“I was walking the property. Didn’t see anyone as I came in. I needed to collect my thoughts.” Saska shrugged.
She played innocent but Raven had his doubts. Walking the property sounded like surveillance.
“As I was saying. I can help you come into your beast and I can help you rein in yours,” she said to Raven as she entered the kitchen. She didn’t look as she had in the forest, all bloody and torn, clothes disheveled and dirty. She’d cleaned up and had obviously gotten rest. Her destroyed clothing had been replaced by a borrowed tracksuit that looked like something Summer might wear when she worked out. With the exception of the deep scar marring her from forehead to chin, she looked like she belonged in a yoga class rather than a war zone.
“This is a private conversation,” Mayhem growled, not one for social niceties.
Saska smiled as she crossed to one of the stools at the island, depositing herself like she belonged there, effectively ignoring Mayhem’s warning. “I have information that you need and I am indebted to you for providing me with safety and a chance to recuperate after so long on the run. I can help your pack, Mayhem. Isn’t that what you want?”
Mayhem’s frown deepened. “We don’t know you. I don’t trust you.”
She waved her hand. “As any good leader should react, of course.” She turned to Raven. “You came into your beast on instinct and it’s a powerful creature inside of you. I’ve spent a lifetime with a pack of beasts. I’ve seen this very thing happen many times over. Once my powers are restored, I can help the transition become smoother, less jarring, and in your control. In the meantime, I can teach you all how to tap into that power and use it to call the beast.”
“And what do you want in exchange?” Mayhem said gruffly. “Rescue can’t be the only price.”
Saska’s smile widened. “Sanctuary and a home. I need a pack to belong to. I only know how to live when ruled by an alpha. There’s a war coming and you’re a part of it whether you’re ready or not.”
Raven didn’t like the sound of that. “The Order wants to—”
“We accept you as our guest,” Mayhem cut Raven off, giving him a hard look and a minute shake of his head. “We will listen to your advice, but until we know more about you, there will be no permanent sanctuary offered here.”
Saska’s smile faded. “A wise decision.” She bowed her head. “I live to serve and will share what I know.”
Raven didn’t buy it. He glanced up at Mayhem, who was looking at the woman like she’d grown a second head. Clearly, he wasn’t having it, either.
Saska lifted her gaze and met Mayhem’s stare. “You might want to go check on your prisoner. She’s attempting a break out and engaging your people. The rest of your pack is in danger the moment she gets free.”
Chapter Eight
“Where the fuck is she?” Darcy asked as she searched the room a second time. The shower was wet, steam still dissipating. Saska couldn’t have been gone for long.
“Wandering the mansion.” Hannah glanced out the door. “We should go warn Mayhem. The boys will track her down.”
Darcy frowned. Was this woman a threat? She didn’t know—her gut was wishy-washy about it. Sasha had given Darcy valuable advice about her powers and had warned them about Greer. She seemed to be aligning herself with the pack, but for what reason? Protection? Affiliation? Something else?
Hannah was already at the end of the hall, near the staircase. “Uh, Darc? I think you need to get downstairs, quick!”
Darcy picked up her pace, jogging the last few feet until she got within view of the foyer. “What’s going on?”
There were shouts, voices raised. Mayhem sprinted out of the kitchen with Raven and Saska in tow.
“There she is,” Hannah said as she followed Darcy down the stairs, chasing the group.
They’d holed Greer up in the storage room in the basement. It was windowless and only had one entrance. Darcy hadn’t bothered to secure her beyond her magical bonds—the door didn’t lock and she’d been too preoccupied with everything else that was going on. Obviously an oversight.
By the time she and Hannah made it downstairs, the action had moved into the training area of the basement. Greer was armed with her sword, which Darcy had left on one of the workout benches, meaning to secure it with the rest of the weapons when she got a chance. She cursed her laziness.
“Back the fuck off, beasties.” Greer’s arms were free.
“My spell—”
“It doesn’t last forever, girl,” Saska snapped. “Have you no sense at all?”
Darcy flinched. “I didn’t know.”
Saska raised her hands as if she were casting, but quickly grew irritated. “She drained my powers, still can’t use them.”
Mayhem moved toward Greer. “We won’t hurt you.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before.” Greer gave a hard laugh. “Just point me in the direction of out and I’ll leave your pack alone.”
“She can’t be trusted. That sword she wields is not the average weapon. It can locate Huntresses, can sever bonds between mates if she so desires, can kill you beasts with the barest of strikes,” Saska shouted. “She’s dangerous, she hates wolves and she tried to murder me!”
Greer snapped her eyes to Saska. “I would have killed you if you hadn’t lucked out with this pack of beasts.”
“You admit to hunting this woman?” Mayhem asked, moving a little farther away, Saska’s warning not falling on deaf ears.
Saska moved next to Darcy, her voice low as Mayhem continued talking to Greer. “You’ll need to blast her with a spell. Remember what I told you? Concentrate on the action, the words will come.”
Darcy gave a slight nod.
“Close your eyes. Think about knocking her out, keeping her down,” Saska whispered. “She’s a danger to you and your pack.”
Darcy closed her eyes, she focused on what she wanted, what she needed, and words did come. Powerful words, scaffolding her magic. She felt the power rise and when she snapped her eyes open, the words tumbled out with little thought. She moved her hand, pointing at Greer and the magic flowed.
Greer’s eyes went wide, and a scream of rage died on her tongue the second Darcy’s spell hit. She clattered to the floor like she was weighed down by a ton of bricks. Down, pinned, and seemingly unconscious.
Everyone turned to look at Darcy.
She frowned, her face growing warm. “I-I-I…”
“You’re magnificent!” Saska beamed as she stepped toward Greer, her eyes on that sword.
Mayhem swooped in, snatching it up a second before Saska could. He handed it to Hannah. “Take this to the vault.”
Hannah grasped the sword, momentarily riveted. “It’s powerful.”
“Indeed it is and it’s rightfully mine,” Saska said as she attempted to step around Mayhem.
Mayhem dropped his hand on her shoulder. “That sword belongs to me at the moment and it’s not going anywhere until I’m satisfied by the stories I’m hearing.”
Saska met his gaze fiercely, shaking with what could only be compressed fury, her jaw tight. “It’s mine.”
“Not anymore,” Mayhem said firmly. “My pack, my rules.”
She met his stare for several heartbeats, her body tense, fists clenched. And then, as if something clicked into place, she lowered her gaze and the tension in the room instantly deflated.
Mayhem removed his hand and motioned to Greer. “Secure her with rope. Tie her to a chair or something. Enough of the magic for now.” He looked at Darcy and gave a sympathetic smile. “At least until we understand what’s going on.”
Darcy nodded. Whatever was going on, she liked it. She liked the praise Saska had given her as well. She loved the power, her power, finally harnessed and purposeful. She needed to talk to Saska, find out what other things she could do.
Mayhem motioned to Dy and Summer. “Get her back into the storage room for now. We’ll need to figure out a better holding tank for her at sunrise. Get her arms and legs tied tight. No more mistakes until we know what’s happening.”
Dy nodded. “We’ve got some rope in the garage.”
“I’m on it,” Summer said. “I’ll reinforce it with some symbols.”
Mayhem found that acceptable as he moved to help Dy heave Greer up from the floor.
“I’ll retire to my room until you need me.” Saska nodded toward Raven as she moved past him, saying over her shoulder. “Those yellow streaks of yours, in your eyes—that’s the mark of Lazarus. You’ve got his bite.”
Darcy frowned. “Who was Lazarus?”
Saska paused and turned, cocking her head to the side, looking from Raven to Darcy with confusion. “Only the greatest werewolf to ever live.” She pointed at Raven as she spoke. “And you’re one of his brood, which makes you highly coveted by many. Very powerful and ripe for a change in ranking.”
“What the hell—” Raven was cut off as Jay came storming into the room, saying the exact same thing.
“We go upstairs to pack for thirty minutes and all hell breaks loose down here.” Jay growled. “Maybe it’s a bad idea for us to leave.”
Aubrey came in a few seconds behind him. “We’re leaving.” She turned to Mayhem. “I’ve emailed you all the information you need, including GPS coordinates. We’ll call in before sunrise.” She turned and watched as Saska left the room, Raven trailing closely behind.
Darcy went to follow.
Aubrey grabbed her arm. “Watch that one, Darc. There’s something not quite—”
“Right?” Darcy sighed. “Yeah, she’s off, I get it. I think she might be a little cuckoo. But she seems to know stuff. She helped me… You should have seen the spell I just cast. It was fucking incredible!”
“There’s something else you need to know.” Aubrey winced. “When Raven turned into his beast, when I shot him, it felt like it did when we hunted in Scotland.”
Darcy’s smile faded. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it felt right.” Aubrey let her hand drop from Darcy’s arm and tapped her chest. “It felt like I needed to kill him.”
“You didn’t know it was Raven.”
“No, I didn’t. But I think it’s worth noting. When Raven was the beast, he wasn’t Raven anymore. He was something else. Something evil.”
Darcy’s frown deepened. She opened her mouth to argue.
“Just do me a favor and keep the guys locked down with that shit until you hear from me. I’m going to get some answers and figure out what the fuck is going on. Just keep them out of trouble.” Aubrey smiled, a failed attempt to dispel the tension she’d created.
Darcy nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll make sure nothing happens. Raven doesn’t want to turn beast anyway.” She turned to look for him, remembering that he’d trailed after Saska. “We’ll stay out of trouble until you get back.”
Aubrey gave her a quick hug. “Good. Now go make sure that Saska woman finds her room and stays there.”
* * * * *
But she wasn’t in her room—she was in the kitchen with Raven, cooking up what smelled like eggs and bacon. Darcy swept in, not jealous per se at Saska hovering over Raven’s shoulder, commenting on his cooking ability—as if frying eggs was some kind of miraculous feat—but not totally loving the proximity either.
“Anyone want coffee?” Darcy said as a way to announce her presence.
Saska didn’t scatter away from Raven, but merely smiled over her shoulder and nodded. “I haven’t had a good cup of coffee for years.” She moved away to perch herself on one of the stools at the island. “You two are a commendable pair. Have you been mated long?”
“Not too long,” Raven said as he flipped the bacon, cursing when he got splattered.
Darcy scooped out some coffee grinds and dumped them into the coffee maker. “Feels like an eternity,” she said with a smile.
Raven swooped in and swung an arm around her waist, hoisting her up for a quick kiss. “Wise ass.”
Darcy giggled. “You owe me a rain-check.”
He winked as he pulled away. “You betcha.”
“I remember those times,” Saska said wistfully. “The honeymoon can last a long time.”
Darcy hit the start button then turned to face Saska, leaning against the counter. “Are you mated?”
Saska nodded, her mind seeming to wander for a moment. She lifted her hand to run her fingers along the scar on her face, then abruptly stopped when she realized what she’d been doing. “My mate has passed on.” She cleared her throat. “I’d like to share some of my knowledge with you, Darcy, if you’ll let me. You’ve newly come into your powers, is that right?”
Darcy nodded. “I was raised as a witch but never really did very well with my spells.” Raven snorted and Darcy chuckled. “That’s how we met, because of a spell gone wrong.”
Saska cocked an eyebrow. “And then your mate bit you and you discovered your true wealth of power?”
“Yeah, something like that.” The coffee maker beeped and Darcy busied herself with pouring three. She brought Saska a cup. “Do you need cream? Sugar?”
Sasha smiled as she took her mug and inhaled. “Ah, no, I prefer it black. Thank you. This is a treat.” She took a long sip and moaned.
“So you’ve been on the run for months, hunted by Greer. Where did you come from before that?” Raven dished up a plate of food and put it in front of Saska.
She nodded her thanks as she lowered her cup. “You are babes in this world, in this war. I’ve been around for a while and I’ve been in many places.”
“And you have knowledge of the wolf named Lazarus?” Raven asked.
“The million dollar question,” Mayhem said as he walked into the room, taking in the scene. “You better whip up more of those eggs. We’re about to have a breakfast meeting.”
Saska patted the stool next to her. “And I’ll be happy to answer them.”
Mayhem ignored her signal to sit next to her and moved over to the table in the nook, taking the head place. He didn’t need to say a word. Hannah came into the room then, taking up the seat to his left, and Darcy brought coffee over for both of them before taking her seat a few places down the table on the other side.
With a sigh, Saska collected her food and coffee and brought them over, taking the seat at the farthest point. Meeting Mayhem as an equal it would seem, directly across from him.
Mayhem nodded for her to begin.
She forked some eggs, ate slowly. Darcy had to admire her gall. She wasn’t going to take his lead without a commitment on his side. A wise move, maybe. Cautious. It spoke of experience. Darcy was intrigued.
“I am known as Saska the Great, Saska the All Powerful, Saska the Mighty, but those are silly nicknames, built on folklore and myth mostly. I have been alive as a Huntress for almost a thousand years and I served King Lazarus for much of that time.”
Darcy stifled a gasp, not wanting to sound like a total loser, but she couldn’t help but gawk. Such a treasure of knowledge and experience.
“I was gifted with all power many hundreds of years ago by a wood nymph. It gives me extraordinary magic, which sadly has been shackled by that witch of a Huntress, Greer. Her actions have left me weak and vulnerable.”
“I get the impression that you’re not used to the feeling,” Mayhem said. “What I want to know is why you were being hunted and what you expect to gain from an alliance with my pack.”
“Greer is responsible for the death of my sister, Thia. She stole her powers, used them against me, and then caused my sister to die unnecessarily. That sword she wields was crafted by Thia. It rightfully belongs to me. In the hands of someone like Greer, it means death to you, your pack, and your brethren across the globe. She can u
se it to locate Huntresses, and she has a history of scouting and then indoctrinating Huntresses into her Amazon cult. In fact, that sword is capable of severing the bond between a mated pair, beast and Hunter alike, if wielded in the correct way and with intent to do so. She serves a Queen who wants nothing to do with Hunters.”
“Sounds like a Queen I could like,” Raven said as he served up plates of food for everyone else.
Saska frowned. “She is a skilled wolf slayer and wants to rid the world of your kind as well. So you would not serve her, you would die.”
“We haven’t been interested in the politics of the Order or the Huntresses until recently,” Mayhem said. “We have some limitations in…knowledge.”
“Indeed, you are young and without the support of a large pack.” Saska pushed her plate to the side, leaning forward as her voice grew more passionate. “With Lazarus’s death has come chaos, disorder. The Order has been ruthlessly torturing and murdering all beasts no matter their affiliation. The Huntresses have been stolen, not given the choice to mate with whom they want out of their destined pairing. We need a strong leader to unite what is left of Lazarus’s pack. We need this or we die.”
“We have no interest in joining a war.” Mayhem closed his fist on the table. “We want to train, to come into our beasts so that we can be better equipped to protect our pack. We don’t want to become part of the politics.”
Saska shook her head. “You already are part of the politics.” She pointed at Hannah and at Darcy. “Claiming your Huntresses ensured your involvement. They will come for you and they will take your women. That is what the Order does. They slaughter the beasts.”
Mayhem held her stare, clearly assessing her words.
“I can help you understand your beast. I can bring you to your power. I can equip you with the knowledge. But I cannot prevent your inclusion in this war. It’s inevitable. All I ask is that you protect me until my powers return. After that, I’ll leave if you so desire.”
Mayhem gave a nod. “I accept those terms.”
Beast Rising: The Order of the Wolf, Book 7 Page 7