by Lia Davis
Oh no, I was getting some sleep. Eli needed to go.
He sat on the bed at my hip. “We should talk about all this.”
“Not tonight.”
“Yes, tonight.”
I kicked the covers off me a little more dramatically than needed, then sat up. I faced him with my legs folded under me. “This whole thing is confusing. I never intended to mate. At least not right now with Harrison crazy-ass in control of the council. Now I have four. Three I’m bonded to. How does that even happen? I feel selfish for wanting it.”
Eli scooted farther on the bed so our knees touched. “Witches did it all the time. It was how they balanced their energies. That must be what you’re doing.”
“I’m not doing anything.” I crossed my arms and glared at him.
He reached out and unfolded my arms then held my hands in his. “Your magick is still growing. I feel it. You could be reaching out to those who can help you win the upcoming battle.”
I snorted. “You sound like Tory.”
“I just got off the phone with her. After listening to her growl and curse at me, we talked about this mating thing.” He brought my hands to his lips. “She also told me about how witches used to form families and reminded me how different you are from any of us.”
“So you’re okay with me having more than one mate?” I wasn’t sure I was. Intuition told me I needed them. Why? I had no clue. However, we all needed to be on the same page. Jealousy and fighting would destroy us before Harrison had a chance to. “I’m not sure I can trust them.”
Eli pulled me into his lap. I curled into him like it was the most natural thing, like we’d always done it. He kissed my forehead and hugged me close. “As much as I want you all to myself, I trust you. Besides, Tory told me to get over myself.”
I laughed. “The Hunters could know how to defeat Harrison. Or at least give us some kind of insight on what’s going on from the inside.” I paused for a couple of moments before adding, “I feel that we need them. Some of it is the mating urge drawing me to them, but there is something much deeper. I’m not sure what.”
Eli lifted my chin then kissed me softly on the lips. “You need to get to know them. Between all of us we’re safe enough to stay here for a few days while we come up with a plan.”
I nodded and kissed him again.
A knock sounded on the door and I groaned. I knew who it was. Gunner. “I was hoping to avoid everyone until tomorrow.”
“I can tell him to go away.” Eli waggled his brows.
So tempting. “No. I need to talk to him.” Instead of getting out of Eli’s lap I said, “Come in.”
Gunner opened the door and froze as he stared at us. After a moment one brow lifted. “Am I interrupting?”
Eli said, “Yes.” while I said, “No.”
Gunner shrugged and entered the room like it was no big deal. That relaxed me a little more. I wanted to see the vampire’s reaction to me in Eli’s arms. Apparently, their little fight did resolve some of their jealousy or whatever it was. I did, however, sense Eli’s wolf pacing through the mating bond, telling me he wasn’t sure about the sharing thing.
I tapped Eli’s arm and when he released me, I scooted off his lap. “Give us a while.”
A low playful growl came from Eli and he kissed me quick. “I’m going to go for a run. I’ll stay close.”
“Thank you.” I watched Eli leave then focused on Gunner. “I was about to come look for you.”
His features brightened. “I must have sensed you thinking about me.”
Our connection wasn’t as strong as mine and Eli’s. I assumed that was because Gunner and I hadn’t completed the bond. I hadn’t opened my heart to him to let the link form. “Tell me about the blood thing. How does Harrison have samples of my blood?”
The light in his eyes dimmed and he averted his gaze. “Harrison said he had samples of all the hybrids in the program. That includes the children of the council members.”
Why didn’t I know this? “I’ll have to discuss that with my father.” I knew he withheld things from me but I figured he’d share the info when the time was right. It didn’t make me less annoyed with him. “So Harrison was giving you my blood so you could track me?”
Gunner gave a short nod, still not looking me in the eyes. Guilt rolled off him and I sighed. “Come here and sit, please.”
I moved farther into the middle of the bed, giving him room to join me.
After several moments of hesitation, he finally sat beside me, our shoulders touching. Tingles of awareness raced through me. “Why are you not secretly plotting to steal me away and take me to Harrison?”
He looked at me then. A wicked smiled formed on his lips. “What tells you I’m not?”
I tapped my temple. “I know things.”
“You’re telepathic.”
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Among other things.”
“I know.” He picked at a rip in the knee of his jeans as he continued. “When Lewis found out about the blood Harrison was giving me, he made a deal with me. You father told me to track you down and run with you. He said to run far away from Carson City. I was confused at first. Then he told me he knew I believed you’re my mate. He used that to his advantage and told me in detail what would happen if Harrison got to you first.”
My mind churned with the new information and questions about what would Harrison do to me. Fear burned my gut and the urge to run made me twitchy. “What did he say?”
Gunner took my hand in his and linked our fingers together. “Harrison would put you under a slave spell and use you to destroy the hybrids. But he won’t stop there. If he isn’t stopped, Harrison will infect the earth with a plague of war.”
“A war? On the humans? Other paras?” The man was crazier than I thought.
“Yes, both. I didn’t believe your father at first. My duties were always to the council leader. All the Hunters took an oath. So I did a little digging and found that Harrison has a list of the most powerful hybrids alive. Reese, you, Brooke, and another female named Jasmine. He is also looking for relics to complete a spell.” Gunner turned to face me. “Harrison believes he will become immortal and rule the world like some super villain.”
I knew about the relics. The list of names was a surprise to me as was the spell. “There is no spell to make you immortal. Only the gods can gift a person with immortality. There are rumors about relics left behind by The Original Three. But they were lost centuries ago.”
“Harrison seems to think differently. Or he knows something we don’t.”
My pulse increased. “I need to talk with my father.”
Gunner shook his head. “You can’t. Harrison bound Lewis to the council mansion. He can’t leave. He is, however, making Harrison’s life miserable and taking back control over the council, just behind the scenes.”
Good. Well, not good that Dad was being held prisoner in the mansion. But with him running things as best as he could in secret, we had our inside advantage. “What about Von and Dare? Do you trust them?”
“Yeah,” Gunner said without hesitation. “They don’t like Harrison any more than I do. I think the reason they still work for him is so they can get close enough to kill him.”
That was interesting. Gods, I wish I could talk to my dad. He always knew what to tell me that put me on the right path. “I didn’t…I mean I wasn’t looking to create a family.”
Gunner cupped my cheek. “We were all pulled together for a reason. To take a stand against Harrison.”
Hope bloomed deep within me. I stared into his chocolate depths and saw the same hope. There was also clarity and determination there. “We need to get everyone on the same page. Eli’s not going anywhere, but I’m betting he will alpha-up.”
A chuckle rumbled from Gunner. “As he should. He claimed you first.”
“Wrong. I claimed him first.”
“Ah, is that how it happened?”
The tease in his tone thrilled me. My wolf
perked up and wanted to be closer to him. “Do you really want to know?”
He laughed. “No.”
I yawned. “What is the best way to approach Von and Dare?”
Gunner stood, lifted me in his arms while turning the bedding down, and then tucked me in. “Start with Von. Since you bit him, starting the bond, he’ll be on board. He will also talk to Dare about it. If he hadn’t already.” After placing a kiss on my forehead, Gunner said, “Good night.”
When he turned to leave, I grabbed his hand. “Please stay.”
He stared at me for a long moment before giving me a single nod. He kicked off his shoes and removed his jeans then his T-shirt. I nibbled on my lower lip as I watched him, in nothing but his boxer-briefs, walk around to the other side of the bed. He laid on his side, facing me. “Come here.”
I scooted closer and he pulled me so I laid across his chest. He threaded his fingers through my hair and massaged my scalp. My eyes drifted shut. Soon sleep pulled me under.
Reese
* * *
A cleansing spell.
I would have never guessed that was what Harrison was searching for. But why? Suspicion crawled up my spine like icy fingers. It was possible that Harrison knew exactly what kind of spell it was. I was betting on that theory.
Turning the page in the Carlyn’s Book of Shadows, I frowned. There was a missing page… The page from a grimoire. Carlyn’s grimoire. Could it be? “Mom!”
“I’m right here. Don’t shout.” My mom took solid form on the sofa next to me.
“I’m going to put a bell on you.” Mom laughed and I pointed to the book. “Carlyn wrote the spell in this book. How is it Harrison knows about the spell if Carlyn wrote it in here and hid it? The list of items is here too.”
I glanced at the page with the list of items and read them to Mom. “Sleeping Stone. White Goddess Candle. Phoenix Feather. The Page from a Grimoire. Blood from The Original Three.” Lifting my gaze back to Mom’s, I said, “Your journal never mentioned the blood from The Original Three.”
Mom leaned over and studied the book. “I didn’t know about it. I copied from Harrison’s notes in a rush, knowing you would need the information one day.”
“Then it is possible Harrison doesn’t know about the blood.” I tapped my fingers against the pages of the book. “It says here the spell was created to cleanse the bloodline. Carlyn has the blood in red that could mean the blood is critical to the spell. But what happens if the spell is done without their blood?”
Mom grabbed my hand and lifted it. She frowned and lowered it on the page again. I followed her line of sight and gasped. The page glowed and handwritten notes appeared in the margins.
Without the blood, the spell becomes a curse on all paras.
My heart sank and tightened my hold on Mom’s hand. “We have to get the blood and the other items before Harrison does.”
“Definitely.” Mom pointed to the book. “More notes.”
Family lines who were trusted with the blood are:
Witch’s blood – The Elders
Wolf’s blood – The Carters
Vampire’s blood – The secret keeper
I jumped up and rushed out of the living room into the foyer. “Dimitri.”
He appeared at the top of the stairs and frowned at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Your family was given Carlyn’s blood. Where would they hide something so powerful and important?” I climbed the stairs.
He stared off in space for a few as if trying to remember. Then his gaze brightened and he waved for me to follow him. We raced up to the third floor and turned into the section of the upper level where D kept his parent’s belongings.
I hadn’t gone into this part of the house because it was Dimitri’s private grief and something he would face on his own time. Crossing the room along the wide path he made, I felt like I was invading his parents’ space.
Dimitri glanced at me over his shoulder. “Come on.”
“This is your space.”
“Don’t be silly.” He linked our fingers together and tugged me behind him to a picture on the far wall. “I haven’t done this spell in a very long time.”
I frowned but remained silent. He placed his palm on the frame of the picture and whispered a chant too low for me to make out the words. A moment later the center of the picture swirled and opened up like a small portal. Dimitri reached inside and pulled out a black velvet bag and handed it to me. “I think that is what you are looking for.”
My heart fluttered in anticipation as I dumped the bag upside down in my palm. An amber-colored glass vial tied to a leather cord tingled my flesh when they made contact. Carlyn. I recognized the magickal signature from the library when we found the book.
“This is it. I can feel Carlyn.” I chuckled and tied the ends of the cord before slipping it over my head. Then I tucked the vile into my shirt. “We need to contact Lewis.”
Dimitri nodded. “I’ll try again. I don’t know why he hasn’t answered unless he is unable to.”
Damn. Cassia was in hiding and mostly on the run. Zane and I had agreed not to contact Eli unless it was necessary. So for now we waited.
I hated waiting.
9
Cassia
I sat in an oversized wicker chair on the back porch of the lake house with my legs drawn to my chest. The sky had just started to brighten but the sun hadn’t risen over the trees yet. There was a chill in the air. Fall would soon be there.
Breathing in deep, I cradled my coffee cup in both hands. The warmth from the cup seeped into my palms. It was nice to just sit and enjoy the sounds of nature around me.
When I woke about an hour ago, alone in my bed, Gunner and Eli were gone. I wondered if they had gone off together. I could sense Von and Dare in the house, but I wasn’t ready to face either of them. I needed coffee first. After my first cup, I warded the house and set up magickal traps around the yard, about twenty feet out in all directions.
Tingles of energy nipped at my own. I glanced to the door and frowned. Von filled the doorway with his arms crossed over his bare chest, watching me. “Morning.”
A shadow of a smile formed briefly on his handsome face. “Morning.” He stepped out onto the porch and leaned against the railing. “Did you sleep well?”
Uh oh, small talk. Or was he fishing for information? “I slept okay.”
He nodded but didn’t look at me, so I went back to admiring the lake. It was so calm it looked like a sheet of glass. I didn’t know what to say to him and maybe he didn’t either. Mate or not I still worried that he could betray me. Dare could as well. In fact, I was betting on Dare betraying me over the others since we didn’t have a connection despite what he said about being in because of Von.
After a long moment, Von cursed under his breath before he spoke aloud. “I didn’t recognize you as my mate until you bit me. Your magick claimed me.” He turned to face me, and his hands were tucked into the pockets of his jeans. There was no emotion in his features. “I didn’t know a hybrid could do that.”
A full-blooded shifter could claim their mate. Traditionally the male started the mating dance and the female had the final say. Hybrids were different. And it all depended on which half was more dominant. Both my sides were equally strong. It had taken me years to balance the wolf and the magicak within. “I have a theory.”
There was no point in denying his accusations. But I wasn’t confirming them either. Besides he probable already knew how powerful I was. Unless Harrison withheld information from him.
One dark brow lifted. “And that is?”
I sipped my coffee and studied him. “Why didn’t you take me to Harrison? That is your job, right?”
A slight twitch in his features told me I hit a bullseye. I waited, making eye contact and letting him know I was far from a submissive wolf. He was in my territory, I was the alpha at the moment. I wasn’t above showing him I’d win the challenge if he made one.
He broke the eye
contact first and relaxed his stance. “Dare made that call after he sensed my reaction to you. We share a sibling bond even though he’s a bear and I’m a tiger. It was formed by our moms. They told us a seer said we would become warriors and be part of a team to save the para races from a great war. I never knew what it meant. Dare and I were too young to protest the binding. Our moms believed we’d need each other to survive.”
I frowned. “How long ago was that?”
“About a year before the fall of the Hybrid Project. Although we didn’t know about it at the time.” He pushed off the railing and sat in the chair next to mine. “It was almost a year to the day we were bound together when the council put out a call for Enforcers. That’s what they called us. The hybrids call us Hunters.”
“You thought that was the team you were destined to join.”
He nodded then sighed. “Yeah. It didn’t take us long to discover it wasn’t. The closer we got to Harrison the more we discovered he was an evil bastard. It’s just hard to know what he has planned. He’ll say one thing and then do something different.”
“He’s unstable.” Damn. Out of all the powers and abilities I possessed, foretelling was not one of them. I’d have to see if Eli had some tea leaves. Even that wasn’t accurate enough to tell me the future. What I needed was to sneak away and visit Reese and compare notes. Form a plan to take down Harrison.
I also needed to get all the guys on the same page. Because I sensed deep down in my soul they were meant to be mine. “Together, all of us are just one part of the team to end the destruction Harrison has planned.”
Von jerked next to me. I could feel his stare boring into me. “What do you mean?”
“Harrison is ordering the killing of hybrids. Did you know that technically you are a hybrid? That somewhere in your bloodline is a witch or a vampire or a demon. There are no pure bloods left. The hybrid project was started by my father as a means to correct the defects from all the cross breeding over the last centuries or even longer. Harrison ended it when a tri species—he created, by the way—grew too powerful for him to control.” I paused to let that sink in. My fury over how brainwashed Harrison had his Hunters rose to the surface. “I bet the mighty council leader told you all the hybrids were out of control and rogues. Did he tell you that they have families? Jobs and lives just like other paras? Did Harrison tell you he was searching for relics to make himself immortal? Why would he want that?”