by Sarah Beth
She smiled sheepishly. Her cheeks had a little color to them now. “I know, I’m sorry.”
Wesley’s father chuckled, waving a hand in the air. “Don’t apologize. This fight ended because of you. We could have lost a lot more wolves if it wasn’t for that thing you did.” He winked at her, before patting Wesley on the shoulder. “Come over here, he doesn’t have much time left.”
Walking over to the wall, Ira and Soryn both turned and acknowledged their arrival, but their faces remained grim. Soryn inclined his head to Haryk. “Alright traitor, they’re here. Now speak. Tell us what all of this was for. Why did you help the vampires murder dozens of humans?”
Haryk took a deep a breath, which only caused him to cough. The sound reverberated in Wesley’s ears. He could hear fluid moving in the Faye’s lungs, just before some blood shot out of his mouth. Haryk didn’t bother to wipe the blood from his lips. With apparent effort, he lifted his head to lean against the wall behind him.
“You haven’t figured it out yet? I’m surprised.” His voice was rough, gargled by the blood trying to fill his lungs. He coughed again, the spasm rocking his body.
Abby took a step closer to him, walking out from under the safety of Wesley’s arm. He didn’t like it, almost took a step to draw her back, but didn’t. The Faye couldn’t hurt her here, not now. Wesley could only see part of her face, but he saw enough to see her eyes harden. She looked down at Haryk, her fists clenched at her sides. “Why would you betray your people? Your friends and family?”
He barked out a laugh, causing another spasm to riddle his chest. When he could take a gasping breath, he wore a sickening smile. “Why would I betray the people who are so stuck in their ways, that nothing ever changes? I wonder.”
Abby’s hand clenched tighter. “Fine, we get it, you hate the Council and everything the Faye stand for. But why murder humans? Why did you side with vampires?”
“You couldn’t get that information from them?” A gasping breath racked his body. “I’m surprised, again.”
Soryn took a step closer, his arm brushing Abby’s shoulder. It was a testament to the friendship that Wesley and Soryn had made over the last week, that Wesley didn’t get upset at the contact. If he was being honest with himself, he was rather grateful that Soryn stood by her. He would defend her if need be. “Stop acting like a fool, you don’t have a lot of time left. Speak and maybe I’ll grant you a quick passing.”
Haryk’s gaze shifted from Abby to Soryn, but it was lethargic and slow. His breathing wasn’t as erratic anymore, but shallow. “If you can’t see the reasons yourself… you haven’t been paying attention…” His eyes closed briefly before fluttering back open. “A faction of society that is shunned and oppressed will only stay down… for so long.”
So what? The vampires had gone on a murder spree because they were sick of living in the dark? That didn’t make any sense. Sure, some vampires — like most of the ones that had called this warehouse home — weren’t that well off. But others? When you lived a few hundred or thousand years, you tended to gain a fair amount of capital. They were missing something.
A cough wracked Haryk’s body, but he didn’t have any strength left to really get anything out of his lungs. His breath was becoming garbled. Sensing that the time was near, Wesley went to Abby’s side. “You can’t be the only Faye that has betrayed their people. Who else is playing your game?”
Haryk’s eyes turned to him, but they didn’t focus. They had a faraway look to them. The Faye was fading fast. With a shuddering breath, he said, “Have you spoken to London yet?” Another gasping breath, more coughing and blood. “You should.”
His heart was barely beating, Wesley could hear it give feeble pumps inside the Faye’s broken chest. Glancing to his left, Wesley shared a glance with Alex. What did London have to do with anything? They had heard of a few murders happening over there, but nothing substantial. Had they missed something vital?
The sound of Soryn’s sword being pulled from its sheath snapped Wesley’s attention back to the dying Faye. But it was too late. Haryk gave one more gasp of air before his heart stopped. Wesley watched, as what life was left in the man, leave his eyes. Soryn put his sword back with sure fingers, a pinched look on his face.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Abby
Standing in Ira’s warehouse, surrounded by her friends and family, Abby watched the old Alpha and Alex. They were standing at a smaller desk in the room, speaking to some Head Alpha in London. It was nearing three in the morning and it was taking all of Abby’s strength not to pass out. They didn’t get a lot from Haryk, but had they really been expecting to? His dying moments came back to the front of her mind.
Shaking her head, she turned her back on Alex and headed for the table where Wesley and Soryn were sitting. They had hot cups of coffee between their hands, but even they looked too tired to do much else. As she slid into the bench seat beside Wesley, he gave her a small smile before lifting his arm.
Fitting into his side just right, she leaned into his ribs and tried to absorb his warmth. Not that she was cold, if she was being honest. Ever since blasting the warehouse in magical sunlight, her body was actually running a temperature. Something they had discovered when they got there, and one of Ira’s wolves — a doctor — checked everyone out. But the warmth of Wesley’s body against her was still comforting.
Soryn inclined his head, “They’ve been speaking for almost an hour.”
Sighing, Abby leaned into Wesley’s side more. Maybe she should’ve gone with Kyle and Tori, but the thought of going out to get food for a dozen werewolves had sounded exhausting. She definitely didn’t have that much energy left in her. Besides, she wanted to be there when Ira and Alex got off the phone with London. “What do you think they’re talking about?”
Wesley hummed, took a sip of his coffee before answering her. “The wolves in Europe are different than here, they tend to stick to their boundaries, to their packs. Gaining information on different packs in that part of the world isn’t going to be easy. Even O’Reily, the Alpha in London, only has so much control.”
Nodding her head against his shoulder, she looked over at Soryn. “Have you sent word to Elazar and Neirdre yet?” As she watched him, she realized how tired he really looked. He had healed a number of wolves at the warehouse. It showed in the dark circles under his eyes and the sunken look to his cheeks.
“I did, but I’m not sure how long it will take to reach them. My magic is very depleted.”
It appeared like they could all use a rest, a long one, she thought with a chuckle. But something told her that the vacation she and Wesley had been dreaming about wasn’t happening anytime soon. His arm around her pulled tight, his lips found their way into her hair.
Don’t worry about everything right now. We’ll figure it all out.
Smiling into his torn shirt, Abby tried to relax in the feeling of his mind touching hers. I know, I just can’t help it. We still know so little. Movement on the other side of the room caught her attention. Alex and Ira were walking over, clearing having finished their phone call. Looking at their faces, though, didn’t fill Abby with a sense of hope.
Alex crossed his arms as he reached them, “Well, our concerns have been confirmed. The small murders we’d heard about in Wales and London weren’t separate incidents. There have been uprisings all over Europe in the last few months, humans and witches being killed.”
Wesley groaned, his knuckles turning white where his fingers held the coffee cup. “Why didn’t anyone get in touch with either of you? Why didn’t we hear about this?”
Ira was then one to speak, inclining his head to one side. “The Alphas had been keeping it all under wraps, dealing with it in their own ways. O’Reily didn’t realize what was happening in our neck of the woods. He was a little preoccupied.”
Raising her brow, Abby looked from Ira to Alex. Seriously? So things in Europe were just as bad, if not worse, than here and this Alpha hadn’t thought to che
ck in with his friends across the pond?
As if reading her thoughts, Alex sighed. “I know, not exactly well thought out on his part. And that’s not all.”
The three of them shared a glance before looking back at Alex and Ira. What else could be going on that would be worse than their current predicament? Ira inclined his head in Soryn’s direction, “O’Reily caught a Faye, a young one apparently. He was trying to escape.”
Soryn’s brows pulled tight, his lips morphing into a thin line. “Escape from what?”
“More like where.” said Alex, his brows raised. His gaze moved over each of them before returning to Soryn. “He was apparently running from the Faye, from his home in Scotland. He said that his family had turned against their own.”
Abby pushed away from Wesley. Sitting straight with her back against the hard bench made it easier to think. She no longer felt tired. Wesley’s hand fell to her knee, Soryn’s eyes met hers across the table. So many emotions were flooding her mind, both her own and Wesley’s, but she could hear Soryn’s too. Through it all, one thing was clear. They had to speak to this kid.
Wesley turned to Alex, his hand still on her knee. “Well, I guess we’re going to London then.”
So much for that vacation. Abby met Alex’s eyes before looking at Soryn, and then Wesley. Despite what occurred at the warehouse that night, it appeared that they had only scratched the surface. Something big was happening in England — in Wyeona — and it was up to Abby to fix it.
Wesley squeezed her knee. It’s our job. We do this together.
A smile pulled her lips up as she leaned back against Wesley’s side. Across the table, Soryn had a small smile on his face, too. Not for the first time in the last few hours, Abby was very grateful for her family. They would go to London, and they would stop the vampires and win the war.
How did she know that? Because her family would be with her and there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do when they were beside her.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my parents, for always believing in me and encouraging me to chase my dreams.
To my amazing friends all over the country — you know who you are. I’d be forever lost without you all.
My lovely team of beta readers. Thank you for taking the time out of your days to help a fellow writer.
And thank you to everyone who has read Abby and Wesley’s story, whether that was back on WattPad or on your kindle. I owe it all to you guys because without your input, comments, and love, this book never would’ve been finished.
I love you all.
About the Author
Sarah Beth grew up all over the continental United States, which she attributes to her deep love of travel. She studied Art History at the University of Minnesota- Duluth (Go Bulldogs!) and could tell you a lot about ancient architecture. She can be found on the beaches of eastern Florida or at home curled up with her cat, Tinker Bell.
The first book in the Keepers of Light trilogy, The Faye’s Secret, was Sarah’s debut novel in 2019. The final installment will be released in 2021.
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Sarahbethwrites.com