Page 64 of The Forbidden Wolf King
‘I can’t live with that, Zara,’Axil said.‘He is of you, and therefore he is of me. Go get him and I will take care of things out here.’
I padded forward, out of the heavy saddle and nuzzled his neck with my snout.‘I love you,’I whimpered.‘Now. Forever. Always.’
We stayed like that for a moment, Raife and Kailani giving us our time to say goodbye. The importance of what he had said pressed upon me then; Oslo could be getting hurt right this moment. When I felt I had said a proper farewell, I started my shift. After changing quickly, I crouched in my human form and kissed the top of Axil’s wolf head.
Then I stood, careful to remain behind the bushes and walked up to Raife. He held my gaze, having no idea what Axil and I had said to each other.
“Axil will cause the distraction alone. You come with us and if we find the queen, we finish her. End this war.”
Raife grinned in approval but then the smile slipped from his face as he glanced at his old friend. One man taking on fifty warriors was not a fair fight.
The sound of crunching leaves pulled my attention to the right and I reached for my knife but stopped when I saw the shock of red hair.
Madelynn jumped into our little hidden bush alcove and gave Axil a lopsided grin. “Need some help? I’ve always wanted to ride on a wolf.”
Relief rushed through me and I pulled her into a hug, crushing her tightly in my arms.
“Thank you,” I whispered. I barely knew this woman but she was a very powerful fae, and alongside Axil, she might just be the only person able to help him fight that many men and keep him alive.
She squeezed me back and nodded.
Without further fanfare she leapt onto the saddle atop Axil’s back and then looked over at Kailani, Raife and me. “I heard it was going to be windy today.” She winked and then Axil took off, darting out into the open as a giant wind tunnel appeared in the field above the northern end of the gate.
“I love her,” Kailani said.
“Me too,” I added.
Raife went very still then, taking in a deep breath and pulling an arrow from his quiver. He nocked it and then looked at us. “The Nightfall queen is inside these walls. I can sense it. And I will not leave without the tip of this arrow embedded in her heart.”
It was time to seek revenge. When Zaphira took my little brother, she had no idea who she was dealing with.
EIGHTEEN
The commotion that Madelynn and Axil made at the north end of the wall allowed us to slip into the storm drain and pop out inside the city undetected. I had no pointed ears to hide, neither did Kailani, so it was just Raife who had to keep his long white hair and sharp tipped ears disguised under a hat while we were inside the human city.
There were shouts of alarm along the upper castle wall and the residents were running about quickly, closing up shops as warriors mounted horses for war. We mimicked their frantic movements, rushing through town towards an industrial area.
“What is the extent of your powers now?” Kailani whispered. “Can you make someone unlock a door or give us keys?”
Panic washed over me at the thought that getting my brother back might hinge on my using a power that I had held for a grand total of one day. “Doubtful, but I could freeze them until you stole the key,” I told her honestly.
She nodded. “That would work.”
“You think the queen is experimenting on him?” Raife asked his wife as we jogged towards the giant buildings. But his words made me stumble and I had to steady myself as I followed them, worried what Kailani’s answer would be.
“I do. I think she wants his wolf magic,” she stated and that caused my panic to increase. “Orshe knows he is the new wolf queen’s brother, and wants him as a hostage. In which case he would be in the dungeon.”
Okay, that was even more terrifying.
We kept our heads down and weaved in and out of the streets until we stood before a large brick building with giant glass windows. There were two guards patrolling the front, each holding a harpoon spear type of weapon that glinted in the light.
Kailani looked to me. “Show time.”
I steeled myself as she walked right through the gates and up to the men. They gripped their weapons, raising them slightly as she approached and I concentrated on freezing them from further movement. I envisioned them frozen like statues and then used the king’s magic to throw it over them. Their limbs ceased moving, but they were also unable to speak.
Kailani looked left and right at the passing people and reached into one of the guards’ waist belts from where she produced a set of keys.
Slipping them into her pocket, she looked back at me. “Make them walk to the side of the building with us.”
