by Aileen Erin
“It did. I started organizing this meeting three weeks ago and had it set for next week. But with Muraco’s death, we moved it up. Flights are getting in this morning. Meeting’s at three.”
Dastien glanced at me and I gave him a nod. Yeah. Of course. There was no question that we’d be going.
“We’ll be there.”
“Good. I’m heading to breakfast. Hopefully I’ll see you there.”
“Possibly.”
Possibly? Was he kidding? We’re totally getting food. I’m starving.
I know. I can hear your stomach from here.
“Good,” Mr. Dawson said.
The line went dead and Dastien set down his cell.
“How much do you think they know?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the bed.
“I don’t know, but I agree with you. It’s really well timed. They have to know that the Seven is broken, but they might not be aware of what that means.”
“Telling them is going to be fun.” My tone dripped with sarcasm. I’d been in a room with the Alphas once before, and to say that it’d been intense was a gross understatement.
“I’ll be there with you.” He reached for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Is the pity party over yet?”
“Yes.” I hoped that was true, but Eli’s parting words had left me terrified.
“You shut down on me last night, and I didn’t like it at all.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I just needed a second to catch my breath.
“I know. I was there, listening in on your thoughts. What Eli said really did a number on you.”
It really did. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about what he said, and how this whole thing with the demon seemed so hopeless and…” What cost would I pay to save everyone? I didn’t even want to say it through our bonds. I didn’t want to think about it at all, but I had to. What was I going to—
“Don’t,” Dastien said. “Don’t go there. Not yet. We just got home. We haven’t even started to fight Astaroth. And I’m not about to blindly believe Eli. You shouldn’t either.”
I knew that. I really did, but the fear was still there, hovering over me and I couldn’t shake free of it. “I just keep thinking what if—”
“You can’t live your life by what if’s. Only what is.”
I fell back against the bed. “You sound like my brother.”
“I like Axel. Smart guy.”
It was good that Dastien and my brother got along. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if they didn’t because Axel wasn’t just my brother. For the longest time, he’d been my best and only friend.
He scooted closer to me. “Just don’t shut me out again. It wasn’t cool.”
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t do it on purpose.” My stomach rumbled again, and I pressed a fist into it. “I hate to say it, but—”
“We have to get up and get you some food.”
“Yes, please. Are we okay?”
“Yes.” He brushed a kiss against my lips. “We’re okay. Just don’t do it again, please. It was miserable.”
“Okay.”
He slid off the bed. “Let’s get going. I bet the chef will even make you some Benedict.”
If the grumbling stomach wasn’t enough, my mouth started watering at the thought of eggs Benedict. Or biscuits and gravy. I could eat the shit out of that. Or even—
A stomach rumbled and it wasn’t mine. “All your thoughts about food are making me hungry,” Dastien said. “And I ate dinner.”
“I didn’t?” I distinctly remembered sitting at the dinner table in the cafeteria with him and Chris. With food. I couldn’t say what kind, but there had to have been food.
“Yes. There was food. Pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. Fried okra. Biscuits. You didn’t take more than a few bites. Chris and I kept trying to get you to eat more, but you mostly just moved the food around on your plate.”
Huh. That was weird, but given my state of mind, not at all surprising.
I was wearing one of Dastien’s T-shirts and a pair of his boxers, which meant I was going to have to find something else to wear if we were going to the cafeteria. I slid off of the bed to dig through the mess I’d made of our suitcases, looking for a pair of yoga pants. We hadn’t had time to unpack and I’d pretty much taken all of my clothes with me on our honeymoon.
I finally found a pair of pants that didn’t smell and grabbed one of the screen-printed T-shirts I’d made myself. “I’ll be ready in five,” I said to Dastien, but he hadn’t gotten up yet. “What are you waiting for?”
“Nothing. I just like watching you rush around.”
“What?” Why?
He shrugged. “If you don’t get it, I don’t think I can explain it to you.” As he got up from the bed and started digging through his drawers, I totally started ogling his muscles. He grabbed a shirt, his arm flexing, and suddenly I didn’t care so much about getting food.
He looked over his shoulder at me and winked.
Oh, come on. He was messing with me? “Point made.” I’d showered before bed, which meant my hair was knotted and looking crazy, but I could skip that whole rigamarole for now. I’d have to come back and get presentable before the meeting but I had hours to do that. I pulled on the yoga pants, ditched the shirt for a bra and my Rabbit in the Moon shirt, and was ready to roll.
I twisted my hair into a double knot. It was long enough to stay, even without a rubber band or clip. Now, if only I could find my cell phone.
I circled, trying to spot it, but finally gave up. “Can you call my phone? I…”
Dastien had a curious look on his face. “Is that some sort of tribal alien on your shirt?”
I glanced down, and laughed. I guessed that’s what it looked like, but it was actually a logo of an EDM group I loved. “It’s actually a rabbit.”
“A rabbit?”
I put my hands on my hips. “You don’t know.”
He grinned. “No. But I love that you’re going to tell me about it.”
“Good. Because that’s totally what I’m going to do.” He threw something at me and I caught it. My cellphone. A few months ago, this would’ve been met with great celebration and more than a few pats on my back, but my reflexes had gotten so good, it was almost like cheating. “Thank you. Rabbit in the Moon is a DJ and live performance group. Axel found them when he was searching for info on Chinese folklore about a rabbit who lived on the moon and shared it with me. They don’t perform very much anymore, but I really dig Floori.d.a.” I grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the cabin. “We’ll listen to it during our run.”
“Can’t wait.”
I paused. “Did you really not know about Rabbit in the Moon or are you just trying to cheer me up by making me focus on something that’s not about demons sucking my soul to hell?”
He laughed. “You don’t have to ask. If you want to know, you have a very easy way to find out.”
I rolled my eyes and took a peek in his head. I didn’t have to search hard. He was pretty much thinking the answer at me without sending the words. You didn’t know! This was a first. Even though we had the same taste musically, his knowledge was way more extensive than mine. But you were trying to distract me.
Anything to get you to respond. I didn’t like how you checked out last night. It was like you weren’t even there. I’m trying to keep the mood light this morning, he said as we walked out of the cabin. That guy really messed with you.
I didn’t mean to check out that much. I just needed to process.
But you forget that you’ve got me. We’re a team. Astaroth doesn’t know who he’s chosen to mess with.
I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him down to my face. Thank you. I pressed my lips against his and for a second, truly lost myself in the heat of his kiss.
By the time we stopped kissing, I was out of breath. I pressed my head against his chest and he rubbed my back.
You have a lot of friends. Don’t count us out before the fig
ht’s even started.
I nodded. You’re right. I just have to get Claudia and Lucas here.
They’re probably already coming.
I hoped so, because Claudia hadn’t even returned one of my million phone calls.
As we walked, I started doing a basic search on Astaroth on my phone, trying to confirm everything Eli had said. Not that the internet would be totally accurate, but getting started made me feel a little less anxious.
The first page of the sites all said the same thing. Great Duke of Hell. Evil Trinity. Forty legions. But nothing more about who he was or more importantly—how to get rid of him. Permanently.
A search on demon ties plus Astaroth got me a ton of information about how to summon a demon, but I wanted to do whatever the opposite was of summoning Astaroth. Banish him? Kill him? I didn’t care. I just wanted him gone. “Do you think people actually try this garbage?” Messing around with demons was mega stupid.
“I’m sure they do.”
People were dumb. “This is getting me nowhere.”
“We’ll grab food and then hit the library. I’m sure there’s more in there about Astaroth than you can find on the web.”
“I hope so.” What I really needed was to talk to my cousin.
As we walked through the doors of the cafeteria, I pressed Claudia’s contact info. The buzzing ring was endless. Until finally, the buzzing stopped.
I prepared to hear her voicemail message again, but it never started.
“Hello?” Claudia’s voice came through the line, but it echoed.
I looked up, and nearly jumped out of my skin. “Holy shit.” Claudia was standing there in the flesh. Right in front of me. Her long hair was braided as usual. Her typical peasant shirt was hidden by a fleece hoodie and her flip-flops were gone. Were those hiking boots?
She was really here. My phone slipped through my fingers, clattering to the floor as I jumped at her, attacking her with a hug. “I thought that—”
“I’m okay.”
It took a second for her words to sink in, and then I let go of the worry that had been a rotting pit in my stomach. I closed my eyes and breathed in her scent. She’d been burning sage recently, but I could smell at least seven other herbs—probably from whatever spell she’d been working on—covering up the smell that made her Claudia. “I was worried sick.”
“I’m sorry. We have a lot to talk about. Like—”
“Like why you didn’t answer any of my phone calls?” I stepped back from her.
She winced. “That’s not so supernatural of a problem. It took me a while to recover from my spellwork the night you were attacked, and when I did—I noticed there’d been a bit of an electrical fire and my charger was trashed. We were already going to be heading to St. Ailbe’s in the morning, so I figured I’d just see you when I got here. I picked up a spare charger at the airport, and only just now turned on my phone. I never thought you’d be so worried about me.”
Was she joking? “Why wouldn’t I worry about you?”
Her cheeks turned a bright red. “I don’t know.”
Her mate came up behind her, pulling her into him. “We’re working on her confidence.” His black fleece hoodie almost matched hers as did his hiking boots.
I tried to hide the smile that was threatening to break free. They were too cute all dressing alike. “I’m going to grab some food. You sit. We have to talk.”
“I agree. There are some things I think you need to know before you head into that meeting,” Claudia said.
I turned toward the food, but stopped as Claudia’s words sank in. “What—”
“Get food and we’ll talk.”
Claudia and Lucas wove through the empty tables to sit with Chris and Adrian. Do you think she knows more about what Eli said? About the Seven being in shambles and how Astaroth was going to use that? I asked Dastien.
I have no idea what she wants to tell you. He grabbed my hand, half dragging me toward the food. But I wouldn’t doubt your cousin. She’s reliable, and if she says you’ll need the food to keep your wolf in check, then you need to eat. You already admitted that you’re starving.
He was right, but there was so much on the line. I didn’t like waiting, even if it was just to load up a tray.
The chef already had out biscuits and sausage gravy, like he’d read my mind. I hefted more than I thought I could possibly eat—which was a lot—on my plates. Then I grabbed another plate and loaded up some hash browns. For some reason, being back at St. Ailbe’s reminded me of my first meal here. More specifically—my first run-in with Imogene.
I still can’t believe you dated her. I sent through the bond as I dumped a pile of perfectly cooked scrambled eggs on my plate.
Let’s just call Imogene a moment of weakness, he answered back without missing a beat.
I snorted. Shut it. You thought she was hot and she wanted you.
He shrugged. It was easy. Convenient. But she was already too much drama and I’d broken up with her before I met you.
I grabbed a bowl of fruit. How long before?
He was quiet so long that I looked up at him. He had sense enough to blush with shame. It doesn’t really matter, does it?
You’re trying to distract me again, and it’s totally working.
It’s easier now that I’m in your head.
“That’s cheating!” I screamed aloud before I could stop myself. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to say that aloud.” Good thing the cafeteria was mostly empty except for our friends, otherwise, that would’ve been embarrassing.
As I picked up my tray and headed toward the tables, I realized that whatever Claudia said, I could handle. I had Dastien. Sitting at the table with Claudia, Lucas, and Raphael were Chris and Adrian. I wasn’t alone. Adding in my parents, my brother, Tía Rosa, Meredith, and Donovan, then I really had nothing to worry about it. We’d fought a whole chapel full of demons, plus one powerful demon-possessed witch. Astaroth might be more powerful, but we would figure it out together.
Was some super scary demon after me? Yes.
Was the supernatural world coming apart? Also, yes.
Had Eli told me I was going to have to sacrifice something in order to get his help to stop the apocalypse? Again, yes.
But at least I had friends to help figure out how to fix this whole shitshow that my life had turned into.
Christ. Who was I kidding? This was a freaking disaster.
Go back to the part about the friends. I liked that part, Dastien said.
And with that I started laughing. Even my mind wasn’t my own anymore, but I didn’t really mind that part.
Would seeing my abs again help? He grinned, and his dimples deepened.
And then he winked.
It was too much. I laughed harder. You know, it might. Let’s see them.
Oh, I’m not actually undressing here. I was just curious.
Is everyone a tease today?
Nah. Just me and Claudia.
As the laughter faded, I was left feeling a little lighter. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but laughing through the crazy was as good a plan as any.
Eight
Claudia waited while I ate my mountain of food. She insisted that I eat first, and then talk, but the suspense was killing me. Instead, Chris and Adrian peppered her with questions about the pack in Peru while I shoveled everything in as fast as I could. Raphael stayed quiet through the whole barrage, instead he tapped his fingers on the table as he stared into space.
He seem off to you? I asked Dastien.
I don’t know him well enough, but he seems really uncomfortable.
Hmm. I settled in to hear about the pack in Peru. Everyone was curious about them, and Claudia seemed okay to share. Even if Lucas shot her a couple of looks. From what I could tell, he liked to keep an air of mystery around his pack, which I got. Privacy was a thing.
When I couldn’t eat another bite and there was no chance of the wolf breaking free, I put my tray on the table behind ours
. I couldn’t sit here and have an important conversation with half-eaten plates of food in front of me. “So, what’s going on?”
Claudia cleared her throat before starting. “After our talk, I did some research and tried out a few spells. It took me all afternoon to find the right one, but once I did…let’s just say that it had some unintended results.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”
“I called a minion of a demon named Astaroth into my circle.”
“You did what?” Fur rippled along my skin, and I fought to calm it down. “Why would you do that? Why would you mess with—”
“I didn’t mean to, but it came. And I think the reason it showed up has to do with what happened with Muraco.”
At least we were on the same page. “Astaroth killed Muraco.” She looked around the room, but besides a few Cazadores on the other side of the room, it was empty. There was no reason for her to stay quiet.
“What’s really going on?” I asked.
Claudia glanced at Raphael and they shared a look. The twins were usually on the same page, finishing each other’s sentences, but not today. Claudia had a pained look on her face, and Raphael seemed to be getting angrier by the second. For the first time, I really took in Raphael. His hair was a little grown out and standing on end, and dark circles hung under his eyes. He looked terrible.
After a moment, she shook her head and focused back on me. “I had to be sure that I was right. So, after we talked, I did some digging. Muraco was drained of power, just like you were. I know I said it felt familiar but I wasn’t sure what that could mean…” She sighed. “It was just too familiar to the spell that drained you of your magic. Same set up. Same demon. Deadlier spell, though. Which was good that Luciana didn’t use that spell on you, but why the change? Why now? I had too many questions, so—”
“It was my fault Muraco died,” Raphael said.
I spun to him. Raphael’s face was red and he kept staring off at nothing.
“How could it be your fault?” It didn’t make sense to me. “You don’t do magic.”
“No,” he said, finally looking at me, eyes swimming with guilt. “I don’t. I leave that to my sister, but ever since I was bitten by the zombie version of Daniel, I just…” He rubbed his arm where the bite had been. A puckered red scar marked the spot. “I felt a weight on me. I know I was cured. I know it logically, because I’m alive and talking to you. But something wasn’t right. I was…” He trailed off and pain flickered across his face.
