by R L Medina
Watching as they said their final goodbyes, I tried to block out the memories of those I’d lost. Silently they followed me through the woods, their grief a heavy blanket around them. Guilt racked me though I hadn’t delivered the killing blow.
Another life lost. When would things get better? Would the world ever be safe again?
Back at camp, I changed into my own clothes. Worry gnawed at me as I replayed the events over and over in my mind. I couldn’t have any of my wolves wandering in that part of the forest. As late as it was, I was going to have to call everyone together to warn them.
There would be questions.
Questions I didn’t have answers to, and I didn’t want to give the others any more reason to lose confidence in me.
And what about the humans?
I turned over my wolf’s question. What did I do with them? Send them back to the city in the morning was the best option, but Drew’s request to return with his pack made me nervous. We couldn’t let them stay with us.
Dismissing the thoughts, I hurried out of my tent and went to find Jay and Tati to call everyone together.
Drew and Becca found me first. My eyebrows raised as they made their way toward me. Why weren’t they in the spare tent I’d given them?
I waited for them to catch up. Irritation prickled at me. What did they want now?
Becca stood, stone faced while her brother offered me a tentative smile, that made my annoyance turn to guilt. They weren’t like the other humans in the city who’d hunted us. His kindness was genuine. I was sure of it.
You are too trusting, my wolf warned.
I ignored her.
Drew cleared his throat. “Valeria, we wanted to talk to you.”
“Can it wait until morning?”
He glanced at his twin and back to me. “Well, I was hoping to discuss it tonight.”
I scanned the camp for my betas. Were they on patrol again? Where were they? I didn’t see their faces among the various pack members gathering around the fire and shooting curious looks our way.
My lips pursed at the fire. Was it a good idea to let it burn tonight with the possible dangers we’d just found? Or was everything back to normal now that Jen was buried?
“Valeria?” Drew’s voice tugged at me.
I turned to face him. “Just tell me then. I need to gather my wolves together.”
He gaped at my brusqueness but quickly recovered. “There’s talk of a union between all of us who are against Diego. We’re trying to get something established. An alliance. Before we left, our leader Ben, was going to present it to the queen. Get the witches on board too.”
I blinked at him. “An alliance?”
Drew nodded. “To restore some order. Stop all the fighting and killing.”
“And how would this alliance do that?”
Determination lit in his eyes. “It would show the Red Wolves we have the upper hand. There would be consequences for breaking the allegiance. We could set things back to normal, or as normal as they can be.”
“You mean with the humans in control again?”
He cringed. “No. We would all have a say. A vote.”
I laughed. “What like a democracy?”
His eyes narrowed. “Why not? It worked before.”
I rubbed my head with my palm. “Yeah but we had laws then. And police, judges, and jail. How are we going to keep order?”
“The same way as before. With force.”
My gaze flickered to his twin, who remained silent, face devoid of emotion. Was this some kind of trick? Or did he mean to make my pack this ‘force’ he was talking about?
“And who would make all the rules this time?”
“We all would. We all would be equals.”
It sounded nice, it really did, but he made it sound too simple. There was no way Diego, or any werewolves for that matter, would agree to take orders from a human. It was too late to salvage what was left of equality or civility.
This was the end of the world. Everyone for themselves.
“Yeah. Good luck with that.”
Drew scowled at me. “Do you want things to get worse? Because that’s what’s going to happen. No one is going to be safe.”
I frowned.
“Even here, you won’t be safe for long if the wolves start spreading. Or the vampires.”
I shrugged off his warning and stared out at the woods. We would have to double our patrol. Make sure no one strayed too far from camp.
“Don’t you care what happens to your pack?”
My back stiffened at his accusing tone. Inside, my wolf was ready to leap on him.
“I’m trying to help you.” His voice rose with desperation.
A snort escaped me. “Help me? I can take care of my pack without your help.”
“Not for long,” he insisted.
Anger curled inside me. Who did he think he was to judge my leadership? I was just as good of an alpha as Elijah. Better, even. I never left the pack.
I couldn’t. They needed me.
And you need them.
Dismissing my wolf’s words, I walked away.
Drew started to follow me. I sighed. Why couldn’t he just go and leave me alone? Becca stopped him with an outstretched arm and a shake of her head.
“Please, Valeria. You have to listen. It’s not safe,” he called after me.
Several of the wolves glanced up from their spots. His words stirred looks of suspicion and curiosity. There would be more of that when I gathered them together to tell them what happened. Doubt prickled at me. Was that a bad move? Was keeping it a secret from my pack the right thing to do to keep them from worrying? I honestly didn’t know and not for the first time, I wished Elijah were there to make all the hard decisions again.
Just be the alpha they need.
I snorted at my wolf’s message. How? How was I supposed to do that? Sighing, I pushed away the thoughts and went to find Jay and Tati. I’d have to at least tell them and hope they didn’t have a million questions for me. Or any arguments.
7
McKenzie
Kohl was quick to light the candles. The flames flickered as Fane moved about the room. I exchanged a look with Kohl. Vampires were fast—especially royals. I didn’t like not being able to watch him and it had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with his looks, as intriguing as they were.
“I’d love to stay and swap pleasantries, but the night is short, and my brother doesn’t like to be kept waiting. I’m sure you’ve heard the juicy gossip about him and his temper.”
My stomach churned. I had. The prince of darkness, they called him. Heartless heir. I pushed down the memories of my sister’s anger at what he’d done to her best friend. And the humans he’d drained…
Before I could respond, Fane swept out of the room, the air whooshing at his movement. It wasn’t until the front door opened and slammed shut that I registered his leaving.
I glanced at Kohl. His face held the same grimness I felt. The other witches, Blake and Alex, gaped at the spot where the vampire had been.
Weariness filled me. “Well that was… weird.”
Kohl grunted. “Suspicious. What would the vampire know about disabling a magical barrier?”
His eyes were narrowed in calculation. I shook my head and stifled a yawn. My head was pounding, and my body too weakened to figure out the prince’s dastardly plans. That would have to wait until the morning.
“I don’t know. But I’m going back to bed. Can you—”
“Reset the wards? Yes, My Queen,” he answered immediately.
Worry lines creased his forehead as he watched me. I gave him a grateful smile and said goodnight to the other two witches. My legs felt like lead as I climbed the stairs back to my room. Whatever few hours I had left of the night, I hoped I could actually sleep. Tomorrow I would need all the energy I could get.
Morning came way too quickly, but after two cups of Cherise’s miracle tea, I felt ready to take on the day. First thing wa
s to talk to the werewolf. Holding him in my coven was a risk I’d rather avoid. We definitely didn’t need him freaking out and trying to escape captivity, but I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him or waste magic for a hex.
Scarfing down breakfast in my room, I got dressed and readied myself for another interrogation. Kohl met me outside the wolf’s guarded room.
His eyes searched my face, worry written in his features. I gave him a bright smile that made him smile back.
“You ready to deal with him?” I nodded toward the door.
There was nothing but silence coming from the other side, but I was one hundred percent sure the alpha could hear us.
Kohl grunted. “Of course. Would you like me to handle this? You could get some more rest?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine, Kohl. Let’s do this.”
He sighed and knocked to announce our presence. “Open the door.” His tone turned serious.
Only silence returned.
I frowned. So that’s how it was going to be, huh?
Kohl looked to me, expectantly.
“Go ahead.” I motioned him to continue.
He threw up a hand and unleashed some magic. The door burst open. Kohl walked in first and waved me in.
The smell of sweat and pine assaulted my nose as I strode forward. Without air conditioning, the rooms grew stuffy in the summer heat.
I stopped in my tracks as my eyes landed on the wolf. He sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless with only his scruffy looking jeans. Scratches covered his naked muscular chest, but the injuries were already healing.
Kohl glared at him. “Where’s your shirt? Put it on.”
The alpha stared back at him. “I was about to do just that when you two barged in here.”
His eyes flicked to me. I glanced away, spotting his T-shirt rumpled on the floor.
He took his time standing and retrieving it. Kohl huffed beside me as we waited for him to dress.
“Did you sleep well, Elijah?” I asked pleasantly.
He shot me a flat look.
I sighed. Clearly, this interrogation was going to go as well as the last one. How effin-tastic.
I pointed at the untouched breakfast on the side table. “You don’t like eggs?”
A tight smile spread on his face. “What makes you think I’d eat anything given to me by a witch?”
Kohl stiffened. I touched his wrist lightly, a subtle order to stand down.
“It’s not poison, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I returned his cold smile.
“Are you going to give up the witch that killed my sister?”
I blinked at him. “What? Like I told you already, none of my witches are responsible.”
He scoffed.
Biting back a groan, I tried to come up with some kind of solution. I wanted him gone, but I didn’t want him loose in the city. What was I going to do with him?
“What happened to your pack?”
He just stared back at me, dark eyes burning with anger.
“You don’t want to talk, fine. Drop this vendetta against my coven and you’re free to go.”
“I want the witch that killed my sister.”
I gaped at him. Is that what all this was about? Revenge?
“How do you know it was anyone from my coven?”
His teeth flashed. “It happened here in the city.”
“There are rogue witches all over Savannah.”
“Aren’t you responsible for them as well? Are you or are you not the witch queen?”
My lip curled at his accusation. “I don’t know who killed your sister, but I’m sorry.”
A storm raged on his face. “Sorry? No. That’s not good enough.”
“What do you want from me? What did you think you would happen if you came here?”
“I want justice.”
My eyes narrowed. “You mean you want revenge.”
“A life for a life.”
“I’m not going to hand over one of my witches to satisfy your anger. If you know the witch who is responsible for this, I can set up a trial. We—”
“No. No trial. I want them dead.”
“I will not sentence anyone to death without hearing the whole story.”
His face darkened. “You’ll protect the guilty?”
Irritation flared hot. We were going around in the same circle. So pointless.
“We could hex him. Make it so he can’t kill a witch. Or if he does, he’s cursed,” Kohl cut in.
I frowned. “I don’t know…”
“We can’t keep him here forever.”
Kohl was right, but I didn’t like it. There were other uses for our magic, and I hated to waste it on him.
The wolf’s eyes flashed to silver. “I’m already cursed, remember? We all are thanks to you and your fu—”
A blast of magic shot around him, grabbing him by the throat. I watched, stunned as Kohl held him in the air. His arms and legs flailed, but his face remained murderous.
Almost as murderous as Kohl’s.
I spun to my friend. “Release him.”
His jaw clenched, but he obeyed. The werewolf fell to the ground in a gasping heap. A snarl followed and the unmistakable crack of bones.
Not again.
I threw my arms up and blocked him as he shifted and leapt for us. Rage, hot and burning radiated from the wolf and if it weren’t for the invisible barrier I’d cast, he’d be tearing out our throats.
“Yeah, this isn’t working. We’re going to go. Maybe when you’ve calm down, we can reach a better agreement,” I shouted over his growls and snapping jaws.
I motioned Kohl out and pulled the door closed before letting my barrier fall. Kohl locked it. Inhuman snarls echoed and the wood trembled as the wolf rammed it over and over.
“Well, that went… about as well as we could have hoped.” I sighed.
“We should hex him.” Kohl frowned.
My eyebrow arched at him. “We don’t have unlimited resources for that, Kohl. Who knows if our magic will run out? Besides, he’s not worth it.”
“It hasn’t run out so far.”
I glanced around the hall to make sure we were alone. “True, but it could happen and then…” My words died on my lips.
There was really no telling what would come next if we lost magic. We’d be as helpless as the humans. But none of that mattered if the curse remained, anyway.
“I think I need another tea.” I blew out my breath.
Kohl nodded. “I’ll tell Cherise.”
My eyes burned as I poured over the ancient books. Despite my tea, my head continued to pound, and I’d only attempted one spell. My warning to Kohl replayed in my mind. We couldn’t afford to keep using permanent spells. Casting for short term things was easy and didn’t take much, even the weakest witch could do those types of spells. But the ones that were longer term like hexes or curses, those required a lot of juice.
I stood from my desk and stretched my arms above my head. Pain spread through my limbs. I needed a break. The meeting with Fane kept flashing to the forefront of my thoughts. His chilling eyes and beautiful face. Gorgeous until he opened his foul mouth.
Prince Ryn was awake. I didn’t like knowing he was up and about, doing who knew what. What did he know about the barriers? Could it possibly be true? If there was a way to break through and escape Savannah… then what?
Maybe I could find other witches. Powerful ones that could help me break the curse. The thought alone brought tears to my eyes. It could be the answer to everything.
But what if he lied? From our brief encounter, I suspected it was more of a trap than a solution. Breaking our oath to meet with the vampire prince? Yeah, I wasn’t that desperate… yet. The agreement was there for a reason. I couldn’t put my coven at risk.
A knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts.
“Come in.”
Kohl entered with a grim look.
I sighed. “What now?”
He walked in
and handed me a small, red envelope.
Taking it from him, I frowned. “What is this? Who would send a letter?”
My eyes widened as I read the fancy script on the corner.
Prince Ryn Trahaearn.
“A letter?” I turned it over and glanced at Kohl.
“Guess Fane wasn’t lying,” he muttered.
I touched the strange black seal before tearing it open. My heart thudded as I pulled out the folded note. The cream paper was thick and crisp with an elegant inked design at the top of the page.
“Fancy,” I muttered.
Curiosity and dread filled me as I unfolded the note and scanned it. Kohl stood behind me, peering over my shoulder to read it as well.
“He wants to meet.”
Kohl grunted. “I still don’t trust their reasons.”
I reread the letter and shook my head, feeling the same suspicion. Why wait all this time if he really knew how to leave Savannah? Why break our truce now? What was in it for them? What were they hiding?
“Should I respond?”
Kohl folded his arms across his chest, a scowl on his face. “Only if it’s to tell them to go fuck themselves.”
My lips twisted in a wry smile. “Kohl.”
He shrugged. “You know how I feel about bloodsuckers.”
I winced. Yeah, I did. Poor Kohl. His great aunt had been turned by one of them ages ago. He’d seen firsthand the destruction they brought and the cruel games they played.
A memory of Mel flashed in my mind. Her tear-streaked face and broken sobs. Her best friend, Grace, had been turned too. She was the reason Prince Ryn had been sentenced to four years staked and now he was out. A lick of anger curled inside me.
I shoved down the emotions and looked at the letter once more.
“He didn’t even put a return address. How would we even know where to find him?”
Kohl didn’t answer.
I set the letter on my desk to puzzle over later. My eyes caught Kohl’s in the mirror. Heat flooded me at his longing gaze. Unease and nausea filled me.
Our friendship meant everything to me, but try as I did to feel something more, I couldn’t.
