“Eventually, we will have the information, Nanshe. Relax for now.”
“Stubborn male.”
A buzz went through the room, and Nanshe lifted her face into the air. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, there was a broad smile on her face.
“I think I know exactly where Asherah is. And if she is there, she’s safer than any of us could ever be. Let’s get Kallan healed and then we can leave.”
“A portal again?” Carlo hoped she wouldn’t say yes, but from the look on her face he knew it was a ridiculous wish.
“Of course, we are in the Chaos Realm.”
Fucking Chaos Realm.
Chapter Twelve
––––––––
“HE WILL HAVE TO RESThere for a while, but I've put him in a magic-induced coma so the healing will happen faster.”
Carlo was in awe of Nanshe’s skills. The Norn had taken only a short time to get Kallan rested comfortably in a spare room, his wounds magically healed on the outside already, and put in a state of status to make sure he was sound internally. Apparently, Skuld’s magic could disrupt someone’s insides if she pierced one of their magical cores. It was something Carlo had never heard of.
“So what is this magic cord you were talking about?”
“The Fae are built differently as they are the founts of the original magic humans now rely on. The magic within them is stored in different points, their Meridian lines, and looks like little golden cores within the body. The ability to affect those takes high levels of magical concentration. Skuld can affect them if she pierces one directly or uses her smoke to do so. But doing that takes a lot out of her, so it is a last resort or trump card she uses to protect her inner sanctum. It's how I knew she was not actually here and something was wrong,” Nanshe explained.
Her brilliant platinum hair slipped over her shoulder as she smiled hesitantly. “I wish I had realized sooner. If I had, maybe the battle would not have had to be so fierce, or I would have known we were searching in the wrong place. I've never known Skuld to leave her tower and be elsewhere. It makes me worry about what she is planning to do.”
Teague stepped further into the room and moved to sit at Kallan’s side. “He seems more comfortable and no longer in pain, so I'm happy for that.” Teague looked over his shoulder. “Carlo, would you mind telling me more about why you're bothered by the Chaos? I'm not one of the wolves so I'm not privy to your history, but it seems pretty important.”
“I am interested too,” Lennox added. “Kalinda watches out for her wolves’ information, and I understand why she does that, but seeing how you affected the Chaos portal earlier makes me wonder about your connection with the Chaos.”
Carlo sighed. He knew this was coming, eventually. Even the wolves who knew his story and a bit of what happened to him still wondered how he was so greatly affected by the Chaos Realm in the first place. To be honest, Carlo wasn't exactly sure what happened. He’d never tried to explain it before, but he would try now. Maybe having Nanshe with them would help shed some light on it.
“To be honest, I don't understand how I could affect the portal. Back in the 1950s, I was made by Arturo. Most of you know he is my cousin. He is a Born wolf, but he didn't know about many that were like him. And he was also a Mafia man. He had plans to increase his strength by having his own pack, and he wanted those closest to him to be trustworthy. By turning his own men into wolves, he hoped that's what he would achieve. We already know what ended up happening with Primo and his betrayal. I was different though.”
Carlo raked his hands through his hair, the memory making his skin crawl. “I was a fighter even then and was larger than most of the human males around us. Arturo knew I could become a great second-in-command for him, what some packs call a Beta. When I was first bitten, I didn’t worry about if I was going to survive the bite or not. I was cocky, self-assured, and knew my human body was strong enough to at least survive that. We wanted to pay more attention to my first shifting when it came to my first full moon. As the days grew closer, we knew something was wrong.”
