by Sarah Beth
She looked at him and he could see the fear in her eyes that she was trying very hard to hide. It was a testament to her strength that he hadn’t smelt her fear until he was made aware of it. All he smelt was lilac and wet grass. She had been so confident at Claire’s, no signs of fear or apprehension at all. But the closer they got to their destination, the quieter she had gotten. She took a deep breath and nodded, “What’s the plan exactly?”
He opened his door and got out, pulling his shirt off and tossing it into the truck. “I’m going to shift, I’m faster and stronger in my wolf form. Then we’re going to go see what we can find.”
She nodded slowly but her eyes weren’t looking at his face any more.He stifled a laugh, could feel a blush rising in his cheeks, before he turned his back to her and shut the truck door.
He shifted quicker than he usually would, but they didn’t have any time to waste. The change ripped through his bones harshly. He grit his teeth through it, trying to make little noise so he didn’t scare Abby — who had stayed in the truck, thank god, and hadn’t come out to watch. He had thought she might, her curiosity getting the better of her. But the change wasn’t something enjoyable to watch, and he didn’t want to spook her. Once all four paws were on the gravel and his breathing was normal, he padded over to the passenger side door and pawed it. A second later it opened, Abby looking down at him with a smile. “You really are gorgeous covered in fur, you know that right?” He sneezed, thinking she was trying to make fun of him. He waited until she slid out of the truck before turning towards the fence.
It stood a good seven feet high. There was a gate, locked of course, to his left. He was busy trying to figure out how Abby was going to get to the other side when she walked past him and set the leaf of the ground in front of the chain link. He watched, mesmerized, as vines grew from the leaf and up the fence. Without even giving him a glance, she started to climb the fence and was up and over before he had picked his jaw up off the ground.
She looked at him with a smug grin. Hands on her hips, her eyes shined a brighter green than normal. “Are you coming, wolf boy?” A chuckle escaped her lips, “What? You think I was just sitting in the truck daydreaming?” She shrugged a shoulder lightly, “Those books Elazar gave me have been a great distraction in boring classes.”
Shaking his head he took a few steps backward before sprinting to the fence, jumping to the top and over easily. His muscles bunched as he landed and rolled, trying to lessen the impact of the jump.
She shook her head at him before heading towards the warehouse in front of them, “Show off.” She mumbled as he trotted to her side and stayed close. He was fairly certain she had been the one to show off.
They made their way quietly. Although he still felt like her boots were making more noise than he would’ve liked. There was probably some sort of spell she could use to silence her footfalls, but she wouldn’t know such a thing yet. Maybe they could look in those books Elazar gave her. His ears told him it was quiet — far too quiet even for an abandoned warehouse. There should have been the chatter of birds or mice at the very least, but there was nothing. The other thing he didn’t hear was any evidence that the pack was nearby.
They did a full sweep around the building, finding no one and hearing nothing, before he stopped at a side door. Without him even having to indicate it, she was already pushing open the door. She stepped back once it was open enough for him to slip through, she shrugged down at him. “Guess there’s no reason to lock an abandoned building, huh?” She spoke quietly, just above a whisper. But even that he was afraid was too loud. If she had been a wolf, they would be able to communicate without speaking. As it was, he rubbed his body against her as he walked into the building, hoping that the touch would be enough of a signal for her to keep quiet.
He wasn’t picking up her emotions then, like he had been at Claire’s. Maybe it didn’t work when he was in his wolf form? Unable to voice the question, he stayed close to her side.
There were storage containers everywhere, blocking any sort of clear view he could get of the large room. He didn’t like that. His nose didn’t smell anyone, but what he did smell was the same musty building smell from Claire’s from when Abby was scrying. The air was thick with dust and moisture, making it hard for him not to sneeze every time he took a sniff. The cold cement floor made the pads on his paws ache for soft warm earth. The ceilings were high, exposed beams ran the length of the roof. A wrap around gangplank ran the perimeter of the windows that lined the walls, more than one broken and letting in fresh night air. The nearly full moon was casting shadows through the windows, making the room even harder to navigate. He checked back at Abby multiple times, always making sure he knew where she was. After a few stops, she rolled her eyes and stuck her hand into the fur of his shoulders. They walked side by side through the maze of containers until, finally, the room opened up. And what they saw wasn’t good.
The pack was being held in the center of the room, each one stuck behind silver bars. Tori looked to be in bad shape — Wesley could see that from the few dozen feet that were between them. Abruptly, as if a spell had been keeping it all from him, he smelt him.
The warlock was close. Reeking of dark magic, and yet nothing as powerful as the girl frozen beside him. He could smell his pack. Smell Tori’s blood and knew Warren and Alex weren’t much better off. The only one who appeared to be not bleeding was Kyle. But the three under wolves were lying unconscious, all in their wolf forms.
Alex was staring at him so hard, he contemplated backing away and running. But he wasn’t a pup to be ordered around, not any more. And something was keeping Alex’s pack magic, and obviously his voice, at bay and weakened.
Tori moved and groaned. The hand in his fur was gone and Abby was five steps away from him before he jumped in front of her and snapped his jaws.
“Well, well, well. Looks like I caught another puppy to play with.”
Abby and Wesley looked behind them. Above, standing on the gangplank, was the apparent warlock they had been looking for. He didn’t look like much from where Wesley stood. Average height, scrawny under his stereotypical black cloak, and large glasses sitting on his nose. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest. A smug grin on his face, like he already won the game.
Wesley gave him a toothy grin in return. Silly brat, to claim a win before the game had even started.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
❖
Abby
It was like something else moved her body into the open, her legs carrying her out of the shadows without a conscious thought. All she knew was she had to help her friends — her family. She would have gone over to the cages if it wasn’t for Wesley stepping in front of her. He was angry, she knew that before he ever snapped his big toothy mouth at her. His energy was sparking off him. Why she could suddenly sense his energy more than before, she would have to ask Elazar — if they survived the night. It was like lightning sparking off his fur, reaching out to her and beyond.
The kid watching them was not what she had been expecting. Not that she had met very many witches or warlocks in her life. But this guy certainly hadn’t been what she was imagining. Of course, after meeting a real Faye, a puny teenager was hardly anything to be scared of.
Regardless of his age, she could feel his power. However much he did or didn’t have she wasn’t sure, not from where she stood. Her own magic recoiled from it — like the sensitive plant her roommate had sitting on the kitchen table, that closed its leaves when you touched it. She didn’t want that guy anywhere near her.
Wesley growled low in his stomach, she could feel the vibrations of it against her leg.
The sound made the warlock laugh, a hand on his stomach. “Oh, come now. I don’t want your little human friend. Why don’t you just be a good dog and let me put you in a cage like your friends? Your little human can leave.”
He didn’t know. How much of an idiot was this guy if he didn’t know? Wesley leaned into her, clearly think
ing the same thing. He wasn’t the person they were after then. Sure, he may be the one stealing the life force from those poor girls. But he sure wasn’t the one in charge. There was no way that he was smart enough, not if his magic couldn’t sense a fellow witch in the room. But then who was?
Wesley pushed against her again, harder this time. He wanted her to back away. He turned his body to face the warlock, pushing his back end into her stomach. She ran a hand down his back as she took a step away. “Okay, okay — but I’m not leaving.” She spoke so quietly she could barely hear her own voice, but she knew he would hear her.
The warlock was talking again, trying to convince Wesley that he should go into one of the cages and make life easier on all of them.
Taking the distraction for what it was, Abby started taking small steps backwards. If she could get back into the maze of storage containers, maybe she’d be able to get out of site and find a way to free the others. There was maybe two feet between her and cover when a new voice rang out into the building, and it wasn’t on their side.
“You idiot! Don’t let the girl get away! She’s Faye-born!”
Startled into stopping, Abby looked quickly to the warlock.
He looked slightly afraid for a moment before his face contorted into anger, “Thought you could trick me?”
Wesley barked at her, a deep sound that vibrated in her ribs like a speaker at a concert. She turned heel and ran into the darkness of the bins, pulse pounding in her ears. The warlock was still yelling, and sparks started to fly overhead, creating more light in the dark maze of metal.
“That little scrying trick you pulled was nice, gave me a little heads up on your friends! Just didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to come yourself!”
His words hit her like a freight train. Her breath stopped in her throat. Her scrying had led the pack into this mess. Her friends were lying in silver cages and it was all her fault. She had to find a way to free the others, they would be able to help Wesley. She’d worry about the stupid warlock, and whoever else was in the building, after she freed her friends.
There was a loud noise, like nails on metal, before a particularly large burst of sparks appeared to her left. The warlock yelled something in a different language. There was no way he knew the Faye language. Was there? He would’ve had to find someone to teach it to him. Cursing under her breath, she changed her path to head towards the source of the sparks and to sound of a growling werewolf. Using her hands to guide her through the maze of metal boxes, she felt a sharp edge cut into her palm. But a small cut didn’t matter right then. Absentmindedly, she wished she had spent more time in Elazar’s library — there was no doubt in her mind that there would be countless spells that could help her right then.
Just around another metal box and she could see the gangplank above where the warlock stood, hands glowing red and yellow. A very angry werewolf stared him down. Wesley must have found a way up there; he couldn’t have jumped that high.
She noticed, a little shockingly, that it hadn’t been sparks of lightning that had been creating all of the light — the warlock was holding fire in hands. Whatever spell he had spoken before was a powerful one. How he had learned it, and how he had enough magic to control it, made Abby even more worried. He sent another ball of fire towards Wesley and it took all of her willpower to not scream out in alarm. It would have been pointless anyway. She watched Wesley expertly dodge the fireball and run right at the scrawny warlock. The wolf hit him hard enough to send them both tumbling over the side of the railing, out of Abby’s view. Wesley would be fine, she told herself, he had to be.
Even though she kept telling herself that, she still ran harder through the few more passages of bins before running back into the open of the room. The warlock and Wesley were between her and the pack, but the warlock hadn’t seen her yet, his back was still facing her. She looked into the cages. Tori still hadn’t moved but whatever commotion they had caused woke up Warren. He was watching Wesley and the warlock fight.
But when Abby found Alex, his eyes trying to burn holes into her head. She glared right back. Like hell she was running away like a scared little girl. With another glance at the warlock to make sure his back was still to her, she knelt down where she was and took another leaf out of her pocket. She could only hope that the simple spells she had read about in the book from Elazar would be enough.
Setting it on the ground in front of her, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Trying to ignore the fact that lives depended on her and a little leaf, she focused on the warmth in her chest. Panicking or letting stress get to her now wasn’t going to help anyone. She focused on her breathing, slow and steady. Her heart rate, which had been beating hard from adrenaline before, began to slow. After a tense moment, the leaf began to rise in the air and drifted towards the cages.
She opened her eyes to make sure it went in the right direction, ignoring the noise coming from the fight not ten feet away from her. The leaf neared Alex’s cage and dropped by the lock. Another deep breath and a vine began to grow out of the leaf and into the lock’s mechanisms. She couldn’t see it clearly from here, only her hope and will was guiding it now. This had to work, she didn’t have any other options available to her. No way would she be able to bust a metal cage open. She waited with bated breath for the lock to break, as the vines grew in and around it.
Cold hands gripped her neck, hard enough to cause her to lose all the focus she had and only focus on the fact that she couldn’t breathe.
She could see Alex struggling in his cage. His hands around the bars to break them, smoke coming off his skin as the silver burned his flesh. She tried to spin her legs around and kick whoever held her. Her one foot connected to a rib, the grip on her throat loosening enough that she could breathe. Then the person who held her was in front of her, and red eyes stared at her, a savage grin on their face. “Watch it, witchling. I could snap your neck if I wanted to.”
She gripped the arm that held her, clawing at it to let her go. Through gritted teeth she growled out, “I’d like to see you try.”
And just as suddenly as it appeared, the weight on her throat was gone and the creature was thrown to the side. A large grey wolf was ripping it to shreds.
She fell to her knees on the ground and looked at the cage. It had worked — albeit slower than she had hoped. The vines had broken the lock from the door, aided by Alex’s strength.
“Call the wolf off, or this one is dead.” Her blood ran cold even before she looked.
The warlock held Wesley in an invisible grip, his hind legs dangling off the ground. He was growling, struggling against whatever was holding him. A ball of fire formed in the warlock’s right hand, “You come with me or I’ll kill them all.”
She stood up, her knees shaking. But she sure as hell hoped that any fear she felt wasn’t showing on her face. “Put him down.”
He laughed, a savage grin returning to his face, “So he can put another slice on my chest? I doubt that.”
She saw it then — blood dripping down a tear in his black shirt. So Wesley had gotten him good then. She wondered how much energy he was using to hold Wesley, the fire, and himself from bleeding out.
The man growled, holding the fire closer to Wesley’s body. The wolf struggled harder, growls growing deeper.
“No!” The scream was out of her before she had even known she spoke, her hand outstretched towards Wesley’s struggling form. She felt Alex behind her — he had grabbed her coat in his jaw.
The warlock smiled, “Then come with me.”
She stood straight, determination on her face. For the first time in days, she had no question about what she should do. “And you’ll let them go?”
He rolled his eyes, the fire ball disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. “Yes, I have no need for werewolves. Their energy doesn’t suit me.”
No kidding. He only like the broken and tortured life force of a witch.
Alex tugged at her coat again, a low growl i
n his throat. She looked back at him, her eyes softening. “I’m sorry, I have to do this. I can’t beat him alone.” She shrugged out of her coat, letting it fall to the ground behind her. Alex held on to it as she took a step away from him. “Take care of him.” She said quietly before she turned back to the warlock. She raised her voice to make sure he heard her. “Fine. I’ll come with you. Now let them go.”
He smiled again, and she figured she would be happy if he never smiled at her like that ever again. “Of course.”
He tossed Wesley across the warehouse like he was a ragdoll. When the warlock’s eyes turned back to her, she knew that she’d remember the evil there for eternity. She saw his mouth move, forming words she couldn’t hear. That was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.
Chapter Thirty
❖
Wesley
It took him a few minutes to regain any memory of what had happened or where he was.
But then the memories flooded in, playing behind his closed eyelids and he regained consciousness furious. His body was still covered in fur; his limbs felt heavy. He took a few panting breaths before climbing to all fours. His eyes frantically searched the large room.
There was only the pack and no sign of Abby.
Alex, who must’ve woken up a few minutes before him, walked over on two feet. “I need your head in the game right now, Wesley. We have to get the others out of those cages.” A growl grew loud in Wesley’s chest, but Alex just crossed his arms. “Focus, Wesley. We don’t even know where they’ve gone.” His eyes softened, his shoulders sagging. “We’ll find her. But we have to free ourselves first.”
Knowing that two hands would be more helpful than four paws, Wesley took the time needed to shift. It hurt like hell, it always did. Having one’s bones and muscles torn and reshaped didn’t exactly feel pleasant. Add the fact that he had clearly broken a few things when he had tousled with the warlock, and it felt like his entire body was on fire. But as his bones reformed and shifted, they healed any breaks he had. Just like Alex told him the first time he had shifted at 12 — temporary pain was worth more than months of healing like a human. Fully human, and very much naked, Wesley walked over to the cages. Although his form may have been human, he didn’t feel very human in that moment. He didn’t open his mouth to try and speak — he was fairly certain a growl would have come out.
