To her surprise, he reached out, took her face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers. It was a firm but brief kiss, one she was becoming accustomed to because he did it so often. Apparently, Wadim liked kissing her.
“You’re amazing,” he said when he pulled back. He ran a thumb across her cheek and simply stared at her for a few heartbeats before finally dropping his hands. He grabbed the arm of the chair she sat in, pulled her closer to him, and then pointed to the screen. “Right now, I am simply going through any and all records I can. The problem is I only have the history of the wolves. I don’t have the records of all the supernaturals like the djinn do.”
“The djinn have all the history?” Zara’s eyes widened. “As in all, all?”
He nodded. “They are the history keepers of the supernatural races. I know it’s mind blowing because it seems impossible. But how is it possible that I am a man who can turn into a wolf? How is it possible vampires exist?”
“Do they have an archive system the way you do?”
He shook his head. “As far as I know, they have history keepers who have an ability, supernatural obviously, to keep all the information in their minds. I don’t even know if they fully understand how they can possess so much in their minds. Maybe their brain structure is different, and therefore they process and store information in a way the rest of us can’t understand.”
Zara considered his words and thought it was as good an explanation as they were going to get without asking a djinn. “So what are you looking for in theCanis lupusarchives?”
He scrolled through the pages of information, which was written in a language she didn’t know. When Zara looked at his face, she saw his eyes moving inhumanly fast across the screen. He was reading at an unbelievable speed.
“I need to figure out why they want Sally so badly, or a healer in general. And do they need other supernaturals just as badly,” he answered. “Is there something that makes it important for them to have the power of certain supernaturals, or all of them, or what?” She heard the frustration in his voice growing as he scanned the pages. “I can’t believe I’m unable to find anything in all the information we have recorded. If we knew why they wanted her, then maybe it would give us an advantage. We could predict how they are going to try and use her. Maybe we can do something to prevent it.”
“Are there historians in other packs?” Zara had no clue how the packs were organized. She was still learning how the Romanian pack worked, so she hoped it wasn’t a stupid question, but she really wanted to help him. She didn’t like seeing him so stressed, feeling as though the fate of everything depended on him finding the right information.
“I’m an idiot,” Wadim said as he dropped his head down.
“I’m going to have to disagree with that, sir,” Zara said as she poked his side. He was very ticklish, and she loved to exploit it when she could.
“Why didn’t I think of asking the other historians to look through their archives?” He groaned as he pulled out his cell phone. His fingers moved swiftly across the keys.
Zara smiled. She liked that she’d been able to do something useful. Short of feeding him, she had no clue what she could do. Now, maybe she’d done something with the small suggestion that would take a bit of pressure off his shoulders.
“Thank you,” he said as he set the phone down and laid a hand on her leg, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I was so focused on what I needed to do that I didn’t even consider asking others for help.”
“I’m glad I could help,” Zara said.
“You help by simply being here.” His eyes began to glow as he looked at her. His wolf wanted to assert his opinion. “You’re everything, mate.” His voice was rougher than usual, and there was a slight growl. “Just having you nearby helps us focus. When you aren’t close, we are constantly thinking about where you are and if you are safe.”
Zara reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Along with the tickling, she’d also discovered that Wadim and his wolf loved it when she stroked his hair. “Then I am glad I am here if that’s what you need.”
Wadim leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. He hummed his enjoyment, and Zara grinned. Sometimes, even in his human form, he seemed more animal than man. When his eyes opened, they no longer glowed. “I sent a text to the historians in the Colorado, Missouri, and Italian packs. If we don’t have anything in the next twenty-four hours, I’ll reach out to some of the others. I don’t want to get everyone worked up by reaching out to all of them. Vasile has enough people looking to him to fix this issue. He doesn’t need the other alphas around the world giving their two cents.”
Zara couldn’t begin to imagine the pressure Vasile felt. She was glad he had Alina, who was so strong and caring. If anyone could give their mate the support he needed, it was her.
“Do you think you could grab a few hours of sleep?” Zara asked. “No offense, but you’re beginning to look more like a racoon than a wolf.” She ran her finger under his eyes where dark circles were beginning to form.
He grabbed her hand and nipped her fingers playfully. “Rest is definitely in order. None of us is any good if we are exhausted.”
He entwined their fingers and pulled her to her feet. Zara walked at his side, their shoulders brushing as they headed for their room. She still got nervous when they were getting ready for bed, but once they were laying down and he had his arms wrapped tightly around her, keeping her safe, she was fine. She hated that she was still uneasy around him. She knew Wadim would never hurt her. She knew he would accept her and thought she was beautiful. But some scars run deep and take longer to heal.
“Quit beating yourself up,” he said softly as he pushed the door to their room open. “You’re here. We’re together. That is enough. If it is all we ever have, it is enough.”
Tears filled her eyes as he once again amazed her at his ability to say what she needed to hear, and because of their bond, she knew without a doubt that he meant it. He wasn’t just placating her with pretty words. After everything they’d gone through only months before, with the darkness that her captor had left in her mind, Wadim still wanted her.
Wadim suddenly swung her up into his arms and tossed her onto the bed. Zara laughed but quickly stifled it when he took his shirt off and tossed it at the end of the bed. Like all the males of theCanis lupusrace,he was muscular and quite nice to look at.
“You’re drooling,” he said with a wicked grin.
Zara rolled her eyes. “You wish.”
He climbed into the bed like a prowling tiger and then settled in, turning her so that her back was pressed to his chest. He buried his face in her hair and practically purred. “This is the best thing in my life,” he said, his voice a little muffled.
“What?”
