Amber Flame Read online

  With a slick levitation move, he swung Sydon around in a complete circle twice, then launched him into the air, sending him twenty feet away. The crowd roared its approval.

  Mary’s gaze went to Sydon, who rolled in the sand as he landed. He lifted up slowly, one hand at his waist as though injured.

  Mary felt it again, a fae sense of dread so profound that she knew Sydon was up to something and Fergus was in trouble. She didn’t know how since there was no way Sydon had a weapon on him this time.

  But Mary knew what she knew.

  She had to dreamglide.

  She moved close to Warren and slid into his mind. Listen, Warren, my fae instincts tell me our boy is in trouble. Something’s not right, and I need to dreamglide. Will you support my body while I do it, because I’ll be vulnerable while I see what’s going on.

  Warren, however, stared at her as though she’d lost her mind.

  She understood the problem instantly. Warren didn’t want to touch her because she belonged to Fergus. Being physically close to her would cause all kinds of problems, for Warren personally and alpha-to-alpha. Mary, I can’t do this. I won’t do this to Fergus. Touching you is beyond inappropriate.

  She lowered her chin and held his gaze, then growled softly. If you don’t get on board right now Fergus will die, and that’s my fae speaking. Get with the program. Now! She all but shouted the last part into his head.

  Her posture, and maybe her wolf-growl, had an effect.

  He nodded, then opened his arm for her. By the time she was wrapped up, she felt him shaking from head-to-foot. He was fast reaching the peak of his own alpha-mating cycle as well. Being this close to a female with alpha-mate bonding potential had to be agony for him, but it couldn’t be helped.

  The moment she felt secure, Mary dropped quickly into her deepest meditation and slipped into her dreamglide. She flew directly over the battle. No one could see her of course and even if one of the men struck in her direction, they wouldn’t actually touch her. She could fly through both men as they battled and wouldn’t feel a thing. She was, in that sense, a ghost.

  The men fought wildly until Fergus landed Sydon on his back, jumped on him and pinned him in the sand. He punched Sydon’s face repeatedly.

  Mary knew this was the moment she was meant to watch, because the dread she felt had become a torture over every inch of her skin.

  She brought the dreamglide right down next to the men. Fergus’s face was flushed red as he continued to hit Sydon with his bare fist.

  She shifted her gaze to Sydon. Why wasn’t he fighting back?

  That’s when she saw it. Sydon’s hand had slipped just inside his gray leather gladiator briefs. When he pulled his fingers back, he had something small pinched between his thumb and index finger.

  She sniffed the air. Even in the dreamglide, she could catch odors and whatever Sydon had in his possession smelled like something the dark witches could create.

  She knew then that Sydon had a potent, deadly spell between his fingers.

  From the dreamglide, she shouted inside Fergus’s head, Sydon has a witch powder in his hand. Get away from him, now! Now! Move, now! If she could have pulled on his shoulders, she would have.

  ~ ~ ~

  Fergus heard Mary’s words through the thrill of beating his opponent. But it took him a moment to register what she’d said.

  Witch’s spell.

  Shit.

  Move! Mary’s voice once more struck his head.

  He flew backward just as Sydon released a blue powdery substance. Fergus had escaped immediate impact, but a vapor the color of cobalt kept moving in Fergus’s direction as though designed for him.

  Holy hell! It was a witch’s concoction.

  Time slowed down and as the powder began to reach Fergus, panic took hold of Sydon’s face. Sydon hadn’t thought he’d get caught, which meant that if Fergus hadn’t moved as he did, the powder-based spell would have made contact with his skin, and disappeared as it penetrated his body. The spell would have been undetectable.

  The referee immediately shouted, “Foul! I can see the witch’s spell. This dominance battle is at an end!”

  Fergus wanted to say something, to call for Sydon’s imprisonment, but he suddenly felt dizzy and sick as hell. As he dropped to his knees, he watched helplessly as Sydon and his wolves raced for the south exit.

  The crowd howled its rage at what Sydon had attempted.

  The referee again called out. “Because a witch’s spell has been cast here, I find in favor of Fergus, and reinstate him as alpha of the Gordion Pack.”

  Fergus sensed Mary’s presence just before she put her arm around his shoulders and knelt beside him. His eyes rolled, he felt profoundly sick to his stomach. “I’m going to throw up.”

  “Let it out. It’s poison.”

  Fergus threw up all over the sand and what came out of him was dark blue, like the vapor he’d witnessed.

  “We need water here,” Mary shouted. “Lots of it.”

  Within a few seconds, he felt movement around him as others came to his aid. Mary thrust a bottle beneath his nose and commanded, “Drink as much as you can and drink it fast.”

  With a profound thirst setting in, he guzzled. He went through the first bottle, then a second one before he started feeling a little better. He was still dizzy as hell, but worked to gain his feet anyway.

  Warren was right there beside him and caught him around his waist, holding him upright. Mary was on his other side, took the empty bottle from his hand and shoved a third one at him. He drank some more.

  His head was spinning. The spell had been powerful and he knew if Sydon had put it anywhere on his skin he would have died within seconds with no one the wiser.

  He leaned into Warren. “Get a witch over here to clean this up. Don’t let any of our wolves near the sand.”

  He then heard Warren shouting commands to that effect.

  Though Warren supported him, he wanted Mary close. “Stay next to me while I drink. I need you right now.” It was an odd thing to feel and to say. But she’d saved his life. Again.

  Mary settled her hand on his shoulder and didn’t let go no matter how many times he lifted the same arm to drink.

  Taking another swig, he then looked at her, frowning slightly. “What did you see? I mean, how did you know something was going to happen?”

  Mary nodded as tears started to her eyes. “I experienced a terrible feeling of dread that became focused on Sydon.” She explained how she’d positioned the dreamglide close to their battling bodies and had watched Sydon’s hand go to the waistband of his briefs. “I’m just glad you listened to me when I told you to get away from him.”

  “The moment you spoke into my head, I knew you’d drawn close and I could feel you in the dreamglide. But where did he get the spell?”

  “Someone must have given it to him, one of his wolves, maybe?”

  “That had to be it. He must have been planning this since I shot him in the thigh and jailed him in the dungeon cell. I’m convinced the whole time he was there he was communicating telepathically with his rogue wolves, setting this up. Still, I can’t believe he brought a dark witch’s spell into a dominance match, although since the skewer incident, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  He glanced around and saw that most of Warren’s pack had already left the arena. With the exception of Warren’s close-knit security force, only the Gordion wolves remained. He asked Warren to get him over to the seats so he could sit down.

  Once there, not far from his platform, he sat down on a stone bench and sent his self-healing into his bloodstream where the remnants of the spell were still working on him. How strange his life had become as an alter species, that he could feel the dark witch spell trying to cause more damage.

  A wolf came near and put Fergus’s amber cloak around his shoulders.

  Mary sat down beside him. He slid his arm around her and pulled her close. Her presence comforted him, but not because she’d yet again
saved his life. It was just her, the goodness of her soul, her kindness.

  He checked his self-healing and felt the last of the potion leave his body. “It’s gone.”

  “Thank God.”

  He kissed the top of her head and affection swelled his heart. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  She drew back enough to meet his gaze and smiled faintly in return. “You’re very welcome.”

  At that, he kissed her, though afterward, he heard a soft howling move through the arena.

  Glancing up, he saw that the Gordion wolves were all moving in his direction and seemed to be responding to his relationship with Mary. He could also tell that the bond had already started to form. The pack was his again and with so much general good will, it wouldn’t take long.

  Warren, standing nearby, patted him on his shoulder and said, “Congratulations. The pack is yours again.”

  He wasn’t sure he’d heard better words in his life. Sydon’s brief but violent reign was over and the wave of appreciation that he felt from those Gordion wolves present, brought him to his feet once more.

  A smattering of applause turned into a roll of thunder, one that made him smile. Slowly, his wolves drew close until they filled all the nearby aisles, then began to pass by him in a long procession. He took his time and greeted each one, accepting their love and well-wishes.

  Mary and Warren moved in behind him as the pack continued to stream by. Within a few minutes, he felt fully restored and knew his pack was the reason.

  As the arena emptied, he thanked Warren for his help.

  Warren nodded, but his nostrils elongated and flared. “We have an enemy out there, and I don’t think he’s finished with us yet.”

  “As long as Sydon has breath, he’ll keep trying for a takeover,” Fergus said. “Which means I need to return to my compound and you should get back to yours.”

  He glanced past Warren and saw the green-trimmed black tanks of his security force, standing guard. Fergus nodded in their direction. “Your men are waiting for you.”

  Warren held Fergus’s gaze and a crooked smile touched his lips. “Glad to have you back.”

  “Thanks again, for everything.”

  Warren dipped his chin a couple of times, then turned up the aisle and headed in the direction of his men. Fergus watched until Warren and his large contingent flew out the south entrance.

  As for the Gordion wolves, Fergus’s lead wolves had formed an arc near him and several levitated in the air on either side of the aisle. The rest of his team stood all along the path at the top of the seats.

  Harley was nearby.

  Fergus stiffened slightly, remembering what Mary had said about him. He wanted to ignore her warning, but she’d just saved his life again. He had to take her concerns seriously even if they made no sense.

  He wasn’t sure what to think, but for now he needed to give Harley the benefit of the doubt, if not for Harley’s sake, then for his own. Harley had been his right hand man for years now.

  Fergus slowed his steps and contacted Mary telepathically. Do you see how beat up Harley is? He got that way battling Sydon’s men. I know for a fact he worked hard to save the wolf Sydon’s force tried to kill in the dungeon cell. I can’t believe he’s anything but loyal to me and to his pack.

  He felt Mary’s stillness and the part of him that was fae reached toward her, silently begging her to recant.

  She turned to him and caressed his face. Looking up at him, she telepathed, My worries about Harley aren’t important right now. All that matters is that you bond with your pack. Okay?

  It wasn’t the response he wanted, but it gave him enough space to shift gears and head with her in Harley’s direction.

  Fergus kept his arm around Mary as they drew close to Harley. In a low voice, Fergus asked, “How the hell did Sydon conceal a witch’s spell in his gladiator briefs and who brought it to him?”

  “We don’t know yet. I have Ryan and a couple of his men working on it, but the best we can figure is that Sydon had someone on the inside.”

  “Which means we have a traitor.”

  “It looks that way, but I know all our wolves and not one comes to mind who isn’t loyal to you.”

  He felt Mary tremble next to him, but he ignored her reaction. Harley couldn’t be the one. Even his newly forming fae senses told him that Harley was speaking the truth. So, how could Mary be right about him? It didn’t make sense.

  Harley continued, “We’re interviewing every wolf who had contact with Sydon since he was locked up last night. I’ll let you know when we find something.”

  “Good. Stay on it.”

  Harley stared at Fergus for a long moment, then his lips curved.

  “What?” Fergus asked.

  “You’re back.” Harley nodded several times. “Dammit, you’re back.” He patted Fergus once on the shoulder, then whirled and took off with several of the Gordion security force, levitating to the north entrance.

  Fergus glanced around at the remaining guards and those members of his pack who hadn’t left yet. “Thank you, all of you. How about we head back to the compound?”

  A cheer went up.

  Fergus drew Mary tighter to his side. Let me fly you back, okay?

  She smiled, leaned up and kissed him. “Whatever you want.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Mary felt relieved and exhilarated at the same time. Though she was a little overwhelmed that Fergus had come within a leaf’s width of getting struck down again, she reveled in the fact that Sydon was gone and the pack had been legally restored to Fergus.

  Being that close to Harley had caused her to stumble mentally, however. The moment she’d seen him, the same terrible sensation returned, that his loyalty was completely divided and had been for a long time. Yet she’d felt no dissimulation in Harley as he’d spoken to Fergus, something she couldn’t explain.

  Harley exuded a solid, even unshakeable alignment with Fergus. Yet she knew something was terribly wrong. Was it possible a witch was involved and somehow interfering with the Gordion Pack? It seemed unlikely, since dark witches loathed the wolves of Savage. Their enmity was one of the most intense in Five Bridges. And yet Sydon had employed a dark witch spell which meant there might be a connection.

  But she couldn’t have said anything to Fergus about Harley when he was greeting everyone, even when he spoke with Harley. His priority right now was reestablishing himself as alpha to his pack. So, she’d held back and kept her difficult fae reactions to herself. The trembling, however, she’d been unable to help.

  She felt Fergus’s focus move outward, and knew he was embracing his pack. His scent bore a layer of tenderness not there before because he’d been severed from the Gordion wolves for the past two nights. But the subtle smell was there, like the wind in the pine trees: Fergus’s alpha wolfness to his pack.

  He’d also wanted to fly her to the Gordion Compound, even though she was fully capable now of taking herself into the air. Truth? She wanted to be physically close to him.

  Once secured against his side and poised on his bare foot, he took her high above the pine forest, heading east. He still wore the amber cloak wrapped around him, with his arm pinned to her waist.

  His voice penetrated her mind. I wouldn’t be here but for you. Thank you, again, Mary. A thousand times. I’m overwhelmed by what you’ve done for me and for my pack.

  She leaned her head against his shoulder, her hand pressed to his chest. I wish Sydon was gone for good.

  I know. I don’t think any of the alphas will have peace until he’s been run to earth. He’s dangerous. What I don’t know is the price he paid for that dark spell.

  I hadn’t thought of that, Mary said. He must have made a promise of some kind because I’ve never seen that level of spell-craft before, at least not in Revel. Have you seen anything like it here in Savage?

  No, I haven’t. But I’m aware of the prices paid for spells of that kind. Exorbitant. How could Sydon have afforded it?

  Ha
s to be the cartels. They gain if he moves into power. He’s already made it clear he’ll sacrifice everyone in his pack to do the bidding of the drug lords. Even hearing these words telepathically distressed Mary. She knew the cartels had been involved in Sydon’s attempted takeover. And Sydon had already shown what his ambitions would mean for any pack he tried to engulf.

  As Fergus made his descent toward the Gordion Compound, Mary was surprised to see dozens of wolves lined up at the entrance, many levitating.

  “They’re welcoming you home. Fergus, are you sure I should even be with you right now? Because this is for you, their alpha.”

  He squeezed her waist. “That’s where you’re wrong. Can’t you feel it, the pack’s desire to thank you for all that you’ve done? By now, they know it was you who kept me from receiving a killing portion of the dark spell. This greeting is as much for you as for me. So, embrace it.”

  He flew lower toward his people so that soon he was within handshaking distance, even while levitating.

  Applause resounded into the warm June night air. Mary’s cheeks warmed up as she saw the appreciation on many of the wolves’ faces. Several reached out and touched her as she moved by. Each time contact was made, she felt a warmth flow through her that was all wolf and very much a pack sensation.

  Fergus dropped them slowly down to the stone entrance to walk the rest of the way. More of the pack was lined up to welcome Fergus home.

  As soon as she crossed the threshold into the main entrance, like Warren’s compound, she could see through to the back gathering area. Hundreds were assembled for Fergus’s return, maybe the entire pack, starting out front, then ranging along both sides of the massive entry hall, and finally grouped in the large patio area out back.

  Harley and his team were in the center of the large foyer where a three-tiered fountain flowed. One of Harley’s team, Ryan, called out, “We have a celebration planned in the communal area. There will be three shifts so we can include everyone. We have champagne on ice and plenty of beer. We’re firing up the barbecues as we speak and two of the Savage packs are sending extra meat over to help us celebrate. And, best of all, Councilor Dean called to let you know the council has approved your default dominance win.”