Another interesting point. But that hadn’t worked so far either. This treasure hunt was taking too long, the path too dangerous.
“I’ll keep working on it. In fact … I will while you’re all around. In case I turn up anything else interesting.”
I got up and Kage changed the channel from soap operas to some documentary about World War Two—no, One. More history.
Did it really mean anything?
I retired.
I scried for the slayers of faie and destroyers of vampires.
I saw big, robed and hooded figures in a wood at night, gathered around a hanging body, splashing him with petrol. A scene I had played out before exactly repeated in scry and nightmare. The death of Abraham, the same broken record.
I snapped out of my own trance, terrified, as I understood for the first time that my own scrying was being tampered with.
Chapter 41
“Could it be a sort of … flashback? Post-traumatic?” Andrew asked.
“How is it even possible to rerun a scry?” Jason asked, moving tentatively to sit beside me on the floor.
Kage, on the couch, had the TV muted again.
Andrew sat in a leather end chair, head cocked like he was waiting for my story to make sense.
“I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out before—as soon as I started drawing blanks when asking for the killers, then getting this repeat after Susanna died. I’d never had anything like that happen. I should have known…” I dropped my face against my drawn up knees, arms around them.
Jason rested a hand across my shoulders. “Are you sure that’s what it is now? Could something else cause this? Like Andrew said?”
I shook my head as well as I could. “In hindsight? I don’t think so. I was just too ignorant and distracted to see it. It’s back to what Gavin did. That’s what made it click.” I looked up. “I thought I was finding Gavin in a scry—and it was my own hitherto hidden astonishing talents that allowed me to talk with him and plant messages in his mind. But it was his doing, not mine. I never would have known if he hadn’t told me and it had turned out he was a vampire, because I didn’t know what it was like to have a scry tampered with.”
“No one’s talking to you now,” Andrew said. “Right? This is nothing to do with vampires…”
“I suppose it could be. But I’m nearly sure, ninety percent sure, this is magic interference. You were right all along: someone did spot us or detect us, very early. The killers know we’re trying to find them. And they know about me. I can’t see how—I’ve never even attempted magic like it—but they are using a magical block on me for themselves. If I ask about something abstract, something that doesn’t seem related—a translator for a book, a history lesson—all that comes up. Then, if I ask straight out about the people actually doing this; blocked and blocked. The last true sight I had that was anything directly to do with them was the death of Abraham. Ever since then it’s been dead ends, useless information, blanks, and repeats.”
“Don’t go for specifics,” Jason said. “Work around them. Now that you know what’s causing trouble, you can avoid it.”
I rubbed my temples against a headache. “But the implications. We don’t know how serious this could be. I’ve never … I don’t even know who to talk to about it. I need my own school notes, to see if my grandmother ever taught me about magical interference to scries. I’m sure it came up, but I only remember her telling me about accidental interference. That’s a totally different thing.”
“Check your notes then, and see—” Jason started.
“I don’t have them. They’re in paper notebooks at home in a storage box under my bed in Portland, Oregon. Goddess—” I pinched my eyes shut. “I don’t know this… They could be seeing things I see. Until I figure this out or find a way to ward myself enough to block them, I shouldn’t scry at all. Not for anything. If they can see … I could already have given them information about what we’re doing. Anything…” The horror of it, idea that I was somehow contaminated, like an infected wound, made me feel ill.
“You can call on your notes when we’re there for the shamans,” Kage said.
“Kage!” I looked up sharply. “Stop it! We’re not going to America. You’re out of your mind. It would be a massive undertaking even if a couple of us went and even if we knew for sure that we’d get something out of it—but we don’t.”
Andrew frowned at this but, before he could answer, Jason said, “Cassia? Shifters aren’t casters. What you’re saying is that someone with magic, or mind control, is manipulating you.”
“I thought about that.” I sat up straight, slowly extending my legs. “And I’ve been thinking a lot about the pack—and Gavin and vampires and casters. Like how you were treated by one caster, then differently by me. How people are individuals. What if this isn’t … a pack? What if it’s a cooperative?”
“It’s not narked shifters or murdering casters or bloodthirsty vampires?” Andrew asked. “It takes all kinds?”
“We know these killers have to be big and strong like shifters. I’ve seen that much. They have to know about all of these people in the magical community. They have to know how to find them. And be able to use some sort of magic or manipulation that can effect me. They have to know about us hunting them. And we know there’s a group because they can kill in England and France at one time. Zar says there used to be shifter wars, used to be vampire wars, used to be mundane secret societies hunting shifters and vampires, and there’s still no love lost between casters and shifters as a rule. Maybe our thinking has been too narrow. If someone really wanted to clear out packs of shifters and vampires and so on from England, and more, wouldn’t they want all the help they could get?”
Silence.
“Shamans will know something about that,” Kage muttered.
I looked at him.
He watched his own thumb rubbing along the remote buttons.
“If we’re to assume we must adjust our thinking into a world of conspiracy theories, spies, and magical bugs, how, exactly, are we supposed to investigate anything?” Andrew asked. “And what?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know where to go from here. If I can’t scry I’m not much use to you.”
“Don’t go all maudlin on us, darling. Let’s have a think on it and we’ll get the others out here tonight or tomorrow for a meeting.”
I nodded. “Better wait until tomorrow. I need some time. And we have a watermelon to attend to. Then … whenever it works for the others to get away. Or we should go down there. It’s a long commute when those three are trying to work all weekend.”
“Let’s keep you away from the place for a few days, Belle. They’ll catch up.”
I couldn’t settle down for the rest of the afternoon, glad when Kage was finally able to drag himself from the screen and we all went out.
They weren’t used to grocery stores, which they called supermarkets, even small ones. Core shopped for the pack and made arrangements with local butchers and farmers for discounted bulk buying. Core were trained and disciplined for this. Set any old wolf off the street loose in such a place and there could be problems.
We left the shop with a couple sacks full of such things as packages of roast beef, smoked salmon and a tub of jellied eels for Jason, ice cream, crisps, and so on, along with Kage’s watermelon.
We had a bit of an impromptu picnic in the park and I felt more grounded even as the other three were tense with late Saturday afternoon crowds therein. Watermelon, potato chips, and cheese made an interesting dinner.
Andrew lay on his back beside me on the grass, eating salted caramel ice cream out of the carton with a plastic spoon and asking me about my grandmother’s scrying teachings. Had she ever dropped any hints as to how to block out interference? That was the thing, though: I couldn’t remember everything we’d covered over the years. It had never in my life crossed my mind that someone would target my scries with malicious intent.
Jason ate his salmon
and watermelon companionably beside me as well. This was sweet of them. Eating together, offering me ice cream and jellied eels. The gesture was not lost on me. Unfortunately, the combination of watermelon taste in my own mouth with the smell of smoked salmon and sound of eel bones crunching in Jason’s teeth, nearly made me lose my dinner. I’m afraid I wasn’t very polite about accepting offers.
Kage was distracted by the people around us. Always perceptive, and more jumpy now as he had to check twice for what he was seeing, he ate his watermelon that he’d cracked open on the ground, then was soon ready to go in. He still wasn’t talking much, but he wasn’t nasty either. Surely he would let me sit with him this evening.
I thought things were moving in that direction. Myself inviting them back for TV, Andrew suggesting to Jason they could stream whatever they wanted if Jason stayed downstairs with him. Only Kage wouldn’t cooperate. He said Gabriel’s furniture was stiff—true—and he’d rather be in his own room for the evening’s entertainment anyway.
Andrew shot me a look as Kage made this announcement, all of us stepping off the lift and heading for their room.
“Jay? Want to go upstairs?” Andrew asked. “We can stream. The connection’s smashing.”
“It’s fine. We can watch whatever’s on.” Jason was clearly as keen to stay with Kage as I was. And he wasn’t getting the hints.
I shook my head at Andrew. Probably good for the two of them. I would try with Kage later. He had my gift bag and card in his room now, though he still hadn’t opened them. Later was fine.
“See you soon then,” Andrew said pointedly to me in the doorway as Kage was already turning on the TV, a bag of the remaining snacks tucked under his arm.
“It’s all right.” I smiled at Andrew. “It’s his day.”
“Want to stay? Are you going off to brood and sulk because you’re a no good witch who hasn’t helped any of us and has, in fact, ruined our lives?”
“Umm … maybe?” My face felt hot as I looked away down the long hall. “I don’t really do that.”
“Well, you snap out of it. I’ll give you that. By morning you’ll be back to making lists and weighing options. You never wallow for long. Still…” He shrugged.
“I’m not going to wallow. I … I don’t know what I’m going to do. But I better leave you alone. He’s only been putting up with me today.”
“Ring if you need us. Or if there’s a little black raincloud over your head, darling.”
“Thank you. Maybe I’ll … watch TV. Gabriel won’t be in until late. He wasn’t kidding that he’s hardly home.”
“Lonely?” Andrew cocked his head.
I smiled, remembering our texts. “Yes. Want to come up?”
“I’ll walk you to your door. Then check in later. Once the pups are zoned out.”
They didn’t get zoned out, though. And Andrew never did come up to check on me. We weren’t even back to the lifts when we heard the shouting and ran back to the room.
Chapter 42
“Keep your bloody paws off me! How often do you need telling? We’re done! We’re fucking done and that’s it! Get out!”
I wasn’t sure what Jason had tried to do in their moment of privacy. Though likely as innocent as sitting beside Kage on the bed.
Whatever it was had been evocative enough of Jason’s supposing he was still in a relationship with Kage that Kage would no longer tolerate him in the room.
Jason was apologizing and groveling. I was already trying to smooth things over—saying Jason could come upstairs with me before I stopped to think how that would sound to Kage—but Andrew was the one who lost his temper.
He shoved Jason back into the room. “Pack your bag. We’re going.” Then faced Kage, on his feet by the nearest bed, growling at Jason being forced to slink past him.
“Now you listen to me, mate,” Andrew snarled. “I don’t know what part of keeping this thing going gets you off, but I, for one, am bleeding sick of it. That was in another Moon. You win some, you lose some. Big fucking deal. You run around after anything that bats an eye at you and for once he has sex with a female and you’re not all right with that? For Moon’s sake, show some loyalty. It’s time to move on. How much is this worth to you? Both of them? All of us? Yourself? Get out of the way.”
Andrew shoved past him, grabbed a rucksack off the bed, while Jason had his messenger bag, threw a couple things from the bathroom in it, then dragged Jason back out to the hall, where I stood.
“You can’t leave,” I said. “It’s not safe.”
“We’ll be fine. My bike’s at the station. We’ll be together. You two—” Andrew turned, pointing to each of us. “Do not leave this building. We have a hell of a lot more reason now to think someone knows what we’re on about. Just stay in, watch your telly. I’ll text you to let you know we got home safe. We should still be in just before dark if there’s a train soon. Then I’ll bring the whole lot of them back in the morning and we’ll sort out what we’re doing. Again. Right?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry, Andrew—”
He waved this off and turned with Jason, yanking him by the arm and snapping at him under his breath as they went. “Bleeding Moon, Jay. What the hell’s wrong with you? You can’t leave him alone for thirty seconds?” More fading away that I couldn’t hear.
Kage still stood by the bed, arms crossed, drawn into his shell, sideways to me.
“Sorry. I’ll … leave you alone.” I started away.
“I want to know…”
I looked around to see him in the doorway.
“That they get home all right.” He didn’t look at me.
“Sure. When I hear from Andrew, I’ll come tell you.”
Kage nodded, seemed about to say more, then shut the door.
Andrew’s words made me hear Kage’s of earlier in the week as I traipsed up via the fire stairs: to Jason that I couldn’t understand, to me that I could, punching him, attacking him in fur, going for me. Andrew was right. This wasn’t all about me…
Should have expected as much from a bloody worm.
Jason’s broken elbow and crawling back to him. Me wanting Jason back with him also. Not to come between them. Was I wrong? Should someone come between them before anyone else got hurt?
From the first moment their relationship ever came up to me, talking with Jason in Cornwall, I’d thought it sounded unhealthy. Getting to know them, it had only seemed more and more strange. If it was also going to be violent…
But it wouldn’t have been without me. They would have been fine without me in the middle.
Bloody worm.
And what about the other things? What about Jason holding onto him that night, saying he loved him and Kage calming down, whining, then looking to me, tail between his legs, distressed at what he had almost done. Yes, he should have bitten the river instead of us. But a matter of hours later he’d saved my life. He’d held onto Jason and got him to change and save himself even while Kage was sick and blind and hardly functioning either.
Mistakes were made. People were hurt. Since everyone involved had made a mistake, and everyone involved had been—and was being—hurt, maybe everyone deserved a second chance.
I watched British gameshows and reality shows involving people competing to win prizes for cooking the best dinner for a group of strangers in their homes.
Checking repeatedly for a text from Andrew, I thought to text Rowan and Gavin to ask for their take on American shifter shamans. Rowan had been no help for ideas of a swamp creature. Was it stupid to even be looking into such distant long-shots as shamans? Did we need to focus close to home? Or, by seeking distant aid, would we find the help we needed at home?
The castle and the Blood Tome hadn’t solved the case, but they’d still led to fresh information. Had it been worth the trip?
I wasn’t sure. Why I needed objective opinions.
Neither answered right away. Gavin probably wasn’t awake yet.
By the time I had my text from Andrew,
I would also have my moment of truth. Kage couldn’t get away from me now. Worst case, I would stand outside his door and say what I needed to. All I regretted and how I felt about him and what had happened—that it really was mistakes, not malice, or even thoughtlessness—that had started all this in the first place.
Andrew’s text came in due course, with the sun set and London alive below on a Saturday night. Plenty of singing in this city—of the drunken, wormy type.
I went downstairs. I knocked.
“Kage? They’re fine. They’re home safe.”
He opened the door.
After a very awkward moment in which I could remember nothing of what I’d been about to say, and Kage looked like he was stealing himself to jump into a pit of boiling oil, he said, “Want to sit down?”
“Sure.” I sat on the foot of one bed and he sat on the other.
“Did you see the one—?”
“Where everyone was hosting dinner for strangers?”
He nodded.
“That was weird.”
“Bloody daft.”
I smiled. “You wouldn’t fancy feeding a bunch of strange wolves in your home? I suppose I was lucky you fed me.”
“I’d always feed you. You know that.” His voice was barely a mumble. He stared at the TV, the volume of which was not quite off. Some movie on now. Arthurian maybe. For some reason, it struck me that it would have been a good time period for Kage. Jed wasn’t the only one of them displaced, living in the wrong century, in the wrong country. Kage as King Arthur? Or did he want to be Merlin?
Only looking at him did I notice the paper bag had been opened. The watch and marzipan box sat on the bedside table and the card lay on the bed. Was this why he’d invited me in?
“Kage? I’m sorry, but you already know that. We never meant to hurt you. We didn’t think we would. We thought … you wanted this relationship to be three-way anyway. So…”
“Sure.” He still looked at the screen. “If that’s what makes sense to you. Push someone away until you have a nice chance to curl up with his mate.”
Moonlight Betrayal: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (The Witch and the Wolf Pack Book 5) Page 24
