Fire in The Moon (The Bound Series Book 3)

by JF Holland

  “Another life lost, another family torn apart with her thirst for blood and power. How many more are we going to lose before we finally mange to find and stop her?” Jaden asked sadly.

  “Her time is coming,” growled John from behind them, his eyes haunted as he stared at the scene in the back garden. Edwin, put his arms around him as they all silently bowed their heads. Agatha murmuring a prayer from her seat, still shaken after struggling around on her own.

  ***

  Sam had called the Leopards, Nicholas Raymond and Edgar Linley to take Edwin and his son home and offer any assistance and help the family needed. They were all devastated at the loss of the young life, but they still had another of their own out there. Sam had told the cats to pull in behind the house and wait until Leonard brought them out, as they could not afford for any of the humans to catch wind of what was happening.

  They were all around the table trying to figure out where else to look for Balin when Lara blinked, then frowned.

  “Quiet, what the hell?” A hush fell around the room as Lara moved to the corner, hands over her ears.

  Leonard came back through the back door and Sam looked towards him, brow raised. Leonard nodded, jaw rigid trying to control his feelings after finding the boy and then having to deliver him to his father.

  “Llayhria, can you hear me, Llayhria please… answer me.”

  “Davion?”

  “Thank god…”

  “How?”

  “No time, he won’t last much longer… the… old monks caverns… hurry. I’m sorry.”

  “Davion? Davion…” she spoke aloud his name.

  “Hang on, what’s going on?” Lana snapped at her mother, hushing the others around the room who’d began talking again. “Mum?”

  “Your father’s just given us Balin’s whereabouts?”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know… but… he spoke into my mind,” she told the others, confused. “Sam, how is that possible?”

  “Maybe he has some form of block on him which is now wavering,” Agatha spoke up.

  “What do you mean?” Lara asked.

  “If the witch has been controlling him and she’s powerful…”

  “Wow, hang on, controlling - Explain?” Jaden demanded of Agatha stopping her midsentence.

  “A powerful witch, and I mean powerful, can use mind control. It’s not something we’d normally touch as you must be familiar with the black arts, and in white magic our moto is ‘do no harm’,” Agatha explained wringing her hands.

  “What does this mean?” Lara asked.

  “It means that she could have been controlling his actions,” Agatha told her quietly.

  “What?” Lara asked, horrified.

  “It could be a trap…” Jaden spoke up, and the room broke out in murmurs of agreement, but Douglas growled until they quieted.

  “Or he may have been used as a puppet for years,” Agatha explained, her eyes bleak.

  “A puppet?” Lana spoke up. “She’s been controlling my father’s actions all these years?” she sounded sceptical.

  “It’s a possibility, if she has the power then yes. I’m sorry,” Agatha told them leaning back against Douglas, her face white at the thought.

  “Oh god…” Lana whimpered her scowl disappearing as her hand covered her mouth and she swallowed - devastated eyes meeting and holding her mother’s.

  “You are trying to tell me that a witch is capable of stopping mates connecting?” Lara said tapping her own forehead with her index finger. “Not just that, but could also make him mistreat, beat and kill his own family?” Lana swallowed at the horror and disbelief evident in her mother’s eyes and voice.

  “I’m afraid so,” Agatha whispered, wrapping her arms around her waist. “She would have to be truly powerful and have something of theirs, some token that was personal to them to get control in the first place.”

  “What would she require?” Jaden and Sam asked simultaneously.

  “In the case of the black arts, usually blood.”

  “Fuck,” Jaden said running his hands over his face. “She’s been using blood, carries a flask of it. She wants Maya and Lara specifically to get hold of their blood, but Adrian said it had to be given freely.”

  “Yes, it does, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean that they truly knew what they were doing when they gave it,” Agatha explained.

  “I don’t understand,” Lana said looking to her mother who’d dropped into a seat and held her head in her hands.

  “It is subjective, blood can be given by blood, as in a family member. There’s no black or white with black magic and no sense or right or wrong. If she wanted something, something that could be of use to her, she’d use any means necessary. He may never have known that he was offering up control, or he may not have been the one to do it,” Agatha told them.

  “That bitch has my brother?” Jaden roared, and smashed a fist against the wall. “We need to leave now, we need to get him, Lana can you link into him?” he asked quietly, a crack to his voice, shaking his hand - knuckles bleeding from leaving the wall requiring some TLC.

  Closing her eyes, Lana reached for Balin, she’d had no luck in connecting with him since he’d contacted her after first being taken. The static was there, as if he’d purposely kept her out or wasn’t conscious, she’d prayed it was due to him not being conscious.

  “Where did he say he was Lara?” Jaden asked Lana but she just looked up at him, eyes haunted.

  “Lara, honey, where did Davion say she was keeping Balin?” Helena asked bending down before her cousin, taking her hands into her own.

  “The catacombs, the old monk’s catacomb’s,” she replied. “All these years I’ve hated him - all these years,” she shook her head.

  “We’ll sort all this out later, but for now we need to concentrate on trying to get Balin back and possibly your mate. Fuck, this has turned into a cluster fuck, we don’t know who our enemies are now, so more caution is required,” Jaden mumbled, shaking his head.

  “Balin? Balin, can you hear me?” Lana concentrated, moving away from the others as she tried once again to reach out for him.

  “La… na…” came Balin’s tired, pained voice. “Cold… don’t come, she wants you, stay away please. Don’t want to survive at your cost, let me go,” he told her.

  “I can’t do that,” Lana sent to him, sending the picture of her hand running through his hair and heard him sigh.

  “Please let me go, not worth you risking your life.” A tear slipped down Lana’s face from beneath her lowered lashes as she swallowed.

  “You have to hold on, we know where you are,” she sent to him and heard his surprise.

  “No, do not come, even your father is fading Lana. She’s draining us both, and I can’t help him, so sorry.”

  “You hold on, do you hear me, just hold on,” she implored as their connection wavered and broke.”

  “We need to move, we need to get going now,” Lana choked out turning to Jaden. Her eyes touching on her mother’s, before she turned away as she glared at Jaden’s bent head.

  “What did he say Lana?” Jaden asked and she just shook her head. “Lana, tell me what he said?” Jaden demanded lifting his eyes from the map, capturing and holding her luminous defiant green eyes in his penetrating golden gaze.

  “He said we are to stay away,” she swallowed. “He is weak, he is…” she wrung her hands.

  “What else did he say?” Sam asked gently, moving forwards and standing before her, his hands reaching out and holding her at arm’s length before him.

  “He said she’s draining him,” her eyes flicked to her mother and then back to Sam before lowering, bottom lip wobbling.

  Sam pulled Lana into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest, his mouth close by her ear.

  “She’s draining your father also?” a sob broke from her throat as she nodded against him. “We need a plan and we need one fast,” Sam said to the room at large, chin lifting towa
rds Helena who moved forward and took her niece from him.

  Sam moved to the table and bent over the map, tracing the path through the woods to the catacombs.

  “The boy, Michael, wasn’t that far from the entrance. Why did I not see it?” Leonard asked frowning, hands in his trouser pockets as he stood over Sam’s shoulder.

  “She’s probably got some kind of cloaking spell over the entrance,” Agatha explained from her place by the table, Douglas still standing guard at the back of her chair. “Michael must have tripped some kind of warning system she has set up.”

  “I can’t believe I was so close,” Leonard said in frustration, hands coming out of his pocket, fists clenched.

  “It wouldn’t have helped. You are not a match for her Leonard,” Agatha told him quietly.

  “Tell us what we need Agatha?” Jaden asked from his place beside Sam at the table.

  “We need more people capable of magic, and I don’t think we have time…” Just then there was another knock at the door. Sam frowned, then stepped around them and went to answer it. The room turned as one to look towards the entrance to the kitchen as woman stepped inside.

  “Aunt Sophia,” Maya gasped as the woman with red hair and green eyes hesitantly walked into the room.

  “This is your aunt Sophia?” Jaden asked straightening from the table. “I thought you’d been killed?” he said looking suspiciously towards the woman who’d entered the room. He placed himself between the middle-aged woman, with a light sprinkling of silver strands in her flowing hair and Maya.

  “I had to fake my death, they were too close. It was the only way to keep the girls safe,” Sophia said to the room at large. “I’ve been living off the grid, watching from the side-lines. I believe it’s now time I came forward again, you need my help I believe,” she said stepping further into the room as she looked towards Agatha.

  “How?” Lana and Maya asked, moving towards their aunt, Maya pushing past Jaden, who kept pace at her side.

  “Glamour spells,” she explained and they looked towards Agatha who nodded.

  “It’s very easy to hide your identity with a glamour spell,” Agatha explained. “I did it with Jaden when I first met him as we tried to figure out who he was, and recently the nymph did the same with Balin.”

  “Yes, I thought you were an old lady,” Jaden said shaking his head as he looked towards Sophia and Agatha. “Ladies, no disrespect - but I’m a little uneasy around you both with what you are capable of.”

  “Do no harm,” is our moto - both Agatha and Sophia spoke up together, then smiled.

  “Okay, what do I need to do to help you end this,” Sophia asked her shoulders straightening and her chin lifting.

  “But we went to your funeral,” Maya said.

  “I know and I’m sorry dear, but your father was already tracking you as he’d found me and I thought it would put them off for a while. I didn’t realise there was a witch in the mix and for that I am truly sorry. If I’d known I would have stayed and warned you. Her touch on them maybe powerful, but it’s also very subtle.”

  “What do you mean?” Sam asked.

  “A witch leaves a mark on anyone she’d had dealings with - a calling card so to speak.”

  “Yes,” Agatha agreed, “both Maya and Lana have yours.”

  “Exactly, as do most in this room carry yours to a certain extent,” Sophia said looking around the room.

  “I don’t understand?” Sam said.

  “A witch leaves something of herself behind when she uses spells - in our case - to heal. The more powerful the healing the more of her essence is left behind. Maya also has traces of Agatha visible to me on her. Thank you for helping her,” Sophia lowered her head in gratitude and Agatha nodded.

  “You leave something of yourself behind in what way?” Jaden asked looking closely at Maya, trying to see what the witches saw.

  “Magic has a footprint so to speak. Each witch has a specific way of performing her magic, her own spells, herbs, ceremony,” Sophia explained. “So, obviously, you can also tell if the witch who dealt with them was black or white.”

  “Excuse me?” Piped up Sam, thinking they were talking about skin colour and taking offence.

  “White or dark magic, good or bad… I’m not explaining this very well,” Sophia said, frustration evident.

  “What Sophia means is, each witch has her own signature, as does her magic. If it was used for good, as in healing - white or if used for nefarious reasons, as in doing harm - therefore classed as black or dark magic. Although stating that not all dark magic is bad, magic in general is all from the earth. Therefore, it depends on the witch that wields the power and her intentions. Most things can be bent or adjusted for good or bad, selfless or selfish motives. Even magic I’m afraid,” explained Agatha.

  Sam grunted and stepped back, mollified. Helena smiled as she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek.

  “Really, you thought they were talking about skin colour,” Helena laughed as he shrugged.

  “You would not believe some of the shit I’ve dealt with over the years due to the colour of my skin,” Sam explained.

  “I can’t imagine, so I wouldn’t try, but personally I love the colour of your skin. It reminds me of rich, dark chocolate and you know how much I enjoy dark chocolate,” Helena said nudging him with a snicker and he grinned.

  “Okay back to our plans, please,” Jaden said glaring at them and they sobered as they all moved back to study the map.

  “Agatha, can you stand?” Jaden asked and she nodded. “I’d really love your input on where best to scout out the location. I need to know what I’m looking for.”

  “You need one of us with you…”

  “It’s not safe for a scouting party with either of you, we need to go in our animal form as our senses are keener,” Sam said.

  “No, you will need one of us with you, I’ll go,” Sophia spoke up.

  “But…” tried Agatha.

  “No disrespect, but you need some cleansing teas and a crystal infusion. If I go with the scouts it will give you a chance to recharge for the main event,” replied Sophia.

  “She be right lass,” Douglas spoke up, stroking a hand down her hair.

  “We don’t have time.”

  “I, we do. I’ll nip home for your special tea, and your medicinal bag.” Slowly she nodded taking a seat as Douglas kissed her forehead before loping towards the door. “I’ll no be long, you watch her,” he warned Jaden, who nodded as he disappeared - moments later they heard the front door close on him.

  “Now explain to us why we need to have either yourself or Agatha with us?” asked Jaden.

  “Can you see anything on Maya, or even Lana?” Agatha asked. Jaden stepped back, his eyes turning as he tried to see Maya through his cat’s vision.

  “What am I looking for?” he asked moving around Maya, who stood patiently under his intense scrutiny.

  “Symbols or markings on her skin, or sometimes just fragments of them. They should glow, luminescent, small and intricate. No more substance than mist,” Agatha explained and Jaden again walked around Maya who stood still for his inspection.

  “Damn it, I can’t see anything. Can you show me where one is?”

  “Help me up,” Agatha said holding out a hand. Instantly both Jaden and Sam were there, solicitously helping her to her feet. Agatha smiled reassuringly at Maya as she moved to her. “Here,” she said pointing to Maya’s forehead. “There is a small, barely- there swirl, white in colour and left over from her healing a few weeks back.” Jaden and Sam stepped closer and both tried to see what Agatha was pointing at, but neither could. Sighing, Sophia spoke under her breath, hands coming up and weaving a pattern in the air before her. Sam and Jaden blinked and stepped back, hissing as the pattern became visible, like a shining beacon.

  “Thank you,” Agatha murmured. “Now can you see it?” and they both nodded, as Sophia blew in the air and the shimmering glow of the symbol vanished aga
in.

  “Now do you understand why you need one of us?” Sophia asked, arms crossed as she stared down the two men. Jaden nodded, but his jaw was clenched.

  “I understand, but I still don’t like it.”

  “Like it or not you need one of us, we will be able to see any traps she’s left behind. Let’s face it, you are no good to your brother if you get yourself killed on a scouting mission, now are you?”

  Sam pulled his phone out to bring in re-enforcements, if they could get a scout party out within the hour, hopefully they could have Balin back by morning. He just hoped to god his boy was still in once piece once they got him.

  Either way, this ended tonight, the town would finally be free of the threat and no more families would be devastated by the bitch’s thirst for blood and power.

  Chapter Eighteen

  L ana tried to get Balin to talk to her, needing to tell him that they would be will him soon.

  “Balin, hold on they are sending out a scouting party to see what we need to get you.” Lana waited to see if he’d answer her, chewing on her bottom lip as she stared sightlessly out of the window.

  “No, too dangerous.” Lana released her lip from between her teeth and sighed, then hearing a sound looked over her shoulder. The grizzly twins came into the room with the werewolves right behind them.

  “Too late, their already here.”

  “Why do you never listen to me?”

  “Because you’ve not told me anything I want to hear yet?”

  “It’s dangerous, leave me here.”