Wolf Hunted, стр. 33
We might be rid of the vampires, but our new vehicles sure suggested bloodsuckers and war.
From her pocket behind the passenger seat, Sal reminded me that one should always be ready for battles, bloody or otherwise.
I chuckled. “You are a font of wisdom, Salvation.”
She axe-sniffed and made sure that I understand how correct we both were.
I pulled her from her pocket. She shimmered in the blue halogen brightness of the lot’s central light, and her glow came from our proximity to The Hall.
Maura, her face also shimmering from her phone’s just-as-blue light, walked toward the truck with Akeyla in tow.
I opened my door, stepped out, and waited for my niece to take my hand.
She smiled big. “Ready, Uncle Frank?” Akeyla seemed determined to make my first return to elven space since my brother’s attack the best visit possible. “Mommy says Ms. Martenson made lefse.”
The elves loved their classic Norwegian foodstuffs, and Sue Martenson did make the best lefse in town.
She was also one of the few mundane spouses allowed inside elven space around The Great Hall, even if she wasn’t allowed into The Hall itself.
And again, I wondered about Ed. I wasn’t getting answers until I got inside, that was for sure.
Maura looked up from her phone. “Okay,” she said. “With Magnus out of town, it looks like Bjorn will be running with Remy.” She scrolled again. “Dad’s running with Gerard. Mom’s running with Axlam. Jax will run with them.”
Akeyla huffed.
Maura ignored her response. “So, honey,” she said to her daughter, “Because it’s Samhain and we have that photographer who’s been causing trouble, everyone’s going to be extra busy inside.”
Akeyla nodded.
“That means you stay with me, Uncle Frank, or one of your grandparents, okay?”
She nodded again.
Maura continued scrolling. “Lennart is running with Mark Ellis, since Mark’s still new-ish, and it’s Samhain.” She scrolled again. “I’m running with Doug Martenson on the outside of the pack because, Dad says, Doug will see stragglers and I’m powerful enough to bring them back in.” She nodded as if this was the first time her father had given her this responsibility.
“Congratulations?” I said.
Maura shrugged. She tucked her phone away. “Especially since Benta’s running with Sadie Hill.”
Sadie was the newest pack member. I wasn’t sure when she was turned, but I did know she was a handful. I didn’t know why exactly, other than she didn’t seem to have the iron will that got most people through the change.
“Can I learn a run spell?” Akeyla asked.
Maura looked impressed. “Watch carefully when I’m with Mr. Martenson. We’ll show you the spell that allows me to hear him when he’s in wolf form and outside The Great Hall. How does that sound? We can practice after Samhain.”
Akeyla grinned. “Okay, Mommy.”
Such a spell might help Akeyla with her Jax issue. But we had more pressing issues, such as getting the wolves through Samhain.
“Hmmm,” I said. “Did your dad forward that list to Ed?”
Maura shielded her eyes from the light’s glare and peered at the exterior “door” into elven space. I could make it out from here, even with the lights and the headlights. Either one of the elder elves boosted its resonance or I was seeing a Samhain effect.
Maura nodded toward the door. “Did you know the weather amplifies transitional magic?” she asked.
I took Akeyla’s hand. “No. Did you know that, pumpkin?”
Akeyla didn’t answer. She watched a car turn into the lot.
The Geroux family was about to park and make their way into the feast.
“I don’t want to talk to Jax,” Akeyla said. “I don’t like him anymore.” Her grip on my fingers heated up.
“Um, okay,” I said. “Let’s go, then.”
Maura frowned down at her daughter. “Honey, we need to—”
A resounding no rolled off Sal. She insisted that the boy wolf was to first apologize and show true remorse.
Small, aurora-filled flames danced along Akeyla’s shoulders. They swirled in a semi-controlled, yet organic way, and jumped to the tips of her now clearly-visible pointed ears.
“Can I carry Sal?” she whispered.
Maura looked over her shoulder as Jax walked around their car and stopped next to his father. His young shoulders slumped, and he watched Akeyla with wide eyes, but he didn’t come over.
Maura swung her hand in a small arc, then tapped her thumb against her ring finger. A sheer, ethereal magic plume formed behind Akeyla. It wavered like a cloth in wind, then settled onto her shoulders like a cloak.
“If it’s okay with Sal and Uncle Frank,” Maura said.
I had no say in this. Who carried Sal was her decision. I just happened to be the guy she currently liked the most.
Sal tossed out the equivalent of only if you promise to be careful, young one. I am heavy.
Akeyla nodded.
Sal’s blade was wider than Akeyla’s shoulders, and her handle thicker than her arm, but my little niece took her weight just fine.
Maura whipped out a second cloak spell, this one around the cutting edge of Sal’s blade. Seemed both spells were to buffer Sal’s sharpness, and to protect Akeyla’s skin for her first time holding a true elven weapon.
She stood tall. Then she turned around and looked directly at Jax.
Fire danced from her hands to Sal’s handle, and up to the big blade behind her head. And then Akeyla did something I didn’t know she had the control to do—Sal’s blade burst into flame. Not the magic kind only I can see, but real, bright, hot flame. It flared upward as if Sal had just breathed fire, and quickly disappeared.
Sal tossed out a smug, satisfied axe-humph. Akeyla, though, didn’t seem any more or less satisfied by the display, just… stronger? More regal? She was most definitely Dagrun’s granddaughter.
I couldn’t tell if Jax responded. Gerard seemed impressed.
Akeyla reached to take my hand again, but realized she needed both to stabilize Sal on her shoulder. “Let’s go, Uncle Frank.” Then she walked toward the entrance into elven space.
I couldn’t