by C. L. Bright
She sighed. “I do need to get away from Alaric.”
“I wish he would stop judging you based on his hatred of spellcasters.”
“That’s not the biggest problem with him,” she stated. “He thinks I’m weak, just like my family always has. How can he possibly still think that after what happened the other day? He’s never seen me cower like I did in Azuredale, yet he still thinks I’m some silly witch who can’t take care of herself.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” I remarked. “At first, I did, but now, I think he’s afraid.”
“Of what?” she asked.
“Losing you.”
“But he doesn’t have me,” she argued. “He doesn’t want to have me.”
“Or he doesn’t think he can have you,” I suggested. “I’m not trying to excuse his behavior, and I still think he doesn’t deserve you, but his reasoning is more complex than we often give him credit for.”
She nodded and let out a tired breath before responding. “It doesn’t matter since we’ll be leaving soon, anyway.”
“How long do you need to set up the protection spell?”
“It will take me at least a couple of days,” she replied.
“Dante promised to contact me again today. He’ll be in this area as early as tomorrow, so that timing will work out perfectly. When he’s closer, we can decide where to meet him.”
“We need to talk Alaric into helping us,” she stated.
“That won’t be easy,” I argued.
Alaric might not be willing to claim Serena as his mate, but he also wasn’t willing to let her go.
“We’ll need someone to help us get away from here if the leadership council is determined to keep us from leaving,” she pointed out.
“I suppose you’re right,” I agreed. “I’ll try to come up with a way to deal with Alaric while you finish the spell.”
“It might be best if we both talk to him,” she suggested.
I started to open my mouth to argue, but Serena was right. A united front would be best. “Okay, we’ll talk to him together.”
Chapter 25
“You want me to do what?”
Alaric had reacted exactly as I’d expected. The last time we’d spoken to him, we’d both told him off, and now we were asking for his help. We were asking him to break more rules and defy his council.
Serena rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips as she responded to him. “You heard what Juliet asked.”
“I know we’re asking a lot of you,” I told him. “I understand why you’d want to turn us down. Helping us would mean breaking a bunch of rules, not to mention you know this means losing Serena. I know you don’t want her to leave.”
Alaric put a hand up and shook his head. “No, this has nothing to do with my feelings for Serena, though I am worried about her safety.”
“Are you refusing to help us?” she asked.
Alaric snorted and muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t quite make out. “I should refuse to help you. All helping you has done is cause trouble for me. Do you know what they’re starting to say about me here?”
“What are they saying?” I asked.
“There are several people who believe I may have been compromised by my time in captivity,” he replied. “You aren’t the only ones having their motives and loyalty challenged. I’m getting some leeway because of my mother, but that won’t last long. Now, you want me to help you leave after the council refused to grant permission. You could leave us vulnerable to attack from an enemy we aren’t sure how to fight. Do you think I’ll betray my people for you? I’m not going to let more children die.”
Serena’s face softened for the first time since Alaric had entered the cabin. “I know how it feels to be treated like an outcast and to have your motives questioned by your people no matter what you do. I hate that helping us has caused you so many problems.”
Alaric moved closer and reached out as if to touch her cheek, but she stepped out of his reach. His hand dropped to his side as he let out a sigh and looked at the ground.
“I don’t regret helping you, Serena. It’s more complicated than regret. With all that’s going on, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to protect you here, yet I can’t let you leave us with no defenses.”
“We’re leaving no matter what anyone here says,” Serena told him. “I’ve already started weaving a protection spell into your perimeter spells.”
“You have?” he asked. “When did you have time for that?”
“All we have is time,” I reminded him. “Serena has been working hard to keep the children safe. This will be better protection against those creatures. We can’t follow the children around all day and night.”
Alaric nodded. “Yes, a protection spell is a better solution. Thank you.” He met Serena’s gaze. “Am I part of the reason you want to leave?”
“You’re an idiot,” Serena said under her breath. “I don’t want to talk about us, and don’t correct me by telling me there was never any us. For now, I need to focus on helping Juliet. You have nothing to do with my reasons for leaving.”
“I have to help my people,” I reminded him. “It will be a lot easier if you agree to help us, but we aren’t changing our minds even if you refuse. All I ask is that you don’t tell anyone we’re planning to leave no matter what you decide.”
“I also need someone to help me walk the perimeter without being disturbed,” Serena added. “It will make it easier to finish setting up the protection spell. It’s a complex spell, and it’s harder when I keep getting interrupted. Your leadership council should be okay with this request since it will help protect the children from the soul eaters.”
“Soul eaters?” he asked.
“The creatures who attacked the children,” I explained.
Alaric’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you didn’t know what they were?”
“We didn’t,” I replied. “The demon with Dante recognized them from the description shared with her. She was also able to give some advice on how to protect your land. I can channel a small amount of Dante’s magic to help Serena set up the protection spell faster.”
“Demon? The warlock has a demon with him?”
I nodded. “That surprised me as well.”
“Are you going to help us?” Serena asked.
“I’ll help you set up the protection spell,” he began. “As for you leaving? It’s a terrible idea—one that could get us all killed.”
“Your people will kill you for helping us?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I meant we could get killed after we leave.”
“You aren’t going with us,” Serena argued.
His expression turned fierce. “Do you think I have a choice?”
Serena opened her mouth to respond, but Alaric spoke first.
“I can’t be with you because you’re a spellcaster. That makes me sound like a jerk, but it’s the truth. I know I’m hurting you, and I hate that. Even though I can’t have you, I also cannot allow you to walk into danger without me. My wolf is clawing at the surface and demanding I protect you.”
“Allow me?” Serena asked angrily.
“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he insisted with a smile. “What I meant is that I’m not going to sit around here while you put yourself at risk. I’m going to find a way to help you.”
Serena’s lips parted ever so slightly as she regarded Alaric. She didn’t seem to know what to say in response, and I didn’t blame her.
Alaric cleared his throat and said, “Give me some time to see what I can do. I’ll take you around to set up the spell later today, but getting you out of here will take longer.”
“You have two days to come up with a solution,” I told him. “We’re leaving in four.”
“I’ll do my best,” he assured me before turning and walking out of the cabin.
“I thought we were leaving the day after tomorrow at the latest,” Serena remarked, her gaze still on the d
oor. “Did you lie to Alaric because you don’t trust him?”
“I don’t doubt his sincerity, but I can’t risk having him try to stop us.”
“I hope he helps us,” Serena stated. “It will make things a lot easier. If he betrays us, I may have to put a spell on him to make him cluck like a chicken for the rest of his life.”
“Can you really do that?” I asked with a laugh.
“Not the rest of his life,” she admitted. “But I could make the next week rather embarrassing for him.”
Chapter 26
It took us nearly two days to set up the perimeter spell, which put us off schedule. Dante was also running later than expected, having had to alter his route.
Alaric hadn’t given us any clues regarding his decision to help us. In fact, he kept putting the discussion off, claiming to be too busy.
“He’s not going to help us,” Serena said with a sad sigh.
“It’s beginning to look that way,” I agreed.
“It’s probably better if we go without him,” she stated.
I nodded. “His help would make it easier, but I’m not sure it was fair to ask him.”
“You’re right,” she replied. “As much as his rejection makes me mad, I do appreciate all he’s done for us.”
A knock at the door interrupted us, and when I went to answer it, I found Alaric on the other side.
“We were just talking about you,” I told him as I gestured for him to enter.
“All good, I hope,” he replied.
Serena snorted. “Do you want us to lie?”
He laughed, but it lacked genuine humor. “Yes, I do. I can’t help you leave in two days.”
“I’m not all that surprised,” I told him. “I knew there was only a slim chance you could help us.”
“We don’t blame you,” Serena added.
Alaric flashed her a warm smile. “I would blame myself. I have six others who will be traveling with us when we leave today.”
“Today?” I asked with a quirked eyebrow. “That’s not when I told you we’re leaving.”
“And I knew you were lying,” he replied. “It makes more sense for us to leave now before anyone on the council decides to step up their guard on you.”
“If you help us, you may not be able to come back here,” Serena warned him. “Have you considered all you’re risking? Do the people you recruited to help us know what’s at stake?”
He nodded. “They know, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Serena studied him, clearly doubting his words. “Are you and the others ready to leave now?”
Alaric looked surprised by her question. “Don’t you want to wait until tonight? It will be easier to sneak away when it’s dark.”
I shook my head. “No, it will be easier to sneak away during the day. At night, it will look suspicious if we wander off into the wooded area. We’ve been going for walks every day, so it will look like part of our normal routine. You have too many guards around at night for us to go unnoticed.”
“Good point,” he agreed. “I hadn’t given any thought to the guards at night.”
“That’s because you aren’t used to having anyone question your movements at night,” Serena pointed out.
“True,” he agreed. “I have been known to go for a run in wolf form at night, and no one has ever stopped me. Though I’m not sure if that would be the case now with some questioning my motives.”
“All the more reason for us to leave in broad daylight,” I stated.
“I’ll gather the others,” Alaric told us.
“We’ll head out as soon as they’re ready,” I replied. “I think we should leave in groups, and you shouldn’t be with us.”
Alaric’s gaze shifted to Serena, and I knew he wanted to argue. He didn’t like being away from her, and he didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe.
“She’s right,” Serena agreed. “If you go with us, it will look more suspicious.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked. “You don’t know what will happen to you if you leave with us.”
“I’ll be welcomed back here no matter what I do,” he insisted.
I wondered if he truly believed that.
“When you leave, make sure everyone in your group is fully-clothed,” Serena told him.
“Why would we want to travel in this form?” he asked as he gestured to his human form. “We’re much better fighters and can move faster in our animal forms.”
“You’re in more danger from hunters in animal form,” I pointed out. “The reason Dante didn’t recognize me as a shapeshifter at first was that I was fully clothed and in my human form. The spellcasters don’t expect to see us moving around like this.”
“You also may need clothing at some point,” Serena added. “I can always carry clothing for you after we leave here, but it would look more than a little suspicious if I went for a walk carrying a large bag of clothes.”
Alaric nodded with a thoughtful expression on his face. “I don’t know why I never considered that shapeshifters are much less conspicuous in human form.”
“I’d like to leave here within the next hour,” I told Alaric.
He nodded. “I’ll send someone to go with you soon.” He paused with his hand on the doorknob and looked over his shoulder at Serena. “Be careful.”
“You too,” she replied. “I’ll be even angrier with you if you get hurt or killed.”
Alaric flashed her a smile and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chapter 27
I didn’t care much for the two shapeshifters Alaric sent to accompany us. One was male and the other female. Neither introduced themselves or spoke more than a few words as we walked farther from the rebel shapeshifter settlement.
The male was a couple of inches under six-feet-tall with broad shoulders and tanned skin. His dark brown hair went to just past his ears and curled slightly at the ends. He had amber eyes and full lips that seemed almost constantly pressed together in a disapproving line.
The female was nearly as tall as him with blonde hair that barely touched her shoulders. Her skin was also tanned. She had high cheekbones and pale blue eyes. Her angry scowl reminded me of Nidia’s. Hopefully, her disdain for me wouldn’t result in her betraying me as well.
It’s not that I cared so much about making friends with the shapeshifters, but I wasn’t sure I could trust them to have our backs. If they hated us, they’d be more inclined to let us die despite any loyalty they felt toward Alaric.
“What was Alaric thinking?” I asked under my breath.
“We have to trust Alaric,” Serena whispered as she looked at our reluctant guides. “He wouldn’t have sent these shapeshifters to help us if he didn’t think we could trust them.”
“You do realize that as shapeshifters we have a much keener sense of hearing, don’t you?” the female asked Serena.
“Yes,” Serena replied with a sweet smile. “I know you can hear us, but I chose to whisper so you wouldn’t think I was talking to you.” She frowned. “That sounded a lot ruder than I intended. You clearly don’t want to talk to us, so I figured there was no reason to make you think you have to be a part of our conversation.”
The male glared at us. “We’re trying to avoid saying too much until we get farther from the settlement. There shouldn’t be any guards out this way, but I prefer to avoid taking any chances.”
“Look on the bright side. I don’t think they plan to kill us,” I told Serena in a conversational tone.
“I don’t believe they could kill us,” Serena remarked.
I stopped walking when I felt Dante’s magic moving along mine as if he was reaching out to me. He wasn’t trying to communicate with me telepathically so much as locate me. I closed my eyes and focused on the threads.
“He’s close,” I whispered.
“Dante?” Serena asked.
I nodded, suddenly unable to speak as the magic pulled me toward it. Energy flowed around me, invading
every cell of my body. It vibrated along my skin and was so intense I heard it like the buzzing of a thousand bees.
“What’s wrong with her?” the male demanded.
It sounded as if he was far away, though I knew he stood close to me.
“I don’t know,” Serena admitted as she caught my arm.
Her touch grounded me, and I no longer felt as if I were drowning in Dante’s and my combined magic.
“Are you okay?” Serena asked.
I nodded and swallowed hard before responding. “I’m better now, but it might be best if you keep your hand on me. Something crazy is going on with Dante’s magic. I need to talk to him before we go any farther.”
“We don’t have time to make a detour,” the male argued. “You can figure out how to meet up with your warlock after we get to the spot where we’re meeting Alaric and the others.”
“I don’t need to go to Dante to speak to him,” I told the male with an exasperated sigh. “Just give me a minute, and then we’ll be on our way again.”
I didn’t wait for a response before reaching out to Dante with my mind. There was no point in arguing. I had to do something about the magical pull, or it would slow us down.
“You’re close.”
“Yes,” he replied. “I can feel you, and it’s making me crazy. Can you follow our connection to reach me?”
“I have to meet the others who are helping us first,” I told him. “Is there any way you can stop whatever you’re doing?”
“Can you be a little more specific?” he asked.
“It feels like you’re doing something with our bond,” I explained. “I’m having trouble walking or hearing much of what’s going on around me. It’s too intense. Serena’s holding my arm to keep me grounded.”
“I’m not entirely certain what’s causing that, but I’ll stop tracking you for a short time and see if that helps. I can’t stand around here much longer. Can you tell me what direction you’re heading?”
“We’re traveling northeast toward Jasmine Springs. We’re supposed to meet by a copse of elms. Does that help?”
“I’m pretty sure I know where that is. At least, I’ll be able to head in the right direction,” he replied. “When I get closer, I may need to trace your magic again to find your exact location. Our bond gets more intense the closer I get to you.”