Demon Witch (The Ternion Order Book 2)

by Daniel R. Marvello

  “I called this meeting to make an announcement. The northwest packs have responded favorably to my plans for an alliance, so I’ve invited the pack leaders to visit and discuss details.”

  She had to know that was a dangerous proposition. Even Reggie squirmed in his chair at the suggestion of putting the region’s alphas together in one room. Some of their feuds had been going on for decades.

  As if she were reading his mind, Marcella continued. “To work together, the alphas need strong leadership, and that’s where I come in.”

  “You’re delusional,” Adolphus said. “What makes you think they’ll accept your leadership?”

  “The packs respect power, and I’ve shown myself to be the most powerful of all. I forced the Order to halt the biggest threat our kind has ever known.”

  “That’s a rather charitable view of what happened. You acted for your own good, not the good of our kind.”

  “I’m a dark witch and a demon,” she snapped in response. “You expect my motivation to be altruistic? I won, and that’s all that matters to the alphas. You would understand that if you weren’t so humanized.”

  Humanized. Iledaste must have supplied that particular term. It was meant as a grave insult, but Adolphus had to admit that there was some truth to the accusation. He enjoyed playing human—apparently even more than the dark witch who had given up her humanity. It had been a long time since he had indulged his thirst for power and control beyond the Foundation. Doing so attracted too much attention and invited a swift journey to the abyss. It was a miracle that Marcella had managed to avoid that fate so far. He sincerely hoped her luck would run out soon.

  Marcella looked around the room. “We’ll have to rearrange this space to accommodate more visitors. I want the rest of our pack to join us here more often as well. I’m about to become the leader of the entire region, and that prestige will benefit everyone. It’s about time they showed some appreciation for what I’ve done for them. This place is about to become very busy.”

  When the former members of the Selkirk Pack had renounced, Adolphus had taken it as a statement of support for his leadership versus Marcella’s. Then, two days ago, she delivered the news that they wanted to return to the Pack. His humiliation was doubled by the gloating smile she wore as she informed him.

  He had no reliable allies. Skyler was gone, and in spite of the way Marcella had tortured the man, Baldur Peri was among those who wanted to return and had agreed to swear allegiance to her. Allies or not, he had to stand up for what he had worked a human lifetime to build.

  “Before you get too far with your redecorating plans,” he said, “you should consider another venue for your great convention of alphas. This facility is dedicated to supporting those of us who need help during the Erste Mond transition and who need a sanctuary when conditions turn against them. It is not your personal conference center.”

  Marcella raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. “This place may be called the Rutlinger Foundation, but it isn’t yours. The Foundation owns the land and the building.”

  “Correct,” Adolphus agreed. “And you aren’t a member.”

  “That’s easily remedied. Your bylaws allow an existing member to sponsor anyone who can cough up twenty grand for membership. In fact, the language is so sloppy that a human could theoretically join.”

  Adolphus could feel his face heat as he saw where she was going. “That provision was designed to make it easier for us to return after we’d moved to a new body.”

  “And to admit new members of the Pack into the Foundation, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, then. I want in, and Cyrus is joining with me.”

  Adolphus looked over at Reggie. “I suppose you have agreed to sponsor them?”

  Reggie shrugged in a “why not?” gesture.

  “That still leaves the matter of membership fees.”

  Marcella glanced at Cyrus and shared a private smirk with him. “We’re working on that.”

  So, they didn’t have the money, but they had come up with a way to get it. He doubted the source of funds would be legal, considering how little inclination either of them had shown for anything resembling a career. Putting “Dark Witch” in the experience section of a resume wouldn’t score points with prospective employers.

  “Becoming members doesn’t change what the Foundation is about,” Adolphus declared stubbornly.

  “Oh, but it does,” the witch cooed. “Members can vote to change almost anything, and I expect plenty of support for my proposals. Your charitable mission for disadvantaged werewolves is sweet, but it’s a terrible waste of the Foundation’s potential.”

  Adolphus was speechless with anger. He wanted to argue that the membership would never support her proposals, but he was no longer sure of that. He wanted to defend his original vision for the Foundation, but her denigration of that vision suggested his words would fall on deaf ears. She was planning to corrupt the organization to fit her agenda. An organization that he had founded and that bore his name.

  His hands tightened into fists in his lap as he struggled to resist the urge to knock the smug smile off her face, but that would be suicide. A challenging glint in her eyes showed she was ready and waiting for him to make such a move.

  Iledaste had always chafed under his leadership, but as Clarissa, she’d never had the guts to challenge his authority like this. Instead, she had brooded at her cottage in the valley and distracted herself with an endless string of sex partners. Now, with the dark witch leading their collaboration, she could enjoy the benefits of working with an ambitious and confident manipulator.

  He had to bide his time. Marcella was ruthless, but she was also reckless. An opportunity to take her down would appear eventually. All he had to do was be patient and remain vigilant.

  Chapter 29

  Volunteers

  Amanda settled into her favorite chair in Noreen’s living room, but she was far from comfortable. The coven had gathered for their regular meeting. Everyone was in their usual seats with Cara arriving late and taking the last space on the couch. The reality of Jessie’s condition made the normal meeting preparations seem almost surreal.

  Catching Jessie’s eye, Amanda offered an encouraging smile. Her friend smiled back and took a deep breath. As much as Jessie wanted to share her dilemma with the coven, Noreen’s Order affiliation complicated matters. They couldn’t be sure she would support their efforts to defy the Order’s ban.

  Noreen carried in a tray of beverages, and everyone busied themselves with pouring their drinks and making small talk.

  “I won’t be able to host our next meeting,” Noreen announced without preamble. “I have to stand in review before the Court of Elders. However, I’d like for you all to meet without me. I suggest you make arrangements by the end of our meeting today.”

  “So is this it?” Cara asked. “Is this where the Court decides whether or not you’ll be joining them?”

  “Almost,” Noreen answered. “The review is important, but not the final step. The Court will use the review to recommend a candidate, and then the entire Coven Conclave will vote.”

  “But if the Court recommends a candidate, isn’t the Conclave vote pretty much a formality?”

  “Not at all. The politics of the election can be … extreme. The Court’s recommendation is only one factor among many.”

  “Good luck on the review, then,” Jessie said. Amanda, Cara, and Tanya echoed her sentiment.

  Amanda didn’t envy Noreen’s dive into coven politics. Although she was starting to warm up to the idea of leading her own coven some day, that was as far as she wanted to go. It was difficult enough to juggle the rules of the Order and the Coven Conclave. Rising to leadership in either would put her right in the middle of managing disputes between the two organizations and their differing priorities.

  Noreen picked up a familiar wooden box from the coffee table and held it in her hands. “I’ll have to return the Resonance Star before too
long, but until then, I thought we’d do some more experimenting with it. The lore associated with the Star seems a little deficient on the operational side, as Amanda’s observations revealed.”

  She was talking about the problem Amanda ran into at the Foundation: when one witch was casting, the others were prevented from casting.

  Noreen continued. “We’ll take turns using the center piece and try casting different spells together and separately. We’ll document what we learn, which is the excuse I gave for hanging on to it a bit longer.”

  Excuse? That was an interesting choice of words. Did Noreen want to keep the device around a bit longer for other reasons? Maybe Amanda was reading too much into it.

  “Let’s start with you,” Noreen said as she tossed the box to Jessie.

  Jessie was sitting back on the couch with her juice glass in her left hand. She had been paying attention to Noreen, but still could not possibly have been ready for the box to come flying toward her. Regardless, her right hand caught the weighty spinning object as if it had been handed to her.

  Amanda froze for a second. She wasn’t surprised at Jessie’s catch because it wasn’t so different from the test she’d given Kyle so many months ago when she’d tipped over a water glass that he’d caught before it spilled. Was Noreen testing Jessie in a similar way?

  She watched while Noreen poured herself a glass of juice and sat back in her chair, behaving as if nothing unusual had happened. Cara and Tanya both stared at Jessie with round eyes, but quickly recovered their composure and pretended to be interested in their drinks.

  Jessie slowly set her drink down, and then opened the latch on the box. She cleared her throat and finally let her eyes meet Noreen’s. The coven leader’s face was bland, revealing nothing about what she was thinking.

  “Go ahead and pass out the Star pendants,” Noreen instructed, waving her glass toward the box.

  Jessie did as she was told, and Amanda slowly let out the breath she’d been holding as the tense moment passed.

  For the next hour, Amanda and the rest of the coven worked with the Resonance Star, plumbing its depths and documenting what they learned. Cara and Tanya both stole concerned glances at Jessie. When Amanda caught their eyes, she did her best to convey caution. They seemed to get the hint because they said nothing about the earlier incident.

  The time passed so quickly that Amanda was surprised when Noreen announced, “Well, that’s it for today.” She held out her pendant for Amanda to take. “Amanda, I want you to keep the Star at the farmhouse so you can use it again at the next gathering. Be sure to write down anything new you learn, and I’ll add it to my notes.”

  Amanda collected the pendants from the other witches and stored them in the box. Holding the box in her hands, she considered what a valuable tool it would be for her developing plans with Kyle. She and Jessie would be able to share their powers when it was time to retrieve the wolf skull from the Foundation.

  After the gathering, the witches filed out of the house and walked toward their vehicles. Cara and Tanya hurried to catch up with Jessie.

  “Jessie, wait,” Cara said.

  Jessie’s face showed a look of reluctance as she turned around.

  “You have to let us help,” Cara insisted. Tanya nodded vigorously in agreement.

  “Help with what?” Jessie said, but her voice revealed that she knew her denial was pointless.

  “You know what,” Cara answered. As Amanda joined the cluster of women, Cara gave her an accusing frown. “You both know what. We want in on whatever you have planned.”

  Jessie let out a sigh and looked to Amanda for help.

  “It’s really dangerous,” Amanda said. “It wouldn’t be fair to involve you. There’s a good chance we’ll get in serious trouble even if we succeed.”

  “We don’t care,” Cara insisted, once again eliciting a confirming nod from Tanya. “It’s not fair to leave us out.” Cara lifted her arm and looked at the healing scars from where she’d been scratched. “It was almost me,” she said in a quiet voice.

  Amanda focused on Tanya. “This isn’t your battle, and if you got hurt, I’d never forgive myself.”

  Tanya shook her head and looked at Jessie. “Jessie is my friend and coven-mate. I know that if I were in trouble, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  Amanda had no argument for that. They all knew it was true.

  “Thank you,” Jessie said, her voice breaking with emotion. She reached out with both arms and pulled the two volunteers into a tight hug. Amanda saw her own surprise mirrored on Cara’s and Tanya’s faces. The spontaneous hug was an unusual move for Jessie, who was normally so calm and collected.

  Amanda glanced toward the house and saw Noreen step back from the picture window. She went deeper into the house until Amanda couldn’t see her anymore.

  How much did she suspect? Probably everything. She couldn’t acknowledge or support what they were doing because of her position in the Order. Amanda looked at the box in her hands. Noreen had given them an edge, though. With Cara and Tanya on board, the Resonance Star would be more useful than ever. And Amanda was having a few ideas on how she could keep Cara and Tanya safe while still letting them contribute in an important way.

  Tucking the box under her arm, Amanda said, “Okay. This changes things. I’ll get in touch with you soon, so do what you can to stay available.”

  As they all got into their cars and left, Amanda turned her thoughts to what would happen next. Kyle and Jonathan would undoubtedly have mixed emotions about Cara and Tanya joining the team, just as she and Jessie had. But the truth was they were going to need all the help they could get.

  Chapter 30

  Window of Opportunity

  The sedan rolled out of the Foundation’s gateway and accelerated as the gate automatically closed behind it. Two occupants rode in the front seats, their silhouettes a good match for Marcella and Cyrus.

  “Let’s go,” Amanda said, turning back toward the forest trail behind her. All morning, they had watched the werewolves leave the Foundation one by one. Reggie was first, heading off to his job with a logging company. Rutlinger was next, going to his veterinary clinic in town. Marcella and Cyrus were last, as was the case every day they’d been watching.

  Amanda wondered what Marcella and Cyrus were up to. They left in the early afternoon and didn’t return until some time after the last surveillance shift ended at 6:00 PM. Not that it really mattered. All she cared about was that the Foundation was consistently unoccupied long enough for her team to get in and out. If the werewolves followed the pattern her team had observed over the past week, they had several hours to work with, which was far more than they needed.

  The center pendant from the Resonance Star dangled between her breasts with unaccustomed weight, and she silently thanked Noreen for loaning it to them. With four members of the coven on the mission and the Star to concentrate their power, Amanda believed they’d be able to counter any passive magic Marcella might have left behind.

  They approached the Foundation near the same side door Amanda had used for Cara’s rescue. It was the closest point of ingress to the warded room, and unlike the front door, no cameras monitored it.

  Crouching outside, she waited for a couple of minutes and listened. Since they hadn’t been watching the place 24 hours a day, it was possible that a guest had arrived without anyone on her team knowing.

  “Déjà vu,” Kyle whispered. Amanda smiled in response.

  She put her hand on the door handle and whispered the incantation that would open the lock. She was careful to adjust the strength of the spell, accounting for the additional power she received through the Star. The lock made satisfyingly little noise when it clicked. Although she wasn’t particularly concerned about being silent, an echo of Noreen’s voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she should maintain precise control over her magic at all times. One never knew when precision would be critical.

  Pushing open the door, Amanda swiftl
y led the way up the stairs to the second floor. Kyle, Jessie, and Jonathan followed her. She glanced back before the door closed, catching a last glimpse of Cara’s and Tanya’s tense faces. They would remain outside and watch for any unexpected arrivals, with Cara reporting to Jonathan through a walkie-talkie.

  Amanda and Jessie had experimented with the Star’s range and determined that it became more of a detriment than an advantage at about a hundred yards. At that distance, the power it shared was minimal, but it still interfered with their ability to cast spells individually. However, as long as Cara and Tanya stayed nearby, the entire Foundation building was well within the Star’s range.

  As Amanda approached the bedroom door that had been warded previously, strong magic brushed against her senses again. It said something that Marcella kept the room warded even after the threat from the Order had passed. Either Marcella was naturally paranoid, or she didn’t trust her pack mates. Or both.

  The first thing Amanda did was to look for physical evidence of the ward’s components. Any residue from the ward spell might give her a clue about how to dismantle it. Kyle boosted her up so she could check the top of the door frame, but she found nothing useful.

  “Do you see anything?” she whispered to Kyle.

  “No. But last time, I didn’t see the ward’s magic until you touched the door handle.”

  “And we know how that turned out,” she said mostly to herself.

  How was she going to defeat the ward and get into the room? She knew from experience that the brute-force method wouldn’t work. Just turning the door handle had knocked both her and Kyle on their asses.

  She had to assume the spell was layered and dismantle it one layer at a time. She also had to hope Marcella was far enough away not to detect her efforts.

  Amanda already knew something about the first layer. Marcella would have drawn from the air element to power the shock. According to Cara, Marcella was an air adept, so that made sense.