by Aileen Erin
I walked out onto the porch while Dastien finished getting dressed. Claudia was sitting on the bottom stair. “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing bad. I just need your help with something, but I only want to explain it once. So—”
“You want to wait for the guys,” I finished for her.
She made a little hmmm noise, and I guessed I’d have to wait.
“Lucas said all is clear on the campus, but the Cazadores and Michael are still going to keep patrolling tonight,” she said, changing the subject.
All right. We could talk about other things if she needed time to work up the courage to ask me for a favor. “Any word about the one that got bit?” I sat next to her.
“He’ll be fine.” She turned to look at me. “Are you okay? You seem…tired. More tired than you were yesterday.”
“That feels accurate.”
For the first few months after we sealed the realm, we kept playing one long game of whack-a-mole with different evil forces. Eventually, we figured out that Astaroth left little gateways open all over the world for his little friends. It took four more months for us to close all of them. Still, some stragglers found their way to me and the site of the now-closed main portal.
We’d figured out that the closed portal might always be a magnet for crazy evil stuff. We’d tried spells and cleansing and a million other things to fix the problem, but it seemed like it might take time for it to stop pulling evil into the area.
And then, as I sat on the porch, I realized that the vampires hadn’t been heading for the portal site. They’d been heading for us. For Dastien and me. For our cabin.
The cabin was set a ways back in the woods behind campus. Nothing ever came close to us. At least not unless it was on the way to the closed portal.
Something had changed. Something was different about tonight.
“Any ideas about why the vampires were coming at the cabin?”
Claudia straightened. “You don’t think they were heading to the portal? Did you see something?”
“No.” I didn’t have a vision. “I just…they didn’t seem like they were moving toward campus.” Did they? Was I wrong? “I guess not until the end of the fight, and that could’ve been just a random retreat.” I yanked my rubber band from my hair, letting my damp hair down. I hadn’t washed it in the shower, but it’d still gotten a little wet.
“I don’t know. I didn’t think about it.” Claudia let out a breath. “I was just surprised it was vampires. I should’ve left you with more vials, but I didn’t—”
“Don’t worry about that. We haven’t seen any in forever. I was starting to think we killed them all off.” I blew out a breath. “Forget about them coming for the cabin thing. I’m tired and reading too much into it.”
One hefty benefit of being a werewolf was that my visions were much rarer now. I had to expend effort to have one. And those that came on by themselves only came when things were really getting bad. I hadn’t had any visions about this attack, which probably meant it was just a one-off thing.
And yet, I had this worry buzzing around my head. I didn’t like to ignore my gut feelings, and it felt like the vampires were coming for us. I just didn’t have any proof of that except a slight hunch.
I turned so I could look at Claudia.
Her long dark hair was braided down her back. She wore a pair of loose pants and a tank top, and I knew that was probably what she’d been sleeping in. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was late. Or early, depending on how you looked at it.
The air was still warm from the late summer sun, and in the moonlight, I could see a little glistening of sweat on Claudia’s skin. She smelled of salt and sage and Palo Santo smoke, which meant she’d been doing some sort of cleansing spell earlier tonight.
“Did you know this was coming?” I asked her.
She shook her head slowly, giving me a look that told me she thought I was being crazy. “I’m not the one with visions.”
There wasn’t a question in there, but I knew she was asking by the way she tilted her head slightly to the side and waited.
“No. I honestly didn’t have a vision about this. I’m not covering anything up. I had been stupidly hoping to sleep tonight. With the drama from the packs and trying to prep for whatever might happen next with the fey during the day, and then slaying evil beasties at night, I’m wiped.” I rubbed a hand down my face. “But you were doing a cleansing? Just a normal thing or were you—”
“I’ve been doing them every night since we got here.” She shook her head at me. “I thought it would help, but the sirens went off, and I knew I’d failed again.” She put her arm around me, closing the distance between us. “You look tired, and I…feel guilty about it. I left and…”
I turned a little more so that I could search her face. If I relaxed a little, I could see whatever she was thinking, but I didn’t want to intrude in her mind. I found I actually liked letting people speak. It was so much more pleasant than getting a first-person look into their heads.
She felt guilty? No. None of this was her fault. “You’re being too nice if you’re taking on some of the responsibility for this.”
She started picking at some invisible piece of fuzz on her tank. “I’m not. Or not totally. I just…” She looked at me, and I saw regret in her eyes. “I’ve been avoiding coming back here. Seven months ago, I wasn’t ready for another fight. I hadn’t been ready for Astaroth, and I wanted time, but I came back to help. So after we were done, I left. It was easier to assume you were handling everything, and now I look at you, and I’m worried.”
“Are you saying I look like shit?” I teased her.
“No!” She sounded so horrified by my suggestion that I almost laughed. “I would never—”
I nudged her gently. “You’re being nice about it, but you’re saying I look like shit.” She was too sweet to say anything that rude, but I was pretty sure that’s what she meant.
She was quiet with her big brown eyes wide in shock, and then her shoulders hunched again. And I could see the surrender in her before she could even speak.
“You don’t look your best.”
“I don’t feel my best.” I leaned against her again. “We’re going on months of interrupted sleep. Werewolves recover quickly, but it’s not enough to combat the constant strain of fighting at night and politics during the day. Dastien seems to do better than me, but I can’t even anymore. I need a break.” I wiped a hand down my face. “I’m not even sure I can think straight, and the idea of waking up in a few hours to talk about what to do with the rising fey aggression again is…” I squeezed my eyes shut. I wished I was stronger. “I want to call the fey a bunch of whiny brats and tell them to go fu—”
Claudia let out a hiss. “Yeah. That’s not…don’t do that. Seriously. Don’t.”
“I’m trying…”
But I was exhausted.
But I wanted to run far away from this endless sea of evil.
But I was finding it harder and harder to care.
“I’m just tired,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll feel better in the morning.” I was saying the words, but I couldn’t make my words sound even the least bit believable.
“No.” Claudia gripped my hand in hers. “Don’t do that. Don’t lie. I’ve only been here for three days, and I need a break. I honestly don’t know how you’ve done it for so long. Those sirens…”
“Yeah.” The sounds haunted me. I heard them all the time, even when they weren’t blaring. When I closed my eyes at night, they’d cut through my dreams—pulling me from sleep—when they weren’t even sounding.
“The vampires are new, though,” I said.
“What do you think drew them here? The portal or something else?”
If only I could figure it out, then maybe we could go a night without the sirens. “I don’t know. If I could get up, I’d go after Mr. Dawson. He gave me a look right before he ran off…but I can’t.” Dastien was quiet in the cabin. He’d s
topped moving around, but I knew he was still there. Listening. Feeling what I was feeling through our bond. But giving me the illusion of space at the same time.
But the truth was that I didn’t need the space.
With all the time he spent hovering in my thoughts, I would think he’d understand that by now.
I do, he said through the bond. But you haven’t had a chance to spend time with her and…I know you’re tired. We both are. I just thought maybe you needed space to confide in her.
And you think I’d tell her something I wouldn’t tell you?
No. He said the word, but it sounded like a question because we hadn’t been talking about how close to burnout I was.
I turned to look over my shoulder at him. He was in his usual pre-fight plain T-shirt, a pair of dark gray sweatpants, and no shoes. He was leaning against the door frame and watching me. His eyes had a hint of glowing amber, which told me that his wolf was still close, ready to take over if needed. He didn’t believe the fight was over yet.
“What time is it?” I hoped it was almost sunrise. If all we had to worry about were vampires, then once the sun was up, we could go to bed. His wolf was just overreacting. But if not…
“Nearly three-thirty.” He gave me a half-smile, showing me one of his dimples—as if that would take some of the sting out of it—and it kind of did.
But three-thirty meant we couldn’t go back to bed. At least not for three more hours or whenever it was that the sun rose today. “You think there will be more.” It wasn’t a question. He wasn’t wearing shoes. His eyes were amber. I didn’t need to poke around in his head to know that he thought we’d be back out there again tonight.
“I don’t know anything for certain, but there’s still a lot of night left. That wasn’t just a few vampires that got separated from their clan. There might be more.” He gave me one of his small shrugs. “But maybe we’ll get lucky, and that’s all the excitement for tonight.”
“Well, now that you’ve said it like that, there will definitely be more.”
“Chérie.” He drew the word out as if I was being silly, but he knew how my luck worked. It was shit.
“We make our own luck, prima.” Claudia gave my shoulder a quick squeeze before standing. “Lucas is coming back.” She walked down to meet him in the woods.
Dastien took her spot, sitting beside me. “You can go back to sleep if you want. I’m sure whatever Claudia wants can wait. No vampires can get inside our cabin unless we invite them in.”
“Right. But they could set it on fire or bomb it or shoot us through—”
He leaned over and kissed me, cutting off whatever ridiculous thing I was going to say next. And for a second, I leaned into his warmth. I forgot about the vampires or the scent of their burned bodies or the fact that I hadn’t slept without interruption in months.
For that moment, it was just him and me. The bond opened and I felt his happiness and love and I moved before I thought about it. I was in his lap with my hands in his short hair, and all I could think was how fucking lucky I was to have him. And how all I wanted was more time with him.
Maybe I did have some luck in this life. Maybe Dastien was my luck.
Chapter Two
Tessa
Dastien stood, and I stayed attached to him. Kissing him. Feeling thankful and warm and like I needed more.
A soft buzzing cut through my happy place. Buzz. Buzz. Buz-buz-buz. Buzzzzz. I’d tapped out that rhythm specifically for my brother’s contact. It made me pause for a second, but I shoved the worry away.
Axel was probably out at a club, having fun and drunk and wanting me to join him. He did that all the time these days. I was glad he’d made friends at college, but I was happily busy right now.
I had everything I needed right here.
More. Dastien’s voice came through our bond, and he moved to go back inside our cabin, but someone cleared their throat, and Dastien stopped.
Before I could tell him to ignore whoever that was, Dastien pulled away from me a little.
“What?” His voice was more gravelly than usual, and I knew his wolf was even closer to the surface than it had been a minute ago.
“We need to talk.”
Lucas was old. I wasn’t sure how old, but “very” didn’t even come close. If he said we needed to talk, then we probably needed to talk.
“Can it wait? Tessa’s exhausted.”
I rested my forehead against his chest. Thank you. I would’ve just agreed, but not Dastien.
“That’s why it shouldn’t wait.” Claudia’s words were soft but firm. “If we can make it so that nothing else comes tonight—or any other night—we have to try.”
Damn it. My cousin had said the magic words.
It was painful to drop my feet to the ground when I’d been so comfortable and happily wrapped up in my mate, but I did it. The lure of ending this madness was too great to ignore.
“What’s going on? Why did you really come back?” I’d asked Claudia a few times, but she hadn’t said anything.
Buzz. Buzz. Buz-buz-buz. Buzzzzz. I looked at Dastien. He’s calling again?
Want me to get it? Could be important.
“I need your help with something,” Claudia said so softly, I almost didn’t hear her.
I considered it for a second—I had a choice to make. Cousin or brother.
Maybe Axel was in trouble, but he was in Austin. He was a grown-up. He could take care of himself. No. I said through our bond. I’m sure he’s just drunk. Claudia doesn’t ask for much, so I think this is more urgent. But if he calls a third time, get it.
I turned my focus to Claudia. “What’s wrong?” She didn’t ask for help. Ever. Even when Luciana was at her evilest, Claudia tried to handle it herself.
“There has been some trouble with the other covens over the land.”
Great. Just what I wanted to hear right now. I had demons out the yin-yang coming after me. Fey that were itching to start a war. Now vampires were showing up. And she was bringing witches into the mix? Seriously? Why did anyone say the fucking “l” word? Luck should be stricken from the language. It should be—
Tessa. Your cousin is waiting for you to stop your internal tirade.
Right. I cleared my throat. “You’re talking about the compound?”
“Yes. I’m sorry to bring it up, but—”
She needed to stop apologizing for things that weren’t her fault. “Another coven wants it?” As long as they weren’t evil, then I didn’t have an issue with it. At least not right off the bat.
“Yes and no.”
Okay. I was way too tired for this. “What’s the problem? And how does that relate to stopping all the middle-of-the-night fights?”
“It’s all connected. I promise. I just…I thought the land belonged to me, but I was wrong.” She was looking everywhere but at me. Which meant she had bad news.
She better not be talking about those assholes in New York. “Who?”
“You.”
I took a step back from her. “Me? Then that’s easy. I don’t want it. You can have it.” I could go my whole life not stepping on that land again and be happier for it.
Claudia held her hand up. “No. No!” The face of horror at that thought was almost funny. “That’s not what this is about. I don’t want it. I…I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to be in Texas anymore. I like being in Peru.” She looked at Lucas, and he put his arm around her, pulling her to his side. “It feels a little bit like a failure to just give up the land, but there’s too much baggage. I just don’t think I can ever get past what happened there, especially if I had to live there. I need to move on from my past. Both emotionally and physically.”
I was confused. Why was this important at three-thirty in the morning? And how was it supposed to make sure the campus wasn’t attacked again?
“The thing is, neither of us has been living there. That’s why the cleansing hasn’t stuck. That land is meant to be owned by a witch,” she
said. “That particular plot of land was chosen because it’s a nexus of power. It needs to be cleansed again, and then someone has to safeguard it to keep it from drawing in the dark. The person that owns it needs to live there.”
No. No way. I wasn’t moving there. “Then I’ll find someone to give it to, and they can move there. But why are we talking about this now? Can’t we figure this out in the morning? I mean the normal morning when it’s light out. At a more reasonable hour.”
She shook her head. “I think that part of the problem you’re having here is tied with that land. I think Luciana’s magic that tainted the nexus of power bled here. To the spot where she did magic here. We need to cleanse both. Luciana’s magic infested both places. So, we do it together. You and Dastien here. Me and Lucas on the coven’s land. We time it out. The moon is full. We can be there with plenty of night left before sunrise. I think if we do it at the same time—me there, you here—then we can seal it for one lunar cycle. I was planning on doing the cleansing tomorrow at three in the morning, but we’re awake now, and I think if we do this, then tomorrow might be easier. And judging how tired I am already and how tired you seem… Also, tonight is the new moon, which is the start of a new cycle and good for cleansing. Doing it now should buy us some time to find someone to guard the compound, and then you can get some solid sleep.”
A solid night’s sleep? For a full lunar cycle? She was saying everything I wanted to hear right now. “Do you think it’ll work?” I had to ask. I didn’t want to get my hopes up for nothing, but they were kind of already sky-high.
Claudia was quiet for just long enough for me to doubt everything she’d just said. “What? Tell me.”
“If it doesn’t work, then my next step is to have a synchronized cleansing on the next new moon in three places—here, the compound, and the chapel in Santa Fe. But hopefully, two out of three will be enough. I have nightmares about that chapel. I don’t…”
She didn’t have to finish the sentence. I didn’t really want to go back to that chapel either. Or the compound. Or anything that had to do with that bitch of a witch.
