by Jayne Hawke
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto the couch with him where I lay pressed against him.
“Now, what exactly did you have to do for Eira?” he demanded while I couldn’t escape.
“I had to steal some stone.”
He sighed.
“From who? And what stone?”
I pulled my phone out and showed him the photos.
“From a rich witch, and I don’t know. It was black with gold glitter.”
“You’re the dumbass that stole the night stone!?” Sky exclaimed. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in!? The coven you stole from are very influential, with more money than you can imagine. They’ve already brought in some Morrigan witches to mete out punishment. And you gave it to a fae queen? You’re going to be the end of me,” Sky continued.
“I did what I had to do to keep my pack safe,” I growled.
Sky threw her hands in the air and muttered about a lack of perspective.
“Amy will be here soon. Don’t do anything stupid,” she said before she left.
Adam came in with a bag full of Chinese food. Steam curled upwards from the brown paper bag, and my stomach growled. I didn’t know how long it had been since I ate, but I suddenly felt as though I could eat an entire horse.
“Tell me what happened with the blood witches,” I demanded as I began pulling the cartons of food out of the bag.
“We found out where they were camping out, and the location of their next sacrifice. They’re far stronger than we realised. It was supposed to be a quick and easy ambush, like the cabin was for you and Sky.” Cole paused to open his carton of hoisin duck. “They knew we were coming. They attacked us from all sides. Rosalyn, their magic is dangerous. I should have died, but Amy and Sky broke their magic quickly enough to keep me on the edge. They said your guardian magic brought me back, but,” he shook his head, “no one can survive another cut from their blades. Now they have tasted my blood they’ll be even more powerful.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?” I asked around a mouthful of Cantonese duck.
“The witches are going to try and weaken their bond to their god. They say it’ll take a week, and we’ll need to buy a heap of wards from other witches, but it’s our only chance,” Adam said.
No. That wasn’t good enough. Every moment those witches continued to breathe, my pack were in danger.
“When and where’s the next sacrifice?”
“Tomorrow night. We’re pretty sure they have a Frigga witch and a garou from Atlanta. They’re doing it on the big stone with the view,” Adam said.
Cole was weirdly quiet. It took me a moment before I realised they were doing it on our stone. The place we relaxed and enjoyed the peace of each other’s company.
“We’ll cleanse the stone, Rosalyn,” Cole said.
No, we wouldn’t, because they were not going to take another garou life. I was a guardian, and I was going to end this like I should have done weeks ago.
59
MY WOLF SIDE SNARLED for every moment that Cole lay shirtless with Amy running her hands over his torso. She was applying the salve that would break down the blood magic and allow him to heal fully. Still he was my Cole and no one else should have had their hands on him. I did my best to remain relaxed and still.
“Stop snarling and come and help me,” Sky said as she took my arm.
I grudgingly followed her into the kitchen where the papers and study on the blood witches had been sprawled out over the table. Adam and Briar had gone to bed to be ready for a day at work the next day.
“This is everything we’ve managed to find on the blood witches and their sacrifices. We need to put it into something we can use. You start by looking over the details of the sacrifice and ritual we think they’re completing tomorrow night.” Sky pointed at a heap of papers.
I made myself a cup of coffee and settled in for a long night of reading and note-taking. Amy’s notes on the ritual were neat and precise, so they gave me a starting point. So far, we knew that the entire ritual would take most of the night, which meant I had lots of time to get there and put an end to it.
The papers weren’t in a useful order, and it took me two cups of coffee to work my way through everything and get them into something I could really make sense of. Some of it still made no sense to me, talk of unity with their god, and swallowing the essence. I felt good about my understanding of the rest though.
I began making my own notes as a plan formed in my mind. We knew they’d be at our stone. They would get there at sunset with their sacrifices. All I needed to do to stop the entire ritual was keep one of the sacrifices alive. From what we could see, the witches would be using the ritual to gather power and funnel it into someone or something else.
Someone must have been paying them a fortune to have them take the risk of upsetting their god by pushing all of that magic into someone else. My reading suggested that their god was very specific that their magic was gifted to them and them alone. I wondered who it could have been. Surely the Apophis witch would have his own magic and wouldn’t use the blood witches that way? Why would he bring in outside magic?
I began looking around the papers for something on the Apophis witch, we were missing something here. He was more important than he’d been given credit for.
Sky was absorbed in her work and Amy had crashed out on my bed. There was no one around that I could ask about the information I needed. Chewing on my bottom lip, I slowly slipped the large red notebook away from Sky and flipped through it, looking for information on the Apophis witch.
“That’s not on blood witches,” Sky said distractedly.
“Yea, I just want to check something about the Apophis witch.”
Sky’s phone vibrated. She glared at it.
“It appears that the Apophis witch is now in possession of the night stone. The same stone you stole,” Sky said coldly.
I raised an eyebrow.
“That means he can draw on the magic of the night sky and make himself more powerful. He was already far too powerful.”
I needed to know what he was planning.
“Apophis is darkness and chaos?” I asked.
“Do you not understand what you’ve done?”
I understood, I just saw no reason to get into a screaming match over it. I was going to fix my mistake, I just needed some more information.
“What exactly does that stone do?”
“It gives the user access to the inherent magic found within the night sky, a wild magic untethered to the gods.”
I looked back at the notes I had on the ritual the blood witches were doing.
Then it hit me. They were going to use that stone to amplify the ritual. They weren’t going to just push magic into the Apophis witch, they were going to drain the magic out of the local area. The witches would be unstoppable if they succeeded.
Sky was glaring at me, but she soon huffed and returned to her phone.
I had a decision to make. My instincts told me this was why I was turned. I was there to act as a guardian and keep my people safe. I could stop the ritual by myself.
I glanced back at the living room where Cole was sleeping. He’d be very upset at my actions, but he wasn’t going to be back at full strength for another day or two. The siblings were too young to take on something this dangerous. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I’d be able to take Sky with me, not without Cole. Closing my eyes, I reached deep within myself and knew this was something I needed to do alone.
60
COLE SLEPT THROUGH most of the day while I quietly formulated my plan. His state had only reinforced my decision to do this alone. Guardians were supposed to protect their people. That was what I needed to do.
From what I could see, I needed to make sure that I wasn’t cut by the ritual knives the witches carried. Those knives stole the life essence from those they drew blood from. I wouldn’t have Sky and Amy to break the link between me and the knife. The witches would have a lot more magic
flowing through them than they did at the cabin, which meant I’d need to decapitate them or rip their hearts out. This was not going to be pleasant.
Once the sun began to set, I slipped outside into the forest with my new knife at my hip. It felt right. The wolves adorning the hilt felt like they were tied to me somehow. Something told me it was my guardian knife.
I didn’t have long to get to the stone before Sky and the others realised I’d gone. It wouldn’t take much to figure out what I was planning. Shifting into my wolf form, I pushed myself to run as fast as I could, taking no pleasure in the route through the forest. There was none of the usual excitement. This was going to be a dark night full of blood and pain.
Darkness slipped between the broad boughs of the trees and blinded me. I was getting so close to the stone, but I couldn’t see through the pitch shadows that hung unnaturally. Growling, I shifted back into my human form, knife in hand, and looked around for the culprit. Blood witches were shadow weavers, they could use their magic to keep themselves alive, and draw on others’ life essence. There was little to no manipulation of their surroundings in anything I’d read.
“Turn back, guardian,” a silky voice said.
The sensation of a serpent filled the back of my mind and I knew the Apophis witch was here. It looked like I’d be taking out two birds with one stone that night.
A beautiful man with rich bronze skin and eyes the colour of amber stepped from the shadow. Wearing a pale tailored suit, he looked ridiculous out in the heart of the forest. His hands were casually tucked in the pockets of his pants, and amusement danced across his delicate features.
“You still have a chance to survive this night,” he said as he slowly approached me.
I gripped my knife tighter and looked for weaknesses.
“Such a shame,” he said.
Shadows around me coalesced into monstrous forms with long claws and sharp fangs. It put a fresh twist on the idea of shadow boxing. Slowing my breathing, I allowed my instincts to take over and kick some shadowy ass.
The monsters reared up over me, their torsos elongated and slender. I shot forward, slashing at the darkness. My knife slid through their forms only to watch them draw back together again, leaving no harm behind. Snarling, I turned, looking for the source of my problems. If I could do no harm to the shadow, then I would take out the shadow weaver.
Ice slid into my veins as pain exploded from my shoulder. A scream choked me as the air was dragged from my lungs. It was pain unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. The shadow receded, leaving the icy darkness swirling around my shoulder where it had bitten me. I pushed the pain away into a small box and began looking for the Apophis witch.
There was nothing put pure blank ink swirling around me. Something tugged at me though. An understanding, a feeling. I ducked under the swipe of another shadow’s claws and surged forward, following the tug at my feet.
The Apophis witch came into view. A smudge of pale cream against the pure darkness. Pain was slowing me down. Fear formed a tight band around my chest. It was unnatural and difficult to push away. I dug deep, searching for the fire within, the need to protect my pack. Pulling on the flames buried deep within, I focused past the smothering sensation that all was lost and tried to find the tugging once more.
Coldness swept past my face where another shadow took a casual swipe at me. They were toying with injured prey. That fuelled the flames within. I grasped onto the fury at being seen as weak prey and used that to push me forward. The tugging grew, and I ran through the darkness past the hard edges of impossible shadows towards the ever-moving soft cream.
Suddenly, the cold was gone, and I was left panting before the witch, who casually leaned against a tree.
“Very good,” he purred.
I grinned at him, a feral expression that made his own expression falter.
His mouth puckered, and I felt him pulling on his magic. The air stilled, and something prickled against my skin. I circled around, watching him, looking for tell-tale weaknesses. His eyes began to close in concentration, and I raced forward, knife in hand. This was my moment, my chance to end him.
His eyes flew open, and I gasped as terror consumed me. My body threatened to crumple as blood froze in my veins and air left my lungs. He looked at me with a gentle smile upon his elegant face. Tilting his head a little, he watched, a glow of victory blooming from deep within him.
I saw the tattoo Cole had given me, making me his shadow. Marking us as bound. Focusing on that, I reminded myself what I was fighting for and slowly pushed myself back to standing. My body was slow, but I would not give in. No one was going to hurt my pack and live to talk about it.
The witch’s mouth fell open as I took one step, and then another, towards him. My heart hammered in my chest, threatening to break my ribs as my blood felt as though it were curdling in my veins. Nothing was going to hurt my people. Not while I still had a thread of life left within my being.
61
SOMETHING CHANGED WITHIN the Apophis witch. His casual stance and idle curiosity became something more vicious as he realised I was not going to roll over and die. I saw the coming attack. The way he was gathering magic far more powerful than I could express. The fire within me burned bright and the terror that had formed a concrete shell around me shattered.
I lunged forward and sliced my knife through the air, aiming for his throat. The witch twisted at the last second, making me miss my mark. My knife bit into the flesh of his cheek. He let out a keening cry that brought tears to my eyes from the pitch and agony of it.
Then he was gone, leaving nothing but a shadowy imprint on my mind. My body was screaming at me to stop and rest. I tried to catch my breath, but the blood witches were preparing their sacrifices and the night wasn’t done yet.
The darkness had lifted, leaving me in familiar forest. The stone wasn’t far. I could end this.
My breathing was harsh and rapid, giving me no choice but to lean against a tree and rest. Tears pricked my eyes as the emotion of it all hit me. There was a garou on that stone, terrified and in pain, about to lose their life. My own pack was at risk and would feel betrayed once they realised what I’d done. Over time, they would come to understand my actions, but I was beginning to see why being a guardian was such a huge weight.
Closing my eyes, I calmed and steadied myself. This was my purpose in the world. I wasn’t going to give in to the exhaustion and shock of it all. My pack would survive the night, and we would work through the events of the past few days.
Once I could breathe again, I continued my trek to the stone. The happiness that came with walking that route was entirely missing. It was supposed to be a beautiful peaceful place, and yet the weight of death and destruction hung in the air. Never again could it be where I lie with Cole in bliss. That stung more than I could express. The witches had stolen one of the small pieces of happiness.
Sniffing the air, I caught the scent of entrails and fresh blood. Selfishly, I hoped they’d sacrificed the witch first. Circling around the area, I tried to get a good look at the scene before I rushed in. The witches were dressed in what I assumed was ceremonial regalia. Gold feathers had been woven into their pitch-coloured hair. Brightly coloured vests sat over simple deep red shift dresses.
Blood coated the stone and dripped from the witches’ hands as they slowly circled around the twisted remains of a young woman. They spoke in deep guttural tones as they chanted in a heavy language that sent ripples through the air, making my hair stand on end. Magic was gathering in the space. I had a few minutes at best.
The Apophis witch was nowhere in sight, but I could feel his presence. Gripping my knife in my hand, I knew that it was now or never. Walking as quietly as I could manage, I approached the stone from the centre, aiming to plunge my knife into the back of the closest witch. It wouldn’t kill her outright, but it should stop the ritual in its tracks.
A young garou whined, his eyes went wide, and he struggled against slender go
ld ropes that bound him to a makeshift altar to the left of the stone. A shadowy form crept along towards the garou, and I found myself torn. The witch was closer, but the garou was my people.
I raced across the small open space between the trees and the stone towards the altar. No more garou blood would be shed that night. A steely determination filled my very being as I focused on the garou. His fear morphed into brilliant hope as he watched me. The shadows coalesced around him as I pushed my muscles to work harder, my legs to move faster. It felt as though the distance was stretching out before me and I was getting nowhere. The garou’s eyes went wide and pain drained the colour from his skin as the shadows slid over his legs.
Gulping down air, I leapt forward and swung my knife wildly at the shadows, trying to put myself between them and the garou. The shadows flickered and re-formed around the knife, while painting my skin inky black as cold seeped into the fibres of my being. My teeth chattered and my joints ached while my body slowed further and darkness crept around my vision. The garou looked into my eyes, begging me to let him live.
I cut through his bindings and looked around wildly for the Apophis witch. Once again, the fire within me surged forwards, and I found the witch grinning at me, the rictus grin of a mad man. Teeth bared and eyes lost to a chaotic mind beyond saving, he stood still and stared me down. Daring me to take him on.
The young garou rolled off the altar, landing hard on the ground beside him. He was as free as I could manage. The witch needed to die if this was to end. He opened his arms wide, inviting me to try and end his life. The witches’ chant was reaching a crescendo, and the magic began to swell. Something changed within the Apophis witch, and he closed his eyes, his face becoming blank as a death mask.
I strode towards the Apophis witch with my teeth bared and my wolf side just below the surface. Every inch of me hurt, but I wasn’t going to give in. This would end that night.
The Apophis witch flickered out of existence as I swiped my knife towards his throat. I let out a cry of frustration and turned to see the witches dancing around the mutilated corpse of the witch. They were turning their attention to the terrified garou, who remained frozen near the altar.