Free Evans, Gabrielle - Shades of Black [Fatefully Yours 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) by Gabrielle Evans Page B

cocked his head to the side. “Why do you keep saying that? I’m mated to a bunch of freakin’ demons. Why would I freak?”
    “Because we’re not regular wolves,” Jet answered. “We’re really big fucking wolves, and we just don’t want you to be scared of us. We’re completely sentient when we shift, and we would never hurt any of you.”
    “I never thought you would.” Echo fisted his hands on his hips and chuckled. “You worry too much. Believe me, I’ve seen weirder, and I haven’t cracked yet.”
    Syx bit his tongue, but he couldn’t help wondering how much longer it would be before Echo finally broke under the strain. The mind could only take so much before it rebelled and shut down completely.
    Hopefully, they’d find the answers to this mess before that happened to his mate.

Chapter Eight

    Echo sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. It’s been three days, and we still haven’t found anything. We’re trying, but it’s just not working.”
    “You seek in the wrong places.”
    “Funny enough, I figured that on my own, thank you.”
    The Oracle laughed softly. “You misunderstand. You seek in misguided places to discover the answers you want.” She pressed her palm to Echo’s chest, just over his heart. “You are blinded by your jealousy.”
    “I don’t want him here,” Echo growled. “I will not let Craze just strut in here and take what belongs to me.”
    “Nor would I expect that of you. He will be valuable, however. His powers are far reaching and in tune with the perils you will face.”
    “Then why can’t you just bring him here like the others? Why does Hex have to go after him?” Echo fisted his hands on his hips and kicked at the thick grass like a petulant child. “He shouldn’t have left.”
    “Your lover has many troubles,” the Oracle answered softly. “It is not always easy to be accountable for others. I cannot interfere with free will. I can lead them, but I cannot force them to follow.” She sounded sad as she spoke.
    Echo didn’t like how it tugged at his heart, so he changed the subject. “What about Syx? We don’t even know what the task is, let alone how to win.”
    “Skill with a shield and sword are not the only useful abilities in battle,” the Oracle answered cryptically. “Syx will prove himself in other ways.”
    “Great, but we still have no idea what’s coming.” Echo threw his hands up in frustration and began pacing through the flowers. “Why won’t you help us?” He practically screamed the words, and his chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to control his anger. “If you have nothing helpful to offer, then just leave us the fuck alone!”
    The minute the words left his mouth, dark clouds began to swirl in the sky, blotting out the sun and sending the temperatures plummeting. A strong wind whipped his hair around his face, and chill bumps broke out over his bare arms.
    Crap! When would he learn to keep his stupid mouth shut? The last thing he needed was to piss off the Oracle. Spinning around with an apology on the tip of his tongue, Echo gasped when he found himself surrounded by a ring of fire.
    As in his other dreams, he stood on the fringes, as though looking through a window to the picture within. The Oracle stood in the center of the circle as always, the warriors gathered around her. There were four missing, though. Syx, Eyce, and Onyx didn’t move closer together, however, making the empty spaces where their loves should have been only more apparent.
    Only Echo seemed to notice the absence of Hex, Fiero, Myst, and Vapre. He didn’t know what it meant, but it made his gut clench and churn.
    Lightning sizzled overhead, and thunder cracked loud enough to vibrate Echo’s teeth. There had never been a storm before. There was something very wrong with this dream, and Echo wanted out.
    The Oracle didn’t tip her head back or hold her arms out wide. She didn’t speak in that strong, robotic monotone. She