Wolf Shifter Diaries: Lies Tamed (Sweet Paranormal Wolf & Fae Fantasy Romance Series Book 2) by E. Hall (books for men to read TXT) 📗

skin seers with pain. Almost against my will, magic surges from me. The wolf spins in the air and then slams against a tree trunk.

The Kenna part of me wants to shout apologies. Seeing the wolf thrown pains me, but my wolf reminds me it was defense. Still another voice tells me to destroy her. To batter her. To relish her bruises before ending her very breath.

Amanda shifts back to human form and gets to her feet. She shambles toward me, pointing her finger. I worry she’s going to blast me back then remember she probably doesn’t possess fae magic. “I promise I will kill you, mutt.” She bypasses me and scrambles around on the ground as if looking for something. Then pounces on me aggressively.

Stars that are brighter than the ones in the sky fill my vision. Then I realize it’s magic coming from my hands as I blast Amanda. Her body vibrates, glows, and then stiffens. She falls backward, her eyes empty. She’s gone. My wolf lets out an internal and lamenting keen. That second voice inside me simpers a laugh. The fae?

Suddenly, I drop to the ground beside Amanda, landing on something soft and velvety.

As I pull it close like a blanket, the stars go dark.

I dream of the meadow with the wolf. He stands loyally by my side. His beautiful copper eyes blink with relief when mine land on his. The gray in his fur reminds me of the stars and the streaks of black are like a backdrop of the night sky. His chest rises and falls with a long sigh. Mine does the same. That must mean that I’m breathing. That I’m still alive.

The ground is solid beneath me when I open my eyes. The moon hangs in the sky, surrounded by stars the same as it did before I passed out. Several familiar faces look down on me with concern.

“Kenna,” Corbin breathes. “You’re okay. Your wound healed already.” Beads of sweat dot his forehead as he brushes my neck. “That was close.”

“What happened?” My pulse doubles.

“We’re wondering the same thing,” Inga says gently.

I slowly press to sitting and look around. “The ceremony and bonfire. The run. Amanda.” My stomach plunges. “Where is Amanda? Did I—?” My hand presses to my lips.

From the nearby shadows, several subordinates in physical form lift a lifeless Amanda into their arms.

I scramble after her. “No, no, no. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry—” Strong arms close around me. My eyes widen. “Corbin, what did I do?” I gasp for breath as tears bust loose.

He pulls me into his arms, and I draw a breath of his wolfy-woodsy-minty scent. Shaking, I press my face against the hard sureness of his chest.

He leads me back to his cottage behind the lodge. The buildings remind me of the ghost towns my mom and I once visited in Texas. For a split second, I feel like something integral inside of me faded and disappeared, leaving me empty.

Whereas a short time ago, I felt like I was thriving, full of life, albeit a bit confused, now I feel a void that threatens to consume me.

Corbin settles me on a cushy chair in front of the fireplace. He casts his hand toward it and like the bonfire, it blazes.

“Did being inducted into the pack cause me to be bloodthirsty?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize that term has a specific meaning in the magical world.

“No, I’m quite sure that was fae magic that you let loose. She attacked. You were defending yourself. It’s as simple as that. Because you’re tri-magical, there’s no knowing when your other magic will emerge.”

Shaken, I draw the blanket that I found beside me when I passed out closer around my shoulders. Loose threads reveal a long tear along the hem.

Corbin brings me a massive mug of tea. Steam drifts across the top. He sits on the arm of the chair and passes it to me. I drop the blanket from my fingers.

“Where did this cloak come from?” he asks, absently curling a piece of my hair through his fingers like a strip of silk.

“You mean this blanket?” I shrug.

“No, I mean cloak.” He carefully pulls it from my shoulders and holds it open between us.

Faint threads of silver shine from the otherwise red fabric. The hood hangs. Tales of the fae drift into my mind like the steam from the tea.

“I think this is a fae cloak. The other night, when Amanda appeared by my window, I mean just that. She appeared, like out of nowhere. Same thing in the woods earlier. Do you think this was hers?”

“Why would a wolf have a fae cloak?” Corbin’s eyebrows pinch together.

I shrug. “Somehow she got ahold of this.” I slide my fingers along the lower hem as a jolt rushes through me. I hold it up. “Look, it’s torn. Doesn’t it look like the ribbon of fabric that was wrapped around the diary?”

Corbin inspects it carefully. “Where would she have gotten this?” His brow creases. “At the same time that you were attacked, I was suddenly frozen. I thought maybe it was you. Fae magic can lock an enemy in place.”

I shake my head slowly. “I hardly knew what came over me, but no, I didn’t consciously stop you from coming to my aid. I did have a bit of awareness of what was going on. The magic was scalding, angry, almost venomous. Like, how dare she attack me? That’s the best I can explain it. But why was she was after me? I can admit that I have a mild understanding of jealousy, but trying to kill me because we’re mates is a bit extreme.”

Corbin nods. “There’s no arguing with fated mate status.”

“And yet she challenged me to the