Resented

by Amelia Rademaker

  No, but now they have McDowell’s scent. They’d be able to find him now.

  Ezekiel cleared his throat and handed the necklace back to her. “Nothing useful. How are you going to use it to find the Salici?”

  Ivy gave them a calculated look but didn’t mention the topic change. “Right now, the crystal reacts if someone who has been in contact with the Salici gets close but they have to be pretty close for it to work. It’s not very precise either. It doesn’t identify who its reacting to.” She traced her fingers over the carving. “I don’t know anything about the rune so I don’t want to try recreating it.” She looked up at them. “Improperly drawn runes are dangerous; sometimes you get them right, sometimes you mess them up and do serious damage.” She pressed it between her fingers, humming. “I could amplify its power though. Increase the area it senses. That way I can sense the Salici Sacri before they’re right on top of us.”

  “It’s better than walking around blind, I guess,” Ezra didn’t like the lack of accuracy but anything would help at this point. “So, we have a way to track the witches, how are we going to find the altar and get them out of our territory?”

  Ivy grimaced, “I don’t know about that last one. We can have everyone set up a salt ward around their houses and businesses. They’re temporary and nowhere near as strong as a permanent ward but it’s better than nothing.” The brothers nodded. They could help with that.

  “How about the altar?” Ezekiel asked.

  Ivy nodded towards the old journal sitting on the coffee table. “We can use the journal to perform a locating spell. The Black Bird Coven still owes us. I used vague enough wording when we bartered that it won’t nullify our agreement if we look for this instead of Lawrence.”

  “Aren’t the old ladies pissed at you right now?” Ezra asked.

  She exhaled and scrubbed a hand through her hair, “Yeah. I’m going to have to grovel. It’s probably going to cost me.”

  “You better call them tonight,” Ezekiel suggested. He looked at Ezra. “And we better call Ben.”

  Ezra agreed. The faster they could bring Ben up to date the faster they could get the town protected. He stood up, “Okay, what do you need to bring?”

  Ivy looked confused. “Bring where? To amplify the rune? I have everything I need here.”

  Ezekiel shook his head, “What do you need to bring to our house. There’s no way you’re staying here alone tonight. Not with a Coven of murdering witches after you.”

  Ivy’s face scrunched up, her frustration growing. “Did you guys forget that I have a ward set up on my apartment. No one is getting in. This is probably the safest place in town.”

  “A ward that McDowell can get past.” Ezra raised an eyebrow waiting for her to argue.

  Her eyes narrowed, “I’m not worried about Lawrence. So far, I’m the only one being targeted. If I stay at your house, I’d be putting Cassidy and you both in danger.”

  Ezra looked at his brother. The last thing they wanted to do was put Cassidy in the middle of danger. They couldn’t leave Ivy unprotected though.

  “Besides, this is the safest place for me to practice magic. The ward will keep any magic users from sensing what I’m doing,” Ivy added smugly.

  “Okay, Ezekiel will stay with you while I get Cassidy and pack us some bags.” Ezra decided. He saw Ezekiel nod in agreement. “I’ll need to talk things over with Cassidy first.” Which he was not looking forward to. “Do you think a few hours will give you enough time to perform the spell on your crystal?”

  “I-I think so,” Ivy sputtered, looking blindsided. “You guys are staying the night? In my one-bedroom apartment?”

  “You said it was the safest place,” Ezekiel shrugged.

  “Besides, if we’re Pack, we stick together,” Ezra said finally.

  Ivy sighed heavily, “I hope you guys are okay with sleeping on the floor.”

  “We have blow up mattresses.”

  “We can shift and sleep on the couch.”

  Ivy scrunched her nose up at the thought. Then she got a wary look on her face. “You guys might want to think about moving in here until this is over,” Ivy suggested.

  “Already thought about it,” Ezekiel admitted. “First, we need to call Ben and mobilize the Enforcers.”

  Ivy sagged, “Let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ben didn’t pace when he got agitated. He stood perfectly still and stared. It made her nervous. It didn’t help that the room was full of tense shifters. Nearly all of the Enforcers had crammed into Ivy’s tiny apartment. As Ivy told her story all of them got more and more edgy.

  Ivy started out telling him the abbreviated version of the story she had told the twins but ended up needing to go into more detail for Ben. She had really emphasized the part where Lawrence had spelled her so she couldn’t talk to anyone about what was happening. Luckily, Ezra and Ezekiel had jumped in to tell him about Ivy fighting to get Lawrence to let her tell the Pack.

  Ben’s face hadn’t twitched the whole time. The only thing he had asked was for a description of Ivy’s attacker. Ivy’s confidence hadn’t been high when she had started telling her story. It had dropped to an all-time low as she looked at Ben’s impassive face.

  “I think we can find the altar before the Salici. With some planning and help from the Black Bird Coven, we can find a way to protect the town from them too.” Ivy ended.

  Ben didn’t say anything. He stared at her. Ivy fidgeted. His eyes narrowed. Sweat broke out along her forehead. After an eternity of silence, he turned to Anne.

  Without a word Anne nodded, “She was gone for a long time at the hospital. She came back twitchy and reeking like antiseptic.”

  Ben turned to Paul, “Can you call the hospital? Based on the description, I think it was Julie Armstrong.”

  Paul nodded and walked into Ivy’s bathroom. She heard the sink and shower turn on.

  Finally, Ben turned back to Ivy. “What’s the Benandanti’s birthright? Why is everyone willing to die or kill for it?”

  Ivy froze. That was not the question she had been expecting. “Uh, I don’t know but it’s for sure not a book. I’ve gone back through my notes and resources but there’s no mention of it.”

  Ben nodded slowly, “What do you think it is? You said you experienced it.”

  “Second hand, through Caterina,” she argued.

  Ivy watched Ben’s face soften. The tense lines along his jaw melted. His eyebrows straightened. Ivy relaxed instinctively as he did. “You’re the only one who’s experienced it, even second hand. I won’t blame you if you aren’t right but this is very important. So important that two groups are willing to endanger my Pack to get it.” He leaned in slightly. Instead of feeling crowded, Ivy felt comforted. “Try your best to explain what it felt like to me.”

  Looking into Ben’s reassuring gaze, she nodded and closed her eyes. “Whatever it is, its magical in origin. It had a similar feeling to channeling magical energy. Only it was much more intense. The only thing I’ve felt that came close to it was…” She trailed off, suddenly remembering that the room was full of shifters.

  “What?” Ben prompted.

  Ivy crossed her arms, uncomfortable. She glanced around the room quickly. Jack was standing by the front door. Derek and Mark were leaning against the breakfast bar. Holly, Cal, and Dave stood on one end of the living room. Anne stood next to Ben. At her back, the twins felt like a wall of heat that she was suddenly very aware of. Ben waited patiently.

  Ivy cleared her throat, nervously. “While I was experiencing Caterina’s last moments, her mate died. David died,” she corrected. It felt wrong to leave him unnamed. “Feeling that bond sever was very similar to feeling Caterina sever her tie to il cuóri annodáto.”

  There were a chorus of sympathetic noises. She heard people shift, suddenly uneasy. Ben placed a finger over his mouth and stared at the carpet, deep in thought.

  “What did Caterina call it again?” He asked
/>   “Il cuóri annodáto, the knotted heart.”

  “Bonds are very sacred in our culture,” Ben began slowly. “Whether they are predestined or formed by free will, we view them as consecrated. We teach our children that it is because those who choose to bind themselves together make them sacred by their devotion and actions.” Ben looked around the room. “Those of us who are older or have made those bonds know there’s more to it than that. Bonds make us stronger, literately. Wolves who share a mate bond gain something from that bond. Sometimes its strength, sometimes they can share healing abilities between each other. It depends on the individuals and the bond. As mates grow together, these benefits can grow too.”

  “Do you think the il cuóri annodáto was a mate bond?” Ivy asked.

  Ben paused a moment before asking, “Did it feel like Caterina’s mate bond?”

  Ivy tried to recall the feeling of her connection to David through Caterina. “No, they felt different. The il cuóri annodáto is complex, more powerful. They’re…” she struggled to find the right word, “related though.”

  Ben nodded his head, thinking, “You said that the Benandanti were more powerful than other Covens.”

  “Yes, their magic was unique too. No other Coven could recreate it,” she added.

  “I wonder if they found a way to create a new type of bond,” he mused.

  Ivy shrugged, unable to answer the question. She raised a finger to draw his attention to her. “If shifters know about the benefits of bonding, why didn’t Lawrence come to the same conclusion?”

  Ben grimaced. “First off, the benefits of bonding are not openly discussed, it’s something that’s left up to close family to share. We don’t talk about them casually because we don’t want people to create a bond just for the possible benefits.”

  “Lawrence’s parents were mated, weren’t they?” Ivy she was still confused.

  Ben shared a look with Anne. “Adam McDowell isn’t the easiest man. He is an old school Alpha,” he hedged.

  “He’s an ass,” Anne cut in. “An overbearing ass who is not quick to change his mind.”

  Ivy looked around the room waiting for someone to explain.

  Jack stepped in. “A mate bond is only as strong as each part. That’s why it’s important to choose who you mate with. Even if you are lucky enough to find your soul mate. If you don’t match well with your mate or you hate each other, the bond is less than worthless.”

  “Exactly,” Ben agreed. “You make your bond strong by treating it like its sacred. You can’t build on a bad foundation.”

  “And a bad bond won’t make you stronger,” Anne finished.

  Ivy recalled Lawrence talking about his mom and how she had to hide so much of herself from her husband. “So, there’s no benefit from a bad bond?”

  “No, and no way to break it,” Ben added

  Just then Paul walked back in. He held up his phone, “Julie called in sick a few days ago. No one has seen her at the hospital since. However, her key card was used today. Story checks out.”

  Ivy resisted the urge glare at him. She did not like his tone. He just shrugged like it wasn’t personal.

  “I’ll check in with her sister. See if she’s seen her,” Mark volunteered.

  Ben turned back to Ivy. “How do we protect the territory?”

  Ivy relaxed. She knew how to answer that question. “I would suggest that everyone pair up until I can talk with the Coven and implement a permanent solution. Just in case the Salici are snatching people to put spells on them. I also think everyone should lay a salt circle inside their houses, apartments, and businesses.”

  “How do we do that?” Holly asked.

  Ivy walked into the kitchen and pulled out a container of table salt. “You can use whatever salt you have on hand. I’ve seen people use rock salt in a pinch.” She walked back into the living room and poured a thick line of salt around her coffee table. “All you need to know is that the salt line should be thick and unbroken. It helps if the person drawing the line repeats the phrase ‘Ward this home against evil’ while they do it.” She shut the lid on the salt. “It’s not foolproof but it’s better than nothing.”

  “Why don’t we just put the salt around the outside of everyone’s house?” Derek asked.

  “Normally, you could,” Ivy admitted, “but I’d be worried that someone would tamper with the circle.” Ivy gasped. “Oh, and people should check it often to make sure the salt line isn’t broken.”

  “How are we going to convince people to do that?” Paul’s tone had Ivy glaring.

  Ben raised an eyebrow, “Do you think they’ll go against a direct order from me?”

  Paul sucked in a breath between his teeth. “If you’re asking them to use magic because the witc-” Ezra and Ezekiel growled viciously cutting Paul off, “-because Ivy suggested it? Yeah, I would expect a lot of push back.”

  “We could blame it on Lawrence,” Anne suggested. “If we told them that he had been spotted in the area and that this would keep him out of their homes, the town would be more likely to do it.”

  Ivy grimaced, “I don’t know how I feel about making Lawrence the bad guy. He’s turned out to be our ally.”

  “He blackmailed you with magic,” Anne gave her a disbelieving look. “We still don’t know what this birthright thing does. I don’t trust that he won’t use it against us.”

  Ivy couldn’t argue with that.

  “Okay, so we need to contact the Pack and have them set up these salt circles tonight.” Ben pointed to Jack, Mark, and Derek. “Start calling people. Tell them that McDowell has been spotted in town and instruct them how to make a salt circle. If people have questions have them call Cal.” Cal groaned but didn’t object. “While you do that go down to the store and buy all of the salt they have.” The four men left without a word.

  Ben turned to Holly, “Call all of our recruits. Let them know what’s going on and that they’re officially on active duty.” He turned to Anne. “Could you go with her. If anyone needs equipment, let them into the Pack house.” Holly and Anne nodded and left. Finally, Ben turned to Paul. “You and I are going to check on everyone. I want to know if anyone has been acting strange or if their routines have changed in the last week.”

  “How subvert do you want to be?” Paul asked.

  Ben sighed, “There’s no way we can keep this entirely secret. I don’t want to outright tell them why we’re asking though. We’ll have to come up with a half-truth and then pass it along to the Enforcers.”

  Paul nodded and leaned against the wall to wait.

  Ben turned back to Ivy. “How quickly can you find the altar?”

  “I’ll call the Coven right now but we won’t be able to get everything set up until tomorrow.” She didn’t tell him that that was only if she could get the old ladies to cooperating without too much of a fight.

  He hummed, “What about a permanent way to protect the territory? How long will that take?”

  Ivy grimaced. “That will be harder. I’ve never had to cast someone out of such a large area. Or set up a ward this big. Even if the Black Bird Coven knows how to do it, it is going to take a lot of magic to work a spell like that.”

  She bit her lip, unsure how the four men were going to take what she had to say next. “There is one more thing.” She could feel all of their eyes on her. “Lawrence will be there for the locating spell and we will need him to participate in whatever we decide to do to keep the Salici out of Black Bird.”

  “Great, just what we need,” Paul growled.

  “Why is he going to be there?” Ezra demanded.

  “He’s the last Benandanti alive. We might need him to retrieve their birthright.” Ivy wasn’t sure if he would be needed but she didn’t want to get there and realize they needed him.

  “Did he tell you that because it sounds suspicious to me,” Ezekiel said.

  “No, he didn’t but it’s a birthright. When magic is tied to birthrights, there’s usually some kind of trigger
that needs to be unlocked. It’s something built into the original spell that allows the birthright to recognize the rightful ‘heir’. In this case, Lawrence is a direct descendent so I’m guessing we’ll need his blood. We’re also going to need his magic to power the spell to locate it. This is a lot more complicated than finding someone. We’ll be burning through a lot of magic.” She explained.

  The brothers nodded. Ben and Paul looked doubtful.

  “I know he’s not the most trustworthy person and his methods are less than ideal but we need all the help we can get. He knows the Salici Sacri better than anyone else. Plus, he’s one of the only other magic users we have in our corner.”

  They both were still uncertain. “Look, the way we cast locating spells is very structured. There’s no room for him to try and pull a fast one. We just need to keep an eye on him once we get to the altar.”

  Ben didn’t look happy about her answer. He gave the twins a stern look. “You guys are on McDowell duty.”

  “With pleasure,” the both simultaneously.

  Ben looked back at Ivy, his face tense. “You are in charge of finding the birthright thing and coming up with a magical solution to keep this other Coven out of our territory.” Ivy tried to look confident when she nodded. “I want frequent updates. I want to know if you hit a snag or if you are ahead of schedule. Alright?”

  “Yes,” Ivy said weakly.

  Ben jerked his head towards the door and he and Paul were gone. Ivy sagged a little bit. Ezra and Ezekiel walked around in front of her.

  Ezekiel smiled softly when he saw her look. “Ben’s a bit of a tornado when he’s in Alpha mode.”

  “Yeah, I can tell.” Ivy staggered over to the couch and slumped into it.

  The guys sat on either side of her. Ezra put an arm around her shoulders. Ezekiel squeezed her knee.

  “We’re in this together,” Ezra promised. “No matter what, you’ve got us behind you.”

  Ivy smiled at that. It didn’t make her feel less overwhelmed but it was comforting. She nudged his arm. “Don’t you have a sister to pick up?”