe and help free him from the curse. He’s been alone so long and…and no matter what else happens in the next few weeks, my heart belongs to him.”
Chapter 10
Fenris
Fenris’s Private Villa
Isla Lobo, Panama
Time Until the Eclipse: 16 Days
I headed down the hallway toward the room Esme was recovering in. Val had informed me that Celeste was in there, watching over the older witch as she slept.
As I approached, I heard voices. I knew it was rude to eavesdrop, yet I paused several feet away, relying on my heightened senses as my mate spoke. It was clearly the tail end of a conversation, but the context didn’t matter once I heard Celeste’s words.
“...no matter what else happens in the next few weeks, my heart belongs to him.”
I suddenly didn’t care if Celeste knew I’d been listening. I was truly the luckiest wolf alive to have such a compassionate, kind-hearted mate, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of eternity with her.
I opened the door and let myself inside, striding over to Celeste at once. I heard a sharp intake of breath that told me Esme was awake. I couldn’t say I minded the fresh flood of fear rolling off the older witch. No matter how Celeste felt about her, I couldn’t forgive the woman for all the harm she’d caused my fated mate by muting her magic for so long. Still, Esme was also the one who’d kept her safe and told her about the Lunar Lord at all, even if her stories held some unflattering rumors.
I’d allow my wolf to sample her fear and call the rest a wash.
Choosing to ignore Esme, I turned my attention solely to Celeste. “I need to speak with you privately,” I said, nodding toward the door.
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll come check on you in a bit,” she added to Esme, and I had to physically restrain myself from pulling her out of the room.
Once she was in the hallway, however, all bets were off. Cupping her cheeks in my palms, I pulled her into a searing kiss, pouring everything into that single show of affection. Celeste gasped, her silver eyes flashing before fluttering shut. She parted her lips as she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down to return my ardor. She didn’t even pause to ask what this was all about as I backed her up against the wall, kissing her until she had to pull her head back. The look in her eye told me everything I needed to know.
“Bedroom,” she whispered, her gaze briefly flickering over my shoulder to the door to Esme’s room.
If I felt rankled about that gesture, that was quickly replaced by the quickzingof excitement when I scooped her up. Celeste gasped at the show of strength and shifter speed as I hurried us up the stairs to the master bedroom. I could hear the way her pulse quickened and felt her arousal spreading. I stood in front of the door as she reached down, fumbling with the doorknob as she kept kissing me.
We’d barely gotten inside when a burst of cold air made my hair stand on end. I spun around, Celeste still in my arms as Delila Devins stepped through the open entryway. The witch was a sight, blood and soot streaked across her face and clothing.
Celeste gasped, her cheeks bright red.
“The Snowmass Pack is under attack,” Delila said, breathless. “Warlocks.” Her face morphed into an ugly sneer. “I have no doubt that they’re working for the Solar Sovereign. The Order of the Stars have sent in some back up—” she motioned to herself “— but things aren’t good out there, Fenris. They need more help.”
“Of course,” I said, setting Celeste down. “I’ll go at once.”
“What?!” Celeste exclaimed. “Wait, I’ll go with you, too,” she said to me. “You shouldn’t go alone.”
I turned and shook my head. “You should stay on the island where it’s safe,” I argued. “I have dealt with unruly warlocks before. It’s irritating, but nothing I haven’t seen before. I will come back as quickly as possible.” I paused, giving Delila a wary look before leaning down to whisper privately to my mate. “And you cannot shift, Celeste. You’re even more vulnerable now.”
She scowled. “I still have magic,” she whispered back. “And for a while, I didn’t even have that. I can take care of myself.”
“Right now, you need to continue preparing for the eclipse,” I said. “And someone needs to be here for Esme and Lyka.”
After several moments, she took a step back, giving me a single nod. “Fine,” she said. “I guess I can’t stretch my magic too thin. I don’t have any margin for error.”
“Exactly,” I said, relieved she saw it my way.
Before I could say anything else, she stepped toward me and leaned in to press a fierce kiss to my lips. “Take care of yourself,” she said. “Try not to get hurt…or die.” Celeste made a face. “I hate it when that happens.”
“So do I,” I said, kissing her back. “I will see you soon.” I turned to Delila. “I’ll gather my associates. It sounds like the Snowmass Pack will need all the help they can get.”
The cold chill of Delila’s spell was nothing compared to the frigid anger spreading from the pit of my gut outward.
