Miranda

by Sherry Foster

  When they reached her parents house Craig lifted Casey from the truck and carried her inside while Kate followed behind. He smiled when he heard her growl. He knew she didn’t do it on purpose but it was still funny to him. After he settled Casey on the couch he looked around to find Kate’s parents staring at the book in horrified awe.

  “The golden book. I thought it was lost forever. Ira told me about the book but it had disappeared long before I was born and no one cared until I mated a shifter. Then the clan turned over every rock they could find for that book. That book, my goddess, how did you get that book? Why do you have that book, is it, will it,” Sibeal words stuttered to a halt as sobs racked her body. “Oh Conall, we are saved.”

  Conall gathered his mate close and stroked her back while he stared at the book then back at Casey, “I don’t know how you got the book but Sibeal is right, Ira told us about the book. The one book in all the world that could help us and you have it?”

  “Okay, guys, really, ignorant shifter here, although Kate looks as lost as me this time. What is so special about this book and why am I not allowed to touch it but everyone else in here apparently can?”

  “Sit down Craig, Kate sit beside your mate but for the love of all you hold dear to not let the book touch Craig, no scoot closer you two need to be touching. And no, to answer your question Conall can not touch the book either and I am not so sure I would want Sibeal to hold it.”

  “It is so dangerous and you handed it to my mate?” Craig growled

  “Oh shut up. I told her not to open it when I passed it off to her. Too dangerous at that time. Now be a good box-boy and keep your mouth shut while the grown ups talk for a minute. Kate, you hold your questions. Breathing hurts and talking hurts so I would like to say everything in one go. Please.”

  Everyone settled down while Sibeal fixed pillows around Casey to try and make her as comfortable as possible. With everyone staring at her Casey told her tale.

  “My mother hates the way Miranda runs the clans but she refused to leave. I refused to stay. The book is old and magical. When it was written it was a scroll but magic changed it as times progressed. Mother knew about the scroll, er book and she used to tell me tales of the possibilities. You see Miranda had a child and my mother and that child would play together when they were small.” Casey stopped talking when she saw Sibeal throw a hand up and gasp.

  “Who?” Sibeal choked out.

  “Please don’t interrupt, it hurts too much to talk.” Casey looked at Conall and Sibeal in confusion as they turned away from her and began to speak to each other mentally, complete with gestures and facial expressions, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that although the couple were not speaking verbally they were involved in an intense conversation. After a moment she turned confused eyes toward Kate and Craig. Craig started looking around and whistling while Kate stared at the ceiling and, Casey looked closer, yes, she was twiddling her thumbs on top of the book. “Alright, well, apparently the four of you know something so gripping it is better than learning about the book. So what is going on?”

  After a moment Sibeal looked back at Casey and took a deep breath. “Your mother is Angelica?”

  “How do you know my mother? She never mentioned your name.”

  “Once upon a time people called me Merry, though my mother named me Miranda after herself.”

  Casey paled as she stared at the couple in front of her. “You? You’re the reason the clans turned from the shifters? You’re the reason the shifters were cursed to extinction? But how? I mean, mother saw your bodies, she was heartbroken, she used to tell me tales of the things the two of you would get into and how Ian and Jolene, oh my god, she said they disappeared that day. Those bodies, they weren’t yours and Donovan’s they were Ira and Jolene’s weren’t they?”

  “No, until last year Ira and Jolene lived near us. We don’t know who those bodies belonged to. They would never tell us. They wanted to protect Sibeal, or Merry as she was called back then. They told me once that sometimes you had to make a sacrifice for the ones you loved and sometimes the sacrifice demanded wasn’t from you but someone else and your sacrifice was living with the knowledge someone else paid the price for your freedom.”

  “So wait, if you two are alive then that makes you one of the most powerful witches alive. So with just a little help we could beat Miranda. And I brought all the help we need.” She nodded toward the book.

  “No, at the moment I am the most powerful witch and have been for probably a century. But Casey, I don’t know how to use most of the shifter-witch power because Ira could only teach us what he knew. That power would quickly be depleted if Mother were to show and we had to fight. I hold a considerable amount in reserves but I don’t have anyway to renew that power. In the end it would be our power, which is great but untrained, against Mother who draws from the clan and is highly trained. Her power would swamp ours in minutes and then we would be dead.”

  “So, that brings us back to the beginning. Mother knew about the book because her people were the last ones to have a shifter in their bloodline. They were the keeper of the book so when her best friend married a shifter she dug up the book and started to study it to see if she could help her friend beat Miranda. Only, her friend died before that could happen so she hid the book again. I found it as a child and when I asked about it, she told me. When I left I took it with me because I determined I would find a shifter and become his mate and destroy Miranda. But as you all know, I did not find a shifter mate. So here we are. You want to protect this pack from Miranda and I can help you not only protect it, but destroy her in the process. Call Marcus. This isn’t something you want to do without the knowledge of your Alpha. He holds your oath and things could get dicey without him on board.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “Okay, so let me get this straight, you have a way to beat Miranda but you can’t tell me because clan secrets? So what am I suppose to do? Marcus paced the living room and stared at the others.

  “We need your approval. Well no, not approval so much as your blessing. Maybe that is the wrong word also. You have to understand that for us figuring out what we can say and can’t say is kinda tough. It is not a matter of keeping secrets we want to keep as it is being forced to keep a secret we have no choice in keeping.”

  “But whatever you have planned will help this pack and rid us of the curse and Miranda?”

  “Ah, well, it should rid us of Miranda. The curse is deeper than Miranda and we can’t know how her destruction will affect the curse or the clans.”

  “So you want my blessing for something that could destroy all of us in the end?” Marcus raked his hand through his hair as he fought to maintain control. “Fine, one thing at a time. When this is over I want each one of you out of my territory. Craig, I am sorry man, but witches and shifters do not belong together. I will be asking for your oaths to be dissolved when this is done.”

  Casey saw the stricken look on Craig’s face before she turned her attention back to Marcus, “I think you should take this one thing at a time like you said. Perhaps you will not ask for those oaths back in the end.” She took a shallow pain filled breath before she continued, “Sibeal, do you have enough power in your reserves to shield the magic they will release when they open that book?”

  “I don’t know. Ira knew the book existed but nothing more about it other than, well it being the key.”

  “Gather your power then and prepare to shield this pack from sight. Use everything you have down to the last reserve if you have to but that magic must not escape this room. Look at me. I know you would give your life for your child and that may be what opening that book cost you. Do you understand?”

  “No. I won’t open it. I will not let my mother die for me. You never said the cost could be mum’s life.” Kate shoved the book away and Craig reached to catch it from instinct as it slid from her lap.

  Four screams sounded as one when Craig’s hand touched the book.

  “NO
!”

  “Shit!”

  “Shield!”

  “What the fuck?” Marcus was shoved backward from the blast of magic. He tried to get up but the heaviness in the air held him to the floor. He could only watch in disbelief as the other five gathered in the room fought against a power he couldn’t see.

  “Open the book! OPEN THE BOOK!” Casey screamed.

  Lightning and fire danced around the room.

  Sibeal started to scream followed by the hoarse cries of her mate. They looked like they were wrapped in fire and Marcus tried to call through the pack bond for help but the bond seemed muffled and he couldn’t hear his pack members. He had no idea if they could hear his calls for help. He turned his attention toward Kate and Craig. Both their hands were on the open book and wave after wave of lightning flashed from the book and through the pair. He watched their bodies bow and bend with the waves of lightning. He watched in horror as four of his pack burned alive in front of him. His wolf howled in anguish and he felt the raking claws tear through him. He knew the searing pain the wolf caused was not physical but it hurt no less because of that. He looked toward Casey but she had fallen over in her seat pale as a sheet he wasn’t sure whether she lived. He saw the faint rise of her chest and tried to pull himself toward her. He may have been saying negative things about witches moments ago but he could not leave her in the house to be burned alive. He had to get them both out. He heard pounding on the door and tried to call out but couldn’t. He fought through the heaviness pushing him to the floor one agonizing inch at a time trying to reach Casey. The others were lost to him and his pack he could see the flames and knew whatever they had tried had failed. He tasted blood in his mouth and could feel a trickle from his nose and ears. He fought his way toward the door, intent on getting help. He fought against the blackness pounding at his senses.

  A sudden silence blanketed the house. The door flew open so hard it shattered the wall behind it as several pack members raced into the room before coming to a dead stop. Jaden was the first to see Marcus laying on the floor, blood pooling from his ears and nose and mouth. As the pack members stared in awe at the golden wolf and the copper wolf cavorting in the air about the two pair of unconscious mates Jaden tried to help Marcus to stand. He tried to growl but the sight of lightning flashing from Conall to Sibeal to Craig to Kate froze him in his tracks.

  “What unholy hell have they unleashed?” Jaden’s hoarse whisper echoed through the room. “Are they still alive? We saw the house go up in a fiery fireball but when we got here the house seemed fine. Like, I don’t know Marcus, it was like it was almost alive with lightning but not burning. Is that Casey? Why isn’t the lightning bouncing through her? Come on bro, can you stand. What happened?”

  Marcus shrugged but even that small motion hurt. “They opened some damn book.”

  Jaden gave a startled look at Marcus before turning back to the lightning and wolf show in front of him. “My god, what the hell kind of book was it?”

  “I don’t know, help me sit down and get everyone out of here. I want the women on those birds and those birds in the air in thirty minutes. That isn’t negotiable. Every woman and child in the birds or in cars. In thirty minutes I want this territory to look like a fucking ghost town. Males only stay behind. And Jaden? I don’t give a fuck what your mate has done or how many men she has killed, she will be on a bird out of here in thirty minutes. That is an order. Stuff them in the birds, as many as you can safely fit and the rest of our most vulnerable better be headed out right behind them. I don’t care if they take the fucking snowmobiles get them free of the territory. NOW!” And Jaden? Make certain my mate is on one of those birds when they take off. You know she will stay and fight but we are too few to risk so precious a treasure as our females. And when Miranda shows, and that magic shit show will bring her from what I understand, she will go after the females first if I had to bet. If any female protests I want them handcuffed and gone. Call Trey and tell him he has company coming. Reroute Santiago to Trey’s territory and tell him to help protect our females. We will fight to keep the battle here and here only. I just wish I knew how long it would take them to find us.”

  Marcus watched Jaden hustle everyone from the room and listened to the protests as they left. His brother made a comical attempt to close the door but it hung loose on the hinges so in the end he left it propped up in the door frame. He turned back to the see Casey making small movements and heard her groans. He was torn between staying away from the witches and helping a female in trouble. When his wolf could stand his inaction no longer he worked his way painfully upright and staggered over to her before kneeling in front of her chair with a groan.

  “Casey? Can you hear me? I don’t want to touch you without knowing what might happen. Open you eyes and look at me. There you are. Is it safe for me to touch you? I will help you upright again if it won’t put us in danger,” he paused to look around the room, “I mean in more danger. Come on, let me help you up.” He slowly reached for her giving her plenty of time to stop him but instead of stopping him she offered her hands.

  “Yes, please. I hurt all over. I mean, worse than before I got here. What happened?” she had to pause for little gasps of air and lines of pain etched her face.

  The hands she offered Marcus shook. But he ignored the hands and gently lifted her and repositioned her within the pillows. Trey had called him earlier and told him what he knew of the explosion at Casey’s and the rescue attempt. Marcus was pissed but he also, for all his anger, had to respect the little witch for getting on a helicopter and coming to help his people with a major concussion and broken ribs. The stitches in her head stood out in sharp contrast to the paleness of her skin. That respect did not mean he wanted to associate with witches after everything got settled.

  “You know, I was kinda hoping you could tell me what happened. You are the one who brought the book into my territory.”

  “The book, oh my goddess no, Craig grabbed the book.” She closed her eyes in defeat, “No, did we shield the backlash in time? Tell me what you remember. Please.”

  “Well, Kate shoved the book off her lap, Craig reached for it before it hit the floor, Sibeal screamed NO, Conall screamed shit, and you screamed shield and then you people threw me across the room, all pretty much at the same time. Things get a bit questionable after you screamed for them to open the book so how about you tell me what happened. Does that look normal,” Marcus pointed to the two wolves playing in the air and then to the other four laying unconscious with lightning still racing from body to body.

  Casey turned her head to look. Marcus watched the awe fill her face and the pain filled frown slowly eased into a smile. He saw her eyes fill with moisture before they closed and he felt her relief fill the room. When she opened her eyes again and turned her head to look at him all she said was, “They did it, the crazy fools did it.” But before he could ask what it was they did her expression changed again and worry wafted from her, “Did anyone outside the house see anything? I mean did they feel anything unusual? Has any of your pack contacted you about maybe some weird things going on?”

  “See anything? Casey, the whole damn pack saw that shit show of magic. They thought the house exploded and they broke through the door trying to get in when they saw the house still intact. I have a feeling whatever just happened here is going to bring every witch in a thousand miles down on this pack. I sent everyone away, the females and children and our most vulnerable.”

  Casey swallowed hard and winced, “The world.”

  “What?”

  “If they didn’t keep that shielded to this area every witch in the world would have felt that shift in power.”

  “What shift in power? What are you talking about?”

  “That golden wolf right there?” Casey gestured toward the wolves dancing around the ceiling, “They are now the most powerful witch in the world and every witch in the world would have felt the power explosion as it changed hands, but if they kept it cont
ained they will not know who has the power now. Nor will they know where the power shift came from. Only the most powerful of the witches would be able to trace that unless they shielded in time. Oh they may figure out it came from this part of the world but not where, they would not be able to narrow it down to a state, not most of them anyway. As long as the shield went up around the area in time, and no witches were within say driving distance to see the magical explosion they should be able to hide now for as long as it takes. But I wouldn’t worry too much on that, very few witches settled here, on this side of the continent. A few west of here on the coast but they are a bit wild and free and not the kind to care about what others do, I think.”

  “So you don’t appear to have much problems telling me clan business now. Did that change with the shift in power?”

  Casey smirked, “No, but you see those two playing around with each other? And the lightning bouncing around? Yeah well for right now the magic is still on the wild side, which is part of why the wolves are so exuberant, they are I guess you could say they are high. So as long as the magic is a bit wild the geas on our tongues to keep us from talking is shall we say, flexible. So if you want to know something, ask fast because I have no idea when they will get the magic under control. The book told a lot but somethings I guess the writer did not feel the need to mention.”

  “Fine, if they are the most powerful does that mean Miranda lost all her power?”

  “No, she lost none of her power, their power just grew greater I think you could say. Miranda will still be more dangerous than them because she has experience on her side but if they read the book they should be able to beat her. But Miranda lives in Ireland and even she will have to book a flight and track the wild magic to here before she can attack so they have a few hours to wake up and figure things out.”

  “A few hours? You think they could train to beat hundred of years experience in a few hours?”