by Kym Grosso
“It’s none of your business,” she snapped. Her eyes darted to the window display. A foursome inside paid their party no mind as they made love. A woman lay on her back sucking her partner’s cock, while another woman attended to her pussy. A second man fucked her from behind.
“Tsk, tsk…that answer won’t do at all,” he sneered. “Negative thoughts are not welcome in my space. I’m afraid if you want answers, tit for tat.”
“Now just wait a damn minute,” Jax began.
“Yes, but you won’t ever be involved,” Katrina spat. “Now can we hurry up? I am aware of how the weather is down here and we’re running out of time.”
“Ha! Very good, Kitty. You like to watch…hmm…I knew it!” Mick turned on his heel, squealing in delight as if he’d been given a birthday gift. “And this is another play room. Of course I have my own private dungeon but we must make sure our guests have options.”
Katrina peered inside at the various instruments of pleasure and pain. A St. Andrew’s cross rested in the corner, and the thought of tying up her Alpha flashed in her mind. As much as she’d enjoyed submitting to Jax in bed, she imagined she’d enjoy dominating given how out of control her life had been. She caught Jax staring at her and wondered if he could read her thoughts. Averting her gaze, she looked to Mick, who waved them into an office, where a perky brunette greeted them.
“Come in, come in. ‘Tis time for business. This is Avery. She’s one of my very special witches.” He blew her a kiss, which she caught in the air and pretended to bring to her mouth. She moaned as her fingers seductively trailed between her breasts, her eyes set on Jax.
Katrina’s instinct to attack was thwarted by both Jake and Jax who reached for her wrists. The silent cue interrupted her vicious thoughts. She looked to Jax, but he shook his head, warning her back. With a huff, she yanked her arms free and glared at the witch.
“Kitty doesn’t like to share? What a shame. You wolves are very possessive creatures, almost as bad as the bloodsuckers. Sit. Please.” Mick gestured to a set of scarlet crushed velvet sofas. Rounding his swirled marble desk, he threw himself into a white leather chair. He propped his feet up onto the edge and steepled his fingers.
Katrina reluctantly sat, taking in her surroundings. Brick walls adorned with antique farm tools were countered by the modern technology that rested along an extended console. She detected the faint scent of coumarin. The herbaceous odor lingered in the air, and she spied a small bowl of black tonka beans on the end table.
A giggle bubbled behind her and Katrina’s eyes flew to Avery. Dressed in a black see-through corset, she slinked over to Mick. The opaque stripes trailing down over her breasts did little to cover the rosy nipples that strained through the mesh fabric. Garters snapped tight to her thigh-high stockings, long legs pinned into patent leather pumps. Her eyes locked on Katrina, and she pursed her cherry-stained lips at Jax.
Rooting her feet to the ground, Katrina struggled to stay calm. Jake mouthed the word ‘no’ from across the room. Her wolf growled, urging her to attack. Her hands fisted in frustration but she knew losing control within a love shack of witches was a bad idea. Silently counting to ten, she prayed the meeting would be over within the hour. Mick cleared his throat and her focus was brought back to the warlock.
“Boring you, am I?”
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.
“You need to claim him, you know?” he responded.
“How do you know I haven’t already?” Katrina’s heart pounded in her chest; she had not expected to discuss the topic with Mick.
“Running, running, running. Don’t think Ilsbeth didn’t take notice, ah, because she did. These things…they’ve always been troublesome.”
“What do they want?” As Katrina’s pulse raced faster, her curiosity bloomed. Until now, no one had had answers.
“Demons, quite a bother really. Always trying to escape as such. There’re many levels. Some walk among us, simply bringing negativity. Others possess the bodies of the dying. And some…” Mick paused, his eyes narrowed in concern. Gone was the flighty host, replaced by a more serious individual, who appeared concerned for his own wellbeing. His voice rasped in both a cold and thoughtful tone. “They want to possess the living. But you see, they are not meant to do so. They reap pestilence and death, and once allowed to walk among us, they’ll take over this realm. So you understand how it is imperative to stop them.”
“Yes, I heard these tales as a child, but these things, the ones that kidnapped me, they take new forms.”
“It’s true. We don’t know much. The Méchants. The ‘evil ones’, loosely translated. I can smell their influence on you.” His gaze went to Katrina. “But back to your mating. Now what did they tell you?”
Katrina hesitated. Jax nodded and took her hand in his. “It’s okay, Kat. Tell him.”
“They told me.” Katrina swallowed. A gentle squeeze of her hand from her Alpha imbued her with the warmth and confidence to continue. It had sounded ridiculous, but she’d believed them. “I didn’t know at the time about Jax. I mean, they just said my mate would be an Alpha. But there aren’t many Alphas and some are already mated. I’d been following Jax.”
“You stalked him? That’s lovely.” Mick clapped his hands.
“No, I just, I don’t know…I was attracted to him. I’d seen his pictures. Then one night. Happenstance really…”
“There are no coincidences,” Jax commented.
“Your Alpha is correct,” Mick acknowledged.
She returned Jax’s warm smile and continued. “The second we met…I suspected he was the one. I wouldn’t be able to resist mating with him. I could kill him. Running was the only way to protect him from me.” She sighed and shook her head, lifting her eyes to meet Mick’s. “This thing. It changed me. When we escaped, I shifted. But it wasn’t me. I was weak, and even now, I know it’s Jax who fills me with strength.”
“They have done this to you on purpose,” he told her. “They confuse you. They’ve opened a portal to your essence, your energy. And each time they take you, they harvest the spirit of an Alpha’s lineage, sucking it out of you like a farmer milks the cow. But, my dear, they cannot close the hole. It’s like a flat tire after being punctured by a nail, it closes tight, but not quite tight enough. The air slowly leaks. It’s the same with your magick.”
“But why do they need her magick? Why not just take any wolf? You’d think they’d be getting a fresh wolf instead of using her over and over,” Jake asked.
“Why not just kill me?”
“How much do they need?” Jax went solemn, as if he’d come to a revelation.
A shiver ran down Katrina’s arm, and she sucked a quiet breath. What the hell is coming for us all?
“Let me start with the why. Well, three is of significance. Unlike what you might think, not many are born of an Alpha, sister and mate. That is quite obvious. But a better guess is that one or both of your parents has a tie to this demon. A favor, perhaps?”
“How can that be? Tristan would have known if our family owed a demon. If it weren’t for Jax actually being there…” She gave an exhausted sigh. “I can ask Tristan again.”
“Do ask quickly, Kitty. You’re running out of time.” Mick leaned over his desk toward them. “The hole…the very one I told you about. You must feel it. Your magick leaks…and your mate,” his eyes trained on Jax, “your Alpha, he fills you with his.”
“But I don’t feel weak,” Jax said in denial. “I’ll admit I can feel the slight transfer but nothing is wrong with me.”
“But your mate? She doesn’t just have your magick. Something grows within her, it eats at yours. They want to use her.”
“They implanted a chip in her?” Jake asked. “Or is this more like one of those amoebas that eats away at you?”
“What the fuck?” Jax scolded him.
“What? I’m just sayin’. Tell me you haven’t watched the videos where they extract the bug that laid eggs inside of someone�
��s skin.”
“Really? You had to go there?” Mick shook his head.
“Ew, no, that did not happen,” Katrina protested, and rubbed her arms. The thought that something else could be inside her made her nauseous.
“No, my dear.” Mick glared at Jake. “You wolves can be so uncouth at times. I’m all about nature, but seriously?”
“Say what you want, witch-boy, but if she’s got somethin’ growin’ inside her, well…my mind jumps to larvae.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Jax told her, and pinned his eyes on Jake, who shrugged. “Shut it now.”
“Katrina has something inside her. Not a bug per se.” Mick shook his finger at Jake. “A seedling of dark magick. Something that only witches have. Mages. The ability to change form? Demons have long been able to do that nifty trick.”
“And how do you know all this shit anyway? You seem to know an awful lot about demons and Katrina.” Jake leaned back into his chair.
“He has a good point. How do we know you’re not involved?” Jax asked.
“Very good question. I can only offer you my honesty, and have no proof of my innocence. I do know that the high priestess had interactions over the years with the Méchants. Favors here, favors there. Ilsbeth’s magick was not without reproach. Take for example,” he paused and leaned back in his chair, “Dimitri. One does not steal magick easily. And in doing so…there’s a price.”
“I imagine a very high price,” Jax added.
“Indeed,” Mick agreed.
“So wait.” Jake leaned forward, shook his head and scrubbed both hands through his hair. “Are you telling us that not only did Ilsbeth try to kill Dimitri’s wolf, but that she did it by getting help from these things?”
“There are only so many things we can do with our magick. At some point, we require special ingredients. It’s no secret that she was known for her collection of elements. A menagerie if you will.”
“I hope that bitch is burning in hell as we speak.” Jake crossed his arms across his chest.
“Look, we get that Ilsbeth took unconventional paths to get her way, but at the end of the day, all I care about is my mate.”
“As you should. So, first things first. How do we fix Kitty?” Mick set his sights on Katrina. “These demons…you know they will lie. So let’s start with the obvious. Mating will not hurt your Alpha. I cannot be one hundred percent certain, but I have done my research. No need to thank me,” he buffed his long fingernails upon his pants and then admired them, “but this leak. I’m afraid this is a problem.”
“What makes you think I can…?” Katrina began.
“This leak. This energy. The sexual essence that is generated between beings. It can purify.” Mick stood and made a sweeping gesture with his palm. “But you must have the assistance of an Alpha.”
“Wait.” Jax shook his head. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?”
“Are you saying I have another mate? No, that’s not possible,” Katrina insisted.
“I’m saying exactly what I said. It’s an energy healing. Nothing more. Nothing less. But, as you pointed out or should I say, may have guessed, the Alpha can help to prepare her for her true goal.”
“Dimitri and Gillian healed me,” Jake blurted out.
“I don’t want to hear this.” Jax stared at the wall, refusing to look at him. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know what happened between Gillian, Jake and Dimitri, but he preferred not to discuss his sister’s sex life, let alone in front of the warlock.
“Jax, come on. You know how wolves are. Don’t even try to tell me that you and Nick didn’t share,” Jake challenged him.
The statement pierced through Katrina like a knife in her gut. Her claws dug into the couch, tearing at the fabric. The idea of Jax being intimate with another woman sent her wolf into a frenzy.
“First, don’t bring up his name here,” Jax told him. “Second, I just don’t see how this will work to help us. And third, where the fuck am I supposed to find another…”
Katrina’s eyes went wide as Jax’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t tell where his thoughts had gone but she suspected he’d found a solution, one she couldn’t be certain she’d like.
“Once Katrina has stopped siphoning your magick and leaking her own, you both will be strong enough to face them, to use whatever you brought me to defeat them.” Mick smacked his hands onto his desk. “So let’s see it then. Show and tell. I’ve told you what you need to do and now it’s time for show.”
Katrina’s head spun, wondering how the hell they’d be able to carry out his instructions. She’d known something was off with her own magick, but the solution Mick proposed seemed ludicrous.
“Before we show you what we found, I think it’s important to note that Katrina,” Jax’s eyes darted to his mate and then back to the warlock, “she had some unusual experiences in the house. It was almost like Ilsbeth or the house was trying to communicate.”
“Hmm…interesting.” Mick smiled up at Avery and feverishly rubbed his hands together. “Come on now, the suspense is killing me.”
“There is a ring. It was inside this bell.” Jax retrieved the rusty items from his pocket, and set them on the desk. “There’s a boline, too. I know it looks normal, but it accidentally nicked Kat and her blood smeared onto it. And then the damn thing glowed. You could see something written on it. It made no sense.”
Katrina slipped her hand into the purse that was strapped against her shoulder and carefully removed the sickled blade. She’d been afraid to touch the ring since the incident at the mansion. Although she’d been cut by the knife, the coldness of the object elicited no energy or emotion. She unwrapped the cloth napkin and carefully set it down on the marble.
Mick lifted the jewelry into the light. Sliding open his drawer, he retrieved a magnifying glass and studied it. “It’s a poison ring. Very clever.”
“Fifteenth century,” Jake added.
The warlock shot him a questioning look.
“History. It’s kind of my thing.” Jake gave a half smirk.
“The vampires always underestimate wolves, but never me. Oh, no.” He took a deep breath and sighed, placing it on the desk. Mick’s attention went to the knife. “Looks like a simple boline to me.” Holding the hilt he spun it around, examining all the sides. “You say it glowed, huh? A simple spell. But what is not known is whether or not Katrina’s blood did this alone? Or does it work for everyone? Just wolves?”
“We don’t know.”
“Did you find anything else?”
“Just the bell, but otherwise, no,” Jax answered.
“When I was there…” Katrina’s eyes widened as she recalled the experience, how the electricity had hummed through her hands. She held her palms upward and stared at them, “…it was just this feeling. Like a tingling. That bell. I couldn’t let go of it until the ring fell out. Ilsbeth wanted me to have it.”
“We don’t know for sure what’s happening,” Jax added.
“You don’t have to believe me. I may not have known Ilsbeth but I know as sure as I’m sitting here that she wanted me to have that ring. She wanted me in her house. And that knife there. It may be used for cutting herbs or whatever, but it means something.”
“I suppose, but you haven’t tested the theory,” Mick told her. “It’s true your magick has changed; you’re more like a witch now.”
Jax shot Mick a glare.
“What?” The warlock rolled his eyes. “It’s true. Pfft. As I was saying, you may be able to trigger whatever spell has been infused into the object.”
Katrina’s stomach sank at his statement, her patience wearing thin. She didn’t have time to theorize. Irritated, she snatched the boline.
“What are you doing?” Jax asked, his words slow and deliberate.
“We can’t just sit here and speculate. I’m using this thing now. I want to know if it’ll work again and what it all means. We’re here with Mick. There’s no time like the present to figure out
what’s going on.” She held the point to her palm.
“Just wait a second. Don’t do this, Kat.”
Katrina had grown tired of everyone telling her what she could or could not do. Lost magick. Demons. Mating. With every breath she took, she lost control of her own life. Rage surfaced fast and hot, and she considered all she’d been through. A survivor, she deserved more than empty questions and ‘what ifs’.
“I’m sorry. This is all about instinct. And mine tells me to survive.” Slicing the sharp edge across her palm, she cringed, the white hot pain stabbing up her forearm. She swiped her thick blood across its blade. Satisfaction filled her chest as lettering appeared in its wake.
“Read this,” she demanded. With a loud clank, Katrina dropped the boline onto Mick’s desk. Scarlet drops sprayed across the white stone surface.
Jax accepted tissues from Avery and grabbed Katrina’s wrist. His eyes narrowed in on her, angry she’d challenged him.
“I’m fine,” she insisted, yanking her hand from Jax. He asked her to trust him, to follow his lead, but he couldn’t trust her in return to know her own body and mind. Wrapping her palm, she stemmed the blood flow. She caught the look of disgust that crossed Mick’s face, displeased she’d marred his furniture. Ignoring his concern, she gestured to the knife. “Hurry before it disappears.”
“You didn’t need to make such a mess.” Mick allowed Avery to wipe around the object, absorbing the fluid. “Well, this is interesting. A message from Ilsbeth.”
“How do you know?”
“Ilsbeth has a Nordic ancestry. She was always fond of tricking people with her use of other languages. While French is often spoken in the bayou, Swedish is less known.”
“What does it say?” Katrina pressed.
“Där de döda lögnen och vattnet stiger vi möter. Dolda men sett, hitta förtrollningen som du söker. Of course this is much more of a rhyme in English. Where the dead lie and the water rises, we meet. Hidden but seen, find the spell you seek.”
