Rack or Ruin (The Desecrated Pack Book 3)

by Jude Marquez

  “You are who you have always been. You don’t look the same but that doesn’t matter because there are some parts of you that immutable. You fight against the evil things in this world, the same as you did in all your previous lives. Your sister remains the most important person to you, the same as always. Some things change, of that I have no doubt. But there are parts of you that remain untouchable,” he said softly.

  “I didn’t ask for this,” I said.

  “I know. And you were so angry with me when you realized what I had done that you struck me,” Azolata said. He stood and raised his shirt. Just above his heart there was a mark like a hand print. “You were the only god that could do that. Until then, I wasn’t sure if you had powers like the rest of us. I found out quickly that you did.”

  I wanted to ask him what powers those were but held back. “What happens now? How can I remember? How do I get you out?”

  Azolata sighed heavily and looked away. “I’m surprised you can even get in here. As for anything else, I’m not sure there is anything you can do. It’s... complicated.”

  “Can you tell me anything?” I begged.

  Azolata searched my face. “You can’t save me.”

  I didn’t think it was possible to hate someone so much and want to kiss them all at the same time.

  “Why? Because I’m not a god? Because I’m not strong enough?” I demanded.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “That’s not my fault! Work with me! Help me!” I said.

  “You have to remember before anything else. You have to see me. Once you do that, you will have what I gave you. But even then, you won’t be strong enough. It will take more than a single god to get me away from my brother and free of the shackles of my sister,” he said.

  “Billie,” I whispered.

  Azolata nodded.

  “She didn’t- she never loved you like that, though,” I pointed out.

  “No. Billie and I had a different relationship. She was my best friend for the time that I knew her. She accepted me, however and whoever I was. She loved me like she loved you,” Azolata said.

  I closed my eyes. “How do I see you?”

  “It’s a choice. Intent. It’s magic, like everything else,” Azolata said and leaned against the freezer. He slid down again.

  “I choose you! I see you! What else do I have to do?” I demanded.

  Azolata looked up at me. “If you meant that, I would be free already, happily bathing in my brother’s blood and murdering every single person working for the Ascendancy.”

  Chapter 11

  I heard Eli come into my room and open my closet. I rolled over, away from the light shining on my face.

  “Dude, close the door. Why are you in my closet?” I grumbled.

  I heard him clear his throat. Then, “Your closet?”

  That wasn’t Eli.

  I sat up and it all came back to me in a rush of embarrassment.

  I wasn’t in my bed. I was in Ezekiel Montgomery’s bed. This wasn’t my room; it was his.

  He had his back to me and I saw him neatly hang a tie in his closet then he pulled off his button-up shirt with economical movements.

  He had a tank top underneath that that he stripped himself of quickly and tossed into the hamper in his bed. His skin was flawless and a rich brown, like he spent days and days in the summer sun even though it was February and he lived in Montana. The muscles in his back were fluid and my fingers involuntarily curled into the blanket over my legs.

  “Sorry- I thought-” I scrambled to wake up and figure out something to say.

  “You thought you were at home,” he said and his voice was water over gravel and I desperately wanted him to turn around. “Were you dreaming?”

  It was such a strange question that I didn’t know how to answer but with the truth.

  “Yes,” I admitted.

  “Your brothers,” he said and nodded. He still had his back to me but he turned to the dresser in the corner. I could see his profile.

  “And my parents,” I added.

  “Ah. It must have been a good dream.”

  I would have like to think so, but it was slipping away quickly. For the lack of anything better to do, I stood up. “Sorry, I’ll just-”

  “You don’t have to go-” he said and then he turned.

  We stared at each other and I tried to find the young kid that I remembered in his features but he was gone, barely a shadow left. There was some stubble on his chin, probably carefully trimmed that morning. His eyes were dark and his mouth generous and pink. His torso was muscled and his biceps and shoulders were broad and thick.

  Dear god, he wears glasses.

  I looked down and realized that the pajamas that Emily gave me comprised one of his tank tops and a pair of shorts that were hopefully hers but didn’t leave a lot to the imagination. They were closer to underwear than shorts, if I were being honest.

  “Jesus,” I muttered and turned, looking for my pants.

  “Emily threw them in the washer,” Ezekiel said.

  “Oh- um-” I said.

  “Here,” He said and reached inside his closet and pulled a robe off a hook. He took a couple steps over to me and when I reached for the robe, our fingertips brushed.

  I jerked back and looked up at him. “You’re hot,” I blurted.

  He cocked his head. “Thank you?”

  “No, I mean, you’re body heat. You’re hot. Not to say that you are not attractive, because you are. I mean-”

  I wondered if he would be offended if I shifted and ran from this increasingly humiliating situation.

  “Don’t,” he said and wrapped his hand around my forearm. “Don’t run.”

  “How-”

  “Your eyes,” he said.

  I blinked. I hadn’t lost control of my wolf since I was a toddler.

  I looked down and took a deep breath. I nodded and pushed my wolf back until I had complete control and then looked up at him.

  “Thank you,” I said and held the robe up.

  “Of course. Have you eaten?” He said and let my arm drop.

  “Yeah, Emily fed us,” I said.

  “Are your brothers here?” He said and took a step back.

  “No, wait, you didn’t see anyone else when you came in?” I asked and panic rose inside of me like a tsunami.

  “No, no one else, just you-” he said and before he could finish his sentence, I was turning and shifting all at once, heading for the front of the house.

  Behind me, I felt a wave of heat, but not anything that could threaten me. I didn’t look back. The door was open a crack and I pulled it open the rest of the way and stopped in the front yard.

  I took a deep breath and turned east, where I caught the combined scent of Jake and Savannah.

  That heat followed me but remained silent.

  I ran as fast as I could, following Jake and Savannah into rougher territory. I was worried that I couldn’t catch Gerri’s scent but prayed and hoped that they could lead me to her.

  Then as I approached a small pond, their scents stopped.

  I skidded to a stop myself, breathing deeply, a growl rising deep in my throat.

  I threw back my head and howled.

  “Here! Sorry, sorry! We’re here, sorry!” Jake said and stumbled out of the bush. I ran for him and saw the terror on his face when I bowled him over.

  “Celia! I’m sorry, Gerri was teaching us stuff - oh my god don’t eat me!” Jake screamed.

  It wasn’t unwarranted. I had my teeth buried in his throat and held him still. There was no threat in the gesture; it was the closest I could get to him, to remind myself that he was alive and well. It was also to hold him still while I reassured myself that he was okay.

  Savannah came out behind Jake and I crashed into her, pushed her to the ground but she didn’t scream like him and bared her neck to me like she was supposed to. She was still while I inspected her, didn’t speak or try to push me away.

  Gerri stood n
earby, but I didn’t feel the same claim over her, so I only circled her and pushed my nose into her hand.

  She raised her hand and traced my ear.

  I twitched it at her.

  “You are lovely and so is your friend. Who is he?” She asked.

  When I looked behind myself, I saw Ezekiel there-

  On fire.

  I shifted back without even thinking about it.

  By the time I was fully human, the flames had gone out, and he was standing there, naked, staring at us.

  “Why are you on fire?” I asked.

  “Dragon,” he said politely and gestured to himself.

  “Shut up,” Savannah gasped. “You guys are supposed to be extinct or a myth or an urban legend.”

  “Nope. Well, definitely endangered,” Zeke replied.

  “You guys really don’t have an issue with nudity, do you?” Jake muttered as Savannah pulled him to his feet.

  “It’s inconsequential when you are fighting for your life more often than not. I’m Zeke Montgomery. Nice to meet you,” he said and offered Jake his hand.

  “Officer Jake Nichols. Celia and her friends knocked me unconscious and kidnapped me two states ago,” Jake said and shook his hand.

  “I’ve heard about you on the news,” Zeke said.

  Savannah and Gerri introduced themselves.

  Jake gave me his hoodie and we all headed back to the cabin.

  “What were you doing out here?” I asked, trying to keep my eyes off Zeke’s ass.

  “Gerri was showing me how to hide my scent from wolves,” Savannah said. She was openly staring at Zeke’s ass.

  “Did you know Jake has magic?” Gerri asked. She was also staring at Zeke’s ass.

  “I knew he probably had a witch in his line,” I said.

  We made it back to the cottage quickly and when we walked in, Emily was setting a large, rough hewn bag down on the ground. She turned when she saw us.

  “Hey, you’re naked,” she said to Zeke.

  “We thought we had an emergency,” Zeke explained and headed for his room.

  Gerri and Savannah craned their necks after him and I shoved Savannah. She straightened up and smirked at me.

  I grabbed my bag of clothes and hurried to the bathroom to get dressed.

  When I came out, Emily was pulling an elegant, carved wooden box out of the bag. She set it on the table and gestured for me to come over.

  “Your parents were up here for a land delegation. Before they left, they dropped this off with my parents. We were too young to know what was in it and my dad hid it and after they died, we figured that it wasn’t any business of ours to find out what was in there. And the will said that it was to be left alone until the alpha of the Ortega line came for it. So,” Emily said and nodded to it. Zeke joined our group, wearing jeans and a loose t-shirt.

  “My book?” I said and looked from Emily to the box.

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  I put my hand on the lid and then searched for a way to open it.

  “Here,” Zeke said and made his way around the table and went to my other side, coming between Savannah and I.

  Savannah took a step back and glared at him.

  “My dad said it took two alphas to lock it, so it might take two alphas to open it,” he explained.

  “Fancy,” Jake muttered and rolled his eyes.

  We both ran our fingertips around the edge of the lid and at one side, I felt it.

  “There it is,” I said. Zeke nodded.

  We pushed in and the lid popped open.

  The first thing that hit me was the scent of my parents. My eyes watered and I had to wipe at my face.

  “Here,” Savannah murmured and held her hand out so she could take the lid from me.

  At the top of the box there was a length of folded cloth. When I laid half of it back, a memory struck me.

  “This was my grandmother’s,” I said.

  It was a velvet scarf with beaded fringe, a blue so dark that it appeared to be black at first glance.

  “My mom kept it in her closet. She said that it would be mine when I grew up,” I said and had to stop because I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat.

  “She wore it when she got married to my dad,” I finally finished.

  Everyone was silent around me.

  I flipped the other half back and stared.

  Zeke took a step back and Emily put a hand over her mouth.

  “Should we be impressed too?” I heard Jake whisper to Gerri.

  “Yes. Those are items of great importance though I don’t understand the significance or history,” Gerri whispered back.

  Jake nodded.

  “What are these?” I asked and traced them with my fingertips. The power in them was like a static shock but not unpleasant.

  “That’s an alpha’s legacy,” Zeke said.

  I shook my head. “I’ve never heard of them. I’ve never even seen these but they feel like-”

  “Yours?” Emily guessed.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  They were thick leather cuffs, branded with an old symbol that I didn’t understand. It could have been a wolf caught in a partial shift but I wasn’t sure. There were two of them, one for each wrist. There was a buckle on the inside of them that made it easy to put them on with one hand.

  “What are they for? Why haven’t I seen them before? My mom had these?” I asked, my words coming faster and faster.

  “Traditionally, you wear them into battle. They let the other alphas know who led the charge. During your parent’s time, there was no great battle but if there was, your mother would have led them wearing those,” Zeke said.

  “Led who?” I asked, confused.

  “The shifters,” Emily said.

  “All of them?” Savannah asked.

  Emily and Zeke nodded.

  “Wait, if they gave Celia this status, if it's passed down from generation to generation doesn’t that make her some kind of princess?” Jake asked and glanced over at Gerri.

  “More like a queen. Or a general. A queen-general?” Zeke guessed and turned to Emily who shrugged and nodded.

  “Wait,” I said and held up a hand.

  Everyone turned to me, waiting for me to say something.

  But I could only stare back.

  “You know how to trace your line, right?” Emily asked gently.

  “The Ortega line started and ended with Glenwood Lock. We’ve always been there to protect the spring that rises from the lands. We are the guardians of the oldest magic in the world,” I said weakly.

  “Yes,” Zeke said and looked over to Emily, confusion written all over his face. “But where does the Ortega line come from?”

  “Glenwood Lock,” I repeated.

  “No,” Emily said and reached across the table to take my hand. “Celia, darling, where did you come from?”

  I stared at her.

  “You are what remains of the Immortal Pack. You and your brothers. The power and magic that was theirs is yours. It’s concentrated in your line. These cuffs are a symbol of that,” Emily said.

  “No-” I said and shook my head.

  The Immortal Pack was the only pack strong enough to challenge the Convocation of Nights, to take on the traitors to us and the humans all at once. The history was muddled, but they took the Immortal Pack down.

  “Yes, Celia. That is your history. How do you think you could turn someone born into the Ascendancy? And if the rumors are true, a Power and Virtue were called again, and to your pack. And all the things that Artie can do? Celia, come on,” Zeke said and folded his arms over his chest.

  I stared at him and wondered if it would be inappropriate for me to punch him.

  “She’s going to punch you,” Savannah informed Zeke, somewhat gleefully.

  Zeke took a step back but didn’t apologize.

  “He’s right. He’s an ass, but he’s right,” Emily said.

  “They’re yours now. And if anyone is figh
ting a battle, it’s you. Put them on,” Zeke said.

  I raised an eyebrow at him.

  He smirked at me.

  “Punch him,” Jake whispered.

  Instead, I plucked one cuff from the nest of velvet and held it up to the light. I turned it around and looked at the inside of the leather and the buckle that held it closed.

  “There’s something missing,” I muttered.

  “Like what?” Gerri asked.

  “I don’t know-” I said and tilted the bracelet and saw something in the brand, deep inside of it. It was dark and when I used one of my claws to dig it out, it came out in dark brown flakes.

  “That’s blood. That’s someone’s blood,” Savannah said helpfully.

  Zeke nodded, like it made sense.

  I frowned at the cuff. “Of course it is.”

  “What is going on? Is that evidence of a murder?” Jake asked.

  “If you are part of this world for any amount of time, you’ll learn that the most powerful magic and most powerful weapons we have at our disposal require blood,” I muttered.

  We remained silent for a moment and then I sighed. I put the cuff down and extended my arm, to draw my blood.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Zeke asked.

  “Okay, I really will punch you,” I huffed and looked up at him.

  He was reading a piece of paper. When he saw that I was looking at him, he lifted it. “It was under the scarf.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He handed it over. “Instructions and a love letter.”

  I took the sheets from him and read the first page. When I finished it, I looked up at him. He pursed his lips and nodded.

  Zeke left the room and came back a moment later. I saw the flash of silver in his hand before he tucked it away into his back pocket. I had the other pages in my hand and I was resisting the urge to read them. I needed more time to spend on them than just a brief glance.

  “Ready?” He asked.

  I cleared my throat and nodded. I folded the remaining pages in my hand and put them in my pocket. Zeke took the instructions and we headed outside.

  “What’s going on?” Jake whispered.

  “Weird shifter magic ceremony,” Emily whispered back.

  “Can we watch?” Savannah asked.

  “Yes. There should be witnesses,” Zeke called over his shoulder.