Page 86 of His to Hunt

CHAPTER 25

Victor

I’m myself again, now that the frenzy is gone, but that just makes me want to protect my mate more than ever.

Things are taking hold inside me I don’t want to fight; feelings, emotions, and instincts that have been dormant my entire life. They were waiting for a mate, but I guess they didn’t give up like the rest of me did. They still lingered, hoping Mother Fate had a plan. Except I didn’t expect to get caught up in Ishtar’s ancient plan in the process.

It takes Ingrid and Saul time to track down the ingredients. Most of it is easy, except the aura root and fire manna. Ingrid found enough information in old legends to figure out where to look for the aura root. Saul tracked down a scholar who provided the recipe for fire manna. I expected manna to be some sort of bread, but it’s just a weird paste. I wouldn’t want to eat it. Finally, after a tense few days, we were ready.

Seven rituals to reincarnate Mother Nature. Sure, that sounds like a fun way to spend my spare fucking time. But everyone is invested in this, including my mate. I’m not sure what the universe looks like when it’s balanced. I suppose, I hope, it means there will be no wolves longing for mates if Mother Fate has more time available.

And time definitely seems to be at her disposal. That’s one part of this I don’t understand. Finn froze time, then manipulated it in some way to get rid of the silver. If Mother Fate’s emissary can do that, she should be able to do a lot more. Maybe doing both jobs is too taxing. I don’t fucking know.

“Okay, we have everything now,” Taryn says, biting her lip and lifting her eyes to mine. “All we have to do is light a fire and add a drop of my blood.”

“You’re still sure you want to light up an old cave? That’s where you think eternal sunshine should go?” I ask curiously, glancing at her.

“Just a cavern,” she replies. “I’ll tell you more about it on the way. It’s got some natural light already, but a little more wouldn’t hurt. And if this creates some kind of giant fireball, it’s best we contain it underground, right?”

“I suppose so,” I mutter. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d want to light up permanently like that. It could cause public confusion and even get the government involved.”

“Yeah well, we don’t have a Garden of Eden around here,” she laughs, gathering her things. “Ready to go?”

“Not really, but we have to do this,” I sigh, sliding on my shirt.

I’d much rather drag Taryn back to the bedroom and tear her clothes off. Fuck every hole while she screams my name. That’s what a wolf is supposed to do when he finds his mate. Instead, we’re caught up in something way bigger than us.

We leave the penthouse and Taryn gives me directions while I drive us to the old cavern. She said she would tell me more about it, and we’ve got plenty of time.

“So, you used to spend a lot of time in this cave when you were young?” I ask, looking over at her.

“Shana and Madison didn’t come to my grandmother’s house often, but when they did, we always used to sneak away,” she says, smiling a little at the memory. “I couldn’t get away with anything at her house, and she wasn’t afraid to cut a switch if I tried.”

“Ah, so you’ve always been a naughty girl?” I chuckle.

“Sometimes,” she says, laughing under her breath, then she leans forward and points. “Next right. That should take us past my grandmother’s house and the cave isn’t far from there.”

“What happened to your grandmother’s place anyway?” I ask, glancing over at her. “Do you still own it?”

“Me? No,” she sighs. “My grandmother left everything to her son… my uncle. He sold the property to some developers, I think. I’m not sure.”

I notice Taryn’s demeanor change as we get closer to her grandmother’s house. There aren’t many houses out this way. I’m not sure what a developer would want with the property, unless it was a steal. They’d want the land more than the house if they were planning to build something out here.

Taryn’s scent changes enough for me to notice. I’m not as attuned to it as I was during the mating bond and the frenzy, though. Now it’s just more of an awareness.

“Are you okay?” I ask quietly, my voice laced with concern.

“Yeah, just lots of memories,” she replies, wiping her eyes. “That’s my grandmother’s house.”

I slow down as we approach, partially because I want to get a better look, and partially because I notice there’s a real estate sign in the front yard.

“Looks like it’s for sale,” I observe.

“It looks… exactly the same,” she murmurs. “I thought they were going to flip it or something. They didn’t even paint it.”

“Do you want to get a closer look?” I ask, bringing the SUV to a stop. “I doubt anyone will ask, but if they do, we can just say we’re potential buyers.”

Taryn stares out the window for a long moment. “Um, yeah. I may never get a chance to see it again.”