Feathered Touch (Wyrd Bound Book 2)

by Shen Hart

  I ground my teeth and said, “He’s my shadow, and I can teach him enough to aid him in his stealth.”

  Alex walked around in front of me blocking my view of Ryan’s advance. “He’s also part of our pack, and he clearly has a talent for working with air. It wouldn’t be right to hold him back thanks to your pride.”

  I glared at him. “I’m not holding him back, I’m keeping his training focused so he feels that he has a place in the pack, a purpose in the world. He doesn’t need to be overwhelmed.”

  We turned when we heard a snarl and some loud laughter. Ryan was doubled over laughing as Dan was bright red and growling. Ryan had succeeded, then. Dan had his teeth bared and small fireballs in the palms of his hands. He was glaring at Ryan, clearly contemplating singeing him for his humiliation.

  Ryan managed to stop laughing long enough to say, “Dude, your face was a fucking picture!”

  Dan looked over at us and closed his palms before he settled back down on the grass and went about trying to ignore Ryan out of existence. Unfortunately for him, Nik and Lucy came out into the garden, no doubt to see what all the noise was about. Ryan loudly made sure that they knew.

  “The pack needs to be united, Thalia. I understand that Ryan is your shadow, but he needs to be part of the pack, too.”

  I crossed my arms and sighed. “Does it look like he’s separated from the pack to you?”

  I knew what he was getting at, but I saw no reason to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it, particularly given it’d been him who had split the pack in the first place. He went to touch my face but thought better of it, lowering his eyes.

  “I miss you.”

  He turned on his heel and walked away to join the others, leaving me to grind my teeth and try not to snarl at his words.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lucy was reasonably content to remain at the house alone. Someone had given her a stuffed fox from somewhere, and she settled down in front of a movie. Nik fussed over her a little, but he got his head in the game and slipped his gun in his hip holster before joining us out in the hall. I’d chosen to carry only one of my Glocks; we didn’t really want trouble, but it was best to be prepared. I had my blades on me, though, sitting on my hips where they belonged. All the cubs double-checked their guns were secured and everything was ready before we headed out. We didn’t know what to expect, but there was likely to be blood and potentially more chaos.

  The drive over to the meadow was silent and tense. Nik had chosen to ride with me for a change. Alex had taken Ryan in his car. Logically, I knew it was a way to try and mend some of the bond, but it was still uncomfortable.

  Nik made it more so. “How long does she have?”

  “Well, she’s doing a bit better than we expected. I hope you thanked Ark for that. She is still clearly slipping, though. She can’t do anything without gripping tightly onto something or someone, and those nightmares are getting worse.”

  He growled quietly, “They had no right to do it.”

  “She chose to be there.”

  “She was tricked! She’s a good woman who was dragged into some crazy cult by malicious, sociopathic angels.”

  “I’m not convinced there’s another type of angel.”

  He took a deep breath and cracked half a smile. “You’d know better than me.”

  “You’ve grown too attached. We made it clear from the outset what you’d have to do. She’s been useful to us, we’ve made her as comfortable as we can, but the time is approaching.”

  He sank a little deeper into the seat. “I know. I’ll do it.”

  “Will you?”

  He didn’t respond. I focused back on the drive. The sky was clear, showing off the bright stars glinting on the pitch fabric of the sky. It would have been peaceful and ideal for a hunt. I reminded myself that we could still be hunting, yet. My mind kept wandering around varying considerations. The memories of the angels that I’d dealt with before. The pain I’d inflicted on them, and they on me… and those I’d loved. It flashed back to the time in the fight pit and how protective I’d felt over Ryan, the first real signs that I was gaining a pack again. I still didn’t know how I felt about that. I was going to lose them, but I wasn’t meant to be alone, despite what I kept telling myself. They’d made me a pack creature, and I often hated them for it. My mind finally settled on Lucy and the feel of her in my arms. The raven had mentally adopted her as my daughter. The jaguar hadn’t taken long to settle down and take a similar approach. That was only making things more difficult. She would have to be killed. She was suffering, no matter how much she tried to hide it. She was crumbling.

  I blinked back a couple of tears as we pulled into the lay-by. It was just compacted dirt, but there was enough room for a number of cars. I could feel the tingling energy as soon as I stepped out of the car, the air almost audibly crackled with it. They couldn’t have been too far off. Alex had taken Ryan to one side and was gesturing with his hands. I felt the pang of envy over their use of air. I shook my head and asked if Dan and Nik could feel it. Dan was grinning and said it was almost intoxicating. Nik, however, shrugged and said he was focusing on the vibrations through the earth. Ryan had a big smile on his face, and Alex looked happier than he had done in a few days. The envy still remained, as much as I tried to push it away.

  We pushed through the prickly undergrowth, trying to be as quiet as possible and failing miserably. The rough, stunted bushes clung to our legs as though grateful to feel some semblance of life. They cracked and bowed as we moved through them, refusing to give us silence or peace. Once we were through the dense shrubbery, the landscape opened out into a wide field with a shallow incline before it flattened out into a broad flat area. We lowered our bodies and spread out, keeping in sight of each other but forming a long line. Something bright lit up the sky, and we ran. Then the maniacal laughter started, and we knew we were in the right place.

  I had Nik on my left, a good strong force on the end of the line, with Dan on my right. We ran as quickly as we could through the old winter grass, with its sharp, gangly stalks. The air was audibly crackling as we crested the incline and stood at the edge of the plateau. The angels were clearly dealing with particularly intense energy work. A deep hum rumbled from the large group, all of whom were dressed in red and white, very classic. I glanced to the cubs around me and we approached slowly. The group had their backs to us, with the angels somewhere on the far side to us. We paused some thirty feet or so away, close enough to move in if we needed to. I saw Nik’s hand brush over his gun out the corner of my eye. I held my hand up to stop him from drawing it. We needed to see what was going on. We weren’t going to use weapons if we didn’t need to. A scream cut through the air, and I considered changing my mind. The laughter started up again and the blond angel came into view, a sadistic smile plastered across his face. We went to move forwards as another scream cut through the air, but I felt myself being dragged backwards. I looked around me to see the cubs appearing to be suffering the same thing. I fought to move forwards, to get to the cult and stop the screams, but I couldn’t. I tried to dig my feet into the slippery earth but failed. The invisible force was too strong. I was so focused on pushing forwards that I didn’t see where my feet were landing and I tumbled backwards over the edge. I rolled a couple of times before I got back on my feet. The dragging sensation continued, leaving me to skid down the incline. I pushed my energies out, ignoring the fact the angels might feel them, to try and figure out what the fuck was going on.

  I should have guessed. She leaned back against my car with her arms folded and a particularly dark scowl on her face.

  “It is not time for you to interfere. Go home.”

  I snarled at her and found the boys moving forwards as well. “Don’t be so foolish, you won’t hurt me. Now go home. You shouldn’t have been here at all.”

  I allowed the jaguar completely forwards and ran forward as quickly as I could, pulling my blades from their sheaths as I ran, but she v
anished before I could reach her. I snarled and spun trying to see if she was behind me, of course she wasn’t. She’d gone back to her hiding hole, like the coward she was.

  “You knew they weren’t going to let us go against their plans, Baby Girl.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I felt stunned at his use of the affectionate term. It knocked me much harder than I would have expected. I looked into those ice-blue eyes and blinked for a second before I forgot it all and tried to return to the site of the ritual. I walked into an invisible wall and set about extending my energies to figure out what it was and how to break through it.

  A large hand settled on my shoulder. “We should go home and check on Lucy.”

  I took a deep breath and grounded my energy, trying desperately to find my inner calm. How dare they fuck with us like that? They’d screwed over countless lives, but to get in our way when we were trying to stop the ceremony, all because the timing didn’t quite work for them? I spun around and found myself in Alex’s arms for a moment before he backed away.

  “Nik you drive my car, Thalia and I are going to talk.” Alex said with some authority.

  Nik simply nodded and caught Alex’s keys when he threw them. Ryan and Dan looked at me and waited before I gave a small nod. They were good cubs, really. They piled into Alex’s car and started the engine. I got into my car, my sanctuary, and tensed when he got into the passenger side. I didn’t like being alone with him in the small space. I couldn’t curl up and ignore him or walk away. I despised him for trapping me. I started the engine, the familiar low rumbling bringing a small smile to my face. My car always served me well.

  He waited until I’d pulled out onto the road to speak. I was almost hopeful that it would be a silent ride back. “You can’t keep avoiding me, Baby Girl. There are things that need to be addressed.”

  “No, there aren’t.”

  I didn’t even think about it, the words just fell out of my mouth.

  “Thalia, we’re soulmates. We’re quite literally made for each other, yet we haven’t had a proper conversation about anything meaningful in centuries.” I ground my teeth and allowed him to continue. “I’m sorry for what happened, but I can’t keep apologising. We both made mistakes. The things you did while you were with Lee weren’t you. I don’t regret hitting him, either, he harmed our pack and you.”

  An awkward, cold silence hung between us while he waited for me to respond. The thoughts whirled around my head. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. I hated him. I wanted to forget everything and feel safe and secure in his arms. I wanted everything to be peaceful, and happy, and easy like the good old days. But, I couldn’t forgive him. I couldn’t trust him, and his mention of Lee brought tears tumbling down my cheeks. I’d trusted Lee, but his words cut me, and I didn’t know how to deal with any of it. It had been such a long time since I’d allowed someone close. I’d been lost for decades, perhaps even centuries. So that’s what I did. I couldn’t face it, and I saw no benefit in having a big argument over the past, over things that couldn’t be changed. I took a deep breath and allowed the raven forward a little to add to my calm. The tranquility wasn’t as complete as usual. Even the raven was ruffled and worried.

  “I know that you’re sorry, and I see your point of view with regards to Lee and the pack. He was helping the cubs, and did me no harm. Nothing more needs to be said.”

  “Baby Girl, bottling it isn’t going to do anyone any good.”

  “I’m doing what’s best for everyone. I’m moving on.”

  “But you’re not forgiving me? You’re not going to talk it over and let me in?”

  “I see no benefit in that.”

  I almost didn’t recognise my own voice, the cold jagged edges to my words. I didn’t see another way. I couldn’t face it.

  He sighed softly. “I miss you, Baby Girl.”

  “I’m right here.”

  He merely shrugged and turned away from me. The rest of the journey went by without a word, that is until we pulled into the driveway and saw the boys standing on the porch with two of the Sisters. If two of them were there, it meant there would be shouting, reprimands, and probably more. I unsheathed my blades and the jaguar barged forwards, not that I tried to restrain it, as I approached them.

  “Thalia, really. There’s no need to be quite so… wild.”

  I bared my sharpened teeth at her, I felt Alex close behind me, his coyote aspect rippling through his energies.

  “Oh, do settle down, the two of you. You’re going to behave yourselves. Lee is inside, and he’ll be joining your pack.”

  I froze in my tracks. I knew they were sadistic, but that was twisted even for them. Alex’s arm wrapped around my shoulders. He was tense, and I didn’t have the mind to push him away.

  “You won’t harm him, you’ll embrace him as a pack member. We’d hoped to let things cool a little more before we did this, but, needs must.”

  With that, they vanished. I looked between the cubs, who all kept their heads low. It wasn’t their fault. I swallowed down my emotions, put my shoulders back, and strode up to the door. I kept trying to remind myself that it wasn’t Lee’s fault, that the Sisters had toyed with him and used him like a mindless tool. He was still my Lee.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  He’d had the good sense to hide away in the kitchen. I didn’t know quite what I was prepared for, but I was sure that it wouldn’t have been pleasant for him. Luckily for him, we were distracted by Lucy’s shout. I ran into the living room with the boys close on my heels. She was shaking and crying as she curled up the corner of the sofa. I held up a hand to keep the boys back and give her some room as I approached her slowly. I didn’t like seeing her so distressed. I approached carefully.

  “Lucy, it’s Thalia. You’re going to be ok.”

  Her energies were pulling apart at an alarming rate. The larger sections had fractured and a few had shattered. She was falling apart, crumbling. I knelt before her and placed my hand on her knee, weaving some of my energies into hers. It was enough to bring her back down to awareness, her eyes cleared a little and she looked around the room frantically.

  “It’s ok, you’re safe. We’re here.”

  She nodded and clutched onto her stuffed animal. “I was lost. I was drifting within my own mind, and I couldn’t get back. I was terrified. I’m dying, aren’t I?”

  Her speech was stilted. She kept slipping away after a couple of words. I was losing her.

  I swallowed back my tears. “We’ll do our best for you. Nik’s here, he’s going to help you, ok?”

  I wanted it to be me, to remain there with her and calm her, but I couldn’t take that from Nik. Nik had the good sense to take my cue and came up behind me. “Kneel here and take her hands.”

  It took her a little bit to release the stuffed animal, but Nik stroked his fingers over the backs of her hands, and she finally allowed him to hold them. “Now, very gently, thread some of your earth energies into her hands and wrists. Anchor her.”

  His eyes went a little wide. “I…”

  “Trust me and yourself.”

  We didn’t have time for his self-esteem issues. She’s was dying a horrible, terrifying death. He nodded and opened up his energies.

  “Now, time it with her breathing, very gently thread your earth energies around her fingers. Slowly visualise them spreading up through her hands and over her wrists. Allow them to form a lattice.”

  He remained calm and timed it quite well to her breathing, which slowed gradually. Her face relaxed, and eventually she smiled. “Thank you.”

  I nodded before I sat next to her. “Now, I know this is hard, but we need to know more about the cult and their blood rituals.”

  I’d been trying hard not to push her but we were running out of time. We needed those details and I couldn’t afford for the maternal instincts to get in the way of that.

  Nik looked at me.

  “Focus on helping her.”

  The scowl sa
t on his lips, but it faded after a moment, and she relaxed with it. A tear rolled down her cheek.

  “They will do six more blood rituals. Each of them is designed to bring the members of the coven closer to their true state. They’ll take place every 8 days. They’ll happen in various open spaces, which are important energy centres. I think they’re supposed to link into old elf mythology maybe? Some energy network of theirs.”

  She began to fade again. Nik closed his eyes and composed himself, bringing her back to us.

  “I’d like one last night, please.”

  I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead. “Of course.”

  “I’m ready for this, I am. You’ll make it quick, won’t you? I won’t be locked in centuries of nightmares?”

  “You’ll go peacefully and without pain, to a brighter, better place.” I stroked her hair softly as I said it.

  “Thank you.”

  “Nik will stay with you tonight. How you do that is between you two.”

  I stood and faced the boys. Lee stood at the back of the room. A frown sat on his lips. He refused to meet my gaze.

  “Let us give them some time and space.”

  We headed away into the kitchen. Everyone ignored Lee as hard as they could.

  Dan said, “Ark will know about the energy network, won’t he?”

  I slumped down onto a chair. “I suppose, yea.”

  I had some memory in the back of my mind about some elf thing. I’d always been much closer to the fae, so it didn’t mean much to me. Both fae and elves were closed to outsiders, but the elves were unbearable snobs whereas the fae were my type of people, chaotic sociopaths.

  Dan sat next to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Are you going to be ok?”

  I felt confused and looked at him. It hadn’t crossed my mind that he might ask such a thing. My thoughts were in turmoil. I wanted to curl up in my tail and forget everything existed, but I had things to do. I had a pack to care for. I found myself being pulled against someone’s chest and looked up to see Ryan.