Page 38 of The Wolf and the Chimera (The Witch and the Cowboy #3)

Elle

I flew above the battle and tried to think. Magic hummed in the air and buzzed under my skin. My chimera worked in tandem with me, searching for a route of survival. A feminine voice whispered in my thoughts.

Before I tell you how to get out of here, the woman said, you must promise me something.

For a moment, I was blinded by panic, then I realized the voice didn’t belong to Medea. It belonged to Circe, who still fought like hell against the onslaught of Cordelia’s witches.

I knew better than to reply anything.

What? I asked.

Remember the flashes of the past your chimera offered to you? Circe said.

Yes.

When you return to your realm, you must learn the rest. The witch took a shuddering breath. Seek your history and discover how to right it, young chimera.

I tried to form a response, but my wings and back ached from exertion. I flapped them and steadied myself but winced.

And, Circe added, trust me to protect your parents. Trust that I need you as much as you need me. Don’t come back here until Medea is gone.

My wings stuttered. You can’t expect me to leave them again—

Circe’s voice was cold. I expect you to do what is right.

But I never told them—

I had never told them our separation was my fault. I was the one who had lost my pendant, who had left it behind for the High Witch and the other Leaders to use to track me down.

I had never confessed what I had done, and now Circe expected me to abandon them again.

I was so tired of running and hiding and being afraid. I had finally found a place here to connect with my chimera and my mate, and it was being ripped from me by the High Witch, who was too great of a coward to come to Circe’s realm herself.

I thought back to the maze Circe had crafted. Throughout its course, I had been pushed to use every facet of my power. Each person I had found had required more effort and greater care. The hardest of the challenges had been facing my inner darkness to find the light and put myself back together.

Nothing worth having came easily.

Memories from my chimera flashed in my eyes. In my mind, I witnessed a beautiful woman with a golden crown atop her brow throw out her hands and blind an entire battlefield in light.

My greatest power didn’t lie in tooth or claw or wing. My greatest power was the light that burned in my veins, in my heart, and in the depths of my soul. It was the thing most coveted by everyone who wished to hurt me or use me or trap me.

You want it so badly? I thought. Here it is.

I threw open my arms and unleashed my power.

Light flooded the tundra, and Handmaidens screamed. I willed the magic not to hurt my friends, but to protect them. Though it was time for me to return to my realm, I would do it on my terms, and I would not leave my parents defenseless.

“ Leave!” Ryder roared. A Sovereign’s dominance rang in his words. “Go back to your bloody court now! ”

Circe’s magic surged, and the ground shook.

As my light faded, so did my strength. Down, down, down, I fell. A sudden breeze cushioned my fall, then I landed in strong, warm arms. On the horizon, light flared as our enemies fled through the ripple. I caught glimpses of their burned skin and tattered clothes.

“You could’ve burned them all to ash,” Circe said.

Though my head ached, I lifted my chin and met her gaze.

“I’m not a killer.” I swallowed. “I’m a chimera.”

The ancient witch smiled, and the others surrounded us. Gently, Ryder set me on my feet. I studied him for injuries, then checked my friends and parents. Dad pulled me into a hug, and I embraced him fiercely. In the comfort of his arms, my claws receded, and my wings retracted.

As I studied his bruised and bloodied but whole form, I swallowed. “It was my fault.”

Over his shoulder, Mom frowned and walked closer. Dad released me, and I met both of their gazes. The wolves found other places to look in a flimsy effort to give us privacy.

“The night we docked at Panama City,” I explained, “I snuck out to go to a beach party, and I—I left my pendant there on accident.”

My parents’ expressions were unreadable, so I blazed ahead.

“It’s my fault,” I said. “I’m the reason we were discovered, and you almost died. I’m the reason for our separation.”

Mom ran a hand through my hair and shook her head. Dad smiled softly.

“We know you snuck out,” Mom said. She quirked a brow. “Did you really think two people with supernatural hearing wouldn’t hear the racket you made?”

I balked, and Dad chuckled. His expression was bittersweet.

“We sort of followed you,” he continued, “but even we didn’t catch whoever stole your pendant. ”

“It must’ve fallen off in the sand and been discovered later,” Mom said. She squeezed my shoulder, “which could’ve happened anywhere.”

“It wasn’t my fault?” I whispered.

My parents shook their heads.

“Sweet girl,” she crooned, “don’t you get it? We were meant to care for you all these years, but we were never supposed to stop you from your fate.”

“Though I want to keep you here,” Dad agreed with a frown, “though the last thing I ever wanted was to be ripped from your side, I now know it’s what had to happen. The world needs your light, Elle. Lost pendant or not, it’s your destiny to share it.”

“You must return to the Sovereign,” Circe said. “As soon as Cordelia learns of her court’s retreat, she will send stronger forces. Only the Sovereign will make her hesitate.”

“Why?” Kieran asked. “Why does my father scare her so badly?”

Circe looked at me. “That’s for you to find out, but now, you must go.”

I clutched my parents’ hands. “What will you two do?”

“We’ll help Circe defend her realm,” Mom promised and shot the witch a look. “Staying here is our price to pay for the aid she’s provided you.”

I remembered what Circe had said to me telepathically and pivoted toward the witch.

“You’re keeping them as collateral,” I realized, “so when I defeat the sorceress, I’ll be forced to vouch for the end of your exile to the gods.”

Ryder snarled, and the other wolves echoed his disgust, but Circe’s stoney expression melted into something so sad, she actually looked human.

“Don’t you know what it’s like,” she said, “to want to be free?”

Though her words stirred a kindred sadness in me, I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled my parents into another hug and seared the safety I felt in their arms into my memory.

After a long moment, I willed steel into my veins and pulled away.

“Will I still be connected with my chimera when I go back?” I asked Circe. “Is a half-formed bond enough?”

“I don’t know,” the witch answered honestly.

I wasn’t sure why I asked. With more of the High Witch’s forces coming at any moment, I couldn’t risk my pack by staying, nor could I risk what would happen if Cordelia caught me. I had to trust that once the High Witch’s forces realized I was gone, they would leave Circe’s realm alone.

“If anything happens to them,” I told the witch and glanced at my parents, “I don’t care how badly you want to be free. I’ll make sure you rot here forever.”

The words were callous and cold, but when so much was on the line, I couldn’t afford mercy when. Circe didn’t balk from my threat. She merely nodded.

Turning my back on my family, my pack and I walked toward the ripple and the destiny that lay beyond it.

???

As we emerged from the torrent of the ripple’s magic, I floundered in the crystalline pool. Warm hands helped me to my feet, and I blinked rapidly to clear my vision. Though I was tired from the exertion of magic and strength, I found my footing, and magic warmed my chilled skin.

The serene pool, trickling creek, and towering trees swayed. Only Ryder kept me from completely falling in the water. That secondary set of instincts flared to life, searching the surroundings for a threat with heightened senses.

“Elle?” he asked. He stepped in front of me and grasped my face. “Elle, what’s wrong?”

“My chimera,” I whispered. “I can still feel her.”

My other form settled under my skin with a warm buzz of power. Dangerous hope flared, but I closed my eyes and searched for that other presence in my mind—the dark cloud of power and anger that had haunted me since I was a child.

I couldn’t find her.

I couldn’t find the sorceress.

Before I knew it, tears trailed down my face, and I pulled Ryder into a hug.

“She’s gone,” I whispered. “The sorceress is gone.”

Ryder stiffened and pulled back. In the slivers of sunlight that poured through the towering branches, his amber eyes were bright, like liquid pools of gold.

“The claiming,” he said. His gaze flickered to the mark on my neck. “I guess even half of one is enough to keep her at bay.”

“You really can’t feel her?” Kieran asked.

I shook my head and grinned. Melanie let out a whoop then clasped a hand over her mouth and cringed.

She cursed. “I forgot—there will be patrols nearby.”

The reminder of the dangers that still loomed brought me back to earth.

As Ryder led me to the edge of the pool, my mind raced.

“The Sovereign can’t know you’ve overpowered the sorceress,” Bo said in a low voice.

Ryder nodded. “If he finds out, he’ll know there won’t be another excuse for him to drain Elle of her magic. His ruse will be up.”

“He’s desperate for her power,” Kieran said and shivered. “I don’t want to find out what he’s willing to do to get it.”

As unsettling as that was, another thought stole my attention.

The sorceress had been the one to tell me my parents were alive. She had led me straight to Circe’s realm.

Why?

Why lead me into the heart of her enemy territory?

Ryder growled and tugged me behind him. “I smell company coming.”

In defensive crouches, the werewolves surrounded me. I bristled, and Ryder reached back to squeeze my hand.

“He can’t know how strong you are, remember?” he whispered.

“We need an excuse for being here,” Bo said, “and fast.”

I floundered. “In this timeline, we’ve only been gone hours, right?”

“That’s what Circe said,” Kieran replied.