A tilt of my head followed a trail of fresh fox. On a lift of my chin, my nose bobbed and caught a stronger whiff, to the left, to the right until smothered by the unmistakable acridity of smoke.
My eyes flew open to the overwhelming existence of the full moon.
Fixated upon the draw of its power, a small tremor worked along my spine, tickled into my coccyx.
The breeze blew over me, bringing a reminder that the smoke needed investigating, and I followed the path the wind had arrived on.
“What is it?” Beth asked.
“Burning,” I muttered. “Something’s burning.”
A high leap to the left landed me with a metallic thud on the proud bonnet of the pickup. I stood tall on my toes, scoured the land past the high hedgerows bordering the road on both sides.
“Where’s it coming from?” Jess asked—her first words since I’d regained control of my body.
My lids lowered again as I leaned forward, sampling the air. Once more, the breeze carried the smoke. I turned toward it, reopened my eyes. An expanse of field lay beyond the barrier. With the moon’s assistance, I scanned across nude pasture, taking in another high hedge a few hundred yards to the left.
My sight followed it, sweeping back to the right, and my heart hammered against my chest when I spotted the high wall from my dream—about two miles in the distance.
“Gotcha.”
Beth moved closer. “Jem?”
“Get back in the truck.” I looked down at her before checking out the far hedgerow and calculating the direct distance to the property. “Both of you get back in. Drive along this road until you see a turning on the right—”
“But—”
“Take the turning, follow the road—”
“Jem?”
“At the end, you’ll find a property.” My focus remained glued to my destination. “Shut off the lights and engine before you reach it. Get out and walk on foot if you have to.”
“Where—”
“Do not allow them to see you coming.” I dragged my attention away to peer down at them. “I’ll meet you there.”
Stepping back brought my heels to the edge of the bonnet. I took the two steps across the metal at a run, and a push off with the ball of my left foot propelled me over the hedge.
Landing on all fours, my knees bent to absorb the power of motion. After a split second of recuperation, I took off, my feet bashing against the soggy ground.
Unified calls of, “Jem, wait,” echoed out a couple of times before the slamming of doors, crunching gears, and a growl of the engine replaced them.
The thought of being reunited with Sean increased my pace.
My breaths blew as my heart thumped. My arms pumped as my thighs and calves burned.
Spurred on by sheer determination, exhausted, hungry beyond belief, weakened by the connection to Sean’s changes—it all seemed irrelevant. All I cared about was Sean and getting to him. After days of believing I’d never find him, never touch him again, smell his scent, the thought of him kept me moving without falter.
The wall neared. I didn’t slow.
The higher it loomed, the faster I went.
A deep rumble from the pickup travelled somewhere to my left. I didn’t wait, didn’t hesitate, merely raged toward the wall that had to be at least twelve feet in height.
Within physical range, I flung myself upward. My knees bent, shoulders bunched, arms surged in reach. Fingers locating the wall, I gripped, swinging my legs to the right until high enough to hook my foot up and over.
Without even having to think about it, I straddled the perimeter in seconds.
Pressed flat to the obstacle between my thighs, cheek resting against the scratchy surface, I took time to catch my breath and scanned the inner garden with nostrils flared and ears twitching.
My vantage point offered a clear view of the house. Its grandness matched the impression from my initial visit to the interior. I checked out the windows, trying to get a feel for the layout, and guessed it to be living quarters on the ground floor, four bedrooms and bathroom on the first floor, replicated on the top.
Footsteps approached. My ears tuned into them. Locating the disturbance on the outside of the property and recognising Beth’s and Jess’s scent with an inhalation, I relaxed. From somewhere toward two o’clock, near the wrought iron gates at the front of the boundary wall, their whispered mumbles carried to me.
My focus circled back from their position to a driveway that opened out near the front of the house. Generous-sized gardens surrounded three sides, all hedged, planted and interspersed with willows and coniferous trees.
With a lift of my head and a peer back over my right shoulder, I spied the source of the smoke I’d detected, where the scent of charred wood spiralled through the air—outdoor wood burners.
The very sight of them hastened my breath and pulse, even though I found no indication of the witches’ objective—no sign of them, no guests of honour, no ritualistic tools.
“Psst.”
I spun toward the hissing on the other side of the wall, peered down into the shadows at Jess.
“What the hell are you doing?” she whispered.
“What does it look like? I’m casing the joint.”
She let out a small snort. “That’s burglar slang. We’re not here to rob them.”
I thought about that for a moment, about my intention to foil their plans, take their prizes, end their lives. “Actually, I’ll be robbing them of plenty.”
Her head tilted back. “How the hell did you get up there?”
“How do you think? I jumped.”
Her eyes widened. “Holy shit!”
“Where’s Beth?”
“Checking the other way, in case you were over there.”
I jerked my head at her. “Go find her and bring her round to here.”
I followed the path of her moving footsteps as she took off at a slow jog. The farther Jess went, the less audible her movements became. I almost lost track of her as she turned the corner of the rear wall, and as I peered behind to her approximate position, my attention snagged on a rear gate, close to the centre.
One human entrance. Thank goodness I’d brought the bolt croppers.
When a door opened at the rear of the house, my head whipped back round. It didn’t take long for Zoë to appear, carrying what looked like a pile of picnic blankets. Remaining as still as possible, I watched her, unsurprised when she halted amongst the scattering of heaters and began laying the blankets on the grass.
Pathetic. All their grand scale plans to harmonise beneath the stars and draw on the strength offered by the blue moon, and the best ritual beds they’d come up with were bloody picnic blankets. My lip curled at the insult.
I swung my left leg up backward and over to join my right. Fingers gripping the top of the wall, I lowered myself down. Thankfully, my feet were still bare from my roadside change and aided in my silent descent as I released my tightened fingers and dropped, hitting the ground in a crouch.
No voices, no surprised words or approaching feet suggested I’d been spotted. I lifted my head to relocate the young witch.
With her back to me, she busied herself with setting out the ‘altars’.
The idea of sneaking up and whispering ‘boo’ in her ear appealed, but, as I placed myself above such petty games, I crept up until close enough to wrap one hand around her waist and the other across her mouth.
Her feet left the ground as I spun and raced back to the spot I expected my allies to join me.
The young witch offered no struggle. I put that down to fear. When I reached the wall, I twisted Zoë round to face me. Her eyes widened as my hand squeezed her throat to constriction, and I slammed her back against the bricks.
“Je
m?” Beth whispered.
“You’re there?”
“Yes. Jess, too. Where did you run off to? We were worried.”
My lips curved. “I got us a present.”
“What is it?”
“Move aside a little, and I’ll pass it to you.” I had to couch my amusement at the witch’s sudden flail of her arms. “But be ready to act when it lands, okay?”
“Okay,” Beth hissed.
I glanced at Zoë’s terrified expression, allowed her a lift of my eyebrows. “Ready for this?”
The leg kick and muffled squeak she gave pretty much answered to the contrary.
I smiled. “Good.”
Keeping my hold tight, I took a few paces back and bounced on the balls of my feet before flying toward the wall. I drove my body upward, the arm that held the witch shoving up at an even greater speed. Near the top of the wall, I pushed even harder, loosening my grip at the last second.
Zoë’s body disappeared over the other side, and my fingers hooked the ledge just in time to prevent me falling back down.
All those basketball games had paid off. I’d just never played it with a head as my missile before, and certainly never with a body attached.
I hoisted myself up and stared into the shadowed darkness. My comrades had not reacted as quickly as I’d hoped. Wide-eyed, mouths gaping, they gawped from the young girl to me.
You want a job done properly …I stepped off the wall, aimed my body to land with my feet on either side of the shaken witch.
Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened.
I landed in time to cut off her scream.
30
Jess’s gaze moved from me to the witch to the top of the wall. “Please tell me you don’t plan to get me and Beth in there that way.”
“No.” I snorted up at her from my crouch. “Where’s the truck?”
She pointed toward the front of the property. “That way.”
“How long on foot?”
She shrugged. “There and back, five minutes maybe.”
“Okay. You collect the tools, then you can meet us back here.”
Jess hesitated. Perhaps she understood my reason for choosing to send her back. After a moment, she nodded and strode off.
Hand still against Zoë’s throat, I pushed to my feet and hauled the witch up with me, pinning her against the wall. “Okay, I’m going to ask a couple questions. And you’re going to answer them. Understand?”
Although she couldn’t move her head, and my hand prevented speech, her eyes signalled her compliance.
“Good. First question, where are the boys?” I released her just enough for her to speak.
“It wasn’t me. I didn’t—”
A clutch of my hand cut her off. “Where …are …the boys?” I said slower before lessening my hold again.
“In the bedrooms on the first floor.”
“Is Sean still in the cellar?”
A small nod gave me the answer.
“Whose idea was it to surround him with wolfsbane?”
Her eyes widened before she said, “Steph and Marianne’s.”
I’d suspected as much.
“How many of you are there?” Beth asked from beside me.
“Four others. Jem’s already met them all.”
“Anything else?” I asked Beth. “Any other questions?”
She shook her head.
I looked back to Zoë. “Okay, we’re done with you.”
She breathed out a sigh. “I can go?”
“No.”
Confusion filled her eyes, replaced by fear a second later. “But …but—”
Ignoring Zoë’s whimpers and grunts of protest, I did what I had to do to protect myself and preserve the pack.
Zoë sagged a beat later, and as I released her, she slumped to the ground in a heap.
Beth and I turned as Jess came back round the corner. I shoved the body into the shadows with my foot, hoping she wouldn’t see it, but her glued gaze to the floor told me my discretion should have come sooner.
“Did you get everything?” I asked before she could ponder.
She nodded, eyes flicking between me and the shadows. “Croppers, crowbar, bats.” She dragged her focus fully to me. “What now?”
“I’m going to open the rear gate and let you two in.” My hands came to rest at my hips. “Then we infiltrate.”
“Who goes where once we’re inside?”
“We find the keys, unlock the cellar. Then, Jess, you go down and clear the way to Sean whilst I head upstairs to find the others.”
“What about me?” Beth asked. “Do I help Jess?”
I shook my head. “Sean doesn’t know you’re back. If you go into the cellar before he’s fully recovered, he’ll think it’s a trick or spell or something.”
“Not if I talk to him.”
“I’ve seen how he is, Beth. Irrational doesn’t cover it, and he’ll never believe you. If he thinks you’re one of them and attacks?” I shrugged. “You won’t stand a chance. You’re coming with me.”
“She’s right,” Jess said. “But what about me? Won’t he attack me?”
“Hopefully not. Because he doesn’t know you by sight, he might not think it’s a ruse. If he questions it, tell him to follow his senses. Here . . .” I stepped over to her, rubbed my bare arms and shoulders across hers. “If he doesn’t believe after smelling that, you’re not going to convince him.”
Her brows lifted. “And if that happens?”
“Leave the cage locked and come get me. Now …are we ready?”
“We’re ready,” they said together.
• • •
It took less than a minute to scale the wall, snap through the metal loop of the padlock used to secure the gate, and let Jess and Beth in. Another minute and we’d snuck up on the house. After checking through the window and finding the kitchen empty, we entered.
“Find the keys,” I said, listening and inhaling. “Big bunch, huge ring.”
“Fridge.” As Jess moved across and snatched them up, Sean’s gasps filtered through the cellar door.
I spun round and pointed. “Open it.”
She crossed the room, fiddled with the key and inserted one in the lock.
“Wait.” Beth turned from Jess to me. “That’s not a good idea with you still in here, Jem. Not with the wolfsbane.”
I knew she spoke sense, yet couldn’t remove myself from the proximity of my mate. He was there—right there—and he needed me. How could I walk away?
Eyes narrowed, my head tilted as though I could somehow peer through the almost nonexistent sliver at the bottom of the door and catch a glimpse.
Footsteps disturbed me along with a blur to my left.
Heather skidded to a halt. “What the . . .”
I whipped round to face her.
In one stride, two, three, my arm shot straight out, and the ball of my hand collided with her nose.
Bone broke. I shoved in and up. Cartilage splintered.
Her eyes rolled, body dropped.
The only movement from her arrived in the slow stream of blood trickling from her nostrils.
I lifted my gaze to Beth’s smile.
Beside her, Jess looked dazed. “She’s …dead.”
“Two down, three to go. Now the odds are even.” I held out my hand for the keys. “Any problems, just clear out the wolfsbane and back off to wait for me. Okay?”
As Jess turned for the cellar door, I headed for the house stairs with Beth on my heels and Heather’s ankle in my hand. We pushed open the doors we passed, dragged Heather’s body behind the first one, and reached the end of the hall unspotted.
I peered up the stairs. Stealth or speed
? If they hadn’t pegged us already, we’d have more chance of keeping it that way if we stayed quiet.
Backs pressed to the wall, we ascended. Once the landing hit my scope, I paused, scanned, inhaled and listened but picked up nothing. I went higher, hesitated to study the five wooden doors set around the space, and twisted the handle of the first one.
With a quiet click, it opened. Before I’d even poked my head in, an inhalation told me it lay empty, but I double-checked, confirming what I already figured it was—Sean’s vacated room. His scent lingered on the air and fabrics. I took a greedy gulp before I shook my head clear and withdrew.
The next door had been locked. I fumbled with the keys until it opened. When the door swung wide, I knew we’d found one of the boys.
My heart fluttered.
From my angle, Daniel appeared dead. I crossed the room in four strides, lowered beside the single bed. My nose pressed to his throat and brushed around until I’d located the thready drum at his pulse point. When I checked his face, a tiny flutter of expelled air left his nose and bristled my skin. “He’s alive.”
“How are you going to get him out of here, Jem?” Beth asked. “Back through the house?”I pushed up and crossed to the window.
The ancient and outdated frames bore no locks. On top of that, they were huge—a good five feet high, at least.
I unlatched one.
“How?” Beth asked again behind me.
“I’ll carry him.”
“And jump?”
I nodded and urged the window higher, cringing against the quiet grate of scraping wood.
“If you jump, with Daniel’s weight on top of your own, you’ll injure yourself, Jem.”
I peered outside to visually measure the drop, drew back inside and turned to her. “Help me move him.”
She didn’t argue further, and with her assistance, I laid Daniel’s body on the carpeted floor. At my indication, she helped me haul the mattress across to the window. I shoved it through the opening.
It landed with a thud. I expected alarms to peal but none arrived.
I went back for Daniel, lifted him with a grunt over my shoulders. As I climbed onto the ledge, I wondered at the sanity of my plan—but only for an instant—and jumped.
Blue Moon Page 30
