Shattered Pack

by Erin, Aileen;

  “You end up on the news a couple of times…” I muttered. True, the whole supernatural community had gotten outed, but give a girl a break. We’d been hunting a demon-summoning evil witch. How were we supposed to know the cop cars’ dashboard cameras would auto-upload to the police station server? And I couldn’t exactly help that there’d been reporters around as we left the chapel. There’d been a ton of cops there getting their asses kicked before we even showed up. The battle was already so loud, it must’ve woken up half of New Mexico. There wasn’t any way anyone could’ve shoved it under the carpet with the humans.

  I chewed on my lip as I replayed the horrible scene in my mind. The memory so sharp I could almost smell the sulfur…

  I shook it off, but my mind went to my friends—specifically Cosette. She’d had my back and was probably in the area. If I was getting out of here, I had to call her. At least try and get her to meet up.

  “I think I’m going to call Cosette. See if she wants to go shopping.”

  Max and Dad shared a long look before Max finally spoke. “That might not be the best thing right now.”

  “Why not? She’s my friend. She has a condo in Denver. If she’s around, there’s no reason I can’t hang out with her.”

  “Let’s just say the fey aren’t happy with the pack,” Max said.

  “I understand that the fey are mad, but Cosette’s not just fey. She’s my friend. Friendship overrides all that political nonsense.”

  “She’s fey first. Just like we’re pack first.”

  I nearly growled. They were pissing me off. Time to make my exit.

  I started to brush past my father, but he stopped me. “I know you’re friends with her, but I want you to be careful. Colorado has a heavy fey presence. Donovan is meeting with the queens to smooth things over, but until that happens, do everyone a favor and heed your brother’s warning. Leave Cosette alone.”

  I blew out a breath. Arguing wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “Fine. Maybe Ciara will go shopping with me.” Ciara was kind of like my nanny, but more like my mom slash best friend. We talked about everything, and when I was first cursed, she was the one who’d pulled me back from a deep depression.

  But she’d been avoiding me since I got to Colorado. It wasn’t like her. We’d never even fought before. A shopping trip would be a good excuse to find out what was going on. If I’d upset her somehow, I’d make it right.

  “Good. I think that’s a much better idea,” Dad said.

  I leaned back. Dad’s hair was a darker blond than the rest of ours, but all of us had his blue eyes. "Okay." As soon as I said the word, I wanted to take it back. I understood his point, even if I thought he was wrong. Now more than ever, it was important to protect my friendship with Cosette.

  I’d text her anyway—just to say hi. I didn’t think she’d answer, but reaching out wouldn’t hurt anything. At least I didn’t think it would.

  “Thanks for understanding.” Dad grasped my shoulders, pushing me back just enough to brush a kiss on my forehead.

  “Love you, Dad.”

  He tapped me softly on the chin and turned, leaving the room without another word. Micah, Matt, and Miles followed him, but Max hung back.

  I was by far closest with him, which was probably weird because he was nearly twenty years older than me. My youngest brother was only a few years my senior, but Max had always understood me the best. He gave me the freedom to be myself without any judgment.

  He wrapped an arm around me. “That was an impressive maneuver. I’m not quite sure how you got out of my hold.” He squeezed me a little tighter before letting go.

  “It’s best if you come to term with reality now. I’m just flat out better than you.” I gave him my best grin.

  “No. You cheated. I know you pulled power from Donovan.”

  I shook my head. “Nope. All me.”

  “I refuse to believe that.”

  Laughing, I headed for my room. “Refuse all you want. Doesn’t change the fact that I beat you fair and square.”

  “No… It just… I can’t…” He growled. “Tomorrow I’m calling in the rest of the pack. We’ll see who’s having a fun time after they’ve been at you for a day.”

  I rolled my eyes, even if Max couldn’t see it. The rest of the pack had been too nervous about fighting me. If I got hurt, would the mighty Donovan come after them? The fact that there was even a question meant there was no way Max would get them to join in on their “training” session.

  I lifted a hand, waving at him without turning around. “Looking forward to it.”

  Maybe Donovan was right. Maybe I wasn’t giving myself a fair shot. If I could beat Max…

  Plus, our bond was relatively powerful. I could already pull a decent amount of power from Donovan, and I wondered what we’d be able to do once we had our Full Moon Ceremony and completed our bond.

  With someone as powerful as Donovan, anything was possible.

  Chapter Two

  Two things happened on the way to the mall. One totally expected. The other a complete yet welcome surprise.

  My brothers annoyed the hell out of me.

  Cosette texted me back.

  When I’d messaged her last night, I hadn’t expected to hear back. Max and Micah would shit themselves if they found out I was planning to meet up with Cosette—especially after what Dad said—but Cosette was my friend, and I needed some girl time. Desperately. And if she was texting me back, something was up.

  I had to ditch my brothers. As soon as we got to the mall, I headed to the one place that was guaranteed brother repellant. Victoria’s Secret.

  Micah’s nose scrunched at scent of all the perfumes as soon as I stopped in front of the store. “You’ve gotta be kidding me, Meredith. No. Just no.”

  I gave them my most innocent grin. “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t need any of that—” Max waved his hand at one of the displays. “Stuff. In there.” He grabbed my arm, trying to drag me away.

  I jerked free. “It’s just Victoria’s Secret. It’s underwear. And Donovan is coming back soon, so I thought I’d get something a little—”

  “Stop.” Max covered his ears. “That’s disgusting.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “My sex life is disgusting?” They didn’t have to know that I wasn’t actually having sex yet. I almost felt bad about the twinge of glee I got from the horror on Micah’s face. Almost being the operative word.

  Micah shoved Max. “Make her stop.”

  “I’m going in,” I said. “Why don’t you guys grab some food, and I’ll be down to the food court in a bit? Just text me if you want to know where I am.” The two of them stared at each other before coming to an unspoken agreement.

  “Share your location with me, and you’ve got a deal,” Max said.

  “No problem.” I whipped out my phone, turned on location sharing with Max, and smiled. “All good here? Can I shop now?”

  “Feel free,” Max said. They both scampered away, nearly tripping over their own feet.

  Seriously? The idea of me buying underwear had them running? Maturity at its finest.

  I moved to the back of the store, pulling out my phone to text Cosette. Got rid of my brothers. So glad you could make it! Although I’m shocked. I haven’t heard from you in weeks.

  Your timing was perfect. I’m ten out. Meet me in the Dave & Busters?

  No good. My brothers might go there. I pretended to look at some bras while I watched the little animated dots.

  My cousin runs a jewelry and mystic shop on the fourth floor. Reeks of nag champa. You can’t miss it. We’ll figure out where to go from there.

  Heading there now.

  Good. We need to talk.

  That sounded a little ominous.

  Patience was never my thing. I started typing back as I walked through the mall, head down, as I wondered what she needed to talk about. I’d planned to stay out of the fey stuff, but if Cosette was in trouble, then I had to do something.
>
  I was about to hit send when someone bumped me. I would’ve thought it was an accident, but the girl’s hand was out. She’d purposefully stopped me?

  She was about my age, blonde, average height and whatnot. I would’ve breezed past her with an “excuse me,” but the look on her face stopped me. Her mouth opened so far that her chewed-up, slimy piece of gum dropped to the floor with a wet plop.

  “It’s you.”

  Oh shit. This was so not good. Being on the news—twice—wasn’t good for my anonymity. Not at all. This girl was going to get me caught. If this mall trip turned into a thing, my brothers were going to kick my ass, and Dad had barely let me out of the house in the first place.

  Damn it. Maybe my mother was right. I should’ve gone blonde again. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Hey, Ashley! Hurry up! That werewolf—”

  Shit. I wasn’t waiting for Ashley or anyone else to show up. I started walking again. If I caused a scene, not only would my brothers—and possibly the rest of the pack—kill me, but Donovan wouldn’t be happy, either. If it escalated in any way beyond this girl and her friend recognizing me, it could be a huge problem. Inciting a mob incident while Donovan was trying to smooth things over with the supernatural community and the humans would be an epic disaster.

  I sneaked one quick glance back at the girl. She was walking off with her friend as she gestured toward me. I let out a breath. Even though the girl had recognized me, she wasn’t making a big deal about it. She was leaving.

  Crisis averted.

  I kept moving through the mall until I smelled the incense. Cosette wasn’t kidding. Her cousin was mad for nag champa. The closer I got, the stronger the scent got until the herby smoke was all I could smell. From three stores down, it wiped out every other scent in the mall. I wouldn’t have thought that was possible.

  The store’s big glass doors were open, welcoming people, but I didn’t particularly feel welcome. A ding sounded as I stepped through the threshold. There was no one inside, but I assumed Cosette’s cousin was in the back. A big square of display cases filled the center of the store. Shelves piled haphazardly with smaller items lined the walls. Little baggies of herbs, smudging sticks, candles, crystals, packages of tarot cards, and Lord only knew what else filled the shelves until everything was nearly spilling over the edges. Not even the central display had space between the amulets, knives, coins, and other glittering things. It was like the owner had just dumped everything in there.

  Between the clutter and the scent, it was no wonder I was the only customer in the place. And if I were fey and wanted to limit who was coming in… Cosette’s cousin was either a genius or crap at business.

  I moved to the right wall. It held spell books and amulets that could be worth checking out. If a fey owned the shop, the books might actually be full of useful information instead of the usual BS that humans tried to sell. I was reaching for a book about protection spells when someone tapped my shoulder.

  Whirling, I nearly knocked into the shopkeeper standing behind me. No one ever got that close without me noticing. The damned nag champa was blinding my nose.

  “Yes?” The word came out a little ruder than I wanted. The taken-off-guard thing made me snippy. I tried to smile to ease the sting of it.

  “You think you should be here—in my store—with the way things are right now?”

  The burning incense might have been messing with my nose, but I could see well enough to know I was looking at Cosette’s cousin. She was over six feet tall and rail thin. Her fingers were a little too long, and so was her neck. Her appearance was just off enough that I wondered how much magic she was using to hide what she actually looked like.

  “I’m meeting someone here,” I said.

  The woman snorted. “Not likely.”

  I took a step back, hoping to gain a little distance. If me being here was a problem, I should probably go. “Your cousin Cosette said to meet her here, but I’ll leave. I don’t want to make a scene.” Getting into a fight would cause epic problems. I tried to leave, but she blocked my exit. “I can’t leave if you don’t get out of the way.”

  “You’re the one. You exposed us.” Her eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched.

  She made it sound like I’d been the only one on the news—like outing the supernaturals was my fault. But others had been involved. And it wasn’t like the fey were the only ones going through shit right now. Things were just as messed up for the Weres. “None of us did it on purpose.”

  “Doesn’t matter when we’re all paying the consequences.” Her face scrunched up. “I’m losing everything, and it’s your fault.”

  Nothing I could say would make it better. The fey had seven courts—Lunar, Solar, Midnight, Leaves, Flames, Waves, and Gales. And if all their queens were demanding something be done, there was absolutely nothing I could do to help. So I said the only thing I could. “I’m s—”

  “Lania. Cousin.” Cosette strode through the door. She gave me the tiniest shake of her head, warning me to stay silent. “Stop. She’s a friend.”

  “Yes. Remind me of our relation as you bring one of them to my shop.” Lania spat at the floor. “I’ll have you know I’m mad at you, too.”

  Cosette grasped Lania’s hand. “Nothing can be done to fix it now.”

  Lania pulled away from her. “Did you ask your mother?”

  Cosette sighed, her shoulders slouching a little. I’d never been aware she could slouch. “It’s out of her control. We all must do as we’re bidden. Believe me, she dislikes it as much as you do.”

  Lania crossed her arms over her stomach as she spun away. I hated that I was part of the reason the supernatural world was being uprooted. It seriously stunk.

  “Do you have what I asked for?” Cosette said.

  Lania turned back to us, sneering at Cosette. “You’re giving one of our possessions to that?” She motioned to me.

  Perfect. I was a that now.

  “I know what it means to give something of ours to a Were, but it’s with good reason. I trust Meredith with my life, and our friendship was forged in battle.” Cosette held out her hand. “I’ll have her protected if I can.”

  Little bits of electricity flashed along the carpeting as Lania stormed to the counter. New singe marks showed her path, covering up older ones. I motioned to Cosette, and she gave me a small shrug.

  This fey was nearly out of control if her magic was seeping out enough to burn the carpet, but I wasn’t about to say anything. I had a feeling that would go over like shit on rice.

  Lania pulled a green velvet pouch from beside the register. “I will not speak of this to anyone.” Whiffs of smoke came up from the carpet with each step she took toward us. “I trust you both will keep your silence. It would do me no favors if someone were to find out I was involved in handing this over.”

  I nodded. “Of course.” I had no idea what Cosette was doing, but I was totally okay with keeping my mouth shut.

  Cosette nodded. “Until we next meet.”

  “Until we next meet,” Lania responded, but the words sounded hollow.

  “Come on,” Cosette said as she strode back into the mall.

  She didn’t tell me what was in the bag.

  A part of me wasn’t sure if I wanted my questions answered, but the rest needed to know why Cosette was risking trouble with her queen. Because whatever the reason was, it had to be big.

  Chapter Three

  Cosette moved through the mall at breakneck speeds. I wasn’t sure what the rush was, but I didn’t want to ask any real questions until she was ready. Instead, I kept pace beside her.

  “Where’re we headed?” I asked, finally. Not that I cared. Getting out of that incense was enough motivation to keep me moving. Add in the possibility of shopping, and it was all good. I could just look at things, never buy a thing, and be happy.

  “Shoes. I have a need for shoes.”

  “Shoe emergency. Got it. Nordies?”

&nb
sp; “Hmm,” she said, and I took that as agreement.

  The mall had a Nordstrom at one end. A few people did double takes as we passed. Maybe I was paranoid after that girl recognized me, but Cosette didn’t seem fazed, so I shrugged it off. Cosette was a force to be next to. Especially since she wasn’t hiding her fey very well. Her skin had a golden glow that no amount of salt scrubs could replicate, and as she walked, homegirl looked like a fan was blowing on her, making her dark blonde curls flow gracefully around her shoulders and down her back. It was kind of a sight if I was being completely honest.

  “I would’ve answered your calls sooner, but cell reception is abysmal at court.” Cosette offered me the tiny, green coin purse. “This is for you.”

  “No worries. I figured you were tied up.” I gave the purse some serious side-eye. Insulting Cosette would be bad, but I didn’t want to take anything from her until I knew what the hell it was. “I don’t know… After how your cousin looked at me, are you sure you want to give me anything?”

  “I’ve heard what’s going on in Ireland. Donovan’s pack is a mess, and it’s about to get worse.”

  I stopped walking. How on earth would she know anything about Donovan’s pack? “I’m sorry, what?” I asked when I caught up with her again. “How do you know what’s going on with the Weres?”

  “The entrance to my court is in Ireland.”

  “Then why’re you here?” Denver wasn’t exactly next door to Ireland. It was at least a twelve-hour flight with a stop. Unless Van, her fey bestie slash possible boyfriend—I wasn’t quite sure which way she leaned when it came to him—had teleported her out like he was Scotty and she was in an episode of Star Trek.

  “I’m harder to assassinate when I’m half a world away.” She shrugged. “Plus, my condo in Denver rocks, the coven here is more than welcoming, and the Colorado pack likes me better than my family does. I tend to like them back.”