Page 67 of The Wolf and the Chimera
“Itismade of ice,” Ryder grumbled.
Though a smile tugged at my lips, I elbowed him in the ribs. Mom looked over her shoulder and eyed us with interest, and I stiffened. For so long it had just been the three of us. I wanted Ryder beside me, but looping someone else into our circle was awkward.
Instead of meeting Mom’s gaze, I studied the glacial entryway. In the broad hallway, artwork adorned the walls, and despite being made of ice, the floor was not slick. Wejourneyed deeper into the castle and passed a courtyard, separated from the interior by more towering pillars. Now that I was dry, the cold had abated, and I wondered how the castle held its shape in the comfortable temperatures.
As we approached a bend in the hall, a musky scent hung in the air, and the werewolves halted and growled. Ryder jerked in front of me with his claws out, and Kieran, Melanie, and Bo surrounded me. My parents faced us with confused expressions that mirrored my own.
“What is thatscent?”Kieran demanded.
“It’s musky,” I muttered.
Ryder arched a brow. “You can smell it?”
Around the corner, something snarled.
Circe sighed. “Please try not to fit the stereotypes and fight like cats and dogs. My pets won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.”
“It’s safe,” Dad promised. His dark eyes glittered. “I wouldn’t bring my daughter to a place that wasn’t.”
Ryder and the other wolves hesitated, and I gently grasped Ryder’s arm. Odd smell or not, we desperately needed to learn whatever Circe knew.
“C’mon,” I said. “If Dad says it’s safe, then it’s safe.”
Ryder grumbled something under his breath but relented. After retracting his claws, he grasped my hand, and we followed Circe through an archway and into a domed room.
As I met the amber gaze of a monstrously large male lion, my breath caught in my throat. Ryder squeezed my hand, and the other wolves pressed closer to me. The beast lounged on a red velvet chaise and studied us for only a moment before lowering his head to rest on his paws. His golden mane gleamed.
Three other lions prowled around the room, each of them large and muscular and utterly bored. Next to a burning fireplace, one yawned and exposed its huge teeth.
Melanie’s blue eyes shone with power. “Why are therelionseverywhere?”
“The legends are true,” Bo said in his quiet, deep voice. “You really can turn men into beasts—permanently.”
Circe chuckled. “Oh, honey, these beasts aren’t men—I turn those nasty creatures into pigs.”
Though I hadn’t expected the ancient witch to be a damsel, her power alarmed me. Aside from the lions, flames burned in an icy fireplace without melting anything. From the domed ceiling, in the center of the mural that depicted ancient battles and winged creatures hung a ball of orange light, which glowed like a miniature sun.
“Your power,” I whispered. “It’s strong enough to rival that of the sorceress.”
Circe rolled her eyes and walked toward the chaise. She shooed the lion, and he bounded off the furniture with a groan.
“Thesorceress,”Circe mocked. “Such a ridiculous title she gave herself, but my niece always had a flare for the dramatics. Please, sit. We have much to discuss.”
With a snap of her fingers, two ornately crafted chairs appeared across from the chaise, as well as another couch. Ryder led me to the corner of the couch farthest from Circe. Rather than sharing the chaise with the witch, Melanie, Bo, and Kieran squeezed onto the couch beside us, and my parents claimed the two chairs. I tried to ignore the way my father eyed the gap between us.
What did he expect me to do? Sit on his lap like a child?
After our time separated, part of me wanted to, but the stronger part of me insisted on not showing weakness in front of Circe.
Luckily, Circle launched into the discussion without preamble.
“With my aid,” she said, “you can destroy Medea before she destroys the world.”
“How?” Ryder insisted.
Circe arched a dark brow. “I had forgotten how impatient shifters are.”
Shifters,I noted,not werewolves.
