“What is that thing?” Bramble asked.
“A type of fae. They call them mogwai.”
She tensed. “A fae? Where did you find him?”
“In the fae realm. Poor thing was locked in a cage.”
“You freed him.” There was something in her tone, a softness that had been absent up until now.
I glanced across at her, taking my eyes off the brush for a second. She was staring at me with a strange expression on her face, as if seeing me for the first time.
“You okay?”
She looked away. “I’m fine,” she said gruffly. “Hurry your pet up.”
Annoyance stabbed at my chest. “He’s not my pet. He’s my friend.”
She gave me that weird look again, but I turned away, searching the brush for movement. There was nothing but the ripple of a breeze over the leaves.
Panic squeezed my lungs. “Wren, you okay?”
Nothing.
“Wren?”
“Heeelp!”
Wren? I dove into the brush, branches scratching my arms. The ground dropped suddenly, and I was surrounded by bushes and scratchy shit all at face level.
I pushed through. “Fuck, Wren, where are you?”
I got a tiny wail in response, signaling distance. I broke into a run, shoving branches out of the way until I hit the field. Mist rolled over me, obscuring my vision.
“Wren!”
“Argh!” Wren cried out from somewhere to my left.
I made to break into a run when a low timbered howl drifted through the fog, and every hair on my body stood to attention in warning.
Bramble grabbed my arm and tugged. “We need to leave. Now.”
“What?” I stared at her in horror. “I’m not leaving Wren.”
“Dammit, Cora, you don’t get it. That’s the hunting howl of the varga, which means your pet’s already dead.”
I had no idea what a varga was, and I didn’t give a shit. “Wren’s not dead until I say he’s dead.” Okay, that came out wrong, but I knew what I meant.
I jerked my arm free from her grip and ran toward the howl. The alarm bells in my head intensified, and my body rebelled, telling me to back up, to turn and run away. There was danger here.
“Corrraaa!”
Fuck this shit. “I’m coming buddy.”
Another low howl tore the air, louder and closer, and was the fucking mist thickening?
“Cora, stop!”
Bramble’s voice was distant and insignificant above the rush of blood in my ears and the pound of my heart against my ribs, because I was no longer alone. Shadows cut through the mist around me, huge, hulking shapes that growled and yipped. Several pairs of crimson eyes cut through the fog.
Wolves? No. These were something different.
They were around me, penning me in, forcing me to slow my pace or risk barreling into one of them, or risk being chased and brought down.
I caught the sharp edge of claws, the rise of rounded backs, and the curve of powerful haunches. These weren’t wolves, and I was smack bang in the center of—
“Cora!” Wren materialized out of the fog, his tiny legs pumping as he ran toward me. “Monsters.”
I scooped him up and held him close, my eyes on the threat around us. How many? Three? No, there were five.
“Monsters, Cora.” Wren trembled in my arms, echoing the tremor in my belly as I weighed up my options.
With my power muted by the amulet, blasting them might not be effective, and if I didn’t take them out quickly, then I was fucked. Best option was to make a jump out of this circle. I visualized Elijah at the car and then made the jump.
The world vibrated, and a force tugged me back into the circle.
What. The. Fuck.
A rattling sound filled the air, then the mist parted to admit a huge beast. Its head was four feet off the ground, back rising up another foot behind it, shaggy black fur shimmering as if coated in glitter. Horns protruded from beneath its pointed ears, but it was its eyes that captivated me. Crimson irises set in startling white were locked on me, too human for a beast.
A chill shot up my spine to settle at my nape.
The beast made a rattling sound in its throat. My stomach twisted as more like him materialized out of the mist but stopped when the one facing off with me growled.
The way they reacted reminded me of Fee and her Loup. These were more than beasts. They were some breed of shifter. A breed I’d never seen before—and honestly wished I wasn’t seeing now.
But shifters could be reasoned with.
“Hey, guys. There’s no need for this intimidation. I’m on your territory, right? I get it. I’ll just tootle on back to the road and be right out of your hair.”
I backed up, and the huge beast in front of me snarled, showcasing silver fangs that flashed in the gloom. Teeth that were slender and long, perfect for shredding flesh.
Loup didn’t feed off human or outlier flesh. But I wasn’t sure these guys had the same rule.
In fact, my gut told me they definitely didn’t have the same rule. There was only one thing left to do.
“Wren, buddy, you need to get on my back. I’m gonna have to make some fireworks.”
He obliged, and I flexed my hands, waiting for the tingle of power.
Nothing.
The creature made a strange sound, wet and rolling, almost like it was laughing at me. Fuck, it was laughing at me.
Anger flickered to life in my chest, chasing away the fear. I might not have magic right now, but I had Trixie, and I knew how to use her.
I dipped and drew her from my boot in a fluid motion. “You want a bite, you’re gonna have to work for it.”
The wet chuckling stopped, and the beasts’ bristled, fur standing on end to make them seem larger and more intimidating.
My body tensed, ready to fight.
Silver fangs flashed, and then the leader attacked.
I brought the blade back, ready to stab, because like fuck was I going down without a fight, but it never made it to me.
A crimson blur hit it from the side, knocking it off trajectory and taking it down. There was a snarl, and a wet ripping sound, then silence so deafening it was like I’d donned a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
I stared at the crimson blur. A wolf. A massive wolf with gunmetal blue eyes. It lifted its bloody maw, one huge paw still pressed to the dead beast’s head, and locked gazes with me.
There was a calm confidence in those eyes, or maybe I was going nuts. Around us, the beasts began to yip and snarl as they closed in. The crimson wolf moved fast, putting his body between me and the beasts.
Where the fuck were Bramble and Elijah?
Howls ripped the air, higher pitched than the ones these beasts made. The beasts faltered, heads coming up as if to suss out how far away the howlers were.
Then the fog was torn asunder by new bodies—black, silver, and gray—huge wolves like the crimson one.
The wolves clashed with the beasts, and the crimson wolf shoved me out of the way with his body before jumping into the fray.
The air crackled, and my ears popped.
“Cora!” Bramble and Elijah’s voices were close.
“Here!” I put distance between myself and the battling wolves because I was no match for any of them with just a dagger as a weapon. “Over here!”
The mist thinned, and I caught the flash of purple hair. Bramble appeared a moment later, with Elijah close at her heels.
“Come on!” Elijah yelled at me. “Move.”
I stumbled toward them, legs wobbly from the interaction with the beasts, putting distance between myself and the fight.
Elijah met me partway and put his arm around me, tucking me against his side. The heat of his body seeped through my clothes and heated my blood. This was the closest I’d ever been to Mr. Black, and honestly, right now, I was happy for him to scoop me into a snuggle.
Wren whimpered and clung to my neck like a furry scarf.
; Bramble stood with her back to us, twin daggers clutched in her hands, back tight and shoulders tense as if it was taking great force of will not to wade into the chaos.
“Bramble!” Elijah snapped.
She started and turned to face us. “We need to go.”
“Let’s get you back to the car,” Elijah said to me.
“What? What about them?” I looked back at the fight, my gaze tracking to the crimson wolf. “He saved my life.”
The wolf tore out another beast’s throat before his gaze locked on me. A shiver ran over my skin as if he’d reached out and touched me, but then his gaze slipped to Elijah, and he snarled.
“Yeah,” Elijah said. “He saved you, and now he wants us to get you out of here.”
With a final look into the crimson wolf’s eyes, I allowed Elijah to lead me away.
* * *
Elijah started the engine and peeled back onto the road.
Bramble was picking her nails with a dagger tip, one boot braced on the dash. She looked perfectly relaxed, but the beads of blood on her fingers and the tightness of her jaw belied her pose.
I set Wren down on the seat beside me and scooted forward. “What the fuck just happened?”
“Vargs,” Bramble said. “Evil fuckers. I thought we lost ya.” Her tone was tight. “We almost did.”
“I was right there. I mean, you could have helped me.”
Fuck I hated saying that sentence. I wasn’t often the one who needed help, but I wasn’t an idiot either. Right now, I was way out of my depth.
Bramble bristled, her eyes flashing to mine. I caught the flare of anger in their chestnut depths, but instinct told me the anger wasn’t directed at me.
She was kicking herself over this incident.
“We couldn’t see you or sense you,” Elijah said. “It’s how the varga work. They hunt in packs of five, and together they mute any magical ability their victim may have. They can also cast a net of silence around their prey.”
That explained a lot, but “I heard Wren. They were chasing him.”
“A lure to get you off the road and closer,” Elijah said. “Varga are always hungry. The dire wolves keep their numbers culled.” He met my gaze briefly in the rearview. “That’s who saved you. They try to keep the locals safe, but they put themselves at risk every time they go up against the varga.”
“What do you mean?”
“A varga bite can turn a dire wolf varga. It’s an infection. The varga are a fucking infection.” His lip curled. “Their bite can turn a wolf, and it can drive a witch or warlock insane.”
“And the crimson wolf leaped into the circle anyway? Why take that risk? It was five on one.”
“And his pack was nearby,” Elijah said. “Leif knows what he’s doing, and it’s just as well he intervened.” He met my gaze in the mirror again. “He just saved the life of the witch he’ll be anchoring to.”
“Wait, what?”
Bramble turned in her seat to look at me. “You just met the ascending alpha of the Vita Pack, and your future mate.”
Chapter Eight
I must have fallen asleep because the next time I opened my eyes we were driving down a gravel path toward a massive, shadowy building. The moon had slipped behind a cloud, so the colossal form looked menacing and forbidding.
Wren rose in my lap to look out of the window before snuggling into me with a whimper.
I spotted towers jutting against the night sky, and there were a few lit windows high up. Bulky shapes protruded at angles from the roof, but it was impossible to make out what they were. The building grew larger and larger until we were in its shadow.
Elijah veered to the left and drove parallel to the…mansion, castle, fucking small island? I didn’t know. This place could house a small village.
We drove past a fountain and a couple of stone statues before Elijah brought the car to a halt and cut the engine.
He sat with his hands on the steering wheel for a long beat, then twisted in his seat to look at me. “You were lucky tonight. We all were.”
“I know.”
His jaw worked. “I was sent to bring you back safely, and I almost failed.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was.”
“No, it was mine,” Bramble said. “I fucked up.”
“No,” Elijah said. “I’ll speak to Anna and tell her what happened. This wasn’t your fault.”
“Hell no,” Bramble said. “I can take responsibility for my fuck-ups.”
“Bramble…”
“I’m not letting you take the fall for me.” She glared at him.
Elijah snorted. “Anna can’t hurt me.”
Bramble’s mouth turned down. “No, she can’t do anything to hurt you…”
But she could hurt Bramble? Who the fuck was this Anna? Heck, it didn’t matter.
“No one needs to report anything to anyone. I’m fine. We’re all fine. Let’s just forget it happened.”
They both looked at me as if I’d suggested we fry rodents and eat them.
“What?”
“You want to lie?” Bramble asked. “To Anna?”
“I don’t care. I just want you guys to stop stressing so we can get on with…whatever it is I’m here to do.”
Elijah took a deep breath and nodded. “She’s right. We have more important issues to deal with.” He focused his turquoise gaze on me. “Things might feel a little overwhelming for a while, but you’re making the right call, Cora. You’re doing the right thing.”
I sighed. “Yeah. But if I’m going to do this, you’ll need to find a way to get Jasper off my back. I mean, what if he affects things?”
“He won’t,” Elijah said. “Your deal with him is a separate entity. You being an anchor and your connection to the wolves will be a closed circuit. He can’t interfere with that.”
Okay then. “What now?”
Light spilled across the gravel path in front of us, streaming from somewhere above, and Elijah glanced at the house, distracted.
It was Bramble who answered my question. “Now, we get you inside. Now, I keep you safe.”
A figure fell from the sky, landing in a hunched form just beyond the rectangle of light. It straightened, and I caught the flare of wings, the curve of muscular thighs, and the swell of thick forearms.
Not a demon. I’d seen my fair share of those. No, this was something else.
“What the hell is that?”
“That,” Elijah said tightly. “Is a gargoyle. They guard the grounds, and they guard the witches.”
“Gargoyles are alive?”
Bramble snorted. “If you can call it that.”
The gargoyle stepped into the light, and its body rippled and morphed into a human shape. Gray, stone skin was eaten away to be replaced by smooth, dark skin before a man stood in the light watching us—tall, broad, and lethal-looking in a fitted polo-shirt and dark jeans. His eyes were silver pennies that flashed as if taking a snapshot of the scene. But the eeriest thing was how still he was. Like, not a twitch, not a breath. Nothing.
It was creepy as fuck. “Why is he just standing there?”
“Bador likes to stand about and look intimidating,” Bramble said. “Truth is, he has a metal pole lodged so far up his ass that—”
“Bramble…” Elijah warned. “You know he can hear you, right?”
She grinned, flashing neat white teeth. “You bet I do.”
She popped open her door and stepped out. “Hey, Bador. How’s it hanging?”
“Is that her?” Bador asked, his voice a gravelly rumble. “Is that the potential?”
“Yeah, I got this,” Bramble said. “I can take her—”
“No.” Bador cut her off. “Anna has asked me to escort the potential.”
“But Charlotte—”
“Enough.” Bador turned his silver penny gaze to Bramble. “Know your place, pixie.”
Bramble stepped away from the car, hands balled into fists. “Yeah, and how abo
ut you learn yours, you overgrown porch ornament.”
“Oh, fuck.” Elijah stepped out of the car. “One moment, Bador. Please.”
Bador made a low grumbling sound like the purr of an engine, then stepped back into the shadows.
“Bramble, we had a deal,” Elijah said with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like the exasperation sigh he reserved for me.
Bramble glared defiantly at him. “I’m not leaving her side. I promised Charlotte.”
“Charlotte will be fine. Cora will be fine. Bador is a guardian.”
Bramble’s shoulders sagged. “Fine.” She ducked her head into the car to look at me. “I’ll find you later.”
I was sure it was meant to be comforting, but the snarl in her tone made it sound like more of a threat.
And who was Charlotte?
Elijah opened my door and leaned down so he was eye level with me. “You need to go with Bador now.”
Wren clung to me, and his disconcertion was contagious, forcing my stomach into knots.
I hugged the mogwai to me and focused on Elijah. “What about you?”
“I have things I need to do,” Elijah said. His gaze tracked across my face and a slight frown marred his forehead. “You’re in safe hands now.”
Wait a second. “You’re going to dump me here and piss off?”
His expression hardened. “If I could stay, I would, but—”
“There are bodies to take care of, okay,” Bramble snapped. “Dead potentials. We didn’t have time to clean up before coming for you.”
Fuck. I was such a dick. “I’m sorry. Of course, go. I’ll be fine.”
I was always fine. I’d never been afraid of anything except losing Fee, but this… Being here felt strange, and for the first time in my life, I was uneasy.
Elijah looked torn. Lips pressed together in a manner that I’d come to recognize as his reconsideration face.
Pfft. Pull it together, woman. “Well, get out of the way, dude.” I swung my legs out of the car. “Go do what you got to do and let me get on with this.”
Elijah gently gripped my shoulder as I climbed out. “I’ll be back,” he said softly. “I won’t abandon you, Cora.”
And just like that, the knot was gone. “I should hope not. I’ll see you later.”
Witch Unexpected: The Thirteenth Sign Book 1 Page 6