Alister reached out and brushed his fingertips along Marcus’ forehead, bringing back the memory of Roman before he stepped back.
“No.” Marcus shook his head and tears clung to the hunter’s lashes. “Roman didn’t want me.”
Alister sighed. “He did. You were used as a pawn in Leopold’s sick need for control.”
“You’re lying,” Marcus said, but his voice wobbled and thin, bony hands that were laying on the armrests were now clenched into fists.
“I can show you.”
“How do I know this isn’t another trick?”
“Once the spell Leopold had Cornelius put on you is removed, you’ll be able to see the truth,” Ian said with a bored voice from where he stood leaning against the wall near the closed door.
Alister ran his gaze over the shell of a man before him. He was glad his father hadn’t removed the spell or started the questioning until his return. He wanted to be the one to show Marcus the deception Leopold had forced upon him.
Although now, he was worried about Marcus’ health. He’d definitely be having words with the guards about not mentioning Marcus’ debilitated state.
“And you just might get your health back,” Alister added.
“Show me,” Marcus growled, the wolf coming through more than ever before.
Not only removing Marcus’ memories, Cornelius had also found a way to place Marcus’ wolf in a dormant state. A swift rage ran through him at the thought of the grand mage doing the same fucking thing to Jonas.
Would Jonas forget him as much as Marcus had forgotten Roman?
“Going to assist?” He tossed a look toward his uncle.
Ian smirked and shook his head. “You’ve got this, my young protégé.”
Alister rolled his eyes. “Cut the crap.”
“What’s he talking about?” Marcus squinted.
“Nothing,” Alister snapped and held out his hands.
Marcus reached for his hands. When their palms met, the sweat poured from Marcus. It was a combination of nerves and having his wolf suppressed. It wasn’t natural for a shifter to be caged in human form forever. The spell combined with the drug would have eventually killed Marcus.
He recited the words he’d practiced with his father earlier.
“Valdadum tressquior, malicoradosess,” he murmured and released one of Marcus’ hands. He gripped the other tightly before touching the tips of his free fingers to the hunter’s forehead.
The man’s head jerked back, eyes wide, their unnatural blue shining like white fire. Marcus gasped and his mouth flew open like a big black, gaping hole.
Alister stepped back and lifted his arm to shield his face. From his peripheral, he saw Ian shielding his eyes.
Black swarms of entity billowed from Marcus’ mouth and swarmed the room like bees exiting a hive and then zoomed around the room looking for an exit.
The noise was suddenly deafening. They screeched and screamed a sound only a dead thing could emit as they flew. Crack! A lamp crashed to the ground and glass shattered.
With a burst of fire, blue light flew from Marcus’ eyes. Boom! The dresser disintegrated and clothes flew in the air only to be picked up by the flying black entity as they zoomed past.
The black suddenly swarmed in the middle of the room, converging into a ball. It powered toward him.
Alister lunged out of the way, losing his focus. The wind was knocked out of him when he landed on his stomach on the carpet. Ian stepped forward and lifted his hands to try and contain the black demonic goo. It turned on his uncle.
“Oh shit!” Ian dodged out of the way.
“What the ever-loving hell!” Pethious bellowed from the doorway.
Alister hid his face when the sound grew to a deafening roar.
Whoosh. Then silence.
It was eerily quiet.
He rolled over onto his back to catch his breath only to find his father gazing down at him.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.” He took the offered hand and was pulled to his feet just as Pethious spun on Ian.
“What were you trying to do? Get him killed?”
“No! Of course not. I was trying to let him handle it.”
“I said to stick together! If I thought he was ready, I would have sent him by himself,” Pethious yelled. “You both need to realize that Cornelius’ magic is nothing to fucking play around with.”
“I’m sorry,” Alister said, stepping forward and placing a hand on his father’s arm.
“No, this is my fault,” Ian interrupted. “I didn’t think.”
“You’re right, you didn’t,” his father said through his teeth.
Ian and Pethious exchanged a long, fiery look and then Ian bowed his head.
Pethious let out a frustrated sigh before he turned to Marcus. The hunter was slumped in his chair, but already his complexion was filling out and the color had returned to his skin.
With long fingers, his father tipped the hunter’s chin upward and met the man’s natural-colored gaze. A soft, golden glow filled the wolf’s face.
“How do you feel?”
“Like a fucking fool,” Marcus whispered as tears streamed down his cheeks.
“How does your body feel?” Pethious frowned.
Marcus opened his mouth and then turned and threw up over the side of the chair and onto the floor.
Pethious stepped away.
“See that he is cleaned up and given food. We can ask him questions then.”
Alister held Ian’s gaze until his father’s footsteps faded.
Alister snickered.
Ian lifted a quick hand to put over his mouth, but it was too late.
They broke out in laughter while Marcus looked on in confusion.
The poor guy probably thought they were crazy. The thought was sobering and brought back Jonas’ plight.
“We have to hurry,” Alister said, and by the look in Ian’s eyes, his uncle had read his mind.
Jonas needed him.
Jonas
He came to, hanging from his arms with his toes just barely touching the ground. Not enough to take the pressure from his hands.
He let his head fall back and through one barely parted eyelid, he gazed at his hands. They were blood red and he couldn’t feel his fingers.
He was a natural born shifter; his animal was a dire wolf. Not only was he the alpha leader of the Western Region, but he came from a long line of hereditary alphas born with a power that went beyond that of other shifter wolves. It was one of the reasons he’d lived as long as he had. To his knowledge, he was one of the oldest wolf shifters on the planet. He clenched his fists, checking the strength of the chain.
He could do this! He closed his eye and searched for that spark of life deep in his soul.
A black void greeted him.
Fear welled up from the pit of his stomach, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shift. Tears burned his swollen eyes and he blinked. One eye was so swollen it refused to open.
His breath hitched and his back spasmed beneath a burning pain as he mentally tried to calculate the extent of his injuries. They were too numerous to count. His good leg gave out and he cried out soundlessly at the instant pain in his arm sockets. At this point, his wolf would typically be thrashing at the surface, but there was nothing.
His wolf was dead. Somehow, Leopold had killed his wolf.