Talia marches over, settling stiffly into the chair on the other side of the desk as Kash dials the number on the business card. Lynch grins, lazily taking a seat in the chair next to hers.
“Hello,” Xan’s voice sounds through the speaker.
“Xan. This is Kash Montgomery.”
Xan chuckles. “You think I don’t have your old man’s office line already saved in my phone?” he asks. “I do need to remember to change the name now though,” he says, breaking off.
He clears his throat. “Anyway, how can I help you?”
“We just had a visit from the council,” Kash says, blowing out a breath. “Unfortunately, they’re still unwilling to help in the matter of stopping Brody.”
Xan curses. “Of course they are. Bunch of overblown bureaucrats.”
Kash runs a hand down his face.
“The Somerville pack is prepared to do whatever it will take to stop Brody, but we were hoping we won’t have to act alone.” He pauses to take in a deep breath before continuing. “I’m calling to ask for your help.”
“You can count on me to help however I can. Always,” Xan says. “What exactly do you need from me?”
“I was wondering if you’d be willing to use your connections to help us track Brody down. His trail has gone cold since he cleared out of the Delta house.”
Xan sighs. “I’m aware of that. I’ve had my contacts looking into his whereabouts since we last talked, but so far, they haven’t been able to find anything concrete.”
My heart sinks at his admission, and Kash seems to sense it. His hands rub small, soothing circles on my back.
“That doesn’t mean I’m giving up though,” Xan says. “If you’re willing to share anything new you learn with me, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, it would really help.”
“We do have a lead,” I blurt out.
Xan chuckles. “Miss Cartelli. I should’ve guessed you’d be in the mix of things. It’s nice to hear from you again.”
I bite my lip, and Kash kisses my cheek before speaking.
“Romy was able to get a possible address for Regina, the witch Brody is using for his cloaking,” Kash says.
“Is that so?” Xan asks, surprised. “I’ve been trying to get an address ever since the night your father died. If she’s there, chances are Brody’s with her now too. He’ll need her magic to help keep hidden.”
My belly curls with anticipation.
We’re close.
Kash’s voice is strained, and I know he’s feeling the urgency too. “I have wolves scouting the area now. Once they give us the all-clear, I plan to check out the place for myself.”
“Text me the address. I’ll meet you there,” Xan says.
“Will do.”
Kash starts to hang up, but Xan speaks again.
“A word of caution,” Xan says, using his professor’s voice I’m so used to hearing. “Bring your own witch. The dark magic Brody is using is powerful stuff. You never know what we’ll be stepping into.”
“We’ll pick her up on the way,” Kash tells him.
“Very good. And, Romy,” Xan says.
“Yeah, Xan–uh, I mean Professor Higgins.”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on your project,” he says, and I groan. “Please don’t make me fail my godson’s mate.”
My mouth falls open, and Lynch has to cover his mouth to hold in his laughter.
After Xan agrees to have his people look into Brody’s whereabouts, and Kash promises to call if we need anything else, they finally hang up.
Kash leans back in his chair and sighs.
“Well, that’s one ally secured. One to go.”
I rise from his lap, moving to an oversized chaise in the corner of the room before motioning for Talia to join me as he dials Birdie.
“That was brutal,” she says, settling down beside me.
“He warned me that he was still expecting my project,” I say with a sigh.
“What are you going to do?” she asks.
I chew my nail, glancing over at Kash quickly before turning my attention back to her.
“When I was talking to Lina at the baby shower, she gave me an idea,” I whisper. I know that Kash and Lynch can still hear us, but I hope they’re too focused on their call with Birdie to pay attention to Talia and me.
“Did you know that there are some very famous werewolves? Like, A-list celebrity status?”
Talia’s eyes widen.
“Seriously?” she says way too loudly, and I grimace as the boys shoot us questioning looks.
“Sorry,” she whispers.
“I was thinking it’s time to take my current plan to the next level.”
Talia’s brows quirk. “How so?”
“It’s time to declare a war of my own,” I say, pulling out my phone. I click on the Instagram app, pulling up the draft I saved and show it to her.
An evil grin spreads across her face as she reads the post.
I think it’s time you guys heard the truth. If it’s possible that hot guy next to you in line is a werewolf, why isn’t it also possible that this #bookboyfriendmaterial isn’t also a werewolf? I mean, look at him. There’s no way @jasonmomoa_official isn’t a #werewolf. That’s no mortal DNA! Am I right?! He definitely has this #booknerd wanting #MaROAR!!! #BookBoyfriendsAreReal #TheGirlWhoCriedWerewolf
Mischief sparkles in her eyes when Talia looks up at me.
“You evil bitch! You’re about to go viral!”
Chapter 6
Girlfriend’s cries turn to howls as Lynch walks away from her and climbs behind the wheel of Kash’s SUV. I shake my head, and Talia gives the tiny dog a quick kiss before scratching her mangy ears one last time.
“You girls be careful,” Anna says, angling Girlfriend out of the way so she can hug us without suffocating her.
“We always are,” Talia insists, her tone indignant.
“Tell that to my poor Just Desserts truck which now rests in peace at some junkyard,” Anna says, and Talia groans, giving us her back.
Anna and I share a look and a wry smile. She’s having way too much fun giving Talia shit about her truck.
“Watch y’all’s back,” Anna tells me, her smile fading into something more serious.
“You do the same,” I tell her. “I saw Doyle sniffing around those brownies you made for tonight. If he tries swiping one, hit him with a frying pan. He can take it.”
“I’ve got the cast-iron out on the stove just in case,” she says, and I grin.
“Good girl. Keep Girlfriend out of trouble. We’ll see you soon.”
“Tell Lynch she’s in good hands. I’m gonna put her new bandanna on while you’re gone. The pink one he ordered with the bow.”
I shoot Talia a look. “You know your werepuppy children will have to hear about how he tried starting a harem with you and a stray Pomeranian once upon a time, right? I mean, the scrapbook pictures alone are going to be historic.”
“Think of their Christmas card,” Anna says.
“Shut your mouth,” Talia says, and Anna snorts.
“Take pictures,” I tell her, and she nods, promising to text them to me.
We hurry to the car where the guys are already waiting. Behind ours is a convoy of three other cars, each full of the pack members Kash has assigned to go with us.
After Birdie agreed to join us, plans were made quickly. I’ve barely had time to think about the fact that it might all be over today.
Everyone is quiet as Lynch drives to the address James gave us. A quick Google Earth search showed a small single-story house set in a neighborhood that has seen better days. The kind of neighborhood where neighbors tend to mind their own business. It’s on the outskirts of town, near a retired train station. It’s remote and ugly and the last place I would have guessed Brody to be. But then, that’s probably the point.
We park at the old railway stop and leave the cars tucked in the trees.
The other pack members split off, circling
around to approach from the back and sides. Birdie goes with them, offering me a dramatic wink as she’s led away by Finn. She falls behind and pretends to grab his ass, causing Talia and me to almost lose our shit.
Xan chooses that moment to step out from behind a boarded-up house, and my face flushes in embarrassment.
“Romy,” he says knowingly.
“Xan. Er, Professor,” I say, pretending I wasn’t just in hysterics over an ass grab on our way to do very serious battle.
He smirks then strides ahead to Lynch and Kash to talk strategy.
“We need to invite Birdie to the next Midnight Kisses,” Talia says, and I nod.
“She’s our people for sure,” I agree.
My pulse speeds as the house comes into view, and Talia and I hurry to catch up with the guys.
Kash’s hand slips into mine, and in the cold, I’m bolstered by the heat he provides.
“Stay close, Pepper.” His tone is easy, but the worry in his dark eyes is a reminder that I only barely managed to convince him to let me come.
“Got it,” I tell him for the hundredth time. “No heroic shit.”
Talia hands me a knife she claims she special ordered just for me. It’s more lightweight than some of the others I’ve tried. “That silver is spelled to do damage,” Talia explains. “Time to kick some ass.” She winks and steps back to join Lynch.
Kash looks at the knife like he’s not convinced of its usefulness, but he doesn’t argue. My training sessions with Talia haven’t made me a ninja yet, but it’s not like I was ever going to miss this fight.
Just before we reach the property line, we stop.
Birdie has already instructed us not to step foot inside the yard until she tests the place for magical booby traps. So, for now, we wait.
We’ve already decided against the element of surprise. Once Birdie screws with the magic she’s sure will be here, they’ll know we’re coming anyway.
Instead, we go with confidence and pure intimidation.
Shoulder to shoulder, we stand and look at the sad little house. Through the closed blinds, I can see a few lights on, but no sign of movement within.
My hand tightens in Kash’s, and I feel him glance at me.
“You ready, Pepper?” he asks quietly.
I cast a quick look at him. “Are you?”
His lips curve in a smile that promises death and dismemberment for anyone who might stand against us.
“You have no idea how badly I want this fight,” he says.
On my other side, Talia cracks her neck. “You and me both,” she says.
Lynch grins, a ruthless expression that’s nothing more than a show of teeth. “I’ve been waiting all day for something to kill.”
“Stick with me,” Talia says menacingly.
“Don’t worry, Trouble. I plan to,” Lynch says, and Talia’s cheeks flush.
Kash and I exchange an amused look before we all turn to face the house again. My senses tingle as a breeze snakes through the trees. The layer of leaves coating the ground begins to dance.
“Birdie must be doing her thing,” Kash says.
Barely breathing, I wait and watch.
From inside the house, something crashes, and a scream follows in its wake.
I tense. Kash’s hand stiffens in my own.
“The wards are down,” Birdie bellows.
“So close you’re practically my shadow. Got it, Pepper?” Kash grits out. I nod, and he lets go of my hand and shifts to his werewolf form.
Lynch does the same. I grip the blade Talia gave me as we all run toward the front door. From around the side of the house, half a dozen wolves appear.
I speed up, intent on reaching the door first so I can at least work the knob for these guys who clearly forgot they’d need opposable thumbs for a few more minutes.
But just as the front line of werewolves reaches the house, the leader of which I’m almost positive is Finn, the front door bangs open on its own. It hits the wall hard enough to crack on its hinges and swings before the wolves reach it. The first couple of wolves slam through it with snarls and growls as they disappear into the house.
Kash is close behind them, and I’m right on his heels.
My breath comes in fast bursts, and I hold the blade high, trying to be ready for anything.
The smell of something musky hits my nose.
I sniff.
Sage?
Inside, the wolves move from room to room, but I hover near the door, listening. In no time, they return to the entry, and it’s clear they haven’t found anyone. I look past Kash into a small living room where smoke still curls from a bundle of sage lying discarded in a dish. The sagging couch has two clear imprints where bodies recently sat, but now, they’re nowhere in sight.
On the floor, a large symbol has been drawn with what looks suspiciously like eyeliner. Some kind of wobbly circle with lines drawn through it.
“The sage is still lit,” I say, peering at the symbol.
“Shit, you think they had some kind of getaway spell ready?” Talia asks.
I look closer at a shadow in the center of the symbol then turn left and right, trying to figure out what’s casting it. Behind me, the wolves have all filed back out into the yard. Kash and Lynch hang back, waiting for Talia and me, but I can’t let go of the unexplainable shadow being cast. There’s no light or source for it, and I wander to the edge of the symbol, drawn to it for reasons I can’t explain.
I can feel the moment I hit the invisible barrier with my toe. Startled, I jump back and look over at Talia.
“Feel that?” I ask, and she nods, also sliding her foot away from the charcoal outline.
“It’s like the barrier around Lynch’s house that night,” I say.
“Same concept,” Birdie says from behind me, and I jump, whirling to see her shoving past Lynch and Kash, who paw restlessly at the scratched linoleum.
“What does it mean?” I ask. “Are they hiding something inside this symbol?”
“We’re about to find out,” Birdie says. She steps up between Talia and me and sticks out her tongue, pressing it to her lip in concentration. Lifting her hands, she waves them around in slashing motions that seem to contradict the shape of the symbol drawn beneath us.
“No, wait. It’s not a something hidden there. It’s–” Xan says, rushing in behind us, breathless.
The air crackles, stealing my attention, followed by a loud snap, and I’m finally able to see what was hidden inside the spelled circle.
“Someone,” Xan finishes grimly.
Two someones, actually.
I glare at Brody who has suddenly appeared less than three feet from where I stand. Beside him stands the tattooed brunette, Regina. But I ignore her in favor of my true enemy.
Brody meets my eyes with a crooked smile already twisting on his lips. His eyes sparkle with the kind of cruelty only someone like him is truly capable of; a reminder of everything he’s already done. To me. To the girls he stole and forced into this life. And to the guys like Justice who he used to do it. The need to avenge all of Brody’s horrors beats like a drum in my blood, and I crouch, ready to leap at him and bury my knife in his chest.
Unfortunately, he’s much more prepared for our meeting than I am.
In a blink, Brody launches himself at me, shifting into a large, gray wolf in midair. When he lands, his sharp claws slash against my shoulders, tackling me to the floor.
His teeth rip into my throat, and I scream as the pain eclipses everything else.
Outside, Justice’s howl of rage mixes with Kash’s deadly growl from behind me.
I try to bring the blade up to stab him, but my arm won’t work and falls limply back to the floor instead. My throat pulses with heat and wetness that I know must be my own blood.
Any strength I might have had to counter his attack is stolen in the face of such intense pain.
But Brody isn’t done.
His wolf eyes gleam as he comes at me again, this ti
me his sharp canines aimed at my face. I throw up my one working arm to block him, not that it will do much good against his supernatural strength, but the second attack never comes.
Brody is tossed off me as he’s tackled from the side.
I catch sight of Kash’s dark fur blurring away as he and Brody tumble into the bookshelf near the door. It cracks and falls on them, books and glass jars raining down.
The jars shatter, and Brody howls.
The air ripples with magic again, and I squeeze my eyes shut against the sudden burst of light that blinds me.
Out in the yard, I can hear howls that grow louder and louder until their pitch hurts my ears. Battles rage all around me as my friends scramble to subdue Brody and Regina. Her inky, black magic flings from her hands like small daggers that draw blood from Birdie and then Talia. My beta looks down at a shallow wound on her arm and then back at Regina with a glare that promises certain death.
“You’re going to pay for that,” Talia hisses.
Regina’s smile is smug. “I’m sure you think so.”
I expect Talia to smoke her ass right here and now, but instead, she drops down beside me and pats my shoulder reassuringly. That, more than anything, lets me know how badly I’ve been injured.
I try to move my arm again, but it still feels too heavy and strangely not my own anymore. More wetness pools around my head, and I try to sit up, but Talia stops me.
“Don’t try to move, Rom.” She’s watching Birdie and Regina face off now, and I strain to see despite my unresponsive neck muscles.
Birdie’s white magic flies from her fingertips with a speed that leaves me dizzy, but Regina manages to counter each blow with her own dark magic. Finally, there’s a loud clatter, and Birdie lets out a wail that pierces through the roar of the fighting.
“You’re not leaving here alive, you hussy!” Birdie’s yell echoes off the thin walls.
One of the wolves growls in response. Brody?
“Fuck you, you old hag.” Regina’s voice is low and husky, sounding like it’s better suited to singing in a jazz lounge, and I find my thoughts drifting away from the current danger in favor of daydreams about how good a cigar and a glass of whiskey sound right about now.
The Girl Who Cried War Page 6