Two Mates for a Magistrate Read Free

finished drinking it, he felt a little bit more like himself. “I’m fine, Klaus,” he managed to say at last. “You know I’m restless in my sleep.”
    They never spoke of his night terrors—it was something they held between them in silence, following the agreement that the Magistrate should always be the rock of their people, not a child afraid of the dark.
    Klaus helped him lean against the pillows and pushed away the quilt. “Lay down. It’ll pass.”
    Klaus lay on the bed next to him, holding Wolfram close. The man’s heat felt comfortable, even if Wolfram had never managed to truly love the other man. They were friends, best friends. Once, they’d even been lovers, although they’d stopped when Klaus began to show signs of discomfort. Something between them didn’t quite click. A wall separated them, the same thing that made Klaus address him by My Lord and not his given name.
    Wolfram blamed himself, and allowed Klaus his privacy. In spite of Klaus’s continuous diligence and dedication, Wolfram couldn’t melt the ice in his heart, the same ice that gave him the ability to keep on living and skirting insanity for so many centuries.
    He felt even guiltier when Klaus took his hand and kissed it.
    “Rest, My Lord. You need it.”
    Klaus got up and made his way out. Wolfram watched the other man with a heavy heart. His mind still whirled with glum thoughts. At 16
    Scarlet Hyacinth
    this rate, he’d alienate Klaus completely and lose his only anchor in the world.
    No, the Magistrate couldn’t afford to think like this. He had a duty to his people. He needed to preserve his strength and focus on it. He closed his eyes, and forced himself to rest.
    He must have fallen asleep because when he came to, the first thing he saw was the rays of the sun filter through the curtains of his bedroom. A shrill noise filled his ears, and Wolfram identified it as the sound that rose him from his slumber. Groaning, he picked up his cell phone. Clearly, he’d overslept, but the extra hours of rest didn’t put him in a better mood, not given his wake-up call. He hoped nothing bad had happened. Usually, whenever someone dialed his private number, it didn’t bring good news.
    The caller ID held the name Dr. Andrew Blunt. Surprised, Wolfram accepted the incoming call. “Hello, Doctor,” he greeted the human.
    “Hello, My Lord. I’ll get right to the point. My son and I believe we’ve reached a breakthrough in the study of the virus.”
    Wolfram’s heart began to beat faster. Could it be? Could Andrew Blunt have managed what all their people failed to do? “I see,” he said as calmly as possible. “Can you tell me a bit more?”
    “Well, it’s still experimental,” Andrew said, “but we’re optimistic it will lead us on the right path.”
    “Very good, Doctor. I’ll be right there, and you can explain once I reach the compound.”
    They said their good-byes, and then Wolfram disconnected the call. Wolfram got out of bed and rushed to get dressed. Every second was precious. Wolfram had never found his mate, and he accepted it as a punishment for failing his people. That didn’t mean others should be punished for his mistakes. Now more than ever, he needed to find out what exactly what Andrew’s discoveries implied. Perhaps Doctor Blunt would be the key to a new age in spirit wolf history.

    Two Mates for a Magistrate
    17

    * * * *

    Meanwhile, Trier, Germany

    Dietrich breathed in deeply, the light wind ruffling his hair and carrying the smell of the river. It was the first time he’d come to Trier in almost half a millennium. He didn’t know why he did so now. It could have been nostalgia, tiredness, or just the fact that, in the end, this was the only place he’d ever called home.
    Just the week before, he’d marked two hundred years from his mother’s death in the calendar. She’d lived more than humanly possible, more than she would have wanted. Even after all these years, he still experienced moments