The Burning Claw
Page 14
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And if the man was bad, his wolf was even worse. The beast paced inside of him, yearning to be set free. But Costin knew that he couldn’t allow the wolf out, not right now. If he gave his beast even a little bit of freedom, it would take over completely. Costin had overheard the others talking about Drake and he knew that the situation was dire. The last thing the pack needed was another feral wolf to deal with.
With a heavy sigh, he shut off the water. Though he didn’t want to leave the quiet space, Titus needed him. Gavril had been generous enough to keep an eye on him while Costin took some time to deal with his emotions, but Gavril wasn’t the boy’s father. Costin was, and he needed to be the one caring for him.
Costin dried off and dressed quickly. For perhaps the hundredth time since Sally went missing, Costin glanced in the mirror to make sure that his mating marks were still there before putting his shirt on. Nothing had changed. The marks that had climbed up his neck when Sally had come of age were still there. So where was she? Why couldn’t he feel her? And how in seven hells was he supposed to find her if he couldn’t feel her through the bond? With a growl, he threw on his shirt and stormed out of the bathroom.
Those were questions that weren’t going to be answered by him wallowing in his sorrow and rage. He went to the playroom that Jen had insisted Decebel put together for Thia—a jungle gym of toddler play equipment and toys which, of course, the tiny infant couldn’t even yet play with. When he reached the room, he took a deep breath before entering. He plastered a smile on his face and then stepped through the door.
Titus was sitting on the floor playing with the large blocks that looked like Legos. There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to his construction. Then again, he was three. What did Costin expect?
“How’s it going in here?” he asked as he glanced over to the chair where Gavril sat.
“He’s been great,” Gavril said in that deep voice of his. “Been playing with those blocks since we got here.”
“Are you having fun, Titus?”
The little boy looked up at him and smiled, causing Costin’s chest to ache. Titus had been through so very much in his short little life, and he’d somehow come out of it. Wounded, yes, but not broken.
“Mr. Gavril said I could build anything I wanted. But right now all I know how to build is buildings.”
Costin grinned. So that’s what the stacks of blocks were—buildings. “You’ll get better and better the more you do it,” he encouraged him. He glanced at his watch and realized that they’d nearly missed lunch time.
“Are you hungry?”
Titus nodded. “I’m always hungry.”
Gavril and Costin chuckled. He was a growing boy with a dormant wolf inside of him; of course, he was always hungry.
Costin helped him put the blocks away and then told Gavril thank you. Titus gave the large man a hug and then followed Costin from the room.
Two hours later, a very tired Titus climbed up into his bed without any protest to take a nap. Costin watched as the little boy drifted off quickly to sleep. Costin envied him. His own sleep was fraught with nightmares of all the things that could be happening to his mate. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face, he heard her voice, and he felt her touch. But every time he opened his eyes, she was gone.
He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his phone as he stepped out of Titus’ room and into his own. Costin dialed Wadim’s number and waited for the historian to answer.
“Hello?”
“Anything?” Costin asked without preamble.
“Nothing yet. Jen and Decebel are on their way over and they’re going to help me search for anything that might give us a clue as to what could have happened. Hang in there, Costin. We’re going to find her.”
Costin appreciated his friend’s words, but at the same time he wanted to roar that he shouldn’t have to hang in there because his mate shouldn’t be lost.
He ended the call without another word and collapsed into one of the chairs in the small sitting area. Two days, that’s all the time that had passed since her disappearance and he was already coming apart at the seams. Two damn days.
Vasile didn’t bat an eye when two females suddenly appeared in Decebel’s office. The Serbian Alpha had been kind enough to give Vasile the use of his office while the older Alpha’s crew was visiting. Vasile had decided that as soon as Jacque and Fane were back—because he had no doubt that they would be—the Romanians would be heading back to their own territory. He was ready to be home. Vasile could think better in his own land, where the scents were more familiar. Decebel was like a son to him, but he was also an Alpha of his own pack now. The dominance battle was always just beneath their skin as their wolves constantly strove to find out where they fell in regards to one another. Vasile would never allow that to happen. He would never fight Decebel, nor force his submission. His wolf would just have to accept that.
Movement drew his attention back to the present. He was so used to Peri flashing in unannounced that it no longer surprised him. He leaned back in his chair and rested his elbows on the armrests while bringing his hands together in front of his face. By the looks of the girl standing next to Nissa, this wasn’t going to be a happy visit. The girl was young but not a child. Her hair was very long, down to her waist, and a dark chocolate color. She had large, expressive eyes that were a very strange pale green color. She was short, maybe 5’1,” with a petite frame. He imagined, when she wasn’t so skinny and didn’t look as if she was knocking on death’s door, that she was quite pretty.
“Vasile,” Nissa said with a slight nod of her head.
“Nissa, good to see you are in one piece after your dealings with the vampires.”
“Jeff Stone has some good fighters in his pack. The vampires didn’t stand a chance,” she told him coolly.
Vasile didn’t respond but waited for her to explain her appearance with the girl.
“This is one of the dormants we pulled out of the most recent raid.” She motioned to the worn out woman-child beside her. The girl wasn’t quite an adult, but anyone could see from her haunted eyes that she’d long ago left childhood behind. “She has no one to go back to,” Nissa continued. “She doesn’t want her memories altered. I told her that if she refused memory modification, then she’d have to stay with her own kind.”
With a heavy sigh, he shut off the water. Though he didn’t want to leave the quiet space, Titus needed him. Gavril had been generous enough to keep an eye on him while Costin took some time to deal with his emotions, but Gavril wasn’t the boy’s father. Costin was, and he needed to be the one caring for him.
Costin dried off and dressed quickly. For perhaps the hundredth time since Sally went missing, Costin glanced in the mirror to make sure that his mating marks were still there before putting his shirt on. Nothing had changed. The marks that had climbed up his neck when Sally had come of age were still there. So where was she? Why couldn’t he feel her? And how in seven hells was he supposed to find her if he couldn’t feel her through the bond? With a growl, he threw on his shirt and stormed out of the bathroom.
Those were questions that weren’t going to be answered by him wallowing in his sorrow and rage. He went to the playroom that Jen had insisted Decebel put together for Thia—a jungle gym of toddler play equipment and toys which, of course, the tiny infant couldn’t even yet play with. When he reached the room, he took a deep breath before entering. He plastered a smile on his face and then stepped through the door.
Titus was sitting on the floor playing with the large blocks that looked like Legos. There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to his construction. Then again, he was three. What did Costin expect?
“How’s it going in here?” he asked as he glanced over to the chair where Gavril sat.
“He’s been great,” Gavril said in that deep voice of his. “Been playing with those blocks since we got here.”
“Are you having fun, Titus?”
The little boy looked up at him and smiled, causing Costin’s chest to ache. Titus had been through so very much in his short little life, and he’d somehow come out of it. Wounded, yes, but not broken.
“Mr. Gavril said I could build anything I wanted. But right now all I know how to build is buildings.”
Costin grinned. So that’s what the stacks of blocks were—buildings. “You’ll get better and better the more you do it,” he encouraged him. He glanced at his watch and realized that they’d nearly missed lunch time.
“Are you hungry?”
Titus nodded. “I’m always hungry.”
Gavril and Costin chuckled. He was a growing boy with a dormant wolf inside of him; of course, he was always hungry.
Costin helped him put the blocks away and then told Gavril thank you. Titus gave the large man a hug and then followed Costin from the room.
Two hours later, a very tired Titus climbed up into his bed without any protest to take a nap. Costin watched as the little boy drifted off quickly to sleep. Costin envied him. His own sleep was fraught with nightmares of all the things that could be happening to his mate. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face, he heard her voice, and he felt her touch. But every time he opened his eyes, she was gone.
He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his phone as he stepped out of Titus’ room and into his own. Costin dialed Wadim’s number and waited for the historian to answer.
“Hello?”
“Anything?” Costin asked without preamble.
“Nothing yet. Jen and Decebel are on their way over and they’re going to help me search for anything that might give us a clue as to what could have happened. Hang in there, Costin. We’re going to find her.”
Costin appreciated his friend’s words, but at the same time he wanted to roar that he shouldn’t have to hang in there because his mate shouldn’t be lost.
He ended the call without another word and collapsed into one of the chairs in the small sitting area. Two days, that’s all the time that had passed since her disappearance and he was already coming apart at the seams. Two damn days.
Vasile didn’t bat an eye when two females suddenly appeared in Decebel’s office. The Serbian Alpha had been kind enough to give Vasile the use of his office while the older Alpha’s crew was visiting. Vasile had decided that as soon as Jacque and Fane were back—because he had no doubt that they would be—the Romanians would be heading back to their own territory. He was ready to be home. Vasile could think better in his own land, where the scents were more familiar. Decebel was like a son to him, but he was also an Alpha of his own pack now. The dominance battle was always just beneath their skin as their wolves constantly strove to find out where they fell in regards to one another. Vasile would never allow that to happen. He would never fight Decebel, nor force his submission. His wolf would just have to accept that.
Movement drew his attention back to the present. He was so used to Peri flashing in unannounced that it no longer surprised him. He leaned back in his chair and rested his elbows on the armrests while bringing his hands together in front of his face. By the looks of the girl standing next to Nissa, this wasn’t going to be a happy visit. The girl was young but not a child. Her hair was very long, down to her waist, and a dark chocolate color. She had large, expressive eyes that were a very strange pale green color. She was short, maybe 5’1,” with a petite frame. He imagined, when she wasn’t so skinny and didn’t look as if she was knocking on death’s door, that she was quite pretty.
“Vasile,” Nissa said with a slight nod of her head.
“Nissa, good to see you are in one piece after your dealings with the vampires.”
“Jeff Stone has some good fighters in his pack. The vampires didn’t stand a chance,” she told him coolly.
Vasile didn’t respond but waited for her to explain her appearance with the girl.
“This is one of the dormants we pulled out of the most recent raid.” She motioned to the worn out woman-child beside her. The girl wasn’t quite an adult, but anyone could see from her haunted eyes that she’d long ago left childhood behind. “She has no one to go back to,” Nissa continued. “She doesn’t want her memories altered. I told her that if she refused memory modification, then she’d have to stay with her own kind.”
