Silence of the Wolves

Chapter 1

Steel gray eyes flashed over at me, making my skin tingle and the magic within me surge. My fire magic never could keep its chill when my boyfriend was around. To be fair, I couldn't either. He was just too dang yummy.

Marcus and I ran side-by-side through the meadow just outside his pack's compound, toward the woods. Any minute now, he'd shift into his wolf form. I hoped that today he'd let me hop on his back. His wolf was just large enough to take my weight, and Marcus said that his wolf would grow for a few years longer even if Marcus stopped growing in human form. I hoped he was right. Running through the woods on a wolf's back was, simply put, amazing.

Nothing could beat the sensation of the wind teasing your hair or the feel of such a powerful creature under you—trusting you. Absolutely nothing.

My lips curled up in a smile. I trusted Marcus too, with my life. We may only be teenagers—a fact that a few in his pack liked to rub in our faces—but I knew that we were soul mates. Best friends.

We burst through the tree line. The moment we were out of sight from the rest of the pack, Marcus shifted. Where my boyfriend once stood, a two hundred pound black wolf began to take shape. Standing on all fours in wolf form Marcus's shoulders, or whatever they were called in wolf anatomy, came up to my waist. And I wasn't a short girl. I stepped back, watching the transformation in awe. Many witches never got to see such a thing.

I was incredibly lucky. In more ways than one.

Once he was transformed completely, Marcus approached me. His gray eyes were more silver now, and they were blazing. He wanted to sprint through the woods unencumbered and without waiting for me to catch up. I wanted the same thing, but still . . . It was always smart to ask, even Marcus and I were as close as two people could be.

Etiquette and being polite mattered. Especially in the supernatural society we lived in. The one that was just beginning to emerge into the human world with variable results depending on the region.

"Can I hitch a ride, babe?" I patted the soft black fur on his back.

Acting more like a dog than a wolf, Marcus twisted and licked me on the face.

"Ewwww! Stop that!" I giggled, and then because I didn't want another lick, I did a little hop and swung my leg over his back. Once I was sitting firmly on his back, I curled my legs up so that they wouldn't graze the ground. "Let's run, baby!"

Marcus took off like a shot, and I squealed with delight. I used to ride horseback, which was why my thighs were strong enough to clench onto Marcus's sides even when he twisted and turned through the woods like a maniac. He liked to see how far and fast we could run together.

And although I'd been tossed off, twice actually, I liked it too. It was exhilarating seeing the woods through a wolf's eyes. Seeing it with him. We'd just crossed a trickling river and were climbing to the top of the water full nearby, when I smelled it.

Smoke.

My fists gripped Marcus's fur tight and I pulled ever so slightly, our signal to stop.

He slowed and when I knew he was listening to more than just the wind whistling by, I spoke. "Do you smell that?"

Of course, shifters had better noses than witches, but since my fire magic arose and had continued to grow, I'd been particularly sensitive to the scent of smoke. Mom said that unless I became one of the stronger sorts of fire witches, it would pass as my magic cooled and settled into my bones more. I hoped so. Right now it was annoying, especially considering my parents weren't the best cooks.

Marcus tilted his nose to the sky, sniffed. A second later, his eyes shot to me.

"Do you think it's a wildfire?" I asked nervously. We weren't that far from his pack land and there hadn't been mention of wildfires on the news lately, but this was California and it was summer.