Cloaked in Sorcery Read online

  “The alpha gave us a command. Kill the wulfkin. We’re to dump their bodies in a river to conceal our scents.”

  Rage burned inside me, feeding my adrenaline, pushing against my will. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from the fuckwits. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t make them pay. “Where are Titus and Natalya?” I hissed through clenched teeth. I would rip them apart.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Bring them—now!” The bark of my voice drew attention from bystanders. Screw them.

  Leo obediently merged into the crowd.

  Of course, the alpha would demand a kill! That was the prime reason I hadn’t told him about the enemy wulfkin. For years, I’d believed the Varlac Tsar was just greedy and wanted to enforce his dominance. After all, he had four sons, each vying for his position when the time came. But once I’d witnessed the Tsar whipping one of his flesh and blood for disobeying an order, I’d realized the truth: the alpha was a monster inside and out.

  That made me more determined to change what I could from within the Russian ranks. To protect those in the line of fire. The Russian pack was a boxing match, everyone trying to gain favor with the biggest bully. And the second-in-command followed suit. He dished out punishment as if it were gravy on feast night.

  I inhaled deeply, and a wave of calm washed over me, softening my muscles.

  Scanning the courtyard, my sights landed on Kalin, who gawked at me with a puzzled expression twisting her features. I stood too far for her to have heard my conversation with Leo. Besides, the order to kill Kalin and her friend . . . I couldn’t . . . wouldn’t. This was fucked up. Maybe the right decision was to abort the mission altogether. But that would only end with our throats sliced. And as much as I despised Leo and Titus, I wouldn’t have my comrades’ deaths on my hands.

  The more I stared at Kalin, the more my mind blurred. For those few seconds, I’d forgotten myself. Humans cheered and laughed, prancing in a conga line, their clothes replaced by white sheets. Where had those come from? Even the waiters were getting in on the dancing. One guy carried a woman twice his age over his shoulder and ran into a corridor.

  When someone prodded me in the back, I whirled to find Titus also dressed in a toga. “What the fuck have you done?” I demanded.

  “I’m having fun with the conga line. I can get you an outfit too.”

  I snapped a hand outward, grabbing his neck out of instinct, and drove him backward until he hit the wall. “You’ve signed our death warrants by contacting the alpha.”

  “Nah,” he croaked. “I’m saving our skins.” He pushed out of my hold. “My uncle would have found out and murdered us for not dealing with the enemy wulfkin. So I did what you couldn’t.”

  “I had it under control,” I spat.

  “Fine. Go finish the wulfkin. Show me you’re on top of it.” His sarcasm was a viper’s bite.

  I looked behind me at Kalin, my insides seething that I’d been put into this situation. I spun with my fist flying, and it slammed into Titus’s nose. Blood splattered his white sheet. Who gave a shit if he told his uncle? This qualified as me toughening him up. Exactly what the alpha had demanded in the first place.

  Whimpering, Titus stumbled, lost his footing, and fell over. Fear oozed from his grim expression. I smelled the dread on him.

  “If you ever cross me again,” I said, “you won’t see it coming. Get the fuck out of my face.”

  Titus scrambled out of sight. I could barely take another gulp of air.

  I met Natalya’s intense smile from halfway across the courtyard. The ironic part was that she didn’t even want me—it had to be the goddamn spell—yet she might have just cost us our lives.

  Kalin was reading someone’s cards, but her gaze kept flicking in my direction. Yeah, she knew something was wrong. Clearing my head was a must in order to work out the best course of action that didn’t involve killing her or her friend.

  As much as I contemplated every possibility to get out of the current chaos, I always returned to the alpha demanding the castle get signed over to him. That was the mission. In addition to killing the Romanian wulfkin now. If I didn’t accomplish that, I would become the alpha’s target. So, I’d do the only thing I could: come clean with Kalin.

  Chapter Seven

  Kalin

  “Got a sec?” Axe asked, staring down at me in my seat.

  The concern behind his eyes raised my trepidation. Shit was going down. I should have taken Axe’s appearance at the castle seriously, should have seen him as a threat, should have demanded he tell me the truth from the start. Instead, I’d gone all lusty, losing my concentration. Great job, Kalin.

  Axe leaned close and whispered, “It’s driving me insane knowing you’ve got no underwear on.”

  Talk about a distraction. A shiver rocked through me, and the horny beast within me pleaded for Axe to take me again. What was wrong with me? Focus: Danger. Enemy. Sexy . . .

  When his arm reached for me, I didn’t object. The moment we touched, my insides lit on fire. What had I just been thinking about?

  I glanced at Lenuţa. “Cover for me? I’m going for a walk.”

  She waved me away, locked in the gaze of the guy with the mustache. “Don’t be long.”

  I was on my feet, Axe still holding my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine. We left the courtyard and sped down a dark corridor, then another, until we were alone. The muffled music still played in the distance.

  I pressed my back to a wall, excited butterflies swarming my stomach.

  Axe’s hands cupped my face. “Every time I’m in your presence, I can’t think. All I can focus on is kissing you, tasting you, fucking you.”

  “Well.” I swallowed the thickness in my throat. His thumb caressed the flesh behind my earlobe, and goose bumps skittered across my arms. “Shit, Axe. I forget myself when you say things like that. Even your smallest touch makes me crazy.” Was this how soul mates felt, drunk on each other’s company? Because I couldn’t for the life of me work out any other reason I’d be reacting this way to Axe.

  “I have to tell you something,” he said, “but you’re distracting me.”

  I was unable to tear myself from his side, and my skin tingled to high hell. I chewed on my cheek, finally finding my response. “What’s going on?”

  His mouth pressed against mine, greedily sucking on my lips. His musky scent floated in my head. I pushed myself against him. We were locked together, me sweating and moaning beneath him. Clothes had to go.

  He heaved the skirt of my dress to my waist, and his hand found my heat, sliding along my silkiness. Then he entered me. Two fingers pumping so fast I let myself fall into the hypnotic trance curling deep in my gut. When he broke away and sucked his slick digits, I trembled. I’d never been with a wulfkin who turned me on with such intensity, who made me feel real, fulfilled.

  I tugged at his belt, unzipping him, unleashing the most amazing cock. Hell, was he bigger than last time? I didn’t care in that moment that we were out in the open, in a corridor where anyone could find us. None of it mattered—only taking Axe.

  “Wrap me in those sexy thighs.” He placed his hands under my armpits and lifted me with such ease I gasped.

  I snapped my legs around his hips. His hands grasped my butt, my back hitting the wall.

  “Whatever happens,” he said. “I’m claiming you. In my pack culture, that’s a promise I can’t break. You’re mine.”

  “Goddess, yes. I accept.” Anything to be with him. Didn’t matter what my pack alpha would say, or my friends, or anyone. Not when it felt as if the sun were beaming inside my chest, and every thought revolved around Axe.

  When the tip of his hardness pressed at my entrance, I tensed.

  “Relax, little wolf. Don’t keep me out.” He pushed himself into me, widening me.

  I groaned in his mouth, adoring every inch of his length.

  “Hold on.”

  Not needing to be told twice, I gripped his shoulders. Axe pumpe
d into me, slowly at first, as if trying out his fit—then he hammered. I bounced from each strike.

  Having someone as powerful as Axe moan because of me drove me insane. Our breathing sped, in sync. Sweat rolled down his neck, but he didn’t slow, and the slap of him pounding me was a sound I never wanted to end.

  “You’re so tight.”

  We moved together, my body shuddering as desire flowed through me. Each stroke was solid and forced me to take him whole. Axe was ruining me, because after him, I’d never be able to be with another wulfkin. I’d travel to Mars with him if he asked.

  He slammed into me again, harder, faster. I lost all thought. A sudden explosion bulleted through me, the orgasm shaking me. Axe growled as he stilled, staying deeply embedded in me. His eyes clasped shut as he rode his own wave of ecstasy.

  When he finally opened his eyes, he smiled. “I’m never leaving your side.”

  A quiver trailed down my back. And for those few seconds, we stood locked in an embrace. He tightened his hold, bringing me closer. My mind couldn’t have been sharper and more focused. Everything made sense for the first time. Yeah, Axe was the enemy intruding on our land, and he still hadn’t told me the real reason for his visit. I should’ve panicked, but my wolf kept me calm, reminding me he was no danger. He was ours and wouldn’t harm us. But his fellow wulfkin were a different story. Their earlier quarrel in the courtyard screamed danger.

  I held on to Axe.

  He drew back, sliding out of me, and lowered me to my feet. I patted down my skirt while heat still clung to my body. Questions nagged at me. I needed to discover the truth while my brain remained clear. But it was Axe who found his voice first.

  “Kalin, it’s as if I can finally speak my mind, and I have much to tell you.” He guided me deeper into the hallway until we entered a small room. Several chairs stood against the side wall. Across from us were what appeared to be paintings covered in brown paper.

  With the door closed behind us, we sat side by side, glued together. Heaviness weighed on my chest . . . a thousand times more intense than the earlier desire and lust.

  He turned to face me, taking my hands into his. “The castle is dangerous. You and your friend need to leave. Right now. I’ll help you both over the wall. I’ll break down the gates if I have to.”

  Unable to move at first, I slouched as apprehension gripped me. “What are you talking about?”

  His hands squeezed mine. “I’m here to buy Bran Castle on my alpha’s behalf. The other wulfkin with me are Leo and Titus. The female with us is a charodeyka, and she’s cast an enchantment over everyone here. Most have lost their inhibitions.”

  A witch? No one had seen one for centuries! But then again, our wulfkin knowledge included little on Russia. “What’re you saying? This land is in my pack’s territory. And why would you use such a spell?”

  Axe dropped his gaze for a split second. “War is coming. Our Varlac Tsar intends to attack your pack. He’s buying this location as a way to establish a foothold in Romania before his pack strikes.” Axe’s words shook with gravity.

  Ice formed in my veins, and I untangled myself from his hold. I was on my feet, pacing from the window to the door. “Why? Why are you telling me this?”

  Axe blocked my path. The glow of the moonlight behind him gave him a halo, but right then, betrayal sunk through me. Yeah, he was coming clean. But running would save no one if the Russians attacked.

  How many wulfkin would die? I’d already lost my family once—the memory of my sister, and being alone in this world, pierced its fangs into my heart. This couldn’t be happening again. We’d only recently gained a home in Transylvania after being chased out of Bulgaria. Our alpha, Enre, was brother to the Varlac leader of Europe. Surely, they’d come to our aid. But the Russians were renowned for their pack size and their aggression. And, apparently, they had witches—and they were here, at our doorstep. Enre’s brother would never arrive in time.

  “It’ll be okay,” Axe said.

  “Screw that! It won’t be all right.” I stumbled back to the chairs and collapsed into one. We would all die.

  Axe stood beside me. “No one will hurt you—ever. I’ll make sure of it. I wasn’t able to save my parents before they were killed by the Varlac Tsar, but I’ll protect you.”

  I snapped my head upward, facing him dead-on. “What about my family, my friends?”

  He looked away. “You’ve got to leave. Our alpha gave orders to finish you and Lenuţa tonight.”

  I turned away, unable to stop shaking. “And how long will I be safe? Until you return to kill my pack?”

  Axe grabbed my arms and leaned closer. “I would murder anyone who dared touch you.”

  “But you say the Russian pack will murder us. Will you be fighting with them or protecting me? This is ridiculous.” The Death card came to my mind . . . Was this the future it had warned me about? “And you have witches on your side, too.”

  Maybe the witch at the castle could help Alena and the twins’ curse . . . Though, considering the news I’d just received, now wasn’t the time to think about that—I had bigger problems. I chewed on a hangnail, trembling, as I tried to make sense of everything.

  The earlier fuzziness crept through my mind. Was this sensation the spell Axe had mentioned? Was I lusting over him because of the enchantment, not as a result of us being true soul mates? An invisible fist struck me in the stomach, and I hugged myself, emptiness swallowing me. I’d let myself believe I’d found my true partner, and to have it ripped away now left me hollow. It felt as if someone had broken into my house and stolen everything I cherished while I looked away.

  I faced him, his expression sorrowful. If he hadn’t been affected by the hex, would he have killed me by now to keep us quiet? I knew nothing with certainty—just that I might vomit up everything I’d eaten all day.

  My wolf still insisted Axe belonged to us, but I couldn’t trust anything at that moment, not even my own emotions. I had to leave, as Axe had suggested. My insides twisted with agony at the idea of never seeing him again. What was wrong with me? My own wolf was betraying me. The heartbreak felt like concrete drying around my chest.

  “Kalin, say something.”

  I had no words; they remained tangled in terror. My heart banged beneath my breastbone. “I should have run from you the moment I met you.” Without waiting for a response, I darted out of the room.

  Lenuţa and I would have to leap over a wall and pray we didn’t break any bones. Then I had to warn the pack. Maybe we’d return to the castle later with reinforcements and finish the Russian wulfkin. Grief surged with each expelled breath at the image of Axe dying. I wiped my eyes. Crying wouldn’t help. I dug my nails into the fleshy part of my palms until they burned.

  When I halted near our fortune telling tables, I found Lenuţa gone. “Where are you?” I called helplessly. Rushing out into the courtyard, I shoved past people, not caring that they glared my way. Humans were everywhere. I sniffed the air—perspiration, alcohol, and wolf.

  Fogginess crowded into my head, and for those few seconds, I forgot what I was doing.

  “Concentrate,” I murmured to myself. “Find Lenuţa.” When a waiter passed with a platter of food, I snatched a handful of chicken nuggets and shoved them into my mouth. Hell, I was starving, and the smell of humans had my wolf growling. They were food. Delicious and sweet and fresh.

  A familiar laugh reached me. Across the yard, I spotted Lenuţa in the arms of the human guy, wrapped tight in an embrace, swaying to a dance.

  I lurched forward and grabbed her arm.

  “Hey.” Lenuţa stumbled. “What are you doing?”

  “We need to leave. Now.” Every molecule in my body quivered. How long would it be before Axe’s buddies decided to strike us down?

  “What’s going on?” She scanned the courtyard. “You’re scaring me.”

  “The strange Russian wulfkin are here to buy the castle. Their entire pack is going to attack ours. We’re going to war
!”

  “Holy hell!” Lenuţa’s tone darkened, and shadows crowded beneath her eyes. She stared over her shoulder at her human kissing partner. “Can I bring him?”

  “No!” We had to worry about ourselves and our pack, not a human. “He’ll be fine.”

  A sudden choir of trumpets erupted from the raised platform where the band had been playing. Silence fell over the crowd. A tall man dressed in black stepped onto the stage. He wore a plastic werewolf mask with brown, curly fur lining the edges. The guests burst into a cheer.

  “Thank you for coming to my birthday party!” the man called out.

  I wrapped an arm around Lenuţa’s and dragged her through the horde. She pulled against me as she reached out to the guy with the mustache, who followed.

  “Tonight is a special occasion,” the owner declared behind us.

  Well, he couldn’t be more right.

  “I can feel it in the air. So, I decided at the last minute, we will play a game. Until daybreak, I’ll become a werewolf.”

  I halted and glanced back at him in his stupid wolf mask, which looked more like a monkey. What is he saying?

  “And you are my little sheep,” he declared. “The rules are easy. I chase all of you through the castle, and when I catch you, you will play dead. The last person to remain alive shall receive a mystery prize.”

  Was he mad?

  “Let’s go,” I said to Lenuţa.

  “No, wait. I want to listen.”

  “Ready?” The owner released a loud roar, his shoulders squared to appear larger. This had to be the hex affecting him. The person I’d heard about was not someone who played insane games.

  “I will count to ten, after which I’m coming after you.” His voice dipped, and he released a menacing laugh. “One. Two. Come on, move!” He ran into a passage, vanishing.

  The crowd surrounding us broke into mass chaos. Everyone squealed, fanning out in every direction, bumping us. Someone trod on my foot, and I winced.

  “Oh, this is fun. Let’s join.” Lenuţa bounced on her toes, clearly affected by the spell. Damn, it still fogged my mind, too, but I had to remember the truth!