Luke stepped toward the desk and took the pen. “You’re sure you want to do this?”
Chase couldn’t force the yes through his throat, so he nodded. Luke signed the paper and handed him the pen. He scanned the words on the page. He’d be promising not to hold Calista or the coven accountable for anything that happened because of the spell. Anything. “This doesn’t say what the spell does.”
The priestess narrowed her gaze. “It says it’s a truth potion. Self-explanatory.”
He shook his head. “I want it in writing. This contract absolves you of any harm done for any reason. I’m agreeing to a truth serum that you swore would only force me to tell the truth for twenty-four hours. If you’re so sure of your magic, guarantee that’s all that will happen to me in writing.”
She glared at him before snatching the pen from his hand. “Fine.” She scribbled the guarantee onto the page and initialed the change.
Chase took the pen, fisting it in his hand to stop his trembling. Taking a potion from Rain had been one thing. He trusted the woman with every fiber of his being. He couldn’t muster a single iota of trust for the priestess, but he pressed the pen to the page and scribbled his name anyway. As he formed the final P in his last name, he hesitated, crushing the ball-point into the paper until black ink puddled around it. Calista pried the contract and the pen from his grip and shoved them into a drawer.
He looked at the potion in his hand. His stomach roiled, his breathing growing shallow as he lifted it to his nose to sniff. It smelled sweet, like cotton candy, and tiny bits of silver sparkled in the liquid.
His mind flashed back to his childhood. The witches, his so-called friends. The ritual. The pain he’d endured from whatever potion they’d convinced him to take. They’d almost killed him. His body swayed, the sensation that he stood in the center of a merry-go-round spinning out of control, making it hard to breathe.
Rain put her hand on his back, steadying him. “If there is anything other than a truth spell in that glass, Calista, I swear on my life—”
“If he doesn’t drink the potion, you won’t have a life much longer. I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”
Was he being naïve again? Maybe. But Luke and Rain would have his back if this went south.
He closed his eyes and tossed back the potion. The sticky, sweet liquid burned down his throat as if it took a layer of flesh with it to his stomach. He braced himself for the sensation to spread through his core, but the burning ceased.
Rain put a hand on his chest. “How do you feel?”
“I expected worse.” Aside from a slight tingling in his head, he didn’t feel any effects from the spell. “Are you sure you did it right, Calista?”
She sank into the chair behind her desk. “We’ll find out, won’t we? Have a seat.”
He crossed his arms. “I’d rather stand.” Sitting would make him vulnerable, and he couldn’t give the priestess any more of an edge.
Luke looked him in the eyes, silently asking if he was all right. Chase nodded.
“Suit yourself.” Calista leaned back in her chair. “I’ll ask you a few test questions first to make sure it’s taken effect.”
Chase exhaled slowly. The smirk on the witch’s face told him he wouldn’t like what she planned to ask.
“You said you aren’t first family. Luke has a cousin who is; why isn’t he second in command?”
He ground his teeth and looked at Luke. Pack business wasn’t her business, but what Stephen did was no secret. “He tried to kill Luke’s mate.”
She nodded. “Where is he now? Dead?”
He chewed the inside of his cheek, fighting the compulsion to spit out the answer. “Why do you want to know?”
“Answer the question, please.”
The tingling in his head increased, willing him to tell her the truth. “He’s in the pit. Our pack prison. Luke spared his life.”
“Interesting.” She folded her arms on the desk and leaned forward. “You said you and Rain were together all evening. Tell me what you were doing.”
He clenched his jaw, hoping the sharp pain shooting through his temple would overpower the truth tingling in his brain. Answering with a question of his own seemed to be the only way to quell the confessions. “What do you think we were doing?”
Rain put a hand on his bicep. “That’s none of your business, Calista, and it doesn’t have anything to do with the murders.”
She arched an eyebrow. “He’ll answer the question or this meeting will adjourn and you’ll be handed over to the council.”
“We were having sex.” He put his hand over Rain’s and cringed at the indecent way the words sounded on his lips. It had been so much more than that.
Calista grinned. “Who was on top?”
“What the hell, Calista?” What kind of sick individual got their kicks from forcing people to talk about their sex lives? The tingling in his head intensified. Sharing his private, intimate experiences with anyone but the woman he loved appalled him, but the spell forced him to answer. “She was.”
The priestess looked at Rain. “You got a werewolf onto his back. Impressive. With his attitude, I expected him to be more…dominant.” She raked a heated gaze down his body. “I guess you’re all bark and no bite.”
Chase growled a warning, but what was the use? He’d have to endure her questioning if he planned to save his woman. “I respect her. What we do in the bedroom is a shared experience.”
“I see.” She flashed a wicked grin. “Tell me, Chase. If your alpha hadn’t been here to stop you, would you have given me your blood to save her?”
Anger seared through his chest like a blade taken straight from the forge. “Goddammit, witch.” She was setting him up.
Rain gasped. “She asked for your blood?”
“She did.” He looked at Rain, and her eyes grew wide in disbelief. Then he cut his gaze to Luke, who kept his expression neutral, though he probably knew Chase’s answer already. Speaking the truth out loud would be admitting he’d disobey the alpha and pack law. He might as well walk his ass back to the bar and lock himself in the pit right now.
“Answer the question.” Calista’s voice grew impatient. “Would you have disobeyed your pack law and given me your blood to save this woman?”
The air in the room pressed down on his shoulders, threatening to crumble him. He’d have to deal with whatever punishment Luke deemed appropriate. He gnashed his teeth and growled out his answer, “Yes.”
As he uttered the word, Luke faked a giant sneeze, the sound so loud it echoed in the small room. “I didn’t hear what you said, and I’m giving you a direct order never to repeat it.”
Calista inclined her head. “Well played, alpha.”
“No more games, Calista. Get the information you need and nothing more.” He pinned Chase with a heavy stare. “I’m going to wait in the hall.”
As Luke stepped through the door and closed it behind him, Chase tipped his head back and closed his eyes for a long blink. Even as he’d admitted his disobedience, his solid friendship with the alpha had saved him.
Calista crossed her arms, narrowing her gaze as she studied him. “Interesting. What would the punishment have been if you’d given your blood to me?”
“Whatever the alpha deemed fit.” Was she playing some kind of power game? Trying to exert her dominance over the werewolves?
“I see. Yet, you were willing to endure whatever he could dish out to save a magicless witch. Why?”
He looked at Rain, and he couldn’t have stopped the words from spilling from his mouth if he tried. “I’d do anything for her. She’s my fate-bound.”
Rain’s breath hitched, and tears collected on her lower lids. “I am?”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “This wasn’t how I planned to tell you, but yes.”
Her bottom lip trembled. “How long…? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid I’d scare you away. I wanted to give you time to fall in love with
me.” The longer he spoke, the faster the truth tumbled from his lips. “I hope that you’ll be my mate, but since you’re not a werewolf, I was afraid this bond would overwhelm you.”
She threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. “It’s not scary, Chase. I feel it too.”
She couldn’t possibly, but he’d let her believe it if she wanted to.
Calista let out a dry laugh. “If I’d known this juicy detail, I would’ve gotten her to ask for your blood.”
He stiffened. “She would never ask for such a thing.” He kissed her forehead as she slid from his arms. “She knows me too well.”
“Can we get on with this?” Rain’s brow furrowed as she sank into a chair. “Let us tell you what happened so we can stop anyone else from dying.”
The priestess narrowed her eyes. “Fine. Tell me who’s killing witches.”
Chase explained the story of Rain’s ex showing up in her shop and everything that led up to the event. Calista’s pen flew furiously across a sheet of paper as she took notes. She asked for precise locations where they’d seen the tulpa each time, and he showed her on a map where Isaac had gotten hold of him in the swamp.
“I don’t recommend sending any of your witches out hunting for him. He’s proven he can kill. Let the werewolves handle it.”
Calista stared at the map and tapped her pen on the spot in the swamp. “You have twenty-four hours to handle it before I send my own team after him.”
He grumbled. If the witches went hunting, they’d expose the whole damn magical community. They didn’t care about secrecy. Didn’t require it like the other supernatural beings living in New Orleans. “We’ll take care of it.”
Calista held his gaze, hesitating to let them go. “You’d better. For her sake. She is the reason this lunatic is here after all.” She rose to her feet and motioned toward the door.
Chase didn’t give her time to change her mind. He grabbed Rain’s hand and tugged her to the exit.
Luke met them in the hallway. “And?”
“We’re free to go. Let’s get Snow and get the hell out of this place.”
Chapter Twenty
Rain leaned against the counter in her bakery, staring at Chase’s magnificent backside as he conferred with Luke. Calista had activated the coven’s emergency call tree, and every witch in New Orleans had been accounted for…all alive and well and on high alert for any suspicious activity. Isaac would be weak after the encounter last night. He didn’t pose an immediate threat, which gave her mind time to ponder Chase’s admission.
She was his fate-bound.
Her heart did a little flip in her chest. She needed to get him alone so they could talk about what this meant. He’d said he hoped she would be his mate, and she wanted to reassure him that she wanted the same. Of course, if she could get him alone, there wouldn’t be much talking going on for a while.
Warmth bloomed below her navel, spreading through her body to chase away her fatigue. She’d slept maybe an hour last night, but she’d stay up all day if it meant sharing her bed with the sexy werewolf standing in her doorway.
She ran her tongue across her teeth, wrinkling her nose at the gritty sensation. She hadn’t showered or used a toothbrush in more than twenty-four hours. A quick glance in the mirror revealed disheveled hair and mascara rings beneath her eyes.
She grabbed a napkin and wiped at the day-old makeup as Snow approached from the kitchen. “I double-checked all the totems. As soon as the guys get out of the doorway and lock it, the charm will be good to go.”
Rain nodded, trying to wipe the grin from her face. She shouldn’t have felt this happy when her life was in danger, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m his fate-bound.”
Snow smiled. “So I heard.”
Chase looked over his shoulder and caught her gaze as he motioned for her. She pushed off the counter and stepped toward him, and he took her hand. “Tell him what you told me about the tulpa. How to defeat it.”
“The only person who can stop it is Isaac, but he’s not going to do it voluntarily.”
Chase squeezed her hand. “But it’s not real…”
She nodded. “It’s a figment of Isaac’s imagination that he’s managed to make other people see, but in reality, it doesn’t exist. As long as you can convince your mind it’s not real…”
“Then it can’t hurt you,” Chase finished for her.
“Unless it gets ahold of a weapon. It can manipulate objects.” She shivered. “It held a knife to my throat.”
Luke cringed. “The blue moon tonight is good timing. Our wolves will be at their most powerful, so if we can find him, we can take him out.”
Chase stiffened. “My wolf is bound.” He looked into his alpha’s eyes. “The bastard tricked me into taking a binding spell. I can’t shift.”
“Shit.” Luke narrowed his gaze. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“I was embarrassed. I…Crap.” He looked away. “Goddamn truth spell. I didn’t want you to think any less of me. You and your old man…y’all saved my life. I wouldn’t be here today if not for the pack, and I don’t want to let you down. How can I be your second if I can’t even shift?” He chuckled and wrapped his arm around Rain. “That’s a truth I didn’t even know myself.”
Guilt snaked its way into Rain’s chest, squeezing it tight. “I’m so sorry.”
He pressed his lips to her hair. “It’s not your fault.”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t have to tell you all the things that could’ve gone wrong when we went into that coven house…and I’d have been fighting alone.”
“Not alone. I can fight.” He leaned into her side. “I’m sorry, man. I let you down.”
Luke inhaled deeply. “On the plus side, you won’t have to fight the blue moon to take care of your woman tonight. You’ll stay here with Rain. Macey will be your backup.”
“Doesn’t she have to work?” Poor Chase. She could tell he didn’t like his friend thinking him unable to guard her on his own.
“Macey hasn’t taken a vacation since she joined the police department. She’s got plenty of days saved up.” He clapped Chase on the shoulder. “We’re hunting in turns. Call the bar if you need help. Someone will be around.”
Chase nodded and tightened his grip on Rain as Luke strode out the door.
Rain locked it, activating Snow’s protection charm, and turned to Chase. “What does he mean ‘hunting in turns?’”
Chase shuffled to the counter and sat on a stool. “The younger, weaker wolves have a harder time fighting the shift on a blue moon. They’ll hunt first. The strongest go last, since they can hold the beast longer. We can’t have a hundred wolves hunting in the swamp at the same time, especially since the pull of the moon is so strong that we usually kill the first living thing we see.”
She moved toward him, situating her hips between his legs and wrapping her arms around him, pushing the image of his last statement from her mind. “Luke doesn’t think you’re weak. You didn’t let him down.”
He sighed. “I did. I let you all down. I should’ve known that tulpa wasn’t you. Anytime you’re near me, I feel the bond in my heart, and now that I look back, I didn’t feel it then. It didn’t act like you. Hell, it wouldn’t even speak. I let my guard down and got distracted, and I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”
“Chase.” She cupped his face in her hands, running her thumbs through his beard. “This is a ghost from my past. He’s going after you to hurt me. I accept all the blame, and I am sorry for letting you down.”
He smiled weakly. “You’re pretty with your hair all messy like this.” He ran his fingers into her mane and tousled her curls, but his attempt at flirting didn’t mask the sadness in his eyes.
“Is something else bothering you?”
He pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze, obviously wanting to say no, but the truth spell wouldn’t allow him to lie.
“You can trust me. With your secrets. With your heart.
I will never hurt you.”
“I know.” He looked into her eyes. “Doesn’t make it any easier to admit weakness. I’m second in command of the sixth largest wolf pack in the country. I’m not supposed to show my pain.”
She kissed his forehead. “Let me be your safe place.”
“I’ve never missed the blue moon hunt. My wolf is bound, but there’s a humming in my blood. An ache. And I’m under orders to stay here, but I really want to hunt the bastard down. I want to break this spell, remove your curse, and dammit…I want to live happily ever after with you. Beauty and the Beast did it. Why can’t we?”
She smiled. The more he spoke, the more compelled he’d be to keep going. To spill all his emotions. It was how truth spells were designed to work. “I have to admit, I like all this raw honesty.”
He blew out a hard breath. “You know I’d never lie to you. Truth spell or not.”
“I also know you wouldn’t willingly wish…out loud anyway…that our lives were like a Disney movie.”
He chuckled. “You know me well.”
“I have an idea.” Snow strolled in from the kitchen with her hands clasped behind her back. An excited look danced in her eyes. “I think you can both have your happily ever after. Rain, you could create an unbinding spell to free Chase. Your magic is strong enough.”
Rain rested her hands on Chase’s thighs and shook her head. “No, Snow.” A trickle of dread inched down her spine. Please shut up. Not this. Not now.
“I’m not sure if we can take his blood now, or if we need to wait until the sun sets.” She glanced out the window. “We might as well wait. There’s an hour of daylight left. What do you think?”
Oh, goddess, no. She said it.
Chase stiffened. “Who’s blood?”
“Yours. Duh.” Snow pranced toward them and held the unbinding spell in front of her. “And look. We haven’t even collected the blood, and the incantation has already appeared with him simply being here.”
“You…want my blood.” He blinked at her, the incredulous look in his eyes piercing her heart. Sliding off the stool, he stepped away from her and took the spell from Snow’s hand.
Beneath a Blue Moon (Crescent City Wolf Pack Book 2) Page 22