by M L Briers
“The entity attacked the pup and not me. It might be that there was a very good reason for that.” Eloise offered as her mate’s scowl grew with every word.
“Damn it, Eloise, what’s going on?” Alex demanded. He didn’t understand the first thing about magic or what these witches could do, and yet he felt that now he needed to know everything that they could possibly tell him. Eloise looked to Wendy for help…
“We think that your pup is the light side to the vampire baby’s dark side.” Wendy offered and saw that explanation go completely over the Lycan’s head as he twisted up his face and opened his mouth to question what it was that she was telling him. Wendy thought it best to start from the beginning.
Alex had heard enough. He didn’t need to listen to reason. He certainly didn’t need to listen to a witch telling him that his pup might be in danger. He knew what he had to do and he’d done it. Now he was stalking back towards pack land with Eloise in his arms and a growl on every step.
“Is this really necessary?” Eloisa asked on a small sigh.
“Yes.” Alex growled out. He didn’t want to look at her, not then and there, when they got back home and he had her safely away from the witches coven then he would have the conversation he knew that she’d be itching to have, until then he was going to keep a stiff upper lip and just keep walking away from the insanity.
“Alex…” Eloise was trying to hold onto her temper. It was made all the harder by the fact that her mate was carrying her as if she was a pup.
“Don’t use that tone with me, not now, Eloise.” Alex bit out a warning.
“And what tone would that be?” Eloise shot back. He really, really didn’t want to get into this with her yet. He stayed silent.
“Ha! You can’t even do me the curtesy of a reply.” She wiggled in his arms and folded her arms over her chest and pushed her ample breasts up in the air, knowing full well that his eyes would automatically drop to them, and they did. “Oh but you can take a sneak peek at my goodies.” She busted him and he growled.
“You hoisted them up under my nose.” Alex groaned. It wasn’t his fault. He was male and that was his excuse and he was sticking to it.
“They’re breasts, Alex, they’re attached. I can’t hoist them anywhere.” Eloise snapped back.
“Look, Eloise…”
“Oh, don’t you use that tone with me.” She warned him and he scowled down at her.
“What damn tone?” He growled.
“That one.” She hissed back and he rolled his eyes and growled harder.
“I am not allowing the coven to use my pup…”
“Oh, it’s your pup, is it?” Eloise shot back and Alex sighed.
“Our, ok, our pup, in their insane…” Alex continued.
“Oh, so your pup and my friends are insane. It’s nice to know where I stand, being the insane mother to your pup and all.” Eloise huffed.
“That’s not what I said and you know it.”
“That’s what you implied and you know it.” Eloise pointed out. Alex squinted as he was caught in mid thought.
“I’m taking you away from here until all this madness is over.” Alex sounded adamant and he didn’t like it when Eloise snorted her contempt for that idea.
“And if our pup is the light to the darkness of the vampire baby…? Do you think we will be safe wherever we go?” Eloise offered to her mate and saw his frown turn back into a scowl. He stopped in mid stride and stared down at her with concern.
“Is that true?” Alex asked. Eloise tossed up just one shoulder.
“I have no bloody idea and I won’t have one will I’m being carried across a damn field by my mate instead of trying to figure all of this out with the coven, now will I?” Eloise pointed out. Alex sighed.
“I vowed to protect you with my life, Eloise. That hasn’t changed, but how do I do that against something magical?” Alex felt deeply redundant. He needed to keep his mate and their pup safe and yet there was little to no part in any of this for him. He didn’t like that scenario one little bit.
“I know you did, but sometimes fate gets in the way of everyone’s best intentions.” Eloise offered. She reached up and placed the palm of her hand against the stubble on his face… “Sometimes we just have to trust that good intentions win the day and light outshines the darkness.”
“Oh, Eloise. That’s just another damn way to say that our baby is the light and the vamp thing is the evil…”
“Yes. But I thought it might ease your worries a little.” Eloise smiled.
“It does not.” He growled out on another scowl.
“I don’t want to do this either, Alex, but I don’t want our baby to come to harm and not have the coven to help her…”
“Her?” Alex grinned.
“Her.” Eloise confirmed and he gave a gentle growl, then snapped it off.
“I need to protect her, Eloise.” He offered and she nodded.
“Me too.”
“I want you both safe.” Alex growled with the idea that any harm could come to either his mate or his pup.
“Then we need to go back, Alex.” Eloise watched as her mate ran the gauntlet of his emotions, most of them bad. It had to do with the realisation that she was right, that he couldn’t protect her or their pup, and that cut him deeply. He nodded once and once only.
The coven was agreed as one. The only way forward was for the Lycans to leave. They couldn’t protect their mates from either the entity or the other coven’s magic, but none of the mates wanted to be the one to tell them. Even Annabeth shunned away from that particular treasure of a confrontation.
“I’ll do it.” Wendy was the one responsible for her coven and if this was another responsibility that fell on her shoulders then so be it. She was sure there would be growling and whatnot, but then she’d gotten used to that.
Five heads poked around the door to the kitchen, out of sight of their mates, but all with the perfect vantage point to hear every word spoken, or growled. It didn’t take long for the first growl to sound out into the mutterings and denials of the males gathered. Jethro pushed to his feet and Caleb shook his head from side to side in a warning to the alpha.
“And where are our mates?” Jethro demanded. All five witches pulled back from the doorway slightly as if they might be spotted.
“Around…” Wendy offered lamely. She wasn’t about to lie to the man, but she wasn’t about to tell him that they were hiding behind the damn doorway either.
“Wendy this is unacceptable.” Dale pushed up onto his feet as mayhem started to take over and Wendy rolled her eyes as she debated the rights and wrongs of zapping each and every last one of them for a little peace and quiet.
“The best thing that you can do is to find the other coven if they are local…” Wendy offered and mate’s spoke over the top of mate’s until Caleb got to his feet and let out the loudest wolf-whistle that the pack had ever heard. Every Lycan winced at the sound. Jethro growled long and hard…
“It seemed fitting, somehow…” Caleb smirked and Jethro growled some more as he took a step towards him. Wendy put herself in the way a moment before the pain started within her body and spread outwards, as if it was her very magic that was fighting against her…
“Wendy?” Jethro went to take a hold of her but Caleb came up behind her and spun her around towards him and into his arms…
“The others…” Wendy bit out and Lycans moved on fast feet across the kitchen in search of their mates…
Four more witches were crumpled over in pain and Tilly was the only one that was still standing upright, seemingly unaffected by whatever ailed them. Luke pulled his mate into his arms as the others did the same. All around her the others were trying to fight off the effects of the magic and yet she didn’t feel a thing…
“What the hell is going on, Tilly?” Luke demanded and she shook her head…
“It looks like the coven is coming under attack from whatever did this to Verity…” She wasn’t sure how to help them or if sh
e even could.
“Why aren’t you affected?” Jethro growled out as he lifted Deborah into his arms and held her close.
“I’m not linked to the others. I’m not a part of the coven…” Tilly guessed that was what it was, although she couldn’t be sure, but the coincidence was too much for it not to be.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I need to speak to Wendy…” She shrugged off Luke’s arms from around her and started back into the kitchen. The sight of the older witch doubled up in pain made her hesitate in her stride, but she heard Luke beside her and kept on going.
“What can I do?” Tilly demanded. Wendy shook her head. The pain was becoming unbearable and Tilly acted on instinct as she reached out and grasped Wendy’s hand. She closed her eyes and concentrated everything that she had on healing her friend…
Wendy could feel the pain starting to lift. Slowly at first as Tilly’s magic pushed through the wards that Wendy had created around the Coven’s magic. Tilly had never joined her magic to the others but she had familiar magic that each witch could recognise. Through Wendy, they all embraced it…
Wendy finally gasped in a whole breath as if she’d never done it before in her entire life. The pain was dissipating within her and within the others. Her mind was clearing and she could begin to think rationally…
“Don’t let go, Tilly…” Wendy urged her on as she tried to find the source of the magic that had attacked them.
There, like a black cloud in the shadows of her mind she could feel them. She reached out with her magic to clear the darkness, to breathe light into that space where they hid like cowards, and she found them there… Warlocks, each and every one of them…
Wendy called on the power of the magic of the others. Building it so tightly within herself as she resisted the urge to strike too soon. When it was ready she thrust her magic back towards them a moment before they realised that she’d found them, and a heartbeat before they broke the connection she felt their pain…
Tilly let go of Wendy’s hand and stumbled backwards straight into the waiting arms of her mate. Luke wrapped those strong arms around her and pulled her back to his chest. He dipped his head and she felt his breath against her ear…
“Is it done?” He asked hopefully. Tilly and Wendy stared at each other.
“Not even remotely.” Tilly offered.
There was no respite for Eloise. She’d felt the other coven’s magic pull away from her but still the pain was centred inside her womb. She knew that the coven of warlocks weren’t the only one’s attacking…
“Eloise?” Alex growled as he noted that her pain hadn’t eased as the rest of the witches had seemed to do.
Annabeth shrugged out of Dale’s arms and headed straight for Eloise. Alex growled out a warning to the witch to stay away. He wasn’t entirely sure that he could control his beast given that his pup was also in danger.
Annabeth knew the risk that Alex posed to her and yet she didn’t give a damn. She reached out and clasped Eloise hand with both of hers and Alex growled harder. Annabeth closed her eyes and searched for the source of the pain…
“Verity!” Annabeth ground out between clenched teeth. By the time that Annabeth reached the kitchen and her eyes took in the sight of Verity pulling herself up to her feet behind Caleb, it was already too late to act.
Verity’s eyes were pure black, not just the irises but the whole of her eyes had turned into a pool of what looked like liquid obsidian. Caleb noted Annabeth and the fact that her hands were coming up from her sides, he spun on his heels and felt the razor sharp claws of the female vampire across his throat… Annabeth let loose her anger as she snapped her wrist to one side and Verity’s head followed on her neck. Then she lifted the vampire up and tossed her away from Caleb and Wendy…
Wendy dropped to her knees beside her mate. With one hand she covered the ribbons of skin that were opened by the vampire’s claws and with the other she offered her wrist for him to feed. Caleb had already lost a lot of blood…
“Damn it to hell!” Annabeth rushed forward. She dropped to her knees on the other side of his body and used her hands to both stem the bleeding and help with the healing magic that Wendy was already using. She saw Caleb’s eyes start to close…
“Don’t you dare fucking die on me you shitty vampire…!” Annabeth ground out between clenched teeth and saw his lids ease back up again. The sound of fast feet told Annabeth that help was coming, and she was more than grateful to see that Eloise was one of them, when she flicked her eyes to the side.
Wendy felt the magic from the whole coven flow through her body. Tilly’s magic joined the others and together they worked to try to heal his wounds. She couldn’t think of Caleb not being there anymore, she needed to concentrate on the magic, only the magic…
“Come on Satan, bite.” Annabeth ground out as she waited for the damn vampire to show some sign that he was going to try to feed. She saw his top lip curl, heard him gargle the blood that was in his throat as he tried to help himself…
Jethro took it upon himself to do what he felt was right. If Caleb lived and he had a damn problem with it later then so be it. He walked over to Wendy and snatched up her arm, a moment later he swiped one claw across the soft skin of her wrist and opened her vein. He heard the vampire gargle some more before he pushed Wendy’s wrist against the vampire’s lips and waited for her blood to flow down the man’s torn throat.
“If you die on me, vampire, I’m going to be pissed.” Jethro growled out and saw the words register within Caleb’s eyes. “Now heal your damn-self so you can heal your mate’s wounds. We’ve got some arse to kick.”
A moment later Caleb lifted his hand and ran it up and over his body. It took an effort to reach up and wrap his fingers around Wendy’s arm, holding her in place against his lips, but he managed it. Annabeth heard Wendy gasp in a grateful breath.
“I like your style, Alpha.” Annabeth offered up to him.
“Right back at ya, Annabeth.” Jethro chuckled as he turned on his heels and strolled back to his mate.
“This is going to get worse before it gets better.” Samantha was helping Deborah place the token and amulets around Verity’s lifeless body.
Annabeth had done a good job in putting the vampire down and it had been hotly debated that a more permanent death would be called for where the vampire and her spawn were concerned. It was of little surprise to anyone that the coven had taken the vampire’s side and the Lycans had wanted to end her existence there and then. The coven had won the day, but only when they had proposed a spell that would keep Verity subdued while they worked on a way to cleanse the vampire of the entity that inhabited her.
“That’s if it gets better…” Deborah replied.
“Wow, you two are so glass half empty that it’s scary.” Annabeth offered from the doorway as she stood there with her arms folded and her shoulder propping up the doorframe.
“Say it ain’t so.” Samantha shot back and Annabeth gave a small shrug of her shoulders.
“What I will say is; we are witches and we have to believe that good always triumphs over evil, and that…” She pointed a finger at Verity’s body. “Is pure evil personified. So I say we win the day, get the… boy, oh no wait we did that already… and live happily ever after.” Annabeth offered. Deborah and Samantha looked at each other.
“You ok? You sound a little less rage against the machine and more Zen.” Deborah bit out caustically.
“I just got to break a vampire’s neck, what’s not to love?” Annabeth shrugged again and Samantha bit out a chuckle.
“And there’s the Annabeth that we know and love!” She beamed her a smile just as Verity sat upright like a vampire from some horror movie. Annabeth lifted her hand and snapped Verity’s neck once more and the woman collapsed back down.
“Oh, there I go again, it’s such a good day to be me.” Annabeth grinned as her eyes sparkled with glee as both witches chuckled in their work.
“I think you like do
ing that a little too much.” Caleb offered as he appeared beside her. Fighting fit again, the vampire was keeping an eye on how things were progressing.
“Sure do. I have a taste for it now, so you’d better watch yourself.” Annabeth teased him and watched the slow smile spread his lips.
“Witches.” He offered back as he shook his head and turned on his heels to find his mate.
“You have to understand that things could have gone badly wrong between Alex and Annabeth when she tried to help Eloise…” Wendy was trying to get it through to the Lycans why it was important that they leave the house and allow the coven to do their work unimpeded.
“I get that, Wendy, but they are our mates.” Jethro growled back. He could see what she was saying but he’d be damned if he wanted to listen to it.
“And they are my responsibility too, Jethro…” Wendy offered up but Jethro shook his head.
“Sorry, mate tops coven.” He shot back. He’d intended to sidestep her but Wendy moved to counter him just as Caleb walked into the room.
“It’s not chess. Its lives and you are all putting mates in danger by staying here.” Wendy could have cursed the stubborn nature of each and every Lycan man on the planet at that point. Jethro sighed as he turned his attention towards Caleb. The vampire gave a small shrug off his shoulders…
“She’s not wrong Jethro, and from what I understand, things might just heat up some from here on in. Perhaps your time would be better spent hunting the male coven of warlocks?” Caleb offered them an alternative. The trouble was that they all had the basic instinct to protect their mates and bottom line was that this was magic and they couldn’t do a damn thing about it, save find the warlocks and end them.
“Do you know what you’re asking us to do?” Jethro demanded in disbelief.
“Yes. Trust that your mates can protect themselves for now. There’s nothing physical for you to fight against. That’s out there.” Wendy pointed over his shoulder at the window and Jethro muttered a curse or two. “Find the warlocks.”
