Page 2 of The Wolf's Captive
Shaking my head, I eyed the dagger still resting on the ground. The light of the moon shone in from outside. I’d found the small medieval fish storage cave purely by chance when on a boat trip down the Seine.
As we’d headed towards the Eiffel Tower, I’d noticed the moon shining directly into the cave. I knew that having the moonlight illuminate a pentagram would inject more power to any spell. I’d been preparing for the spell ever since.
“I don’t know. Is Kieran still incarcerated?”
Drake’s resigned sigh made my stomach clench. He had been the only person I’d spoken to since leaving the pack. I hadn’t even told him where I was in fear that Malone would bribe it out of him.
“Yeah, the werewolf council have kept him in prison. I really thought this spell would work.”
Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I pushed away from the wall and picked up my folded clothes. I was standing butt naked, shivering in the cold. The things I did to try and kill my enemy.
I placed my phone on the floor nearby and shoved my clothes on, all the while trying to stop the wobble of my chin. “I did, too. Oh, well.” Pushing away the tide of emotion that threatened to rush through me, I tugged on my jacket, retrieved my dagger and picked up the phone. “On to plan B.”
“Which is?” Drake said slowly.
Heading out of the cave, I flung my hair over my shoulder and cleared my throat. “To find a witch powerful enough to eradicate this fucking link.”
Chapter Two
“Do you want sugar with that?” I asked the grumpy man, instantly regretting it when he scowled.
Of course. He was a man in a business suit with an expensive leather briefcase and a phone not even released to the public yet. He would not be having any sweetness in his coffee.
Passing him the drink with a smile, I waved him on his way. He went without so much as a grunt. What was the world coming to when a barista didn’t even receive a negative thanks? Bastard.
“I’ll have werewolf with a shot of magic please,” a voice said.
My heart jumped into my throat before flopping back down. Zoe, my new chic friend, popped around the corner, her long straight blonde hair hanging over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes as I checked that there were no other customers around. Luckily, for me, there was only an elderly woman sitting at the little table in front of the window, staring out into the dusk.
The coffee shop was quaint and quiet, except for the morning rush. Hidden in the cobbled lanes of Paris, it attracted only the French people who knew it. It had been the perfect place to stay out of sight.
Except, when Zoe had walked in the day after I’d started working and instantly realised I was a wolf. A part of the Paris Pack herself, she’d become intrigued by my story. I hadn’t told her everything, especially about being a hybrid, but it had been nice to confide in her after a few weeks of her drinking a shit ton of coffee and pouring her heart out about her recent breakup.
What had she mean about the shot of magic? Did she know something?
“The usual? Although…” Glancing at the clock, I frowned. “…it is almost closing.”
Shaking her pretty head, Zoe tapped her wet leather look bowler hat and winked. “I’m here to take you out.”
I quickly backed away from the counter, busying myself by tidying up. I had gone to and from the coffee shop every day since I’d arrived, only stopping in the occasional convenience store to buy food before heading back to my apartment.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. “You know I can’t risk it.”
Resting her elbow on the counter and placing her chin in her palm, she raised her eyebrows. “Come now, the other werewolves will be too busy having fun. Plus… it’s a masquerade party. You can, you know, wear a mask.”
A snort of laughter fell from me as I wiped down the coffee machine and turned it off at the plug. It had been such a long time since I’d been out properly, it would be nice to mix with people.
Zoe had insisted that French werewolves weren’t interested in other people. They were too busy with their own lives. Maybe I could chance going to the party.
“Okay,” I breathed, turning back to her and opening my arms to the side, “as long as you help me find a mask that will cover my whole face.”
Her slow smile made me shake my head. Yeah, she’d already planned everything. Why was I not surprised?
Reaching into her extremely expensive pink Gucci bag, she pulled out a pretty black and purple masquerade mask. It had pretty swirls and a lace overlay that covered the whole face. Genius.
I came around the front of the counter and eyed the pretty mask. Zoe waved her long pink nails, indicating that I bend forward. As the mask slipped on my face, a feeling of freedom sent tingles dancing across my arms.
“Is it sad that I’m suddenly really excited?”