by Layla Nash
Well, except for the witch.
She lingered somewhere in the background, hopefully well-controlled by Henry. She at least seemed like the kind of woman who would wait until she could see his eyes before she took a crack at him, while the wolf in front of him... She was underhanded. Even if she had a nice ass.
Evershaw took his time thinking, studying the skinny alpha with the floppy hair and stylish clothes. Not exactly the kind of subordinate he was accustomed to, but having another pack swear fealty to him was the best of the available options if RedCloud wouldn’t disband on their own. The only remaining question was whether the rest of the pack would go along with Holden’s decision.
“Does everyone in the pack agree?” And he looked right at Serena, daring her to object in front of the other alpha.
She fell for it. “No.”
Holden growled and turned toward her. “It’s done and over. We’re doing it.”
She drew breath to argue and embarrass herself, but a quiet voice said behind him, “It was her. And that one.”
Serena’s attention went to the witch, somewhere behind Evershaw, and the wolf’s eyes flashed gold. Another of their pack, standing in the background, also tensed. The witch recognized them. Evershaw folded his arms over his chest and wondered whether Holden had anything to do with it, and left his dirty work to the pack. But from the way the kid looked at Serena, Evershaw, and then the witch, he didn’t think so.
“For a bitch who clearly wanted to jump in my bed, you have a funny way of flirting,” Evershaw said. “Nightshade and rattlesnake venom. Very creative, but a touch underhanded for a wolf.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Holden demanded. He looked at his alpha female. “What did you do?”
Serena didn’t dignify his accusation with a response, which just went to show how little control Holden had over her. That kind of defiance in public meant the pack was in trouble. Evershaw ignored that he’d allowed the witch to defy him for far longer than he should have. Different circumstances entirely.
Her teeth looked longer than a human’s should. “I spent too long bowing and scraping to a bunch of men I didn’t respect. I’m not going to walk into servitude again for anyone.”
Before he could decide what to do about Serena, she moved her hand and half a dozen of their pack broke formation and attacked. He snarled and braced himself for the fight he’d been waiting for. Finally he could confront the sneaky bastards who’d tried to kill him and almost succeeded. He had a split second to hope that Henry got the witch to safety before two big fuckers from RedCloud leapt at him and Serena dodged away, and then the only thing he could focus on was the next person to fight.
Chapter 26
Deirdre
I had just enough time to eat a quick lunch and then lie down for a cat nap before Mercy told me we had to leave. Everyone remained quiet as I grabbed my bag and followed them through the building to the front, where a half dozen SUVs idled at the curb. No one commented that I brought my things with me, though I was certain Henry noted it and prepared for my escape attempt.
I’d always believed in being prepared when opportunity knocked, and if Evershaw was stupid enough to allow me out of his building, then that was entirely his fault.
The mantra repeated itself slowly in the back of my thoughts as we rode through the city, Evershaw in the first SUV and the rest of us in the others. I sat next to Mercy with Henry in the driver’s seat and two other men there as guards, no doubt. I didn’t recognize the part of the city where we stopped, but that didn’t really matter. I could find a familiar marker in a couple of blocks in any direction or concentrate enough to feel the air and orient that way.
We all walked into a dingy abandoned building that smelled like a whole pile of dirty gym clothes; Henry and Mercy had me hang back near the exit. Evershaw sauntered up to address a man and a woman in the center of the room. The younger man looked like he wanted to be as intimidating as Evershaw but hadn’t quite scraped up enough life experience to make it natural.
The woman... I hated her on sight. Everything about her annoyed me, even the way she eyed the SilverLine alpha. Her clothes were too tight and her makeup was too thick and I shouldn’t have fucking cared at all because she was no one to me. She was no one and I should have taken the high road and decided she was some kind of female alpha and deserved to stand up to Evershaw if she wanted. But still. But still I wanted to rip her hair out and throw her down some stairs.
My own vehemence made me blink and distracted me from what I was actually there to do—identify the culprits and keep Evershaw from being poisoned again. And escape. If I could tell them who the guilty party was before I escaped, they were more likely to just let me go. Not that I wanted to creep away without giving Evershaw a piece of my mind. At least if I got home and had a chance to prepare, I could confront him with more strength from a position of equality instead of a disadvantage.
Evershaw and the two strangers talked and my mind wandered, searching for a hint of the auras I remembered from the SUV. They seemed alike to the strange pack that filled the other half of the building, and my pulse ticked up a notch. What if this was their final attempt to get rid of Evershaw and his pack, and maybe by extension, me? I didn’t want to be caught up in the crossfire that Evershaw drew for being a dick.
The woman spoke and smiled, and her confidence projected her sense of self throughout the warehouse.
I spoke without thinking. “It was her. And... that one.”
I gestured at one of the dark-eyed pack members who lurked behind the woman. That almost immediately unleashed chaos. Henry caught my arm and started drawing me back as the other pack’s demeanor changed and grew more threatening. Maybe announcing that I thought one of the alphas tried to poison Evershaw wasn’t the best approach and I should have whispered it to Henry to deal with.
Either way, it was too late. The woman said something else and then everyone moved at the same time. People turned inside out, like Evershaw had before, and suddenly wolves mixed with the humans. Henry shouted and as his attention went to something across the warehouse, his grip on my arm eased. I took the chance and ran.
Mercy called after me as I slipped out the door and bolted. I reached into my bag for one of the charms they hadn’t found and activated it immediately, using the don’t-see-me charm to fade away before anyone could see which direction I went. Hell, I didn’t know what direction I went—I just ran.
I ran until I got a stitch in my side and my legs wobbled, and I slowed down so my huffing and puffing for breath didn’t give me away. Somewhere behind me, the pack spread out and someone called my name, then more shouting heralded more fighting. I cast a quick spell, using the last of my resources to disguise my scent. I didn’t want them tracking me anywhere.
It took several blocks before I reached a street with some restaurants and other activity, and it took another half hour before I found a taxi that would take me to the other side of town to my house. At least my wallet was still in my bag, and even though my cell phone had no charge, I could plug it in and at least contact my aunt.
Then I would find a way to punish Smith for his foolish attempt to meddle.
Cricket greeted me at the door as I let myself in, a disgruntled look on his face, and I scooped him up so I could bury my face in his long, thick fur. He rather grudgingly started to purr, and I carried him to the kitchen so I could refill his bowl of kibbles and retrieve a can of tuna from the cupboard. I only had condensed soup for myself, but Cricket got tuna and chicken and anything else he wanted. Spoiled baby.
He demolished the tuna and then sniffed at the kibbles, sauntering after me as I went straight to my bedroom upstairs to plug in my phone. My workroom downstairs had a few charms and hexes already prepared, so I filled my pockets as I started setting wards on the doors and windows to hide any signs I lived there and deter unwanted visitors. Even though I drew the drapes on most of the windows downstairs, I still checked outside for any hin
ts that the wolves had somehow found me.
As soon as I dared retreat to my room to take a breath, my phone buzzed with half a dozen voicemails and twice as many text messages, several from Palmer but most from my aunt. I sighed and closed my eyes, massaging my temples. No one had tried to get into the house, so clearly they hadn’t been that worried about me.
Cricket chirped at me as I lay back to let the phone charge up more, and he settled on my chest so he could work his paws against my neck and remind me why I should never leave the house again. It felt like I’d just closed my eyes when the phone rang, jolting me out of whatever peace I’d found. I should have just rolled over and gone back to sleep.
Instead I saw my aunt’s name on the caller ID and sighed, picking it up. “Hi.”
“Where have you been? You haven’t answered any of my calls the last three days. Are you screening my calls?”
I put a hand over my eyes. “If I were screening your calls, wouldn’t I have screened this one?”
“Don’t take that tone with me,” she said. She missed the irony, I was pretty sure. “We have a meeting tonight, if you can be bothered to join us.”
“I’ve had a really rough couple of days, Estelle,” I said quietly. Maybe she’d find a speck of concern for me. Maybe she’d remember I was my mother’s daughter and needed some empathy in a moment like that. She hadn’t even asked what I’d been up to or why I hadn’t been able to answer her calls. She didn’t care about the answer, of course, but it would have been nice to be asked. “Can I take a pass tonight? I can help in another few days.”
“It has to be tonight. The protection spells can’t wait another month for the proper moon phase.” She sighed in exasperation, as if I’d done all this just to irritate her and thwart her plans. “And Palmer has been quite worried about you. He said you had a lovely conversation and then you’ve ignored all of his calls, too. You’ve been acting strangely for months; it’s time to get yourself together.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and considered handing the phone over to Cricket. Maybe his purring would soothe her into shutting up and leaving me alone, or maybe she would find him a more interested audience. Clearly I didn’t need to participate in the conversation, since she just wanted to talk at me instead of with me.
She kept talking and my thoughts scattered until there was quite a long pause, then I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? The call broke up a bit; the reception is terrible here.”
She sniffed. “I asked if you would be honoring us with your presence tonight.”
I rolled my eyes at Cricket, who clearly agreed with me by the way he started cleaning his belly. “I’ll try.”
“See that you do. We’re gathering at Palmer’s house again. He offered to pick you up and drive you. Make sure you call him back.” She didn’t even give me a chance to object or request additional clarification, instead adding, “We will see you at eight.”
I managed to hold back my groan until after I turned the phone off and plugged it back in, and flopped backward to stare up at the ceiling. I didn’t want to talk to Palmer. I really didn’t. All my patience and good manners evaporated when I was over-tired and frustrated at being forced into social situations I wanted to avoid. I set the alarm on my phone so I could at least get a little shut-eye and curled up under the covers with Cricket purring away on the top of my head.
Chapter 27
Evershaw
They cleaned up the wolves and after the dust settled, Evershaw looked around to survey the outcome. Serena and her conspirator were dead, although Evershaw thought that Holden had been the one to kill them. Which was his responsibility as their alpha, in his mind. Several other wolves who’d sided with Serena were wounded and detained, waiting for judgment from the RedCloud alpha. Evershaw’s opinion of Holden rose a few notches as the man stepped up and did what needed to be done.
But Evershaw’s blood ran cold as he saw Henry limp in from outside, his forehead bloody, without the witch.
Without the witch.
A growl started in his chest before he could think, and he snapped, “Where is she?”
“Escaped,” Henry said. He stood ready to receive his punishment, not making eye contact but clearly deflated at having failed. “She disappeared into thin air and I couldn’t get her scent. I chased her at least a mile trying to pick up the track, but she’s gone.”
Evershaw clenched his jaw until bright sparks filled his vision. That witch. That damnable witch. But underneath the anger was worry. She was running around in the city alone, tired and probably hungry and frustrated, and he wasn’t there to make sure she was safe.
Before that line of thinking got too out of control—since she wasn’t his woman or his responsibility—he jerked his chin at Todd. “Get the teams out to canvass the city and pick up her scent. Find her.”
“We have the address from her driver’s license,” Todd said. His attention landed on Henry. “We’ll have a team stake out her house in case she returns there, and the others out tracking. We’ll find her.”
“Do it fast.” Evershaw tried to convince himself that he wanted to find the witch in case Serena had other supporters who would attempt to avenge her death with more rattlesnake venom, but deep in his chest was a kernel of real worry. He didn’t just want to know that the witch was safe and protected and fed. He needed to know that. He needed to see that.
When Todd and Henry disappeared to handle the search, Evershaw turned his attention to Holden. The other alpha wasn’t handcuffed or bound, though the rest of Evershaw’s pack kept a close eye on him. “What now?”
“We’ll still swear allegiance,” Holden said. His tone grew grim. “After we clean house a bit. Clearly there was more going on than I realized. I’ll deal with it and notify you when I’m certain the issue is dealt with.”
“Good.” Evershaw nodded. He could respect that. Even if the kid dressed stupidly and had a stupid haircut, he could respect a man who cleaned up his own messes. “I’ll expect to hear from you in a week, no more. If you need help, let me know.”
Holden inclined his head and gestured for the rest of his wolves to gather up and follow him out of the warehouse. More than a few limped or held broken limbs, but they’d heal quickly and be patched up enough to help Holden enforce the new orders. Then Evershaw had to figure out what the fuck to do with himself as the search teams set out to track down the witch.
He waited until he was in the car on the way home to call Smith. “She escaped.”
The ErlKing paused for so long Evershaw thought the call might have dropped. The old man sounded even older, almost ancient, and perhaps just a bit troubled. “Interesting. Did she identify the culprit before she left?”
“Yes,” Evershaw said. He wanted to hold his breath as he fiddled with the air vents, wondering if somehow Serena’s supporters had managed to put more venom in them, but they’d had security on the vehicles the whole time and no one disturbed them. Still. He waited for signs he’d been poisoned. “Where would she hide? Where does she live?”
And again Smith went silent. Evershaw wanted to bellow in frustration as the old man dragged things out. Finally, he took a deep breath. “I am not sure pursuing her would be wise. If you have truly caught the culprits, then she has fulfilled her side of the deal. Whether she left prematurely or not. I thought perhaps there was a reason that you and she would... Well. That is neither here nor there. I would not recommend you search for her, Evershaw. You should know better than anyone that surprising a creature in its own den is not likely to go well for anyone.”
Evershaw wouldn’t accept that. He wasn’t finished with the witch yet, and he wasn’t about to just let her disappear. “Where would she hide?”
“She has an aunt,” Smith said after another of those damnable pauses. “The leader of her coven. If you find the coven, you will find Deirdre.”
The coven. His mind worked after he disconnected the call with Smith, and flashed back to the flower de
livery she’d taken to the Chase building for the kid who’d clumsily asked her out. Maybe he was a witch. Maybe he was in the coven or would at least know where to find Deirdre. He clenched his jaw and pulled up Edgar Chase’s phone number. He’d have the background on the kid, Palmer something, and would create another opportunity to find the witch. He refused to examine why he needed to find her. He just did. He didn’t have to explain himself to anyone.
Chapter 28
Deirdre
I almost slept through the meeting. It was damn impressive I managed to get my ass up and dressed, teeth brushed, hair pulled back and out of a rat’s nest, and food in my stomach. Cricket hopped on the kitchen counter and pawed at the cupboard where I kept his tuna, and since he’d kept me company and cuddled with me during my nap, I figured he earned another can. He chirped and meowed, chatting about how much he loved me, and started devouring the fish.
I ate standing up in the kitchen, since there wasn’t any reason to sit at the table. It just reminded me there wasn’t anyone to sit with me. A few protein bars and a glass of water had to do for dinner, since I hadn’t been to the store and didn’t have time to make even the ramen noodles I kept in the pantry. No doubt Mercy had a lovely dinner all prepared and they were all eating together.
My car had disappeared; the last I remembered, it had been parked near the warehouse when I first healed Evershaw, and no one had bothered to tow it back to my house. Hopefully it hadn’t been impounded and didn’t have a shitload of parking tickets on it. I massaged my temples and started my mantra. I needed to focus to make it through the coven meeting without losing my composure or revealing where I’d been. No doubt Estelle would lose her mind if she knew I’d been working with not just the ErlKing but the animals. There was no telling what she’d do—quarantine me? Send me to witch jail? Disown me?
