Savage Possession

by Belinda Boring

  “I’m on it.” Devlin joined Vivien behind her desk, both their heads bent over the thick tome.

  “Sweetheart?” I looked up and found Mason with his hand extended, waiting to help me stand. Without a word spoken, he wrapped his arms around me and I rested my head against his chest. Despite the healing I’d just received, I was exhausted, weary from keeping my tight grip on a fragile strand of hope.

  “Vivien? I might have a solution. At least something to try while you work on your spell.” Helena’s proposition broke through everyone’s thoughts.

  Mason didn’t wait for an answer. “Do it then.”

  “You don’t want to know what it is first?” Our new friend asked.

  “No,” I interrupted. “I think we’re all in agreement that we’re willing to try anything at this point.”

  Approval flashed in Helena’s eyes. “Then, you’d like to try now?”

  Shaking my head, I glanced about the room, judging everyone’s reactions.

  “Go ahead.” My mother nodded.

  “We’ll keep working on this,” Vivien answered for herself and Devlin.

  Turning in Mason’s embrace, I looked up at him questioningly. “It can’t hurt, sweetheart. If it helps you, let’s do it.” His hand slipped into mine, showing his support.

  “It might be better if it’s just you and me. Fewer distractions.”

  I didn’t like being away from Mason and his strength, but I could see the sense in it. It had been difficult finding silence and tuning everyone out. With just Helena to worry about, maybe her spell would work better.

  “You’ll be fine,” Mason whispered and kissed my forehead. “I’ll see if there’s anything I can help Vivien with.”

  Reluctantly dropping his hand, I faced Helena and smiled. “Okay, I’m all yours.”

  “Follow me, then. I know the perfect place.”

  Giving one last look at my loved ones, I closed the study door behind us and trailed behind Helena as she climbed the steps back upstairs.

  My hope might not be as strong as before, but it was tough enough to keep enduring.

  “This won’t hurt at all,” Helena called out over her shoulder.

  Pain wasn’t what I was worried about. It was the sinking feeling in my stomach that I might never reconnect with my wolf again.

  ****

  It was difficult to relax.

  We’d found a secluded spot outside in Vivien’s garden; and despite all of Helena’s reassurances, my muscles remained taut. After carefully explaining what she would be doing, I stretched out on the grass, resting my head in her lap where she gently placed her hands on each side of my head.

  There would be no pentagrams or magical objects for this spell; and that fact left me skeptical and somewhat agitated. From what Helena had shared, this would be more like a meditation than an incantation—her boosting what had already been done with a little power of her own.

  “It shouldn’t take too long, I promise.” Her thumb brushed over my temples as I took another deep breath.

  Forcing myself to let go of thought, I closed my eyes and nodded. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Soft, melodic words flowed from her lips in a language I didn’t recognize. My surprise at not understanding didn’t jar me; however, with each utterance, I found myself being wrapped in a warm cocoon of energy. My skin tingled with a pleasant sensation and the last of my apprehension drained away.

  Even if this didn’t work, it was worth the peacefulness that now enveloped me.

  I knew the moment Helena’s magic entered my body. She was now silent, concentrating on the task before her. There was a sudden surge from my wolf as her ears pricked up at the intruder. There was a flash of warning that startled me, but as quickly as it came, the alarm subsided.

  “Easy, Darcy. There’s no need to worry,” Helena whispered, and I settled back against her. Reaching out to my wolf, I now found her still and quiet, something I hadn’t felt in her since waking up a vampire. Tears formed in my eyes at the sign. Whatever Helena was doing, she’d soothed that part of me.

  The pressure in my head pulsed as her magic approached it and I held my breath, desperately trying not to move. As Helena resumed her chant, I couldn’t help it. Pain exploded in my mind, causing my body to contort in agony and my limbs to flail. Whimpering, I ground my teeth together, squeezing my eyes shut as I fought to give Helena the time she needed.

  All I wanted to do was make her stop, to get up, and run. With each beat of my heart, my resolve weakened under the brutal onslaught. I could feel her wrestling inside me, battling against something that didn’t want to leave.

  “Helena!” I cried, begging her to hurry.

  Her fingers pressed harder against my skin. Peeking through my eyelashes, her face reflected the force she was exerting and sweat beaded across her upper lip Her hands trembled, but she didn’t stop. Digging my nails into the grass and soil, I held on with everything I had.

  Finally, the pressure relented, buckling under the weight of Helena’s might. There was an almighty surge of magic followed closely by something that resembled a whoosh. Then nothing.

  No pressure. No pain. Nothing.

  Gasping for air, my eyes popped open to find Helena staring down at me with a smile on her face. “Better?”

  The difference was between night and day. “It’s gone. Whatever it was, it’s not there anymore.”

  “It was stubborn and put up a good fight, but that’s usually the case after what you’ve been through. It just needed to know it wasn’t welcome.”

  “What was it?” I asked sounding exhausted.

  “It was just what we thought . . . a consequence to your conversion,” Helena answered, helping me sit up.

  “It’s strange, though.”

  “Strange?” Helena looked at me curiously.

  “The way it appeared to struggle against you. I didn’t know physical side effects could do that. It was like it was aware.” The more I thought about it, the weirder it seemed.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it, Darcy. The most important thing is that everything is as it should be. Now, I suggest you go take a nap. It will complete the work I’ve just done and when you wake up, you’ll feel like a new person completely.”

  As if her words held a subliminal message, I yawned loudly. “That sounds like a perfect idea. I think it’s time to go home.” Standing up, my body held a languid heavy feeling and all I could think about was crawling into bed.

  “I agree. I’ll call to see how you are, tomorrow.” Helena smiled up at me, shooing me away.

  “Thank you for your help.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  Leaving her behind to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, I all but floated inside, ready to break the news to a relieved Mason.

  Hopefully I'd be able to keep my eyes open long enough to find him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mason

  Who was I kidding?

  Pushing away from my desk and computer keyboard, I snorted, amused at my feeble attempts to keep distracted. I’d come into my office determined to get some work done while everything was quiet, but my mind kept wandering back to the still body sleeping in my bed.

  The relief had been almost crushing when Darcy had staggered drowsily into Vivien’s study, ready to go home. Everything had gone well and Helena had assured me that all my wife needed was sleep. We’d barely been driving five minutes before her eyes finally closed and a gentle snore filled the car. She’d looked so content, snuggled into the front seat, her features softened. I hadn’t wanted to disturb her, so I carefully carried her into the house and to our room, covering her with a blanket while I spent the rest of the night watching over her.

  Something prickled at me, signaling danger continued to lurk, but Darcy had barely stirred through the night. It was tempting to curl up beside her, with my arms protectively encircling her, and I’d almost slipped into bed, but I was too wired from the drama of the past few days. I dozed in a ch
air, my neck cricked from holding it in an awkward position for too long.

  There was still so much to do—business to catch up on. I’d been staring at my email inbox for over an hour, with the intention of answering the messages. When the first beams of sun broke through the window’s curtains, it was time to face the truth.

  Even though I needed to focus on work and be responsible, the only thing on my mind was Darcy. Until I could hear her voice and see for myself she was okay, any effort to be normal, as if the last few days hadn’t happened, would be just a pretense. Things had changed—for better or worse I couldn’t quite tell; but whatever loomed on the horizon, it would take some adjusting.

  For all of us.

  If I was honest with myself, not knowing whether Darcy would find her balance or not terrified me. This wasn’t something I could fix for her and it drove me insane. I was used to being in control, the go-to guy whenever anyone had problems.

  Glancing at the screen and seeing most of the morning had passed, unproductive, the last strings of my patience snapped.

  I couldn’t wait another moment, waste another second wondering.

  “You busy?” Devlin asked, entering the room as I walked toward the door. He looked as tired as I felt.

  I grunted. “If you call idly sitting at my desk, pretending to be productive, busy.”

  “Long night, huh?” He raised his eyebrows, studying my face, and I nodded.

  “Wasn’t the longest I’ve had, but it definitely wasn’t the most comfortable.” I rubbed the back of my neck with my hand, massaging the tightened muscles. “I was actually headed back to check on Darcy—to see if she’s awake, yet.”

  “I just came from there and I couldn’t hear anything through the door.” Not waiting for an invitation, Devlin took a seat on the couch, crossing his ankles in front of him.

  I responded. “Yeah, I peeked in about an hour ago and she was still out for the count. Did Helena mention to you how long she thought Darcy would need?” When I’d talked with the witch last night, she’d simply shared it would depend on how worn out Darcy was. Judging by how quickly she’d faded in the car, I’d say there would be little chance of seeing her awaken anytime before next week.

  He shook his head, shrugging his shoulders at the same time. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” His gaze dropped to his watch as his brow wrinkled. “It shouldn’t be much longer, though.”

  Letting out a loud sigh, I silently agreed. “Anyway, did you need something from me?” I asked a little too eagerly. I was ready for a different kind of distraction.

  “Actually I do. Did you hear about the attempted break in over at the Council’s building?”

  I leaned forward, suddenly all ears. I hadn’t received any calls, which was interesting, because usually whenever anything happened within the community, people would normally come to me. “No, I haven’t. Wait, you said ‘attempted’. They weren’t successful?”

  “Not for the lack of trying.” Resting his arm across the back of the couch, Devlin drummed his fingers over the cushioned armrest. “I haven’t had a chance to go investigate myself, but from what Zane told me earlier, someone breached the outer doors and tried opening some of the offices. There were scratches on the doorframes where it looked like they used a crow bar to try and jimmy the doors, scoring the wood around the handles.”

  I couldn’t remember the last time the Council had been infiltrated like this. After suffering from random vandalism and property damage a few years back, Zane had ordered an extensive security system to be set up, alongside various magical measures. With added surveillance from hired guards, the suspected pranks of bored teenagers had stopped.

  “I’m gathering whoever it was, was caught?”

  “The night watchman reported hearing the alarms sound, but by the time he was able to deactivate them and inspect the building, it was empty.”

  “And video footage?”

  “Douglas was away from the desk making his hourly rounds. Once everything was secured and Zane was notified, he scanned through and saw two people in masks. One disabled the camera while one began trying to breach an office.”

  “So, you think they were looking for something?” Sure the building housed rooms that met the needs of the Council, but not many knew it also stored valuable objects—possessions too dangerous to be left unsupervised. Many had thought the supernatural community leaders reaction to the previous break-ins was overkill and a waste of resources, but little did they know some of our greatest artifacts were hidden away there, under lock and key. I only knew because of my trusted position within the Pack and because I’d been asked to help in securing them.

  “That’s the strange thing. From what Zane said, it almost seemed like they were just curious.”

  “Like they were testing to see what security was like?” I added.

  Devlin nodded. “Exactly.”

  Neither of us talked as we let the information sink in.

  “How’s Zane planning on dealing with it?” Even though the vampire king was just one member on the Council, he was often the spokesperson for the group.

  “He’s increased the number of night watchmen and magical safeguards. He held an impromptu meeting earlier this morning and the consensus believes it was a random act. I think for his own peace of mind, he’s keeping a close eye on the situation.”

  “And what do you think?” I knew if I were in Zane’s position, I wouldn’t brush the incident off so easily.

  “I agree with him. Which is another reason why I stopped by. He also asked when I thought I would be ready to return to his service. If there is something more to the break-in than what appears, he’ll want me to lead the investigation.”

  I’d been expecting this conversation, knowing that Devlin owed his allegiance to his king and took his responsibilities as an Enforcer seriously. “I know she hasn’t woken up yet, but I think we can handle things from here. She appears to have her blood lust under control and we’ve all tested her. It was just the residual pressure in her head that caused any concern, I think, and I’m hoping that Vivien and Helena cured that.”

  “Me, too. Still, I can’t shake the uneasiness I feel when I think about leaving. I don’t know whether it’s just me being her overprotective uncle or if there’s a legitimate cause for alarm. I can’t stay here for forever, but . . . I don’t know.” Devlin let out an exasperated breath, tapping his thumb hard against the armrest. “I guess we’ll have to see what she says.”

  Staring over at my close friend, I knew exactly how he was feeling—the frustration of having abilities but not being able to see into the future. “I say if she comes in here smiling, then that’s your cue. I can only imagine that we’ll have to play a lot of things by ear, anyway. We won’t know if there are any additional issues until we face them.”

  “I hate not knowing,” Devlin admitted.

  “You and me, both,” I agreed. “She seems to be holding up pretty well, though. I hope she can see how truly strong she is. Hopefully . . . hopefully this will be the end of drama for us and we can move on.”

  “Move on from what?” The office door pushed open and Darcy popped inside.

  There was no keeping me in my seat as I jumped up, racing over to her and taking her into my arms. “How are you feeling? Okay? What about the pressure?”

  Darcy laughed and the sound was like music to my ears. She looked to be okay as I studied her face, needing the visual reassurance that she was out of danger. “I’ve never felt better.” When I refused to believe her, her features softened and she smiled. Standing on tiptoe, she tilted her head, a light twinkling in her eyes. “I promise, Mason. I woke up and felt like a brand new person.”

  “Really?” I knew I sounded like an idiot for asking again, but she’d been through so much. It was hard to believe it was all truly over.

  “What do you think?” Wrapping her arms around my neck, Darcy sealed the truthfulness of her words by pressing her mouth against mine.

&nbs
p; Out of all the kisses we’d ever shared, this one was like a homecoming. Both of us had faced uncertainty before—confronting death only to push it away with the love we felt for one another. With each brush of her lips, the fear that had held me hostage melted away. The moment her tongue swept in to meet mine, I knew we were back, truly back. There was nothing we couldn’t conquer together; and without letting her go, I tightened my grip and swung her around in a circle.

  My girl was safe and it was time to celebrate.

  “I’m still here, you know,” Devlin chimed in, but I didn’t care. Darcy was in my arms, responding to my affection—not the snarling, crazed woman I’d helped lock away in the cage.

  “I’m not stopping you,” I answered, my skin prickling with goose bumps as Darcy slid her hands into my hair, her lips now grazing my jawline.

  “If you don’t want to see what happens next, I’d take this as your cue to leave,” she teased, glancing at Devlin over my shoulder. Placing her down on her own two feet, Darcy fisted my shirt, tugging me into her as she leaned back against the door. “Oh wait, looks like you’re too late. You like to watch, don’t you?” Somewhere amongst the teasing, her words suddenly took on a harder tone.

  I was sure she was referring to all the times he’d had to watch over her from a distance, but the effect was like a bucket of ice water. If there was one thing I knew, it was Darcy was modest by nature when it came to public displays of affection. Especially since finding out Devlin was her uncle.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Stepping backward, I didn’t expect to find her pouting, a mean glint in her eyes as she glared back at me. As quickly as I noticed it, she switched it off, a tender smile now gracing her face.

  “I was just joking, silly.” She slapped my arm, downplaying the change in atmosphere. “I figured after all the heaviness, we all deserved a little laughter. Some lightness. Guess I wasn’t as funny as I thought.” Darcy plonked herself down in my vacant chair before propping her feet up on the coffee table. Devlin and I exchanged glances briefly, not sure how to take her flip-flop responses. “So, what did I interrupt just now?”