After finishing with the ally, she went to Anya’s apartment. Going through Anya’s belonging with a fine-tooth comb, she didn’t enjoy raiding her friend’s privacy like this, but there wasn’t another way.
There was nowhere left to look, and she was running out of ideas to find out what happened to her. With nothing left to do here, Sasha decided to go back to the shifter realm to see Anya, hopefully she’ll be able to shed some light on the situation.
Using her magic, Sasha tried teleporting straight to where Anya was staying. When she was unable to locate Anya in the shifter realm, she widened the search, thinking Anya might be on her way home. But again, there was nothing.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Sasha hated being kept in the dark, and that’s exactly where she was at that moment in time. Stuck in the dark, searching blindly for the light switch.
Veiling herself, she teleported back to the shifter realm.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Rush called all the hunters in for another emergency meeting. Within the hour, the living room was full to bursting again as every inch of space was take up by a hunter.
Connor watched as each person arrived. When he spotted Aidan, Kellen and Myra walk in together, he wondered what they had been up to, then remembered they were supposed to be clearing the entrance to Balzar’s cave today. Which was the whole reason for the dragon turning up at his house and possibly scaring Anya away.
When they saw him stood at the front near to Rush, they walked over to stand with him.
“What’s going on Connor?” Myra asked him.
“Anya ran off.”
“What did you do?” she asked him sternly.
“I didn’t do anything.” He said.
“I don't believe for one second that you've done nothing to cause this.”
“Well, it's the truth whether you believe it or not.”
“I think she might be right, Connor.” Kellen said, taking Myra’s side as usual. “You probably did play some part in her leaving, you didn't exactly treat Anya very as if she were welcome in your home.”
“Yeah, you were acting like a complete dick when we were ‘round last night.” Aidan said. “What did he do?” Myra asked Aidan.
“Just being an asshole. Snapping at her and making her feel uncomfortable around him.”
“She looked ready to cry when she went to bed last night.”
“So, it’s all my fault then? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Who else fault could it be? Everyone else has made her feel welcome here.”
“So, it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with Balzar?”
“Why would Balzar have anything to do with it?” Myra asked, confused.
“He turned up at my house last night looking for Kellen.”
“Really? Is that when you made the arrangements with him for today?”
“Yes.” Kellen said.
“So, it’s both your faults then?”
“How is it my fault?” Kellen asked her. “I didn’t tell Balzar to go to Connor’s house.”
“Maybe not, but he was still there to see you.”
“Yeah, because of Kayla, not me.”
“Doesn’t matter how you swing it, he was still there for you. Whether it was about Kayla or not.” Myra stated. “It doesn’t matter anymore anyway. What’s done is done.”
“Have you told Balzar why you’re not there?” Connor asked Kellen.
“Yeah, I spoke to him this morning and explained the situation.”
“I take it he was fine with that.”
“Oh, hell no. He thinks this is just an excuse.”
“He still wants you to go?”
“Yep, as soon as we’ve finished here.”
“Unbelievable.”
“You can’t blame him.” Myra butted in. “What Kayla did was unacceptable, she should be made to clear up her mess.”
“Yes, but Kellen doesn’t need to be punished.” Connor said.
“He isn’t. Balzar just wants him to keep an eye on Kayla while she clears to the rocks.”
“So, why are you all going then?”
“Because she won’t be able to do it all by herself in one day, and I don’t think she did it alone.”
Neither did Connor, but he couldn’t prove his siblings were involved and since they weren’t going to fess up, there wasn’t anything he could do. That didn’t mean he couldn’t make them help clear up the mess.
“Right, now that you’re all here, we’ll get straight to the point.” Rush addressed the room. “Last night Anya managed to slip past Connor while he slept and has now, as far as we know, gone through the portal to the human realm. Connor followed her scent to the cave but that’s as far as he got before the scent vanished.”
“How long did he wait before looking for her?” Someone asked.
Connor knew what they were all thinking, her scent should have been fresh enough for him to easily find her, but it wasn’t there at all, which frustrated the hell out of him.
“As soon as he woke up this morning, he realized she was gone and started looking for her straight away.”
“Then why couldn’t he just track her down by her scent?” Someone else asked.
“Because, for reasons we don’t yet know, her scent vanished after she stepped foot inside the cave.”
“That’s not possible, you said she’s only a human, and they don’t have the power to hide their scent.” Another person said.
“Plus, why would she feel the need to if she doesn’t know about us being shifters?”
“As far as we know, she is only human.”
“So, do you think she’s getting help from somewhere?”
“It’s the only explanation of how she disappeared without a trace.”
“Who do you think is helping her?”
“We don’t know, but whoever it is, we don’t think they’re doing it out of the goodness of their heart.”
“You think she’s in trouble?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Rush filled everyone in about the dreams Connor was having, and how they were trying to figure out what they meant. The room went silent as it all sank in.
All eyes in the room turned to Connor as he stood off to one side, then a barrage of questions was thrown at him and Rush.
Drowning in a sea of noise, Connor could barely hear himself think, let alone make sense of all the questions being asked.
It got louder and louder until Rush snapped.
“Shut up!!” he shouted, getting everyone’s attention.
Instantly, the room went silent.
“Now that I’ve got your attention, I’ll continue. To answer some of your questions. Yes, it appears Anya is Connor’s mate. No, she doesn’t know about us or about being Connor’s mate. No, as far as we know, she doesn’t have a clue Connor has been dreaming of her. We’ll be leaving as soon as we know where to start the search, at this moment in time we’re still trying to figure that out.”
“Maybe I can help you with that.” Came a female voice Connor hadn’t heard before. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer.
***
When Sasha arrived at Rush’s house, the place was chock full of people. It didn’t take her long to realize they were all here because of Anya.
After telling Rush to keep her safe, it seemed they had done the complete opposite. How hard was it to keep an eye on one person? Sasha didn’t think she was asking much of them, but obviously she was wrong.
Staying veiled, she listened as Rush told everyone what was going on. She was surprised Anya hadn’t been told about the shifters yet. Even Sasha could tell Anya was Connor’s mate, it was written all over his face the first moment he laid eyes on her..
Still, she stayed silent at the back of the room, watching as they all started talking over each other, basically asking the very same questions.
As Rush got everyone’s attention back on him, and answered what questions he
could, then Sasha decided it was about time she made herself known.
“Maybe I can help you with that.” She said as she dropped the veil.
Sasha hadn’t expected to cause quite a stir, but it seemed having someone appear out of thin air was a big deal around here.
Rush glared at her from across the room, while everyone else turned to stare at her
Sasha strolled over to rush. He didn't look to pleased to see her. As if she gave a shit about his happiness though. The one person she gave a shit about was now missing, thanks to this twat. She only gave him one job to do and he still managed to completely fucked it up. How hard was it to keep an eye on one female?
“Who is she?” the shifters whispered to each other.
“I don't know. I've never seen her before.”
“What is she? I can't pick up any scent from her.” A couple of them said as she passed close by to them.
“Maybe she’s the one concealing Anya’s scent from us.”
Nope, that one wasn’t her, but it probably would have been a good idea for her to do that before she left Anya here to begin with. It wouldn’t have stopped Anya from running off, but it would’ve made it harder for someone else to find her, and ultimately do exactly that.
“This is Anya’s friend, Sasha.” Rush announced.
“Hello again, little wolf.” She said in greeting as she stopped in front of him, basically blocking out the rest of the room as if they weren't there.
Rush growled at her. Silly wolf, did he think that growl was going to scare her? If that was his intention, then he might as well have not bothered to waste his breath.
She could hear a few people chuckle at the nickname she used for him
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you think I’m doing here? I told you I would be back. I also told you to keep Anya safe until I returned, which you haven’t done.”
“How were we to know she would run off. I honestly didn’t think she would get very far because of her injuries, but she’s recovered a lot fast than she should have done.”
That was an interesting tidbit she wasn’t expecting. By rights, Anya shouldn’t have recovered this quickly, but that could be down to whatever was done to her.
“How long have you been here?” Rush asked her.
“Long enough.”
“How much did you hear?” Rush asked.
“I know everything.”
“So, you know where Anya is?” Connor asked.
“Except that.” She said, pointing at Connor.
“You don’t know everything then, do you.” He retorted.
“Unfortunately, someone’s using magic to hide her from me, smart arse.”
“Not just you, they’ve hidden her from us as well.” Rush told her.
“That’s not hard though, is it?” She said smugly.
There was that growl again. Sasha just smiled, she liked ruffling the wolf alphas fur.
“So, if you can’t locate her either, how the hell do you plan on helping us?” Connor asked.
The answer to that was, she couldn’t. At least, not at that moment in time, but when the time came, they were going to need her help in getting to Anya quickly enough.
“You can’t do anything either, can you?” Connor asked again.
“Sooner or later, I will find a way around the magic being used to conceal Anya, and when that time comes, I can help transport everyone who is going to the correct location in the blink of an eye.” She hadn’t stopped looking for a way around the magic since she first realized she couldn’t locate Anya.
“Is that it? You can get us from A to B?” Connor asked.
“I can do a lot more than that, pup. You’ll want me on your side if it comes to a fight.”
“Why? You don’t look like you’ve ever been in a fight in your life.” Aidan said.
“Trust me, I’ve been in more than you can imagine.” Which was true. The whole of her very long life she has been fighting for one thing or another. But none of that mattered. All that matter at the moment, was getting Anya back safe and sound.
“Prove it.” Aidan said.
“I don’t have to prove a damn thing to you.”
“Enough Aidan.” Rush said when Aidan was about to speak again, probably about to goad her into something that he would ultimately regret.
“Thank you for the offer to help us, but we can manage on our own.”
“The only offer I was giving, was for you to join me in rescuing Anya. Whether you want me there or not, is beside the point, because I will be there whether you are or not. Anya is my friend, I already trusted you to keep an eye on her and you couldn’t even do that right, so I’m certainly not going to leave her rescue down to you alone.” As the saying goes, if you want something done right, do it yourself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
It was all coming together seamlessly. It may have been a slight hiccup when she was in the shifter realm, but Anya was finally back in the human realm and on her way to him, due to arrive any minute now.
The witch assured him no-one would be able to find her now, because of a magic bubble or something along those lines. He didn’t really care how, all he cared about was her being hidden from the wolf shifters. But just in case, he’s set up a greeting party to deal with them.
Determined not to lose this opportunity, he prepared as best as he could for anything they might throw at him.
“Come in.” He shouted as someone knocked at his office door.
“They’re here, sir.” One of the humans he employed told him when he entered.
“Good.” It was about time they arrived. “Put the woman in her cell, and bring the witch to me.”
“Yes, sir.” The man said, then turned and left, shutting the door behind him.
If all turned out like he knew it was going to, then this was going to be the beginning of a very profitable operation. He just needed to be sure that the witch wasn’t lying and what they did to Anya worked as planned.
“Have you got what you promised me?” the witch asked as soon as she was shown in the room.
“Please, take a seat.” He told her.
“I don’t want to take a seat. I want payment, then I’ll be on my way. So, have you got it or not.”
“Not.”
“You promised me!” she shouted.
“I promised I would have it when the time came, and the time has not come yet.” He could see that wasn’t the answer she was looking for, but it was the only answer she was going to get. He couldn’t tell her he never planned on getting her what she wants, because he still needed her for the time being.
“That’s not good enough. I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do. Our deal is done, it’s time for payment.”
“I’ll tell you when our deal is done, not the other way ‘round. Until then, you better remember who you are talking to.” He didn’t care how much magic she welded, he could rip her head from her shoulders before she knew what was happening.
“When will that be?” she asked him.
“When I’m sure nothing has gone wrong with the spell.”
“Nothing has gone wrong. It’ll work just as I said it would. By the end of tomorrow night, Anya will be a wolf shifter, just like you wanted.”
“Even still, I want you here for her first time shifting, just in case something happens.”
“Fine.”
“Good. Now go, I’ll call you when you’re needed next.”
***
Kassadi was fuming. She couldn’t believe she let herself be manipulated like that. She should have known he wouldn’t keep his side of the deal. Not wanting to be near him for one more second, she stormed out of his office.
Hunting down a mirror, she found one in the master bedroom. A full length freestanding mirror.
“Perfect.” Just what she was looking for. It was plenty big enough for her to fit through.
Stopping in front of it, she drew runes onto the glass, turning it into
a portal. At the other side of this one, was her home. She watched as the solid form became liquid, rippling from the center outward, then she stepped through to the other side.
Instantly relaxing the moment, she closed the portal from her side of the mirror.
Home for the time being, was a small wooden cabin in the human realm. She didn’t know the name of the area, and she didn’t care either. She was here for the isolation, and nothing else. The only way for anyone else to reach the cabin was by foot, and it was a long walk from the nearest road.
It wasn’t the largest of cabins, and it could do with a few more utilities, like indoor plumbing for one, but it was hers. She could let her guard down here, within the protection of the magic orb that surrounded the cabin and the grounds it was on.
She looked around at the meager belongs she managed to save from her last home before it burned to the ground. She lost so much that day, more than just her home and belongings filled with memories.
The small building only has two rooms. A living room with a small kitchen area to one side, and a bedroom. She stored a wooden bath under her bed when not in use, and dragged it into the living room when she needed to.
She didn’t mind moving the bath around the place, it was filling it with a bucket and large cooking pot that she wasn’t a fan of. In the summer when the weather was nice, she washed in the river near to the cabin. That wasn’t possible in the winter, as the land has a layer of snow covering it most of the time.
And the toilet? Well, that was in a little square shed set away from the cabin, and it was basically a wooden box with a hole cut in the middle over a massive trench in the ground. Not exactly ideal, but it was better than nothing.
This was only a temporary arrangement. She didn’t plan on living this way for the rest of her life, but it’ll do for the time being. She would be a step closer to getting out of here if he would give her what he promised as payment.
Pacing the small room, she couldn’t stop thinking about Anya. It didn’t matter how much she told herself she didn’t care about the woman, she couldn’t help but feel guilty about everything she’s done to her.
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