Nodding, I fold my hands. I tell myself that my previous plan is still sound: Find a way to survive the Elimination without taking on the responsibility as Mortem’s Queen and use the weapon to escape with my sisters.
At my agreement, Roman stands, and I follow suit, reaching for my bowl, intending to clean up after myself, but he swipes the empty plate away with a rush of rune energy.
When I meet his eyes, I find they’re greener than ever as he says, “I’d like to take care of you while you’re here, Nova. Allow me to give you this hospitality in my home.”
His expression is serious, and it’s creating a storm of emotions within me. A desire so strong that if I wasn’t well versed in controlling my physical needs, it might bring me to my knees. His hospitality is just a small sliver of what I want from him, but I have to focus on what’s important: learning how to use my nightmare power and training for the next trial.
Roman takes a step closer, and the green in his eyes bleeds into the black I recognize as his demon energy surging strongly. I suddenly realize that my gaze has lingered on his lips when he rumbles my name, a seductive growl. “Nova.”
He’s so close to me now, his focus on my face so complete. The air shimmers between us, and I desperately want to kiss him. We’re close enough that our powers are sparking and the need to connect with him pulses within me.
Just as Roman reaches for me, there are howls outside the cabin.
My head snaps to the right as I follow the sounds.
Demon wolves?I would know those howls anywhere. I rush to the door before I give it a second thought, but just as I’m about to wrench the door open, Roman steps between it and me, inserting his bulk in front of me.
“This land is not for the uninitiated,” he warns me gruffly. “Never open this door without me.”
A part of me bristles at this archaic, overprotective bullshit, but a larger part is logical enough to see the sense in what he’s saying. I have no true idea what could await me outside this cabin, and what I’ve encountered so far has nearly killed me.
“Are we still in the Forbidden Lands?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “We’re in the Wilds.”
He slowly opens the door.
Despite his response, I’m half-expecting to see the dark and ashy environment that is my only experience of the wilderness so far, but instead, a multitude of lush greens, all softly lit with sunlight, fill my vision. Well, the small vision I get around Roman’s large form.
Then he steps aside, and I let out a low cry, my eyes already burning with tears as I drop to my knees.
My four demon wolves all but attack me with nudges and licks, their furry bodies bumping into mine.
“Surprise,” Roman says softly, and I wonder if he wanted to open the door first to announce the presence of my wolves. Though I sense his warning is all too real.
“You said they were safe outside the city?” I choke out.
His chuckle is low and warm. “Nowhere is safer than with me. It was a challenge to keep them away while you were healing, but I couldn’t risk them interfering with my rune magic.”
I clear my throat a little, since Luca proved in Vegas how successfully he could break the immobilization rune that Roman placed on me.
Roman continues. “Apparently, my authority doesn’t extend very far when you’re hurt.”
I run my hands across Temple’s head as she presses closer, her eyes glowing so brightly, it’s near blinding.
“Grinta,” I murmur happily, gratefully, as the energy of our bond strengthens. I follow this with Blitz and Luca, both of them leaning into me on either side.
Ace is last, my ferocious wolf, but he doesn’t hesitate to take the bond today. As if he needs it as much as I do. He whines softly when our energies merge, and I close my eyes and press my head against his fur, breathing in his power and scent.
“I love you too,” I tell him, and I’m rewarded with a lick of his tongue across my cheek before he backs off and reasserts his gruff independence.
The wolves remain pressed into me for many minutes, none of them moving. We came so close to losing each other. When they finally pull away and I’m staring into their purple eyes, another set of eyes the same color fills my mind.
Glancing down at my palm, I’m surprised to find that the shimmery mark is still there. It’s light enough that without looking closely, I wouldn’t see it, but it confirms the bond I formed with Reaper. I need that with my wolves, too.
I stand and face Roman. “Is there a way for me to permanently bond with my wolves?”
“Yes,” he says simply. “But it has to come from the beast, not the demon. Your pups won’t know how to permanently bond because they’ve lived only in the human world. They won’t know how to trigger the bonding process.”
