Page 42 of Sold Wolf Slave

I raised an eyebrow. “Name it,” I said, expecting him to ask about Morgan or any number of other things.

He propped himself up as he turned to look at me. “Can I see some magic?”

Surprised, I gave a half-laugh. “Technically, I’ve already shown you some,” I pointed out.

“Sure, but I’ve always been curious about magic. Witches and shifters don’t typically get along. I’ve always wondered what it was like, only I’ve never been close enough to a witch to ask.”

“And now that you have one forced to talk to you, you figured now was the best time to ask all about it?” I teased.

Will gave a grin that seemed to light up his whole face, and my heart fluttered. “Just making the best of a bad situation,” he said. “So, how about it?”

I tilted my head, considering him as I gave an amused, playful smirk. Then, I raised my hands and muttered an incantation. Two figures made entirely of flame danced around the clearing, bodies pressed together as they waltzed, as music filtered through the air. I didn’t know why I had picked this precise bit of magic, or why the two figures looked like me and Will. But I let them glide around us, their feet of flame grazing the grass but never lighting it on fire.

Will stared wide-eyed, the fire dancing in his eyes until the flame figures dissipated, smoke lingering in the air behind them before evaporating.

“That’s incredible,” he said. He shook his head and turned to look at me. “Seriously. You’re incredible, Kendra.”

I was painfully aware of how close he was to me in that moment, the way his hair blew in the wind, and how easy it would be for him to clear those final few inches to take me in his arms. I remembered how those hands felt as they roamed along my body, and part of me craved to feel it again.

For a long moment, as I stared up at him, I couldn’t breathe. I had this overwhelming urge to grab him and pull himagainst me, and I realized with a jolt that I wanted him. Despite everything, I desperately wanted him.

I had hoped my desire for him would be a one-time thing. That once I had sex with Will and got it out of my system, it would be over with, and I wouldn’t have to think about it ever again.

It turned out I was wrong.

Which was going to make what I planned on doing a lot harder.

I waited until I knew Will was out of the house, running down some lead or another. Lingering at the bedroom door, I stared at the top of Chris’s head, visible from where he lounged on the sofa.

For a long moment, I debated what I was about to do. Memories of the clearing and that afternoon still lingered in my mind. What I was considering was risky at best. And going behind Will’s back seemed like a betrayal of the trust we had slowly been building.

But it was either this or sit and do nothing while Morgan rotted in Cain’s palace.

I stepped into the living room and rounded the couch, sitting in the comfortable chair. Chris lifted his eyes from his book. He raised his head and gave a small smile in polite inquiry. I knew I couldn’t turn back now.

“I need your help,” I said.

Chris raised an eyebrow. “And you’re not asking Will because…?”

“Because…” I hesitated. If I told him I knew Will would say no, there was no way he would help me. “Because this way, if it goes wrong, his cover won’t be blown.”

Chris chewed the inside of his cheek as he looked me up and down, not without a hint of suspicion. Finally, he sighed and put the book face-down on the couch, spine poking up from where it held his place. He leaned forward and steepled his fingers. His face had that same intelligent, calculating look that I noticed Will sometimes got.

“Let’s call a spade a spade,” he said. “You want to get your sister back, and I’m guessing you have some sort of idea on how to get into that palace.”

Heat flooded my cheeks, and I glanced away. I didn’t like being called out that easily. But I wasn’t going to insult his intelligence by lying and telling him that he hadn’t guessed exactly what I wanted to do.

“It’s for the mission,” I said. “Think about it—if we can get Morgan out of there, she’s going to have so much information about Cain and his operation. She’ll be invaluable in helping take him down.”

“And on top of that, you get your sister back,” he said knowingly.

“I never said I wouldn’t benefit from it,” I acknowledged.

He let out a deep breath, staring at me speculatively. “Again, Will should know—”

“If this goes sideways, then they’re going to assume Will had something to do with it because of me,” I said. “This gives him plausible deniability.”

Chris exhaled, brow furrowing as he debated. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll talk to Nolan, and we’ll see what we can do.”

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