Hour of the Wolf Read online

  Iva and Noah want to enjoy their reclaimed bond, but first they have to kill the most powerful of demons...or die trying.

  Book five of Maggie’s Grove

  Not much worries Noah Wulfenbach, one of the most powerful shifters in North America, but questions about Iva Yamauchi’s recovery had made him anxious. He was vigilant in his caring for his mate, sitting beside her tree, talking to it—to her. Now that she’s back, Noah’s relief is matched only by his desire to drag the feisty dryad to his house to complete their mating bond.

  Iva is ready to make up for lost time, especially with the delicious Alpha Prime of the werewolves, her fated mate. She and Noah had only just recognized their connection when she was injured and broken, forced to retreat to her tree. She’s curious and excited to find out just how firmly she’s tied to Mr. Tall, Dark and Growly.

  Before Iva and Noah can explore the depth of their connection, supernatural hunters threaten the population of Maggie’s Grove. Together with the other town rulers, the fated pair must slay the demon-possessed leader of the hunters. Iva and Noah just found each other; they’re not ready to say goodbye...but they may not have a choice.

  One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

  This book is approximately 86,000 words

  Also available from Dana Marie Bell

  and Carina Press

  The Maggie’s Grove Series

  Blood of the Maple

  Throne of Oak

  Of Shadows and Ash

  Song of Midnight Embers

  The Nephilim Series

  All for You

  The Fire Within

  And watch for the next book

  in the Maggie’s Grove series, coming soon!

  To my husband, Dusty:

  may the darkness never overtake you.

  Hour of the Wolf

  Dana Marie Bell

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Excerpt from All for You by Dana Marie Bell

  Chapter One

  Time flowed slowly when you were a tree. Root to tip, the turning of the seasons was the only sense of time you had. That and pain. The sudden pain of an axe biting deep into your wood, or disease gnawing at your roots. Ivy strangling you, taking your nutrients for itself. But that pain, the pain of ivy, was slow to grow, to destroy.

  Iva Yamauchi wasn’t familiar with those kinds of pains. Neither axe nor ivy would attack the tree of one of the four ruling dryads of Maggie’s Grove. But there were other pains, other horrors that awaited her outside her tree. Horrors she could no longer deny, nor avoid, for it lived within her and her tree. She’d fought, hard and long, fought alone at first to reject the invader who’d tried to take her mind and soul. She’d almost died at the hands of the Van Helsings, the torture almost too much for her body and mind to bear.

  Then, he’d come, his howl of pain almost familiar, because that’s all her world had become. Pain, and darkness. But he took her home, took her to her tree, and she’d joined with it, sharing her pain, halving it and doubling it at the same time. It was how things worked when she was one with her tree. She was its power, and its power was hers.

  Unfortunately, she’d brought the invader in with her, and now both she and her tree had been forced to battle it, to try to stop it. But there was no stopping it, no keeping it at bay, so her tree suggested something Iva had at first rejected. They’d argued bitterly, but in the end her tree had been right. So they no longer fought the invader. No, they welcomed it, made it part of them, one with them, forced it to become, to be with them. No longer was it an it, it was them, and the invader was part of them both. The pain was gone now, silent, so she and her tree took the time to recover from their battle until the seasons started to turn.

  It was time. Time to find him.

  She sensed he was close, within the Throne, her home, the center of the dryads’ power and safe from the ones who’d harmed her. It made coming out much easier. He was waiting for her and out of harm’s way.

  He growled, and she realized she could hear again, more than just the whisper of leaves. “Why is Iva’s tree trembling?”

  One of her brothers, Greer, answered him. “It’s cold?”

  Iva wished she could smile from within her tree. She’d sensed Greer’s grief, then his anger, then his joy. Had he finally gotten the girl he’d pined over? She hoped so. Greer deserved everything he wished for.

  Her tree shivered as they fought to separate. It had been so long yet so short a time that they were having some difficulty. But like all things, it was time.

  The yew tree gave one final shudder. Iva’s leg appeared, her foot landing daintily on one of the outstretched roots of her tree. Her torso appeared, then one of her arms, and soon Iva was standing tall beside her tree, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath.

  Oh, that felt so good, to breathe air and use her lungs. The roughness of the bark beneath her feet, the scent of the warm earth, all of it was nearly overwhelming. The Throne welcomed her, its power shuddering through her, whispering secrets only she could perceive. She opened her eyes to mere slits, the filtered sunlight almost too bright to bear.

  Greer grinned as her other siblings, Ash and Mina ran up.

  “Iva,” Mina breathed, barely breaking the sudden silence.

  Iva smiled. “Mina.” My queen, my sister, my friend. I’ve missed you.

  It was when Iva opened her eyes all the way that they gasped. They all appeared horrified by something, but Iva had no idea what it might be.

  “What?” Iva’s hands went to her face, touching it gently. “Do I have a leaf in my teeth or something?”

  “Your eyes,” Ash whispered. “Fuck, Iva. I’m so sorry.”

  “What?” Iva stared at them all in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

  Only a tall, arresting man stepped toward her and took her hand. He was huge, at least six foot four, with dark hair and eyes as black as midnight. “Sweetheart?”

  “Yes?” Iva peered at Noah, blinking. “Oh. I remember you.” She smiled, remembering the faint sound of his voice as she had fought for her life. “I heard you. You helped keep me sane.” She laughed, overjoyed by what she saw in him, what she remembered him saying to her while she was communing with her tree. “I’m your mate, aren’t I?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I’m Noah. You do remember me?”

  She studied him, frowning slightly at the visible signs of pain on him. The flesh of his arms was twisted and scarred, as
was half his neck. “Who hurt you?”

  “A dead person.” The wolf man kissed the back of her hand. “You can thank Greer’s mate, Mollie, for that.”

  The forest murmured the details of his wounding and healing to her. A strong psychic fire elemental had burned him when trying to arrest her. His stomach had taken the brunt of the scarring, the skin thick and ropey, darker in some places than others. His face had been spared, as had his legs. Mollie, leader of the fire elementals, had stopped the fire before it had gotten too far. During the week of shifting, he’d stretched himself, keeping the marked skin as flexible as he could. Greer had given him a concoction to help with the process, but it was the alpha’s innate curative ability that had allowed him to come so far so fast. While he still had healing to do, he was able to run his pack with the same amount of grump and love he’d always given them.

  Alpha. Yes, it was coming back to her now. His name was Noah, Noah Wulfenbach, and he was hers.

  Iva nodded, her gaze never leaving Noah’s face. “Seems I have a lot of catching up to do. No offense, big guy, but I dozed a lot. I don’t think I caught everything you said.”

  “What’s the last thing you remember?” Ash stepped toward her and put his hand on her back.

  Iva flinched, unwilling to be touched by any but Noah, not yet. The air on her skin pressed down on her, the sun burning above her far too bright. It was too much to add touch to it, but Noah’s did nothing but calm the sensory storm while Ash had added to it.

  Noah growled, warning Ash away.

  “Fuck off, fur ball.” Ash stroked Iva’s back. She tried not to move away. She didn’t want to hurt Ash, but his touch burned her. “She’s my sister. I’d never harm her.”

  “But not by blood, and that’s what’s setting my wolf off.” Noah took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “And I haven’t claimed her yet.”

  “Ah.” Ash took a respectful step back. “My apologies, then. I forgot for a moment how strong the pull would be for you right now.”

  Greer hummed, checking her over, using his gifts as a Singer to check if she was indeed healed. His expression changed when he found something he hadn’t expected. Something dark, that was now a part of her.

  She bowed her head to him once before glancing back at Noah. “Are my eyes green or something? Did those assholes do something to my eyes?”

  “No,” Noah replied, obviously surprising Iva. “They’re jet black, like obsidian, beautiful and dangerous.” He cupped her cheek. “So beautiful, my mate.”

  “Oh. I always wanted green eyes, damn it.” She sighed, taking a seat on the root of her tree. “Well. Fuck my life.”

  Greer laughed, the sound joyous and loving. She’d missed his laugh.

  The laughter didn’t last long, though. Something plowed into him from behind, causing him to stagger forward. “Oh my gods!” A familiar voice squealed in his ear. A woman jumped on him piggyback-style. “Iva, welcome back.”

  Iva giggled. “Hi, Mollie. Good to see you finally caught your man.” Greer and Mollie had been dancing around their attraction for years. It was wonderful to see them laughing and happy together.

  “I did, didn’t I?” Mollie lifted her hand from around Greer’s neck to wave hello, nearly choking him in the process. “And Mina mated Dragos.”

  “And Selena got Ash,” Selena drawled as she joined her mate and took his hand. “Why, I have no idea.”

  Ash merely grinned at his mate’s good-natured grumbling. “Love you too, little witch.”

  “Aw, you’re so cute together.” Iva clapped when Ash began trying to get a smooch from his lady-love, who pushed him away with an air of disgust.

  Why was she doing that? Ash needed Selena, couldn’t she tell?

  It wasn’t until Selena sighed and rolled her eyes, not only allowing the kiss but practically devouring Ash’s face that Iva relaxed. Okay, maybe she could. Ash and Selena seemed fine with their play, and no one else appeared worried, so she let it go. So long as Ash was happy, Iva would remain happy for him.

  She turned to Mina, her brows rising. “I guess Dragos is asleep, huh?”

  Mina nodded and finally rushed Iva, hugging her close. “I missed you so much.”

  Iva patted her back, her expression content, her eyes closed as she soaked up the Forest Queen’s presence. Like Noah, Mina’s touch didn’t hurt, but instead soothed her. It was the magic of her queen, one Iva had also missed. “I’m here, my queen. I promise, I won’t leave again. The ones who did this to us will pay.”

  Greer and Ash exchanged a quick glance.

  Iva stroked Mina’s back. “I swear to you. They will pay.”

  “Iva?” Selena took a step toward her, her expression concerned. “May I take a look at you?”

  Iva tilted her head and pulled away from Mina. “Sure thing.” Selena was the town’s witch doctor, and could peer into the spirit realm. Not only that, but she could interact with it in ways only she understood.

  Selena’s eyes filmed over, a sure sign she was gazing into the spirit world. Under each eye, three dots glowed with blue light. A rainbow-colored tree of life, crowned with the mark of the triple Goddess, arched across her forehead and down the bridge of her nose. The Goddess’s mark, a full moon bracketed by two mirrored half-moons, glowed brightly above the tree of life.

  “Oh,” Selena gasped. Those filmed-over eyes stared at Iva, then turned toward her tree. “Oh, Goddess, Iva. What have you done?”

  “What I had to do to survive, Selena.” Iva kept her voice gentle. Selena had a right to be scared, and Iva couldn’t truly reassure her. She’d have to discover for herself that Iva was no threat, either to the others or the Throne.

  “What are you talking about?” Mina glanced between Selena and Iva before turning her gaze to Iva’s tree. “Holy crap, Iva, your tree!”

  Iva smiled. Her tree, with its bright green leaves, now bore black berries instead of red. The same black as her eyes. “There was a price to pay for survival, and we paid it in full.”

  “Tell them, Iva.” Selena’s voice was commanding, but she wasn’t Iva’s ruler. She wasn’t anyone’s ruler. Technically, Selena was under the rule of her coven leader.

  However, she was right, even if Iva didn’t like her tone. “We fought, my tree, the blood and I. I would have died, or worse, if you hadn’t brought me home.”

  Noah kissed her forehead. “Like I would have let that happen to my mate.”

  He didn’t speak with arrogance, but confidence, the confidence born of being the prime alpha of the United States. For all she knew he really was powerful enough to will her to live.

  “Aw, shucks.” She leaned into him, her shoulder brushing his chest. “Thanks, wolfman.”

  His brows rose, his expression amused. “Wolfman?”

  She shrugged. “Scooby?”

  That slight grin turned into a scowl. “Wolfman is fine.”

  Mina interrupted them, her tone worried. “Are you infected?” Mina glanced at Greer. “Singer?”

  “There’s a darkness inside her that wasn’t there before,” Greer replied. “But it’s her, not some outside influence.”

  “Would the antidote work on her?” Ash was staring at Selena, his expression grim.

  “No,” Greer answered their brother. “Like I said, if you cut her she’d probably bleed red, but a darker red then either you or I. The black blood is now part of her.”

  “And my tree.”

  “It took both of us to defeat it and become one with it.”

  “How?” Mina stared at the Great Oak. “The Throne didn’t protest you entering it,” she whispered.

  “Because I belong here.” Iva patted Mina’s shoulder. “Remember who we are, my queen.”

  “The heart, the soul, the hand, and the mind of the forest.” Mina sighed. “All right, smarty-pants. Tell us how you pulled it off.
”

  Iva laughed, but she was anything but amused. “It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. The black blood carried...something, a connection to the demon it came from. At first we tried to repel it, to get it out of us, but it was too hard. There was just so much power there, and we were so weak. We almost died.”

  “We?” Noah put his arms around Iva, cradling her from behind. His tone was soft, curious.

  The sensations of comfort and safety were both surprising and confusing. They hadn’t bonded yet, so why did she want to cuddle him like a teddy bear? “When a dryad bonds with his or her tree, they are still separate entities, even though they’re sharing the body of the tree,” Iva replied. “So we say ‘we’ when we talk about a dryad and her tree.”

  “Ah.” He hugged her tighter, making her squirm a bit. “Continue, and remember, the furry element doesn’t always understand your leafy ways.”

  She laughed again, but this time it was from pure joy. “I like you.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I like you too.”

  “Ahem?” Mina waved her hand at them. “Blood? Fighting? Becoming we again?”

  “Oh. Sorry.” Iva tilted her head, thinking back on the fight. Noah was turning out to be one hell of a distraction. His warmth was seeping into her from behind, giving her the courage to continue. “You know how time flows when you’re communing with your tree. I wasn’t aware of how much time had passed, but we were dying, so Yew recommended that instead of fighting the invader, we welcomed it, made it our own until it had no more power than we did. So that’s what happened.”

  “You integrated demonic blood into your own?” Ash scowled. “How can that not corrupt us?”

  “Because it’s not demonic, not really, not anymore.” Iva tried to move out of the circle of Noah’s arms, but he wouldn’t release her. Like that’s a hardship. She was safe encased in his arms, unwilling to move unless danger approached.

  “Ash, it’s okay. Ask Selena. Ask Greer.” When Selena nodded, Ash relaxed. “I’m okay. My tree is okay.” She grinned. “Well, it might be a little more poisonous than it was before.”