Page 41 of Emerald Flame
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.”
~ ~ ~
Kiara didn’t know what to think. Warren was married and his wife, though still alive, was able to appear in ghost-form. She was also the woman from her nightmares.
What solidified within Kiara’s mind was the certainty that forces beyond her understanding were definitely at work pushing her toward Warren. Yet other forces were trying to pull her away.
But what did it all mean? Was she to be warned away by Tonya? Or was it a trick to lure her out of Savage just when she was needed most.
As she stared at the apparition, Kiara knew the woman was a witch and that something wasn’t right with her. She just didn’t know what she was looking at.
Death pressed on Tonya, but hadn’t taken her yet. So, how was it the witch could appear as a ghost and why wasn’t she here in Savage alongside her husband?
Tonya faced Warren once more. He ground jaw and his silver scars jerked over the side of his head. He was not happy.You need to return to your home, Tonya. Please.He spoke firmly and though he was telepathing with Tonya, Kiara could hear their conversation easily.
I don’t want to. I’m bored to tears at the asylum.
She moved past Kiara and threw herself on Warren, which had the effect of thrusting all her misty vapors straight through him.
He grimaced.You know how much I hate that.
Maybe your woman would like it better.
Don’t.The sharp command, however, had no effect. Tonya whipped in Kiara’s direction and launched.
But Kiara wasn’t a wolf.
She lifted her hand and cast a quick, protective spell. The vapors hit what looked like a solid wall and dissipated only to reform almost as quickly.
Tonya appeared enraged. Then her image suddenly grew clearer. She looked around.No. This is all wrong.She turned to meet Warren’s gaze.My darling, I’m so sorry. Forgive me for whatever this was.
With that, she disappeared.
Even the air around Kiara felt different. She turned in a full circle to make sure Tonya was no longer there just to confirm what she sensed. But she was nowhere to be seen.
She turned to face Warren. He parted his lips as though to speak, but closed them as quickly.This is not the woman I knew, the woman I married.
Kiara pivoted toward the garden and began moving slowly up the path away from the house. “Warren, I don’t understand. I can sense she has great power, but what’s wrong with her? And why doesn’t she live here in Savage, with you?”
He caught up with her and matched her stride, but he didn’t speak right away.
The garden was full of boulders and junipers and several meandering paths. Pine trees, like the ones in the Savage forest, kept the garden shaded during the day and the ground smelling sweetly from the constantly falling needles.
Though she longed to hear his response, she worked hard to let the moment breathe. Yet somehow, what he said next felt critical to her as in life-changing. If he refused to explain anything, she would know he’d closed her out and meant to keep it that way.
On the other hand, if he trusted her enough to talk about Tonya, well, her heart beat harder at what that would mean.
Warren wasn’t an easily knowable man. Over the years, she’d onlyengagedin a real conversation with him a handful of times. Each time, she’d caught glimpses of both the strong alpha leader he was and the human he’d been before hisalterwolf transformation.
She’d wanted to know more. Longed to know. Craved. But he wasn’t one to share much.
When they reached the bottom of the garden, near one of the territory’s main dirt roads, he caught her wrist in a gentle clasp then turned her toward him. “You deserve answers. But the truth is, I’ve never told anyone about my wife.”
She saw the pain in the tight pull of his cheeks and deep furrow between his brows. The silvery scars on the left side of his face rippled then relaxed.
He shoved his hand through his hair. It was sooty and the chemical smell of the recent battle clung to him as it did to her. But she wouldn’t have stopped the moment for anything.
