by Rebecca Main
“She’s right,” Xander comments, meeting my glower unflinchingly. “Not until Keenan’s marked her. For now, Calliope is a ward of the pack. Her position here will help to maintain a ceasefire of sorts with her people.” Everyone reacts a bit differently, but the tension does ease out of the air at the alpha's confidence.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I say begrudgingly. “Tell me about the crystal you have. The one that attracts the other supernatural creatures.”
“It’s called the Wielding Crystal of Dan Furth,” Zoelle says. “It’s an important artifact to my people and very powerful.”
“How powerful?”
She chews on her lip, eyes skirting over to Xander briefly before answering. “It acts as a booster of sorts. Radiating a supernatural energy that stimulates the growth of the products of the land. Like plants or already in place magical spells.”
“How exactly does it stimulate their growth?” I bite out.
“By enhancing their efficiency, potency, and power. Tenfold.”
I suck in a sharp breath, eyes going wide momentarily before I curb my reaction. “That’s… a lot of power for a bunch of witches and wolves to have.”
“It is,” Xander says seriously, spreading out a topographic map of the region onto the desk. “The crystal’s primary use is to keep a vengeful and rival pack out of our territory. They’ve proven that they’ll do whatever it takes to bring us misery, including siding with a very dangerous vampire.”
“Vampyré,” Keenan corrects absentmindedly. A short burst of pleasure unknots the nervous energy in my stomach at the casual comment, and I find my focus easier to keep.
“Don't forget siding with other witches or sorcerers,” I add a tad snidely.
Xander arches a brow, jaw ticking. “What do you mean?”
“The golems,” I continue, trying to find the area where we were attacked. “They’re magically animated beings made up of the earth; like rocks, mud, and sediments. Their sole purpose is to serve their master’s will. And even though their purpose that night was to follow the will of the vampyré, they were created by a witch or sorcerer—a powerful witch or sorcerer considering their numbers.”
The wolves look at me in obvious interest. There’s one trade secret down the drain, I think. Oddly, I don’t feel too uncomfortable in sharing the information. I’m more surprised and irritated they don’t know anything about golems considering they’re allied with witches. Do these wolves really know so little about their own supernatural community?
“Interesting,” Xander murmurs, finger pointing out on the map where we’re located. He draws an oblong shape with his finger to encircle the town and surrounding forest area. “We experience the majority of attacks from the western line. In the beginning, all we had to worry about were the Wselfwulf’s, now….”
“The crystal is drawing the attention of other supernatural creatures. The power calls to them,” I finish. “It doesn’t help that there’s a not-fairy in the picture.”
“A not-fairy?” Zoelle voices, eyebrows rising to her hairline. “What do you mean?” The eyes of the room fall to me again.
“We have hundreds of books on the origins and lore of supernatural creatures, as well as a collection of their strengths and weaknesses. And those books don’t say anything about fairies looking or behaving like that,” I tell her, mandating my voice and tone into something nonnegotiable. That woman—Luna—couldn’t be a fairy. It went against everything I learned in my training and growing up.
“But she says she’s a fairy,” Zoelle responds, the eyes of the pack returning to her. “Shouldn’t she know what she is?”
I shrug and examine the map, keeping an unaffected air. They asked for my expertise. They would get it. “Whatever she is, she isn’t from this world,” I continue coolly. “She carries her own source of power, one that may or may not be amplified by that crystal. There’s a good chance it isn’t just the crystal the other supernatural creatures are after, but her as well.” It’s a good guess at least. Otherworldly creatures typically house their own bundle of power inside of them unlike anything on Earth. Well, they do if my teachings are true. Assuming the crystal amplifies Luna’s power isn’t such a leap.
The group breaks into a swell of chatter, one that simmers down with a raise of Atticus’s hand. “That might be true, but that doesn’t change what we need from you: information. We need to know how to protect our people, and we count Luna as one of our own. She’s innocent in all of this—”
“Annoyingly so,” Irina mutters loudly enough under her breath for everyone to hear.
“—so whatever information you can tell us about these creatures. How to defeat them, their strengths and weaknesses, anything to push them back and give our people a rest. The Wselfwulf Pack isn’t just calling on the supernatural to join their bogus cause,” Atticus tells me. “Since they can’t cross the border—no supernatural can without receiving an express blessing from the Elder Triade—they’ve begun to bring high tech devices into play. Drones, in particular. They’re trying to take out the crystal, or the witches who stand guard over it.”
“So, technology, wolves, witches, sorcerers, vampyrés, and golems,” I list off with a sigh, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m impressed. What the hell did you do to piss off so many of your kind?”
“For your information, the vampyré problem is a recent development due to our witchy counterparts. The Wselfwulf animosity goes back several years when the pack initially split. They never really got over the slight,” Irina says with a haughty air.
“And lycans do love to hold their grudges.” Only the witch nods in affirmation to my comment. “What other creatures have you encountered?”
“We’ve had a few shape-shifters who didn’t know any better. Along with two creatures that looked similar. Both green, with large black eyes and mouths full of daggers,” Atticus explains. “One group comes straight out of the trees and has no visible ears. The others come crawling out of cracks in the ground, like some horror movie. Those cracks keep cropping up closer to our border. We’re getting anxious that one of these days the latter will figure out how to open up a crack on our side of the borderline.”
I stare at the map on the desk, my thoughts reeling at a hundred miles per second. I know the first creature, but the second… the second is what I know to be a fairy. Giving that answer will undoubtedly confuse the group and recircle the conversation back to fairies and not-fairies. A conversation I do not want to have.
“The first creature you mentioned sound like goblins. They’re otherworldly woodland creatures, ergo why they appear to come out of trees. They can sift through them. The second are imps, by Luna’s definition. Where have they appeared?”
Keenan leans over me, his finger pointing out several spots on the map along a hillside. I barely register the pattern he makes as his finger trails downward toward the town—toward the crystal—when his body presses up against my side. He runs hotter than the average human, and his body heat penetrates through my clothes. It’s… distracting.
“…and here,” he states in a low voice. My fingers itch to tuck my hair behind my ear as his breath passes through the strands, my concentration smarting as his scent hits my nose. Pine and frankincense. A hint of sweat.
I clear my throat subtly. “And the vampyré?” My heartbeat is already slightly elevated due to Keenan’s nearness, a fact I can’t deny to the wolves in front of me, but I can use it to my advantage. I’m eager to know if Nova or Vrana are setting their own pattern, but it’s not something I want to let them onto. I shift my weight and let my body bump into Keenan’s lightly.
“We've spotted him here and here. The first time at night. The second sighting during a bad storm,” he says, voice still pitched low. “The cloud coverage was enough for him to be out along with the thick canopy of the tree line.”
“Both spots are within a few klicks of your perimeter,” I mention, disguising my disappointment with my commentary. T
wo sightings positioned so far apart don’t leave me enough clues to suss out their possible whereabouts. “He’s never been spotted farther out?”
“We don’t venture far past our boundary line,” Keenan tells me, his voice taking on a semi-irritable tone. I turn my face to look at him, surprised to see a flash of ire directed the alpha’s way.
“Keenan,” the alpha’s voice dips with a warning, enough so that each wolf around the table straightens. I too find myself straightening and gazing at the imposing man at the end of the desk. Xander’s hands are placed on the table in two fists, knuckles edging on white.
“Why the hell aren’t you out there? Maybe if you showed some force or action all of these supernatural creatures would take a hint. Including the vampyré.” The wolves remain silent at my critique.
“Because,” Xander says, the hint of a growl in his voice, “this isn’t a game. Men and women are risking their lives out there—”
“And they will continue to do so until you beat your enemy. Once and for all.”
Xander clenches his jaw. “I can’t risk it.”
“You won’t risk it,” I correct him sharply, unafraid to needle the alpha with the harsh truth, “and because of your unwillingness to grow a pair, you’ll probably lose everything regardless. Stop pussyfooting around and stand your ground. Get them off your land. I thought you were wolves, not scared dogs.” My reprimand is not appreciated. The wolves stiffen in response, their alpha doubly so. Whatever, I think viciously, I never said my advice would be nice. Besides, seeing the alpha get so wound up feels like pure vindication for this entire situation.
“And if I do, I could lose everything. It’s a catch-22,” he snaps back viciously, slamming his fists on the table. “These are real people with real lives. Real jobs. Real families. I’m asking them to take time away from all of that to help guard our borders. To protect our allies while they provide extra protection to the crystal. I won’t ask them to risk their lives in a needless attack that could cost them their lives.”
I take a deep breath, rest my hands on the desk, and lean toward him. “I think you’re forgetting something.” Xander regards me with icy rage, and though it draws the hair on the back of my neck to attention, I keep my cool composure. “This town and the innocents who live here. Don’t you get it? You haven’t just aligned yourself with a coven, but this town as well. Honestly, I couldn’t give a damn if you lost every single wolf and witch in your campaign, but the real people of this town? They don’t deserve to be caught in the middle of this mess, and make no mistake, they are. If this war is personal between you and that other pack, what do you think they’ll do next? They’ve gone full 21st century on you now with drones. They’ve joined forces with other supernaturals. If they can’t get to you, who do you think they’ll go for next? Your neighbors. Your colleagues. Your friends. So man up,” I continue passionately. “Every war has casualties, Xander.”
Xander snarls and launches himself away from the table in a few angry strides. It brings far more satisfaction than it should knowing I’ve gotten under his skin, but it lessens when Zoelle watches on anxiously before rushing over to him. She places a comforting hand upon his back, and he leans into the touch, head bowing toward hers. I avert my gaze, the moment turned terribly intimate. Even the wolves around the table shift uncomfortably.
“Down, girl,” Atticus rumbles quietly from my side.
“What have you been doing so far to manage the attacks?” I ask with a ragged sigh and turning back to Keenan. My nose nearly bumps into his chest, and I startle back, nose twitching in agitation at the near slight. “Excuse you,” I mumble.
He offers me a quick smirk before he replies. “We’ve been attacking from a defensive position.”
“Keenan is our resident military man,” Ryatt interjects. “He’s got a good head for strategy and tactics, and advises us on our movements.”
“Is that so?” I ask mockingly. Keenan gives a short grunt of acknowledgment in response. “If he’s so good, then why are you still taking a defensive position? You’re wolves, up your game. Go after these guys and take them down.”
“I’ve advocated for a different method,” he responds.
I snort. “Hopefully one that isn’t so passive.”
Keenan leans into me. His body presses flush against mine once more as he bends his mouth to my ear. “I wouldn’t call it passive at all.” A shiver falls down my spine at his words, but I refuse to peel back even an inch and give him ground. He pulls away slowly, but the impression of him lingers as he inches back.
“Oh honestly.” Irina makes a gagging noise and looks sullenly toward the alpha who is still in deep conversation with the witch. “Get a room you two.”
“They have rooms,” Ryatt counters. “They’re just separate.”
Irina turns a quizzical brow toward us. “How dull,” she replies.
I roll my eyes at the unsolicited opinion and glance at Keenan. “What exactly are your thoughts on new tactics and dealing with all of the supernatural creatures creeping about?” And how might they affect my quest to track down Nova?
“We’ve stuck faithfully to a defensive position,” he answers, voice stronger than before as he addresses the room, “which is why a feigned retreat would suit our needs perfectly.”
I pass Keenan a somewhat impressed look. “Have your frontal force fake a retreat,” I murmur, mulling over the idea. “Draw out your opponents in the pursuit then launch a second assault with an even stronger force that’s held in reserve. It’s not a bad plan. I guess.” Keenan rolls his eyes at my blasé tone. “But you’ll need to do some reconnaissance to find where your enemy is holding out in the first place. You know, venture out past your territory.”
“I’m aware,” he grunts. “We’ve got our own set of drones arriving tomorrow.”
The regard of the wolves is slightly unsettling. Their piercing gazes drill into me as I speak with Keenan. It makes me feel self-conscious of the advice I give. Am I saying too much? Am I overstepping my position? Probably both. Why do I even care?
“That’s great and all,” I say, after a long moment’s silence, making sure to cast a speculative look toward Xander, “but you’re not going to get to use Mr. Military over here unless the leader of the pack gets his head out of his ass.”
The wolves seem startled at my use of language, at least Kevin and Micah do. Atticus, Irina, and Ryatt wear matching grins. Xander turns a scathing glare my way, and the room quickly reverts back to its earlier tension, the alpha's displeasure once more rolling through the room by the wolves’ rigid postures. Keenan’s hand spans itself across my middle back, startling me momentarily. The steady connection provides an odd amount of comfort, a settling of my frazzled energy. I don’t know whether to attribute it to the soulmark, or the fact that I am unused to such casual contact.
“Listen,” I plead, “you’re about to have way more trouble than a bunch of vindictive wolves and pesky gremlin knockoffs. The Wardens will come.” Xander and Zoelle make their way back toward the desk, the group adjusting to their presence once more. Atticus moves to stand by his alpha’s side, but the reassuring presence of the beta does little to lessen Xander’s glower. “We sent out three, then sent out four. Now you have two of us under your roof and our relic still in your possession. They’re going to come full force, and that magical border of yours? It’s not going to keep them out. We’re not supernatural.”
“Xander…” Zoelle’s grip tightens around the arm she holds in her grasp, “maybe we should do what they’re suggesting.”
A pained expression crosses the alpha’s face. A visible tremor courses through his body that seems to echo over each wolf. “You’re sure they’re coming?” he asks through gritted teeth.
I nod dumbly at the look of helplessness beseeching me through his eyes. “They will come. They won’t stop until they have what’s theirs. If all is returned, then at least you won’t have the vampyré to deal with anymore.”
�
�Well, it looks like our little supernatural poacher is proving her worth, brother,” Ryatt comments, eyeing me slyly out of the corner of his eyes.