Page 69 of Wild Wolf
She did not stop until reaching the pond. Where was hermate?
No one was at the water, and the area seemed deserted. Not even the birds sang in the trees ringing thegrove.
“Nolan?” she calledout.
Maybe he was injured, too weak to cryout.
“Nolan! I’m here!” Jordan pulled out her cell phone. She could try to find him through the GPSsignal…
Something sniggered nearby. Her bloodfroze.
She recognized that cruel giggle. Heard it six years ago on that night when Bryce took a hot knife to herback…
“Shirl,” Jordan whispered. “Come out, you coward, and faceme.”
From behind a towering maple tree, Shirl entered the grove. But something was off about her former friend. Instead of her big cow eyes and dull brown hair, Shirl had bright blue eyes andshe…
Glowed pink andsilver.
“Who are you?” Jordan demanded. “Where’sNolan?”
“The alpha is at the lodge, where he belongs. And you, bitch, are nowours.”
Slowly the woman’s face dissolved,changed…
Revealing her true nature. Risa, the Fae queen’sattendant.
“You’re all alone, Jordan, just like you were when Bryce caught you in the woods. But this time, he’s not here to stop us. We’re going to finish the job we started six yearsago.”
She held up a knife, glinting in the sun. “This time, we’re carving out yourheart.”
All her instincts screamedto run. As she turned to flee, a web of glowing pink blocked her path. Jordan tried to sidestep it, but each time she did, the web barricaded herway.
Risa tittered. “You can’t escape us, bitch.Elaine!”
A glowing pink and white ball floated near Risa and with a soft pop, materialized into Risa’s sister. We’ve waited a long time for this. A long time to get rid of your pretty face,” Elainesnapped.
No one would come to her rescue, just as they had not six years ago. Lured into a trap by the powerful Fae sisters, she was on herown.
Eyes centered on the knife, she kept talking. Stallingthem.
“You lied to everyone, pretending to be friends with the Mitchell pack and Nolan.” Jordan backed away. No match for their powers, these ancient sisters. Her magick could never compete with the powerfulFae.
Elaine laughed. “We are friends with them. Just not you. Don’t you get it? Everything would have been fine, fine, if Nolan never noticed you. If you’d stayed quiet and in the background, or took interest in a minor Lupine, our queen would have lost interest. Butno.”
“He was ours,” Risa snapped. “If you hadn’t have come along, our plan to keep him for ourselves would have worked. But when you and Nolan became involved, Selene started talking about how important you were. How proud she was ofyou.”
“All those years we showed her utter devotion, slaving for her, and you with your mixed Lupine and Fae blood… you aren’t anything special, but she loved you because you were her daughter and she loved your bastard father.” Elaine flicked a hand and currents of magick spun toward Jordan in rapidfire succession, striking herchest.
It hurt like hell, but she gritted her teeth and held her position. “My father and mother were Lupines who lived in Alaska. I’m anorphan.”
“Your father was Brandon Harlow! After you were born, Selene placed you with a pack of wild Lupines to bring out your wolf side, but they were all slaughtered. So Selene asked the Silver Wizard to bring you to the Mitchell pack for safekeeping. She saw you as a means to finally seal peace with the Harlows. If you mated with Nolan, since you were a Harlow, it would end the blood feud. We cannot have that. The feud fuels our powers, makes the Mitchell pack and Nolan dependent uponus.”
Jordan’s head swam. Daughter of a powerful Lupine and a powerful Fae queen. No wonder her magick was so screwed up on packland.
No wonder she had secretly wished the feud would end. Her ownfather!
“When we leave your torn body here, we’ll change into Brandon Harlow and lure Nolan here, so he will blame the Harlows and the feud will continue.” Risa twirled theknife.
