She nodded. “Yeah, that’d be pretty insane.”
“I’ve heard a lot about your alpha, and I was there for the Trials, watching.” He opened the bag again and ate another donut hole, chewing it thoughtfully. “It’s weird seeing a bitten wolf pull something like that off, but I think I like it. Werewolves have been getting complacent in recent years. Getting humanized, and acting like they don’t have to prove themselves if they were born that way.” He shook his head in disapproval.
“What are you planning on doing about that?” She wasn’t sure if she should be creeped out by his little speech or not. He didn’t give off crazy person vibes, but there was something…wild about him.
“Not much,” he admitted with a shrug. “But I’ll run this pack differently, and I think I’ll get along well with your alpha. If I win my challenge, I want her as my sponsor.”
Genevieve’s jaw dropped, but she quickly clamped it shut. A sponsor would need a certain amount of money, and she wasn’t sure Amber could come up with it. “Oookay, why aren’t you talking to her about this?”
His mouth quirked up into a smile. “It’s tradition to contact the alpha’s beta first, which I assume you are. It’s meant to be an introduction. Tell her what you think of me.” He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. “This is my contact information. I’ll be challenging whatever knucklehead is the alpha in a few days, on the night of the Full Moon. Then, I’ll come call on Alpha Hale. If you have any questions for me between now and then, let me know.”
This was completely unexpected, but the wheels in her head were already turning. She wasn’t even sure if she was Amber’s beta. The pack had never talked about pack ranks since there were so few of them. They just worked together and didn’t overthink it.
She wanted to ask Paul to swear to help out Davie before she passed along his info to Amber but decided against it. This guy seemed like he was fairly honest and blunt. She didn’t want to try to manipulate him. He couldn’t do anything for Davie right now, so she would wait until he become the alpha to present the case to him. There were a few details she needed to figure out anyhow, since it was starting to look like Davie wasn’t being entirely honest with her. She had wanted to get him out on bail but that just wasn’t an option anymore. The Full Moon was in three days. Davie could wait until then.
She put the paper in her briefcase and nodded. “Alright, I’ll be in touch.”
“Have a good day,” he said, tipping his head toward her. He pushed off the car and strolled back toward the area where the pack had congregated.
She watched him go as she stuffed the last donut hole in her mouth. They were really good.
Chapter 29
CERI
Ceri handed Derek a mug of tea. “You look like you could use something to relax. A friend recommended this to me recently, and it was very effective.”
He smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours as he accepted her offering. “Your friend sounds smart.”
Leaning back against the counter she picked up her own mug of tea and took a sip. The lavender and honey tasted like heaven and she felt her muscles slowly un-tensing.
The house was quiet. Eloise was still sleeping off the sedative, and Evangeline had no interest in talking to or seeing anyone from the pack. It was almost blissful. Ceri knew she was an introvert, but sometimes she forgot just how draining other people could be. The magical battle had drained her too, and was still draining her. She needed to talk to Amber about that as soon as she got back.
“Am I being too hard on Amber?” Derek asked, startling her out of her thoughts.
Ceri blew on her tea, taking a moment to think. “I think we both are. Maybe. She knows she should have told us sooner. I’m done being mad at her, it doesn’t help anything.”
Derek nodded in agreement. “I can’t really blame her for keeping it to herself, I guess. She was real messed up after Dylan died. We weren’t there for her. I think that kind of thing could make a person forget they can actually turn to family for help.”
“She’s mentioned that her mom blamed her for what happened, but she doesn’t talk about it much.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, mom definitely blamed her. It was stupid, but Amber just always took care of Dylan. Kept him out of trouble. He was the risk-taker. It caught us all off guard that they’d both tried to join a pack. It’s something I would have expected her to talk him out of, but I guess she wanted it too.” He cleared his throat. “But enough about all that. How’d you end up in the pack?”
Ceri laughed. “That’s not any less depressing. My family kicked me out because I won’t join the coven properly.”
“Why not?” Derek asked. His blue eyes watched her over the brim of his mug with genuine interest. It made something warm curl up in her gut to see. All her dating prospects had always been other witches, and they only saw her family name, and her reputation as a tree-hugging disappointment.
“The magic witches use is based on a trade. You have to sacrifice something. A plant is a small sacrifice. It’s alive, but its life force doesn’t hold the same…oomph that something sentient does. A pixie, like Woggy, is a common ingredient.” She looked down into the amber liquid of the tea, her fingers tightening on her mug. “No one talks about it, but they’ll do bigger animals too. Cats, dogs, horses. It’s all about power.”
“The elves don’t have to do that to work their magic, why do y’all?” he asked, looking a little disturbed.
“They tap into something else. Some theorize there’s a type of spirit realm, or that magic is in the air we breathe but that not every race can access it,” she said with a shrug. “Hard to say, really. These spots where magic doesn’t work might give us some insight though.”
A loud squeak caught her attention and she looked down to find that Woggy had escaped from his box yet again. “Are you hungry?” she asked, signing along as she spoke just like Tommy had taught her.
The pixie squeaked and signed back with a very emphatic yes.
“Is that sign language?” Derek asked.
Ceri nodded. “Tommy suggested it. It’s completely brilliant, and I’m mad I didn’t think of it first.”
“And he really understands it?”
“Yep. Woggy is learning more every day too.” She grabbed a can of tuna from the pantry, opened it, and sat it on the floor. Woggy dived into the meat immediately, eating with gusto. And making a mess. “We’re working on teaching him to clean up after himself too, but he hasn’t been very interested in that lesson.”
Derek snorted. “Of course not.”
The front door opened and Genevieve walked inside yawning. She grimaced. “We have got to get Woggy something other than tuna. The whole house reeks all the time now.”
“Better than just smelling like cat,” Amber said, appearing behind her and glaring down the hall. Captain Jack appeared, his tail swishing behind him. He made a beeline for the tuna, but Woggy turned and hissed at him, hugging the can of fish close to his chest.
“Captain Jack does not stink,” Genevieve said, picking up the giant cat. “He’s very cleanly.”
Amber rolled her eyes and muttered something about putting him outside to catch rats. Ceri hid a smile behind her tea. It was refreshing to see them arguing about something normal.
But, there were still things to discuss before the night was over. She caught Amber’s gaze and nodded toward the porch.
Derek seemed to understand that they needed to talk. “Gen, did that alpha end up agreeing to help you get that bitten wolf out on bail?”
Genevieve groaned and launched into a long explanation. Ceri took the distraction and headed toward the porch with Amber. It was cool outside, borderline cold, now that the sun was down.
“This has been the longest day in history,” Amber said, plopping down on the porch swing. She held it still so Ceri could sit, then pushed off the ground with her toe, rocking them gently.
“Yeah, it has been,” Ceri agreed. She was tired
down to her bones. They sat quietly on the porch swing and enjoyed the breeze for a moment before continuing. “What you said the other morning reminded me of a conversation with my grandmother. She was a nasty piece of work, but I learned a lot from her. Have you ever heard of a shaman?”
Amber shook her head. “Is that some kind of witch?”
“Technically, yes.” She pulled her foot up onto the porch swing and hugged her knee to her chest. “When a witch joins a pack, it can change her magic. That owl I was complaining about the other day wasn’t just an owl. It was a spirit. I don’t know what it wants, but it helped me when I was fighting that sorcerer. Without it, and the pack bond, I would have been completely outmatched.”
Amber ran her hands through her hair and pulled her feet up on the swing as well. “What does that mean for you? It doesn’t sound bad, but you didn’t exactly sign up for having your magic changed.”
Ceri rested her chin on her knee and stared out at the night sky. “I don’t know what it means, but it definitely isn’t bad. I’ve always hated how weak white magic is. This…was different. It was more powerful.”
“More powerful is better, right?”
“Mostly, but more power generally requires a greater sacrifice. At least for a witch. I shouldn’t be able to just tap into the source like an elf.” She rubbed her temples, wishing she had answers for herself and Amber. “The second time this owl visited me, right before the demon called in his favor, I had a vision of fire, pain, and darkness. Then the demon showed up and we rescued Evangeline. I don’t know if I was being warned she was in danger, or being warned that we were because of the demon.” The vision had been gnawing at her ever since the demon had appeared.
“In some ways, I guess we both are. Whoever is hunting Evangeline is a threat to us now. Too bad this shaman stuff doesn’t come with a guidebook,” Amber said with a snort.
“No kidding. That’d make our lives so much easier,” she agreed with a laugh. “Speaking of no guidebook, I might have done something kind of risky.”
“Risky?” Amber asked, sitting up straight.
“To stop the sorcerer, I had to kind of…create a shield for Evangeline,” she said, twisting her fingers in the hem of her sweater.
“Ceri, just spit it out,” Amber said, frustration evident in her voice. Her whole body was tense, like she was ready to fight someone.
Ceri sighed and dropped her head back to her knees. “My magic is shielding her. We’re kind of tied together until I undo the…well, it’s basically a psychic shield. But it’s the only thing keeping the sorcerer’s spell from killing her.”
Amber put her hand over her mouth, her fingers digging into her cheeks slightly, then dropped her hand. “Can it hurt you?”
“It’s not likely.”
“Why doesn’t that sound very reassuring?” Amber asked, making it sound like an accusation.
She wanted to say because it shouldn’t, but Amber had enough to worry about. “We have to find this sorcerer and stop him. But I’m more worried about the demon than I am the sorcerer. Does he know anything about who is hunting her?”
“Not much. I think we may know more than Evangeline or the demon at this point. The blond guy was a half angel, and he has a sorcerer working with him. Maybe we can start asking around. Would a sorcerer leave any signs if he showed up in town?” Amber asked.
“They tend to fly under the radar. It’s technically illegal, after all. But…they might buy supplies wherever they end up,” she said, her mind racing. The black market for magical supplies was alive and well in Portland. There were a dozen people the sorcerer could contact, but it was somewhere to start. “I know a few people that my family used to buy from when we needed something not on the record. We can start by talking to one of them.”
Amber nodded immediately. “How soon can we talk to them? Is it like a night time only thing?”
Ceri laughed. “They’re not vampires, well, not all of them. There’s someone we can definitely talk to tomorrow before Gen’s parents come over for dinner.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. They couldn’t be coming at a worse time,” Amber groaned, putting her head in her hands.
“When it rains it pours,” Ceri agreed. Part of her was glad though. She wanted to cling to every bit of normalcy as tightly as possible. A gentle hoot caught her attention and she saw the owl, her near constant companion, sitting in a tree near the porch. She twisted her fingers tighter in her sweater and tried to ignore the sense of doom she hadn’t been able to shake since the vision.
Amber shifted on the swing, starting up the rocking again. She cleared her throat, like she was gearing up to say something, but only ended up chewing her nails.
“What is it?” Ceri asked, nudging her gently.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you,” Amber said quietly.
Ceri turned her head to rest her cheek on her knees instead and reached her hand out, entwining her fingers with Amber’s. “I know. And it’s okay. No one is perfect, not even a woman who’s only been an alpha for just over a month and who had no idea she was about to be dumped into a dangerous, magical world.”
Amber glared at her, but there was no heat behind it. “Are you mocking me while I’m trying to apologize?”
“Only a little,” Ceri said with a grin.
Amber shook her head, but she was smiling now. “Everyone in my pack is a jerk. That is my karmic punishment.”
Ceri laughed, and it felt good. She felt lighter than she had in days. “Oh, that reminds me…our house is kind of sentient.”
“What?” Amber asked in alarm.
She grinned and launched into an explanation. Freaking Amber out with magic was the best form of therapy.
Chapter 30
GENEVIEVE
“You promised you could get me out!” Davie said, his voice cracking. “Come on, I can’t stay in here.”
“Listen to me,” Genevieve said, leaning forward. She was about as frustrated as he was, but all this panicking didn’t help anything. “I am going to help you, but until an alpha is chosen, there’s nothing we can do. Do you know Paul Greer?”
Davie wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve and nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“He’s going to try to take the position on the night of the full moon, and I think he would help,” she said, sitting back in her chair.
He snorted and shook his head. “No way. He’s just some quiet loner, he’s not gonna be able to win a challenge.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “Well, you better hope he wins, because if Kevin keeps it, he won’t vouch for you and we’ll have to try a different strategy. What I need you to do for me now is stay out of trouble. I can’t believe you got into a fight in here.”
Davie looked chagrined. “They told me bitten wolves might as well be puppies.”
“So what? They’re just trying to get a rise out of you. If you can’t show some semblance of control while you’re waiting for your hearing, there’s no way the judge is going to let you out on bail no matter what your alpha says.” She was starting to think Davie did have a problem with control. He definitely had an attitude problem. Someone like him should never have been bitten, but from what she knew of Donovan’s pack, he hadn’t exactly chosen the most upstanding citizens to bring into the fold.
“I’ll try, okay? Just please get me out of here as soon as you can,” he begged again, giving her puppy dog eyes.
“That’s my job,” Genevieve said as she rose from her chair. She had so much paperwork to do today for other cases. This visit had been a last minute decision after she’d gotten a phone call from Davie where he’d been sobbing about a fight he’d gotten into.
She rapped on the door for the guard to let her out. He opened the door and she hurried down the hallway. She wasn’t sure if it was a good sign or not, but she was getting used to coming here.
Halfway back to her car, her phone rang. She saw Steven’s number and almost ign
ored the call but a twinge of guilt stopped her.
“Hey,” she said, tucking the phone between her cheek and shoulder while she unlocked her car.
“Finally,” Steven said, irritation clear in his tone.
“I’m sorry, it’s been a really weird couple of days.” She climbed into the car, tossing her briefcase in the passenger seat.
“You could at least text me back. It takes two seconds.”
“I know, I know. I said I was sorry.” She backed up quickly and checked the time. She was going to be at least thirty minutes late getting to the office, and she’d missed the morning meeting completely.
“Can you come over tonight? It’s been a week since we’ve had dinner.”
“I can’t, my parents are coming over for dinner to meet the pack.” She mentally groaned. It was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now, but she’d put them off even longer than Steven. When he didn’t reply, she checked her phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. It still showed connected, but he was completely silent. “Steven?”
“You know we dated for a year and you barely even mentioned your parents, much less let me meet them.”
“We weren’t…it just didn’t seem like the right time,” she said, cringing as the words came out of her mouth.
“Genevieve, why can’t you just be honest? You were never serious about our relationship, and still aren’t,” he said in clipped tones.
She sighed and ground her teeth together. Normally, this was the part where she just agreed, and they broke up for a few weeks before they got back together. “Then just come tonight.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to drive her car into a telephone pole. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with Steven, it’s just that the idea of forever made her skin crawl. She didn’t want everyone to think they were madly in love and then be disappointed if they broke up. So, she’d just…not told anyone. It was easier that way. For her at least. It obviously wasn’t easier for Steven.
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