by Bryce Evans
When she glanced over to him, he just smiled and winked at her then started pilling food on his own plate. She didn’t get a chance to ask him how he knew before Lex and three other large men walked in the kitchen.
“Ahh, he made the works.” Lex said, rubbing his hands together. She liked Lex, who had taken care of her mother. He later told her that he had wrapped her body in her robe, even sewing the places that had been torn. She could tell by the way he talked that he was a very sweet man. Just like his Alpha.
She watched in awe as Brody and his men piled their plates high and started eating. She was fascinated with how much food they could eat, but her own plate of delicious food was calling to her, taking her attention. Plus, he had taken the time to make her favorites. She made sure she ate something from each fruit before she leaned back rubbing her stomach. She was as full as a tick.
“That was wonderful.” Sage commented, staring at Brody.
“I’m glad you liked it.” Brody smiled.
She could tell Me-Len was taking it all in. She turned away knowing her face was red as a beet. The woman didn’t miss much, but then again, that was what she had learned about her. Her grandmother was a different kind of witch, maybe even the smartest witch of her generation. The woman always seemed to know what to do. She hoped that was always the case. They needed that brilliance if they were going to beat Claudia.
“Where will we have the funeral?” Me-Len asked.
Without thinking, Sage answered, “Here, if the Alpha doesn’t mind. Mother wouldn’t want a fuss over it.” Sage propped her head on her hand.
“Any special requests, Sage?” Brody asked.
Sage thought about that for a minute. “You know she told me that she wanted her ashes to float away on the wind.” Sage smiled at the thought, then laughed. “She said that she got a kick out of knowing that part of her could float all the way to Australia on a good gust of wind, and another part of her could land right on the Empire State Building.”
They all sat silent at the table. “Then we need to make some wind,” Brody spoke up. “I’m sure there is a spell for it, right?”
Me-Len smiled and glanced at him. “There is, but I hope it happens on its own. She would like that more.”
“Then let’s get ready and pray for the wind to blow.” Brody said.
Chapter Six
Sage held Me-Len and London’s hands as Brody lit the fire underneath the platform that held her mother’s body. She wanted to cry when not one hair blew across her face as the fire started to burn higher until it burned down into nothing but ashes and bones. That’s all she needed, one strong gust of wind to carry her mother’s ashes away. She didn’t want to use the spell, but it looked like she was going to have to in order for her mother’s wishes to come true.
“I think I’m going to have to use the spell. I don’t feel any air blowing,” Sage whispered.
“Just give it a few minutes. It will happen,” Me-Len answered.
Sage closed her eyes and prayed that this was the one promise she could fulfill for her mom. She had just started a prayer for a cool breeze to carry her mother’s ashes away when her hair started moving, floating on the wind, brushing across her face. The smell of fresh cut wood dangled in the air. Smiling, she opened her eyes to see her mom’s ashes floating away on the wind. It was a feeling she couldn’t describe. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Fly away, mom. Fly away.” Sage muttered.
Finally, she felt at peace, but revenge was always at the back of her throat. If she coughed, it would come up with a vengeance. No matter how long it took her, she was going to bring Claudia Blackwood down and make her feel the pain her mother felt.
Brody came and stood beside her as she watched the last of the ashes float away. She didn’t even know she needed to feel his touch until he grasped her hand and held it. He didn’t say anything, but she knew that he was there to give her support. How did this man always know? Was it something to do with him being a shifter?
She felt a light touch to her arm. When she looked up, there was a small woman standing beside her. “Hello.”
Sage couldn’t help but smile back. The woman put her at ease. If she could even call her a woman, since she still looked like a seventeen-year-old girl. Her brown hair was cut at her shoulders, with just enough curl that she probably didn’t have to do anything to it. She was simply beautiful without even trying, Sage thought.
“Hello,” Sage answered.
“I’m MJ, and I wanted to say sorry for your loss. I didn’t know your mom, but I feel we have something in common.”
“What’s that?”
“We both plan on killing Claudia Blackwood,” MJ said without remorse. The woman continued to watch the fire as it burned out, but Sage knew she was listening.
“She killed your brother, Pennson?”
“Yes, it was one of her minions, but she was responsible so she will be the one I make sure dies.” MJ added, “I just wanted to say, I’m sorry.”
Sage could always read people and know what kind of person they were, if they were full of crap, and when someone was a walking killer. MJ was a walking killer. She was the type of person that if you took something that she cared about away from her, then she would make you regret it tenfold.
Sage watched as the young girl walked toward Alpha Judd and his mate, Maggie. She stood off to the side as they talked. MJ wasn’t much of a talker, and she didn’t join in the conversation, but Sage could tell that she was watching and listening to it all. Taking it all in was what she was doing. Like she thought, she may look innocent, but nothing about that girl was innocent. In fact, she wouldn’t doubt that MJ was part of a secret society that only used her when the shit hits the fan. Funny how she saw all of that just by talking to her once. She may be wrong, but no, she knew she was right about MJ.
“Are you ready?” Brody asked. “We have some new information to go over.”
“I’m ready.” Sage started walking beside Brody toward the vehicles. Before she got in, she looked back at the platform that held her mother’s body up. It had already fallen into the fire. She only hoped that her mother’s ashes would end up in some great places. A smile came over her face as she sat down and the door closed.
* * *
Brody glanced over at Sage, who still had a small smile on her face. “I saw that you met MJ Hudson. Her real name is Mary Jane, but only Judd can call her that and get away with it.”
“She didn’t give me her last name, but yes, she came over and said hello.”
“MJ is very smart. Maybe even a genius. She came up with computer bees.” Brody laughed.
“Computer bees?”
Brody glanced at her and smiled. “I’m being serious, this woman is so smart she came up with a way to spy that nobody would ever think twice about if they saw it. She made computer bees that could listen and watch everything you were doing on the outside or inside of a house. Who would think anything about a bee flying around?”
Sage’s eyebrow rose, “You got to be joking?” When Brody didn’t say anything, she glanced over at him and continued, “You’re really not joking? Are you?”
“No ma’am. That girl is developing things that you see in the movies. Sci-fi kind of stuff. And now she has paired up with your cousin, London, and Zoey and god only knows what they will come up with. She’s that smart and—”
“Dangerous.” Sage commented before he could finish.
“Yes, I think she is very dangerous and calculating. I’m just glad she is on our side. She moved here after her brother’s death. She joined Judd’s pride and works for him, too. She has developed a program that has anything and everything you want to know about paranormals, or at least that’s what she is trying to do. She already has a lot of information, but we really don’t know enough. Maybe you can fill in some of the gaps about witches and Claudia that we don’t know yet.”
“I can do that, but don’t cut me out of the plans, Brody.” She looked over at him
, this time with a frown on her face. “I’m serious, too. I won’t forget it if you do. I won’t ever trust you if you don’t keep me included. I have lost too much.”
Brody reached over and grasped her hand. “I won’t. I promise.”
Sage looked back out the car window. His hand felt good in hers. He was warm and rough, all at the same time. She didn’t pull away, even though she didn’t think this would work. Like all the others had said, she was too introverted. She liked it that way, but Brody was different. He allowed her to be who she was and didn’t criticize her for it. However, they hadn’t been together for very long, either. What was she thinking? They were not together, so she needed to get that out of her head.
Brody pulled off the road into a woody area. She thought he was slowing down to stop, but he kept going around trees and bushes. Looking around, she asked, “Where are you going?”
“To the mines. That’s where we are meeting, and it’s our safe place where the dragon won’t be able to find us.”
Trees flew past then his speed slowed down. She didn’t have a clue where she was. She grabbed the door handle when all of a sudden it felt like the car lifted and just like in the movies a door opened and he drove right inside the opening and stopped. Looking around, she couldn’t believe it. They were actually in an underground cavern of some kind.
“How did you do all of this?”
Brody smiled. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Sage laughed. “Are you kidding? Yes, it’s very impressive and sci-fi too.”
“It was some old mines that were used back in the day. They’ve been closed down for years. That was, until the dragon came back and Kayden’s beta Thorn found out about this place and started fixing it up before he was killed. He and the other betas did most of this without our knowledge, and we are very thankful they did. We have sleeping quarters and enough food and water stored here for years. Although, I pray we don’t need it.”
“Me too, but the full moon is tomorrow night.” Sage said. “He comes out on the full moon.” She could fell the air get heavy or maybe it was just her. The magic was alive inside of her and like her, it wanted its revenge on both of them. “I’ve seen him change, Brody, with my own eyes. He…he is ruthless, and evil, just like her. Unfortunately for him, he has no clue that she is just using him.” Sage laughed, but nothing was funny. “As soon as she gets what she wants, he is going to be sent back to Hell or she will kill him. Her magic is—”
“What?”
“I…she has to be tapping into something to give her that much power. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is…is very strong. We were not allowed in some areas of the castle so I don’t know what she was really doing.”
“How did she do that?” Brody asked. His brown eyes were beautiful as he asked her questions. The answer wasn’t easy to understand and she didn’t have a clue.
“What? A spell?”
“How did she get Jamal out of Hell?” Brody asked. “The Order sent him to Hell forever, so how does a witch know how to undo that?”
“She has been planning this for a long time, Brody. She uses dark magic and for every spell there is another one, an opposite. She just needed to find a door to open it up. Dark magic plays by no rules. Whatever spell they used to send him there has been undone. Who knows how long she has had spies coming in and out of Alpha City. She thinks that the entrance to Valceria is here, and that once she finds that entrance she can just waltz right in and take over. She wants their magic, and their magic is stronger than any other. You felt it when Bast came forward. You felt it before I did. Your magic is strong, too.”
Brody looked away like he wanted to say something. She thought it was strange; he was always so forthcoming. What was he hiding from her? “What are you not telling me?”
Brody got out of the car and paced for a minute. She got out and went to his side. “What is it Brody?”
He turned back to her. “The entrance is here, in Alpha City.”
Sage had to stop for a minute and think about that. “Really?” She looked down at her feet. “I just thought that she had it wrong.” All this time, the entrance was always here. Dear God, what else did Claudia know? They needed to find out what she knew and was planning before she took someone else.
Brody took in a deep breath. “It’s true, and she wants to get in and thinks she can just take over. Like you said, elven magic is the most powerful magic there is, and I can assure you that they’re not just going to give it to her. Hell, we’re not going to stand still and let her have it.” Brody said, shaking his head.
“Is Bast going to help us?” Sage asked, concerned. She hadn’t known any of this. She really thought that Claudia had been wrong about that part. She thought that the Alphas knew where it was, but wouldn’t tell unless they were forced to. Now it all made sense. They needed to make sure everyone was on the same page. She understood now why Claudia wanted to eliminate the Alphas. Nothing would block her way into the elves’ kingdom. She would have full access to the entrance, and Sage didn’t know if they were strong enough to stop her. She didn’t know if even Bast’s magic could stop her.
“Yes, he’s part of the Order and will also be here today for the meeting. He has some new information, as well. We need to figure out how she undid the spell that the last Order used to send Jamal to Hell. There are too many questions to this puzzle that needs to be answered. Are you okay? I know this is a lot to take in, but we need to go now if we are going to make it to the meeting on time.”
Brody held his hand out to her. She knew she shouldn’t continue this with him, making him believe that they could actually be a couple. He would eventually think she was leading him on, and she knew he would eventually get tired of her. Everyone else did. She knew that, and kept telling herself that she had to stop the thoughts that maybe it would work. She liked Brody a lot and she could already see herself getting attached to him. She wanted to stay friends with him, not like the last guy who broke her heart. Listening to the guy she thought she loved tell his friends how dull she was. Even said she was a lifeless lay. She almost came out from behind the door when she heard him joking about her to his buddies. Finally, she had to ask herself…was she? Was Joe right about her? It scared the hell out of her, thinking he was right. It took her a long time to get over it and hardened her heart. She promised to never love another or let anyone get inside her heart.
His thumb ran over hers as they walked away from the car and up a ramp. Brody stopped and faced her, “Have I told you today how beautiful you are and how interesting you are to me?” She just stood there and stared at him. Was he making this stuff up? Was he reading her mind? No matter if he was, because right now it made her feel good inside and she needed that, especially today. She needed someone to at least act like they cared for her.
“Thank you,” Sage whispered. She didn’t know what else to say…because what could she say? It was hard to believe what he was saying after Joe crushed her.
“Come on, pretty girl.”
Chapter Seven
When Brody and Sage walked into the meeting room, everyone was already there and seated. Looking around she was shocked at how well built the room was. She thought it would have rock walls; instead the walls were finished, made of drywall and painted.. A round table sat in the middle of the room with computers sitting in front of each chair. A widescreen TV was on the side of the wall. It looked like a real life meeting room. Something she had seen many times at the witches’ council room.
Brody pulled her chair out for her. “Thank you Brody.”
“Yes ma’am.” Brody waited until she sat down before he was seated. He was such a sweet man. She would have to watch herself; the man would be easy to love. Bast Finn was also there with Carina. He nodded at her once she sat down. Nodding back, Sage noticed that Carina was following her every move. She had never had a chance to get to know Carina. The fact that she was staring at her almost made Sage nervous. The rumor was that she had visions and knew t
hings about people. Carina’s all-seeing grey eyes continued to watch her even as she sat down. Looking away, Sage tried to focus on someone else in the room. She felt like Carina was delving into her mind, listening to all of her hidden secrets. Not possible, but when Sage glanced back at her, the girl was still staring, making her uncomfortable.
Once everyone took a seat, Bast stood up and cleared his throat. “I understand we have a lot of information to go over and then we need to figure out where to go from here.”
Sage sat silently, watching the interaction between the Alphas, who were all in attendance, and their mates. Everyone that was a known member of the Order was present in the room. Apparently they were still missing some members, who either hadn’t found them yet or their gift hadn’t presented itself to them. Sage was a member now.
“I call this meeting to order. First, I would like to say to Sage and Me-Len how sorry I am for your loss.” Brody glanced at his future mate, who just nodded her head at the elven king. “Second, since Carina has been in Valceria, she has had two visions that I need to share with you. The first one was different and I don’t know what it means, so I’m hoping that with all of us present we can come up with an answer. As soon as we returned to Valceria, Carina came around and started talking about random stuff she was seeing, but then she stopped and looked up in the sky and said, ‘Look for the dragons hidden in the mountain. The sister will help.’ Thinking that she was talking about the mountains in Valceria, I had all the mountains searched, but found nothing.”
“Jamal has a sister. Half of the dragon community left with her once her brother killed their father, but nobody has seen nor heard from them again. Almost like they vanished,” MJ spoke up from the back of the room, and all eyes turned and stared at her.
“And you are?” Bast narrowed his eyes. She could feel Brody flinch at the king’s tone. Brody had told her about MJ. The tension in the room ramped up as the king stared at her. She was so glad it wasn’t her mouth that drew the king’s attention.
