36. Maya

36

Maya

Rhyson was gone the next morning when I woke, but I opened my door to find Duke standing there. "Are you my guard?" I asked as I raked my hair back into a tie and shut the door behind me. I was still trying to adjust to the fact that Rhyson had held me all night long. Not just for sex, but it was like he was seeking comfort.

I didn't hate it, even though I should. Now that he had proof that I wasn't lying, he wanted to be kind and sweet? Fuck that. I needed him to believe me earlier. I needed him, more than anyone else, to believe me over my father.

"Not a guard. One of the witches found me this morning on my run and asked to see you. I'm just passing the message along."

I raised an eyebrow. "So you're not going to escort me?"

For a moment, he looked stumped, and then he grinned. "I've never seen magic. I thought it might be fun to watch."

Rolling my eyes, I snorted. So he was a guard, but Rhyson had apparently told him to not act like a guard. Unfortunately for Duke, he was likely straight out of the military. He probably acted like a guard on his summer vacation.

"I need food. I'm starving." I held up the jar the fae had given me. "And I promised this to Anna. I definitely need to deliver."

His gaze moved to my stomach, and he shifted uncomfortably to another foot. "It was unwise to bargain away your morning sickness drug. What if you need it?"

"Why, Duke?" Teasing, I planted my hands on my hips. "Does a pregnant woman make you nervous?"

His eyes narrowed. "Nothing makes me nervous. I think it's just wise if you thought of yourself for once."

"Everything that got me in this position was me thinking of me," I told him. "And I don't regret any of it because I'm better off than I was. At least I have answers for what is wrong with me, even if I don't have a solution."

"The wolf will always be part of you, even if you cannot bond with it."

"It's easy for you to say. You can communicate with your wolf," I told him as I straightened. "Come on. Let's eat and see if the witches have any answers. Do you know where Rhyson is?"

"Strategizing with the alpha."

"And Paisley?" I hated the idea of the teenager wandering alone, but at least he had a clear head now. "Where is he?"

"He took a liking to Saul. I believe he'll spend most of the day in the infirmary with our healer and theirs."

"Good. That's a safe place for him to be." I nodded. "Lead the way."

The kitchen wasn't empty. There was a breakfast buffet set up, and wolves streamed in and out. From what I could tell, most of the wolves used the enormous dining hall on the property or cooked for themselves, but Jax had an open-door policy, so anyone who needed food was welcome to it. We got some curious looks but no one lingered.

Afterward, Duke grabbed a set of keys and grinned. "I was told I could drive one of the pack vehicles."

"And you miss driving?" It wasn't like he wasn't used to driving.

"I don't get to drive ATVs in the city."

It was electric blue with lightning painted down the side, and I blew out my breath. Two-seater at least, and it looked fun, but for Duke, it was like Christmas had come early. "I have walked to Irene's cottage, and it's a pretty smooth dirt road," I told him cautiously. "So you're not going to get all crazy, are you?"

"Of course not." He turned the vehicle on and grinned when it rumbled. "But I also don't have to sit and wait for you. You can just call me when you're done."

He took off, and I realized I'd been duped. Rhyson hadn't asked Duke to guard me at all. Duke had volunteered to drive me just so he could get behind the wheel of the four-wheeler. Despite my annoyance, I couldn't help but chuckle. It was nice to see the wolves let down their guards a little and have some fun.

After dropping me off at Irene's, he roared away. He didn't even wait to see if the witches were home or if it was a drop. Whatever had happened yesterday had really made everyone feel at ease.

The door opened, and Irene ushered me in. "Oh, good, you're here. Janelle is driving me up the wall."

I entered the cottage. "You're going to remember that I'm here, right?"

"Yes, yes. My transformation tends to only happen in the evening, although I've had a few issues during the day. Not to worry. Janelle is bunking with me until it's all over."

"Until what's all over?"

She waved her hands dismissively and shut the door. "Have you eaten? Anna practically eats me out of house and home whenever she comes over. I'm starting to think Jax starves her, but I know pregnant wolves need a lot of food."

"I just had breakfast," I said awkwardly. "And I'm not as far along as Anna."

"Okay, we'll take a snack break in a little bit."

The door to one of the rooms opened, and I expected it to be Janelle, but a man leaned in the doorway and surveyed me. I could see a bed beyond him. "It's Jenson, right?"

"And Maya."

I'd heard that he and some of the other wolves had challenged Rhyson's wolves and lost. "Nice to meet you." What was Jax's second doing here?

He glanced at Irene and frowned. "I don't like this."

Ah. He was here because he was concerned about Irene. The rumpled bed behind him should have been a dead giveaway. "And I told you that I was in no danger."

"You said her mate might be here to help her if she goes feral, but he is not."

"Whoa." I put up my hands. "First of all, I don't have a mate. And secondly, my wolf isn't feral. She knows they're trying to help us here. I'm not going to hurt anyone."

He didn't even look at me as he crossed his arms and stared at Irene. She sighed. "Fine, you can stay, but you can't interrupt. This is delicate magic."

"I told you that I wanted to be more involved with what you do. I did not mean that you needed to be more involved in what I do…"

"I'm not trying to be involved," she interrupted. "I'm trying to make you understand what I'm missing, and trying to make you understand what you're missing."

"If I cared about that…"

"Hey," Janelle shouted from the other room. "We've got a finite amount of time and plenty to do. So stow that argument for another time. You two have it so often that I could recite both sides."

Face turning red, Irene ushered me into another room. Jenson followed behind her. I couldn't help but be interested in their argument. I'd never really known another couple before. Social relationships were strange to me, and I was fascinated to know what they were arguing about, but Janelle was right. We didn't have much time.

"Did you get ahold of Lunessa?" Janelle asked.

"I've called and left several messages and cast a signs spell. I could cast a spell to draw her here, but I don't think it would be powerful enough. I'll see if I can get Anna to call again, but she's pissed at this point."

"The witch that dropped us off? You think she can help?" I asked.

Janelle nodded. "She's sitting on a world of knowledge, and I'm hoping that one of her books might talk about wolf bond magic. I've exhausted all my resources, but I've got a few spells I want to try to see if I can find any remnants of your bonds. Irene's a more powerful witch, so I'm going to use her magic to power us and my magic to guide us."

Awkwardly, I sat on the floor where she pointed. "I'm not familiar with witch magic, so I really have no idea what you said. You're guiding us where?"

"Into you."

"Ah…I'm sorry, what? Into me?" Immediately, I wrapped my arms around myself. "I'm going to need a little bit more information. Into me, how?"

"Um, well, with magic. We're going to link." Janelle looked at Irene and wrinkled her nose. "We won't physically be there, of course. It's more of a mental thing?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Time is of the essence, is it not?" Irene grabbed my hand. "Here we go."

"Wait," I shouted before I was blasted with heat and fell into darkness.