My stomach flipped with nausea as we raced back to the first floor. My chest was tight with anxiety by the time we reached it, and I lowered myself onto the bottom step, taking deep breaths to calm myself.
“There’s something still here,” I said. If I hadn’t seen the cups shattering for myself, I might not have believed it. But something was here—something that wasn’t human, and whatever it was, it had my mate.
Jett chuckled, but the sound was humorless. “What do you mean, Quick Silver? A ghooost?” he drew out the word comically.
I shook my head. “A spirit, a ghost, I don’t know, but you heard the ladder creak earlier. You saw the cups shatter.”
Jett pressed his lips together firmly. He knew I was right—I could see the fear in his eyes—but he didn’t show fear, not even to me.
“It was probably just the wind,” Owen said.
Again, I shook my head. They were wrong. Whether they were just in denial or not, it didn’t matter. Being the Silver Shifter meant believing in the impossible. Sometimes having four alpha mates was the answer, just like sometimes cups shattering were ghosts, not the wind.
Clenching my fists, I stood once more. If it was in fact a spirit, maybe I could reason with it. It had to be one of the former residents. Was it the father? The mischievous twins? The sullen eldest daughter or the thoughtful youngest?
Taking a deep breath, I looked around the foyer for signs. “Is there anyone here besides us?”
My mates blinked at me in surprise. They had to think I was crazy at this point—but crazy or not, I knew I wasn’t wrong.
“Spirit? Did you take my Cash?”
I waited on bated breath, and finally, the house groaned. Not with the push and pull of the wind, but like the very fabric of it might collapse upon us.
My heart raced and my eyes widened. “Give him back, now.”
A howl of wind tore through the foyer and the front doors crashed open once more, wind and rain splattering my cheeks. I clenched my fists until my nails bit into the palms of my hands. I was right. It was a spirit, and they weren’t happy. Their message was clear—they wanted us gone.
“I’m not going anywhere without my mate, so I suggest you stop fucking with us right now,” I growled. My dragon roared inside of me, the hot flames of her rage licking up my skin. She wanted me to burn this bitch down until I found Cash, and I was damn well ready to let her do the honors if this house didn’t back the hell off.
The house shook, the floor vibrating, the broken chandelier clattering, the remaining crystals twinkling with ear piercing volume.
My nostrils flared. It might just be a house, but the threat was clear. “Fine, looks like we’ll play this the hard way.”
Cash
The stench of mildew flew up my nostrils and I sneezed as I came back to consciousness. My mind spun, hazy with sleep. I sucked in another breath, only for dust to assault my lungs. I coughed violently and rolled onto my back. I could feel the grime like a fresh layer of skin, clinging to my cheek, nose, and arm. I growled a sigh. These were new pants too. I’d have to have them dry cleaned when we returned to the city.
With an annoyed snort, I opened my eyes. The ceiling was a dark slab of concrete I could barely make out in the darkness. I narrowed my eyes and thought hard.
When did I fall asleep?
I sat up. The entire room was shrouded in a darkness so thick I could hardly make it out, even with the enhanced vision of dragons. I might not be able to see in the dark per se, but in the light of twilight I could normally make out every blade of grass outside the lodge. Now, the penetrating blackness was only broken up by the dimmest of lights emanating through a tiny pin sized hole in the ceiling.
Where am I?
My heartbeat sped up as I jumped to my feet. My body was sore—I must have been lying on the cold concrete for a long time. But how long? How did I get here? I spun in circles to try and make anything out, but there was nothing I could see beyond the tiny prick of light illuminating the ceiling.
“Fire,” I realized aloud. My heartbeat slowed as I snapped my fingers. A small flame burned inches above my thumb, and I blinked away white stars as my eyes adjusted to the light.“What the fuck?”
I started, taking a step back. In one corner of the small concrete room was a filthy mattress. Dried blood and other unmentionables clung to it, and a mussed sheet lay in a ball a foot away. In the next corner were two buckets. I spun around to face the other side of the room. In one corner was a chair broken in half, and the other held an old dining set with teacups and saucers strewn across the hardwood. Again, I turned, and something shiny caught my eye.
I froze, only to find a rusted iron chain screwed into the concrete wall. The manacle at the end lie near the bed, and suddenly the reason for this room was clear.
Someone had been kept down here. Someone lived down here.
My heart raced as I realized the one thing I hadn’t seen in my search—a door.
“There’s got to be a way out of here.” My heart thundered in my ears as I tore through the room, flipping the mattress, chair debris, and even the buckets in search of a way out. The flame hovering above my thumb grew larger, brighter, eating away at the oxygen inside as desperation tightened my lungs.
With my free hand I felt across the rough walls, searching for a seam—nothing. There had to be a way out. A cage always has a door. Or else how do you get the prisoner inside?
The flame burned brighter and larger, licking the air, trying to reach something to burn. I stopped, standing in the center of the small space.
“It’ll be okay, Cash,” I said, my voice rather light despite the fear clenching my lungs so tight I could barely breathe. “It’ll be fine. The others are somewhere nearby. They’ll find me.”
Ariana’s beautiful, heart-shaped face flashed before my eyes—her silver gaze, her teasing pink lips, and the white-silver of her hair curling around her face, descending over her shoulders to her breasts. The image of her calmed the flame roaring from my fingers. It dimmed until I could breathe again, my chest light and a smirk returning to my face.
“That’s right. She’ll find me,” I said to myself. I took another look around, struck with a thought. Ariana had been caged most of her life. Did she ever live in a place like this with no sun, no air, no… anything?
My chest panged as I lowered myself back onto the concrete floor. From what Maximus had told me when he found her, she’d been in a place far worse than this, with a dirt floor and cages so small she couldn’t even turn around in her wolf form.
I sighed and splayed my hands on the ground beneath me, leaning back, my flame nearly snuffed out. My mate had been through so much, and still, she smiled every day, laughed like nothing mattered, and planned for the four clans’ futures like the world rested on her tiny shoulders. She was my flame, my heart, my life, and she was the most determined woman I’d ever met. If anyone could find me, it was her.
And if she didn’t… well there was always dragon form. I could easily transform and bust this prison down around me, but in doing so I might hurt the others, or worse, Ariana. If I was still in the house somewhere, or below it like the damp air suggested, then tearing this room apart meant destroying the building above. I couldn’t put Ariana in danger, so I’d wait. I could be patient when I wanted to, though it wasn’t exactly a strong suit of mine.
I twisted my neck back and forth, stretching my neck and shoulders. I glanced down at my hand, the small flame dancing above my knuckles—and froze.
Dark red, nearly brown with age, was painted beneath my hand. I raised my hand and extended my flame. It looked like a circle; a circle made out of—
My breath caught as I climbed to my feet once more. Under the layers of dust and grime coating the floor, I could just make out a witches’ circle drawn in blood.
“Shit,” I said on a breath. Maybe this house wasn’t quite so abandoned after all.
Maximus
“Ariana,” I sighed out her name,
reaching for her.
Ariana stepped away, irritation plain on her face. “He’s here somewhere Max. I’m going to find him, no matter what this house does.” She raised her voice accusingly at the last part, speaking directly to the haunted house.
I clenched my fists. I couldn’t deny something strange was at work here. Whether it be ghosts, spirits, or just a really shitty storm, I couldn’t be sure, but all I knew was that Cash had gone missing without a trace, my mate was scared, and I needed to protect her at all costs. “Jett maybe you should take her to the car.”
Jett’s eyes widened slightly. Once upon a time, I would never have asked Jett to do anything with our mate alone, but after a year of working together as a team, I’d forgiven him for betraying us and our mate. He’d secured her freedom from that loathsome little warlock and fought with us against the Lamia Queen. He was one of us, no matter how irritating he was.
“What?” Ariana snapped. “I’m not going anywhere without Cash.”
Jett’s hand brushed her elbow, but she yanked her arm away, storming across the foyer until she could poke my chest.
“When are you going to learn, you can’t tell me what to do, Max?” she growled. “I thought we were over this overprotective bullshit. Cash is in danger. I need to find him.”
I took her arms in hand and shook my head. “You don’t know that he’s in danger. He might have just gotten turned around.”
“And somehow became deaf in that time as well? His hearing is just as good as ours, Max. He’d have heard me calling by now. Something is wrong. I can feel it.”
“Okay let’s all take a breath here,” Owen said. He held his hands up defensively. “No one is making you go anywhere, Ana.” He laid a hand on her lower back, and her gaze softened as she turned to look at him.
My wolf snapped at his bonds inside me, clawing to get lose. He was far more agitated that usual. Maybe Ariana was right. Something was wrong here, that much was clear. But calling off my overprotective wolf was easier said than done. “Alright. We should keep moving. Maybe he came downstairs without us realizing it.”
Ariana looked back at me, relief in her eyes. “You’re not going to banish me to the car?”
I sighed and ran a hand through my long brown hair. I winced—I was seriously in need of a haircut. “No. I’m sorry.”
She smiled and leaned up, giving my cheek a quick kiss. “You’re forgiven. Now let’s find Cash.”
I nodded, despite the ire of my wolf. I had to remember I was in control, I couldn’t let his desires control me. It’d only serve to push our mate away.
“Cash?” Ariana called as she followed the hallway beside the staircase into the back of the house.
The house shook, the shutters rattling in the wind. It was almost as if the house was answering Ariana’s call, trying to urge her to give up.
A flash of silver caught my eye and I lunged forward, yanking Ariana back in time for a picture frame to fly off the wall and shatter against the other side of the hall, narrowly missing Ariana’s head.
“Ariana?” I gasped, my heart racing. “Are you alright?”
Her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at the dark spot on the wall where the picture had been, then the glass on the floor. “Bitch,” she hissed, clenching her fists. “I’ve had about enough of this fucking house.”
Ariana’s arms heated beneath my touch. Her rage had very visible signs, but if she wasn’t careful, her dragon might come tearing out of her skin.
“Quick Silver, take a deep breath, you don’t want to hulk out on us,” Jett said.
I glanced back at him, then our mate. Her eyes blazed with orange flames. “Ariana, he’s right.”
Biting down on her lip, her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath. Then she moved forward. “Alright house, come on. Work with me here.” She surged forward, the rest of us rushing to keep up with her as she tore through the first floor.
We found a dinning room, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small study, but no signs of Cash.
“He’s nearby,” Ariana said, her voice breathy. “I can feel it.”
I nodded in understanding. Sharing the pack bond with Ariana meant I had better access to her feelings than the rest of her mates, but it also helped me to understand her bond with them. She might not share the same kind of supernatural connection with them, but she could sense them in a way only a mate can sense what’s theirs.
“I know, Ariana,” I said. I pulled her closer, feeling the anxiety thrumming beneath her skin. I ran a hand back through her hair until I held the back of her head. “We’ll find him.” I held her gaze for a moment until I was sure she understood. She gave a tiny nod, and I kissed her forehead before releasing her head.
Another howl of wind had me clenching my teeth. A brush of cold air raced across my skin and I peered around for a window with broken glass—only there weren’t any on this side of the house. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“What is it?” Ariana asked. She laid a hand on my chest as I turned to face the source of the wind.
Behind an old cabinet with copper handles and trees carved into the wood, was the edge of a door. Through the crack I felt another brush of air. A window might not be broken up here, but one was certainly broken through that door.
“There,” I said. My heart raced as I stepped around my mate. I felt along the edge of the door, the chill burning my fingers.
“A door?” Ariana gasped.
“Help me with this.” I motioned at Owen and he rushed to the other side of the cabinet. Together, we lifted it off the floor and shimmied it a few feet over. Once it was settled on the floor, we stepped back and took in the sight of the old door with three locks and a golden handle.
“He’s down there,” Ariana said. “I know it.” She rushed to the door and grabbed the handle. The locks were undone, and the door opened with ease.
“Ariana be careful,” I growled.
She didn’t so much as search for a light switch, only descended the stairs into the blackness with the speed of a jungle cat. I narrowed my eyes at Jett. It was his fault she was so quick.
“What?” Jett snapped. He gave me a confused look before following after Ariana, his eyes a quick flash of gold.
Ah, so that’s why she didn’t search for a light. Though wolves were nocturnal and could see in the dark, that was only made simpler by the light of the moon. The pitch black in the basement on the other hand, would be difficult for even our eyes to penetrate. Cat eyes on the other hand, were a few steps better. If only Cash was with us to light the way, then we’d all make it to the basement without breaking our necks.
“Come on,” Owen said. He patted me on the back as he passed me to descend the steps.
I shook my head and followed, careful to find each step before putting my full weight on it. Still, the steps groaned, and I hurried as fast as I dared. When I finally reached solid ground, Owen had already pulled back the thick curtains covering the broken window in the upper half of the concrete wall. It was a fairly old home to have a concrete basement. Maybe it had been an addition at some point.
“He’s not here,” Ariana said, her voice high with despair. She raced around the large space in search of Cash, but he was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the entire basement was mostly bare with only a few crates, boxes, and old furniture pilled in one corner of the room. “I can smell him,” she continued. “He has to be nearby.”
I looked around once more, searching for anything—a door, a light, some sign that the dragon shifter was near. But there was nothing, no one. The faintest smell of burnt tinged the air, but aside from that, there was nothing to signal Cash was nearby.
“Ariana,” I began, reaching for my mate.
“No,” she growled, her lips pulling back from her teeth. “He’s nearby. I can feel him, smell him—I know it in my soul he is here.”
The shake of the house overhead mimicked the escalating ire of my mate. It rattled and shook and howled like the very hurricane outside was
angry with our presence. Whatever was possessing this house, it would regret fucking with my mate. From the fiery look in her eyes, to the bright orange working its way down her fingers to her fists, she would go dragon before she let this house have Cash.
Another howl of wind split through my thoughts, and the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut with a resounding crack. The second basement window shattered suddenly, and wind tore through, wrapping around us in a violent storm, none of which was natural. I held my arms up as the gust tore at my body and clothes, trying to throw me off my feet. I reached for Ariana, but her silver eyes were orange like molten flames.
Shit.
Ariana
“That’s it,” I hissed. I ground my teeth as wind battered me on all sides, shards of glass slicing through my skin and clothes as the malevolent asshole spirit—or whatever the fuck it wanted to call itself—fought for superiority. Only, this spirit bitch had no idea who it was dealing with. Maybe it was time I showed it.
Flames erupted over my skin, burning through my sweater, licking clean my skin, and searing the small cuts I’d sustained.
“Ana!” Owen gasped.
“Quick Silver,” Jett growled.
“Ariana, be careful!” Maximus snapped.
“Listen here, house,” I snarled. I stepped into the center of the room, my flames whipping in the wind. I breathed through my nose, using every ounce of control I had to keep them around me and away from my mates. “Give me back my mate, or I’ll burn this motherfucker to the ground.”
The groan and howl of the house rose, almost like a scream echoing in my ears. I winced at the volume, the pain of it spearing my eardrums and making my head ache.
Still, this house would fight back, even at the risk of total destruction. It couldn’t be that stupid could it? The house or spirit or whatever the fuck? I hissed out a breath and turned around and round. I wasn’t afraid of this spirit anymore. All I had to go was light a match and all the dust, all the dry ass wood in here—it’d go up in one hell of an inferno.
Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection Page 44
