by SM Reine
But if he managed to get me out of the stadium, then nobody would ever find me. I’d seen how fast the werewolves moved.
So I struggled hard, even though it was hopeless.
It was my only chance.
Donne carried me toward the parking lot exit. The coven had gathered there, led by Ravyn. I was happy to see that they had survived the werewolves—happy, but scared. They were the only thing blocking Donne from escaping.
I was torn between hoping they’d save me and wishing they would run while there was still time.
The coven was slopping paint around the large doorway and chanting. Crystals glowed on the sidewalk beyond.
Despite my limited exposure to magic, I recognized the wards meant to contain a werewolf.
They were trying to keep Donne inside.
He rushed at the coven. The boning of the corset dug into my ribcage, and I couldn’t help but wail with pain, even though the sound seemed to make him run faster. My pain excited him.
Donne smashed into the wall of magic. It shoved him back, and electricity crackled over both of us.
That hurt, too.
But the coven was standing safely on the other side of their wards, so he didn’t manage to hurt them. Ravyn was close enough that I could tell she was sweating as she struggled to reinforce the wards. It didn’t help. The magic was growing dimmer.
Those wards weren’t going to hold for very long.
Donne tried to push through again. The second jolt of electricity made him drop me.
I scrambled onto all fours, trying to crawl away as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t as quick as a werewolf.
He snarled as he pounced on me. For the second time that night, I found myself staring up at the face of a wolf.
Donne didn’t seem to recognize me. It wasn’t a protective urge making him drag me away. It was instinct.
Pure, wolfish, hungry instinct.
Still, he didn’t bite.
Maybe there was still a chance to save him. I hadn’t been able to help Graham on my own, which meant I’d been claimed by Donne. Like it or not, we were somehow mated.
I needed to be able to revert him to his human form using magic, like Ofelia had used on Graham.
But how? I wasn’t a real witch. I had never cast a spell in my life.
I’d never be able to save Donne.
Is it so hard to believe that you could be powerful? A savior? Someone important?
That was what Donne had asked me when I tried to flee. He had seemed furious that I thought so little of myself, and maybe for good reason. My crisis of confidence meant his life was hanging in the balance.
His life, and mine. We’d die together if I didn’t find a way to believe in myself.
While I was vacillating, the coven’s magic failed. The glow sputtered in the corner of my eye, then vanished completely. The wall of wards blocking our access to the parking lot had vanished.
“Get out of the way!” Ravyn cried.
The coven scattered, clearing a path for the werewolf. It hurt to see them running. They were giving up on me.
There was nothing holding Donne back anymore.
He bit down directly on my corset this time. His mouth was big enough that he could get my whole side trapped within his jaws, and only the metal boning prevented his teeth from punching through.
Donne launched with the strength of his hind legs, lifting me into the air.
And he passed easily through the place where the wards had been.
It was time to embrace my magic.
Think open thoughts.
I grabbed Donne’s neck ruff in both fists, and I focused hard.
The remnants of the power Ofelia had built were still clinging to me, so I poured all of it into him.
He wasn’t expecting an attack from his prey. That blast knocked Donne off his feet, and we rolled to a stop at the end of the hallway. Best of all, his jaws released me.
This time, I didn’t try to run. I threw myself on top of him. His massive flank heaved underneath me.
I grabbed his fur again, pressing my fingers to his skull underneath.
Open thoughts.
I imagined space beyond the thin line of atmosphere sheltering humanity on the surface of Earth. I imagined the massive void between the stars. Those were the most open things that I could possibly imagine—there was nothing bigger than space.
Yet it wasn’t the right kind of open. I couldn’t quite grasp my magic.
“Come on,” I prayed, hoping that God would grant me His grace in my moment of greatest need.
Call it an epiphany, call it divine intervention, whatever—an idea struck me.
I didn’t need to imagine open spaces.
I needed to open myself.
So I thought of the times I had opened myself in the last couple of days—like when I was laughing at the kitchen table with the coven, eating junk food and genuinely enjoying myself. Or the brief conversation I’d had on the tour bus with Donne the morning after the first concert.
And I thought of how I had opened myself to Chad’s guidance, allowing a wilder, sexier Leah to emerge from the protective shell of my Ugg boots and leggings.
My skin began vibrating. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know that the glow was flooding through me again.
Just in a couple of short days, I’d opened myself in a lot of ways. Given more time, the help of my new friends, and a lot of patience, who knew what I could accomplish?
Maybe I could even be powerful. A savior. Someone important.
A tarot witch.
Magic filled me to the brim. I opened my eyes to find that Donne had stopped trying to escape, and now we were suspended in the brambles of my power. It was warm and bright, like a midsummer day.
The light reflected in Donne’s golden eyes. The yellowish hue brightened to gold.
“Come back to me,” I whispered.
Shivers overtook his body.
Coaxing Donne out of his wolf form was like trying to save him from drowning in the depths of a lake. And as he surfaced, his body changed. The fur fell out. His legs reversed. His bones broke and reassembled.
I felt every moment of his transformation. Every little pop and snap and twist.
Yet it didn’t hurt. It felt natural, the way that two tectonic plates sliding against each other under the Earth’s surface is natural, or the way that a brewing storm is natural.
While Donne changed, I was connected to the whole world. The stars above, the soil below the parking lot, the other witches inside the stadium—and, yes, all three werewolves nearby. I even felt connected to all of the humans still inside the stadium for the concert.
For a bright, shining moment, Leah Todd was someone special.
Then the magic was done. It flowed out of me easily, spreading back into the universe with a sigh.
And I found myself kneeling over Donne’s unconscious body.
He was human again.
XVII
The coven swarmed us a few moments later.
I backed away from Donne, trying to give them space to wrap him in blankets again. But they weren’t just giving their loving attention to the werewolf.
They came to me, too.
Storm threw a blanket over my shoulders. It was rough and woolen and smelled gross, probably from spending too much time on a tour bus used for partying. I was grateful for it anyway. I couldn’t stop shivering.
“The magic’s going to leave you weak,” he said, rubbing my shoulders. “On that note, that magic was badass. What the fuck did you do?”
“I have no idea,” I said.
The coven helped Donne up and carried him toward the bus. My protective instinct swelled at the idea of being separated, but I was suddenly too tired to follow them. Three steps into the parking lot and I almost collapsed.
“Take it easy,” Storm said, propping me up against his side. “We’ve got coffee in there.” He jerked a thumb at the stadium. “You should
have a drink. It’ll warm you up and keep you awake for a few minutes.”
But they were taking Donne away. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the coven. I just couldn’t bear the thought of having him taken from me.
Still, I was too weak to do anything else. I let Storm guide me back to the hallway, gazing helplessly at Donne as the other witches loaded him onto the bus.
He was starting to wake up. For a beautiful instant, our eyes connected.
I thought it almost looked like he was smiling.
Donne? Smiling? No way.
Storm took me backstage and I could hear the crowd roaring. Music was playing again. It wasn’t The Forbidden, judging by the rhythm of the guitar—the music was too upbeat. The opening band must have taken over.
I clung to Storm’s arm for balance. “What happened while I was in the changing room? Is everyone okay?”
It wasn’t Storm who responded.
“Everyone’s fine,” said another man. “Some scrapes and bruises, but no big deal.” The sound of that voice made all of my fatigue vanish in a heartbeat.
I spun to see who was speaking.
Rage was alive.
I flew to him, slammed against his chest, and flung my arms around his neck. “Thank God you’re okay!”
He staggered from the impact, groaning. “Careful, Kitten. I’ve already been mauled once tonight.”
“Oh my gosh, sorry!” I leaped back, grabbing his hands to look at his arms. He was streaked with blood. His pants were also artfully shredded, baring his scraped legs in long stripes. “Did they bite you? Does this mean you’re going to change?”
“Scratches don’t transmit the werewolf curse,” Rage said, waving a dismissive hand at me. “Storm’s got a few potions that’ll accelerate my healing. I’ll be fine in time for the show we’re doing in Oahu.”
He was already talking about the next show. He was going to be okay.
That didn’t mean there was no damage from what had happened on stage, though.
“Everyone in the audience saw the werewolves fighting,” I said. “Isn’t that bad? That’s got to be bad.”
“Special effects.” Rage shrugged. “I’ll finish the set in a minute. Hardwicke and Huxley are already up there, so if I walk on like everything’s fine, they’ll believe it. Relax, Leah.”
“Relax?” I echoed. “After Graham and Donne almost killed us?”
“Yeah. Relax.” Ofelia was limping out of the changing room with Graham’s arm over her shoulder to help him walk. His jaundiced flesh was gone and his eyes were vibrant gold again, much brighter than I’d seen them before. “There’s a big difference between almost dead and actually dead. We won this one. Chill out.”
Ofelia set Graham carefully on a chair. He smiled gratefully at her.
“I think I get it now,” I said. “You’re The Hierophant, Ofelia. You’re the priest I’m supposed to listen to. Right?”
I felt like I’d stumbled across a major realization, but Ofelia didn’t look nearly as impressed.
“I don’t know if The Hierophant is a single choice you needed to make or if it indicates a lifestyle you have to embrace. Know what I mean?” Ofelia asked.
“It means I need to listen to you, and Rage, and…”
She took my hand and squeezed it briefly. “You need to listen to God.”
I blinked in surprise. “You’re a believer?”
“You are, and that’s what matters to you, right?” Ofelia said. “By God, I mean fate or destiny or—let’s leave it at God, huh? Listen to Him and don’t be afraid of what you have to do.” She smiled. “Luckily, neither of us has to walk this path alone.”
She was looking over my shoulder.
Donne had returned with Ravyn’s help, and he lingered in the darkness of the hallway.
I’d never seen a sight more beautiful than Donne standing on his own two legs. He wore sweat pants and that black shirt that said “Road Crew” again.
Unfortunately, Rage reached him before I could. He grabbed Donne by a fistful of shirt. “What the hell are you doing here? You need to rest.”
Ravyn poked out from behind Donne’s wall of muscle. “I couldn’t get him to lie down until he saw that Graham was safe.”
I gazed at Donne, heart in my throat. He gazed back at me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling. We weren’t having silent conversations like those he held with Rage. I was just happy to see him at all.
“Dad’s fine, you’ve seen him, you can stop worrying.” Rage pointed toward the hallway leading to the bus. “Now get out of here. I have a set to finish.”
Donne grumbled with something that might have been agreement.
I only took two steps toward him before he limped down the stairs toward the access hallway. He staggered. Storm and Ravyn caught him and helped him the rest of the way down.
“Donne?” I started to follow.
Fingers brushed my elbow. It was Graham. “Give him space. You’re not the only one whose world is changing.”
I knew he was talking sense, but it still hurt to obey. I watched Donne’s back until he rounded the corner and I couldn’t see him anymore.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll give him space.”
“I need to thank you, Leah,” Graham said. “I haven’t felt like this in years.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, wincing slightly. “I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this good.”
Rage slung an arm around my shoulders. It wasn’t as reassuring as Donne’s touch, but it still felt pretty nice. “Pretty awesome to see what you and Ofelia did for the dogs. What else will you be able to do together?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
He smirked. “We’ll have to find out together. After all, now that we have two of you…the possibilities are endless.”
I would have given what little remained of my scholarship to OSU to be able to teleport myself out of the stadium and onto the tour bus.
Rage was right about how big a deal the werewolf fight on stage had been. Or, actually, how big a deal it wasn’t.
The few people smart enough to flee from the werewolves hadn’t put a dent in the usual post-concert crowd hungering for a piece of Rage’s flesh. Fans and reporters were clustered outside the tape cordoning off the tour bus, and I could hear their screams from inside.
After everything I’d been through, the last thing I wanted to deal with was shrieking fans.
The adrenaline that had been carrying me through the night’s conflict was gone the instant I stepped outside the stadium. The cool night air completely failed to revitalize me; instead, it felt like the wind was sapping my strength.
I stumbled without tripping on anything. And everybody saw it. Talk about embarrassing.
Before I could fall, Rage swung me into his arms and twirled, making the starlight swim.
“Don’t fall asleep!” he said. “The night’s young!” He sounded giddy now that he’d finished his concert. And if I wasn’t mistaken, the wounds on his arms looked more healed than they should have, considering the freshness of the damage. I wondered if he’d been using the audience’s excitement as power for healing spells.
My head swirled from being moved so abruptly. “You’re going to make me hurl.”
That got him to drop me. He hung on to my arm, though. “Ravyn will mix up something for you on the bus. Give you a little energy.” Rage squeezed my ass. “Anything for the woman who saved my brother.”
“Brother?” I blinked blearily at him. “Donne? Wait, you’re brothers?”
“Former frat brothers, actually,” Ravyn said, jogging to catch up with us. She moved surprisingly fast considering that her boots had six-inch platform heels. “Come here, you poor pathetic thing. Don’t let Rage bother you.”
She removed me from his grasp and helped me toward the bus, but not before the singer copped another feel. He got terribly handsy when he was in a good mood.
“I know frat guys, and there is no way that Rage and Donne were in a fra
t,” I said.
“They were young and stupid. Remind me to show you the pictures. I have a stash at the mansion.”
“Now I’m sure that you’re messing with me.”
Ravyn winked. “Maybe.”
“Leah! Leah!”
Someone in the crowd was yelling my name.
“Wait, Ravyn.” I turned to search for who was shouting.
A man stood at the corner nearest the bus, trying to squeeze through the tape. He was almost unrecognizable in a polo shirt and khakis. That was the kind of thing my best friend Chad would wear to college, but not to a concert.
That was because he wasn’t in Los Angeles to attend a concert. He was there to rescue me.
During all of the ruckus, I’d completely forgotten calling Chad.
I stepped away from Ravyn, concentrating on standing steady. No need to worry Chad more than I already had. “Oh my goodness, Chad!” I hugged him over the yellow tape. “I feel so stupid for calling you down here.”
“Are you okay? You sounded scary on the phone. You said you were kidnapped.” He held me at arm’s length, looking me up and down. His eyes went wide when he realized what I was wearing. My goth princess dress only looked extra-goth with all the werewolf teeth marks on it.
“I’m fine. I just had kind of a mix-up with some of the band, and too much to drink, and… No, yeah, I’m fine. I’m not being, like, held captive or anything.” Could I have sounded any less confident? “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
Chad stared at me hard. “You’ve changed, Leah.”
I blushed as I ran my hands over the lacy skirt. “Yeah, I know it’s silly, but—”
“That’s not what I mean.” He scrutinized me with narrowed eyes. “There’s something going on here. It’s almost like you’re glowing.”
My eyebrows lifted. He couldn’t have any idea how literally true that had been a few minutes earlier.
I actually had to peek at my hands to make sure I hadn’t gone ultraviolet again.