Shadow Kissed (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 4)

Savannah

Savannah. His voice moved through me like quicksilver. Crawling beneath my skin and clawing at my mind.

The Dark God.

You are mine, Savannah. Submit, and I will spare your friends and mate. Resist, and…

My claws reached out to rip into Sam’s throat.

I gasped and jerked awake. Fear thrummed through me, and my chest rocked up and down with heavy breaths, but Jaxson’s arm pulled me tightly against him. My heart was hammering, but Jaxson’s steady breathing and the warmth of his skin against my back returned me to the present.

The air felt like ice and the faint traces of smoke lingered. I wanted to believe it was only a nightmare, but I knew better. Dreams were the Dark God’s domain, and he’d just put an ultimatum on the table. Submit, or else.

Sam, Casey, and my aunt. I’d turned on them all. I was certain that it had been his influence from the start, and he was only growing stronger.

My pulse quickened as rage coursed through my blood. I will never submit.

Careful not to wake Jaxson, I gently lifted his arm off me as I slid to the edge of the bed. My heart ached at how soundly he was sleeping. I leaned forward and kissed his lips, but he didn’t stir. More than anything, I wanted to crawl back into his arms and bury myself in his warm embrace, but dark thoughts had taken root, and there was no way I could shut off my mind.

The storm had passed, but the sky was still cast in shadow. It had to be late, almost morning. I crept into the bathroom, pulled a white bathrobe from the closet, and then slipped out of the room.

What was it about the middle of the night that made the darkest thoughts stir?

The witching hour.

Quite literally, because I was bewitched by the damn Dark Wolf God. I scoffed as I padded down the stairs into the kitchen. My body ached from the intense lovemaking Jaxson and I had done. Warmth pooled in my belly as I touched my lips, which were still swollen and slightly bruised.

But then the wound on my shoulder began to burn, and he was in my thoughts again, breaking through from the world of dreams. Your wolf has submitted to me. It’s time that you do.

“Get out of my mind, you bastard,” I hissed. Making my will like iron, I pushed as hard against him as I could.

Eventually, the pain in my shoulder subsided, and the sensation of his presence faded.

Wolfie? I asked, hope welling in my stomach for a moment—but there was no response.

Despair tore at me. The fucker had taken up residence in my soul, and somehow, he’d taken control of my wolf. But I knew she would never submit. As different as we were, in that, we were the same.

Wolfie had to be in there, fighting back. I knew it.

The Moon’s words repeated again and again in my mind. He severed a part of your wolf’s soul. That missing shard is his way in, like a gap in your armor. Through it, he can take possession of your wolf, and through her, he will take control of you.

Yet the goddess didn’t have any idea how to fix it.

What the hell was I going to do? How could I be sure that I wouldn’t attack Sam again? Or Jaxson? Or Casey? My gut twisted, and shame burned my eyes.

Thoughts thrashing through my mind, I paced the kitchen until pink and orange hues lit up the sky over the lake. If I couldn’t stop the Dark God from taking control, it wouldn’t just be my friends or Jaxson who’d be in danger—it would be the whole city.

Dread coiled like a constrictor around my heart, and I found that I could no longer escape the truth: no matter the cost, I had to shut the door. And there was only one way to do that.

But could I bring myself to do it?

Jaxson appeared in the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of sweats, powerful and gorgeous. My breath hitched, and my throat suddenly went dry.

He wasn’t going to like my plan, but I couldn’t do it behind his back. I wouldn’t. What we’d shared last night had changed everything. We were mates, and I needed him at my side as much as I knew he needed me.

He must have sensed my unease because he frowned, and concern flooded his expression. “What is it, Savy?”

Chest aching, I bit my lip. “He spoke to me again in my dreams. Threatening all of you. We’re out of options. I need to sever the Dark God’s power over my wolf before it’s too late.”

“We’ll find a way to heal your wolf,” he said, his eyes dropping to the wound on my shoulder.

“There’s no time. His control is getting stronger. He won’t let me give up the Soul Knife, and I wouldn’t have been able to push him out in the Dreamlands without your help. We have to do this now, and we have to be sure.”

“What are you suggesting?”

I stared at him, my pulse pounding. Why couldn’t I say it? It was despicable, and shame burned my throat.

Jaxson’s eyes turned dark, his features lethal. “No.”

He knew.

“It’s the only way, Jax.” My voice cracked as a sob lodged in my throat. “He’ll take over again and try to stop us. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hurt you or Sam or Casey again.”

“I’m not letting you bind your wolf.” He strode across the kitchen, his voice cold and sharp as glass.

Thinking about binding Wolfie was one thing, but hearing Jaxson say the words sent bile up my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut. “It’s the only way.”

“Bullshit.” Jaxson slammed a mug down as he started the coffeemaker.

I walked over to him. He was gripping the counter and looking down, and I placed my hand over his. “You have no idea how much she means to me. This is the last thing I want to do, but that fucker is in my thoughts. His hold over my wolf is getting stronger.”

“Anything but that, Savy,” he said solemnly.

His breath heated my cheek, and the weight of what I was about to do cut deep. Wolfie would be pissed and hurt, but what other choice did I have? She’d gone silent, and I couldn’t communicate with her.

“It’s the only way I can stay in control.” I squeezed Jaxson’s arm and slipped out of his hold. “Once we get the missing part of my soul back, I’ll have Laurel remove the binding spell.”

Jaxson’s fury was palpable, electric and all-consuming, like it was sucking the air from the room. He looked over at me, a storm raging in his eyes. “I can understand Laurel doing this, but you? Can you really do that to your wolf after all she’s been through?”

Another sob lodged in my throat, and I sucked in a sharp breath. I knew that Jaxson wasn’t intentionally rubbing salt on the wound in my heart—he was just laying out the facts—but it hurt just the same.

“I must,” I whispered. “She’ll understand.”

Jaxson raised his brows. “Will she? The betrayal will cut deeply.”

I lifted my chin, but my body was trembling. “My wolf isn’t there anymore. When I speak to her, the Dark God responds. When I tried to hand over the Soul Knife, he wouldn’t let me. I have no choice.”

“The Moon told us that we need to find a way to heal your wound from the Soul Knife—that’s how he’s controlling you.”

“We’re out of time. I nearly killed my best friend yesterday. Next time he tries to take control, I might do something worse. I’ve already attacked Casey and Aunt Laurel once. If he’d made me use the Soul Knife instead of my wolf form…”

Jaxson stiffened. The disappointment in his eyes hurt more than his anger.

I set my jaw, searching for confidence I didn’t have. “We bind my wolf, and then we find a way to heal my soul. It’s too risky if we do it the other way around. I won’t let him take control again.”

Jaxson turned and strode to the windows, and gazed out over the same city I’d been looking at moments before. What did he see down there? His pack? People worth saving? People worth doing terrible things to protect?

I didn’t dare speak—I just let the reality of the situation do its work. We knew of no other way.

Somehow, I expected his shoulders to drop in defeat, or for him to fly into a rage. But when he turned back to me, his expression was hard and determined. “I hate this, but I will always stand by you.”

I swallowed, realizing that a part of me had wanted him to stop me, to rail against me. But neither of us had that luxury. What had to be done, had to be done.

Stepping close, I wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you.”