by Aileen Erin
Luciana.
I didn’t have the desire to talk to her, not even a little bit. Especially when I was still smarting from the absence of the mate bond. But I couldn’t ignore her.
“How was Rosa?” She said the name with more than a little venom as I got out of the car.
“Enlightening as always.” I shut car door with a slam. The guys and Claudia got out and came to stand beside me. Luciana looked from her son to me and back again. I wasn’t sure what was going through her mind, but I didn’t want to know.
“I’m sure it was.” Luciana paused long enough that it became a little awkward, but I couldn’t look away from her gaze before she broke away. The werewolf in me wouldn’t allow it.
It took longer than I would’ve thought before her focus shifted to Daniel. I didn’t look at him, but I could almost feel him stiffen beside me.
Whenever I left here, I made a promise to myself to take Daniel with me. He might be her son, but he wasn’t anything like her. I didn’t know what went on at home, but whatever it was, I didn’t think it was good.
“Is there something you wanted, Luciana?” Claudia asked.
She grinned then. “I searched your room, Teresa. I’m sure the mongrel in you will know as soon as you enter, so I thought I’d give you a little warning.”
I clenched my hands, trying to maintain control. The idea of her pawing through my things was more invasive than I could stand. “What gives you the right to go through my things?”
“I’m the leader here. I’m the one in charge. As long as you’re on my grounds, I’m allowed to make sure you don’t have anything here that I need to confiscate.”
I laughed. This whole conversation was absurd. What was this? A summer camp? Did I need to hide my candy bars under my mattress? “And what items would be forbidden?”
“That’s for me to know.”
Right. “You just wanted to go through my things, didn’t you? Try to force a vision. I get it. I’ve been there before.” I might have to tolerate her while I was here, but once I was gone, I was going to make sure this bitch went down. All I wanted to do now was go to my room and make sure she hadn’t taken anything…or left anything behind. “If you’re so worried about me and what I might be doing, why don’t you come ask me?”
“I don’t worry about you. I’m merely protecting my own. You might be the next leader, but I’m the leader until I die.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Simple. As long as you’re here, the pack is weaker.”
“I can leave any second.”
“Then leave. Give me the excuse.” Luciana smiled. She knew she had me, and the second I stepped foot off the compound without her permission, she’d be skipping off to war.
The woman was infuriating. I’d thought I was the center of her plot, but now that I knew what Dastien was going through, the truth was clear. Screwing with him disturbed the whole pack, and he was such a powerful alpha that his unease would be rippling through the pack bonds. The Weres were tied so closely together that everyone would be hurting.
The entire pack structure was weakened.
I was exactly where Luciana wanted me to be. I couldn’t go back to the pack—at least not yet—without starting a major shitstorm. But every moment I stayed here made my pack more vulnerable.
This conversation was over. I pushed past her, not caring that I almost knocked her over. I opened the door and stormed inside the house, taking the stairs two at a time up to my room.
It reeked like Luciana—cloves and something sour. I opened the windows, AC be damned. I needed the scent of her out of my room or I’d never get to sleep.
I threw my keys on the nightstand and started systematically going over the room. I opened myself up to visions, but besides things with various visitors, Mom, my cousins, and Grams, I didn’t get anything good. Nothing that even hinted at Luciana.
If her visions were like mine, then she needed to touch things to see anything. So how had she managed not to seep anything of herself into the room?
She must’ve worn gloves. But how was she planning to get a vision wearing gloves? It didn’t add up… Unless she really was just searching my room?
Once I was convinced everything I’d brought with me was right where I’d left it, I sat down on the bed. What was I supposed to do now? Luciana had made a move, and now I needed to make one back. I had to gain control of the situation. I was stuck in reaction mode. Ever since she’d showed up at the Full Moon Ceremony, I’d been on defense. It was time for a little offense.
It took a lot to get me angry, and the last person who’d gotten me this mad had almost had her throat ripped out.
I was way more fucking pissed at Luciana. She wasn’t just screwing with me. She was messing with the whole pack. And Rupert Hoel was helping her.
Tomorrow I was done playing nice. It was time for some action.
The witch was going down.
***
I’d had some rocking nightmares in my life, but as I laid in my bed, trapped in my dreams, a tiny part of me knew this was the worst one ever.
I was on campus, standing in the courtyard. The damp grass cool on my bare feet. I wore a pair of black cargo pants. A backpack weighed heavily on my shoulders. Glass jingled as I took a step. I reached into the pockets and pulled out a vial.
The same potion that made vampires explode.
The scent of the forest was suddenly dampened by the noxious fumes of rotting meat. Vampires swarmed the campus and the alarms sounded.
Wolves fled from the dorms and surrounding buildings.
A vampire approached me, and I threw the vial, saying the words to ignite it.
Another group rushed onto campus. Fire surrounded their hands.
The brujos were out in force. Spells flew through the air in little vials causing explosions that lit the night.
I reached out to Dastien, but his presence was gone. I couldn’t reach him. Something was wrong.
And then I didn’t have time to take in what was happening. The fight crescendoed and it took everything I had not to die.
I dodged a vampire while throwing spells as fast as I could.
A wolf took a running leap at me, and I dropped to the ground, letting it soar overhead.
I could barely stay ahead of what was going on. It was war. It was bloody. I was covered head to toe in black vampire goo.
A half-decayed heart still beat in my hand. I threw it on the ground and tossed a spell at it, turning it to ash.
My hands were half human and half wolf claws. I didn’t want to turn to fight like the rest of the Weres. I needed both abilities if we were going to survive.
As the vampires and witches advanced, wolves spilled around them, fighting as their allies.
Something slammed into my side and took my breath. A heavy, furred body landed on me. My hands caught around its neck as it lunged to bite my throat open.
From far away, Dastien’s howl rent the night. Finally. I could feel his howl echo through the bond as I tried to get the mass of fur and claws off me.
One of the traitorous Weres.
He started to shift, just enough so he could talk to me as his claws sunk into my neck. “You’re dead, mutt,” Mr. Hoel said.
I choked as hot blood spilled from my body.
***
I shot up from bed covered in sweat. My hands went to my throat, as I gasped for breath.
“Holy shit.” That had felt so real. My muscles actually ached from the fight. I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. When I looked in the mirror, I stumbled back a few steps.
Four red slashes lined my throat.
That wasn’t just a dream. That was something else. A vision of the future?
How could things get so bad that something like that could happen?
I didn’t want that future, but how did I stop it? I sat down on the edge of the tub, putting my h
ead between my knees.
What was I supposed to do now? Confront Luciana or not?
My skin was itching. My wolf wanted to be free. Ached for it. She’d been pretty silent since I got here, but this was too much.
I went downstairs in the dark to hit the second fridge. The food was nearly all gone. I’d have to call Mom in the morning. I grabbed some ham, cheese, mustard, mayo, and bread. A few sandwiches later the wolf was okay. At least for now. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could eat her into submission.
My T-shirt was damp, sticking to my skin. I wished I could take a shower, but I didn’t want to wake Claudia and Raphael.
I wanted to call Dastien so badly. I ached to hear his voice. For him to tell me that it was nothing more than a really fucking bad nightmare. That we wouldn’t let this happen. It wasn’t our future.
The panic started back up, and I stood to pace the small kitchen. Five steps across, five steps back.
It was three in the morning and I was going out of my skin.
I flipped on the light on the stove’s hood the next time I passed by it. I didn’t need any light to see by. The moon gave me enough, and my vision was good at night, but the dark house left me feeling uneasy. Or maybe I was just uneasy.
Footsteps sounded upstairs. So much for not waking anyone up.
A minute later, Claudia walked into the room. “You okay?”
“Nightmare.”
“No fun.”
“No.” I stopped my pacing and leaned against to counter to watch her.
Claudia got a glass of milk, and sat at the table. She took a long drink of milk before she spoke. “I think we could’ve been good friends, you know. If we’d gotten the chance.”
“Yeah?” That was surprising. I didn’t think I knew her well enough to know that.
“Yeah. I mean, our moms are pretty similar.”
This was something I wanted to hear more about. I knew pretty much nothing about my mom’s sister. They didn’t really talk. “Where is your mom?” I asked as I sat down at the table.
Claudia shrugged. “My mom and Luciana didn’t get along. There was a lot of tension there, and Mom…well, she’s a little more hippie than anything else. About three years ago, she said she’d had enough. She and my dad were leaving the compound for good. My dad couldn’t really stick around if she was leaving, even if he wanted to. He wasn’t part of the coven. They asked us to go with them. But I was seventeen. I wanted to stay. I felt like I needed to stay. So I did. Raphael wanted to go, but he wouldn’t leave me here…so here I am, wondering if I made the wrong decision. Sometimes I want to call her to come back and get me, but I feel like that would be giving up. I set out to fix things here, and I’m not leaving until I do.”
She sounded like me. Stubborn to the end. “And the guy? You’re supposed to be marrying someone?” She’d mentioned it at Rosa’s house, but only enough to spark my curiosity.
She groaned. “He’s a classic douchebag.”
I snort-laughed.
“What?” She asked.
“You just always sound so proper.”
She giggled. “Yeah. I guess. But that’s he best way to describe him.” She leaned toward me. “He spends hours in front of the mirror. Hours. To make sure that his hair is spiking just the right way. He orders his mother around. ‘Get me a glass of water.’ ‘I’m hungry. Make me a sandwich.’” She scoffed in disgust. “And that’s what I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life?” She leaned back in the chair. “No, thank you.”
I laughed. “You know, I think you’re right. We would’ve really liked each other. I hope we still can be friends. Helps that we’re family, too.”
She grinned. “You know, I was thinking that it’s a good thing you found Dastien. I hear that Daniel kisses like a lizard.”
I shuddered. “Gross. Yeah, Meredith may have mentioned something about that.”
Her smile faded. “I’m glad you were able to break that spell. How did you do it?”
“I’m still not sure.” I thought for a second. “It was pure desperation and a bunch of willpower. I just had to break the curse or else my friend would’ve died.”
I started fixing another sandwich. “I wish I had more answers. I’m just going to hope that everything works out okay.” I set down my knife. “So, I think tomorrow I’m going to ask some tough questions. I want to get to know some more of the coven members. Do you think you could take me around?”
“Of course.”
“Luciana’s in with a really bad Were, and it spells big time trouble. This nightmare…I don’t know if it was all this talk with Rosa or the confrontation with Luciana or if it was some kind of premonition, but if I mess this up, things will get ugly. I need your help.”
“Anything you need. I was the one who forced you to come here. I knew things were going down and I didn’t know what else to do.”
I shook my head. “As much as I hate being away from Dastien, I think I was meant to be here.”
She was quiet for a second. “May I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“How did you know Dastien was the one for you?”
Not exactly the question I’d expected. “I just knew. We had a rough patch right after I changed. We kind of danced around the idea of each other. Well, I was dancing around the idea of him, and he was avoiding me because I was adjusting to being a Were. To be fair, I was annoyed at him for biting me. And there was drama with his ex, but it ended up that none of that mattered. When it’s right, it’s right.” I paused. Something told me that she wasn’t just asking me to dig. There was something in her tone that made me wonder if there was a guy she wanted to be matched with. “Who is he?”
She looked away. “There’s no one. I just want there to be. Someone who’s just for me. I want what you and Dastien have, but I haven’t found that yet. Even if Luciana is pressuring me, I’m not giving in.”
“You’re really cut off from the outside world here. You might need to leave to find the one.”
She sighed. “Maybe. But I can’t leave. Not yet.”
“We’ll fix the coven so you can. I won’t let Luciana’s mess hold you back.”
She blinked a few times. It must be hard living here. Feeling stuck.
We were actually a lot alike. Both stuck here. Both wanting something else. I could understand that. Somehow, I’d make sure she got out, but we had a lot to accomplish and the clock was ticking.
I put away the sandwich stuff and started up the stairs with Claudia.
“Night, prima.”
“Night.”
The second time I got in bed that night, I felt more confident about my path. I wasn’t alone here. I had family. Friends. I could do this. I just had to believe in myself.
God. I hoped I believed in myself enough to fix this mess.
Chapter Seventeen
I had nightmares all night long. They plagued me.
Images of death. Destruction. My friends suffering.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. Not by far. The worst were the images of Dastien cheating on me with Imogene.
Those had me waking up crying. Even when I was awake, knowing it was a dream, my heart still felt broken. The hurt lingered. I couldn’t shake it.
After that, I gave up on sleeping around five in the morning, and spent the rest of the time thinking about what I was going to do.
I had a plan in place and breakfast cooked by the time Claudia came down. I just had to convince her to go along with it.
As soon as Claudia was on her second cup of coffee, I decided it was time. “I want to go to the schoolhouse today. It’s the best place to meet people.”
Claudia set her mug down. “Luciana said you weren’t allowed.”
I gave her a stare that said I-really-don’t-give-a-fuck.
“She’s not going to like it, and more importantly, I don’t think anyone’s going to be friendly. Not in that setting.”
“I have to try. Otherwise, I say screw t
he whole coven, let’s grab who we can and run.”
She looked at the ceiling for a second, and I imagined her praying for patience. “There’s a lesson in an hour. I guess we could say that you need to learn whatever it is that they’re teaching. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out the rest.” Claudia took a dainty bite of egg.
I gulped down half a glass of orange juice as I tried to come up with how to ask my next question, but I didn’t see any easy way around it. “If this goes bad, then would you fight against me or for me?”
She set her fork down. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, say Luciana wants to fight regardless of anything we do. Whose side are you on? Can you fight against your own coven?”
She blew out a big breath. “In some ways being part of the coven is easier than having your pack bond and in other ways it’s harder.”
That gave me nothing. “How so?”
“Well, from what I hear, your pack bonds can be a bit on the invasive side. You can borrow power from each other, but you can also see too much of each other.”
Pretty spot on for someone who wasn’t in the pack. I’d used the pack’s power to help break Meredith’s spell, and I got a headful of Dastien’s emotions on a daily basis. “Yeah. So, the harder?”
She pushed her plate away. “I don’t have to obey an alpha like you do, but there are consequences for going against the coven. For trying to break away.”
“What kind of consequences?”
“I could lose myself. My soul. It could kill me.”
This was way more complicated than I’d thought. “Right. So, extreme measures have to be taken.” That made me wonder… “How did your mom get away?”
Claudia fidgeted a little.
It was probably rude for me to ask, but I had to. If my aunt could leave, then so could Claudia.
“I promised to stay and help Luciana if she’d let my mother go.”
“And your mom let you do that?”
“She didn’t know. I can enhance people’s abilities and Luciana would never say no to more power. I told her I’d stay, take the vow, and help her if my mom was allowed to leave.” I started to speak but she cut me off. “It was dumb, but my mom needed to go. If she didn’t, it was going to be bad. She and Luciana were fighting everyday and Luciana’s patience had run out. I was scared for her. So, I did it. And Raphael stayed to help me. He’s the only one that knows.”