Once we were about halfway between the Faeble and Moonhaven, I sent Toby a quick text.
Don’t forget to find out what Tap knows about the society.
Thanks! I completely forgot.
I groaned. “We have to fix this stone!”
“Maybe this would be a good spot.” Frida nodded toward a little clearing filled with wildflowers.
“I hope we’ve gone far enough. Toby and Tap need to talk without the curse distracting them.”
Soleil glanced back. “We should be plenty far away. The reach seems to be about as large as the Moonhaven property. The werewolves are only affected by the stone if you’re in the manor and they’re somewhere on the grounds. So the reach is limited. At least, for now. And we’re much farther from the Faeble than Moonhaven is wide, so we ought to be okay here.”
“True. I suppose this is enough distance.”
We sat in a circle in the middle of the field. Gessilyn turned to Soleil. “Can you try to extract some essence from the stone?”
“I have. It doesn’t work.”
Gessilyn placed a smooth, small black stone in the middle of our circle. “Can you humor me?”
Soleil glanced at the new stone and arched a brow. “If you say so.” She turned to me. “Close your eyes and mouth. I don’t want to accidentally take your essence.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips as hard as I could. A slight breeze picked up and the wildflower aromas grew stronger. The necklace moved back and forth against my chest, growing warm. It took all my effort not to peek, but I didn’t want to ruin the extraction—not when there was a chance they could destroy the curse.
Gessilyn spoke in a foreign language, her voice rising with each word. The breeze turned into a wind, whipping my hair into my face. The stone necklace moved around faster, more erratically.
My heart raced. Was the curse lifting? Were both curses lifting? Would everyone see me as normal and be able to shift at will?
Gessilyn’s words grew to a shout. She stopped speaking, and the wind stopped at the same moment. The wolf essence stone also fell still. I waited a couple beats for someone to give me permission to open my eyes. When nobody said anything, I cracked open one eye. Frida and Soleil both lay back on the ground, and Gessilyn held a small red ball. No, it wasn’t a ball. It looked more like colored electricity with bright currents lighting up throughout. She moved her mouth, but no sound escaped.
I should’ve closed my eyes, but I couldn’t. Gessilyn’s eyes were as red as the energy dancing in her palms, and the other two remained motionless on the ground.
Finally, she separated her palms and the red energy bounced up and dissipated. At the same time, the red faded from her eyes. Soleil and Frida both sat up, groaning and mumbling.
I cupped the wolf stone. “What just happened?”
Gessilyn stared at me with an emptiness in her eyes that sent chills down my spine.
“Gess?” I whispered.
“She’s alive,” Gessilyn gasped, then blinked several times, her eyes returning to normal.
Soleil and Frida dusted themselves off, both shaking.
What had so badly shaken three of the strongest people I knew? I struggled to find my voice. “Who? And what was that red stuff?”
“Essence.” Soleil’s voice sounded like a bark. “It was horribly evil.”
My mouth dropped. “Whose?”
“Can’t tell,” Soleil said.
Gessilyn nodded. “The witch who cast the spell on the stone and put Fen in there is still very much alive.”
“And evil.” Frida gasped for air.
“Wh—what does all of this mean?” I clutched the stone.
They all stared at me before Gessilyn spoke. “We have to find the witch who set the spells on that stone and convince her to release its magic.”
My stomach lurched. “Do you think she will?”
Frida’s eyes widened. “An ancient, black-magic witch? Not without a fight.”
Was it too much to ask Gessilyn to help us? She’d already done so many things for us. “How are we going to do that?”
Gessilyn picked up her black stone.
“You’re going to have to give me time to prepare. I may be the high witch, but I’m still on the wrong side of the learning curve—I should’ve started as a child, but we all know that didn’t happen. There’s still so much I have to learn.”
“Are you willing to help us?”
“Yes.” Her eyes burned with resolve. “Something like this is exactly what I need to hone my craft. But like I said, I need time. I have to study what’s in the witchcraft library I inherited. There might even be something about this particular witch in there. I read her essence, so that’ll help give me the advantage.”
“What about the valkyrie?” Soleil asked. “There was valkyrie essence mixed with the witch essence.”
“I know,” Gessilyn said. “That valkyrie is dead.”
Soleil’s face paled. “What do you know about her?”
“Him,” Gessilyn corrected. “He was given the charge to kill all shifters.”
“Are you sure?” Soleil’s eyes widened. “I’ve never heard of that charge.”
“I’m certain,” Gessilyn said.
I cleared my throat. “How can you tell whether they’re alive?”
Gessilyn rose and dusted off her pants. “The essence is tied to them—it’s a very specific type of magic. We’d better head back to Moonhaven.” She turned to Frida. “We’re going to need our entire family to work on this. Fighting a witch who has been practicing black magic this long…” She shuddered. “It could kill us all if we’re not careful.”
Chapter 11
Toby
Tap handed me the scroll. “This is everything I have on the werewolf society. It isn’t a whole lot—their main goal is to stay hidden. And when you’re done, I want this back.”
I tucked it into my jacket. “Will do. I can’t thank you enough.”
He rubbed his temples. “Just find a way to rid Victoria of that curse. I can’t afford to keep giving her my best wines and food.”
“Trust me, no one wants the curse gone more than she does. Take care, old buddy.”
Glass shattered in the next room. Tap’s expression tensed. “Actually, you could bring her by and get her to convince those mesmers to behave. That’d help me out immensely.”
“It would only work as long as she stayed around.”
“I’ve got extra rooms downstairs. You two can stay as long as you want.”
More glass shattered, followed by a roar of laughter.
“I’d better let you take care of them.” I headed outside while Tap yelled at the mesmers.
When I arrived at Moonhaven, everyone except Victoria was gathered in the living room, sitting in a circle. Frida stood in the middle. She waved me over. “You should be here for this, too.”
“For what?” I hung my coat on a hook and pulled out the scroll.
“I’m casting a spell to keep you all from falling under Victoria’s curse. We can’t remove it, but if I can place a buffer around the pack, at least you guys should be immune.”
“Where’s Victoria?”
“She and Soleil went into town for some groceries. I thought it’d be better to do this while everyone has clear minds.”
“Give me just a minute.” I headed into my office and tucked the scroll in the back of one of my desk drawers and locked it, then I joined everyone in the living room.
“Everyone’s here?” Frida asked.
I glanced around the circle. Other than the wolfborns, Victoria, and Soleil, our entire pack was gathered together. “Yes.”
“Close your eyes and take hold of each other’s hands.” Frida stepped into the circle. “Free your minds.”
Stella and Bobby both took my hands. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Frida spoke in ancient Icelandic, and almost immediately a breeze picked up, bringing with it a crisp, woodsy aroma. Something fluttered around in time
with Frida’s words. When she stopped talking, the breeze and fluttering stopped and the temperature dropped significantly.
“You may open your eyes.”
“Did it work?” Jet asked.
“It should have, but given the strong magic behind the wolf essence stone, I can’t guarantee it’ll work perfectly. Once Victoria comes back, you’ll know. I need to get back home and help my family prepare to meet the ancient witch.”
I gave her a double-take. “Wait. What ancient witch?”
“They can fill you in. I need to get home.” Frida walked over to the nearest mirror and spoke softly to it. The rune lit up, and she disappeared.
“What ancient witch?” I glanced around the circle.
Laura rose and stretched. “Soleil and Gessilyn managed to extract some essence from the stone, and Gessilyn was able to figure out who cursed it. An ancient evil witch who still lives and a now-dead valkyrie.”
“And we need to find the witch?”
“Apparently, it’s the only way to rid the stone of its curses. Frida’s spell is only a Band Aid, and a temporary one at that.”
“Let’s hope it works. I’m going into my office to learn what I can about the secret werewolf society. Tell Victoria to find me there.”
“Will do. I’m going to work on dinner.”
My stomach growled.
She chuckled. “Sounds like you’ll be ready.”
I headed back to my office and dug out Tap’s scroll. It was full of messy notes in several different languages. Luckily, I was familiar with most of them. According to Tap’s scrawling, various members of the society had crossed his path over the centuries and had captured his attention with their expensive clothes, quiet conversation, and insatiable thirst for a mysterious stone. They never stayed long, nor did they converse with anyone else beyond what was necessary—only asking for food and drinks and then slipping away, always leaving a hefty tip in their wake.
Each time Tap noticed them, he took notes—what they looked like, what they wore, and anything interesting he overheard. The varied and scattered notes made little sense individually, but taken as a whole, it revealed enough to send a chill down my spine.
The society was an immense network of werewolves who thought they were better than all the others. They didn’t think of themselves as a pack even though their society was very much one, with a leader that everyone obeyed and a code that no one ever dared to break. Their entire purpose appeared to be breaking the curse of the moon, and they were convinced that the wolf essence stone was the key. They’d been tracking it ever since Fen had been sucked inside and hidden in the cave. Somehow they sensed that Tap had one half of the map they desperately needed, and that was why they kept stopping in at the Faeble. They had also traveled a lot to Iceland, having correctly figured out that the other half was over there.
Yet they had never gotten their hands on either half of the map or the stone itself. But from conversations overheard, the society members would, if they found it necessary, kill anyone who got in their way.
Did they know it had been found? Had Fen’s reign of terror alerted them? Did they know it had moved and was now around Victoria’s neck?
I scrambled away from my desk to find my phone to warn her, but relief washed through me. All supernaturals who crossed her path currently only wanted to serve her and make her happy. Plus, Soleil was with her. If the society did manage to find Victoria, they wouldn’t be able to hurt her.
The delicious aromas of roast beef and vegetables wafted into my office, making my stomach growl again. I rolled up the scroll and locked it back in the drawer for safe keeping. My phone sat on my desk where the scroll had been. I grabbed it and called Victoria.
“Hi, Toby. Is Frida done with the spell?”
“Everything is set. Now to see if it worked. Are you almost home?”
“We’re on our way back. Should be there in just a few minutes.”
“Good. We need some down time, but first, I have to tell everyone what I’ve learned about the secret werewolf society.”
“Anything helpful?” she asked.
“Maybe. I’ll tell you when you get here.”
“Sounds good. See you soon.”
“Okay.” I got up and headed for my door. “I hope you’re hungry, because dinner’s ready.”
I stepped into the hall. Victoria stood there. I gave her a double-take. “How’d you get here so fast?”
She covered a laugh. “I told you I was close.”
I pulled her into an embrace and ran my hands through her hair. My worry of the society finding her with the necklace still lingered. “It’s so good to have you back.”
Victoria stepped back and arched a brow. “How good is it? Good enough that you’d do anything I asked? Would you run to Iceland to grab me a sandwich at that deli Hale took me to?”
My mouth dropped open. “Your mom made roast beef and you want a deli sandwich?”
She squealed and threw her arms around me. “You’re not under the curse!”
“You’re right! I just feel my normal love for you—which by the way is almost as overpowering as the spell, but far more real.”
Soleil came down the hall. “Okay, okay. This is all great, but let’s grab some grub and see how everyone else reacts to you.”
Victoria squeezed my hand. “I hope it worked on everyone else, too. I just can’t deal with it anymore.”
“I think it’d be fun.” Soleil’s voice held a hint of teasing.
“It’s horrible. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you and the witches hadn’t been immune to it.”
We headed to the kitchen, where everyone was already gathered and eating.
Laura glanced up and smiled. “You guys want roast beef? I’ve also got stew nearly ready—that seems to be the staple favorite around here.”
“Do you have any goose?” Victoria asked. “I’d like some roasted over a fire.”
“Then I hope you brought some from the store,” Laura said. “I don’t have time for that.”
Victoria’s grin widened and she turned to the table. “What about any of you? Anyone want to hunt down a goose and roast it over a fire for me?”
Mutterings of ‘no’ went around the table.
“Frida’s spell worked!” Victoria exclaimed.
Laura’s eyes widened. “You’re right! I didn’t even notice.” She went over and gave her daughter a hug. “You know I’d do anything for you, but even a mother has her limits.” She winked.
Victoria squeezed her tightly. “The word that would make me happiest right now is ‘no’. Thank you!”
We all sat and piled food on our plates. I couldn’t wait to fill up, tell everyone what I’d learned about the society, and then finally relax with Victoria.
Chapter 12
Victoria
I leaned my head against Toby’s shoulder and listened to his deep breathing. There was nothing like waking up in his arms every morning. Though it had been several months now—summer was in full swing—being married still felt altogether magical. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if we had found a way to break the curse of the moon.
Gessilyn was still trying to help us, but that was in between her many training sessions, where she was learning everything she needed to know to be the high witch. Tap and Toby were working together to find out more about the secret society, but true to their name, they were impossible to locate. I spent most of my days on the Moonhaven property where everyone was spelled to treat me normally. Everyone else fell at my feet, treating me like an exalted member of royalty, and I couldn’t stand it.
My mother, Stella, Ziamara, little Sebastian, and I had taken to cultivating the ever-growing garden. It was blissfully boring—after everything we’d been through fighting jaguar shifters, my father, Toby’s father, and Fen, boring was the most wonderful thing I could ask for. Especially since Toby and I were finally married.
Toby rolled over, bringing my thoughts
back to the present. He rubbed his eyes and smiled. “Have I ever mentioned how wonderful it is to wake up with you snuggled up to me?”
“A time or two.”
Knock, knock! Knock, knock!
“Sounds important.” Toby sat up and turned to the door. “What is it?”
“There’s a werewolf at the gate,” Bobby said. “Laura says it’s her daughter.”
The room spun around me. Elsie was at our gate?
“Let her in!” Toby called. “We’ll be right down.”
I scrambled out of bed and grabbed random clothes from the closet. “Why do you think she’s here?”
“Maybe she changed her mind about wanting to live as a shifter. Or maybe she just wants to get to know her mom and sister again.”
“You think so?” My sister had been more than determined to live out her life with humans the last time I’d spoken with her.
“Let’s find out.” He pulled on a shirt.
I slid on some flip-flops and realized my yellow-striped tank top clashed horribly with my blue floral shorts, but I didn’t care. Elsie was downstairs! I took Toby’s hand and pulled him toward the door.
My inner wolf woke and clawed with excitement. As usual, it wasn’t hard to keep control. The wolf essence stone still hadn’t come off, and it allowed me to shift whenever I wanted rather than when I had a strong emotion.
Toby and I raced down the stairs. My mom and Elsie clung to each other in the entryway. I let go of Toby’s hand and joined the hug, hardly able to believe my sister was actually with us. After what felt like both a second and forever, we pulled away. I stared at Elsie, beautiful as ever. “Is everything okay?”
She frowned. “It was—I was managing life as a shifter just fine without any of my friends having a clue—but then I started getting threats.”
“Threats?” My inner wolf fought all the harder to escape. “What kind?”
“From whom?” Mom demanded.
“Let’s sit. I’ll explain everything.” She studied me. “Have you gotten prettier? Smarter?”
My stomach twisted. I hated my curse.
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