Sebastian looked at her, his head inclined. She gave him a small apologetic smile; he responded with a nod. If a human was considered a friend to the pack, our protective urges were strong. Resisting them was difficult, and at the moment, Winter’s were heightened by David and Trent consuming vampire blood and the possible repercussions.
CHAPTER 18
Gavin still hadn’t forgiven me for trying to hug him and was seething in the corner, glaring at me as Steven, Winter, Ethan, and Cole surrounded Sebastian’s desk. Sebastian rested back in his chair, his hand washing over his face several times before he spoke.
“You’re sure it’s the Faeries?” he asked in exasperation.
“No one is strong enough to use magic against Claudia except them,” Ethan said.
“Why now? What do they want?” Sebastian asked, voicing the question that had plagued us all, and there wasn’t an answer. “They’ll be going after the Clostra soon,” he said, coming to his feet. “The witches … they’ll be next and—”
“Then us,” I finished. We had one of the books in the set of three and the book that held the Gem of Levage. Everything was a blur as my mind tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The Gem of Levage could transfer power and lift curses; the Aufero could take magic from a source, weakening it; the Vitae restored life; the Fatifer brought death; and the Clostra had spells so dangerous that the three volumes were kept apart so no one could use them. What the hell do they want to do with them?
Sebastian was out of the door, directing Steven, Cole, Winter, and Gavin to follow. He turned to Ethan and me. “You should stay here in case they come. Worst case—” He looked at Ethan, and I knew what he was implying: we could protect the third Clostra with magic or in wolf form. Ethan nodded, giving Cole a cool, hard stare as a satisfied smile eased over Cole’s face. Cole seemed to like where he was—at Sebastian’s side. It made sense, and I’d rather Ethan be here with me than Cole.
An unknown enemy was the hardest to combat. We didn’t know how many there were, and based on what I’d read about the Faeries, their only weakness was us. It wasn’t really their inability to kill us that made us a threat, but the fact they couldn’t use magic against us. We were the only thing that had stopped them before, but back then, we hadn’t been the creatures we were now. I shuddered at the memory of the lifelike visions of our past I’d been treated to—how we’d behaved and our savagery. Even on our worse days we were nothing like our ancestors.
“They dropped the case against Steven,” Ethan said, breaking the silence as he looked up from one of the many books stacked in front of us in the library where we’d been since the others left. There wasn’t much time to discuss what had transpired, but I’d figured that would happen after our run-in with DA Price.
“Is there a way for him to relitigate it?”
“Not with the charges filed. They don’t have a case for anything else.” Ethan seemed so sure it put a lot of my worries to rest.
“And what about the Red Blood? Do you think that’s the end of them?”
“No. They’re zealots. Quinn has been monitoring things, and they’re still active but afraid to pursue their agenda more aggressively. They’ll wait until everything has died down, see whether your abductors are convicted, and then I’m sure they’ll go from there.”
“Have you told Joan about Steven?”
He nodded. “She was the first person I told. She’s doing her best to deal with it, but I don’t know if she will change her mind about him returning to the South.” He frowned at the thought.
“Maybe. The situation ended quickly enough. He didn’t have to go to trial. Eventually people will lose interest in him and the story and things will go back to normal. It will look bad if he leaves.” I made a note to point that out to her if Joan persisted in trying to get Steven to move.
There wasn’t any doubt Joan was still holding on to maternal guilt over returning to her pack. She couldn’t fix things for Steven and I knew that bothered her. Not just as a mother but as an Alpha, as well. Alphas fixed things—that’s what they do. The situation was resolved.
I stood looking over the titles in the library, feeling Josh’s absence in what I considered his office. We wouldn’t find anything of use here; the books we needed were at Ethan’s home, as were his dossiers on me and on the Faeries. I grabbed another book and aimlessly perused it. “Do you think it would be better if we came out?” I asked Ethan as I looked over at David. He’d been standing at the door for several minutes. The knowing look on his face showed he knew he wouldn’t go unnoticed.
He sat in one of the chairs. A wave of relief came over me as I watched him ease back, calm and confident, more like himself.
“How do you become an Alpha?” he asked Ethan.
“I’m not. I’m the Beta.”
David nodded but scrutinized Ethan. “But it’s kind of like the Alpha. I see how people respond to you, like you’re in charge.”
“In any other pack, he probably would be the Alpha,” I explained.
David continued, “I guess the better question is, who did you have to kill to get that position?”
Ethan’s jaw clenched, and his eyes sharpened on David. “Excuse me?”
“You guys are animals, right? In the animal kingdom, the strongest is the one who can beat everyone else. Sometimes, animals kill their own. I’m assuming the same pattern exists here. How many people did you have to kill to get your position?” This David wasn’t the kind, soft-spoken person who’d given me monthly pre-full moon baskets. This person was assertive and acerbic—and tap-dancing his way into asshole territory.
“In some packs, people do challenges to the death and in others to submission.”
“But I didn’t ask that. I asked how many people you’ve killed to either get your position or maintain it. Please answer the question, Ethan.”
“That’s none of your goddamn business,” Ethan snapped.
David conceded with a pleasant smile and then shifted his head to look at me. “I think I’ve answered your question as to whether it would be better if you all came out. It wouldn’t. Once you open that door, expose what you guys do, how you operate, those are the very questions they will ask you. And your answers, whether you do it honestly, get frustrated, or choose not to, will be the way humans perceive you.”
He widened his smile at Ethan, who was still bristling over the questioning. “Yes, you all have the dark, sexy, and broody thing down, and if this were a supernatural TV show, it’d be great. Top ratings. But this is real life, and people will be curious about you. They’ll want to know your structure, hierarchy, and most of all, how you became the way you are. That question is just a basic one. Imagine what you’ll be confronted with if you went before Congress. Believe me, the moment you guys come out, people won’t be like, ‘Oh, look, how cute. They change into wolves.’ It’ll be more like, ‘Shit, they turn into wolves, and panthers, and dingoes,’ and whatever else you have.”
Ethan’s scowl relaxed; he now understood the point to David’s questions. He understood it, but he still wasn’t happy about it.
David had withdrawn into his thoughts, and his brows inched together. He stared at the walls as if seeing things for the first time without the filtered lens most humans had. He closed his eyes. Sound—that was another intriguing thing about his dalliance with vampirism. A result of his new enhanced hearing David heard the front door swing open the moment we had. He came to his feet and followed us out of the library as we responded to a commotion at the front of the house. Sebastian pushed his way through the front door with a person in his arms. I felt the wave of magic; it couldn’t be ignored as six angry witches came in behind him. Cole carried another. The two injured witches didn’t look too bad. David and Trent had been worse off, but they also didn’t have access to magic.
“The moment you thought you were under attack, you should have called,” Sebastian grumbled as he headed to the infirmary.
It didn’t take him long t
o hand over his witch to Dr. Jeremy and return to the hallway where Ariel was standing, her face flushed, her lips drawn back to expose her clenched teeth.
“I had everything under control,” she shot back defiantly.
Waves of undiluted and unrestrained frustration came off him, directed solely at Ariel. She stood taller, jutting her chin and chest and meeting his gaze. “As I said before, I had it under control before you came barging in.”
The tendril of his patience snapped. “What part did you have under control? Them whipping you around the room with magic like a ragdoll? You seemed particularly in command when you crashed into the ground. You hit the ground with pure grace. Go ahead, Ariel, tell me about this control you speak of, because from what I saw, you were getting your magical ass handed to you!”
“You only helped because you wanted to make sure the books were okay.”
Sebastian started to speak, but based on the amber bleeding into his brown eyes, his words wouldn’t be kind. He snapped his mouth closed and took several long breaths. He forced a smile on his face, but it was so strained it looked like a grimace. With a couple of steps, he swallowed up the few feet between them. “You are new to your position, and I know you want to make a statement that you are in control and competent. I’m not challenging that. I think you are both. But when dealing with magical beings, we have an advantage you don’t have. Sometimes help is needed. Today, it was. You have two options: continue to behave like a petulant child and an ingrate and lose the respect of those you lead and mine, or accept there is a time when help is needed and asking for it doesn’t make you less of a leader. A leader understands the many facets of being in charge.”
Insolence appeared to be one of Ariel’s core behaviors, and I could see she was grappling with the decision. It didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t any authority she was railing against—it was Sebastian’s she had a problem with, and the arrogant smirk that tugged at his lips wasn’t helping.
“Thank you for the assist,” she finally acknowledged, her voice emotionless and flat.
He leaned into her. “You’re welcome.”
“Why don’t you pull her pigtail?” I mumbled under my breath.
Sebastian’s head snapped toward me. “What was that, Sky?”
I nearly displayed all my teeth with my fake, sweet smile. “I was just inquiring about the books,” I responded in an overly saccharine voice.
He pinned me with a warning look. I made a silly face, which shocked him. He looked away. It would take me years to understand the pack, and I’d probably never get used to their overpowering presence, were-animal dominance, and predaceous aura that sometimes prompted the flight-or-fight response in people, but I’d discovered that countering it with an atypical response was calming and freaked them out. It was a win-win situation.
Sebastian was still giving me an odd look when Cole handed me the books. His hand lingered on mine longer than necessary. I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Ethan had come closer, and before he could advance any farther, I shoved the books into his chest. “Please put these away,” I requested.
Distracted by Cole, who was swathed in smugness, Ethan was difficult to redirect.
“Ethan!” I said sharply to get his attention. It didn’t help, and Cole was enjoying it too much.
“Cole, see if Dr. Jeremy needs help,” Sebastian ordered. “Now,” he added when Cole didn’t move.
Without Cole as a provocation, Ethan took the books to the library to put them in the secured cabinet we kept the other protected objects in.
CHAPTER 19
The next morning, Ethan and Dr. Jeremy looked anxious as they examined the orange illumination on Josh’s thigh, which was fading. The Faeries had finally removed two of the rings surrounding Josh’s mark.
“It took them twenty-four hours to remove two,” Ethan said solemnly. At that rate, we had three days to figure something out.
“I’m not sure why he won’t wake, at least while the wards are there,” Dr. Jeremy speculated as he walked around Josh’s bed. Josh was alone in the infirmary, Trent and David having been released with sentinels guarding them until we were sure they were safe. They couldn’t get away from us and the situation fast enough. I understood. Tension stifled the house, and no matter how much Ethan and Sebastian seemed to appear like things were under control, they weren’t.
The Creed didn’t have to announce their arrival, but if by some chance someone missed the sudden tide of magic rushing through the house, they couldn’t miss the clicking of Ariel’s heels on the floor. I left Ethan in the infirmary and went to greet them alongside Sebastian. The two witches who’d been severely injured weren’t with them. For people who’d left the pack’s home earlier that morning after being up most of the night with the injured witches, they looked more rested than I expected.
“Where’s the library?” Ariel asked.
I waved her to follow and led her into Josh’s sanctuary.
They all looked around the vast room, taking in the bookshelves’ contents. It wasn’t the first time London had seen it, but she had the same look of awe the rest of them wore. Josh had gotten so used to the collection that he didn’t share the same appreciation. It had been reduced to a place that allowed him to perform stronger magic.
Ariel walked along the bookshelf-lined walls that held books in various languages. Lying between their bindings were pages of spells that had been long forgotten. Most of the tomes were originals and some languages had fallen into disuse, which had proven to be a problem on occasion. But between the various members of the pack, we usually found someone to translate. Worst-case scenario, we had Google Translate. Ariel’s fingers brushed against the spines of the books as she circled the large room.
“I was told you were quite resourceful; I had no idea to what extent.” I couldn’t determine if she was comforted or disturbed by that. I wasn’t going to ask, figuring it would come off wrong.
Sebastian, standing in the doorway, didn’t have such restraints. “Does that bother you?” he asked, his arms crossed, waiting for an answer.
She held the same intense look as he did. They were always assessing each other. Friend or foe? Was the other to be trusted or feared or both?
“I haven’t decided yet,” she responded in a dulcet voice, which didn’t give Sebastian the information he needed. She had to answer the question so he could determine if her reply was a lie or the truth. I leaned in to listen to her voice, to the intonation and cadence. I heard her heartbeat and respiration. They were steady. She turned away from Sebastian and continued to peruse the titles.
“That’s a very interesting talent were-animals have, using a person’s vital signs and changes in their voice to determine if they’re lying. I’m sure it comes in handy often, especially with those who don’t have the skills to mask it with magic. Although I never condoned or understood the animosity and contempt Marcia had for you because you are immune to our magic in animal form, I can understand her concern. I don’t think you’re cruel at all, but your dedication to your pack and the boundaries you blur to protect it and achieve its goals often puts you in ethically compromising positions. Don’t you think?”
“Perhaps, but I have a feeling you do the same for your witches.”
“And I’d say you were right. However, we are still bound by the rules of magic. The consequences of not doing so include becoming a person like Marcia. I have no intention of anyone becoming like her under my watch.”
“Quite admirable of you. It’s easy to think that way when you haven’t been confronted with something that could decimate your people. You come back to me when you have so I can see if you have that same haughty look of contempt for those who do.” He moistened his lips; his eyes traveled the length of her body before meeting her eyes with a hint of amusement and challenge. They were flirting wrong. Maybe that was the way people like them did it.
Ariel returned her attention to the bookshelf and removed several books from it. “We eith
er find them and stop them or find a spell that can undo Josh’s curse. Without any of their blood, it will be hard to locate them.” She’d said it aloud, but it appeared as though she was talking to herself. It didn’t seem like she was ready to be confronted by the Faeries again.
“There wasn’t any blood from the altercation?” I asked.
She sorted the books she’d taken off the shelves into two piles, but I had no idea what criteria she was using. At first, I thought it was based on language, but within seconds I was proven wrong. I quickly realized this was her nervous tell—reordering things. This was Ariel fidgeting. “There was plenty of blood. They retrieved it. All of it. It was a unique thing to see.” I’d heard the fear in her words. It wasn’t unique—it was scary. She was failing at putting forth a brave facade.
“Is there a way for you to reverse the magic and look it up, the way you would an IP address? Pinpoint where the magic is coming from?” asked Quinn. He hadn’t bothered to introduce himself after slipping past Sebastian.
Ariel’s head tilted as she assessed him. “I’m Ariel, and you are?”
“Quinn, but my friends call me Casper.”
“Casper,” she said softly to herself and scrutinized him for a long time. “Well, Quinn”—ice covered every letter in his name—“is it safe to assume that’s your cute way of letting people know you can go ghost?” I felt silly for not catching on to his moniker as quickly as she had.
Ariel was clearly amused by what she saw. “Let me guess. You’re the person who makes situations or things disappear, or you’re just a computer person.”
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