by Everly Frost
She’s stopped speaking spells.
My focus wrenches to her where she stands gripping the edge of the examination table, her wand abandoned on it.
She’s pale, trying to catch her breath, but she raises her head with a smile. “Carly’s going to be okay.” She pulls away from the table. “I need to help Becca now.”
Using my wolf’s energy to give me a surge of strength, I rise to my feet holding the resting girl before I remember that there’s nowhere to place her. Carly’s taking up all the space on the examination table. When I stood up, my wolf remained standing at my thigh. I’m not willing to separate from her and reveal my skills to Tristan or Jace yet.
Determined not to fail Becca, I carry her toward Helen, who works over her quickly, humming spells under her breath, the pages of her book flipping over every now and then until she finishes.
“Well done, Tessa,” Helen whispers to me before she draws back and turns to Jace. “Jace, you can take Becca now. Her arm is healed and she had no other wounds. She’s sleeping. As is Carly.”
With another mutter beneath her breath, Helen spells a chair to appear beside the examination table. Jace wraps his arms around Becca and transports her there, carefully laying her with her head on the armrest and her now-healed arm against her side.
I’m aware of Tristan’s gaze, the same prickly heat that would strip back my defenses, making my breath catch on every inhale.
“I can’t leave the girls,” Helen says to him. “So we’re going to have to have this conversation here. Tell me what happened.”
Harsh growls leave Tristan’s lips. “Baxter Griffin stepped right into the heart of my territory. He sent his men to the north to distract me while he and Dawson Nash attacked Carly and Becca when they were walking home from school. That’s how brazen Baxter’s become.” He casts a hard glance at me. “They know that if they can’t hurt me, then they can hurt my pack. I can’t be in two places at once.”
He pulls away from the wall. “I need Tessa,” he says. “Not in a month. Not soon. Now.”
Helen’s lips press together in an angry line, her response sharp. “Tessa isn’t ready.”
Tristan’s lips pull back into a snarl. “I’m looking right at her, Helen. Her wolf is under control. Like fuck she isn’t ready.”
Helen’s wand smacks the back of her own hand with a crack. I’ve never seen her angry and it alarms me.
“Tessa’s not ready, Tristan. She’s far more vulnerable than she appears.”
I cringe at Helen’s description of me. Vulnerable may be accurate, but it isn’t the descriptor I would have preferred.
“I can see that too,” Tristan says, glancing at me.
I bite my lip. As hard as I try to remain in control, I couldn’t hide my reaction to Becca’s wounds, or my list counting. Tristan doesn’t seem to have missed anything since he arrived.
He shakes his head, a slow, dangerous movement. “We’re headed for war, Helen. Baxter Griffin is determined to destroy me. I don’t have any heirs or an alpha-in-training. He’s taking out all of my possible successors.” He gestures at the girl on the table. “Carly was my next option. If I step aside—or if I die—Baxter will slaughter every member of my pack. I won’t let that happen. I will fight him. I have no choice but to go to war.”
“War is not the way, Tristan,” Helen says. “A war between wolf shifters is bad enough, but conflict in this city will draw in other supernaturals—bounty hunters, assassins. Humans will get caught up in it too. Their law enforcement isn’t equipped to deal with a war between supernaturals. The streets will turn to blood. I won’t let you put Tessa in the middle of that.” Helen’s expression is sharp, and my heart hurts that she’s fighting so hard for me. “Find another way.”
“Tessa is the other way,” he says, leaning against the bench. “The last possible hope for my pack.”
“Can you guarantee that she won’t be killed?” Helen asks.
Tristan exhales. He gives it a lot more thought than I was expecting him to. His gaze lowers to my wolf, who remains at my side. “I can’t.”
“Then I won’t let her leave.”
The corners of Tristan’s mouth rise into a smile while his eyes are hard, the same dangerously threatening expression he turned on Peter Nash before he fought him. “I’m not asking, Helen.”
Helen taps the tip of her wand against the back of her hand. “I don’t take orders from you, Tristan.”
I draw in a sharp breath. “Stop. Both of you.” I exhale slowly. “I’ll go with Tristan.”
Helen takes a quick step toward me. “Tessa, no—”
I hurry to her side, taking her free hand in mine. “Baxter Griffin killed my father. Dawson Nash has tormented me since we were kids. I can’t stand by while they continue to hurt others.”
I spin to Tristan. “I’m not doing this for you.” I point to the sleeping girls. “I’m doing this for them.”
“I don’t give a fuck who you’re doing it for, Tessa,” he snarls. “As long as you follow orders.”
I allow a small smile to rise onto my lips. “I’m coming with you, Tristan, but that doesn’t mean I’ll follow your rules.”
His eyes narrow, but it’s a confident look. “We’ll see.”
There seems very little more to say than, “I’ll go get my things. I’ll be in the garden in half an hour.”
I stride from the room with my heart in my throat.
I’m not sure if I just handed myself to the devil or took my first step on my path to revenge against Baxter Griffin.
Perhaps both.
Chapter Fifteen
On my way to my room, I find Iyana and Danika in the library.
They hurry toward me.
“It’s time,” I say. “I’m leaving tonight. In half an hour.”
“Then we need to pack quickly,” Danika says.
My forehead creases with worry. “You’re sure about coming with me?”
“Deadly certain,” Iyana replies. “I might need a moment to source some vials of mercury from Helen, but I’ll make sure to bring enough for another year. Where should we meet you?”
“In the garden,” I say.
Danika squeezes my shoulder. “Fuck alpha shifters, yes?”
“Fuck ’em,” I say.
I hurry to my room but slow myself before I barge in. I don’t want to upset Ella.
As soon as I open the door, her humming calms me.
“Blue treasure… pink ocean… orange grass…” She stops as soon as I step into the room. “Domination.”
I hold my breath for a moment, hoping that my emotions haven’t upset her rhythm.
Her brown eyes widen. She pauses where she sits on the edge of her armchair, crushing a silver flower in her fist, spreading glittering dust over the floor. Her head is tilted to the side, a string of flowers in her hair. One of them drops to the moss at our feet when she shivers.
I’ve suspected for a while now that Ella has strong empathic tendencies. She demonstrated them to me on my first morning here when she asked if I was wolf or human. Her empathy would make exposure to violence even more devastating for her. It also means I have to regulate my emotions around her or I can negatively affect her with my mood.
I focus on breathing normally, regaining my calm. “Orange grass,” I say, keeping my voice low, a lull that matches the sighing breeze in the trees around us. “Blue treasure, pink ocean, violet sunrise—”
“Yellow forest, blue treasure…” She exhales. The tension leaves her shoulders. She curls up in her chair, pulls her knees to her chest, and closes her eyes, humming to herself again.
The corners of my lips twitch upward into a smile.
She’s the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. Even when she breaks down, her tears only highlight the honeyed flecks in her eyes and the paleness of her hair. Over time, I’ve figured out that she’s the same age as me—twenty-three. I feel like she’s the sister I never had.
Leaving her is hard.
Without thinking, I lean over and plant a kiss on her cheek.
Realizing it could distress her, I pull back, ready to calm her down again, but she relaxes against the seat.
“Cobalt treasure.” She exhales before her breathing deepens. She’s fast asleep within minutes.
I choose to believe that she means my wolf’s energy, that she’s trying to tell me she knows I’m her friend and that I don’t have to be afraid.
“Sleep well, sweetheart,” I murmur. “I will come back one day. I promise.”
Quickly pulling clothes from my closet, I fold them into a bag I find in the bottom of the closet. It makes me wonder if there’s a bag hiding in every woman’s closet, waiting like a promise of a new life. In my case, it’s a promise of life-threatening danger, but as I pack my things, I discover that I’m ready for it.
I’m ready to go back out into the world.
I raid my bathroom for toiletries since I’m not sure what the amenities will be like where I’m going, check my reflection in the mirror, and retie my hair, and then I exit my room and stride down the corridor, meeting Danika halfway along.
She’s carrying a duffel bag that’s bulging as fully as mine. She’s wearing her favorite ripped jeans with black calf-height boots and a sleeveless V-neck T-shirt, and her hair is tied up. Unlike me, she’s comfortable showing off her curves.
I tug at the base of my loose flannel shirt. “Ready?”
“Iyana’s just gone to collect a case of mercury vials,” she says. “She’ll meet us in the garden.”
Iyana’s waiting for us when we get there, her arms folded across her chest. She’s wearing tight black jeans, knee-high black boots, a low-cut blue-gray T-shirt that brings out the color of her eyes, along with a victorious grin.
A silver hard case sits on the floor beside her along with a full-to-the-brim duffel bag. The hard case has a handle and wheels. I’m guessing that’s because its contents are much heavier than water.
Mercury mission accomplished.
Danika and I join her and await the men.
As the breeze washes over me, carrying the faint scent of silver flowers, I feel a pang in my heart. Damn, I’m going to miss this place. Being here among the trees and vines is like touching something bright and pure. It’s a stark contrast to the darkness I’m about to encounter outside these walls.
I sense the house about to shift moments before the staircase rearranges itself, walls and steps detaching and reassembling before my eyes, changing color and substance and forming the shape of the elevator I haven’t seen for months.
The doors slide open and Tristan and Jace step out of the elevator with Helen behind them.
Tristan pulls up short while Jace finds a spot at the side. Tristan is wary as he greets us. “Iyana. Danika. I’m glad to see you looking well.” He taps his thigh with his fingers as the women return his greeting. “What’s going on?”
“We’re all coming with you,” I say.
He doesn’t look as disgruntled as I thought he might. A surprising smile crosses his face. “Good.” He inclines his head at the elevator. “Let’s go.”
I pick up my bag, Iyana and Danika do the same, and we all squeeze into the elevator together.
After we exit into the parking garage, Helen hugs each of us in turn. Silence falls around each of the other two women as she hugs Iyana and Danika, allowing Helen to speak privately with them.
Whatever she says to them is for their ears only. I’m not the only one venturing back into the world for the first time in months.
When it’s my turn, Helen pulls me close. “Remember to guard your heart and protect yourself, Tessa. Be calm. Stay in control. If you need to come back, look for the house on the hill. The doors will always be open to you.”
“Thank you, Helen. For everything you’ve done for us.”
She hugs me a moment longer before she draws back and plants a kiss on my cheek. “Stay alive, Tessa.”
Just as we turn away, she stops Tristan and silence falls around them as she speaks with him. She seems to have a lot to say, and for once, he seems willing to listen, head bowed slightly as she speaks rapidly.
I turn away from them, following Jace to the SUV parked on the other side of the garage. He opens the trunk and we pile our duffel bags into the back. When Jace picks up Iyana’s hard case, he nearly topples over.
“What the hell have you got in here?” he asks.
Iyana arches an eyebrow at him. “Shoes,” she says before she rounds the vehicle and slides in to the back seat on the left side.
Jace climbs into the driver’s seat, I sit in the middle of the back seat with Iyana and Danika on either side, and we wait quietly for Tristan.
He’s subdued when he returns, merely giving Jace a quick nod before Jace turns the ignition.
The garage door rises. The vehicle pulls out.
I leave Hidden House behind.
Chapter Sixteen
The moment we leave the garage, my ears pop and my senses flood with sights and sound.
Iyana, Danika, and I gasp in unison.
Danika grips the edge of her seat beside me while Iyana suddenly sits up straight.
They both turn to me. “Do you feel that?”
My eyes widen at the golden glow around Danika’s body, the power I can finally sense in her. Spinning to Iyana, I can also see her power glowing around her body, an icy white that matches the hints of frosty scent I got from her while we were inside the house.
When we moan in unison, Tristan and Jace both cast startled glances back at us—Jace in the rearview mirror, Tristan by twisting in the front passenger seat.
I can’t help the laugh bubbling up inside me. “The house isn’t dulling our senses anymore.”
“Oh, that’s practically orgasmic.” Iyana laughs, only making the startled crease in Tristan’s forehead deepen.
“I’ve missed this.” She waves at the passing buildings and then the people walking along the footpath as we exit onto a busier road. “All of this.”
Danika murmurs her agreement, but I fall silent.
Now that my senses aren’t dulled, everything around me is suddenly too vibrant. Too bright. Controlling my power was so much easier inside the house. I’m struggling against my wolf’s energy right now, a dangerous need to explore the world around me. At the same time, I want to retreat from it all. There are too many people, too many unknowns. Even on the mountain, I was secluded from the public, left alone a lot of the time.
It feels like mere minutes that we drive through the streets of Portland into the heart of the city west of the river. We reach another building, this one tall, situated on a corner. It’s made of white stone with multiple levels rising upward, while large arches decorate it at street level. Craning my neck, I make out the structure of a clock at the top of the building before we turn the corner. It looks like a clock tower. An old one but well-cared for.
We turn directly off the street toward the garage door to the left at the base of the building, and Jace drives down into a basement garage. I’m grateful for the sudden silence—not a silence of sound, but a silence of energy—as we pull away from the humans going about their business out on the street.
I lean toward Tristan as the SUV pulls to a stop beside ten other dark gray SUVs. “Do you control this building?”
“Control?” Tristan says with a sharp backward glance. “I own this building. Along with others.”
“Oh.” It wasn’t the answer I expected. “This is where your pack lives then?”
As I speak, Jace jumps out, rounding the back of the vehicle and opening the trunk. Danika and Iyana also slide out, leaving me sitting in the middle seat, caught in Tristan’s gaze.
“Yes, this is our home.” He clears his throat, lowering his voice with apparent effort. “I’ll show you everything tomorrow. I need to get cleaned up now.”
There’s a smudge of blood on his cheek and shadows in his eyes. He nearly lost a member of his pack today. He seems m
ore tired than anything now. When I look closer, I can see the dark rings under his eyes and signs of exhaustion in the tension around his mouth.
“Of course,” I murmur. “Answers can wait.”
He’s still turned in my direction, paused. His lips part, but whatever he was going to say is lost in the bang as the trunk shuts.
I shake off our quiet interaction—the quietest we’ve had—as I slip from my seat out onto the concreted area to find Iyana and Danika waiting for me.
Tristan shuts his door and strides past us. “Come with me. We’ll get you settled with the others.”
Our boots tap a beat as we follow Tristan to the elevator at the side of the garage and once again cram inside it. This time, I’m standing closest to Tristan, close enough to see that he still hasn’t done up the top button of his jeans.
I remind myself that he has a wolf’s soul. He’s comfortable being naked. In fact, he’s probably more relaxed naked than clothed, whereas my human self finds the idea of walking around nude in front of random people incredibly uncomfortable.
Quickly refocusing upward, I’m caught in his lazy smile, surprised by how relaxed he looks now that we’re inside the building, although I have no idea what I’ve done to make him appear so pleased.
“Unknown to humans, my pack occupies most of this building,” he says, causing Iyana and Danika to focus on him while Jace watches the rising floor numbers above the door. “The first three floors are leased to humans who have no idea that we live here. You’ll stay on the seventh floor with the single female pack members. The eighth floor is for the single males. They have designated apartments, but don’t expect them to keep to them.”
A flush creeps through my cheeks. Along with being comfortable in their naked skin, shifters like to mingle.
Tristan continues. “The ninth and tenth floors are for families. The eleventh floor is a gym, which you’re welcome to use whenever you want.”
The last statement makes Iyana smile. “We will, thank you.”
The elevator dings and the doors open at the seventh floor. Jace holds the elevator open for us.
