Grey, my large, gray wolf familiar, came bounding up the stairs when I opened the door and I bent down to give her a hug. "Why were you down there?"
Because you shut the door when you two went back to bed. I figured you wanted privacy. Grey often spoke to me telepathically—that was the only way I could explain it. She was something more than just my familiar. She was my mom. Had been. Before Medbh turned her into a Hunt animal.
"Wait…Crwys and I went back to bed? I don't even remember him coming home last night."
That's odd. He came in and went to the basement. You got up and went down there. I stayed in the kitchen while you led him back up the steps and closed the door.
I blinked down at her beautiful eyes. "I have no memory of that. None."
Sleep walking?
"Is that possible?"
Grey snorted. These days, I'll believe anything. She turned and lumbered back down the steps, then looked up at me when she reached the bottom. Kyle's here. He wants to speak to you in your office.
Oh. Really? If Kyle wanted an office meeting with me it couldn't be good. I continued down the steps and started the coffee before shuffling into my office. It was a room on the other side of the break room. I lived in the apartment above the shop.
He was there all right, sitting at my desk, going through the papers stacked there. "What's up?"
"Lift up your shirt."
I gave him an odd look. "You don't swing that way."
"No, but I spent a long while on the phone with Arden last night."
Oh. Crap. "She told you."
He got up out of my chair. "I need to see it, Sam."
I dutifully lifted my shirt; happy I'd thought to put on a bra. Not that exposing myself would really bother Kyle Kendrick in the least. He played for the opposing team.
To my surprise, he grabbed a small bag off the desk, opened it, and flung what looked like oregano at my chest. Most of it stuck on the depressed hole, which was just gross. "What the hell?"
He didn't answer, just leaned in to look at my chest, above the breasts. Then he blew on the small little pieces of leaves. They all ignited at once like tiny burning pieces of paper and floated away. The little group of them reminded me of baby spiders leaving the nest as they flew off into the farthest corner of my office.
"Arden was right. It's gone."
I lowered my shirt. "You mean the Arcane."
"Yeah. It's not there. There's a residual in your body, but most of it is just gone. You were right. That was your mark."
"Got any idea who stole it?"
Now he focused on me. "You don't remember?"
"No. I didn't even realize it was gone till yesterday when I tried to use it on Arden." I waved at him dismissively when his eyes bugged out and he started to say something. "Drop it. Long story. And if she didn't tell you, I'm not going to bother." I moved around him to my chair and sat down. I could smell coffee coming through the door. That should get Crwys out of bed.
Kyle turned and looked down at me. "You're taking this with very un-Sam-like calm."
"Oh, I'm not calm at all. But just to be clear," I pointed at the ceiling. "Getting that man back was the most important thing to me. Arcane helped me do it, and if it's gone, that's just fine. As long as I keep Crwys."
"It's really not that simple." Kyle leaned against my desk. "I'm pretty sure Cromwell's not going to be happy when you see him today. Arden's already on the phone with him, I'd bet."
"See him today? Why would I see him today?"
"You start your training today." His expression clouded, and I thought for a second he was trying really hard not to be mad.
"Kyle—"
"I know. Arden explained it all to me since you seem to think Ivan and I are too weak to be kept in the loop."
"What loop?"
"Any loop." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You've been keeping us at a distance ever since you got infected, Sam. The excuse that you want to protect us can only go so far. I'm tired of it. Ivan's tired of it."
"Ivan's missing."
"No. He's not. I know exactly where he is, and where Dharma is."
I stood up. "Where?"
"Sucks doesn't it? Not being kept in the loop." He moved back and walked around the other side of the desk, putting it between us.
I couldn't help but think it was symbolic. "Kyle, I haven't purposefully kept you out of any loop."
"That's crap, Sam. You start trusting us to help you like a coven leader is supposed to or he and I are going elsewhere."
In all the years Kyle had been with me, I'd never heard him threaten me before. It felt as if he'd shoved a stake through my heart. I stared at the screen and noticed it was on—not the screen saver—but the usual desktop. And there was a chat window open with a mic symbol on it. The symbol wasn't crossed out which meant the mic was on and someone was listening in. "You mean it too, Ivan?" I didn't know if he was really there, but it just seemed like he was. "You'll leave me?"
The cursor typed out, I think Kyle's being a bit melodramatic, but he's on the right track. You have to include us, Sam. We're a team, aren't we?
"Then where are you?"
I can't say yet, but when I can, I will. :)
I put my hands on my face and rubbed them up and down. I had teared up a little and didn't want Kyle to see. "So," I finally said and leaned back. "What do you want to know?"
"We're pretty much up to speed with you. Now that we know about the scar and about you being a Cleric. And Arden explained why. You have to master Spirit."
I nodded.
"Hey! Anyone here?" Levi's voice rang out in the break room.
"Office!" I shouted to him.
He stuck his head in the door. Levi was a beautiful man, with mocha skin, soft hair, golden eyes and one hell of a smile. The fact he dressed classy didn't hurt. He reminded me of the actor Michael Ealy—if not better looking. "Crwys not here?"
Jack came into my office as well and stood by Kyle. Jack was a nice looking guy, with dark hair and blue eyes. We'd originally met him when he came in to see if we were cyber criminals.
"He's asleep. I made coffee. Go on upstairs."
He nodded and disappeared from the door. I could hear him in the kitchen, then his footsteps on the stairs.
I looked at Kyle. "So when's my meeting with Cromwell?"
"Later this morning. I think it's around noon. They'll send a Cleric to bring you." He moved away from the desk before he slipped a hand in Jack's. "I suggest you work hard, Sam."
"I will. I was mastering Spirit before I was infected with Arcane, so I'll do it again. Can you and Jack mind the store?"
"I can. Jack has a pack meeting."
There was something weird in the way he said that. And mentioning the pack made me think of Ben, and of Bastien. I looked at Jack. "Hey, what's up with Bastien? Why was Ben at the Tribunal and not him?"
Jack suddenly looked nervous as he glanced at Kyle. "Bastien's been MIA for a few weeks. Actually, since he returned with you."
Me? "What do you mean MIA? He's really missing?"
"He's there, but he's not living in the compound den. He's got his own place out in the bayou. Some cabin the Witch Queen is letting him use. He's staying there."
None of this sounded good. "Why?"
Again, Jack looked worried and Kyle put his hand on his lover's shoulder. Jack took in a deep breath. "Bastien's position as Alpha is being questioned. Since his return…he hasn't shifted. Not to hunt, not even to settle minor arguments. He's made Ben his Beta and ordered him to take care of things."
"Hasn't shifted?" Now I was on my feet. "What does that mean? Is he not a Lycan anymore?"
"We're not sure. I just know that there's a faction in the Aces that have always disliked Bastien. They've been vying for dominance for a while. Ben and some of the others have advised Bastien for years to turn them out—but the Aces are the only viable pack for miles."
"But if this faction takes over lead—"
"Then th
ings could get ugly. The wolf's name is Court, and he's called a war council."
"That," I said as I stepped closer. "Doesn't sound good."
"It's not. If Bastien doesn't shift by the next full moon, they're going to challenge him on that night."
Uh oh. If Bastien doesn't shift and he's attacked by fully changed Lycans, he could get killed. "Why the hell isn't he shifting?"
Jack turned bright red.
"Spit it out." I glared at him.
"There's a rumor it's because he's got a broken heart. That…that he professed his love for you, and you rejected him…for a human."
None of the other wolves knew what Crwys was, so to them, he would appear as a human. Only Bastien had guessed at the man's true nature and form.
"Screw that. Jack, you're coming with me."
"Coming with…what?"
I moved past them out the door to the kitchen. Luckily, I'd left my purse, keys and a pair of old sneakers there. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I'd been tired last night and sort of just dropped everything when I came in. Once I had my keys in my hand, I turned to face the two of them standing by the large break room table. "Let's go! You're taking me to Bastien."
"That's really not a good idea…" Jack started.
"There's no arguing with her," Kyle said as he smirked. "See that look. I'm coming too, Sam. I'll make sure the place is locked and tell Levi to go out the back."
I didn't wait for them and headed out the back to crank my Jeep. If this rumor was true and Bastien was refusing to shift because of some stupid wolf heart and love thing, I was going to kick that big red wolf's ass myself.
NINE
CRWYS & SAMANTHA
Levi managed to get Crwys out of bed and into the shower with a cup of black coffee. But it wasn't easy.
"Bro, what is wrong with you?" Levi said from the bathroom door as Crwys stood under the hot water and let it singe his skin. Not that heat had any real effect on him. "I can't ever remember you dragging around like this. Are you sick? Is it possible for your kind to get the flu?"
"I've never had anything. Never caught the plague or even a cold. And I'm getting worried." He towel dried before getting out of the shower. Levi threw clothes at him and he dressed as he meandered around Sam's apartment. He'd made plans to sell Ina's house and buy Sam one of her own. Make her a garden of herbs. Give her the things she deserved to have.
Well, except the one thing he couldn't.
Or shouldn't. But so far, she'd never mentioned starting a family and he could work with that.
"Hey, stop daydreaming."
He looked at Levi. Crwys didn't realize he was standing on the veranda dressed in his jeans looking out at the morning. "This is bad, Levi. I don't remember walking out here."
"It's not like there's a Drachen doctor we can take you to and find out what's wrong." Levi leaned against the edge of one of the sofas. "Come in and get dressed. We have a shit load of murders to solve. They found another house about six miles from the first one."
"The smell again?"
"Yeah. We're having a little trouble running down the owner. It's tied to some shell company."
"Same number of bodies?"
"Fewer. But same arrangement. You tell Sam about this case?"
"No. I haven't really seen her." He looked around. "Have you?"
"Yeah, she was in her office with Kyle and Jack earlier. Kyle just came upstairs and said they weren't opening the shop and to leave out the back."
"Where were they going?"
"Didn't say."
Crwys pulled on a t-shirt, his holster and boots and then checked his weapon before he slipped it into place. Once he had his jacket and wallet he followed Levi downstairs and stopped at the bottom of the steps. To the right and behind him were the stairs into the basement.
He saw a brick wall in his mind. Black eyes and sharp teeth. Blood on his hands.
"Crwys?"
"Sorry." Crwys winced as a sharp pain pierced him between his eyes and he pressed the base of his palm into the crook of his nose. That pain was happening too often and it was lasting longer every time.
He ran back upstairs, took a few aspirin, and then grabbed the whole bottle before joining Levi downstairs. He glanced back at the break room before he followed Levi out the door.
* * *
SAMANTHA
I knew where this cabin was. Kyle and I had performed a ritual out there about this time last year when a friend of mine had been possessed by a Djinn. It was the first time I'd summoned Brendi, not having any idea she'd become a Faerie and took the role as Obsidian Queen. I'd made a deal with her then. The Djinn's real name for the exchange of someone she wanted. I'd made the deal, just like Arden had made her deal.
But where Arden fulfilled hers, I wrenched and twisted mine until it was barely recognizable and managed to get out of it. I wasn't going to hand over someone I knew to the Faeries. And given what I'd seen her do to Crwys, I was glad I'd reneged no matter what kind of reputation that gave me in the realm of Alfheim.
The cabin sat on Arden's land, but the creek that ran past it was a vague enough marker to separate her land from that given to the Aces. There was lots water and lots of mosquitoes. The prehistoric kind that could lift you up and cart you off. These suckers were the original Vampires as far as I was concerned.
I parked the Jeep as close as I could take it before we walked the path to the cabin. I walked out ahead of Jack and Kyle as they talked softly to each other. I hadn't asked any more questions on the drive out, but now something came to me that I probably should have asked about earlier.
"Kyle, you know of any Faeries that steal souls? Any that might have blue Arcane?"
"Soul stealers? Blue Arcane?" Kyle answered and I slowed my pace to walk beside them. "I don't know anything about blue Arcane—I don't really know why Arcane shows up red or why some see it as a nest of worms and others, like you, see it as glitter. As for a soul-stealing Faerie…there's the Cait Sith, but they don't really steal souls. It's just a myth. There might be something in the lore, but I'd have to look it up."
"Look for something that looks like a Viking. Tall, all muscles and blond. White robes."
Jack laughed. "Is this someone you met?"
"This the whatever it is you fought with last night?" Kyle looked at me sideways. "Before you fought with my aunt?"
"Yeah. The thing broke in after I stepped inside. It seemed pretty put out that Ivan wasn't there and decided my soul was worth saving."
"Did it try to steal your soul?" Jack asked.
I stopped and looked at the two of them. I'd forgotten all about that jerk putting his hand on my chest. Was it possible that when he tried to take my soul, he'd taken my Arcane instead?
I pursed my lips as I batted at mosquitoes on my arms. I drew a little pentagram in the air, colored it yellow and electrified the air around me. There, now I was a magical bug zapper. And just to prove my magic, a few brzzts chimed in for good measure.
"Sam?" Kyle said. "Remember what I said about keeping us in the loop?"
I told them what happened at Ivan's and added in the theft of my Arcane. And there was that really weird blue sparkling magic…
"Sweet Lady," Kyle said. "I've never heard of blue Arcane. Might not even be a Faerie."
That was something else I'd considered as well. But I wanted to rule out the simple stuff first.
"Chérie," came a very familiar voice ahead of us in the woods. "This is no good for you."
Bastien. All three of us stopped and I spotted the tall, broad-shouldered redhead to the right of us, just inside a stand of trees. He made camouflage look good, but nothing was going to hide that hair color in the green swamp.
"We have to talk," I said to him and stood my ground. "Can we do that?"
"No. You have to go. Dangerous here."
His stilted talk surprised me. Usually his accent and speech reflected his Acadian heritage. "Bastien, I'm not leaving until you and I have a private chat."
He sighed. I could hear it from where I stood. "Oui. Bring the Witch and tayeau. I know you, chérie. You won't leave until you have what you wish." He turned and disappeared into the woods.
"I am not a hound," Jack muttered as they followed me in the direction Bastien disappeared.
In a few minutes, we stepped out into the clearing beside the cabin. If one could even call it a clearing. There wasn't much cleared, except the circle area to the left where a Cairn rested. Odd that Bastien would take up residence so close to a doorway back to Alfheim. It could just be a coincidence since this was where the cabin was. Was this another of Arden's means of apologizing? Showing gracious manners to the Alpha wolf?
The closer I got to the cabin, the more nervous I became at seeing Bastien. It'd been over a month since he'd helped me free Crwys.
Bastien and I had met when he'd bitten me, flooding my system with his venom. Being a perigee, he had the ability to make a Lycan. He also had the ability to stop the transformation, which he used as leverage to make sure I helped him find his missing pack mates.
He swore the venom was long gone, but I couldn't stop the longing I felt when I was near him sometimes. I liked Bastien. He was sexy and handsome and he was all male. But he was also a wolf and a killer and…
He really had tried to profess his love me for me, seconds before Blackwood had attacked and killed the Boggarts. So part of the rumor was true. But as for whether or not my rejection took away his ability to shift—I wasn't really feeling it.
Bastien went inside and left the cabin door open. I turned to Jack and Kyle.
Kyle held up his hand. "I know. We'll stay outside."
"But we can't stay here long," Jack said. "I'm supposed to be at that—" He glanced at the door. I could tell he wasn't sure if Bastien knew about the meeting to decide his continued place as Alpha and if he didn't, the young Lycan didn't want to betray confidences.
"I know. If I run long with Bastien," I handed Kyle my keys. "Get Jack to where he needs to be and come back." I smiled at him and then stepped inside.
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