The Alpha's Mother-In-Law's Forbidden Love (The Cresta Chronicles)

Ravyn POV

When the door opened minutes later, Jude stepped inside. "You called?"

It felt jarring to see a flat, cold expression in those normally warm, passionate brown eyes, so full of life. Heartbreaking.

She scanned him and didn't detect the despairing, dark enchantment Hades had used. But she did feel some kind of wicked sorcery at work.

Melisande Bracknell, a dark mage! Whatever else she'd thought about the healer, she never imagined Melisande would choose black magic.

"Please." Ravyn stared into Jude's eyes and gestured desperately with her hands at Dane. "DO something for him or he'll die. You are … you were his friend. Please."

Jude hesitated, standing like a statue.

"If I have to throw myself down and beg, I will," Ravyn continued. "At least loosen his bonds."

Finally, he strode over to Dane and unlocked the chains. Dane stared up at him, too weak to appreciate the kindness. He picked up Dane and clasped him close in his arms. "The masterwill heal him," he said with no emotion.

"I can heal him if you'll just–"

Jude's eyes narrowed. "No tricks."

She felt as if her heart was being crushed in little pieces, but she smiled through the pain. "No tricks. I only want to heal him. You … you can put us back in the chains."

Whatever spell Melisande put on him weakened a little. "I'll ask Master Bracknell if you can have ordinary chains."

He unlocked her chains, and she gasped, rubbing her hands as feeling came back into them. "Thank you!"

His scent bathed her and she felt comforted. She reached out to hug him and he stepped back. "Now, cure him," he ordered, passing her an anti-silver healing salve.

She rubbed her own arms with the salve first–she'd be no good to Dane otherwise. A light and cool tingling sensation spread through her, and she couldn't wait to share that relief with her son-in-law. Jude laid him on a blanket that he'd gotten from somewhere. Ravyn hurried over and knelt beside Dane. With joy and gratitude, she massaged the creamy salve onto his wounds and watched the angry red burns and weeping wounds begin to heal.

"He should rest and recover for a few hours before you put him back in chains," she said softly. "He's too weak to attempt anything. And too worried about Lilia."

"As long as both of them cooperate, they'll be fine," he said neutrally. "The same for you."

She choked back a sob. "Fine? He's NOT fine. Neither is she! Melisande is doing Goddess only knows what to her! And to think Lilia actually wanted to name one of her pups Melisande, if she had a girl."

"Stop your hysterics," Jude snapped.

"I'm starting to hate the Alpha Voice," Ravyn blurted.

It was all she could do to keep calm and continue to treat Dane's injuries. In-between rubbing the salve on his wounds, she stroked his forehead. "He has a fever. He needs something else to kill the poison in his blood."

He narrowed his eyes. "If I bring you some medicine and food, will you promise to stay here and wait for me?"

"Yes! Yes! I swear on Lilia's life–and please let me know that she's alright. You can even post a guard inside." She gave him a melting smile. "You know you can trust me–like you trusted me to find you a Luna. Which, I'm proud to say, I succeeded at."

For a moment, the hard brown eyes softened. "As long as you promise not to escape."

Finished with the salve, she stood up and approached Jude, taking his face in her hands. His skin felt like heaven still. The bond might be temporarily gone, but she still felt that she and he were connected. "Jude, I promise."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dane's blue eyes, open and awake and staring at them. In the next moment, he shut his eyes and turned his head to give her and Jude some privacy. It gladdened her heart to know that the healing had worked enough for Dane to be so aware and considerate.

Jude's breathing became shallow.

Good. He wasn't totally under Melisande's control yet. The spell must be new, which meant she had a better chance of breaking it, or at least weakening it so that the wolf within Jude could fight tooth and claw to free him.

"Jude," she said sweetly. "I'm here. I'm not abandoning you. We're mates now, and it's forever, as long as we live. Wherever you are, whoever you answer to, we're mated, and I love you."

He stopped breathing for a moment, frozen in time. She ran her hands through his hair, which he'd let grow on the journey. It looked less gray, more dashingly silver.

"Remember," she whispered. "Remember us at the inn. At my shop in Wildefell. In your bedroom in Faolan Castle. In the tent in the sandstorm."

He stepped back, and his walls went up, his eyes cold. "I said NO TRICKS."

"It's not a–"

He got in her face, his breath hot against her cheek. "If you value Dane's and Lilia's lives, NEVER do that again. Are we clear?"

Ravyn stood speechless.

"Are we?" His voice was without pity or gentleness.

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded.

"Good."

He strode to the door, opened it, and beckoned for someone to come in. A shifter in human form with muscles bulging, and pale yellow wolf eyes entered, then took up a position beside the door.

"I'll be back," Jude said to Ravyn. "Don't set foot outside this room."

She nodded again.

After the door shut, she stood motionless for several moments before a groan from Dane summoned her. She spun around and raced over to Dane's side, dropping to squat beside him. His hand reached out, gripped her hair and pulled her face down closer to his.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "When I get my strength back, I'll knock some sense into him. Do you know what spell she used?"

Ravyn leaned in, making sure her back was to the guard, and whispered back, "It could be anything–the list of dark magic spells used to control minds is quite long. There's Demoralizing of Sanity. There's the Mind-Leash. There are fear spells. I have to get into her lab to find out which one she used."

"Can you undo it?"

"It's sometimes difficult to undo another enchantment you haven't cast," Ravyn told him. "And she took everything–all my magic items, my crystals, everything. I'd need those to amplify the spell. But I can't let her continue to enslave Jude."

Dane panted, not speaking for a few moments.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked softly.

"I'm still breathing, and my wolf wants to kill these people–even Jude."

She smiled slightly. "I don't blame you."

"How could he just fall under her spell? What's the matter with him?"

Dark magic was insidious, and he knew that. She knew that, and she still wanted to grab Jude and shake him until he came to his senses.

If Melisande could do that to a strong, tough Alpha, could she do it to Lilia? The thought sent chills through her body.

"We'll free him, I promise you," she whispered.

"What about Lilia? Can he do this to her?"

Oh Goddess, had she spoken that out loud? Idiotic! She was so stupid.

"You don't need to–"

"RAVYN." His fingers dug into her arm. "A Silverpaw Luna from Evenhide doesn't lie!"

A sob escaped her.

"Goddess," he whispered, heartbroken.

She gripped his shoulders, pretending to massage them. "You listen to me, Dane. Lilia is protected by powerful magic."

"Jude has magic inside him, too, through you, and look what happened!"

"It's new," she whispered. "We've only been bonded a short time. Lilia has a lifetime of strengthening her powers. She'll resist!"

The door creaked open and Ravyn scooted back, then sat on her heels. Stern and dignified, Jude marched over and gave her a flask full of yellowish green liquid. Sniffing it, Ravyn nodded her approval. "This is the latest anti-silver potion remedy. The leaves of an orange mallow bush combined with moon moss, crumbled angel bark, bronze willow bark, dragon's blood tree, stinging nettles, and a pinch of wolfsbane–just enough to cleanse."

"Humans have a saying I'm not fond of. 'Hair of the dog that bit me,'" Dane commented.

"Just so, that's why wolfsbane is in this potion," Ravyn murmured.

"Drink it all," Jude ordered.

Ravyn batted her eyes at him. "Maybe you can help him to sit up and drink this."

Jude knelt and propped Dane up. Pillowing Dane's head on his chest, he held the flask to Dane's lips. After a moment, Dane started to drink the potion. "Thank you." He licked his lips in-between sips.

Ravyn smiled across at Jude. "This is kind of you."

"The master wants you both healthy."

Dane swallowed more potion. "And Lilia? Did she get any of this potion?"

Jude said quickly, "Of course."

"I'd like to see that for myself, if you don't mind," Dane snarled. "I may trust you, but I DON'T trust your 'Master.'"

"Maybe we haven't given her a chance," Ravyn added hastily.

Jude's eyes narrowed. "You better accept her as your master. Otherwise, we can never be together–and Dane and Lilia will be separated forever."

Dane choked on the potion, and Ravyn stroked his arms. "He's right, Dane. Sooner or later, we need to embrace our destiny."

She didn't want to say the words. Didn't want to bow to Melisande, any more than Cyran and Naomi relished letting Hades rule them. But maybe, just maybe, if Jude was pretending, perhaps he was giving her and Dane a hint as well.

"As long as I can see Lilia," Dane said, swallowing the bubbling, frothing green potion with what looked like liquid sunshine running through it. "That's all I care about. And I want Ravyn and Daxius to be safe."

"We'll see about you visiting your mate," growled Jude. "Now, both of you, eat, and I'll tell the master about your change of heart. And no tricks!"

Ravyn stared at him, putting on an obedient face, all the while saying in her mind, "Resist, my love. Resist!"