by Jayne Hawke
I growled and pressed my fingertips to the tattoo on my forearm as I reminded myself of my pack. My people. Together we were capable of anything. I was not in this alone.
The nightmare shook its head and stomped its feet in frustration. I would not be cowed. Not by simple fear.
The herd vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving me standing in the middle of a barren desert landscape with deep cracks in the red earth. It changed in the blink of an eye to a beautiful old forest with redwoods towering up around me, the canopy so far above it looked as though the sky itself was green leaves.
Again it changed, to a stunning lake, then to a bustling city, again and again. Whoever had been keeping me in the dream was losing their grip. It was time to tear myself free.
Reaching out with my mind, I kept the feeling of my pack at the front of my mind as I searched for the seams to this place. Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity as I searched and wondered if I had been wrong. Could this really be Fae and they had given me false hope?
When I was ready to give in, I found it. The crease in the fabric of the place. I gripped onto it with my mental fingers and yanked it as hard as I could. Darkness formed at the edges of the space, and I pulled again.
Something tore. Opening my eyes, I saw a great gash into the space, a messy shape revealing pure empty darkness behind the brilliant azure of the gentle ocean before me.
Without thinking, I ran and dove through the tear in space. What other choice did I have?
29
I WOKE WITH A GASP. Digging my fingers down into the couch I was lying on, I grounded myself in the scent of old leather, familiar wolves, and Pop-Tarts. The living room looked exactly as it should have done. Amy was kneeling next to me with beads of sweat on her forehead.
“They had a tight hold on you,” she said softly.
I threw my arms around her shoulders and held her tight. Never before had I been so grateful to see a witch.
It was easy now to see where the dream had been wrong. Amy had a strength and fierceness to her that had been missing earlier. Briar leapt on me and cried into my hair.
“We thought we’d lost you,” she sobbed.
I stroked her hair and held her until she was ready to pull away.
My stomach growled and I had to ask, “How long was I out?”
“A day,” Sky said as she handed me a plate of jerky and cold pizza.
“How long do we have left?” I asked as I stuffed jerky in my mouth.
“Not long enough,” Rowan said.
“I didn’t dream you!” I said with a grin.
He laughed.
“When did I fall asleep?”
“Not long after you got here with Rowan. You just passed out on the couch. At first we thought you were exhausted, but you wouldn’t wake up. Amy managed to help break the witch’s hold on you. I’m sorry, Rosalyn, it should have been me,” Sky said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a smile.
I was absolutely ravenous. The look in Sky’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed.
“What happened while I was out?” I asked casually.
Amy looked pointedly at Sky.
“I lost all contact with my magic. It’s completely gone and won’t return until I choose either Set or the Morrigan. Oh, and my coven reminded me I’m getting married next month. To a guy I’ve never met. But he’s called Gideon, so that’s cool, right?” Sky said sarcastically.
“I still can’t believe witches are so backwards as to have arranged marriages like that,” Briar said.
I was with her.
“Coming from the garou who has some weird soul mate bond...” Sky said.
“Knowing that you’ll be a really good match for someone when you meet them is completely different to an arranged marriage. Our life bond kicks in when we meet someone who is our other half. We have a choice in what we do about that. If we’re not ready to get into a relationship, then we don’t have to. There are garou who meet their life bond and walk away. Do any witches walk away from arranged marriages?” Rowan asked.
Sky huffed and handed me a plate of cold Chinese leftovers. She was prepared, and I really appreciated that.
“No. None,” Sky said.
Rowan had a look of triumph on his face that made Sky clench her fist. I wondered if Rowan knew how close he was to being punched in the nose.
“Why don’t you just choose?” Briar asked Sky.
Sky screwed up her nose.
“Because it’s not that simple. I know nothing about Set, and the Morrigan is tied into my coven.” She dragged her fingers through her hair. “I’m not happy in my coven, but it’s all I’ve ever known. I do good as a Morrigan witch, too. We’re enforcers.”
“’Good’ is a matter of opinion,” Rowan said.
Sky pointedly ignored him.
“I don’t know what would happen with Set. I’d have to be a solitary witch, which I’ve never done before. Obviously; that was a stupid comment. Anyway. I don’t know much about Set. How can I commit to my life, my magic, my everything, when I know nothing about him?”
I didn’t really have an answer to that.
“I’m guessing ‘do whatever feels right’ isn’t the answer you’re looking for...” Adam said.
Sky laughed, a tight sound that made everything more tense, not less.
“Like Rosalyn said, you’re still a skilled fighter. We can figure out your magic once we’ve dealt with Liam,” Amy said.
Sky threw her hands up.
“I hate it. Ok? My magic is a crutch and I hate being without it. I feel empty and worthless.”
“Deal with it,” I said.
Sky raised an eyebrow at me.
“You heard me. We need you to step up and kick ass. So find a way to do that without your magic,” I said.
Sky laughed for real that time.
“Maybe we should lock you in a dream spell more often.”
“Absolutely not,” Amy said.
“Joking,” Sky said with an eye roll.
“Where are we sitting with locations and preparations?” I asked.
“We have most of our weapons ready to go. A couple of potions are still brewing, but we’ll be ready to wage war in two hours,” Amy said.
I swallowed the last of my pad thai and realised it really was a war. This wasn’t just about one witch and Cole any more. We’d pulled the Blue Dagger pack into it. Liam had gotten the council and the gods only knew how many other beings involved. This was about the fate of the world.
30
They’d been busy while I was locked away in the dream. Amy had enchanted every pointy object within reach. There was a heap of knives, daggers, swords, and even an axe on the kitchen table. Each one of them had a faint white glow to it where Amy had added some sharpening and breaking magic to them.
We stood around the table while Amy handed us each a handful of paper feathers and small glass marbles with swirling colours inside.
“The feathers act like throwing knives, and the marbles are grenades,” Amy said.
I looked down at the hot pink paper feather and marvelled at what Amy had done with it. Something so simple that had clearly come from a craft store a few hours prior had been turned into a weapon that could cut through a powerful witch.
“We don’t know who or what we’re going up against. The Blue Dagger pack will have our back. They’re going to cover the perimeter while we take on Liam, himself. Now remember, we need to slice him open with fiery blades. Oh, and he could potentially turn into a dragon,” Amy said.
“I thought we had to cut him then set him on fire?” I asked.
“Mistranslation,” Amy said with a smile.
“What about my guardian dagger? That’s already cut him.”
Amy pursed her lips.
“I believe that should work. We’ll be trying to get the fire, though, just to be sure.”
Sky began placing knives from the table into sheaths on her body. Her mouth was pressed into a stubborn fr
own, but she hadn’t given in just yet. I found a spot for the marbles and hoped they weren’t too delicate.
“Can’t we just shift? We’re not great with knives,” Briar asked.
“We need to cut Liam, remember,” I said.
Briar looked at the knives and took a pair. She held them in her hands before she gave a heavy sigh and tucked them away.
Rowan couldn’t take his eyes off Amy. A small smile played across his lips as he watched her run her hands over her hips and thighs checking all of the blades there. I wondered if Amy knew she wasn’t going to be shaking the garou off any time soon. He seemed pretty sure that she was his other half.
“Do witches usually date garou?” I asked casually.
Sky snorted.
“No self-respecting witch would be caught near a garou. We’re taught from a young age that bloodlines are everything. You must aspire to marry and reproduce with the correct bloodline to produce the strongest and most capable witches,” Sky said.
“It happens, sometimes. And only with the smaller covens and solitary witches,” Amy said.
Rowan was glaring at Sky.
“I didn’t say I agreed with them,” Sky snapped at him.
The garou relaxed and turned to help Adam secure his knife on his hip.
“Do we need to meet up with your pack, Rowan?” I asked.
“No. They have the location of Liam and they’ll be doing all they can to make sure no one but us goes in or out.”
“Is there any sign of Cole?”
Rowan looked away.
“None.”
I ground my teeth. He had to be there. I’d have known if they’d sacrificed him, and the ritual wasn’t due yet. He must just be well-hidden somewhere far from prying eyes. Likely somewhere Natasha could taunt him.
WE ALL ATE OUR FILL and drank an awful bright blue potion that Amy had brewed.
“Think of it like a health and mana potion,” she said brightly.
Adam raised his eyebrow.
“We have more health and magic to shift and things now?”
“Exactly. You’ll heal more quickly, burn fewer calories doing it, and have more magic to allow you to maintain that for roughly two hours. Less if you sustain a big injury like losing a leg.”
“Remind me to take you into battle more often,” Sky said.
Amy laughed.
“We’ll see what Ma’at has to say about that.”
Rowan shook his head but said nothing. Amy looked at him and crossed her arms.
“I just can’t imagine being tied to a god like that.”
“And how is she different to your alpha?” Amy pushed.
Rowan thought about it for a long moment before he smiled.
“I think I have a better understanding now. Thank you.”
Amy narrowed her eyes some, remaining unconvinced, but nothing more was said on the topic.
“Which cars are we taking?” Sky asked.
I went to speak, but Sky cut me off.
“We are not getting in that death trap of a Mustang.”
“It is not a death trap!”
“It’s older than me. I’m pretty sure the chassis is ready to fall apart. I’m surprised the engine block hasn’t dropped out yet,” Sky said.
“I keep it in good condition, and it had a full check-over a couple of weeks ago.”
“I have to agree with Rosalyn,” Briar said.
“She’s your alpha, of course you do,” Sky huffed.
“No, her Mustang is in far better condition than your car. Your exhaust is ready to drop off and one of your wheel bearings is ready to explode. That’s why it’s been pulling to one side.”
Sky glared at Briar, trying to read her face and find a lie.
“Looks like it’s my Mustang then,” I said with a triumphant grin.
“Rowan can come in my car. I am not squeezing everyone into one car,” Amy said.
Rowan looked like he’d just been handed the best prize. He positively glowed with happiness.
“I will not be held responsible if that beaten up old pile of metal doesn’t make it all the way there,” Sky grumbled.
I ignored her complaints. My old battle horse was ready for war.
31
WE WERE MAKING OUR way to the cars when I was driven to my knees. Gulping down air, I dragged back my shirt sleeve to see the tattoo there marking my shadow bond with Cole. A pain unlike anything I’d ever experienced seared through every nerve in my body as tears streamed down my cheeks unbidden. I watched in horror as the tattoo faded, leaving behind pristine clear skin.
He was gone. They’d killed Cole.
32
AMY AND BRIAR HAD RUSHED to my side. They kept asking what was wrong, but my tongue refused to form the words. It couldn’t be true. It must be a cruel trick. I kept running my fingertips over the space where the tattoo should have been.
When I tried to reach out for Cole, there was no tunnel. There were no threads for me to follow, just dark empty space. Everything was telling me that he was gone. It couldn’t be true. I wouldn’t allow it to be true. This was just another trick from Natasha.
“What happened?”
“The shadow bond between Cole and Rosalyn has been broken,” Amy said softly.
“He’s gone?” Briar asked.
“It appears that way,” Amy said.
“No. He can’t be gone. I won’t let it,” Briar growled.
“It doesn’t make any sense. He was a key sacrifice for this ritual,” Sky added.
I pushed myself to my feet and held onto the increasing anger within me. This was Natasha’s doing. She was trying to taunt and to break me. She would not succeed.
33
THE LOCATION OF THE ritual space wasn’t too far from us. I threw the old Mustang around the corners and pushed its very limits on the straights. Natasha would pay for the pain and anguish she had wrought.
Sky closed her eyes and whispered under her breath as I pressed the gas pedal to the floor.
“We’d like to get there in one piece,” Adam said quietly.
“We’ll be fine,” I said.
The GPS shouted at us to take the next turn. I slammed on the brakes and almost did a complete 180 as I fought against the old Mustang to make the turn down the dirt track. Amy was a fair distance behind us and took it far more reasonably.
The marbles rattled against my hip, and I really hoped they didn’t explode on me. Amy hadn’t mentioned how we’d set them off. I’d assumed there’d be something like us throwing them, but as they pressed against my jacket, I really hoped it wasn’t as simple as a bit of pressure.
“We just throw the feathers and they turn into knives, right?” Briar asked.
“Yep. Amy wove them so they’ll react to your garou magic. No one outside of our little group will be able to use them. She’s a very talented witch,” Sky said.
I glanced over to find she’d squeezed her eyes even more tightly shut as we bounced down the dirt road. I was forced to slow down as the damn track began twisting. We were so close now.
Wolves lurked in the forest around us. I caught silvery coats and amber eyes watching us as we flew by. There was a sense that they were mine and I needed to keep them safe. My guardian instincts were kicking in. They were fighting for us, and for the bigger picture. I needed to do everything I could to ensure they came out of this alive.
My stomach twisted as I began to really understand what was at stake here. I’d been so focused on getting Cole back that I hadn’t looked at much else. If we lost this fight then Liam would become the avatar and the world would be forever changed. There was a chance that, even if we won, the war would be lost. We still didn’t know just how far the Apophis witch’s reach had extended. There were suspicions about the council, but no one had clarified how deep that went.
We knew there were covens involved, but, again, there weren’t any hard answers. I slowed my breathing and refocused myself on the fight at hand. Politics and grander schemes would
still be there once I’d kicked some dragon ass.
34
The building looked eerily like the old barn I used to spar in with Jake. A mix of emotions bubbled up as I slammed on the brakes and came to a stop with clouds of dust blooming up around us. I hadn’t heard from Jake in far too long. Maybe I hadn’t given him enough of a chance. Having lost Cole, I felt the urge to make contact with Jake again.
Sky squeezed my shoulder before she got out of the car. She was right, of course. Now wasn’t the time to slip into what could have been or dwell on emotions. Now was the time to set my shoulders back and remove this witch from the world.
I led the group across the dusty patch of bare dirt that acted as a parking space. The old barn was greyed from age, with windows covered in lichen and dirt. I’d pictured something far more impressive for such a life-changing ritual.
Briar poked me hard in the ribs. I glared at her.
“So you know you’re not dreaming again,” she said.
“I made sure they can’t drag you into dream magic again,” Amy reassured me.
Everything felt solid and real. Everyone was acting as they should be. I had to trust that this was real.
Unsheathing my blades, I marched towards the front door. No one said I had to be subtle about this. Adam and Briar were at my back. The other three circled around the building, checking for a second entrance. My stomach had turned itself into one big knot, and my mouth dried out. Still, I continued pushing forward. This was it. No going back.
I kicked open the old wooden door and looked around, ready to take on anything. Or so I’d thought. A large black dragon four times as big as my Mustang turned to glare at me. Witches dressed in black and gold began chanting as the dragon slowly turned to face us entirely. Its long tail dragged through the deep sand, tugging at small patches of grass as it did so. The feet were as big as me, with claws as long as my arm.