A Shift in the Air

by Patricia D. Eddy

  “Ya…can’t,” Liam gasped. “If ya love her, let me go. Let us both go.”

  Fergus roared, pulling the knife free. “Fuck you, wolf. I’m goin’ to get my Catie.”

  His wolf so weak and ravaged he knew he’d never shift again, Liam pressed his hand to his side. “Fight him, luv. Please.”

  ***

  The ringing phone jarred Caitlin’s hand as she poured herself a mug of coffee. A bit of the rich brew sloshed over the edge of the cup. What the hell?

  She wiped her hand on her pants and dug into Liam’s jacket pocket for her mobile. The name on the screen sent a double-edged sword of fear and hope through her.

  “Liam?”

  “Catie? I need ya. Come back to me. Bring me the book.” The raspy voice sent chills down her spine. An odd note, almost remorseful, tinged his words. Could the drugs have a hold of him?

  “Where’s Liam? Fergus, please. Tell me where Liam is, and I’ll bring you whatever you want. Me. The book. Everything.”

  Cade and Mara burst into the kitchen. Caitlin held up a hand to stop them from interrupting and put the call on speaker.

  “I can’t, Catie. I…did somethin’ bad.”

  Her heart stopped. Mara grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly. When Caitlin met her gaze, Mara nodded. “Ask,” she mouthed.

  “What did you do, Fergus? Where’s Liam?” She swallowed hard. “Is he alive?” Her voice broke, and she prayed harder than she’d ever prayed before.

  Fergus didn’t say anything for so long, she feared the call had dropped. “I can’t hold the darkness at bay any longer, nothin’ works. I couldn’t stop myself. I tried, Catie. I did. He wanted to take ya away from me. He did take ya away. I couldn’t let him.”

  His whisper confirmed her worst fears. “What do you mean, Fergus? Where is Liam?”

  “I couldn’t stop myself,” Fergus repeated, a childish curl lilting over his words, as though he’d been caught stomping a praying mantis or torturing a kitten. “He won’t wake up.”

  Agony pierced Caitlin’s heart, and she fought her tears. “Take him to a hospital, Fergus. Do that and we can talk. Don’t let him die because you’re mad at me.”

  “Help me, Catie. Everything hurts. All the time.”

  “I will. Just help Liam first.” Hope surged. This Fergus would listen. If the drugs had a hold of him, she—and Liam—had a chance. “I’ll come back to you. We can be together.”

  “Forever?”

  “Yes…luv.” The word caught in her throat, but she forced herself to continue. “Let Liam go and you can have whatever you want. I’ll help you be whole again.”

  “Whole?” Fergus’s voice hardened into a snarl. “Ya never wanted me to be whole. Ya wanted me to give up yer air.”

  The sudden change in Fergus’s demeanor clenched Caitlin’s gut.

  “I won’t. I’ll have all four elements and then ye’ll see. Ye’re going to bring me the book, and the one with ya—she’s like me, isn’t she? Fire and water together? I’ll be whole. And we’ll be together. Yer wolf breathes his last.” Each word sharpened until the remorseful, child-like voice of the boy disappeared into the harsh insanity of the man. A thin, desperate cry, rattling with the death knell of too much blood, accompanied a dull thud. “I told ya wolves had power. And I’m takin’ his. Ye’ll be free of him in minutes. Free to come back to me. If ya don’t, I’ll kill all of them.”

  Liam. Only Fergus’s breathing carried over the line now. The rattling stopped, the keening, the unsteady gasps she’d clung to for a shred of hope. This had to end. Liam’s death couldn’t be in vain. She muted the call. “Trust me, please.” Her tearing eyes pleaded with Cade and Mara.

  They nodded, their faces reflecting her own sorrow. “We do,” Mara said. “Get him to meet us. Use me.”

  Pressing that mute button took all the resolve Caitlin had left. She couldn’t break now. “I’ll bring Mara. You’re right. There’s nothing left for me now. Nothing but you.”

  “The cliffs. At dawn. Bring the elemental and the book. Ya do that, and we’ll be happy. Together forever. Once we have fire and water, I’ll be whole and you’ll see. I won’t need these feckin’ pills any more. I’ll be the man ya deserve. Ye’ll love me.”

  He ended the call, and Caitlin slumped against the wall. She couldn’t muster the energy to cry. Fergus had taken everything from her. Her life. Her love. Dying hadn’t worked, and Katerina’s charm only wrapped her agony in flames, allowing the fire elemental to twist Caitlin’s heart and soul for her own needs. She had to take what little of her life remained back. Liam would want her to live, and though her soul hung in tattered bits, deep down she wanted to live too. Free. Liam’s death would mean something if she escaped and saved Mara from the darkness that held Fergus prisoner.

  “Did we just hear Liam die?” Cade asked. His shoulders shook once, an expression of pure agony passing over his face before he schooled his features into anger.

  Mara took her by the shoulders and propped her up against the counter. “Listen to me, Caitlin. If we just heard what I think we heard, and Liam’s really gone, know that he loved you. But right now, I need you. You’re the only one who can help me stay sane. The elemental elders want me…controlled. Medicated within an inch of my life so I won’t hurt anyone. I can’t live like that. I spent a year convinced I was dying, barely living. I won’t do that again. Help me, and we’ll help you escape him. And if we can’t save Fergus, then we’ll end him. One way or another, you’re going to be free.”

  “I know.” Caitlin ran her fingers over the leather around her wrist. “Liam—“ the words scraped like rocks over her tongue, and she bit her lip hard enough to taste blood. Then she said simply, “I won’t let his death be in vain.”

  Cade wrapped his arm around Mara’s waist, and she relaxed against him as he spoke. “Liam broke when you died. When we met, he could barely handle his pack duties. Anger, grief. They’re powerful emotions. Even though he got his shit together after a while, he never let himself be truly happy. Not until he found you again. I know how I feel about Mara. He had that same calm about him. The mating…no one knows how or why, but when you mate, you’re complete. Whatever’s missing in your life, in your heart, you find. You felt that connection too, didn’t you?”

  A single tear dripped onto her shirt. “Yes. And I can use that. Fergus is going to pay for what he did to Liam.”

  “I don’t like how you came into our life. I don’t think”—his voice roughened—“I can’t forget what Katerina did to me—to Mara. But you’re family now. As much as you would be if you and Liam had been able to mate. Wolves fight for their families. We have an hour until dawn. We need to come up with a plan, and quickly. Because this day is going to end with that asshole stripped of your air or dead and buried. And when you’re free of him, you’ll come back with us, and we’ll give you a home. If you want one.”

  Her thoughts twisted and churned. Cade’s words, Mara’s complete trust in her ability to help, and Liam’s death. Revenge felt…wrong. Katerina had lost herself to revenge, and in the process, nearly taken Caitlin down with her. But Fergus killed Liam for no other reason than Caitlin loved him. How many died over the years from his charms? And how many more would pay if she didn’t stop him

  Caitlin went to the window. Throwing open the sash, she inhaled deeply. Something in the air tonight smelled different. Fresher. Cleaner. She’d had enough fear. Now she had to take back what he’d stolen. The words in the ancient book came back to her.

  The four points hold the key. Earth, air, fire, and water.

  “Mara,” she turned back to face the water elemental, “I need that quartz around your neck.”

  ***

  Farren, Cade, and Mara stood in front of the fire, talking in whispered tones. The book sat open on the table in front of them, and Caitlin sketched a complex pattern of lines and circles into a notebook on her lap. Katerina’s knowledge, Caitlin’s mum’s lessons, and a bit of internet research all came together
in a plan crazy enough to work—or so she hoped.

  Caitlin gingerly closed the ancient cover and cradled the book to her chest. “Farren, do you have a safe?”

  “Yes. What self-respecting alpha doesn’t?”

  Cade flinched. “I don’t.”

  “Well, get one, ya daft bugger.”

  “We have banks. Safe-deposit boxes.”

  Caitlin raised a brow. “Can we debate this some other time? I might be able to break Fergus’s charm and take back my element if I can get through to him. But there’s a risk he’ll kill me. You need to keep that book safe—for Mara. For the all the elementals.” She turned to Mara, who still looked rather worn. “I couldn’t make much sense of the words yet, but the text talks about using earth to quell fire, and fire to scorch earth. I’m not sure that refers to you, but it might.”

  Mara took her hands. Cool fingers intertwined with Caitlin’s. “We’re not losing you. You’re going to help me.”

  “I’m going to do my best to survive, but I have to get close to Fergus for this to work. And chances are, he’s not going to give me a welcome back hug and offer to make me noodle salad.”

  “We’re going to stop him.”

  “We are. But just in case, we need a practical plan B so your elements don’t destroy you like they have Fergus.” Caitlin looked to Farren and Cade. “I hate putting you all at risk. I could go alone.”

  “Over my dead body,” Cade spat.

  Farren nodded. “Liam is my best friend. We don’t know if Fergus told us the truth. He could still be alive.” The female wolf’s fierce grin offered more bloodlust than mirth. “Either way, we’re going to find out. And we’re going to take this sack of shite down.

  Caitlin quirked her lips, both comforted and dismayed. “That’s the reaction I thought I’d get. And I’m really glad to not do this alone.”

  Mara, Cade, and Farren’s eyes shone like beacons in the firelight, comforting the gaping wound in Caitlin’s chest. She needed to break. She would break.

  Once her family was safe, she would fall into tiny pieces.

  But not now.

  “Here’s the plan.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  From the front seat of the car, Caitlin scanned the landscape as Farren pulled into the visitor center parking lot. Winds screamed up the hill behind them, sending tumbling stones plinking over the pavement. Peter and Tierney raced across the fields towards them in wolf form, choosing to run rather than drive. Three miles as the crow flew from Farren’s, but ten by winding, meandering roads barely wide enough for two cars, the twenty-minute trip had grated on Caitlin’s nerves. Fergus waited, and soon, this ordeal would all be over, though she feared the ending would not be what any of them hoped.

  When the four of them got out of the car, Caitlin ran her fingers over the leather cuff, drawing strength from the amber. “He’ll be close to the edge. If you get within a hundred feet of him, he could send you into the sea—either with the wind or his compulsion. And I don’t know how stable the cliffs are after his tantrum last week. So keep your distance. Fergus said something to me that I didn’t understand, but I think Mara’s stronger when you’re with her, Cade. If you can, stay by her side. And if he tries to compel her, you need to keep her safe.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to her. What are you going to do?”

  Caitlin withdrew a book she’d stolen from Farren’s library. “I hope this isn’t too important to you.” While the book in her hands was new, the color, shape, and size closely matched the plain, valuable volume they’d taken from Diedre’s house.

  Farren snorted. “Sneaky. But no.”

  “I’m going to use this book as a decoy. If we’re lucky, he’ll let down his guard long enough for me to get close and weaken him. After that, we’re in for a battle of strength and wills—and there are no guarantees. Please, if this goes badly, if we can’t end him—“

  “We will.” Mara’s skin glowed again, as though her element begged to be set free.

  “I know. But just in case, if I don’t survive, go back to Farren’s, take the book, and get the hell out of Ireland. Get the journal to someone who can make sense of it—Siobhan or another elder. Otherwise, he’ll never stop and no elemental will be safe.” Caitlin turned her gaze to the sky. “One way or another, today I’m either going to be dead, or I’m going to be free.”

  Cade and Farren stripped and shifted. The moon wouldn’t set for six hours, and the difference in their demeanors from the previous day shocked Caitlin. Both wolves lumbered larger than before, and the look in their eyes would frighten the bravest warrior. Cade snarled as Farren howled. Tierney and Peter came running down the hill to their left. Some odd vocalizations passed between the four wolves, and Mara tried to translate.

  “I’m not sure, but I think Tierney saw Fergus.”

  Cade barked his assent.

  “Did he see you?” Mara asked. Tierney shook his head. “Okay. Stay out of sight. You’re our backup.” Tierney growled his agreement, and he and Peter headed off again.

  Caitlin stroked the leather cuff and the amber Liam had given her. The cleansed quartz next to Liam’s note centered her. If she’d inscribed the runes correctly, they’d strengthen all of her charms, but with little experience, she hesitated to place much faith in her fumbling attempts. “I’ll go first, and I’ll protect you as best I can for as long as I’m able.” She pulled Mara into a hug. “Don’t underestimate him.” Next, she knelt and stroked Cade’s shoulder. “Let me try to save Fergus. But if I can’t, tear him apart.” Cade nudged her hip. The aggressive growl conveyed so much: his anger, desire to fight, and a deep sadness. But his eyes burned with something else, something she’d never anticipated: respect for her. Her courage held fast only by abject determination tinged with hysteria, but Cade’s belief sharpened her faith. Maybe, just maybe, they could do this.

  Cade jerked his head towards the cliffs. The bark sounded almost like “go,” and she rose and broke into a run.

  Weak sunlight sliced through the clouds behind her, casting long shadows on the dirt path. A biting, cold wind ripped flyaway strands from her braid. With Farren’s book clutched in her hand, she sent as much of her element as possible back towards Mara and Cade.

  A pulse of power had her stumbling for a moment, but as she paused and glanced back, she smiled. Mara’s hair, which had been flying in all directions from the stiff breeze, now lay flat against her head. Caitlin’s charm would keep anything from reaching her for at least a short time.

  Fergus stood at the edge of the cliffs. The stone barrier, meant to keep tourists safe, had been flattened for yards on either side of him by his “earthquake.” Of course. He’d want to make sure he could use the water and rocks below as a threat. The grasses around him shuddered in the breeze and his dark eyes narrowed as she approached. “Catie.”

  His voice soothed. A charm already? Or a comfort from long-ago familiarity? She stopped twenty feet away. Had he always been so large? Her memories still held the image of a lanky, shy boy, barely a man, with a timid smile and big hands. Even when he’d turned cruel, when his sanity had given way to the monstrous power, she’d always held who he’d once been in her mind. Now, spots of gray shadowed his temples, and lines dug in around his eyes. The weathered skin on his hands marked the passage of time. Still vaguely handsome, greed and desperation carved a cruel smile across his lips, and she saw only the man who’d killed her mate, who’d taken years of her life.

  Her voice quivered, more to remain even and quiet over her rage than from any fear. “I have the book.” She laid the fake volume at her feet.

  “And the elemental?” His hands trembled as he patted his right pocket and then shook his head.

  Caitlin hoped she managed a smile. “How are you?”

  Ignoring her question, he glared behind her, where she knew Mara stood next to Cade’s massive wolf. Cade’s growl resounded around them.

  “Ya weren’t supposed to bring her wolf.”


  “You try telling an elemental’s mate not to come. I’m not that strong.” She took a step closer, leaving the book behind. “Besides, I’m here for you. They can’t stop us—no wolf or elemental can best us when we’re together. I’ve missed you, Fergus.” The words tasted like poison against her tongue, but she forced warmth into her tone. “You were right. No one compares to you. I should never have left you all those years ago. I made a mistake.”

  His dark eyes wore a mask. “Really? Then why didn’t ya come back, Catie? How could you leave me like that? In a hospital? Where they drugged me and left me to die with half a mind?”

  With a hard swallow, she slid one foot, then another, over the gravel and rock. “I didn’t know, Fergus. The elemental behind me? Her sister compelled me so I forgot who I was; I forgot you. I did her bidding for eleven years.” She could have bit her tongue the moment the words escaped.

  “Aye? And what about three before that? When you were at university and off fucking around with every man who interested ya?”

  Her teeth ground against her tongue, focusing her thoughts on the pain rather than the fear that coursed through her. “I was wrong, Fergus. Wrong to leave you. I see that now. I was a-a foolish girl, and I didn’t realize how much you loved me. How much I loved you.” The words ate through like a betrayal, both to Liam and herself, but she would play her role. “Ya hurt me sometimes, Fergus. Do ya remember?” She let her Irish accent, faint from so many years of disuse, infuse her voice.

  Fergus flinched. “I never meant ya any harm.” He took a step back, and the ground under their feet trembled. “I wasn’t whole. Ya knew that, yeah? I never meant to...” His body language vacillated between bitterness and need. “I can’t control the pain anymore,” he said. “Help me. Please, Catie. Make me better. Ya love me, yeah?”

  “Yes, Fergus, only you.”

  His shoulders slumped, his relief palpable. She seized her chance, taking the last few steps to his side. With slow purpose, she drew him against her, his angular body both foreign and familiar. His arms clutched her, embracing her so tightly she could barely breathe. She slipped her hands around his waist, dropping the infused and inscribed quartz into his left pocket with as much skill as a pickpocket, hoping she’d guessed correctly about which side held his medication. He smelled like soil freshly churned in preparation for spring, but soon the fragrance turned thick and choking, and she pulled away as quickly—and as carefully—as she dared.