Lars scrubbed a hand over his face, then started down the powdery snowfall. Something felt off. He sensed magic, but not a living soul. There had to be something going on.
He slipped and slid the rest of the way down the slope, making too much noise as he tried to grab onto anything to stop the descent.
Nothing happened. No magical traps were sprung. No one ran out with a shotgun, which he half-expected with all the commotion. And there wasn’t a damned sound.
Something was definitely wrong about this journey. And he really didn’t want another trip through the nether realm where nothing existed but the screams of the suffering.
Maybe the space between worlds was hell. Or maybe a dimension where everyone suffered. He found that too long in between realms hurt when he finally came back into his own. Perhaps the spirits of others had gotten lost there.
Lars finally stopped rolling down the hill and scurried into cover as he heard a growl rumble through the valley.
What the fuck was that? It didn’t sound like a simple beast. No natural animal in these mountains should make the ground quake. He looked past the brush and came face to face with deep red eyes, dripping fangs, and white fur.
A yeti. A giant as fuck yeti.
He summoned Thanatos in a scream and was pulled into the darkness. “You didn’t tell me there was a damned yeti.”
“I told you not to wake them,” Thanatos hissed.
“She’s the yeti?”
Thanatos laughed out loud. “No, that was her man.”
“She sleeps with a fur covered beast?”
“He can take the form of a man.”
Lars snorted. “Figures. Now what?”
“We go back when you aren’t stupid enough to wake them. Which better be soon. I’m losing patience.”
“Why there?”
“Clara should be the easiest of those left to slaughter.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Never. The others you cannot handle. And like I told you, I need you to incapacitate her, and apparently her lover.”
“Will a possession work on them?”
“You plan to call on another spirit while I’m helping you?”
“To ensure they cannot fight back, yes. I have many spirits I could call on.”
“Then why me?”
“Because with you, I gain freedom I have never been granted because I prefer the company of spirits to humans.”
Thanatos nodded. “Good, because once you take me on, you may not look like yourself.”
“Won’t matter. I’ll have the power to make my brother pay for locking me away, and the ability to deal with those who wanted to keep me prisoner.”
“I’ll take you somewhere to rest, but then we’ll try this again, when you’re better focused.”
* * * *
Chatan groaned as he pulled into his aunt’s driveway. There was another car there. Jenna’s blue Taurus. He really didn’t feel like dealing with her.
“Who’s here?” Jacinda asked, watching him closely.
“A nuisance,” he muttered.
“Jenna?” she asked.
He nodded.
Her eyes lit up. “Well, maybe she’ll finally get the idea you’ve moved on, for good. Either way, does it really matter? You’re mine, and hopefully, she’s realized how stupid she was for trusting Mason.”
He nodded. “I have to wonder what happened to that bastard. God, I hope she isn’t trying to get information, so she can get him out or anything.”
Jacinda shook her head and climbed out of the truck.
He caught up and took her arm. “Sorry. I hate dealing with her.”
“Because you wonder how you made the same mistake for so long?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Well, I can’t answer that, but you’ve learned from that mistake, so why focus on it now?”
“I don’t unless she shows up. And then I kick myself for hanging on for as long as I did.”
She nodded. “I’ll be kicking myself a long time for trying to leave. But you know what? I have you now, so I really shouldn’t worry too much about that. Right?”
Jacinda was right. He started for the door, his fingers intertwined with hers. And he told himself, Doesn’t matter what Jenna has to say. She’s in the past.
Jacinda stepped in first and Loretta lifted her off the ground in a bear hug. A laugh burst out of Jacinda. “Good to see you too.”
Taryn hugged Jacinda, then him. She whispered in Chatan’s ear, “I tried to convince Jenna you didn’t want to see her.”
“May as well hear what she has to say,” he answered.
Jacinda moved to the table and took a seat. Chatan stood where he was, his arms crossed over his chest. “Jenna.”
She sighed, glancing down a second before meeting his gaze. “I wanted to apologize. I screwed up. Me, not you. Not anyone else. I believed Mason was trying to protect people, and now he’s dying because he got himself mixed up with Josephine.”
He nodded.
Jenna turned to Jacinda. “And I really do need to apologize to you. I didn’t consider anything but what I wanted, and it could have cost your life. I was stupid, I’m sorry. You’re the one who saved Chatan. You’re the one who kept him alive when he went to finally stop Josephine. And the mages who were helping showed me what has become of Mason. And he did it to be with Josephine.”
Jacinda offered a tight smile. “I have no problem with you as long as you can admit Chatan is mine and that is never going to change.”
“He’s yours.” She turned to Chatan. “And she’s yours. I see it now. The way you two have become one. I didn’t want to believe it. If I could change the past, maybe I could have kept you.”
“Too late for that. I wish you well, Jenna. I do.”
Standing, she nodded. “And I wish you both the best.” She left, and Chatan felt lighter.
“That went better than I expected,” Chatan admitted.
“Good, because I’m hungry,” Jacinda said. She smiled at Loretta. “I honestly have not had a meal as good as yours.”
Loretta grinned. “Then I’m glad you’re here. I love to feed everyone.”
“Maybe you can teach me how to cook?”
“Anytime, Jacinda, anytime.” Loretta nodded to the table. “Eat up, it’s ready.”
They filled their plates, and Chatan took a drink of tea before he asked, “Do you think the Elders would be okay with us using the meeting house?”
“I don’t see why not,” Loretta asked. “I’m assuming it’s so you can organize a way to get rid of whatever is after Jacinda.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Dad’s coming. So is Jacinda’s grandfather. And then a lot more people. I know they don’t always trust sorcerers, but there will be a couple, at least.”
“In this situation, they won’t complain. I can ask, but the answer will be yes,” she assured.
“Anything we can do?” Taryn asked.
“At this point, not that I know of. But if we find something, I’ll let you know,” Jacinda answered.
Chatan shook his head. “If she doesn’t, I will. But she’s right. Right now, I think we have it covered.”
“Which means you two aren’t going to be ready for a get-together anytime soon, are you?” Loval asked.
Frowning, Jacinda shook her head. “Not until this is dealt with. I finally have all the pieces, and I know what needs to be done. But it will take a lot of abilities working together,” Jacinda answered.
“That’s good at least.” He leaned toward Chatan and whispered, “I’m planning something as soon as you’re available.” His eyes cut to Taryn and back.
Chatan grinned. “I can hardly wait.”
Jacinda’s brow arched. He could tell her later, though Taryn probably already knew her man was getting ready to propose. And as far as Chatan figured, it was about damned time.
Chapter 21
Jacinda couldn’t help being nervous. She was about to tell everyone what
she believed they needed to do to stop Thanatos, and it sounded crazy. It probably was crazy.
But she didn’t see another way.
She had to go through with it.
Chatan opened the truck door and turned her face to him. “What’s wrong, Jace?”
“Never needed to ask people to risk their lives for me. And that’s exactly what I’m about to do.”
“But these people want to help. And I guarantee the Magister and his lieutenant do it all the time. Brent has been involved in some crazy shit. So has my father. They’re all capable, and they work well together. Don’t worry so much about them.”
“Easier said than done.” She offered a smile. “Mostly, I’m worried about you.”
“I’m capable.” He lifted a shoulder. “And I’m finding there is a lot more I can do than I believed.”
She caught his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. “And there’s more you can do. As soon as this is over, or we have a free moment, I plan to help you explore that. There hasn’t been enough time to do as much as I’d like.”
“That’s okay. I’m looking forward to lazy days where you teach me how to use the magic that was locked away.”
“I’ll teach you to do all sorts of things.” She leaned forward to whisper against his ear, “You may have to teach me what you like.”
“Oh, Jace, you do everything I like. Now let’s get in there so we can get to lazy days faster.”
“Good plan.” She slid from the truck and slipped past him. He followed with a silly grin. So gorgeous, he made her heart flutter.
They were at the same building everyone on the reservation met at before Chatan became bait for a strigoi who wanted to steal his magic. She almost wished she were up at Pine Vale instead. At least that wasn’t tied to a moment where Chatan was about to be in danger.
Then again, they would all be in danger soon.
Brent met her gaze as she walked in. His presence was a lot more comforting than she would have expected. Family. She couldn’t see him as a grandfather. He didn’t seem all that much older from appearance, but his soul seemed old. And after he told her about past lives with Amelia, she supposed his soul was ancient.
He hopped up and moved to her. His voice was low. “You look nervous. Relax. Consider everyone here your friend.”
“Trying,” she admitted.
He nodded. “Yeah, I guess you are. Still, they all know they can walk away if they decide it’s too difficult of a task. But that won’t happen.”
Chatan’s hands closed over her shoulders. He leaned down to murmur, “You’ll do fine.”
“If I’m not completely and totally insane,” she muttered.
“You’re not,” he assured. And she knew he would follow her anywhere, regardless of how wise it was.
Shaking her head, she moved deeper into the room and looked at each one of them. Robert, Preston, Tremaine, Savon from the day before, and a man who must be her mate. She had already talked to Brent.
Matoskah came in with Arisa and Olivier.
Jacinda offered a tight smile. “Have you located your brother?”
Olivier’s shoulders rose and fell with his sigh. “Unfortunately, no.”
“I’m sorry,” she answered.
Brent spoke up, “Jacinda, Eddie ran your relatives through their system. They sent scouts to each, hoping to learn of anything suspicious, so we can act before Lars has a chance.”
She nodded. “Good, because as soon as we know where he is, we should go. He will try to use our deaths as the fuel to tear Scathane from Thanatos’ body. Here’s the problem. Every single person Thanatos kills is absorbed into Scathane’s aura, fueling his purpose, whatever that is.”
“According to Ceridwen, it’s to change this world into something closer to the world he was from,” Robert answered. “What he wants is either the Crimson Dawn or his own version. Honestly, either option is bad.”
“I’ve heard of the Crimson Dawn. My mother always told me to find the chest hidden in the attic if it ever came up.”
Matoskah nodded. “Whatever is in that chest would have led you to me or possibly Chatan. That was always the plan.”
“Why?” Jacinda asked.
“Because Chatan would have eventually told me about you. For as much as I piss him off, he still loves me.”
“Things should be better now,” Chatan said. “I finally understand.”
“You aren’t mad I hid this from you for so long?”
He shook his head. “No, I get it. Took a minute, but I get it.”
“Good, because I love you, and I want to ensure you two have a long, happy life together.”
Chatan gave Arisa a quick hug. “I’m sorry I’ve been an ass all this time. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.”
She smiled. “I completely understand. It’s why I haven’t forced you to accept me. I hoped in time you would.”
“I finally do.” He turned to Jacinda. “Explain the plan.”
“You may have to suggest more people, because this is going to get complicated,” Jacinda started. “We’ll need Brent and Savon to tear Scathane from Thanatos’ body, and we need to figure out how exactly to keep them apart. We either need to send Scathane to another realm or lock him somewhere he can’t get out. I have ideas, but I’m open to suggestions. Thanatos will likely die without Scathane, but if not, he’ll need to die. Once he loses Scathane’s power, that shouldn’t be hard. Then there’s Lars. We need to capture him, but I don’t have a good suggestion. Considering Robert and Preston deal with magical criminals all the time, I figure they can deal with him. And that’s basically it. We need to figure out details and discuss the rituals and spells.”
“We’ll need to work in groups,” Chatan said.
Chapter 22
Clara had woken with a start when some asshole came sliding down the damned mountain to her cottage in the middle of nowhere. Then the idiot called on the one thing sure to strike terror into her heart.
Luca dealt with him, but it wasn’t over. And the thing was, it should be for nearly ten long years. But nope, it wasn’t. This fool had summoned him back to the realm of man.
She dropped her head, trying to figure out what could be done. Leaving, that was all she could come up with. Going far away and waiting until he went back to slumber.
“Luca, we should go. He’ll be back. He has Thanatos’ help. Which means one of two things. He’s helping Thanatos, or Thanatos is using him to find us. Either way, we need to leave,” Clara explained as she rushed around her bedroom, gathering what she would need for a long trek.
The only way out was a hard journey on her feet.
Luca pushed his white curls off his face and huffed as he leaned against the doorframe. Even in human form he was big. Six foot nine and solid muscle. Intimidating to most. “This is our home. The one we built. With your wards and magic, and my strength, we can stop him. Let’s stop him.”
She dropped the bag and tossed up her hands. “How? Thousands of years, and no one has figured out how to stop him. How the hell am I supposed to?”
He sighed. “Don’t you have anyone you can call for backup? What about the other women in your family? Maybe if you all banded together, you could finally stop him.”
She nodded. “Yeah, sure, maybe. But he shouldn’t even be around. I just heard from a cousin before Thanatos killed her. He shouldn’t be back here, searching this soon. It always takes him nine years, nine months, and nine days before he makes it back into this world. That bastard must have called him back. We’re dealing with a sorcerer.”
“You know sorcerers who can tear the two souls apart.” Luca closed the distance and caught her face. “You have a Yeti. The one who has terrorized the people of this mountain, until they stopped hunting him. I can get rid of him if you refuse help. And no one can breach your wards. You said so yourself.”
“And what if I’m wrong?” she whispered, tears in her eyes. It had been so long since she had stopped running.
The constant movement that could have driven her crazy.
She settled in and got used to being there, with Luca, in their sanctuary. And they were so far from anyone else in her family she had hardly felt Thanatos the last three times that thing had come after her bloodline.
“Contact any of your family you can. Perhaps they have people on their side by now.”
“Why would anyone want to help one of us fight that thing? He wants our souls. He wants to torment us in the space between realms and gain in power. Thanatos had been a fool, but Scathane, he would make everyone tremble if only anyone knew what he truly was.”
“What is he?”
“The end of the world if he ever gets his way.”
“Contact someone, Clara. Anyone. Someone must be able to stop him.”
“What about your contacts?” she asked.
He sighed. “The Branches of Emrys? I doubt Ceridwen wants to see me again after I helped Myrddin lock away one of her brethren who had turned evil, causing Myrddin to be trapped in that hellish realm.”
Her head cocked. “But that was his choice, was it not?”
He nodded. “Yes, but Ceridwen was terribly angry when I came back with news of what he did. She still blames me.”
“How many years ago was that?”
“Centuries.”
“Perhaps she understands by now.”
“I don’t know. She’s never been easy to contact unless she was looking for me.”
“Who could you call then?”
He shook his head. Then a smile graced his lips. “I might have someone who could reach her and make her listen.”
“And how will you contact them?”
He sighed. “Astral Projection. It will be the fastest way to reach him, seeing how you never did believe in modern communication.” He winked. “Would you lie down with me?”
She finally relaxed and moved to the bed with him. Still not fully convinced they could take on Thanatos. Though, it had been years since any of them had tried to do anything more than run. And running only worked so long. He eventually caught up with them, and then they were dead.
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