Ashton Grove Werewolves (Boxed Set, Vol. 2)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “Dear God, we could use a break. A little help would be appreciated,” Colin said with a sigh. He’d never been one for prayer, but maybe now was a good time to start.

  The very air changed and then a light so blinding filled his office that he thought he’d never see again. When he slowly blinked his eyes and his vision returned, a being stood in front of him, and that’s the best way he could describe him, for it certainly wasn’t a man. There were no wings to indicate it was an angel, but the brilliant white robes, cherubic golden curls and benevolent smile all led him to that conclusion.

  “You mean all I had to do this whole time was pray?” Colin asked.

  “We’ve heard the prayers from your pack off and on for the past several months. But you’re the only one who has asked for help in all that time.”

  “Who are you?”

  “The angel Adriel. Several of my brothers have also heard your call. When the time comes, we’ll stand by your side and fight against the darkness with you.”

  Colin said back in his chair. He was talking to an honest to God angel. Not that it should really surprise him. After all, he was a werewolf, was mated to a shapeshifter and knew the sorcerer. So why not angels?

  “We’ll appreciate the help, the extra men, but what happens until then? We’re training every day, or so I’ve been told, but I don’t know that it’s going to be enough. Regular weapons won’t defeat the demons.”

  “No, they won’t. It will only make them angrier.”

  Colin waited, hoping the angel would continue. When he didn’t, Colin prodded him a bit, “So what should we do then?”

  “Jophiel and Remiel can help by blessing your weapons. It won’t be the same as using a blade forged in Heaven, but it will still give you the power to destroy them. You’ll have to get close, close enough to strike, but if you can get the blade into their skin it will do some damage. A slit throat will end them easily enough.”

  Now that’s what he wanted to hear! All they had to do was amass a set of weapons to be blessed and they’d be in business. Of course, the weapons wouldn’t do them any good if they couldn’t get close enough to use them. They had to stay standing and be able to fight long enough to kill the monsters coming for them.

  The angel held out his hand, a necklace lay in his palm. “Wear this at all times. When you need me, hold it in your hand and say my name.”

  Colin accepted the medallion. It had some sort of rune like writing on it. “What is it?”

  “It’s the Celestial language and the sign for my name, Adriel. Each angel has a sign. It’s very powerful to have something like that, so don’t lose it.”

  Colin slipped the chain over his head. The medallion came to rest on the upper part of his chest. It felt warm even through his shirt.

  “Call me when you’re ready to have the weapons blessed, Colin Tierney. Until then, stay safe.”

  Adriel disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving Colin wondering if he’d really just seen an angel in his office. If it weren’t the medallion around his neck, he’d think he’d dreamt the whole thing. The angel had given something to think about. If they were going to have angels on their side, then just maybe things were going to be okay.

  He picked up his phone and sent a text to his brother, asking him to come by, along with their cousins. This information was too important to keep to himself and he was about to burst, wanting to share his newfound knowledge with someone. Angels! Yes, he’d thought they existed, had wondered if they could receive assistance from Heaven, but wondering about it and actually having it happen were two very different things.

  His mind drifted to Kendall. Now he could keep her safe, or at least safer than before. Even today, he was worried about her being out by herself, without a weapon of any kind. She would be defenseless against the demons if they decided to strike now. He wished he knew more about them. Would they know the pack by sight, by smell, by sense? Would Kendall be safe if she was away from the pack, or would the demons merely track her? Gabriel seemed to think the children wouldn’t be safe away from the pack. Colin wasn’t so sure.

  If it were his child, he would want the baby away from the fight, safely tucked away with Matt and Cassie and their brood. If anyone could protect the child, it would be them. From what he’d gathered, his cousins had talked the couple into staying out it as much as possible. While it would be nice to have extra bodies with special gifts, he didn’t think Cassie’s ability to speak with the dead would help much, and he would feel horrible if something were to happen to her.

  Kendall flitted through his mind again. What was she doing at that very moment? Were they still at the mall, or had they moved on to the salon? In his opinion, she was perfect just the way she was, but he knew women fretted over things like their hair and nails. Well, some did, he amended. It seemed his mate was one of them. He ached to have her by his side once more, to know that she was okay. He knew he was being paranoid, but all things considered, he felt it was justified. Anyone with a pack of demons after them would feel the same, wouldn’t they?

  Colin had been lucky, finding Kendall the way he had. If it weren’t for Suzette and her remarkable talent, he could’ve lost out on his mate forever. Just the thought of what could’ve happened to Kendall, if left alone on that road, gave him nightmares. The demons could’ve returned, someone could’ve run her over, she could’ve died from exposure and her many wounds. No matter how he looked at it, he would’ve lost her, forever. She was the greatest gift he’d ever received and he was going to cherish her every day for the rest of his life.

  The sooner the war was behind them, the better. He looked forward to joining their lives together. Yes, they were going to live together in the interim, and they were intimate, but he wanted everyone to know she was his, to bind her to him. Not in a possessive, Neanderthal kind of way. Well, perhaps in a slightly possessive kind of way. But because he already cared for her. The moment he’d laid eyes on her, had realized who she was, his heart had belonged to her and only her. He hadn’t told her as much yet, but he would, when the time was right. If he told her now, she would think he was saying goodbye, that he was giving up before the war was fought. No, he needed to wait, and pray for the best.

  The question was did she feel the same? She’d had someone in her life, in a way. While she claimed they were merely friends with benefits, the fact remained that she had someone constant in her life. He’d had a string of girlfriends, but no one steady, not really. What had been the point? He’d known none of them was his mate. It had been fun, and in some way he’d cared about them, but it wasn’t the same. Kendall was different. She was his, and only his. At least, to his way of thinking. Did were-manul’s mate the same way? Were they monogamous? Would it be a forever relationship to her, just as Kiera and Gabriel’s was? The little were-fox had certainly latched onto Gabriel quick enough, and hadn’t faltered once since she’d said “I do”. Would Kendall be the same way? Of course, they weren’t going to have a traditional wedding so it would be a little different.

  He hoped their relationship would be just as deep and meaningful as the one Kiera and Gabriel shared, or his brother and Aislinn. The thought of his mate not wanting him as much as he wanted her was enough to wrench his heart. She was passionate, and seemed to desire him as much as he did her. But was that enough? Did their time together mean the same thing to her? He knew the only way to find out for sure would be to ask, but there would be time for that later. Now he had other things to focus on, other things that needed his attention. Without meaning to, he’d taken on an active part in the pack’s battle strategy. The alphas didn’t seem to mind, and he wondered if perhaps they were glad for the extra help, if maybe they needed a reprieve, needed someone else to help shoulder the responsibility for a while. He knew all of his cousins were focused on the war, who in the pack wasn’t?

  Everything came back to that damn war. He almost wished the demons would just go ahead and attack, get it over with. No, they weren’t prepa
red, but he wondered if they ever would be, truly prepared that is. How did you prepare to fight something like a demon? He would imagine they were ruthless, fighting without rules or care for their own well-being. How did you fight against something like that?

  He heard a noise at the front of the house. A quick sniff told him his brother and cousins had arrived. He wasn’t even sure what to say to them, how to explain that an angel had visited him, given him an amulet, at that. But he needed to find the words.

  Connor pushed the office door open and peered in at his brother. Colin gave him a half-smile.

  “I’m glad you could make it,” Colin said.

  “What’s up? It sounded urgent.”

  Connor came in and took a seat, Gabriel claiming the chair next to him, leaving Michael and Cole to stand behind them. For the second time that week, they were sequestered in his office, as if he were actually in charge of anything. If he’d been thinking, he would’ve asked Connor to call the meeting at his house, had given him the information first and let him pass it on. But he hadn’t been thinking and now he was about to overstep again. Good thing they were family.

  “I had a surprise visitor today,” Colin began. “Do you remember when I mentioned before that it seemed reasonable if Hell existed, so did Heaven? That if demons were around, angels must be, too?”

  Gabriel’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Go on.”

  “The angel Adriel paid me a visit today. It seems that something as simple as a prayer asking for help was all it took to bring him to my side. All this time, he said we’d been praying, but no one had specifically asked for help.”

  The wolves all looked at one another.

  “That seems a little too easy,” Michael said. “What’s the catch?”

  “No catch. He offered to bless our weapons so they would actually be effective against the demons. More importantly, they offered to fight by our side during the battle.”

  Silence filled the room. He watched as his family absorbed the information he’d given, looks of disbelief, mistrust, and hope filled their faces. Colin knew they wanted to believe, but were scared to, and he couldn’t blame them. He felt the same, but he had no choice but to believe in the angel who had stood before him less than an hour ago. It was hard not to believe something when you’d seen it with your own eyes.

  Cole zeroed in on the amulet around Colin’s neck. “Is that what he left you?”

  Colin nodded. “He told me how to call him when we’re ready. But first, we have to gather the weapons. I’m thinking knives would be the easiest way to go. He said we’d have to get close enough to use them, which leads me to believe that guns are out of the question. Pity, since they’d be so much easier.”

  “If we have to have special weapons, how effective are Aislinn and the sorcerer going to be?” his brother asked with concern. “Maybe it isn’t too late to get her out of town.”

  “I didn’t want to tell you this, but Aislinn is the reason they’re coming. If she leaves, they’ll just follow her. To date, the sorcerer has been the only one of his kind. When he healed Aislinn and shared his powers with her, he created a new sorceress, someone almost as powerful as he is, and that’s attracted the demons. They want her power, to control her. We can’t let that happen, but to stop it she has to stay here with the pack.”

  Connor looked less than pleased. “If something happens to her...”

  “We won’t let it,” Colin promised. “The bulk of the pack can be near Aislinn since we know she’s the target. The rest can protect the women and spread out, drawing the demons away from those who are vulnerable.”

  Gabriel cleared his throat. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to overstep.”

  “No, you’re fine. I’m glad to have some fresh ideas and someone with some passion. I think we’ve all been running on terror so far. I have no problem admitting that I’m afraid, afraid of losing my family, my pack. But whether we like it or not, the demons are coming.” Gabriel gave him a grim smile. “If you can help us prepare, I have no problem yielding the floor to you.”

  Colin nodded. “Let’s see how many weapons we can gather tonight and tomorrow. By tomorrow evening, I’d like to have the angels bless them. Then we can begin training not only to fight hand to hand, but to use the weapons, as well.”

  “I’ve thought about what you said before, about the women training. Marin and I discussed it last night and we’re going to take Cassie and Matt up on their offer and let them watch the little one. I want her to train with everyone else, to be able to protect herself against those things,” Cole said.

  “Good.” Colin looked at Michael “And Chloe?”

  Michael shook his head. “She’ll have the baby. I don’t think it’s wise to drop all of the kids off with Cassie. The demons will be suspicious if there aren’t any children present and they might try to hunt them down.”

  Colin’s gaze flicked to Gabriel. “Are you still adamant that Kiera is to be protected and not protect herself?”

  “I’m assigning at least three wolves to our mates. I think that will be sufficient. Add to that Kendall and Marin being able to fight and they should be safe.”

  Colin was disappointed in his cousins, but glad that Cole had joined him in this thinking. The mere thought of Chloe and Kiera being sitting ducks terrified him. Something told him things weren’t going to end well for the pack and the last thing he needed was to worry about his family. If he knew they were safe, he could focus on other things, like kicking some demon ass.

  “Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. So, meet again tomorrow?” Colin suggested. “Where are we housing the weapons?”

  “Ramsey offered to keep them for us, since he doesn’t have any kiddies under foot, yet. Harper’s pregnant, but she isn’t due for a while,” Connor said. “She’ll be training with the others. Ramsey wanted to make sure she at least knew a little self-defense so he wouldn’t worry quite so much.”

  “Then why don’t we meet at Ramsey’s? Say tomorrow after dinner, around seven? Will that give you enough time to gather more knives?” Colin asked.

  Gabriel nodded. “That should be fine. We’ll see you there.”

  Cole held back after everyone left. Colin wasn’t sure what his cousin wanted to say that couldn’t be said in front of the others, but he was more than willing to listen. He’d always liked Cole, thought he had a good head on his shoulders. Well, except for that time he ripped out the throat of Marin’s attacker. Of course, he would’ve done the same thing if someone were threatening Kendall.

  “I wanted to thank you,” Cole began, “for talking to us about preparing our mates. I was willing to go along with Gabriel, but what you said makes sense. I have to admit, since coming to the decision to let Marin train, I’ve felt lighter, like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”

  “I just wish we could convince your brothers to do the same.”

  “Gabriel is stubborn, and Michael is just following his lead. As alpha, my brother thinks he knows what’s best for everyone, and to be honest, he usually does. But in this instance, I think he’s wrong. I think he’s under the assumption that Kiera’s magick will save her if anyone attacks, but you and I both know that her magick is iffy. What happens if she can’t react fast enough? And what about poor Chloe? She’s just a human.”

  Colin drummed his fingers on the desk. “So what do you think we should do?”

  “I’m going to have Aislinn talk to them. You know she gets visions now. I caught her sobbing as if her best friend had died the other day, but she refused to tell me why. I think she’s already getting glimpses of what’s going to happen when the demons get here, who will live and who will die. Maybe she can give Kiera and Chloe a cryptic message, enough to scare them into training, even if they have to do it in secret.”

  “Do you think she’ll do it? Go against alpha orders? Especially if Connor wants her to stay out of it?”

  “She loves Kiera and
Chloe like they were her sisters. So yeah, I think she’ll do it.”

  Colin studied his cousin a moment. “There’s something you aren’t telling me.”

  “There’s a reason Marin and I are sending our daughter to stay with Cassie. About seven or eight months ago, Marin was suffering from ovarian cancer. She only had months to live. The sorcerer healed her, but the disease had already done so much damage that he couldn’t heal her completely. Her ovaries were damaged to the point that we can’t have more children. No one in the pack knows, including my brothers.”

  “I’m sorry, Cole. You’re a great father. I could’ve seen you with a house full of kids.”

  “We’re content with the one we have,” he said with a smile. “But I want you to promise me something. If you make it out of this and we don’t, make sure one of my brothers take her in. If they don’t, I want you and Kendall to raise her.”

  Colin was stunned. “Me? But...”

  “I’ve seen you with Alisdair. You’re a natural. Just promise me my baby will be taken care of.”

  Colin swallowed past the knot in his throat. “I promise.”

  Cole nodded. “Good. Now, I’d better get home before Marin sends out a search party for me. I told her I wouldn’t be gone long.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “Until tomorrow,” Cole said with a smile, and then turned and walked away.

  Colin was reeling and on information overload. Between angels, Cole’s news and request, the battle to get Kiera and Chloe trained... it was taking a toll on him. But he felt that they were making progress, baby steps perhaps, but progress just the same.

  With a glance at the clock, he debated calling Chloe to check on Kendall, then nixed the idea. He didn’t want to seem overbearing or worrisome, even if he was. Their current situation was changing him, and not necessarily for the better. Well, in some ways it was. He’d never thought of himself as a leader, but he was more than ready to lead the charge into battle. But having a mate was screwing with his head, his constant worry and fear for her safety was going to be his downfall. He just hoped it didn’t cost him.