Page 22 of Midnight Whispers (Forbidden Entanglements #1)
Chapter Twenty-Two
R iley recognized the area. It was where he’d run out of gas and where he’d met Cass for the first time.
Cass’s car sat on the side of the road. They parked behind it. His dad didn’t shut off the engine.
“It’s important that you listen to me.” Fear underlined every word Dad spoke. It put Riley on alert more than what he said.
Riley nodded.
“Wolves protect these lands from outsiders. Like us.”
“Like you, you mean.” Riley tapped on his neck. “If Cass’s bite didn’t get me in the club, nothing will.”
“Cass’s bite should have made you a pack member, but the alpha is old school. He wants to approve every mating. He wouldn’t have approved of you simply because you’re a warlock.”
How fucked up were these people? “So much for living in the land of the free, huh?”
The corner of his dad’s mouth lifted in a half smile that made most people look as though they had a stroke. But Dad could pull it off. Since Riley looked so much like him, he wondered if he looked as good doing it also.
“The point is, the second we step onto pack land, the pack might take it as a challenge.”
“Even though we’re here to help Cass? Cass could be in danger.” Riley hadn’t thought about what might have happened or why his dad would ask for his help, even though it put Riley in danger. Obviously, the threat to Cass was far greater, or he wouldn’t have said a word.
“The alpha isn’t a reasonable person.” Dad’s tone suggested Riley should have picked up on that.
“Right. Okay.” Riley reached for the door handle, but his dad stopped him before he could exit the vehicle.
“Promise me something.”
Riley wouldn’t promise anything unless he knew what it was first, and Dad must have known it because he tightened his hold on Riley’s arm.
“This is serious, Riley.” Why did his dad think he wasn’t being serious?
“I’m taking it seriously. My mate is out there, Dad. He needs me.”
“I know. But you have to promise to do everything I say.”
“I will, as long as you don’t tell me to leave him. I won’t do it. Not under any circumstances.”
Was that respect in his dad’s gaze? It sure appeared as though it was. “I won’t tell you to do that.”
Riley nodded.
When his dad let go of his arm, he exited the vehicle. Dad wasn’t far behind him.
They stood in the middle of the empty road. Forests lined either side with thick underbrush. Even in the daylight, the vegetation made it impossible to see anything.
Dad chanted under his breath, and before Riley knew it, something shimmered around them.
“It’s a ward that will follow us. Protection.” Dad moved behind him. “Close your eyes.”
Riley did.
“Reach out to Cass in your mind.”
Riley had zero idea on how to do that. How did you ‘reach out’ with your thoughts? They were contained in his brain.
For a couple of very long minutes, they stood within the ward and listened to the crickets in Riley’s head because nothing else was happening in there.
Riley let out a frustrated sigh and opened his eyes. “I don’t know how.”
Dad ran his hand down Riley’s arm. “It’s alright.”
“It’s not. He’s out there alone. God knows what he’s going through.” By the time he finished his little rant, he was calmer, as if saying the words made them less relevant.
“You’ll get it.” Dad kept his tone even and calm.
A wash of comfort came over Riley. Knowing his dad was there made a huge difference. Riley took a deep breath and shook off the rest of his frustration. “Let’s do this.”
“Shut your eyes again.”
Riley did.
“Picture Cass in your mind.” That was easy. The last time he saw Cass, he kissed Riley goodbye, holding him close. He’d said he didn’t want their night to end. How he wanted to pretend it wasn’t morning yet. And then he’d joked about wanting to kidnap Riley and hold him hostage on the bed. Riley had been all for that.
“Do you have his image? It needs to be a strong one.”
“I got it.” Riley had his smiling face at the forefront of his mind. But the smile turned wolfish, literally. Cass’s mouth grew and distorted. He grew fur everywhere, and his wolf emerged somewhere in the twisted breaking of Cass’s body. And then it changed again. He stood on two legs, instead of four. He still had hair. His head was still a wolf’s. His fingers had long claws. But his legs were more human than wolf. He was so tall, it stole Riley’s ability to breathe.
Riley wanted to back away from the creature, but its gaze met Riley’s. Those amber eyes belonged to his mate. They showed affection and worry. There was also confusion as if Cass wasn’t sure why Riley was there.
And then Cass growled, shoving Riley away.
“Go home. Stay safe.” The voice was still Cass’s voice, even though it was distorted and gravelly.
While Riley knew on a fundamental level the exchange happened in his mind, the experience felt as real as if Cass had been standing in front of him.
Cass was fighting for his life. He was in the middle of several wolves. Riley couldn’t tell how many there were, but they had injured Cass. Riley couldn’t tell how bad it was.
He opened his eyes. “I know where he is.”
“Now imagine yourself putting a tether on him, linking you. Like a rope.”
Riley put the imaginary rope around Cass’s waist, ignoring his growl. “I got it.”
“Now repeat what I’m about to say. You don’t have to say it aloud, just in your mind.”
Riley nodded and repeated words he didn’t understand in a language that sounded as ancient as when time began—the connection formed in the center of Riley’s chest. The pull was overwhelming in its intensity, giving Riley no choice but to follow where it led.