Chapter 8
She opened her eyes slowly, painfully. The light wasn’t that bright but it still felt like she was being stabbed in the head. Was… she in a cage? She let out a low moan of pain and tried to sit up and look around, but the world spun and she collapsed back down to the floor.
She heard a low voice full of disgust, “It’s awake.”
Another voice spoke, this one familiar, Tina said, “Nice Tom. Why don’t you go away?”
She asked woozily, “Where am I?”
She frowned at how shaky her voice had come out.
She heard the sound of a gate opening and Tom growled, “Don’t”
Tina snorted, “Shut up Tom. Here Celia, drink this.”
She looked up and managed to get up on her elbows without passing out. Tina held the cup to her lips and she drank. She recognized the taste, it was a potion to restore energy and promote healing. She’d brewed them often enough to recognize it. Especially now with her enhanced sense of smell, it wasn’t nearly as good as when she was a tiger, but it was way beyond human.
She heard another different low rumbling voice, “We need to question her Tina.”
Tina replied, “It’ll be a few hours alpha, she needs to sleep and let the potion work.”
The last thing she heard as she closed her eyes and sleep took her was a snort of disgust from Tom. She also felt the desire to defend and tear into him coming from Silva, it was good to know she was right about where her recent surges of anger came from.
The second time she woke up she had a throbbing headache and was still sensitive to the light. She was able to sit up and look around without getting dizzy or feeling as if she’d pass out. She was in what looked like a basement. There was a brown rug on the floor that had seen better days, but the walls were cement and the ceiling was open.
Tina asked, “How are you feeling?”
She whispered, “Better. Why am I still alive, and what did I do wrong?”
Tina shook her head, “You’re alive because I recognized you when you shifted. That’s quite a trick for a witch. What you did wrong was enter pack land without an invitation. I suggest if you want to get out of here in one piece you tell the truth, I’m sure you already know you can’t lie to a shifter.”
She pondered that for a moment. Even the few days before she shifted she had noticed that she could instinctively pick out a liar. The heartbeat and scent would give it away. She was sure it could be done, same way some people could beat a polygraph, but she knew she couldn’t do it.
She nodded slowly and then regretted the head movement. She looked up at Tina through the bars and was surprised to see concern in her eyes. Maybe she had a chance after all, as long as that Tom didn’t have a say in it.
“I’ll tell the truth, I can’t promise it will make sense though.”
She looked up when she heard the creak in the stairs. Four very large men walked into the room. She found she knew which one was the alpha and which was Tom just by the scent, the other two were a mystery but she assumed one of those was Tina’s mate.
The alpha was tall, dark hair, grey eyes, and although not as huge as the bear shifters he looked very intimidating. He had a presence to him that stated he was in control, even without the scent memory she’d have had no doubt who was in charge.
Tom was almost as large, he had blue eyes and a scowl on his face. The other two men looked cut from the same cloth. She guessed that two were probably enforcers and the third the beta of the pack, but she has no idea who was who.
She was very nervous but her back was straight and she drew strength and confidence from Silva who looked at them all through a predator’s gaze despite being at their mercy, if they had any.
The alpha said, “Celia Winters, witch. Tell me, what were you doing in my territory and how the hell did you shift into a tiger.”
She sighed, so much for all her plans for hiding.
“The first was an accident. It was my first shift and I wasn’t… paying attention. I was too caught up with the new sensations. I tried to leave when I realized where I was, but it was too late by then. As for how… my father was a tiger shifter. I just found out a few days ago.”
Tom snorted in disbelief but shut up when the alpha stared him down.
The alpha shook his head, “That’s hard to believe, and disturbing if it’s true. I’m Tony, alpha of this pack.”
He gestured to one of the men she didn’t know, he had brown hair and eyes, “This is my beta, Jim, the other two are Tom and Brice, my enforcers. I’ve never heard of a successful crossbreed before or anyone even wanting to try, how is it this happened, and how did you hide it?”
His voice had come out in a pleasant tenor as he made introductions as if they were meeting at a party, she wasn’t sure if he was actually being nice or this was just part of his interrogation technique. Probably the latter but she didn’t really know enough about shifters, and these in particular, to be sure of that. Either way she had decided to tell the truth.
“My mother hid it. I didn’t know what I was until two days before the full moon. I was… bound when I was two years old. As for how… the usual way I’d imagine. My mother was captured during the war.”
She left it at that, there was no way she was going to spell it out for them. She felt vulnerable enough as it was.
Tom said acidly, “You got what you needed, can we kill the abomination now?”
Tony growled, “Take a walk Tom. It’s not that simple.”
Tom blew out a breath in disgust and stomped up the stairs.
She crawled to the back of the cage and touched her magic. She didn’t think she’d have a chance, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight. Silva didn’t like it, but she sent soothing thoughts toward her other half, this was their magic, it wouldn’t hurt them. She wasn’t sure if Silva understood or not, but her tiger was still wary of it.
She didn’t believe it would be that easy, but she didn’t see an alternative.
After a long moment Tony said, “The only reason you’re still alive is Tina recognized you, she also tells me you saved a bear shifter and her cub a few days ago. Normally ignorance wouldn’t save a shifter, and what you are is…”
He trailed off and she looked down. She was almost positive they would kill her. Through no fault of her own she was an abomination, at least she would be in the eyes of most. She was something that would be hated and reviled by both sides. She felt her anger grow at the injustice of it. There was nothing fair about it, she knew she hadn’t done anything wrong, it was merely her existence that sentenced her. She was under no illusions they wouldn’t judge and kill her for it.
She looked up at Tina and saw curiosity instead of disgust. Maybe not all of them would hate her, but surely too many to allow her to live. But then she just sat there, inside a cage not fighting back. That must mean some part of her had the hope she could return to her life, she wasn’t resigned to fighting her way out and staying on the run, or dying in the attempt.
He interrupted her thoughts, “I’m of two minds about this. But I think any decision on what to do with you is too big for me. You are half witch, who knows what the witches’ council will say or do if you die at a shifters hands? I’m going to call the council, let them figure it out. Oh, a word of advice if it ever comes up again. Wolves are very territorial, the next time you need a place to run make sure you get permission first. If you trespass on my land again for any reason I’ll just kill you.”
He didn’t sound like her living that long would be very likely. But she was fairly sure she’d just been given a pass for trespassing. She snorted, now she just needed a pass for being born…
She watched as Tony and Jim left the room. She looked warily over at Brice, but he didn’t seem to have the same hateful reaction to her as the other enforcer Tom did. Of course, he wasn’t exactly lining up to be her friend either.
Tina smiled at me, “I knew my brother wouldn’t do it, he’s a good alpha.”
&nb
sp; Celia raised an eyebrow, “Brother?”
Tina nodded and winked, “Sister of the alpha, wife of his beta. Jim is my mate. For what it’s worth, I hope the council lets you go. Shifters are loyal you know, it’s different from this side of things. I wish you’d have asked me for help, but I understand why you didn’t. Hang in there Celia.”
Celia sighed and nodded. She’d done a good job of messing things up, couldn’t even keep herself a secret two days. She didn’t like being in the cage, but unless they were going to kill her she would hold off on any action. There was no point in escaping, they knew who she was and where she lived, she decided on taking the chance she would get to go home. If she escaped now she’d never be able to even if she made it out.
Tina got up to leave and Celia asked, “Any chance I can get out of this cage if I promise to be good?”
Tina turned to look at her and said, “I’ll ask, but probably not until someone is sent to collect you by the council.”
She nodded acceptance. She could feel Silva was not happy about being stuck in here, but it wasn’t as bad as she feared it would be. It seemed to her the thing Silva was most afraid of was magic, that was the tiger’s fears and what had kept half her soul bound. She hoped Silva would eventually acclimate, but for now she would have to stick to the smaller magics.
Not that it would be a new thing for her. But then she’d never had two whole races as potential enemies before.
She looked up at Brice. He was really kind of handsome, they all were, hot even. But she wasn’t really attracted to any of them. Sure, it could be because she was stuck in a cage and had a raging headache, but she didn’t think so. She suppressed a giggle, maybe it was a cats and dogs thing?
Brice had short blonde hair, blue eyes and a chiseled jaw. He looked to be in great shape. He returned her regard for a moment, and then looked away.
She decided not to engage him in conversation, at least right now the man seemed neutral. One Tom was disturbing enough.
Instead she sat in quiet repose and closed her eyes. She pulled on her magic, slowly gathering it in her mind although she had no intention of using it. She needed to learn how much of it she could gather before Silva lost it and caused her to lose concentration. She felt a little guilty about it, she was causing her tiger, herself, distress. It seemed for something simple like lighting a candle, or creating breeze, Silva hardly reacted.
But when she started pulling enough power to bring a storm, or for arguments sake, throw Brice across the room using the air, or launch a ball of fire, Silva started to panic. They shared a mind, so that panic disturbed her concentration and the magic fled her grasp.
She guiltily sent Silva calming thoughts. She had enough of an idea now what she could do and not do, but even the smaller amounts bothered the great cat, she wouldn’t be using magic unless it was necessary. At least she wouldn’t until she was able to get Silva past her fears, although outside of using it she wasn’t sure how to desensitize a cat, a humanly intelligent one. It occurred to her that after two changes her body was probably low on sustenance which might be making her headache worse.
She shook her head and asked, “Can I get a drink, maybe something to eat?”
Brice grunted and went into the corner. There was a fridge there, he pulled out a bottle of water and threw it her way. She was shocked for a moment, she doubted she was coordinated enough to catch it, but at the last second her hand shot through the bars and grabbed the bottle effortlessly, as if it was simply handed to her.
It was startling, she hadn’t expected that but knew she should have, she was a shifter. She looked up and saw him toss her a package, she caught it and it was a zip lock bag filled with beef jerky. She’d never been one for dried beef, but when she opened the bag and caught the scent Silva disagreed.
She suddenly felt like a stranger in her own body and that rage built up again, this time focused on her mother. She started to hear a low angry growl.
“Stop that, calm down kitten,” Brice said with humor in his voice.
Stop what? Then she heard it, the low angry growl was her, which was vibrating her entire torso. She stopped in shock and felt tears in her eyes. What kind of person was she becoming?
She took a drink of water which soothed her dry throat and took out a piece of jerky and ripped into it with her teeth. It tasted amazing and she moaned in approval.
She swallowed and said softly, “Thanks.”
He merely grunted again, but she could see him fighting a smile.
Chapter 9
When Celia finished eating the headache was gone. She knew the potion would help her heal, but it should have taken a day or two instead of week to heal, not an hour. But then, shifters healed faster than witches or humans, and that side of her was free now. Now that she could think a lot more clearly she wondered who’d dressed her and blushed.
That was something she would have to get over, although that was a lot easier said than done.
It wasn’t too much longer before she heard the door open and two people came down the stairs. One was Tony, the other was the council investigator she’d met a couple of days ago, Paul. She felt Silva sit up and take notice of his presence, it didn’t take her but a couple of seconds to figure out that Paul was not only a shifter, but a tiger as well.
She could smell it, sense it, and her alter ego made it obvious. Lastly she was attracted to him, but she suppressed that to Silva’s disappointment. It was a strange feeling and she didn’t like it. She’d always had trouble dating in the past, and she was figuring out why now. She wanted to attack him in more ways than one, both take her pleasure and get him out of her territory.
It was no wonder tiger shifters didn’t have mates, she understood at a primal level, they had sex then drove their partners away. A part of her understood it, but a greater part of her, the way she was raised, and being a witch, found the concept horrifying. Was she destined to alone? Despite the instinct to rub herself against him and purr, she pushed the feeling down. It was strong, but not overpowering, she was still a thinking being and she refused to be reduced to a cat in heat.
Paul rubbed his chin and looked at her as if studying a puzzle. He shook his head and spoke to Tony like she wasn’t even present which annoyed her.
“Well this is unexpected. I thought I sensed something in her store the other day, but I dismissed it. It’s stronger now though.”
Tony asked, “So you’ll take her?”
Paul nodded slowly and turned to Celia, “You’ll behave for me won’t you darling?”
She suddenly felt unsure, so much so that him calling her darling didn’t piss her off like it had the other day. Still, she refused to be cowed.
“Sure sweet cheeks, where are we going?” she asked.
The challenging tone of her voice took her off guard.
Paul chuckled and answered, “The council of course, they’ll decide what to do with you.”
He saw her shiver and added, “They’re a canny bunch, I can’t be sure of course, but I think you’ll come out alive. Take comfort in the fact these are the shifters that sued for peace with witches, they won’t let prejudice come before opportunity.”
She wondered what he meant by that. Would they try and use her in some way? She wouldn’t be a slave either, that would be worse than dying.
Tony ordered in a deep voice, “Let her out Brice.”
Brice walked over and unlocked the cage, she ducked her head and walked out. She took in their guarded faces for a moment and then relaxed marginally and felt a bit of confidence. They were all wary if not a little afraid. She could smell it.
“Let’s go honey cakes,” she said a little sarcastically.
Brice snorted and Paul just shook his head.
She followed Paul and Tony up the stairs and could sense Brice right behind her. It was eerie, yes, she could guess his distance and where he stood from his scent and the sound of his feet on the stairs, but she could also feel him. She wasn’t sure if that wa
s a shifter sense, or because her magic was freed. She was eager to explore and learn about her new abilities, but now wasn’t the time.
The basement may have been dingy, but the first floor of the house they were in was well maintained. The floors were wood and they walked down the hall into an open and bright living room with light brown leather couches and several paintings on the walls. She didn’t see anyone else on the way to the front door although she made out eight different wolf scents but only recognized the five she’d met.
As they walked out she had a sudden strong urge to shift and run for it. Yes, she wanted to get back to her life, but if the council decided to kill her she had no doubts escape would be much harder. This was her best chance to get away. She decided to go along with Paul though, take the risk. She got into the car and hoped she wasn’t being foolish as the three of them got in and Paul started the car.
She guessed they were coming along to stop her if she tried anything.
Celia said, “I’ll behave.”
Paul searched her eyes and said, “I believe you, but they’re coming anyway. Orders.”
She sighed as the car took off down the drive and they started to head toward Charlotte. She looked down at herself, she had looked better. Her shirt had blood on it, most likely from the head wound, she was afraid to see what her face looked like. Really, she wished she could take a shower and change before meeting the council.
She asked curious, “Did you guys find the killer yet?”
Paul looked over and said in an annoyed tone, “No, we had to break for the full moon, and now I’m dealing with you instead. Ed wasn’t happy about me disappearing on him either. We’ll find the murderer though, don’t doubt it.”
That… really pissed her off. Like it was her fault?
She snorted, “Sorry to ruin your day.”
Witch's Moon: A Celia Winters Novel Book 1 Page 6