Page 81 of The Wolf and the Chimera
Glorious strength and heat coursed through my veins.My vision sharpened, and I viewed the world with harsh clarity. Instinct guided my steps. I leaped across holes and rocks with swiftness I could never possess as ahuman.
As I hurtled over a fallen branch, the world shifted beneath my feet, and I careened into warm sand. As the breath was knocked from my lungs, my chimera’s strength disappeared. Without an ounce of supernatural grace, I rolled across the ground. When I finally lurched to a stop, I growled at the familiar shadow towering across me.
Spitting sand out of my mouth, I braced my hands on the ground and forced myself onto my feet. Wearing a bemused expression and picking at her perfect nails, Circe stood over me.
“Can you move on to working on your daylight magic,” she drawled, “or do you need to take a break?”
Though she asked it casually, I recognized her question for what it was—another test. The witch had put me through hell and wanted to see if I would resent her for it or rise to the occasion. Judging by the look on her face, she expected me to do the former.
I dusted the sand of my clothes and lifted my chin.
“I don’t need a break,” I said.
The witch flashed a rare, genuine smile.
“Then let us continue,” she declared.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ryder
As Kieran, Bo, and Melanie chatted, I tapped my fingers against the rickety, wooden table. For hours, we had trained in a gym Imogen and Lee had led us to. Lee had tried to goad me into wielding my dominance, but I had refused. Despite what Circe had told me I needed to do, something in me recoiled from honing the dominance in my blood.
I had long ago accepted the responsibility of an Alpha’s power. Dad had drilled into me that the ability to wield one’s will over their pack should never be taken lightly.
I wasn’t ready to accept the burden of such power over all wolves.
After hours of conditioning and hand-to-hand combat, Kieran had declared his stomach would implode unless he ate something. Melanie and Bo had quickly seconded his opinion.
The Guardians had led us into the kitchen, where platters of meat, cheese, crackers, bread, and fruit were spread across a vacant table. They sat at a table across the room and spoke quietly among themselves. Considering I couldn’t discern their conversation, they were clearly aware of werewolf hearing.
Through tall windows, the afternoon sun painted the sandstone floors in light. Pitchers of water and wine sat on the long, kitchen counter. After our group had guzzled down mostof the water, it had magically replenished itself with a small flash of light. The food had magically reappeared as well.
My friends had ogled at Circe’s tricks, but they only frustrated me. It was impossible to know if my mate had yet taken a break from her training.
If she’s surviving it.
Circe didn’t seem to care as much about Elle’s life as she did about making sure she was strong enough to defeat the sorceress. She didn’t care about Elle—she cared about the chimera.
“You all right?” Kieran asked.
I jolted into the present, and realized claws had formed on my tapping fingers. I jabbed one of them into a square of cheddar cheese, popped it into my mouth, and nodded.
“Peachy,” I grumbled.
Kieran rolled his eyes. “If I’m this much of a worrywart when I find my mate, you have my full permission to slap me.”
Melanie snorted and swigged from her glass of water.
“Oh, yeah?” she teased. “What if this mate of yours is as handsome as Elle is pretty?”
Handsome?
Kieran stiffened, and Melanie’s smile dropped. Her gaze darted to mine and back to her friend’s.
“Shit,” she muttered and cleared her throat. “Shit, Kieran, I forgot.”
Though witches and vampires treated sexuality as fluid, werewolves were family oriented. Mating with the same sex didn’t lead to pups. In the best circumstances, it was tolerated but stigmatized, and in the worst, it led to exile.
