Everyone took a few minutes to absorb the information.
To everyone’s surprise, it was Cassie who spoke. “What did the book look like?”
Nina pondered over it before saying slowly, “It was black but with red markings. The text also looked to be a very dark shade of red.”
“Akin to the color of blood?” Cassie asked.
Nina’s expression cleared as she nodded. “Yes, that’s it!”
Cassie leaned against her mate. “There’ve been some rumors going around about a book emerging – an ancient text. Sanguinem Veneficia, they call it.”
“Blood Magic,” Samuel completed, his voice toneless.
Abigail clenched her fingers. “That book causes pain and suffering everywhere it goes. It has been sealed for centuries. We made sure of it.”
Cassie blinked at the two of them. “Just how old are you two?”
Samuel glanced at her. “How we look now is the age at which we joined the Council, which was too many centuries ago. The names of the First Council are lost in history. The mantle is passed down to whomever is worthy.”
His powerful gaze shifted to Luke. “The person who gave me power was a young man, or at least he seemed young. He met me while I was roaming alone. My time had been near, and I wanted to pass away peacefully without troubling my family. He was a vampire, that one.” Samuel smiled at the memory. “We broke bread together, and we talked all night. The next morning, he touched my forehead and transferred this power to me. And he left. That’s all. It was that abrupt. The Council gravitates to one another with ease, which is how we found each other.”
Abigail nodded. “My alpha was a Council member. A better man I have never met. He fell in love and wanted to mate the female. However, since we cannot have a partner, he chose to be free of this responsibility, and he passed it to me.” She smiled sadly. “He lived the rest of his days out happily with his mate.”
“What about Kalen?” Nina’s voice was weary. She was exhausted right now, but the fairy king made her curious.
The two council members exchanged a glance. “We do not know.”
Abigail looked uncertain. “We always assumed he was part of the original Council. We asked him once, and his answer was very vague.”
Samuel cleared his throat. “Kalen was with us when we sealed the book. That book was the reason the Council disbanded in the first place.”
Chapter 10
Kevin lifted Nina up, ignoring her protests, and sat down in her seat, settling her in his arms. She was drowsy now, and he wanted this conversation to wait until tomorrow, but Nina was not finished.
“Let go,” Nina struggled, and he nipped her nose, making her freeze and finally rub at her eyes and scowl.
When all the pairs of eyes in the room, except perhaps the tired witch’s, turned to Samuel, he rubbed his hand over his face. “The book was forged in the blood of seventy-two virgin children. Five centuries ago, there was a mass outbreak of kidnappings and murders. During that age, humans and others coexisted peacefully. Both were aware of the existence of each other. We traded with each other, and we mingled with the humans. Around that time, children started disappearing. First, it was the human children. Shifters and witches joined forces with the humans to locate the children. But It was like they had disappeared off the face of the earth. We thought it was a human problem, so we treated it like a human problem. The Council did not get involved.”
“Then a vampire child went missing.” Abigail recalled. “Master vampires can sire children. We were not able to connect the dots even then. Then, the gaps between the disappearances decreased from once a month to once every few days. No species was spared. Shifters, vampires, witches, humans. That was when we stepped in. Kalen tightened the barrier around his domain to prevent any intruders, but a fairy child left the barrier.” Abigail’s voice turned dark. “Kalen is attuned to all of his subjects, down to the last animal in his domain. We tracked the child and found what was left of him.”
She paused for a few seconds. “Kalen was furious. He tore the city apart looking for those who had shed the blood of one of his own. No one was spared from his wrath, not even the humans. By the time we found the individuals responsible, the book had already been formed. Kalen punished all those involved, except for one witch who seized the book and ran.”
Samuel picked up. “Our relationship with the humans soured. And the others were forced to retreat into their own spaces. The humans found out, you see, that their children were murdered by Others, and they blamed all of us. The witch who had run away with the Sanguinem Veneficia hid her tracks exceedingly well. So, while we sorted out the mess in the human world, we continued tracking the witch.” He frowned. “Rumors would rise up about destruction, death, and we would follow.” The elderly man shook his head, gravely. “It took us years to find that book. The witch was dead when we chanced across it. However, all the darkness it had absorbed had strengthened it. It had become a powerful weapon. It could pinpoint all the darkness in the world, and this is where our difference in opinion arose. Four of us wanted to seal it away, but the other three wanted to use it to eradicate all the darkness there was.
The trouble was, that such a powerful instrument that was soaked in darkness and negativity was not something that should be used. We fought.”
Samuel’s voice faltered, and Abigail placed a hand over his, her eyes sorrowful. “We were all very powerful beings. Our tempers were on a leash, and we snapped. We do not know whose blow it was, but Triphena, a nymph, was struck, and she died. The shock snapped us back into reality. We tried destroying the book, but it was indestructible. So, we separated the pages, and we each locked them in binding spells so that they would not rejoin, and we went our separate ways. Samuel and I met again when we joined this pack, and we reinforced the barriers on the pages that we each carried that day.”
Nina’s voice got everyone’s attention. “Check again, on those pages, the book I saw was nearly completed.”
Luke stood up. “She’s got a point. You did not explain what you meant by your remark about what’s ailing the shifters.”
Nina forced her eyes open. “I did. A little bit. I do not know how, but Mother is behind this. But I’m basing it on what I saw in the prophecy about shifters attacking their own. I could be wrong.”
“You’re not.” To everyone’s surprise, it was Heather who spoke up. “One of the sewer crocs who came to see Luke today was muttering something about a woman. In both recent slaughters, an unknown woman was always the common element. What are the chances that she’s a witch?”
Nina shook her head. “Mother would never get her hands dirty like this. She must have witches who are working with her.”
“It’s a possibility,” Kevin said. Then he helped her stand. “You need to go to bed now before you keel over.”
However, Nina shrugged off his hand. “I cannot stay here anymore. I have told the Council what they need to know. I have to leave.”
Kevin started and then growled. “What is that supposed to mean? Where do you think you’re going?”
The young witch looked him in the eye. “Anywhere but here.”
Cassie stepped forward, worried. “It’s very late, Nina. And you’ve just been attacked. You need to stay here with us where you’ll be protected.”
Nina shook her head. “You do not understand. They know that I am here. I do not know why Mother needs me or how important I am to whatever she’s planning, but I cannot stay here and put your pack in danger anymore.”
When Kevin snarled, Nina pushed at him angrily. “You do not understand! I could have destroyed the mirror! I could have destroyed the caster! But for that, I would have had to unleash my full powers and that would have destroyed the entire pack and the surrounding area! The next time we are under attack, I am practically useless since I cannot harness my full potential. I’ll be fighting with a handicap.”
It was Heather who stepped forward. “Enough.” She pointed at Luke. “Take y
our mate to bed. She does not need all this excitement. And you.” She turned toward Nina, her voice softening, although her scowl did not fade. “We have two Council members here. You should put some faith in us. We will be prepared now that we know what is coming. So, go to bed.”
Her eyes flew to the dark bruises around Nina’s neck. “I want to know the story behind those marks and this attack that Cassie mentioned. At least you’ve shifted back,” she said to Kevin.
“Do you want to sleep in the guest room, Nina?”
Nina tried to move toward Heather, but Kevin’s hold was stubborn, and he looked down at her. “I do not think so, sweetheart.”
When Heather frowned at him, Kevin shrugged. “We had a spat. I’ll fix it.”
He knew that Heather could smell him all over Nina and suspected that to be the case. She was giving the girl an out, but he refused to let her run away. He had hurt her. It may not have been his intention, but the broken look in her eyes had not gone away.
Nina was silent as they walked back to his room. He let her change and climb into bed.
“Nina.”
But she had huddled herself in the blanket, and her back was toward him. Kevin sat behind her and was silent for a few minutes. “I’m sorry for what I said.”
No response.
“It was a lot to take in, and I did not handle it well, Nina. Nina?”
Kevin leaned over her to see her face and saw that she was fast asleep.
The tear tracks on her face made his heart clench and his bear whine in misery. Kevin climbed in behind her and curled himself around her form, feeling all sorts of guilty.
From all the bits, and snippets, he had heard from her, it was not that hard to find out how lonely her life at the compound must have been. The shifter watched as the falcon perched next to Nina’s head and covered her face with his wing protectively.
“How did she survive with no friends or family?”
Totters cocked his head and looked at him.
Somehow, the stare felt a little reprimanding. “I was the first person she ever shared something with, was I?”
Nina’s familiar just blinked.
Feeling lower than dirt, Kevin ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. “Oh man, did I screw this up.”
Totters nodded his head in agreement.
The next morning, Nina was not in bed when Kevin woke up. He jumped to his feet, intent on looking for her, fearing the worst, when he saw her familiar perched on the back of the chair, sleeping. She would not leave her familiar behind.
However, she was not in the bathroom, nor in the common room.
Peeling off his clothes, he shifted to his bear form and sniffed around. Her trail went out of the den, and the bear wondered if he would be well received. When he stepped out, it was still dark, since it was the early hours of the morning.
Feeling the ground rumble with power, he padded over to a clump of trees and saw Nina sitting cross-legged in the middle of the clearing. There was a very prominent barrier around her, and no wildlife disturbed her. He seated himself just outside of the barrier and waited.
If his witch noticed him, she did not pay heed. For early November, it was quite cold and despite his coat of fur, Kevin felt the bite of the weather. He burrowed into himself, determined to keep his woman safe. Two seconds later, he was enclosed inside of the barrier, where the air was warm. He stood up and watched Nina. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be meditating.
Knowing that he might get in trouble for it but not able to resist needling her, the bear wandered around inside the barrier. Moving to her, he sniffed at her.
Nina did not move.
Taking that as a challenge, Kevin stuck his nose in her neck and sniffed. However, that was not enough to break her concentration. When he licked at her cheek and tried to climb onto her, a slap of power had him rolling over to his back.
The bear blinked and then, getting back on his feet, he approached her again.
However, this time, he felt the nudge and the push as he reached within sniffing distance, once more landing on his back. Sufficiently chastised, the bear settled down next to her and grumbled. His mate was still displeased with him.
He did not notice as Nina stiffened and her eyes flew open, their color changing. It happened very fast and was over within a second. However, Kevin noticed the shift in her scent and turned his head to see Nina’s eyes open and her face ashen.
She stumbled onto her feet, and the barrier vanished as she retched in the bushes nearby.
She had barely turned around when a very naked Kevin stood in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
She took a step back and shook her head. “Something I ate.”
Kevin did not like the way she looked away from him. “Do you find the bear to be more comfortable to be around than me?”
To his surprise, he scented Nina’s sorrow as she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
Her hair was standing up, and it looked like puppy fuzz. Kevin wanted to run his hands through it. It suited her though. Her blue eyes stood out in her face and were her dominating feature, and right now, they held a quiet devastation within them.
“I want to leave here.”
Kevin stilled when he realized that she meant those words. As she walked away from him toward the warmth of the den, he realized that he could not watch her leave him.
“Then I’ll come with you.”
He watched her stop in her tracks. Why shouldn’t she be surprised? He barely knew her. He had botched up his attempt at a relationship. Not that he could not mend it, but now every time she would tell him something, she would think twice. For someone who had trusted someone for the first time, the slap in the face she had received might not allow her to do it again.
Nina did not turn around, but her voice was soft. “You cannot come with me. I do not want you there.”
He could not smell any lie there. But he could smell the saltiness of her tears.
The distance between them was short, and he turned her around to face him. “Do you hate me?”
Even she had to know about the ability of shifters to detect emotions from scent.
“No.” Her eyes still wore that haunted look from a second ago. “But I do not want you to come with me, either.”
Kevin growled. “Give me a reason and I’ll believe you.”
She struggled with that, and his bear shifted inside of him, still reeling from the rejection. “Your pack. You cannot leave them.”
“They can do without me.”
Nina stared up at him, starting to feel angry. Why could he not leave well enough alone?!
She pulled herself from his grip. “You’re not coming with me!”
“And you’re not going without me!” Kevin shouted back.
An annoyed growl from the den rose up. “If you two are done with the theatrics, Samuel wants to see you.”
Jeremy did not look like he had slept well. No one in the room did. When an unhappy Nina followed Kevin into the room, she saw that Cassie was not present. Nobody looked pleased about being forced out of bed after just a few hours of sleep, but Abigail and Samuel looked grim.
A yawning Rina sat on chair near the wall, and Jeremy went over to lean against the wall behind her, looking annoyed.
Nina had had little interaction with the wild shifter in the few days she had been here. He and Rina were the only two new additions to their party, and it seemed they were already up to speed.
Samuel looked up at their entrance and nodded.
Already in a lot of turmoil over what she had just seen, Nina just crossed her arms over her chest, wanting this meeting to be over with. She did not understand why she was here in the first place. She had met with three of the Council members so far. They should be the ones to contact the others and do their duty, whatever it was.
Her skin itched from the inside with a strange impatience, and the witch dug her nai
ls into her arm in an effort to stop her agitated state from showing.
“The pages are gone.”
Nina’s head shot up in horror. “What?”
Abigail nodded, the worry on her face apparent, “We checked our spots. Our barriers had been destroyed.”
Nina sagged against the wall. When Kevin glanced at her, her face was lowered to hide the look of stricken fear on it. The prophecy she had just seen.
She tried to think fast. There had to be something she could do to prevent the cycle of events she had just seen from unfolding.
“When were the barriers broken? Could you tell?”
Her question made Samuel frown. “Mine had been destroyed quite a while ago. But Abigail’s was very recent.”
Which meant she could track it.
If they could retrieve even one set of those papers, that would save…
“Totters. I need you,” she said telepathically.
Hearing her familiar’s acquiescence, Nina looked up. “I can use a locator spell to track the pages. But I can only perform that after dark, which will give me sufficient time to gather what I need for the spell. Totters and I will look for the ingredients during the day, and we can meet up once the sun sets.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Nina opened her mouth to protest Kevin’s words, but she changed her mind. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with her shifter before she was forced to leave him forever.
When did she start thinking of him as hers?
As everyone departed and the young witch walked behind Kevin, she studied his broad back and tried to understand her own feelings. She had trusted this shifter with both her body and her secret. Although, the men in this pack were different and she acknowledged that difference, the way she felt about them was different from how she felt about the shifter in front of her.
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