She said nothing for a few seconds, and I wondered if she was done.
“Your story is fascinating, Raven,” she finally said. “Given the fact that you’re a human, you’re handling all of this very well. So I do have one more question for you.”
“All right,” I said, ready for anything.
“Prior to your initial run-in with Noah and Sage, did you have any other encounters with the supernatural world?”
I opened my mouth to say no.
But I couldn’t say it.
Because I wasn’t sure if that was the truth or not.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly.
“You don’t know?” the alpha repeated, tilting her head in curiosity. “How can that be? The answer should be straightforward. Either yes or no.”
I didn’t know because I hadn’t been honest—totally honest—with anyone about what had happened to me this past winter.
According to everyone I knew, I’d made a spur of the moment decision to go backpacking in Europe, didn’t tell anyone I was leaving, and stayed there for weeks. I remembered doing that—sort of. But the memories were hazy.
So hazy that I questioned whether or not they’d happened at all.
It had come up in conversation with Noah once, briefly. When it did, I’d done what I always did when Europe came up and changed the subject. Mainly because I didn’t want him to think I was crazy.
But it was time to admit what I’d been wondering since learning about the supernatural world and finding out that my mom and I were somehow connected to it. That maybe there was something more going on with my spur of the moment vacation and hazy memories of it than I realized.
“Over the winter, I took a trip to Europe for a few weeks,” I said slowly, swallowing as I prepared to continue. I wasn’t sure why I was telling the alpha this—I didn’t think it was relevant to helping her realize that Noah, Sage, and I weren’t here to hurt the rougarou.
But I also had a feeling that if I told her the truth, she could help me. And I needed help more than ever.
“Disappearing like that without telling anyone wasn’t like me,” I continued. “And the memories of the trip are so hazy that it’s like I wasn’t there at all. So I can’t help wondering if there might be something more going on with what happened. Something supernatural.”
She leaned forward, looking more curious than ever. “When you think about your trip, does it feel like you’re watching someone else’s experiences and not your own?” she asked. “Like the memories aren’t quite real? Like you keep hitting a wall, but that if you pushed at the wall hard enough, it would dissolve and re-form into something else entirely?”
“Exactly.” I perked up, amazed that she knew what I was going through. “How did you know that?”
“Because you’re right that there’s something supernatural going on.” She watched me closely, her mouth set in a grim line. “Someone has tampered with your memories.”
Raven
“What do you mean?” I sat back in shock. “How could my memories have been tampered with?”
It sounded so strange to say… but it didn’t sound wrong either.
It certainly made more sense than the possibility that I’d run off to Europe on a whim, or that I was having some kind of psychotic delusion.
“My guess would be that you never went to Europe at all,” she said simply. “And that someone—a supernatural of some sort—used a memory potion to alter your memories.”
“But that’s impossible,” I said. “Sage taught me about memory potions. They can only alter memories that go back a few days, tops. I was in Europe for weeks. Not even a memory potion could change my memories that much.”
“It’s true that the memory potions available on the market will only be able to alter a few days worth of memories,” she said. “But the witches who sell their magic are far from the strongest witches in the world. Even the strongest witches—like the ones in the Voodoo Queen’s circle and the Devereux LA circle—aren’t nearly as strong as the witches employed by the five vampire kingdoms.”
I nodded, since I’d learned about those five kingdoms during the long drive with Noah and Sage. “A small number of witches live in the vampire kingdoms, and those witches perform magic for the vampires in exchange for an extravagant lifestyle,” I shared the bit I knew about those witches.
“Precisely.” She nodded. “The witches living in the vampire kingdoms are the strongest witches in the world. Not many of them have the power to erase a few weeks worth of memories—but there are certainly a few who could.”
I sat back, the revelation strangely comforting since it explained so much of what had been eating away at me recently. A witch had altered my memories. I wasn’t sure why a witch would want to do that, but now that I was aware my memories had been erased, there had to be a way to fix this.
“So how do I get my memories back?” I asked.
Because there had to be a way to get them back. Right?
“You’d have to find the witch who took them away in the first place,” she said. “Only that witch can give you a reversal pill that will return your memories to you.”
“Great.” I huffed. “How am I supposed to find this witch when she—or he—took away the memories I have of who they are?”
“The witch is most likely a she,” the alpha said.
“All the witches I’ve met so far are female,” I realized. “Why? Do male witches not exist at all?”
“They exist,” Sage cut in. “But female witches have more powerful magic than their male counterparts. No one knows why—it’s just the way witch magic works. They joke that magic must be carried on the X chromosome, so men only get half the amount of magic as women.”
“Oh,” I said. “Interesting.”
“Anyway, back to your question about how to find the witch who erased your memories,” the alpha said. “I agree that it’s a difficult predicament. I don’t have an answer for you, but the Earth Angel has connections throughout the supernatural world. If there’s anyone who might be able to help you, it’s her.”
“Yet another reason why I need to get to Avalon,” I said.
Which meant if I wanted any chance of keeping my sanity, I’d have to shelf my curiosity about my erased memories for now. Just like how I was trying to shelf my worry about my mom. It was tough, because I had so many questions, but completing the demon hunt and getting to Avalon needed my full attention. With my mom’s life on the line, I couldn’t afford to get distracted.
“But while I don’t have an answer for you, someone else here might.” The alpha turned to Noah, glaring at him. “We know little about Noah, or where he comes from. Perhaps he had something to do with your memories being erased?”
“Wait.” I held up a hand, stopping her. “Noah didn’t erase my memories. He had nothing to do with this.”
“So trusting,” the alpha said to me. “You have much to learn, little human.”
There she went again, calling me human instead of using my name. I really hated that.
“Raven’s right,” Noah spoke up. “If her memories were erased, I had nothing to do with it. I swear it. I’ll even take a truth potion to prove it.”
“Truth potion doesn’t come cheap,” the alpha said. “There’s a reason why we only used one vial for the three of you. For now, you and Sage will remain detained until I figure out how to proceed.”
My stomach swirled with worry about what might happen to Noah and Sage. “Don’t hurt them,” I begged. “Please. They’re on my side.”
“Or so you think.” She pressed her lips together, looking unconvinced.
“Maybe someone gave me a memory potion, but if Noah says it’s not him, I believe him,” I said. “He wouldn’t lie. Not about this.”
“Give him the truth potion,” Sage cut in. “I’ll pay you double what the potion cost you. You’ll have nothing to lose.”
“It’s not a bad offer,” she said, looking Sage over. “I’ll consi
der it. But first, I’d like to continue my conversation with Raven here.” She said my name with more respect than earlier, turning her focus back to me.
“I told you everything I know,” I said.
“I know you did,” she said. “But you should know that for most people—including supernaturals—memory potions go undetected. The person who took the memory potion can’t tell a difference between the implanted memories and reality. It wouldn’t feel hazy, like you described. It would simply feel real.”
“But I can tell the difference between the fake memories and the real ones,” I said. “Why?”
“Sometimes, if a supernatural is stronger than the witch who brewed the potion, they’ll be able to resist the potion,” she said. “But you’re not a supernatural. There’s no doubt that you’re a human—and a delicious-smelling human, at that.”
I wasn’t sure whether to take that as a compliment or be afraid that she might want to taste me.
I settled with asking her another question.
“So you have no idea why I can tell that my memories have been tampered with?” I asked.
“There are occasional humans who are able to resist magic,” she said. “Psychics. But these humans are rare—I’ve never met one myself—and they always have a unique ability of their own.”
I perked up at the word “ability.” My mom had always said she had a special ability to read tarot cards, and she’d insisted that I had an ability of my own. I never thought I did, but she was convinced I’d realize what it was sooner or later.
“My mom has the ability to read tarot cards.” I was aware that the truth potion was making me comfortable enough to say all of this to the alpha, but at the same time, I didn’t care. If being honest helped me understand what was happening to me, then so be it. Let the truth set me free. “She always calls herself a witch, but psychic would describe her pretty well, too.”
“And you?” She leaned forward, looking like she was onto something. “Have you inherited her gift?”
“I don’t have an ability.” I shrugged. “I’m definitely not a psychic.”
If I were, maybe that would explain why demons were after me. But nope. I didn’t have any special abilities. I’d know if I did.
“Hmm.” She watched me carefully, looking intrigued and not convinced. But I was under the truth potion, so she had no choice but to believe me.
It was a relief to be able to be honest and know that the person I was talking to wouldn’t doubt me. Not that I would want to take truth potion all the time—there were plenty of instances where it was good to hide the truth—but there was something freeing about knowing that I was being believed one hundred percent.
“Since I can tell when my memories have been tampered with, I promise I haven’t been given any memory potion since Noah and Sage saved me from that demon in Santa Monica,” I told her. “They haven’t messed with my memories. I’d know if they had.”
“They haven’t messed with your memories since you met them at the Pier,” she said. “That doesn’t mean they weren’t involved in whatever happened to you this winter.”
“So take up Sage’s offer,” Noah cut in. “Give me truth potion, and then ask me if I was involved with Raven’s memories being erased. Because I promise my answer will stay the same.”
Raven
“I think I’ll do that,” she said. “Jack, go get another vial of truth potion and bring it to me.”
The same rougarou who’d gotten my truth potion—Jack—went behind the bar and brought out another light blue vial. I was amazed by how easily the alpha had agreed to the idea, but relieved nonetheless. I was sure Sage’s offer to pay her double what the potion was worth had a big part to do with her agreement.
People always seemed to become much more agreeable when money was involved. Specifically, when they would be getting a large amount of it.
Jack handed the alpha the potion. Then, just like she did for me, the uncapped the vial and brought it to Noah’s lips so he could drink.
I didn’t like her touching him—a strange sort of protectiveness came over me, like Noah was mine and no one else should be touching him, especially another woman—but I swallowed down the urge to tell her to back off. This was no time for my crush on him to get in the way of anything.
A few seconds after swallowing the potion, his eyes dilated. It must have started working.
I prayed that the alpha would only ask him if he’d given me the memory potion, and nothing more. I didn’t know what Noah was hiding about his past, but I had a feeling that whatever it was, he didn’t want the rougarou to know.
The alpha scooted her chair so she was directly in front of him and placed her hands on her thighs, looking ready for an interrogation. “Noah,” she said, her voice calm and relaxed. “Have you ever given Raven a memory potion?”
“I haven’t,” he answered, concise as always.
“Do you know who gave her the memory potion that erased whatever happened to her while she thinks she was in Europe?”
“No.”
“All right.” The alpha looked convinced. “I believe that you know nothing about Raven’s memory wipe—that whatever happened to her was caused by supernaturals before you met. However, I don’t believe in coincidences, so you must have met for a reason.”
Noah didn’t reply to that. He just watched the alpha closely. His fingers were tense—I could tell that all he wanted was to be freed from the handcuffs so we could all get out of there.
“Great,” Sage said with a forced smile. “Now that we’ve worked everything out, will you agree to a truce until we leave tomorrow night?”
“Patience,” the alpha said, still focused on Noah. “Since you’re under the truth potion, I do have a few more questions for you.”
The worry that had twisted my stomach before intensified.
Noah simply watched her, waiting.
“Your cause to get to Avalon is a noble one.” She turned away from Noah to face her pack, and I relaxed slightly, getting the feeling that she was on our side now. “The Earth Angel needs as many fighters as possible to join her army in the war against the demons. We all need to band together to overcome this terrible threat. Therefore, I will not blame any rougarou who choose to leave the pack in favor of joining Annika’s army.”
Surprised chatter broke out amongst the rougarou at this announcement.
They only quieted once the alpha raised a hand to silence them.
“But in order for the rougarou to have the option to join the Earth Angel’s army, they need to know where to go to do so,” she continued, turning back to Noah. “Therefore, I need to know—where is the island of Avalon located?”
I felt Noah’s relief at her line of questioning as if it were my own. I wasn’t sure how that was possible, but I just knew she wasn’t asking him anything he wasn’t comfortable answering.
“I don’t know,” he said, looking straight at her as he spoke. “The location of Avalon is top secret—only Annika and her inner circle know where it is on a map.”
“But you’re leading Sage and Raven to Avalon once you collect the remaining three demon teeth,” the alpha said. “Surely you know how to get there?”
“There is a liaison point,” he said. “The vampire kingdom of the Vale in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Go there, and tell King Alexander that you want to join the Earth Angel’s army. All potential recruits will be assessed to determine if they’re allowed entry or not. If allowed, they will be brought to Avalon.”
“And if denied?” she asked.
“I’m just another potential soldier.” He sounded more modest than I’d ever heard him sound before. “I don’t know the details of how the process works. But my guess is that those who are denied are sent back home.”
“Interesting,” she said, and then she turned to address her pack again. “Let it be known that if any rougarou are denied entrance to Avalon, they will be welcomed back into the pack with open arms. I do not want fear of ab
andonment to hold you back from supporting a worthy cause. We are a family, and as your alpha, I will support your decisions no matter what. Understood?”
“Understood,” they repeated in unison.
She nodded to them and turned back to us. “I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance yet to properly introduce myself,” she said. “I’m Leia, and as you know, I’m the alpha of the rougarou pack.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, since it was nice to finally have a name to put to her face.
“I’m sorry the circumstances had to be what they were, but it’s always better to be careful than be killed,” she said. “Now—Sage Montgomery.” She zeroed in on Sage. “What is the Montgomery pack doing to prepare to fight the demons?”
I was surprised she was addressing Sage, since Sage was the only one of the three of us who hadn’t taken truth potion. But I supposed Leia knew that neither Noah nor I knew the details of what the Montgomery pack was doing. She also must have fully trusted us now.
Either that or she didn’t want to use up any more precious truth potion.
I suspected it was the latter.
“I’m not sure,” Sage answered. “We have a stronghold at our compound in LA, and Flint told me he’s working on a plan. In the meantime, my focus is on helping Noah. He belongs in Avalon, and I want to help him get there.”
“Why do you care so much about his cause?” Leia asked. “I haven’t picked up any signs of a mate bond between the two of you. Have you imprinted on one another?”
“No,” Sage and Noah said at the same time, both of them backing up like the idea of being imprinted on each other horrified them.
They looked at each other and chuckled, amused that they’d had such similar reactions.
“Noah’s like a brother to me,” Sage continued. “I’m helping him because he’s a good person, and he deserves my help. Also, I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. It’s a lot more interesting than sitting around the LA compound waiting for Flint to decide what to do against the demons.”
The Angel Hunt (Dark World: The Angel Trials Book 2) Page 8
