Emerald Flame: A Paranormal Romance (The Flame Series Book 6) Read online

  He heaved a sigh as he continued to hold Susie close. Her sobs still shook her body.

  As his gaze met Kiara’s once more, he watched a soft smile form on her lips. She dipped her chin slowly, very wolf-like. His heart swelled.

  Dammit, this felt like love, like everything he’d known with his wife so many years ago.

  Chapter Six

  Thoughts of Tonya and how much he’d once loved her rushed through the moment like a dream turning suddenly into a nightmare. What had been peace, became turbulent.

  Kiara’s voice was suddenly in his head. Dial it down, wolf. Whatever has hold of your thoughts, it’s not helping Susie.

  My wife.

  The words left his mind before he could stop them. No one knew about her, or where she was, or what she’d done.

  Your…wife? Kiara grew very still and why wouldn’t she? He hadn’t been forthcoming, with her or anyone. Tonya was an off-limits topic, yet he’d brought her forward like he couldn’t help himself.

  Susie, maybe because she’d sensed something was going on, had stopped weeping and slowly eased away from them both then moved to stand in front of him. Kiara followed her lead.

  Warren felt like twelve kinds of fool as he met Kiara’s gaze.

  Wife? She reiterated. Her lips parted and moved slightly. She appeared to be forming question after question on her lips, but nothing came from either her voice or her mind.

  No one knows. She’s not well, not since her alter transformation.

  When Susie listed on her feet, Warren caught her elbow and steadied her. He then guided her to sit in one of the wicker chairs on the porch. “The others will be here soon.”

  He returned to Kiara and once again used his telepathy. We can talk later.

  She nodded.

  He drew his cell from the pocket of his leathers, but addressed her first. “I’m calling Fergus. Should we bring the others here?”

  Kiara dipped her chin in a firm nod. “Absolutely.”

  As he talked things over with Fergus, he gestured for Kiara to join him in the air to guide the wolves in. She held him back to keep them hidden behind the security spell she had around her property.

  He stayed on the line with Fergus and after a minute saw him flying in his direction. He carried one of the rescued wolves in his arms. His men were not far behind him.

  He and Kiara broke through the spell then ushered Fergus, his men and the recovering wolves into the secret refuge. Fergus hung back and stared hard at Warren. Your eye is open, and the scarring is diminished. When did that happen?

  Earlier, with Kiara.

  Fergus shook his head. Amazing. He glanced at the wolf in his arms, then added, We’ll talk later. He then descended toward the house.

  Ralph flew at the back probably making sure all his wolves were safe. His skin was pale as he reached them.

  Once safely inside the security spell, Kiara spoke quickly. “We’ve got Susie, Ralph. She’s fine.”

  While midair, he gasped and shuddered. “Where is she?” His voice cracked.

  Kiara waved an arm in the direction of the house. “There. She’s sitting in the wicker chair on the porch though it’s hard to see through all the warriors and your wolves.”

  Ralph immediately launched toward the refuge.

  Warren flew beside Kiara, descending to land on the stone path that led to the front of the house. Fergus met them. “So, this is the refuge.” He settled his gaze on Kiara.

  Kiara, however, wasn’t paying attention. Instead, her gaze appeared to be fixed on Ralph and Susie.

  Warren could just see the couple as well. Ralph gathered Susie into his arms. She clung to him and he saw that Ralph shook, head-to-foot. He kept kissing her face then hugging her harder still.

  From his peripheral, he watched Kiara swipe tears from her cheeks. Though he released her hand, it was only to slide his arm around her waist and draw her close. You did good, Kiara.

  Back atcha.

  The words were right, but he sensed the undercurrent of sadness. As he watched the tender reunion, full of grief because of the wolves the couple had lost, his throat tightened. He felt for Ralph and Susie.

  “I can’t believe we got them all out,” Fergus murmured.

  Kiara finally turned her gaze to him. “You and your men did great.”

  Fergus shifted back to her. “As did you, Kiara. This was nothing short of a miracle.” He glanced around. “So where do you want everyone?”

  “Let me contact my staff. I think I’d like to have them come up and take the wolves into the refuge apart from your troops. It’s a process when there’s been so much trauma.”

  “However you want it done.”

  Kiara turned away from both men, reached into her satchel and withdrew her phone. She spoke quietly as she moved through the group of wolves in the direction of the front door. Most of the warriors had released the women they’d carried to safety, though a couple of the females were too weak and needed to be supported. The entire group was quiet.

  Warren turned his attention to Fergus.

  Fergus stared at him once more. “The entire time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen both your eyes. I’m stunned. So, she’s healed you?”

  Warren shrugged. “Kiara thinks it’s something we do together. Beyond that, I have no explanation.”

  Fergus gestured with a toss of his hand. “And all of this? I had no idea it was here. Did you?”

  “No, the refuge was a shock to me as well.”

  Fergus kept shaking his head, his hands planted on his hips. His gaze followed Kiara. “But how did she manage to build all this when her house is within a stone’s throw of both the Sand Pit and the Caldion compound?”

  “I’ve asked myself that about a dozen times.”

  Fergus whistled. “Your woman has power.” He smiled. “Almost as much as Mary.”

  Warren wanted to protest that Kiara wasn’t his woman, but Fergus moved the conversation along swiftly. “You should stay put for the time being. Alessandro called and said Julio’s spies are still in place. In fact, our friend added another contingent to the north of the compound.”

  “Julio’s not being subtle.”

  “No. He’s not.” He looked Warren up and down. “I see you got your gear okay.”

  “I did and you can thank Mary for me.”

  Fergus grinned. “Women think about these things more than we do.”

  Since at that moment Kiara was directing the rescued wolves into the house, Warren could only agree. “There’s something you should know. I’m developing warlock attributes that I can’t explain.”

  “Any more than I could tell you why I could build a dreamglide when I first began connecting with Mary, but I could. So, I get it.” His warriors, now free of their charges, began moving in Fergus’s direction. “Where do we go from here, Warren? I’m thinking we should talk about an offensive. Whatever Julio has planned, he means business. We might be wise to cut him off as soon as we can.”

  “I agree.” He glanced toward the house and thought about Kiara, the role she’d played, how critically important she’d become in the equation. She’d been the key to saving lives at the station the night before and now with Ralph’s wolves.

  He’d lived in Five Bridges long enough to understand the importance of what was happening between them, however temporary it might prove to be. Kiara wasn’t just an asset, she’d become a critical component to the emerging war Julio had set in motion.

  But he was also deeply unsettled as to what their future should be, even the rest of the night. He also needed to talk to her, to make sure she was handling the difficulties of the rescue as well as to explain about Tonya. Right now, this seemed more important than setting a strategy even though Fergus was right. They needed to plan an offensive.

  He came to a decision and turned his gaze back to Fergus. But Fergus wore a wry smile. “She has alpha-mate capacity, doesn’t she?”

  “It’s a nightmare. She’s a witch.”


  Fergus ran his gaze over Warren’s face. “And a witch did this to you, so you’re not exactly inclined toward the species.”

  “I hate the secrecy and the duplicity.”

  “But Kiara’s a good woman. Anyone with half a brain can see that. She’s a witch who rescues wolves.”

  Fergus was not helping him in his dilemma. But he still wasn’t ready to hammer out a new strategy. “Give me a couple of hours. I need some time with Kiara. She was just in a battle and that’s not something she’s used to.”

  “No problem. Again, I get it. All of it.”

  “I’ll call you then we can figure out what we should do next.”

  Fergus clapped him on the shoulder. He’d never appeared more serious. “I know it won’t be easy, the next few hours or nights or whatever. But try to stay open. Even though she’s witch, Kiara’s good people. She might be exactly what you need.”

  Warren sighed heavily, but he nodded.

  When Kiara appeared in the doorway, she called out to Fergus. “Are you ready to leave? I’ll need to clear the spell for you as you depart.”

  “We are.”

  She levitated toward him then rose to a height of about forty feet and waited.

  Fergus pivoted toward his men, lifted his arm straight up then waved it in a circle. With the discipline of years, his wolves rose into the air with him, following in a clean line based on pack rank as they flew into the air.

  As Fergus drew near Kiara’s position, Warren watched Kiara part the spell. The men slipped through then disappeared heading east toward the Gordion compound. He noticed that monsoon clouds were piling up in the north again. He sniffed the air. It would rain soon, within the next twenty minutes or so.

  Kiara sealed up the security spell. Warren was amazed that he could see a web of gold and violet form then finally expand to a solid shape. The colors then melted away with nothing but starry night sky visible beyond.

  Kiara slowly descended in his direction.

  It was time to talk about his earlier slip.

  Feeling sad, Warren? The voice in his head was not Kiara’s, however.

  He turned around and there she was, Tonya, his wife. Only she was in her ghost-like state. “What are you doing here?”

  Kiara touched down next to him. He wasn’t sure if she could see the apparition until he glanced at her. With parted lips, she stared at the specter. He wasn’t sure why, but she grew very pale.

  Warren asked, “So you can see her? The ghost-that-isn’t-a ghost?”

  “I can, but I’m confused.”

  Tonya’s voice hit his mind. So, you finally found a replacement for me. To be honest, I thought you’d go for another blond, like me.

  Kiara turned toward him more fully. “Is this your wife?”

  “It is.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought she was alive.”

  “She is. The situation is complicated. What you’re seeing is a result of alter dementia, or so I’ve been told.” He extended his hand toward the apparition. “Tonya, I’d like you to meet Kiara. She runs a wolf refuge here in Savage Territory.”

  Tonya moved slowly, a misty apparition in her blue shift with her blond hair floating around her shoulders. She tried to drift behind Kiara, to check her out, but Kiara pivoted with her, staring at his wife.

  I’m Kiara. I recognize you from the dreams you’ve been sending me. Though the telepathic communication was directed at Tonya, Warren heard it within his mind as well. You’re the one from my dreams, right?

  Now that was a surprise.

  Tonya pressed a finger to her cheek and slanted her eyes skyward in an effort to strike a cute pose. Busted.

  The truth was, his wife would never have behaved like this. Even as an apparition, her dementia was obvious, at least to him.

  But what did either of the women mean. He addressed Kiara. “Are you saying my wife has invaded your dreams?”

  “Yes, a recurring dream. A nightmare really. She’s been warning me away from you. She says I will put you in grave danger if I don’t leave Savage.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Kiara didn’t know what to think. Warren was married and his wife, though still alive, was able to appear in ghost-form. She was also the woman from her nightmares.

  What solidified within Kiara’s mind was the certainty that forces beyond her understanding were definitely at work pushing her toward Warren. Yet other forces were trying to pull her away.

  But what did it all mean? Was she to be warned away by Tonya? Or was it a trick to lure her out of Savage just when she was needed most.

  As she stared at the apparition, Kiara knew the woman was a witch and that something wasn’t right with her. She just didn’t know what she was looking at.

  Death pressed on Tonya, but hadn’t taken her yet. So, how was it the witch could appear as a ghost and why wasn’t she here in Savage alongside her husband?

  Tonya faced Warren once more. He ground jaw and his silver scars jerked over the side of his head. He was not happy. You need to return to your home, Tonya. Please. He spoke firmly and though he was telepathing with Tonya, Kiara could hear their conversation easily.

  I don’t want to. I’m bored to tears at the asylum.

  She moved past Kiara and threw herself on Warren, which had the effect of thrusting all her misty vapors straight through him.

  He grimaced. You know how much I hate that.

  Maybe your woman would like it better.

  Don’t. The sharp command, however, had no effect. Tonya whipped in Kiara’s direction and launched.

  But Kiara wasn’t a wolf.

  She lifted her hand and cast a quick, protective spell. The vapors hit what looked like a solid wall and dissipated only to reform almost as quickly.

  Tonya appeared enraged. Then her image suddenly grew clearer. She looked around. No. This is all wrong. She turned to meet Warren’s gaze. My darling, I’m so sorry. Forgive me for whatever this was.

  With that, she disappeared.

  Even the air around Kiara felt different. She turned in a full circle to make sure Tonya was no longer there just to confirm what she sensed. But she was nowhere to be seen.

  She turned to face Warren. He parted his lips as though to speak, but closed them as quickly. This is not the woman I knew, the woman I married.

  Kiara pivoted toward the garden and began moving slowly up the path away from the house. “Warren, I don’t understand. I can sense she has great power, but what’s wrong with her? And why doesn’t she live here in Savage, with you?”

  He caught up with her and matched her stride, but he didn’t speak right away.

  The garden was full of boulders and junipers and several meandering paths. Pine trees, like the ones in the Savage forest, kept the garden shaded during the day and the ground smelling sweetly from the constantly falling needles.

  Though she longed to hear his response, she worked hard to let the moment breathe. Yet somehow, what he said next felt critical to her as in life-changing. If he refused to explain anything, she would know he’d closed her out and meant to keep it that way.

  On the other hand, if he trusted her enough to talk about Tonya, well, her heart beat harder at what that would mean.

  Warren wasn’t an easily knowable man. Over the years, she’d only engaged in a real conversation with him a handful of times. Each time, she’d caught glimpses of both the strong alpha leader he was and the human he’d been before his alter wolf transformation.

  She’d wanted to know more. Longed to know. Craved. But he wasn’t one to share much.

  When they reached the bottom of the garden, near one of the territory’s main dirt roads, he caught her wrist in a gentle clasp then turned her toward him. “You deserve answers. But the truth is, I’ve never told anyone about my wife.”

  She saw the pain in the tight pull of his cheeks and deep furrow between his brows. The silvery scars on the left side of hi
s face rippled then relaxed.

  He shoved his hand through his hair. It was sooty and the chemical smell of the recent battle clung to him as it did to her. But she wouldn’t have stopped the moment for anything.

  Instead, she waited, letting him gather his thoughts. She could see what this was costing him and wondered yet again what was going on with the witch that she could become a pseudo-ghost.

  Finally, Warren released her wrist. He looked over her head as he said. “She has alter dementia. It’s very rare and happened within days of our arrival in Five Bridges.” He touched the side of his face. “She was the witch who did this, my own wife. I still don’t know how she managed it, but she was gifted from the start and had put her spellroom together before the week was out. I should have known something was wrong because she practically lived in that room and had stopped engaging with me. But I was too new to this world to know any different.

  “We’d chosen to live in Elegance for her sake. I’d contacted Savage and had been put in touch with Fergus. He was my wolf mentor at the time. He was the one who found me and got me to a witch he knew who reversed the spell. If the paste had hit the center of the bones and entered the marrow, you know all too well what would have happened.”

  He shook his head. It took him a moment before he could continue.

  “Several witches examined Tonya. The Tribunal had a physician, an expert, who was able to diagnose her condition. She was moved to an asylum in Revel Territory not long after. Fergus brought me to Savage. But even he didn’t know about the origin of the killing spell. I’d let him believe it was a dark witch and that my wife had been killed.”

  Kiara had heard of alter dementia, but she’d never known anyone afflicted with the genetic mutation. It only occurred during the initial transformation process but wasn’t always detectable. “I’m so sorry, Warren. That must have been a nightmare for you.”

  His voice was quiet as he said, “I visit her every week. She’s rail-thin. The nurses don’t know why she’s still alive.”