Page 64 of The Rowan's Stone
After we drive off, I search the countryside, and sure enough, a wolf is running parallel to the car, tracking us.
“Did you ever get a reply back from the alphas?” I ask Theron, pointing to the wolf.
“One alpha claimed the wolf as his, but he isn’t able to call him back to the pack,” he answers, his sure hands easily controlling the powerful car as he takes the next turn faster.
“Hmm, that’s interesting,” I muse. “I wonder what makes a wolf able to resist their alpha’s call?” Picking up my phone, I text Astor. I’m sure he knows a wolf or two he can ask or torture.
38
ARDEN
Yawning, I make my way from Theron’s room to mine and think about Valerian’s return to The Abbey. According to my phone, he should be here in an hour or two. When I talked to him on video conference yesterday, he walked me through all the changes he’d made to his kingdom.
There’s a new council in place, with two elders leading it. The elders voted for two new positions to be instated and held by younger members to balance out the representation of the people. One of the new elders is Glynnis, and one of her grandsons is representing the younger population. All of the laws were reviewed and voted on by the people. Plus, Valerian made sweeping changes to the guards and implemented a new training regimen for all dragons.
Training is desperately needed. With Valerian in charge, the kingdom has experienced an unprecedented period of peace. When he fought the dissenter, he was appalled at how inept he was and wants to be sure his people can protect themselves from threats.
His eyes shine with determination and power, and his people are responding to it. He was worried about telling me his plans to regularly visit in the future, but I assured him we’d make it work. I’d go with him when I could, but I had responsibilities and other individuals to consider. With a glint in his eye, he chuckled and casually referenced the other four individuals who also had a claim on my time. I blushed but didn’t contradict him.
Getting up, I dress in workout clothes. It’s been a couple of days, and I’ve missed training. Opening the door, I almost run into Meri, who is standing in front of my door.
“Surprise!” she shouts, pulling me into a hug. “Daire graciously helped me set this up.”
I spy Daire in the elevator with an amused smirk on his face. Winking at him, I turn to Meri and pull her into my room.
She waves a hand over her face. “Seriously, I’d do him in a second.” She peeks over at me. “Have you?”
“It’s interesting how you pick men. Would you do any of the others?” I’m curious to hear what she thinks about the cadre, and I want to avoid answering her question. Daire and I are too new to discuss without Meri going overboard.
Pondering the question, she answers, “They’re all hot as hell, but I have to say only Daire is my type—sinfully seductive and powerful.” She shivers. “Theron’s too formal and icy, Valerian’s a beast but he’s too nice, Astor is dark and moody, too similar to the men in my neighborhood, and Fallon, he’s too focused on doing good deeds. I like my men kind of bad, a lot arrogant, and with a couple of questionable morals.”
“Interesting,” I murmur. On the surface, they’re pretty accurate descriptions until you get to know them. “Is Cormal your type?”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “Cormal definitely falls into the category of hell yes, but he’s more interested in running the criminal kingdom he’s built.” She sighs and licks her lips. “I’d do him in a heartbeat, though.”
“So he is the man Fallon knows,” I exclaim. “I wondered when I heard you say his name the other day. I’d ask how you know him, but I have a feeling you won’t tell me.”
“It’s for the best,” she says, giving me a pleading look. “I dropped by with some news. According to my guardian’s information, the Primary is a supernatural who’s chosen by the primal source of all magic for a specific task. The last known Primary was chosen over four thousand years ago. She doesn’t know who it is, but four thousand years is a long time, so they’re pretty fucking old and powerful. My guardian thinks the timing is odd, so she’s still searching for information. She’s all in and running me ragged. Believe me, I’m leaving here to go get another book.”
“It does seem like a long time has passed if they were chosen to complete a task,” I murmur, my thoughts wandering to my attempted assassinations. With my living almost a hundred percent at The Abbey, there hasn’t been one in a while, which is a huge relief. “Thanks for letting me know. And, Meri, if the task gets dangerous at any time, back off. You’re more important, okay?”
She shrugs and avoids my eyes. “Everything’s a little dangerous,” she remarks. “What’s been going on with you? Did you show the grimoire to the witches’ council?”
“Yes, but Caro’s reaction was pretty subdued,” I tell her. “She already knew the MacAllisters existed, but she didn’t know they were the first witches, a little known fact that blew everyone’s mind.” I chuckle.
“I bet it did. Hard to feel superior when you’re not first,” she says snidely. “How did the visit to the light Elven kingdom go?”
My smile dims, and she frowns. “Not great. My ancestor is probably dark Elven. Fallon is my mate, but he’s not exactly happy about my background. His father is mad, crazy not angry, and he’s flipping out about me too. Fallon hasn’t called or texted in days. I’m trying to give him space to handle his father, but I’m getting kind of pissed he hasn’t reached out. It’s a mess.”
“Asshole,” Meri mutters. “He needs to let go of his rose-colored glasses and deal with his father.”
Shrugging, I agree, but I’m willing to give it some time. “I was heading down to grab a coffee when you arrived, do you want one?”
“No,” she replies, wrinkling her nose. “I’ve had three cups already, and I’m bouncing off the walls. I wouldn’t mind some water, though.”
It takes me a few minutes, and when I get back, I hear her talking on the phone. Reaching for the knob, I freeze when I hear the word “journal.” Putting my ear to the door, I listen in on her conversation.
“It’s a journal by a witch named Agnes MacAllister… It’s a story of their origins and information about the massacre. I don’t know.” I hear her sigh. “Hold on… It says something about a stone powered by blood and flame. That’s what it says. It’s hard to read. No, I’m not going to steal it. She would miss it and know it was me. I’ll take a few pictures.”
