Being Alpha

by Aileen Erin

  “Is this Angie lady the real deal or fake?” Adrian asked.

  “Fake mostly. Every once in a while she has a moment, but the people who come in here want a pat on the back or to hear that everything is going to get better.” She snorted. “But that’s not accurate. For most people, shit just sucks.”

  “You really think that?” Chris asked.

  “That’s what my experience has shown me so far.”

  “Damn. I hope things get better for you soon. We’ll owe you one, so if you need anything, you can call me.” Chris ran a hand along his beard as he looked her up and down. “But I won’t be going to you for my fortune anytime soon.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “And that’s probably for the best, but let me know if you change your mind. Things are looking up for you.” She gave him a wink. I didn’t want to read anything into it, but I was starting to wonder if there was a connection between them.

  “Are you being serious?” Chris said. “Because—”

  Samantha laughed and I looked at Dastien. Are they flirting?

  When is Chris ever not flirting?

  True. But maybe there’s chemistry here…

  I thought you thought he was going to end up with Cosette.

  No. I said I thought they’d be good together, but I have no idea what’s going on with her and—

  “Oh man. All this constant buzzing.” Samantha rubbed her forehead. “I can’t hear what you’re saying, but the psychic chatter along both mate bonds is out of control.”

  “Sorry. We’ll stop. All conversation will be out loud.” I stared down at the circle on the floor. After what Claudia had said, I was a little terrified to even be in the same room as a circle let alone sitting in one. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Chris, Dastien, Adrian, and Lucas are going to light the candles while you and Claudia sit in the center with me.”

  “Are you going to activate it?” Claudia asked.

  “Yeesssss.” Samantha drew out the word, like Claudia was being slow.

  Claudia started backing away. “No. I cannot get in another circle, and I don’t even want to think what could happen if Tessa entered one.”

  “Don’t worry,” Samantha said. “If he comes through, we split. We’ve got the car out there.”

  Was she high or just insane? “But he’ll chase us. We won’t get away,” I said.

  “This is dangerous, but from what you told me, there isn’t another option. Right?”

  I gave Claudia a look and she nodded slowly. “Right.”

  “Here’s what’s important to know. Yes, he can come through an active circle with an anchor like either of you.” She looked at me and Claudia. “But without having a host, he can’t stay in our plane for long. He doesn’t belong here.”

  This was more info than I’d had before. If we could hold him off for a while, maybe we wouldn’t have to defeat him. Maybe he’d just get sucked back to his plane. “How long can he last here?”

  She shrugged. “Hours at the most.”

  I laughed, but not because it was funny. “That’s more than enough time for him to slaughter us all.”

  “Not if we run. The farther away we are from the circle, the weaker he’ll get, until he’s forced to come back here and recharge. He probably has a radius of about a mile. Maybe two-ish because he’s so strong. And he could hang out here in the circle for a while waiting for us to come back, but a few hours later, he’ll have to go back through the portal. Otherwise, he’d be too drained to do what he really wants to do. It takes work for him to exist here. He’s got power, but it’s not endless. And he’s not going to sit here and grow weaker and weaker. He likes his power. Once we get away, he’s going back through the portal to wait for his next chance. I’ll feel him if he’s getting close, and we’ll run to the car. The driver is out there with the engine on. As long as we don’t sit around, we should make it out of here alive.”

  “Sounds like you know a lot about Astaroth,” Adrian said.

  “Not personally, no. But I know demons. Honestly, they’re pretty much all the same. He’s worse—and more powerful—than most, but…” She shrugged. “Look. You gotta trust me. You guys came all this way for my help. I wouldn’t suggest anything that would make your situation worse.”

  She was right. We’d come to her for help, and if we weren’t up to taking her advice, then we were wasting everyone’s time. I had to trust her. I’d told her the whole story and she was the expert.

  I started forward, but Dastien grabbed my hand. Are you sure about this?

  She’s right. Why would we come here if we weren’t going to trust her enough to let her try to help us?

  “Cut it out, dude,” Samantha said.

  “Sorry. It’s habit,” I answered her but didn’t look away from Dastien. I needed a second just in case this went to shit. I trusted what Samantha said, but I was scared. My heart was hammering so hard my chest felt like it was about to explode. This was either going to work or it was going to be bad. As in totally fucked up.

  He pulled me closer and I brushed a kiss along his lips. A battle waged in him. He wanted to throw me over his shoulder, run, and never look back.

  But we couldn’t. I let go of my mate and stepped into the circle. “Let’s do this.” I was proud with how steady my voice sounded.

  Samantha gave me a tight smile. “Great. Let me just get everything else ready.” She hauled her tote bag into the center of the circle and pulled out four white candles. She went around the room, giving them to the guys, before going back to the bag. “And a match.” She pulled the long stick out and handed it to Lucas. “Strike it anywhere.”

  He took it with a nod.

  Claudia looked at her mate and then leaned in to him. There was a bit of silence as they talked through their bond and then he gave her a big kiss. I looked away, giving them a bit of privacy.

  You’re scared. Dastien said.

  Nervous, but that’s normal. I mean, I can’t be any worse off than I already am. Right? So, nothing to lose. I just hoped I was right. Claudia’s nerves were making mine worse. A lot worse.

  “You guys!” Samantha said. “Again with the silent talking?”

  “Sorry. It’s a habit. I’ll try to remember.” I rubbed my sweaty hands on my jeans. “What’s next?”

  Samantha was digging a few more small items out of her bag. She placed a small cast iron bowl next to her and then started emptying little zippies of dried plants in it. “As soon as Claudia gets in here, the guys will light the candles. I’m going to burn some herbs—mostly sage, but a few other things, too—just to try and keep things at least neutral, and I have some crystals somewhere in here…” The contents of the bag clanked as she dug around. “Why is it always—Oh. Here we go.” She held a crystal out to me. “Celestite for purifying.” She showed me a light blue crystal that looked clear as glass. “Amethyst spirit quartz. Really good for detoxifying the spirit, which you need. Like whoa.” The last one was a light pinkish-purple chunk made up of a cluster of tiny little crystals.

  She dropped all of them into my hand, and I stared down at them.

  They felt warm, but I didn’t know anything about crystals. If they worked, I was going to have to look into them.

  “And finally, one last one. I just picked this one up downstairs.” Samantha pulled it out of her pocket. “A Herkimer diamond.” My eyes grew wide and she laughed. “Not that kind of diamond. It’s a type of quartz. It’s especially good with someone like you—who needs more of a psychic cleansing.”

  “Good call.” I took the last one from her. “I could’ve used something like this for a while.”

  She turned to Claudia. “And for you, a celestite, amethyst spirit, and moonstone. The moonstone should calm you a bit. You’ve had a lot on your plate for a while now, so…” She dropped them into Claudia’s hands as she stepped into the circle. I thought that something would happen when she crossed the line painted on the floor, but nothing happened.

  Everyone was
quiet for a second and I caught Adrian shrugging at Chris. I guessed I wasn’t alone in thinking that just by us standing in the circle together, Astaroth would come. But the circle wasn’t active yet. So, there was still plenty of time for everything to go to wrong.

  “What’s first?” Samantha snapped her fingers. “Right. Gotta clear those crystals or they won’t do you any good.” She squatted back down and grabbed out a match, scratching along the floor, sparking into flame. Then she grabbed out two bunches of sage and lit them.

  “You have to do the crystal clearing yourself,” she said as she held out the bunches for us.

  “Anything in particular I should say?” I asked. I’d gotten much better at magic-y stuff, but I’d never done anything with crystals before. This was too important to mess up.

  “Whatever you’re feeling. I agree with the witches on that front. The words don’t matter, but you have to cleanse the crystals or else they’ll have the energy of everyone who touched them before you. Which I’m sure you appreciate the implications of, Tessa.”

  “For sure.” I took the burning sage from her and sat. The scent of the sage overpowered everything in the room, but I didn’t mind it. Especially since it was going to help me.

  “You just want to make sure what you’re saying and feeling is that the crystals are clear of whatever came before and only hold good intentions for you,” Samantha said.

  Claudia blew out the flame on the sage and started her chant. “Cleanse these crystals, remove the past. I’ve found my happiness at long last. Fill this space with joy and love. Send blessings from above.”

  Samantha shrugged. “Or you could say that?”

  I laughed and blew out the sage. “Only good vibes here. Only good vibes here. Only good vibes here.” I glanced up at Samantha.

  “Not as poetic, but it’ll do.” She sat next to me and patted the floor on the other side. “Come on, Claudia. It’ll be fine. You’re going to be easier. The tie he has to you looks more distant or maybe superficial? So, you first. And hopefully since you’re linked to your brother, I can try to tweak him.”

  Claudia gave one last look toward Lucas and then sat. “What should I do?”

  “Nothing. Just sit there. Guys? Light the candles.”

  Dastien sat directly in front of me outside of the circle. I wanted to reach out and hold his hand but knew I shouldn’t.

  Samantha lit another match and dropped it in the cast iron bowl. “If you’re done, I’ll take the sage.” Claudia and I both handed her our bunches, and she added them to the burning bowl. “No such thing as overkill. Right?”

  “I’m with you,” Chris said. “Let’s not pussyfoot around. I think I can speak for both Adrian and me that we’re done with demons. We’ve been fighting them nonstop for weeks and we want this over with.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Samantha said. “But you’re mixed in some seriously bad stuff.”

  “We know.” Lucas rubbed the match between his fingers. Light flared as he pressed the flame to the candle and then passed it to Adrian. “Please tell us if you want us to do anything else.”

  Samantha shook her head. “You’re here for moral support. But not so much yammering along your bond, please. It’s distracting and painful.”

  “Understood,” Lucas said.

  “Okay, cousin. You first,” Samantha said.

  “What do I do?” Claudia was clasping the crystals so tight that her hands were turning white.

  “Nothing. It’ll either work or it won’t.” She got up on her knees and faced Claudia. “This might hurt. You’ve got a lot of ties and I gotta make sure I’m grabbing the right one.” She held her hands in front of Claudia and started picking and poking at invisible things.

  Lucas growled and Samantha straightened as she pulled away. “Whoops. Sorry.”

  I sent Dastien a look. I didn’t want to use our bond and distract her, but he gave me a nod. This was going to be okay. It had to be.

  I knew I was getting my hopes up, but I couldn’t help it. We needed this to work in a big way.

  Samantha grunted as she swirled her hand in the air, and Claudia gasped. When I focused, I could see the bonds between the werewolves. Dastien had thought that unusual, but it seemed like Samantha could see exactly what I could. Claudia didn’t have as many ties to her. She was only loosely attached to the Peruvian pack because of her tie to Lucas. But I could see the thick, bright line that tied Claudia to her mate.

  Samantha pulled on it and Lucas growled again. “Sorry. The tie ends somewhere behind it. I’m having trouble…” A bead of sweat rolled down Samantha’s brow. “Hang on.” Claudia gasped, and for a second, I thought Samantha’s hand disappeared into Claudia’s chest.

  I blinked, trying to figure out where Samantha’s hand had gone, but in that split second, Claudia gasped again. This time she fell flat on her back.

  She laid there, heaving in giant gulps of air. I didn’t want to mess with anything, but my cousin was thoroughly freaking me out. “Are you okay?”

  Claudia started laughing.

  “Dude. Are you okay?” Chris asked. He was on his knees, ready to jump into the circle.

  “Everything is fine.” Claudia jumped at Samantha, hugging her tightly. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

  “No problem.” She pulled away and gave Claudia an awkward pat on the back. “Raphael should come see me. He’s too far away for me to do much for him. Your twin link is weaker these days.”

  Claudia nodded. “I’ll have him come as soon as he can. Thank you. I really… I’m so sorry for everything that happened, and I appreciate you helping me more than I can say.”

  “My pleasure. Glad it worked.”

  I looked between them. “It really worked?”

  Samantha wiped the sweat off of her forehead, and then started digging in her bag again. “Yup. She’s good to go.” She pulled out a big water bottle and started chugging.

  “How? I saw you pulling at her mate bond, but I couldn’t see anything else.”

  She set the bottle down for a second. “I’d say magic, but that’s not accurate. Remember what I said before? That because of who and what I am, I can see both our plane and the spiritual.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Comes in handy. If a ghost is being a jerk, I can kick it to the next plane. Physically. But stuff gets a little overwhelming at times. I see everything that exists on top of each other all the time. Looking at Werewolves is mega annoying. You have all your pack ties and mate bonds and links to this Were and that Were. Claudia’s a little easier. She’s just a witch, even if she’s tied to Lucas. Still took me a second to find the tie to Astaroth. It was hiding under her magic. Just think of it like a little tiny string that was wrapped around her soul. I ripped it off of her. Sucker was strong, but no big deal.”

  She made it sound like no big deal, but the way she was sweating and drinking water, it wasn’t exactly easy.

  “So, you ready for me to do the same?” Samantha asked.

  “Yes.” If it’d worked for Claudia, then I was all about it. Samantha was going to be my savior and I’d owe her big time. I had a good feeling about this. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Samantha waved a hand in front of me and then jerked back. “Shit. This is really bad. I can barely see straight. Too many ties. Umm…” She turned to Claudia. “You should leave the circle. I don’t want to be distracted.”

  “Can I come in?” Dastien asked. His anxiety beat down hard on me.

  “No. You’ll distract me worse than Claudia. Your bond to Tessa is a little overwhelming. If anything I’d have you leave the building, but I doubt you’d go,” she mumbled the last.

  I wanted to scream for him not to leave me, but I didn’t need to. “Never.” My mate’s voice was firm, with a hint of wolf.

  “I figured.” She narrowed her gaze at Dastien. “I see your wolf coming closer. Don’t go furry on me. Freaks me out.”

  I laughed. “And messing with the other realm doesn’t?” B
ecause I was more than a little freaked out by it.

  She shrugged. “It all depends on what’s normal to you. For me, this is normal.”

  I couldn’t imagine seeing what she did every day. At least when my visions had been at their worst, I was able to put on gloves and it was all good for the most part. From what I could tell, Samantha never got that kind of a break from her abilities.

  She waved her hands in the air and a searing pain went through my mate bond, like someone was trying to rip it apart. “Not that one.” My voice was sharp, but it didn’t seem to phase Samantha at all.

  “Calm down. Just moving it out of the way.” Her gaze seemed to look through me as she tilted her head. “It’s like Astaroth hooked into your soul. I’m having trouble separating it out. The tie to Claudia was superficial—like I said before, it was just looped around her—but you? It’s in and out and all over the place. I don’t know that I can get the tie out. Not without doing some serious damage.”

  No. No. Just no. “I don’t care about the damage. You have to try.” I sounded desperate, which was completely accurate.

  She blinked and it was like her vision cleared. “This could be bad. Like so bad it might be dumb to try. I don’t want to damage your soul or mess with all those bonds. And even if I can get a little strand and start pulling this thread out of you, Astaroth will notice. He could be here before I finish. I… You sure you want me to try?”

  My stomach sank. I didn’t come this far to give up. “There’s a chance that you can do it?”

  “Maybe.”

  What do you think? I asked Dastien.

  I don’t know.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Fuck. This was dumb, but my desperation and hope that she could somehow fix this was stronger than my fear. “Just try. Please.”

  She let out a slow breath. “Okay. Maybe lie down?”

  That was easy enough. Whatever she needed, I was going to make it happen. She leaned over me, both hands resting just above my stomach, and closed her eyes.

  She swirled her hands, fingers gesturing above my body. Then she stood up and yanked her hands upward, and I gasped. My whole body tingled, like everything had instantly gone to sleep.