Liam shook his head. “You said you didn’t want to be a part of my business, remember. You should go back to the compound.”
Seamus stood up and heaved a sigh. “She actually does make a point.”
The alpha heaved an exasperated sigh. “You are the one who just said she shouldn’t be here.”
“I know, but you have to admit it would make sense if it’s McGregor that is sending a psychic after you. You know how bad his clan wants to take control of this territory.”
Liam nodded and waved toward the door. “Bring him in, but if things start to get out of hand then you have to swear that you will get her out of here before she sees anything traumatic.” Before Seamus could respond Liam roared his command, “Swear it!”
“I swear it.”
Liam brought the full level of his gaze upon her, she felt herself shrink back a bit hoping the couch would swallow her whole. “Reagan, you have to swear that if I tell you to go with Seamus you’ll obey. I can't be more clear on this. You must swear it and you will take a pack oath.”
“Okay.” Her voice shook as she licked her dry lips. “But—”
“No buts, you will swear it on blood and honor that you will do this, and if you disobey me, you will have to face punishment in front of the pack. I don't want to do that to you, please don't force my hand.”
She looked at Seamus who nodded for her to agree. When she finally managed to meek out a cowardly yes Seamus left the room. “Are you going to hurt this man?”
“Wolf. Not a man, remember that.”
“Fine.” She settled back into her seat. “Are you going to hurt this werewolf.”
“I won’t do anything that isn’t provoked.”
Before she could reply to his vague comment the door opened and a large man dressed in work boots, bloodied jeans, and a flannel shirt pushed past Seamus and approached Liam’s desk. He hadn’t even come to a standstill when his head snapped to the side and he barked at her, “Bitches aren’t allowed at meetings.”
Reagan pushed off the couch but Seamus was at her side and roughly pushed her back down. “She is a witness to this meeting. She stays.” Seamus responded.
“You are the fucking witness, O’Hare.” the man took a deep inhale and snarled, “A witch?” He shrugged and stepped towards Liam’s desk, “This is business, now, kick the bitch out. Liam can go back to banging the witch when we’re finished.”
Seamus tensed but it was Liam who spoke. “You will show some respect to my witness, she stays or this meeting is off. Now sit the fuck down and say what you came to say or I’ll have a new hide to hang over my fireplace.”
The man snarled and looked confused as to what the fuss about her staying was all about. He didn’t bother sitting, instead he took something out of his pocket and tossed it on the table. His next words sent ice through Reagan’s veins. “Told you the bitch should leave.”
The next several seconds were a blur. Something hard hit her from the side. She expected to hit the floor but instead she felt someone pushing her. Her mind couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Whoever was pushing her was heading straight for the window. To the side, she could see Liam. Eyes wide and watching her. He was yelling something, but a thunderous explosion deafened and left her ears ringing. Her body collided with the window pane, and for something that seemed to break upon impact it felt like she’d just been hurled into a brick wall. Reagan’s body was a raging contradiction of sensations as flames licked at her legs and the cold autumn wind hit her as she broke through the glass. The pain was blinding and she thrashed in the air in a panicked effort to stop the fire from searing her skin. Then the ground came rushing into view and everything went dark.
CHAPTER FIVE
The soft sound of music played and voices whispered from somewhere nearby but the bed was warm and Reagan had no intention of moving since every inch of her body ached. As she came to, she heard Kat and another female talking. Reluctantly she pried her eyes open and tried to sit up.
Strong hands pushed her back down and Kat barked. “Don’t move.” Reagan almost laughed at how much she sounded like her brother at that moment, but the tone was soured by something deeper. There was fear in her voice that made Reagan’s stomach churn.
Reagan’s eyes widened with panic. “Why? What happened? Where am I?”
She clawed at the blankets in a frenzy to get up and get some answers, but Kat pinned her to the bed. “I said don’t move, you’re hurt.”
The other woman’s voice was soft and lilting. “Katriona, you’re scaring her. Let her sit up; she’s almost healed.”
“I don’t want—”
“She’ll be fine, let her be.”
Reagan was grateful to have someone around to defend her even though she wasn’t sure what had happened. As she sat up the woman came around and sat on the edge of the bed with a bowl of water. Rose petals and lavender floated in the bowl and Reagan could feel the crackle of energy in the air. As a psychic, she didn’t have much contact with other witches, especially since all of her training came from her father and the Agency, but she could spot one of her own even with her limited knowledge. The woman smiled and bowed her head. “Good morning, sister. My name is Celeste; I am the pack’s healer. How are you feeling?”
Reagan crinkled up her nose. It made sense that the pack would have a healer, but why hadn’t Liam mentioned her? Shaking the thought from her head, she answered, “Achy, all over. What the hell happened?”
Kat shifted in her chair. “You were attacked. The McGregor’s have broken our treaty, they’ve just declared all-out war.”
“War over what? A construction company?”
“Territory and power.” Kat clarified.
The other woman dabbed at Reagan’s forehead. “The wolves value territory more than almost anything.” Kat cleared her throat and the witch amended her statement, “Second only to their pack. You were in an explosion. Do you remember anything?”
“How long have I been out?”
“Just over a day,” Kat growled.
Reagan let out a low whistle in amazement but Kat winced and shook her head. Reagan stared at her. “Did that just hurt you?”
“I wouldn’t say hurt, but it definitely gets my attention.” She paused, “Like nails on a chalkboard.”
“Oh, right.” She gave a slight smile. It was a little victory, but at least she knew now how best to annoy a wolf if she ever needed to. “I’ll try to remember not to do that.” The witch was looking at her, still waiting for an answer but there was nothing Reagan could remember that seemed of any importance. “I just remember sitting in the office. A scruffy looking man came in and said I had to leave. Whatever he wanted to say it must have just been for Liam and—” She clamped her hand over her mouth, “Seamus… I think I remember him pushing me. Did he push me through a window? Is he okay?”
Kat murmured, “Seamus will heal, there’s not much we can do for him until the full moon, he took the majority of the blast.”
Reality started to sink in. “Seamus saved me?” Frantic for answers she threw back the covers to hop out of bed, but she crumbled to the ground when she tried to take a step. The memories flooded her; the meeting, the panic. One person was missing from this scenario. She whipped her head around. “Where’s Liam?”
Kat yelled, “Damn it. I told you not to move.”
“Where is he, Kat? Where is Liam? How bad is he hurt? Why isn’t he here?”
Celeste laid a hand over Reagan’s and gave her a soft pat and turned toward Kat who’d gone unusually quiet. “Could you give us a moment, Katriona?” Kat quickly nodded and hurried out of the room. Reagan had fully noticed how the color had drained from the she-wolf’s face when she’d demanded to know where Liam was. Her stomach knotted up tight like it did when someone was about to break some bad news. The witch helped Reagan onto the bed and sat back down. Her voice was calm but the tone was warning. “You will stay in bed, sister. You can’t leave until you’ve finished healing.” Rea
gan opened her mouth but the other woman held up a finger. "The alpha is missing. His body hasn't been found. Like Katriona said, Seamus is injured but he will heal with the full moon."
"Why haven't they found Liam? It's been a day." She interrupted.
“The human police and The Agency have made recovery efforts difficult. They kept the scene cordoned off. Part of the building collapsed in the explosion, the wolves progress in digging it all out has been delayed due to snow, but they are working as fast as they can. In the meantime, Kat is in charge of the pack until they find Liam."
"And Liam will be okay?" The witch didn't say a word and Reagan clenched her fists. "He will be okay, they'll find him, and he'll take care of his pack, right?"
"If Liam is found and if he can heal from whatever injuries he may have then yes, he will go back to leading his pack. Right now the pack is in limbo. Kat can’t lead for long, females aren’t allowed." Reagan wrinkled her nose at the idea of females not being allowed to lead. It was archaic and backward. The witch seemed to understand Reagan's issue and added. "We understand the value of a female mind, but the wolves have always been a patriarchy. Females can be advisors to the Alpha, sometimes even Beta, but they are never alphas because alphas are who lead their armies into battle. Wolves are protective of their females, while they don’t hold the political pull that a male does, the pack does genuinely value their women. And they don’t want to lose their mothers, daughters, and sisters in a war. Even a male oriented system like a wolf pack know the importance of the strong yet nurturing nature of females. Yes, it's barbaric, but that is how their caste system works, and as outsiders, we have no say in how they run their families, their clans, or their territories."
"You don't seem like much of an outsider to me. Kat listened to you."
"I've been the O'Conner's healer since the turn of the last century. I am very close to their father; I advise him on business and other matters. I am trusted, but it took several long decades to get to this point with them."
Reagan noted the words the witch had said. "You advise him? How did you get that position?”
The witch stiffened. "I'm afraid I don't know you well enough to answer that, sister.”
"Sorry," Reagan murmured.
"Don't worry about it. Now back to what you remember. Tell me again."
Reagan frowned. "Just that, the man came in, he kept saying "the bitch needs to leave" but Seamus and Liam told him that I was their witness and that I had to stay or the meeting was off." She paused. "Well actually, Liam said something like ‘say what you have to say or I’ll have a new hide to hang over my fireplace.’ Then the man tossed something on Liam's desk and said, ‘I told you the bitch should leave.’ Next thing I know Liam is yelling and something hit me hard. I'm guessing that was Seamus, and then I went through the window. There was fire, and pain, and then everything went black."
The witch nodded. "Most of your clothing burned up in the explosion but Seamus did protect you. I've healed your burns, but unfortunately there was some scarring. I apologize. If we'd gotten to you sooner it might not have been so bad."
"Not been so bad?"
"It's not terrible, Reagan. It's just--" She paused and reached into a large bag on the floor pulling out a silver hand mirror. "The scars on your face and hands are from the glass. They are faint, not very noticeable."
Reagan looked at herself in the mirror. One long silvery scar ran over the right side of her forehead and her right temple. She swallowed hard, the full weight of what she'd survived was sinking in. Her gaze dropped to her hands and forearms. An array of small scars covered the back of her hand and down to her elbows. She'd survived something terrible, and this was her reminder. As she laid her hands in her lap, she looked back up to see the look of deep concern on the witch's face. "What else?"
"You do have some burn scars on your back. At some point, Seamus must have had to move and you took a licking on your back. But again, you are healed."
"I tried to walk and fell down, how am I healed?"
"Your body is tired. You need to rest."
"I need to find Liam."
"You can’t go out looking for him."
"I can find him."
"Yes, but can you heal him?"
Reagan's nostrils flared. The witch had hit her where it hurt the most. She couldn't heal him, not without some training and a bit of help. She might be able to use a spell, but the Agency didn't permit her to own a book of shadows since the only magic they wanted her to have access to was mind bending. “Fair enough, but I’d like to help him, which means I need your help."
A smile curved on the witch's mouth. "I thought you'd never ask."
Reagan smiled back. "I need supplies. Heather and lavender, some sage, and," she looked around the room, "I don't have a book of shadows."
Celeste nodded. "The Agency really did control you, didn't they? It’s a shame I couldn't find you sooner."
Those were strange words, but since Reagan wasn't accustomed to witches in general, she'd chalk it up to nothing more than words. "Can you get me those things?"
"A witch always comes prepared." She pulled out a bundle and placed it on Reagan's lap, and after some digging in her bag she produced a heavy looking grimoire of spells that looked to be hundreds of years old. Reagan might not know much, but she did know that books like this were passed down through covens, from mother to daughter, father to son. "I can't take yours; it's personal. All I need is a simple one, for new initiates."
"This is coven tradition, we gift our books to our younger generation. You need training, Reagan, my coven can offer you that. I’d like it if you’d become part of my coven.”
"Part of your coven?"
Celeste patted Reagan’s hand. “You are what we call a nomad, a solitary witch, usually witches don’t turn into nomads until long after their schooling is over. A young witch should never be alone. You need the power of your sisters, the love of the goddess, and the warmth of the moon to help you craft your knowledge into magic. So, if you’d like, you may join my coven. We would love to have you.” Celeste gave a wry smile and added. “I can teach you how to cast physical magic, you won’t be alone anymore, and you certainly won’t be defenseless. What do you say?”
She didn’t need a mirror to know her eyes must be the size of saucers. Her mouth hung open in shock. Her father hadn’t wanted her to be in a coven. He wanted her to train with him and work for the Agency. But his choices had left her virtually defenseless if she needed magic in the physical world. It was a disservice to her, and now with the Agency turning their back on her she needed to learn more. Slowly she nodded her head.
The older witch pulled up her bell-shaped sleeve and turned her wrist over to show Reagan a small purple and silver sigil marking her flesh. "All coven members share a mark.” Celeste pointed to hers. “This is my coven’s mark.” She traced a delicate finger over Reagan’s wrist, and the mark lightly started to appear. Over several seconds of Celeste tracing the image it grew darker and darker until it’s color matched Celeste’s. “You are no longer a nomad, never forget you have family and we will always be there for you.” When she was done, Celeste released Reagan’s wrist and smiled. “You need to find Liam and heal him on your own. I have faith that you can do it."
"So you're going to help me?"
"I'm going to give you the tools to help Liam and help yourself." She patted the bundle and the book. "You can do this. I know you're not a healer but you have it in you and you are right, you have a connection to Liam that others do not. You can find him easier than even his pack.” Celeste pulled out one more item from her bag and held it up. The small glass vial filled with red liquid glinted in the light. “Take this, I’m sorry I don’t have more, but it’s a healing tincture. If the alpha is heavily injured you won’t be able to carry him, this should be enough to at least help get him on his feet and get him moving. More than likely, he’ll need help, this will give him a bit of strength, but you’ll have to do the rest.”
Reagan nodded, taking a deep breath, but Celeste stopped her from standing up. "Drink some tea, it will help replenish your strength first. You can't go anywhere if you can't walk."
"And what do I do when I find him?"
Celeste grabbed a notebook from the nightstand drawer and a pen. Quickly she scrawled out something and ripped it out of the book. Then she did something strange and ripped out several blank pages and shoved them in her bag. "Take him here."
Reagan stared at the paper. An address, a phone number, and six extra numbers were written down. Wrinkling her brow Reagan held up the paper and pointed at the last six digits. “What are these numbers?”
“The address is a safe-house and meeting place, only known by a select few within the Syndicate council and their advisors. Dugan would want his son taken there. When you get there, call the number. You’ll get an automated response, those numbers are the security code it will ask for. Stay in hiding until he is better, let the wolves think he's still missing."
"That's cruel."
"Cruel but necessary. If he shows up injured, the McGregor's will see it as a chance to strike again. If he's missing for a few more days, they'll lay low to see how or what the pack will do without their alpha, and when Liam shows back up fully healed Colt won't risk trying another attack. Remember wolves are all about power. A weak Liam is ripe for the picking, a strong Liam won't be messed with.”
"Dare I ask why or how you know this."
Celeste smiled. "Experience, sister. Lots and lots of experience."
The tea had a bitter taste, but as soon as Reagan had finished the cup she felt her muscle start to warm up. Energy coursed through her veins and her mind was clear and ready for her next task. Celeste left her alone and convinced Kat to accompany her to visit her father, reminding the she-wolf that Reagan would require many more hours of healing. Reagan tiptoed to her bedroom door and pressed her ear against it to listen in on the tale end of their conversation. Celeste rattled something and chimed, "I'll leave my keys here, we can take your car."
Code Name: Fox / Mind Games (Syndicate Series Book 1) Page 15