Primal Kill - Page 153

“No way,” Dane argued. “If she can’t read you, there’s no calling.”

“Dane.” The Bishop’s tone carried heavy warning. “What did you see, Grace?”

“I…” Gracie glanced at the Bishop then back to the wolf. “Us. It was hazy, but he was there. We both were.”

“Where, child?”

“A castle hidden deep in the Alps, buried by long winters and protected by cold winds. I saw stone walls and lavish tapestries. The scent of fire and fur.”

“Yes,” the shadow-wolf agreed. “Winters are long, but the privacy is cherished and our blood runs warm. There are plenty of acres for hunting, and the locals rarely bother us.”

Was anyone really buying this?

“What about my family?” she asked and Dane gaped at her. “My possessions…”

When the shadow-wolf closed his hand around hers and she didn’t immediately pull away, Dane knew they were in trouble.

“My family will become yours,min pärla.”

“Your family will be happy for you, Grace” the Bishop assured. “And your belongings can be shipped.”

Any doubts she might harbor hid beneath a mask of duty and submission. She lowered her stare and nodded. “I trust that God has chosen this for me.”

“Has everyone lost their fucking minds?”Dane snapped. “Dude shows up, kills without question, and we’re just going to stand here and let him kidnap Grace?”

“He killed Cerberus, Dane. This man is not our enemy,” Lazarus reminded.

Lazarus’s acceptance was the hardest to swallow. He was not like the others. He was modern and a free thinker. The moment Dane lost his support, he knew he was on his own.

“Grace, you do not need to go with this guy.”

Regret flashed in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Dane, but it’s true. I cannot read him, but I sense that I’ve seen him before. Something pulled me here. At first, I needed to protectyou. But now… Perhaps it was the calling guiding me all along.” Her eyes welled as she looked up at the shadow-wolf towering over her. “My soul recognizes yours, Darius Størm.”

“And mine recognizes yours,min pärla.”

Seething, Dane glared at the two of them. “He’s a stranger to you!”

“Not for long.” The promise in those coldgreen eyes would haunt him forever. He’d barely touched her, yet his claim was clear.

“This is what you choose?” he turned his anger on Grace. “Say it! Tell me you choose this dog over everything else, Grace. Your family. Your life. You don’t realize what you’re saying!”

“I choose him.” Her whisper cleaved through him so fast he staggered back, sure he’d never feel whole again.

“Dane,” Lazarus’s call was lost behind the ringing in his skull.

“Fuck all of you!” He shoved past the others, turning his back on the lot of them.

The Bishop caught up to him the moment he made it outside. “Dane.” He caught his shoulders, stilling his escape. “This is her calling. You always knew it would be this way.”

“I never knew it would bethisway. And neither did you, so I’d appreciate it if everyone stopped acting so goddamn calm like this is fucking normal!”

“I understand you’re angry and disappointed. But that doesn’t negate the fact that this is how it was always meant to be.”

He shook his head, emotion clogging his ravaged throat. “I’m so sick of this.”

The Bishop’s brow furrowed. “Let me help you. Take my blood?—”

“I don’t want your fucking blood!” He shouldered out of his grip. “It’s just one more way to control the situation, so you can track me.”