Black Magic (Howl #4)

by Morse, Jayme

  “You’re asking me questions. You can’t ask me questions,” she muttered, frustrated.

  “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to just drop you off somewhere without finding out where you’re going first,” Luke said, shaking his head firmly. “I’m not leaving until you tell me the truth.”

  Growing impatient, she turned to him. “The truth is there’s something I need to do . . . and I need to do it alone. If you’re not going to drive me, I’ll just walk there, but you would make my life so much easier if you would just take me there. Please.” She was about to tell him that as his Alpha, he was ordered to drive her, but she didn’t want to force him to do anything that he was really against. Especially when, the truth was, she wasn’t sure how she would feel if she were in his shoes right now.

  Luke hesitated for a long while. Finally, he muttered under his breath, “Fine . . . I’ll take you. No questions, I promise.”

  “Thank you,” Samara whispered. When he glanced over at her, she noted the reluctance in his eyes. He didn’t want to take her, but he knew that she was going to end up where she wanted to go, whether it was with or without his help. “I need to go to Old Mill Road. You know, to the same place where we had our first date.”

  Raising his eyebrows, he glanced over at her curiously. “Why would you need to go there? It’s out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Luke, you promised me you wouldn’t ask any questions,” Samara snapped at him, more defensively than she meant to.

  He stared at her quizzically for a moment before tearing his eyes away from her and pulling out of the driveway. “Fine, Sam. I can’t even hear your thoughts like I usually can, so I know you’re blocking me out. Be as secretive as you want to be, but just know that I’m onto you. I know something’s going on, I just can’t put my finger on what it is.”

  Samara didn’t say anything back. She didn’t want to start an argument with him because she knew, deep down, that there was a chance this could be the last conversation that would ever have with each other.

  When Luke pulled up to the dirt lot that led to the place where she would be meeting Jason—and probably the rest of the Vyka members—in a half hour, Samara turned to Luke. “Okay, once I get out of the car, you need to leave. Don’t wait for me, okay?”

  She glanced down so that she didn’t have to see the pained expression in his eyes.

  “How are you planning to get home?” Luke asked her calmly.

  Samara shrugged. “I haven’t thought about it yet. I guess I’ll call you once I’m ready.”

  “So, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to just wait here for you until you’re done with whatever it is that you’re doing?”

  She shook her head. “N-no, it wouldn’t make sense.” Glancing up into his eyes, she placed a hand on his chin. “I love you, okay?”

  “I know you do,” Luke mumbled.

  “Trust me then, okay? I’m just doing something I really need to do. It will help out everyone in the end.” Samara leaned in and pressed her lips against his; she felt a wave of fiery coldness wash over her body as his mouth came down on hers with a mix of uncertainty and passion.

  When they finally pulled away from each other, Luke ran a hand through her hair. She could tell from his hesitation that he wanted to ask her if he could come with her, but he didn’t . . . and she didn’t give him the opportunity to.

  She swung the car door open and climbed out onto the gravel. Closing the door behind her, Samara put her hands on her hips and stared at Luke expectantly. Even though the reluctance had lingered in his eyes, he seemed to take the hint right away; he backed the car up and pulled away, glancing at her over his shoulder.

  Samara closed her eyes. Letting Luke go like that without even explaining to him what she was about to do was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, but it was the only way she could do what she was about to do without worrying him too much . . . or getting him involved.

  Once she heard Luke put his foot on the gas pedal and saw the car pull down the road, she darted across the grassy field and into the woods. Reaching under her sweatshirt to make sure that her wolfsbane was still around her neck, she breathed a sigh of relief when she found it still was.

  Samara pulled the white candles and the box of matches that she had packed out of her tote bag. If there was any way she was going to beat Jason, she was going to need to call upon the Trusted Ones . . . and hope that they would actually be summoned.

  She tried not to think about what was going to happen tonight if the Trusted Ones didn’t answer her. The thought that she may have to try to figure out how to fight Jason—and the black magic that he would surely be using to fight—all on her own made her nervous. The only bright side was that she wouldn’t have to fight the rest of the pack, unless . . .

  It hadn’t even occurred to her until just now that this whole thing could be a setup. What if Declan had lied to her just so that Jason could get her here? Maybe all of the members of the Vyka were planning to gang up on her and the rest of the Ima, who they probably would have guessed she’d bring with her.

  Samara decided that she didn’t have time to second guess him. She had to focus on what was most important right now . . . and that was killing Jason.

  Samara found a rock that wasn’t surrounded by any trees or brush and decided that it was the perfect spot. She set the white candles in the center of the rock and lit them with one of the matches. When the flames rose from the wick, she smiled and closed her eyes.

  “I’m going to need you tonight, Trusted Ones. Please come when you’re summoned,” she quietly begged. She hoped that she had enough faith in them to summon them.

  Crouching behind one of the trees near the lit candles, Samara waited. She watched as a pair of headlights drove up the driveway, stopping at the end of the road.

  It was Jason. It had to be.

  The breath caught in the back of her throat; she wasn’t ready for this. Even though she wanted to be ready for this, she didn’t think she could ever possibly be prepared enough for the fight that was about to take place. Her life was going to depend on it.

  Samara hoped that, no matter what happened tonight, she made her pack proud. She wasn’t going down without a fight, and she hoped that even if something bad happened, the Ima would at least know she had given her all.

  As she heard the sound of footsteps crunching over the dried up leaves on the ground, Samara felt her heart begin to beat louder; it beat so loudly that she was sure it was going to give away her spot in the woods.

  She watched as a dark figure approached and stood in the center of the field. He lit a bunch of candles and strategically placed them in a heart shape. Samara realized that although the candles were surely crimson candles, she knew that Jason was putting them in a heart shape so that she would believe that Luke was being romantic; a heart of candles to go along with the special Christmas present that he needed to give her in the privacy of the middle of nowhere.

  She rolled her eyes at how foolish Jason must have thought she was to buy into this whole plan he’d come up with.

  Deciding that she couldn’t hide from him any longer, Samara stepped out from her place behind the trees. “Hi, Jason,” she said coolly.

  “Samara,” Jason said with a smirk on his face. “Funny running into you here in the middle of the night.”

  Samara shook her head forcefully. “Not funny at all, if you ask me. Are you really stupid enough to think I’d fall for a fake email? Luke and I never talk to each other through emails. We’re mates. We have no reason to.” Putting her hands on her hips confidently, she added, “I figured out your sneaky little plan.”

  “I must say I am surprised that you put two and two together on your own,” Jason replied, his dark eyes appearing even darker under the shadows cast by the trees. “I mean, I know your brother’s been a good pack member to have recently, but I really thought he was a lot weaker than he is. I expected him to go running back to you with the information I’v
e been feeding him. I guess you can say this has been somewhat of a test for him, but he has proven where his loyalty lies.”

  “If you’re trying to rub it in my face that my brother chose you over me, don’t even bother,” Samara replied. “What type of Alpha are you for your own twin brother to leave your pack in favor of his enemies?”

  Jason smirked. “My brother is a sorry excuse for a werewolf. You would have learned that on your own in time . . . if things weren’t going to turn out the way they will tonight for you. It doesn’t matter, though. Soon, he’s going to be a part of my pack again, whether he likes it or not. And he won’t have some pathetic Alpha girl to ask him to join her pack if he decides he wants to leave again.”

  Taking a step closer to her, Jason added, “Next time, if he decides that he wants to disobey me, I’ll just kill him. The same way I’m going to kill you.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Samara murmured.

  Jason smirked. “You don’t believe I’m going to kill Josh? He’s a wimp. I have no reason to keep him alive if he’s not going to work for me. I think our father would be pleased with my decision to kill him, too. Josh never was his favorite son.”

  She took a step backwards, feeling a little too close for comfort. “I meant, I don’t believe you’re going to kill me.”

  Jason licked his lips. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for so long, my whole life, really . . . kill Joe McKinley’s granddaughter. It’s been one of my greatest ambitions. Now you’re here, and it’s finally going to happen. I have to say, I’m a little excited.” His lips twisted into a sinister smile.

  “I mean, you’re not werewolf enough to kill me on your own . . . without black magic,” Samara replied.

  Jason’s eyes flickered with a look of anger, but it quickly passed. “Any way to get the job done, right?”

  “No, you’re wrong, Jason. Why don’t you try being a real man for once and fighting a battle on your own? Why would you want to rely on your demons to do it?” Samara questioned.

  “They’re not ‘demons’, as you put it. They’re like pets,” Jason replied. “We have something to offer each other. As long as I can keep them happy, they’ll keep doing what I want. It doesn’t matter, though. They’ve already heard all about you . . . and to be honest, you’ve really angered them.”

  “How have I angered them?” Samara asked. It didn’t make sense how she could piss off spirits that she had never even met.

  “They’ve been waiting too long for you. You see, I promised them that as long as they could kill you for me, they could feed on your blood. They prefer the blood of a human because it’s so pure and innocent, most of the time, but . . . there are rare cases when they crave the blood of a werewolf, too. This is one of them.” Jason smiled. “They’re just dying to get their hands on Joe McKinley’s granddaughter’s powerful werewolf blood. It will make them even stronger than they already are.”

  Samara gulped. “Well, it’s not going to happen. Because here’s the thing . . . I know all about black magic.”

  Jason snickered. “Trust me, baby. You don’t know the half of it. Do you want my advice?”

  She shrugged. “I’m sure you’re going to give me your so-called advice whether I like it or not, so go ahead.” She knew that talking wasn’t going to get them anywhere, but she was buying time for herself. Except, she didn’t know why. Time probably wasn’t going to make a difference.

  “Just give into the death that’s awaiting you tonight. There are many spirits out here, and they’re all just dying to get a taste of your blood.” His eyes seemed to light up when he talked about the spirits eating her blood, which made Samara feel sick to her stomach. Jason continued. “I’m not gonna lie. It’s gonna be really painful. So, the sooner it’s over, the better off you’ll be.”

  “I’m not going to give into anything. I’m not going to let you win,” Samara replied. Turning to the candles, she yelled, “Trusted Ones, I summon you!”

  Jason said something in a language that she recognized as the same language that he’d used during the night of her fake initiation.

  Samara felt a strong gust of wind, but she didn’t see anything—not that she thought she was going to. The dark spirits weren’t going to show themselves to her, just like the Trusted Ones weren’t going to let her see them, either. She just hoped, more than anything, that they were there . . . and that there was something they could do about the spirits who so desperately wanted her blood.

  Samara thought about notifying her pack and letting them know that she might need their help, but she decided against it. If she was going to die, then fine . . . but she didn’t want to see them get hurt, too. Even if Jason did conquer her tonight, she wanted to believe there was something that they could do to make sure that Jason didn’t take over and force them into being Vyka pack members.

  Turning back to Jason, Samara did the only thing she could think of; she phased into her wolf form. Once she was on the ground, she took a few steps closer to him and snarled. She had to at least try to stand her ground and act like she was confident.

  Jason changed into his own wolf form; he was encircled by the red cloud of smoke that enveloped him as he made the change. Once he was at her level, he bounded towards her and sunk his teeth into her neck.

  Samara yelped, surprised by his sudden attack. She bit him back, sinking her teeth on any area of skin they touched, clamping down as hard as she could. Jason didn’t make peep; he seemed completely unfazed by her assault on him, and she wondered if it had something to do with the drugs that Declan had mentioned he was using.

  She recalled what Chris had taught her about how to kill a werewolf during an attack; she could either try to pierce his heart, or she could go for his throat to constrict his airways, which would make it more difficult for him to fight back since he wouldn’t be able to breathe. Deciding to go with the latter, Samara leapt up to sink her teeth around Jason’s neck, just as she felt something close around her own neck. But she knew, right away, that it wasn’t Jason . . .

  The invisible force that clung to her neck, making it more difficult for her to breathe, was a dark spirit.

  Chapter 23

  Samara felt her throat closing in as the spirit constricted her own airway; she tried to kick the evil force with all four of her legs, hoping for just even a moment to retaliate. But the spirit held her body down, its strength too difficult for her to fight against.

  A lot of thoughts ran through her mind. She mostly wondered where the Trusted Ones were and why they weren’t doing anything to help. Didn’t they see that this dark spirit . . . this demon . . . was going to be the end of her if they didn’t try to do something to save her soon?

  Glancing up into Jason’s eyes, which were filled with amusement and laughter, Samara felt herself gasping for air. Please, no, she thought. I’m not ready to die. I’m not ready to leave my family or Luke or my pack or Declan behind.

  And just as she thought that she had taken her last breath, that there was no way she could continue to breathe if this evil force continued to cling to her, Samara felt it being pried off of her. Glancing around, she didn’t see anyone besides Jason standing in front of her, a look of shock written all over his face. The Trusted Ones had done something to help her.

  Thank you, she thought, hoping that they would be able to hear her thoughts.

  Standing up, she tried to regain her balance, but that’s when she saw him, out of the corner of her eye.

  Seth was strolling towards her, his white fur coat as silky as ever, and his ears pointing upwards with alertness. He inched closer to her, his golden eyes meeting her own.

  Samara gulped. Jason was no longer working alone, and it wasn’t just him working with the spirits anymore. It was with her brother now . . . the one werewolf who probably knew all of her weaknesses since he’d known her his whole life.

  The worst part was that the idea of killing Jason didn’t bother her. But she could never
kill Seth. She would never be able to live with herself for causing her own brother’s death, or for being the reason behind the grief that her parents would surely feel once he was gone.

  I won’t fight you, Samara told him, but Seth didn’t meet her eyes. He walked over to Jason, aligning himself with him; he was joining his team . . . They were going to be fighting her together.

  Unexpectedly, Jason leapt forward into the air, his body pouncing on top of hers, pinning her to the ground.

  Samara struggled to fight against his weight, but she was able to hold her own. She forced him to the ground, holding his upper body down with her two front paws. She sunk her teeth into his flesh and bit down with all of her might and for the first time since they’d fought today, she felt Jason flinch.

  Just as she was about to pierce his heart with her teeth, he pushed her off of him, overtaking her and pushing her body to the ground.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a gray wolf that she recognized all too well come towards her, the wolf baring her teeth and pushing her shoulders back with confidence.

  Rain? Samara asked. Are you here to help me?

  Rain snorted at her. Why would I help you? Jason’s my mate. Yeah, that’s right. I initiated into the Vyka pack last week, and you didn’t even know about it. Some Alpha you are. Get your paws off my mate, or you are going to be dealing with me.

  Samara turned to Jason, who stared back at her with an amused look in his eyes. She bit down on his throat, her teeth clenching as hard as they could over his airway.

  Jason coughed, struggling to breathe, and Samara smiled. This was it. She was within seconds of killing him.

  And that’s when she felt Rain pounce on her from behind, her front paws scraping painfully against Samara’s ribs. Samara only flinched for half a second, but it was long enough for Jason to get out of her reach.

  She was about to lunge at him again, but before she could, her brother leapt on top of Jason, surprising him enough to get him on the ground. Seth made his attack quickly; he went for his throat and, within seconds, Samara watched as Jason writhed in pain.