Page 14 of Hunted By Her Demon Wolves

Chapter Two

Tor took them downanother road to an even bigger section of at least three dozen houses, each with half-an-acre to acre plots, some barely visible behind the dense pines and brush. He drove them to a round stone and pine building that reminded Phoenix very much of a slightly smaller version of the Alaskan tribe’s lodge. There were several strange bronze sculptures surrounding the lodge that didn’t seem to represent Amaroki at all. There was a mama bear and her cub, a fox, a turtle, a mama deer and fawn, a fluffle of rabbits, an elk, and finally a lone wolf. Phoenix wondered if those statues had meaning, or if they’d been hastily thrown together to give off the impression they were at an art commune.

She briefly thought of her pet rabbits back in Alaska with Mihaela. Her foster mother had taken over the care of them since her little dogs had succumbed to old age. Mihaela looked after her bunnies better than Phoenix did, and her bunnies now preferred Mihaela. Ironic, a wolf mothering prey animals. In a way, Phoenix was relieved, for she knew she wouldn’t be going back to Alaska. She’d already said her secret goodbyes to her sweet rabbits before she’d left.

Butterflies swarmed in her stomach when she saw several cars and trucks were parked outside. Wasn’t this supposed to be a meeting with just the New Mexico tribal chieftains?

Phoenix gave Daeva a look as they got out of the car.Maybe they organized a welcome home party?she projected to her sister through thought, then repressed a shiver when a biting wind burned her face.

I doubt it.Daeva bit her lip, nodding toward a black SUV in the parking space in front of them.Texas plates.

Phoenix silently cursed.Our brothers?

Daeva shrugged.They have to put in an appearance, at least give the impression they care.

Phoenix groaned in response. She didn’t want to see the brothers who’d spent most of their time pretending she and Daeva didn’t exist. Jutting hands in her pockets, she followed Tor up the stone walkway, her sister and Horatiu trudging behind them. The lodge had massive columns with wolf faces carved into them, just like the ones back in Alaska.

When Tor ushered them in through the heavy double doors, she felt as if she was being marched to her own funeral pyre. She followed Tor to the top of a large circular auditorium with a stage at the bottom. She narrowed her eyes at the long table set up on the stage where several chieftains from tribes all over the country sat, her brother Magnus among them, glaring at them as if they all carried the plague.

Her gaze was drawn to Boris Lupescu, who sat in the center seat, the veins in his neck prominently protruding, his pale cheeks stained crimson, as he watched them like a hawk eyes mice. Beside him sat his mate, Eilea, an infant in her arms. Second alpha Jovan Lupescu sat on her other side, his top lip pulled back in a snarl.

The floor was drafty, and Phoenix did her best to repress a shiver. The chieftains each had steaming cups of coffee and a carafe on their table, as well as cookies and chips, but nobody offered them anything.

Phoenix felt a stab of betrayal when Tor left them on the floor of the auditorium and joined the other chieftains on the stage. So this inquisition had been planned, and Tor hadn’t the courtesy to warn them. The bench seating was all folded up, leaving them nowhere to sit, so they stood below the podium, looking up at the chieftains like convicts awaiting sentencing.

Horatiu seemed unalarmed as he folded his arms and flashed a broad smile. “Boris, Jovan,” he said to the two Romanian alphas. “Thank you for letting us have this meeting. How fortunate we are to have the ear of so many other chieftains.” There was no mistaking the venom in his tone.

Boris’s eyes were as hard as iron as he drummed his fingers on the table. “It’s not every day our race is visited by emissaries from hell.”

“Hello, Magnus,” Daeva said to their brother.

Magnus cleared his throat, looking far too uncomfortable up on that podium. His long, dark hair was now peppered with a few strands of gray, and he had fine lines framing his dark eyes. “Tori, are you well?” he asked their sister.

Phoenix tried not to be bothered that her brother had yet to acknowledge her, that his demon half-sister wasn’t even worth a ‘hello.’

“Very well, thank you,” Daeva answered, keeping her chin up, “but I go by Daeva now.”

Magnus gave her a funny look. “Daeva?”

“My ancient name,” she drawled, her smile fixed in place. “How are Annie and the kids?”

“Good.” His nostrils flared. “You smell the same.”

She cocked her head, an amused twinkle in her eyes. “What am I supposed to smell like?”

“I don’t know.” He let out a burst of nervous-sounding laughter. “Like a demon.”

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