Page 19 of The Wolf and the Chimera
Hot, bitter jealousy stole my breath. We weren’t real mates, but it didn’t make his comparison sting any less. From his crestfallen face, Ryder recognized his misstep, but I didn’t want to hear his apology.
“Believe it or not,” I said, “but I’m perfectly aware of my own weaknesses without you explaining them to me.”
Ryder sighed and crouched in front of me again.
“Then let’s do something about it,” he suggested. “Let me train you.”
“Train me?” I repeated.
Ryder nodded. “I can teach you how to fight. Someday, we’ll figure out how to get your magic under control, but until then, you shouldn’t be defenseless. Your only means of survival shouldn’t be negotiation.”
My mother had once tried to convince my father of a very similar argument. She thought he coddled me, but he always promised he’d be there to protect me. There had never been a reason to learn to protect myself.
Now, he was gone, and I wished I had listened to Mom. I wished he was here like he had always promised me he would be.
Wishing didn’t change reality.
“Okay,” I conceded. “I’ll try to learn self-defense.”
“You will,” Ryder amended. His cocky grin returned. “You’ll have the best teacher around.”
Chapter Six
Ryder
After running through the night, we finally approached the Sovereign’s estate. Exhaustion weighed on my limbs, but it was nothing compared to the aches and pains Elle had to be experiencing. Though she hadn’t complained throughout our many hours of travel, her injuries had surely left her sore.
Once again, I regretted that the vampires had outrun the other wolves. Those sadistic bloodsuckers had gotten away.
Someday,I vowed to myself,they will pay.
As we crested a grassy, steep hill, sunlight trickles across the horizon. I loathed the Sovereign, but I had to admit that he lived in style.
Hills and creeks and forests surrounded us. Hundreds of prey animals, wildflowers, and pines scented the breeze. Only a hundred yards away was Lyall’s sprawling chateau. It perched on a grassy hill, surrounded by a meticulously groomed garden. Sandstone walls arched high to the sky, in contrast to its black roofs. As we grew closer, werewolves journeyed to the structure’s many balconies to greet their Leader.
The wolves accompanying us halted, and I followed their lead. Elle slipped off my back and nearly tumbled to the ground but caught herself by clutching my fur. Worry nagged at me. She had seemed okay, but I didn’t know how susceptible to injuries she was with her powers on lockdown.
“Aren’t you going to shift?” Elle asked.
I glanced around and realized the others, includingLyall, already were changing shapes.
I stepped away from Elle and willed myself back into human form. Though my first shift had been so disorienting, I’d puked for hours, it was now a mere flash of pain. I dug my human feet into the ground to balance myself and wiggled my fingers to orient myself in my other body.
After throwing on my spare pair of jeans, I returned to Elle’s side and eyed the guards—two gray wolves—cautiously. I didn’t trust Lyall or Kalli, but something about those two set me particularly on edge.
They were twins, which was astonishingly rare for wolves. Their blond hair was fixed in matching buzz cuts, and they wore the same style of khaki pants and gray shirts. Even their stern expressions mirrored each other.
Elle watched them.
“Freaky, huh?” I whispered. “You think they have matching PJs?”
Her lips quirked. “They probably coordinate socks too.”
Their blue-eyed gazes homed in on us, and I glared at the twins. I didn’t care we’d been mocking them—I had nearly managed to make Elle smile, and they weren’t about to scare her for it.
“Kowan, Micah,” Lyall ordered, “why don’t you two run ahead and tell the others of our arrival?”
It was a bullshit order, but I was happy to see the twins leave. I only wished Lyall and Kalli would’ve gone with them. The Sovereign had changed back into his pristine clothes, though I was satisfied to see they were wrinkled after our hours of travel. Lyall ran his hand over his white shirt to no avail, and I bit back a childish smile.
