Fated for Her Wolves - Tara West Page 0,37
“Raping her!” The crazed look in his eyes was enough to make Constantine wonder if his brother was descending into madness.
Andrei and Dejan gawked at their brother, their eyes bloodshot and creased with worry. Constantine tried not to think about what their looks meant or what had happened to Tatiana, lest he go mad, too.
“Sons,” Jovan said, “we have no choice.”
“We do.” Dimitri paced like a caged animal, pounding his palm with his fist. “We attack now. We know where their nest is.”
“It’s heavily guarded.” Clucking his tongue, Nicolae shook his head. “We can’t go up against automatic weapons.”
“The protectors will act as shields,” Dimitri said brusquely, “so the trackers can get in.”
Jovan threw up his hands. “That’s a suicide mission.”
Dimitri bowed his head and covered his face with his hands. “I don’t care.”
“Dimitri,” Jovan said, clasping Dimitri’s shoulder. “You’re not thinking clearly.”
He shook off their father. “They have our mate!”
“Everyone, please calm down. I made something that will help.” Eilea emerged from the kitchen, balancing a tray that held seven steaming cups of tea. Where had she been all this time? Making tea when they needed her guidance? Didn’t she understand the severity of the situation?
Dimitri snapped at her. “Do you think fucking tea will fix this?”
“Dimitri.” Jovan protested, giving his son a warning look and taking the tray from Eilea.
His stepmother had an oddly serene smile on her face as she handed each of them a cup, took the tray from Jovan, and handed him the last one. “This tea was brewed specifically for mental clarity. Drink,” she said to them while tucking the tray under her arm. “It will show you a clear path.”
They drank the tea. It was mildly fruity and refreshing. Constantine downed the entire cup in a few swallows, not realizing until that moment how thirsty he’d been.
After wiping his mouth, he belched and handed Eilea the empty cup. His head suddenly felt fuzzy, not clearer. “How long before it starts working?” he asked, shocked at how he slurred his words.
“I feel funny,” Andrei said, dropping his cup before he tumbled to the floor, his brothers and Tatiana’s mother following suit.
Nicolae and their father slumped to the carpet like discarded ragdolls when their knees buckled.
Constantine’s vision blurred. “Eilea, what have you done?” He fell against a wall and then slid down it, Tatiana’s body falling from his arms.
“I’m sorry.” Eilea bent over him, her mouth draped in a frown. “I can save her.”
His stepmother was going to rescue Tatiana by herself? Had she gone mad? He tried to tell her she needed protectors to shield her, but his tongue was too heavy and his eyes refused to stay open.
EILEA CHECKED ON ARTEM, pleased to see he’d fallen asleep with his bottle. Slumped in a nearby chair was Bunica Elena. She’d been the first to drink Eilea’s tea about twenty minutes earlier, and she was already stirring, mumbling in her sleep about Tatiana and the Ancients. Eilea knew she had to hurry before the others woke up and tried to stop her.
Setting the bottle on the nightstand, she gave Artem a kiss. “Daddy will be awake soon,” she whispered, then tiptoed out the door.
No sooner had she reached the bottom of the stairs than another contraction hit her. Repressing a curse, she placed a hand over her swollen belly and recited a simple calming spell, pleased when the pain subsided. Now was not the time for her to go into labor. She had some demon ass to kick.
After a good amount of grunting, she got her boots on and then her coat and hat. Retrieving her wand from the pocket, she infused magic into it until the tip glowed fiery red. She’d fashioned the wand from a demon-touched tree branch she’d found on the outer perimeter of the Hoia Baciu, Romania’s haunted forest, which was only a few miles from their home. The handy stick had served her well the past few years, helping channel her sometimes wild magic.
She bent over the demon and burned through her bindings, then stood, rubbing her sore lower back. “Get up, demon. I know you’re awake.”
The demon in Tatiana’s body blinked at her, stretching her arms above her head with a yawn. Her nose was red and swollen. Eilea could have healed it with a simple spell, but she wasn’t doing the creature any favors.
“We’re running out of time, demon,” she said, her boot poised next to the demon’s ribs. “Get up or I’ll kick you.”
The demon sat up.