Page 16 of Echo Of A Wolf

Cold dread settled in my core as Xander stepped closer, erasing the tiny bit of space I’d inserted between us.

“Astrid, I thought you were better than that,” he said in an almost teasing tone.

Before I could respond, I felt a familiar nudge inside my head. It was almost as though my brain suddenly itched, and I knew exactly what it meant.

Fear paralyzed me.

There was only one person who’d ever been able to get inside my head like that, but he was dead.

How did Xander have access to Lucius’s ability?

The thought swirled through my head, causing my raven to bristle. She didn’t care how, all she wanted was for me to get out of here—to set her free—but I was too scared to do anything.

Another nudge propelled through my head. This one was more forceful than the last, but not strong enough to overtake me. One look at my brother had me realizing that he knew this.

He was toying with me.

A smirk had formed on his face. The sight caused my raven to go crazy. She urged me again to give way to her so she could getus out of here because she could also sense there was something seriously wrong with him.

I ignored her, though.

Flying away wouldn’t get me the answer I needed. It wouldn’t let me know if this was truly my brother or some twisted doppelganger with Lucius’s abilities. Staying put was the only way to figure that out. Staying also meant that I needed to fight.

Lifting my chin defiantly, I locked eyes with Xander. However, that was as close as I got to fighting him because in that next instant, my brain felt like it was being hit by a jackhammer repeatedly. I screamed, my hands clutching the sides of my head while I fell to my knees.

“Xander,” I whimpered. “Stop.”

“Xander isn’t here anymore,” he whispered, before amping things up, making my head feel like it was about to explode.

Tears trickled from the corners of my eyes as I gripped my head tighter, the pressure building to unbearable levels. Even if I wanted to give way to my raven now, I wouldn’t be able to. She felt everything I was.

The pain was crippling.

Another scream worked its way up my throat. My senses became overwhelmed, and I felt as though I was on the verge of passing out.

“Stop!” I managed to scream again.

I lifted my gaze to meet his and noticed the twisted look of pleasure spreading across his face. I knew then that no amount of pleading would save me. My vision blurred as the assault on my mind taxed my body, and the pain became too much. Panic pulsed through my veins.

I’d seen this before.

Lucius had punished those who fought against his control like this. It was how he’d kept us all in line. I’d never witnessed him kill someone this way, though.

However, Xander felt like he was doing just that—killing me.

Was this how I died? At the will of my older brother?

8

DEAN

Iwoke abruptly to my heart racing and my body drenched in sweat. My hand smoothed over my face while I struggled to forget the nightmare I’d had. Everything had felt so real. Lucius had been there.

Of course he had.

That fucker would haunt my dreams forever.

As I lay in bed, I thought I heard something outside. The sound was faint, but it was enough to make me tense. I strained to listen, my heart pounding in my chest. My wolf was on high alert, sensing that something was off. An instinctual unease prickled at the edges of my consciousness.

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