by R L Medina
Kohl’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he didn’t question me any further. We returned to our separate beds and while his gentle snoring told me he’d fallen back to sleep, I couldn’t stop replaying the images of the enslaved humans and Fane’s cold eyes. Eventually, even those faded away as I slept.
We left early in the morning before the vampires woke up. A message came from our coven urging our return, and as much as I wanted to stay and figure out the barrier spell, I didn’t trust myself around Ryn and Fane.
My mind was relentless, replaying the scenarios over and over much to my shame. Thankfully, the others took my silence for worry and scheming over the grimoire. Breaking the barrier—that’s what I should have been focusing on. Not on the two vampire princes.
Once we made it back to the coven, I was able to push the thoughts away enough to think more clearly. And of course, there were more problems waiting for me.
“It was dark, so we didn’t want to send them away. You know with Diego out.” Willow wrung her hands together as she spoke.
“You did the right thing.” Deepa gave her a reassuring smile.
Willow flushed at her approval.
“He destroyed the human’s camp and took more prisoners,” Danny added.
Anger rushed through me. “Did he act alone or were the vampires and rogue witches involved in this too?”
Willow shook her head. “The humans said a couple of rogue witches helped them escape. The humans want to talk to you. About an alliance.”
My eyebrow arched. “An alliance? With us?”
That was surprising. Were they desperate enough to make a pact with us?
“Should we bring them down so you can speak to them, Queen?” another witch, Alex, asked.
I exchanged a look with Kohl. There was so much to do now, I didn’t want to have to worry about Diego and his minions. With Ryn on our side, that solved the problem with the city vampires aiding the werewolves, and if the rogue witches were rising against Diego, we might actually be able to deal with him quickly and effortlessly.
“Yes.”
“And the wolves?”
I nodded and motioned for them to hurry. Elijah would have had plenty of time to rest after the hex, so there was no reason for him to still be in my coven, though I was interested in meeting his mate. If they could rally the other wolf packs then maybe, we could stop Diego without using too much of our magic.
“Do you want us to stay, Queen? Or may we be excused?” Deepa broke my thoughts.
I waved her and Blake to leave and turned to Kohl.
“What do you think? An alliance?”
He frowned. “I don’t think a written pact is going to stop Diego. A covenant maybe, but not an informal alliance.”
Covenant. Was it really coming down to that? Not so long ago, we were worrying about college entry exams and now here we were trying to keep Savannah from devolving into bloody chaos.
“How would we make him sign a blood oath?”
Kohl shrugged. “If the vampires side with us and the other wolf packs, he’d have no choice and once it was sealed, he couldn’t go back on it.” His hazel eyes lit up. “And not only would it be a blood covenant, but it’s about to be a blood moon.”
His words rang through me. The lunar eclipse. How could I have forgotten it was coming? Though the red moon was a natural phenomenon, it was more than that. It did something to magic, strengthening it. The impossible became possible.
A thought struck me, making me gasp.
Kohl shot me a worried look.
“The barrier. Maybe she was waiting for the eclipse before performing the spell.”
“Maybe,” he answered.
“Do you think… after what happened with the curse, the eclipse will still happen?”
“I don’t see why not.” His face scrunched up as he scratched his chin, clearly lost in thought.
There wasn’t time to discuss it any more before Willow returned, leading two humans and the werewolves.
I drew myself to my full height and motioned for them to sit in any of the chairs or couch. Elijah remained standing, dark eyes narrowed on me and the girl standing beside him looked like she wanted to bite my head off as well.
My lips twitched into a smirk. “You must be Elijah’s mate.”
She flinched. Weird. Maybe they were having relationship issues.
“I’m Valeria. Alpha of the Shadow Wolves. I’m sure they told you why we’re here.”
“About this… alliance?”
She nodded, her brown eyes boring into me. It was obvious she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.
I glanced at the humans. They also remained standing though their eyes darted back and forth, shining with uncertainty. Behind me, my witches gathered.
“Call everyone down, Kohl. We’re going to have a meeting.”
He hurried up the stairs to obey. In no time, all the witches were there.
I looked around the crowded room and a wave of nostalgia hit me. As future handmaiden of the future queen, I’d been required to sit in for many coven meetings. Seeing us all there without the elders, with werewolves and humans who otherwise would never have been allowed in… it was too surreal.
For a minute I just stood there imagining it was all a dream, or that we were in some strange alternate reality and back in the ‘real’ world, Mel was preparing for her coronation and I was getting ready for college.
But this wasn’t a dream and Mel, like the others, was dead. Completely, irreversibly dead and gone. I couldn’t even call up her spirit. The reminder filled me with grief.
“Kenzie?” Kohl’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
I turned to him. “Yeah?”
His eyes searched mine. “Are you having doubts about this covenant?”
The covenant. For me, it was only a means to shut Diego up and keep him tied up so I could focus on the more important things like the barrier and the curse.
“Do you think this will work?” Kohl pressed.
Conversation drifted around us, but I could feel their stares on my back.
“A blood moon covenant is a powerful thing.”
Kohl nodded. “The magic will be strong.”
“The perfect time for me to crack the barrier spell too.”
His eyes narrowed. “Please tell me you’re not doing that alone. That’s way too much magic for you to handle by yourself.”
I gave him a flat look. “I’m not an idiot. I’m just going to set it up and then once the covenant is signed, we’ll open the barrier together. It has to happen on the lunar eclipse. All of it.”
He gave me a thoughtful ‘hmm’ and turned back to face the others. Everyone fell quiet as I scanned their faces—their hopeful, anxious faces.
Fane’s words came back to me. The weakest queen…
Somewhere in the room, there could be our mole. Our traitor. I already had Kohl listening and watching. We couldn’t let the covenant or barrier spell news reach Diego. Not until we were ready. His little reign of terror was coming to an end and with him busy, I could focus on what was most important—the curse.
19
Valeria
I stood by Elijah and the twins, watching as the witches crowded around us. My wolf didn’t like their nearness nor their curious stares. Though she was content to be reunited with Elijah and his wolf.
“I thought it would a lot harder to convince her,” Drew murmured to me.
Becca grunted.
I turned to Drew and nodded. “So did I.”
He smiled. “Thank you for your help, Valeria.”
Elijah’s head whipped toward us, cool gaze sweeping over Drew and Becca.
I tensed. The memory of Drew’s near kiss made me flush, and I looked away before Elijah caught it.
Their queen sighed. “It will have to be a blood covenant. Are you all willing to do your part to uphold this? Diego won’t give up his control so easily. Not when he thinks himself in the right.”
A chill passed
through me. “I’m willing.”
I didn’t meet Elijah’s grim face. I didn’t need to look at him to see the disapproval or the uncertainty. This was the right thing, I could feel it, but I hated that he wasn’t on our side—my side.
“And you?” she turned to Drew and Becca.
Drew stood tall, jaw clenched. “We are.”
Her eyes swept the room. “Even with your pack and the humans, it’s not enough. We need the vampires.”
My heart jolted at her words. Vampires? How would we ever get them on our side?
“If they support the covenant, Diego won’t have any choice but to accept it.”
Elijah scoffed. “So, we’re letting the vampires take control? That’s a brilliant plan.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
My wolf growled at her tone.
“Prince Ryn has already agreed to help take down the barrier. If he truly means to help us, then signing his name to this covenant shouldn’t be a problem for him.”
Someone gasped in the back. Her words rattled me just the same.
Prince Ryn was awake? When? How?
Before the curse, vampires and werewolves lived apart and had little do with each other. We weren’t exactly enemies, but we’d never been allies before.
“Are we sure we can trust him? I thought Diego was working with the vampires.” I voiced my concern.
Queen McKenzie looked to me. “He has the loyalty of the rogue city vampires, but Prince Ryn has assured me to put an end to that.”
“And the barrier? Prince Ryn knows how to open it? A witch asked.
I didn’t hear her response, my mind too caught up with the question. If the barrier was open did that mean others might come? Or we could go?
I turned to Elijah. He stared at the queen, his face a mask of coolness, but I had the suspicion her words affected him more than anyone else. With the barrier down, this was his chance to run away again. This time forever.
My wolf howled at the thought.
Elijah’s gaze snapped to me. His inner wolf reaching for mine. For a second, it felt as if we were the only ones in the room. Heat flooded me and it was all I could do to keep my wolf under control. The thought of losing her mate was stirring her up.
Judging by the strained, pained look on Elijah’s face, his wolf was going just as crazy. My heart thundered inside me and before I realized what I was doing, I was shifting closer to him.
Though he didn’t touch me, his nearness soothed my wolf’s emotions. We stood nearly elbow to elbow, so close I could feel the warmth radiating from him and smell the strong scent of smoke, sweat, and a hint of soap.
Drew followed my movement, his eyes flicking to Elijah and back to me. I shifted uneasily under his gaze. How could I explain myself to him when I could barely understand my feelings myself? I did care about Drew, liked him even, but… Elijah.
Our mate.
I sighed. It was complicated. Pushing aside the thoughts, I stepped away from my alpha and closer to the queen.
“We’ll need more wolves on our side. I’ll go to the other pack leaders.”
She exchanged glances with Kohl.
“What? What is it?” I asked.
Lifting her chin, she met my gaze. “Some of the pack leaders… are missing. Or dead. I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not queen of the wolves. I only know the rumors I’ve heard.”
The haughtiness in her tone made me bristle. Rumors she’d heard and had done nothing about.
“Of course. What are some wolf lives to you?” Elijah was glaring at her.
Annoyance flickered on her face. “It’s not my job to babysit the wolves too.”
My fists clenched. “You knew this was happening, and you didn’t try to stop it. When you had the power to? That’s on you. You don’t get to brush it off like it’s nothing. Like we’re nothing.”
She flinched but was quick to recover. The steely look she gave me said it all—she would not take responsibility for this. She refused to be blamed, refused to acknowledge her own faults and emotions. The selfish bitch.
Coward, my wolf spoke.
That seemed too nice of a way to put it.
“I will go with you. To check on the other packs.” Drew broke the awkward silence.
Elijah’s head snapped toward him, lip quirked in a smile. It wasn’t a real smile, no. It was predatory, cold, and arrogant.
“And why would you do that? Do you think the other wolves are going to just let a human waltz into their camps? After what you guys have done?”
Drew didn’t break eye contact as Elijah hammered him with questions. I shifted, placing myself between them now. Elijah tracked my movement, his face growing stormier.
Don’t, my wolf warned.
I paused. Going to Drew would seem like betrayal to Elijah’s wolf and the last thing I wanted was him to shift and attack the human.
“I had nothing to do with that. I want to come. To show them that not all of us hate wolves.” Drew’s eyes shot to me and his face softened.
Elijah stilled. His inner wolf was at the ready, pushing to be released. Fear crawled up my spine. I trusted Elijah, knew he could handle the jealousy in human form, but if he let his wolf loose… I didn’t want to think about what would happen.
“Elijah.” I placed a hand on his arm.
He visibly relaxed and turned to me, eyes flashing from silver to brown.
“I’m coming too.” His words punched me.
Bad, bad idea. My wolf was howling with joy. He wasn’t leaving us anymore.
I gaped at him. “I don’t… what about our pack?”
“Jay and Tati can handle it.”
My eyes flickered to Drew, who stood watching us. This was not the right move. Drew and Elijah needed space from each other not a shared mission. How was I supposed to handle them both together?
“I’ll be there too.” Becca spoke up.
Drew frowned at her. “You don’t need to go, Becca. It’s safer for you here.”
She laughed harshly. “Safe? There’s no such thing as safe anymore, Drew. I’m coming.” Her chin lifted as she turned to face Elijah.
I groaned inwardly. This was going to be a disaster.
“Anyone else?” the queen asked.
I looked to her. “One of the witches should come too.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If they want. I won’t force them.”
One of the witches agreed to accompany us and hope stirred inside me. With all of us together we actually had a chance of pulling it off.
“What about the rogue witches? They might be willing to help?” Drew’s question rose above the voices.
Queen McKenzie looked at him. “I’ll talk to them. You guys just worry about getting the pack leaders and a rep from the human to be here tomorrow night for the blood moon. We’ll sign the covenant together.”
Elijah frowned. “Don’t you need Diego’s name? How are you going to get him to do it?”
She fell quiet for a second. “What’s the one thing he cares about more than anything else?”
“Sylvie,” Elijah answered.
My inner wolf bristled. I bit my lip, feeling the same apprehension. Hurting Sylvie to get to Diego wasn’t something I relished doing. It felt wrong. Something he would do. We were better than that, weren’t we?
“Elijah.” I frowned.
His eyes darted to me and back to the witch. “Trust me. For a wolf, our mate is everything. He’d agree to anything. Anything to protect her.”
My face flamed at his words. The bond. How could he speak about it like that when he abandoned me and our pack? Why wasn’t I everything to him?
You cannot fight the bond. When it is time, there will be no stopping it.
I pushed my wolf’s words away. That was trouble for another day.
McKenzie nodded. “So, we take her and do what exactly? Hold her here until he signs the covenant?
”
“That could work.” The tall witch beside her spoke.
His face was hard like stone and his hazel eyes were sharp as he looked around the room.
Everyone spoke at the same time, some of the voices filled with excitement and others worry. Drew and Becca exchanged hopeful looks.
Elijah touched my arm. My body jolted at the contact. It was a light touch, but because of our bond, it felt as if I’d been branded.
He pulled me aside to the corner of the room. “Val, what are you doing? Are we sure going against Diego is the best plan?”
“I’m doing what’s best for our pack. He threatened to take it from me.”
His eyes flashed silver. “Did he hurt you?”
Shaking my head, I pushed down my emotions. “No, but I told you, he burned their camp, Elijah. He’s been taking them prisoners and giving them to the vampires.”
Elijah shook his head. “But have you forgotten what these witches have done?” Pain flashed in his eyes. “What they did to Rachel?”
My chest tightened. I glanced away as the memories surfaced. How could I ever forget? She was burned alive while in her wolf form…
“You don’t know who was responsible, Elijah. It could have been anyone. We might never know.”
His eyebrows knitted together, the stormy expression on his face making my heart slam against my ribs. I fought the urge to squirm under his glare.
“Her killer could be here right now. And I can’t…” his words ended in a choke.
The pain evident in his voice made my heart twist. I reached out and pulled his face closer to mine, wishing I could erase all the hurt.
Tears pricked my eyes as I made him meet my gaze. “You have to stop this, Elijah. Please. What happened to Rachel was horrific. Awful. I wouldn’t stop you from tearing apart her killer, you know that, but this path you’ve chosen… it’s breaking you. Can’t you see that it’s breaking you?”
My wolf whimpered within me.
A shattered expression flashed on his face and it felt as if my heart was cracking along with his. Why couldn’t he just let it go? Before his emotions consumed him completely.
