by Renee Jordan
I shuddered. A part of me, that good part that had always hoped to meet the version of my father that my momma believed in, wanted to protest. But the more practical part of me, the woman that had been beaten and abused by the men in my life, never wanted to be hurt again. My father was responsible for Wayne and Burt.
“You okay with that, Kotie?” Forrest asked.
“I'm not,” I answered. “But it has to be done. It'll have to suffice in place of justice.”
Chapter Six: Barbed Wire
Forrest's SUV led the convoy. The deputies had doubled up, leaving half their cars behind. They carried a mix of shotguns and, I was surprised to see, AR-15 assault rifles, the civilian version of the M16. The cabins rushed by us as Forrest roared around the winding roads through them. Ahead, cabin seven stood alone. Vanessa was standing behind her car, an assault rifle aimed at the cabin. She looked strange dressed in her street clothes, out of place with the other deputies.
Forrest drove onto the grass lawn before the cabin and turned his wheel so the driver side faced the cabin. He threw open his door, leaning behind it and aiming his shotgun at the cabin. I bailed out on the other side and, crouching, raced to the back of the SUV.
The other deputies flooded out of their cars. Hank and his team, with Penny at the center, rushed along the cabin while Xavier and Curtis moved to surround the cabin's sides, taking cover where they could find it.
Vanessa rushed over. “What's the plan, boss?” she asked, excitement burning in her green eyes.
“The witches will neutralize the spells, then we'll breach the cabin. I want you to hang back with Miss Maggie and Kotie when we breach. Cover us with your rifle. If we need help, you'll be there to cover Kotie and Miss Maggie as they run up.”
“Roger, boss,” she nodded.
My tattoo prickled. “There's definitely magic here.”
My cell phone rang. I answered it. “Do you feel the magic?” Penny asked.
“Yeah. It's strong. He must have ringed it with enchantments. He's bunkered himself in there.”
“We'll need to work together, hammer him from both sides.”
“Yep. Let's figure out what we're dealing with first.”
I put my phone on speaker and set it on the bumper of Forrest's SUV. I took a deep breath and focused my will. I hated dealing with Death spirits. They were foul and disgusting, but they were also necessary for divining. “Spirits of divination, reveal what wards the cabin before me!” I commanded.
Penny chanted something similar. Static burst out of my phone as dark shadows crept out of the earth. The spirits rose, surrounded by a nimbus of wan, purple light. The spirits rushed towards the cabin, painting the air with various hues of purple and lavender, revealing the spells that warded the cabin. There were a lot.
“I see a physical ward,” Penny said, her voice tinny over the speakers. “And illusions.”
I nodded, spotting those dotting the ground. “The illusions are covering something. Maybe pits.” One was right before the entrance.
“Yeah,” Penny added. “And on the door. It looks like a fire spell. It'll explode if the door's opened.”
“Windows, too,” I confirmed. “And there's one other spell. Look at it covering the cabin, almost like vines. It's Life magic.”
“Flesh control.”
I shuddered. Christian had tried to use flesh control on me. It was one of the most vile magics. Life spirits allowed you to control plants and animals. With them, you could turn someone into your puppet. It was among the foulest forms of magic.
“He must have it triggered to seize anyone that enters the cabin.”
“Yep,” Penny confirmed. “I think your father is an Imbuement witch. I can't imagine enchanting an entire cabin unless it was your affinity.”
“Well, that should make him poorer at combat,” I realized. Something worried at the back of my mind. It was important that my father was an Imbuement witch.
“Can you dispel the magic?” Forrest asked, knocking me out of my thoughts. “I don't want to be flesh controlled ever again.”
When Christian kidnapped me, he had tried to flesh control Forrest. It had half-worked, but my mate's willpower had been strong enough that he could still move, if barely. Luckily, I managed to break the spell.
“It'll be a piece of cake,” Penny answered. “Your fiancee's a Love witch. Dispelling is Love magic.”
I nodded my head. “I'll still need your help, Penny.”
“Let's start with the simple stuff. I think I can handle the fire and illusion spells on this side of the cabin. You take the other side. Once we have them down, we'll both throw dispelling magic at the protection and flesh control enchantments.”
“Okay.”
I peered around the SUV again. There were several patches of illusionary grass scattered about, created by Light spirits. Since Love magic was my affinity, I didn't need to cast a spell. My mental will was more than strong enough.
“Spirits of dispelling, disrupt the Light spells and break their enchantment!” Penny chanted, her voice distant.
My tattoo burst with energy as I channeled the Love spirits. The golden hearts that always loved to dance around Forrest and me, shot towards the purple-painted patches of grass, and the enchanted windows and front door. Golden light burst, bringing gasps from a few of the deputies. The Light spells winked out, revealing deep holes torn into the ground, probably created with Earth magics. Then the hearts crashed into the windows and doors. The fiery spells snuffed out in a shower of golden sparks.
“Spirits of dispelling, disrupt the Fire spells and break their enchantment!” Penny cast. Sparks flashed bright on the side of the cabin as my friend cast her spells. “Okay, Kotie. I'm done on this side. Ready for the big stuff?”
“Yes, I am,” I nodded.
“Get ready to breach,” Forrest ordered into his radio. “Once the witches break the last two spells, we're in.”
“Okay, Kotie. We need to be in sync,” Penny said. “We'll go for the flesh control, first. That's a nasty spell.”
“I'm ready. On three?”
“Sure. One, two, three!”
Together, we chanted: “Spirits of dispelling, disrupt the Life spell and break its enchantment!”
The force of this dispelling spell was so much more powerful than the first ones I cast. By chanting the words, I put more of my will into it. Only a Love witch could cast a dispelling spell with such force. Golden hearts streaked towards the cabin. There were hundreds of the Love spirits, answering my spell's call. I gripped the back of the SUV as I swayed. The energy poured out of me.
The Love spirits crashed into the purple-painted vines clinging to the cabin. Unlike the previous spells, this one had been imbued into the cabin. It was anchored by a physical object. Golden sparks flared. The cabin shook and wood groaned as the Life and Imbuement spirits resisted my Love spirits. Green and black energy clashed with golden.
“You can do it, spirits!” Penny shouted. Her Love spirits joined the fight. It was harder for the spell to resist the both of us. Penny's added energy was enough to split the spirits attention, distracting them so my spell could overwhelm them.
Golden light exploded down the lines of the vines. Life and Imbuement spirits sped away from the cabin, disappearing out into the world. The air hummed as my Love spirits danced about the cabin in triumph.
“We did it!” Penny screeched. I pictured her hopping up and down.
“Why isn't he doing anything?” Forrest growled. “He's letting the pair of you take down his spells. I thought he would have responded.”
“He knows I'm a Love witch,” I answered. “He knows he can't keep me from dispelling his magics.”
“Okay, that one was easy,” laughed Penny. “Boy, I thought it would be harder. I was worried that we couldn't dispel an Imbuement witch's enchantment.”
“Let's do the last one,” I smiled. “On three.”
“Get ready to breach,” Forrest growled. The cops tensed.
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“Roger! One, two, three.”
We cast our spell and threw out our magic. My Love spirits crashed into the Love spirits protecting the cabin. My father's spell was overwhelmed. My Love spirits were like a mighty wave. They crashed over the cabin in an explosion of golden light and swept the protection spell away.
“Dispelled!” I shouted, my heart thudding with excitement.
“Breach, breach, breach!” Forrest shouted into his radio. Kiernan ran towards the cabin's front door holding the battering ram. Forrest was on his heels, trailed by his other deputies as they rushed the cabin. The werewolves leaped the pit that had been hidden before the cabin's stairs and landed on the deck.
The front door opened. My father stepped out.
My heart stopped. My father stood unafraid as Forrest and his deputies raised their weapons. Vanessa pushed me down so I crouched behind cover. She aimed her rifle. I peaked around the corner of the SUV.
“This is quite—”
The gunshots broke off my father's words. Forrest's shotgun fired. He racked the gun, ejecting a spent, red casing. His deputies fired rifles and shotguns. The day exploded with thundering sound that rang my ears. The stinging, burning scent of gunpowder irritated my nose and made my eyes water. Splinters of wood flew through the air and glass shattered as the storm of bullets were fired at my father.
He stood unharmed. Love spirits danced around him, intercepting the bullets. Golden sparks burned about him. He smiled, confident and cocky. His green eyes focused right at me. You can't hurt me, Dakota, his eyes taunted. I am so much beyond you.
I had to dispel his protection. I stood up and drew my voice as the cops ceased their fire. They kept their guns raised, waiting for me to neutralize his magic so they could kill him. I opened my mouth but the words faltered.
I would be killing him. He was my father. He did horrible things to me, but did he deserve to die, gun-downed by my fiance and his cops? Even if he did deserve it, could I live with it?
“Surrender!” I shouted at him. “Or I will break your protection and they'll kill you.”
“Such fatherly concern touches my heart, Dakota.” The smile on his lips didn't touch his eyes. “Prove how strong you are. Take down my protection and let these wolves tear me apart.”
He stepped forward.
“No closer!” growled Forrest.
My father turned his attention to my mate. “You have done an admirable job protecting the Moon Tear Spring. You were a worthy guardian.”
“I'm still protecting it!” Forrest threw his shotgun down and lunged forward. His hand touched the shield as he tried to reach my father's throat. He snarled as the golden sparks burned, forcing his flesh away.
My father reached out with his hand and touched Forrest's chest. Dark energy erupted. Black Imbuement spirits, looking likes blobs of congealed ink, danced around Forrest. My mate howled in agony. His barbed wire tattoos burned bright red through his clothing.
Forrest shifted into the wolf.
His uniform ripped as his body swelled. Fur sprouted as his arms grew longer. He howled. His jaw became a vicious snout. Around him, his deputies howled and snarled, responding to the call of their packleader. Tatters of his uniform clung to furred limbs, like clinging pieces of wrapping paper on a present hastily opened. The barbed wire tattoo shone blood-red through patches of his fur.
My heart froze in my chest. My father had prepared him a decade ago.
My father reached out and petted Forrest's head. “Fetch my daughter,” he ordered.
Forrest turned, his golden eyes fixed on mine.
“Shit!” Vanessa snarled beside me.
Miss Maggie roared out from beside me. The she-bear shifted, snarling as Forrest rushed forward. Miss Maggie was a majestic, golden brown bear-woman, her fur thick and lustrous. She reared on her hind legs, snarling at Forrest. My controlled mate crashed into her in a titanic collusion of fur and claws. They roared and snarled at each other, furred paws swiping.
“We need to go!” Vanessa snarled, seizing my shoulders. Her fingernails were sharp, biting into my flesh. “Forrest is calling us!”
The other deputies fell to the ground, howling as they fought against Forrest's commands. They knew their packleader was controlled. They knew they shouldn't follow him, but they couldn't help it. Instinct burned through them.
“I need to break the spell!” I shouted. “I'm a Love witch! Spirits of dispelling, disrupt the Imbuement spell and break its enchantment on my love!”
My father stepped down the steps, watching as the golden hearts clashed into the inky blobs racing around Forrest's body. I had broken the spell on the cabin with relative ease. I would save my mate and destroy my father.
My tattoo burned. I forced more and more energy through my totem as the love spirits streaked from all directions, slamming into the Imbuement spirits controlling my mate. Inky black clashed with golden light. And swallowed them up. My father's spell was powerful. I shuddered and swayed as I forced more and more of my passion into my will.
“Defeat them!” I shouted at the spirits. “Save the man I love.”
I had never failed to break a spell before. But the tattoo impregnated into Forrest's skin had existed on my mate for a decade. It was a part of him. The Imbuement spirits knew him. They fought to stay on his tattoo even as they forced him to fight Miss Maggie. My werebear boss was losing. She was fierce, but two of Forrest's deputies had joined the fight, attacking her from all sides.
“We have to go!” Vanessa snarled and hauled me back. “Forrest wants you protected.”
“Stop!” I screamed as the werewolf hauled me back. More of the deputies fell under Forrest's new will. Their green and golden eyes turned on me. “Please, I just need a little more time.”
My father watched with his green eyes, still smiling. Cocky and confident. I could beat him. I screamed and threw all my will into compelling the love spirits.
Forrest howled as he threw down Miss Maggie.
My will broke. My spell died. I couldn't free him. My father's spell was too strong, it was too woven into Forrest's being. Tears burned down my cheeks as Vanessa shoved me into the seat of a cop car. She raced around to the driver's side and hopped in. The car was still running. She threw it into gear. Gravel sprayed as she backed up and then we were racing down the road.
“Dammit!” Vanessa snarled, her voice deep and gravely. She fought Forrest's control. She had always been more strong-willed than other members of the pack, pushing the limits of Forrest's commands all the time. “That fucking witch! I'll tear his throat out!”
Sirens blared behind us. Other deputies had jumped in their cars. “Are they after us?” I asked, wiping at my tears. What was I going to do? Forrest was under my father's control. It was a nightmare. How had everything gone so wrong? Why did my father have to ruin everything in my life?
“Yes!” Vanessa snarled. “They're fucking chasing us!” The police cruiser's engine roared as we bounced down the gravel road past the cabins.
The car fishtailed as she took the turn onto Circle Lake Drive. A huge cloud of dust billowed behind us. A car honked as it swerved onto the grassy median. Vanessa slammed on the gas as we raced down the road.
I put on my seat belt.
“Where are we going?” I asked. “What are we doing?”
“I have no fucking idea! I just need to get you away from this. Forrest would want you protected, and I can't do that here. We'll fucking run as far as we have to. I can't get near him. He almost claimed me.” Vanessa shuddered. “He's fucking howling. He's calling for the entire fucking pack. It's so hard to fight!”
“What? I don't hear anything.”
Vanessa tapped her chest. “In here. I've never felt it so strong. He's a beast.”
“The barbed wire always kept his beast in check. I think...I think my father unleashed him.”
“We are fucked!”
Sirens blared behind us. The other deputies had just as powerful, high-performa
nce cars as this one, and they knew how to drive just as well as Vanessa did. Hank drove the lead cop car. What happened to Penny? Hank was her guard. Did the wolves turn on her or did they ignore her?
More tears stung my eyes. Miss Maggie had been thrown down by Forrest. “D-do you think he killed her?”
“What?” Vanessa snarled.
“Forrest. Did he kill Miss Maggie?”
“Maybe.”
A shudder convulsed me. I wanted to curl up into a ball and make myself as small as possible. When Wayne or Burt would beat me, that's what I would do. I'd curl up, squeeze my eyes shut, and try to go away. To think of something else. I couldn't take this. Forrest was dominated. What was I going to do? I buried my face in my hands. My sobs rocked my body.
“Stop that!” snapped Vanessa. “Jesus, don't start crying on me.”
“What?” I sobbed. “Why shouldn't I cry? Everything's gone wrong. I...I...”
“You're not a sniveling child, Kotie. You're stronger than that. You're the only one that knows magic. You're the one that has to figure out how to get us out of this mess. So pull yourself together.”
A shuddering sob racked my body. I struggled to breathe. My throat was swelled shut. My eyes burned. But Vanessa was right. I was the only one that could free Forrest. I had to figure out how. There had to be some magic I could use to set him free.
Right?
But what? I had only been practicing for three months. No wonder I couldn't defeat my father. He had decades of experience. I was just so weak compared to him. I had no chance.
No. Stop that. Feel sorry for yourself later. Forrest needs you. I took a deep breath. I couldn't let myself backslide. I had broken free of Burt's abuse. I stood up to him when he tried to seize me. I could stand up to my father and save my mate.
There was the power at the Moon Tear Spring.
No. I couldn't use that. That was what my father wanted. The moment I reached the spring, he would try to steal the power from me. He wanted it. There was no way I could do that. I had to stay away from there.
Even if it was the only way I could save Forrest.