by G. K. DeRosa
I let out another sob, and Aunt Hilda’s damp arms wrapped around me. “I’m so sorry, child, for everything you’ve suffered.”
“Just tell me how to find Lune Sacré. I’m one of you after all, don’t I have a right to find my people?”
She released me to arm’s length, her soft gray eyes scrutinizing. “You’re right,” she said after the longest minute ever. “You are one of us and you deserve to know the truth of your heritage.”
“Thank you,” I blubbered, pulling her into another hug.
She eventually released me and marched to the nightstand by her unmade bed. Pulling out a post it note and pen, she scribbled a quick message. She tucked the paper into my palm and placed her hands on my shoulders, fixing me in her gaze. “Now you have the special code. Without it, the coven is impossible to find. Perform a simple scrying spell with your blood while uttering the words of the code. It’ll lead you right to them. But once you discover their location, you must move quickly. The coven doesn’t remain in one place for long, they’re constantly moving.”
I gave her another quick hug. “Thanks again, Aunt Hilda.”
“Good luck, child.”
Chapter Eight
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Cass stared up at me bleary-eyed. A map of Azar was spread across my coffee table with a globule of blood hovering over the Ocean Realm, Aquatica, the capital to be exact. “It’s the middle of the night. You can’t just go traipsing into the secret lair of the Lune Sacré.”
I continued my pacing, cradling my hand and the fading cut across my palm. “Why not? They’re my coven. I should have a right to their underground hideout just like the rest of them. And besides, I told you what Hilda said, if we don’t move now they could be gone by the morning.”
“And technically we have the trials to attend bright and early,” Hunter added.
Cass shot him a narrowed glare. “I thought you’d be on my side, Dragon Boy. Aren’t you supposed to be keeping her safe?”
Hunter returned her scathing stare with one of his own as he slid to the edge of the couch cushion. “Sierra’s safety is always my main concern. I have no reason to believe her own coven would want to hurt her. If anything, a top-secret hideout would be the best place for her.”
Vander shrugged. “He’s probably right, Cass.”
“Traitor,” she muttered through clenched teeth. Throwing her hands up, she shook her head grumbling to herself. “I guess you’re not going to let any of us go with you either.”
My eyes widened as a pair of golden eyes seared over me. Damn you, Cass! I knew I’d never get anywhere with the Lune Sacré with my broody wolf mate tagging along, but I hadn’t quite figured out how to tell him yet.
“You’re not going by yourself,” Hunter barked as he shot up. “We don’t know anything about them.”
I crept toward him, lowering my voice like I was dealing with a frightened, skittish animal. “They’re not going to hurt me, you just said it yourself. The Lune Sacré protected the Mystics, remember?”
His head whipped back and forth. “That was ancient history, Sierra, and everything changed when you appeared. You’re the last one. We have no idea how they’ll react to seeing you.”
“You’re right, but I do know how they’ll react to seeing you.”
He huffed out an exasperated breath and ran his hands through his hair.
“I can go with her,” Vander offered. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“No,” Hunter growled.
I dug my elbow into my rude mate’s side and smiled at his friend. “He meant to say, no, thank you, Vander, but it was very kind of you to offer.”
“What if Terra can disguise me somehow?” Hunter’s dark brow quirked up.
“You’re going to wake her up too?” Cass griped.
“I’ll do whatever I have to so Sierra doesn’t go on this wild goose chase by herself.”
My lips twisted into a frown, and my arms came across my chest instinctively. “Is that really what you think this is?”
His face fell, the hard lines of his jaw softening. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that I just don’t want to—”
“Get our hopes up?” I finished for him.
He nodded slowly, and a swell of disappointment filled my chest. By the overwhelming strength of it, it must have been a combination of his and mine.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head on his chest. His heart strummed beneath my ear. Sometimes I forgot breaking the bond wasn’t for my benefit. Hunter was the one missing out on one of the greatest and most consuming emotions we were blessed to feel. “Let’s go wake Terra and see what she can do,” I whispered against his shirt.
He released me and with a quick wave to our friends, we were off to Silverstalker Lair.
“I kinda like you as a blonde.” I dug my fingers into Hunter’s hair, marveling at Terra’s work. The only distinguishable thing that remained of my mate was his eyes. The rest was someone new. Sharper cheekbones, a wider nose, lighter skin tone and a full beard. And his scent, that was the most alarming thing of all, it had completely vanished. No cedar, no vanilla, none of that familiar wolfy musk.
“Very funny.” He stalked toward the portal station to the human world along the outskirts of a still quiet Moon Valley, and I anxiously trailed behind.
According to Terra, anyone that saw him would think him nothing more than a mere mortal. She warned the glamour wouldn’t last long, and it could be possible for a very powerful witch to see through it so we couldn’t dawdle. Our visit to Lune Sacré had to be short and sweet: discover what they knew about the curse and/or my grandma’s whereabouts and out.
Plus, the trials started in a couple hours.
We reached the whirling winds of the portal, and I pushed my wandering thoughts aside. Right now, we needed to focus on finding my coven. Would they know who I was? Grams had kept me a secret for so long, but had she shared my story with her witchy sisters?
Guess we’re about to find out.
Hunter threaded his fingers through mine and gave my hand a squeeze. “Ready?”
“Abso-wolfin-lutely!”
His warm chuckle echoed through my chest as we leapt into the swirling vortex. Wading through the gelatinous substance, the darkness closed around us. No more winds, no more lights, only emptiness. Then it all came rushing back in a blur, sights and sounds pummeling at me as the mystical doorway opened and spat us out in the middle of the sea.
I gulped in a lungful of salty water and gagged as the warm sea enveloped me. Kicking frantically to reach the surface, a strong grip hauled me upward. My head broke through and I sucked in a breath of fresh air, coughing and spluttering, my lungs burning.
“What the hell kind of portal drops you in the middle of the ocean?” I growled.
Hunter leisurely treaded water beside me, running his hand through his new blonde locks. “There are no portal stations here in the Ocean Realm. They just use mystical doorways, like the one we just fell through.”
“Now you tell me.” I scanned the endless blue, and a swell of panic filled my gut. “Where to now?”
“Down.”
I followed his line of sight to the azure depths below. The first rays of dawn spilled through the surface, revealing the beauty below. Sprawling coral reefs stretched out, fishes of all shapes and sizes swimming through the colorful rock formations.
“According to the map, the Lune Sacré is right below us. There must be a hidden grotto or something. How good are you at holding your breath?”
“Seriously?” I arched a brow. “Why didn’t we think to bring scuba gear?”
“I doubt the entire coven is decked out in scuba gear twenty-four hours a day. There must be a mystical veil around their hideout. We just need to find it.”
“All right, let’s do it then.” I drew in a deep breath and followed him under, trying not to focus on how odd this new disguised version of Hunter was. Once we waded down a few yards, the tingle of mag
ic swept over my skin. He was right. They had to be nearby.
The deeper we went, the stronger the pull became. It was like a lasso around my middle, tugging me forward. Scanning the vibrant reefs, I searched for an entryway of some kind. I signaled to Hunter, and he slowed, letting me take the lead.
Do you feel them? He asked through the bond.
Yeah, I think I do. And I hope I’m right because I’m running out of air. Kicking harder, I circled the mineral formation, following the odd pull. My lungs constricted as a small opening between two massive rocks caught my eye. There! I pointed and dragged Hunter toward the entrance as steel bands tightened around my chest.
I wiggled through the opening and as soon as I crossed the threshold, magic bathed my skin. The water disappeared, and I found myself on all fours, my lungs gulping in the sweet oxygen. Hunter appeared beside me, wet and grumbling but at least we were both in one piece.
“It was an illusion,” I breathed out.
“Looks like.”
A dark cave stretched before us. I squinted to make out the way, but the black only intensified the further we moved.
“I got this.” Hunter snapped his fingers, and I waited for his dragonfire to light up his palm. But nothing happened. He muttered a curse as realization set in. Terra’s cloak hadn’t just concealed his physical form and abilities, it was blocking them. “Terra could’ve warned us at least,” he grumbled.
“Maybe she thought we knew.” I shrugged and took his hand, letting his warmth seep into my damp skin. “Don’t worry, I got this.” Raising my free hand, I turned it palm up and whispered, “Incendia.”
A glowing ball of light appeared in my palm, then floated up, hovering over our heads and lighting up the long tunnel. A vibrant array of stalactites and stalagmites were revealed beyond the soft glow. We followed the passageway for a few yards before it split into a fork.
“Where to, little witch?” Hunter smirked.
I followed the tug and turned to the right. “We’re almost there. I can feel it.” The narrow tunnel opened up into a cavernous room with archways splitting off the main space. Brilliant lavender glyphs coated the walls, setting the entire room aglow. I moved closer to make out the mystical markings. My fingers ran across the rocky surface, and energy tingled across my fingertips.
“What are they?” Hunter asked.
“Wards, most likely, and powerful ones. It’s how they manage to stay so well hidden.”
“Ferme!” A voice boomed across the cave and my body froze, every muscle and bone fixing in place. From the corner of my eye, I could just make out Hunter’s motionless form beside me.
A man and woman appeared from one of the doorways, both wearing long magenta robes. An insignia on the upper left side caught my attention. It was the sorcerer and the staff with a full moon hanging overhead, the exact same image that adorned the Mystic Pack crest.
The female’s curious gaze lanced over me, then to Hunter, brushing her silver-lavender locks behind her ear. She exchanged a glance with the man and moved closer. The lengthy robe swished across the floor, giving her the appearance of floating.
“You must be Sierra,” she finally said. “We’ve been expecting you.”
Chapter Nine
The robed pair ushered us through one of the doorways, revealing another room with the same glowing glyphs crawling across the walls. In the center, sat a long stone table with matching chairs on either side. Each one had a roman numeral etched into the high, stone back.
The man, whose bald head shone with the reflection of the glyphs, folded his tall form into the one marked four, while the woman settled into number three. Neither offered us a seat, so I pressed my arms across my chest and glanced from one to the other.
Maybe they’re feeling us out? Hunter asked through the bond.
Maybe. I was surprised our mental link was still working since his other powers weren’t. Damn, the mate bond really was strong.
I resolved to wait a few more seconds before hurling a barrage of questions at our odd hosts.
The witchy twosome whispered quietly among themselves for an excruciatingly long moment before turning their gazes back to us—no, me. Which hopefully meant Terra’s glamour was working, and they had no interest in the mortal.
“We knew it was only a matter of time,” the woman finally said. “Then when Hilda warned us of your arrival, we waited expectantly. You appeared more quickly than we’d planned.”
“I’ve been searching for you for a while now,” I hedged.
“And we’ve been waiting nearly two decades for you,” the man added.
“So you knew about me? You knew I was the last Mystic?”
The man’s lips twitched before straightening into a thin line. “Yes.”
“Our High Priestess risked everything to keep you hidden, keep you safe from the monsters that sought to destroy you. You know, centuries ago, the Mystics were sacred pets to the Lune Sacré. We’ve always watched out for you as it is from our magic that you came to be. The goddess Luna is our creator and yours.”
I nodded slowly, trying to absorb her words. Maybe they’d know more about my glowing wolf. I shelved the thought for later.
“Now tell us, little wolf, why have you sought us out?”
“I need your help in finding my Gra—the High Priestess.”
The woman’s mouth puckered. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. She’s gone into hiding once again and has left explicit instructions that she should be left alone.”
“Well, she couldn’t have meant that about me. I’m her family, and she’s the only one I have left.”
The man cleared his throat and scooted the stone chair forward, the sharp keening sound making me wince. “If she wanted you to find her, she would’ve told you how in the note she left.”
Ice surged through my veins. Gods, how much did they know about me?
The male stood, and I instinctively took a step back. Hunter moved between us, every muscle going taut. The witch glanced at my mate, as if finally seeing him for the first time. “I didn’t think you’d be foolish enough to bring him here.”
Shift.
“He’s my mate,” I growled. “You say you were close to the Mystics, then you must know how important a mate bond is to wolves. My grandmother cursed him for a crime he didn’t commit. Why force him to bear the burden of his father’s sins? It’s not fair.”
“I’m sorry, we cannot help you,” said the woman, rising.
“There has to be someone else I can talk to. Someone above you, that can help me, please.” I folded my hands together, pleading.
The woman’s pale green eyes lit up. “Silly, little wolf. I am the Empress, and he is the Emperor. We are second only to the High Priestess herself. In her absence we rule the coven.”
My eyes flickered to the chairs positioned alongside the table—the numbers. Twenty-two. Just like the tarot cards Grams used to show me as a child. The High Priestess, Emperor, Empress. The Lune Sacré represented the cards of the major arcana, perhaps the minor too.
My mind flickered back to the old kitchen table where I sat with Grams. She flipped the cards, showing me the images and what they meant. I still couldn’t remember what I was supposed to be. Had she told me or had I imagined it?
“We’re not leaving until you tell me how to break the curse.”
The Empress chuckled, a cold, sinister sound that bounced off the luminescent walls. “Even if I wanted to, no one but the High Priestess herself can sever the spell. She spent months perfecting it, making absolutely certain it was unbreakable.”
My shoulders sagged, my body rounding in on itself. It was like the puppet master cut my strings, and I was nothing more than a pile of skin and wet noodles for bones. “It can’t be,” I muttered.
“It is,” the Emperor countered. “When the High Priestess created it, she was adamant the boy should spend his life without ever knowing love, and thus eventually ending the Dragos line.”
Hunter balked, th
e strain in his body leeching through the bond.
“Well, the joke’s on her then.” I seared the pair with a narrowed glare I channeled from my darkest depths. “Did she really think Tyrien wouldn’t force his son to have heirs either way? For someone who spent so much time creating this curse, she didn’t know the supreme alpha well.”
The Emperor ticked his head at my mate, a hint of emotion humanizing his cold features. “It wasn’t Tyrien she was counting on, it was him. She’d encountered the alpha heir as a child, saw the good in him. After that she consulted a seer, who saw his future and confirmed that the boy would never choose to mate without love.”
A punch in the stomach would’ve hurt less. “How could she have been so cruel? She knew he would be a good, honorable man and still she chose to ruin his life?”
The witch shrugged. “It’s not our place to question her decisions.”
Hunter had gone unnaturally still beside me. It took all my self-control not to pull him into my arms. I couldn’t show weakness in front of these people, not even for a second. There was still one more thing I had to know.
“Did she know I was to be his mate?” What if the seer had told her?
“I do not know,” he answered. “It was none of our business, after all.”
The Empress nodded, and for some reason I believed them. Just like I believed they really couldn’t help us. They were nothing but my grandmother’s underlings, hiding out like sniveling rats.
“My grandmother was wrong,” I said, injecting steel into my voice. “Not only will Hunter be with his true mate, but I’ll provide him with a whole litter of Dragos-Mystic pups. The hallowed Lune Sacré bloodline will be mixed with those of your worst enemy.”
Easy, Sierra. You don’t need to paint another target on your back. Hunter’s voice dribbled through the bond.
But it was too late.
The pair’s eyes widened, horrified matching expressions marring their icy masks, and I couldn’t help the swirl of pleasure it elicited. After a lengthy pause, the Emperor cleared his throat. “If that is all, we’d like you to leave now.”