Midnight Falls (Sky Brooks Series Book 3)

by McKenzie Hunter

  “Are you part of the Midwest Pack?” asked Suri. She was just as unfriendly as her daughter, Senna.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Senna snapped just as a sharp blistering shock pulsed into my side. I fell to the floor, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her with me. There was a mad scramble to grab the Taser. Aunt Caitlyn took hold of it and pressed it to me again, my body seizing into convulsions. “Help me. Grab her arms,” she ordered as she moved to her knees. I kicked her, and the heel of my shoe clipped her square on the chin. She cursed as she tried to grab my legs again. Someone tugged at my right arm and another at the left. I yanked them out of their grasp and elbowed one of them with the right hand hard enough they wailed in pain. A heel strike went into the person on my left. I fought them off, jabbing, punching, and kicking making contact with any body part I could. A sharp strike into an ankle landed someone on the ground next to me. I hooked my arm around her neck, and held a firm grip around it. Using my wrist as leverage I squeezed harder, and she gurgled for breath.

  “Leave me alone or you will be responsible for what happens to her,” I said in a garbled voice. I tried to get a tighter grip when another sharp shock ricocheted through my body. I couldn’t fight it anymore, the pain was excruciating. I collapsed back, releasing my hold on my aunt.

  I woke up in a bed, my arms and legs outstretched and bound to the posts of the bed with handcuffs. They rattled but didn’t give as I jerked on them. The steel strained, cutting into my skin as I tugged at them. “Let me go.”

  “We can’t,” said Senna and for the first time her voice was soft, a saddened resolve laced into her words.

  I tugged at the binding again, yanking hard, the silver handcuffs jamming into my skin as I pulled at them with all my might. Silver didn’t bother me like it did most were-animals, a benefit of hosting Maya. I weighed my options. Could I slide out of them? Probably not without breaking my wrists. Then what? I was going to be useless without the ability to use my hands.

  “Stop, you’re going to hurt yourself,” said someone. I didn’t even bother trying to figure out who said it. As if they cared about my well-being. People that care about your welfare don’t Taser you and handcuff you to a bed.

  “Where is it?” one of them asked.

  “Where is what?”

  “The third book.”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about.” I yanked at the cuffs again.

  “You have the third book,” Senna said.

  Third book?

  “Your mother took that third book. There is no way you do not have it,” someone asserted.

  “She will not tell us. Just like her mother, she will turn her back on this family,” one of my aunts hissed.

  Before I could ask any questions, they started chanting at once, then stopped in unison. A knife swiped across my right forearm, spilling blood. They continued chanting, then the blade sliced deep into my left forearm.

  The first cut hurt like hell, but I was prepared for the second and bit back the scream. I yanked at the cuffs again. “What are you doing?” I asked as I tried to free myself.

  They continued speaking in unison; chanting over me, crystals were laid at my head, each side of me and then a final one at my foot.

  I remembered Josh using a similar incantation a couple of years ago when he tried to exorcise Maya. It would have killed me, but at that time, he thought I was going to die anyway and it was a long shot to save my life.

  The handcuffs clanked as I jerked at them trying to break free. “You exorcise her—you will kill me!”

  The cuts kept sealing closed. Someone made an irritated sound and commented that I was a were-animal and the wounds wouldn’t stay open. A thick liquid was dripped on my skin. Whatever it was, it burned. They resumed the spell. This was a lot different than what Josh did. Same chant, different process. I doubted something like that would be of concern to them. Another candle was lit, then they spilled my blood again. Everything had failed. I screamed as loud as I could, a siren interrupting them—distracting me. William attempted to cover my mouth with his hand, but before he could, I sank my teeth into him. I held on until he yanked my hair hard enough to temper my grip. I tore skin; he glared at me as he grabbed a towel off the dresser and wrapped his hand. I hated the taste of blood in my mouth, but the satisfaction of his glare made the taste a little less bitter.

  The house shuttered, lights flickered and the candles blinked erratically. And everyone was pushed against the wall, held there firmly by an unseen force. Then they were released. Seena inhaled a sharp breath, the power rushing over the room. Josh. I knew his presence—it was undeniable and all-consuming. You weren’t within a foot of him without feeling the intensity of his magic. But it was Ethan that came through the door. His hand covered each candle, extinguishing the flames, before shoving his way past anyone who stood in his way. He knelt beside me. “Unlock her.” His icy command caused goose bumps to run along my arm. No one moved. “Now.”

  Still no one moved.

  He yanked at the cuffs on my left hand, ripping bedposts free. The other three received the same treatment. He looked at the blood that swelled from the cuts. “Unlock the damn handcuffs,” he demanded through clenched teeth.

  Uncle William stepped forward cautiously, moving past Ethan as he unlocked them. He took a moment as if he was trying to calm his anger before taking hold of my arm. Ethan examined the cuts with a groan. His grip tightened and it hurt worse than the actual cuts. He dropped my arm quickly once he noticed the wince. “Sorry,” he said.

  He stood when Josh walked in with Sebastian behind him. Ethan handed him the two books that lay on the table. Sebastian didn’t need to announce his presence or tout his position; his ineffable power did it for him.

  “Where is the other one?” Sebastian asked.

  Silence.

  He went to William, his face just inches away. “Where is it?” he asked again.

  William made a feeble attempt to hold his gaze, but inevitably it dropped to the floor as she exhaled. “It was stolen from us by her mother.” The same disdain that colored his language when he spoke of my mother was transferred to me.

  What were these books that everyone had to have, and why did my mother take them?

  Sebastian asked a series of questions. He regarded William intently, studying him as he spoke, seeking the truth behind the answers he received.

  “When were they taken?”

  “Thirty years ago?”

  “And you are just now noticing?”

  “Not at all, we’ve been looking for them all this time,” William said.

  “Why? Can you use them?”

  “No.”

  Sebastian continued to study him; he closed his eyes for a second concentrating, “Lie,” Sebastian asserted.

  William took a long breath as he held his words. It had to be a huge annoyance to know that you couldn’t dance around the truth when dealing with a were-animal. And if you were skilled enough to be able to, you were still no match for most of them. “We know someone that can,” William admitted.

  As a show of solidarity, they all seemed to cross their arms, lips tightened into tight lines. Just as I did, Sebastian realized that he wasn’t going to find out who it was. Sebastian studied each face, a long, persistent gaze that would ensure that he would recognize them if he ever saw them again.

  When he spoke it wasn’t to William but to Seena, my hostile, tetchy cousin. “We are taking these. You shouldn’t have them and aren’t in a position to keep them safe. However, if it is found out that you can read them, your family will not be able to protect you. You are welcome to call me.” He handed her a card. But it dangled at the end of his fingers as Seena looked at it with contempt. I suspect she wondered, as I did, how had he known?

  “Take it,” he urged. “I can assure you that one day you will need it.”

  After a long pause, she finally took the number. “Thank you.”

  With a quick nod of his head, he left and w
e followed behind. Sebastian wasn’t out of the house long before he had called the East Pack Alpha. He didn’t give him a lot a detail, just instructions to watch Seena, and to keep her safe. The safety of the rest of my family didn’t seem like such a priority. When someone tries to kill you, it is hard to feel protective and warm and fuzzy toward them.

  Sebastian drove away in another car while I sat in the back seat of my rental, with Ethan in the driver’s seat. Occasionally his empathic eyes met mine.

  We entered the gates leading to a small private airport a couple of miles away. Ethan left my rental car with a uniformed man that met us at the plane. Another one greeted him as we boarded the plane.

  The spacious plane made their obvious attempt to ignore me easy. The set-up of two seats in a row and enough space between the next row made it quite easy to pretend the other row just didn’t exist. Space was good—distance was even better. I took a seat in the far corner near the window and kept my attention on the people outside. They sat in the middle of the plane where there was a desk, two seats on each side. It was obviously set up for meetings.

  “Let me look at your arms,” Ethan said. He declined the flight attendant’s offer to assist. The calm, placid look was quite unexpected. But he wouldn’t look at me; the seat behind held most of his attention.

  He opened the first aid kit, took out antiseptic and started cleaning the cuts. “I just wanted to meet my family, I didn’t expect—”

  His tranquil distant gaze lifted briefly to meet mine. “Please don’t talk,” he requested softly as he focused on the task of bandaging my wounds, handling me with gentle, clinical detachment.

  “If I thought this would happen, I never…”

  “What part of that request are you having difficulty understanding?” he snapped before he clamped his mouth shut. He dropped my arm and stood. He took several steps away from me. After several controlled breaths, he came back, gently taking hold of my arm again and finishing the bandaging. Usually I healed fast, but whatever they had doused me with seemed to prevent it. The wounds wouldn’t close and continued to bleed.

  Still in silence, he finished covering my arm, packed up the rest of the kit and went to the bathroom. Self-righteous indignation got the best of me and I met him outside the door. “Do you think that if I suspected anything like this was going to happen, I would have come here?”

  He seemed terribly distracted by everything surrounding me, but the waves of his frustration and anger wasn’t something easily missed. The gunmetal eyes clenched mine for just a few seconds before sidestepping me. “I don’t care to try to figure out what actually goes on in your head. I do believe there are children far more responsible and equipped with better survival skills than you. Sky, your…” Then he just stopped, shook his head and took a seat next to Sebastian and across from his brother.

  Sebastian hadn’t moved since we entered the plane, and maintained the same profile. Jaw clenched tight, muscle twitching mercilessly along his cheek and neck. Josh’s attractive features were skewed by a frown.

  The friendly voice and ebullient personality of the flight attendant was a welcome distraction. I ordered water, a turkey sandwich and chips. They all wanted the same thing—Jack and coke. I wonder if they drank as much before I came into their life and if our pack meetings would eventually become a series of interventions. As we made our way back home, I couldn’t take the side glances. The two drinks that Sebastian had tossed back eventually relaxed the frown that had become a fixture on him.

  While eating the sandwich, I couldn’t help but feel disheartened about the lost hope of every having a real family. For a fraction of a moment, I had one, and it was a nice feeling. Now my life had reverted back to the unsettling reality that the pack was the only people I had in my life. And I suspected, like my family, they cared more about the books than me.

  What was so special about those books? I wasn’t naïve enough to think that the pack’s special forces: the Alpha, Beta, and their secret weapon—a very gifted witch—came just for me. Nope, I wasn’t under any delusion that the power trio chartered a plane to fly across the country for just me. I was just an incidental. This was about the books. It was made all the clearer by the way Josh’s attention was split between me and them. He looked like he was just minutes from proposing to them. I really wanted to get a peek at them. What was in them?

  Josh’s brows furrowed, and when he opened one of the books, he leaned over to say something to Ethan. Then he opened the other, and the conversation between the two of them continued. Before long, the power trio were huddled together discussing something. I watched their lips move with the urgency of their words. Even an expert lip reader would have had a difficult time. It was impossible for a novice.

  Josh waved me over and I took the seat next to him, across from Sebastian and Ethan. Josh placed the books on the table in front of me. “Open them both to the same page,” he instructed.

  I did. When I opened the book, I could feel both of them become tense. They all leaned forward in their chairs and looked at the pages. Really? Were they checking my work? What, now I am so incompetent I don’t know my numbers? Seriously? Can you be more insulting?

  They watched me like a specimen under the microscope.

  “Read the first two lines of each page,” Josh instructed.

  It wasn’t in English and it was a long stretch from Portuguese, which I could read better than I could speak. “I don’t understand it,” I admitted.

  “It doesn’t matter, just read,” said Ethan.

  I did, fumbling my way through the two lines like a child learning to read. They stared at the book, then looked at me—waiting. “Read the next two,” Josh instructed.

  And once again, I clambered through the wording.

  Ethan and Sebastian’s faces remained portraits of stoicism, with intense eyes that pierced into me. Josh looked relieved, and a smile beamed over his face from ear to ear. “Absolutely amazing,” he said giving me a quick peck on my cheek. If we weren’t in flight I was sure I would have seen his happy dance.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m great. The best there ever was. The cat’s meow. Now tell me what’s going on.”

  Josh took the books from me and opened them. The moment he did, the letters disappeared off the pages.

  “They’re protected and there doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason about who can and cannot read them,” he admitted.

  But I was sure they were going to figure it out. We knew of two people now, Seena and me.

  Sebastian was quiet, his intense gaze focused on me in an ineffable way. “That will be all, Sky,” he said coolly.

  Did he just dismiss me?

  I didn’t move. Instead, I looked both Ethan and Sebastian in the eyes, putting more iron in my gaze and bravado in my voice. “Well, since so few people are capable of reading the damn thing, it seems like you will be a little nicer to the one person that you know and will be willing to do so. I can almost guarantee Seena will not be as easily coerced into helping you. So either you all tell me what this is and what’s going on, or I will wish you good luck with your adventure finding someone else because I will not do anything with this book until I know what is going on,” I said.

  Sebastian smiled. It was something he did rarely and there was something so mesmeric about it, I was glad he didn’t do it more often. The defenses dropped and for a brief moment you forgot that you were dealing with a predator. The very worst there was. His voice like silk as he spoke. “I strongly advise you against pulling this card again. First, so that we understand each other, I am giving you this information because I don’t see any harm in you knowing it. Second, if I were you, I wouldn’t underestimate Seena’s willingness to help us, which kind of makes you superfluous. Am I correct?”

  I didn’t bother to answer. I was sure Sebastian could be quite persuasive if necessary. “What are the books?”

  He said, “It is two-thirds of the Clostra.”

  The Clostra was one of the protecte
d objects that literally meant “key” in the debased Latin that witches used to record their spells, but I had absolutely no idea what they opened. Since most of the protected objects were connected to inimical things, part of me didn’t want to know. There was still that part of me that maintained that ignorance was bliss. “Someone else is a Moura Encantada in my family?”

  Mouras Encantadas were responsible for guarding protected objects. To the best of my knowledge, they were only women. The responsibility was passed down to their first female child upon death. That is how I ended up with the task of protecting the Aufero. It was originally her job to protect it, which Ethan told me in the only way he knew how—cruelly—as he showed the picture of the Moura for the Gem of Levage, who had been killed. We didn’t know who did it, but I had been sure it had something to do with her losing it and allowing it to be destroyed by us.

  “No, the best I can tell, your family took it. I am not sure what their goal was in doing so. I assume to sell it. They can easily command a high seven figures,” Sebastian said.

  “And the Moura for it?”

  “I am sure she is dead.”

  “You don’t know that. I haven’t had the Aufero in my possession, ever, and I am still alive.”

  “For now,” Ethan pointed out.

  “Great, just what this story needed—a narrator!” I snapped back. Then I directed my attention back to Sebastian, “How did my family get it?”

  “That is a great question. I wish I knew the answer,” he said.

  I had gone through the journals of my adopted mother with a fine-toothed comb in order to find out what I could about my mother. Except for the incident that led to my mother’s death, there wasn’t a lot of information about her.

  “Did your family say anything to you?” Sebastian asked.

  I shook my head. “They just wanted to know where my mother put the third book.”

  “Hmm, I suspect she took it because she knew that no one should have all three in their possession, even a Moura,” he said.

  “What’s in them that is so important?”