Page 91 of Season of the Wolf

“Permission to shoot?” I heard one of the guards say, his voice followed by the distinct chirp of a walkie talkie. My heart raced with that question, knowing it would only be a matter of seconds before a response came back, giving him the go-ahead to take Nick down.

Or … at least totry.I wasn’t completely convinced therewasa way to stop him.

Not if this was his destiny, a fate forged in magic centuries ago.

“We need answers,” Hilda’s voice rang out again, this time louder than before as she moved me further back into the foyer, giving her access to Liam.

He was tense, full of rage as his body somehow appeared larger than usual. Beneath his skin, red trails pulsed through his fists, up his arms, the veins of his neck, dispersing at his rock-solid jaw.

It wasn’t far from my mind that he was different, that we still hadn’t seen all the changes his new transformation brought forth. But as he stood before me now, the difference could definitely be felt.

His new strength called to my dragon stronger than I ever experienced. She seemed to feed off his heightened energy, making me antsy as my heart raced.

“Liam,” Hilda said gently as the soldier asked for permission once more, bringing the situation to an urgent crescendo. “He’s been activated,” she reasoned. “Shouldn’t we find out why?”

Her inquiry went unanswered as Liam’s stare never left Nick.

“I need a moment with him,” Hilda insisted, finally managing to slip past Liam, and out onto the porch.

My lips parted to speak, to stop her, but Elise got the words out first.

“Are you insane? He’ll tear you apart just to get to Evangeline,” she warned.

Managing to peer past the massive arm of my warrior, I watched her—my fearless aunt who saw beyond the chaos of the moment, and saw an opportunity.

My heart raced twice as fast now, praying this didn’t end badly for her.

But then, a strange wind seemed to kick up out of nowhere, knocking bare branches against one another, creating such a ruckus it became difficult to hear. Trees shuttered and almost groaned with the force of it.

Hilda’s steps down the walkway toward the wall were unhurried, unfazed by Nick’s display of power. She showed no signs of concern whatsoever.

That’s when I noticed the change in Nick, how tension left his limbs, his expression. In a way he was suddenly … submissive. As if he’d been lulled into this state.

Magic. She used magic to quiet him long enough to gather whatever information she sought.

“Nicholas,” she called out, raising her voice to be heard over the sudden wind. “I need you to explain what you’re experiencing?”

The guards turned, passing an incredulous look Hilda’s way for having asked such a simple question, but she didn’t falter.

“What are you seeing?” she went on. “Or feeling. Or … hearing?”

Some of the awareness seemed to return to Nick, but the blind rage settled just beneath the surface. He blinked, finally focusing on Hilda more than the bloodlust.

“Is it the sound?” she went on, trying to help him pinpoint what I guessed must have been a myriad of sensations attacking him all at once.

To my surprise, he nodded—the first coherent action I’d seen from him since I opened the door.

“What do you hear?” she asked next.

His eyes closed, shielding their blue centers while he worked to calm himself. It was still clear he didn’t want this, didn’t want to be the monster fate had damned him to become.

“It was … like electricity at first, but now it’s …different.” he explained, his voice still not sounding like his own. It was deep and raw, animalistic.

“Different how?” Hilda shot back.

That otherworldly wind howled now, swallowing Nick’s answer before I could hear. When I touched Liam’s arm, intending to move him, a stern look was cast over his shoulder, landing on me.

“You’re not going out there,” he asserted, making no apologies for not bending to my will.

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