Chapter 7
ADELRAM
Adelram heard his lady leave, but had to keep his gaze on Finnegan. He’d backed down across the room, but had yet to look away. Until he accepted Adelram as the winner by looking away, Finnegan would remain a threat to his lady. There would be others, of that Adelram was sure, but he’d take on any challenge. Finnegan finally dropped his gaze
Just as Adelram began to relax, a heavy hand gripped his shoulder. Another challenge. He turned, claws out and ready to attack. The rangy thin man stepped back, his hands up and eyes downcast. It took Adelram a moment to recognize Seamus through the red haze. He wore an acolyte sash. Adelram shook his head and gulped in a deep breath. Not a challenge, but possibly something worse.
“The Elders wish to speak with you.” Seamus’ message made Adelram’s stomach drop. He needed to find his lady and spend time with her, else she would never choose him. He needed to be able to lay out the advantages of such a mating. She would not need to worry about him fucking her. That couldn’t happen. She would never love him and he was afraid of what he might do after his primitive response to her partial nakedness. She’d already run from him after he’d smiled at her. Better to have a chaste mating than be rejected. But if the Elders kept him too long, he would lose his chance. Maybe they were doing this on purpose. Maybe they wanted him to fail as punishment for the curse he would bring to the clan. He was destined to cage the pack and for that he would deserve to die.
“Do you know why they want me?”
Seamus shrugged and led the way silently. They walked across the village and most importantly, away from his lady’s scent, to the ceremony hut. The air thickened as he left the bright sunny day and walked down the stairs into the hut. Sage-tinged smoke hung in the air. He’d been exposed to it enough that he knew the Sage was for keeping evil spirits away. He used to worry the smoke would crumble him to dust but that had never happened. Five of the six elders formed a line between Adelram and the fire. They were each in full ceremonial garb: brightly colored masks, necklaces of strung fangs and red sashes.
“Adelram, why have you returned to us?” The elder in the red, scaled mask stepped forward and shook his rattle as he talked.
“I brought a potential mate.” He kept his voice even, despite the panic at losing his time with her.
The elder wearing the green feather mask lit the smudge stick, wafting the fumes around Adelram while chanting. The elder wearing a smooth white mask pulled a rope and a small door popped open on the wall. Drawings of watchful wolves surrounded the hole. The hole meant to let out the bad spirits and not allow them back in. The air shifted making the chimes tinkle in the breeze.
“Is that the real reason?” The rattle punctuated his words.
That confused Adelram. What other reason would he have for coming back? “Yes.”
The green masked elder chanted and circled closer, the smoke from the smudge stick twisting through the room making it seem like they were in a cloud.
“Drink this.” The elder in the furry black mask held out a cup.
Adelram downed the drink in a single gulp. The musky, bitterness was no longer a surprise. The concoction worked its magic, easing away his anger and making him want to talk. He slid down to the mats on the floor. Someone turned him so he could gaze at the crossing branches on the ceiling. The edges of the world softened.
“Tell us about this mate.”
The question surprised Adelram even in his hazy state. What did he know about her? She was smart and fast. The run across the mountain had proved that. She was compassionate and did not trust him. She had secrets and was not what she seemed. Not fragile and not innocent, but strong and savvy. And he was very physically attracted to her. He realized at that moment that he already had a bond to her. He hadn’t had a bond in so long he barely recognized the beginning of one. And the fact that he wanted it there, was unexpected.
“Why do you resist her bond?” The elder seemed to know his thoughts. The rattle shook.
“It has to be chaste.” The thought of not exploring her body, twisted his gut. The thought of not bringing her pleasure made him feel dejected. A mate should take care of any needs she may have. He should protect and cherish and satisfy.
The silence deepened around him. He waited for the questions he knew were coming. About his time in the cursed keep. About the Master. About his mother.
“Will you not ask about the Master?” He broke the silence to ask. It seemed vital to ask.
“It is important that you embrace who you are.”
Cursed and broken and a danger to the clan echoed through his head.
The red masked elder stopped shaking the rattle for a beat and looked at the white masked elder holding the door open. Even though they had on masks, the look felt odd, not censorious, but instead filled with dismay or surprise. Almost as if they could hear what was in his heart and Adelram could feel their thoughts as well.
“Eat this.” The white masked elder helped him to sitting and put a root in his hand. “You need to eat it all.”
The root smelled pungent and bitter. After the first bite, a warmth spread to his lips and gums. He chewed as if it were a stick. Gnawing on it and finding it strangely satisfying. A tingle at the tips of his fingers coursed energy through his body. The lethargy that had gripped him was replaced with a burst of energy.
Adelram’s attention focused on the black masked elder who until this point had not spoken. Even though Adelram could not see his face, something about the way he moved reminded him of his fading memory of his mother. “You need to protect your mate.”
The elder’s words sent a flood of possessiveness into Adelram. Suddenly he realized his lady had been going to Blaze Woods to the red-haired tree maid. The one that decimated all that went in, good or bad. The thought that his mate might be in danger cracked something in his heart.
He needed to protect her. It was as vital as breathing. He scented the air, and found the faintest hint of her scent. He would always be able to find her.
Shifting to wolf form, he ran. The red-haired tree maid protected his clan on the north, killing anything that dared to set foot on her land. She was said to have no friends, but the trees and the swords she carried. The shiver that slunk up his back said if he didn’t stop her from entering Blaze Woods, he would have no bond to worry about. He had a mate to protect.
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