Page 30 of Lucifer's Mirror

Good advice, but the call comes again, and I find myself sitting up, shrugging off the covers.

I cross to the window and pull back the curtain. The moon is bright, and I scan the area. No wolves. Well, except one, and he’s in human form. Khaosti is leaning against a tree, gazing into the forest.

Maybe he couldn’t sleep either. Or maybe he’s having a conversation with the wolves.

I’m still fully dressed, so all I have to do is lean down and fumble for my boots in the darkness. I pull them on, then feel my way along the edge of the room to the doorway. Light filters into my room as I tug open the door. Someone has left a lamp burning low on the table in the hallway.

The front door opens easily, and a waft of cool night air washes over me.

For a moment, I stand motionless. The night calls to me, as tingles run up and down my spine. The howl comes again from somewhere straight in front of me. It’s answered from my right, then again from somewhere behind me, as though whatever is out there is all around. A cloud blows across the sky, freeing a sickle moon from its shadow, and I see Khaosti silhouetted against the trees.

The bad feeling that haunted us all the way here from the mirror is gone. I stand there, breathing slowly and evenly, my heart back to normal. The howling continues, and I follow my instincts and step forward off the porch and toward Khaosti.

Chapter 15

Khaos

Furywakesthemomentshe steps outside the house, uncoiling inside me.

I don’t turn around but wait until she comes up level with me, and her scent washes over me. Tonight she smells of the ocean, like a cool salt breeze on a hot night. Like freedom. I reach out and clasp her shoulder. The heat of her skin warms my hand. Inside me, Fury stretches and then relaxes. Being close to her calms his rage.

“Stop,” I murmur.

“Why?” she asks.

I have noticed that she’s really bad at taking orders. Part of me likes that. The rest of me wants her to do every little thing I tell her to without question… or face the consequences. But tonight, I’m feeling mellow. This world might be uncivilized, but once away from the mirror, I prefer it to Earth. So does Fury.

“Because you’re about to cross the wards,” I tell her.

She peers into the darkness, a frown on her face.

“There,” I say, waving a hand in front of me. She follows the movement, and her eyes widen when she makes out the faint golden shimmer of the wards forming a protective band around the house.

“Magic?” she asks.

“Of course.”

She frowns. “Can you do magic?”

“No.” I have to keep reminding myself that she knows nothing—or rather remembers nothing. “Only females can do magic.”

“Really.” She raises a brow. “And what can the men do?”

“We shift.” I look her up and down and let a small smile curve my lips. “Among other things.”

In the dim moonlight, I see awareness flicker in her emerald eyes, and my blood heats. She leans closer, as if she can’t stop herself. I think about warning her to keep away again, reminding her that she shouldn’t offer what she’s not ready to give. But I bite my tongue.

I can’t resist reaching out, running a finger down the soft curve of her cheek. She leans into the caress and closes her eyes. She looks so young. I’m not that much older in years, but I’m guessing in experience, we’re centuries apart. I shouldn’t be doing this, touching her. But being this close seems so right—certainly, Fury thinks so; if he were a cat, he’d be purring. There’s no doubt she calms my raging beast.

A connection is forming between the two of us—a connection I suspect neither of us desires, but it’s there, nevertheless. The thought fills me with a sort of despair. I haven’t felt connected to anyone since Khendril, and look how wellthatturned out.

And my father may yet demand her delivery, and I doubt that would go well.

For the first time since Khendril’s disappearance, I consider the possibility of risking everything and defying my father—something else that probably wouldn’t turn out well. There’s a reason he’s been in power for over five thousand years. History has proved that he can be ruthless—even when his own children are involved.

Another howl fills the night, this one urgent, dragging me from my unpleasant thoughts. My hand reluctantly drops to my side, and I take a step back. Fury snarls.

For a second, she leans closer to me, then she gives herself a shake. “What are you doing out here?”