by Shen Hart
Dan looked at me in disbelief but did as he was told. I asked Lee, who seemed to be the calmest of them, “Are you all ok?”
He nodded and sighed softly. “Alistair had a gun, fortunately no one was badly hurt. We have no choice but to crash a ritual now.”
I ground my teeth together. I didn’t like being left with no other options. The cubs weren’t ready for that level of bloodshed, but they would have to deal with it at some point. The walk back to the cars was tense and quiet. Dan kept muttering to himself, but I couldn’t smack him around the head with Ryan’s arm around my shoulders.
Ryan kept saying, “I’m sorry guys, I’m just, I’m sorry.”
When we got to the cars I sent Dan off to ride with Alex. I wasn’t in a mood to deal with his growling and bullshit. Lee stayed with me to help Ryan. Alex drove off without waiting for us to get Ryan into the car. I ran my hand over Ryan’s cheek and hooked my finger under his chin forcing him to look at me.
“What were you thinking?”
I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice. He tried to look away, but I held him firm.
He said quietly, “I wanted to prove my worth. Everyone’s great with guns and energies and I don’t want to be the runt you get rid of. Nik helped plan it and Dan’s good with sigils and…”
The words all tumbled out. Lee stepped a little closer and said, “Ryan, you’re not a runt. Yes you have some training to do, but so do the others. Thalia chose you as her shadow. Have you forgotten that?”
He sniffed and said, “Sort of…”
I glared at him and Lee continued, “Are you not aware of the honour in that? Did you think she chose any random cub as her shadow?”
Words formed on his lips, but he finally said, “I guess not.”
I sighed and shook my head before saying, “Ryan, you’re a little shit sometimes, but you’re also the second shadow I’ve ever taken in my rather long existence. Now, Lee’s going to help you, and you’re going to be a good boy and stop pulling stunts like this. And no moping, else I will smack you around the head.”
He brightened up and smiled. “Thanks, T.”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t thank me too much, I’m not going to save you from Ark’s extra-gloopy extra-strong healing potion.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The muttering and growling at Ryan had mostly subsided by the time he was forced to drink his purple health potion. I didn’t have the energy to put Dan firmly in his place with regards to his views on Ryan. The point had been made; Ryan had suffered enough for his stupidity. He went an interesting shade of green when he took his first taste of the potion. He looked imploringly at me, but I shrugged. Ark was the healer. If he said he needed to drink the potion, he was going to drink the gloop. I swore that Ark was desperately trying not to laugh as Ryan choked it down.
“It’s good for you. It’ll help you heal quicker,” Ark said dismissively.
I shook my head. It wouldn’t do him any harm, and perhaps it’d make him pause before he rushed in next time. I hoped he’d finally learnt that lesson. We couldn’t afford to have more injuries due to his insecurity. I went and sat outside, hoping to hear some whispering serenade from the stars. It’d been so long, and I needed the peace and guidance they provided. I’d choked when I saw Alistair. I should have acted and that indecision hurt Ryan. Dan sat down next to me.
“Why did you protect him? We should have killed Alistair, but now we’re going to have to break up one of the rituals.”
“Because he genuinely thought he was doing the right thing. He acted rashly, but no one was hurt. Well, that angel was pretty fucked up by the time I finished with him, but the point stands.”
He leaned a little closer to me. “Do you favour him because he’s less experienced than Nik and me?”
I curled my lip. “I favour no one. I’m sure they’d say I favour you, given it was your bed I found sanctuary in that night.”
I felt his smile radiating off him. “I’m glad I could offer you that.” His fingers brushed over mine. “So what’s going on with Alex and Lee?”
I shrugged. “They’ve finally managed to put their issues aside. They’ve pulled together so that the pack is put first, as it should be.”
“They hurt you, didn’t they?”
“Where are these questions coming from? They’re hardly appropriate.”
He didn’t pull back as I’d expected him to. “I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
The words were sweet, but I doubted that the intention or feelings behind them were quite so innocent.
I put a smile on my face. “I’m better than I’ve been in a long time.”
His fingers continued to play over mine. His energies were more peaceful than I’d felt in a good while. I pushed it all aside. I didn’t want to deal with any of it. I still couldn’t hear the stars, and that hurt more than I dared admit. I needed peace and sanctuary. Instead, I was surrounded by chaos and pushy cubs.
I stood and walked indoors. I didn’t like him pushing, but I didn’t have the energy to drive him back, either. It was a delicate balance, and it was growing wearisome. I had a large slice of cake placed in my hand as I walked into the kitchen. I looked at Lee with confusion. I must have missed something. Ryan was still a little green, but he still managed to eat some cake. I had no idea where it’d come from, but Ark was in a good mood. I didn’t like the sense that I’d been pushed aside and kept out of pack plans, again. Happiness bubbled up through the room, though, and it was hard to remain grumpy and isolated when everyone around me was smiling. I wanted to feel as though I was more of a part of it.
“We have two days to prepare for the ritual. This will be a big one. The node they should be at next is one of the larger ones. That will mean they’ll require more blood, and the angels will be more determined, and stronger as they’ll be channeling some of that energy themselves,” Alex said over the other conversation.
I calmed myself and smiled at the image of the angel covered in his blood and the feeling of my blade deep between his ribs. He wouldn’t forget that any time soon.
“Thalia, you need to work with Dan to get the sigils on our blades, and double-check the ones Nik engraved into the guns in case they can be improved. It’s been demonstrated that we need to hold our own better against these angels,” he continued.
I simply nodded. Ark began a rant to himself about the angels and their use of the node, how abusing it and defiling it with broken blood magic was offensive. I placed my hand on his arm. I didn’t understand exactly how the web worked, but I knew it was sacred to him. I squeezed his arm and gave him a small smile, a silent promise that I wouldn’t let it slide. I may not have understood, but I wasn’t going to let the angels get away with it.
Everyone went quiet when Nik passed a metal carrying case to Lee who glanced at Alex. Alex gave him a small nod and smile, while Ark looked at me questioningly. I shrugged. I was as in the dark as he was.
Lee walked to Ryan and placed the carry case on the table in front of him. “You fucked up today, and we seriously considered not giving this to you because of that. However, you have come a long way, and we’re sure you’ve learned your lesson.”
Ryan looked up at Lee with worry written all over his face. Nik said, “Well, open it, you idiot!”
We had to laugh, and I was glad to feel the tension dissipate. It was clearly a happy moment, and the fact I hadn’t been explicitly invited didn’t matter. Ryan slowly opened the case and peered inside it as though something was going to leap out at him. His face lit up when he saw the gun. It was a smart-looking little thing—a nice, small, black polymer compact. I wasn’t familiar with the brand, but it was smart and Ryan clearly approved.
“That is a Witness Compact, and it’s yours. It’s different to the 9mm you’ve been training with, so you’re going to have to put the hours in to adjust to it. But, it’s accurate and lightweight, ideal for your position as a trainee assassin.”
Ryan practica
lly glowed with pride. His eyes welled up a little, but he contained himself. “Thank you. So much.”
I had to grin, his pride and joy was contagious. My shadow had just been given his first gun, and the pack was coming together.
“Nik will work with Thalia to engrave it with appropriate sigils, those that match your energies and skills. To really make it yours.”
He swallowed down his emotions and grinned. “Thank you so much, all of you.”
It was all news to me, but it was good to see him feeling a bit more part of the pack. Alcohol was passed around, and we all toasted to the pack as a whole. Things weren’t perfect, but they felt as though they were starting to come together. Yes, we had our problems but everyone was happy. They had forgiven Ryan for his foolishness. I glanced at Alex and wondered if they could forgive me for mine. We followed up the first toast with a thanks to Ark for his help, and Adam for good measure. They weren’t technically pack, but I still considered them such. They had helped us and were an integral part of our group. We’d protect them with our lives if we needed to. We were all feeling buoyed. The Sisters put an end to that. I cursed them loudly for the nerve to interrupt our joy and celebration.
“I don’t see what you’re all so happy about. You injured an angel after you were explicitly told not to harm them, and Alistair is still at large.” Her cold voice cut through the happiness like a butcher’s knife.
I pushed past Lee and Dan to square up to the insolent bitch. She may have been my maker, but I was tired of her shit. She looked down her aquiline nose at me. Her sister, the much more bearable one, stepped forward to put herself between us.
“What my sister means to say is, this is not a time for celebration. You went against your instructions, Thalia. They were not given for our amusement.”
I scoffed at the last sentence.
“The rituals are causing harm and, as your elf pointed out, growing in potency to cause further damage and harm.”
I felt Ark bristle at the 'your elf' comment. I ignored him with plans to soothe him once I was done tearing her throat out.
Seeing no reason to hold back, I spat, “And what exactly are you doing to help all of this? You sit on up there and preach, and command, and what? Weave? Why the fuck don’t you just weave a better tapestry? You’re the Wyrd Sisters, you are the ones weaving fate, and yet here you are, screwing up our fucking lives because you fucked it up.”
The bitch snarled at me. Her pretty facade was stripped back to show the grey monster that she really was. I felt some satisfaction at having pushed her so far.
“We made you, you insolent, arrogant, disrespectful little wretch. You have been nothing but trouble for us from the start.”
“Then why the fuck didn’t you let me die!?”
A stunned silence fell over everyone, and she returned to her usual highly manicured form. “Because we’re not done with you yet. Now be a good little bitch and do as you’re told. For a change.”
They vanished into the ether and I smirked to myself. I considered that a win.
Chapter Forty
A cacophony of shouts, growls, snarls and such filled the air the moment the Sisters vanished.
I took a deep breath and shouted, “Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
Alex was torn between giving me a dark look and smiling. It resulted in an odd smirk and slightly narrowed eyes. Ark was laughing at the shock the cubs displayed at how loud I could be when I wanted to be.
“Dan, get your ass in the quiet room, we’re going to finish up your work with sigils. Nik, pull together what tools you need to inscribe the sigils on everyone’s blades and Ryan’s gun. Lee, put Alex through his paces. He hasn’t fought anyone in a few hours, he’s probably getting rusty.”
Everyone laughed at my final comment, and I just grinned and marched into the quiet room. I pulled out the papers and the pen and quieted my mind in preparation for becoming a teacher. I had no patience for dealing with his level of learner. I much preferred dealing with the advanced students who didn’t need to be told every little scrap. He sat next to me and gave me an expectant smile while he leaned back in the chair with his usual calm arrogance.
I kept my face blank. “How did you get on with Lee?”
“I think we nailed it.”
“Show me.”
His eyes went a little wide, suggesting he wasn’t as confident as he liked to pretend, but that summed up his every waking moment. He took a deep breath and carefully designed two sigils on the paper. They weren’t how I would have approached it, but they worked. One used earth to strengthen the blade and force its way through the angels' air-based energies, and added in fire to combust the energies around the wound and sear its way into the toughened skin. It would mean that the blade actually made contact and could do some damage. A normal blade usually stopped dead or pinged off an angel’s skin or the energies just above their skin. It was infuriating to say the least. His other sigil made use of light from fire to refract some of the angels' energies away from the blade, thus allowing it access. I was mildly impressed.
“Well, that was nice and easy.”
“Why was I chosen?”
He’d caught me off guard, and that didn’t amuse me. I tilted my head and allowed the raven forward. I got the impression that I was missing something. Tension ran down his back, but his pupils were dilated and his tongue flicked out over his lips. He was playing a game. He bowed his head, but it remained tense, as did his hands. There was no relaxation and true submission or concern there. I cocked my head the other way and looked at his energies. They were smooth and calm, with flickers of dark red running through them. He was screwing with me. I didn’t like that.
I pushed him back against the arm of the chair by his collarbone and leaned in close over him pinning him down. Lee chose that moment to walk in. He had the worst timing. He looked between us. Dan flashed him a grin and his hand went to touch my thigh. I moved my hand up to his throat and growled.
“Dan, here, was just trying to screw with me.”
“He tried the wounded puppy act?”
I smirked. Dan looked genuinely wounded that time. Fire flickered around his energies.
“Control yourself and tell me what it is you want.”
He sighed and looked away, relaxing and genuinely submitting that time. I sat up, and Lee sat opposite him watching very closely.
“You’re the first woman I actually connect with and trust. You’re the only other tri-shifter I’ve ever met. I want respect and a full place in this pack.”
“You have a full place in this pack, and you’re earning respect. You’re very good with a gun, your energy work is the best out of you cubs, what more do you want?”
He seemed taken aback by my blunt words. I looked to Lee with an expression of, ‘Did I miss something?’
“He feels as though he’s falling for you.”
I raised an eyebrow at Dan who blushed a fierce red and glared at Lee. I swatted him around the back of the head. “Don’t glare at him, give me the honest truth.”
He held my eye contact with grim determination. “I don’t know what I feel. I’m confused, I see you hurt by Lee and Alex and I want to hold you and comfort you.”
“But I’m your alpha.”
“And I’ve never had an alpha before.”
Lee said in a calm tone, “What you’re feeling is perfectly natural and normal for someone in your position. You should feel protective over your alphas. Just remember that Thalia will never have romantic feelings for you.”
I didn’t appreciate Lee’s words clearly being aimed as much at me as at Dan, but I kept my face neutral.
I petted Dan on the head. “You’re making good progress, be proud. We’re happy to have you in our pack.”
He smiled and nodded.
“Now go show Nik those designs.”
“You’re using my designs?”
“I don’t see why I shouldn’t.”
He grinned and took them out to show Nik. “
Thank you.”
Lee simply smiled. He was more relaxed than I’d seen him in a good while. Pack life suited him. I couldn’t help wondering if it was his new closeness with Alex that was doing him so much good.
Chapter Forty-One
Nik had done a pretty good job engraving all of the blades and Ryan’s gun with the sigils. He’d struggled trying to imbue his with the appropriate energies, though, but had been calm and done his best to understand and learn when I helped him. Energy work wasn’t his focus or natural skill set, there was nothing wrong with that. We all crashed out in bed once they were done. Lee still hadn’t settled on a proper bed or place to call his own. Alex had gone to mention about staying in our room, but I vetoed it. It was weird enough having them getting along ok. Having them both sleeping in my sanctuary was an absolute no-go. Nik said he’d have no problem sharing with Ryan, so Ryan gave up his room for Lee. It sounded like chaos down there, but I was happy to have my nest back.
I carefully put on crisp, fresh bedding and took my time making the nest just so. Alex sat on his bed in just his boxers watching me with a smile on his face.
“I’d missed you doing that.”
I ignored him. I hadn’t forgiven him for everything and was in no mood to deal with his weird happiness. I settled down in my nest, shifted my jaguar tail and fell asleep feeling relaxed and content for a change.
Ryan had been eager to practise with his new gun the following morning. I sat and watched as Alex put him through his paces. He took to the gun quite quickly, which was good. His speed was a little slower than it had been with the 9mm, and it took him a bit to get used to the stronger kick, but he did well. He finished with a grin on his face.
Once they were done, Lee came out to join me and I poked him. “Spar with me.”
His eyes twinkled, and I growled, “Not like that.”
He grinned at me and offered me his hand to help me stand. I took it, but swiped his legs from under him before I ran off into the garden. His style was much closer to mine. Being a much smaller build than Alex, he depended more on speed and reflexes than sheer strength, and of course he had his feline grace and balance. I lost myself in the familiar game as we pushed each other to our limits. Lashing out, twisting, turning, ducking, and dodging. We knew each other so well that we barely managed to land any hits on each other, but I came out of it with a pleasant rush. It felt good to be pushed again and to see that my training had taken me back to a standard I was happy with. I’d spent too long on the run. I’d let everything languish. I was beginning to feel like a warrior and assassin again.