Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf, #3)(21)

“Convince her without lying to her.” Oh sure, that sounds easy. Hey hon, I need to bond with you so that you can take on your destined role…oh, and if we have sex, which we probably will, then no strings attached because I might have to kill you later, and I couldn’t handle having to do that if I was in love with you. Sure, easy as pie.

Andrew nodded. “You’ll have to find a way. She’s a young, passionate woman. I’m sure that you can convince her to bond.”

“It would be a hell of a lot easier if she’d been raised in the culture of the Order.” Cal blew out a harsh breath. “She says she has no family, which I’m assuming means she was never told anything about her heritage.”

Andrew nodded. “We can’t expect her to feel the same sense of duty that we do. There’s no reason for her to commit—other than through her connection to you. We got lucky with Kelly and Candy, but we can’t count on all of the chosen coming from families who have kept the traditions alive. It’s a new challenge for us to face, trying to convince her to buy in, to be willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary.” He slapped his knees before standing. “I’ll go and talk to her later, after she’s had a chance to cool off.”

He eyed Andrew warily. “What are you going to say?”

Andrew smiled and patted his shoulder. “She needs to start training, right?”

Cal nodded. “The sooner the better.”

“So, I’ll convince her to start her training. I’ll set her up with Lance or someone to get her used to the idea.”

He growled, standing to glare eye to eye with Andrew. “You’ll do no such thing. She’s my Huntress. I will train her.”

Andrew chuckled. “I’ll set her up with Lance for one or two training sessions. Just enough for her to calm down and stop hating you. Then you can take over.” He moved toward the door. “You can be there to watch them. Lance won’t do anything to piss you off.”

He growled again. “Of course he will—it’s Lance, for Christ’s sake.”

Andrew shrugged. “He’s the best fighter next to you. Don’t you want her learning from the second best?”

He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out forcefully as he rubbed his jaw. “I suppose. Fine. Yeah, okay, go and talk to her. But Andy?”

Andrew stopped at the door and looked back. “Yeah?”

“I wouldn’t go in there too soon. She’s got a wicked knee jab that could floor you if she’s angry enough.”

Andrew’s laughter echoed off the walls as he headed down the hall, leaving Cal to stew over what he was going to do.





Chapter Eleven





Kelly


I cried until my tears were spent, the danger of the situation finally settling in like a cold fist encircling my heart. That psychic had gotten it right after all—I was desired by two men, just not really how I’d pictured it There was nothing romantic about bonding with someone to become a warrior or bonding with someone else to become a brood mare. I didn’t ask for this, I wasn’t prepared for this, but I sure as hell had to do something about this crazy situation because I highly doubted anyone—not Cal or the Order and certainly not Lazarus, the king of the beasts—would let me just walk away and get on with my life.

So the tears needed to stop. Suck it up, buttercup, as my mother used to say.

I made my way into the bathroom and quickly washed my face, the cool water refreshing and energizing. Time to figure out Plan B, because Plan A was not something I had consented to—no one in their right mind would. If I was going to get the hell out of here, I needed to figure out where I was to begin with, and how I could make my way back home without getting captured by a werewolf. Then I would have to go into hiding or something.

I cringed. Okay, Plan B needed some work.

A light knock at the door had my heart thudding with anticipation and I cursed my weakness. Plan B, my ass. If that’s Cal begging for forgiveness, you’ll hop right up on the bed and welcome him openly. So pathetic.

I emerged from the bathroom to find Andrew poking his head past the door. “Morgan? You in here?”

My heart flutters stopped abruptly, but I wasn’t annoyed at the intrusion. It wasn’t Andrew I was angry with. “I’m right here, Andrew, come on in.”

Andrew’s gaze fell on me and his smile erased any remaining anger or frustration I felt. “Oh good,” he said. “Listen, I know that things are a little much for you to digest right now. It’s a lot to take in all at once. I was kind of hoping that you would accompany me to see my mate, Kelly…the Oracle. She’d really like to meet you.”

Unable to rebuff the positive vibe from Andrew, I gave a hesitant smile and nodded. “Sure, I guess that would be okay.”

Andrew held out his hand. “Come on, then. Our room is just down the next hallway.”

He entwined my arm with his as we walked, a strangely comforting gesture considering I’d known the man for less than an hour.

“I met Candy this morning.”

Andrew nodded. “Oh, yes, she’s super excited to have another female in the house. She wouldn’t stop talking at breakfast about going up to see you. I hope she didn’t bug you too much.”

I chuckled. “No, she’s sweet, and very bubbly. I’m sure we’ll get along fine. Although, with the way things are right now, I can’t see myself staying here for very long.”