‘I—’
‘Eloise, what is it?’ Iain tightened his grip on her hand.
She frowned. ‘The Goddess called me her warrior, but it’s ridiculous. I’m not a warrior.’
‘Yes you are. It’s coming off you in waves,’ Gabbie said.
‘Gabbie is a sensitive. She is able to sense those with special aptitudes. If anyone would know, she would,’ Bron said.
‘Right.’ Eloise bit her lip, then looking around her, said, ‘Morrigan better watch out then, right?’
‘Right.’ Iain couldn’t help the pride that surged through him at her tone. Weeks ago, she wouldn’t have been so accepting. Or so defiant. Determined. He just hoped she could see the changes the rest of them were seeing in her. They were remarkable. She was remarkable.
Gabbie touched Eloise’s arm. ‘We’ll talk later, okay?’ She punched in a code next to the door and it opened. ‘Do you want me to come down with you?’
Iain looked questioningly at Eloise.
‘I don’t want an audience for this,’ she said to him, her voice an apology.
‘You’re right.’ He looked up at Gabbie. ‘You go upstairs and watch on the monitors. We’ll call you if we need you.’
‘Okeydokey.’ Gabbie’s smile flashed. ‘Catch you later.’ She nodded to Bron, her gaze lingering on Iain for a moment, as if to apologise. He nodded, then she smiled and disappeared up the stairs that led to the upper level.
‘She seems… nice,’ Eloise said into the silence.
‘She is. You’ll like her. She’s really quite stable and sensitive when she’s not in heat.’
Eloise coughed. ‘That’s a problem, is it? For the Were females?’
‘Not a problem, no. Except Gabbie’s line of work can make it difficult at times.’
‘Line of work?’
‘She’s a pack soldier. Probably will become a lieutenant in a few years.’
‘Like you?’
‘Yes. Like me.’
‘She’s also a physical therapist,’ Bron said. ‘She works with the young and the old in the pack, keeping them fit and healthy, as well as working with those recovering from injury. She was one of those who worked alongside me and Iain when you were in your coma, working your limbs so your muscles didn’t atrophy. We weren’t sure how long you were going to be out.’
‘I… I’ll have to thank her.’
Iain wished he could crawl inside her head and see what she was thinking in that moment. She was too much of an enigma for him to be comfortable with. But he didn’t get a chance to delve any further into her emotions or thoughts right then, because Bron ushered her forward and they descended the stairs into the underground compound.
As they exited the hall at the base of the steps and entered the main cavern, Eloise gasped. Natural light fell around them, enhancing the size and openness of the cave to maximum effect.
‘It’s wonderful, isn’t it?’ Bron gestured at the large space, the tangle of greenery that was a garden you could spend days exploring in one corner, the carpet of grass expanding across the middle of it with benches and play equipment—some that was designed for children, but other pieces that were part of a circuit track for exercise and training purposes—the droop of willows that shaded a hollow where what had once been a trickle of water that seeped through the walls from an underground spring had been turned into a clever water feature that burbled and fell over rocks to a clear pool below, steam rising from its sparkling surface. It always beckoned to Iain to strip and plunge into its warm depths, and he wondered if it had the same effect on Eloise as her gaze took it in.
‘This is amazing. How do you get so much light down here—it feels like I’m outside.’
Iain shoved his hands in his pockets in an attempt not to reach out and touch her, feel the glory of her wonder with his fingertips. He pointed to the ceiling. ‘There are vents up there big enough to let natural light in, although the passages down from those vents aren’t straight. So we put mirrors in.’
He watched as realisation dawned. ‘Like that scene in The Mummy when they go into the caves of the sunken city and use the mirrors for light?’
‘You’ve seen The Mummy?’
She nodded. ‘The older one with Brendan Fraser. It’s one of my favourite older adventure movies along with Indiana Jones—they have everything. Romance, a bit of scare, lots of humour.’
‘I’m surprised Morrigan let you watch movies.’
Her smile dimmed a little and he was sorry he’d mentioned the mad bitch’s name.
‘We didn’t go out to the movies, but we weren’t completely cut off from the world. We used to have movie nights once a month where a different coven member picked the movies. Cain and I always picked the adventure-type movies my dad had.’ She looked down at the floor. ‘It was something I had in common with them.’
He moved over to her, took her hands. ‘I do too.’ She looked up at him, confused. ‘Love that kind of movie. The Mummy movies are some of my favourites. And Indiana Jones—well, the first three. The last one I don’t count.’
A small smile bloomed on her face. ‘It wasn’t that bad.’
‘It wasn’t that good, either.’
‘No.’
They stared at each other, the feel of her hands in his, the glow of her beautiful green-gold eyes, holding him captive.
‘Are you two finished reminiscing about movies?’
Eloise jumped and snatched her hands back to her sides. The loss of her touch was like a blow to the chest. But he covered quickly, turning to walk with her into the cavern. ‘I studied ancient architecture to find the best ways of using mirrors to light underground areas for the majority of the day—the Egyptians were ingenious bastards—and came up with this.’ He gestured at the light about them.
‘It’s magical.’ Wonder had filled her face again as she looked around, taking in what he’d done, except this time the wonder was replaced with an edginess he wished he could rid her of.
‘It also has the added benefit of making the caves seem more spacious,’ Bron added.
‘Is that important?’
‘Uh-huh. Were aren’t comfortable if they feel hemmed in.’
‘Why wouldn’t they stay above ground then?’ She pointed at the ceiling. ‘The house looked huge. Surely it would have lots of rooms and common spaces.’
‘It does. But these caverns are even more expansive and can fit the entire pack if need be. The caves are safe like aboveground isn’t. Were also need to feel safe.’
‘And do you? Feel safe down here?’
‘We once did.’ He didn’t need to say Morrigan’s name—it was like a wall between them. A wall he wanted to knock down. ‘We’re building ourselves back up again. Now that the Curse is broken and we have not only our Pack Witch back, but others making us stronger, we have a chance to take back what’s been lost.’ He brushed her chin with his finger, making her look up at him. ‘You are part of that, too.’
She swallowed hard and looked away. Iain wished he knew what she was thinking, but her usually expressive face was inscrutable in this moment.
‘How big is the McVale Pack?’ she asked as she continued to follow Bron.
‘We’re the second largest pack in the southern hemisphere next to the McClunes. They have four hundred core families. We dropped down to two hundred, but are slowly building that back up again. We used to expand across Europe with many places just like this, full. Most aren’t as large though, and only some still have packmates living in them—most are used for storage.’
‘Why would you keep them, then?’
‘They’re ours. Besides, they come in handy. During wartime, we used them to keep our people safe. In the last world war we also extended their use to the Underground to help Jews and other fugitives escape the Nazis.’
‘That’s amazing.’
He shrugged. ‘It is what it is. Our pack is old. This place is brand new in comparison to the European bases. The caves were found when the pack moved her
e from Scotland well over one hundred years ago. It’s been expanded on over the years as the pack grew.’
‘The house above looks new.’
‘It was finished a few years ago—although there was always a house there.’ She looked up at him, curious. ‘We have to have a blind. People don’t ask questions if they see us going into a house. They do if they see you disappear into the earth.’
‘I had no idea places like this could exist. It’s so big.’
‘Yes,’ Bron agreed as she began to walk across the grass. ‘It’s one of the reasons we decided this would be the best place for your friends, especially given you were last living in caves. They have free run of these lower caves and we’ve limited interaction with the pack, using mostly female Were to bring the things they need, so they’d feel less intimidated. We’ve been observing them through monitors in the security room in the house above, rather than setting sentries and guards down here. Many of the lounge areas and sleeping quarters are set up with similar natural light displays and an open feel to them we thought would help provide them with a sense of comfort and space. We couldn’t let them go, but we also didn’t want them to feel imprisoned. But I’m afraid it’s made no difference.’
Iain hugged Bron to his side. ‘You’re doing your best for them. Nobody could ask you to do more.’
‘But it hasn’t been enough. They’re still dying. Everything they believed in has dissolved into nothing. They were left for dead. Abandoned. They’re too far gone to even be afraid of us anymore.’ Desperation clouded her eyes as she looked at Eloise. ‘I’m hoping that seeing you will give them something to live for.’
Eloise nodded. ‘I hope so too.’
Chapter 13
Iain frowned. There was something in her voice that whispered of doubt. He wished he could wipe away that doubt, but knew she had a right to it. He understood her worry. That’s why he was here, watching over her. Despite their near catatonic state, he didn’t trust her old coven mates. They could respond negatively to her presence and she knew it.
Despite that worry, she followed Bron towards the other side of the cavern, chin held high. Her limp was more pronounced—the only sign of her nervousness.
Brave. She was so fucking brave.
‘They mostly stay through here,’ Bron said as they entered a dimly lit corridor. ‘We’ve tried to encourage them to use the garden, but they don’t and we won’t force them.’
A shadowy figure moved across the light down the end of the corridor, paused, and then moved away.
‘I thought you said they were almost comatose,’ Eloise said in a harsh whisper.
‘They are.’
‘Maybe they’re feeling better,’ Bron said, her voice falsely bright.
They continued on and entered the room.
Once always full of light and laughter, the room was now depressingly quiet and dark. Even the fresh green paint on the walls and splashes of scenery in the paintings and depth of textures in the tapestries didn’t help to lift the sensation that he was walking into a morgue.
Eloise’s face paled, her hand covering her mouth.
Iain edged up behind her. ‘Are you okay?’
She didn’t look back at him, her eyes seemingly unable to divorce themselves from the sight of the dozen people in the room lolling dispiritedly on lounges, chairs and even the floor, staring blankly.
They had to be starving and thirsty and yet the platter of muffins and cookies was untouched, the water jug full. They were showered and wore clean clothes, but there was a definite air of dereliction about them—like they’d lost all hope.
He wished they’d never brought Eloise here. She didn’t need to see this. He reached out, intending to turn her back the way they came and escort her out, when she stepped towards one of the men sitting on the floor, his legs splayed out in front of him, his chin on his chest.
‘Andrew?’ She went down on her knees beside him and took his hand in hers, clutching it to her chest. ‘Andy? It’s me. Eloise.’
He lifted his head and looked at her, eyes glazed.
‘Andy? What’s happened here? This isn’t like you. Andy. Please. Tell me what’s wrong?’
For a brief moment a light of recognition flared in his eyes. ‘Eloise?’ His lips began to twitch into a smile and then the smile stiffened as shock widened his eyes. ‘El, you have to get ou…’ His teeth clamped together on the word and he stiffened then began to shake. Spittle frothed, spilling over his lips as his head rapped hard against the wall.
‘Oh my god. Andy? What’s wrong? Andy!’
Iain grabbed Andy, pulled him away from the wall to lie on the floor. Bron knelt down next to him, her hands extended, a golden glow shining from them.
After a long, tense moment, Andy went limp.
‘Roll him onto his side,’ Bron instructed.
Iain rolled him as gently as possible into the recovery position and then stayed by his head to monitor his breathing.
‘This isn’t right,’ Eloise said.
‘I know it’s a shock to see him in this condition. But now I know he’s epileptic, I can get some medication—’
‘He doesn’t suffer from epilepsy.’ She was shaking, hard. ‘This isn’t like Andy. You don’t know him. He was the most open minded, forward thinking of all of us. He wouldn’t starve himself just because he was in your care. He’d take it as an opportunity to learn.’ She looked around her. ‘And so would Dora and Frankie and Margot. I get why Morrigan would leave them all behind because all of them had questioned her at some time or other. Talked about leaving her recently after Alfrere died and she came back with a different face. None of them would do this.’
She pushed to her feet, moving slowly and steadily around the room, looking at all the faces, staring into their eyes, calling their names. Not one of them acknowledged her in any way, just stared apathetically at nothing. ‘This is wrong. There’s something wrong here.’ She ran over to the table and picking up a jug of juice, poured a glass then returned to Andy’s side, pulling him up to lean against her chest. ‘Come on, Andy,’ she said, trying to make him hold onto the glass. ‘You need to drink something.’
A sinking sensation began to build in Iain, his wolf’s hackles rising as it sensed something dangerous.
Bron must have sensed it too, because she whispered in Iain’s ear, ‘Keep an eye on Eloise while I check something.’ She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.
Iain stood by her side, keeping guard. Eloise held the glass to Andy’s lips, trying to get him to swallow. Orange juice ran down his chin. ‘Andy. Please. Drink. Please.’
His eyes snapped open. ‘Traitor!’
Eloise scrambled back as he sat up, the glass smashing on the floor, orange juice flying everywhere.
‘Eloise!’ Iain reached for her.
Andy turned. There was a zap, like lightning, and Eloise flew across the floor, smashing up against the far wall.
‘Eloise!’ Bron cried out.
Andy raised his hands, black lightning zapping between his fingers as he pointed them at Eloise. With a snarl, Iain leapt at Andy, punching him square in the jaw. The warlock slumped unconscious on the floor. The black lightning disappeared with a fizzing pop.
‘Iain! What did you do?’ Eloise pushed upright from the wall, took a step, winced and crashed to the floor.
Iain wasn’t quick enough to catch her, but he was at her side an instant later. ‘You’re hurt.’
She shook her head. ‘It’s just my foot. I twisted it.’
‘Let me look.’
‘No!’ she cried, pulling her leg out of his grasp. ‘You need to check on Andy. I thought I heard something break when you hit him. Why did you hit him like that?’
‘He attacked you. Was about to shoot black lightning at you. It was the only way I could stop him.’
‘But that’s not possible. That’s not one of his talents.’
‘It is now.’
‘No. You don’t understand. He didn’t have t
hat kind of power. In fact, his power was all in his memory. His ability to retain anything he’d ever read and repeat it verbatim. He was training as our coven librarian. He was so gentle, one of the few who was always nice to me. He couldn’t do this.’
She tried to gain her feet, but she couldn’t seem to put any weight on her injured foot, so she began to hop. Cursing under his breath, Iain scooped her into his arms.
‘No! You have to let me see Andy.’
‘Bron has to check you over first. You could have broken something.’
‘Umm, Iain? I think we’ve got bigger problems than that.’
He turned to see what Bron meant. Half of the inhabitants of the room were now standing up, facing Eloise, glaring hatred in their eyes.
‘Traitor,’ they intoned as one, their voices a cruel snarl. ‘Traitor.’
‘Fuck.’ There was a buzzing sound of electricity that made his hair stand up all over his body. ‘Run!’
Bron got to the door before them. A bolt of lightning hit the archway to their left. He ducked. Kept running. Another blast. Plaster and rocks sprayed around them.
Bron looked over her shoulder behind them as they ran. ‘Faster. They’re coming after us.’ She ran faster. Iain stayed right on her tail.
They raced out into the bright light of the cavern, across the grass and over to the door that led to the stairs. It opened just as they got to it.
‘What the fuck was that?’ Gabbie asked, her eyes widening as she looked beyond them. He glanced back. Half a dozen members of Eloise’s old coven lurched into the light of the room.
‘Fuck!’ He grabbed Bron, yanking her into the corridor ahead of him and turned to close the door, Eloise still in his arms.
‘Stop!’ Eloise’s eyes were wide and bright with tears as she looked across the grassy expanse they’d just crossed. ‘Look.’
Every single one of the coven members had stopped a few paces into the cavern, vibrating in place, their faces lifted to the source of the light like moths caught in a bug catcher. Then one by one, they all fell to the ground, twitched and went deathly still.
‘Oh, God.’ Eloise’s gasp was a torture of pain-filled grief. ‘What have I done? I’ve killed them.’
Shifter Bound Page 15
