Page 88 of The Mating Quest
She told him about Cormac, and how she’d met him in her travels in the Dark Kingdom, for powerful Dark Fae traveled there as well as in the Winter Kingdom. Cormac had powers, oh such powers, and she craved his magick and wanted to learn from him. He’d manifested himself as a balanced Fae who wanted to use his powers to helpothers.
“Cormac seemed… benevolent. I struck a deal withhim.”
Her gaze dropped as he stroked his thumb over her chin. “Tellme.”
“I became his lover in exchange for him sharing powers. Soon as we had sex, I realized Cormac’s… not so benevolent side. And then when I had sufficient power, he revealed his true purpose. He wanted me as his partner, to boil the ogres I wished to free, and drain their magick. When I refused… it wasn’tnice.”
“Ilana,” he said softly. “I’m sosorry.”
Now she did meet his troubled gaze. “Caderyn rescued me and then left Cormac’s fate up to Gideon, the Crimson Wizard. Gideon intervened and vanquished Cormac. The Shadow Wizard warned me never to use my powers for evil, or I would suffer the same asCormac.”
“You did it for the right reasons, not knowing theconsequences.”
She sighed. “I’m not ashamed of what I did to gain dark magick, Ethan. But I am ashamed at how I let him use me, and he almost used me to accomplish his goal. Had he succeeded…” Her hands fell to herside.
It was too painful to speak further about her mistakes. Ethan’s expression smoothed out and instead of pity in his gaze, she saw purpose. Purpose was great. Pity brokeher.
He used the blank half of the whiteboard and outlined a new map, then handed her the marker. “Draw what you remember of the Dark Kingdom and the pitfalls we might encounter. I want to knoweverything.”
As she took the marker, their fingers brushed, and her breath caught at the sheer touch of him. Ilana struggled with her composure and studied the board. “Why? You said Gideon’s talisman is probably in the Fae Winter Kingdom, not the DarkKingdom.”
His jaw tensed. “Because I don’t like surprises and believe in being prepared. Just incase.”
An hour later,they ate lunch and talked of the knowledge he’d gleaned from the books he’d read. Then Ethan glanced outside. “It’s too nice to stay inside, seeing this is our last day. How about going out on thewater?”
Ilana scowled. “Tristan told you to avoid thewater.”
“Going into the water. Renting a boat is fine.” His blue gaze twinkled. “Technically I’m not in thewater.”
Ilana rolled her eyes. “All right. As long as you’re careful. Do you know how to drive aboat?”
The alpha gave her a look as if she’d asked him if he remembered how to shift into his wolf. “Ilana, I live in Florida and own aboat.”
Grinning, she drained her water. “Doesn’t mean you know how to drive one,wolf.”
The house came with a modest car filled with gas. Ethan drove to the marina and rented a sleek bow rider. For two hours, he drove the boat over the blue inlet waters, exploring the tucked away red mangrove islands and pointing out the water birds on the sandbars. Black winged anhingas and cormorants spread their wings to dry, while a group of brilliant pink roseate spoonbills used their long beaks to dig in the sand for smallcrustaceans.
When they finally returned to the house, they lounged by the pool in the sun until he announced he was taking her to dinner. She dressed in a white sundress with green and blue flowers, and put strappy white sandals on herfeet.
Downstairs, Ethan waited for her. The white, open-neck shirt had the sleeves rolled up to reveal his tanned, strong forearms and the black trousers were neatly pressed. He looked at her and the admiration in his eyes made her feel alive andaware.
The waterfront restaurant he chose had a casual atmosphere and a splendid view of the bay and the expensive yachts moored at the marina. She happily ordered sea scallops and rice, while he dined on primerib.
“For an alpha wolf who enjoys his meat, you sure know how to pick a seafood restaurant.” She sighed withrepletion.
Ethan leaned back, toyed with his glass of red wine. “Ilana, I wasn’t always an alpha. I came to my pack as an outcast, after getting kicked out of my mother’s Lupinepack.”
He looked solemn, and she sensed the deeper hurt. “Because you wereChangeling?”
Nodding, he swirled the wine, watching it splash up one side of the glass. “I wandered, like you did, for years. On my own, looking to belong to another pack. Finally found a small one in Florida. Hid my true nature and hired on as a day laborer when they needed help in the summer. Simon, the alpha, liked me. A lot. He told me I had fresh, young ideas and his people needed newblood.”
He glanced down at his empty plate. “I made a promise to Simon on his deathbed that I would protect and defend the pack, even die for them ifnecessary.”
Her gaze softened. “That’s a noblecause.”
He shrugged. “It’s what alpha Lupines do, and do well. Pack comes first. Simon was also getting too old to interact with Skins. You can only stay in the same place for so long with the magick protecting you from them gettingsuspicious.”
“You could have chosen life with a pack that was more secluded, like AidenMitchell’s.”
