When I walked in, he gave me a wry smile as I went to each board and studied it and then glanced over the various books he had opened. I tried not to let my confidence wane, but I wanted to direct a lunar curse undo. Josh was talented, and anything he came up with would be the best, but my fear was that his best wasn’t going to be good enough.
His room had been converted to a mini library, with a significant number of books from the pack’s collection now there in his home. I wondered if the change of location had something to do with Cole and Ethan’s persistent desire to keep him away from me.
Hours later, after Josh and I had winnowed the spells down to those that he appeared to have strong confidence in, we received a call from Gavin to meet him. Josh hesitated and I understood why; at this point we had only seventeen days until the lunar eclipse. As he contemplated leaving, I said, “Kelly doesn’t stop being our responsibility. If we can help her, we need to.”
It didn’t take much convincing. I knew he probably felt that way, too, but he was torn between obligations, like we all were.
We arrived near the same place Winter and I had seen the feral woman, Carol. Then we moved deeper into the wooded area. The magic that came off it was more intense, and the wards several feet from the home were strong. Gavin had started to watch the place daily, finding a pattern, and it was worse than I’d suspected.
I stood next to Ethan, Gavin, Josh, and Winter, and we watched as two feral-looking people, one male and one female, were taken outside by men in military-like uniforms and the woman we’d seen before who had the peculiar magic. She scanned and slowly walked the area. We were hidden in the thicket of trees, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Gavin reported that the first two days, several vans had come in but he couldn’t see what they were carrying. Magic and science made a horrible combination.
I wondered what they were creating, were-animals or the opposite—people who behaved like were-animals and had all their attributes—strength, keen and enhanced senses—without changing. Why would anyone want something like this? Was it for business or pleasure? Both were disturbing, but the former made sense.
We were concerned, very concerned, but we had to make sure Kelly was in there.
“It’s a mage,” Josh finally said after studying the woman for several minutes. He seemed to have the same look of incredulity as I’d had when I’d realized that she was one. A diet-witch she wasn’t.
There wasn’t anything light or weak about her or the three other people who had joined her, one man and two other women. Ethan and Gavin leaned in each time they spoke, trying to understand what they were saying. The creep factor was really strong when I realized Gavin, Ethan, and Winter could hear them from nearly thirty feet away. I concentrated on listening, too, instead of gawking at them like someone had given me a private viewing at the freak show. I strained. I heard nothing. I leaned in more; the mage’s voice was light as it carried in the air, but I could only hear faint sounds and not enough to distinguish what she was saying.
Gavin moved first, approaching the guarded compound. We were just inches away when the diet-witch smiled, and with a nod of her head, the ward fell, the gate opened, and four more man-animals approached us, their appearance human except for the eyes, which were like those of the man who had ended up at my neighbor’s home and the woman Winter and I had seen a couple of days ago. They had the eyes of an animal, and just as I suspected, the strength and speed of a were-animal.
The first one lunged at us, and Gavin charged him, meeting him midair. Gavin landed a single blow and the guy went skidding back and stayed down. He was still breathing, sharp, ragged breaths. They looked strong, normal, but they were fragile. That fragility was why, when we’d attempted to save the one that had escaped to my neighbor David’s home, he hadn’t survived.
The others looked as though they were ruled more by primal urges to attack than the desire to survive, something it was doubtful they would do if they were attacked themselves. Another one ran toward Winter. The mage whipped her hand in the air, and the were-human was pulled back. They all winced in pain and moved, following her as she eased them back like animals on leashes. It irritated me, and I could see the same fire blazing in Josh as he fought the urge to counter.
When she jerked the person again, he couldn’t resist. He countered. Magic thrashed her in the chest, and she stumbled back. She tried to return it, but Josh erected a thick pellucid wall. Her magic hit against it, battering it until it faltered. Several more unyielding hits against it and it fell. His bullet-like force of magic hit her hard enough to send her back, making her go airborne for a moment before she crashed into the ground. Her eyes blazed with anger.
She attempted to strike back, but with ease, his magic kissed the air, sending it back at her. She crashed back to the ground with a harder thud than before.
Coming to her feet, she said, “Josh, you are as talented as you are rumored to be.”
“Well, now you have me at a disadvantage. I don’t know who you are.”
“If you don’t leave, you can call me your worst nightmare.”
“Fine. Nightmare. Is that Ms.?” he asked in a playful, flirty voice. “Nah, it doesn’t matter. Bad girls are only fun for a day or two. Let’s get the niceties out of the way. I’m not sure what you’re doing, but stop.”
Possessing the confidence of someone who shouldn’t when faced with four were-animals and a kickass witch, she smiled. “Is that an order?”
“You can take it any way you want.”
The blast of magic from behind us happened fast, hitting us with thrashing force before we could turn. I slammed into a large oak tree so hard my head bounced off it. Various colors of magic danced through the air, lingering. The magical fingerprint that gave the wielder away. Strong magic, and Josh sensed it, too. He erected a protective field around those of us who were left standing before scanning the area to look for them.
I knew it had to be only a matter of time before Marcia and the Creed made an appearance. A retaliatory endeavor to get back at Josh, who was now their enemy.
Another hit of magic, the protective field bulged, and then a ripple. Waves of magic hit until it shattered. From the right, a wolf ran toward him. With a reflexive reaction, Josh extended his hand, pushing the animal, and it moved back, far. Magic hit Josh in his back; he tumbled forward and lost his footing, slamming to the ground. The wolf plowed toward him. It lunged. Ethan slammed into it and rolled over onto it. The wolf clamped down on Ethan’s arm. Ethan’s fist drilled into its temple, trying to get it to release. He maneuvered to the side and wrenched the wolf’s head to the right.
Winter went to the right; I headed left, looking for the source of the magic. Residual magic moved through the air; the fingerprint still lingered, and so did the scent. Crap—that again. They were gone. I went back to where Ethan, Gavin, Winter, and Josh stood over the fallen wolf, whose body had started to change, half man and half wolf. It was a were-animal, because upon death, when in animal form, our bodies attempt to revert back to their human state. We were immune to magic in animal form; why wasn’t this one?
As we walked back to the car, the quietness was uncomfortable. We were faced with the ongoing question of a were-animal that wasn’t immune to magic in animal form and a mage who had magic as strong as a witch. There were too many things that just didn’t add up.
Perched on the table in the living room of the pack’s home, Josh was gnawing at his fingernails again, which meant he was nervous. It was a reason for us to be concerned as well. If Ethan was equally concerned, I couldn’t tell—he was his usual stoic self. Sebastian’s emotions had placed a scowl on his face.
“You’re sure it was a were-animal?” Sebastian asked Josh.
He nodded.
“And you were able to use magic against it.”
Josh nodded again.
We’d been over this several times, and this had just been added to the ever-growing list of things that the pack and Sebastian ha
d to deal with.
“Were-animals are being used as well as humans,” Sebastian speculated quietly. “We have to get in there.”
It seemed like a great plan, breaking the ward and seeing if we could get into the compound. Entering might not be the problem—getting out would probably be a harder task, especially if they had found a way to use magic against us in any form.
Sebastian and Ethan looked at each other, and it didn’t matter that their faces didn’t display it—I knew how they had pragmatically dissected the situation. If they were certain Kelly was in there, it was worth the risk going in. But they weren’t ready to address anything else until they had dealt with the most pressing issue—the curse. There were so many things about that setup in the woods that bothered me and had gnawed at me since we’d left. Why didn’t they keep the man-animals in the compound and exercise them there, or do whatever they were doing with them? It seemed that they didn’t want them isolated. They were introducing them to the world, observing something. Were they trying to determine if they would run if out? If they could survive on their own? Checking their senses? There were so many things that seemed off, and I couldn’t make any sense of them. Even more troubling was the were-animal who wasn’t immune to magic in animal form. How were they linked?
Life and timeframes had been reduced to nothing but how many days and hours it was from the curse, and now we were expecting it to become reality. Assuming that it was just an elaborate tale could lead to many lives being lost. And yet, we couldn’t focus everything on the curse if Kelly was out there possibly undergoing the same things that Carol had—being reduced to an animal used for experimental purposes.
Josh stood in front of one of the dry-erase boards in his home, staring at the same board that had garnered a great deal of his attention for nearly half an hour. I divided my attention between it and the stress balls he was playing with. Small metal globes floated through the air and performed a choreographed dance around his hands as he paced the floor. His cerulean-colored eyes were as intense as the furrow of his brow.
I’d tried two simple spells, which were unsuccessful but not unexpectedly so. Now we were looking at spells that would require dark magic and Faerie magic—Maya’s magic. That was going to be a more difficult task. I would not only have to control the magic and mimic it, but also force her into compliance. Lately she wasn’t amenable; it was a challenge subduing her daily.
I couldn’t deny my adoration for magic, but some days it was more; it felt like I was staving off an addiction. Most of the time, I found myself riding the turbulent wave as it forcibly flowed through my body, beseeching to be used. Denial of the need was getting harder. The taste of it lingered on my palate, but I wasn’t ready to use it again, reminding myself of the damage that magic had already caused.
“If magic can be used against were-animals, it will change things,” Josh admitted, looking away from the board. His face displayed both intrigue and aversion. The witch in him was clearly drawn to the supreme power that they would have. Immunity to magic was one of the best defenses we had and gave us an advantage. Josh had a devotion to the pack that extended further than just his relationship with his brother. He was as much a part of the pack as I was.
I nodded. “Which is why I think Marcia is involved. It seems to be the very thing that bothers her the most. I definitely can see her doing whatever she could to nullify that immunity. The issue is, how? I’m sure she’s tried to do this before, what’s different now?”
“Science,” he offered with a sigh. We both looked at his board, where the extent of the overlap between science and magic was displayed.
“But it still takes money. That type of discretion isn’t free, nor are the talent and equipment you would need to execute it,” Chris noted as she walked through to the kitchen. She grabbed a bagel and moved around with familiarity until she found a knife and some Nutella, which she smeared on the bagel.
I stared, and my brows rose with curiosity.
She smiled. “It’s a habit. I like bagels.”
If only that was what I was actually concerned about. I was speculating on at what point I’d get to ask her why she was still in Josh’s home and when exactly she planned to leave. The even more pressing question was why she had on only one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts. Her presence and his scent wafting off her made ignoring the light bruising on his neck more difficult.
I yanked my eyes from her because if I didn’t, eventually keeping my thoughts to myself was going to become more difficult.
“Marcia is definitely involved, you all really rub her the wrong way.”
I was sure we’d aggravated her even more after circumventing her attempt to kill Ethan and hold the Midwest Pack accountable for their violation of the agreement to “contain” dark elves. In the end, though, she had had a minor victory. We were then tasked with being responsible for all dark elves. Another weight on our shoulders, and something we needed to address.
Chris sauntered into the living room, taking advantage of the opportunity to peruse the massive extensive library of magic books that Josh had, some of which were on loan from the pack’s library. I made a note that she looked at the ones in English and the few we had that were in Spanish. Demetrius was Italian, something I’d figured out on the rare occasions he’d become angered—his nearly imperceptible accent was more pronounced then. With the similarities between the two languages, I wondered if it helped her or if in fact she spoke both of them. Known for her knowledge of and connections in the otherworld, I figured she would consider being multilingual a strategic advantage.
Feeling Josh’s eyes on her, she turned. “I made a promise, and I will honor it. You’ve more than earned it. Anything I learn from being here will never be repeated or used against the pack.”
There was a time I would not have believed her, and I was having difficulty not seeing her as the enemy, which was how I was first introduced to her. Gray lines bothered me; ill-defined roles were problematic sometimes. Right now, Chris was an ally, but next week that role could change. Although I wasn’t sure what ethics she held to, she seemed to honor her debts seriously. Kelly had helped save her life, and I was confident Chris would therefore do what she could to help.
She’d been staring at Josh’s board but finally gave up. I didn’t blame her. It was headache-inducing. Magic was more than waving a hand and saying “hocus-pocus.”
“I don’t think it’s just Marcia involved,” she finally said. “The witches have capital, but not enough to hire guards for the home, pay scientists, and bring in were-animals. You know they wouldn’t dare even think about using one of Sebastian’s were-animals. If in fact they have Kelly, it isn’t Marcia’s doing. Not hers alone.”
Then she took a seat next to Josh, who still had the stress balls dancing around him. It was apparent that neither one gave a crap about personal space. I listened to her while shooting Josh “what the hell” looks that he either missed or ignored, because he didn’t move. And when she took a sip from the glass of scotch he’d been nursing for the past hour, I treated her to the same look.
She grinned. “I think if I can feed from someone, it might be okay for me to drink from their glass.”
Josh chuckled, but when my eyes narrowed on him, he quickly stopped. Sitting up straighter, he shifted his weight and put a little space between them.
Chris took over Josh’s drink, speaking between sips. “Marcia is vengeful and cruel, but she is also calculating. She wouldn’t risk Kelly without anything to gain from it. And there are many people they could have taken instead of someone who is a friend of your pack. It’s an amateur move. She wouldn’t have taken her. So if Kelly is involved, Marcia didn’t do it.”
“Then who?” Josh asked.
Drink in hand, she stood and paced, talking low enough to be heard but working it out for herself. “The person has to have a lot of money to buy secrecy and pay the witches for their part.” She paused for a moment.
I added, “
Unless they are bartering with the witches. The were-animals’ immunity to magic has always been something that has bothered them. The were-animal in the forest wasn’t immune to Josh’s magic. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was part of the deal. Now who would want were-animals that don’t shift?”
“Do you know who owns the property?” Chris inquired.
Josh grimaced. “It was like going through a financial maze, but we do—it’s DXB Realty.”
Chris stopped pacing and stared blankly at the wall. “That asshole,” she mumbled.
“Who is DXB?” Josh asked.
“He likes to be called X, such a fucking cliché, but he’s a mage by the name of Dexter, and if you think the ones you’ve met are lightweight, then his skills would be considered laughable. What he lacks in skill and manners, he more than makes up for in money. His real business is a string of restaurants and stores, and he has a casino, I believe. What he likes to do is gamble, a lot, on fights. Bare-knuckles-to-the-death stuff. He’s a real piece of work.” She paused for a long moment. “That would explain why he is trying to make superhumans for his entertainment, or maybe he needs to win.”
“But what about those were-animals’ nullified resistance to magic?” I asked.
“That’s no one other than Marcia. Dexter needed strong magic. You think Marcia wouldn’t loan out hers in an effort to stop the were-animals’ immunity to magic?” Josh’s voice was tight. I glanced in his direction. He was tense and angry, and magic radiated off him like sparks off a live wire. Marcia had been trying to turn all sects against the were-animals for years. It wasn’t beyond the scope of belief that she was going for a power grab and was allying herself with anyone she thought could take down the were-animals.
But I didn’t want to lose focus. We needed to get Kelly first and deal with the other things later. “We don’t need him to shut his operation down, do we? Just go in there and get Kelly if she’s there,” I said.
Chris shrugged. “Sky, you will not be able to do that. And believe me, this will not be the last person snatched. If X is behind this, you need to shut him down. Period.”
Moon Cursed (Sky Brooks Series Book 5) Page 16
