Howl of the Wolf by N.J. Walters Page A

finally warehouses. Then several decades ago, everything changed. His demons built a carousel, placing all of us on the ride. But it was never shown publicly as Hades’ carnival toured the world, searching, forever searching.”
    Sabrina was half afraid to ask, but knew she had no other choice. “Searching for what?”
    He cupped her face with one large, rough hand, holding her prisoner with his black stare. This man was dangerous, and she was very glad she wasn’t his enemy. “For you.” He gently brushed the pad of his thumb against the side of her cheek. “For special women like you, ones who could release us from captivity.”
    Warmth spread from her skin where he touched it and meandered through her entire body. She fought the sensual lethargy threatening to engulf her. “So only a small group of women could break the curse?”
    He nodded.
    She nibbled on her bottom lip. The whole carnival and carousel idea was obviously an offshoot from the wolf she’d purchased. It all made sense when she broke it down. The curse clearly was a manifestation of her fear of whatever evil seemed to be stalking her.
    Sabrina was more convinced than ever that she was having some sort of vision quest designed to help her understand what was happening in her life. Many times what she was shown during her deep meditations was meant to be a metaphor, a symbol for something she needed to know or understand. She’d ask Jessica and Tilly what they thought. In fact, she’d call them as soon as she pulled herself out of this vision. But first, she needed to pay attention to what Arand was telling her.
    “Yes. One by one, they found the carnival and the carousel, releasing the first of us decades ago. I am the last.”
    “So what happened to them all?”
    His scowl deepened and the power of his anger sucked the air from the room, making it hard to catch a breath. “Mordecai, that devious serpent, killed the woman who released him and joined Hades.”
    “Killed her?” Her voice squeaked and dread filled her belly. She didn’t like this part of the story at all.
    He continued on as though he hadn’t heard her at all. “Phoenix and Stavros disappeared, their women also dead.”
    She was trembling now and wanted out of this vision. She’d had more than enough of this place. She put her hands over her ears. “La, la, la, la, la.”
    He twined his strong fingers around her wrists and pulled her hands away from her head. “What are you doing?” There was deep concern in his voice.
    “What does it look like? I’m trying to pull myself out of this vision I’m having. I’m so deep in my meditative state it’s like a dream I can’t wake up from.”
    “You don’t believe me.” His words echoed with sorrow, but she could not allow herself to care.
    “I believe you’re a spirit guide, part of the vision I’m having. I’m in a meditative trance, sitting on the back of the carnival wolf I bought. You’re supposed to tell me something about whatever evil is stalking me.”
    He froze, every muscle in his body seeming to go on alert. He cocked his head to one side and it took her a moment to realize he was listening. Then he sniffed the air, much like a dog, or a wolf. “We are alone. There is no evil here now.”
    She found she believed him, sensed he would know if there was anyone or anything else with them. “What about the other warriors?” She really didn’t want to discuss the evil presence that had been in her apartment last evening. She also knew she needed to listen to whatever Arand had to tell her if she was going to get the most out of this vision quest.
    Arand studied her for a long moment before continuing. “Roric, Marco and Leander were all set free.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I believe they found a way to defeat Hades and free themselves from the curse.”
    Now it was her turn to frown. “I thought the curse was broken now that you’re free.” She didn’t think she had anything to