by Raven Steele
Luke and I looked at each other. The shifter had no idea how close he actually was.
When we didn’t answer, the shifter narrowed his eyes. “What are you two doing out here?”
“One last question,” Luke said. “Who told you to come out here?”
He opened his mouth as if to tell us, but closed it again, frowning.
“Answer me,” Luke ordered.
The shifter scratched his head, confused. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.
“What’s the problem?” I asked.
“I’m trying—“ His eyes widened further than I thought possible, and he began to choke.
I patted him on the back awkwardly. “Are you okay?”
He clawed at his neck as if someone were choking him. His face darkened a muddy blue. He slumped to the ground.
Luke held the shifter’s hands still and opened his mouth to peer inside. “There’s nothing blocking his airway. Not that I can see, anyways.”
The shifter continued to gag, clasping at Luke’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” Luke said, frantically looking in his throat again. “I don’t know how to help you!”
All of a sudden, the shifter’s head jerked to the side. An audible snap echoed into the forest, and he fell over sideways. Dead.
I stumbled away from him. “What the hell was that?”
Luke straightened, staring down at the shifter, his lips pursed. Several seconds passed before he said, “I’ve never seen anything like it, but we need to get out of here right away. Someone with magic is trying to keep him from telling us anything.”
“Someone did this to him from far away,” I breathed. “As if they knew what he was about to tell us.”
“Only someone extremely powerful could do that. We need to go.”
“Not without the blood.” I scrambled to my feet and jogged the rest of the way up the path. When I reached a forked tree, I made an abrupt turn and hurried down into a gully. Luke was right behind me, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone else.
I followed the length of the gully until I reached the end. It looked like a dead end full of fallen debris and thick bushes. I felt the tingle of magic before I saw the entrance. It lifted the hairs on my arms.
I looked back at Luke. He was staring at the air in wonder. No doubt he could feel the strange sensation, too. “This way. It’s a tight fit.”
Scooting to the side of all the fallen limbs, I pressed my back against a natural rock wall and scooted along. Small limbs clogged the path, but I snapped them aside. When we reached the end, I crouched down and inched forward under a large log. Deep in the back was an opening barely big enough for me to fit through. “I think it used to be an old wolf den.”
“I can’t fit in there.”
“Stand guard then,” I said. “I’m going in.”
I dropped to all fours and crawled forward through the dirt. I forgot how hard of a place this was to get to. I might’ve worn my crappy jeans instead of my almost crappy jeans.
When I reached the dark opening, I smelled deeply to make sure nothing had taken residence inside. The magic spell I used should’ve kept critters away, but I had only done the spell one other time and could’ve messed it up.
The place smelled like earth and water. No animal scents.
Before I snuck inside, I mentally prepared myself. The entrance was a tight fit, but then it would open up into a decently sized cave. I puffed a few breaths of air then hurried into the belly of the beast. When the walls pressed in on me, I resisted the urge to retreat and continued forward. Within five feet the space grew bigger until I could almost stand up straight. I shook my hands out and let oxygen fill my tight lungs.
Wiping the sweat from my brows, I moved to the back of the cave and dropped in front of a small wooden chest; it was slightly bigger than both my hands put together. It was probably as old as the Abydos, handed down from generation to generation. I reached into my boot and pulled out my dagger. With a quick shallow slice of its sharp edge to my palm, I squeezed my fist and let drops of my blood fall on top of the chest.
As a keeper of the Abydos, my blood would undo the magical spell protecting it. It was a strong spell, causing death to anyone not authorized. At this point, only I could pass through it, but that would change soon, after the Silver Claws took on the responsibility.
When I felt the magical barrier disappear, I opened the lid. A thick, glass vial lay on top of purple crushed velvet. Inside the glass, blood from the god Kushin lay inside it. A shiver rolled over my body, just thinking about it. One drop of it had turned a human into a shifter wolf with the ability to kill off hundreds of attackers. Kushin had given his blood with a warning: my blood can either save thousands or kill millions.
No one knew what he meant, but my ancestors took the oath to protect it seriously. I closed the lid and cradled the small box to my stomach as I crawled back out. Luke was waiting just on the other side.
His gaze dropped to the chest. “Is that it?”
I nodded.
“So small for something so big.”
We paused for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes. An uncomfortable feeling settled in my chest, alerting my instincts. By the paling of his face, he was feeling the same way. Something was wrong.
He grabbed my hand, rushing forward and pulling me with him. “We need to get this somewhere safe, as soon as possible.”
Chapter 32
On the way back, we called both my uncle and Lynx. We were going to ask them to meet us at Fire Ridge so that they could begin the preparations. Neither one of them answered, only causing my anxiety to ratchet up several notches. Once we returned to town, we split ways. He raced to our house to look for Lynx, and I went straight to Fire Ridge.
As soon as I got there, I hid the blood in my jacket pocket, and hurried inside. The living room was mostly empty as was the backyard. I checked Vincent’s office. It was empty too. From a hall closet, I grabbed an empty back pack and stuffed the chest inside.
Walking into the kitchen, I found Lauren sitting at the kitchen table, eyes downcast. “Hey. Where is everyone?”
“Vincent handed out assignments so we can get ready for the funerals. I’m supposed to go tell Jerry’s sister that he passed.”
I sucked in a breath, pain returning to my chest. “I didn’t know he had one.”
“She didn’t want to be a part of the pack. Really nice lady though.” She slumped further into the chair.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” She let out a long, weighted sigh.
“I wish I could help you, but I need to talk to Vincent right away. Do you know where he went?”
“I think he headed out to his old place.”
I frowned, feeling bad I didn’t even know where that was. The only place he’d ever taken me to was some dumpy room in a warehouse after I’d saved him from the pack’s punishment back when Dominic had accused him of betrayal. “Where’s that?”
She smoothed her fingers across her eyebrow. “Um, it’s a small house off highway 79.”
“Address?”
“Number 143, but you can’t see it from the road. Just turn before the yellow curve sign.”
“Great, thanks.” I rushed back out to the parking lot, trying to call him one more time, but his phone rang until it went to voicemail. The bad feeling in my chest grew, so I texted Luke about my new plans. I didn’t wait for a response as I strapped the bag with the blood in it around my shoulders, securing it tightly. I tore off down the lane, leaving a blackened scar against the pavement.
Nearing the address Lauren had given me, I spotted the yellow street sign and turned down a dirt road lined with pine trees. The driveway was longer than I expected and weaved its way up a steep hill. At the top, the forest gave way to a large clearing, and at its center sat a small house with a very tidy yard. The front porch looked recently painted and the roof looked new. The simpleness and neatness reminded me of my uncle. His car was parked outside.
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I jogged up the steps and knocked on the door. When he didn’t answer, the nerves in my stomach tightened further. I opened the door and peeked in. “Vincent?”
I stepped into an unfurnished living room that smelled of fresh paint. Beyond it was a kitchen that looked equally as bare.
“Briar!” a voice called from a room down a hall. He appeared a second later, wiping wet hands on his pants. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been trying to call you!”
“You have?” He frowned. “Well, I guess now you know how I feel!” He gave me a wink before he turned around. “Come back to my office and let me know what’s on your mind.”
He didn’t look like he was in any trouble, but I couldn’t get rid of the anxious feeling in my stomach, or the way my chest tightened.
I followed him down the hall and into a small room where he sat behind a desk. A computer rested on top, humming softly, next to several stacks of papers. A couple of bookcases had been shoved against the walls, containing rows of antique-looking books. Across the hall, a door was slightly ajar. I could see the corner of a bed. Must be his bedroom.
“Just so you know,” he began, “I want to keep this as my own private place, even sometimes from you.”
“Oh,” I said, shifting my weight uncomfortably. “Okay. Sorry. It’s just that this is important.”
“I’m sure it is, and I apologize if I’m coming across as rude. I just need my space. The Alpha role can be smothering sometimes.”
“You don’t have to talk to me about smothering issues. I get it.” I dropped onto a wooden chair and gently set the backpack on the floor, next to my feet. “So remember our talk last night?”
“About that. I know I came across—”
I lifted my hand. “Forget about it. Anyway, I have it.”
“Have what?”
“The Abydos.” The word came out too soft. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Abydos.”
He lifted his brows, and his mouth fell open. “Here?”
I nodded.
“But I thought it was going to take you a few days?”
“I changed my mind. You were right about what you said about me. I make impulsive decisions. A weapon as powerful as the Abydos should not be in my care.”
He dropped back in the chair; it groaned under his weight. “Can I see it?”
Picking up the bag, I placed it on the table and unzipped it. I carefully slipped out the small chest. “It’s in here.”
He pulled it toward him and opened the lid. Sucking in a breath, he reached for the vial.
I cringed as he touched it. “Please be careful.”
For over ten years, I had been the only person to ever lay eyes on it. It felt strange to let someone else near it.
He held it up carefully. “It’s so beautiful!” He tilted it upward, as if to unhook the latch at the top.
“No!” I cried, jumping towards him. In my haste, I knocked over a cup of water standing on the edge of Vincent’s desk. It fell to the ground, spilling across the wooden floor. “Shit. Sorry.”
He carefully laid the vial back in its case. “It’s okay. I wasn’t going to open it. I was just looking.”
“I’m just uber paranoid. Towel in the kitchen?”
“Third drawer, next to the sink. And don’t worry about it. A good protector should be paranoid.” As I left the room, he added, “Don’t mind the bare rooms. I’m remodeling.”
I retrieved the towel and returned to his office. Dropping onto my knees, I cleaned up the water on the floor. “Luke is grabbing Lynx. We’re going to meet back up at Fire Ridge to properly secure it. I was hoping you could come, too.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that. There’s a place in the basement, here. It might be a better place for the blood, more secluded.”
I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows. Wasn’t the point of bringing it to Fire Ridge was so that the whole pack could watch over it?
He continued to talk about a secret cupboard in his basement while I wiped at the water. It had splattered as far as the door. I crawled along the floor on my knees and flipped over the towel, sopping up the last of the water.
When it was clean, I paused, ready to stand up. I grabbed the cup and my gaze lifted towards his bedroom door.
I froze and my pulse began to race. Painfully.
Though the slitted door, I caught a glimpse of the painting hanging behind his bed. But not just any painting. One brushed with red and black. An image of two men kneeling with a shadowy figure above them.
The exact same painting that had been inside Dominic’s secret room. The same painting my uncle said he’d destroyed.
Chapter 33
My uncle stopped talking. “What’s wrong, Briar?”
I scrambled to my feet and threw open the bedroom door. “What is that?”
He joined me, staring at the picture, a look of wonder in his eyes. Not the reaction I was hoping for.
“Vincent! Answer me! Why is that in your house?”
“It’s an interesting painting.” His voice was calm and smooth, and it chilled me to the core. “Did you know it was painted with blood?” He didn’t look at me as he spoke. Instead, he walked to a dresser with a little box on top. He lifted the lid and reached inside.
“Uncle, what is going on?” My hands began to shake.
He turned around holding a syringe full of clear liquid and pressed it to his arm. He injected the fluid into him.
What the hell? I stepped back, toward the Abydos still in his office.
“What’s going on?” he repeated, his eyebrow raised. “More than you will ever know. I’ve waited years for this moment.”
I choked. “Years?” I remembered the picture I’d found when Luke and I had first gone to the Linchen Pack, of Vincent and Silas and Dominic. My whole body grew cold. It couldn’t be true. He would never betray us like that. “You’re scaring me.”
“You should be scared, Isabella. Everything you know is about to change.” His voice hit a tone I hadn’t heard before. He stormed towards me, closing in quickly.
I bolted from the room and across the hall. I lunged for the chest on his desk, but the second I placed my hand on it, he was there too, gripping my arm. I gasped at the suddenness of it. With my free hand, I punched him. Somehow he was faster, and his fist crashed into my side. I doubled over in crippling pain.
“I wish you wouldn’t have lied to me,” he said. “You should’ve told me you had the Abydos from the beginning.”
“Why?” I grunted and straightened, my eyes lowering to the chest. It was within both our reach.
“Because it’s my right! Your father was the second son. He shouldn’t have been Alpha. I should have! The blood should have transferred to me. Instead, I was shunned and kicked out of the pack for being too radical. But is making your pack the strongest it can be too radical? They were fools, all of them, and they deserved what they got.”
I gasped in horror at his confession. It couldn’t be true. I stared into his eyes, anger swelling within me. “Tell me you didn’t have anything to do with our family’s deaths.”
I had to hear it from his own lips.
He lifted his chin. “I did what I had to do. That blood was just sitting there, wasting away. It has the power to change everything for supernaturals.”
Tears, hot and bitter, burned my eyes. “You killed them. Your brothers and sisters. Your mother. My mother. All of them.”
“And you should’ve been with them, if Dominic would’ve done his job right.”
“Fuck you, Vincent.” I couldn’t call him my uncle now; he didn’t deserve the title.
“In the end, I was glad he screwed up,” he continued. “For years I searched for the Abydos. I thought I knew where it was, but your father changed the location that night before the wedding. Eventually, I gave up, thinking all was lost, but then a—” he paused, “unique friend of mine sensed it. It’s like the magic of the Abydos just came alive one day. I d
idn’t know how that was possible until you showed up. You were the only one who could’ve known where it was. You moved it, Isabella, and that triggered the magic.”
I barely registered his words. All I could think about was how he had killed my whole family for the chance at ultimate power. It was the same thing, over and over. Silas, Dominic, and now my uncle. All seduced by this new evil in Rouen.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” I said, inching closer to the chest. “You almost died at the well to protect me. Why?”
“Because you’re un untrusting bitch,” he hissed. “I realized that only me practically giving my life for you would make you trust me enough to give up the Abydos.”
“And the Hydes? Why did you create them?”
He chuckled at that. “They are not my creation, but they have worked to my advantage. One day soon, you’ll meet their creator. I think your friend Samira will be especially surprised.”
At the sound of her name, my rage became complete and surged within my body. I lunged for the chest, but Vincent pulled it out from under me at the last second. He kicked at my side, sending me flying across the room. I crashed into the wall, leaving a huge dent. Searing pain wracked my whole body. Whatever he’d injected himself with, it must’ve made him much stronger.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.” He stood over me. “You are valuable to us, more so than you may ever know. Join us, Isabella.”
“Who’s us?” I breathed, trying to see past the pain to summon my wolf. I could feel her close.
He smiled and tilted his head. “Someone I met a long time ago. Do you remember what Kushin, the great supernatural god, told Akito?”
“Remind me.” I needed a few more seconds for the pain to subside. At its retreat, my wolf came raging forward, ready to tear into him.
“You don’t remember? Kushin told him the blood will either destroy the world or save it. I’ve pondered the vague reference for decades until I finally understood what it meant.”