by Colt, Shyla
“How do you know?” a voice in the crowd shouted.
“Because I’ve seen what’s coming. A supergroup of witches, werewolves, and vampires with one goal, ending the time of humans.”
“Would it be so bad?”
“The magic they wield would change us on a molecular level. They are the ones responsible for the change in our shifting patterns, vampires who can walk in the day and a new biological disorder that slowly drives the most powerful of vampires insane. What they offer is chaos. A bleak existence where we’d struggle to survive, and ruin the world we’re expected to live in during that process.”
She ignored the conversations going on around them. “The only way we can win is to come together, not only with different packs, but witches, vampires, and any other manner of magical beings willing to fight beside us. The resistance has been forming, and they’ve asked us to join them. I plan to be there. You must choose for yourself.”
“You come here with vampires and wolves we’ve never heard of, kill our old Alpha, and expect us to trust in you?” John asked. His dark gaze burned into us.
Her tattoo tingled in response to his aggression. “Have you all forgotten who I am? I am the Moon Maiden. I am meant to usher in change. Would you punish me because you don’t like that transformation?” Her voice grew louder. “I have given my entire life to this pack. If you’ve ever held any faith or belief in me, trust me now.”
“They need a sign to believe in, my love. Show them.”
“How?”
“Can you feel the power inside of you? Use it.”
“What I if I can’t control it?”
“I will help you.”
Releasing the power built up in her body, she gasped as the sky opened and a torrential downpour fell onto the house, contained to the area.
The pack gasped, taking a step away from her.
“You did this?” she asked Kaz.
“You did it. I simply distributed the power to the proper place.”
“Jesus, Joss. You’re glowing,” Brook murmured, awed.
Joss glanced down to see her body engulfed in the same white light her tattoo had begun to give off.
“She’s still the Moon Maiden. Look! What proof do you need?” Brook barked.
“I will do everything in my power to keep White Creek safe and build a pack we can all be proud of. But none of that can happen if we don’t win the fight coming. They seek to harness the power of the comet to bring their will into existence. We can’t let that happen. You have been trained for this from the moment White Creek came into existence. You’re ready. Who will be brave enough to join me in this fight?’
A deafening roar spread through her pack, and her light shone brighter in response. This wasn’t what she imagined. In a way, they’d all been wrong about what being Moon Maiden meant. This was a kind of change she could get behind. Perusing the crowd, she spotted the old Alpha, James. He’d always been trustworthy, kind, and level-headed. He’d also refrained from rising against her when she took on Ian.
“James,” she barked.
“Yes, Alpha.” He jogged over to her.
“Show Brook the ropes, and help organize our people to travel. I have a final task I need to attend to.”
“Alone, Alpha?” he asked carefully.
She glanced at Kaz. “I won’t be.”
A war was fought and won in his expressions. “As you wish.”
They needed every advantage they could get. Leaving without speaking to Kishi and reworking their agreement was a loose end she couldn’t afford to leave untied. Taking off for the secluded cave, she gasped at the extra speed she’s acquired. This was vampire speed, not wolf.
“What is this, Kaz?”
“You’ve picked up some of my qualities.”
“What did you get?” she asked curiously.
“Other than a craving for rare meat, I’m uncertain.
The corners of her mouth tugged up at his dry humor. This must be the ‘laugh to keep from crying’ stage. Hesitating when she reached the entrance, she studied Kaz.
“I’m not sure how she’ll respond to you.”
“Knock, and we’ll find out together.” His tone told her he’d be staying put.
Tapping on the round wooden door, she waited. It swung inward, and the bronze goddess appeared in a silken black dress.
“You’ve been bussy.” Her tongue drew out the s’s.
“You know why I’ve come,” Joss said, all business.
“I have a few thoughts. Vampire. You may enter my lair, but I caution you to be respectful.”
Kaz inclined his head, and they stepped inside of the entryway.
“I’m not on a social visit, let’s skip the tea and niceties.”
Kishi gave a husky laugh. “Blunt. I appreciate that trait in a leader. Ask your questions.”
“Do you plan to honor the previous agreement with the old Alpha?”
“Yes. Though I prefer a more cordial exchange.”
“I would as well,” Joss agreed. “Can you help us with this?”
“For a price,” Kishi said.
“Name your price, enchantress.” Kaz moved closer protectively.
Kishi’s tongue flickered out, and the buttons on her tail rattled. “Freeeedom.” She lingered on the e’s.
“Define that word.”
“To leave this accursed cave and move about the compound.” It was a small price to pay for her help.
“In exchange for what?” Joss asked, keeping her face blank.
Kishi’s spine stiffened, like a snake ready to strike. Kaz tensed beside her, nudging her body to the side as he placed his body between them.
“How could you help? I’ve encountered your kind before. You weave lies as easily as a spider spins a web.”
Kishi hissed, revealing fangs dripping with venom.
“She and I have an understanding I would not jeopardize.” Kish focused her gaze on Joss. “Even from here. I can lend my power to your cause should I so choose.”
Ignoring the fight brewing, Joss swallowed hard. “Can we win this?”
Kishi’s gaze grew unfocused. “Yesss. But you could lose it just as easily. The outcome is still too close to call.”
Joss sighed. “Do what you can from your end. We’ll rework the details of our agreement when I return.”
“Wait.” Kishi slithered off to a room beyond their vision.
“You trust this one?” Kaz asked, perplexed.
“Yes. To a point.”
Kishi returned with a glass vial of cloudy, white liquid. “This is my venom. You’ll know what to do with it.” She didn’t dare think about why she might need such a deadly ingredient.
“Thank you, Kishi.”
“I hope to see you soon, Alpha.”
Me too. The sadness prevalent in Kishi’s tone, haunted her as they retreated from the cave and raced back to the wolves waiting to be directed. She could not fail. It would render all of the sacrifices made on her behalf worthless. Her lower lip quivered as she thought of her mother.
Not now.
Beating back the distraction, she locked in on the next step, traveling back to the cabin with her pack and finding a temporary peace between the different factions that would arrive.
Chapter Fifteen
This is straight out of a horror movie. Joss watched as Nakeeta stirred the bubbling potion in the large, black cauldron they’d set over a fire. Steam crept over the sides and onto the ground, thinning into nothing as it flowed toward the massive crowd gathered around the cabin.
“Tonight, we will all become one pack. The potion I’ve made will connect us for the next forty-eight hours or so, combining the best of our powers. You’ll be faster, stronger, and see into the spirit world. We have one mission. One purpose fuels us, and until we win or lose this battle, our loyalty belongs to each other.” Nakeeta straightened. Purple energy crackled around her. “I am the one you’ve heard whispers about. The mother who houses wolf, witch, and va
mpire blood in my veins.” Her panther paced in front of her, a semi-translucent behemoth with a wicked snarl. “Before clans, covens, packs, and grudges and grievances, we all come from one magical source. The bastardization, hate, and purposeful isolation that separated us have led us here on the cusp of a civil war, fighting for life as we know it. If we survive this, we have to do better moving forward.” Nakeeta turned toward Joss, giving her the stage.
Clearing her throat, Joss gathered her courage. “I’m the Moon Maiden. The pack member of prophecy.” Lifting her shirt, she bared her glowing tattoo. The wolves in the crowd murmured among themselves. “They’ve captured my pack mate, the other half of this prophecy. We need him back. The time for change has arrived.” Letting the power wash over her, she transformed into her new form. Resurfacing as a Dire Wolf, she watched her counterpart spirit guide stalk in from the woods to stand beside her. She remained in her form for effect as Crew and Kaz took center stage.
“We’ve all lost loved ones to the virus ravaging our people. It all stems from the magical corruption. If we don’t stop this now, we will die out.” Crewe stared down the vampires in the crowd.
“I was infected with this virus. If it weren’t for a dedicated group of witches and my mate,” Kaz placed a hand on her shoulder, and the shock from the crowd nearly made her recoil, “I would not have survived. If for no other reason than self-preservation, we must join forces tonight. We’re out of time and options.”
Joss regained her shape and twined her fingers with Kaz. Nakeeta and Crewe mirrored them.
“If you’re with us, come and drink. This is your final chance to retreat.” Nakeeta’s voice echoed like a loud clap of thunder.
A heartbeat passed as a few stragglers slunk into the night. Cian, Cyprian, and Rainer stepped forward, first in line to drink. Silver, Regan, and Brook followed them, with her pack close behind. Pride swelled the fast-pumping organ in her chest. Joss lifted her head and jutted out her chin. The others had the power of the vortex behind them. It’d take a miracle to gain the upper hand in the face of that. Still, her wolves came one by one to drink from the metal ladle. Her pack expanded rapidly, growing to encompass all who were assembled. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end in response to the potent energy brewing.
A scream sliced through the air. The crowd dispersed as people stumbled back to get away from the vampire seizing on the ground. The pale man’s face was a nauseating purple. Blood ran from the corners of his mouth and trailed down from his eyes like tears. Another body fell, this time a female witch, joining him in flailing, foaming at the mouth and bleeding.
Nakeeta offered the ladle to Crewe, who drank it himself. “Did I forget to mention the spell for traitors I slipped into this brew?” she asked innocently. Lifting the ladle, she smiled. “To your health.” Joss and Kaz quickly drank their potion.
“You’d do well not to underestimate us,” Joss drawled, smiling at Nakeeta who’d become her sister in arms connected by ancestry and camaraderie. More bodies fell. Their varying cries formed a symphony of pain and regret. When it grew silent, Nakeeta nodded her head.
“Now we’re ready. Scouts, it’s time.
“Go with them.” Joss spoke to her swiftest wolves who belonged to the small scouting party that trailed Imig, who led the group.
“Will they be discovered?” Joss asked.
“No. The spell I did is powerful, and Imig works on a spiritual plane. I think the Above People are protecting them. They are unlike anything I’ve ever encountered before,” Nakeeta marveled.
“You’re mated?” a gentle voice asked.
They turned to see an older, olive-skinned woman with stick-straight black hair threaded with silver. The hem of her colorful skirt dragged the ground as she approached them. Her aura announced her as a rather powerful witch.
“Yes, sister,” Nakeeta said kindly, elbowing Crewe out of the way gently. “What’s your name?”
“Zelda. I felt a pull to this area, and I came. I sensed things were off for some time. But I never imagined us all coming together this way. It’s a sight for these old eyes. Brings me hope.”
“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now, Zelda.” Nakeeta squeezed her arm gently.
“How can you be mated?” The tow-haired youth with jade eyes eyed them suspiciously. He sniffed, inhaling their scents in an attempt to detect a lie.
Kaz growled. The youth flinched, stepping back.
“Kaz! He’s just a kid.”
“He’s a punk who needs to learn a lesson.”
“We can’t explain it any more than the other odd things that have happened recently, but he’s no stranger to me. I’ve dreamt of Kazimir since I was a small girl,” Joss said kindly. Naturally, they were all going to be curious about the unusual pairings.
“Silly. We don’t dream,” a haughty brunette female vampire said. She stalked forward with a gentle sway of her full hips. The voluptuous, brown-skinned woman eyed them with disdain. “This is fanciful imaginings.”
“No, Monica. I, too, shared this dream. Although, I didn’t remember them consciously until after my run-in with the virus. It was all occurring in my subconscious.”
Her brown eyes threatened to bulge out of her head. “You are saying we dream, but don’t remember?”
Kaz shrug. “I can only share my own experience. Is it so odd to find we don’t know everything?”
“I suppose not,” she said quietly. “This has given me a lot to think on.”
“Joss. Monica is one of our great minds. She helps record our evolution and history.”
“I wonder if this phenomenon has occurred in others. It would bring so much hope to those of us who have yet to find mates. Perhaps we’re simply looking in the wrong places.” Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Monica, you help us get through this, and you can study us to your heart’s content,” Joss said.
“I believe I will hold you to that,” Monica said as they forged a tentative step toward friendship.
The potential for new bridges to be built existed. It was a vast departure from the belief system she’d had pounded in her head growing up. Shaking her head to clear her scrambled brain, she continued to greet people with Kaz.
“Do you truly believe this camaraderie will remain after everything is said and done?” a bitter voice asked.
Joss turned to see almond-shaped brown eyes full of loathing aimed at her from underneath straight bangs. “I think it could be an excellent starting point.”
“We weren’t meant to live in harmony. Predators living too close will devour the prey. People go hungry, and everything starts to go downhill.”
“Predator?” Joss tilted her head. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you a witch? What exactly do you hunt and eat?”
“Stupid people who bite off more than they can chew.” She grinned maliciously.
“Sounds like a personal issue. Be us witches, vampires, wolves, or other, we choose the path we follow.”
The woman snorted, crossing her arms under her leather vest-clad chest. “Are these the lies you’re selling to get everyone to jump on your bandwagon?”
Who pissed in her Wheaties?
“I’m not a salesman, so I don’t follow you.” Joss squared her shoulders.
“I know your type … Alpha, arrogant, aggressive. You think you’re the queen of the jungle and we’re all your servants.”
“You’re mistaking me for a different Alpha,” she said calmly.
“You might have all of these people fooled, but not me. I’ll be watching you.”
“How about you help instead?” Joss challenged.
“I don’t think you want my kind of help.” The wind whipped around her body.
“I don’t even know your name, why would I want anything from someone who runs their mouth about things that show their ignorance? If you want a piece of me, find me when this is all over, and I’ll be waiting. As of now, I don’t have the energy to spare on a
n insignificant altercation.”
“Bitch.” The witch moved to strike, and Joss’s spirit guide appeared before her, crouched and snarling.
“You’re right, I am a female pack leader, but I prefer the term Alpha.”
The witch stumbled back, startled. Despite their collaboration, old attitudes tended to die hard.
“You were magnificent, little sun.”
“Is that attraction I hear?” she teased.
“I admire a strong woman.”
“They’ve arrived,” Rainer said.
Kaz wrapped an arm around her waist, and they moved toward the Seer.
“The guards are lined up around the perimeter of the Vortex. They have Isiah chained to a pole in the center of the Vortex. Witches ate chanting.” Her voice shook. “He’s wrapped in chains that burn his skin.”
“Silver,” Joss snarled.
Rainer’s jaw quivered. “They’re draining his life force, and feeding it into some sort of spell.”
“My God, they mean to use him as a sacrifice to the leyline,” Nakeeta said.
“Non. That will not be happening,” Cyprian growled. He might not care about the dog, but his love for his surrogate sister, Rainer, was unparalleled.
“Tell us more about security,” Crewe said.
Peering through the eyes of her pack, Joss looked on to the sight from a distance. Large wolves sat sentry beside bulk witches and others shifters. She was using her strength to hold the line.
“Do they sense you?” Nakeeta asked.
“No. I don’t think they anticipate an aerial assault, and Imig isn’t quite of this world.”
“We’re altering our plan of attack. I need all who can fly,” Crewe barked the order, setting everyone into motion.
* * *
Tense, she watched from a distance while their aerial warriors lined up, ready for flight, as the rest of them stood downwind, anxious and ready for the signal to attack. In their claws, birds of prey clutched bottles full of magical warfare, a magical concoction set to ignite upon impact. She brushed shoulders with powerful vampires with the gift of flight and shapeshifting. Their aura made Joss’s senses tingle. Kaz stood at her back, lending silent support and strength. Together, they’d changed each other on a cellular level. They were still learning the aftereffects. Already her senses were keener. Large hawks, eagles, falcons, and bats pushed up off the ground and followed Imig as he glided away.