by Holly Hook
I can't believe I'm still worried about school. “Guess we're all skipping,” I say. “I'll tell Noah--”
“I already told him about the meeting. My parents think it's a good idea he and Olivia come, too, in case Brett tries to target them. Brett's seen them before and knows they're close to you.”
“Oh. That's good.” Noah will be happy about that. If he and Olivia are around Brett at all, or if Brett somehow gets out, he could hurt them or make them turn on each other. And Olivia has lots of potential to go backwards. “Is Brett turned?”
“He stopped thrashing and is asleep, so yes.”
I don't know whether to feel relieved or disgusted that the pack is tainted with his presence now. Maybe he'll be like Mr. Saffron and not participate. That's fine.
Aunt May and I cook breakfast, which does some good at calming my nerves. And better yet, Cayden knocks on the door once we're finishing up. By then, the sun is all the way up. Brett's stopped sucking the life from my mate, so things must be better now. I rush to the door and open it, but instead of a smile, Cayden's almost grimacing.
I feel the darkness and the pressure too late. Cayden's still in a bad place. Standing in the doorway, I suck in a breath and try to dispel the pressure. Romulus is already perched above me, ready to strike. I can't let him.
“What happened?” I ask, stomach dropping.
“I followed your orders and got away from Brett, but I still feel like crap,” he says. “Everyone else felt better after getting away from him, but not me.” He flicks a hair away from his eye. Cayden's almost glaring. My throat dries as I read the look in them. He's resentful. Sad. Angry. And he smells of adrenaline, of that anger I fear.
“Is it the curse?” I ask.
“I bet that has a lot to do with why Brett affected me more than anyone else,” Cayden says. “Makes Brett more effective on me, or something.” He lingers there, shifting leg to leg on the porch.
“Come in and have some breakfast. That might help,” I say. “Brett's taking your lifeforce and that's why you're dealing with this. Eating might restore some of that. And don't go near him again if he does this to you.”
But Cayden balks and backs away. “I'm sorry and I know I'm not myself right now, but I'm pissed off. We're not supposed to order each other around in this relationship.”
I suck in a sharp breath.
This is about yesterday when I ordered him away from Brett. Cayden's dealing with all his insecurities all over again. Brett's wounded him severely. He knew which wound would hurt the worst.
“It's the curse. You still have it and Brett had more of an effect on you because of that,” I say, throat dry.
“Why are we even trying?” Cayden asks with a shrug.
I can't believe this. “Don't start this again. Cayden, Brett's doing this to us.” The pressure increases in my chest as Cayden's despair and anger bleed over into me. Despite this, we're still mates. If we're around each other much longer, the Savage King will pounce. Then he'll destroy Cayden first, if his possessing me doesn't turn Cayden Savage right away. “You need to go to the session the Russells are having today. They'll help you feel better and get rid of his influence. Or maybe you need to eat and get your energy back up.”
Cayden sighs and shakes his head. “Brie, I'm not doing well with all this.”
I'm shaking. I sense Aunt May and Leonora behind me, hanging back in the kitchen. They both smell of adrenaline, too. “You are going to the session this morning. Eleven,” I order. He'll thank me later. “Until then, we have to keep away from each other. Go!” My vision blurs as tears invade the corners of my eyes.
“Fine,” Cayden snaps, turning his back..
I watch Cayden stalk across the street, walking with almost no sound. He vanishes around the neighbor's house and disappears into the woods behind the building. As he leaves, the pressure in my chest eases bit by bit. I lean against the doorframe as Aunt May approaches from behind.
“It's Brett doing this. This is not your fault,” she says, which is exactly what I need to hear. If I let myself think what may be the truth—that it's me—it's over for all of us.
* * * * *
“How's your shoulder?” I ask Noah. I meet him on the long, wooded drive that leads up to Leonora's cabin, a place he hasn't been too often. He walks with Olivia and his arm is out of that black brace for the first time.
“Well, I can swing it a little. So that's good, right?” I ask. “So we're going to learn to protect ourselves from this Brett guy. Since I don't want another busted shoulder, that's a great idea.”
“We should have brought Ellie, too,” I say, walking beside them. I sniff and smell Aunt May and Leonora walking well behind me. “And Mr. Saffron, but he's still freaked out over turning. He is not Wolf material.”
“I think he's started drinking,” Olivia says. “The guy looks hung over when he comes into school every morning.”
“Don't tell me that,” I say. Just thinking of what I've done to my Drama teacher will bring the pressure back.
“Sorry. I forgot about that problem.” Though that snide tone is still there, Olivia's trying to control it. She gets an A for effort.
The three of us walk together towards the cabin. My throat dries when I see Alex standing outside near the front door, decked out in full Hunter gear. He's donned his silver studded hat and leather coat today, and when he turns to face me, I hear daggers shifting in leather sheaths. Alex's gaze hardens and he gives me a curt nod.
He's not going to kill me today unless he has to. At least he's a man of honor.
“Hey. We've met before,” Noah says, stepping in front of me.
Alex ignores him and stares at me as I cut in front of Noah and stop just a few feet from him. Though those silver weapons can hurt me, and my shoulder is still burning from the cut Brett delivered, I feel I need to put myself between him and my friends.
“The Hunters are here, too?” I ask.
“Yes. They're here.” He's still as humorless as before.
I sniff and smell five other Hunters, all men, inside the house. One of them's drinking a soda. Callie hasn't joined us and neither has Earl. Cayden hasn't arrived yet. My heart races. “Where's Edwin?” As I ask, I scan Alex for any signs that he's reaching for his dagger. I've talked to him a few times since pulling him out of the pond, exchanging nothing more than an awkward hello, and I had several pack members with me all those times. This is the first time I've spoken to him with only Noah and Olivia, who can't do anything to help me.
“He's securing the turned warlock even further. You know, bringing someone like him into your pack will backfire.” Alex chews his lip. All he's missing is a blade of grass.
“I don't consider him part of the pack.” A shudder races over me.
“Technically, he would be. That's what I've learned from your kind.”
“Thanks, Alex.” I force a grin. Why won't he just leave me alone? “So, you talked to Edwin a while ago?” I'm on the tightrope again. Edwin is ready to kill me if necessary. So is Alex, even if I saved his life. I just know it.
“Earlier,” Alex says.
Yikes. Edwin would have mentioned Callie's issue. “Are we meeting at the log circle?”
Alex just nods.
By the time I'm done talking to him, Aunt May and Leonora walk up the trail, leading the others.
“Hello,” Aunt May says to Alex.
Her rough greeting makes me flinch. I want to tear out your throat, she means. Sometimes I forget that Aunt May is part of the pack and a fellow Noble Royal.
I leave them to talk to Alex on their own, as awkward as it is for Aunt May to try to socialize with him.
“That guy must be the life of the party,” Noah says as we walk to the log circle, which is really just a circle of cut logs where the Russell Coven—and lately me—sit for meditation sessions.
Tucked in the trees, the circle is about fifty feet wide, with thirteen logs set around a small fire pit and a stone table that holds a bunc
h of magical artifacts. Traces of smoke waft up from the pit. I spot the statue of the Wolf twins—both still human boys—suckling on a Wolf. Even I find it creepy, but Edwin says it's a good concentration aid. Not that it's helped us reach Remus so far.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Noah says, stepping into the circle with his arm around Olivia's waist. She smiles as he speaks.
Leonora stomps out the pit and goes to work putting in new wood. The five Hunters from inside, all men, come out and take seats on the ground. Apparently, the logs are reserved for the Coven. And me.
We wait for half an hour as the rest of Leonora's family shows up, followed by Everly and Remo. Edwin arrives and paces in a circle around the logs. I watch for Cayden, but he doesn't arrive until the members from the Colling part of the pack show up and seat themselves around the fire pit. Though there are over two dozen of us here now, everyone stays quiet. This is a sacred space.
Cayden walks through the trees, approaching. I slide off the log I'm sitting on and scoot over, leaving a space for him, but he energes from the underbrush slowly, dragging his feet. Holding my breath, I watch him crest the hill from the direction of the woods. He's walked through the forest, unseen, avoiding the road. And as he steps into the clearing, pulled by my order, he hangs his head. My mate still hasn't recovered his lifeforce from Brett.
“Cayden. Over here,” I say, extending my hand. But I don't stand.
Everyone watches as he stalks across the circle and steps over the still-smoking fire pit. “Hey, Brie,” he forces as he sits on the ground, cross-legged, beside me.
And as he does, a heaviness fills my chest and limbs. It's his. Thanks to the curse, Cayden's having a harder time than any of us and it's bleeding over into me.
Shaking, I reach out and grab his hand.
Cayden flinches like he wants to buck my hand off, but I hold tight. “This isn't you.” My voice shakes as I speak.
A glimmer of light appears in his eyes even as he stares into the trees, away from me. The pressure starts settling in my chest, and I breathe to cast it away. This is a place where the Russells have put together light spirits. I can feel them lingering around us if I focus.
“This is me, Brie. I've just pushed this part down for a while,” Cayden says.
His words tighten my throat. “You're going to get better after this.”
“I don't know.” He tries to fling my hand off again but I don't let him. No happy tingles race up my arm when I touch him. Cayden's rubbery. Almost cold.
In my distraction, I don't notice Edwin stepping into the circle until he's standing between the fire pit and the table. “I will guide us through a meditation that will help us resist the warlock's dark influence. Many of you have felt it already. He is attempting to steal our energy and though he is now turned, this will not affect his ability to do so.”
Cayden snorts.
I maintain my grip on his hand and ignore him, letting out a breath.
“Close your eyes,” Edwin says in a surprisingly soothing voice. I've heard him talk before, guiding us through meditations, but this is some next level stuff. He speaks at just the right pitch to lull my eyes closed and calm my nerves. Even Cayden releases some tension under my hand. Just before I close my eyes all the way, Leonora smiles at me from across the clearing. Noah lets out a breath on the other side of me. I know he's holding hands with Olivia.
Edwin instructs us on how to breathe. I've heard the directions before: in for two seconds, slowly out for ten. As he speaks, the wind blows through the trees and the sun warms my skin. Even Cayden loosens the fist he's holding. With each breath, I feel as if I'm sinking into a cradle of relaxation, and strange images begin floating in the dark. The pressure in my chest flees a bit more each time Edwin counts down from ten.
“Focus,” he says as everyone breathes out at once.
Olivia snorts—she thinks this is stupid—but everyone ignores her except Noah. He shushes her and the distraction is gone as soon as it came.
“Now focus on the breeze. It is washing over you, taking away any darkness that might cling to you.”
Cayden moves his fingers under my hand, which I keep pinned to the ground. He breathes out at the same time I do. The wind blows over me, perhaps guided by Edwin, perhaps not. It warms my skin along with the sun, and I focus on the border of my body. This is a new meditation for me.
“Move your awareness along the outer edge of your form. Feel any imperfections or dark areas. These are places where the weak can draw your energy.” Edwin continues to lull me. “Let the wind take them away from you, leaving you glowing and pure. You have an inner light that is yours alone.
Starting at the top of my head, I drift down along my body.
And then my awareness snaps into a new level. Though my eyes are closed, I can see a blurry version of the world around me. Other figures sit in a ring, glowing with a variety of colors. Leonora flares blue and purple. Alex gives off grays, silvers and browns while Everly glows with tans. Aunt May keeps her sky shade, which dances around her with each breath. The Russell family gives off brilliant blues, violets, and greens. Edwin paces around the inside of the circle, back to me, and he's surrounded in deep purple.
I've never experienced this before.
I turn my awareness to Cayden. Though I don't turn my head, I can see him beside me. He's still cross-legged with his eyes closed.
His red and golden glow hugs his body, suppressed and pusehd down by black spots that swarm around him. As he focuses, waves ripple through his border, shoving away the black spots for just a second before they close in again.
This is his curse. Cayden's fighting it, but it's not going away. Brett's draining him has only strengthened the effects. Cayden trembles with the effort.
“Relax. Allow the light around you to work,” Edwin instructs.
I turn my awareness down to our linked hands.
And what I see almost jars me back to regular consciousness.
A dark cord, slithering like a thin snake, connects me and Cayden by the torso. Though golden flecks try to travel along it, the cord is polluted. Choked. Looking away, I find that same darkness hovering on the outside of my body, waiting to chomp down and eat. A faint golden glow teases the corners of my vision. It's mine. And this darkness is waiting for me to let my shield down.
“Let the light carry it away.”
As I stare at the dark, it growls.
“Now you are going to create a barrier around yourself. Imagine light spilling out of your chest, forming an egg around your body. This egg expands with each breath.”
My heart races. I'm facing the Savage King himself. I have to put up the barrier. But how can it be enough? This darkness is immense, spreading through the entire circle and blocking out the sun. There is only cold here.
In panic, I push out my golden glow with a hard breath, trying to form the barrier Edwin mentions. Cayden's fear flows into me and mine into him. The darkness just laughs and closes in.
“If darkness comes near your barrier, it will cast it away,” Edwin continues. Even his soothing voice does nothing to dispel the evil. I'm going insane. Trying to open my eyes is futile.
I fly back through a void before I can scream.
The ground vanishes and so does Cayden. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. I've left my body behind and there's nothing but black out here. Edwin's voice is gone. The whole circle seems to have vanished into the void like a dream. It was never real.
Has Romulus taken my form?
And this is what it's like to be possessed?
But I land in a vast field which snaps into existence all around me. Tall flowers and weeds surround me, along with a very blue sky. The field keeps that same blurry quality the circle did, and birds chirp everywhere. Fresh air washes over me as I whirl.
Two men in ancient Roman armor face each other only feet away. They stand on a worn patch of ground, stomped down by years of tough feet. Both men bulge with muscle and must be in the
ir late twenties. They look like mythological heroes. The first man sports a strong jawbone, dark hair, and startling blue eyes that remind me of Aunt May's. They are Aunt May's. He carries a bronze shield emblazoned with the figure of a wolf. The man steps back and forth with grace, eyeing his opponent.
The other man also sports a shield, one decorated with snarling teeth, and though he wears a metal helmet, it doesn't hide his almost-black eyes, eyes with redness lurking in their depths. If it wasn't for that, these two would look alike. They're twins.
This is Remus and Romulus when they were still alive.
I've traveled through time. This will be a fight to the death. Romulus grinds his teeth in anticipation as he raises his sword to point at his brother's heart. Remus shouts something at him in a language I don't know, but the tone tells me everything I need to know. The first Noble Wolf doesn't want to fight.
Romulus goads him, jabbing the sword at his brother's chestplate. They circle, ignoring me, and Remus glances at the field behind him. His eyes bulge open in shock. And I see why when I turn my awareness back. Two dozen Savage Wolves emerge from the weeds and stalk closer as a pack, growling and snapping their jaws. And walking in front of them, trying to avoid the sharp teeth and claws that swipe at her ankles, is a terrified woman in a lavender robe. If she's human or Noble Wolf, I can't tell. My sense of smell escapes me in this state.
“Allia!” Remus shouts, terror filling his voice.
Romulus laughs. He's planned this moment.
Allia stops. Terror fills the first Noble's eyes. He drops his shield as his brother grins. Romulus holds up his hand to stop the Savage Wolves, and they obey. Remus is going to do whatever it takes to protect his mate. He faces his evil brother. A growl escapes his throat as betrayal and hurt fill his eyes. He's going to kill.
I know the feeling.
And then he's going to fall.
“Remus!” I shout.
But he's gone, shifting and forcing himself out of his armor. A huge, dark Wolf claws his way out if urib and faces the other warrior. Romulus waits, shield before him. The grin that stays on his face betrays his darkness and insanity.
