The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate (11 page)

mentioned earlier?”

Noah shook his head. “It would be based on the same thing,

Paris’s genetic connection with his mother. However, instead of

actively reaching out to her, we’ll just go to the power plant and

attempt to catch a snapshot of the events that happened there. You

see, areas where spells take place maintain a residual energy. With the

lingering traces of the nuclear accident, I can’t really tell if it exists

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67

here, and I won’t be able to if Aria wasn’t actively involved in the

spell. But chances are that Tyrell did indeed plan to make her his

familiar, here at the plant, and they might have discussed something

we could use.”

“Are you up for it, though?” Rhys inquired, sounding concerned.

“I’ll be fine,” Noah replied. “This is the right thing to do. I can

feel it in my bones.”

Jace wasn’t so certain, but what could he do? They agreed to visit

the power plant that evening, once the vampires awoke. “For the

moment, it would be best for all of us to get some rest,” Rhys

suggested. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Personally, Jace wasn’t tired, and while he’d have loved to spend

some time in Paris’s sweet embrace, there were still many dilemmas

on his mind. Still, he knew the phrase didn’t truly refer to him, but

rather, to Noah, who would be the one who’d suffer most in this

complicated endeavor.

So, he let Noah and Rhys go, while the rest of them clustered

around Derek. Derek smiled knowingly. “Want a tour of the town?”

he asked.

“Thank you,” Reed replied, already seeming excited. “We’d love

a tour.”

For the next few hours, Jace just enjoyed the company of his

loved ones, as well as learning new things about a culture he wasn’t

familiar with. As they walked, Derek spoke in low, measured tones,

explaining how much the area had suffered. Neither Derek nor Jace

had been old enough at the time of the nuclear explosion to clearly

remember, but they had learned a lot of things about it, especially

since their father always wanted to make them understand the

importance of power and how it should be controlled. In spite of the

town’s tragic past, though, the locals were doing their best to rebuild,

seeking to create a brighter future for themselves and their families.

Apparently, the vampire coven led by Kaname Yamamoto was

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pouring funds into developing infrastructure and facilities to prevent

disasters like that one from happening.

Jace couldn’t help but note that whenever he spoke Kaname’s

name, Derek’s tone turned a bit huskier. It didn’t take him long to

realize Derek was completely infatuated with the vampire elder.

While he could understand the attraction, he felt concerned. He

respected Kaname, but so far, he’d gathered vampires led a life that

was in many ways dictated by the sensual demands of their bodies. If

Kaname was Derek’s mate, that could prove to be a problem. Not to

mention that Kaname had pointed out some vampires were still not

very fond of shifters.

“Maybe it’s just physical attraction,”
Paris suggested through

their bond.
“They don’t have to be mates to lust for each other.”

That was true, but Jace knew his brother well. When Derek was

attracted to someone, he rarely showed it. He was a very private

person, and he didn’t exteriorize his feelings like Jace and Mel did.

“You should talk to him,”
Paris added.
“I’m sure it’ll help.”

“I will, sweetheart,”
Jace replied.
“It’s probably nothing.”

But he didn’t truly believe it, and judging by Anson’s expression,

he suspected he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. When they

returned to the house, Jace immediately cornered Derek in the first

free room he could find. Paris, Reed, and Anson gave them some

space, even if they did seem a bit concerned.

“All right,” Jace told his brother, “tell me everything. What

exactly is your relationship with Kaname Yamamoto?”

“What makes you think I have any personal relationship with

Yamamoto-sama?” Derek inquired with a scowl. “He’s a great man,

and I respect him. There’s nothing more to it than that.”

Jace eyed his twin in disbelief. He understood Derek’s need for

privacy, but they had always been so close. Derek had never outright

lied to him, or hidden important facts. “You don’t trust me,” he said,

unable to suppress the sadness in his tone. “I told you about Paris. I

told you everything, but you don’t trust me.”

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69

Derek gave him a helpless look, and Jace sighed. “It’s all right.

You’ll tell me when you’re ready. I won’t push you. But…Don’t lie,

okay? Just say you don’t want to talk about it or something like that.”

If anything could have made Jace more concerned, it was Derek’s

refusal to explain. Derek grimaced, obviously realizing that he’d hurt

Jace. “I’m sorry, Jace. It’s just…I don’t really understand it myself.

We truly don’t have a relationship. We haven’t even touched. And

yet, I’m so drawn to him, to everything he does. I can’t explain it, and

I don’t want to think about it. We’re too different, and he’s clearly not

interested.”

Even if Jace had thought something similar just a few minutes

back, he couldn’t help but encourage his brother. “Our dads are also

very different, and they’ve been together forever. Our friends found

their mates in the unlikeliest people imaginable. Maybe now is not the

right time, but who knows what will come in the future?”

Derek nodded, and while his expression remained almost

unchanged, Jace detected a barely perceivable change, a lightness of

heart. “You’re right, of course. There’s no point rushing into things.

We have other problems to worry about that now.”

While Jace hated disregarding his own brother as a secondary

priority, Derek had a point. Until Aria and Tyrell were caught, none

of them were safe and none of them could enjoy their matings. That

included Jace and Paris and everyone else they knew.

“Come on,” Jace told his brother. “We’ll get some rest like Noah

suggested, and tonight we’ll head out.”

“Let’s just hope your mate manages to do what we haven’t been

able to so far,” Derek replied. “If he doesn’t, we’re shit out of luck.”

* * * *

That night, five shifters, two magical creatures, and three

vampires snuck inside the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The

vampires led the way, together with Derek. Reed, Anson, Jace, and

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Paris came after them, while Noah and Rhys flanked them,

presumably scanning the area for any magical activity.

Their precautions turned out to be largely useless, as there was no

sign of Tyrell. Humans still watched the area, but they were easy to

avoid. Paris was half relieved, half disappointed. However, he

couldn’t say it surprised him, since Derek had mentioned ahead of

time that he and others had been here before.

It was entirely possible that Paris’s presence wouldn’t change a

thing. Noah had pointed out that only if Aria was now Tyrell’s

familiar would this work. Knowing his mother, Paris was pretty sure

that she’d have been willing to go with whatever Tyrell had planned,

as long as she received power in return. But would they be able to

find some certainties here? If not, they would have to take the riskier

path, something which they all agreed should be avoided.

Once they were closer to the plant, Rhys and Noah took the lead

from the three vampires. Just being here clearly bothered Noah a lot,

but he didn’t shy away from it, and he didn’t hesitate. The only

evidence of how much it affected him was the fact that he held Rhys’s

hand the whole time, squeezing it so hard the knuckles went white.

They stopped in front of the third reactor unit. Paris couldn’t sense

anything different about this particular location. The entire area gave

him the creeps, the quiet, aging structures still holding far too many

memories of the disaster. He’d been aware of the power plant’s

history, but it had seemed something so very distant. Now, while

being here, his complaints seemed petty and insignificant compared to

what the inhabitants of the area had suffered.

“They’re not petty,”
Jace said in his mind.
“They’re just different.

You can’t compare personal problems caused by your family with a

nuclear disaster. Both things can ruin lives, but not in the same way.”

Paris supposed Jace was correct. He struggled to push the

thoughts out of his mind and focus on how much he cared about Jace.

His tendency of falling into self-pity had to go if he wanted to face his

mother. He wasn’t the same person he’d been. He had a real family

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71

now, people who loved him, a mate. He could take on anything, even

this awful place that sent shivers down his spine.

Steeling his resolve, Paris directed his attention toward Noah and

Rhys. The warlock had closed his eyes and seemed to be simply

inhaling the air around them.
“What’s he doing?”
Paris asked his

mate.

“I haven’t got a clue,”
Jace replied.
“Maybe trying to get a feel of

the energies in the area. I studied magical creatures some, but I put it

all on hold when this came up.”

Paris distantly remembered Jace and Derek had been students at

the United Paranormal Academy. His siblings had gone there, too,

and Paris had wanted to join. His mother had refused, arguing that his

adoptive father would never allow it. He should have realized it then,

understood that she was the one keeping him away from the affection

a pack normally provided. But even if he had, he’d have been unable

to do anything about it. He’d lacked the strength to even try. Now,

however, that had changed, and he was eager to show his mother that

she couldn’t always get her way. She needed to be punished for her

crimes.

In spite of his anxiousness and excitement, Paris waited patiently

while Noah and Rhys slowly moved around in front of him and the

rest of his companions. Well, Noah was moving. Rhys just stood

behind him, remaining close to the warlock’s side. Apparently, his

presence helped Noah.

Paris didn’t know how long it took Noah to get a feel of the

energies, like Jace had so eloquently put it. Finally, after what seemed

like forever, Noah opened his eyes. Moving with striking rapidity, he

drew a circle on the ground. Oddly enough, he didn’t actually have

chalk or anything like that. Instead, he seemed to be using the tips of

his fingers. Only, of course, Noah’s digits didn’t even have to touch

the surface he was creating the drawing on. Instead, a small bluish

glow emanated from his fingertips, leaving behind a clear azure

circle.

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Rhys stepped out of the way, allowing Noah to work. Once the

circle was complete, the warlock drew a pentagram in the middle and

several symbols in each of its corners. He seemed to be murmuring

incantations of sorts, but Paris couldn’t distinguish what was said.

The words appeared to be in a language he didn’t know.

At last, Noah got up and looked straight at Paris. He nodded,

beckoning Paris forward. Without hesitation, Paris stepped toward the

warlock. Jace didn’t release him, though, and advanced with him.

Immediately, Noah lifted a hand, stopping them before they could

reach the circle. “No, just Paris.”

Jace opened his mouth to protest, but Paris shook his head. It

made sense that Noah would only need Paris’s presence. After all,

Rhys had stepped away as well. If Paris understood this correctly,

Noah would be the one to cast this spell, and Paris would be its focus.

Other people would ruin it.

“I’m not sure about this, sweetheart,”
Jace said, his anxiety

feeding into Paris’s heart. “
I want to be with you.”

“You’re always with me, Jace,”
Paris replied.
“It’s okay. This is

what we came here for, remember?”

Jace still didn’t seem very sure, so Paris added,
“Trust me. I’m