The Devil's Wolf
Chapter 51

"Raiden,"her father's answer was quick, and the name uttered crisply.

"Hey dad, it's me. Elior said you were calling for me. Sorry, I was sleeping."Amongst other things. There was a long pause. Too long in Ashlynn's book of equations. When Raiden took his time saying something, it was because it was bad news and he was trying to be careful about how he delivered it. "Oh, shit," she cursed. "What now?"

"Ashlynn," Raiden said with calm control. "How are things?"

"Hello robot who sounds like my father, I am fine, thank you, fully winged," she paused, having not actually having tested her ability, and winced as her wings broke free. "Yup, definitely a winged nightmare of a vampire cross wolf cross whatever the f-k mum is. I feel fabulous," she added, realising that it was the truth. "I feel like, so wide awake. As if I spent my entire life sleeping before. Everything is just so... soooo much more everything."

"I am glad to hear it," Raiden sounded everything but glad. "I am guessing that Elior was successful at turning you then?"

"Robot dad," she drew in a deep breath. "Elior has turned me. As he is currently doing to Cael. What is wrong? You only get like this when there is something seriously wrong."

Raiden fell silent, a weighted silence that carried a tonne of meaning. "Ashlynn... Are you alone?"

She closed her eyes and pressed the fingertips of her hand against the bridge of her nose. "Dad. You are getting into someone has died territory. Just spill it before you have me panicking completely." "Elior is..." He sighed. "Ashlynn, I need you to return to pack lands."

"Dad," she closed her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

"Ashlynn, are you alone?" There was tension behind the words.

"Cael is out cold on the bed, dad, but Elior has gone elsewhere, if that is what you are asking."

"Ashlynn," Raiden's voice was urgent. "You need to leave, at once. Just walk to the door, and leave."

"Dad," she lay down on the bed next to Cael. "I am not going to do that. I have one mate mid-transition, and the other mid-war."

"Ashlynn," Raiden's voice carried alpha command. "Elior is taking over the world."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I know that. It is sort of his thing, apparently. But he means to give it back. He didn't have a choice, after they blew up the building. He had to release the military. You were there, you know what was going on."

"That is not what I mean," Raiden's voice was urgent. "We have Caleb Roth here. He has requested sanctuary. He says that this has all been Elior's plan, from the beginning, Ashlynn. From Lucian."

"Dad. Caleb Roth is a dangerous man and a liar," she began digging through the drawers and replaceing her clothing, tugging on underwear, leggings and t-shirt. Jacinta, she thought, had excellent taste, as she shrugged on a black leather- cropped jacket that was lined with navy satin. "Do not let him know that you have called me. Keep him in the den. I am on my way."

"Good, thank you Ashlynn," Raiden was satisfied that she was returning to pack lands as he requested, even if her purpose in coming did not align with his intentions in calling her. "I am glad you are being sensible. Be careful on your way here, it is pretty quiet out, but you never know."

"I will dad. Keep Caleb secured."

She disconnected and tossed her phone onto the bed beside Cael.

"Trouble?" He barely opened his eyes before closing them again, too weary from the changes Elior's blood was making to his body to do more. His golden hair was vivid against the bed sheets, rumpled and frizzed from sex and from spending so long in the bed. There was a faint red ring on his neck where blood had spilled during Elior's drinking and the vampire had licked it from the devil's skin. He smelt of sex, lots of it, she thought, feeling her body respond to the scent. "I will take care of it. You stay here." She had to leave quickly, she thought. She seemed to have poor impulse control as a newly made vampire, and the devil was both very edible and very desirable. If she lingered she would be tempted to taste and to take advantage of him in all manner of despicable and enjoyable ways.

He chuckled and waved a hand weakly to indicate he couldn't do much else other than stay where he was. "Obviously."

She pulled on her clothing and ran a comb through her damp hair before reclaiming her phone and putting it into her pocket. "Tell our vampire that I will be back after I run a little errand."

Planning your weekend reading? Ensure you're on 05s.org for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click away, exclusively available on our site. Happy reading! "Mhm."He was falling back to sleep, his eyelids heavy and his mouth slackening.

She opened the door. She could hear Elior's voice down the hallway, the rise and fall of it steady and measured, telling her that he was making another social media post. Jacinta and Rebecca would be attending him during the recording. She tiptoed down the hall to the balcony, both to keep from interrupting and because she did not want to be interrupted, and took the fire-escape to the roof, feeling the rough scrape of the paint under her palms.

She felt good, she thought. The weariness had past and she felt alert and powerful. Everything around her seemed to have new clarity. Her vision seemed crisper, the colors brighter, and her sense of smell was sharper, the scents more easily identified. Her muscles felt stronger and her movements surer. This was what it was like to be an Other, she decided, and it was glorious.

"My first solo flight," she said aloud. "Good luck Ashlynn."

She extended her wings and stepped off the ledge. Flying was easier, her wing muscles did not strain as hard to lift her, the feathers stroked through the air with more power, and she quickly gained height. She caught a current with ease. After a few minutes she gained confidence, beginning to understand Cael's instructions to relax and let instinct guide her.

Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She drew it out and put it to her ear grinning at the oddness of being a winged Other soaring above the city, holding a mobile phone conversation. Life, she thought, was funny sometimes.

"Hello Elior,"she did not have to look at the display to know it was him. The timing was exactly what she would expect - he had finished his social media post, and returned to their room in order to feed Cael, and found her missing, or Cael had told him she had left and so he had reached for his phone in order to locate her.