Wait. First of all, what was going on?
I wasn’t running off to Cornwall with or without a couple of werewolf bodyguards. I’d never even hinted that I would be willing to do such a thing—had I?
Plus, I was done. I’d scried for them. Now I was ready to start my Brighton vacation after that lift home to my sister.
Besides, even if they were thinking I’d tear off to Cornwall, why were there volunteers? Other than those speaking to me—Diana, Elijah, Rebecca, and Zar—I’d not noticed one whisper to imply that they were happy I was here. I didn’t belong. Yet now they all wanted to join in?
Diana paid no heed to silent requests to be chosen. “Kenaniah, Jedediah, you will accompany Eleazar and protect the witch.”
“I’m not sure what—” I started.
Standing up, she waved them forward, still speaking. “She is our hope. Will you watch over her? See to her safety and each other’s? And help in any way possible?”
“I will,” Zar said, scrambling to his feet before the others could answer.
“Wait a minute,” I said, following him, brushing grass from my pants. “What is it you’re expecting?”
“Only that you help us find them,” Diana said. “Starting in Cornwall. If you can locate druids and ask after their own situation, perhaps that will lead you to enough information to scry again for this killer. With you, the druids, and the wolves working together, I’m sure we can save our pack.”
I mouthed while she talked.
Everyone else also stood, or those I could see, by firelight.
Kage and Jed answered her, giving an affirmative that, yes, they would aid and protect me, Kage getting in some bit about making this up to his “elders and core.” Jed hanging back, grudging at best, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
As if I wanted them along either. As if there had been any point where I’d agreed to any of the stuff she was talking about.
Diana turned, taking stock of them. Rebecca stepped forward. As did another female in a sweeping dark skirt, a wiry young male with rumpled black hair, the guy with the ponytail from this morning, and more.
I was reeling, trying to get a better look at faces in twisting shadows, when Diana waved them back and made her selection.
“Isaac? Will you join them?”
“Honored, cataja.” A big male even taller, also much paler than the others, stepped forward. As powerful in appearance as Kage and Jed, yet older, past thirty—though that may have been the short trimmed beard. Slower and more deliberate in his movements, his light hair was combed back. He wore a blue button-down and looked all together tidier and more pulled together then most of those assembled.
The pale one stepped to Zar, Kage, and Jed around Diana. I noticed Kage ease away, uncomfortable. Both he and Jed avoided looking at Isaac. This made me take an instant liking to him. I wished Diana would send Kage and Jed back. Let Zar and Isaac come with me.
Then I kicked myself. Wait, so I was doing this? I was dashing off to look for druids with a bunch of werewolves? Had they slipped something into my drink? But they hadn’t even given me one. Forget tea or roasting marshmallows, no one had so much as a mint or bottle of water.
Diana removed a silver pendant from her neck and held it out.
Zar, Kage, Jed, and Isaac reached to hold the chain, their hands touching, linked back to her as she held the silver orb.
Diana looked up. As one, everyone else did as well. So did I—pack mentality.
There was the moon, three quarters, above the little wood beyond the stone barn.
“Moon grant light in darkness, good hunting, our families safe from harm,” Diana said. “Grant your light to Cassia, this witch, our hope. Grant strength and wisdom to these four wolves who will keep her safe on her journey to unmask our enemies.” She looked to the four before her, each with his left hand extended to hold the chain. “Will you swear to honor your pack and Moon by protecting this woman from whatever dangers may appear in her search? To help in this fight against forces that would hunt us?”
“I so swear,” they answered in unison.
Diana held up the pendant as they dropped the chain and, one by one, each bent to kiss the orb in her palm. Then each made a gesture I’d never seen. At first, I thought they were crossing themselves. Instead, they touched their temples, then chests with two fingers, at the end of the movement tipping their faces back to the moon as if to give it a nod.
Diana hung the silver orb back around her neck and faced me. The group of four parted for her to do so, Zar and Jed to her right, Kage and Isaac to her left, all looking at me.
A shiver flickered down my spine: new awareness of cool silver moonlight cutting into the orange heat of the bonfire, facing the silent packs who were placing their lives in my hands—even while many did not look pleased by the idea. Well … they weren’t the only ones.
But I nodded. I don’t know why.
Looking to Zar, Kage, Jed, Isaac, then into Diana’s eyes—strong, yet afraid—it was as if I had no choice. As if I’d already made the choice the moment I’d heard people were dying and it may be within my power to do something to stop it.
I nodded again, meaning it this time, taking a breath. “When do we leave?”
Chapter 7
I thought they weren’t going to let me leave them. The whole lot seemed to think I would set out for Cornwall tonight with four werewolves I didn’t know from Adam.
Maybe the fact that I’d said I would go at all had given them the wrong impression as to how crazy I really was—i.e. totally, as opposed to only borderline crazy.
When I explained to Diana that I wasn’t going anywhere until I’d talked with my sister and had a good night’s sleep, she sent Rebecca to drive me home. She also insisted one of them would return in the morning to pick me up. As if I wouldn’t be safe going out alone. I wanted to tell her that was absurd, I was capable of taking care of myself. But I’d just been kidnapped by two of her clansmen so I didn’t have a leg to stand on with that argument.
Perhaps she was only afraid I wouldn’t come back if she didn’t send someone to get me.
I was too tired to engage Rebecca as much as I wanted to on the drive. She had a little green sedan that may have been a sweet ride about thirty years ago. Now I was startled it ran at all. It smelled doggy, musty, and sweet like candy.
It was so dark out there, I couldn’t get any sense of where we were, only that it took ten minutes to the suburban edge of Brighton and another ten to get home, myself struggling to navigate, looking up Melanie’s address on my phone.
She asked if I was all right, clearly worried. But worried for me or about something happening to me or only about her family or becoming involved with a human like this, I couldn’t say.
Then she apologized for what had happened with Kage and Jed. I wished she’d stop doing that.
“Are you two involved?” I asked as we reached the city. “You and Kage?”
“No,” she laughed. “I’m his sister.”
“I’m sorry.”
More laughing. “I guess he takes getting used to. We grew up with Jed and his brothers also.”
“How many?”
“Just Kage and me in our family. For Jed, two brothers. But Gabriel is gone so it’s only Jed and Zar now.”
I didn’t ask what she meant by “gone.” One of the victims?
“I wish I could come with you,” she added. “Or do anything to help. The killers have mostly targeted females. I bet that’s why Diana was scared to let any of us go.”
Another thing they hadn’t mentioned. What else did they know about the case that they hadn’t told me? It probably didn’t matter, though. I would soon have plenty of time to ask.
I sighed, brain foggy, waiting for my phone to load a map. “Any advice for having to spend … what? A couple days to go to Cornwall and back with those two for company?”
“Don’t let them get under your skin. Between Kage and Jed there’s hardly been a da
y they haven’t been in trouble with someone in the pack since they were pups. But Kage will look out for you like he says he will. Just be prepared for a lot of showing off and ego along with it. Most of the males that age think they’re silver. And Jed … I stay away from Jed myself. Most wolves do. Zar’s a good sort. A lovely storyteller—but don’t tell him I said that.”
“Secret’s safe with me. Do you know Isaac?”
“Not much. Isaac isn’t close kin. He joined us from the Mountain Pack in the border country a few years ago and I’ve never had much to do with him. He works among humans. Many of us do, of course,” she added hastily, as if she didn’t want me thinking she meant this as a slur on Isaac. “My father does, and Kage some of the time. Isaac is just … more involved. Some wolves are better at blending in than others. He’s one of them.”
“Anytime you can get off this road and turn right would be good. Then I think I can give directions. So that’s why Isaac sounded like he had a different accent? The farthest north I’ve ever been in England is the Cotswolds.”
“You should go sometime. The North of England is beautiful. The Lake District, Yorkshire Dales. Our coast is lovely too, but…” Rebecca sighed. “I’m not sure why Isaac wanted to be down here when he’d had mountains and lakes like that to explore.” She put on the turn signal. “Where are you from? American accents make me think of human telly and California, but you have such a huge country.”
“Close, north of California. I’m here from Portland, but from Kansas City originally.” This was a white lie I told routinely because the single main street town forty-five minutes outside of Kansas City where I’d actually grown up was hardly a speck on any map. Anyway, after my teen years in the high desert of New Mexico with Nana, I didn’t think of myself as from Cattahoo, Missouri, regardless.
I went on. “I’ve been in Portland for years—college, interning, working. About to start my first real teaching job at an elementary school in a great district at the end of August. I was lucky to get the job.”
“So you really are a teacher? Your presentation today was smashing. You seemed so comfortable.”
I gave a little shrug. “I’ve had a lot of practice. Spiders, no. Swimming in open water where I can’t see the bottom, no. But I can do public speaking.” I didn’t want to keep talking about myself, head aching, still jet-lagged and stupid and needing to come up with a story to tell Melanie.
Instead, after more directions, I thanked her for doing this and asked, “Are you okay, coming out on your own?”
“I’ll go straight home. No worries. They haven’t been grabbing wolves off the road. It’s right around home and out on foot that has us concerned.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard this has been on all of you.” They must all have lost loved ones, if not close family.
As we pulled up before Melanie and Henry’s house, beside cars parked on the street, Rebecca said someone would call at dawn to pick me up. I’d been in England enough before to know this meant “come by.” Not call on the phone, in which case she’d have been more likely to say they’d ring me. But I stopped her mid-sentence anyway.
“Sorry but I’m not going anywhere, with anyone, at dawn. I’m going to talk with my sister, get a good night’s sleep, have breakfast with her in the morning, and pack an overnight bag. I will be out to meet whoever is calling at … nine in the morning. Not a minute before.”
Rebecca nodded. “Nine it is.” Offering a tentative smile.
I thanked her again and let myself in with my key from Melanie before Rebecca drove away.
All spellcasters are liars. Unless you live so remotely that you never come into contact with mundanes and cut yourself off, you’re going to have to lie.
The story came easily while Mel and I sat up with herbal tea in our pajamas on the couch. For me, night attire meant a thick white cotton tank and blue pajama pants that matched my eyes. She actually wears a nightgown. She got into them after moving into this Victorian house. I’d smother in such a thing. I needed my freedom, waking or sleeping.
I told her about the great group of people I’d met at the conference, how we’d lingered over dinner and I’d lost track of time. About a conference in Cornwall going on through the week, visiting historians lecturing from all over the world, how these friends had booked a vacation rental and there was plenty of room for one more.
I said there was still space so I’d registered for the conference. Not that I planned to stay for the whole thing, of course. I wanted to get back to her so we could spend this time together—plus meeting all those guys.
Melanie isn’t stupid. “People your age at this stuff? And women? Gee, Cass, I thought you were the only one. Next thing I know you’ll be telling me they’re all blondes.” We make jokes about our blondness. We can. Other people can’t.
I didn’t address these questions. More like one big, “I know, right?” And telling her I was sorry, but I’d be back soon so we could hang out.
“No, don’t worry about it. This is your jam. You should totally go.” She sounded confused. “Last big adventure before ‘settling down’ to a full-time working adult, right?”
Having a great, supportive sister only makes it harder to lie.
I wanted to cry by the time I went to bed. Call the whole thing off. But I lay there in the dark, bruised right shoulder still aching, listening to waves, and thought of seven bodies—throats cut, eyes carved out, hearts staked—and knew I would do no such thing.
More doubts over breakfast and coffee with Melanie. Henry was there for part of it: eggs, tomatoes, fried bread, bacon—not to be confused with toast or with American smoked bacon—then he kissed her goodbye and waved to me.
I left my rolling bag, only taking my newly reloaded backpack for overnight. Strictly essentials and a change of clothes that I hoped I wouldn’t need. One night out should mean toothbrush, hairbrush, underwear. But I’m one of those people who always has things like Band-Aids and ibuprofen, hand sanitizer, tweezers, a keychain flashlight, and tissues in my purse. Better to be prepared.
Easy to pack light, in jeans and a summer top, though it looked so cold and foggy out there this morning I zipped on my favorite purple and pink cotton hoodie as well.
Approaching 9:00 a.m., I flexed my shoulder, feeling all right now, grabbed my bag, brushed my teeth, touched up lip gloss, and stared at my own eyes for a minute in the mirror, remembering Zar.
Was it too late to bring Zar, Isaac, and Rebecca instead of Zar, Isaac, Kage, and Jed? And what was up with their names? Were they all biblical? Odd connection for people who apparently worship Moon.
Watch your tongue.
What had he said? Something about the moon. For Moon’s sake?
Good to know. Don’t take the name of the moon in vain around werewolves.
Who would they send to fetch me this time?
One more hint of manhandling me and they could find their own murderers.
Worse than my personal pride and safety concerns, though, what would Melanie think if those guys showed up in their Jeep?
Pulse quickening, I said goodbye, hoping she wouldn’t come out front with me. Of course, she did, wishing me a fun trip, telling me to keep in touch and be careful. An odd thing for her to say. The product of us both growing up? No. She knew I wasn’t telling everything.
I hugged her on the threshold. Just as Rebecca’s old car came up the street.
Thank you, Goddess.
I shouted back love to Mel, hopped in, waved, and we were off.
This time, I could see where we were going, out into the countryside beyond Hove, north of Portslade, past a sprawling golf course, and west on a motorway called A27. Then it was north, leaving the coast behind for open green farm country with few homes.
On high ground of fenced fields and roads needing mending, away from suburban sprawl, we took a final potholed road, past a small apple orchard, out to a mobile home park. I was pretty sure they called them caravan parks in England—
unless that was only for vacation type trailer parks and not long-term living.
That was it. A mobile home park with dozens of homes: lawn chairs, a dusty drive, only a few old cars and SUVs, a long field with a partly broken rail fence, a little woodland on the far side, and, in the center of the homes, a two-story timber building that must be on a permanent foundation. I wouldn’t have known the place in daylight except for the stone barn with the caved-in roof out in the field.
Not that I’d had any reason to think of werewolves as glamorous. But there was something about the bleak setting and signs of poverty, with the untended road and old cars, that was not only sad but, somehow, intensely disappointing.
Several of them stood outside—arguing, to go by dramatic gestures and shaking heads—when we pulled up. They stopped when I climbed from the car with Rebecca.
Chill wind whipped up from the south, making the place seem even bleaker and less welcoming.
Diana, with the silvery half cape around her shoulders in the cool morning, approached to welcome and thank me.
I struggled to return her smile. Indeed, it was all I could do not to say, “Let’s get this over with.”
Chapter 8
They had a little camper trailer—which they called a caravan—hooked up to tow behind the dusty silver Jeep for my living quarters. I’d assumed we’d stay in a hotel in Cornwall overnight. Apparently such things were too expensive, and too detestable, to consider. They intended to sleep out under the stars and I could have the caravan. I could manage for a night. Anyway, I didn’t have a whole lot of cash to blow through on this trip either.
Kage actually mumbled an apology about the previous evening as he opened the passenger side door for me. I was impressed. Jed, with two-day stubble and a scowl on his face, didn’t bother.
Zar, who’d been trying to get my door before Kage, retreated to the back with his brother after wishing me good morning. The pair of them looked even less alike in the daylight than they had last night, complexions aside. Both Zar and Jed had black hair, mottled brown eyes, and warm skin tones that were almost caramel—making me feel as bleached and dull as glue.
Moonlight Desire: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (The Witch and the Wolf Pack Book 1) Page 4
