Saint had spent the afternoon tracking in the tunnels with Strix, Bena, and Avadar. There had been no sign of the Scourge, however, and Saint knew that Teslar had dragged his army deep, forbidding them to emerge while Teslar still felt Saint’s breath warming his back. Saint had assigned a majority of the Iniskium to guard the crystal chamber, knowing they could defend it with relative ease, given the fact there were only two narrow openings.
He would return again tonight, knowing that Teslar’s control of the Scourge would run thin when it came time to feed. Teslar’s own control would begin to crack, much as his clone would hate to admit it. Perhaps they would catch a whiff of Scourge stench and follow one of them to their new hideout.
He’d paused in the crystal chamber before leaving the tunnels, absorbing the earth’s powerful energies. He knew he needed nourishment before he next saw Christina.
“How long has she been out here?” he asked Isi quietly.
“Twenty minutes or so. She is restless.”
Isi’s eyes gleamed in the darkness, and Saint understood that Christina’s restlessness had affected the Iniskium warrior. Saint growled softly in warning. It was a purely instinctual reaction, and Isi didn’t seem offended as he averted his gaze. How could a virile young wolf not be affected by Christina’s powerful vitessence and the pheromones thickening the night air?
Saint felt that same energy; he pulsed with it as he tracked Christina with his gaze. She stood from the steps of the gazebo and began to walk, occasionally reaching out and touching her fingers to the lilac blooms that surrounded the structure.
“Aidan?” Saint asked, his acute night vision focused on Christina’s fingertips on the lush petals…wishing it were his skin she touched. A ripple of sensation went through him as if she’d just whisked a caress down his spine.
“He fell asleep right after he ate his supper. Fardusk worked him hard today, but he says the young one did well.” Saint felt the Iniskium’s eyes on him in the darkness. “Fardusk says the boy has great strength. He says he is something new…different than the Iniskium. Different from you as well…but also alike.”
“He is my son.”
Saint didn’t need to be staring at Isi’s face in order to sense his shock. “But I thought—”
“I thought it was impossible as well. Nevertheless, Aidan is my son.”
Saint hadn’t been able to control the fierce emotion that surged through him as he said the words. His voice shook with it. Isi’s head swung around and they both stared at Christina as she disappeared behind the gazebo.
“Thank you for watching her, Isi.”
He glanced over at the Iniskium when he remained in place, despite Saint’s telepathic hint to depart.
“I should keep guard,” Isi said.
Saint knitted his brows together. “Why? What have you discovered?”
Isi scowled. “Nothing of significance. But something doesn’t feel right.”
“Does this have to do with Alison?” Saint asked.
“I don’t trust her.”
“Are you sure it isn’t yourself you don’t trust?”
The moonlight revealed the flush on Isi’s high cheekbones. For a few seconds, Saint thought he wasn’t going to respond.
“I don’t trust either one of us, to be honest,” Isi finally admitted huskily.
Saint gave him a sidelong look. “I’m not sure if I trust Alison either. But she possesses a certain strength we can’t deny. I like her, despite myself. And I do trust you, Isi. Why don’t you keep an eye on Alison?”
Isi took a deep breath, seemingly braced by Saint’s words. He melted into the darkness.
The white of Christina’s T-shirt caught his eye as she came around the opposite end of the gazebo. Saint stood there, flames of sensation licking softly at his sensitive skin. He inhaled the scent of Christina on the night air. Her fragrance mingled with the odors of fresh earth, lilacs, and the lake in the distance.
His hunger mounted wi
th each passing second until it tightened every muscle in his body. Blood surged into his cock, thickening it…making him ache.
She was his mate. And he hadn’t even known it because he hadn’t believed he was capable of making such a bond. The wolves formed such ties, but Saint had never fully claimed that part of his genetic heritage, believing himself to be an unnatural creature.
An abomination.