by Maggie Walsh
The laughter around the table only grew louder at Crew’s answer. His eyes flicked to Micah and he observed the man touch a spot on his neck and a small shiver raced through him as he stared lovingly at Jesse. Jesse was returning the knowing smile and leaned forward and kissed Micah on the spot he had been touching. Jesse pulled back and winked at Micah, looked back at his plate, and continued eating. Suddenly Micah’s eyes flicked in his direction and their gazes locked. Micah touched his mark again and smiled at Crew, nodding his head, motioning to the same mark on Crew’s neck. He knew what Micah meant―it was Laylen’s mark. Micah was letting him know that he, too, had been marked by Jesse in the same way. The thought that his big powerful alpha had been on the receiving end of that angelic claiming was an eye-opener for him. He finally realized it didn’t matter who was on top or who was on bottom. The ones in the relationship didn’t really submit or dominate. They shared. They gave themselves freely to each other and submitting and dominating weren’t even a thought. Like he and his mates, Micah and Jesse just came together as equals and shared themselves with their mate. Period. He gave Micah a small nod and touched the identical mark on his neck.
When the meal was finished, everyone helped clean up and started going off to what they needed to do that day. Crew placed the last plate into the dishwasher when suddenly he was hit with an excruciating pain in the chest. He grabbed his chest with one hand and the counter with the other, trying to keep himself upright.
“Crew!” Haven yelled from across the kitchen and ran to his side. Laylen was there by his side just as fast. They wrapped their arms around him and moved him to one of the chairs. He sat just as Micah and Jesse came running back into the room.
“What is it? What’s happened?” Micah asked as he ran to Crew.
“It’s happening again, Micah,” Crew was able to get out from between clenched teeth. Just then his body started to convulse and he cried out in agonizing pain.
“What is it?” Laylen asked anxiously as he tried to hold Crew’s shaking body.
“We think Malachi is attacking us with some kind of voodoo,” Micah explained. The others came rushing back in as Phenex stepped through the wall with Noah and his mates.
“I ran for Noah.”
“Good. Let’s try to kick this out of him again,” Jesse said and knelt down beside Crew.
“Again? This has happened to my mate before?” Laylen’s voice was filled with pain and anger.
“Aaaah!” Crew screamed out again and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Noah, Jesse, Taylor, Ryland, Raffy, Phenex, and Micah surrounded Crew, moving everyone else out of the way. They all placed their hands on Crew and closed their eyes. Jesse, Noah, and Ryland began to chant. The bright white light surrounded their hands, the same as the last time. They all pushed harder and fought against the invisible field that was locked inside Crew’s body. Whatever this was, it wasn’t letting go easily. It pushed back against them, and they each cried out in pain.
“Again!” Jesse yelled. They each pressed back and the chant changed and grew louder. The light grew brighter and completely engulfed them inside it. After a minute, the light exploded from them and they were all thrown backward away from Crew’s body and Crew collapsed in his seat. His eyes closed and his breathing steady.
Everyone returned to their feet as Laylen picked Crew’s limp form up into his arms and held him against his chest. “Why is this happening to him? And why just him?” Micah asked.
“That’s what I was wondering. No one else has been affected by this except for Crew. Why?” Phenex added.
“What were you able to find out about voodoo?” Micah asked.
“Not much,” Zane answered. “With Rory and Adam gone in New Orleans, I have been trying to go through the books on my own. I haven’t been able to find anything that matches this yet.”
“They should be back any minute now. Hopefully they can help you find the answer faster. We need to know how to protect him from this happening again.”
“Why are you searching voodoo? This sounds nothing to me like the Haitian religion,” Laylen asked.
“Malachi is the father of black magic, its creator. There are stories in voodooism of controlling someone, or possessing them to cause harm, like in a voodoo doll,” Zane explained.
Laylen shook his head. “No, voodoo dolls don’t work that way. That is a misconception. They are a form of gris-gris, which is a sympathetic magic. They are actually called Hoodoo dolls and are used to bless. They have no power or curse.”
“Then what do you think it is, Laylen?” Phenex asked.
“Think about it, Commander. Who do we know that can possess a human or in this case a shifter body?”
Phen looked at Laylen intently as he thought of the creatures they encounter. “Demons have been known to possess humans all throughout the history of mankind.”
“Yes. Does this not appear to you as an attempted possession? Think of the demons who can possess. Who are the seven worst and who are actually easily manipulated to do someone else’s bidding? Lexi said welcome back to my mate earlier. I thought that was odd, but seeing as I have only just met him and am still getting to know him, I figured I would see what he meant later. But now this. First he grabbed his head, then his midsection.” Laylen looked at Jesse. “When you touched Crew and chanted, what happened? What did it feel like?”
“It felt like someone was in there with us and was pushing against us. Once we all joined our powers we were able to push it back. Then it felt like it was thrown from Crew like we were,” Jesse explained.
“But you felt as if you entered Crew?”
“Yes. It felt like we were all inside him fighting this invisible force.”
“Let me ask you all this. Lexi said welcome back. Why? Has Crew changed recently?”
“He used to be very laid-back. Liked to get into trouble with Lexi, but good naturedly, nothing bad. Suddenly he started to pull away and be alone a lot. Started saying shit to piss people off, acting stupid. Which he most definitely isn’t,” Micah answered.
“He teased me a lot about wearing my dresses and stuff. It hurt my feelings,” Raffy said sadly.
“Does that sound like the Crew you have known for so long?” Laylen asked, pulling Crew closer against him.
“No. But we just figured he was going through something. With all the mates showing up and our home and world changing so much in the past year, we just thought it was his way of dealing with it,” Xander answered.
“I just figured he was jealous over my and Taylor’s friendship. It didn’t matter how many times I tried to tell him he was still one of my best friends, or tried to get him to hang out with me, he just snapped at me and stormed off grumbling under his breath,” Lexi added.
“So he was also isolating himself?” Laylen asked and a few heads nodded. Laylen looked at Phenex. “Which one of those freaky pricks does that sound like?”
“Envy,” Phenex said with a sigh.
“Envy? What does that mean?” Cass asked.
“The seven deadly sins. Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Pride, and Envy,” Laylen answered.
“And they are actual forms? Like walking, talking demon forms?” Gabriel asked in surprise.
“If you can call it that,” Phen answered. “They are demonic creatures. Disgusting and disturbing fuckers. Well, except for Lust. She’s as beautiful as they come, but that’s part of her charm. But Envy is equal parts arrogance and cowardice. First he will try to isolate his victim and study them. Once he learns his victim’s life and everyone around him, he tries to take over his chosen subject’s body to possess it and leave the poor victim’s soul to rot. Once he takes possession of the host body, he will start to learn more about the people around him. All they will see is the person they know. He will work his way up to who he sees as the leader, the most powerful and strongest. He will leave the first victim’s body and possess the next and so on until he gets to the top. In the meantime, all the bodies he possessed woul
d be dead.”
“So this demon, Envy, thought Crew to be the weakest among us and started with him until one by one he would worked his way up to the alpha?” Cass asked in horror.
“That about sums it up. And as Laylen said, they are very easily manipulated. Someone could have told him who to go after. Think of the structure of a wolf pack. Alpha on top, leader, powerful, then beta, maybe gammas, enforcers, omegas. It’s the perfect structure for Envy.”
“Then why didn’t it start with Raffy or one of the mates? No offense to all of you, but in the pack structure that would be the bottom,” Xavier asked.
“That’s very true, but you said this started about the time Taylor and Jesse came, so Raffy and the other mates weren’t here yet when Envy was sicced on Crew. He is the youngest of all of you and the shortest, so maybe whoever sent him after this pack thought Crew to be the bottom of the totem pole.”
“So if this is what’s happening, how do we stop it?” Micah asked.
“I go do my job and hunt this fucker down where he lives, in hell,” Laylen said angrily.
“Laylen, if you go after Envy where he lives, you know you will have thousands just like him on your ass. You may have ridden that hellhound like he was a horse, but you won’t be able to do that shit in Hades. Those creatures will be all over you like white on rice. And what happens if one of them bites you? I can’t allow you to go in there,” Phenex said.
“And what if it were your mate, Commander? You would be the first one rushing the gates of Hades and fighting your way through those creepy bastards.”
“True, but that’s not the point.”
“Can we go in with Laylen and help him?” Christian asked.
Phenex’s eyes went wide in shock and fear. “Hell no! I would never let any of you go there. The creatures that live there are unlike anything you could ever imagine. And the ones that surround Envy are just like him. Picture a creature that walks on four legs, but the two back legs are very long. Those legs are about eight feet long and bend midway, like our knees, but they can bend in either direction. Their front legs are more like our arms and about six feet in length, again, like our elbow, can bend in either direction. Then the torso that runs between is nine feet long, slim and a grayish white. Then there is the head. It is a misshapen cantaloupe with skin the same color as the rest of it, with long dark slits where their black eyes sit, two holes for a nose, and a mouth that goes from one side of its head to the other. And when it opens that mouth, it is blood red inside with the exception of its three rows of long razor sharp teeth. And the claws at the ends of its four legs are like the talons of a T-rex. They are spindly creatures that remind you of albino spiders when they walk. Now picture thousands of them heading your way.”
“Sounds a little like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Taylor said.
“In a way, yes, but a million times uglier.”
“So what do you suggest we do, Commander? Because I won’t have that fucker kill my mate and I sure as hell don’t want to see him try to possess him again.”
“I say you and I head to the Underworld and see if Lord Lucifer can help us. Then me, you, and the rest of the Legion sit down and try to come up with a plan that won’t make us all turn into one of them.”
Laylen nodded at his leader and walked away. “I’m taking our mate to his room for some rest. I will meet you in the Legion compound shortly,” he threw back over his shoulder. Haven followed his mates from the room.
“So what can we do about this, Phen?” Micah asked.
“For now, nothing. Just keep an eye on Crew and each other in case one of the other sins tries to make an appearance. If anyone’s personality seems to change or go overboard, then let me know. I’ll head down to Lord Lucifer now and meet Laylen in the compound.”
“Do you really think someone sent Envy after us?” Raffy asked and a shudder went through his body.
“Yes, Raffy, I do. And I think it was most likely Malachi. Stay safe everyone, and I will be back when I can,” Phenex said and walked to Ryland. He grabbed his mate around the waist and pulled their bodies together. He gave Ryland a heated kiss and released him. “Be safe, dearheart.”
“You, too, my love,” Ryland whispered. Phenex headed for the wall, touched it, and walked through.
* * * *
Matthew ducked behind a big oak and peered around the trunk. He listened for the thumps against the ground as paws raced through the thick woods. He had heard the wolves twenty minutes ago as they sped past about fifty yards away from his hiding spot under a dead fallen tree. They sounded angry, like they were hunting prey, but not the four-legged kind. They snapped and growled as they ran at top speed. He stayed under in his hiding spot, curled up as tightly as he could, trying to make himself as small as possible. He hoped that the mud he had rolled in earlier was enough to mask his scent. After what seemed like forever, and he didn’t hear any more sounds except for the wind rustling through the trees, the birds chirping, and an occasional frog, he slowly crept from under the downed tree and looked around. He couldn’t see or hear any of the wolves. He raised his head and sniffed the air, but there was no scent of them on the breeze. He stepped away from the tree and slowly began to walk through the thick forest again, making sure to stay upwind in case the wolves returned. By his estimation of time and the distance he walked, he figured he was within a few miles of his destination.
He had stopped in the town and done some digging around. He smelled a wolf in one of the alleys and turned in, searching for whoever it was. He found the guy jumping in a dumpster looking for food in the trash. When the guy spotted him his eyes went wide in fear at first, but then he sniffed the air and his face relaxed.
Matthew had told him that he didn’t mean him any harm, he just needed to know if he were close to the Angel Pack. That’s when the guy started trembling and his eyes filled with terror. He didn’t understand why though. His grampy always made it out to sound like his pack was great, so why was this guy so afraid?
“I’m sorry if I scared you. I just need to know if the Angel Pack is close by.”
“W-w-why w-would y-you want to g-go there?” the cute little wolf asked.
“I need to go speak with the alpha. I need his help,” Matthew answered. He didn’t want to give away too much information with the way this guy looked like he was about to jump right out of his skin at the mention of Grampy’s pack.
“Ha, then you’re screwed. He won’t help you,” the guy said in disgust as he hoisted himself over the wall of the dumpster and landed on the asphalt.
“Well, I have to try. So is it close?”
“Yeah, it’s close. It’s about fifteen miles straight through there,” the guy answered as he pointed into the woods.
“Is there a road I can take?”
“You could take the main road about ten miles east, then cut through the woods going north and it will be about two miles up. But the safest way would be through those woods there for fifteen miles.”
Matthew looked over his shoulder into the woods that the guy pointed at. He stood there trying to weigh his options with the two choices the guy had given him. He turned back to face the guy. “So why is the main road not as safe?”
“Sentries. They guard the main road and don’t let anyone get too close to the drive that leads up to the pack. Neither beast nor human is safe. Anyone tries to go down the drive gets killed.”
“Why?”
“Ever since the attacks the pack has gone crazy. I escaped by the skin of my teeth. They won’t let anyone in or out. The enforcers go to town for provisions once a month, but that’s it.”
“Why did you have to escape?” Matthew asked. He was starting to get a really bad feeling about where he wanted to go.
“I told you. They all went crazy after the attacks. A lot of them turned on each other and there was a lot of fighting and deaths. The alpha stopped it, but not before over a hundred pack members were killed and a lot more injured.
Then they started cleaning house. Anyone seen as unfit for the pack was killed. Me and a couple of others got together and sneaked out one night and escaped. One by one they were found and killed. I have to get away from here before they find me, too, but I don’t have any money.”
“Were they going to kill you?”
“Yes. I’m gay. They said that was where the problems of our pack started. Letting gays into the pack. So everyone who they thought was gay got killed first. Me and the others tried to hide who we were, but they were watching us real close, ya know? But now they’re all gone.”
“Maybe this was a bad idea.” Matthew turned to walk away.
“Hey, what did you need the alpha for?”
Matthew turned back and looked at the guy. “Alpha Angel is my grandpa. I was hoping he could help me, but I guess he’s not the man I remember from when I was young,” Matthew said in defeat and dropped his chin to his chest.
“Are you Maddy?”
Matthew’s head snapped up, eyes opened wide in shock, as he looked at the guy. “How did you…” He cut himself off.
“I’m Ash. I know your grandpa. He’s one of the best.”
“But you just said the alpha was crazy, killing people.”
“Yeah, he is. But that’s not Alpha Angel. He was…um…a…killed…in the first wave of the attacks,” Ash explained.
“What? Grampy is dead?” Matthew asked in shock as tears began to form in his eyes. “No…no…he was a big, strong warrior. He was…no.” Matthew turned away from Ash and covered his face with his hands as the tears fell.
“I’m sorry, Maddy. Are you okay?” Ash asked compassionately and took a step closer to Matthew.
He shook his head, then wiped his face and turned back to Ash. “I came all this way for nothing. Now what am I gonna do? Where am I gonna go? I thought for sure Grampy would help me.”
“I don―” Ash was cut off by a loud howl that cut through the town. He froze and tilted his head, listening for the direction of the howl. Another came again and Ash’s eyes went as round as saucers. “Come on. We need to go before they find us,” he said to Matthew in a terrified voice.
