My dad pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing in and out a few times before speaking again. “Okay, we have contingency plans in place for this.”
Well, apparently I missed that meeting, I thought with an eye roll.
Dad glanced down at the map again, then turned toward Augie, Liam, and me. “I need the three of you to get all of the children, and anyone who doesn’t know how to or can’t fight, up the mountain and in the caves. Zarai, can you place extra protections around the caves when everyone is settled?”
She nodded. “I’ll have the three sisters stay with your pack just in case. Lex and I can handle Jaye on our own. Now that I’ve broken through her shield to track her, I can tell her strength isn’t what I feared. She hasn’t been a sorceress for very long and her constant use of power is draining her.”
“Very good. Caleb, will you help me get Rick, Sam, and Tommy? They can begin recruiting others to start patrols. I want every inch of the property surrounded. Just because Jaye is coming in from one direction, doesn’t mean that all of Declan’s team will be coming that way. Once everyone is settled, we’ll take a team of no less than fifteen, plus Zarai and Lex. I want everyone situated within the hour.”
With no time to waste, I grabbed Liam and Augie by the hands and led them out of the kitchen. This was it. This was what I had been waiting for since the moment I walked into my father’s office and realized that Cord was dead. The day had come for me to get the retribution my brother so deserved.
Once our pack members were settled, I followed my dad as he took the lead. We were joined by Augie, Liam, his brothers, and thirteen of our best protectors. We stood in a field on the outskirts of our property where we believed Declan and Jaye would be arriving. Zarai and Lex had their tracking map out, announcing an updated ETA every five minutes.
According to the witches, we would be seeing signs of Declan’s arrival within ten minutes. I shook my palms out and bounced on the balls of my feet. I was ready. We wouldn’t let Declan get away this time. I was tired of the chase and needed it to end today.
We’d spent the last hour rounding up all of our shifters. Not one was left in the main area of our pack. If someone wanted to participate in the fight, then we sent them to the boundary lines of our property in case Declan attempted to come at us from different directions than Jaye. Our solid fighters like Rick, Sam, and Tommy, were assigned to be with us where most of the action was likely to take place.
If pack members weren’t able to fight, Liam and I had led them up into the depths of a mountain behind our pack house along with the three witch sisters for added protection. Everyone was accounted for and we had little to worry about if all went as planned.
“I’m not sure how I feel about the eagerness rolling off you right now,” Liam said. “It frightens me a little.”
I smiled at him. “I will never be a damsel in distress. Not that there is anything wrong with those who don’t want to fight, but I will always protect what is mine. Right now, Declan is threatening my pack. I will never not be on the front lines for something like this.”
He tugged me closer, kissing the top of my head. “And it’s one of the many reasons I love you.”
“Good, because there’s no changing that part of me. Leaving my dirty clothes on the floor? Maybe. But this? Never going to happen.”
“I’ll be sure to remember that.” Liam laughed.
“Any minute now,” Lex said to my dad.
He turned, glancing at each of the wolves before him. “I know some of you have seen what Jaye can do already. I want everyone to shift now before they get here, except me and Augie. Once Jaye has been rendered useless by Zarai and Lex, we move in, but not a moment before. I don’t care if they taunt you or cast spells. Unless they are within physical striking distance, hold your place until I say. Do you understand?”
Nods and yeses went around the group as shifters began shedding their clothes. We spread out even further as each of us shifted. Liam was adorable as he stood in front of me, attempting to hide my body from the others. I shifted quicker than normal to appease his jealous wolf, while ignoring the physical discomfort it caused me to do so.
As soon as he was shifted as well, our wolves nudged each other, and I found myself nipping at his neck before I even knew what was happening.
Mate, my wolf murmured.
Easy, girl. No marking our territory before the big battle. We’ll work on that later.
Wolves liked to make a blood bond with their mates for a deeper connection, almost like the one Augie now had with my dad and the pack, but on a much more intimate level. The human part of me hadn’t thought of it yet, but listening to my wolf’s thoughts now, it hadn’t been far from her mind. We’d been so busy taking care of the humans, moving, and getting the house ready, that I hadn’t had a lot of time to spend with Liam in our wolf forms. Creating a wolf bond would be something we would need to discuss after our trip to the Catskills to speak with his dad.
I wasn’t going to create a lifelong bond with him without knowing for certain that nothing stood in our way. The wolf bond tied us together for life. A wolf could have more than one bond in their lifetime if their bonded died, but never multiple bonds at the same time. If a wolf didn’t get along with their bonded mate, they were left with no choice but to figure it out.
I wasn’t sure about the side effects of committing to Liam on that level, though. It meant that we would be able to sense how the other was feeling and push feelings back and forth with each other. We wouldn’t be able to convey words, but the feelings would be strong enough that we’d rarely be able to hide things from each other. I had been so independent most of my life, the thought of being tied to someone so closely freaked me out.
Before I could give it too much thought, Liam’s wolf pushed us back toward my dad and we stood on the front lines. My hackles rose as my wolf sensed the others coming near. Her senses were so much more powerful than mine. I almost forgot how in tune she was with a situation like this.
Liam growled next to me, moving closer without actually being on top of me. His charcoal wolf stood a few inches taller than my silver one, but I was fast, which had proved to be my saving grace on more than one occasion. I knew he was nervous, considering we had been split up during the last fight with Declan, but I’d been proud of him for not trying to hold me back. It made me love him even more than I thought possible.
“They’re here,” Zarai said softly.
My ears folded back as I turned toward where she was staring and saw the first wave of wolves coming through the trees. Of course, Declan wouldn’t be man enough to lead his own pack or what was left of it. He was a poor excuse for an alpha.
Six wolves ranging in color and size were the front line, followed by Declan, Jaye, and Rafe, who were flanked by ten or so more wolves. It appeared Declan had the same idea as my dad by having most of his team shift before facing us. It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t best us.
Jaye cackled as she strode toward us. “Sisters! How lovely to see you,” she said maniacally. “I’ve longed for this day since I began planning it.”
Lex sneered and leapt forward, but Zarai stopped her. “We assumed you were dead, Mari. How intriguing that you’ve taken your sister’s name.”
What the hell was happening right now?
Jaye or Mari, whatever her name was, had stopped fifty feet back from us. She glowered and spat on the ground. “She was no sister of mine! Though, her name was useful in keeping me under the radar. I got rid of her as soon as she began to question my authority. I will only offer you this opportunity once; leave now before the two of you share the same ending as Jaye.”
The look on Declan’s face was priceless. He had no idea what was going on, either, and I was enjoying every minute of it.
“What was your plan, Mari?” Lex snarled. “Use the shifters to attack us? It would have never worked. You’re a pathetic excuse of a witch. Jaye should have ended you when she had the chance.”
; “Oh, dear Alexandria.” I guess we knew what Lex was short for now. “You underestimate me once again. You so foolishly believed the twisted words I forced out of her mouth. I made sure she caused quite the ruckus before I lured her back to me, so you didn’t come looking for her. I knew if she rejected you, your pride would prevent you from doing the right thing.”
Holy shit, this was some soap opera drama.
“You little bitch!” Lex roared as she shot out a spell toward Mari, and Zarai didn’t stop her. “You’ll pay for her death and all of those after hers.”
Angry tears trailed down Lex’s face and my heart ached for her broken one. Lex was maintaining her composure so much better than I thought I would have been able to.
Mari had easily deflected the spell Lex shot at her and proceeded to move toward us. “I’ll give you both one chance to walk away and let me handle these wolves. None of this involves you, anyway.”
“You brought us into the matter when you decided to turn humans into shifters. We’ve never stopped protecting the humans, even from dark witches like yourself,” Zarai stated. “We won’t walk away until you’re stopped.”
“Don’t you mean sorceress?” Mari taunted. “Jaye’s sacrifice was the final boost I needed to finally ascend into my full power.”
Lex snarled, yelling obscenities. I was pretty proud of her then. She rivaled a wolf’s anger.
“Have it your way then. Be prepared to say hello to Jaye for me, because your only chance at leaving here is gone,” Mari snarled.
Spells and sparks began flying between the three witches. I moved forward, but my dad halted us by throwing his hand out and blocking my path. Declan did the same, curiosity on his face, not showing an ounce of sympathy for the woman he had called mate not so long ago. Mari lying about whatever plan she had would likely be her undoing.
Zarai and Lex parted, going toward Mari at an angle, moving strategically. I watched in fascination as both of their bodies became incased in a golden shield and their hands lit up in blue sparks. Shit was about to go down.
At the same time, my dad stepped forward and with every step he took, the rest of us followed close behind. I watched the witches as we did this, making sure to stay out of the crossfire. Mari wasn’t going down without a fight and she didn’t look the least bit scared of Zarai and Lex, causing me to worry.
Ja–Mari shot one magical fire ball after the next at the two witches. With each one, a tremor wracked their golden shields, but they continued to move forward with ease. I glanced between their increasingly blue hands and Mari. I hadn’t figured out what their plan was, but it had better be good. Their shield wasn’t going to hold up for much longer. And if they didn’t win, we were all fucked.
Chapter 16
“Quit hiding from me!” Mari yelled. “Fight me or surrender. You’re only making this harder on yourself.”
Mari’s hands raised in the air, followed by her slamming them down into the ground, causing the earth to crack and split in various places, but nothing wide enough for someone to fall through. My wolf yipped at the power that flowed through the field, but we held our stance.
Lex’s shield finally shattered and I expected her to do something, but certainly not what she had done. She cowered, falling to her knees as Mari rose back up. Lex’s head was lowered, and she let the power she had been building up…fizzle out.
What the actual hell?
“Now!” my dad called out.
I couldn’t pay attention to the witches, nor worry about their safety. If we didn’t fight Declan while Zarai was at least keeping Mari distracted, we were so screwed.
I charged forward with Liam at my side. My eyes were set on Rafe and his on me. My dad had demanded that the pack leave Declan for him, and I was perfectly okay with that, but Rafe was mine. I knew he had a role in everything that had happened from his snide comments at the Decennial Gathering. He would pay for whatever part that might have been.
As Rafe’s shift began to take over, he had to get in one last blow while he narrowed his beady eyes on me. He pointed to the left of us. “Over there is where I shot your brother dead. Now, I’m going to tear you to shreds, you little bitch.”
My wolf howled and roared as we moved faster with Liam at my back. Just as Rafe’s front legs came down, I slammed into his underbelly. I swiped my front right paw up as he ripped into my neck, each of us getting in our blows, but neither willing to back off from the other.
We circled each other once before going at it again. I got a glimpse of my dad keeping his own with Declan who, surprisingly, was in wolf form. I had assumed he’d use his magic. Maybe he was more of a man than I gave him credit for, but it didn’t make a difference. He needed to die.
Liam was behind me, keeping Declan’s other wolves from assisting Rafe in his fight with me. What surprised me the most and made me want to stop, though I knew I couldn’t, was the fact that Zarai was still holding her own and Lex was back to standing up. Whatever they had done must have been a ruse to get Mari to lower her guard, because they now had the upper hand. Though, I didn’t get a long enough look to really know how it was going.
Attention back on Rafe, I charged forward again, snarling and snapping as we slammed into each other. He had killed my brother and I was going to return the favor. He wouldn’t get away with taking my best friend from me. I would do this. There was no stopping me or my wolf until Rafe took his last breath. I’d never considered myself a killer, nor did I believe that two wrongs made a right, but Rafe would only kill again if I didn’t stop him. No more innocent blood would be spilled by his hands.
I latched onto his neck, quickly taking a chunk out before backing up, counting on my speed once again to give me the upper hand. When I backed away, I used the opportunity to check on Liam. He was still near, but battling another wolf, who was losing poorly. Liam would not fight to kill, though. We had decided before the fight that if we could injure and capture them, then we would try. Our pack would not stoop to their level, but all rules went out the door for me when Rafe admitted to killing Cord. There was no going back after that. No forgiveness to be given.
Rafe took advantage of my momentary distraction, charging first. He slammed into my side, using his weight to throw me back. The impact cracked something on the inside, but I ignored the pain. It was nothing compared to my anger. I stayed low to the ground, pretending to be worse off than I really was. I saw him coming for me again. Once he was upon me, I rolled over and out of the way, bouncing back up onto all fours, before digging my claws into his back quarters as he passed me.
We faced off again, more growls and snarls being shared between the two of us. So much hatred poured out of him for me and I had no idea why. I almost felt bad for him but dismissed the feeling as quickly as it came.
Over and over again, we both took one hit after another, but still, I was faster. I was able to move out of the way before he really sank his teeth or claws into me. Oh, he’d gotten in some good hits, but Rafe was bleeding a hell of a lot more than I was. I could see the fatigue setting in as his wolf huffed heavily with his tongue out.
I just had to keep it up a little bit longer and my part would be over. My brother would be avenged, and I’d sleep a little better at night, knowing I had done that for him.
Before I could decide my next move, a loud yelp came from where my dad was. My head jerked up in that direction to find my dad pinned beneath Declan. My heart stopped, and the world froze. Get up, Dad, I internally screamed. I would not lose him. Not yet.
Declan ripped into his throat and I cried out, stepping in their direction. Rafe had other plans, though. Using my distraction against me, he plowed into me harder than any other time before that, knocking the wind out of me. Blood poured from his neck as he towered above me. I twisted my body to get out from underneath him, but he had me pinned. Knowing it wouldn’t do much damage but wanting to fight back in whatever way I could, I latched on to his leg as high as I could reach while he tore into my neck.
Deciding I needed to go for a Hail Mary, I let go of his front leg to focus on another plan. What little I had been trying to do was not working. I needed a plan B before Rafe won. I began throwing my head from side to side. It was painful as hell, but effective. I managed to dislodge his bite from my neck, and he couldn’t get another decent hold on me as I tossed my head back and forth.
As my vision began to go black from my efforts, I was pretty certain this was it for me. I began to think about all the things I’d yet to do with my life and wasn’t ready to give up. I wanted more time, but I couldn’t see how I was getting out of my current predicament.
Before I could completely give up, I heard a feral growl and Rafe’s weight was thrown off me. I didn’t see who my savior was. Instead, I took a minute to breathe and heal. With as much damage as there had been to my neck, I knew the latter was going to be harder than I liked.
I rolled to the side, noticing Zarai racing my way. The smile on her face was one of victory, making me smile internally, knowing that at least one thing had gone right so far. She placed her hands above my neck, speaking in an old language I wasn’t familiar with, but I didn’t question it. Whatever she was saying was amplifying my healing. I wasn’t going to be back to my normal self anytime soon, but I felt the open wound close and my wolf healing was taking care of whatever internal damage had been done.
I got back up, only to realize Liam had been the one to knock Rafe off me, and he was livid. Liam’s growls and snarls were drowning out any other noise around me. His teeth and jaw clamped down on Rafe’s front leg, keeping him from getting up for the time being.
Shades of Magic (Raven Point Pack Trilogy Book 2) Page 12
