by Rebecca Main
Xander’s hand falls to my shoulder once more, and with it, that same relief and comfort, along with something else, a gentle urging through the bond to continue. I don’t acknowledge the silent order, the past already slipping readily from my mouth. The proverbial flood gates open.
“We learned of a recently transitioning wendigo through our network of Shadow Scouts. Since wendigo are much easier to eliminate in the early stages of their transition from human to wendigo, only one warrior needs to be sent to take care of the problem.” I take a shuddering breath, feeling my voice fill with thick emotion. “They didn’t tell me it was a little girl. And nothing can really prepare you for that, you know? For seeing something like that in person. That monsters can wear the faces of the truly innocent. When I found her, she was crying and scared.
“All I remember are those big crocodile tears and the way she was shaking. She didn’t understand what was happening to her. She couldn’t comprehend that this evil spirit was taking possession of her body or that soon her body would turn gaunt and frail to the point of emaciation. How her skin would stick to her bones and her eyes would sink into her unrecognizable head. That her body would turn to rot and she would become a monster. And I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill her. Not then anyway, even if it was the right thing to do.”
I’m barely cognizant of the tears spilling down my cheeks as my story goes on, only that the strength of the alpha’s touch seems to be the only thing keeping me grounded.
“It’s all right, Callie. You did do the right thing.”
I shake my head fervently. “But it wasn’t,” I tell him with a wet, hysterical laugh. “I hid her away, and when I went back to get her in two days’ time, she was gone. I found her by chance. She’d turned faster than I anticipated and had managed to trap a small congregation in a chapel as they met for Sunday mass. She killed them all. It was a slaughterhouse, Xander. She got away from me then too, but I found her. She was with a nest of three full-fledged wendigo, and I killed them all. I slaughtered them. The Council removed me from the Warriors and made me a Starlight Warden because they said no Stellar Warrior could have possibly taken on that many wendigo without housing a darkness inside them. Without being a Ripper at heart.”
He tugs me under his arm and into his side while I dash away my tears and take a few breaths to collect myself. “What’s a Ripper, Callie?”
“It’s what they call Stellar Warriors who carry the darkness inside of them. The ones who connect a little too closely with the creatures we kill. If you’re lucky, you’re exiled. Since my father holds a lot of weight on the Council, he was able to have me moved into a different order of the Wardens of Starlight. A lot of people didn't like that decision.”
“That’s a lot of pressure and stress to put on a person,” he comments lightly. “Did you ever have anyone to talk to about it?”
“We’re not really talkers or sharers,” I explain. “We’re not a lot of things.”
Xander gives me a little squeeze, and I’m reminded of how much these wolves rely on physical contact to connect with one another. That, and how much I’ve come to crave the contact and connection in so little time.
It’s turning out to be my undoing.
I pull away from Xander and place myself at arm’s length away from him, gazing into the crystal-clear water of the brook. “What? No comment?”
“I believe the reason you were able to do what you do, was with an enormous sense of guilt and anger. Both of which can drive a person to do nearly impossible things. Not because of some 'darkness' inside of you. Just pent-up human emotion that came out of an already violent outlet.”
My throat gives a betraying bob. “You don’t think I have a darkness inside of me?”
“Maybe you do.” Xander shrugs. “But maybe you don’t. Either way, those lessons you’ve decided to do with Keenan should help. He’s a good man. He’s smart and levelheaded, and I’m sure he’ll be able to help you.”
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea anymore,” I confess. We stay silent for a long moment, each lost in our thoughts before Xander breaks the silence between us.
“Listen, Callie, the reason I brought you out here was to explain to you why you saw Irina with the ring, as well as to try and mend the rift between you and Keenan.”
“I was curious about that particular detail," I confess. "Why not give the ring to the witches?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, assuming the stance of parent ready to lecture. I make sure to keep my listening ears on. “Irina is the fastest wolf in the pack. If trouble should arise, she’ll leave with the ring immediately. She’s practically as fast as a vampyré once she hits her stride. We didn't give the witches the ring because that's what they'll assume. That's where they'll go first, and Irina can slip away. Callie,” the threat of an order lingers in his tone, “tell me about the dagger we found on you.”
“I took a vow,” I manage to say, the hidden truth of the dagger poised at the back of my tongue. I swallow uncomfortably. “I can’t tell you that. Please don’t make me.”
“It will be all right, Callie. I don’t plan on telling anyone else; this will remain between you and me. Tell me about the blade.”
I suck in a hasty breath, a curl of helplessness settling in my stomach at the order I can't refuse. “It’s Vogart’s Blade, the Last of the Necromancers and Creator of the Vampyré. Lore has it that if the blade were to pierce the heart of a newly turned vampyré, it would change them back.”
I’m not sure how I expected Xander to react to the information, but it wasn’t with such stout silence. His shoulders seem to deflate from their rigid posture as the seconds pass, a look of remorse skirting his features.
“That’s why you wanted it the other day. You wanted to turn your friend back.” I nod my head. “But what if it didn’t work? You would have—”
“Killed her?" I whisper hollowly. "I know. It’s what she would want. It’s what she asked me to do yesterday.”
“And instead you let her feed on you?” The incredulity in his voice is hardly covered by his confusion.
I brush my hair behind my ear. “She needed help. She still needs help, and I think I can give that to her.”
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I’d like you to consider letting me pass the dagger into Irina’s protection. That way she can leave with both the ring and knife should things take a turn for the worse.”
“My family will still come,” I warn him. “And frankly, between all the other supernatural creatures knocking at your door, it’s them that you need to be worried about the most. When they come, these woods will be painted with blood.”
Xander frowns in thought. “Then I think it’s for the best of everyone if you make that call to your family today.”
Chapter 18
Too Little Too Late
Xander and I return to the manor shortly after our chat, parting ways when he heads toward the garage. He instructs me to use the phone in his office, and so I go there immediately. I don’t know many people’s number by heart. Those that I do I can count on one hand.
“Was it 5-3 or 5-2?” I mutter to myself as I stare dumbly at the phone in my hand. I punch in the former and wait with bated breath as the other line rings.
“Hello?”
Thank God.
“Noelle? It’s Callie.” I can hear her sharp intake of breath followed abruptly by the rush of air over the phone's mouthpiece, along with hurried footsteps. After a minute and some indiscriminate noises, she makes her reply.
“What the hell is going on, Callie? They sent a troop out to retrieve the artifacts and look for you and JJ. You’re in a lot of trouble. I shouldn’t even be talking to you right now. I just hid myself in a supply closet near the observatory for heaven’s sake.”
I sigh and slump against the large office desk. “Short version?”
“Yes, please. And I already know it was a trap, so skip that part. Naomi and Wyatt are back, but nobody kno
ws what happened to you or JJ. What happened to you guys?”
“JJ hid under the van and got left behind, and I used myself as bait to help the others escape. We were taken in, me by the wolves and JJ by the witches. But they sent him back, Noelle. The witches sent JJ back yesterday morning as a truce of sorts. An armistice.”
“And you were left behind?”
“Yes. With Vogart’s blade and the ring.”
Noelle curses under her breath. “So they have both of the artifacts?” I swallow tightly at the accusation.
“Yes,” I force out, “and you should know they sent JJ back with a fake ring. They told me they would send the ring as well to sweeten the deal, but it was a lie. I’m telling you because I don’t want JJ to take the blame for it. Will you help him if it comes to that? Vouch for him?”
“Christ, Callie,” Noelle says, taking her time to give me her response. “I will. I’ll help him, but on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Tell me… did you find her? Have you been able to help her?”
My throat tightens. “I found her. She’s in rough shape, but, Noelle, she’s okay. She’s strong, and she’s going to be okay.” A not-so-quiet sob drifts through the phone line, and I blink back my own tears. “I told her about our plan, but she’s having a tough time working her way around the vampyrés orders. I’m still going to try and save her, all right? I’m not giving up on her.”
“Thank you,” she says with a hiccup.
“Don’t thank me yet,” I joke.
Noelle lets out a weak laugh. “Anything else I should know?”
I let my mind run over the days I’ve been here. There is no way I’ll be telling her about the soulmark, and it doesn’t seem necessary to touch on Luna.
“You know about the crystal, right?”
“We overheard a conversation about a crystal, but Nova was the only one ever to spot it,” she admits. “It was too deep into their territory, and Nova seeing it was a miracle in and of itself. Why?”
“It’s called the Wielding Crystal of Dan Furth. Have you ever heard of it? It’s created this magical border around their territory that keeps other supernatural beings out of it.”
“Hmm, I don’t think I know what—oh no.”
“Noelle?” I stand up straight as I hear a small commotion in the background. There's a muffled voice, a squeal of protest, and then a door slamming shut.
Heavy panting resounds in the earpiece. “Calliope?”
Oh no. “Um… hi, Felicia.”
“What the fuck, Calliope. Explain. Now.” I relay an even shorter version of the story to Felicia, with plenty of apologies strewn throughout my words. “You’re an idiot,” she tells me savagely. “Stealing from the Wardens? Assisting the enemy? What has gotten into you, Callie? There’s no going back from those crimes, and make no mistake, they are crimes.”
“I know,” I tell her forlornly, “but I can’t change what I’ve done.”
“What you can do is get back those artifacts and intercept the Stellar Warriors before they reach you and rain hell upon that town and its inhabitants.” I feel a stone of dread hit the pit of my stomach.
“What do you mean 'rain hell’?” I rasp.
“It means that the artifacts aren’t the only thing the warriors are after. They’re out for blood after the latest slight, and no doubt they’ll go for that pretty crystal too,” she hisses back.
“Wait, wait! Slow down,” I beg. “What latest slight? And what do you know about the crystal?”
Felicia makes an impatient noise, one I became familiar with at the Banks Facility and know means she’s on her last nerve. “Another lycan attack. They killed a Council member, Callie. As for that crystal, well, it’s extremely powerful and currently in the hands of a very powerful coven. It’s messing with the balance of things, and they’ll either take it or destroy it.”
“But the crystal isn’t hurting anyone. It’s protecting people,” I reason weakly, horrified over the news. I can’t see Xander sending his wolves out to needlessly attack the Wardens, but the other pack might, especially if they’re still working with Vrana.
“It doesn’t matter, Callie.” She sighs. “It doesn’t matter because they’re gunning for the wolves regardless. Just keep out of trouble, all right? Make yourself scarce if you can. The Borealis Matter that’s running through your blood right now will last you a long while as long as you only tap into it sparingly.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” she scoffs. “Did I teach you nothing? Artifacts are routinely re-implanted with the Borealis on—”
“On a two to three-year basis,” I finish. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“I hate that you’re in such a scrape, kid,” she tells me, the aggravation still in her voice, “but I hate even more that I’m out an apprentice. You put me in a spot. So just follow my last advice and don’t interfere with the Wardens. Stay out of their way. They won’t go easy on you if they find you. And definitely, get away from those wolves and witches. You're going to get yourself killed if you don’t.” The comment makes me gulp.
“Felicia….”
She sighs over the phone. “Wyatt hasn’t exactly had anything kind to say about the scenario, and Naomi doesn’t have as much credibility as him.”
That dick. “Thanks for the heads-up, Felicia. I really appreciate it. And I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for putting you in this position.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she mutters. “I hope I don’t see your face around here anytime soon, Calliope.”
“Bye, Felicia,” I whisper back, hearing the line cut off before I even finish saying her name. “Damn,” I curse aloud, running my hands through my hair.
They’re coming. I knew it, but by her warning, it sounds as if they are already well on their way. They might even be here today, and if that’s the case, I have to do something. Innocent lives could be lost, I think gravely, human, wolf, and witch alike. I have to warn Xander. They’ll want to inflict pain upon their enemies, not knowing they’re probably being played by Vrana. Surely, he instructed the other pack to antagonize the Wardens, knowing they won’t discriminate against which wolf pack they go after.
I slam the phone down into its receiver and book it out of the study, only to run face-first into a broad chest.
“Omph!”
“Whoa, slow down there.” I take a step back and look up at Atticus. He shoots me a flirtatious smile. “What’s going on, warrior girl?”
“Now really isn’t the time, Atticus,” I say. “I have to get ahold of Xander or—”
“Me? I am the beta after all. What’s wrong?” The frown that forms on his face doesn’t suit him. “Callie, what’s wrong?” The order is subtle in his voice, but it’s still present.
“I think the Wardens are coming today. And they’re not just in it to get the relics back, Atticus. The other pack has been causing trouble up in Alaska, and they want to hurt the pack. It’s not going to be pretty. We have to do something. We have to warn the others that they’re coming.”
A litany of emotions flies over his face before he gives me a curt nod. “I’ll find Xander and send a message to Zoelle. See if you can’t find Ryatt or Keenan and let them know. They’ll know what to do.”