“Thanks, cupcake.” Her voice was husky and raw.
A crack sounded behind us.
Sloane released me, and I turned to find Lauris rubbing his cheek and Jessie covering her mouth.
“What was that for?” Lauris whined.
“You fucking kissed me,” Jessie growled.
Lauris shrugged. “It worked for them.” He jerked his head in our direction.
Poppy rubbed her forehead. “What the fuck just happened?”
Sloane looked down at the dead woman. “I don’t know, but we need to clean this up, get back to the mansion, and figure it out.”
Chapter Eleven
Leif
“Where is she?” Tor demands, as if Cora not being home yet is somehow my fault.
She’ll be home once patrol is over, Rune says calmly.
“Patrol should be over by now,” Tor says. “She should be home by now. Unless…Something’s gone wrong.”
He paces back and forth in front of the hearth.
“We’d have felt it,” I remind him.
“What about the spike a couple of hours ago,” Tor reminds us. “You felt that, right?”
We’d all felt it. “If she’s fighting revenants, we’re gonna feel it.”
If she was hurt, we’d know, Rune says. She’s not hurt.
“Fuck the varga,” Tor grinds out. “We could have been with her tonight if not for them.”
“We can’t be with her all the time,” I remind him.
“Why the fuck not?” Tor says. “She’s our mate. Sten, Arne, and Toke kept Charlotte with them all the fucking time.”
Cora is no Charlotte, Rune reminds him. Cora’s an independent woman, a fighter, an Elite. Things will be…different for us.
Tor stops pacing and stands with his back to the flames flickering in the hearth. He looks like a fiery demon—angry, sulky, and huge.
“Tor, man, you need to chill.”
He glares at me. “You’re okay with her being out there, putting herself in harm’s way?”
Hell no. My stomach’s in knots. “I trust she can take care of herself.”
Tor exhales and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I know. Doesn’t change how I feel.”
I know, Rune says. I feel it too. The urge to run out there and search for her. But she’s not alone. She’s with The Elites and she has Lauris. At least you two can hold her when she returns, touch her…
Oh fuck, I forget how hard this must be for Rune. “I’m sorry, Rune.”
Tor’s agitation melts in the face of Rune’s words. “If there was any way—”
I know. I’ll take what I can. Be close to her in any way I can. I suppose it’s a small mercy that she wants to keep the relationships platonic. At least I won’t have to watch you take her.
“Who said anything about watching?” I grin at the golden wolf.
“What?” Tor says. “You don’t like an audience? Afraid you wouldn’t be able to perform?”
I arch a brow at him. “Oh, I can perform, I just wouldn’t want you to be intimidated.”
Rune groans. Puhlease, we all know whose name she’d be screaming if I wasn’t in wolf form.
“Seriously?” Halle enters the room carrying a tray of mugs filled with hot chocolate and topped with whipped cream. Wren clings to her back, huge eyes surveying the room.
“How old are you guys?” she asks.
She’s right. We’re being ridiculous, devolving to our teen bantering years. Is this what the mate bond does to a wolf’s brain? And sharing a mate…this isn’t how it’s meant to be. Maybe Cora has the right idea. Keeping things in the friend zone is the best way forward no matter how much I may want to take things further.
Wren leaps off Halle and scrambles to the window seat.
The mate bond is just biology, Rune says. We can be more than that. We can be true friends.
It’s a nice thought, but we all know that tempering our instincts is going to be near-impossible.
Tor shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck. “I need her to be home.”
Halle hands out the drinks and then freezes. “Did you—”
“Tor!” Wren cries out. “Something’s outside.”
I sense it next, a ripple in the air. The presence of something other, acrid and abnormal. Tor’s eyes widen and Rune leaps to his feet.
I’m stripping off my clothes and out the door in seconds.
Chapter Twelve
Cora
Anna stood at her study window with her back to us. “It’s happening,” she said. “The Order is making an official comeback.”
“What the fuck did we just witness, Anna?” Sloane pressed. “That thing was human, but it wasn’t.”
“A host,” Anna said. “The Order has found a way to give revenants back a body.”
“That isn’t possible,” Jessie said. “Revenants aren’t ghosts or spirits; they can’t possess people.”
“No.” Anna turned to face us. “They can’t. So whatever this is, it’s permanent. The Order feels strong enough to come out of the shadows and attack. This revenant in human skin used his ability on you, the ability to incite war. It turns allies against each other. Turns friends to foes. You’re lucky you were able to fight it. It usually results in death.”
“Cora shook it off first,” Lauris said.
Anna nodded. “Of course, you’re the anchor, the extra power you have access to would have helped you fight off the effects.” She shook her head. “This is bad.”
“You don’t say,” Jessie drawled sarcastically. “They have a steady access to humans now. They’ll feed whenever they want.”
“But they won’t kill,” Poppy said. “That woman was a mistake. They plan to spread out the revenant feedings, a sip here and a sip there.”
“Which will allow them to gain strength,” Anna said. “So far, the revenants have been unruly with hunger, difficult for the Order to control. This will make them more complacent, more…organized. The Order will use them as soldiers and swell their numbers.”
“War’s coming, isn’t it?” Poppy said.
Anna nodded. “We need to be prepared and we need to do what we can to protect the humans that will be sucked into the Order’s web.”
“We need glamour,” Sloane said. “Strong, warlock-proof glamour.”
“There is only one breed of witch in existence that can weave a glamour that powerful. The silent sisters.”
Silent sisters? “You mean the witches who run Blackmore prison?”
“Yes,” Anna said. “The ones who formed the Order. There are three origins of pure power. Cosmos, chaos, and the unnamed.”
Wait a second. “What about miasma?”
“Miasma isn’t an origin of power; it’s generated by the existence of humanity and regular witches draw from it. Grimswood witches are original witches, and although we generally utilize miasma, our main source of power is the cosmos. Warlocks use chaos, but the silent sisters draw from the unnamed. A power so potent that the price is their voice.”
“Okay, so we ask them to create this glamour,” Jessie said. “Then we go in and we kill some revenants.”
“We can ask, but they may not grant our wish.”
“What? Why the fuck not?”
“The silent sisters believe in the balance of power. They’ll judge if giving us this glamour will adversely affect it.”
This made no sense. “Well of course it will. It’ll give us the upper hand again.”
Anna shrugged. “I know. But we can only wait and see what they decide. I’ll send a message tonight. In the meantime, stay clear of that club. We don’t know how many more revenants have been given human bodies. The warlocks of the Order have the power to incite war, hunger, disease, and in rare cases cause death with a single touch. You will steer clear until we have the glamour to protect you.”
Sloane ran a hand over her face. “So, we’re useless then.”
“There are other threats to humanity.” There was a snap to Anna’s voice. “Yo
u’ll continue your patrols as usual, but you’ll steer clear of The Order club.”
She turned away to look out the window.
Looked like we’d been dismissed.
We filed out of the study.
“I’m gonna grab some food,” Jessie said.
“I’ll join you.” Poppy walked off down the corridor with Jessie.
I was alone with Sloane and very aware that we’d kissed. That I’d kissed her. “About that kiss—”
“Thank you,” she said. “You thought fast on your feet and put my mind elsewhere, giving me a chance to fight the rage.” She smirked. “It was a hot kiss, but nothing meaningful. Let’s just forget it.”
Forget it. Right. The kiss meant nothing.
Her eyes narrowed. “You okay with that?” She reached up to graze my chin with her fingertips. “Or do you need a repeat performance to be sure?”
My gaze dropped to her luscious mouth, and the memory of those soft lips on mine had my pulse kicking up. I’d enjoyed kissing her, but I had enough on my plate with the wolves and Jasper as it was; adding a thing with Sloane, the leader of The Elites, was a bad idea. Even though my gut told me it would probably be really fucking good.
I stepped back with a smile. “Let’s leave this on a high note.”
Was that disappointment in her eyes? “Get some rest, Cora. We patrol again tomorrow.”
She walked away, leaving me wondering if I’d made the right call.
Lauris was waiting for me in the main hall, perched on the windowsill and munching on an apple. He hopped to his feet as I descended the stairs and polished off the fruit, core and all.
“Done?” he said around a mouthful of chewed apple.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”
“Yes, Mom.” He grinned, showcasing bits of fruit stuck to his teeth.
“God, you’re such a child.”
“Trust me, Cora, I’m not a child.” He winked. “I have the gear to prove it.”
I rolled my eyes and headed for the door. “Good for you.”
He hurried after me into the night. “What did Anna have to say.”
“She’s contacting the silent sisters to make us some glamour.”
“Nice.” He bounded ahead a little then stopped to wait for me, scratching the back of his neck. “We patrolling again tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” I caught up to him. “Regular patrol.”
We walked side by side, but Lauris kept speeding up, forcing me to jog to catch up. “Hey, you in a rush?”
He shot me a sheepish look. “Actually, yeah. I got places to be.”
I arched a brow. “Uh-huh? What places?”
He grinned. “Nah, Cora. My off-the-clock activities are private.”
Hell, I understood the need for space and privacy. “That’s cool with me.”
The cabin came into view, and the hulking figure of a crimson wolf padded out from around the side of the house.
“Ah, looks like my job is done,” Lauris said. “I’ll pick you up for patrol tomorrow.” He blew me a kiss and bounded off.
Leif watched me approach, his eyes dark in the gloom. I picked up the pace, eager to reach him and get indoors.
A warning rumble echoed in his chest and the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention.
“Leif?”
His haunches bunched, eyes flashing dangerously, then he launched himself at me with a snarl.
What the fuck!
He sailed toward me as if in slow motion. My hands crackled in response to the threat, but my nape pricked in warning. The threat wasn’t Leif, it was thick foreboding at my back.
I spun, palms shooting lightning as Leif sailed over my head and slammed into the dark figure that had been sneaking up on me. He passed right through it and landed lightly before spinning to face me, eyes bright in the gloom, lips pulled back in a snarl.
Where is it?
Fucking hell.
Duck! Leif ordered.
I hit the ground and the air above my head moved with a whoosh.
Leif leapt to land beside me, hackles raised, ready to attack and defend. A golden blur cut through the darkness toward us.
Rune.
Together they flanked me as the dark form materialized several meters away at the edge of the forest.
A man in a long coat and gray slacks.
Glasses glinting in the moonlight.
“Dimitri?”
He adjusted his cuffs and smiled thinly. “No need for the violence. I’m simply here to deliver a message.”
He’s not welcome on our land, Rune said. Tell him to leave.
“You need to leave.” I crossed my arms. “You’re not welcome here.”
“I will, once I—”
Leif snarled and Dimitri flinched.
Not as cool and collected as he made out to be, then.
I smirked. “I suggest you get the fuck on with it.”
“The Sons offer you one chance to avoid bloodshed. Come to them willingly and they will spare your coven. You have six weeks to comply.”
Tell him to go fuck himself, Leif said, low and lethal.
But my pulse was racing as the reality of this situation hit me in the face. Me or the coven.
No, Rune said. You or the fate of humanity. You’re too important. Remember the bigger picture, Cora. Remember what we fight for.
I took a deep breath. “You need to leave now.”
He adjusted his spectacles. “You could come with me. Save your—"
A deep growl rose up from behind Dimitri, then the Renfield was flat on his front, with Tor’s jaws clamped around his nape.
His glasses askew, Dimitri looked up at me flatly. “You can’t kill me. You c—”
A sharp crack split the night. The sound of his neck snapping.
Tor released him and fixed his eyes on us. Get inside. Now.
I tore my attention from Dimitri’s dead eyes and allowed Rune and Leif to herd me back to the house. I sensed Tor right behind us. The door was yanked open and Halle stepped back to let us in.
Heat kissed my skin and the change in temp from chilly to warm had me tearing off my jacket and stripping off my polo sweater so I was in a vest and jeans.
“Cora!” Wren hugged my leg.
“You okay?” Halle asked.
Prickling power stung my skin as Tor and Leif shifted to human form.
“I’m fine.” I picked Wren up and hugged him.
Tor pulled on his jeans and boots before heading back out. “I’ll put the body in the garage, you call Anna.”
Leif finished tugging on his boxers. “On it.”
I followed Tor and stood in the doorway as he clomped across the porch, the powerful muscles of his naked back rippling in the moonlight.
He came to a halt at the steps. “Motherfucker.”
I followed his gaze to the spot where he’d broken Dimitri’s neck.
The body was gone.
Chapter Thirteen
Jasper
I materialize in Fee’s quarters at the Dominus house. She’s seated at the dresser, wrapped in a robe, running a brush through her silver-blonde hair. Her gaze locks on me in the mirror. She pauses mid-stroke and whirls to face me.
“What’s happened?” she demands. “What’s happened to Cora?”
I roll my eyes. “As if you care.”
Her delicate jaw hardens, and she pushes to her feet, eyes narrowed. “I know you don’t like me, Jasper, and frankly, I don’t give a fuck, but if you try to come between Cora and me, I’ll—”
“Do what?” I tip my head to the side. “If you haven’t noticed, Cora has her own life now, her own destiny. She’s no longer your lackey.”
“My lackey?” She frowns. “Is that what she thinks?”
This is my chance to let her believe the lie, but it sits like ash on my tongue. “No,” I concede. “That’s the problem. She doesn’t see it. But I do. I see the number of times she’s put herself in the line of fire for you. How many tim
es she’s put you first and herself second. I won’t allow it to continue.”
She’s looking at me as if I’ve grown horns, and I’m almost tempted to reach up and touch my forehead to check.
“You genuinely care for her, don’t you?” she says.
She stares at me, incredulous, and it’s as if she’s peeled back the layers to peer into my blackened soul.
I don’t like it.
I lift my chin. “You were supposed to find out about the original vampires.” I allow my lip to curl. “I can see you’re ‘on it.’”
She sighs. “Actually, I am. I sent a phoenix to Conah as soon as I got off the phone with Cora early this evening. If there’s information to be found, you can be sure he’ll find it.”
Ah, the nose-in-a-book Dominus with a penchant for filing. I suppose he’s a good choice to weed out any hidden texts on these creatures.
A frisson of warning skates over my mind. Cora? I close my eyes and reach for her. Her confusion and fear are muffled by the amulet, but I focus. Is she in danger? The fear dissipates. No. She’s safe.
I focus on Fee. “Send another phoenix. In fact, go there yourself and speed shit up. Cora would do it for you.”
Her expression hardens. “I don’t have to explain myself to you, Jasper, but if you must know, I’ve spent the last few hours in the Dominus archives looking for information on these vampires that call themselves Sons of Adam. If I had my way, I’d be jumping to Cora’s side right now, but I’m respecting her wishes, no matter how hard it is to do so, so don’t you dare insinuate that I—”
The air crackles and Conah materializes by the door.
Fee glares at him. “Seriously? What if I was naked?”
He looks sheepish. “I focused on you and not the location when jumping. Probably not the best idea in hindsight.”
She arches a brow. “You think?”
I don’t care about her sensibilities or his embarrassment; my attention is on the book clutched in his hand.
“Is that for Cora?”
He looks down at the book as if noticing it for the first time and nods. “Yes. This was all I could find on them. I haven’t had a chance to read it through; I figured you’d want it as soon as possible and—"
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