by Jayne Hawke
“Run,” I snarled at him
His eyes flicked to mine before he sprinted away into the forest. The witches cackled, a savage sound that writhed against my skin. I rolled my shoulders and prepared to take them down. Cole would forgive me for taking their lives. He’d have to.
62
The witches turned to face me as one. Their faces had contorted into ghoulish mockeries of people. Large reptilian eyes stared at me with twisted expressions on over-sized mouths full of sharp fangs.
They moved as one, each step matching the others’ as they slowly moved towards me, cruel curved blades in hand. One of them paused to crouch down and dip her fingers in the glistening red of the witch’s blood. She dipped her fingers into the sunken cavity of her chest and closed her eyes, savouring the life-giving blood. My stomach revolted and threatened to empty right there. I pulled on the rage and focused everything I had on that pure fury. It was all I had left as my body was screaming to stop.
The grotesqueries moved as though to form a circle around me and block my movements. I gritted my teeth and pushed forward, ready to hack the head off the closest one. Her mouth spread wider as the hideous cackle echoed all around me. I felt their magic battering against my weakened body. Somehow, the remnants of my guardian shield was holding, but it wouldn’t last much longer. Spiderweb cracks were forming throughout it. One touch of their knives, and it would be done.
The witch seemed to bubble before her face cracked to reveal a dark snake skin beneath the leathery skin. I sighed; I was growing really tired of snakes. Twisting around, keeping her knife away from me, I darted in and sliced at her throat. My blade cut through the thick layer of scales, bringing deep purple ooze to drip out from the wound. The witch barely flinched. Her eyes flicked to me, and suddenly her sister was right behind me.
My chest tightened and my heart stuttered as her knife slid over my ribs. The guardian shield melted away, and I knew my chances of surviving this had dipped to almost nothing. Sadness swept over me as I wished I could have kissed Cole just one more time. To see his radiant smile was all I asked.
I wasn’t going to give up without taking at least one of those crazy bitches with me. The third one had the witch’s heart in her hand and took a great bite out of it while I twisted and ducked beneath the jerking swings of her sisters’ attacks. My instincts were taking over, removing the slow stuttering thoughts that would only get me killed.
My body moved with a grace that I hadn’t known I was capable of. The knives that would steal away my life essence cut through the air beside me, but I slipped away at the very last second, drawing cries of rage from the witches. Still, I was slowing, and the witches were closing in. The madness shone from their eyes as they closed the circle and my own attacks became clumsier.
A familiar pale wolf form appeared out of the gloom and sank its teeth deep into the throat of the witch before me. His slender body drove the witch down to the ground and he tore her open with a savage shake of his head. He turned to me, waiting for my next command.
I couldn’t spare a moment to speak as the witch to my left took her chance to take a swipe at my stomach. Fuelled by the presence of Adam, I dug deep and summoned the energy to hack through her wrist. Her shock made her pause long enough for Briar to bite into the witch’s legs, distracting her. Relief and glee filled me upon seeing the smaller wolf. My pack.
The siblings tore into the witch, leaving me with the other two. I was slow, and weak, but I had my pack at my side. Blood coated their fur and fuelled me forward. Gulping down air, I desperately sought out some shred of strength.
The closer witch swiped at my arms with a fury and insanity that made her clumsy. I fought my body to make it move faster and smoother. The blades almost cut through my unprotected skin. Adam ripped the throat out of the witch he and Briar had been attacking. They circled around behind me, ready to help me take down her sister.
We were close. I just needed to find that last scrap of energy.
Adam and I launched ourselves forwards in a unified attack. The witch’s mouth went wide. She pulled her blade up to impale me, but I twisted away at the last second, leaving space for Adam to drive her to the ground. Briar went to help pin her down, but the third witch blocked her approach. The young wolf danced around the witch, keeping her away from us while ducking under the savage strikes of the knife.
I moved as quickly as I was able and felt relief flood through me when Adam bit through the witch’s wrist, removing the knife from the equation. I stomped on her throat before I crouched down to plunge my wolf knife into her chest. Cole would be hurt by my actions, at breaking my promise, but I hoped he would understand.
Adam left the second I stomped on the witch’s throat. He joined Briar in her attack of the final witch. They took her to the ground, gnawing on her ankles and trying to rip through her clothes to get to her stomach. I tried to move quickly. I saw it all happen in slow motion. The way the witch’s hand rose with her knife poised. My legs refused to move as well as I needed. Briar’s blood bloomed over her beautiful pale silvery coat. She opened her eyes wide in shock. They were already turning glassy when I dropped to my knees and drove my knife deep into the witch’s chest. I stabbed again and again until she was still and lifeless.
I screamed out in anguish and anger, calling for Cole and the witches. I needed to save Briar.
63
BRIAR WAS LYING IN her wolf form, panting, next to the dead witch. Adam kept nudging her with his nose and whining. My heart was breaking as I laid my hands on her and tried to find something deep within me to save her. Anything. She was my pack, and I couldn’t let her die there. Not like that. She had a long and wonderful life ahead of her.
“I can save her,” Amy said softly.
I didn’t know when the witch had arrived, but I was glad of her presence.
“Do it,” I choked out.
“There is a price.”
“I don’t care. Do it.”
“You will lose twenty years off your life.”
“Amy. Do it,” I snarled.
I didn’t care what it took to save her, I wasn’t going to allow Briar to die.
Amy gently took Adam by the shoulders and moved the wolf aside so she could sit next to Briar. I kept my hands on the young wolf, desperately trying to give her some of my guardian magic to keep her going. Her breathing was so shallow, she was barely there. The glassiness had crept around her eyes, and I couldn’t bear it. This was my fault.
The Maat witch stroked Briar’s head with the tenderness of a mother and whispered a beautiful song. It filled me with hope and spread out around us, leaving a delicate silver light in its wake. Slowly, Briar returned to us. She grew stronger beneath my touch, and I felt the years ebb away from me into her. Twenty years was nothing to ensure Briar lived.
COLE HADN’T SAID A word as he carried me back home. He and Sky had appeared as Amy was saving Briar. I slipped in and out of consciousness. My body had been pushed far beyond its limits. Briar was quiet, but she was walking.
I felt the tension in the air, the unspoken judgement and arguments that would come. Cole sat with me and kept feeding me pizza and Pop-Tarts until I couldn’t fit any more in me. Once my mind began to clear, he hooked his finger under my chin and made me meet his cold hard gaze.
“Don’t do that ever again,” he snarled.
I refused to look away.
“I was doing what was right for the pack. You were badly injured. As a guardian, it is my duty to protect garou.”
“You are my shadow, and my alpha. You have a duty to me.”
“Which I was fulfilling by keeping you out of the fray. Sky said herself that one small cut of that knife would kill you.”
He sighed.
“Rosalyn, we’re a pack. Packs hunt together. You aren’t in this alone, and you had us all worried sick. You wouldn’t have made it through tonight without us.”
I wanted to bare my teeth at him and push back, but he was right. I would mak
e the same decision again if I redid it. Still, I saw his point.
“Tell me everything about the Apophis witch,” Sky said.
I sighed and Cole pulled me close to him. Relaxing into his protective embrace I tried to remember everything for Sky.
“I don’t know what you need to know. He can shimmer in and out of existence, and he controls the shadow. The witches were pushing magic into him, but I don’t know if they succeeded with that. He didn’t quite look human any more. I cut his cheek with my wolf knife. I was aiming for his throat, but he was so fast.”
Sky nodded.
“If my reading is accurate, that wolf knife is your guardian weapon. Each guardian has a weapon that was imbued with their magic many centuries ago. It’s able to cut through magic and deliver harm where other weapons wouldn’t be able to. It’s a bit like your guardian shield; it helps you kick ass and keep the garou safe.”
“The witches did succeed. They did push the magic into him,” she said flatly.
“Don’t you dare blame that on me,” I snarled.
She shrugged.
“You did your best. Although the garou was there to lure you in. It was all a trap. So well done for falling into that.”
My blood ran cold.
“Excuse me?”
“Your blood was the final piece of that puzzle. The Apophis witch now has a touch of guardian magic, as well as the blood magic. So, he’ll be even more immune to magical attacks.”
I bared my teeth at her.
“How was I supposed to know that!?”
“By reading the damn paperwork and waiting for us to share all of the gathered information! You ran off without us, and now you screwed up. You got lucky, but Cole’s right. Garou have packs for a reason. Don’t try and go this alone again.”
Cole held me down when I tried to stand. I wanted to hit the self-righteous expression off Sky’s face.
The worst part was, I knew she was right.
64
SKY RETURNED TO HER coven, satisfied that the blood witches were no longer a threat. She made it clear that we would be helping her with the Apophis witch. I was just glad to have everything back to normal.
The cookies and cream Pop-Tarts were all gone again. Briar had devoured the lot before I’d even realised we had a box in the house. Adam had brought home a huge box of books and hadn’t stopped reading all day.
Cole was shadow boxing in the backyard, and I enjoyed watching the way the sunlight played over his tight muscles. Things were finally looking good between us. I felt as though I was ready to take things to the next level when he was. My wolf side was sure that he was the right one, and Sky hadn’t been all that subtle about her feelings on that subject.
Amy hadn’t spoken a word to me since she’d saved Briar. She had departed with a hug and a word that her goddess had a lot she needed from her over the coming weeks. Amy was quickly becoming pack, and I wanted to bring her into the safety of my little sanctuary. I’d spoken to Cole, and he agreed that Amy could have the last spare bedroom when she was ready. I needed my little pack under one roof where I could keep an eye on them and know they were safe.
The feeling of warm contentment burst when the familiar sound of Natasha’s heels clicked down through the hallway. She had made no attempt to knock and simply strolled into my home.
Cole walked into the kitchen and looked at her with his lips pressed into a thin line.
“It is time, Cole,” Natasha said.
“Time?” I demanded, looking between them.
“I agreed to help Natasha with her pack problems,” Cole said.
He hadn’t told me about that.
“What pack problems?”
“You wouldn’t understand. These are the problems of born garou and old blood lines,” Natasha said.
Cole wrapped his arms around my waist and gave me a gentle smile.
“I won’t be gone long. Watch over our pack.”
He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. A soft teasing kiss with promise of far more to come when he returned.
“Keep in touch,” I said grudgingly.
“I promise.”
Natasha wore an expression of victory which made my skin crawl. There was something very wrong about her. Her eyes didn’t look like those of a full-blooded wolf. I looked away, deciding I was just being jealous again.
Cole had made his decision. He would be fully mine once he returned, and he would return.
I WAS MOSTLY ASLEEP, watching a familiar sci-fi movie when Sky burst into the flat. She skidded to a halt in the doorway of the living room.
“Where’s Cole!?”
“Helping Natasha with her pack,” I said drily.
She swore loudly.
“Natasha is working with the Apophis witch! She’s going to sacrifice him!”
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Wolf Pack
Wolf Ridge 3
By
Jayne Hawke
1
White-hot fury tore through me. How dare that bitch steal away Cole? My wolf side pushed forward. My gums hurt where the shift began to take over before I realised. Closing my eyes, I pulled myself back under control.
“You’re absolutely sure Natasha took Cole to be sacrificed?” I asked.
“Yes,” Sky said immediately.
I focused on my breathing and tried to tamp down the deep anger within me. Cole was mine. He was more than my pack mate, and I would tear apart anyone who dared lay a hand on him.
“What do we know?” I asked.
I opened my eyes to find Sky sitting opposite me.
“Not much yet. I only know that much because the Morrigan assigned me to him as my next task.”
I bared my teeth.
“And she didn’t feel the need to give you more details?”
Sky curled a lip.
“We’ve been having... difficulties.”
I gritted my teeth and pushed aside all of my snappy responses. Sky was trying to help; being a bitch to her wasn’t going to improve the situation.
Briar padded into the room, her eyes low and shoulders hunched.
“What happened?” Briar asked softly.
“We felt the tension,” Adam said.
He’d crept in behind his sister, almost managing to not be noticed.
I exhaled slowly. They had some involvement in this. They had had some idea of what Natasha was, and had ties back to the Apophis witch. I reminded myself that that was all behind us and they were pack now.
“Natasha took Cole to be sacrificed. Did you know she planned on doing that?” Sky demanded.
“No! We like Cole! We’d never do anything like that,” Briar said.
There were no signs of lies. Briar’s eyes were wide open in horror, but her heart rate remained steady. There were no attempts to move away.
“Where is he? When do we get him back?” Adam asked.
He stood a little taller now as eagerness added some confidence.
“We don’t know yet,” I said.
Amy ran into the room. She looked around at the dire expressions on everyone’s faces and visibly deflated.
“You already know about Cole,” she said quietly.
“Has your goddess given us anything we can use to get him back?” I asked.
That was probably rude of me, but Cole had been taken and there was no time to screw around with small talk.
Amy shook her head.
“There’s a lot of magic hiding Cole and his location. The Apophis witch is close to becoming his god’s avatar.”
“Well, that sounds fantastic,” I said drily.
“It means an aspect of Apophis will take over the witch’s body, allowing him to walk the earth,” Amy explained.
I sighed. That was just what we needed. Of all the gods to be walking the earth, the dark one with plans to devour the sun was right at
the bottom of my list.
“I am a Morrigan witch and I have been assigned to this case to kill that witch,” Sky said fiercely.
“And my lady has given me permission to do whatever is necessary to wipe him from this earth,” Amy said with more fire than I’d seen in her before.
Looking at the usually quiet little witch, I saw sharp edges and power gently rolling off her. It would have been so easy to underestimate her before, but now she was a force to be reckoned with.
“Cole is our alpha, too. You will not keep us out of this,” Briar said.
I raised an eyebrow at her as she crossed her arms and defiantly stared at me.
“You will not jeopardise your jobs. I will not see my pack throw their lives away. We can get Cole back.”
Briar narrowed her eyes.
“We can help plenty around our work,” Adam said as he stepped forward.
I nodded.
“And we’ll give you as much as you’re capable of handling.”
They had a right to help bring Cole back. As they said, he was their alpha, too.
“So, what now?” I asked the witches.
2
“WE FIND COLE. THERE are a number of different tracking spells we can try,” Amy said.
“What do I need to do?” I asked.
Amy and Sky shared a look. One that came somewhere between pity and an unwillingness to speak. I was a garou, what magic I had was limited to shifting and the guardian duties. There was nothing within me that would help with a tracking spell.
“Focus on Cole,” Amy said.
It felt as though she were just giving me something to make me feel better, but I’d take it.