by Sydney Addae
The sun peeked in the distance as Ivona thanked the driver and his wife for the ride. She stepped out of their truck onto the side of the road, and uttered a prayer of safety and prosperity for them as they traveled to see their granddaughter, the newest addition to their family. As they drove off in a cloud of smoke she brushed the dirt and straw from her pant legs, straightened her jacket, and pulled the pistol she'd bought off a guy in town, from her bag. Morning hadn't fully arrived and the area was bathed in fog. After checking the rounds, she stuffed it in her pocket and hefted the bag onto her back.
She rubbed her forehead to ease the throb of indecision. Somewhere in this area she would find... Raoul? Daphne? Things were all mixed up in her mind, which made finding transportation difficult because she wasn't sure who she looked for or which way to go. A few hours ago, her gut settled with certainty to head in this direction and the closer she came to this area, she knew it was time to get out the car. Fortunately, the couple didn't ask questions and took the money she offered with gratitude instead.
That couple had been her third ride since she'd parted company with the full-bloods, which had been a major downer. When the full-bloods left her in town, she'd been upset and shouldn't have. With all the lies she'd told she couldn't blame them for not trusting her. For some reason she'd assumed they'd help until Raoul returned. Obviously she misunderstood that part of the mating lessons in the book, even with Sheila's lessons to help her understand how the process worked.
Sheila.
Why didn't she tell Ivona that itching could kill full-bloods? They'd gone over the plan several times, and ran numerous tests on the serum. Ivona hadn't wanted to infect anybody, but Sheila insisted it would be the fastest way to get help, and had even given Ivona the names of people to infect. It wasn't until Ivona checked on Sheila in the clinic that she realized the mild itching she'd seen in testing had a horrific effect. She'd almost peed in her pants when she saw the tall, full-blood watching her. Moving quickly, she'd left the clinic before giving Sheila the antidote. She prayed her friend hadn't suffered too long or badly.
That night, after leaving the clinic, the dreams started again.
It had been years since she'd seen herself in dreams. Something must've triggered a nerve or whatever, because that night she dreamed in vibrant colors. She didn't see faces, just bright auras up close and dark ones in the distance. The next morning, she woke knowing one of the men she'd seen in the clinic was her mate or she was his mate. Initially scared, it didn't take long to realize she'd been granted a bonus to help find Daphne, her daughter, and bring her home. With Sheila under guard in the clinic, and Tara on another continent, Ivona devised a desperate plan, hoping Sheila’ and Tara's notes in the red book on mates were true.
Damian had been completely unaffected by her and would have squeezed the life from her without a second thought. But Raoul had growled and kept his distance even as he watched her. The more time she spent around him, she recognized he didn't want her but couldn't do much about the attraction, which pleased her just fine. He seemed more malleable than Damian anyway, and she’d had solid plans to locate Daphne until he disappeared. The pain which lanced her chest, surprised her and propelled her to search for him.
Earlier, when the tree blocked the road, she'd gone into the woods to check on Raoul and recognized a signature in the air, and knew a coven had been involved. Was it the same group who lost the Lamia? That was a possibility, but why take Raoul? Full-bloods had no interest in coven affairs. By taking the Alpha's son, not only did they mess up her plans, they could also start a war with Lord Barticus. Which, given the large pack, the man ruled, would be a massacre instead of a war. One she'd only avoided because the gods mated her to the wolf.
Ivona looked at the landscape dotted with farms and houses miles apart and what could be a lake, if that's what they called them. How would she find anyone? She pulled out her thermos and took a long sip of cold water before tucking it back in her bag. Closing her eyes, she inhaled and waited. Granted, it would have been better if she could find a quiet place to meditate, but life didn't always flow the way you wanted. She moved toward a tree near the road, searched for unfriendly critters, and then released a few deep breaths. Taking her athame, she drew a circle while praying to cleanse the area. Once inside the circle she called the four elements, and summoned the guardians to protect the elements and the circle.
Sitting on the ground, she took several deep cleansing breaths, closed her eyes and visualized her base chakra. When it glowed red at the bottom of her spine, she moved it upward until it merged with a glowing orange in her navel. Inhaling, she visualized those balls of light moving upward, merging with a glowing yellow ball of light, then green then blue, and then purple. She paused at her third eye chakra, and then moved upward to merge with a glowing violet ball of light from her crown chakra, and then released it into the universe.
Fully open and prepared to receive wisdom and knowledge, Ivona waited until warmth rested on her shoulders. She was on the right path and would know what to do when the time came. After visualizing her chakras in reverse, she took several breaths, closing herself, and then closed the circle.
Without a map or compass to guide her, she started walking down the road with the belief her gut wouldn't lead her wrong. Nearly ten minutes later, she wiped her forehead, looked over her shoulder into headlights as a car crested the highway, and to her relief, passed without slowing. The weight of the pistol eased her fear of being attacked or taken against her will. But she needed to rest, each step became harder, and her disgust for Tara increased with every step she took.
Tara had always been flighty, but lately she seemed as though she’d hit a midlife crisis or something. Through the years, Tara taught her the craft of herbs and manipulating nature. Some called them witches, but Tara preferred the term practitioners. This latest escapade of pulling Daphne out of school to teach her the way was a glaring example of how far off the woman had gone.
It hadn't always been that way. Tara had been excited when Ivona became pregnant with the twins, and doted on them. She'd been dating Gordon back then and Tara took pride in boasting of the boys’ athletic abilities to him. Ivona and Tara knew Gordon was a widower who’d lost his sons and wife years past, and seeing her sons bothered him. Yet, Tara seemed to enjoy throwing the boys up in his face whenever they were out to dinner or something. When her boys died in a fight, Ivona had been devastated. The police had shown Ivona the tapes of her sons trying to rob a store and attacking the wrong man. He broke their necks and called the police.
After their deaths, Tara stopped smiling.
She blamed Gordon but never explained why. Nor would she ever explain what happened that night Gordon came to dinner. Ivona had no memory of anything after greeting the man. When Ivona discovered she was pregnant with Daphne, she couldn't believe it and doubted the doctor's diagnosis. It wasn't until Tara hinted Gordon had raped her that night, that Ivona accepted her situation even though Tara refused to explain that night. Gordon never returned her phone calls or visited again, even though Tara was pregnant as well. Those months during their pregnancies, they'd become close again and supported each other as they had in the past. After their daughters were born, things changed.
Ivona stopped and looked around, not that she recognized the area, she didn't, but she sensed Raoul was near, which surprised her. Why would she sense him at all? According to Tara's red book there should be no connection between them until they mated or had sex, or she acknowledged him in some way. Sheila wasn't too clear on that point and promised to ask questions but didn't have any luck.
Turning off the highway, she pulled her pistol out and strode down the side street. The unpaved, rocky path was probably good for vehicles but hard to walk on in the dim morning light. A half mile later she realized she wasn't alone. With a quick prayer to the gods, she placed her finger on the trigger and continued as if she had no knowledge of walking into the Lion's den, or in this case, the witches’
cove. The long, winding road rose higher, the brush grew thicker, it was obvious few cars traveled this path. Years of living in the Everglades and on Indian lands steadied her resolve to ignore bugs and groaning muscles as she continued her trek up the hill. She'd turned the bend when she saw an older woman dressed in a long flowing yellow dress standing in the middle of the road.
Surprised to see anyone, Ivona stared for a few seconds before she cataloged the auras of the witch and the initiates standing nearby, chanting. Every practicing witch had a unique signature, whether it was a combination of their body odor or DNA, she wasn't sure. Each time they manipulated the elements, a part of themselves remained as their calling card. It was as if Mother Nature devised a system of knowing who did what and when. This witch had taken Raoul from the forest and that pissed Ivona off.
"Who are you?" the witch asked.
Ivona counted four people in the woods, her pistol carried six rounds, one extra in case she missed. "You know who I am," Ivona said.
"Indeed I do, Tara warned us you'd come. I am not interested in your affairs with Tara and suggest you find her and discuss your grievances. There is nothing for you here."
At the mention of Tara, Ivona frowned. "What do you mean she told you I was coming? Do you know how to contact her? It's important that I speak with her."
"No, we no longer have dealings with Tara and cannot help you. Please leave." The older woman's aura changed from bright yellow to a darker hue.
Ivona took a step back to think. "Have you seen a young girl? She was traveling with Tara, my daughter, that's who I'm looking for. Have you seen her?"
The chanting paused and then picked up again. Ivona looked in the direction of the Initiates and realized they'd moved, split up, each taking a point, soon they'd have a circle. Rather than wait, she charged the older woman, knocking her down. Before she could rise, Ivona knelt and placed the gun barrel to her forehead.
Gasps and the sound of running feet filled the air. Four women, each with different colored hair, which matched their jogging suits, stood in front of her.
"What are you doing?" the one in pink asked in a stilted tone, her English not that good.
"Asking questions." Ivona's heart raced and then settled as she realized these women had answers she needed. They knew Tara and had probably seen Daphne. If they could tell her where they'd last seen her daughter it could speed things up.
"We don't know where Tara is, Agatha told you that," the one in yellow said.
Looking down at the older woman who must be Agatha, Ivona eased up a little. "Where is Raoul?" What the hell? That wasn't what she meant to ask. But he was there, on the forefront of her mind along with Daphne. Sheila hadn't mentioned this.
"Who?" the woman in light blue asked.
"The full-blood taken from the woods earlier, where is he?" Ivona's gaze flicked from one to the other, noticed their shocked expressions, and then returned to Agatha.
"So La Patron sent someone after all. I expected a pack of wolves not one of my own," Agatha said, her tone disgusted.
"What? You talked to La Patron? He knows you took Raoul?" Ivona's voice escalated.
Agatha sat on the ground as Ivona stood while holding the gun steady. "You're crazy. Do you have any idea what you've done? That man, wolf, whatever you want to call him is tied to the moon just as we are and he's crazy powerful like you wouldn't believe. He knocked me on my ass while dealing with…"
"Dealing with what?" Agatha asked.
"Wait, why are you here? In this spot? What is going on?" Ivona looked around, wondering if this had anything to do with the Lamia.
"Why do you ask? What concern is it to you?" Agatha asked as she stood.
Shit, if this had anything to do with the Lamia, Ivona didn't want anything to do with that. Lamia' evil reputation preceded her. If she could just find Daphne, she'd leave this place and never look back. "You can't leave him," a tiny voice that she'd love to choke, said in the back of her mind. She cocked the pistol. "Where is Raoul? I want to see him and he'd better not be hurt."
"You are a good witch," Agatha said, as if dismissing Ivona's threat with the wave of her hand.
Heat flashed to her head at the idea they'd done something to Raoul. "Not that good," Ivona said. "I practice at home and have a code I live by. You harm me or mine, I help karma along. As I said, he'd better not be hurt."
Agatha waved to the women in front of them and they walked down the road a bit. Hearing the chanting again, Ivona chimed bells with her left hand. At the first note the women stopped and looked back at her. Take that bitches, try and talk now. She returned their stare and continued ringing her bell. When they reached a dark colored cargo van, Ivona tapped Agatha on the shoulder with the pistol.
"Stay here with me and have them bring him out. You may not know this about me, but I'm an excellent shot. One of my exes was a cowboy, thought it was a good idea for me to learn how to protect myself against large animals. Not that you'd ever see my skillset, because you'd be dead before I take out the rest of them."
"Seems I am to die either way. You, the wolves, or the town." Agatha threw up her hands with a shrug.
Ivona split her attention between the women opening the back of the van and Agatha, who stood a few feet from her. "What do you mean the town?"
"Not your problem." Agatha crossed her arms and watched as the four walked next to a gurney similar to the one ambulances in the states used. From a distance Ivona saw something was wrong.
"What'd you do to him?" She looked at Agatha, who looked smug.
"He's cursed and I will not remove it now that La Patron broke faith." Agatha turned to the women. "Leave, you know what to do. I suspect the wolf pack is close, get as far away as you can."
"Come with us, Agatha, there is still hope that things will change," one of the women pleaded.
Ivona couldn't pull her gaze away from Raoul's face covered in blisters. It wasn't right. Something clicked in her mind and she sensed he was in pain. Did this bitch say she cursed him and he'd remain like this? Her hand moved and if asked what she'd done, she'd have no recollection. When the echo from the last bullet died, all five women lay on the ground moaning and begging for their lives.
Agatha, who'd spoken words of a true martyr before, begged the loudest as blood ran down her shoulder from the gaping wound.
Ivona tilted her head to the side and stared at the woman. "Remove the curse or die." Her gaze took in the other women lying on the ground bleeding from wounds in their arms or legs. "Next bullet hits your heart."
Chapter 28
Fortified after a night of mind-blowing sex and a healthy breakfast, Gem watched the cam of the cell where Lamia resided. Security had taken a large plate of food to her and waited in the hall for her to finish. Determined to steer the conversation toward freeing the child, Gem went through several options. One, Lamia could return to the spirit world and hang out with all of her old friends. Two, Lamia could enter one of the witches and stay with the coven. Three, the spirit could inhabit an adult with their permission. Staring at the monitor, Gem realized that other than number one, all of those options sucked and doubted Lamia would go along with them.
How do you know?
The question crystallized in her mind. She didn't know for sure because she didn't know Lamia. Discovering what drove Lamia, or what she wanted most in the world would be the best place to start their conversation. Once they understood Lamia better, decisions could be made, but they'd need to make this fast, Raoul's life was on the line.
She frowned. Had the time elapsed? She couldn't recall. Dread rolled down her back at the idea of what would happen if Raoul had been harmed. The witches would need to scatter and even then she was sure Lord Barticus would find them. She shook off the dark thoughts and focused on her part of the job, gathering information for La Patron.
Since she saw the heaping plates enter the cell, she was surprised to see the guard take the tray with the empty ones and then lock the cell. Despite L
amia's childlike appearance, her appetite was all adult. Gem finished her tea, wiped her hands, and headed toward the door. Dressed in gray sweats, white tee-shirt and sandals, with her hair pulled up in a pony-tail, she keyed in the code and headed down the hall.
"On my way," she told Damian.
"Okay, I need to check out a noise. Security heard something that could be gunfire. Could be the witches, I don't know."
Gem stopped. "It didn't happen on Lord Barticus' property, did it?"
"No, further down."
"Why are you going to check on it?" She continued toward the cell.
"Gunshots close by I want to know what's going on. Lord Barticus is my grandfather and I don't want anything weird happening while we're here."
Gem's brow rose. She'd forgotten Damian was like royalty. His father was the top scientist in the wolf-nation, probably in the human world, too. Everyone had heard of Asia and her exploits. Someone had created a comic book series featuring her as the wolf version of Wonder Woman. His parents lived in the compound with La Patron and his den. Asia's parents, Lord Barticus and Amynta, were Alphas to the largest pack in Europe. To hear him speak of his beginnings in a lab was jarring given his pedigree.
"Okay. Talk to you later." She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice, but she'd wanted him to watch and give her feedback.
"Soon as I get back, I'll be down there."
"Thanks." She inhaled, recognized Lamia’ and Daphne's scents, and pulled up a chair. "Good morning."
For a few seconds there was nothing. Then the door opened and Lamia, dressed in the same torn dress she'd worn yesterday, stepped out, her lips curled in a half smile as she pulled up a chair and sat. Today she resembled the young child Gem had helped, and not the older one from last night. That had to be a good sign, right?
"Can you walk?"
With her mind on how best to get the conversation started, Gem didn't think about the question and simply answered. "Yes, why?"