Her grandmother didn’t speak immediately. She weighed Ceri with her gaze, as though she could see a lie written on her face. “If ya let a pack suck ya in, you’ll turn into a pathetic little shaman. You’ll end up spending all your time outside talking ta birds like you’re some kind of animal whisperer. Shamans think every little bug that crawls the earth has a spirit inside it. They use soft magic.”
Saying someone had soft magic was the highest insult her grandmother could give.
Ceri snapped out of the memory. Shaman. Her grandmother was probably rolling in her grave right now.
She’d never heard anyone else talk about shamans. Human magic users were either witches or sorcerers. Good or bad. Though she knew how often those lines got blurred.
This was something she needed to figure out, then talk to Amber about. Sooner rather than later. She wasn’t sure if anyone outside the pack should know. They’d thought it odd Amber was claiming a witch as part of the pack, but everyone seemed to think it was in name only. It had surprised both of them to discover it wasn’t.
She closed the book and grabbed her sage. It was time to figure this out. She walked the room as she usually did, but hesitated by the window. She’d always left the curtains shut, but this time…she needed something different.
She yanked the curtains open and lifted the window. The screen was awkward to pop out, but she got it and set it aside. Taking a deep breath to re-center herself, she moved the sage around the edges of the window. Nothing could come in that meant her, or her pack, harm.
Placing the sage in a bowl in front of her, she sat cross legged in the center of the room. She closed her eyes and instead of focusing on the house, she turned her attention inward. The pack bond was intertwined with her own, innate magic now. She turned her hands upward and recited a spell for clarity. The energy in her body moved, shifting to her head and her heart.
A noise at the window startled her, and her eyes snapped open. Big orange eyes stared back at her as the owl she’d seen the day before settled itself on her work table. She forced herself to examine it rather than just shoo it away out of fear.
It was large, at least two feet tall. The tawny feathers were striped with black and brown. Two tufts that looked like ears sat above the round face. The creature’s vibrant orange eyes watched her patiently as she inspected it.
“Umm, hello,” she said quietly.
It hooted, fluffing its feathers out and shifting closer to her.
As she looked into its eyes, she felt like she was being tugged forward, but her body wasn’t moving. She exhaled, letting the magic flow through her without struggle. The orange eyes grew larger in her vision until it was all she could see…and she was falling.
The warm glow of the owl’s eyes grew, and it didn’t stop. The warmth became heat. It grew hotter and hotter until it felt like she might suffocate.
Darkness. Fire. Screams. Pain.
The visions rolled over her so fast she couldn’t process them. There were only glimpses. They terrified her. Strange magic pounded against her mind. This creature didn’t just use magic, it was magic.
Help me.
The desperate plea for help washed over her, bathing her in someone else’s terror. Her heart pounded in her chest and she struggled against the magic holding her in the vision. As though sensing her distress, the owl blinked and everything stopped just as abruptly as it had begun.
Ceri’s eyes snapped open. Her hands shook as she pushed her hair back from face. She was sweating and her hands were trembling. She had no idea how long it had been, but her body ached from sitting in one position for so long.
She looked up, relieved to see the owl was still there. “What are you?”
The owl hooted, then turned and flew out of the open window.
She couldn’t bring herself to stand, or move at all. Whatever she’d just seen was bad. Someone was in danger, though she had no idea if it was happening in the past, present, or future. It had been vague and confusing, but she had felt the darkness.
Something was coming and it was powerful. She pressed a clammy hand to her cheek and closed her eyes. Whatever it was, it was evil.
Chapter 13
AMBER
Amber waved goodbye to Shane. They had to go see Donovan’s old pack later that evening, but they both had things to do before that.
She headed inside, her brain hurting from all the information she’d absorbed this morning. For every answer she’d gotten, she’d ended up with five more questions. She had a list of things to ask Steven, Genevieve’s boyfriend. He’d been peppering her with questions for his thesis lately as they’d agreed to when he’d helped her prepare for the Trials, so she didn’t feel bad using him for research. It made her life easier and made him happy as a clam.
She walked inside and saw Tommy and Derek standing in the kitchen. Looking guilty. Tommy’s hair was standing on end and the side of his neck and face was all red. Derek’s shirt had a tear under the sleeve that she knew hadn’t been there before.
“Why are you both so sweaty?” Amber asked, her nose twitching as she looked between the two miscreants.
“We were…cooking,” Derek lied, gesturing at the stove.
Amber was about to retort that he hated cooking and he would never, ever do it under any circumstances when Derek winked at her. She sighed. He was asking her to drop it. It looked like they’d been wrestling, so she doubted it was some kind of bad secret. Derek would tell her if it was important. She hoped. “Whatever. Has anyone heard from Gen?”
“Nah, but I think she should be home–” Tommy stopped abruptly, his head tilting toward the door.
Amber heard it then too; the car turning down the driveway. That wasn’t Genevieve or anyone else she recognized. “I’ll see who it is.”
She looked out the peephole and saw an unmarked police car parking in front of the porch. The detective she’d met after those mercenaries had attacked her stepped out.
“It’s the police. Stay inside, I’ll go talk to him,” she said, barely suppressing a growl. She knew he was probably here about Donovan. Luckily, she had an airtight alibi for his murder, but that wouldn’t necessarily stop her from being a suspect.
She walked outside, shutting the door firmly behind her, and waited for the detective on the steps. Tommy and Derek were whispering inside. Tommy was probably explaining what had happened. She hadn’t actually told Derek about all that yet. She glossed over the Trials too, making the whole ordeal sound easy. He was probably going to have a ton of questions now.
Detective Sloan stopped in front of her. He had bags under his eyes and looked even skinnier than last time she’d seen him, like he hadn’t been eating or sleeping. “Ms. Hale,” he said in greeting.
“Detective,” she said, nodding her head at him. “How can I help you?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard about Donovan Lockhart’s murder.”
“Yes,” she acknowledged, seeing no reason to lie about it.
“I’ve already looked into your whereabouts around the time of the murder and you aren’t a suspect. I just came to warn you,” he said, running his hand through his light brown hair. “I spoke with a friend that works up near Seattle. There were two alphas killed the same way out there.”
She frowned. Jameson hadn’t mentioned that. Maybe he didn’t know. “Like a serial killer?”
Sloan nodded. “That’s my suspicion. It looks like they might be working their way south.”
“Do you have any idea who’s behind the killings?”
“No. So be careful, and let me know if you see or hear anything odd. We have reason to believe there may be more than one person involved in the killings. I know you weres like to handle things on your own, but this may not be something you can stop.” He pulled his card out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Call me if you have even the slightest suspicion you’re being targeted.”
She took it with a nod. “Alright.”
Sloan turned and headed back to hi
s car. She waited until he was leaving the driveway before going back inside. Derek was standing in the living room, arms crossed, jaw set with anger.
“Don’t start,” she said, shoving the card in her pocket.
“What the hell, Amber? Don’t start? You nearly got killed, on more than one occasion!” he shouted at her, throwing his hands in the air.
Tommy backed up so fast he was almost running backward and disappeared into the kitchen with a guilty expression.
“There was no point worrying anyone!” she shouted back, her eyes flashing red.
“You don’t just keep something like that from your family,” he insisted, jabbing his finger at her. “And now there’s a serial killer after you? Would you have told anyone about that if we weren’t here listening in?”
“Of course, I would have,” she ground out. “This puts the whole pack at risk. I’m not gonna call Mom and tell the whole family though, if that’s what you’re asking. She made it clear I still wasn’t welcome.”
“The rest of us care though! She doesn’t speak for the whole family.”
“Look, you know now. Just let it go. This was the worst possible thing that could have happened to me at the time, but I got through it, and we’re all going to be fine,” she said, her breaths coming hard as she fought against the sudden, overwhelming emotions. She wanted to shift and run away. The wolf wanted to make her brother submit.
Ceri appeared in the hallway. She hadn’t even realized the witch was home.
“Is everything okay?” Ceri asked quietly as she approached.
The mark on Amber’s chest throbbed. She doubled over in pain, unable to catch her breath as it seemed to make every muscle in her chest contract. No, not now. She couldn’t deal with this right now too.
Captain Jack rose from his spot on the couch and hissed at her angrily before fleeing the room entirely.
“Amber?” Derek asked, worry clear in his voice. “Tommy, get back in here. Is she about to lose control?”
Pain turned to agony and the wolf howled in her head. She could feel it struggling against something, fighting back viciously.
“What are you doing?” she demanded between gasps.
The wolf howled. Amber screamed.
Chapter 14
AMBER
The room grew dark and her vision swam in front of her eyes. Claws pressed out of her fingertips, scoring deep lines in the floor. She gritted her teeth and refused to shift.
Tommy was close. He was shouting something at Derek. A cool presence drew close. Ceri. Hands touched her face and she realized someone was pushing her backwards. The room spun and she shoved them away. They needed to leave.
“No, run, please go,” she gasped, clutching at the mark on her chest.
Her hands were ripped away and her shirt tugged down. Ceri would know what it meant. Then they’d all know. The whole pack. What had she done? She shouldn’t have trusted the demon.
A roaring sound overtook the buzzing in her ears and her muscles twitched. The war in her head raged on but she could feel the tide shifting. The wolf was being forced back. The shields it had erected against the demon were cracking. Pain engulfed her entire body as they gave way.
Darkness rushed out of the mark, pushing Ceri and the others back forcefully. Angel had never been solid before. Instead of his usual, small form, a massive demon filled the room. His dark body blocked out every bit of light, except for the flames that burned behind his eyes. Horns curled from his head and smoke poured from his nostrils.
“How dare you attempt to block me from your mind.” Angel’s voice shook the entire house and pounded against her eardrums.
Amber forced herself upright, bracing herself against the arm of the couch. “I didn’t do it––”
“Shut up!” Angel shouted, growing even larger. Her nickname for him felt so wrong now. He wasn’t an angel. He wasn’t innocuous. He wasn’t funny.
“Amber, what the hell is going on?” Derek asked, trying to edge toward her.
“She made a deal with a demon,” Ceri said, her face pale and angry. Her hand curled into a fist and light flickered from inside the closed hand.
“Don’t even think about it, witch,” the demon snarled. “You can’t force me out. Not when she’s invited me in.”
The demon turned to her and surged in close. She forced herself to hold his gaze. This hadn’t been her fault…well, it had been. She made the deal with Thallan to take on his debt. The wolf had just made the demon angry. She had gone quiet now, and Amber was a little worried the demon had done something to her in retaliation.
“Leave them out of this,” she said, pushing up to her feet. “What do you want?”
“I’m calling in your debt. Now.”
The words made her heart sink into her stomach. She wasn’t ready for this moment to come, but she had no choice. “What do I need to do?”
“Amber, don’t––”
Ceri clamped her hand over Derek’s mouth. “She has to fulfill her end of the bargain, or her soul is forfeit. She’ll die.”
The demon looked deep into Amber’s eyes. “There is a girl outside of Timber, Oregon, lost somewhere in the woods. Find her, and her guardian, and protect them. If she dies, I’m holding you responsible.”
“Where is she, exactly?”
“She’s lost, that’s why you need to find her. I’ll give you three hours.”
“It’ll take us an hour just to get there,” she objected.
“Then you better drive fast,” the demon said, before disappearing with a pop.
Amber stood there, staring at the space he’d left behind. A thousand thoughts were racing through her mind. She could still feel his presence too. He wasn’t really gone, just invisible.
“Why the hell did you make a deal with a demon?” Ceri demanded, startling her. She’d never seen the witch this mad before.
She looked up, forcing herself to meet Ceri’s eyes. “I took the demon mark from Thallan in exchange for him being my sponsor for the Trials and a place to stay.”
Ceri shook her head, pressing her lips tightly together. “You idiot.”
“I was out of options,” Amber said angrily. “You can stand there and judge my choice all you want, but we’d be in the System and you’d be homeless if I hadn’t done something.”
Ceri’s pale face went red. “That doesn’t make this right.”
“I’m going to go deal with this. Stay here. Someone find Genevieve and make sure she gets back to the house as soon as she can. No one leaves until I say so,” Amber said, ignoring her last comment.
“You can’t just order everyone––”
“I can,” Amber snapped, drawing on the pack bond roughly. The power she rarely used burned behind her eyes. “And I will.”
“I’m going with you,” Tommy said, stepping out from behind Ceri.
“What?” she asked in surprise.
“You need to find this girl, and fast. I tend to notice things before you, and we can cover more ground if we both go and split up.”
“This is dangerous,” Amber objected.
“Everything we’ve done since we were bitten has been dangerous. I don’t care. Losing our alpha to a demon because she couldn’t find someone fast enough is more dangerous than whatever might be in those woods,” Tommy insisted.
She wanted to turn him down and make him stay, but he was right. She needed to be practical. If she died, the pack may not be safe. “Fine, let’s go.”
Amber turned and headed toward the door. She didn’t have time to argue, or to overthink any of this. She hadn’t even had time to take her jacket off when she got home before everything went to crap.
Tommy followed her outside. She could feel his anticipation, worry, and frustration through the pack bond. It was Ceri’s anger that beat against her mind like a drum though. She wished, yet again, that she could block how much of her pack’s emotions she felt.
Halfway to the truck, the door opened behind them and Ceri jogged
out. She had her bag slung over her shoulder and had to hold it down as she ran.
“I’m coming too,” she said, jaw set stubbornly. “I don’t like this, but I like what would happen if you failed even less. Derek is staying behind to wait for Genevieve.”
Amber nodded, and climbed in the truck. The day had started off bad enough, but now it had completely spun out of control.
Chapter 15
TOMMY
Tommy sat between Amber and Ceri and kept his eyes forward. Amber was driving like a crazy person, passing every person she got behind on the narrow, two-lane road. Ceri was stewing in anger.
He got why Ceri was freaked out, but the anger really surprised him. It’s not like Amber had summoned a demon for fun. She hadn’t even been the one to do it. Thallan had. Amber had been protecting them when she took the demon mark.
Amber had driven straight here without directions. He looked around the cab of the truck again, but didn’t see any hint of the demon. Something told him it was still here, though.
His nose twitched as the scent of smoke washed through the truck through the open windows. “Do you smell that?”
Amber nodded, then pointed off to the left. “There’s smoke over there. Looks like a house fire, it’s all black.”
They turned down a short, gravel road which seemed to lead straight toward the house. The smell grew worse and he noticed a strong smell of gasoline as well.
Amber slammed on the brakes and turned down a dirt driveway. She drove just far enough that the truck wouldn’t be visible from the road, and parked.
“Is this it?” Tommy asked.
“No,” she said, opening her door and hopping out. “This is just as close as it’s safe to get in the truck. The demon thinks there’s still a threat at the house. And he doesn’t want us drawing attention to ourselves.”
Misfit Angel Page 6
