BloodSworn

by Stacey Brutger

  Part of him relaxed to see her, Beast calming at her presence. He hadn’t realized how much he’d worried about her leaving him until then. Cleanliness clung to her despite the exhausted slump to her shoulders and the circles under her eyes. He resisted the need to re-mark her with his scent.

  He would’ve walked toward her, but she avoided meeting his gaze. It pissed him off that she thought he would betray her. “If you were honest with yourself, you’d admit that you’ve wondered the same thing. If you had to choose between your life and your power, could you make the decision?”

  Trina’s head snapped up, a frown between her eyes. “Of course. I lived most of my life without my damned power. My concern is what if my magic is the only thing that could save us? Can we take the risk of not being able to access it?”

  “She’s right.” Dorian stepped between them as if he were afraid she’d strike Merrick, or Merrick would kiss her silly. “If you remove her abilities, you could be removing her last line of defense.”

  Trina lifted her chin, and Merrick braced for an attack. Her ire found another target though, and she shot her next question to Dorian. “You’re sleeping with my sister. Do you plan to use me to trade for her?”

  Merrick stilled at Trina’s blunt question, and things fell into place. He now understood the witches’ willingness to help when they had tossed her away so many years ago.

  Dorian appeared startled. “Your sister would neuter me if I tried. She might anyway for even allowing you to go into the castle.”

  Merrick’s opinion of her sister rose slightly. He walked toward Trina, not once taking his gaze from hers. It was time she learned that in allowing him to claim her, she’d given him certain rights to her future. He wasn’t letting go of any of them. “You aren’t alone anymore.”

  “I can’t trade myself for my sister, but I can’t just leave her behind to be killed either.” Trina had a stranglehold on the towel, twisting it over and over until he wanted to take her in his arms and soothe her. “The coven might be in poor shape, but if the vampires got their hands on me, they would start killing people willy-nilly. Witches would be one of the first targets, so their magic would no longer be a threat.

  “What if we burn out my magic? Then no one would be able to use it. They would know as soon as they smelled or tasted my blood. Would that avert the war?”

  Dorian shook his head. “First, I’m not sure that’s even possible. Your power is tied to your blood. If we remove the magic, it could damage the blood enough that it might no longer be able to sustain life.”

  Weston rolled over on the bed where he’d been resting. “The vampires won’t forgive or forget that the Leo here killed one of theirs on pack land.”

  Merrick snarled. “The vampire attacked first. I was defending my mate.”

  Dorian shrugged. “Weston’s right. It will be your word against the King’s. You invited the vampires into your territory. You broke the peace when you killed him.”

  “He violated the peace when he entered my house uninvited.”

  “Did he? We discussed this before. How did the vampire pass a few dozen trained soldiers without notice? He had to have inside help.” Trina wandered over to the window, pulling back the curtain.

  Merrick’s gaze trailed up her body when a shadow flickered from beyond her.

  A glimpse of fur.

  Something was in the forest.

  Of course there would be wildlife, but that didn’t lessen the sudden burst of knowing.

  “Trina, move away from the window.” Merrick kept his voice calm when all he wanted to do was drag her safely behind him.

  He inhaled, tasting a whiff of something very familiar on his tongue that raised his hackles. There was a pack of wolves circling the cabin. He was afraid to move for fear that they would reach her before he could.

  Trina instantly flattened her back against the wall, a look of resignation on her face. “They found us?”

  “Wolves.” The adrenaline coursing through him ramped up as her expression changed to determination.

  “Yours?” Trina cast a hopeful glance at Merrick and Weston.

  A lone howl rose before either spoke, and other wolves quickly picked up the challenging call.

  Trina winced and backed away from the window. “I guess not.”

  Merrick tracked them by sound, distinguishing at least five separate wolves. Weston stood, checking his weapons. Drew fingered his switchblade and walked toward the kitchen, rummaging through the knife population.

  “Whatever you hear, I want you to stay inside.” Merrick walked up to her and crushed her to him.

  “What? No.” Trina shoved at his chest. She started strapping on weapons, glaring at him as if daring him to say a word. Pride filled him at his little warrior.

  Damned if she didn’t scared him shitless.

  Merrick gave into the desire to taste her. He caught her around the waist, and thrust his tongue into her mouth, growling at the way she kissed him back with such abandon.

  Pissed off that he couldn’t finish what they started, he tore away from her and marched toward the door, nearly ripping it off the hinges. Beast was outraged, demanding that he fuck first then fight.

  The next wolf’s howl had him snarling, one thing on his mind.

  Get rid of the threat and finish what Trina had started with that clever tongue of hers.

  * * *

  Trina hurried to catch up with Merrick when Dorian caught her arm. “You’re a witch. That’s pack out there. You’re too important to endanger yourself unnecessarily.”

  She shrugged off his hold, stepping closer to Weston and the door. They couldn’t ask her to let Merrick go out there alone.

  He wasn’t invincible.

  Far from it.

  “He’s right. You’ll only be a distraction to him.”

  She hesitated. She knew Weston spoke the truth, and cursed him for it. “So help me, if anything happens to him, I’ll make both your lives a living hell.” She pulled her knife, but didn’t venture beyond the cabin. It helped ease her fear to see that Weston held his gun loosely against his leg.

  If there was trouble, they would handle it.

  Four wolves paced in front of Merrick. These animals were more compact, nothing like Weston’s graceful timber wolf. They operated with a pack mentality instead of his single-minded intelligence.

  The lead wolf broke from the tree line. When another tried to follow, she whirled and took a vicious bite at his throat. The animal yipped, falling back to the rest of the pack. Trina had a sinking feeling she knew that wolf. “Judith.”

  As she shifted, magic fell from the animal like shedding water. Muscles stretched, joints popped and skin smoothed out. The wolf reared back, legs becoming arms before finally shaping into the form of a human she recognized.

  Completely unaffected by her nakedness, Judith walked toward Merrick. “I need to talk to you.”

  The sight of that perfect body so near her man had Trina’s hackles rising. It didn’t matter that Merrick didn’t react. She had the right to protect what was hers. Without thought, she sent the blade tumbling through air.

  It came to rest between Judith’s feet, halting her on the spot. When Judith’s eyes met hers, Trina saw past the burning jealousy. Despite the shift, Judith’s body was littered with bruises, some swollen enough that Trina suspected broken bones.

  Although she knew she should offer aid, she couldn’t force the words past her lips. The most she could do was toss the towel she’d used to dry her hair at the other woman.

  Judith didn’t acknowledge her in any way, but she did wrap the towel around herself. No doubt not out of any modesty, but what would appease Merrick the most. The she-wolf turned toward Merrick, but stayed where she stood. “It’s about your pet.”

  “What happened?”

  “Victor tracked the amulet back to me.”

  “I figured as much.” Merrick crossed his arms as if he hadn’t just learned who was behind the number of attem
pts on his life. “I’ve been waiting for a direct challenge from you for weeks.”

  Outrage bit Trina on the ass, and she played a hunch. “And Merrick’s shooting?”

  Judith shrugged as if it was a minor thing. “I gave his location to a hunter. Merrick knows how to handle himself, but he needed to learn he’s not invincible. The pack is getting too large for one person to hold, and he’s too damned stubborn to take help. I wasn’t aware that the hunters had used silver bullets until after the ambush. They died for their part in that mess.”

  “You tried to have him killed.”

  “If I wanted him dead, I would’ve challenged him.” Judith glared at Trina. “Things were changing and then your arrival ruined everything. He started paying closer attention, guarding against possible threats. All that mattered was you.”

  Weston stepped out of the cabin. “So you had to stop it.”

  “Damn right. I gave information to the vampire, and a way into the Den if he would take her and leave the territory. Solved two problems with one shot by getting rid of them both.”

  Merrick had Judith by the throat without Trina having seen him move.

  “I was protecting the pack. No one was to be harmed.” Judith grabbed his wrist, but made no move to pry away his fingers as if recognizing the futility. She spoke fast, the words turning into a gurgle as the bones in her throat slowly cracked. “No harm to your pet.”

  Trina hated stopping him, but she had to know. “Merrick, she wouldn’t come here just for you to kill her. Let her speak.”

  Merrick growled in denied rage then reluctantly dropped her to the ground.

  Judith coughed, and up close, Trina saw more signs of abuse. Battered and dirty, her hair a tangled mess, little of her resembled the proud woman Trina had first met. How the she-wolf must hate that.

  “My pack left me. Kicked me out with only a few guards.” She started to rise, but thought better of it when she glanced up at Merrick, no doubt thinking to make herself all helpless or maybe in a long-overdue show of obedience.

  “They said as the pack alpha, you have the ultimate ruling.” She bowed her head as if contrite.

  Trina snorted. The only thing that woman regretted was getting caught.

  “If you help me get my pack back, I’ll help you.”

  “What could you possibly have that I would want?” Merrick’s eyes frosted over.

  Judith lifted her chin and smiled. “I know how to get into Galloway Castle.”

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “Who owns a fricken’ castle these days?”

  Dorian shrugged. “Rumors say a lord was forced to flee Europe, or chased out for various crimes depending on who you ask, and refused to leave his home. He had a replica reconstructed on this parcel of land. The locals say it’s haunted and refuses to set foot in the forests.” He turned as his name was called but hesitated. “No doubt all the missing persons reports support that claim.”

  Trina shivered as she watched him walk away, leaving her alone in front of the crypt. The atmosphere felt like they were in the shadow of the castle despite it being over a mile away. Dried leaves crunched and rustled in the breeze, bare tree branches waved like claws warning them away. Crows screamed and Trina swore they were telling her to turn back toward the cars and leave.

  The few hours of sleep she’d managed to eke out before they’d left had done nothing to refresh her. The plan the men concocted with Judith seemed faulty at best, but it was all they had. So, they’d gathered the few people they could trust and headed out.

  Trina gazed at the crypt, reluctant to enter the dark pit. She saw death at work, gone through years of training to fight that silent ghost. It was a whole ‘nother thing to walk into the confining underground space with hundreds of dead. “Only a vampire would name their castle after a method of death.”

  Cool air brushed against her, the sun’s weak rays doing nothing to warm her skin. She felt them down there, moving underground, and she couldn’t get over the irrational fear that they were crawling through the dirt, ready to grab and pull her beneath the ground.

  The graveyard was haphazardly kept, only enough to cover the vampires’ coming and goings, a reason why someone would be at a cemetery. Weeds spilled from the forest and some of the older gravestones had long since gone white with age and the unrelenting burn of the sun.

  “You look nervous.” Merrick paused at her side, dressed in so many weapons that she half-expected them to fall off him as he walked.

  “No.”

  He flashed her a smile, excitement shining in his green eyes. “We’ll get her out alive.”

  Trina didn’t expect anything less, but she wondered at what cost. He appeared to relish the coming battle, more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. Sunlight glinted in his hair. The strands had grown out in the last few days, making him appear more of a rogue than she’d ever seen him. Despite very little rest, he showed no sign of a limp. Part of her worried how much further he could push himself before he crashed.

  Merrick and his men were built for this type of thing, their animals peering out from their eyes, enjoying the camaraderie and excitement of the upcoming hunt.

  “You’re enjoying yourself.” Trina shot the accusation at him, more than a little surprised.

  “I’ve been trapped behind a desk for too long. It feels good to be in the thick of things again.” Merrick shrugged, his body brushing against her in a way that caught her breath. The glint in his eyes said he saw her reaction. She wouldn’t doubt he did it on purpose to distract her.

  And it worked.

  Part of her anxiety eased at his complete confidence. He gave her hope that together, they could handle whatever came for them.

  There were fifteen of them total, a mixture of wolves and witches, but only half of them would enter the tunnels. Any more would risk drawing too much attention to them. The rest were to remain topside at the graveside entrance in case something went wrong. Weston would be in charge, his injuries limiting his participation. He was chafing at being left behind and avoided her. She’d become so use to his nearness that his abandonment hurt.

  Fear thickened the air around her at the thought of all the things that could go wrong. She was endangering these people with her crazy idea. Desperate to push away her doubts, Trina fingered the stake she’d spent the last few weeks carving, imagining finally putting it where it belonged.

  Merrick’s large hand slipped into hers, threading their fingers together. He lightly brushed against his mark, and her breath caught.

  “Merrick…” She wanted to reprimand him, but nothing came out except for a sigh. As if he knew, his smile widened.

  “Dorian said what you’re sensing is a spell on the crypt, placed there to scare people away. It affects those who linger a little too long and keeps them from investigating further.”

  “For being allergic to magic, it surprises me that vampires rely on it so much.”

  Others gathered around them, and Dorian walked up to her as they waited. “It’s effective, and vampires are nothing if not efficient.”

  She suspected Dorian was explaining the spell to distract them both. “How did they find a witch to cast for them?”

  He shrugged. “Any number of ways. Send a human to purchase a spell. A witch might have even done it if enough money was offered. Favors. The need to live forever. The list is endless. Not all witches are connected to the coven and under the council rules.”

  Now that he pointed it out, she saw a light curl of magic, like fog, lingered around the crypt. A very efficient delivery system. With each breath, the spell spread and infected the person’s nervous system. The spell was well crafted, barely using any magic. Undetectable unless you knew what to look for. She reached forward when Dorian caught her arm.

  “Any interference could trigger an alarm or an attack.”

  Trina curled her fingers, hating that everyone knew more about magic than she did despite the fact that she carried it in her very blood.

>   “You ready?” He looked up at her abruptly from adjusting his weapons. As a war mage, he excelled at hand-to-hand combat, not to mention throwing and casting spells fast and wicked. They were considered second-rate citizens, but their spells were brutal enough to get the job done. She would venture to guess that no witch could say the same unless they were given time to prepare first.

  The wild hope in his eyes caught her breath. Not hope for the coming battle, though. If she had to guess, she would say that look was reserved for her sister. “You love her.”

  He didn’t even pretend to misunderstand. “Very much. She’ll kill me for taking you inside, so stay safe.”

  Vampires had ruined her life twice already, she wouldn’t allow them to do it again.

  She scanned their small crew, her eyes coming to rest on Judith. The wolf looked surprisingly deadly decked out in her weapons with her hair back and her clothes neat. Trina squinted. “Are they wearing swords strapped to their backs?”

  Merrick nodded. “We’ll be fighting vampires. The only way to finish a vampire off quickly is to remove their head. Hand-to-hand combat will take too long.”

  It made sense, and Trina was both intimidated and impressed, wishing she had one as well.

  Merrick must have guessed her thoughts. “Judith didn’t become alpha without earning her spot. She’s one of the best fighters. Brutal during combat. She’s also devious, so don’t trust her too much.” He lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of her knuckles. “Good hunting.”

  It was ridiculous the way she reacted to him, but his nearness called up wicked thoughts and warm comfort at the same time. Everyone fell silent as they neared the entrance of the crypt. The inside was relatively clean with granite lining the ceiling and floors.

  A large casket had sat in the middle of the room until two shifters pushed it off to the side, nothing a human would have the strength to accomplish. Underneath, a hole gaped in the floor like in some old horror flick, revealing a set of worn stones leading down into darkness. Although she admired the secrecy, the darkened pit scared the bejesus out of her.