“You sent her into battle,” Hannah said softly as she pulled the brush through his hair. “You sent her on an impossible mission.”
“She’s a warrior. She’s got a lust for blood. I sent her to do her duty and to serve the pack in the best way she can.”
“How will she find him? How do we even know if the portal is opened?”
“We don’t know.” He’d lied to Aubrey when he told her that the portal was opening. “But if it were me, I’d have that spell happening ASAP. Saska knows we’re on to her. She has everything she needs to work the magic that opens the portal. I’d have that bastard open tonight at the latest. Fuck, for all we know it’s been open for hours. By the time Aubrey sorts it out, Raven could be on the loose and causing trouble.”
“How will she—”
“She’s a powerful Huntress. She’ll figure it out.”
Hannah took in his words, quietly brushing his hair for a few moments. He knew better than to think the conversation was over though.
“Jay—”
“I’ll deal with Jay when he wakes up.” He grunted as she snagged on a knot.
“If he wakes up.” Her tone was filled with remorse, so very different from Aubrey.
He turned, captured her wrist and halted her brushing, pinning her with a no nonsense look. “He will wake up. You didn’t kill him. Summer has the poison under control.”
“I did the same thing that Aubrey did,” she said. “Shouldn’t you send me away too?”
He ground his jaw, then let her wrist go, pulling away from her. “It’s not the same thing,” he snapped.
She put her hand on his shoulder. “I would have killed him; my aim just sucks.”
He looked at her over his shoulder. “That’s not true and you know it.”
Her eyes glistened and she gulped. “No, it is true, May. I raised that bow to take a killing shot. Jay was going to kill you. He was going to snap your neck and I’d have lost you forever. I took that shot with the intention of killing him. I missed.”
Mayhem frowned, his brain misfiring. “What has gotten into everyone around here? Ever since those damn Huntresses—”
“No, Mayhem, that’s not true. It’s been like this for months now. This itch to fight, to seek out beasts, to hunt.” She dropped her hand from his shoulder and moved back on the bed. “Aubrey said it was instinct, the drive to slay the monsters. When Jay took your head into his claws, I knew what I had to do. If I’d have been a better shot, I’d have dropped him, and it would be me on that mission with Aubrey.”
Mayhem jumped up from the bed, shaking his head vehemently. “Don’t say that!”
“It’s true. You cast her out, you would have had to cast me out too.” Tears streamed down her face but she wasn’t sobbing. She stared at him with defiance burning bright. “You can’t fight what’s happening to us. If you do, things are going to keep going to shit. We are Huntresses. We are sorely lacking in our skills and training but nevertheless, we are powerful warriors and you need to accept that as truth or else banish us all.”
Mayhem looked at her with frustration. “I won’t accept that. Not if it means our pack is torn apart.”
“Take a look around, Mayhem.” She waved her arms, her eyes flashing with anger. “The pack is splintered, already tearing apart. The only way for us to come together is if you deal with it. Accept it. Maybe even embrace it.”
Her words were like a dagger to the chest. He turned and slowly lowered himself to sit on the bed once again. She believed what she was saying, but did that make it true?
He felt her move on the bed. Felt her press her body against his, her lips touching his back, her words soft once again.
“You always want to protect the pack, to shelter us from danger. That’s what makes you a good alpha. You’d do anything to keep us safe. But the trouble with that is, you can’t shelter us from this. Not when it’s ignoring things like instinct and drive. Not when it’s been decreed that we are part of this. You chose a side, remember? You’ve committed us to the good guys, where we are meant to fight. Now we have to embrace that. Rise up. Be a formidable force and stop fighting against what comes naturally.”
“Even if some of us die? Even if we come out of this a bloody pulp? The pack destroyed?” He shook his head, defeat weighing heavy.
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “We have to believe that we will be triumphant. We have to go into this with the confidence to win.”
“But we’re already losing, Hannah. We’ve already lost.”
“The battle isn’t over yet, Mayhem. And when you’re talking about magic, there’s no such thing as gone forever. I believe we’ll be together again. All of us.”
Whether here or in the afterlife, Mayhem thought, the words trapped in his throat. He wanted to believe her conviction. He wanted to let instinct take over and claim the role he was destined to take. But was it worth the risk? Was it worth the sacrifice?
He turned gently so he could untangle himself from her embrace and pulled her into his lap. He breathed in her scent, her hair always reminding him some kind of sweet flower. Her body felt right in his arms, cradled there with her hand on his chest. He looked down at her, seeking that conviction, that strength in her eyes.
“What did I do to deserve you, my sweet Hannah? What would I be without you?”
Hannah smiled as she lifted her hand to his cheek. “A lonely, sex deprived, stupid man.”
He smirked, swatted her ass, the tension of the moment gone as she grinned up at him.
“You need another shower,” he said as he lifted her and walked toward the bathroom. At least if he was going to die, it would be with a smile on his face.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hannah felt connected to Mayhem, physically, emotionally. They were one. And yet, there was a constant undercurrent of fear riding her that their connection wouldn’t be enough.
She sat in the kitchen, dunking her spoon into a milky bowl of cereal, watching the lumps of soggy sugar splatter as she toyed with the blobs. She had no appetite but she knew she had to eat. They were headed into battle. When, she didn’t know, but she could feel the tension building in the house; she knew it was coming.
“Where’s Mayhem?” Cal came into the room, a cell phone to his ear, his tone like a bark. He was clearly used to commanding those around him.
Hannah’s eyes went wide. “Why? What’s happened?”
“One second,” Cal said into the phone before taking it from his ear. “I’m getting some intel from Order headquarters. I need to ask Mayhem some questions. Do you know where he is?”
“Daybreak is soon; he’ll be outside no doubt, getting ready to change.” Hannah dropped her spoon into the bowl. “I can show you where.”
“No, it’s better if he comes in here. I’ve got word on a prophecy and it involves Mayhem. I’ll gather the others. We need to talk about a few things.” Cal put the phone back to his ear and left without further discussion.
Hannah felt like she’d just been railroaded, the tension ratcheting up by a thousand. A prophecy that included Mayhem. That couldn’t be good, right? If he was named in a prophecy, did that mean death? Did that mean he was pivotal in some way? Her stomach flipped. And she’d thought dealing with his rock star status was going to be hard.
She slid off the stool and headed to the back door, urgent to get to Mayhem, knowing that she’d have to keep him calm and tell him what was going on without flipping out herself. But she felt on the edge of a deadly cliff, with no parachute and no soft landing. Whatever happened next could kill everyone she loved. It had already taken claim of some of her friends and had fractured the pack.
Mayhem met her halfway, his expression all concern. He was running at a good clip to get to her. “What’s going on?” He collided into her then hugged her tightly. Just as suddenly, he released her so he could examine
her face, turning it from side to side, checking her for injury before pushing her back a bit to take a look at her body. When he was satisfied, he let her go.
Dy was on his heels. “Is everything okay?”
Hannah tried to slow her breathing. The run, the panic rising to get to him quickly had her out of breath. She hadn’t done a great job keeping her emotions in check. “I don’t know. Cal said he needs to talk to you. He says there’s a prophecy. That you’re involved in it. Mayhem, I have a bad feeling.”
Mayhem looked at Dy, his expression grim. “I think the game is on.”
Dy nodded. “The portal has been opened?”
“Yeah, and shit’s about to get real.” Mayhem took Hannah’s hand briefly, bringing it to his lips. “We stand strong together.”
Hannah felt the flood of love coming from him—no fear, only determination. She took his cue, latching on to those emotions, teasing them forward. She’d need to amp it up later, to let the rest of the group feel what Mayhem was feeling. She would help make them strong together.
Mayhem nodded toward Dy. “You know our stand. You ready for this?”
Dy cracked a cocky smile. “Might as well go out with a fight, right?”
Mayhem smiled menacingly, then clasped Hannah’s hand, and they all walked quickly toward the house.
The entire group was waiting on the back patio as they approached, all the Hunters and Huntresses looking ready for battle, armed and deadly.
Cal came forward to greet them. “The Order is rallying. The portal has been opened.”
“The Amazons too,” Ariana said as she stepped forward, Lance at her side. “It’s happening.”
“And there’s a prophecy?” Mayhem crossed his arms, his eyes flickering between the two. “Hannah said there’s some kind of prophecy I need to know about.”
“The Order has texts, ancient and magical, that foretell events. They’re hard to decipher, takes years of training,” Cal said as he motioned to Kelly. “She’s much better at getting to the heart of things.”
Kelly nodded. “The scholars have decoded a prophecy. Could be the same one that’s locked in my head. I’m not yet getting a clear read on it, but the information from the scholars is ringing true so I believe it’s connected. It has some ramifications for you, Mayhem.”
“What is it?” Mayhem’s tone was steady but Hannah could feel his irritation at the delay. He was the type of man to speak plainly, abruptly at times, but clearly. Hannah knew the coded ways of the Order were maddening to him.
“The texts are saying that the portal is open. That an ancient evil will soon be released.”
“Lazarus?” Hannah asked.
Cal shrugged. “We can only assume. We know Saska wants him back but we don’t know how much control she has over calling the beasts out.”
“She had some measure of control in the past,” Ariana said. “She was able to call my beast, the one I’d killed, to come back to attack me. She did the same thing to her sister as well. Calling her beast. She has help this time. Darcy will undoubtedly add to her success at getting what she wants.”
“Too many unknowns at this point to be sure. Stick to what we do know,” Cal offered.
“What does this have to do with me?” Mayhem asked.
“The prophecy states that hell will reign. Only chaos can bring peace,” Cal said.
“What does that mean?” Hannah asked, growing just as frustrated with the group as Mayhem was. “How can chaos bring peace?”
“Chaos is Mayhem,” Kelly said. “That’s how I would interpret this.”
“Only Mayhem can bring peace?” Hannah gasped, dread pooling in her stomach once again. “You’re calling him out as the champion?”
“We think that Mayhem is the catalyst for change, yes, but not necessarily as a champion for good,” Cal said with a frown. “Every wolf has a beast. Every beast has the tendency to go feral. I understand that you’ve been unsuccessful in your attempts to harness the beast or to even transform completely to begin with. You’re a young wolf still, not yet come into your full strength.” When Mayhem didn’t reply, Cal continued. “We believe that Lazarus has the same prophecy, thanks to Andrew. He may know that you are the most pivotal player. He may try to coax you into joining him. Have you been receiving any messages from him? Dreams that are unusual? We think that that’s one way that the hive mind can work.”
“The hive mind? As in I’m connected to Lazarus in some way merely because I’m a werewolf?” Mayhem’s voice was gruff.
“We don’t know exactly how it works, the Hunters can’t do anything like it. I didn’t think it would hurt to ask,” Cal said defensively as he raised his hands in truce. “I’d imagine it would make more sense among pack mates, though.”
Hannah could feel Mayhem’s temper rising even though his expression betrayed none of it.
“Cal didn’t mean offense.” Morgan stepped forward. “We are just trying to assess what the risks are. Lazarus is a very powerful and convincing man. If he can infiltrate this pack—”
“So you’re saying what, exactly? That Mayhem is a potential risk factor? That the pack could turn on you?” Dy snapped. “We offer our support and you point fingers at us like we’re fucking monsters already?”
Summer moved away from the group of Huntresses, coming to stand by her mate’s side. Hannah felt the hackles rise among the group, fingers twitching toward weapons. Not good, not good. She focused on calming them, taking that aggression and pulling it apart, dispersing it as best she could. Then she amplified the strength Mayhem felt earlier, the determination to win for them, to keep the pack united.
“Stop,” Hannah whispered. “We can’t win if we’re like this.”
A crash came from behind them, glass shattering, wood splintering as a beast came barreling out the sliding door, stumbling through, unsteady on its legs. Weapons were drawn as everyone spun to face the threat. Mayhem pushed Hannah behind him.
“Lazarus is coming.” Jay, his yellow eyes almost glowing, fell to one knee, his beastly face contorted as he fought some kind of internal battle. “He’s in my head. Make it stop.” Jay reached up and clawed at his face.
Greer raised her arm, ready to launch herself at the threat, to take Jay up on his request for peace. Mayhem jumped in front of Jay, blocking her attack with his body.
“Get out of the way. We need to contain the beast before he kills someone,” Greer shouted. “I don’t want to hurt you, Mayhem. That beast has gone feral, look at his eyes.”
Summer moved to Mayhem’s side, her hands out in front of her. “No. My symbol is working. I can feel it reining him in. He won’t attack.”
“This is crazy, we can’t trust this beast not to turn on us in the heat of battle. He’s marked by Lazarus,” Greer bellowed.
“He’s marked by me!” Mayhem roared, fists clenched, eyes blazing, chest heaving.
“And you aren’t strong enough to keep your pack under control,” Cal said, his own sword leading his words. “You can’t even go beast!”
Mayhem turned his glare on the Hunter. “I never said I couldn’t go beast, motherfucker.”
Hannah watched with awe as Mayhem’s breathing intensifying, blowing out hard gusts when his body transformed from man to beast. One giant, hulking, hairy beast with blue eyes. He towered over everyone, snout dripping saliva, spraying the crowd with each breath. He was monstrous. Terrifying, yet glorious to her eyes.
He lifted his head and roared, then turned to Jay and grabbed him by the scruff like he was nothing but a puppy. He shook him a little, making his head wobble before snapping him upright, pulling him up to stand on his unsteady feet. A silent command to stay put. He turned his focus on Dy, a beastly nod in his direction. Next to her, within the span of a heartbeat, Dy transformed to wolf for mere moments before changing to his beast. Not as large as Mayhem, but definitely as formid
able. Hannah raised her hand to her neck, staring at the boys in awe.
“My pack,” Mayhem growled, “will not be destroyed by Lazarus.”
Hannah felt the aggression grow, Mayhem’s beast pushing it out, ready to claw and slash its way out of the tangle of Hunters. Instinct warring with Mayhem’s consciousness. This could go bad very quickly. Hannah closed her eyes, concentrated on what made Mayhem who he was. Strength, power, balanced, calm. She saw the reds of his aggression, felt the burn of it as she forced it back, pulling at the green and blue of his rational thoughts and feelings, helping him win the battle.
This was what he needed from her. This was her role at his side.
When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her and she felt his appreciation.
We are one. We stand together. That was what she wanted to convey as she moved to stand beside him.
“We can be a powerful force,” Hannah said as she pinned each of them with her hardest look. “We must stand together though. We must fight this together or we will lose.”
Everyone was silent, weapons still clenched tightly, tension riding high. Hannah could take care of that too. She took Mayhem’s calm, she took her own feelings of purpose, determination, and drive to bring this group together and spread it out like a wave, touching each of them with it. It was like a collective deep breath of calm and she saw its effect immediately.
She took Mayhem’s clawed hand in hers and held it out to the group. “We stand together. We trust each other and we can win this.”
Ariana was the first to lower her sickles and move over to stand next to Hannah. “She’s right. This has been our mandate for some time. We can’t let fear take away our strength.”
Lance sheathed his sword and moved to stand behind Ariana, his back to Jay and Dy, total trust in that action. Hannah locked in on his emotions, pumping it up, sending it out.
Trust. Support. Encouragement.
Harper did the same, weapon down, joining the group.
Kelly, who hadn’t pulled a weapon, came to stand with the group. “This is the only way. The right way.”
Beast Rising: The Order of the Wolf, Book 7 Page 18