Nine Souls Read online

  I heard a few chortles, but decided not to acknowledge them as I palmed the ring. At least they hadn’t actually been waiting on me. I used my foot to gently nudge Talon the hell away.

  Okay, not so gently. I tried to hurl him from the stage with minimal motion.

  And the cat – not so gently – decided to use some freaky Fae strength to not move a millimeter, which meant my shove only caused me to wobble. Face heating in embarrassment, I glared down at the cat. As if nothing had happened, he arched his tail, wove between my legs a few times, rubbing along both of my shins and covering my pants in cat hair. Only then did he sit beside me, regally studying the crowd before us. He meowed, and the crowd swooned.

  I looked up to see the Huntress glaring – as if it was my fault that the crowd’s attention was split between me and Gunnar, or that Talon was stealing the show. Alucard coughed into a fist, trying to hide his amusement as I turned back to the bride and groom.

  “The rings,” Othello said.

  Before Gunnar could even turn all the way, I had stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder and pressing the ring into his palm as he extended it my way. I was smiling until I noticed the look of tension in his single icy blue eye.

  “Something is wrong,” he whispered. “Be alert…” Then he was smiling and turning back to Ashley as if nothing had happened. His bride-to-be wasn’t fooled, because her smile flickered for a moment before she replaced it with more forced enthusiasm than was normal for her.

  A cold sweat ran down my back and I felt Talon tense at my feet, having heard the warning. With a flick of his tail, he sauntered off the steps as if bored. The crowd chuckled absently at that before refocusing on the two werewolves.

  I saw Talon’s eyes flash from a dark hallway a moment later. Then they were gone.

  Alucard noticed and immediately tensed.

  I didn’t even hear Othello as my eyes scanned the room, searching for threats. I could sense Alucard using his vampire senses to pick up on any dangers, but with so many monsters in the room why hadn’t anyone else noticed anything? What had Gunnar seen? Was he simply being paranoid? Surely, we were safe. The Horsemen wouldn’t let any threats come in, and with so many allies around us it wasn’t like we were in danger of being overrun.

  Unless it was an army.

  But we’d dealt with armies before, too.

  A lone assassin had virtually no chance of success either.

  I wasn’t arrogant enough to believe we were untouchable. A suicide bomber could still do major damage. Maybe a killer had slipped in, fully aware he wouldn’t survive his attack.

  I knew one thing. Given the chance, I would make an attacker’s head my wedding present.

  Chapter 3

  Gunnar cleared his throat, but when he spoke his voice still sounded gruff.

  “You irrevocably shattered my heart with a hammer.” The room grew silent as if everyone had just sucked in a breath at the same time. Not the best opening, but Gunnar had always been better at showing rather than telling. “Because you saw the man I could be, rather than the man I was. Like a Master Blacksmith, you saw the potential in a lump of iron.” I cringed. So far, he had told her that she broke his heart and that she was a blacksmith. “You beat the flaws out of me.” Now, he’d added husband-beater. Alucard fidgeted uncomfortably beside me. Gunnar needed to wrap this up. “You gathered what remained, assessed it, and then added in those metals that had been missing. The fires of your love re-forged my heart and soul into something new, something stronger, something better. This new heart is too big for the shell of a man encasing it, but I will spend the rest of my life striving to be the man worthy of such a gift. To be the man worthy of standing beside you, the maker of my heart.” He smiled at her. “If you’ll let me.”

  Ashley nodded in a snotty-laugh-cry-hiccup motion as he placed the ring on her finger.

  She stared down at her finger for a moment in wonder, as if forgetting she still had a part to play. But when she lifted her eyes, they smoldered with passion. It looked like Wulfra had a few things to say about this vow business.

  My eyes quickly flickered over the crowd and locked onto Callie. I tried to pass on my concern without my face changing, because I was in the spotlight and couldn’t very well alarm everyone in the room.

  Her returning smile faltered. She feigned a casual look at the hallway where Talon had disappeared as if suddenly realizing what it might have signified. When she turned back to me, the violet flecks in her eyes seemed to flare. But she didn’t move, not wanting to interrupt the ceremony.

  But I was confident she was alert. As if having a sixth sense, Roland suddenly stilled, discreetly glancing over at her. Like a ripple, the two wolves at his side grew suddenly relaxed, prepared to shift in a moment if an attack came. But to everyone else – even though they were all mostly monsters – the wedding was going off without a hitch.

  I now had four more sets of eyes scanning the room in a discreet fashion.

  “I have not shattered your heart, Gunnar Randulf. Like a thief, I reached inside to steal it, but my hand was caught in a vise like a bear trap snapping shut. I was forced to hold onto a lightning bolt when I had only hoped for a man’s heart.” The crowd was silent, almost leaning forward. “I fought it, struggling against that trap, even considering losing the hand rather than risk that bolt of raw power incinerating me from the inside out.” She stared back at Gunnar, and his eye crackled with desire, her words sparking the monster within. “You burned away my illusions, my-self doubts, my fears. You are my rock in a raging sea. I had only ever fought with my brain, using my education like a blade against my enemies. When I found myself…” her eyes briefly flickered to me and then the crowd, “in a world where my clever papercuts didn’t hurt my enemies,” the crowd chuckled at that, “you nursed me back to health. No! You showed me how to make new blades. You didn’t protect me… you empowered me. And I will never forget that. The lightning of your heart, and the thunder of your voice, brought me face-to-face with my fears, helped me best them, and left a new woman standing in my skin. I would do anything for you.” She paused, then turned to meet the eyes of the crowd, almost as if sharing it with each individual for a fraction of a second – but long enough for the subtle promise to carry weight. Then she turned back to Gunnar. “Anything.”

  She placed the ring on his finger and I actually heard him growl as he squeezed her hand.

  A slow clap echoed in the immediate silence. I jerked my head to see a figure slowly standing from the seats near the back. He wore an arrogant smirk as he clapped his hands, and it was blatantly apparent that it wasn’t congratulatory.

  Not at all.

  That clap was mocking. And as I studied him, I was entirely sure he was a werewolf.

  Othello, clear as a bell, spoke over his clapping, her tone like a shard of glass. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now… kill your prey!” she hissed.

  Something about her change of script just made it more romantic to me. But my soul is a dark, haunted, broken thing.

  Gunnar and Ashley growled. Then they exploded into their Fae wolf forms, shreds of tuxedo and wedding gown raining down like confetti.

  Wulfric and Wulfra – the werewolf royalty of St. Louis.

  Suddenly unable to handle the size of Ashley’s new werewolf-thighs, her garter snapped out into the crowd like a rubber band, and…

  Struck Yahn right in his open mouth before falling into his lap. Everyone – even the asshole crashing the wedding – turned to look. Yahn slowly lifted the symbolic garter in his hands, blinking at it. Then the Reds stared at it for a moment.

  Oh, boy.

  As one, the three lifted their eyes to Alucard. He had taken an instinctive step forward, glaring at the three teens. They wilted in their chairs.

  Any other time I would have burst out laughing, but the asshole in the room obviously took precedence. I turned to the bride and groom, arching a brow. They were now massive bipedal werewolves. Gunnar was all w
hite, easily seven feet tall, and was flexing his diamond claws. His diamond eyepatch glittered beside his arctic blue eye. Ashley was shorter, but not by much. Her black fur was actually braided down her jaws and the ruff of her neck. It took me a second to put my finger on what was nagging at me, but once I did I couldn’t un-see it. It looked like they had switched bridal clothes – Gunnar wearing white and Ashley in black.

  Whips of power erupted from my palms as I called upon my magic. They coiled on the floor at my feet, popping and hissing with white light as my eyes scanned the rest of the room for additional threats – in case this was just a diversion. The rest of the guests had erupted into their own monster forms – if they had one – or had scooted back from the prick, like one would avoid the idiot holding a metal antenna outside during a thunderstorm.

  He resumed his slow clap, smirking at Gunnar and Ashley.

  “I think I’m going to like my new city. Very much…” he said with a grin.

  Ashley and Gunnar snarled in response.

  “Do we interfere?” Alucard murmured beside me – not sounding scared, but as if maybe we shouldn’t get in the way of Gunnar on his wedding day. Or Ashley, for that matter.

  “Do I look like I’m the authority on weddings?” I asked deadpan. “For all I know, this is totally normal.”

  Chapter 4

  Gunnar’s chest heaved as he glared at the offending werewolf. I spotted the Four Horsemen at the door, staring darkly at the werewolf’s back. What the hell was this clown thinking? The more I thought about it – as everyone stood poised for murder – the crazier it sounded. He had no chance of surviving. He was surrounded by monsters and gods. Not even counting the fact that he stood inside Chateau Falco, my family mansion, the seat of my power.

  Gunnar just waited, and I began to feel uneasy. Why wasn’t he doing anything?

  The man nodded one time, still smirking. “Not as dumb as you look. Smart to consider why I would reveal myself in such a vulnerable position. To wonder why I would reveal myself at all. In such a public manner. With so many blades, claws, and,” he glanced at the whips of white energy crackling at my feet, “magic strings ready to cut me in half.”

  Ashley snarled as she took a step closer, but Gunnar let out a bark and she instantly halted as if he had yanked an invisible leash. She didn’t look angry at Gunnar’s command, but as if she was still visualizing the evisceration of the man who had ruined her wedding day.

  “Tell me why I shouldn’t place your head on my wedding table as a trophy,” Gunnar said in a tone low enough to resemble a minor earth tremor. “Because it’s sounding more appealing by the second.”

  The man shrugged easily. “Because your entire pack will die if I don’t walk out of here. I’m obviously willing to gamble on it.” He held out his hands, grinning arrogantly. A challenge. He had revealed himself as a threat but hadn’t shifted. “Want to throw the dice, pup?”

  Gunnar growled, his claws elongating. Ashley stood motionless, a fraction of a second away from cutting loose. “You’re mad.” Gunnar finally said, relaxing. Then he began to laugh.

  The man didn’t seem to like that comment very much. He scowled at Gunnar for a heartbeat before composing himself. “Your pack’s apartment complex is surrounded as we speak,” he said in a low tone. “By twice their number. Your empire has fallen, Gunnar Randulf. You just don’t know it yet.”

  “And what if I decide not to concern myself with your idle threat and instead slaughter your pack? Or, better yet, take them from you and leave you all alone?” Gunnar asked, actually glancing down at his paw as if inspecting a hangnail. “Because the more I listen to you whine and brag like an emo teen, the more I realize that the universe might have just given me a wedding present. I kind of want to kill you now, whatever your name is. Because I hate it when puppies yap at me while I’m trying to do grown up things.”

  The man didn’t bat an eye. “My name is Zeus Fletcher, Alpha of Illinois, and I formally challenge your position as Alpha of St. Louis. I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I wanted you to have at least one night of marital bliss, so didn’t bother bringing my Second here with me. I’ll have one of my people talk to your people to finalize the details. Neutral ground and all that.” He cocked his head, frowning. “Oh. Any special requests? I’m feeling generous.”

  Gunnar yawned. “Do we really have to wait until tomorrow? I have a few minutes to spare before pictures.” He glanced down at himself. Then the shredded tuxedo. “Well, that plan just went to hell. I guess tomorrow will have to do. Sleep tight.” And he turned his back on Zeus.

  I bit back a laugh as Zeus’ face darkened. I released my whips, realizing they were unnecessary. I had thought werewolves were less… official. More snarling, less paperwork. Gunnar had killed the previous Alpha of St. Louis without all this red tape. But… Gunnar hadn’t been an Alpha. He’d been a lone wolf. Maybe that changed things.

  I realized Gunnar was speaking to Ashley – likely trying to convince her not to kill Zeus.

  Zeus locked eyes on me and sneered. “Of course, you could always use your friends to do your dirty work… But that would make you look weak, proving that you’re unfit to be Alpha. Then again, word on the street says you don’t have a problem letting your friends do your dirty work. You’ve never had to face a true Alpha.” Gunnar slowly turned to face him. Zeus frowned, as if remembering something. “Oh, that’s right. You killed your predecessor, but he was just a pawn. The Brothers Grimm had already broken him when you came along. You’ve never had to stand up to an Alpha who paid for his throne with blood.”

  Then, before anyone could respond, he simply turned his back on Gunnar, the ultimate sign of disrespect. “I’ll let you have tonight to fuck your bitch queen.” Ashley actually lunged forward at that, but Gunnar held her back with a warning snarl – claiming this kill for his own. Ashley relented, but she practically shook with bloodlust as she watched Zeus walk away.

  Zeus paused at the door, staring down the Four Ushers of the Apocalypse. At a look from Gunnar, they stepped aside. Zeus turned to give them one last look. He spent considerably more time appraising Ashley. He licked his lips, turning back to Gunnar. “If you put up a good enough fight, perhaps I’ll even comfort your widow after you’re gone.”

  Then he was walking away, chuckling to himself.

  Chapter 5

  Everyone turned from Gunnar, to Ashley, and then ultimately, to me.

  I shared a long look with Gunnar before asking everyone to head out to the reception area. Alucard, Tory, the Huntress… look, everyone wanted to stick around for the private pow-wow, and they all began talking at once. I called back my whip and cracked it in the air, something I’d been working on for a few weeks. The sudden shower of white sparks silenced every protest.

  I picked out the Reds from the crowd. “Sonia. Arya. Can you please escort everyone to the reception area? The Best Man wants to talk to the Groom.” I shot a look at Gunnar and then Ashley. “The Bride can stay too, of course. I’m not feeling suicidal.”

  As angry as she was, that earned a flicker of a smile. She took a deep breath, shook her head, and then descended the steps. Callie was waiting for her as if by magic. She smiled at Ashley and then slowly reached up to brush one of the braids hanging near her massive jaws. “Very pretty,” she said softly. Ashley let out a sniff, her head suddenly dropping as if about to cry. Gunnar moved as if to catch her, but Callie shot him a deadly look. He froze instinctively – subdued by only the power of her silent look. All women were born with this mysterious power, magical or not. Ashley straightened her shoulders and then wrapped Callie up in a tight hug, towering over the much smaller, white-haired wizard.

  I shook my head in wonder, reminded that I would never understand these mythical creatures known as women. Gunnar had obviously experienced the same revelation because he cocked his head, watching curiously as the two began walking away, Callie speaking in soft tones to Ashley.

  Alucard slipped off the stage with Tory, eyes
locked onto the Reds and Yahn, no doubt to have a very serious talk about the whole garter situation. I grinned at their backs, not envying Yahn’s fate. I locked eyes with the Horsemen Ushers, jerking my chin towards the reception area. Keep your eyes open this time, Brothers. Death nodded and the Four slipped away. I idly wondered how Zeus had even gotten into the wedding past all the security.

  It had been by invite only. I shook my head, promising myself I would get to the bottom of it.

  Roland and his two wolves had flanked Ashley and Callie without a word, taking it upon themselves to act as the wolf queen’s guards. Ashley noticed immediately, dipping her head at Roland. But she bared her teeth territorially at Paradise and Lost. Callie calmly stepped back, but the wolves didn’t appear to notice. Paradise and Lost dipped their heads and lowered their eyes – but I got the sense that it wasn’t out of fear or weakness. They were acknowledging her authority here in St. Louis, but also firmly telling her they wouldn’t rescind their offer of protection.

  It wasn’t two wolves submitting to an obviously stronger wolf. That wasn’t even a question.

  This was an act of respect.

  Ashley watched them for a moment and then finally dipped her head like she had to Roland. Paradise, the taller of the two, cleared her throat. “We brought our luggage with us, so we have a few spare dresses that should fit you very well…” she offered carefully.

  Callie waited, close enough to interfere if Bridezilla attacked. I hoped.

  Ashley finally glanced down at herself, lip curling at her werewolf form, as if only just realizing she had ruined her wedding dress. “That… would be nice,” she growled, her voice sounding hollow, as if the rage was fading, only to be replaced with regret at her tarnished wedding.