Cloaked in Sorcery Read online

  My inner wolf growled in my chest, demanding I participate in the hunt along with everyone else. The rush of people everywhere, combined with my starvation, coaxed her to escape. Not now. The humans were not a snack. Even the running in panic and excitement made them seem like vulnerable little bunnies.

  Lenuţa giggled. Her grip slipped from mine. She merged into the crowd, her human by her side. Together, they left the courtyard and darted into one of the many corridors.

  “Lenuţa, you idiot! We could get killed.”

  A spine-chilling howl erupted from behind me. I jerked around to find the two Russian wulfkin transforming into their wolf forms.

  “Fucking great!” I couldn’t move as dread curled in my chest. I’d seen darkness before—when I’d lost my sister, when I’d lived alone in the woods, even when we’d escaped Bulgaria to evade the police. But this moment was different. The horror of the massacre about to happen robbed me of my senses, replaced with paralyzing fear.

  The two wolves glared my way.

  A man shrieked at the sight of them and scrambled into the castle’s gatehouse. Either the wulfkin were affected by the spell, or they saw me as the enemy and were ready to finish me off. Nearby stood the woman who’d been with Axe on the terrace. She stared at me with a grimace. The witch. Her fists clenched against her stomach.

  “Get her!” she yelled, pointing at me.

  One wulfkin sprung in the opposite direction, chasing a man into a dark hallway, hunting the guest. Screaming at him to stop, the witch lifted her skirt and bolted after him. But the other deep-gray beast stepped toward me, shoulder bones seesawing upward with each step. He lowered his head in an intimidating posture, ears flat, lips curled over fangs.

  A growl rolled through his chest. It was clear his intention was to rip me to shreds.

  Never run from a wulfkin or show fear.

  Without another thought, I unleashed my own wolf. The world around me faded, and my focus centered on the encroaching danger. Too many years had passed since I last fought on my own, but I wouldn’t let the bastard take me down so easily. Whatever it took, I’d fight to the end.

  Chapter Eight

  Axe

  I kept pacing the room, unable to get my thoughts straight or figure out how to save Kalin and convince her I wanted to be with her. She was my priority. Maybe it was just the spell tearing me apart, and I needed to do deal with this like my alpha would expect—by eliminating the enemy. But I couldn’t . . . wouldn’t. I felt Kalin deep in my soul, and I didn’t want to believe the witch’s hex led to such deep need. Losing my inhibitions was one thing, but this . . . craving a person as if my life depended on it, with my wolf insisting we belonged together? How could I ignore that?

  But what were my next steps? I whacked a palm into the side of my head. “Think!”

  The electric charge of a wulfkin transforming snaked across my skin. One of the wulfkin must have lost control, and I pictured Leo or Titus snacking on humans. Exactly what I’d warned them not to do.

  I left the room and ran down a hallway flanked by various coat-of-arm shields on the walls. I found the courtyard empty of people, including the band. Yet screams echoed around me. Were the humans under siege?

  “What’s going on?” My wolf rumbled, eager to come out and hunt down the attackers.

  A howl ricocheted from deeper within the castle.

  I darted into a corridor, my feet pounding the wooden floorboards. Voices came from every direction.

  Another shriek sounded, so I sprinted up a narrow stairwell. At the top, I discovered a room filled with glass display cabinets showing medieval armor and clothing. I crossed the space, leaped over a rope barrier, and caught movement vanishing around a corner. Two women ran and squealed, while a man wearing a werewolf mask chased them.

  “Wait a sec . . . What the hell is going on?” Had everyone gone mad?

  Still, the woodsy and wet dog scents grew heavier. I headed in the opposite direction of the fake werewolf.

  A growl reached me from straight ahead. The smell of freshly dug soil smothered me the moment I entered a room twenty feet long and twenty feet wide. A white-stone fireplace sat to my right adorned with golden tiles along the mantel. Rich leather chairs circled a table against the far wall.

  At first, I couldn’t process the scene.

  Five people huddled in a corner, laughing. In front of them prowled Leo in his brown brindled wolf form. Near the door lay Natalya, sprawled and unconscious, her face scratched and bloody. Had Leo attacked her? Why?

  “Leo, back down, now!” I thundered.

  He unleashed an ungodly half howl, half grumble. His dark eyes glazed over. The spell had confused him as much as it deluded the humans into thinking their plight was some kind of prank. Why else would they be laughing?

  But when Leo lunged at them, my stomach plummeted. I called for my inner animal as I sprung after him, crashing into Leo’s ribs mid-transformation.

  Leo lurched sideways but held on to a man’s ankle with his teeth. Blood dribbled from the corners of his muzzle, the metallic smell calling to my wolf’s hunger. But this wasn’t a meal.

  The young man wailed in terror, arms flying about.

  “Get out,” I growled at the other humans as my jaw stretched out, bones cracking.

  Their faces paled as if reality had hit, and they scrambled out, leaving their friend behind.

  As my limbs elongated, I stumbled about, tearing off my clothes and kicking off my pants. I was on all fours, black fur bristling across my flesh. Within moments, I stood as a wolf, and the surrounding colors sharpened.

  Eat. Kill.

  The man’s cry pierced my ears.

  I shook my head, clearing the confusion, and thrust myself forward, biting Leo’s side just below his shoulder.

  The man kept kicking Leo in the face with his free foot, finally dislodging himself. He scrambled from the room.

  Leo pulled away from my grasp, leaving a chunk of his fur in my mouth. I spat it out, staring at the idiot who never should have come on this mission. The idiot who’d been allowed to join us as a favor to the second-in-command. How would the leader react if he discovered I’d hurt Leo? Then again, who gave a shit?

  Leo swung around and came at me. His jaws caught my front paw and crunched down.

  I released a strangled howl from the explosion of pain slicing through me. Blood welled around the gash. But no retreating. Now or ever. Nothing else mattered. There was no time for rational thinking, just the fight. To win.

  Fast as a snake, I darted around Leo, keeping my injured foot off the ground, and grabbed him by the back of his neck, shaking him, biting down without pause.

  When he finally collapsed, hunkering low, and whimpered, I drew away.

  Dizziness still held me prisoner, but I wasn’t backing down.

  Leo remained on his side, tongue hanging out, his fur matted and bloodied. He trembled and began to shift. Within seconds, Leo curled in on himself, naked, blood tainting his pale skin. I should have pitied him, but the anger burning through me made me numb, as it always had in war.

  I pushed aside my wolf and transformed, my forearm bleeding from the open lesion. Changing with a wound tore the flesh farther, deepening the injury. I didn’t care at that moment. Instead, I yanked Leo to his feet with my good arm and pinned him to the wall.

  “Attacking humans is punishable by death. Why shouldn’t I kill you?”

  He choked and spat blood across my forearm. “I-I couldn’t control myself. The guests went into a frenzy. We’re wolves, not fucking lambs.”

  “Son of a bitch.” I glanced over at Natalya on the floor. “What happened to her?”

  “She got in my way.” He smirked.

  If she died, the Varlac Tsar would be furious at losing his magical weapon, and he’d turn his attention to her teenager. And as much I shouldn’t care, my stomach churned at the idea of Natalya’s daughter losing a parent. “Hell. Stay here; don’t leave. Understand? And keep Natalya s
afe.” I released Leo and checked the witch’s pulse. She was alive. I left the room, slammed the door shut, and changed back into a wolf. The sensation came with an exhilaration of freedom. In my human form, my skin felt as if I wore clothes two sizes too small. I hurried as fast as I could on three paws. The injured leg remained bent and off the ground.

  Around the next corner, I found Titus as a wolf. He was dragging another wolf by the scruff. The poor wolf was whining, kicking for leverage. It had to be Kalin or her friend, and my heart throbbed in fear that he was going to kill her.

  A rumble roared through my chest.

  Titus’s head turned in my direction. He recoiled, still holding on to his victim, who had a white pelt except for a single stripe of brown on top of her head. Then I met Kalin’s eyes.

  Titus was a big bastard, almost double Kalin’s size.

  A chill crept over me, freezing my brain, and my jaw locked. No one touched my Kalin.

  I charged in a strange half run, half stumble, every inch of me burning. Titus dropped her and spun, hightailing it out of sight around a corner. I halted in front of Kalin and sniffed her, inhaling her sweet scent. She whimpered but stayed upright on shaky legs. The smell of her terror and blood filled my senses. Titus would pay.

  I lay my chin on the back of her neck in a show of protection and love.

  She shook herself away and bolted after Titus. Yes. We would hunt now, and I would pray my feelings weren’t just a product of the spell. The buzz of our connection had been there all along, and I wanted to believe we were soul mates. But I pushed those thoughts away, refusing to deal with them now.

  Both of us ran, side by side, our breaths in rhythm. Together was how it should be, now and forever.

  Humans scattered everywhere, rushing about, squealing. I staggered around a group crouching near the wall, crying. Such babies. They’d wanted a Halloween experience. Here it was. Fuck, we never should have come on this ridiculous mission. But then I wouldn’t have met Kalin. I’d go to hell and back to claim her. I cut her a glance; the determination in her eyes, the gracefulness of her movement, left me in admiration. I bet her white pelt glistened beneath the moonlight.

  In the distance, someone screamed.

  When we reached the top floor, we emerged onto the open terrace where I had first encountered Kalin. The flames of torches flicked in the wind, and the Transylvanian woods rustled on our left.

  Across from us stood a brown-and-white wolf, ears flat against her head, eyes locked on Titus and Leo. It must have been Kalin’s friend, Lenuţa. And the bastard Leo had left the room where Natalya was. A storm of adrenaline ruled my urge to teach him a lesson for disobeying me. With both of them out of control, everyone was in danger.

  My attention jerked back to Lenuţa, who stood beside a human with the strangest mustache studying her. She didn’t stand a chance against two wulfkin. Not to mention the human, who shoved her aside, raising his fists as if to strike her, his eyes wild with terror. She whined and backed away.

  I snarled, and all four looked my way. The man’s face blanched, and his mouth hung open. He spun and darted in the opposite direction, entering another doorway. Lucky he left, or I would have ripped his arm off for hurting Lenuţa.

  Sure, Titus and Leo were fighters, but so was I. Without waiting, I bared my fangs in a show of dominance and leaped toward Leo, crashing and bringing us both down. I tore at fur and flesh, not caring if I hurt him in that moment, only making him pay. He hadn’t listened to my command to stay in the room with Natalya, and now his actions threatened Kalin. I ought to finish him now, along with Titus.

  Someone slammed into my back, and teeth pierced my neck.

  I arched from the agony and shuddered.

  Titus’s teeth ripped into my shoulder. I writhed beneath him, bucking him off. The moment he recoiled, I lurched after him and snapped my jaws, catching him on the cheek.

  A shadow loomed over us, and Kalin rushed toward Titus, head-butting him and driving him away. But Leo tackled her, forcing her across the terrace. Her cries were blades to my ears.

  Leaping to my feet, I teetered after her, but Titus chomped down on my back leg, holding me in place. Sharp pain curled up my thigh, and stars flashed in front of my eyes. For those few seconds, it felt as if my entire body was battered, and my muscles tensed so hard, I couldn’t move.

  Despite Lenuţa’s terrified gaze, she attacked Titus’s rump, yanking him off me. I staggered off the ground, my head dancing and body throbbing in pain.

  Titus charged toward Lenuţa.

  He rammed into her side with such speed she flew backward, hit the wall overlooking the forest, and flipped over it. Her cries bled into the night. A strangled yelp sounded with a final thump.

  Kalin’s howl was deafening, blocking out Titus’s yelps. She spun and struck Leo with renewed vigor, ripping the fur and flesh off his body in a frenzy.

  Relentless, Leo dragged her farther across the terrace.

  I didn’t remember moving, but I collided with Titus, who stood in my way to Kalin. I chomped down on his thigh, bones breaking. Blood smeared my tongue. The wulfkin slumped beneath me, unmoving, playing dead. But I sensed his pulse.

  Several feet way, Leo crouched behind Kalin, his mouth latched around her neck. One move, and he’d kill her. Her eyes widened in panic.

  I froze, every inch of me trembling. In my mind’s eye, I pictured my parents’ bodies by the river, torn, bloody, and covered in bites. They’d stood no chance against the alpha’s henchmen. I’d buried them alone, deep in the Siberian forest, drowning in fury and the inability to gain them justice, and the memory would remain with me for eternity. Now, Kalin’s life teetered on a knife’s edge at the hands of the alpha’s wulfkin. I shook as an inferno burned me from the inside out.

  I have to save Kalin. At any cost.

  Just then, a thundering wave of footfalls boomed from the stairwell leading to the terrace. Half a dozen humans emerged, brandishing sticks and brooms. One person gripped an antique sword. They ran toward us, bellowing, swinging their weapons.

  Oh, fuck!

  Chapter Nine

  Kalin

  Party guests streamed onto the terrace, waving weapons, screaming battle cries. Terror grounded me on the spot as people came at us. Half a dozen rough hands ripped at my fur, tail, and ears. I whimpered.

  The strange wolf’s mouth loosed from around my neck. I scrambled up and threw myself into the mob, my gaze settled on the wall Lenuţa had been thrown over, terrified of what I’d find. But I had to know if she’d survived. Commotion exploded in every direction. Bodies bumped and crushed me. Growls and snapping teeth filled the air.

  A silver-haired man thrust the flat end of a broom in my face. I snarled, biting at the air between us, backing into the shadows.

  The broom jammed in my face again, the prickly threads like dozens of needles poking my skin. I growled, realizing that as long as we stayed in our wolf forms, the humans would attack what they feared. And they stood in my way of finding Lenuţa.

  Despite the raw instinct to rip the attacker’s windpipe out, I heaved my wolf back inside me, fur vanishing, bones contorting, the pain familiar and comforting. My human side pushed forward.

  When I lifted myself on two feet, naked and now a woman, the man gasped and dropped his broom. Retreating, he called out incomprehensible words and bolted out of there.

  I lunged out of the shadows, pushing against the bodies crowding the terrace, the wall in sight. Lenuţa, please be okay. To my right, the brown brindled wulfkin who had attacked me was in a tug-of-war with two people over a walking stick.

  Someone hollered in my ear, and I ducked as they brushed past, targeting the wulfkin. The man swung a sword high above his head as he charged for the wulfkin.

  “Watch out!” I chased after the man.

  The metal gleamed in the moonlight. In a sudden move, the guy brought his blade down on the back of the wolf’s neck.

  I shuddered and cringed.

 
Blood sprayed upward as the head came right off, his body crashing to the ground with a thump, his legs still twitching.

  Fucking hell! I choked on my next inhale as reality sank through me.

  I shoved the murderer aside. He stumbled into a wall but whirled, swinging the blade, inches short of slicing me across the stomach.

  “Are you insane?” I cried.

  His eyes glazed over as he laughed. Did he think this was a joke? He cast his gaze to Axe, who was in a corner, snarling, getting whacked with sticks by three people.

  The man with the sword now lurched toward Axe, the blade once again lifted over his head.

  Urgency pushed against me like an invisible storm, and I no longer felt my body. Yet I managed to run after the man and jump onto his back, biting into the fleshy meat between his neck and shoulder with my human teeth. Blood soaked my tongue. Fresh and warm. My wolf was at the back of my throat, tasting, demanding more.

  The man screamed and released his weapon. I leaped off just as someone slammed a shovel into my face. A sudden gush of pain matted my head. My vision blurred.

  An explosion thundered through my skull, and I rocked on the spot. I wiped the blood from my nose. “Get the hell out of my way!” I closed the distance between me and Axe, who stumbled on his paws. I shouldered past two men and sent a quick kick to the third guy’s groin. He bowled over.

  I stood between Axe and half a dozen approaching men, several eying my nakedness. Good. Keep them distracted while I kick their butts.

  “Come on, Axe. Shift already.” I picked up a stick and faced the mob.

  Before long, Axe pressed to my side in his human form, his weight heavy against me. Red trickled down one of his arms and a leg. Battered and bruised, he stumbled to stay upright.

  “Fuck off, the lot of you!” I yelled at the humans. Not that the idiots listened. They were lost puppies, looking at each other, some laughing, others pretending to fight with swords. And that was when I spotted the second Russian wulfkin in the opposite corner with a broom handle sticking out of his rib cage, his wolf body shifting.