by Holly Evans
Kadrix eyed me suspiciously. "Thank you, Evelyn."
I shook my head. He was a peculiar thing. I stretched and yawned; I felt like I could sleep for a few weeks.
"We're heading to bed." I hugged Quin. “You did amazing things today, I'm proud of you." He grinned. "And you, Kadrix, thank you for your help today."
The elf preened.
We were halfway across the living room when Kadrix said, "Will I need normal earplugs or magically enhanced earplugs?"
I ignored him. Quin laughed. Everything felt right again. It all slipped into place.
Forty-Eight
I covered my head in the two pillows and groaned. It was so wrong hearing my twin, or possibly Kadrix, I didn't care. I shouldn't have been subject to those noises.
Lysander wrapped himself around me, his hand slid over my hip. “We could always block out the noise."
I pulled the pillows tighter around my head, that felt so wrong, competing with my brother. I kissed Lysander tenderly.
"Sorry, but that's killing my mood. It's wrong, it's just so very wrong."
He laughed softly. "We often had an audience, such things do not concern me."
I wrinkled my nose. "You can add that to the list of things that won't be happening now you're mine."
A grin spread across his face and he pulled me into his arms. I kept the pillows over my head as I cuddled up to him and tried to block out the noises.
We went for a run at sunrise; I couldn't bear it any longer.
It felt good to run for the sake of running, to feel my muscles stretching and my heart-rate slowly increasing. The crisp cool air was refreshing and brought a smile to my face. The city changed around us from traditional houses to sleek modern businesses and into more compact housing with narrower streets. The bright pastel colours added a little extra personality to the intricate mouldings and complex artwork that adorned some of the walls. There was no place like home.
We eased to a steady walk and passed by a small park affair, a collection of benches around some trees set in a concrete square between two narrow roads. A man stood as we approached, dressed in a black wool coat, black slacks, and a white shirt. He looked out of place. Lysander snarled and I realised who, or perhaps more importantly, what, he was.
"Evelyn, you look stunning as always. That faint blush suits you, it brings out your eyes beautifully. That shirt clings rather delightfully, too."
Lysander snarled at Tiel; the celestial grinned and said, "Down boy."
I put my hand on Lysander's thigh, telling him to behave himself and stay behind me.
Tiel's grin widened. "Do remember my offer Evelyn, when you're ready for a real male."
"Why are you bothering us, Tiel?" I said in a bored tone while stopping and crossing my arms.
"Unfortunately my superiors are unhappy, once again. The witch still hasn't been dealt with. The city remains unbalanced."
I shrugged. "Not my problem."
His eyes flashed an icy blue for a brief second.
"It will impact you and your friends,” he growled.
I pursed my lips. "I see they stuck a rod up your ass; shame, you were almost fun."
He smirked and stood up a little straighter. "I'll keep my comments to myself, you are supposed to be a lady, after all."
I smiled sweetly. "Run along, I'm sure your superiors have more errands for you to attend to."
He shook his head. “We could have had so much fun."
With that, he did his vanishing act.
Lysander snarled and muttered under his breath. We continued our walk home. We needed to deal with the witch; whether I liked it or not, the celestials were right. She was clearly causing trouble in the city, but we had no leads. I didn't know who or what I was supposed to turn to. The witches we'd captured had all committed suicide; the Sidhe knew nothing of use. The celestials were worthless. I sighed. Lysander wrapped his arm around my waist and directed me to a quaint little café.
"Why don't we get breakfast here, Evelyn? I'm not quite ready to hear Quin and Kadrix again."
I laughed despite myself. I was happy he was happy, but it was just too weird.
Breakfast was pleasant; I texted Elise to come and join us. We giggled over the poor night's sleep we'd had and grumbled over Tiel having the nerve to show up. It felt good to shrug off the chaos and mayhem that had happened the previous day. The demon was gone, the threat was removed. We could finally return to the quiet life we'd had before, with nothing more than irritating redcaps and the odd lycan pushing their luck.
Quin texted when we were on our third pot of coffee, saying that we had the all clear to return home. I felt a little guilty, but pushed it aside; I was sure he'd understand and that he would have done the same had the roles been reversed. Elise returned to her church, saying she had things to do for her lady, and we headed back to our new home. I smiled and leaned against Lysander as he had his arm around me; it was our home. Things were finally falling into place.
Forty-Nine
Kadrix was preening and sauntering around the flat in just his boxers when we returned. I wanted to knock the smug smirk off his face, but the contented looked on Quin's stopped me. Fortunately, the elf made some excuse about needing to get work done before long, and I could relax. Quin stretched out on the sofa and peered at his phone.
"Evie, Azfin's pissed about something and wants to talk. Would you mind meeting him? I'm exhausted from the magic-work yesterday."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're blaming the magic for your exhaustion?"
He gave me a roguish grin and left it that.
"Fine, where am I meeting him?"
"That new underground bar that opened last week, over in Holešovice.”
I curled my lip. "I'll take extra blades then; do you have some of that magic dispersal powder?"
He gave me the address and the powder. If the little shit wanted to try something, then I was going to be prepared. I made sure Lysander had a couple of knives, too. He was good with his claws and teeth, but I wanted to be sure.
"I'm sure it's just a whiny nymph or something, Evie, you worry too much,” Quin called as I placed the final dagger in its sheath.
"I'd rather be paranoid and safe, thanks,” I called back.
The address was on the outskirts of Holešovice, near the industrial estates. The Sidhe had been good to us as of late, which was suspicious in and of itself. I remained tense on the tram ride out there and looked around for any signs of anything suspicious as we stepped off onto the concrete platform. A trendy little café sat opposite us, with a bank next to it. The neighbourhood was gentrifying; it was currently in the trendy artistic stage of progress.
We walked away from the main road down into the denser more industrial area; we went a block before we saw Azfin casually leaning against a wall. I pulled my leather jacket closer around me. Without a word said, they led us through the pitch black door down the narrow steps into the club. Magical orbs hung around the edge of the room producing just enough light to stop us from bumping into anything, and nothing more. Azfin and Haeyl took a seat at a small table in the middle of the seating area. We remained standing, and tense. I kept an eye out for any movement or unusual sounds, but none came.
"Something is wrong in the city," Azfin said.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"The energies have been unbalanced and upset for some time, but they've been shattered and re-attached as of late. The disruptions are growing, and we're quite sure we saw another of those abominations, as you called them."
I remembered the broken, haunted looking men who had died with animal paws clawing their way out of their chests. A chill formed at the back of my neck.
"The celestials talked about an old witch, did they not?" Azfin asked.
I nodded.
"We have looked into the energy disruptions and spoken to our people. There was a very old, very powerful witch in Iceland not long ago. It is believed that she moved here just before something began t
ampering with the energy network."
I didn't like the sound of that. Normal witches were difficult enough. I remembered the terror on Serena's face; the witch that had driven her coven out of the city must have been incredibly powerful.
"We need to remove this witch before she does too much damage."
Azfin's cold gaze settled on me. I held up my hands. “I take down lycans and redcaps. I am not in a position to kill a very powerful old witch. I've had enough trouble with normal witches, thank you."
The Sidhe's mouth tightened. "I don't think you understand what's at stake here, Evelyn."
"Clearly not,” I said.
He stood slowly; Haeyl followed suit. Their eyes never left mine. My hands went down to my celestial blades. Lysander tensed behind me.
"We have not felt a witch of this power in a very long time. Witches aren't normally a concern, they leave the energy networks alone and cause very little trouble. This one appears to be trying to play at being a goddess. If she continues, then there will be far more than a few abominations to concern yourself with. There is a risk of her harming the veil between the planes, or more."
"Now you're just being melodramatic,” I said
He bared his pointed teeth at me, but remained still. "Do not ignore this warning, Evelyn. She has a large coven with many connections. The abominations are only the beginning. She has already demonstrated she'll work with demons. There are rumours of her trying to become a goddess. Do you know how many lives would be taken should that happen? Is that a risk you're willing to take?"
I gritted my teeth. "And what I am supposed to do about a witch that powerful?"
His mouth twisted into a smile. "First we will find her, then you will help us. You're more than you realise, Evelyn Hawke."
I curled my lip. "I'm growing tired of people saying that."
He moved a little closer to me; my hands tightened around the hilt of my blades.
“Are you sure you’re completely human, Evelyn?” he whispered.
I restrained the urge to draw my blades and put an end to his pushing. No good would come of it. He laughed at me.
"We're done here. We'll be in contact when we have further information."
He had the nerve to dismiss us with a wave of his hand. I glared at him but turned and returned to the tram stop.
I cursed out a few gods, careful not to include the moon goddess. Why had they allowed such a witch to become possible? I thought their crone was supposed to keep them in line. I paced up and down the concrete strip while we waited for the tram to arrive. What did the Sidhe think I could do against such a foe? Yes, I had killed Serena, but they were saying this Icelandic witch made her look like a child. Lysander pulled me into his arms and rested his chin on top of my head.
"You are not doing this alone, Evelyn. Do not forget that."
Fifty
"What am I supposed to do about a fucking super-witch from Iceland?" I said, throwing my hands in the air.
Elise sighed softly. "I don't know Evie, I really don't. My lady has nothing to say on the topic."
Lysander said, "You could work on controlling your fire, there isn't much that can stand up to hellfire."
I took a deep breath and pushed aside the sarcastic comment; he meant well.
"That's a good idea, Lys; it'll give you something to focus on, Evie. Perhaps you'll develop other skills from there, like Quin has."
"Do you know why that is?" I asked Elise.
She gave a non-committal noise with a little shrug. I pursed my lips and stared at her.
"Tea?" she asked with a little smile.
I didn't appreciate people hiding things from me. Taking a deep breath, I focused the frustration down into a small ball and tried to push it through to the palm of my hand. The increasingly familiar flickering heat formed down my arm, but the flame that formed in my palm would have ashamed a match.
"It takes time Evelyn. You expect too much too quickly."
He ran his fingers down the side of my face. I kissed his fingertips and relaxed. Fretting and stressing wasn't going to resolve the problems. A knock came at the door.
Elise poked her head around the doorway. "Lys, can you get that?"
He bowed his head a little in acknowledgement and strode out to the main door. Gruff deep voices came from the doorway; heavy footsteps came behind Lysander's lighter ones. I twisted to see who it was. Felix's second-in-command, or beta, whatever they called them, was standing with a scrawny, weedy male behind him. Lysander didn't look amused. He sat down next to me, his hackles raised.
The second smiled and held my eye-contact. "Evelyn, I bring a gift from our pack. We are pleased to finally be on such good terms with you and your brother. We would like to maintain these terms, and as such, give you this cub."
He pushed the scrawny teenager forward. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Had they just given me a teenager? A lycan cub? What did I do with that?
I held back the groan and smiled. "Thank you, that's very kind."
He grinned. "He is yours to train; we hope that he will make you proud."
With that he lowered his head but kept his eyes locked on mine before he left. Elise came out with a tray full of teacups.
She placed the tray on the coffee table and looked the new presence in the room. He kept his eyes low. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, and his dark blond hair fell in his eyes.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Elise said sweetly.
I looked between her and him. "I have no idea what the fuck just happened."
She laughed. Lysander refused to take his eyes off the cub.
"I think Felix and his pack just gave me... that." I gestured at the cub.
Elise pursed her lips. "He's not a ‘that’, Evie, don't be cruel."
"What am I supposed to do with him?"
He shuffled his feet a little. Elise sat down opposite me and waited with her patient smile, her eyes dancing with merriment. I felt like I'd been set up.
I turned to the cub. "What do I call you? What am I supposed to do with you?"
He raised his head to look at me with hazel eyes; his hair fell away a little and settled. It looked as though it wanted to curl but couldn't quite commit.
"I'm Raif, and I don't know. They told me that I am to make you proud, so terms stay good with the pack."
I sighed. Fantastic. Now I had another mouth to feed; an unwanted, scrawny, untrained cub no less.
"Why you?" Lysander asked.
Elise shot him a dark look; he didn't seem to notice. Raif shuffled his feet again and hunched his shoulders.
"They said I'm broken. I shift into a full wolf, not a lycan."
"They sent me a broken cub? The gift isn't seeming anywhere near as kind now."
"Evie!" Elise said.
"What? They said he was a gift, and he's broken,” I replied.
"He's a living breathing boy, with feelings!"
"You have him, then."
She gave me her best upset mother look. I relented.
"Are you in school? Have you had any training?"
"I finished school, and I can fight."
I looked him up and down; his balance appeared to be good, his stance wasn't bad. Lycans were proud, aggressive creatures. He was likely telling the truth about the fighting part at least.
"And what if we come up against a rogue lycan, what will you do?"
His eyes widened a little. He squared his shoulders. "I will do whatever is necessary. You are my pack now."
His voice had hardened more than I expected. Perhaps he had some potential, after all.
"Come and sit down, have some tea,” Elise said.
The cub looked between us before he came and sat at the other end of the sofa. Lysander scooted closer to me.
"Tell us a bit about yourself, Raif,” Elise said gently.
She handed him a cup of tea. He sniffed it before he let it rest down near his lap. Elise handed me my tea while we waited for him to
talk. I mentally cursed out the gods for their twisted sense of humour while I waited.
"I am nineteen years old, son of Viktor and Petra, brother to Jarek. I can shift into a full wolf when I choose, but I cannot partially shift. I have more control than most my age, and I do not have the strong reaction to silver the rest of my pack do."
"What would cause such changes?" I asked Elise.
She shrugged and smiled. "Evolution, random mutations."
Raif took a sip of his tea. "This is very good, thank you for your kindness."
Elise smiled widely. "I'm Elise, I'm a priestess of the moon goddess. That is Evie, or Evelyn, I believe you're familiar with her. And that's Lysander."
Raif looked at us, his eyes flicked over us taking in every detail before he returned his focus to his tea.
He sniffed the air and said, "What are you?" to Lysander; he kept his eyes low as he said it.
Lysander sat a little taller and growled, "I am Evelyn's hellhound."
Raif's eyes shot up, his mouth dropped open for a second before he looked away. "I'd heard about you… I didn't expect to meet you."
"What is your true bloodline?" Lysander growled.
Raif took a long drink of his tea. "My mother refuses to speak on it."
We finished our tea, and I accompanied Elise to her little kitchen to wash up.
"What am I supposed to do with him?" I hissed.
She smiled. "Train him, I'm sure he'll become a fine hunter."
"Your lady told you this was coming didn't she?"
She gave me that infuriating little smile. I leaned back against the counter.
"You'll grow to like him, Evie"
I glared at her. The last thing I wanted or needed was another complication.
Fifty-One
Quin was far more receptive to the idea of the cub, to my surprise Kadrix wasn't at home with him. I had no doubt the elf would enjoy poking and prodding him trying to see why he wasn't like the other lycans. I wasn't sure if he was even a lycan, technically speaking, not that I cared all that much.
