Jocelynn Drake - Burn the Night

His long pink tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth as he stared up at me. I could feel his happiness. It seemed he’d finally found his home, and I couldn’t have been happier for him. Kneeling down, I plunged my hand through his thick coat, rubbing his ears.

“You’re a beautiful wolf,” I proclaimed with a grin. “I’m very proud of you.”

James nuzzled my arm once before brushing against me and turning back to the rest of the pack, which was milling around the circle. They sniffed and snapped at each other in play, eager to finally be running and hunting on the night of the full moon. As James rejoined the group, I noticed a smaller wolf with a mix of gray and white fur nip at his neck before she trotted off, giving him a little bark as if to encourage him to follow her.

Beside me, Nicolai chuckled. “I wonder how Barrett’s going to take that.”

“What?”

“That’s his sister who’s taken an interest in James. I almost pity the boy.”

Only Barrett and Nicolai remained in human form. I noted the look that passed between the two men before Barrett finally shifted into a large brown wolf and led his pack out into the woods.

I glanced up at the sky one last time, taking note of the full moon that hung bloated over our heads. “How is it that you’re not hunting with them tonight?”

“I will,” Nicolai murmured, his direct gaze straying away from my face. “There is something that I wanted to discuss with you first.”

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

“You had to know it was coming.”

“I did.”

“Look, I know you saved my life, not only from the naturi, but from Jabari too. Hell, you’ve probably protected me from my own kind as well, considering my past. I don’t want you to think I’m turning my back on what you did for me.”

“But two alphas can’t exist in the same pack,” Danaus said.

“You knew?”

“Only recently,” the hunter admitted. “It’s how the others behave around you. You’re a natural leader, and it makes things . . . uncomfortable for you when you are forced to constantly heel to Barrett.”

“It’s not Barrett,” Nicolai quickly countered with a shake of his head. “He’s a great leader and he has taken amazing care of his people. I . . . just . . . don’t belong here.”

My brow furrowed. My protection of Nicolai had been distant at best, but I’d always felt that if he was in my domain, I could reach him in time. I would always be there for him. “Where will you go?”

“Argentina.”

“What?”

“To be more precise, Buenos Aires,” Nicolai said. “There’s a very large concentration of lycanthropes in Argentina. Word has come up through the grapevine that warlocks and witches are going missing from the region and people are starting to point fingers in the direction of my kind. My Spanish is solid and I thought I could go down and see if I could look deeper into the situation before it turns into an indiscriminate hunting party. With the naturi on the loose, we can’t afford to have our numbers drop.”

“What did Barrett say?” Danaus inquired from behind me.

“Can I help you pack?” Nicolai joked, earning a smack on the chest from me.

“If he ever uttered those words, I would skin him alive and he knows it,” I growled.

“No, he said that a place would always be open for me in the Savannah pack should I ever decide to return.”

I nodded, shifting my shoulders against the newfound tension accumulating there. “So?”

“So the question has been left up to you. Can I go?” Nicolai demanded.

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, I paced away from the two men, walking into the open clearing while crossing my arms over my chest. The spring wind was cool and there was still a bite in the air, as if winter were still fighting to hold its grip on the area. But the world was a lush green again and life stirred around us. The earth was awake and alive again. And thanks to my dear father, I could now sense it all, unlike any other nightwalker.

“Why are you asking me?” I said, defensively. “You know you don’t need my permission to leave or stay in Savannah. You don’t belong to me.”

“You did claim me in Venice before the coven.”

I shoved one hand through my hair. “You know that was just for their benefit. You’ve never belonged to me.”

“You might not have seen it that way, but I know that you’ve been protecting me with your life from that very first moment in Venice. I can’t just walk away without . . .” Nicolai’s voice drifted off.

“Say the words, Mira,” Danaus gently instructed.

“Go, Nicolai. Help the other shifters,” I whispered past the unexpected lump in my throat. The lycanthrope walked over and wrapped his large arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. He was my golden boy, my earthbound Adonis, and he was permanently walking out of my life. “Just don’t get yourself killed.”

Nicolai pulled away, holding me at arm’s length so he could look down and smile at me. “I promise to avoid getting killed.”

“And don’t go picking fights with any nightwalkers,”

“There aren’t any nightwalkers in South America,” Danaus reminded me, but I ignored him.

“And keep your distance from the naturi. There’s no telling where Aurora is right now, and you don’t want to go waltzing into a nest of those bastards. Just keep your head down and your nose clean while in Argentina. If you need anything—”

My next words were cut off by Danaus placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it tightly while he extended his other hand toward Nicolai. “Be careful,” the hunter said, neatly summing everything up when I seemed unable to stop babbling. It felt like if I stopped talking, Nicolai would disappear.

“Thanks. I will,” Nicolai said, shaking Danaus’s hand. “I’ll leave it to you to keep an eye on things here for me while I’m gone.”

“Screw you both,” I snapped, turning my back on them. Danaus softly chuckled, while I heard Nicolai shift from human into wolf. I stared off into the woods until I felt something large press against my thigh. I looked down to find an enormous white wolf with a burnished reddish gold streaking his fur. I had never seen Nicolai as a wolf and he was just as beautiful in that form as he was in human form.

“Be safe,” I whispered, running my hand over his head. Nicolai lifted his muzzle and quickly licked the palm of my hand before darting off into the woods. I stared at the last spot where I saw him before he disappeared into the thick bank of trees that surrounded us. The hollow ache I’d felt earlier in the evening throbbed to life once again in my chest.

Danaus came up behind me and slid one arm around my waist, pulling me back against him. “He’ll be fine.”

“In less than a year, I’ve lost Michael, Lily, and Tristan. I nearly lost Valerio, and I was forced to fight Knox, endangering his life. Now, Nicolai is going somewhere that I can’t protect him.”

“You can’t protect the world,” Danaus said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

“I’m not trying to, even though it feels like it at times.”

Danaus grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “James is here, safe from the reach of Ryan and Themis. That should make you happy. I am here, out of the reach of Themis, and ready to protect you and the rest of Savannah. That should make you happy. Things are quiet now. Enjoy it.”

A reluctant smile pulled at the corners of my mouth as I stared up at the hunter. Less than a year ago we were at each other’s throats, looking for the first opening to insert a well-sharpened blade. Now we stood alone in the woods, a deep sense of peace sinking into my bones. While I was reluctant to release Nicolai, I knew it was time for him to go. For now, the others in my life were safe.