The magic swirled in my head making it even harder to think. I beat it down, struggling to keep it from showing in my eyes, finally giving up and looking to the side, to the forest.
My life was filled with blood and death, with danger, and Alex didn’t need that. Neither did little Marley.
The magic in me finally subsided and I let out a sigh of relief.
But what waited for me the next time it climbed through me, demanding its pound of flesh?
Alex didn’t need that, especially when his life was so complete. He didn’t need me, even if I still needed him.
Which made what I was about to say hurt all that much more.
I looked Alex in the eye, knowing this was the right thing to do.
“I think you should go.”
4
“Pamela?” Mac said quietly. “You sure about this?” His hand was still on my back, supporting me, without pushing me.
I leaned into him a little.
Alex shook his head, confusion written all over him. “You want . . . me to go?”
I nodded and held my emotions in check, if barely. “It’s not very safe with a group this big. We’re an automatic target because of that. I can’t guarantee your safety, or Marley’s. We have shifters already, but they’ve fought for us and proven their worth. I don’t know that Richard—”
Jasmine tossed her head, flipping her hair back. “Let’s go, Alex. She doesn’t want you here.” She leaned in close to him and whispered something that made Alex’s face go completely blank.
He dropped her hand, flicking her fingers away from him. “Pamela, I’m sticking around to make sure everything is good. After three years of looking for you, it’s the least you can let me do.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. He might as well have slapped me with the implications.
Mac stepped up beside me. “You keep your hands to yourself, wolf. She isn’t the child you left behind.”
The two men locked eyes and I could swear there was a whole conversation between them.
“I know,” Alex said finally. “I want to make sure she’s safe, then if she still wants me to go in a few days, I’ll go.”
Well, if that wasn’t awkward enough, now came more introductions.
“Fine,” I said. “Come meet the others so they know that you aren’t with the raiders.”
Fuck, my entire life was in upheaval with the appearance of a single man.
Oka butted her head against mine. “Testosterone is, I’m sure, the root of most problems in this world, and he is no different.”
Mac snorted. “Easy to man bash, eh, cat?”
I smiled and lifted a hand to her, just to brush my fingertips across her back.
Her weight on my shoulder kept me grounded, and so I focused on her and Mac. He spread his hand wide, his fingers splayed across my back. Warmth pooled there and spread outward, easing some of the tension in my muscles.
Goddess, what would I do without them both? I was a mess.
“Marley, stick close to me,” Alex said. She set herself to his right and Jasmine moved to the left of him.
I turned to lead them toward the caravan. The shifters had made their way to the front of the group, protectively. I nodded with approval. It’s exactly what they should’ve done. It was good to know they were thinking on their own, that they didn’t need me to remind them to look out for the whole group.
None of us spoke as we walked down the hill to the bottom where the shifters waited for us. I caught the eyes of a few of our caravan’s shifters. Crimson, our cougar shifter, in particular, and the questions I saw there mirrored my own. Was this a good idea? Should we allow wolves into our ranks after they took so many of our own?
Crimson met us at the bottom of the hill, her blond hair tied back in multiple braids that still held a few of the flowers the younger kids had stuffed into them. The rest of the shifters ranged out behind her. Crimson gave a nod indicating to Alex and the two females. “Alpha. Who is this?”
I stopped and waved a hand back toward them.
“This is Alex. A friend from before the Rending. Marley is a sister to Macey, a fallen member of our caravan.” Alex moved up beside me and stuck out a hand. Crimson lifted an eyebrow, but he didn’t waver. He just smiled at her.
“I don’t bite.”
Crimson’s mouth twitched. “I do.”
He grinned wider. “I’ll be sure to watch out for you then.” The banter was careful, testing. He was not the full-on goof he’d once been. She tilted her head to the side and took his hand. I watched her arm as she squeezed down on his fingers, testing him a little.
He winced a little but didn’t pull away.
With a sharp nod, Crimson let Alex’s hand go. “I like him. He can stay.”
She turned her attention next to Marley, who stood a bit behind Alex. She sniffed the air and then crooked a finger at the young girl. “Marley, come here.”
Marley stepped out from behind Alex. He nudged her forward a bit, and she stumbled, righting herself quickly as she went.
Crimson looked her over carefully. “For the future, you should know it won’t do to hide behind a man. No matter how big he is. What if he is struck down? You need to learn to defend yourself.”
“Not Alex,” Marley said, lifting her chin in defiance.
Crimson snorted. “I will teach you.” She said it like a statement, not a request. Alex’s eyebrows went up.
“You think I haven’t taught her?”
Crimson sighed. “Men teach women to fight like men. Women need to learn to fight like women.”
From there, she turned her attention to Jasmine. “And you are?”
Jasmine smiled, her eyes wide as she fluttered her eyelashes. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to impress Crimson or seduce her. “I’m Jasmine. Alex’s—”
“Friend and newest pack member,” Alex interjected.
“He sure cut that sentence off quickly,” Oka said, eyeing Alex. I’d noticed that too. But why?
His eyes darted to mine as he grimaced, then flitted away so fast, I wasn’t sure it had even happened. Then again, he could hear Oka. Oka wiggled on my shoulder, and I almost told her not to say anything.
Almost.
“You not getting any of that tail, Alex?” Oka asked, and I choked on nothing but a lungful of air. I coughed and turned my head, but not before I saw Alex’s face light up like a fire engine. Mac cleared his throat and turned his head.
But he didn’t say anything, and neither did I.
“Well, Pamela’s vouched for you, so,” Crimson gave me a look like she was double checking and I nodded, “come meet the others.”
She led them through the pack of shifters, making introductions on both sides. As my beta in the pack, this was good of her. Especially since I suddenly didn’t want to spend any more time with Alex than I had to—I just couldn’t. I watched as the shifters greeted the three visitors. Most warmed quickly to Alex and Marley, laughing and shaking hands. But not with Jasmine, and she seemed unbothered by it, hanging back.
“Are you okay?” Mac asked quietly. I should’ve been asking him if he was okay. I should’ve assured him everything was fine. We were fine. But we weren’t. I wasn’t. Nothing was.
“I’m . . . not sure. Maybe? This was just not how I saw today going.” I had no idea how to be clearer for him. Seeing Alex was like watching a piece of my past I’d thought dead, come back to life. I’d felt like I was finally getting my footing in this new role as caravan witch, and it was like he pulled the rug out from under me. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I was prepared to stand up again.
“I can see that,” Mac said after waiting several beats for me to give him more. “It’ll be okay. I’m not going anywhere, Pam.”
You say that now . . . I let the thought die where it was, knowing Mac could hear it.
He took me by both hands and looked down at me, rubbing his thumbs over the tops of my hands. “I’m not going anywhere,” he repeated, and a wash of his emotio
ns came back to me as he opened himself a bit.
I believed him, but how many people had left me, or had I left, over my life? A lot more than I liked to think about.
I sighed and then shook my head. “You’re my familiar. You couldn’t leave if you wanted to.”
Mac turned to Oka, hands up in surrender. “Does she always think we’ll leave? Doesn’t she understand how familiars work? Didn’t you teach her anything, cat?”
Oka shrugged, and her tail twitched from side to side. “I’ve told her what the deal is. That we’re here for good. But she keeps thinking I’m going to trade her in for a younger model.”
I snorted. I knew she was talking about Frost, one of the toddlers in the caravan. I’d thought he was an Immune, but Raven, my father, said he wasn’t. But the other two kids here were. No word yet on the brand-new baby that was only a few days old. Frost and Oka had a tight bond, and I didn’t doubt that he meant a great deal to her.
Chris, the baby’s mother, wouldn’t let me near. She didn’t care much for me, or the baby’s father, Richard. Not after she saw me use two of the kids to help save the caravan.
Speak of the devil, the leader of our caravan walked up with a bit of a frown on his face. With the way his mouth turned down, and the crease in his brows, he looked a hell of a lot like Liam, my mentor’s mate. If I’d had any money, I would have bet on some sort of relation.
“What’s wrong, Dick?” I asked.
The nickname I’d given him only made him frown deeper. “Pamela. What’s going on? Who are these . . . people?” Ah, the hesitation said it all. He’d seen them as wolves.
I reached out and put a hand on his arm. “Alex is a very old friend of mine. They will only be here a few days at best. He . . . wants to make sure I’m safe.”
Richard’s eyebrows shot up and a grin followed. “Doesn’t know you that well, does he?”
Now that made me smile. Richard’s faith in me was enough to lift some of the dark cloud. “It’s been years. He still thinks I’m a little girl,” I said, and saying those words out loud somehow made it better. Everyone else here knew I wasn’t a child.
Richard eyed the wolves mingling among the shifters. The humans stood at a distance, arms folded over their chests, watching warily. I didn’t blame them after all they’d been through with other werewolves. “And you have vouched for them?”
“Look, I trust Alex with my life. He saved Marley from the pack that snatched her away from Macey. He’s a good wolf, a good man.” I put my hands on my hips as he and I both looked at Jasmine, mingling, albeit not very well, with the shifters.
“And that other one?” Richard nodded in her direction. “What about her?”
Jasmine stood behind Alex while he sat at the shifters’ fire. She seemed agitated, mirroring the posture of the humans.
I could have easily said I vouched for her too, and if she hadn’t been such a rotten twat to start with, I would have. “Her, I’m not sure about.”
Richard startled. “I won’t endanger this caravan by bringing in a loose cannon, Pamela.”
I slowly crossed my arms. “Agreed. For now, she’s not a loose cannon. She’s an unknown. I don’t think she’s a danger, though, just a bit of a—”
“Runt,” Oka muttered. My lips wanted very badly to break into a grin, but I managed to keep it suppressed.
“She’s got a bad attitude is all, I think. And like I said, they’ll be here a few days at best. I’ve already told them they aren’t staying,” I said instead of laughing.
Yeah, Jasmine would be a thorn in my side if she was staying. I could see that now. But they weren’t. So I could put up with her for a few days. That was it.
He frowned and opened his mouth as if he’d question me again. I changed the subject, taking him in a direction that even I didn’t want to discuss, not really. But better than talking about Alex and Jasmine.
“How are things with Chris?”
Richard flinched as if I’d hit him, then rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I still haven’t seen the baby. She won’t let me near her.”
“It’s a girl?” I asked carefully. I still wasn’t sure what Chris and Richard were in terms of relationships. He’d been married before to the previous caravan witch, but he’d knocked up Chris. So maybe some effort to keep the genetic pool going? I wasn’t ballsy enough to ask that question.
“I don’t know. I’m . . . assuming, I guess.” He seemed so lost. I felt like I should do something. Say something. But I wasn’t good at this. People. Give me a troll to disembowel. That I could handle. But other people’s emotions weren’t really my cup of tea.
Luckily, Oka saved me. “Engines. I hear engines.”
I snapped my mouth shut and listened, hoping she was wrong.
The only other caravan I’d caught wind of near here was Stefan’s. The man who’d killed the first friends I’d had after the Rending. Since then, I’d not seen hide nor hair of the asshole and thought maybe he’d been killed.
But since my fight with the witch Madeline, I’d been seeing markings I couldn’t ignore, tire tread marks mostly, and spent shell casings. Sure, it could have been anyone, I suppose. But our shifters had run across his group and knew their scent.
Which was a big part of why we’d kept moving, even though we were low on food and desperately needing a break.
Stefan and his gang of thugs were the last thing we needed. They were fast on bikes and trucks that seemed to have endless supplies of fuel and weapons. Pretty much, they had everything we didn’t.
“Fuck,” I whispered. “Are you sure?”
Oka nodded. “Positive.”
The darkness in me let out a deep, hearty sigh. You could wipe him out easily, it cooed, in an attempt to seduce me. Just you and me, walk into the camp and level them as if they were saplings in a storm.
I swallowed hard, the imagery in my head strong as I turned to Richard. “Get everyone moving. That gang has guns, and a thirst for blood and fucking.” Like ogres, only I think I’d prefer an ogre or two over Stefan.
Richard nodded and immediately set to work. “Everyone, we need to move, and move now!” His voice boomed even without any amplification and the caravan reacted as if he’d cracked a whip through the air.
I ran back to the shifters, Mac and Oka still with me.
“Can we slow him down?” he asked.
“Not if we don’t want an all-out bloodbath. We need to get moving. They haven’t found us yet and we’ve been covering our trail pretty well.” At least we were supposed to be. I looked around for the three men who were on trail duty.
Neil, one of the bird shifters, caught my eye. “You want me to get a quick look?”
I held up a hand. “Yes, but go high, don’t let them see you. I don’t want them to have any reason to keep coming this way.” I put a hand on my Mac’s bicep. “Help them pack, please.”
His eyes searched mine for a quick second, then he bent and brushed his lips against mine as he whispered, “It’ll be okay, Pam.”
I wished I could believe that as easily as him. He turned and ran to help. The shifters were faster than the humans at packing and that was exactly what we needed. Speed.
Alex found his way to me, Jasmine hanging on his arm. He quirked up an eyebrow. “Why don’t you just blow them out of the water?” he asked.
“Yes,” Jasmine said, “Alex has been telling us you’re the strongest witch ever. I’d love to see if that’s true.”
I blinked at Alex and the darkness tried to surge up, but I caught it before it got too close to the surface. I put my hands on my hips and my cloak flared out around me, off to one side.
“No, I don’t go around killing people just because I can, Alex. Don’t you think this world has seen enough death?”
He had the smarts to look chagrined. Jasmine smirked, almost as if she knew I wasn’t the witch I’d once been. Which was ridiculous, there was no way she could know that.
I sighed. In that moment, it hit me how differen
t we were now. Gone were the people we’d been before the Rending, the two kids who depended on Rylee to save the day no matter how bad it got. That scrawny teenage boy and even scrawnier scared little witch girl were nothing but weak reflections of who we’d become.
Not everything could be fixed with a powerhouse witch. I’d learned that the hardest way possible.
“No time for moping, get moving,” Oka reminded me.
Yes. Engines. Stefan. Blood lust. Got it.
Mac jogged over. “Everyone’s ready.” He gave Alex a less than gentle shove in the arm, pushing him toward the caravan. “Get moving. Go hide with the others.”
Alex, being Alex, didn’t put up a fight. He tugged Jasmine with him, her still-smirking face making me want to slap the numpty hard.
“Numpty?” Oka tipped her head.
“It’s a bad name for someone,” I muttered under my breath. Jasmine was a numpty. And humpty numpty needed to get bitch slapped to knock that look off her face.
Oka snickered. “Yes, indeed.”
I looked over the area the caravan had been occupying only a few minutes before. There were no tire tracks, no fires, nothing to show for having had nearly forty people set up in a camp.
In record time, the entire caravan had disappeared from the path and into the edge of the forest.
They really were getting better at working together to keep each other safe. I knew they hadn’t gone far. But if they stayed out of sight, Stefan wouldn’t even know what he’d missed.
“How do you know he won’t find us?” Alex asked as we hurried toward the side of the path.
“No shifters in his crew. Long as we keep the path clear and everyone quiet, they should just pass us by,” Mac said.
“So, you’ve done this before.” Alex nodded as I shook my head.
“No, we haven’t. We’ve faced everything head on and it ends up with our people dying.” I stepped into the shadows of the trees.
Marley stood with one of the children—Ruby—on her hip. Ruby’s hands and fingers worked rapidly as she whispered something to Marley, no doubt telling her a story. I thought I heard the word dragon, and then Oka’s name came up.
Caravan Witch (Questing Witch Book 2) Page 4
