by Vella Day
Rye had mentioned he’d been stabbed, but by the time he’d returned to work, he was fine.
“Let’s see what Kalan needs first.”
Mr. Murdoch insisted on following him back to town because Mrs. Murdoch said they might stay the night. If Jackson had called and assured his parents and Elana that Kalan’s injuries would heal, they wouldn’t have panicked. Most likely Jackson was too worried about his big brother to think about contacting them.
After the drive into town, they both parked behind the building. Kip escorted the Murdoch family into the office then led them to the infirmary. Jackson was waiting outside of the door and embraced both his parents and then Elana. “Mom, Dad, you didn’t need to come. Kalan will be fine. He was missing Elana, that’s all.”
“Nonsense,” his mom said. “Let me see for myself. I don’t trust you.”
“He’s sleeping.”
Elana held up her hand. “I’ll go in. I’m sure he’ll sense that I’m there and wake up. I’ll find out what’s really going on and let you know. I promise I won’t sugar coat anything.”
Mrs. Murdoch hugged her. “Thank you.”
Elana glanced at Jackson then stepped inside and closed the door.
Mr. Murdoch turned to Kip and Sam. “It seems that my son’s mate knows what to do. You said you found the magic?”
“I believe so.”
“May I see it?”
Kip saw no harm. Since Mr. Murdoch had been the Beta to his Clan for so many years, perhaps he could offer some insight.
Mrs. Murdoch stayed outside by her injured son’s room talking with Jackson, while Kalan’s dad followed them into the conference room. When he spotted the globes, he slowed.
“I’ll be damned,” he said.
Kip’s pulse soared. “Have you ever seen something like this before?”
He shook his head. “My grandfather told me about it though. I thought he was just telling a tall tale.”
Rye entered the conference room with Devon. Already, some of their wounds had healed. Given that Rye’s eyes were bloodshot, he probably wanted to return home to shower then shift into his wolf form to finish the process.
“You might want to call Teagan,” Rye said.
A tight band squeezed his chest. “Did something happen?”
Rye held up his hand. “No, but Izzy could sense that I was injured. Naturally, Teagan assumed you were injured too. She’s rather upset.”
“Thanks, I’ll give her a call.” He chastised himself. He should have known that since she was with Izzy, she might have heard how things had gone. Knowing Teagan, she’d fear for his safety.
Kip also needed to contact his folks and let them know he was fine, and that the team had retrieved Randy’s magic. His only fear was that if Randy’s powers couldn’t be restored, their hopes would be dashed.
“What are you going to do about Randy?” Sam asked. “We need to get him to safety now.”
Mr. Murdoch nodded. “Changelings don’t take theft lightly. They’ll want some sort of retribution.”
Fuck. This whole incident was imploding right before his eyes. “We need to talk to James now.”
Rye stepped next to him. “You take the globes, pick up Randy, and then take both him and the magic to James. He’ll be safe there, as will the magic. Sam and I can pick up the girls. Jackson and Devon can stay here to make sure Kalan and the Murdochs are okay. We’ll all meet you there. The Changelings are a threat to both Shifters and Wendayans, and as Alpha, I need to be there. We must stick together now more than ever in our fight against them.”
Kip liked that plan. “Agreed.”
Sam helped him carry the globes outside to his car. “Make sure your sister knows I’m safe,” Kip said.
“I will, though I can’t be certain she’ll believe me.”
“When she sees you’re okay, she will.” Confident those he loved would soon be okay, Kip locked his car doors then called his brother. His twin answered on the first ring.
“Did you find it?” The anxiety in his voice nearly tore Kip in half.
“I believe so.”
“Really? That’s fantastic. Now what happens?”
Kip started the engine. “I’m on my way to pick you up. We think the Changelings are regrouping as we speak. They might come to the house to search for what we stole.”
“Fuck. I guess it makes sense since I’d be the most likely candidate to steal my own powers back.”
Kip headed down Oak Avenue. “We need to have James help us. That means you and Deanna need to wait by the front door, and when you see me pull up, come out. I don’t want to leave the globes unattended.”
“Smart. Should I take my gun with me?”
“Guess it wouldn’t hurt.” Kip made a left on Robin’s Ridge, passing Thomas’s Hardware.
“What does it look like?” Randy asked.
“The magic?”
“Yes.”
“It glows. I have no idea how it works though. That’s why we need James’s help. If anyone can help restore the magic into your system, he can.”
“We’ll be ready.”
Kip disconnected and focused on driving carefully. One bad bump, and one of the globes could shatter. As he headed to the Cove, he kept a close eye on his rearview mirror. No telling what those Changelings had in mind. Now that he had a plan and was a bit calmer, perhaps he should have asked Sam to come along for security purposes since Rye could have assured Teagan. Kalan had told him that James because quite the recluse, it was possible arriving with several strangers would put him off, but it couldn’t be helped.
When Kip’s house came into view and it wasn’t swarming with men or wolves, he let out a breath. The front door opened. When both his brother and sister appeared okay, Kip’s blood pressure dropped.
He rolled down his window as they rushed toward the car. “Get in but be careful of the sacks.”
Randy lifted the blue globe from the passenger seat, slid in, and placed it on his lap.
Deanna went in the back. “Deanna, hand Randy one of those so you have room. He can put it at his feet.”
She did as he asked, then placed one on her lap. “I’ve never met James.”
Had she not been staying with Randy, he wouldn’t have asked her to come. As it was, he doubted the immortal would be particularly enthused at being besieged by so many people, especially at this late hour, but Kip couldn’t leave his sister alone at his house.
While it was only a few miles to the shifter compound, it seemed to take forever. He kept expecting several cars to converge on him from both sides and ram him. How long would it take for the Changelings to organize a retrieval party? One hour? Two hours? Most likely, a group of them were already headed this way.
As soon as Kip entered the shifter compound, the tension in his shoulders lessened. If he believed Connor and Jackson, Changelings never wanted to be close to the lake because their powers were diminished. Hopefully, that was true.
When he arrived at James’s stone house, it was dark inside. Damn. Because Kip had no intention of leaving, he had no choice but to wait until Rye, Sam, Teagan, and Izzy arrived. Both Kalan and Rye had interacted with James in the past, and would know how to proceed.
“He doesn’t look to be home,” Randy said.
“Agreed, but we need to wait for the rest of the team. We had a shorter drive than they did.”
A knock sounded on his window, and Kip swore his heart stopped.
Despite the lack of any lights surrounding the house, the moon was rather bright, allowing him to identify the window rapper as James. Not only was he an immortal, he seemed to be able to appear at will.
Kip rolled down his window. “We need your help.”
“I’ve been expecting you.” He leaned down and looked in. “I see you brought company.”
“I hope that’s okay. I have what we believe is the Wendayan’s magic. We were hoping you could help put it back into Randy, or whatever has to be done to restore his powers.”
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“I can try.”
The three of them followed James into the house. He flicked on the lights, though the overhead chandelier wasn’t bright by any means. Deanna lagged behind, seeming to absorb the energies from the visitors of old. Both Randy and Kip carried two globes each, and Deanna had one.
“Let’s go into the dining room. There’s more room in there to work,” James said.
They followed him down the hallway where he stepped through the second door on the right. He flipped on the wall switch and motioned they join him.
Whoa. It opened into a large formal dining room that looked like it came straight out of the sixteen hundreds. A large glass chandelier, giving off an amber-colored light, was above an ornately carved table that could probably seat twenty people. Why James would need a room this grand was anyone’s guess. From the outside, the home didn’t look big enough to house something this size.
At the far end of the room sat a large fireplace with a hearth made of cedar. A stack of wood sat to the side.
The three of them carefully placed the globes in the center of the table.
“Please remove them from their sacks,” James instructed.
Once revealed, he studied them. “These four seem to be rather old. They’ve been used often.”
Kip wanted to be sure he understood. “Are you saying each of these globes contain the Wendayan’s magic and that the Changelings have used their powers many times?”
Kip had a ton of questions, one of which was how did a Changeling transfer the magic from this globe to themselves.
James smiled. “Have a seat and I’ll explain.”
A knock sounded on the front door. “That would be Rye and—” Kip began to say.
“I know who it is. Excuse me.” James seemed to float out of the room.
Deanna didn’t appear to have noticed their host was gone, as she was busy studying the gold-gilded framed oil paintings on the walls. Once she’d looked around the room, Deanna returned her focus to the table then ran her hand over the ornately carved surface, as if she was trying to learn who’d sat there in the past.
Kip looked back at the landscapes. He couldn’t be sure, but they might be of this area, painted many, many years ago.
Randy, however, was oblivious to his surroundings. He was seated in front of the blue globe and had his hand hovering over top. Perhaps he believed if he concentrated hard enough, he could reconnect with his powers.
The dining room door opened, and the rest of the group piled in. As soon as Kip saw Teagan, his heart nearly burst.
He jumped up and she ran to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against his chest. She felt so good.
“You’re okay. I was so worried,” she said.
He stroked her tangled hair and inhaled her divine scent. She was dressed in some kind of black yoga pants and an old frayed T-shirt, but she’d never looked more beautiful. He’d missed her so much, even though they’d only been separated just a few hours. “I’m fine. I left the fighting to the experts.”
She sniffled then firmed her lips. “You should have called me.”
“It was late, and I didn’t want to bother you.”
Scrunching her brows together, she shook her head. “Did you think I’d be sleeping, knowing you were in Changeling territory? It didn’t help that Izzy practically lived the fight right along with Rye, bite for bite.”
He hugged her tight. “I’m sorry. I was so focused on retrieving what belonged to our people that I put my needs last.”
She lifted her head off his chest. “Are those globes our magic?”
“We’re waiting for James to tell us.”
Their host tapped the table “Everyone, have a seat. I don’t think I’ve had a party in over thirty years, so excuse my manners.” He glanced upward. “Or was it forty years ago?” He waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter. Welcome.”
“What can you tell us about these powers?” Rye nodded to the globes. “That’s assuming that’s what these are. And can we tell who they belong to?”
The group quieted. All were seated except for James. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen anything like this. What I have been told is that once one of their black witches puts a curse on the knife, the sardonyx blade can extract the Wendayan magic.”
“Can we reverse the process again with this knife?” asked Randy. “I sure as hell would like to have back what is rightfully mine.”
“Yes. It’s a relatively simple procedure if the magic is being returned to the owner. It’s a whole different matter if it is to be used by a Changeling.”
“Do you know why some globes are so dim?” Randy asked.
“The dimmer the globe, the more the magic has been used.”
Rye looked around at the others then back at James. “Do you know how long the magic lasts once it’s inside a Changeling?”
James shook his head. “No, but I have to assume their newfound abilities are fleeting. They only have three days after they touch someone to turn into that person. Even then, the change only lasts for a few hours. I was told that the gel-like substance the knife is immersed in should preserve the magic for many years, however.”
“Can they reuse the sardonyx once the magic is gone?” Kip asked.
“Not to my knowledge,” James said. “That is why only the most powerful Changelings can harness the magic. This kind of sardonyx is rare.” He looked at Rye. “You might want to caution Kalan about his piece. The Changelings will be more desperate than ever to find more.”
“They shouldn’t have killed the Stanleys then. Seems they were their original source,” Kip said.
“I agree.”
“What do the colors mean?” Sam asked.
“I’d only be guessing, but I would say the blue is for electricity or water,” James said. “Green would represent the earth powers, like what Isadora has. The yellow might be for psychic powers, and the orange would be for fire.”
“How old are these globes?” Rye asked.
James held up his hand. “Enough questions. Time is wasting. The longer Randy is without his magic, the harder it will be for him to return to normal.”
Kip pushed back his seat ready to go. “Would you like us to leave?”
“It might be best. I’d like Randy to stay here for twenty-four hours so I can monitor his progress.”
James had implied the procedure would be simple. Was there something he wasn’t telling them? Kalan had told Kip that when he’d tried to demand answers from the immortal, he’d been met with resistance. “I’ll grab some extra clothes for him and return.”
“It won’t be necessary.”
“Kip, let’s go,” Rye said. From his stern tone, he knew when they’d overstepped their welcome.
He looked over at Randy. “You’ll be fine. Call when you need a ride home.”
“Will do.”
“It’s late, but I’ll bring the folks up to speed tomorrow,” Kip said. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to answer their questions right now. The less they knew, the better off they’d be.
“Thanks.”
Kip helped Teagan up from her chair and led her out. She wrapped an arm through his and held on tight. He needed to be with her all night long.
Sam had his own car, and Rye had driven Izzy, so they went their separate ways.
Deanna placed a hand on his arm. “I don’t want to stay at your place tonight. Not only won’t Randy be there but your house has too many bad vibes inside.”
“Because of Randy’s attack?” Kip asked, though he didn’t want her there in case the Changelings returned.
“That and because Randy has been rather negative about the whole thing.”
“I don’t blame you.” Both of the women piled into his truck. A short while later, he pulled in front of his house, happy to see no one was there and that Deanna’s car was where she’d left it. “Text me when you arrive home. I want to make sure you’re safe.”
Deanna leaned o
ver and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll be fine.”
“On second thought, I’ll follow you home.”
She nodded. “How about you just drive me home? I’m thinking it will be better if those Changelings think someone is at your house. It might deter them from breaking in.”
The thought ratcheted his anger. Bastards had no right to steal. “Smart thinking. I should have a guard dog. Along those lines, since you live alone that is something you should think about as well.”
“Definitely something to think about,” Deanna said.
Two minutes later, he was in front of his sister’s house. Because he didn’t trust the Changelings not to come looking here, Kip insisted on checking out her place before letting her inside. Once she was snug in her house, he jumped back in the car.
Teagan didn’t have her suitcase with her, but he guessed she had extras of everything back at the house. “You okay staying at your place or do you want to go back to the Berta’s?” he asked.
“Nothing is going to happen. I have you and Sam there.”
He decided not to mention that her house didn’t have an alarm system like his did. “You’re right.”
All he wanted to do was get through the night. Tomorrow, their team would regroup and figure out how to stop the Changelings from any more of their thieving ways.
Chapter Sixteen
‡
Brother Jacob was almost blind with rage. How had a group of stupid werewolves managed to take down his two guards, break into the bunker, and then steal the magic globes? Several of the knives had been in the Changeling’s possession well before he was the leader. He’d been so careful not to use the powers unless it had been necessary. Now, his Clan was without any extra abilities. If the two guards weren’t already dead, he’d have ordered their execution.
Brother Jacob looked around his black-walled sanctuary, silent except for his breathing. At least no one had disturbed his two masterpieces. Unfortunately, the sardonyx eyes were too thin and translucent to be used as knives. They’d have to search for more.
He’d called the Council members to a late night meeting, and he needed them to be prompt. Where there had been ten members, there were now only eight—seven of which had been with him for years. Jacob had been forced to bring Brother Charles into the fold to increase the number from seven to eight.