by Kym Grosso
“But for the sake of this message,” Katrina interrupted. “Ilsbeth did this. I’m pretty sure she’s older than even we are. She’s old school.”
“Traditional,” Jax added.
“I’d go with Mardi Gras. The coven house isn’t too far from here either. Dumaine Street. So let’s say someone—”
“Or something?” Jax interjected.
“Or something came after her. I mean she could get up to the riverfront fairly easily on foot.” Jake scanned the area. “She’s not going to hide something on a boat.”
“No, she needs a safe place. Somewhere not many people go.” Katrina bent down and ran her fingers over a smooth gray stone.
“Well, where we’re standing right now. It’s easy access to the river, but this place is usually loaded with people during the day.”
“Supernaturals?” Jax scrubbed his hand through his hair.
“Mostly humans,” Jake replied. “They play music. Sleep. Just kind of hang out here.”
“Okay, well, assuming I’m human, I’m not going to go to certain places,” Katrina surmised. She swiveled her head around, examining the area. “Dark places.”
“Dangerous places.” Jax honed in on the docks. Several sets lined the river’s edge.
“That one.” Jake pointed to a large pier, much wider than the others. “Under there.”
“If I were a human there’s no way I’d go underneath there. It’s dark. Dirty.” Katrina nodded in agreement. “Maybe I’d venture in to go to the bathroom or something, but it’s not safe under there.”
Jax took stock of the iron girders that emerged from the rocks. As on the steps, graffiti splattered their rust-covered surfaces. White drainage pipes caged the entrance but gave a wide berth for access. The gray blocks were littered with trash, clothing and other odd items. A cemetery of sorts, nothing living emerged. In contrast, the cemented river walk above teemed with life.
“We go in and get out. I told Kat that I think whatever we’re looking for, it may show itself to just her.”
“If Ilsbeth was in a hurry, she may have just stashed it,” Jake guessed.
“But she’d planned for me to find the ring. The knife. I was the only one to feel those things. It was my blood. The message told us where to go. Why wouldn’t she have planned this too?”
“Maybe.” Jax sighed, and reached for her hand. “Or maybe she planned to put it here but ran out of time.”
“We could be wrong about all of this, you know,” Jake pointed out. “Are you feeling anything,” he paused, incredulous he was even asking, “witchy? You know…any tingles?”
“No, smartass. I don’t feel anything. I think we have to err on the side of logic.”
“Kat?” Jake called to her.
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Sorry about the witchy thing. I know it’s not really funny. I’m just frustrated.”
“It’s okay. And I wouldn’t expect you to treat me any different.”
“There’s only one way to find out what’s under here.” As much as Jax loathed the idea of exploring the filthy underbelly, they had little choice. “You ready to roll?”
“Yep.” Katrina gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand.
“Right behind ya,” Jake called over to them.
“Watch your step,” Jax warned. “There’s broken glass all over the place.”
The Alpha ducked as he stepped underneath the pipes. The stench of mold and stale water filled his nostrils, and he heard Katrina cough in response. He thanked the Goddess for his night vision, otherwise they’d be walking blind. Twenty feet into the cavern, he stopped to investigate the grotto. He ran his fingers over the peeling rust, and brushed it off on his jeans. A noise caught his attention. Focusing in, he observed an empty trashcan tossed about in the current that slapped against a wooden piling.
Reluctantly he let go of Katrina’s hand as she tugged it away. Scanning the darkened abyss, he reasoned Ilsbeth could have hidden an object practically anywhere. Heavy tires, steel beams and hundreds of mildew-covered rocks blanketed the ground.
“We need a plan,” Jax noted. “Jake, why don’t you search near the water? Kat and I will look up here.”
“Maybe we need to think about Ilsbeth,” Katrina suggested.
“How do you mean?” Jake asked.
“Well, let’s assume, giving her the benefit of the doubt, that she was trying to help us.”
“That’s a big assumption, Kat.” Jake picked up a stone and threw it into the water. “I know you guys think I’m coming down hard on her but you don’t know what it was like for D. She put him through hell. Jax, think about it, you know as an Alpha. What would happen to a wolf who could no longer shift? It’s kind of presumed that if you can’t shift, your beast is dead or doesn’t exist. He would lose his pack. His family.”
“True,” Jax acknowledged. It was a hard reality. Dimitri would have been an outcast. A friend of the pack perhaps, but he’d no longer be allowed to participate in pack activities. His entire life would have been destroyed.
“I’m not asking you to forgive her, Jake. And I’m certainly not saying that Ilsbeth is innocent.” Katrina’s attention went to the far corner of the dock and then back to her wolves. “I’m just saying that in this situation maybe she chose to do the right thing. There have been times that she’s helped people.”
Jax didn’t blame him for harboring resentment. The witch had cursed Dimitri in a most heinous fashion, one that could have resulted in his demise. Yet his mate’s words rang true. Jax had already tried on one occasion to get Jake to understand that without the facts surrounding Quintus, there was no way to judge the circumstances of her actions.
“As much as I hate what she did, because it was disgusting, I think we have to also be logical,” Jax insisted, his tone serious. “The more I think about this, the more I’m leaning toward her helping us. If Ilsbeth had meant us harm, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have made it out of that house. No, I have to believe that for whatever reason, she wants us to find something that will help us stop these demons.”
“All right. Let’s say she was helping. Something attacks her at the coven,” Jake theorized.
“Or maybe she knew it was coming?” Jax guessed.
“Ilsbeth wasn’t tall. Maybe five three? I’m not aware of her ability to levitate. Demons? Maybe. Not witches. So that doesn’t leave her a lot of options if she came down here on her own.” Katrina licked her lips and pursed them in thought.
“Even if she climbed up on here,” Jake kicked one of the concrete bases that surrounded the beam, “she’s not tall enough to reach up in there.”
“So either she hid it under one of these rocks or she hid it where she could reach,” Katrina concluded.
Jax squatted, picked up a rock and set it aside. “The ground’s not safe. Granted, a storm could take it all, but the water could wash it away more easily down here.”
“So we’re back to the idea that she hid it where she could reach.” Katrina raised her hands and began to pace toward the land. By the time her fingers brushed the girders, both Jax and Jake had caught up, flanking her.
“It could be anywhere above us. Spread out,” Jax instructed.
“I wish we knew what we were looking for.” She sighed.
“It has to be a spell or instructions on how to get rid of these things.”
“So, uh, and please don’t take this the wrong way,” Jake’s eyes went to Jax, “but exactly who is supposed to do a spell here? It sure as hell isn’t you or me.”
Silence lingered, and Jax hesitated to point out the obvious. Although Katrina was still a wolf, her magick had taken on properties of other supernatural beings. He suspected that whatever the demon had seeded had faltered, yet the essence of witchcraft had set hold in her soul. Katrina’s voice echoed in the darkness, and his suspicion was confirmed.
“I think it’s me.” She shrugged, continuing to search. “We already know that whatever they did changed me. I
’m not sure why I can feel Ilsbeth, but she knew about me. I’m sure of it. We know that she knew about the demons, and supposedly asked for their help. I don’t ever remember seeing Ilsbeth but maybe she was there. And Samantha,” Katrina paused, “she knows I’m not right. I could see it in her eyes. It scared her. Because she knows it’s unnatural.”
“Yeah, well, Samantha shouldn’t judge. You do know she wasn’t born a witch,” Jake asserted. “A mage did that to her.”
“But Samantha was human. Weak. Katrina’s nature is strong; her beast will fight the intrusion,” Jax argued.
“What Mick said about Ilsbeth is true.” Jake ran his fingers underneath the girder. “Aside from her bedroom antics, she was old school. Traditional. Now I know she helped Léo to get rid of a demon once, but to help one stay? I’m not sayin’ she didn’t do it, but it just doesn’t all add up, why she would bring something here that didn’t belong. It’s out of sorts with how she was. She was all about getting power for herself, not giving it to someone or something else. Sorry, but that queen bee wasn’t giving up the throne to no one, no how.”
“Regardless of her involvement, she knew about me and obviously she knows about them. I mean she sent Quint…” Katrina’s voice trailed away.
“What is it?” Jax ran to Katrina’s side. Jake quickly followed.
“There.” She pointed to the left, to where the concrete met the beam. “Do you see how it’s cracked? It’s almost as if…”
“It’s not sealed. The cement’s loose.” Jax studied the rough surface and swiped his hand over it. Although it had been caked with mud, a crevice outlining a breakage surfaced.
Extending a claw, he skewered it into the dirt and scraped the crusty flecks until the visible rectangular perimeter had been exposed. Inserting his fingers into the fissure, he tugged at the jagged stone and it crumbled away. Reaching inside, he retrieved a rectangular tin box. The partially rusted container sat easily in his palm. Brushing the dust away, he inspected its red lettering.
“Family medicine?” Jake read the label.
“Aids digestion?” Katrina sighed with disappointment. “It’s junk.”
“It’s an antique quack box. It was pretty easy to fool people back then, but when you think about it, not much has changed. Look.” Jake pointed to the writing. “Chocolate coated. Guaranteed to work.”
“Well it makes sense,” Jax said.
“How’s that?’ Katrina asked.
“You saw that set up she had going in her office. The collections of novelties. All used for spells. She’s been around for a long time. This box is simple,” he explained.
“Classic,” Jake agreed.
“Like Ilsbeth,” Katrina whispered. “Open it.”
Jax carefully removed the top and set it on the ledge. A single sheet of perfumed paper sat unharmed in the center of the box. A floral motif adorned the heading. As he lifted it out, the familiar scent of lavender drifted into the air. Jax exchanged a quick glance with Jake, and stared at the nearly black surface. A series of dashes and dots read across the page: -….-.. --- --- -.. / .-. .. -. --. .-.-.- / -.. . … - .-. --- -.-- / - …. . / ….. .--. …. --- -. .-.-.-.
“What the hell is this?” Jax tilted his head from side to side, stretching the stress out of his muscles.
“That’s Morse code, man,” Jake laughed. “Now of all the things I expected to see in a witch’s fun box, that was not one of them.”
“What does it say?” Katrina grazed the pad of her finger over its surface. “You were in the navy, right?”
“Hell, yeah.” Jake smiled. “It says…shit, she’s as cryptic as ever.”
“What does it say?” Jax asked, his voice terse. He grew impatient with not only Jake but the entire situation. The stench underneath the docks intensified. The putrid scent of a dead animal permeated the air, and his instinct told him they should leave.
“It says, ‘Blood ring. Destroy the siphon.’…whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.”
“We’ll figure it out back at the house. Let’s get going. Something’s not right here. Can you smell that?” Jax glanced behind him, searching for its source.
“Yeah, I thought it was the river,” Jake replied.
“It’s awful.” Katrina coughed.
Jax set the note back into the box. Not wanting Katrina to sense his disappointment, he threaded his fingers through hers and began to lead her back out toward the river walk. Jax startled as Katrina tugged her hand out of his and ran back to where they’d found the box. He called for her to return, but it was too late.
Chapter Twenty
Katrina froze as she laid her hand over the forgotten tin cover, which was blanketed in frost. She went still, the apparition appearing before her. As it solidified, she swore her eyes were playing tricks. The beautiful vampire she’d met once long ago laughed, stretching out her arms. Her tight red dress strained against her wiry muscles. Contrasting with her alabaster skin, her red hair had been swept up into a perfectly coiffed French twist. She smiled, revealing her bloodstained fangs.
“Katrina, darling, there you are. You can run but you’ll be with us soon enough.” Her voice trilled, sickeningly sweet as if she’d been poisoned with saccharin.
“Dominique? What are you doing here?” Katrina blinked. Confused, she turned to Jax. Her vision tunneled and he dwindled into a speck in the distance. “Does Kade know what you’re doing?”
“Your magick grows strong. Soon you’ll be ripe once again.” Dominique’s booming voice shook the ground.
Katrina screamed as the gorgeous vampire transformed into a creature she recalled from her nightmares. Like a scorpion, its tail whipped through the wind. The long piercing weapon slashed at the air, preventing Jax and Jake from reaching her. Its feminine hands and feet sprouted hooves while its face remained a perverted image of a human. Bald, its eyes glazed over, the red hue so piercing it caused her to squint. The unrecognizable mouth distorted into a massive cavern, a black pit of death.
It let out an ear-deafening screech as its tail scored the rafter of beams, setting off sparks. The scent of burnt metal wafted into the air. Smoke thickened underneath the dock until she could barely see through the black fog. She caught a glint of the bladed tail as it whizzed toward her. Darkness claimed Katrina, and the familiar touch of her mate comforted her. She would not die alone.
Katrina snuggled against Jax, dreams afloat in her mind. She stirred and pressed her lips to his skin. The hazy cloud began to lift and she ran her fingers over the familiar grooves of his abdomen. Even with her eyes closed, she recognized the distinctive scent of her mate, his soothing masculine essence cloaked around her.
Memories of the incorporeal being she’d encountered at the dock flooded back, and she struggled to remember how she’d returned safely to their bed. Katrina had met the ginger vampire at a party once. While she’d been a snarky aggressive female, one not to be trifled with, Dominique had never struck her as ill-willed. Devoted to Kade, she’d served him well. The savage monstrosity that had emerged out of the ghostly form shocked Katrina, and she wondered if she’d hallucinated. The illusion had seemed so real, but confusion persisted.
Jax’s soft voice drew her out of her contemplation, and Katrina’s eyelids fluttered open.
“Hey, baby, you okay?”
“Hmm…that thing,” she began.
“I saw the vampire, but she disappeared.”
“What? No.” Katrina shook her head, disoriented. “The thing. It was a demon. Its tail. You saw it, right?”
Her question was returned by silence and Katrina’s eyes filled with tears. I’m losing my mind. As if it wasn’t bad enough that her magick had changed, that she sensed things at Ilsbeth’s house, had been told by the warlock she’d been contaminated, she now questioned her sanity.
“It’s okay, Kat. Please,” Jax said, holding her tighter still. “I did see Dominique…if that was Dominique. I don’t know what the hell it was. So if you saw something else, believe
me, both Jake and I saw you. You were frozen, then started screaming and collapsed.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted. Katrina’s strength had been surging ever since their mating, yet it had splintered apart in the presence of her perpetrator.
“What did you see?” Jax asked.
“It was this thing. A monster. This sounds crazy.” She sighed.
“I’ve seen things, Kat. When they captured me,” Jax said. “You know I’m a strong wolf. But the beatings, I don’t even remember what they looked like…the attackers. At times they looked human. Other times, they looked like something out of hell. So whatever you saw last night, I believe it. Don’t go doubting yourself.”
“It was so real.”
“Black magick can be powerful. That night in the club, when I thought it was you, I touched you and you were as real to me as you are now. If they can fool me into thinking that was you, whatever they are doing is serious.”
“I just want to be done with this. I want a normal life. I want to take you to my gallery. I want to show you my paintings and run with you in the pack. I want to be free again. Not just free,” she smiled up at him, “but I want to be with you. I was alone for so long.”
“Tell me about your mom and dad,” Jax asked, attempting to distract her thoughts from what had happened under the docks. He knew that she’d been raised in New Orleans, but there was so much to discover about his mate.
“My mom is strong-willed.” Katrina laughed. “And my dad has a hard time keeping up with her. He stepped down as Alpha a while ago, let Marcel run the pack. Tristan had gone to Philadelphia. Hunter left for Wyoming. They wanted to travel, and if you’re gone six months out of the year, it’s kind of hard to lead a pack.”
“How long was he Alpha?” Jax ran his fingers through her hair and brought a strand to his nose.
