Throne of Oak (Maggie's Grove)

by Dana Marie Bell

  She sighed. “No. I’m not.”

  “Since when?” That was news to him.

  She stared at Dragos and laughed. “Since forever. That’s not the job of the witch doctor.” She stopped laughing, concern darkening her features. “Who told you I was?”

  “Kate.” Through their bond he could sense Mina sucking in a breath. “Not even she would be that bold.”

  “To get what she wants, she might, and she wants you badly.” Ash scowled when Selena chose to curl up in the white armchair rather than join him on the sofa. “Who is in charge of the witches?”

  “Mel. A gray, one who dances around the white.”

  “Melissa Weimer?” Dragos cursed under his breath. “She wouldn’t allow something like this.” He didn’t know Mel all that well. He’d thought she was just another Grove witch. She never spoke up at the town meetings and never put herself forward in any way. Still, if she were the coven leader she wouldn’t allow the people of Maggie’s Grove to be taken by Van Helsings—if only to save her own skin. As a gray witch, that was of paramount importance to her.

  “With all that’s going on with Kate you’re reluctant to turn to a witch you don’t know well for help with the Van Helsings. I understand. Mina called me and let me know it was Kate who’s been torturing her.” Selena grimaced. “I really don’t like that bitch.”

  “I know what you mean.” He’d love to slowly roast Kate over an open flame for what she’d done to Mina. “That’s not it, though. We’re not certain what magical protections they have in place, so we thought it would be better to go in using mundane means first, rather than risk a witch losing her life. Or worse.”

  Ash scowled. “What could be worse than losing your life?”

  “Losing your magic.”

  The barely there whisper caught Ash’s attention. Selena looked so mournful the dryad moved to hover over her, his hand gripping her shoulder. “That’s bad?”

  “If a witch loses her magic she loses her place on the wheel of rebirth.” Selena smiled grimly. “Terri will never be reborn.”

  Ash paled. The circle of life was sacred to dryads. To break it was the ultimate violation. “Do the Van Helsings know that?”

  “Blake told us they think witches don’t have souls, remember?” Dragos sighed. This was so terribly screwed up.

  “But...if they rip a witch’s magic away, that renders the witch vulnerable. The Van Helsings may not know about, or care about, the consequences, only that they’ve destroyed another abomination.” The horror in Selena’s expression would haunt Dragos.

  “They’re working on finding our weaknesses, and the fact that the magic can be ripped from a witch is a major one.”

  “We’re getting away from the main point.” Dragos understood why Ash needed to know these things. If Mina were a witch, he’d want to know too. “Namely, how are the Van Helsings getting into Maggie’s Grove?”

  “I hate to say it, Dragos, but all the signs point to Kate.”

  Ash was right. “What is it with witches and obsession?”

  Selena curled herself up even tighter, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Sometimes the magic becomes too much for us to handle. We don’t always realize it, but it can be...addictive. It’s the lure that takes a white witch over to the gray or a gray over to black. The ability to use it to get any outcome you want can be very seductive.” Selena leaned her chin on her knees, quite a feat considering the rather ample endowments in the way. Didn’t squishing them like that hurt?

  The mental slap upside the head had his ears ringing. “Her eyes are in her face, Dragos.”

  “Sorry, my sotiei.” But secretly, he was delighted at the show of jealousy from Mina. Not that he would tell her so.

  “Karma won’t allow you to use your powers like that with impunity. There’s always a price to pay.”

  “Is it always the witch who pays it?” Ash’s thoughtful tone had Dragos wondering what was going through the dryad’s mind. Was he wondering if Selena would wind up paying a price he couldn’t bear to witness?

  It was an interesting question, but Selena’s answer was unequivocal. “Yes.”

  “So black witches do eventually pay when they harm others.”

  “It’s a price they’re often willing to pay. That’s the difference between a gray and a black. A gray witch will often step back if there’s going to be backlash on a spell, even if it means someone else suffers. They can actually be more selfish than a black witch because the only one who matters to them is, well, them.”

  Ash whistled softly. “I thought the black always meant evil.”

  “No, not at all. A black witch weighs the cost to themselves versus the gain, and if it doesn’t even out in their mind they don’t do it.” Leaning forward, Selena tapped her nail on her coffee table. “Sometimes a black witch is more willing to take on personal consequences if it means protecting those they love, or to gain something they truly want. Motivation is a huge factor, and they’ll take far more risks than a white witch would ever consider. A black witch is far more likely to attack an enemy than defend a friend, but the Karma of such an act will cost them something in return. If the need is great enough, they’ll pay it gladly.”

  “So if we were to ask witches to help us against the Van Helsings, the majority we would get would be black or gray.”

  “More black than gray, but yes. The white would remain behind, or take on support-only roles. And even when the black does turn to pure evil, like Terri did, they don’t always pay in this lifetime. Sometimes Karma makes them pay in their next life. Say a witch uses her powers to give someone who has been harassing her a rash. Now—depending on the circumstances mind you—that could either be okay with the Karma police, or not.”

  “When would it be okay?”

  “If the person harassing the witch intended to do harm to her, it could be viewed as a way for the witch to defend herself, or get away. If, however, she’s a coworker who simply dislikes the witch, and the spell was cast for petty reasons, the witch would suffer some sort of backlash.”

  “So the Karma police could be okay with Kate allowing Van Helsings into Maggie’s Grove?” Dragos couldn’t believe his ears. Nothing he’d done had warranted this, and there was no way in hell he could see it as being an act of self-defense.

  The look she shot him was full of disbelief. “Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Nothing justifies bringing people against others whose sole goal is to wipe out entire species of sentient beings. Or non—sentient. Either one.”

  “Not even those alien guys who eat your face off?”

  Selena turned to Ash with an odd expression on her face. “You’re channeling Greer again. That almost sounded like a joke.”

  Ash merely smiled.

  “R-i-i-i-ght.” Wide-eyed, she turned back to Dragos. “If she really has brought the Van Helsings to Maggie’s Grove, there’s going to be one hell of a backlash, one there’s no way she could avoid.”

  “They have Iva.” Ash stood and began to pace. “And we know from Blake that they killed Noah’s beta.”

  “Why haven’t we gone after them yet?” Whether or not she knew it, Selena watched Ash with longing in her gaze. But when he turned back to her, her expression was wiped clean.

  Interesting. She was fighting her attraction. Why?

  “We’re still waiting on the hackers. They’re having some trouble breaking into the compound’s computers. Once we know how to counteract their defenses, we’re going in and rescuing all the supernaturals they’ve got locked up.” Dragos would leave none behind.

  Not even someone like Kate deserved to be in their hands.

  “We’ll need to find out if the protections are down, and if so, how that happened.” Selena ran her hand through her hair, messing it up further. “I can’t believe that a witch, even Kate, would do something like this deliberately. It implies she’s working with those sons of bitches. Even she can’t be that stupid.”

  “Can you check, or is there
someone you need to contact?”

  Selena closed her eyes. The tree of life, invisible when she wasn’t using her powers, flared to life. Her eyes misted over, the whites obliterating the brown irises. “The protections are in place, but if the Van Helsings are inside the perimeter already they won’t be affected.”

  “Can they be opened for brief periods?” Dragos wasn’t certain if something like that would work, but it was worth asking. “Say, just long enough to let in a scouting party?”

  “Or let out a raiding one?” The protective stance Ash took, his silver sword still gripped in his hand, said it all. If he thought for even one second that Selena was in danger heads would roll.

  Selena reluctantly nodded. “I think so.” Dragos got the impression she was studying something only she could see. “There are weaknesses here and there, ones that should have been sensed, rectified. What the fuck, Mel?”

  “We need to go see her, find out what’s going on.” Ash’s tone was mild, but the way his gaze slid over Selena was not. The man was in full-on protection mode.

  If Mel was the one ultimately responsible for the protection spells, she had a lot to answer for. Dragos was already reaching for his cell phone. “Agreed.” The phone rang and rang, but no one answered. “She’s not there.”

  “When was the last time anyone saw Mel?” The fierce expression on Ash’s face said it all. He believed Mel was the one behind the Van Helsings getting into the town, and he was not a happy dryad.

  “I can’t remember.” Damn. If the Van Helsings had the head of the Maggie’s Grove witches, it was possible none of them had been renewing the protections. They’d been so busy cleaning up after Terri’s attack they hadn’t been paying attention to anything else. “If they have Mel, I want to know how they got to her.”

  “And for how long they’ve had her.” The tree of life faded, and Selena once again had brown eyes. “If they can come and go as they please, the protections are useless.”

  “Not entirely. The normal humans still don’t know about us.” Dragos took over pacing. This was far worse than he’d originally thought. “Could they have a witch working for them? Or have forced one to do so?” Hell, what if they’d taken Mel? As a gray, she might be willing to work with them simply to save herself.

  “We won’t know until we storm the compound.” Selena patted Ash’s hand. “Can you get me something to drink? Some iced tea, maybe?”

  Ash nodded briskly and headed for the kitchen.

  “Dragos, I need to know. Where’s your father?” Selena’s question dragged his attention fully back to her.

  “Gods only know. He’s somewhere in Maggie’s Grove, but I’m not sure where.”

  “There’s one hotel in town. That has to be where he is.”

  “And whoever let the Van Helsings in is also responsible for him being able to bring so many dragons into the Grove with him.” Selena quietly thanked Ash for the drink. “The protections that normally keep out hostile elements should have worked on him too.”

  “But Laurentiu’s hunters have been getting in. Granted, it’s only one every fifty years or so, but still.” Ash seated himself on the end of the sofa closest to Selena.

  “It’s possible he’s the one who breached the spell. He could have been testing it off and on during those years when you were attacked, and when he found a weakness—”

  “He exploited it. Futu-i.” His father probably was the one behind it. Laurentiu wanted Dragos dead, and he didn’t care who he had to kill to do it.

  Selena didn’t even blink at the Romanian profanity. She’d heard far worse from him over the years. He’d even translated a few, just to watch her laugh. “Which means we need to reassess the spell, modify it so that it keeps out the undesirables.”

  “Something I’m going to leave in your capable hands, Selena.”

  She grimaced, but nodded. Whether she liked it or not, she was the one best qualified to make sure that the other witches were doing their part. “Speaking of which, I’d better bind Kate’s ass before she does something really stupid, like mate Laurentiu.”

  Dragos gagged. “Please. I haven’t eaten yet.”

  “Not a woman I’d want to call mom.” Ash shuddered. “Now that we know you’re safe, Dragos and I are going to check around, see if the Van Helsings have entered the town.”

  Selena placed her glass on the coffee table and stood. “If they’ve gotten in near the forest, it’s possible they’ve been getting in other places as well. I’ll contact Lore and Amara and tell them what we’ve discovered.”

  “We’re going to have to call in the wolves too. Noah for one will want to help, and Lore would probably appreciate having assistance.”

  “You two deal with that.” Dragos pulled out his phone and began texting Eddy. “I’ll see if Trajan is willing to do some flyovers. Maybe he’ll spot something we’ve missed.”

  “What about Vasile?”

  “He can’t leave my house until the day of the challenge. Both Vasile and Laurentiu are in seclusion. Only their seconds can see them. Trajan will be dealing with Vasile’s last will and testament, as will Laurentiu’s.” He followed Ash to the front door. His Renfield would see to it that Trajan took to the sky as quickly as possible. As Trajan’s mate, he’d be the only one allowed to interrupt the brothers. “Anyone else?”

  “Find out where Kate is and lock her up?” Selena held open the door. “I’ll start the spell to bind her as soon as you go. I’ll make sure Kate can’t fiddle with the town’s protection spells, or Mina, ever again.”

  “Thanks, Selena.” Dragos took a moment from his frantic texting to give her a hug. “Once Mina can leave the Throne without pain, I’ll bring her by to visit.”

  “You do that.” Selena hugged him back tightly. “She’s dangerous, Dragos. Be careful.”

  He knew she wasn’t talking about Mina. “I know. But we faced Terri and won. I doubt Kate is worse.”

  She cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at him. “Uh-huh.”

  Ash took firm hold of her chin and stared into her eyes. His expression would have frightened a lesser woman than Selena Giannone. Even Dragos felt uncomfortable with the level of possession on Ash’s face, and he was a shifter, well acquainted with the feeling that encompassed a man when he held his mate’s safety above his own. “Stay safe, little witch, or I won’t be responsible for the consequences.”

  Dragos took a step back. He didn’t want blood on his slacks.

  “Consequences schmonsequences. If anything happens to Dragos I will kick your ass so har—mph.”

  Dragos turned away from the now-kissing couple, feeling distinctly awkward. As much as he loved Selena as a sister... Well, that said it all, didn’t it? “Could you two stop sucking face and help me hunt down Van Helsings, please?” The door slammed shut behind him and Ash joined him, a smug grin on his face. “Worth it?”

  “Hell yes.” Ash shot him an amused look. “She didn’t slap me.”

  Dragos chuckled and took to the air. Ash could woo his ladylove later. They had some Van Helsings to catch. “We still need to check on Mollie.”

  “I’ll do that. You find Mel.”

  An excellent suggestion, one he planned to follow. “On my way. Good luck, Ash.” With more than the hunt, my friend.

  Ash nodded and took off, feet flying so fast Dragos wasn’t sure they touched the ground. The man was a speed demon, barely seen as he raced away toward The Greenhouse and Greer’s unrequited love.

  Dragos took off in the opposite direction, arriving at Mel’s condo in record time. Trajan had texted him mid-flight, his brother already in the air and searching. The clutch had its own problems with Van Helsings. Trajan knew what to look for. Hopefully, the American branch wouldn’t be expecting a dragon to be hunting them down. Trajan should give them quite the scare—at least until they got their act together and figured out how to take down a dragon.

  He knocked on Mel’s door. Her lights were on, her car in the driveway. Why hadn’t she picked up
her phone?

  The sound of breaking glass and a muffled cry had him kicking in the door. He rushed into Mel’s condo, ready to do battle.

  The scent of old blood washed over him. Dragos quickly took stock of his surroundings, aware the Van Helsings must have already come and gone.

  Mel might be in more danger than he’d thought.

  The place was a wreck. Furniture was overturned, lamps sideways on the dirty beige carpet. The sofa cushions had been removed and sliced open. Mel’s altar had been overturned, her god and goddess figurines smashed to pieces, her athame driven into the coffee table.

  Two dark figures raced out of the back door. On the tile floor of the kitchenette, Mel lay in a dried pool of blood, her fingers splayed out toward the refrigerator, her eyes open and sightless.

  Mel hadn’t answered her phone because she was dead. And from the smell, had been dead for days.

  Dragos took off after the two men. He might never find out now if Mel had been working with the Van Helsings, but he’d make damn sure her killers paid.

  He took in the scent of the murderers, breathed deep so that he could become the hunter. Dragos misted through the night, drawn to the blood pumping through the veins of his prey.

  Dragos hadn’t fed yet, and his beast was demanding blood. While Dragos could drink from another, it wouldn’t have the same effect as drinking from his sotiei. Parker had once described it as the difference between greasy fast-food fish and chips and a four course, five star meal. It wasn’t until he’d mated Mina that Dragos understood what Parker meant. No one could ever satisfy him the way his sotiei did.

  He ghosted behind one of the fleeing men, sending a quick alert to all of the vampires in the area. His people would hunt the other man. This one was his.

  The Van Helsings had been smart, or so they thought. They’d split up, each one taking the chance that perhaps he would be the one that got away.

  They were wrong.

  He flashed into existence and yanked the man into the shadows. He allowed his accent to thicken, harkening back to his roots, aware that the harder consonants and rolled r’s would ratchet up the man’s fear. Those idiotic Dracula movies were good for one thing, at least. “You die tonight.”