I still didn’t like that I was handcuffed to a chair, but I understood why they’d done it. They didn’t want to risk us attacking them.
Noah and Sage were strong shifters—the rougarou were right to be afraid.
But once they knew the truth about why we were here, they’d unlock the handcuffs and let us go. Maybe they’d even support our hunt. After all, the demons were our common enemy. We should be teaming up—not abducting each other from the street and handcuffing each other to tables.
My head and body felt fuzzy, like I was an onlooker to our current situation instead of a part of it. But I’d do what needed to be done and tell the rougarou everything I knew.
I wouldn’t let Noah and Sage down.
“The potion has taken hold,” the alpha said. Her voice was warm and sweet, like a nurturing mother. I must have imagined the harshness from before. “Now, Raven, please tell me. How did you end up traveling with these two shifters chained beside you?”
I told her the exact same, true story that I’d told the Voodoo Queen at her shop, starting from the night of my twenty-first birthday. The alpha occasionally asked additional questions to push me to continue, and I answered truthfully without fail. Eventually, I ended up where we were right now, with the three of us handcuffed in the middle of her bar.
“What is your relationship with both Sage and Noah?” she asked. It hadn’t taken her long to learn Noah’s name, since he was integral in my story. According to her, it was a pretty common name amongst wolves. Like the wolf equivalent to the human name John.
“Sage and I are friends,” I said, since that answer was easy. “Noah and I…” I stopped, suddenly stuck on how to answer. What were Noah and I?
I couldn’t answer with the truth because I didn’t know the answer. In fact, I’d wanted to ask Noah the same question all night. Because after that kiss, I had no idea where the two of us stood.
My cheeks heated, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. How was I supposed to be honest about my feelings for him when I wasn’t sure what those feelings were myself?
I couldn’t. So I’d have to settle with the bare facts.
“Noah took me on this mission because Rosella recommended he do so, and he seemed to trust Rosella,” I said. “Our relationship is complicated. We don’t get along most of the time, but when it comes down to it, I know he’s doing everything he can to keep me safe. I trust him with my life.”
It was the truth, and I meant every word of it.
“Interesting.” The alpha didn’t let a single reaction slip through her expression. “So the three of you didn’t come here with an intent to harm the rougarou?”
“We never wanted to harm you,” I said. “We don’t want to harm you. All we wanted to do was slay the demon. Now we just need to finish up our business with the Voodoo Queen tomorrow evening, and get out of here.”
“What more business do you have with the Voodoo Queen?” she asked.
“Tomorrow evening we’re picking up a cloaking ring she’s making for me.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could contemplate if the rougarou alpha should know the exact details of our appointment. “Then she’ll do a tracking spell to find another demon for us to hunt, and we’ll head off to whatever city she sends us to.”
She said nothing for a few seconds, and I wondered if she was done.
“Your story is fascinating, Raven,” she finally said. “Given the fact that you’re a human, you’re handling all of this very well. So I do have one more question for you.”
“All right,” I said, ready for anything.
“Prior to your initial run-in with Noah and Sage, did you have any other encounters with the supernatural world?”
I opened my mouth to say no.
But I couldn’t say it.
Because I wasn’t sure if that was the truth or not.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly.
“You don’t know?” the alpha repeated, tilting her head in curiosity. “How can that be? The answer should be straightforward. Either yes or no.”
I didn’t know because I hadn’t been honest—totally honest—with anyone about what had happened to me this past winter.
According to everyone I knew, I’d made a spur of the moment decision to go backpacking in Europe, didn’t tell anyone I was leaving, and stayed there for weeks. I remembered doing that—sort of. But the memories were hazy.
So hazy that I questioned whether or not they’d happened at all.
It had come up in conversation with Noah once, briefly. When it did, I’d done what I always did when Europe came up and changed the subject. Mainly because I didn’t want him to think I was crazy.
But it was time to admit what I’d been wondering since learning about the supernatural world and finding out that my mom and I were somehow connected to it. That maybe there was something more going on with my spur of the moment vacation and hazy memories of it than I realized.
“Over the winter, I took a trip to Europe for a few weeks,” I said slowly, swallowing as I prepared to continue. I wasn’t sure why I was telling the alpha this—I didn’t think it was relevant to helping her realize that Noah, Sage, and I weren’t here to hurt the rougarou.
But I also had a feeling that if I told her the truth, she could help me. And I needed help more than ever.
“Disappearing like that without telling anyone wasn’t like me,” I continued. “And the memories of the trip are so hazy that it’s like I wasn’t there at all. So I can’t help wondering if there might be something more going on with what happened. Something supernatural.”
She leaned forward, looking more curious than ever. “When you think about your trip, does it feel like you’re watching someone else’s experiences and not your own?” she asked. “Like the memories aren’t quite real? Like you keep hitting a wall, but that if you pushed at the wall hard enough, it would dissolve and re-form into something else entirely?”
“Exactly.” I perked up, amazed that she knew what I was going through. “How did you know that?”
“Because you’re right that there’s something supernatural going on.” She watched me closely, her mouth set in a grim line. “Someone has tampered with your memories.”
24
Raven
“What do you mean?” I sat back in shock. “How could my memories have been tampered with?”
It sounded so strange to say… but it didn’t sound wrong either.
It certainly made more sense than the possibility that I’d run off to Europe on a whim, or that I was having some kind of psychotic delusion.
“My guess would be that you never went to Europe at all,” she said simply. “And that someone—a supernatural of some sort—used a memory potion to alter your memories.”
“But that’s impossible,” I said. “Sage taught me about memory potions. They can only alter memories that go back a few days, tops. I was in Europe for weeks. Not even a memory potion could change my memories that much.”
“It’s true that the memory potions available on the market will only be able to alter a few days worth of memories,” she said. “But the witches who sell their magic are far from the strongest witches in the world. Even the strongest witches—like the ones in the Voodoo Queen’s circle and the Devereux LA circle—aren’t nearly as strong as the witches employed by the five vampire kingdoms.”
I nodded, since I’d learned about those five kingdoms during the long drive with Noah and Sage. “A small number of witches live in the vampire kingdoms, and those witches perform magic for the vampires in exchange for an extravagant lifestyle,” I shared the bit I knew about those witches.
“Precisely.” She nodded. “The witches living in the vampire kingdoms are the strongest witches in the world. Not many of them have the power to erase a few weeks worth of memories—but there are certainly a few who could.”
I sat back, the revelation strangely comforting since it explained so much of what had been eating away at me rece
ntly. A witch had altered my memories. I wasn’t sure why a witch would want to do that, but now that I was aware my memories had been erased, there had to be a way to fix this.
“So how do I get my memories back?” I asked.
Because there had to be a way to get them back. Right?
“You’d have to find the witch who took them away in the first place,” she said. “Only that witch can give you a reversal pill that will return your memories to you.”
“Great.” I huffed. “How am I supposed to find this witch when she—or he—took away the memories I have of who they are?”
“The witch is most likely a she,” the alpha said.
“All the witches I’ve met so far are female,” I realized. “Why? Do male witches not exist at all?”
“They exist,” Sage cut in. “But female witches have more powerful magic than their male counterparts. No one knows why—it’s just the way witch magic works. They joke that magic must be carried on the X chromosome, so men only get half the amount of magic as women.”
“Oh,” I said. “Interesting.”
“Anyway, back to your question about how to find the witch who erased your memories,” the alpha said. “I agree that it’s a difficult predicament. I don’t have an answer for you, but the Earth Angel has connections throughout the supernatural world. If there’s anyone who might be able to help you, it’s her.”
“Yet another reason why I need to get to Avalon,” I said.
Which meant if I wanted any chance of keeping my sanity, I’d have to shelf my curiosity about my erased memories for now. Just like how I was trying to shelf my worry about my mom. It was tough, because I had so many questions, but completing the demon hunt and getting to Avalon needed my full attention. With my mom’s life on the line, I couldn’t afford to get distracted.
“But while I don’t have an answer for you, someone else here might.” The alpha turned to Noah, glaring at him. “We know little about Noah, or where he comes from. Perhaps he had something to do with your memories being erased?”
“Wait.” I held up a hand, stopping her. “Noah didn’t erase my memories. He had nothing to do with this.”
“So trusting,” the alpha said to me. “You have much to learn, little human.”
There she went again, calling me human instead of using my name. I really hated that.
“Raven’s right,” Noah spoke up. “If her memories were erased, I had nothing to do with it. I swear it. I’ll even take a truth potion to prove it.”
“Truth potion doesn’t come cheap,” the alpha said. “There’s a reason why we only used one vial for the three of you. For now, you and Sage will remain detained until I figure out how to proceed.”
My stomach swirled with worry about what might happen to Noah and Sage. “Don’t hurt them,” I begged. “Please. They’re on my side.”
“Or so you think.” She pressed her lips together, looking unconvinced.
“Maybe someone gave me a memory potion, but if Noah says it’s not him, I believe him,” I said. “He wouldn’t lie. Not about this.”
“Give him the truth potion,” Sage cut in. “I’ll pay you double what the potion cost you. You’ll have nothing to lose.”
“It’s not a bad offer,” she said, looking Sage over. “I’ll consider it. But first, I’d like to continue my conversation with Raven here.” She said my name with more respect than earlier, turning her focus back to me.
“I told you everything I know,” I said.
“I know you did,” she said. “But you should know that for most people—including supernaturals—memory potions go undetected. The person who took the memory potion can’t tell a difference between the implanted memories and reality. It wouldn’t feel hazy, like you described. It would simply feel real.”
“But I can tell the difference between the fake memories and the real ones,” I said. “Why?”
“Sometimes, if a supernatural is stronger than the witch who brewed the potion, they’ll be able to resist the potion,” she said. “But you’re not a supernatural. There’s no doubt that you’re a human—and a delicious-smelling human, at that.”
I wasn’t sure whether to take that as a compliment or be afraid that she might want to taste me.
I settled with asking her another question.
“So you have no idea why I can tell that my memories have been tampered with?” I asked.
“There are occasional humans who are able to resist magic,” she said. “Psychics. But these humans are rare—I’ve never met one myself—and they always have a unique ability of their own.”
I perked up at the word “ability.” My mom had always said she had a special ability to read tarot cards, and she’d insisted that I had an ability of my own. I never thought I did, but she was convinced I’d realize what it was sooner or later.
“My mom has the ability to read tarot cards.” I was aware that the truth potion was making me comfortable enough to say all of this to the alpha, but at the same time, I didn’t care. If being honest helped me understand what was happening to me, then so be it. Let the truth set me free. “She always calls herself a witch, but psychic would describe her pretty well, too.”
“And you?” She leaned forward, looking like she was onto something. “Have you inherited her gift?”
“I don’t have an ability.” I shrugged. “I’m definitely not a psychic.”
If I were, maybe that would explain why demons were after me. But nope. I didn’t have any special abilities. I’d know if I did.
“Hmm.” She watched me carefully, looking intrigued and not convinced. But I was under the truth potion, so she had no choice but to believe me.
It was a relief to be able to be honest and know that the person I was talking to wouldn’t doubt me. Not that I would want to take truth potion all the time—there were plenty of instances where it was good to hide the truth—but there was something freeing about knowing that I was being believed one hundred percent.
“Since I can tell when my memories have been tampered with, I promise I haven’t been given any memory potion since Noah and Sage saved me from that demon in Santa Monica,” I told her. “They haven’t messed with my memories. I’d know if they had.”
“They haven’t messed with your memories since you met them at the Pier,” she said. “That doesn’t mean they weren’t involved in whatever happened to you this winter.”
“So take up Sage’s offer,” Noah cut in. “Give me truth potion, and then ask me if I was involved with Raven’s memories being erased. Because I promise my answer will stay the same.”
25
Raven
“I think I’ll do that,” she said. “Jack, go get another vial of truth potion and bring it to me.”
The same rougarou who’d gotten my truth potion—Jack—went behind the bar and brought out another light blue vial. I was amazed by how easily the alpha had agreed to the idea, but relieved nonetheless. I was sure Sage’s offer to pay her double what the potion was worth had a big part to do with her agreement.
People always seemed to become much more agreeable when money was involved. Specifically, when they would be getting a large amount of it.
Jack handed the alpha the potion. Then, just like she did for me, the uncapped the vial and brought it to Noah’s lips so he could drink.
I didn’t like her touching him—a strange sort of protectiveness came over me, like Noah was mine and no one else should be touching him, especially another woman—but I swallowed down the urge to tell her to back off. This was no time for my crush on him to get in the way of anything.
A few seconds after swallowing the potion, his eyes dilated. It must have started working.
I prayed that the alpha would only ask him if he’d given me the memory potion, and nothing more. I didn’t know what Noah was hiding about his past, but I had a feeling that whatever it was, he didn’t want the rougarou to know.
The alpha scooted her chair so she was directly in front o
f him and placed her hands on her thighs, looking ready for an interrogation. “Noah,” she said, her voice calm and relaxed. “Have you ever given Raven a memory potion?”
“I haven’t,” he answered, concise as always.
“Do you know who gave her the memory potion that erased whatever happened to her while she thinks she was in Europe?”
“No.”
“All right.” The alpha looked convinced. “I believe that you know nothing about Raven’s memory wipe—that whatever happened to her was caused by supernaturals before you met. However, I don’t believe in coincidences, so you must have met for a reason.”
Noah didn’t reply to that. He just watched the alpha closely. His fingers were tense—I could tell that all he wanted was to be freed from the handcuffs so we could all get out of there.
“Great,” Sage said with a forced smile. “Now that we’ve worked everything out, will you agree to a truce until we leave tomorrow night?”
“Patience,” the alpha said, still focused on Noah. “Since you’re under the truth potion, I do have a few more questions for you.”
The worry that had twisted my stomach before intensified.
Noah simply watched her, waiting.
“Your cause to get to Avalon is a noble one.” She turned away from Noah to face her pack, and I relaxed slightly, getting the feeling that she was on our side now. “The Earth Angel needs as many fighters as possible to join her army in the war against the demons. We all need to band together to overcome this terrible threat. Therefore, I will not blame any rougarou who choose to leave the pack in favor of joining Annika’s army.”
Surprised chatter broke out amongst the rougarou at this announcement.
They only quieted once the alpha raised a hand to silence them.
“But in order for the rougarou to have the option to join the Earth Angel’s army, they need to know where to go to do so,” she continued, turning back to Noah. “Therefore, I need to know—where is the island of Avalon located?”
The Angel Trials- The Complete Series Page 23