by Helen Harper
What’s going to happen to thePack? Her Voice was small and troubled.
I was finding it difficult to continue to muster up energy. Why do you care? I responded flatly. You left, remember?
Are you sure it just affects shifters?
What – are you worried about yourself now? I snapped, wishing she would take the hint and leave me alone. Besides, I thought you were in a rush to go off and play student with the mages.
It might be dangerous letting me out on the street, Corrigan, I could be a carrier. Maybe I should stay with you. Uh, I mean, with the Brethren.
I ignored the leap of sudden delight that flashed through me and stuck to the script. We know that humans aren’t affected. In fact, no species other than some animal ones and shifters are affected by the red fever. We’re not entirely stupid, kitten, we did check.
She was silent for a moment. I hoped she was about to give up and cut off the discussion but of course I was never lucky where Mack was concerned. What did you call it? she asked, with a strange note in her Voice.
Mackenzie, I’ve got things to do, I said tiredly. There are plans that need to be put into place in case the disease spreads further.
Corrigan, this is important. What did you call it?
I gave in. Anything to get her to finally go away. The red fever. The symptoms start off with just a temperature and headache. A bit like the flu, I suppose. But a day or two in, the afflicted shifter’s skin starts to flush red. If they shift, then their eyeballs turn red also. It’s really all down-hill from there. One of our doctors has come up with some kind of blood test that detects whether someone has it or not. We were all tested this morning, before you were brought in. Nine of us are already infected. It’s expected that the first symptoms will start appearing in the next few hours. I refrained from mentioning that those symptoms were already raging through my system. When Mack didn’t immediately respond, I prodded her. Mackenzie?
Uh, Corrigan, I’ve got to go.
Thank goodness. I’d expect nothing less. Look after yourself, kitten. I tried to inject an air of flippancy into my words but I failed miserably. Fortunately, she had taken the hint at least. Without another comment – or even another curse – she was gone.
I stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the garden beyond. A tiny movement caught the corner of my eye and I glanced over to see a bluebird pecking at something on the ground. As if sensing my gaze, it paused, cocking its head in my direction and blinking at me with dark, intelligent eyes. I smiled slightly. Then, out of nowhere, a bird of prey swooped down. The bluebird didn’t have a chance. Before I could so much as slam my fist against the window to try to scare the predator off, there was nothing left to see other than a few forlorn feathers floating through the air. The pain in my chest increased. With a heavy heart and no other course of action left to me, I returned to my desk. It was time to pen some necessary letters to the Summer Queen and the Arch-Mage while I still had the strength to hold a pen.
*
It was a few hours later when Tom helped me to my room. His eyes were heavy and anxious although whether it was over his guilt regarding the secrets he’d been keeping or his worry about the red fever, I wasn’t entirely sure. I laid a hand on his arm and squeezed it for reassurance. The effect was somewhat ruined when my knees buckled and I collapsed.
“My Lord!” He rushed to help me up but I pushed him away.
“I’m fine,” I grunted, using the bedpost to help pull myself back to my feet. My vision swam.
“I should go and get Julia,” Tom began.
“No.” My tone was adamant. “Tell no-one of this.” I wasn’t going to let every damn soul in the Brethren focus their efforts on me when they should be worrying about themselves. “Leave me.”
It was obvious that he didn’t want to go. Leave me, I repeated, using the Voice to force him. I knew without him having to say it, however, that my compulsion was weak. It wouldn’t take much for him to break through it. From the faint flicker in his eyes, he was very much aware of it too.
“If you do it,” I said aloud, “you’ll be Lord Alpha.”
His face paled. “I’m not strong enough.”
I lifted up my arms but the effort was too much so I dropped them back by my sides. “None of us are, Tom,” I said. “Not any more.”
“I will do as you have compelled,” he said in a clear voice, turning round to go.
“Tom?” I croaked.
“My Lord?”
“You may not have been with us for long but, for what it’s worth, you’ve done the Brethren proud.”
He swallowed and left. I sank down onto the bed. Tingles of pain were shooting through my arteries. I could get Julia to give me a tisane laced with enough painkillers to make my passing smooth. I had the feeling she was going to need her supplies for others very soon however.
Just as my eyelids were starting to droop, I heard a commotion from downstairs. My stomach twisted. Were more people sick? I strained my ears. It actually sounded like a fight. My first thought was that the vampires had grown impatient and were keen to hasten our demise. I wasn’t going to stand for that – regardless of how weak I was feeling. I heaved myself back up to my feet. It might be my last act as Lord Alpha but I would see off this challenge, regardless of who it came from. Anger that someone was taking advantage of our situation surged through me, providing all the adrenaline I needed to propel myself out the door and down towards the hall.
The scene that met my eyes took a few moments to process. Several shifters had transformed, which was damned stupid considering it only hastened the progression of the red fever. Staines himself had done the same and appeared to be holding someone on the floor. Both Lucy and Logan, however, were naked, indicating that they had shifted back into human form. They’d only do that if the threat had been extinguished or if they wanted to talk. When Staines moved slightly to his left and I saw who their adversary was, my heart sank.
“Goddamnit, Mack,” I muttered under my breath. “Why can’t you just leave us alone?”
Logan growled and snapped, spitting words in Mack’s direction that I had trouble deciphering. Fortunately, Lucy was apparently being more diplomatic.
“Logan,” she said heavily, “just leave it for now. She helped us, alright? In Cornwall. I would have died if it wasn’t for her.”
“From what the evidence suggests,” he said venomously, “you wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place if it wasn’t for her.”
Mack spoke up, although her voice was somewhat muffled by Staines’s large body. “Look, I’m sorry, okay. Just take the plants.”
I frowned and craned my neck to the side. She did indeed appear to be holding what looked like a bunch of weeds in her hand.
“If you decide not to use them,” Mack continued, “then that’s up to you. But I’m telling you they’ll help you. They’ll help Corrigan.”
She spoke so fervently that I had no choice but to speak up. Plus it would help me not to fixate on the slight catch in her voice when she had said my name. “Well then,” I said, as loudly as I could, “I suppose I’ll have to try them, won’t I?”
Registering my appearance, Staines moved, allowing Mack to stand up. She stared up at me, a myriad of emotions flickering across her face. Most disconcertingly, she actually seemed relieved to see me.
She waved the weeds in the air. “It’s called blisterwort. Someone once told me that it was good for something called blushing disease or red fever. It sounds like what you’ve got. I really do think that this will help.”
I couldn’t detect any hint of a lie. Without wondering too much about what Mack’s reasons were for doing this, I turned to Philippa. “Fetch the Cornish woman,” I told her. Then, before someone else did something stupid and tried to rush Mack, I gestured to the others to back down and move away to the next room.
Staines grunted. I focused on him. I’m sure you have something to say.
My Lord, we already know we can’t
trust a damn thing that woman says or does! She’s come here to gloat over what’s happening. She’s using those bloody plants to give us hope and then she’s going to snatch it away again when they don’t work. It’ll destroy us.
Except without a cure, Staines, we’re already destroyed anyway. I met his eyes and communicated simply, I trust her.
He rose up on his hind legs as if about to disagree further. Then the fight went out of him and he fell back down, moving away to join the others who were now out of sight and earshot. I turned my attention back to Mack. Even now, less than a stone’s throw away from dozens of shapeshifters who would rip out her throat at my slightest command, she appeared more strong, more confident and more powerful than the rest of us put together.
“Uh, thanks,” she said, awkwardly, somewhat spoiling her commanding stance.
Willing myself not to collapse, I raised my eyebrows at her. “I spend months searching for you and then once I find you and let you go, you don’t seem to want to leave, kitten.”
“I’ll leave, my Lord,” she said nervously, “but, please, first take this.” She gestured at the weeds again. “I really do think it’ll work.”
Curiosity got the better of me. “Why?”
“Why?” Mack blinked. “Because Mrs Alcoon, the woman that I need to go back to the mages for, told me about it. Honestly, it sounds like it cures exactly what you’ve got.”
“No,” I shook my head as I watched her and tried to understand. Tom, Betsy, Julia and the others down in Cornwall were one thing. The Brethren were something else entirely, and Mack had never hidden her feelings regarding us. She said the plant would help me but she hated everything I stood for. “Why did you come back with that? Why are you helping us?”
She seemed startled by the question. “The Pack is my family. Of course I’d do whatever I could.”
I looked into her eyes. “I’m not your family,” I said softly.
“No, you’re not. But, I…” She paused, looking oddly embarrassed. “I don’t want you to be hurt. I think you’re alright, Corrigan.”
Out of all the answers, I’d expected her to give, that was about the last thing I’d thought she would say. I might have just been damned by faint praise but I couldn’t prevent warmth from spreading through me. I laughed aloud and, wobbling slightly, began to make my way down towards her. Mack seemed alarmed that I was about to topple over and she rushed up, putting an arm round my shoulders to help me. Rather than be affronted that I needed her help, I was ridiculously pleased by her gesture. It was great to breathe in her scent again.
“My Lord, I think you should sit down.”
“I prefer it when you call me Corrigan,” I told her. “And before I sit down, I want you to explain to me what you mean by saying that I’m ‘alright’.”
I turned and looked at her, daring her to expand on her words. Unfortunately, before she could answer, Julia interrupted from the foot of the stairs.
“Mackenzie, dear, you’ve come back! What’s this about a herb?”
“Good timing, Julia,” Mack muttered.
I was irritated that she wouldn’t tell me more about what she’d really meant but this wasn’t the time or the place to continue demanding answers
“Pardon, dear?” Julia asked, puzzled.
“Nothing.” She carefully moved away from me, touchingly checking that I was still able to stand, then rushed down to her old Alpha. “Here. I think this will cure the red fever. It’s–”
“Blisterwort, yes, goodness.” Julia looked surprised. I watched her expression carefully. Surprised in a good way or a bad way? “I haven’t seen it in years. What makes you think it’ll provide a cure?”
“A little bird told me,” Mack said earnestly. “I’m sure it’ll do the trick, Julia. And if it doesn’t…”
“Yes, yes! This might work. If I brewed it up with some lemon to make it palatable. Mackenzie, you may just have saved us all.”
The second I realised that if the other shifters in the next room could hear this, they would be clutching each other in excited delight, my own sudden rush of optimism faded. Staines was right – false hope wouldn’t be fair. “Aren’t you being just a little premature?”
“Perhaps not, my Lord.” Julia beamed, her expression reflecting not even a shadow of a doubt. “Blisterwort is an ancient remedy and something that I simply hadn’t thought of. I suddenly feel really quite optimistic.” She patted Mack’s hand. “I’ll go and try it out now.”
She wheeled round and sped off at an impressive rate. Rather than watching her go, however, I was looking at Mack who already appeared to be preparing to leave.
Where do you think you’re going? I growled.
I’ve done what I came here to do. The blisterwort will work, I’m sure of it.
She might think I hadn’t noticed her little half sentence about if it didn’t do the job, but I wasn’t quite comatose just yet. You seemed to have another suggestion if it didn’t.
It will work. Her tone was confident.
“You should stay in case it doesn’t, Mack,” I said, switching to my normal voice.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, turning back to face me.
“For what?”
“Calling me by my name.”
I almost laughed. “What? You don’t like kitten?” I grinned at her fierce scowl. “You know, Mack, I’m feeling a bit shaky up here. Perhaps you should come up and steady me again.”
She snorted. “A few hours ago you couldn’t wait to push me out of the door.”
“That was before you told me that I was alright.” I looked into her eyes. “So, I’ll ask you again, what did you mean by that?”
It seemed to take an age for her to answer. The nervous energy I could feel from the shifters crowded into the nearby room below and my fears about what would happen to us all faded into significance when she took a deep breath and finally responded. “I suppose I meant that I like you.”
I cocked my head. “You are the most infuriatingly unfathomable woman I think I’ve ever come across.”
“What the hell do you mean by that?”
“Just that, kitten.” I wanted her back next to me and I knew exactly how to manage it. “One minute you are purring and begging to be stroked and the next you’re hissing and spitting at me. Is it that you’re just high maintenance?”
“High maintenance?” She was clearly becoming rather enraged. “How dare you!” She marched back up the stairs, a furious expression on her face. Her fists were tight and I wondered if she was planning to punch me. It wouldn’t exactly be a fair fight if she did. Rather than encourage violence, I reached out and grabbed both her hands.
“Got you.” It was unfortunate that at the very moment I felt overwhelming satisfaction at having her back with me again, I also realised I was about to faint. Mack seemed to recognise it too.
“Julia!” she yelled. “Julia! It’s Corrigan – you need to come quickly!”
“You need an old woman in a wheelchair to come and rescue you from the big, bad Lord Alpha?” I tried to make light of the situation but little pinpricks of light were dancing in front of my eyes and nausea was overtaking me.
“For fuck’s sake, Corrigan.” She grabbed hold of me and helped me down the stairs. I had no choice but to lean against her slight frame. “Staines!” Mack shrieked.
He appeared almost instantly. I could only just make out his large body rushing up to help take my other arm before I collapsed.
“We need to get Julia. The blisterwort will help him.” Mack’s panicked voice rose in my ear. I wanted to tell her everything would be alright but somehow I couldn’t form the words. “Staines, please. She can help. You might not be able to trust me but you know you can trust her.”
Words swam around me. I could hear a strange pounding in my ears. My skin felt as it was on fire. I wanted to thank Mack for trying to help but when I opened my mouth I still couldn’t speak. I breathed in to inhale her scent for one last time but, instead of
her essence, all I could smell was some kind of foul smelling concoction. My soul despaired at the fact that all my senses were deserting me.
Someone shoved something hot against my mouth. I wanted to protest and push it away but the hand was insistent. Whatever it was, it sank down my throat. I tried not to gag as more and more was poured down.
The voices continued. Gradually, Staines’ mistrusting tone began to coalesce into understandable sentences. “You do realise that if this doesn’t work, and it hurts him instead, I will rip you limb from limb, Way Directives be damned.”
I wanted to tell him to leave her alone.
“I need a knife,” said Mack.
She was going to fight him. That was even worse.
“A knife?” he spat. “Do you really think that we would give you a weapon?”
“Then cut me.”
“What?”
“Make me bleed, Staines.”
Nothing was making any sense. What I did know was that I couldn’t take much more of their bickering. It was giving me a bloody migraine.
“You’re fucking crazy.”
“Staines–”
Will you two shut up? I interrupted in exasperation.
They both immediately fell silent.
Someone – Julia, I realised – felt my pulse. “Still a bit fast,” she said calmly, “but the blisterwort already seems to be doing its job. It works unbelievably fast.”
I blinked and flexed my fingers. I no longer felt so hot. I could see both Mack and Staines staring down at me with exactly the same mixed expression of hope and fear on their faces.
