A howl sounded in the distance, rising and falling in an ululating cry that seemed to punctuate Anna’s decision. It wasn’t Soren’s howl. He hadn’t shifted. She would have known from their connection, even if she didn’t recognize the way the earth shook every time a Romanov became a wolf.
She scrambled to her feet and gathered up her clothes. Her hands fumbled as she pulled on her underwear and her leggings. The howl had been too long and too loud to originate in a natural wolf’s chest. If not Soren, there were only two other wolves it could be, and one of those wolves was with his pregnant wife at Bronwal.
Soren broke from the trees as she zipped her jacket into place. He slid to a stop when he saw she was okay. Dirt flew and then settled around his feet while they both held their breaths, waiting for another sound.
Anna’s hands were already glowing. The sword and her connection with Soren had recharged her power. Her abilities flared in order to protect her from the white wolf. It was Volkhvy instinct. It was survivor’s instinct. But it was also a betrayal of her promise to Soren. She’d sworn she wouldn’t scare Lev away again.
Another howl rent the air. Lev was closer. Louder. But even before the howl rose and fell to fade away in what seemed to be an expression of limitless sadness, Anna’s glow faded, too. She tamped down the power she had instinctively tapped into. She pushed the Ether’s energy back from where it came.
“I won’t scare him away,” she said. She braced with her feet apart and her hands fisted at her sides. This time she would keep her promise. She tried to ignore the terror that clawed its way up from her gut. Her shoulder throbbed with the memory of pain from Lev’s bite. His hatred had turned venomous in her, and her body hadn’t forgotten.
And still she stood without a single spark of green in her fingers.
Soren was shirtless. He stood in the pale glow from the sliver of a moon, his tension palpable. Their connection had given her more than enough power to kill his brother. She wasn’t channeling it. She rejected it. But he must wonder how long her resolve would last if the white wolf attacked.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said. “I won’t ask you not to use your power if he attacks. He almost killed you last time.”
Suddenly, Anna had a grim idea of how she might release the sword. Going down under the white wolf’s teeth would be a horrible way to die. Her chest tightened and her stomach turned to ice thinking about Lev’s massive jaws. In spite of her best efforts to reject it, her fingers began to glow in self-defense.
Anna looked guiltily from her tingling hands to Soren’s face. His lips were set in a thin line. His jaw was tight. His body was tense, from his shoulders to his powerful legs to his feet planted firmly on the ground.
But his mouth softened and a half smile curved his lips when she met his eyes.
“He won’t attack. He’ll see what I see...a powerful witch warrior who could take him down with the blink of her eye. He’s feral, but he isn’t stupid,” Soren said.
Anna hoped he was right. Her death might free the sword, but she wasn’t ready to accept it as her only option to save Soren. Not yet. Her powers obviously agreed. She lost the battle to reject them. The glow in her fingers had engulfed both of her arms.
“Your eyes are beautiful when they sparkle with emerald light,” Soren said. He stepped toward her. He didn’t stop until they were nearly touching. His broad chest was only inches from her face. She tried to tilt away to shield him from the light in her eyes, but he reached to hold her chin. He gently tilted her face upward. Anna could see the reflection of her eyes in his. “Your irises look like faceted gems reflecting the firelight, but I know your Light comes from your power. Our power. Combined.”
“I’ll frighten your brother away,” Anna warned. She’d had a lot to learn about channeling the power of the Ether before. Now she channeled even more power, and she was still a novice witch. If she protected herself, she might do more than frighten Lev. She might hurt him.
Or, even worse, kill him while Soren watched.
But it was too late. Her power had risen up at the threat of the approaching wolf, and she couldn’t tamp it back down. She looked into Soren’s eyes. He had narrowed his in response to her light, but he didn’t look away.
“Lev found me this time. He’ll find me again. I can focus on luring him back from the wild after we retrieve the sword from the Dark Volkhvy. You can go back to your mother’s island, where you’ll be safe, after we destroy the sword. Then I’ll save Lev,” Soren said.
He sounded calm and logical, as if he wasn’t planning on sacrificing his future chance at happiness to protect her and his brother. A pang tightened her chest when she realized he hadn’t even considered that the sword might bring him another mate if she was out of the way. He championed everyone but himself.
“You’re recharged. If we travel through the Ether, Lev won’t be able to follow on our heels. His is a wandering journey, not a direct one,” Soren said. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Take us to the sword.”
He leaned to kiss her, and her energy flared in response. Not in defense. He was her mate, and her energy recognized their connection. Her power flared to engulf him in energy, too. A soft green aura expanded outward from her body to wrap and twine around them both.
Anna saw only a glimpse of the white wolf as he leaped into the clearing before she and Soren disappeared into the nothingness and cold.