by Flynn, Donna
Juliet felt his hand tighten on hers and knew he was worried how the Born Were’s mate was going to react. She wasn’t concerned, though, she knew the male named Alec would do anything to get his mate back, even work with the enemy if that was what it took. “Don’t be worried, Alec will go along with the plan. I have already seen that.”
“I am not exactly sold on you being a witch so let’s just see what he says okay?” He wasn’t sold on her being a witch but on a short time she had certainly cast her spell on him. He had intended to hide her and go to Alec on his own, but somehow she had managed to convince him it would be wiser to let her talk to him.
“Just let me do the talking first, and for God’s sake do not tell him you are a witch or he will think you have lost your mind,” Mason instructed.
“Okay big guy,” she said, looking up at him with a smile. “I will be quiet until you tell me to talk.”
“You’re taking this all so easy, are you sure you didn’t hit your head?” he asked.
“I didn’t hit my head,” she assured him, wanting nothing more than to tell him that although she hadn’t hit her head she did feel as if she had been hit with a bolt of lightning when she met him.
Alec was at the door before he could knock and Mason entered the kitchen warily, placing Juliet behind him.
“Where is she?” Alec asked, confident Mason knew the answer.
Mason raised his hand. “Calm down, she’s safe enough for now.”
“Where…is…she?” Alec asked again slowly, his body trembling with rage.
“The rogues have her, but she is safe,” he told him.
“If the rogues have her, she is not safe,” Alec said with more calm than he actually felt. A tiny hand moved to Mason’s arm and he saw a tiny pixie like female peek around his massive form. “Who the hell is she?”
Mason felt his cheeks warm with color. “Well, they took Mercy, so I took a hostage of our own.”
“Correction,” Juliet said, peering around Mason. “I allowed him to capture me.” Everyone in the room began asking questions at once and Juliet quickly moved back behind Mason, feeling uncertain for the first time.
Mason reached back and grabbed her hand, running his finger over the palm, and her heart began to beat loudly in response. “Stop!” he yelled, sensing the anger in the room was upsetting her. Unused to hearing him raise his voice all of the others quieted and Alec turned back to face him. “Juliet seems to think her brother will take Mercy someplace safe and send us a note asking for an exchange.”
Alec’s eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. “What reason do we have to believe her? For all we know they are even now driving into the next to the next state and leaving her here as a sacrifice to stall us.”
Mason shook his head. “I believe her. She says her brother would never do such a thing and I saw how much he cares for her, Alec, he wouldn’t.”
Alec took a deep breath and forced himself to think rationally instead of flying of the handle. Mason had been there. He saw the attackers and did what he could to ensure they had leverage to get Mercy back, so he wasn’t the enemy. Fighting with him would do little good. “I sent the others to all of roads and highways close by to stop anyone leaving the area. If they tried to get out by vehicle they should get them.
Juliet pulled on Mason’s hand and stood on her tiptoes to whisper to him and he turned to Alec to relay the information she had given. “They won’t stop them. Juliet says her brother is an ex-race car driver and military specialist. Our people won’t know how to out-maneuver him.”
Alec swore and ran his hand though his hair in frustration before slamming his fist into the nearby wall, startling everyone in the room.
Gregory felt his rage and pain as he walked to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Son, we need to be rational here. If what this young woman says is true, we should hear from them soon.”
“Now you too want to trust a female we have never met before? Are you also under her spell?”
Mason tensed and looked down on the little witch with unease, but she just smiled as if unconcerned by Alec’s words.
“I didn’t cast a spell on anyone, but I can cast my rune stones and show you Mercy so you can be assured she is well,” Juliet told Alec.
Alec gaped at her in disbelief.
“Juliet it might not be the best time for this conversation,” Mason said noting how quiet the room had become, as they all stared at her with varying looks of disbelief.
“Nonsense, he is worried as any good mate would be and I can show him that she is alright so it might ease his suffering.” She reached inside of her backpack, pulled out a small red velvet bag, and shook it. “See, I always keep them with me.” She turned to Alec and smiled shyly. “Would you like to see her?”
Alec was unsure what to say. The woman before him had clearly lost her mind and yet Mason was standing over her in full protection mode watching him as if he might attack her. “Is she serious?” he asked.
Mason sighed and nodded. “She thinks she is a witch.”
Juliet straightened and lifted her shoulders confidently giving Mason an annoyed glare. “I am a witch.”
“Great, they get Mercy who is the Born Were and we get their nut case,” Lucan said from across the room.
“I know it sounds odd, but give her a chance,” Mason pleaded, hoping she could do what she said she could, because if not he was going to be facing a room full of very angry werewolves and the odds were not in his favor.
Alec eyed her warily, but nodded and she walked to the kitchen table taking a seat, motioning for him to join her. Once he was settled, she emptied the stones into one hand and held out the other to him. “If you will hold my hand you will see what I do.” Mason growled and moved behind her as Alec placed his over hers and the room stilled. “Stop, big guy, he needs to be connected to me or he won’t see her.”
Mason took a step back, but kept close watch on Alec, ready to intercede if he dared to hurt her. It was startling how easily he had forgotten his friendship with Alec to defend her and he felt very unsettled about the emotions that were churning inside of him regarding the little witch. Alec looked up at him as Juliet began to set out a velvet cloth that matched the bag, and stared at him, recognizing his jealousy and protectiveness for what it was. He was still digesting that the little witch was his Bond Mate and he certainly didn’t want to share that information before he was ready to accept it, but thankfully Alec said nothing.
“Okay, I am ready,” Juliet, said shaking the stones carefully in her right hand while staring at it intently. Slowly she released them and let them fall upon the cloth with a soft thud before she began running her hand about an inch above them. With a slight smile, she pulled one stone from the others and set it aside then began moving her hand over the stones again. Again, she stopped on one, picked it up, and placed it next to the others. She followed the same procedure again and placed another stone next to the two others in a horizontal line. She did this two more times, placing one stone above and one stone below the middle rune. With deft fingers, she turned the runes over and looked at them then placed her hand over the first one and closed her eyes focusing on Alec and Mercy’s past, allowing the energy to transfer through her to him so he could see what she did.
Alec gasped as images of his life with Mercy filled his mind. He saw the day they met for the first time and felt the confusing emotions he did that day course through him. The images moved quickly from that first meeting to the last when he was chasing her up the steps earlier that night. His heart ached for her and the witch’s hand tightened on his own as if she was afraid he would pull away. Her hand moved over the second stone and his mind filled with images of Mercy sitting across the table from a tall blond male who smiled at something she said and his heart clenched. She looked up and laughed at the man, seemingly unharmed and content where she was, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He began to pull his hand away when the witch hissed and clenched it tighter, moving her h
and over another stone. This time he saw himself lying upon a massive bed of satin with Mercy in his arms as they forged their bond together.
“The future,” Juliet murmured softly. “If you heed my warnings, and follow my advice.”
Her hand moved again and the image changed instantly. Alec saw Mercy, dark circles under her eyes, her face shrunken and pale, crying in the middle of the forest over a mound of freshly dug earth as her brothers and his father looked on, all shedding tears. The image changed again and he saw Mercy standing under a forest bower, her hands linked with those of the blond man’s he had seen her with as they bonded. She was sickly in appearance, her face reflecting the misery she felt, and he knew he was seeing the outcome of her future if he did not listen to the witch.
Juliet opened her eyes and let go of Alec’s hands before carefully folding the cloth over the runes and placing them back in the bag. “Now you know,” she said softly.
Alec stared at her in amazement before looking to all the others and finally to Mason who was staring at the little witch with unease. “Thank you,” he said to the female before rising to his feet. “Mason please escort our guest to the spare bedroom and allow her to freshen up and relax while we wait for her brother’s message.”
“Are you out of your mind Alec?” Lucan screamed. “This is all a trick. She is helping them not us.”
“Luc, you did not see what I just did.” He looked down on the female with half a smile. “She is telling the truth. Mercy is safe, I saw her, and soon her brother will send a message.”
Luan moved quickly across the room towards Juliet, but Mason stepped before him with a growl and stopped him from getting too close.
“I wouldn’t if I were you, Luc,” Alec said grimly. “Mason, get her out of here, we will talk again later.”
Mason stepped back and helped Juliet to her feet, keeping a wary eye on the rest of them as he escorted her to the doorway and up the stairs.
“Have you lost your mind?” Cade hissed, joining his brother in front of Alec.
“You’re going to have to believe me, Mercy is safe enough for now and soon we will hear from her brother.” Ignoring their unhappiness, he walked outside and took a seat to wait for the messenger.
*****
Mercy sat across from Dean, biting her lip as she contemplated her next move on the chessboard before them. She had played chess for most of her life and considered herself a pretty good at the game, but he had proven to be a worthy advisory and she was finding it hard to beat him. If it were not for her worries about Alec and how he was holding up she would have enjoyed playing against someone so knowledgeable, but as it was, she used the game as a distraction.
Dean felt her anxiety and knew how worried she was. He reached and placed his hand on hers. “The messenger should be there soon and we can get this straightened out.”
Mercy eyed her captor quizzically. “Why are you being so nice?” He pulled his hand away and sat back in his chair staring at her with a frown. “I meant, why are you being so nice considering that you want to dominate the other packs and the human race?” It didn’t sound much better, but it was to the point.
Dean’s jaw clenched as he thought about her words and knew the time had come for him to come clean to someone other than his sister. “I don’t want any of this,” he said tiredly. “My father started this vendetta many years before my sister and I were born. In fact the only reason he took our mother as his mate was because she was a powerful witch.”
“Was?” Mercy asked.
Dean’s eyes grew suddenly moist and he turned away from her rising to his feet and walking to the window of the small hotel room they currently occupied. “My mother died giving birth to us. My father couldn’t be bothered raising us so he took another mate and she raised us until he realized my sister had our mother’s power and that I was a grown man he could use in his worthless battle against the other packs.”
“That’s horrible,” Mercy said.
Dean turned and looked at her, gauging her sincerity and finding her honestly horrified for him. It wasn’t fair though, he didn’t deserve her worry, because for a short time he actually believed all of his father’s malarkey and had worked side by side to help him achieve his goal. That was until he began to use his sister’s magic for things it wasn’t intended for. He shook his head clearing away the horrible things he knew and turned away from her once more. “Don’t pity me, I don’t deserve it.”
“I don’t believe that,” Mercy said rising and walking to his side. “You care or you wouldn’t be here now. You would have handed me over to your father and bonded with me regardless of what happened to your sister.”
“It’s too late,” he said looking out the window at the night sky, remembering a time he was less jaded and had believed in dreams and happy endings. Now all he had to look forward too was his father’s hate and his banishment from the pack once he found out what he had done.
Mercy laid her hand upon his arm and shook her head. “You’re wrong, people can change. I have seen it and I believe you can too.”
“It doesn’t matter. Once my father finds out I traded you for Juliet, he will hunt us down. If he finds us he will kill me and bond her with Ryan to ensure his continued support for his cause.” He rubbed his fingers over his chin looking thoughtful. “I think he would prefer Ryan as his heir anyway; he is more like my father, more concerned with taking over the packs and dominating the human race.
“Our pack would protect you. I know Gregory and Alec will see to it no harm comes to either of you.”
Dean shook her hand away with a snarl. “You have no idea how far-reaching my father’s hold is. He has ties to some of the Elders and has their support. No matter what happens he will ensure the outcome will be in his favor.”
Mercy shook her head, not wanting to believe Micah was that powerful.
“How do you think they found out about there being another Born Were?” he asked, his body trembling. “I’ll tell you how! He forced my sister to read those damned stones everyday until she found you. And he knows everything about Alec and Gregory, including the Alpha’s new vampire girlfriend.” Mercy gasped, but he just went on. “He knows that Gregory is planning on stepping down and he knows that Alec will take over as Alpha of their pack.”
“Why would any of that matter to him?” Mercy asked fearfully.
Dean backed her against the wall and placed his finger under her chin, lifting it so her eyes met his. “Because once I secured you as my mate Alec would do anything we told him to do to keep you safe. Tears sprang to Mercy’s eyes, and she pushed against his massive chest. He stepped back allowing her to move away and she raced across the room as far away from him as possible. He hadn’t wanted to upset her, but she needed to know whom she was dealing with. His father was a bastard and he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. “I’m sorry, but you needed to know.”
“But things are different now, Alec is honorable, he will exchange your sister and this will all be done.”
“My father isn’t going to let this go,” he told her with a growl.
“But you can. I swear we will help you,” Mercy said.
Dean didn’t get to answer, before he could; the door to the room flew open and in walked the one person neither of them thought to see.
*****
Alec was sitting on the porch waiting for any sign of the messenger when Mason joined him and took the seat next to him. Lucan and Cade had been out there more than once to convince him he was crazy to listen to the witch and with every minute that ticked by he was starting to have doubts himself.
“She’s telling the truth,” Mason said, seeing he had doubts.
“It’s not your mate’s life on the line,” Alec said softly.
“I don’t…”
Alec raised his hand stopping Mason from denying what they both knew to be true. “I know the look, the actions, the overwhelming emotions, and the need to protect her even if we don’t want to admit it.
I will say no more, but if you need to talk I am here.”
“I appreciate it,” Mason said, neither denying nor accepting his observation as the truth.
Both were staring silently into the darkness when Alaric stepped out from the tree line with a small figure dressed in jeans and a black hoodie beside him and no scent to verify who they were.
“That’s their messenger?” Mason said looking at the slight form with disbelief.
Alec eyed the new comer closely, watching each step and movement, but saying nothing. “Let’s take this inside,” he said, turning and walking through the screen door as Alaric and his guest hit the first stair.
Mason nodded and held the door open for the pair to enter.
As soon as the door closed behind them shutting off the rest of the world Alec turned and pulled the hidden messenger into his arms and began kissing him, leaving Mason puzzled until the hood of the sweat jacket fell away revealing a riot of Titian curls. He looked to Alaric, who was watching the pair with a wide smile, and shook his head.
“I was so worried,” Alec murmured against Mercy’s lips.
“I’m fine, or I will be once this is all settled.”
“I will never let you go again, I swear it,” he said brushing his lips across her forehead.
“I can’t stay,” she whispered against his chest.
Alec blinked unsure if he had heard her right or not. “What?”
Mercy bit her lip and pulled back to look up at him knowing he was not going to be happy with her next words. “I have to go back with Alaric, but I insisted on seeing you so you would know I am alright before I follow through with our plans.”