Misfit Fortune

by Stephanie Foxe

  “I just wanted to meet you. You were recommended by an acquaintance as an influential alpha. As a new pack, I thought this was an important opportunity to meet whoever I could.”

  “An acquaintance said I was influential?”

  “Yep,” Amber said, not volunteering anything else. She’d already given away too much in this conversation.

  The demon mark flared on Amber’s chest and she heard a strange thunk behind them, followed by a muffled cursing. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Angel pounding against some kind of invisible barrier.

  When she turned back to Tatiana, the alpha was staring right at the demon. Like she could see him.

  “Every time I think I have you figured out, you surprise me again, Alpha Hale,” Tatiana said, her dark eyes boring into Amber’s. She didn’t look upset. She looked very, very interested.

  “Sorry?” Amber replied with an uneasy smile.

  “Oh, don’t be. Most werewolves are tedious.” Tatiana turned and dug in her small, black purse for a moment, then pulled out a card and a pen. She scribbled on the back of the card then handed it to Amber. “My personal cell number is on the back. Let’s talk again after the conference is over.”

  Amber took it, slightly dazed by the whole conversation. “Alright, I’ll call you.”

  “I’ll be very offended if you don’t,” Tatiana said as she stood, slinging the purse over her shoulder. “Looks like our absence is about to be noticed. It’s best not to be seen together too much during this thing. Until next time, Amber.”

  “Yeah, until then.” Amber watched her walk away. A few seconds after she disappeared from sight there was a low pop and Angel tumbled forward, finally released from whatever had held him.

  He strode forward angrily, shifting into a human-like form as he moved.

  “Before you yell at me, Vernier did…whatever that was. And she could see you.”

  He stopped abruptly in front of her. “Are you sure?”

  “She was looking right at you and declared me a surprise, so yeah, pretty sure.” Amber took a bite of the sandwich, chewing absently while Angel fumed and paced. “If she can see you, is that because she has a demon mark too?”

  Angel shook his head. “No, that wouldn’t allow such a thing.”

  “What about having a shaman in her pack?”

  He paused. “Perhaps, but it wouldn’t be an inherent skill. It would be something the shaman would have needed to cast in advance. That’s honestly more worrying.”

  “Tatiana Vernier seems like the kind of person to be prepared for absolutely every scenario,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “It’s kind of inspiring.”

  “Now you just sound like you have a crush on her too,” Angel muttered darkly.

  Amber laughed. “And you sound jealous.”

  “Maybe I am.”

  She looked up and batted her eyes at the demon. “How could anyone resist swooning over me?”

  If he thought she was going to take his teasing seriously, then he was going to be disappointed.

  Angel glared at her for a moment before shaking his head and resuming his pacing.

  “On a positive note, she gave me her number and wants me to contact her after this. Whatever it is you wanted me to get on her good side for might be possible.”

  “I have to figure out how and why she could see me before you do anything.”

  She shrugged. “I’m calling her within a week of the conference. She wanted me to, and I’m not about to offend someone who knows more about shamans than I do. We might need her help.”

  “I’m sure that’s exactly what she wants.”

  “Maybe she’s actually a demon.” Amber shoved the last bite of sandwich in her mouth and set the plate aside as she stood.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Back to celebrate and make sure Genevieve is fine. Carter is still here, I don’t want to leave her alone for too long.”

  “There is a lot to discuss. I need to know everything that woman said, word for word.”

  “Well, you know where to find me. But it’s going to wait until later.”

  “Fine. Tonight.” Angel disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  Amber stood in the alcove for a few moments longer, replaying the conversation in her head. She wanted to trust Tatiana, but she was probably being manipulated. On the off chance the other alpha really did want to help, she had to take the chance.

  Chapter 23

  Genevieve

  Genevieve plopped down in the chair next to Amber and faced the rest of the pack on the couch. Tommy still looked groggy after a night of drinking but his werewolf metabolism saved him from suffering from a hangover. Derek and Ceri, however, both looked like they might be sick. She wrinkled her nose at the foul smelling tea they were drinking. It had stunk up the kitchen and was now infecting the living room.

  Captain Jack rubbed against her leg. She picked him up so he could curl up in her lap. His claws pricked her legs through her jeans as he found a comfortable position. He didn’t quite fit anymore. His back legs dangled over her knees.

  “Why are we up this early?” Derek grumbled, his deep voice still rough with sleep.

  “Because Gen and I spent the weekend getting threatened and y’all need to know about it,” Amber said, leaning back and propping her feet up on the coffee table.

  “Threatened?” Tommy asked in alarm.

  Genevieve nodded. “Well, mine was more of a warning. My ‘informant’,” she used finger-quotes sarcastically, “aka…one of Alpha Carter’s betas, pulled me aside after Paul’s Trials. He didn’t tell me what, exactly, Carter was up to but––”

  “If you want to butt into our pack meeting, then make it where the others can see and hear you,” Amber said testily, looking off to her left.

  Kadrithan slowly appeared in a chair next to Amber, apparently deciding he did want to keep butting in. He didn’t look at all apologetic for being a nuisance but that wasn’t anything new.

  Genevieve cleared her throat, making a point to glare at Kadrithan before continuing. “But, we do know it involves trying to manufacture evidence to give to the MIB to implicate us in working with the sorcerer.” She dragged her fingers through Captain Jack’s fluffy hair nervously. He started to purr. “In addition to all this, the organization Zachariah worked for released a statement yesterday evening claiming they intend to investigate his death, suspecting foul play by the werewolves due to the nature of his injuries. It’s total crap but it makes us and Jameson’s pack look bad.”

  “Appearance is all that matters in these sorts of situations. Your judge, jury, and executioner will be public opinion,” Kadrithan said with a nod.

  “What are we supposed to do? Hire a PR Manager?” Amber asked, looking completely at a loss.

  “No, but I think we might need to speak directly to someone with the MIB.”

  Amber stared silently at the floor for a moment. “Or I might just need to deal with Carter. Personally.”

  “And what? Challenge him to a fight?” Tommy asked, exasperated.

  Genevieve sat back and let them argue it out for a moment, going over all the options in her mind. They’d lose an outright battle even if Amber could take him, which she might be able to do. But that was a big if. They needed something more.

  “Maybe all we need to do is discredit him,” she said, interrupting Amber and Tommy’s back and forth.

  Amber pursed her lips thoughtfully. “That could work. I’m sure he’s not exactly an upstanding citizen.”

  “My concern is that the MIB, and the general public, need someone to blame. If we don’t hand them that, then it’s going to be us,” Genevieve said, crossing her arms. Captain Jack reached up and batted at her hand, dissatisfied that the petting had stopped.

  “We’ve already told everyone about the sorcerer and that Zachariah was helping him. They didn’t believe us,” Amber objected.

  “Because it wasn’t believable. Demons are the bad guys,” she said, g
esturing toward Kadrithan who winked at her. “And angels are pure, wonderful creatures no one ever believes do any wrong.”

  “To be honest, I was there, and it still doesn’t make sense to me,” Ceri admitted. “Maybe Zachariah did go rogue.”

  Kadrithan laughed, the sound sending a warning chill down her spine. “Angels are pure. Bitten werewolves can’t control themselves. Witches will stab you in the back.” He shook his head dismissively. “I would have thought your pack wouldn’t buy into stereotypes.”

  “I think I liked it better when he was invisible,” Derek muttered.

  “Demons are the ones forcing people into taking marks, not angels,” Ceri said, staring Kadrithan down in challenge.

  “It’s quite impossible to force anyone into a taking a mark. Believe me, I’ve tried,” he said with a mischievous smile.

  “You’re not exactly helping your point,” Amber said, shaking her head. “And you could try being less vague. Do you know what the angels are up to?”

  “Looking out for themselves, as always.” Kadrithan glanced at Tommy. “Your troll friend might actually know more about that than most people.”

  “Deward? Why?” Tommy’s brow creased with confusion.

  “The trolls have always been the most neutral historians.” Kadrithan stood. “This has been delightful, but I have an appointment to make. Do consider taking a closer look at what actions your pure angels take.”

  He disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind nothing but the faint scent of sulfur.

  “I don’t know how you stand him.” Ceri chugged the last of her tea with a grimace.

  “I draw on the strength of the pack bond for patience daily,” Amber said, letting her head fall back against the chair.

  Genevieve snorted. “We’re going to need a bigger pack in that case.”

  “Unfortunately, dealing with the MIB isn’t going to be simple, but we can start with figuring out what Carter is giving them, I guess,” Amber said, eyes searching the ceiling for answers.

  “I’m going to talk to Deward about the history of the angels too, just in case there’s something to that,” Tommy said.

  “Kadrithan is manipulating us,” Ceri objected.

  Tommy shook his head. “It didn’t feel like he was lying. He’s been dropping hints about something being off with the angels for ages. They tried to kill Evangeline just for being half demon. That’s not exactly something a good person would do.”

  “We can look into it without throwing our allegiance on the side of the demons,” Amber interjected. “It’s a good idea, Tommy.”

  “Thanks,” he said, casting a triumphant look at Ceri.

  “Now, the next issue is something Ceri will have to decide,” Amber continued. “Alpha Tatiana Vernier pulled me aside on the last day of the conference and asked me how long I’d had a shaman in my pack.”

  Ceri’s face paled. “How did she find out?”

  “She has a shaman in her pack and said that it’s apparent if you know what to look for.” Amber said with a shrug. “I don’t think Jameson betrayed us by spreading that around. I’m actually not sure he understands that you are truly part of the pack.”

  “Did she threaten you?”

  “No, she offered to help us. Answer any questions we might have.”

  “Talking to someone that has experience as a shaman would be very helpful, but…” Ceri crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch. “This other shaman was a witch first. Witches don’t share spells unless they’re in a coven, and even then there’s always a trade. I really don’t think Vernier or her shaman intend on giving us anything out of the goodness of their hearts.”

  “I agree. It’s become apparent pretty much no one is that generous,” Amber said with an unhappy twist of her lips. “However, we may need to try to get what we can from them until we figure out what Vernier is after. We’ll be cautious, if you’re up for it. I’m not going to push you into it.”

  Ceri nodded. “As long as we go in knowing there will be strings attached.” She then hesitated for a moment before adding, “There is something else that’s been bothering me. My spirit guide, the owl, asked me to find something in the spirit realm. When I got close, something pushed me back into my body.” Ceri’s jaw got tight like it always did when she got mad. “I’ve never experienced anything like that but I’m working on figuring it out.”

  Genevieve glanced at the spot the demon had sat. Amber’s wolf had done that to him once before –– with unfortunate consequences –– but it would be good to know how it was done. Just in case.

  Captain Jack jumped off her lap and headed toward the kitchen, meowing loudly.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m hungry too,” she said, following him. There was so much to do to protect the pack and it felt like a timer was counting down over their heads.

  She had today off, but tomorrow she had to be back at work at seven am. The thought made her tired but there was no way around it.

  Chapter 24

  Ceri

  Ceri hadn’t missed her coven for even a moment since she joined the pack. Until now.

  The experience in the spirit realm had shaken her confidence. It had been a long time since she had failed so utterly and it left her feeling like she was six years old losing to Siobhan in a stupid competition.

  The thought of Siobhan made her want to throw up. A vision of her stupid, selfish cousin with her eyes gouged out, heart cut from her chest, and long auburn hair hacked off without care flashed through her mind. Seeing her like that had been the moment Ceri had almost given up.

  It had been her fault Siobhan had even been involved. She’d gotten her killed. And yet, the pack was still relying on her. She had to try one last time to go to the spirit realm alone. If it was dangerous, it would be better for only her to be hurt instead of the entire pack.

  However, she wasn’t going to just try the same thing again. She needed to be better prepared for this attempt.

  Carefully clearing away the pine needles and other debris, she drew a symbol in the dirt. A diamond within a circle large enough for her to lay in comfortably. She placed labradorite at the north point to shield against psychic attacks. Black obsidian was placed on the eastern point to protect against black magic, curses, and evil spirits.

  On the southern point she placed staurolyte to assist her as she moved into the spirit realm. The final crystal was placed on the western point. She’d thought about this one for a while before settling on Apache tear, a crystal often used in healing.

  It was her just-in-case choice. The darkness hadn’t hurt her last time, but it might if she managed to fight harder. She also wanted the energies of the crystal with her as she created this totem.

  She’d studied this sort of casting a few years back. It was something that had gone out of style about a century ago, but witches used to claim a familiar –– or animal totem –– quite often. What she intended to create would strengthen the link between her and her spirit guide.

  The spirit had taken to leaving feathers when it visited her as an owl. She’d been collecting them, unsure what to use them for until she’d found this spell.

  She set the bowl of sage below the labradorite and lit it. The smoke curled around her knees, filling the circle. It’s sharp, almost minty scent cleared her mind.

  A breeze ruffled her hair as she picked up the three feathers she had selected for the totem and a length of cord. Deciding to consider that the spirit’s blessing, she began.

  “Ligatus fuero.” She wrapped the cord around the base of the feathers once. “Aeris ligare.” She wound it around again. “Et volens liberum.” Magic flowed from her fingers into the cord. The knot tightened and the remaining cord separated cleanly as though it had been cut.

  The tawny feathers hardened, petrifying in the space of a single breath. Wind picked up around her. The trees came alive, creaking and swaying. Her awareness of the earth around her deepened.

  She could feel bugs crawling across the dirt
. A bird sitting on a branch. The leaves drinking up sunlight. Warmth filled her senses and she was tempted to disappear in it. To just float out of her body and enjoy this blissful escape from the hustle of her life. But she had work to do.

  With considerable effort, she drew her attention back to her own body. Her heartbeat was slow and steady. She took a breath and focused on the movement of her chest.

  Blinking to clear her blurred vision, she opened her eyes and looked down at the totem. The feathers were bone white. She traced the spine of the feather. Magic tingled up her finger in response.

  A smile spread across her face. She had done it. Now she could go back to the spirit realm and face the darkness again.

  “What are you doing out here alone?” Derek asked, startling her.

  She looked back at him, unable to hide her guilty expression, feeling like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. They hadn’t talked about the children comment he’d made while he was drunk, and it didn’t seem like either of them wanted to, but it had made everything awkward. “I just wanted to try one more time to do it myself.”

  “They say the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again while expecting different results,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

  She rolled her eyes and began tying her remaining cord to the totem so she could hang it around her neck. “I just missed something the first time. I’m going to be more cautious, not just walk in like I did before.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

  “I probably will, but I’d rather not put the pack at risk. If I can do it alone, it’s better.”

  “That sounds logical on the surface, but something tells me it isn’t.”

  She sighed and turned to face him. Apparently this couldn’t be a short conversation. “I want to do this alone. Bringing in the pack has to be a last resort.”