by Megan Morgan
“What did you do to my sister?” he demanded as Dafydd hauled him up. “How long ago did you take that necklace from her?”
Dafydd slammed him down on his knees, pushed him forward, and began tying his hands behind his back. Deacon growled and seethed.
“You’ll get to see her soon,” Mel said. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a whole bunch of surprises for you.”
Chapter 22
Lorena pushed deep into the valley, much deeper than when she’d gone out with Deacon and his cousins. The mountain rose to her right and cast a long shadow as twilight deepened. Soon it would be dark, and this expedition would be even more dangerous than it already was.
Clem loped ahead of her and she followed his lead, as she had for most of the walk. She held her gun. She hadn’t seen anything more threatening than a squirrel; still, something watched her. She sensed a presence in the valley, something menacing, something that at times seemed to be following her.
Much to her frustration, she couldn’t get a bead on where Deacon was, no matter how much she tried to open her senses and absorb the nature around her. Her witchy powers were activated but they weren’t helping much.
Clem at times seemed to be on to something. He’d sniff in some weeds or at a rock and get excited, and rush ahead. For all she knew, he could be chasing the scent of a rabbit. Sometimes he stopped to drink from a stream, or dig around in the dirt, or pause to pee on a bush. She tried to be patient, but they didn’t have time to stall. A darkness loomed over them that had nothing to do with the approaching night.
“Clem, we have to find your master.” She followed him along a narrow path. “He’s in trouble, boy. And my sense of smell isn’t as good as yours. Focus.”
She was griping at a dog. Losing her mind.
They were close to the mountain. Above her, on the side of it, the openings of caves gaped dark and eerie. She almost wished whatever was watching her would just come out and make itself known.
“I know you’re out there,” she said. “I can feel you. What do you want?”
Now she was talking to herself.
Clem slowed down and stayed close by her side, his tail and head drooped. He was wearing out. Her feet hurt and she was dragging too. If she couldn’t find Deacon, she wasn’t sure what to do. At least if it became clear he had gone missing, a search party could be formed.
She pulled out her phone. She didn’t have a single bar.
Suddenly, a stronger feeling invaded her little bubble of power, the pulse of something rushing up behind her, swift and relentless.
She whirled around and brought her gun up, slamming her phone back into her pocket at the same time. Clem yelped and took off into the trees.
“Who’s there?” Her senses pushed back the shadows and revealed the details of the forest. “Come out, right now!”
Something stirred in the foliage. Lorena pointed her gun at it.
“Who’s there? Come out!”
She expected a lone, leftover Wolvite, or maybe Dafydd. The person who stepped out surprised her completely.
“What the—” She lowered her gun. “Melanie!”
Melanie wore her red hoodie, the hood pulled up, her hair hanging around her face. She gazed wide-eyed and blanched at Lorena.
“Oh my God.” Lorena rushed toward her. “I’m so sorry, I thought someone was following me. I didn’t mean to draw on you.” She stopped in front of her. “My God, what are you doing out here?”
Melanie ducked her head and spoke softly. “Jack’s missing. He’s been gone since this morning with his cousins. I came out here to try to find him.”
Lorena holstered her gun and gripped the girl’s arm. Melanie shrunk away and Lorena cursed herself for being so impulsive. However, relief filled her that her instinct wasn’t off about Deacon. Something was definitely going on.
“Honey, do you even have a gun? It’s dangerous out here. There could still be Wolvites. I know you don’t want to hurt them, but they’ll hurt you.”
“What are you doing here?” Melanie glanced up from under her hair. “I thought you went back to Chicago.”
“I did.” She let go of Melanie’s arm. “Or at least, I started to. Melanie, you’re a witch, and Jack’s a Lycan. Can you feel when he’s in danger? When something’s happened to him?”
Melanie nodded. Lorena sucked in a breath.
“Oh God, I’m glad this isn’t weird then, but—they’re in danger, aren’t they? That’s why you’re out here.”
“I felt it.” Her voice trembled. “I’ve been out here for hours.”
“I felt it too, that’s why I came back. We’re going to find them, I promise. I can still feel Deacon. That must mean he’s alive. Can you feel Jack?”
Melanie nodded.
“Good.”
A rustling sounded and Lorena jerked her head around. It was just Clem, making his way back.
“Clem,” she called. “C’mon, boy! We’re going to find Deacon.” Clem scurried out of the trees and ran toward them. “I brought him out here hoping he could sniff Deacon out. It’s all I could think to do.”
Clem stopped a few feet away and stared at Melanie. He let out a low growl. Melanie took a step back.
“He’s never liked me,” Melanie said. “I hate when Deacon brings him over.”
“Clem,” Lorena admonished him. “Stop it. You know her.”
Clem backed up, tail between his legs. He’d loved on Hazel, though. The dog clearly had no taste. Or, maybe Hazel had fed him some potion to make him like her.
“We need to keep looking,” Lorena said. “Stay with me.” She patted her gun. “I’ll keep us safe.”
Melanie looked up at the mountain. “I thought I saw something up there earlier, but I was too afeared to go up.”
Lorena looked up too. The cave mouths hung open like hungry maws, like they wanted to suck them in.
“What did you see?”
“I don’t know. A Wolvite, maybe? Or something else?”
“It’s probably not safe up there. Isn’t that where the Wolvites live?”
“I thought I heard something too, or maybe it was just my imagination.”
“What did you hear?”
Melanie chewed her bottom lip. “I thought I heard someone yelling. Like human yelling.” She pointed up. “It sounded like it was coming from up there.”
Lorena looked anxiously at the caves again. Could they be in there? Did Wolvites have them?
“Oh God.” Lorena gripped her forehead. “If we go in those caves we’re definitely putting ourselves in danger. But if they’re in there…”
“Maybe we should just go up and look. I mean, you have your gun. We don’t have to go in, just holler inside. If they’re in there, maybe they’ll yell back.”
Lorena dropped her hand. “That sounds like a plan. I mean, I don’t know what else we could do.” Her heart raced. “We have to find them. I have to find Deacon.”
“And I have to find Jack.” Melanie clenched her fists.
Lorena clutched her shoulder. “Come on, we’ll find a way up there.”
“I think I saw a way earlier, when I was considering going up. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Lorena followed her into the trees. As they walked toward the mountain, she looked back. Clem stood on the path and watched them go.
“Come on boy,” Lorena called to him.
He followed.
They walked to the foot of the mountain. A cave mouth opened about twenty feet up, and the wall rose sheer. They walked along the wall until they found a spot with rock outcroppings.
“Here,” Melanie said. “Do you think we can go up this?”
The outcroppings were wide in some places, narrow in others, and extended upward in a zigzag pattern.
“We can try. If it’s too steep, we’ll find another way up.”
Clem had followed them, through the thick grass at the foot of the wall. Suddenly, he started barking.
“Shh!” Lorena waved at him. “C
lem, be quiet.”
He kept barking, up the wall. Lorena tried to calm him down. He ran away into the trees. She cringed.
“Let him go,” Melanie said. “He can’t go up with us anyway. We gotta find the guys.”
Lorena gazed worriedly after Clem. If Deacon was in one piece, he would be upset if she lost his dog.
Still, there were more pressing matters. Hopefully, Clem could get himself home, or at least stay safe until she found him again.
They started up the wall, Lorena first. She picked her way up the nooks and crannies and tried not to look down. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but she had a few other concerns; namely, that she couldn’t easily pull her gun if they encountered trouble; also, Melanie lagged behind and Lorena worried she would slip and fall.
Below, Clem continued to bark somewhere, running back and forth through the trees. His barks echoed up the wall, and would surely alert anything that might be around that they were there.
“Maybe it was a bad idea to bring him.” Lorena glanced down. “You okay?”
“I’m okay,” Melanie said meekly.
The steps led them to a narrow ridge in front of the cave. At the top, Lorena knelt to give Melanie a hand up.
Once Melanie crawled up on the ridge, Lorena pulled her gun out. “We made it.” She stared into the cave mouth. “Now we have to figure out what to do next. Stay behind me.”
Thick shadows gathered in the valley below. They were nearly at the tops of the trees and everything stretched out around them, enormous and unfathomable. A hot prickling sensation crawled across her skin, the sense of something dangerous pulsing in the distance.
“Something bad is moving into the valley,” she said. “I can feel it.”
Cool damp air flowed out of the cave mouth. Lorena took a deep breath.
“Yeah, something nasty is coming.” Melanie’s voice sounded strange. Louder, stronger. “Something real nasty.”
Lorena turned, confused. Melanie threw back her hood and pushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes changed, going cold and fierce, so it made her look like a completely different woman.
“I’m sorry, Lorena. I try not to hurt witches, even ones that take up with Lycans. That’s why I ordered Dafydd not to hurt you in the woods.”
Lorena gaped at her. Scuffling came from behind her, something emerging from the cave.
Before Lorena could turn around, it had her. Powerful arms locked around her torso. A large hand clamped over her mouth. She tried to lift her gun, but Melanie leapt forward and wrenched it from her hand.
“You should have gone back to Chicago.” Melanie laughed, as the person holding Lorena—certainly Dafydd—dragged her into the cave. “You had your chance to wash your hands of these dirty Lycans.”
Over the sound of Lorena’s hammering heart, Clem barked wildly below. She was pulled into the darkness.
Chapter 23
At the sound of footsteps, Deacon snapped out of the daze he’d been in. Mel strode into the chamber. Behind her, Dafydd appeared, carrying a struggling figure in his arms. Deacon’s head cleared and recognition struck him like a bag of rocks.
“Lorena!” What the hell was she doing here? How the hell was she here?
Her eyes were wide above Dafydd’s massive hand that covered her mouth. He carried her over to where Deacon and his cousins were tied up. Dafydd took his hand off her mouth and Mel handed him a length of rope.
“Deacon!” Lorena yelped. “What’s going on?”
“How are you boys doing?” Mel gloated over them. “Enjoying your accommodations? Comfy?”
Deacon wasn’t at all what he would call “comfy.” His hands were numb from being tied and his neck had an awful crick in it.
“Let her go,” Deacon demanded, as Dafydd tied Lorena’s hands behind her back as well. “She has nothing to do with this!”
“Oh, doesn’t she?” Mel glowered at him. “It was her agency that killed the Wolvites, wasn’t it?”
Dafydd plunked Lorena down on the floor next to Deacon, a few feet away. The monster jerked her legs out in front of her and tied her ankles as well. She didn’t seem hurt, though her eyes were wild with fury.
“What are you doing here?” Deacon tried to scoot toward her. “Why aren’t you on your way to Chicago?” He would have been thrilled to see her again, if not for the circumstances.
She didn’t say a word, until Dafydd finished with her ankles and walked away. Then she spoke lowly. “I felt you were in danger. I had to come back.”
Deacon cringed and guilt landed heavy on his chest. Damn that bond they had. Now they were both in trouble.
“I got in the truck and hurried back here,” she said. “I’ve been wandering out in the woods for a while, and then I came across her.” She jerked her head toward Mel. “She tricked me.”
Mel spoke. “Like I said, I don’t like to hurt witches. But you aligned yourself with the wrong people, Lorena.”
“This is crazy.” Lorena yanked at her ropes. “Okay, you feel sympathy for the Wolvites, it’s wrong that we kill them. But this isn’t the answer to that problem.”
“It goes a lot deeper than sympathy, you heartless morons.” Mel stepped over to Dafydd and he wrapped an arm around her. He pulled her to his side and she looked itty bitty, pressed against his towering form. “This is my mate. This is my life, here.”
Jack glared at the two of them, tight-lipped.
“What about Jack?” Lorena asked. “Why would you marry a Lycan if Dafydd’s your mate?”
Deacon wanted to know the answer to that one too.
“She had me under a spell,” Jack said. “She’s been tricking me, the bitch.” He seethed. “She’s a heartless, nasty—”
“Silentium placidus cohibeo,” Melanie spoke at him.
Instantly, Jack went silent. A choked sound escaped his throat, but nothing more. A silencing spell. Didn’t last much longer than ten minutes, but Deacon had seen his Grammy throw one on his Grandpa during an argument once.
Deacon decided he’d speak since Jack couldn’t, at least until she shut him up too. “Oh, and that animal’s got all the charm and good looks you need? Reckon you like the smell of him.”
Dafydd growled and inched forward. Mel placed a hand on his chest.
“Let him yap,” she said. “He’s a chained dog. I’ll be all night putting silencing spells on them if we want them to be quiet.”
“God, I’m so proud to be a witch.” Lorena laughed despairingly. “I can’t wait until I learn how to be manipulative and cruel.”
“I serve the Wolvites.” Mel spoke icily. “I protect them from humans and Lycans who seek to destroy them. You’re the manipulative ones.”
Lorena jerked at her ropes again. “You’ve done a piss-poor job of protecting them lately.”
Deacon couldn’t help but smile. His smile fell away though, as Mel stepped away from Dafydd and stalked toward Lorena.
“Don’t you touch her,” Deacon warned.
Mel stood over Lorena, hands on her hips. “You don’t deserve the abilities you were given. Not that you’ll ever have a chance to develop them.” She bent over. “You and your lover and his cousins are going to be torn apart. You’re going to pay for the things you’ve done.”
“Back off,” Deacon growled.
Mel stood upright. She kicked Lorena in the side as she had Deacon, and Lorena yelped. Deacon snarled and jerked at his ropes.
“Keep on yanking at your leash, puppy,” Mel taunted him. “Not so scary without your guns, are you?”
Deacon tried to scoot closer to Lorena. She breathed through her nose, a murderous glare on Mel’s back as she walked away.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she gritted out. “This bitch is gonna pay.”
“Yes, she is, the damn conniving succubus.”
Mel laughed. “I’m surprised you know such big words, Deacon.”
Dafydd curled his lips into a cruel smile. “I’m going to enjoy watching them
be torn limb from limb. Hearing their screams. Watching them suffer.”
“It won’t be long now,” Mel said.
“So you got more Wolvites coming?” Deacon asked. “To take care of us? Can’t do it yourself?”
Lorena looked at him. “There’s a mass migration from the Carolinas, it’s been going on for a few days. Dr. Winston went to investigate. They must have called them up here.”
Dafydd sneered. “I warned you our vengeance would be terrible.”
Lorena slumped against the wall. “It’s not just us they’re going to kill. They’ll swarm Blue Ditch. They’ll kill your family, everyone.”
“At least one of you is good at figuring things out.” Mel smirked.
Deacon struggled harder against the ropes, as panic set in. “You can’t do this!”
“We can,” Dafydd said. “How does it feel to be the prey now, Lycan?”
“Don’t do it,” Lorena said. “We can find a way to solve this. I’ll talk to my agency, I’ll try to make them see reason. Maybe they’ll agree to leave your habitat alone.”
“And you can leave ours alone,” Deacon said. “Them people in town, they didn’t have anything to do with what’s been happening to you all these years. That was all us. Do what you gotta do to us, but don’t hurt innocent people.”
“Innocent?” Dafydd curled his lips back again.
Mel chuckled. “Oh, we’ll take care of you. But you get to suffer like we have, first. It’s only fair. What do you think it feels like to watch your family and everyone you’ve ever known and cared about be murdered?”
“Don’t do this!” Jack yelped. Apparently, the spell had broke. “Mel, if you ever had an ounce of love for me—”
“I didn’t.”
“This is our fault,” Lorena said. “If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at our agency. Take it out on us.”
Mel smirked at Dafydd. “Look at them squirm. Look at them panicking at the idea of their world being destroyed. Isn’t it poetic?”
“So, what?” Jack said. “You’re gonna kill us and burn down the town? This is your idea of making things right? Do you think they’ll just leave you alone if you do that? Do you think Lorena’s agency will just shrug their shoulders and not retaliate?”
