by Jayne Hawke
“Yea.”
“That’s normal. Morrigan witches get it the first time they fight with the goddess within them. You need to relax and really allow your instincts to come forward, then you’ll still be you. It’s like wearing a big glove over your whole body.”
She frowned.
“That was a really bad image. Er, you’re you, but you temporarily level up. That’s better. So you’ll be stronger, faster, have your magic shield, and your instincts and senses should be sharper too. But it’s temporary; the world must be kept in balance.”
“I can undo Adam and Briar’s curse!” I exclaimed.
Sky shrugged.
“Sure. I mean, I’ve heard guardians can help undo magic placed on their people. I don’t see why you couldn’t undo a curse.”
I grinned, feeling on top of the world. I’d killed a blood witch and helped keep my pack safe, and now I could remove Adam and Briar’s curse, giving them real freedom again. Taking a deep breath, I enjoyed the feeling of everything being on track for once.
“YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN me with you. They killed my pack. I am owed their deaths,” Cole said, pacing.
“There are three left,” I said.
He frowned at me.
“Promise me, Rosalyn.”
He stared at me until I crumbled.
“Fine. I promise. I will do everything I can to ensure their deaths are at your hands.”
I felt as though he was owed that. After what they had done to his pack and his life. I hated the idea of him being in such danger, but he was an alpha, he could handle himself.
He relaxed some and glanced over at the witches who were poking at the trinkets on the kitchen table.
“It doesn’t feel right having two witches in our home,” Cole grumbled.
I laughed.
“They’re helping us.”
“Is the Morrigan witch staying for dinner?”
“I don’t know; ask her. I’m going for a shower, I feel like the old blood is all over me.”
Cole’s eyes sparkled but he said nothing. I wouldn’t have turned him down if he’d have chosen to join me, but I wasn’t going to push anything.
“I’d love dinner, thanks. I irritated the cook in my coven so I’ll be lucky to get a cold baked potato tonight if I eat there,” Sky said.
“Make yourself at home,” Cole said drily, sweeping his arms wide.
“I am, thanks,” Sky said ignoring the sarcasm.
I stifled a laugh. The Morrigan witch was definitely growing on me.
48
ADAM AND BRIAR GOT in late. They looked particularly happy when they finally strolled in the door. The smiles slid off their faces when they saw the four of us waiting for them.
“What happened?” Adam asked quietly.
“You tell us,” I said.
“We grabbed dinner in town,” Briar said with a shrug.
I heard the thread of a lie in her voice.
“Sit down in the living room, I’ll break your curse.”
Adam froze and looked at me with hope shining.
“No, you won’t. And it’s cruel to get my brother’s hopes up like that,” Briar snapped.
I glared at her and she stared me down for two heartbeats before she finally skulked away.
Cole put his hand on my wrist.
“Let her wait,” he said softly.
I growled in frustration. I really could do it this time. They could shift, and we could run as a pack.
Sky and Amy both looked up at the ceiling where Briar’s room was with narrowed eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“Not sure, something... wrong there,” Amy said.
“Agreed,” Sky said.
“They’re just troubled teenagers. They’ve had a rough time,” I said.
The witches made non-committal noises.
“I’m staying here until the blood witches have been dealt with. I’ll grab some spare clothes and be back in an hour,” Sky declared.
“This is not your home,” Cole growled.
Sky turned and gave him a huge grin.
“I’m a Morrigan witch. You know the rules, councilman.”
With that, she turned and left, leaving me to look at Cole and Amy in bewilderment.
“Morrigan witches are enforcers, police, they cannot be denied a place to stay if they need it as part of an investigation,” Amy said.
“She’s staying on the couch,” I said.
As much as Sky seemed cool, I wasn’t ready to bring another witch fully into the fold. Everything was still up in the air.
“She’s staying in the back yard. I have a sleeping bag,” Cole said.
I laughed and he looked at me with a deadly serious face. I shouldn’t have, but I laughed harder.
COLE WAS TRUE TO HIS word. He tossed a sleeping bag out into the back yard and called it good. Sky had laughed and embraced her new living situation without any argument. She settled herself down in the middle of the space and began stargazing before I went to bed feeling exhausted.
I was about to climb into bed when Cole knocked on the door.
“Tell me about the witches, and what changed,” he whispered.
I stepped aside to let him into the room.
“Amy took the barb out,” I said as I shut the door.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“It was something else, you had the scent of ice fae on you twice recently.”
I shrugged.
“Eira came by. She threatened Jake and my family. I cut a deal with her.”
“What kind of deal?” Cole ground out.
“She was supposed to help me become a full guardian, and I owed her a favour in return.”
“What!? Do you have any idea how ridiculously stupid it is to owe favours to a fae queen!?”
I levelled a cool glare at Cole.
“I am aware of what I have gotten myself into.”
He exhaled slowly and pulled himself back together.
“There had to be another way,” he said softly.
“Allow her to slaughter everyone I love,” I said flatly.
He squeezed his eyes closed.
“Did you put any limits on the favour?”
“No,” I whispered.
“Oh, Rosalyn,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
“I’ll work it out,” I said with a wan smile.
He kissed me tenderly.
“We will work it out.”
49
I NEEDED TO GET OUT of the house. The witches were deep in the pit of research, and I had hit my limit. I took the time to wander down some of my less travelled trails and to try to feel out the guardian side of myself. There was something there, but it slipped between my mental fingers like a fresh creek. The more I poked around inside my own mind, the more I could feel the little differences. My stance and posture had changed, and there was something prickly around my edges. An awareness and ferocity I’d never had before.
A breaking twig drew my attention and I paused to see who else was in the area. The trail was barely wide enough for one person; it wasn’t popular with hikers. I’d chosen it to have a little peace.
Logan Blackthorne strolled out of the forest nearby with a smug expression on his face. His throat was entirely healed, which was a little disappointing.
“I’m so glad we bumped into each other.”
I pulled my biggest knife and gave Logan a razor-edged smile.
“Back for round two?”
He snorted and began to try and circle around me. I moved to block his path.
“I’ve heard all sorts of interesting things recently. There was a rather gruesome murder out on the edge of your territory yesterday. Those packmates of yours have quite a history too. It seems they’re wanted by some powerful witches. How are you keeping them safe and hidden?”
His eyes held mine and I quelled the urge to stab him on principle.
“I have no idea what on earth you’re talking about. The murders were likely co
mmitted by hunters. Awful people.”
His smile widened and he took a half step closer to me. He was comfortably within stabbing range now.
“There were no hunters in the area, and we have a policy about leaving witches alone. Garou, on the other hand...”
“I have a zero tolerance policy for hunters, and I recall having warned you that I’d kill you if you came here again.”
He pouted.
“Shame. A garou guardian would have been a delightful addition to the collection.”
Something crackled around me. Logan didn’t waver.
“Working with witches? That’s just shameful,” I said.
I hoped that whatever anti-magic shield came with the guardian gig kicked in quickly. It was looking as though I was about to get pulled into a magic battle.
“Working with? No. Controlling? Yes.”
A shiver ran through me. I wasn’t sure how he was doing it, but it took a lot of power to control a fully-fledged witch. The Blackthornes were more despicable than I’d thought.
The second skin slipped into place just before something sharp struck my cheek. A soft warmth bloomed and dissipated. I tilted my head and gave Logan a very disappointed look before I shot forward and slit his throat. One more dangerous threat removed from my territory.
Pricking my ears, I tried to pinpoint where exactly the witches were hiding. There was nothing. Not a single sound or scent to track. I hated witches.
“He’s dead. Can we call a truce?” I called out.
A young girl barely more than fifteen shimmered into view some ten feet or so in front of me. She walked to Logan’s body and poked it with her boot, raising her eyes to mine. I struggled to hold her gaze. There was a cool glassiness and emptiness there. The kind that came with years of intense abuse.
“Thank you,” she said in a small whisper.
The forest felt as though it began to breathe again. Birds sang and the breeze started licking at my ankles. It was over.
50
“I KILLED LOGAN BLACKTHORNE,” I said casually as I returned to the kitchen.
Everyone stopped and looked at me. Natasha looked livid, the siblings’ jaws hit the ground, and Cole gave me his deepest alpha glare.
“When? Why?” Cole growled.
I went to the coffee maker.
“Not long ago, and because he threatened my life. Again. Did you know he had witches enslaved?”
“What type? From where? How?” Sky demanded.
“No idea. The one I saw was young, Briar’s age, maybe younger. She could shimmer in and out of sight.”
Sky pulled her phone out and began texting with her fingers flying over the screen.
Cole ran his hands over my arms.
“Are you ok?”
“Yea. He didn’t do much, he was hoping his witches would take me out. My guardian shield thing kicked in, though, and it was over quickly.”
“This will bring the hunters down on our heads,” he said softly.
“You stupid child!” Natasha snapped.
I glared at her.
“I have warned you,” I growled back at her.
“Natasha’s right. You were stupid to kill a Blackthorne,” Briar said.
I calmed myself as the anger rose. They weren’t entirely wrong, but that did not mean I was going to allow such insolence.
“Why is Natasha here?” I demanded.
“I asked her here. She understands what it is to be a born garou. She’s going to help me find friends my age. Real garou friends,” Briar said.
Adam not to subtly kicked her under the table.
I took a step towards Briar.
“Tell me the truth,” I demanded.
“I have a theory about that,” Amy said sharply.
All eyes turned to the witch.
“Why are you allowing witches to run rampant in your pack, Cole?” Natasha said.
Cole bared his teeth at Natasha.
“Amy, continue,” Cole growled.
“Well, the timing of their arrival is a little suspect, don’t you think?” Amy said to Sky.
“I agree.”
I turned my attention fully to Natasha and the siblings. They were right. The Apophis witch, the blood witch problems, they’d all started when those three had come into my life. I’d been so desperate to have a pack that I’d been willing to overlook it.
“What are you insinuating?” Natasha snarled.
“I believe that the siblings are involved with the Apophis witch,” Sky said coolly.
Briar’s eyes went wide.
“Is there some way you can be sure?” I asked the witches.
Adam and Briar exchanged pleading looks before Adam stood and looked to me with his eyes down and shoulders hunched.
“Please... Rosalyn, Cole, you have to understand,” Adam began.
“Shut up,” Briar hissed.
“It was the Apophis witch who cursed us. He said that if we took down the guardian and gave you to the blood witches then we’d be free. We’d have a pack and territory of our own. You have to understand, we had nothing. It seemed too easy. He said that the guardian wasn’t a true guardian and was blocking the way for a true guardian to come into being. He said because you’re made, you’ll never amount to anything but a small pawn.”
Briar stomped on Adam’s foot.
Sky and Amy circled around the siblings, blocking off any exit route they might have had. I felt like a complete fool.
“We were supposed to undermine you and make sure that the blood witches killed you,” Briar said with a huff.
“Rosalyn, break their curse,” Amy said.
“Excuse me? After what they’ve done, I believe they deserve it,” I said.
“Rosalyn. Please do not go against my goddess.”
I ground my teeth and thought it over. Adam looked at me pleadingly.
“What have you done so far?” Sky snapped at them.
“We planted the box under Rosalyn’s bed, and we tipped Logan off about her walk this morning. He was supposed to injure her so she was an easy target for the witches. That was it,” Briar said hurriedly.
Cole growled and edged closer to them.
“Please,” Adam whispered.
Exhaling slowly, I knew that I had to take the chance. My instincts told me they were pack. The way they had come to us was wrong, but they still had the potential to become true pack.
I walked forward and wrapped my hand around Adam’s wrist. He flinched but remained standing where he was. Closing my eyes, I allowed something within me to flow forwards. It was like a torrent of white water flowing through my veins and crashing over Adam in a great wave. There wasn’t the tingle I had come to associate with witch magic, it was from a place deep inside myself. Something changed between us. I could feel the barbed web that hung over Adam, restricting him and hiding his wolf side away.
Slowly I edged forward within my mind, pushing the great wave to be more focused on individual threads. Adam’s wolf peered at me from within him, a look of hope on its face. The web loosened and the barbs began to release. A thin web of threads unspooled within my hand and Adam gasped.
In my mind’s eye his wolf surged forward and settled just beneath his skin. He was complete once more. Opening my eyes, I saw the gold in Adam’s eyes and the tears of relief streaming down his face. He threw his arms around me.
“Thank you, Rosalyn. I swear my loyalty to you. Thank you,” he choked out.
I patted him on the back, feeling incredibly awkward before I gestured for Briar to come forward. She held out her wrist and I repeated the process.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I gripped her chin and stared her in the eye.
“You will swear loyalty to me, and you will treat me with the respect your alpha deserves,” I growled.
She swallowed hard and swore. Something built between us before it faded away.
I was new to this alpha thing, but I was going to do my best by them.
&nb
sp; 51
COLE AND I WERE JUST wrapping up an intense sparring session when it happened. The colour drained from his skin and his breathing became short and harsh. I ran to him, running my hands over him, trying to figure out what was going on. Fear prickled at the back of my mind as I felt completely lost. My guardian instincts were useless, and I didn’t have enough medical training to know what to do.
“Sky! Amy!” I shouted.
Cole crumpled down to his knees, his eyes were beginning to lose their beautiful spark and I was terrified I was going to lose him. Digging deep, I tried to find some use in the guardian stuff. If I could break the curse on the siblings, I could help him now. I had to.
Amy reached us first. She dropped to her knees next to Cole and placed her hands on his cheeks.
“This is going to hurt,” she whispered.
Cole tensed and his back began arch up as Amy held him tight. I was adrift, unable to do anything but watch on in horror. Cole closed his eyes tight, his face contorted into an expression of agony as his breath came in short sharp gasps. I needed to take away his pain, to bring him back to me. Still I remained where I was, at his side desperately hoping Amy got there in time.
Sky had pulled her sword from the ether and was spinning it around in weird shapes while she whispered something. The blur of her dark sword left after-images which almost coalesced into something more, something beautiful. There were slender smudges of red amidst the darkness. The hint of a raven’s feather caught my eye, but I kept my focus on Cole’s increasingly lifeless body. I held him close, feeling his heart slow and his breathing become more shallow. He was being stripped of his very essence.
Amy exhaled and pulled her hands back suddenly. Sky drove her sword into the ground, and everything changed. An explosion of shadow came from the sword and Cole gasped. The light returned to his eyes, making Amy grin before she lay back on the short grass.
“I hate combat magic; it’s exhausting,” Amy said.
“I live for it,” Sky said with a grin.
Cole wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You won’t get rid of me that easily,” he whispered into my ear.