Bron heard Adam’s question, but didn’t answer, her mind still caught on the image of her death. River had tried to save her from that image—shoving her out with vicious force. But not before she’d felt his love. A love that would kill him if anything ever happened to her. ‘No.’ She shook her head, pushing to her feet. ‘No.’ She began to run. ‘It’s not going to happen.’
‘Bron, stop.’
A hand grabbed her but she shook it off. ‘I’m not losing him. Not again.’ She headed towards the trees at the side of the road—River was in that direction. She was certain of it. But before she got more than a few metres, something streaked out of the undergrowth that bordered the field next to the road, making her jump. Hands grabbed at her, firmer this time, stopping her headlong flight.
‘What the hell?’ Jason turned to protect Skye.
Bron looked down at the shape as it darted through patches of moonlight towards her and saw it was a tawny cat. A cat with a pronounced limp. ‘Bluebelle?’ The cat meowed up at her, its peridot eyes oddly intelligent.
‘How did your cat get here?’
Bron shook her head slowly as she bent down to fondle Bluebelle’s ears. ‘She must have been in one of the cars.’ Her fingers caught in something wet and warm just behind Bluebelle’s ears. ‘She’s been injured again.’ Bluebelle skittered backwards as she reached for her. ‘It’s okay, Blue, I won’t hurt you.’
Bron spread her hands. Bluebelle took a cautious step towards her, then another. Just as Bron was about to gather the injured cat into her arms, a man stepped from the bushes the cat had run out of.
He stopped as he saw the group of people standing on the edge of the road, but his eyes narrowed in on the cat. ‘Give that cat to me,’ he snarled.
Bron snatched up Bluebelle, holding her close. The cat was trembling violently. ‘This cat is mine.’
The man snorted. ‘That’s not a cat.’ He took a step towards Bron. Jason and Adam moved in front of her, the warning in their stance more than enough to have the man coming to an abrupt halt.
His eyes darted between them and the cat, a light of understanding dawning in his expression. ‘You’re them, aren’t you?’ He curled his fists at his sides, his lips drawing back as he glared at the cat. ‘You traitorous bitch. You would betray our mistress and your own family to them?’ He flung out his hands. A wave of heat erupted from them.
Skye threw up her hands to block the brunt of the magic coming their way. The force of the two magicks hitting each other was like an explosion, throwing them back. Bluebelle hissed and jumped out of Bron’s arms, racing towards the man.
Bron scrambled to her feet. ‘Bluebelle, no …’ The sound cut off as the cat she’d taken as her familiar shimmered in the moonlight, its form melting, expanding out and up until in its place stood a naked woman, her pale skin glowing in the moonlight. Deep bruises and drying blood showed on her shoulders, arms, ribs and legs. She faced the man, her arms held out. ‘Cain, stop.’
Adam growled, Jason’s stance changed from defensive to attack. Bron felt the pull through the Alpha bond as he called the pack to him, but was too stunned by the fact that her cat had turned into a woman to say anything.
‘These are the enemy, Eloise. Are you too far gone to see that?’
‘They’re not our enemy. Morrigan is wrong.’
‘Morrigan is a goddess.’ Eyes wild, Cain slashed his hand down.
Eloise grunted and staggered as a new line of blood erupted across her shoulder. But she didn’t collapse. She sucked in a deep breath and said, ‘If she was, would she have sent a brother to kill his sibling?’
‘You’re a traitor. You deserve death.’
‘I deserve to be told the truth, as do you.’
He shook his head. ‘I know the truth. You’ve allowed your beliefs to be twisted. By them.’
‘No. Morrigan has filled you with lies. She’s taught you dark magic. She’s deceived us.’
He jerked his head towards the group standing behind her. ‘They are the deceivers. How can you not know that? How can you, who have been chosen to stand as Mistress’s right hand with me, turn on her? She found us, took us in when we were discarded by our own blood kin. I thought you understood the work. How important it is.’ He shook his head, eyes pools of darkness. ‘You are an endless disappointment, Eloise. It will be my pleasure to put you out of our family’s misery.’
He swiped his hands and Eloise staggered, blood blooming across her stomach. He lifted his hands again.
‘No!’ Bron surged forward. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Adam and Jason move, their forms shimmering as they leapt, one towards Eloise, and one towards Cain.
Eloise staggered as whatever magic her brother had cast hit her. Blood a bright spray in the silvery moonlight, she fell backwards. Bron reached her just after she’d hit the dirt, her senses aware of Skye casting defensive magic to protect Jason as he attacked the warlock who was obviously part of Morrigan’s rogue coven. Adam’s bristling black wolf stood protectively in front of Bron, lips pulled back in a warning snarl as he stared at the battle raging. Howls sounded in the night air as the pack turned as one to return to their Alpha, to help protect their Pack Witches.
She heard the moment Jason contacted with the warlock; the startled cry as jaws locked around a limb, the snap of bone, the shout of pain, the acrid scent of magic in the air as the warlock tried to defend himself.
She ignored it all. She had to concentrate on healing the woman who had been masquerading as her cat over the last few months. None of it made sense. All Bron knew was this woman who was also Bluebelle was injured, her blood seeping into the dirt road in a dangerous flow that meant death was only minutes away.
Peridot eyes opened, beseeching. ‘I didn’t tell her. About River. I didn’t tell.’ She coughed, a bloody, gurgling sound, dark red speckling her lips. ‘Please, don’t let them hurt the others. Don’t hurt my brother …’ She grasped Bron’s arms, her fingers like ice. ‘She lied to us and … he doesn’t … know. He doesn’t …’ She gasped, her eyelids fluttered and she passed out.
Bron looked down at her. The zaps of magic and the snapping of teeth, the tight, wet, ripping sounds followed by shrieks of pain, filled the air behind her.
A lightning bolt hit the ground a few feet away from them. Adam snarled and in a flare of bright, rainbow light, turned from wolf to man, and before she could blink the halo of light from her eyes, he scooped her into his arms and began to back away from the fight.
‘Adam! Put me down. I have to help Bluebelle. She’s badly injured.’
‘Will she die?’
‘If I don’t help her, yes.’
‘Good.’
‘Adam!’
‘She’s a spy. She’s been reporting back to Morrigan all these weeks.’
‘Not everything, or River would already be dead. She tried to help him, Adam. You have to let me help her.’
He didn’t answer, just gave a tight shake of his head, the pain flashing in his eyes stabbing at her. ‘I’m trying to protect you.’
‘I know.’ She laid her palm on his chest, felt the fast beat of his heart, the tightness of his muscles. ‘But I am the Pack Healer.’ She sent healing warmth through her hand into him. His heart stopped thudding, his muscles loosened, his pace slowed. ‘Let me do my job.’
‘She’s not pack.’
Bron shook her head and sent more warmth through her hand. ‘That’s not how it works, and you know it. I have to heal. It’s who I am. Please don’t take that away from me.’
He stopped, his mouth screwed up as if he were arguing with himself, but then he closed his eyes and sighed. ‘Okay.’ He turned and jogged back towards the woman.
The fight had been pushed up the road with the arrival of more of the pack. They were ringed around Cain now, some in their wolf form, some still human. Skye stood among them, protected behind Jason; his fur looked a little singed, but not seriously. Cain, on the other hand, looked like he was about to collapse
. Blood streamed from multiple wounds—none of them killing bites, but enough to deplete his strength. He swung his hands up wildly as the pack circled closer, a bolt of lightning going wide, exploding on a tree on the other side of the road, lighting it up with a flare of green and orange and blue flames. He staggered.
The pack growled as one, tasting their victory.
‘Adam, please don’t let them kill him.’
He let out an annoyed breath, but nodded and closed his eyes as he sent a message to Jason. She turned back to Eloise and put her hands out, bare inches over cold, cold skin, closed her eyes and tapped into her powers. It was stronger than the reiki she normally used, and filled her with much more warmth. Using it, she assessed the injuries. The external ones were not the most dangerous. There was internal bleeding. Eloise’s lungs were filling up with blood and if Bron didn’t do something, she would drown.
She’d never done anything like this before—pulling someone back from the precipice—but deep inside, she knew she could. She’d finally tapped into the heart of who she was and this was what she was meant to do. Wrapping the truth of that around herself, she pulled on that ancient well of power that had always been inside her and let it flow, not just out of her hands, but out of her entire being. She opened her eyes to see the golden nimbus of it expanding past her aura to encompass the injured woman lying before her. The light sank into Eloise, surrounded her, lifted her, encasing her in a golden glow that lit the surrounds as if it were day.
Wind rustled in the trees, a song of benediction; the grass in the nearby fields glowed greenly. Sweet, floral scents twined with rosemary, lemongrass and lavender, wrapped around her; scents that couldn’t be there because none of those flowers grew nearby, but seemed to be called from the ether to enhance her healing spell. Mother Nature was helping her, giving all she could to help someone who drew her powers from the earth, the wind, the water and the fire. She was the four elements. They sang inside her, rejoicing in coming together in the body of a true healer. It was something else she’d inherited from Skye—an unusual occurrence for a witch or Wiccan. Normally power was bound by and into only one or two elements, but Skye had access to all four. And so, it seemed, did Bron.
They filled her now, their strength and joy streaming through her, bringing a fulfilment she’d never before experienced in her work. This was how it was always meant to be. Bron embraced the sensation, revelling in the freedom it offered, the excitement of discovery, of a future unbound by the past or present. The glow filled her, expanding out, and then she sighed and smiled as the whisper of her powers told her the healing was complete.
More healing would be needed, but Eloise was out of danger. Pulling the power back to her, she lowered Eloise to the ground slowly, gently depositing her on a soft patch of grass and then turned. The pack surrounded her, their gazes riveted on her, a low hum sounding deep in their throats. As she glanced around the circle, she noticed that not one of them was injured.
‘Bron. What did you do?’ Adam’s incredulous voice sounded next to her.
‘She just became what she was always meant to become.’ Jason stepped from the circle, his hands stretched out to grip hers. ‘She is a true healer. Our pack is incredibly blessed to have her as one of us.’
Bron took a step forward. The world span and she staggered.
‘Whoa.’ Hands caught her.
She looked up to see it was Adam. ‘Thanks. I’m a little tired.’
‘You look more than tired. I think you used up a bit too much juice.’
Bron swallowed hard. Her throat was raw and dry, her mouth parched, with a strange acidic taste on her tongue. ‘You might be right. I don’t think I can do that again anytime soon.’
Jason came up to her, followed by Skye, both of them touching her. Members of the pack followed their lead, coming forward one by one to touch her with a hand, a kiss, a brush of knuckles on her cheek, a squeeze of her hand, a cold wet nose pressed against her arm, her fingers, a furry head bumped against her thigh.
Acceptance.
Love.
Family.
She would have been filled with so much happiness except for one thought: River. ‘Don’t worry about me. We have to find River.’ She tried to stand, but Adam held her tight. ‘Adam. Let me go. I have to find River.’
‘Jason’s already taking care of it.’
She looked to where he indicated and saw Jason giving instructions. The majority of the pack turned and surged off into the undergrowth in wolf and human form. As they departed, she noticed the body tied to a tree at the edge of the field. Cain. His arms were bound, his head hanging on his chest. Sick dread filled her. ‘What happened to him?’
Adam jerked his head. ‘Jason managed to incapacitate him and we got him tied up to stop him from hurting any more of us. He got hit by your wave of healer juice, or whatever it was, but it didn’t seem to do anything for him.’
Bron tried to speak, coughed, tried again. ‘He’s full of dark magic. It’s wrapped around his heart. But even so, what I just sent to all of you should have got through. He must be fighting it.’
‘Yeah, well, he’s got a death wish then, because he’s pretty seriously hurt.’ He brushed her hair away from her damp forehead.
A well of sadness filled her chest at the thought of someone filled with that much hatred—that he’d rather die than accept healing from someone he considered an enemy. She looked back over at Eloise. Hope surged inside her.
Clouds moved in the dark night sky above their heads and a shaft of moonlight lit the scene. Bron suddenly became aware that Eloise was naked, her skin glistening and pale in the moonlight. As was Adam. ‘You two need some clothes.’ Adam gestured and one of the pack, who hadn’t changed, stepped forward and took off his jacket, placing it over the woman. Someone threw Adam a pair of tracksuit pants, which he pulled on.
A howl sounded in the distance. ‘What’s that?’
‘Jason sent the others to follow the cat’s scent.’
She looked up at him, understanding dawning. ‘They’ve found Morrigan’s base.’
‘Sounds like it.’
She glanced at Eloise. The young Were was taking care of her. She would be safe for now. ‘Take me there, Adam. I need to go to River now.’ She took a step forward and almost crumpled to the ground as her knees gave way under her.
‘Whoa. You’re not going anywhere. Not until you’ve recovered.’
‘I have to stop him from doing anything else he’ll regret. I have to bring him back.’ Bron looked up at Adam, fear gripping her as she thought of River, how the Beast had taken him over.
‘You’re going to be no good to anyone like this. Wait until Jason and Skye bring back the chocolate and juice for you. That should pep you up. And hopefully the pack will have everything contained by then. Patrick is there. He’ll bring River back.’
‘River will kill him. The Beast has taken him over.’
‘Patrick’s tougher than he looks.’
‘Fuck, Adam. You’re not listening. The Beast. It’s strong. Stronger than any one of you. And if he kills even one of you, we’ll never get River back because he won’t forgive himself. You have to let me get to him. I know I can help him now. I know what to do.’
‘But you’ve exhausted yourself. How can you help?’
‘I can’t explain it. I just know there’s more inside me. Please, Adam. Trust me.’ Adam gritted his teeth. ‘Adam. Please.’
He let out a tight breath. ‘Fine.’ He scooped her up in his arms. ‘But if you get yourself hurt or killed, I’m not going to forgive you.’
Bron smiled, despite her tension. ‘Noted.’
‘I’ll just let Jason know where we’re going.’ His eyes lost focus as he walked towards the fields where the pack had disappeared. After a moment, he winced.
‘What is it?’
‘He’s not happy. Neither is Skye. They want me to stay until they get here, to talk you out of it until you’ve recovered.’
�
��There’s no time, Adam.’ He glanced down at her. ‘I can feel it. There’s something wrong. We can’t wait here. We need to hurry.’
Adam grimaced, but nodded, despite the push and pull of opposing orders from his Alpha and Pack Witch.
‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to cause you pain,’ she said, reaching up to touch his face.
He flinched. ‘Don’t waste your power on me. I’ll get over it. So will Jason.’ He pushed through brush and began to jog.
She clung to his broad shoulders, even though she knew he wouldn’t drop her. It never ceased to surprise her how strong the Were were. It encompassed more than simple muscular strength. They were strong in mind, strong in body, and that strength was fuelled and sustained by their link to each other, ever growing. The strength of the Alpha resonated down through the pack; the stronger his bond, the stronger the pack.
The McVale Pack was fast becoming one of the strongest packs around. They were a force to be reckoned with. Bron felt the pride of that resonating through every one of them; a pride that now filled her. A pride that would sustain her through what was to come that night.
Adam jogged through a dense stretch of bush, tangled bracken, ferns and gum trees, into a small field. Moonlight lit the space, turning the long grass silver. Cattle lowed on the other side of the field; a clump of them sleeping together, a few with their heads lowered to chomp lazily on the dewy grass. A howl sounded in the distance, followed by another, unsettling the cattle. They mooed, startled, and began to stampede across the field.
‘He’s that way,’ Bron said as Adam began to run along the edge of the field away from the stampeding cattle.
‘But the rogue coven’s base is that way.’
Bron shook her head. ‘He’s not there.’
‘Have you got the link back?’
‘No. Not like before. I can’t explain it. But I know he’s that way.’
Adam changed direction, leapt over a fence and plunged into another thicket of trees and ferns. The sound of breaking foliage echoed with the sound of her breathing. The sense of foreboding was growing with every step. The sounds of those howls, the knowledge that the pack was already at the hideout, didn’t alleviate that feeling at all. It only grew. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps. Her heart pounded in her chest, the beat of it a painful throb in her throat, her head, and there was an acidic copper taste in the back of her throat as if she’d bitten her tongue and swallowed blood.
Moon Bound Page 29