Page 9 of Wild Wolf
“I’ll do it,” she finally said. “Where is the wedding?Here?”
Glancing at Aiden’s glare, she decided that might not be the bestidea.
“No. On Nolan’sproperty.”
“When do Ileave?”
“Immediately.” Tristan jumped off the porch railing. “Say your good-byes.”
She looked at Aiden, whose frown had returned, and Nia, whose gentle face was filled with sympathy. On impulse she went to Nia and shook herhand.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” she toldher.
Jordan looked at Aiden. “Have a nice life. I’ll try not to make your cousinmiserable.”
Before he could answer, she walked up to the baby in his arms, and clasped her tiny hands. “I left you a gift in my room, cutie pie. Make sure you listen to your mama. As for your papa, well, listen to your mama. She knowsbest.”
Aiden growled. The baby looked up at him, babbled something. He smiled ather.
Jordan never knew if the baby smiled back because in the next minute, Tristan had waved his hand, and she felt herself hurling through time andspace.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she fought to control her nausea. Then she felt solid ground beneath her feet and a cool breeze against her cheek, and smelled freshly mown grass andpine.
Home. Once it had beenhome.
“Open your eyes,” Tristanordered.
Maybe that was a bad idea. Maybe she could leave them shut and the past four days would dissolve like a bad dream. But her pragmatic side, the one that kept her alive,disagreed.
Jordan opened hereyes.
They stood on a hillside, the steep slope marching down into a valley. To her left was the wooden lodge where Nolan lived. She craned her neck and saw the third floor, second window from the far left. Once it had been her bedroom, her refuge. Until that terriblenight…
Stop thinking about it or you’ll never be able to dothis.
Tristan studied her. “Recognizeit?”
She shrugged. “I’ve tried to purge it from mymemory.”
She thought he’d take her up to the lodge, dump her in Nolan’s care. Instead, the wizard kept scrutinizing her. “When I brought you here as a little girl, you were frightened, but quickly adapted. You seemed happy later when I checked onyou.”
There was a surprise. “You brought mehere?”
At his nod, Jordan shrugged again. “I was five. Don’t remembermuch.”
But she did remember a year later a visit from a tall wizard with black hair, clad in black, who visited the pack, gave her a stuffed wolf to play with. It hurt to think of how she’d lost thattoy.
“Bryce snatched away the gift I gave you.” Tristan stood with his hands clasped behind hisback.
Jordan blinked. “How did you know… oh wait. Of course. You’re the SilverWizard.”
“Last time I checked,” Tristan said dryly. “Let’s go meetNolan.”
She’d much rather remain here, on the hill, away from the gangly, tall and shy Lupine she once loved. But no choice now.Onward.
The walk up the steep hill made her huff and puff. Jordan paused a minute to wipe sweat from her brow. Always this place seemed to drain her slightly, as if being in a pack muted her wolf instead of strengtheningit.
“Sheesh.” Jordan bent over, bracing her hands on her knees. “I’ve climbed mountains in Colorado and didn’t get half thiswinded.”
