No! Not again…My heart stopped beating.
“Dante!” Vanessa’s gasp of horror echoed behind us while D and Hannes instantly became rigid at my side, yet it was too late.
Bands of formidable, life-consuming power curled around her body, slithering over every beautiful inch of her. Eager to find her truth, they swirled, engulfing her, sensing her, discovering her while I fought the devastating memories awakening in my mind.
Her screams. Her soft olive skin turning into grey ashes. Her face rapt with terror as my love for her ended her life…
Briefly shutting my eyes, I pushed my haunting past aside before it could undo me all over again, and forced myself to look at Natasha, praying to Hecate that it would not happen again.
And then it all stopped, the shadows returning to my core without leaving a single smear on Natasha’s skin. She was still alive.
“Thank you, Goddess.”
A collective breath of relief left the others while I battled the dangerous emotions still coursing through me.
“It’s done. It’s her, Dante…” D assured as though he’d never had a doubt, but the remnants of the sliver of fear they’d experienced were still present in his and Hannes’ expressions.
“It’s done, Dante,” Hannes confirmed.
“It is done,” I concluded. Natasha was finally mine.
With the three of us protectively surrounding her, D nodded, it was time to get this over with because Bjørn was right, we needed to get the hell out of this damn mountain.
I leaned closer, letting my thumb caress the length of her cheek before I pressed my lips against her temple, the Ancient Greek words of my whispered spell working their magic.
Natasha’s eyes fluttered open.
7
NATASHA
Soothing and familiar, the sounds of the forest danced into my ears as lucidity returned to me, and my senses immediately became alive.
A myriad of enticing aromas swirled into my nostrils while the drowsiness receded. Fresh cut cedar, cinnamon, and mint followed by bright citrus, rosemary, and persimmon; and the strongest one of all, the one that had been seared in my nose as I fell asleep—pine, wild orchid, and smoked vetiver.
The three powerful, yet subtle masculine scents engulfed me, bringing me out of the darkness, and enticing my whole being. My wolf contentedly curled inside me, feeling the same serenity I experienced with the aromas.
Finally able to pull my eyes open, I welcomed the light, my gaze focusing on the faces slowly appearing. Three men crouched around me, equally sensual and striking grins stretching their lips as they watched me.
Confusion trickled through me when I noticed the man to my left lift my hand to his lips, placing a meaningful kiss on my knuckles. The bright citrusy scent of rosemary and persimmon oozed from him into my nose more fluently now, rousing everything inside me, especially my wolf. His dark, forest-green eyes and sleek obsidian hair contrasted with his lightly tanned skin, an alluring combination I had never seen.
My confusion swiftly changed once I was captured by the intimidating darkness accentuating his presence. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end just as I realized that bands of shadow exuded from his core, flowing around us as though they were alive.
Startled, I pulled my hand away and staggered back without knowing where I was, slamming my back into a large tree. “Ouch!”
“The name is Dante,Cuore mio… Dante,Lord of Twilight,” he offered, almost singing with the accent consuming his words and making my stomach flutter.
“She doesn’t give a shit, Dante,” the man to my right growled, and my attention immediately flew to him.
I would recognize that type of growl anywhere… He was a Wolf Shifter.
“Are you okay?” the shifter offered, his voice settling into a deep yet kind tenor, and only then did I realize that a German accent engulfed his words.
Was he from my uncle’s original pack too? Something told me the answer was no.
“I, um…” I mumbled, unable to do much but stare at him.
He wasn’t like theShadow Bornshifters I knew. Instead of raven-black eyes, he had cyan-blue irises, and his hair wasn’t at all dark. It was light brown with natural golden strands throughout, like slowly dripping honey. The fresh-cut cedar,cinnamon, and mint scent was definitely his, and my wolf pushed against my skin instantly, wanting me to sniff him…
