Her eyes widened.
Eloise!
She and her coven were powerful enough to help her. They were the only ones who could. Her fingers trembled over her mouth as she sucked in a breath. Could she go to them? Could she ask for help from the very people she’d been trying to destroy?
She had to. She had no choice. And neither did they—unless they wanted to risk the Darkness taking over the world.
Escaping was going to be difficult. Cain watched over her with covetous wariness. When he wasn’t able to watch her, he had one of the coven doing so. Cain said they were guarding her and the child from harm, but she knew it was really because he didn’t trust her anymore. He knew. He knew she’d changed. That she wanted to escape.
Shit. Shit.
If only she could knock them all out at once, then she’d have a chance.
Knock them out. That was it. She would need to create some kind of sleeping potion and give it to all of them at once. It would be easy enough to lace the evening meal with whatever she managed to create.
It would have been easiest if she’d had some Valium or some other strong sleeping pills to use. But Cain never let her leave the property at all now, so there was no chance she could steal any. Herbal ingredients would have to do. They had valerian, kava elixir and chamomile in their medical stores. Mixed together with a simple spell, they should be strong enough to knock out a horse. Now all she needed to do was cook something with enough flavour to hide the bitterness of the herbs and with enough chili to disguise the tingling heat the spell would create. She needed to cook more than the one meal like it though, otherwise Cain would become suspicious, especially as cooking wasn’t something she did much of anymore. Strange. Once she had loved to cook.
She declared the next morning she was in a nesting mood and wanted to cook for the baby and the coven, taking over the duties Cain’s adoptive parents had taken on years ago. Cain seemed happy for her to do so, his adoptive parents less so as they were sent out to do other duties around the farm less suited to their talents. She couldn’t let herself care about that though.
Over the next week she cooked soups, casseroles and stews with increasing amounts of chilli and herbs. On the third night, Cain stared at her across the table as he breathed in the scent of the stew she’d prepared. ‘Why so much chilli?’
Heart thumping in her chest so loud she was afraid he would hear it, she smiled and shrugged. ‘The baby is craving the heat. It settles him. Don’t you like it?’
Cain’s gaze lowered to her stomach, and then he lifted a spoonful, placed it in his mouth and swallowed. ‘It’s not bad,’ he said after a moment, spooning up another mouthful. ‘Eat,’ he said, gesturing to the others. ‘If it’s good enough for my child and me, it’s good enough for all of you.’
The others began to eat, spoons clanking against bowls. There was no talk, just the sounds of nervous eating.
Sighing in relief, Morrigan ate her stew, certain now her plan would work.
A few days later, she asked Steven, the coven member watching over her that day as she cooked, to step outside and pick her some fresh thyme so she could make thyme bread to go with the casserole she was making. He hesitated. She kept chopping. Begun to hum. He must have decided it was safe to leave her for the few moments it would take him to get the thyme from the kitchen garden outside the door, because he turned without another word and left. Almost sagging in relief, she took the opportunity to whisper her spell over the ingredients cooking in the pot, emptying the sachet of dried sleep-inducing herbs she’d prepared days earlier into the mix. Then she dumped in the freshly chopped chilli and meat. By the time Steven came back with the thyme, she was measuring out flour for the bread.
That night, Cain polished off his bowl, wiping up the dregs with the bread. ‘You are quite the cook, Morrigan.’
‘Would you like another?’ She rose, trying to hide her shaking legs.
His gaze snapped to her empty place setting. ‘You haven’t eaten.’
‘I had some earlier. I’ve been feeling so tired lately that by the time it’s dinner for the rest of you, I’ve been too tired to eat.’ She yawned widely. ‘If you don’t mind, I might go and lie down.’
‘I’ll help you there.’
‘Oh, but what about your meal? You seem so hungry. I can get myself to bed and you can have some more.’
‘Peter can bring me a bowl in the bedroom.’ He stood, coming around to take her arm.
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stop shaking, to not give in to the need to shudder and step back. ‘Thank you.’
They barely made it to the bedroom before his hand fell slack from her arm and he turned to her, accusation in his eyes. ‘What did you do?’ he asked before his eyes rolled up and he slumped to the floor.
She held her breath, waiting to see if anyone came running. Waiting to see if he moved. The clock ticked loudly. She counted the seconds. One minute passed. Two. Three. Cain hadn’t moved. Nobody came in to check on the noise.
It had worked!
Leaving him where he lay, she grabbed her winter coat and headed to the door.
Cain made a noise behind her. She turned slowly to look, afraid to see him sitting up. Oh Goddess! Had she not made the potion strong enough?
He was still slumped where he’d fallen, his mouth slack, breathing slow and steady. Asleep. But for how long? She couldn’t be certain. She had to get out of here now.
The bodies of the others were scattered through the house. She’d been worried one of them might not have eaten enough for the potion to work.
She raced into the kitchen, snatched up the keys for the old four-wheel drive and slipped out the back door.
The cold night air stung her cheeks as she left the house and headed to the barn that served as their garage. The night was cloudy and there was very little light outside to mark the garden surrounding the house from the fields that folded out around them on the valley floor. This had probably been the most picturesque place they’d lived in for years. It would have been a perfect place to raise a child. The thought almost made her sorry to be leaving it.
Almost.
She didn’t bother turning on the light in the barn, using her magic to light her way. The red glow of it lit up in her hand. The vibrancy of it made her stop and stare in wonder. It had been so long since she’d seen that brilliant ruby colour. She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed it. For so long, her magic had been affected by the Darkness, dulled and heavy and blackened. ‘Welcome back, old friend,’ she whispered, wiping at the tears tracking down her cheek.
She clambered into the four-wheel drive. Despite its age, it started up easily and she drove out, heading down the long drive and onto the highway. She didn’t even think about which way to head, just turned in the direction that would take her to the McClunes’ land. They’d come to this place, close to McClune land, to be near Eloise and her coven so that Cain and the Darkness could strike as the baby was born, taking them unawares, turning their powers. They were only a few kilometres away. She didn’t have long until her baby would be safe from his father and the corruption eating at his soul.
***
Cain came to with a roar of rage, knowing immediately what Morrigan had done. Power lashed out as he charged through the house, felling those of his coven still inside. Their bodies fell around him. He didn’t care. They’d failed him in allowing Morrigan to escape. Now he would have to track her down.
He knew where she’d gone. There could only be one place. The Darkness agreed with him.
The Were.
Power arched out of his hands, setting fire to curtains, furniture, walls, bodies, as he stormed through the house and outside. He barely noticed the heat of the flames, his rage a hot pulsing thing inside him. She’d betrayed him. Him! First Eloise and now Morrigan. How could things have gone so wrong?
‘Calm yourself,’ the Darkness whispered inside his mind as he stumbled down the front steps. ‘You are of no use if you destro
y yourself with your rage.’
The Darkness was right. The power would eat him up if he didn’t expel it. Two figures—those who had been his adoptive parents—were running towards the garage, trying to escape him. He raised his hands and shot Warlock Lightning at them both, pouring the excess power burning in his chest into the arc of magic ripping through the air. The lightning hit them, lighting them up from the inside, holding them in shocked stillness, their outlines bright against the dark of the night. Their mouths opened on silent screams. There was a whump of sound as the power exploded outwards. It hit him, threw him back. He hit the hard, cold ground with a thud. He looked up at the sky, full of millions of stars, and felt more alone than he’d ever felt in his entire life.
‘Never alone.’
He smiled. No. He was never alone. He had the Darkness and he had himself. That was all he needed to get his son back. And get him back he would.
He pushed to his feet. He could focus now. Focus on what to do next.
Morrigan thought she was foiling his plans, but she was only playing into them. In running to the Were, she gave him exactly what he needed—closer proximity to the Were and their coven. He would kill many Were as he went to reclaim his son, and in doing so, the power of their deaths would ensure the success of the Darkness in entering his son.
He only had to wait until Samhain. It would be a difficult wait, but he would do it. They would all die. Including Morrigan, after she had given birth to his son. And together, he and the Darkness, his son, would rule over this world.
Nothing could stop them.
Chapter 23
‘Shelley! Thank Goddess you’re here.’ Bron raced up to her, grabbing her hands as she stepped down from the four-wheel drive Gareth had brought her up in. She tried to smile at Bron, to allay the worry that was visible on her friend’s face, but the effort made her feel even more tired. She’d barely been sleeping since the night she had made love to Adam, afraid to fall asleep and have him pull her astral self to that place again where everything had felt so real. She was getting by on the bare minimum and it was taking its toll on her mind and her body. She knew the others were worried about it. Knew Bron and Skye had known she had lied about what she’d done when she’d travelled through the astral with Adam. But she couldn’t talk about it. The words were too raw to think, let alone say. She smiled when she had to, but it felt like moving putty into shape. Until Adam was back, she knew she’d never truly smile again. And even then, the pain of not being with him would probably dull the edges of any happiness she might feel.
She couldn’t imagine ever truly smiling again.
‘Cordy will be so relieved you’re here.’
‘How bad is she?’
‘She’s doing her best, but she desperately wants to speak to Marcus. It’s driving her insane feeling him there but not being able to communicate with him.’ Bron’s grip on her hand tightened as she turned and started walking towards the barn. ‘It’s got to the point where she’s refusing to leave the hospital room down there.’
‘Which means Skye won’t leave it because of the babies and Jason’s worried about Skye being down there all the time. I get it.’
Another squeeze. ‘I knew you would. I’m so sorry to ask you to come up and do this when you’ve got so much to do in Melbourne with the diaries and grimoires, but I can’t do anything more to help her and it seemed the only option.’
‘It’s fine.’
‘I know it’s not really fine at all. I know it’s difficult for you to be here with Adam’s body.’
‘It’s fine. I’m happy to do this for Skye and Cordy. I’d be some kind of bitch to not be.’ She tried to smile again.
Bron only looked sadly back at her. ‘Nobody would ever think you’re a bitch.’
Shelley raised her brow. ‘Really? Damn. I’ll have to work on that.’ Bron snorted out a laugh. Shelley’s smile felt more natural as the sound of Bron’s wonderful burble of laughter washed over her. ‘Thank God. I was getting worried you’d forgotten how to laugh or smile.’
Bron entered the keycode to open the barn door. ‘River makes sure I laugh.’
‘I’m glad you have that.’
Bron swung around as they stopped in front of the lift. ‘I wish you had that too. You have been alone too much, Shelley, since he went with Morghanna.’
‘I’m never alone,’ Shelley answered. ‘That’s part of the problem.’ Although it had got a little bit better ever since she’d done what the three ancient witches and all the diaries kept telling her to do—engage with her powers and stop denying them. She could no longer deny that it was essential she learn to lower her shields and deal with the impact of all the spirits on her if she was to help in the fight against the Darkness, so she’d been practicing dropping her shields and talking to those around her. At first she was barely able to stand a few seconds, but now she could manage more than ten minutes without feeling the slippery touch of madness on her mind. Being here now, helping Cordy, was just another step along the path towards learning to control her abilities, not just block them.
She could feel Bron’s eyes on her the entire way down in the lift, but her friend didn’t say anything, and Shelley didn’t feel like engaging either. Soon, too soon, she was standing inside the hospital room, the door closing at her back. The reality of Adam’s body—too still, too quiet—hit her as it always did when she was here, followed quickly by the sense of Cordy’s desperation. The banshee hummed inside her, as it always did when she entered this room. Death was so close, its song a whisper in her chest bringing the discordant note of insanity with it.
‘Shelley?’
Bron’s hand on her shoulder, warm, comforting, making her want to cry. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine.’ Christ. She was sick and tired of people asking her that. They were all staring at her, their expectation and worry a living thing that pushed at her, making her more aware of the slippery thing at the edges of her mind threatening to take over.
No. She clenched her fingers at her side. Not here. Not now. She had things to do.
She took a step towards Adam’s body—couldn’t stop herself—and the spirits shrank away from the bed, giving her room. Since she’d been allowing them time with her, they’d stopped trying to touch her or call out to her all the time as they’d always done. She walked through them, unmolested, and came to stand beside Adam’s bed, fingers wrapping around the metal sides of the hospital bed. ‘How is he?’
‘Same as before.’
She nodded, but couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Adam’s face, the sharp definition of his nose, the angle of his cheekbones, the jut of his jaw, shaded with stubble that her fingers itched to touch. ‘He looks thinner.’
‘The IV can only give him so much,’ Skye said from beside her.
She knew that.
‘We’ll just give you a moment with him.’ She glanced up then at the note in River’s voice. He was smiling at her, hope and sadness lingering in his eyes. He knew. They all probably knew. It was ridiculous to think they wouldn’t know what happened between her and Adam. The pack always knew when a mating occurred. Even though they probably knew, she still couldn’t talk about it.
Bron and River moved quietly away.
Adam’s hair had grown longer. A long hank of black lay across his forehead. She brushed it away, her fingers whispering over his brow. The cool silkiness of his hair slid over her skin. She’d dug her hands into his hair when they’d made love, the sensation of it tickling her skin as he’d kissed his way down her body. The room blurred and she blinked rapidly.
There was a sound, like whimpering. She looked at his lips. They hadn’t moved. God, she longed to lean over and kiss him. Could she wake him like the prince woke Sleeping Beauty? True Love’s kiss. That’s what all the fairy tales always said would cure anything. Except she was more Maleficent than royalty. There was a heavy weight on her soul. She could feel it, even now, weighing her down, blighting her future.
; The whimpering sounded again.
‘I’m here. It’s fine. I’m fine.’ She stroked down his arm, a light, brief touch. Anything more and she’d break apart. The whimpering changing in tone, worried with a plaintive edge. She stopped touching him and gripped the metal rail tighter. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I can’t be what you need.’
‘Shelley?’ Adam’s voice in her ear, the soft, cold unreality of his touch. She looked up, couldn’t stop herself.
‘Adam?’
He smiled at her and she was lost. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but was horribly aware of everyone staring at her—dead and living alike.
‘Adam’s here?’ Multiple voices were asking her at once. Jason returned to her side. ‘Where?’
Shelley pointed, unable to speak, unable to stop staring at this man she loved with everything in her. She didn’t want to love him. Loving him hurt so, so much. But it seemed she couldn’t stop. There was one thing she could stop though. ‘I’m not mating with him,’ she said to the room.
Stunned silence met her announcement.
Then laughter split the silence. Adam’s laughter. Despite everything, it still warmed her from the inside out. Her gaze raced over him as he laughed, his eyes alight with the joy of seeing her. ‘Tell them how it is, Kitten. Don’t hold back.’
Her lips twitched despite herself. ‘Adam,’ she said. ‘You need to take this seriously.’
‘Oh, believe me, I take everything you say seriously, Kitten.’ He closed the distance between them, cupped her face, the feel of his hands on her far more welcome and familiar than they should have been. ‘I know you believe you can’t mate with me, and I won’t push you on that. But you have to admit, the looks on everyone’s faces were priceless.’
The image of all those shocked faces played in her mind’s eye and she began to chuckle.
‘See? It was funny.’ He bent and kissed her, kissed the laughter from her lips. The kiss was soft, restrained, only lasted a breath. He pulled back, amber eyes gazing intently into hers. ‘I missed you.’
Wolf Bound Page 29