Shadow of the Wolf

Chapter Eight

Christopher got back from his run to find all three of his brothers waiting for him.

“Any problems?” Gareth held out his pants with a smirk.

He shifted back, used to being naked in front of his brothers. “Nope.” He’d been surprised to find the run uneventful. He had to smile at the thought that the unraveling of Cole’s spell had left the other wizard too tired to pull any further crap for the night. He had his little witch to thank for that.

Still, he’d been hoping he’d been wrong and his brothers wouldn’t be here quite so soon. It was bad enough he had to share space with Gareth; he knew from experience that now Daniel and Zachary were here he wasn’t getting rid of them any time soon. “You had to call them, didn’t you?”

Zachary, the youngest, tossed a peanut MandM up in the air, catching it with his mouth. “Heard you had some problems.”

Daniel, the next youngest, caught Zach’s next candy and popped it in his own mouth.

“From what Gareth said you could use some help.”

Zach shoved Daniel. “Hey! That was mine, asshole.”

“You’re the one who threw a perfectly good MandM.” Daniel smirked.

Christopher finished dressing, still glaring at Gareth. “Remind me again why we need them?”

Zachary grinned. “Dude, one Beckett has problems, all the Becketts have … hello.”

Zachary stopped, his expression turning wicked, his eyes glued to the doorway into the great room.

Christopher turned, knowing what Zachary was staring at with such fascination.

Lana stood in the doorway, looking startled and deliciously rumpled. She was wearing one of his shirts. Thank the Gods it hung low on her thighs or he’d be forced to pluck his brothers’ eyeballs out. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“A, I’m an adult, I can get out of bed in the middle of the night. B, I was thirsty.”

She pointed a thumb at his brothers. “When did the rest of the litter get here?”

Daniel’s brows rose into his hair. “Litter?”

Christopher walked over to Lana, ignoring Gareth’s chuckles, and pulled her into a light hold. “Lana, I’d like you to meet my brothers.” He pointed to Zachary, the only one of the brothers with eyes that weren’t gold. They were a soft misty blue, and chock full of mischief. “Zachary Beckett, the youngest.”

Zachary leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Daniel, the next youngest.”

Daniel merely nodded, but his serious gaze never left Lana’s face.

Lana yawned. “Nice to meet you.” She turned in Christopher’s embrace. “You’re out of milk.”

He blinked. “Since when? I bought a quart yesterday morning.”

“And this evening I finished it.” She bit her lip. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ll send one of the boys out for more.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“Anything else you need?”

“More milk?”

He smiled down at her. “I’ll make sure you have some for breakfast. Go on back to bed, you look exhausted.” When she frowned, he decided to play dirty. “Please, sweetheart. If you’re going to help me figure out how to deal with Cole, I need you well rested.”

She made a cute little face before pulling out of his arms. He was gratified to see the reluctance. “All right. But only because you asked so nicely.” She smiled up at him.

“Good night, Chris.” She peeked around him and waved languidly, tipping her head back and yawning so wide he thought he could see straight to her feet. “Good night, Beckett pups.”

Gareth grinned, Zachary laughed outright, and Daniel just shook his head.

He kept an eye on her until he saw her start up the stairs, then turned to face his brothers with a warning growl. “Paws off my mate, Zachary.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Zachary waved him off, his expression sobering. “She can’t fight Cole, Chris.”

“I know that. She seems to think otherwise.”

“You’re mate’s a witch.” Daniel was studying him, his expression revealing nothing.

Christopher tensed. He hadn’t thought his brothers would have take issue with that, but if they did, they’d have to get over it. “Yes, she is. Is there a problem with that?”

Daniel smiled. “Not on my end.”

“Not on mine, either.” Zachary picked up another peanut MandM and tossed it into the air, his face relaxing once more into its usual devil-may-care expression.

Daniel caught it. “Does she know what we are?” He fended off Zachary’s attempt to get the MandM back.

Christopher grinned. “Yes. She does. She had more problems with the fact that I’m a wizard than she did with the wolf.”

Daniel and Zachary stopped fighting over the MandM. “Seriously?” Zachary let go of Daniel’s fist and lightly punched Christopher in the shoulder. “Congrats, bro!”

Daniel took advantage of Zachary’s distraction to pop the candy into his mouth.

“Congratulations.”

Gareth stood up from where he’d been lounging against the patio table. “This calls for a celebration.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Christopher got between his brothers and his kitchen. “The last time you celebrated in my house my cleaning lady quit without notice.”

“Is it our fault she walked in while we were changing?” Zachary shrugged and walked around Christopher into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. For a man with the build of a runner he packed an awful lot of food into his lean frame.

“You should have warned us that she was coming in that day.” Daniel shook his head. “We would have gotten back sooner and at least had our pants on.”

“Instead she got an eyeful of naked ass.” Gareth sniggered. “In more ways than one.”

Zach snarled at Gareth. “Dickhead. Three minutes sooner and she would have gotten the shock of her life. Hey, you got any cheddar?”

Christopher groaned, watching both Daniel and Zachary empty his fridge, his fears confirmed. If Daniel and Zachary were doing that, they had no intention of leaving any time soon. “No, I don’t.”

“Damn it. It’s my favorite, especially with grapes.”

“Go buy some. Bring back milk while you’re out.”

Zachary grumbled, but pulled out his car keys.

“Beer run?” Daniel joined Zachary, heading towards the front door.

Zachary made a face. “Nah, wine for me.”

The two headed out, leaving Christopher and Gareth alone in the kitchen. “Help me put this stuff away.”

Gareth sighed and began repacking the fridge. “Think they’ll be back by morning?”

Christopher just glared at his brother and put the grapes back in the crisper.

She was still sleeping when he entered his bedroom that night. He watched her, unable to stop himself from stroking her hair back from her cheek. He loved it when she was sleeping; her face was so soft and innocent that…

He frowned. She was cold, and pale. He leaned closer, dread filling him.

She was barely breathing.

“Fuck.” Hopping from the bed, he ran for the door. “Gareth! Annabelle!”

Doors slammed open, feet came running, and soon all of the Becketts, plus Annabelle, were in his bedroom. When Zach and Daniel had returned from their run he had no clue, but he was grateful that they were there. He was doubly grateful that his brothers were dressed. “Something’s wrong with Lana.”

Annabelle rushed to the bed. “Let me see.” She placed her hand on her granddaughter’s cheek, pulling it back with a startled look. “She’s cold as ice!”

“We need to warm her.” He picked Lana up. He tried to ignore the way her breath was beginning to stutter in her chest. “Zach, start the water. Daniel, get a warming charm on that blanket. Gareth, I need you to put another protection spell on the room. Somehow Cole got through mine.” He had no doubt who had tried to harm his mate. But how had he done it? He’d never laid a hand on her, so sympathetic magic, like he’d used with the wolf hairs, wasn’t an option!

Zach preceded him into the bathroom, muttering under his breath, so low Christopher couldn’t make out the words. He turned on the water and began filling the tub once it was hot enough to suit Christopher.

Annabelle stood in the doorway and watched, worried. “We need to take the hex off of her.”

Christopher turned and stared at her. “Hex?” Cole couldn’t do hexes; only warlocks did hexes. Cole was most definitely a wizard. Besides, a hex most definitely required something of the victim’s to bind the magic.

Oh fuck. Her damn car was still out on the road. Cole could have pulled something from it.

And that meant he could do something to Lana whenever he wanted.

Fuck!

Annabelle nodded. “If that isn’t a hex I don’t know what one is.”

“Damn.” That also meant Cole had help; warlock help. “Is the tub full yet?”

Zach was mumbling under his breath, stirring the water with … bath oils?

“Zach?”

“Almost ready.” He sat back and frowned, his face determined and vaguely un-Zach-like. His little brother never looked this serious. “I need a white candle.”

Christopher opened his mouth to object but before he could, Annabelle turned. “Be right back.”

“What do you need the white candle for?”

Zach looked back at the bath. “The uncrossing.”

Christopher blinked. “Uncrossing.” He shifted Lana’s cool body in his arms. “Care to explain?”

Zach looked up at him. Something in his younger brother’s eyes … scared him. He’d never been scared of Zach before. Zach had less power than almost any other wizard he knew, so little that he was barely a blip in the Registry. So why did the expression on his little brother’s face bother him so much? “I need the white candle, Chris.”

“Here.” Annabelle handed it over.

Zach examined it and made an impatient noise. He pulled out his pen knife and carved something into the white surface.

“What are you doing?”

Annabelle’s confusion now matched Christopher’s own. What was Zach doing?

Zach finished carving the candle. Christopher got a good look at the symbol and nearly swallowed his tongue.

Zach had carved a symbol that had Christopher’s heart jumping. Three hammer-like arms were drawn equidistant from one another in a triskelion-like design without lifting the knife from the wax. In the center of the symbol was a wheeling sun, the six rays bent back as if in a wind. The maze-like drawing was then surrounded by a perfect circle. It was a symbol rarely seen, since there were those who considered that particular goddess to be on the dark side. “Hecate’s wheel? Zach, what the fuck?”

“Trust me.” Zach picked up yet another oil and rubbed it on the candle. The room smelled woodsy, each of the oils complementary in their scents. Christopher could detect juniper, rosemary and the bitter scent of rue.

Rue? Where did he get rue oil? Chris didn’t think he had any rue oil in his den. He certainly didn’t have it in his bathroom, considering its best use was for removing curses.

Chris looked at Annabelle, who shrugged. “Trust him.”

She looked as baffled as he felt. “Fine. Let’s get her in the bath.” Zach lit the candle and held it while Christopher lowered Lana into the tub, still wearing her nightgown.

He’d take it off of her once his brothers were out of the room.

Once he could reassure himself that she’d be safe.

He held her head above the water, debating whether or not to send Gareth to his workroom. One or two other things there might be useful in breaking a hex.

“Chris?”

He closed his eyes, going through his inventory. Now that the bath water was warming her up he could have Zach hold her steady while he checked his cabinets.

“Chris? She’s not blue anymore.”

He opened his eyes. Lana was stirring, frowning, and her lips were pink once more.

Her arm splashed, her wet hand pushing her hair away from her forehead. “What the hell?” Her teeth were clacking together so hard he was afraid she’d chip a tooth or bite her tongue.

Chris nearly passed out from the relief. “Goddess, Lana, you scared me.” He pulled her too him, reveling in the feel of her warming skin.

“Um, okay? What did I do?” The chattering of her teeth was slowing down, the chill in her skin almost completely gone.

He pulled back and kissed her, keeping it light and quick. “You were hexed.”

She sat up, looking startled. “Hexed?”

“Yes.”

She scowled. “Let me up.” When he tried to protest, because really, he thought he could still detect a hint of coolness to her skin, she barked, “Now.”

Zach put the candle down and grabbed a towel. “Yes, ma’am.”

She stepped, dripping, from the tub. “How could Cole hex me? He’s a wizard.”

“He has to have a warlock helping him. It’s the only logical explanation.”

Christopher wrapped her in the towel, picked her up and carried her back into the bedroom.

Annabelle followed, her gaze glued to Lana’s face. “How are you feeling, dear?” She glanced back at the bathroom and looked startled, but turned back to Lana with a strained smile.

Gareth was walking around the room, incense burning in a censer he carried. He was muttering a simple but powerful charm. “Lord and Lady, hear my plea. Protect us from adversity.”

“Fine, Grammy.” Lana settled back on the pillows, taking Christopher’s hand and recapturing his attention. Her own hand was shaking. “What happened?”

Christopher shuddered. “I came into the room, and you were ice cold and barely breathing.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a hex all right.” She wriggled under the comforter, finally throwing the soaking wet nightgown onto the floor with a sigh. “What is the man thinking?”

“That his tame warlock will get the entire karmic backlash, I would think.” Zach entered the room and settled onto the bed next to Christopher. He looked weary. Darks circles had appeared under his eyes and the corners of his mouth were pinched and drawn. “Otherwise I don’t think even he would be willing to go to these extremes.”

“Room’s protected.” Gareth put the censer down on Christopher’s bureau. “Anything else we can do to help?”

Christopher eyed the wet nightgown on the floor. He had a powerful urge to see how naked Lana was under the covers. “Yup. Out. Thanks.”

Zach chuckled. “Sure thing, bro.” He stood and clapped Christopher on the shoulder.

“See you in the morning.”

Christopher watched his baby brother leave the room with a thoughtful frown. Zach had done something in the bath that he hadn’t expected from such a weak wizard. He’d broken a hex powerful enough to kill. And from the look on Annabelle’s face, she’d have some words of her own for him.

What the hell was going on?

“You sure you feel okay?” Gareth stood over Lana and touched her arm. Chris had to fight the urge to rip Gareth’s hand off. The knowledge that his mate had nearly died and was now naked under those covers was making his wolf very territorial. If it had been anyone but one of his brothers, he might not have even thought about stopping. He’d be holding a bloody body part.

“I’m fine, Papa Bear. I’ll have Chris bring me a glass of water and everything.”

Gareth shook his head. “Then I’ll leave the two of you alone. Get some sleep.” He poked Chris on the shoulder. “I mean that. She’s still tired from the spellcasting, plus the effects of the hex. Sleep now, sex later.”

Chris growled, but secretly he had to admit his brother was right. Dark circles ringed Lana’s eyes even more darkly than they’d ringed Zach’s. “Good night, Gareth.”

Annabelle was the last to leave. She’d already picked up the wet nightgown and placed it in the hamper. “Well, I’ll let you two get some rest. If you need me again just holler.” She paused at the doorway, staring thoughtfully down the hallway. “I wonder if…?”

“What, Grammy?” Lana yawned.

Annabelle smiled back at Lana. “Never mind. We’ll discuss it later.” She left the room, the remnants of that smile fading. She closed the door behind her, finally leaving them alone.

“I’m all right, Chris. Really.” Lana yawned again, wide enough that he could practically see her feet. “Just tired.”

“Get some sleep, little witch. I’m going to get undressed, then I’ll join you.” And really, he too was exhausted.

“M’kay.” She curled up on her side. “G’night.”

“Good night.” He wasn’t even certain she heard him. She was almost asleep already.

He took off all his clothes and tossed them in the hamper on top of the wet nightgown.

He headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Zach’s white candle was sitting on the countertop, the smell of rue oil still bitter in his nostrils. The Wheel of Hecate was now outlined in sickly green, the remnants of the hex curling around the never-ending maze, bleeding off before his eyes.

He picked the candle up, startled at the strength of Zach’s lingering magic.

Annabelle’s curious words came back to him. I wonder?

Lana woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. The sun streaked in through the windows, warming her. Her bedroom window faced away from the rising sun so she just knew she’d overslept. She stretched, thinking about the day ahead. Thank the Lord and Lady her job allowed her to telecommute; otherwise she’d be in deep shit for sleeping so late.

She opened her eyes, smiling at the start of a new day.

A pair of golden brown eyes smiled back.

Lana shrieked and almost fell out of the bed, but the man attached to the pretty eyes caught her.

“Good morning to you, too.” The man jiggled his finger in his ear with a grimace.

Chris. Right. She put her hand on her chest. Her breathing still wasn’t back to normal. “Crap.” Why hadn’t she remembered Chris? She hadn’t been that out of it, had she? “What time is it?”

“About nine o’clock.” He stretched lazily, displaying an amazing amount of bronzed skin. The sheet dipped enticingly low. She had to resist the urge to help it along, the memory of the gorgeous body underneath taunting her. He rolled towards her and shrugged, the sheet dropping enough that she could see his hip bones. “You were so tired I decided to let you sleep. If you want to be pissed about it, go ahead, but I did what I felt was right.”

She nodded and tried to drag her libido back into line, but the image of his naked body had bought a condo in her brain and moved in to stay. Damn that sneaky morning sex. Tricky dog. “What day is it?”

“Friday. Why?”

She winced. “Crap. Tomorrow’s the wedding.”

She bit her lip as Chris’s entire body tensed. “Wedding.”

“Um. Yes. Kelly Andrews and Dennis Littleton.”

“Who? And why are these people worth your life?”

“Kelly and Kerry are twins, and two of my best friends. Dennis is … a nice guy?”

She smiled at him hopefully, but was pretty sure this was one battle she wasn’t going to win. “Wednesday’s party was for Kelly. It was her bachelorette party, remember?”

“Who does a bachelorette party in the middle of the week?” Chris flopped back against the pillows, his arms behind his head.

“It was supposed to be a surprise party, except the bride wasn’t all that surprised. I think her twin spilled the beans.”

He grunted, the frown on his face darkening, possibly thinking about the half-naked men she’d supposedly partied with the other night. She didn’t dare tell him about the twenty bucks’ worth of ones she’d shoved into some masculine g-strings. Her wolf would have a major hissy fit if he found out.

“Yup. Brides do that little thing called getting married. It usually happens on a Saturday or Sunday, depending on your religious preferences. Frankly, I’m partial to Friday nights myself. The rates are cheaper and the religious people are more available.”

Chris was already shaking his head. “We can’t go. It’s too dangerous.”

Lana sighed. “I don’t think I have a choice. I’m a bridesmaid, and Kelly, the bride?

She’s mundane. I can’t exactly call her and tell her I’m dropping out of her wedding due to a bad case of evilwizarditis.”

Chris growled. “Well, you’ll have to come up with some reason for dropping out, because your life is more important to me than a party, even a wedding.”

“There’s no way she can replace me last minute.” She ignored the incredulous look he gave her, concentrating on how to get out of this particular little pickle. “Besides, I gave my word.”

His eyes closed. “You gave your word on what?”

“That I’d be there to keep Kerry from pushing Dennis too far.”

“Dennis is the groom?”

“Yup, and a man with a bigger stick up his rectum has never been found. Kerry loves yanking his stick, too, and Kelly gets stuck in the middle.”

“So you promised Kelly you’d stand in between Kerry and Dennis?”

“Not quite. I promised Kerry I would. See, Dennis makes Kelly happy, but drives Kerry nuts. She can’t help herself, but she doesn’t want to make Kelly upset on her wedding day. And I have to say Dennis is a good sport about it usually.”

“Huh.” He reached over and pulled Lana on top of him, thus proving once and for all that, yes, he definitely slept naked. She could feel his steely erection poking her thigh, distracting her from the wedding. “If Cole knows about your family he knows you’ll be at the wedding tomorrow. You might as well wear a dress with concentric circles on it and yell ‘shoot me now!’”

She thumped her head down on his bare chest with a groan. “What do I do? They’ll never forgive me. I have to be there.” She settled in, soothed by the sound of his heartbeat. “We have to make this work, Chris. It’s important to me.”

“All right, Lana. If it means that much to you, we’ll work something out.” He stroked her back, his tone thoughtful. “Remember what I said about how wizards work their magic?”

“Yes?”

“It’s entirely possible he already has something in place for the wedding. Actually, it’s highly probable he has something in place.”

“Do you think it would be something that happens whether or not we show up?”

“That would be the question. If it’s something triggered by our presence, then we need to avoid your friend’s wedding like the plague. But if it’s something meant to go off at a specific time and place, regardless of our presence…”

“They’d be sitting ducks. Two families of mundanes under magical attack.” She grimaced. “Not even Cole would risk the karma backlash on something like that, tame warlock or not.”

“That little storm he pulled up didn’t start right over us, sweetheart. Odds are good he’s already hurt innocents.” His fist clenched in her hair. “What the fuck is wrong with him? He has to know there’s no way the king will name him his heir once he gets wind of this!”

“Unless he hopes the king will be so far gone by the time he does that it won’t matter anymore.”

Chris frowned. “The council would act. There’d be a civil war, those loyal to the new king, those who oppose the very idea of how Cole was crowned. It would throw us into total chaos.” He gasped. “Could you not squirm, sweetheart? I’m really trying to be good here but all I want to do is fuck you until we both scream, and I figure we should wait on that until after we talk.”

Lana froze.

“Damn.” His laughing groan was rueful. “Me and my big mouth.”

She closed her eyes. He wanted her, she wanted him, but damn it, they had too much to do! “Not this morning. Okay?”

She could feel every muscle in his body tense. “This afternoon?”

She looked down into his hopeful face. Damn. Puppy dog eyes. “We’ll see.”

His eyes closed on a swiftly muttered prayer of thanks before giving her a deep, hungry kiss that curled her fingers and toes. Her fingers weren’t too upset about that, since they were currently curling into warm, hard man.

Which was why the slap on her ass was so surprising. She reared back with a yelp.

“What was that for?”

“You need to move. You’re late for work, and we have a wedding to prepare for.”

“What about the danger?” She damn near swallowed her tongue when Chris got out of the bed and stretched, completely uncaring of his … oh boy. Pretty. Her fingers were itching to glide over all that smooth skin and drag him back into bed.

“Do you think Annabelle can keep my brothers in line?”

He walked towards the master bathroom, yawning. She tilted her head, enjoying the flex of his ass. “Hmm?” He turned. She suddenly found herself confronted by the most tempting bit of man flesh she’d ever seen. Not overly long, not too fat, it looked like mouthwatering perfection. The fact that it belonged only to her was finally beginning to sink in.

His wicked chuckle dragged her gaze from his cock, now standing at full attention, to his face. “Can Annabelle keep my brothers in line?”

That male smirk of his was going to get him into a lot of trouble, she just knew it. “I think Annabelle could keep the US Marine Corps in line if she wanted to. Why?”

“Because between the four of them, we should be able to keep your friends, and you, safe from whatever Cole has cooked up.” He headed into the bathroom and started running water, probably to brush his teeth. “Besides, if we’re pretty sure he’s going to hit us at the wedding, it might be the perfect opportunity to lay a trap of our own.”

Lana scrambled out of bed. “If Kerry and Kelly can be kept safe, I think it’s a great idea.”

He didn’t answer, but that was all right. She had a few ideas of her own on how to keep her friends, and her family, safe the next day. For once she was going to do what Chris wanted without arguing.

She was calling out sick.

Christopher was startled at how Lana worked. Watching her work her magic was like watching an intricate dance, one he barely knew the steps to and couldn’t keep up in. She flitted from item to item, throwing seemingly random things into a pot on the stove, sniffing it, pondering it, before adding something else to the mixture. Annabelle was mixing dried herbs and oils together into a potpourri that smelled strongly of dried carnations and cedar. The two women chatted about the wedding, but something in the way they spoke let him know that this was somehow a part of what they were doing.

He was this close to ordering pizza for dinner, because he didn’t think he’d get his kitchen back anytime soon.

Zach was watching everything with an intensity Chris wasn’t used to seeing in him.

He watched every move both Annabelle and Lana made, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding, but mostly looking thunderstruck.

Chris snuck out of the kitchen. He had one more thing to double check. If he was right, it would be a shock to everyone in the family, but he doubted it would be a shock to Annabelle.

“Are they still in there?”

Chris snorted. “I think they’re going to be in there for quite a while.”

Daniel frowned. “What’s Zach doing?”

“Watching them.”

“Why?”

Chris almost answered him, but the casual contempt in Daniel’s tone stopped him.

Daniel needed to learn to leave Zach alone; he was the one most likely to pick on Zach thanks to Zach’s apparent lack of power. And if Chris was right, Zach would soon be able to get some of his own back. “Do me a favor and order some pizzas, will you? I have some work to do.”

“Sure thing. Move, Zach.” Daniel pushed his brother away, ignoring Zach’s growling response. “Pepperoni?”

Zach’s verbal growling stopped, but his stomach piped up. “Sounds good.”

“Oh, pizza? Can I have mushrooms and garlic and tomatoes?” Lana reached out for yet another dried herb, barely turning away from her pot.

“Got it.” Daniel picked up the phone and prepared to make the call.

Chris touched Daniel’s shoulder to get his attention. “Make sure you pick the pizza up; don’t have it delivered.”

Daniel gave him a thumbs up. “Pick-up, please.”

Chris headed for his workroom and the Registry. I wonder if I’m right, and Zach is a witch, not a wizard.