Little witch.
Lucas? She sounded groggy, her voice whispery. Where are you? Her response was tentative, her tone fearful, but the link was strong. Knowing that their mate bond had formed so swiftly pleased him. Often it took months, if not years for couples to be able to mind speak.
Not far from you, on the south side of the mountain. I had hoped to wake you with a kiss, but my people need me.
What’s happened?
A young girl has been harmed. My blood is needed to heal her.
Is there anything I can do to help? I know a little bit about healing.
He smiled inwardly, pleased at her generous spirit when he knew how worried she was over her brother. No, little witch, but I appreciate the offer. I’ll return as quickly as I can. Don’t leave the house for any reason, and don’t open the door to anyone. You will obey me in this.
She flashed him a vision, a sort of virtual eye roll, and he responded with an image of himself fully shifted to Wulfren snarling with rage. There was a long moment of silence, and then he felt her touch, like the flutter of a bird’s wing against his mind.
What aren’t you telling me?
I’ll explain everything on my return, but for my peace of mind, I need your promise you’ll stay put. I don’t believe there’s any danger to you, but I’m taking no chances. Several of my warriors are on their way to guard the house.
I can take care of myself, but I’ll do as you ask…but only because you’re the boss until sunrise.
She was lying and they both knew it. He’d picked up on the warmth that had flooded her mind. His actions had made her feel cherished. And that was the real reason why she would obey him.
Thank you. On my return I will show you my appreciation for your obedience.
He flashed a mental image of his head buried between her thighs and then broke the link, satisfied his mate would be in the proper frame of mind on his return. He put on an extra burst of speed, determined to get to the cabin as quickly as possible to render what aid he could to the little girl. After that, he was going leave no stone unturned in his effort to find the coward who’d struck at him through his people.
* * * *
Unable to go back to sleep, Alisha pulled on one of Lucas’s T-shirts and headed downstairs to the kitchen. She’d eaten very little at lunch and after a marathon round of lovemaking with Lucas, she was famished. She made her way into the kitchen, and then halted abruptly when out of a curtain-less window she spotted a man standing on the edge of the lawn. A full moon overhead made it easy for her to see him, but it was only when he turned his head did she see his face. It was Alan! But what was he doing here?
Fear for him drove all rational thought from her mind, and she rushed to the front door, flinging it open just as he walked up the steps leading into the house. He was wearing the same orange jumpsuit he’d worn at the prison, but over it he wore a dingy island shirt. Physically, he looked no worse than the last time she’d seen him, but he felt worse. Despite the warning bells ringing in her head, she walked over to give him a hug, and then pulled back to look up at him.
“How did you manage to escape?”
“Where’s Blackmane?” He looked nervously about, never making eye contact with her. “I can’t sense his presence and I can’t feel the pack.” He brought a hand up to massage his temple, his face twisted with pain. “What has Blackmane done to me?”
“I don’t think he’s done anything to you,” Alisha whispered, placing a consoling hand on his arm. “But somebody has. Who helped you to escape? Was it Serpentes?”
He looked at her, suspicion clouding his eyes. “Is Blackmane inside the house?” He leaned toward her and sniffed. “Why do you smell like him?”
“Alan, you’ve got to try and get control of yourself. Lucas isn’t here, or he’d have confronted you the instant you set foot on his property. I thought I made it clear that you were to do nothing until you heard from me. Why didn’t you wait?”
His gaze shifted again to the forest, his eyes wide with fear. “No more questions. We have to leave before he gets back.” His gaze shifted back to the forest, and he stared out into the darkness for a long second, his head tilted to the side as if he communicated silently with someone.
“Who are you looking for, Alan?” Alisha looked over his shoulder, searching with her eyes as well as her magic, but if someone was out there, they’d managed to blend seamlessly with the night. “Is Serpentes waiting for you in the forest?”
“Stop asking questions and come with me!” He almost shouted the words into her face and his tone held a note of desperation that hadn’t been there before. She scanned the surrounding forest again, this time focusing her magic directly on the wooded area directly behind her brother. Wulfren answered only to the call of their Alpha. Supplanting that bond would take forbidden magic and constant monitoring. But whoever controlled her brother was ensconced behind an impenetrable shield.
“You’re not thinking clearly, Alan.” She placed a hand on his arm and sent out her magic, hoping to calm him. “Breaking out of jail was a mistake. And if you’re headed for Serpentes’s boat, that’s an even bigger mistake. I don’t trust him and neither should you. Somehow he’s managed to bespell you, and the more I think on it, I’m beginning to believe Lucas is our only hope of saving you. If he can harness the strength of the pack—”
“No!” he cried, shoving her hand away. “Serpentes can help me. He’s the only one who can.”
“Alan, come inside.” Alisha took hold of his arm again, alarmed at the way his body had begun to tremble. “You need to rest and to eat something. You can’t go on like this.”
“Bitch! I can smell his stench on you.” He jerked his arm out of her grasp. “How could you sleep with the bastard knowing he wants me dead?” He shouted the words into her face, and, realizing her brother had lost all ability to reason, she raised her power, intending to force his compliance. But before she could act, something sharp pierced the back of her neck. The ground rose up to meet her, and the last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her were the slit eyes of Serpentes staring out at her from her brother’s face.
* * * *
Alisha woke to the stench of decaying flesh and the certain knowledge that she had been poisoned. She was lying on a small cot, in what appeared to be a one-room shack, and judging by the condition of the room, nobody had lived there for a long time. She attempted to sit up and quickly discovered she couldn’t move her arms or legs. She reached for her magic, but though she could feel it moving within her, it didn’t answer her call. That could mean only one of two things, either it was too weak to answer her call, or it was in the midst of a life-and-death battle with the poison ravaging her body. Not good, but she wasn’t going to panic. Lucas would come for her. She didn’t know why she felt so certain of it, but she was. He hadn’t made any promises, and she hadn’t given any, but he’d made love to her as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered to him. He would come. Until then, she’d do what she could to stay alive.
He will come, mon cher, but you got to hold on. Ma’mons voice brushed against her mind, and Alisha sighed with relief.
Ma’mon! Thank God you are with me. I thought when I woke and my magic wouldn’t answer my call that I had lost you as well.
You will never lose me, girl, but the venom is powerful strong. Soon you will no longer hear your old Ma’mon whispering in your mind. But know this, girl, you are a child of God, born beneath a Creole moon. If you love dey mon, no power on earth can keep you from his side… Remember…
Ma’mon! Don’t leave me.
Remember there is no power on earth or beneath the heavens stronger than love. Let your heart guide you, baby girl, and all will be well… All will be well…
Ma’mon? But there was no answer. Only the warmth of her touch remained, and when that too faded, she turned all her strength inward and fought for her life and the man who had become the center of her world.
Intent on focusin
g all her energy on healing herself, she startled when the cabin door swung inward. A moment later Serpentes walked into the room. This time he was wearing slacks and an island shirt. There was still no hair on his head, but his skin was flesh colored. He could have passed for a human, if not for the forked tongue that flicked out to scent the air.
“Ahh, you’re awake. For a moment I thought I’d given you too much of my blood. As an assassin, I pride myself on knowing the exact amount to administer to my victims, but when you slept for longer than expected, I feared I had given you too much.” He moved a chair next to the cot and sat down. “Now I see there was no need to second-guess myself. You can’t attack me with a vision because you haven’t the strength to focus your magic and you can’t weave a spell because you can’t move your arms or legs, but you can speak. Correct?”
She nodded. “I can speak, and my senses are intact.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But I’m having some difficulty breathing.”
“It will get worse, and when you begin to lose consciousness…”
“I get the picture, but if you planned to kill me, why didn’t you do it back at the house? Why bring me here?
“Because the venom I injected into your blood needs time to work its way through your system. And I couldn’t risk Blackmane finding you and interfering in the process.”
“You harmed that little girl to draw Lucas away from the house so that you could get to me. Whatever you’re planning, it’s a mistake. Lucas will find you, and when he does, he’ll make you wish you were never born.”
He smiled, as if amused by her words, but she’d seen the flash of anger in his eyes. “It may comfort you to think so, but the truth is Blackmane is proving as easy to manipulate as your brother.”
“How long have you been able to use your venom to control others?”
“Does it matter? Your brother has no will of his own, but as long as he’s useful to me I’ll let him live. Right now he’s outside scanning the forest for any signs of your lover. Totally unnecessary, but I thought it best to keep him busy while we had our little discussion. It wouldn’t do for him to suddenly become heroic when he realizes my plans have been altered to include the death of his sister.
“You may have my brother under your control, but you won’t find Lucas so easy to manipulate. You’re dependent on dark magic to enslave others, and it has its limitations.”
“Perhaps, but your lover will die all the same. You’re his mate, and when you succumb to the poison ravaging your body, he’ll lose his anchor to the light. He won’t risk turning feral and becoming the greatest threat his people have ever faced. He’ll end his existence to protect them.”
“I can see why you think your plan will work. Lucas is a great leader, and is committed to the welfare of his people. But I wouldn’t start gloating just yet if I were you. I’m down but not out of the game.”
Serpentes stilled, the coldness in his eyes intensifying as his gaze swept over her. “You’ve managed to encase yourself in a protective shield. I underestimated the strength of your magic. But it changes nothing. The poison will still consume you before you can push it from your system, and Blackmane will choose death.” He rose to his feet, his face a grim mask of determination. “My plan will work. And I’ll be watching from behind your brother’s eyes, far from any threat of retribution when you draw your last breath.”
He turned to leave, but Alisha called out to him and he turned back.
“Tell me one thing. Why do you want to kill Lucas so badly?”
He smiled. “I’m being well paid to kill Blackmane, but I would have done it for nothing because he’s a symbol of everything I hate. He would have the supernaturals live peaceably alongside humans, sharing the fruits of earth equally with those who are less than the dirt beneath our feet. He’s a fool. And without his influence, the forces I serve will have an easier path to success. Supernaturals were born to rule, and there are those of us who refuse to continue to live in the shadow of an inferior race.”
“Since it’s obvious you believe the drivel you’re spouting, I’m not going to waste my breath trying to talk some sense into your head. I’ve heard it said that Elder Ragan of the Seventh Council believes as you do. Is he the one paying you?”
“That is something I’m not permitted to reveal. Not even to a dead woman.”
He turned and left the cabin, but less than a minute later, the door swung open again. This time it was her brother who walked in, and she was stunned by the change in his appearance. It couldn’t have been more than an hour or two since she’d last seen him, yet his hair had fallen out in clumps, and his skin had turned the color of ash.
Alan moved slowly toward her, his head hanging limply to one side, as if he didn’t have the strength to hold it upright. When he reached her side, he looked down at her with tear-filled eyes, yet there was an awareness that hadn’t been there before. Her brother was dying, yet somehow he’d regained a measure of control over his mind.
“Sis, I…I’m sorry I got you into this mess,” he whispered. “I only hope—” His mouth shut with an audible snap and his body stiffened. He turned and lumbered across the room, stopping only when he collided with the wall. When he began to pound his forehead repeatedly against the wall, she knew Serpentes had once again gained the upper hand.
“Stop it!” she cried, knowing Serpentes heard her through his link with her brother. “You’re killing him.” Alan’s body stilled, and then he slowly turned his head to look at her. His lips were twisted in a cruel smile, and his eyes gleamed with malice. When he spoke, it was in the hissing manner of Serpentes.
“Your brother is only getting what he deserves.” It was Alan’s mouth that moved, but the voice, the words, belonged to Serpentes. “All he had to do was to meet the human and convince him to place a certain object in Blackmane’s quarters. But he botched the affair and I had to kill the human to ensure his silence. Because of him, I was forced to alter my plans, and now he attempts to aide you! I would kill him outright but he deserves the painful death my venom will give him.”
“My brother is a victim. If you’re looking for someone to blame, you need to start with the idiot who’s paying you. World domination is so passé. Your leader and the nuts following him are living in the Dark Ages.”
“Still trying to gather information for your lover? You’re a bigger fool than he is, but I’ll tell you one thing more. Your brother was eager to help me. I only had to pretend to listen to his whining about the hand fate had dealt him and I had him eating out of my hand. He thought he’d found a kindred spirit, and by the time he realized what I was really about, it was too late. “
“My brother is barely twenty years old, you jerk off. If you want bragging rights, you should have picked a Wulfren with a bit of hair on his chest.”
“Oh, I’m going to have bragging rights, my dear. Bringing down Lucas Blackmane will make me a legend in my own time. As for your brother, his age is no excuse. He knew what I was when he met me. Even the youngest supernatural knows a snake shifter isn’t to be trusted.”
“And that makes everything okay, including harming a child? Hey, world, don’t blame me. It’s my nature! You’re full of shit, Serpentes, and when Lucas catches up with you I hope he cuts off your balls and stuffs them in your mouth.”
Serpentes gave no indication her insult had hit home until Alan began to slam his head against the wall with enough force to slice open the side of his head. Blood spurted from the wound, and she had to look away to keep from letting Serpentes see the tears in her eyes. When she looked back, her brother sat on the floor, apparently having lost consciousness from the repeated blows to his head.
Knowing that Serpentes had lost his link to her when her brother lost consciousness, she turned her efforts toward her only hope. She reached inward, praying her magic had pushed enough of the poison from her system to allow her to contact Lucas.
The second her magic rose, Alan’s body sat up and his eyes popped op
en. He turned his head to look at her, the vacant look in his eyes replaced by a menacing stare. “You’re trying to warn him,” Serpentes sneered. “There is no hope, yet you persist in this foolishness.” There was an edge to his voice, a thread of fear that hadn’t been there before, and it gave her hope.
“A moment ago my brother managed to shut you out, and now my magic is holding your venom at bay. Face it, Serpentes, your plan is falling apart.”
“You grasp at straws, but I’m beginning to see a little of what attracts Blackmane to you. Your situation is desperate, and still you seek to aid him. My employer values loyalty. Join us and I’ll spare your brother.”
She didn’t bother to respond. Instead she sent her magic into her brother’s body. Serpentes moved to block her, exerting his control over Alan until the blood flowing from the wound on his head coated the front of his clothing. But Alan fought back, holding him at bay long enough for her to unearth what she sought.
“You bastard,” she snarled. “You must have used magic to make your venom contagious. You not only want to kill Lucas, you want to destroy his entire pack.”
Alan flung his head back and cackled with glee. “Clever, clever girl. Even now Blackmane is running far ahead of his pack as he races to your aid. My venom interferes with his mind link to you, and masks your scent, but I knew he would still be able to track you. He’ll be here soon, and when he does, he’ll take you in his arms, unaware that he dooms himself and his pack.”
“What possible purpose could killing his pack achieve? Isn’t killing Lucas enough?”
“Killing Blackmane fulfills my contract, but if I succeed in wiping out his pack, I will move from assassin to kingmaker in one stroke. It is a position my ancestors held in the time before the rise of man. And it will be the position I hold in the new world order.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know if your mutated venom has driven you insane, or if you were insane from the start.” She paused to clear her throat, pushing back against the building pressure that was making speech increasing difficult. “Not that it matters…Lucas is going to kick your ass, and I’m going to be there to see that he does a thorough job.”
Benjamin, Karen - Creole Moon (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7
