Page 31 of Fire Touched

Tomorrow, there will be a battle, and people will be killed.

If they weren’t bonded, Katherine would be able to see things clearly. That Carter doesn’t stand a chance. He might be the only heir to the Water Pack, but in reality, he’s the pup who was beaten, kidnapped, and now is standing against his whole pack rescuing their alpha. He’s small, weak, and to them, he’s on the wrong side. They’ll never do as he asks. Never back down, and that’s putting all of us in danger.

If they weren’t bonded, Katherine wouldn’t be putting herself at risk like this.

The Starlight Witches could do… something. I’ve bugged Elga about this, but Katie always glares at me. I have faith in her, in her abilities, but she keeps putting her own life on the line… for him.

Elijah catches my gaze. Small lines appear between his brows, as though he knows what I’m thinking. He turns up to his father with a smile. ‘Thanks, Dad. We’re going to all go grab dinner. Let us know if there’s anything else you need.’

Prescott smiles fondly at his son. An unfamiliar look, to me. A pang of envy stabs in my gut. ‘Thanks, kid. You guys go have a good night. Get plenty of rest. You’ll need it tomorrow. I’ll come check in on you all after breakfast in the morning.’ He squeezes Elijah’s shoulder, then turns to Moira. ‘Hey, we’re all going to protect each other, okay?’

Moira gives him a grateful smile. We all nod to the Second, then the Alpha, before we take our leave.

Just a few steps out of the alpha estate, his hand in Moira’s, Elijah gives me a hard look. ‘It’s Katherine’s choice to do this, man.’

Moira gives me a similar warning look. ‘You can’t make her back down. Nor should you.’

‘I don’t need you two ganging up on me. I didn’t even say anything.’

Elijah softens. ‘I can see it on your face.’

‘Look, as much as I would rather you and I light a fire up under some Water wolf asses, Kill, you have to respect her decisions,’ Moira says.

I lower my gaze. They’re right. I know they are. ‘Fine. Just… let me clear my head. I’ll meet you guys inside. I’m going to go for a walk.’

Elijah nudges me with a shoulder. ‘Shake it off. Like Dad said, we all protect each other, and they cannot get through the barrier now. We’ll be fine.’

I nod stiffly without feeling reassured. Sure, they can’t get in, but we can get out. What if they lure us, or trap us or something? I let out a growl, running my hand through my hair. Terran is nice and all, but with the barrier up, there isn’t a whole lot of room to run, so I haven’t shifted and run as my wolf in too long. I don’t know how the others can stand it. Katherine says my fire and my temper make me restless. Not to mention waiting for a fight.

Instead, I walk the perimeter of the boundary, watching the yellow-gold light shimmer and glow under the moonlight. There are a lot of things that could go wrong tomorrow, not the least of which is that Carter is not up to the task of talking down an entire pack of angry wolves.

The night is cool and quiet. I know I should be inside with the others. With Katherine. I should be making sure she has her fill of dinner. I should be easing her worries about tomorrow instead of dwelling on my own. I blow out a breath and strip off my shirt, deciding to go for a run to burn away some energy, then I’ll go to her.

For about half an hour, I run around the perimeter just inside the glowing barrier. When my legs start to ache, and my head feels clearer, I slow down. Resting for a moment, I stare out at the view. There’s only a small beach here, but there’s also a river. I know Katie misses the beach, but I get the impression she’s in no hurry to return to Cinder. I’m not quite sure what to do about that yet, but my gut churns at the thought of taking her somewhere she’s not happy.

A twig breaks to my right, making my head jerk up, gaze searching. Could it be a patrol of Earth Pack guards? I thought they stayed by the estate. With the barrier, they’re redundant.

‘Hello? Moira, if that’s you, and you got into the Starlight wine again, I’m in no mood to wrangle you.’

A soft, feminine laugh drifts to me. ‘I’m not Moira.’ A blonde woman steps out from behind a tree, just on the other side of the barrier.

Anger bursts in my chest. A Water wolf. I open my mouth to shout, to raise an alarm, but she holds up a hand quickly. ‘Before you do that, hear me out, just for a moment. You’re Killian, right? Hard to miss the red hair.’ I’m used to women staring at me, especially without a shirt, but her gaze never leaves my face. Her eyes remind me of ice.

I clench my jaw. ‘Who are you?’

She takes a careful step forward. ‘I’m Courtney.’ Her voice is like breaking glass. ‘Carter’s my mate. Your mate stole him.’

‘You.’ I take an angry step closer. ‘You broke my mate’s nose, you bitch.’

Courtney smiles, as though recalling a fond memory. ‘Ah, yes.’ She waves her hands. ‘That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve been watching closely all day, hoping you would come near. I have something for you.’ She holds out a bottle.

‘What the hell is that? And why would I take anything from you?’

Though Courtney’s eyes are hard and cold, something familiar flickers there. Hurt and jealousy. ‘Carter is mine.’ Her voice cracks. ‘She took him from me. I know they share some magical bond.’ She holds out the bottle. ‘This will break it. I know you hate it as much as I do.’ Her gaze bores into me. ‘As long as they are bonded, they can never truly be ours. Don’t you want Katherine all to yourself?’

I stare at her. The bottle. I should ask her what’s in it. Where she got it. Instead, I shake my head. ‘I won’t dose my mate.’

‘You don’t have to.’ Courtney inches closer, without touching the barrier. ‘Dose him. A few drops, and it will break. And she’ll be all yours, and he will come back to me.’ Tears well in her eyes, and I can tell her pain is real. ‘Take it. Please.’

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