Free Jewel of Darkness by Quinn Loftis Page A

magic.
    “Well, I had come to let Costin know that I will be needing all of your help very soon. But seeing as how he has taken his happy butt on a little unauthorized adventure, I will tell you all instead. We attempted to get information on Volcan from the vampires.” Low growls filled the room at the mention of the blood suckers.
    “The vampires haven’t crawled out of their holes for a very long time. Why would you think they knew anything?” Nick spoke up. Peri couldn’t help but notice that the usually easy going Beta looked agitated.
    “Volcan is powerful and growing stronger. If there are even whispers of this, any and all evil beings, no matter the form, will seek him out. So I am simply following the proverbial trail of wicked, nasty beings. That said, with our first stop we had some complications.”
    “What kind of complications?” Drayden, the Canadian Alpha, asked.
    “The kind that involves an entire coven being destroyed.” Their eyes widened, but Peri didn’t entertain their curiosity. She didn’t have time to relate the whole Dalton losing his cool story. “I’m going to have to seek out some other source of information to see if I can find some clue, any clue, as to where Volcan might be holed up. Once I have that information, I will need you bloodhounds to be ready to hunt.”
    “We will be ready,” Kale spoke for the group though the others nodded in agreement.
    Peri gave her own nod in return and began to flash with the intention of going to the forest, but just before she disappeared she felt the residual magic of one of her own. “Dammit, Alston,” she grumbled and changed her destination to the Pixie realm instead. It was apparent to her in that moment that her threats were no longer enough. If she wanted the people under her protection to listen to her, she was going to have to remind them that she was truly capable of the things of which she boasted. Too bad for Costin that he just happened to be the most recent dumb butt to cross her.

    N ick stood silently with the rest of the wolves as they stared at the place Peri had just occupied. One by one they dispersed, each of them seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Nick’s mind was a mess. The minute he’d realized Kara was gone, his wolf had been pacing restlessly inside of him. He was angry. He was angry at Costin, Sally, and Gustavo for thinking they had the right to take her without telling him, them, he amended. He continued to tell himself it was because she was so young that he was worried about her. Sixteen, he told himself for the thousandth time. Regardless of her age, or his lack of understanding, what he felt was not going away. She was young, she was human, and she was a gypsy healer. Kara needed his protection. “No,” he muttered. “She needs our protection. All of us were brought to protect them.” Even as he said the words out loud, his wolf balked. The others don’t give us such concern, the beast told him. He couldn’t deny the wolf’s words. But he wasn’t going to allow himself to even take a step toward the road that his beast wanted to go. She was a kid, plain and simple. He had to look at her as simply a pack mate to protect. She won’t be sixteen forever, his wolf taunted. No, she wouldn’t be, and the fact that he was happy about that made him feel like a slime ball. He didn’t know if Kara was his. She was too young for the bond to form. What he did know was that for whatever reason, he felt it was his job to keep her safe.
    He left Perizada’s home and walked out toward the field where he had found her that night months ago. Nick felt close to her when he was there. The sun was beginning to set and the fall air was growing cooler. He walked in a circle, his hand running lazily over the tall grass. Taking deep breaths, he attempted to cool the burning anger inside. When Kara had been close, it had been bearable to be unsure of her place in his life. But with her out of his reach and the