Wolf Ridge- Complete Series

by Jayne Hawke

  “Rosalyn!” Briar called.

  I headed to the bedroom with the plush white carpets deep enough to dig your toes into and found her holding up a stunning silver dress that barely made it to her knee.

  “There’s one for you too!”

  I turned and saw the ice blue satin box with matching ribbon sitting on the bed next to me. The box looked entirely at home upon the silver silk blanket that covered the bottom half of the otherwise snow-white bed. The dress inside was a floor length gown that would wrap my curves in soft ephemeral silvers and pale blues. The neckline was conservative with a plunging back, exactly how I preferred. The fact the fae had made something so exquisitely beautiful, and entirely to my tastes, sent a shiver through me. It felt as though she’d reached within and saw some part of me I’d rather keep hidden.

  The instructions about where exactly to find the item we were there for appeared before me on thick white card stock.

  The photo we’d been given showed a palm-sized black stone that glittered gold under the light of the camera. We were instructed to scope out the house it was hidden in via a fancy party that Eira had forged invitations for. The stone was located upstairs. I groaned, this sounded awful. I wasn’t a thief.

  Briar looked over the instructions and crossed her arms.

  “No. Not going to happen. We’ll go in once the party has wound down when everyone is drunk and really relaxed. They’ll be too occupied elsewhere. We’ll need dark clothing and to scope the place out before the party. We need to know what their security looks like. I’m betting there’s anti-fae magic, which means we’re dealing with witches. That’ll make life more complicated, but I’ve done worse.”

  She spoke with such confidence. I wondered what a life she’d led. To be so experienced with theft of that level at just sixteen.

  Briar beamed at me.

  “I know I was awful to you, but I’m really glad to be in your pack. I wouldn’t be able to do things like this in a normal pack.”

  I wasn’t quite sure what to think about that.

  55

  WE HAD MADE THE MOST of the room service and luxurious bathroom before we took a nap. It was three AM when we got back up. It was more than a little creepy that boxes of black clothes and boots which fit us perfectly had shown up at the bottom of our beds while we slept. The more I learned about fae the more I didn’t want anything to do with them.

  Briar was gleeful to be a part of this. I couldn’t say that I shared her enthusiasm but it was rubbing off on me a little. There was a thrill to breaking into a rich witch’s home to steal something. Even if we didn’t know what that something did and had to hand it off to a powerful and likely malicious fae ice queen.

  My old Mustang really stood out in the rich neighbourhood. The rest of the cars parked in the area were high end Mercedes, Cadillacs, Corvettes, Porches, and Jaguars. I didn’t think I’d seen quite so much money packed into one street before. The houses had large wrap-around yards giving the houses plenty of privacy. I admit I was a touch jealous, but I reminded myself of the home I had back in Vermont and it faded.

  We parked ten minutes away and tried to look perfectly normal as we prowled the well-lit streets wearing all black. We might as well have had neon signs floating above our heads screaming ‘robbers’. Briar took my hand and led me down a small path leading out around the back of the street we were supposed to be casing. By some miracle, that street backed onto a small wooded area with a creek running through it. We shifted into our wolf forms and began really looking at what we were dealing with.

  Briar led the way as she had more experience. I followed her past the perfectly manicured bushes that formed the edge of the property and grabbed onto her tail when I felt the tingle of magic nearby. She flattened herself to the ground and we paused while I tried to figure out what we were dealing with. There was definite magic there, but I had no idea what type or where.

  Pricking my ears, I tried to listen out for other forms of security. There appeared to be no guards, and only two people inside. One of them was in what I thought was a study given the bookshelves.

  “The magic seems like it sweeps,” I mentally said to Briar.

  “We need to time it.”

  We remained flattened to the cool earth as we waited for the tingle to grow once more. There was a regular pattern which gave us ten seconds to cross the yard with the neat flowerbeds and swimming pool, to the porch with the large windows showing everyone we were coming.

  “We’d be best scaling the wall up to the top floor. Easier than trying to get through the house,” Briar said.

  My wolf side didn’t approve of that plan, my ears flattened against my will. It’d live with it.

  We slunk around the edge of the yard and looked for a suitable climbing area. There was a mature tree near the eastern corner that could get us most of the way.

  “How do we handle the magic inside?” I asked Briar.

  “I think they’ll be arrogant and it’ll only ping if witch or fae are detected.”

  “That’s a big risk.”

  “Then we’ll run really fast.”

  I had to laugh. I was expecting a far more polished plan. Still, it was all we had.

  WE SPENT THE DAY EATING far too much room service and checking out online photos and maps of the house. The modern age was a wonderful thing. We pinned down an exact route across the yard that I was confident we could do in 10 seconds. The highly manicured gardens gave plenty of open space to move quickly across the lawns. Of course, that didn’t leave anything to hide behind, the small shrubs and delicate flowers certainly wouldn’t keep us from view. We would need to move fast and make sure no one was watching.

  The large tree near the house was old and mature with sturdy limbs at nice even spaces. It looked like an easy climb, which, given our wolf sides were going to be upset about being off the ground, was a blessing.

  The jump over to the small roof near the window was going to be a little difficult, but we’d figure it out. It was a small space to land on, with slippery tiles, but our natural wolf balance should help us out. Briar was sure she could crack any lock they might have on the window. I trusted her. If she could steal from the Morrigan witches, she clearly had skills. So we just had to get inside, sneak past the study and master bedroom, get into the display room, and grab the stone. Easy.

  My stomach was twisting and doing flipflops later that day when we were analysing the photos one last time. Everything looked good to go, but there was no way this would be as simple as all of that. Briar was confident, which made me feel a little more comfortable, but the nerves remained.

  Parking was far more difficult that evening. Cars had been abandoned by the side of the road for the party, leaving us to walk some fifteen minutes to the house. We got a few strange looks as we wandered casually down the road in our all-black outfits. No one seemed to pay us too much attention but I didn’t want to be memorable. I was glad to slip down the small path and into my wolf form. We crept down to the backyard of the house in question and the truly difficult part started - the waiting.

  56

  I WASN’T CUT OUT FOR stakeouts. We must have been there for twenty minutes by the time I was itching to move. The ground felt too cool and damp beneath my stomach. The scents of the party were tickling my nose, and there was a rabbit I could have been chasing nearby. Judging from the number of people drinking heavily and milling around, I was going to have to endure the agony of remaining still for a good bit longer yet.

  Time crawled by. I think we’d been there for two hours when everything had quietened down and started looking hopeful. I might have dozed for a short period, I wasn’t entirely sure. The time was a blur of people laughing obnoxiously, drinking from delicate glasses, and awful music.

  The music was gone. The lights were out in the house. It looked as though we were good to go. We waited another ten minutes to try and be sure while we counted the time between the ebb and flow of the magical waves. Slowing my breathin
g, I braced and went into a crouch rather than flat on my stomach. Briar was right at my side when we shot forward and raced across the manicured yard towards the house. We shifted into our human forms the moment we got near the tree and scrambled upwards.

  As much as my wolf side protested, the tree was easy to climb. The limbs were strong and evenly spaced giving us plenty of routes up. When we were reaching the window we needed, Briar paused, her eyes wide. I could feel her wolf protesting and wanting to get back down on the ground. I reached my hand out and helped pull her up.

  “I need you,” I whispered.

  She steadied herself and made the jump onto the small roof near the window. I followed her, pressing myself against the wall and waiting as she leaned in close to the window. Briar’s hands moved in a quick and simple rhythm as she ran her fingers over the edge of the window. Her face twisted into one of deep concentration as she began to tug at the lock. Something audibly clicked and we both froze, waiting.

  Nothing happened so Briar opened the window. We peered inside. No tingling, no people. Time to get in and get out.

  The interior of the house was simple and classy with rich red-toned wooden floors, pale walls, and watercolour paintings of local landscapes dotted across the walls. We walked across the spare bedroom we’d entered into on our tiptoes with our ears pricked to catch any movement. Everything was eerily quiet. I took that to mean the house owners were fast asleep and this was going to be a nice smooth thing.

  We paused in the doorway and made sure there was no tingling of magic and no movement before we scurried down to the room in question. It was like a small museum. We stopped dead just inside the room with glass cases and elegant tables arranged around the large space. Still no tingle of magic. It looked like Briar was right; they didn’t worry about lowly garou.

  The stone was in the very centre case sitting beneath a small white light. I nodded to Briar to head over and retrieve that, as something else was calling to me. I allowed my instincts to lead me across the room to a shadowy corner where a long curved knife sat. The handle was made of silver with swirling wolf’s heads adorning it. My hand reflexively went out to it. It felt like an extension of myself.

  I hovered my hand over the knife trying to feel for any sign of magic. There was nothing. It wasn’t even hidden in a case. We were already taking the stone, what harm would taking the knife, too, do?

  The knife was in my hand before I could doubt the morality of my actions. It fit my hand perfectly, the balance was exquisite. It was as though it had been made for me. I tucked it away and turned to see how Briar was getting on. She had just picked up the stone when a shock of neon green light cut through the room. Tingling filled the air making it difficult to breathe.

  Briar grabbed the stone and we ran like our tails were on fire. There was no grace or elegance as we threw ourselves out of the window and leapt down the tree before we shot across the yard. Balls of something painful were hot on our heels. If I’d have been in my wolf form, I was pretty sure I’d have lumps of missing fur. Something about the stone made me think that Briar wouldn’t be able to carry it in wolf form. I knew my shiny new knife would shift with me, but the stone was made of a completely different type of magic.

  We ran as fast as our legs could carry us. Every inch of me wished I was in my wolf form instead of being stuck on two legs, but we were there for one thing and I wasn’t going to give it up. Footsteps were closing in behind us. Flashes of light cut through the periphery of my vision and I cursed out Eira with everything I had.

  57

  HOW THE ENTIRE NEIGHBOURHOOD wasn’t up and calling the cops, I didn’t know. I hadn’t stopped to look at who was chasing us, but I heard the crashes and whines of explosives and magic being thrown around. The taste of lead and something heavily bitter coated my tongue from all of the magic.

  Briar was beginning to flag. I made a note to drag her out on my daily runs to improve her fitness. Grabbing her wrist, I pulled her along towards the Mustang. If they dared damage my baby, they’d wish they’d never been born. We were getting close now. The magic was fading, the explosions were quieter, and the Mustang was within sight.

  Unfortunately, so were the three men dressed in slate grey with fireballs in their hands. It looked like I was about to find out just how good that anti-magic shield I had was.

  We slowed our pace and I looked them up and down, weighing up their weaknesses. None of them stood like experienced fighters, I expected they leaned on that fire magic. If I could get in close and slice them open then we’d be home and free. The problem was avoiding those fire balls, and I should probably dispose of the bodies too. Fae bodies went up in a puff of glitter, witch bodies weren’t quite so convenient.

  The witches casually bounced the fireballs in the palms of their hands, waiting for us with smirks on their faces. I moved in front of Briar and tried to figure out the best way to get in close to the witches. All I had was brute force and good luck, which meant running at them and praying for the guardian shield to hold.

  “Stay right behind me,” I whispered.

  Briar crowded in close behind me and I sprinted towards the closest witch. Alarm passed over his cold features right before he began throwing his volley of fire at me. Warmth spread across my skin but the weird shield was holding thus far. Briar was hot on my heels. The witches saw that I wasn’t on fire and panic spread through them. I drew my shiny new knife and prepared to remove the threat to me and my car.

  I blinked and they were gone. Skidding to a stop, I looked around and wondered if I’d imagined the entire thing. Was someone screwing with me?

  “You’re welcome,” a man dressed in silvery blue said drily.

  I looked at the man with white-blond hair and sharp fae features. A chill ran through me.

  “Well, don’t stand there. Her highness is waiting,” he said.

  I muttered curses under my breath about the fae as I climbed into the Mustang and prepared for a long drive back home.

  MY PHONE HAD BEEN BUZZING and bouncing for most of the journey home. I was pretty sure every single text and missed call was from Cole. Things were going to be unpleasant when we finally got home.

  Eira hadn’t given us a place to meet her for the exchange so I pulled into the carpark for my favourite coffee shop and assumed she’d just show up. I kept my new knife on me. Briar had taken a few photos of the stone so we could see exactly what we’d done. I was likely going to regret it once I knew, but that didn’t make me stop her.

  True to form, Eira did appear within ten seconds of our getting out of the car. Exhaustion filled my bones. I didn’t have any sarcastic remarks. Briar handed me the stone and I held it out for Eira to take.

  She took the stone, leaving trails of cold on my hand in her wake. I rubbed my hands together trying to shake her touch off while she inspected the stone. Finally she nodded and smiled.

  “I will return at a later date to strike another deal.”

  I ground my teeth and said nothing. It was time to go home and face the disaster waiting for us there.

  58

  THE SMELL OF BLOOD hit me as I walked in the door. Pausing, I sniffed, trying to pinpoint whose blood and where it was coming from. The smell was coming from the living room. I ran there and almost skidded to a halt as I saw Cole lying on the couch, pale, and bloody. I sank down to my knees next to him and ran my hands over his body trying to assess the damage.

  “What happened?”

  “Where the hell were you?” Sky snarled.

  “Excuse me?” I growled back.

  “We went after the blood witches, as agreed. We texted you. We rang you. We damn well needed you, Rosalyn. Thanks to your disappearing, they managed to cut Cole with their sacrificial knife. Amy’s now working her ass off to form a salve that will save him. So I ask again, what the hell was so important that you abandoned your pack and alpha for?”

  I froze. Anger warred against shame.

  “I made a promise to a fae queen. I had t
o fulfil it else she’d kill everyone I knew.”

  Sky sighed and paced back and forth.

  “Any other stupid promises we should know about?”

  “No,” I said flatly.

  Sky exhaled and left the room. I turned my attention to Cole and ran my fingertips over his injuries. The blood was cool and his breathing shallow. His eyes were closed, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hanging on by a thread. My instincts took over, and I began very slowly tracing the lines of the slices across his chest and abdomen. Something passed between us, a gentle warmth.

  My body tired quickly as I worked. My thoughts became sluggish, but I pushed on, needing to help him. My Cole. Closing my eyes, I allowed my fingertips to continue their trail over his body as the blackness consumed me and there was nothing but the thin sliver of warmth between us. He took a deep breath as I floated away into oblivion.

  GUILT RIDDLED ME WHEN I woke back up. They were right. I should have been there. My pack had suffered due to my absence. I refused to leave Cole’s side. He was stroking my hair when I regained consciousness and gave me a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Never do that again,” he managed to growl.

  I laughed out of relief that he still had his fire in there.

  He cupped my face and moved his own close to mine, twisting on the couch to do so.

  “I mean it, Rosalyn. You do not abandon this pack like that again. Next time you owe a favour to a fae, we all go with you,” he said while intensely staring in my eyes.

  “Ok,” I said softly.

  That was not a promise I was willing to make. I needed to look after my pack, and sometimes that was going to mean leaving them behind.