Chapter Three

Kalin

Giddiness curled deep within my chest. The strangest desire to burst out laughing pressed on the front of my mind, though nothing hilarious had happened. I balanced on the edge of my chair near a small table decorated with black velvet and my tarot deck. Four feet away lay the uncovered courtyard located in the center of the legendary Bran Castle. A cobblestone patio sprawled outward, flanked by white stone walls, a balcony sweeping across the first floor overlooking the courtyard. Farther ahead sat a raised platform with an old-fashioned well in the center. The whole place screamed “fairy tale.” Talk about feeling like a princess.

Humans were everywhere, enjoying the celebration, but there were other hired entertainers for the Halloween-themed party besides Lenuţa and me. Fire jugglers, magicians, and folks dressed up as Dracula, a mummy, and even a werewolf. I cringed at the cliché costumes straight out of the movies—we wulfkin walked on all fours when we transformed into wolves, not two feet.

Lenuţa and I sat under an arched thoroughfare, far enough from the party to not get in anyone’s way, but in plain sight for anyone to find us.

In the distance, a turret with a pointy roof stood erect, as if watching over us. I’d read that many modern features had been added to the castle—from an elevator to a mechanized system to deliver five o’clock tea to a queen who’d once lived on the premises. Ha. I could do with one of those back home.

I glanced at Lenuţa, who fidgeted with her puffy red sleeves. “Why don’t we wear such outfits all the time?” she asked. “I’m putting similar sleeves on all my dresses.”

“They’re cute.” I stared down at my gloves, reached up to my biceps, and traced a finger over the fur trim. I lifted the feathery softness to my cheek. “All my clothes are getting fur trimmings.”

“Yes, do it!” Lenuţa squeaked.

A brilliantly fast beat started from the band of violinists. It was a cross between a disco beat and a barn dance. My feet were tapping to the tune. Flaming torches lit the place. People chatted, laughed, kissed. Wait . . .  I leaned forward in my seat. One man was hugging a woman from behind while another guy smooched her on the mouth. Okay, a bit early in the night, but hey, it was a private event, so whatever. Most of the castle remained open for guests to enjoy, and with the trio going at it, I understood why.

As long as we got paid, I didn’t give a pig’s ass if everyone danced naked.

There were only two rules tonight: Keep the clients happy with positive readings, and no one leaves until sunrise. Yep, we were locked up, and I loved the idea; I planned to explore the building. Bran Castle was featured in the fictional story Dracula, though in truth, the real Vlad Țepeș, whom the Count had been fashioned on, hadn’t used this fortress as his main residence. Still, many vampire-loving tourists visited the location. Must be why the Halloween party included entertainers and actors.

“Damn,” Lenuţa said. “Look at the eye candy just ahead. That’s a tight ass.”

I stared at the guy in question. Tall with a firm butt . . . Yep, he had potential. He looked over his shoulder at Lenuţa with intrigue in his gaze, and that’s when I spotted the curled mustache. Oh, that counted me out. Fancy facial hair didn’t do it for me.

“See the way he stared at you?” I stretched over and poked Lenuţa. “He wants you.” Hell, I’d reverted to a schoolgirl. Straightening my posture, I reminded myself professionalism was a requirement for this job. I shuffled the cards in my hands, hoping to grab someone’s attention.

I huffed and nudged Lenuţa’s arm again. “I’m so bored. Think I should sneak us a glass of bubbly?”

She clapped and bounced in her seat. “Yes.”

Setting the pile of cards down, I got to my feet, wiping my hands down my flowing blue skirt. It was silky smooth.

I spotted the drinks at the other end of the courtyard. Lenuţa tugged on my dress. “Bring back those hors d’oeuvres with smoked salmon. I’m starving and could eat a horse.”

I’d never tried horse, but yeah, I was famished, even though I’d eaten three large steaks earlier to get through the night. I didn’t need my inner wolf to sense humans as food. My stomach grumbled. Right. A mountain of nibbles was in order.

Halfway across the courtyard, I discovered the trio huddled in a dark corner, making out. Shit, was this party about sharing partners and such? I wasn’t sure I had it in me to watch all these people do the dirty.

Overhead, the night sky shone brilliantly with stars, and I broke into a hum as I made a beeline for the food table. A breeze swirled around me, and on my next inhale, a new scent teased me. Earthy, timber, and all wolf. I halted. It didn’t belong to any familiar wulfkin. We’d told Damir to go home. I spun toward the crowd, my dress billowing outward.

A man, who had to be close to eighty, clapped and smiled at me. “More, more,” he said.

I grinned and bounced on my toes, spinning . . . Then the wolf smell hit me again. Oh, right. I was tracking the strange wulfkin. With a quick wave to the old guy, I circled the courtyard.

Maybe meeting new wulfkin wouldn’t be so bad. I mean, how would Lenuţa and I ever find our own mates if we didn’t venture into the world? My inner wolf would know when I’d met him.

A tingling sensation grew in the pit of my gut. A warning. Yeah, I understood. A wulfkin entering our territory posed a danger. But what if they were just lost or there to party? Why couldn’t we all get along? The castle was going to stay locked up for the night, so we weren’t going anywhere.

Swinging around, I scanned the dancers and the waiters in their penguin suits filling empty glasses.

Unfamiliar wolf smells, perspiration, and food floated on the breeze. My stomach groaned, but I pushed on, weaving between the attendees. Still, the scent remained strong. What if the wulfkin was strolling in the woods outside the castle?

The right thing to do was to inform the pack about the intruders in our territory. I pulled out the phone I’d tucked into my corset and flicked it on. No signal. Great. I’d had one when we’d first arrived. I rushed to Lenuţa, who was sitting across from the human she’d been eying earlier. Both laughed as she held his hand, palm up.

I nudged her shoulder. “Got a sec?”

Lenuţa excused herself and followed me to a dark corner beneath a verandah in the courtyard. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Can’t you see who I’m talking to? You should hear his voice. He might just melt my panties right off.”

Damn, seeing Lenuţa smiling so wildly made my heart flutter with happiness, because everyone deserved joy. Yet, something kept nagging at me to inform the pack with urgency.

“Focus for a second,” I said. “Can you smell wulfkin?”

Her brow pinched. “Yeah. You.”

“No.” I raised my voice and then lowered it again. “Intruding wulfkin?”

She lifted her chin and sniffed the air. Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “Are they here to join our party?”

I shrugged. I wanted that to be the case. “Don’t know if they’re in the castle or passing through the woods. Anyway, I’ll find a way to contact Alena. Until then, keep watch for any sign of wulfkin.”

Lenuţa’s gaze sailed to the guy waiting at her table.

“Are you listening?” I grasped her arm.

“Keep your pants on; this is a party. If there are wulfkin, it’s because they were invited or maybe working, like us.” She smiled in a way that said, Are we done yet? “Gotta go. I have a customer waiting.”

Before I could respond, she’d swung back around to her seat, breaking into a high-pitched giggle, laying it on thick.

Though she wasn’t taking the threat seriously, and my head and internal wolf screamed at me to do the same—maybe return to the buffet and gorge—I’d message Alena first. It was the least I could do.

Up on the next floor, I headed down a narrow corridor and passed a group of people chatting. I was convinced the entrance was this way.

I turned right again. Or was it left, left, right?

I kept checking my phone and walking until I found myself alone. Still no reception. “Come on.” A techno violin song began along with cheering in the background. Part of me craved to return and watch what was happening. After all, this was my first real human party, and I didn’t know what to expect.

White walls and cobblestone flooring grew darker the farther I traveled, but light shone at the far end of this corridor. I followed the passage, which led me toward flickering torches. This place had power sockets in the walls, so the flames must’ve been for effect. Emerging from the covered hallway, I stepped onto a parapet that overlooked the sweeping ocean of trees in the Transylvanian forest. Branches swayed, rustling. Gorgeous. On my other side were castle towers, their round windows black.

One bar appeared on my cell. “Yes!” I hit Call on Alena’s contact info, but the connection went dead. The signal kept flicking on and off. I decided a message might be better. I mentioned the scent and how I thought the wulfkin was either in the castle or outside, but that we felt safe. Finishing with two smiling emojis, I sent the text to both Alena and Enre.

The moment I pressed Send, someone behind me cleared their throat.

I spun around, and my sights landed on a young couple dolled up for the party.

When the wind crashed over me, it came with the heavy fragrance of the wulfkin I’d smelled earlier, along with something else I couldn’t determine—something like burned electricity.

Alarm bells rang in my head. I was face to face with a strange wulfkin in Transylvanian territory. My wolf pressed against my chest, groaning for release, to teach this intruder a thing or two about flirting . . . 

Wait, what? Steady down, girl. He’s the enemy.

Then why did he smell so musky and delicious? And why was he with a human female? The pair emerged from the shadows, the torchlight hitting his piercing golden wolf eyes surrounded by thick lashes. He had the kind of face that would stop anyone in their tracks. Rich brown hair, shorter at the back, with longer strands draped across his brow. Add in his strong and defined face, the perfect ripe lips and . . . Damn, he was insanely handsome.

“Who are you?” My words came out soft, almost purring. I tried again, coaxing the stronger wulfkin side of me. My attention dipped to his long leather coat, which gave him height but did nothing to conceal his wide shoulders. This wulfkin reminded me of Enre in size, and even his stance was that of a warrior. Ready to battle.

“What are you doing in our territory?” I managed to ask.

The stranger turned to the blond beauty by his side, who wore the brightest red lipstick. Naturally arched eyebrows, blue irises, and high cheekbones added to her attractiveness. The wulfkin mumbled something to her, and I caught the words “check on them.”

The human stared at him longingly, as if she might burst into tears from losing a lover. Just like that, my initial excitement deflated. This was insane. As a wulfkin, I had to protect our land from intruders, not swoon over them. But his scent kept fogging my mind.

When the blonde left his side, she offered me a glare and strolled out of sight behind me.

I returned my attention to the sexy wulfkin and found him prowling close, his hands in the pockets of his jacket, his gaze swallowing me. He stood taller than me by half a foot at least. I chewed on my lower lip, my legs wobbling beneath me. Rational thinking flew on the wind as I pictured myself tasting his lips, having him take his coat off so I could see how big he was—his chest, of course, not his package . . . Goddess, my face was on fire!

He stopped alongside me, glancing down at me.

A part of me trembled—not because he was the enemy, though that should have been reason enough, but because an inferno had awakened my libido. What was wrong with me?

The wulfkin’s warmth folded around me. My wolf shoved against me, and my gut tingled to high hell, as if I’d collapse any moment from the sensation rattling my core.

His eyes twinkled as he leaned closer and said, “My head’s telling me to toss you over the wall. But my wolf’s demanding I devour you.” His voice grew deep and raspy, sending my blood south so fast, I rocked on my feet. He had me at devour.