by Cara Wylde
Carter lunged at the black wolf, and the black wolf avoided him with ease. Aiden tensed all his muscles and prepared to attack. Just as he arched his back to take the jump, a scream coming from behind him stopped him dead in his tracks. He knew that voice. He turned around, and his jaw fell open when he saw Skye and Nina standing there, watching them. Skye had been the one to release the scream. Nina was simply staring at him, wide-eyed. Carter had heard them, too, and he was now watching them with interest. Aiden didn’t want to know what was going on in his twisted mind. Running on instinct, the black wolf stepped between Carter and the girls. He faced Skye and Nina, but kept his other senses focused on the brown wolf’s every move. He dared take a step towards Skye. He only wanted to reassure her, to show her that it was him, Aiden, and she had nothing to be afraid of. His heart ached when Skye covered her mouth with both hands, turned around, and hid behind a tree. Nina ran after her.
The moment was perfect. The black wolf was distracted by the girls. Carter used all his strength to lunge himself at Aiden, and his sharp fangs pierced fur and skin, and buried themselves in the agent’s throat. The black wolf growled, shook Carter off, and attacked mercilessly. The fight was on.
CHAPTER FIVE
“First time in my life when I regret not using the silver bullets,” Aiden thought. His neck hurt where Carter had bit him. He could feel hot, thick blood pouring out of the deep wound. He shook his head, decided to ignore the pain, and snarled again at the brown wolf. Carter’s body was full of wounds, but he kept fighting, kept lunging at Aiden and provoking him. His eyes glowed more golden than ever. It was as if the rogue wolf was driven by something inside him, something dark and unforgiving. That something was probably making him immune to pain, as well, because Aiden was sure almost any shifter in Carter’s state would have collapsed by then. The problem was that he, too, was tired and badly wounded. It wasn’t just the gaping hole in his neck, but also the deep scratch on his ribs, and the open wound on his left hip. His strong, healthy body had been able to heal most of the smaller wounds, but he was growing tired, and the more tired he was, the slower his body healed.
From time to time, when he found a second to breathe, Aiden focused his senses on the two girls hiding behind the tree. As far as he could tell, they were still there. Good. They should stay there. How in hell’s name had they managed to find him? Had they followed him? Had they been the reason why he had felt watched all this time? Carter growled and aimed for his face. Aiden turned his attention back to him and avoided the blow on time. It was beyond him how the wolf was still standing and fighting. He was smaller than him, had clearly lost a lot of pounds in the past two months, and he had also seemed weak and vulnerable. Then, he shifted and everything about him changed. He had been such a fool to think Carter Wagner was harmless, just a lost soul who could barely survive his mate’s death.
Aiden grunted when Carter’s sharp claws came in contact with his shoulder. He regained his balance, lunged at the brown wolf, and bit the back of his neck. He had aimed for the jugular, but Carter had managed to escape his grasp. They both put some distance between them, trying to reassess the situation. From the corner of his eye, Aiden saw a figure coming out from behind the trees. It was Nina Watson. He felt the scent of her pale, freckled skin in his nostrils, and heard the sound of her wild heartbeat. She wasn’t scared, though. What was she doing, and why wasn’t she scared? He couldn’t turn around, so he had to rely on his senses to tell him what she was up to. She stopped. Apparently, she had picked up a twig, and now she was scratching in the dirt.
“These two women are insane,” Aiden thought. “The fuck is she doing?!”
He didn’t have time to ask himself more questions because Carter lunged at him once again. Aiden was prepared to meet him half way when something unbelievable happened. The brown wolf whimpered and fell to the ground. His body convulsed a couple of times, then went completely limp. Before Aiden’s very eyes, bones cracked and muscles changed their shape until a naked, beaten Carter lay on the grass, a pool of blood forming under his torso. The black wolf blinked in confusion, stepped closer to the unmoving form, nudged the man’s shoulder, then turned to Nina.
The redhead was standing in the middle of a circle she had drawn in the dirt and grass. Her back was straight, her jaw set, and there was pure confidence in her sparkling green eyes. She was still holding the twig, but her hand was shaking slightly; a clear sign that the spell she had just cast on Carter had drained her of quite a lot of energy.
Skye stepped out from behind the tree, but didn’t enter Nina’s circle. She had her arms wrapped around herself, and her beautiful blue eyes were studying the black wolf.
That was when Aiden understood: Nina was the witch, not Skye. The Watson girls had lied to him.
***
Aiden shifted in a matter of seconds, grabbed his clothes, and threw them on. He hid his Glock 22 under his leather jacket, then picked Carter up and carried him to the trailer. He didn’t say a word to the girls, and they didn’t say a word to him. They just followed him and made sure to keep their distance.
Inside the trailer, Aiden set Carter on the floor so that his back rested against the small bed. He threw a blanket over him to cover his nakedness, then secured him with the silver handcuffs. He didn’t need more than that to make sure the shifter stayed there. Then, and only then, did Aiden turn to Skye and Nina.
“You two lied to me,” he said in a low, threatening voice.
Skye furrowed her brows and crossed her arms over her chest.
“And you lied to me!” she yelled. “I think your lie is worse than mine. At least I had a good reason to let you believe I was the witch: I wanted to protect my sister. What excuse do you have?”
Aiden sighed and rubbed his temples. She was right, of course. He didn’t like what was happening, he couldn’t believe he had fallen for her trick, but the truth was that in these circumstances, he couldn’t be mad at her. At least, not extremely mad.
“So… you’re human,” he said.
“And you’re not.”
Her voice was cold. Just as he had feared, she wanted nothing to do with him. She wanted him out of her life.
“No, I’m not,” he whispered.
Skye glared at him. “What are you?”
“I’m a wolf-shifter.”
“Like him,” she motioned towards Carter, who was still unconscious.
“No, not like him. I mean… yes. Technically. I’m not… a murderer.”
“If you listened to what he said, he isn’t either,” Nina said. She was standing behind Skye, making it pretty obvious that she had her sister’s back. “He said he was innocent.”
“And you believed him?” asked Aiden. “You two heard everything, right? How did you do it? How did you manage to follow me and elude all my senses?”
Nina shrugged. “A simple protection spell.”
“You’re good,” said Aiden. “You’re naturally skilled.”
Nina’s shoulders slumped a bit. “Not really…”
But Aiden wasn’t listening to her anymore. His attention turned back to Skye.
“I am who I am, Skye. I was born this way and I can’t change it. I wouldn’t change it even if I could. But I’m not a rogue wolf, like Carter.”
“You’re not an FBI agent.”
“No. I’m an agent of the Arcane Affairs Agency.”
Skye cocked an eyebrow. “The heck is that?”
“It’s a paranormal organization that tracks all paranormal activity in the world and makes sure everything is in order.”
“What does “in order” mean?” asked Nina. She was very interested now. So, the world Skye had told her about had rules and regulations. It even had an Agency which dealt with laws and crime.
Aiden scratched the back of his neck. He didn’t have time to tell them the entire story behind the Agency, so he had to make it quick and concise.
“First, we make sure humans come in contact with the paranormal as little
as possible. We’re trying to keep the two worlds separated, although it has always proved to be a serious challenge. We intervene when a paranormal creature puts the lives of humans in danger, but also when there’s a crime within our world. We aim to keep everything nice and peaceful. If humans were to learn about vampires, shifters, ghosts, demons, and the like, then panic would ruin us all. That’s why it’s best to keep you in the dark.”
Skye nodded. It made sense, of course.
“That’s why you didn’t tell me you’re a shifter,” she concluded. “Your job doesn’t allow you to reveal your identity to humans.”
Aiden smiled. “Yes, but that’s not the only reason.”
“What other reason could you have had?”
Aiden opened his mouth to answer, but a noise coming from his right interrupted him. The fear and confusion he saw in the girls’ eyes made him turn around. Something was happening with Carter. At first, he thought the man was just waking up. He straightened his back, pulled at his cuffs, then opened his eyes and stared right into Aiden’s.
“Mr. Wagner?”
“Carter Wagner is not here,” the blond said.
“What’s wrong with his eyes?” asked Nina. She stepped closer, and now she was standing right next to Skye.
A shudder ran through Aiden’s entire body. His eyes… His eyes glowed golden, just as they had when he had been in his wolf form. There was not a single speck of blue in them. Those weren’t Carter’s eyes. Aiden’s instinct was to clutch his Arcane Affairs badge. It was more than a badge with which he identified himself to paranormal beings. It was a talisman. And in cases like this, he needed his talisman more than ever. With his other hand, he dug for the pot of salt in his belt.
“Step back,” he told the girls.
It was too late, though. The golden eyes turned to Nina.
“Remember me?” Carter asked.
Nina gasped. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. She felt paralyzed, her body frozen in place. Yes. Yes, she did remember those eyes.
“Don’t speak to him,” Aiden said. “Whatever you do, don’t let him engage you in conversation. Creatures like him… They’re sneaky, dangerous. You have no idea what they can do.”
“Oh, I… I think I’m starting to understand,” whispered Nina.
She couldn’t look away from Carter’s eyes. It seemed, now, that more than his eyes glowed. There was an aura around him, an aura that made his skin glow with a golden tan, and his blond hair look like molten gold. It was unnatural and otherworldly.
“You thought I was gone,” Carter continued. He kept staring into Nina’s green eyes. “You thought you banished me forever, sent me back to where I belong. Well, you failed. You lousy, lousy witch. You failed!”
“What’s he talking about?” asked Aiden. Now that he had realized Carter was not exactly Carter, some things were beginning to make sense. However, others didn’t. “Nina, why is he talking to you like that?”
“It’s my fault.” Nina’s voice cracked a bit, and tears started running down her cheeks. “It’s all my fault. Skye, I told you what we did two weeks ago caused all this mess. I told you!”
Skye grabbed Nina’s shoulders and shook her lightly.
“We’ll fix it,” she said. “This is totally fixable.” Then, she turned to Aiden. “Right, Aiden? Tell me you can fix it.”
The agent had found his pot of salt. He took it out slowly, although he wasn’t sure how he was going to use it. Aiden was a werewolf, and most of the cases he had been assigned had dealt with shifters. This was the first time he was coming face to face with such a creature. He tried to remember his training.
“Not alone,” he answered Skye. “I can’t fix it alone.”
Nina pushed Skye away, walked past Aiden, and stopped right in front of Carter.
“I can fix it,” she said confidently, although what she truly felt was very far from confidence.
“No!” yelled Aiden. “Nina, step away!”
He wanted to grab her arm, but thought better of it when he heard the quick snap of Carter’s neck. The transition had begun, and the golden glow was now pouring out of the rogue wolf through his nostrils and open mouth. The creature had killed its victim before leaving the body it had forcefully used as a host. Pain and regret shot through Aiden’s heart when he understood Carter Wagner had, indeed, been innocent. Now, he was dead. He was the first civilian life agent Aiden Ashwood had lost on a mission.
The golden glow took the vague form of a cloud that floated between Carter’s dead body and Nina. The young witch stood her ground and tried to focus on the banishing spell she had learned two weeks before. Somewhere, at the back of her mind, she knew it wouldn’t work. She needed a magic circle, time to concentrate, and much more energy than she had right now. She had already cast two spells today, and the second one had been pretty taxing. It hadn’t been easy to make Carter shift back to his human form and drain him of energy until he collapsed. She tried, nonetheless. There was no other option.
Aiden knew there was nothing he could do to help her. If he had had the witch’s Spell Book, maybe he could have done something. He took Skye’s arm and dragged her out of the trailer. Skye protested. She yelled at him, scratched at his face, and kicked him in the shins when he picked her up like she were a bag of potatoes.
“No! I’m not leaving her alone with that thing!” she screamed. “Let me go! Let go!”
He ignored her, threw her over his shoulder, and put as much distance as he could between them and Carter’s trailer. They weren’t far when they heard the burst of flames. Skye kicked Aiden so hard that he yelped and had to put her down.
“Oh my God!” Skye screamed. She started running back to the trailer. “Oh my God! Nina!”
Aiden sighed and followed her. There was no use trying to stop her.
“Be careful, okay? Just be careful,” he begged.
The trailer was on fire, and the flames were rapidly spreading to the trees. At that moment, Skye didn’t know what to worry about most: that Nina was still inside, or that the fire was probably going to burn down a huge part of the forest and even spread to the houses nearby? She gasped and stopped in her tracks when she saw her sister emerging from the flames. Her clothes were intact, and so was her long red hair. She walked slowly, carefully, paying no mind to the disaster around her.
“Nina!”
Skye started laughing. It was impossible to describe the release she felt. She lunged at her sister, and she would have squeezed her frail body into her arms if Aiden hadn’t caught her from around the waist and held her in place.
“No, Skye. No.”
“What the hell are you doing? Let me go, for fuck’s sake! That’s my sister there!”
“Skye, baby… that’s not your sister. Look…”
Skye struggled a second longer, then stopped to study her sister. Nina was close enough now that Skye and Aiden could see her eyes clearly. They were golden, not green. And they glowed. Oh, how they glowed!
“Nina?”
“Nina is not here,” the girl said.
It was her voice, but there was something about it that didn’t sound quite right. A chill ran up Skye’s spine. She turned around and snuggled into Aiden’s chest.
“Oh God, do something,” she cried into his T-shirt. “Please, do something. Save her.”
Aiden unscrewed the cap on his pot of salt and spread the white dust around him and Skye. For now, this was the only thing he could do: protect the two of them.
Nina, or… the creature inside Nina, took a step back and smiled. It was more of a grimace, and when Skye saw it, she started crying harder. The creature didn’t say or do anything. It just carefully avoided the circle of salt and disappeared between the trees. It was headed towards Misty Falls.
“We have to put out the fire,” Aiden said. He kissed the top of Skye’s head. Even though there was work to be done, he couldn’t let go of her. Not yet. She needed him more than ever. “Skye, my love… We hav
e to put out the fire.”
***
It took the fire department hours to contain the fire and put it out completely. Aiden and Skye didn’t stick around. They made sure everything was under control, then ran to Skye’s house, where they hoped they would find Nina. She wasn’t there. It was a good thing their mother wasn’t home either, otherwise Skye would have had a lot of explaining to do, and she wasn’t in the mood. She plopped down onto her sister’s bed, hugged her pillow, and let the tears run freely.
Aiden watched her with concern. He didn’t know how to react, what to do, what to say to her… It was all so strange. He had never seen a woman cry like Skye was crying right now, and he had no idea if he was supposed to leave her alone, or rub her back while whispering soothing words into her ear. They stayed like that for a long while: Skye crying into Nina’s pillow, and Aiden watching her from the other corner of the room. He felt like an idiot.
He felt like an idiot for many, many reasons. All the clues had been there, under his nose, and he had ignored them. Harriet McBride, who had simply flipped one day and shot the man she had loved all her life. Her insistent mention of the golden glow that had made her lose her mind. Oh, and all the other small, almost insignificant clues: people abandoning their pets, being mean to their loved ones, suddenly deciding to divorce their spouses. Those were natural reactions to being possessed for a short time. The longer someone was possessed, the more terrible the things they did.
“A demon,” Aiden whispered, more to himself. “It was a demon all along.”
He closed his eyes and bit the inside of his jaw. How could he have been so blind? Yes, demons could be very sneaky and intelligent. They were great at tricking people into believing anything they wanted them to believe, and this one had done just that for the past two weeks. Carter Wagner had been a victim, just like the other people of Misty Falls. The demon had killed those three people using Carter’s shifter abilities, making it look like animal attacks to humans, and rogue wolf attacks to the Agency. If Aiden had paid attention… If he hadn’t been so focused on what he thought was happening, and been more open to what was actually happening… But it was all in the past now. There was no point in mulling over it and feeling guilty for all the things he had done wrong, or the things he hadn’t done at all. There would be enough time for guilt later. Now, he had to make sure he didn’t lose a second civilian life.
