Seath would guess that if he could scent Lycan there would be the air of distress around him right now. Trav’s hand moved in slow circles of comfort.
“Don’t worry,” Serepta said gently from her corner. “I’m a witch Lycan, and I can see some of the magic around you. Your wolf is there, but he’s bound. He’s not lost.”
Lycan nodded. “I feel him.” He said simply, absently rubbing his chest. “But . . .” A worried, sorrowful look crossed Lycan’s big green eyes, “are you sure? He’s there?”
It was the first thing Lycan had asked of them. Not where he was or who they were or how he got there. He had been there for over a week and that was his first question. The magic that bound him must bind his wolf, as well.
Seath felt his own wolf rise up, straining to reach out to the hurting omega. He couldn’t shift here. There was no room, for one thing, but his wolf was right under the surface wanting to wrap itself around Lycan and find his wolf until it joined them. His own wolf was part of him, a connection that bound him to another part of himself, another part of his very nature. Being cut off from it would be its own kind of torture.
“He’s there, Lycan,” Serepta reassured.
Seath took a deep breath at the look of hope that quickly flitted across Lycan’s beautiful, but still downcast face. They had asked enough for now, but somehow he had to get this shifter his wolf back. If nothing else.
Chapter five
Enter a Curious Vampire
“Easy,littlewolf,”theicy smooth voice said. “I’m Pack.”
Lycan’s heart thumped wildly in his chest as he blinked himself out of sleep, and he didn’t feel Trav again at his side; the touches now more bearable and enjoyable than they were the first few times. It was almost addictive—touches after so long without anything like that sort of kindness—but Alpha and Luke knew to be careful and weren’t giving him too much at once. Lycan still craved it, though, but Luke told him the craving would ease.
That wasn’t the issue right now, the issue was the vampire in the room. His icy presence was all that was there, with Trav’s energetic warmth gone. Lycan could feel the cold in the room, whatever was going on with his senses not encompassing the vampire and how the temperature dropped.
Suddenly, the vamp moved next to him. His wolf eyesight was not affected by whatever it was that affected the rest of him. He tracked the movements of the vamp, even at his speed. The vampire undoubtedly noticed.
“I’m Caine,” the creature said. He was beautiful, Lycan supposed. In the way that all his kind appeared to be. A marble statue come to life, although the smile Caine offered him appeared to be genuine.
Caine had dark hair and brown eyes so dark they almost looked black. But his face was beautiful, making someone forgive the eyes. He also had ever-present youthfulness that didn’t seem to match the confidence that emanated off of him, unless you factored in the fact he was vampire.
He looked royal, Lycan thought.
“My name is Lycan, exalted one,” Lycan replied smoothly.
Caine gave a nod to the honorific.
“Relax,” Caine said, sitting down on the bed, on what seemed to be the place everyone sat when they came into Lycan’s room. “You should just call me Caine.”
Lycan nodded and kept his eyes averted, to the left, although he wanted to stare.
Caine laughed, a sound like little bells tinkling. He carefully placed a long finger under Lycan’s chin and tilted it up.
Caine pulled back from his inspection when he noticed how Lycan submitted to it so easily. And tutted under his breath.
“Oh, Little Wolf,” Caine sighed, and lightly ran a hand down Lycan’s cheek. Dutifully, Lycan raised his hand, wrist up to the vampire.
Caine smiled and ran his nose over it, the proper vampire greeting, although the last time someone had properly addressed him in that way, the offer of the wrist or the correct form of address, was something he hadn’t experienced since well over three hundred years ago, at least.
“Couldn’t stay away, Caine?”
Lycan moved to duck his head as Alpha’s voice filled the room. Caine laughed again, his eyes running over Lycan’s flushed face, but he didn’t move the strong hand keeping Lycan’s face tilted up. The vampire’s face looked as amused as Seath’s voice. Something flicked across his face as he studied Lycan’s reaction to Seath’s entrance.
“Oh no,” Caine replied. “This Little Wolf may provide endless entertainment.”
Caine barely gave a glance at the low growl from Seath at his words.
Lycan frowned, unsure what to make of the interactions of the Legate and vampire. Still, those words had a certain conclusion one could draw. As nice as everyone had been, he was still to be entertainment, then.
“Not in that way, Little Wolf,” Caine said gently, noticing that rather than look panicked or fearful of how his comments could be taken (wouldbe taken, Caine guessed after seeing Lycan’s reactions) Lycan looked resigned. Seath’s reaction was curious, too. The Pack Legate was often fierce in his protection of anyone considered Pack, but this Little Wolf had just arrived.
