by Tamsin Ley
The sound of the storm shifted, becoming more like sighing. The anise smell that had stalked her earlier returned. Terror spiked through her. Where was the ferret? Had something got it while she wasn’t watching? Kepler, there’s something else here, she sent. I think it's hunting me.
Come through now. His voice held the same tone of command he’d used when she’d first met him, his Alpha tone, and she could feel his desperation through their bond. Ashlyn, please.
A second anise scent, slightly sharper, joined the first. Oh, God. A pack? She still couldn’t see anything. Shadows flickered between her and the gold dot. What happened if the beings that smelled like anise reached the portal first?
Wolf, hurry!
Her wolf stood on top of the agathion, teeth in its throat. For a moment, she thought they’d won. But then her wolf’s eyes met hers, and a single word reached her. Go.
The agathion thrust a hand against the wolf’s chest, sending it flying. Then he raised both hands toward her. Lightning shot out, but her wolf pounced, sending the bolts astray.
Go, the wolf sent again.
The portal would soon be closed, with or without her. Ashlyn had to go without her wolf. She backed a step toward the hellmouth. Then another. Her wolf was holding the agathion off. Giving Ashlyn a chance to escape. But what would happen to her wolf once Ashlyn left? The animal had become more a part of her than she’d ever imagined possible.
Lightning crackled through the air, and two more things that looked like men popped into view. They were bigger than the agathion, and their skin glittered with what looked like a million stars. Turning purple glowing eyes toward her and the hellmouth, they ignored the fight and moved forward. Her wolf howled, begging her to go.
Chest tight, Ashlyn knew she was out of options. She had to leave.
Spinning, she dove for the portal.
She slammed back into her body with the force of a freight train. A rush of cool air met her lungs. Her cheek was pressed against the damp ground, yellow leaves filling her vision. The solid earth beneath her felt almost wrong in its steadiness, and the middle of her back was on fire. She turned her head and forced her eyes to focus, seeing her mate standing several feet away. She tried to say his name, but only managed a gasp.
He stayed back, eyes wary. “Ashlyn?”
“My wolf.” Her throat spasmed, and her hands clawed at the damp leaves. “It’s trying to kill my wolf.”
A pained look fleeted across Kepler’s face. “I’m sorry. We can’t wait.” Kneeling next to her, he yanked something out of her back.
It felt as if he’d just ripped every vein out of her body. She screamed in agony, stars filling her vision.
“Shit, that’s a lot of blood,” Kepler said, pressing hard against her back.
Through a haze of pain, she heard Cal ask, “Did it work?”
She heard the sound of crunching glass.
“Yes,” Kepler growled.
She wanted to protest that it hadn’t. That her wolf was still on the other side, fighting for her life. But pain was making it impossible to breathe, much less speak.
“So Jen didn’t betray us.” Cal sounded relieved.
Kepler muttered. “Fuck. Why isn’t she healing?”
“Maybe it’s not her,” an unfamiliar voice said. “I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe the agathion’s fooling us.”
Her fingers and toes felt like ice, and her teeth chattered. Why am I so cold?
“It’s her,” Kepler’s voice held an edge. “She said the agathion was trying to kill her wolf. If she lost her animal, she lost her ability to heal.”
Ashlyn’s heart cracked at those words. Kepler had been right about a shifter’s animal being a part of them, and the emptiness she now felt hurt more than the pain in her back. Would she ever know if her wolf had won or lost?
“She was protecting me,” Ashlyn whispered.
She couldn’t feel the strength of her animal anymore. Couldn’t feel much of anything. Wolf, please come back.
But as she drifted into unconsciousness, she was certain her wolf was gone.
The ATV ride was rougher than Kepler liked as he drove toward the road while holding Ashlyn limply in front of him. The wound on her back needed stitches, but shouldn’t need a hospital, even for someone without shifter healing, but for some reason the bleeding wouldn’t stop. He’d just reached the pavement when a truck pulled alongside his ATV.
Muffy was at the wheel and Tessa jumped out, flinging open the door to the back seat. “I thought you’d need help. Get in.”
Kepler laid Ashlyn on the bench seat and climbed in beside her. Several blankets lay folded on the seat, and he pulled one haphazardly over his mate, trying to warm her. Her skin felt chilly and the blood on her bare skin had become tacky. “She won’t stop bleeding. I think she’s in shock.”
Tessa closed the door and climbed back in front.
Muffy slammed the truck into gear and did a U-turn on the two-lane highway. Instead of buckling up, Tessa sat on her knees and leaned over the seat. “Let me see.”
Cradling Ashlyn against his chest, Kepler allowed Tessa to examine the wound. Ashlyn’s back glistened crimson, her matted hair stuck to her shoulders. The sharp metallic scent of her blood filled the cab, and he hated the way her eyelids fluttered, showing only the whites.
The witch made a noise in the back of her throat. “Did you puncture her lung?”
“No.” Kepler knew he spoke too sharply, but he was furious. “I embedded it under her skin as you instructed. Please, do whatever it takes. Save her.”
“I worried this might happen.” Tessa dug into a bag on the seat beside her, bringing out some sort of poultice. She mashed some green gunk that smelled like astringent onto the bloody gash and taped a wide gauze pad over it. Then she placed her palm flat over the wound and spoke a few words in a strange language. “That should seal the wound.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Kepler stroked Ashlyn’s hair.
“I can’t say yet. She’s lost a lot of blood.”
Muffy was driving them away from town, he realized, and suspicion rose in his chest. “Where are you going? We need to get her to a hospital.”
“The agathion was stronger than we expected,” Tessa said, eyebrows pinched. “If she can’t beat it, we can’t have her loose among humans.”
He clutched Ashlyn tighter against his chest. “Then how do you plan to keep her alive?”
Tessa’s glared at him. “I’ve stopped the bleeding. There is nothing more a doctor can do. She’s best off in our care.”
Kepler begrudgingly understood her reasoning, but it didn’t make him any less angry. “I crushed the knife. You said crushing it would break the agathion’s hold on her.”
“That was our best guess, but none of us are overly familiar with this magic. No one practices it.”
“Jen does.” He gritted his teeth, thinking of the ferret running away like a coward. “She set us up. This was all so she could get her familiar back.”
Muffy scowled over her shoulder at him. “Of course she hoped she’d get Hamilton back, but that wasn’t her goal in the end.”
“How do you know? That ferret was the first one through the hellmouth. Ashlyn almost didn’t make it. Her wolf…” He couldn’t finish. He couldn’t imagine having his own wolf ripped from him. Was that why Ashlyn was dying?
Ashlyn’s fingers moved against his chest, and he looked down to see her lips moving. Leaning close, he heard her say, “…ferret saved us.”
He had no idea if she was delirious or actually conscious enough to be listening. He hoped it was the latter. But that gave his anger nowhere to go. He slumped against the seat, breathing in shallow, angry gasps.
“What is she saying?” Tessa asked.
“She says the ferret saved her,” he snarled. “That damned familiar should’ve been the one to stay behind, not her wolf.”
Tessa’s eyes narrowed, then she turned around and buckled in. “I’ll quest
ion Jen about that later. Right now, let’s keep your mate alive.”
Chapter Seventeen
Ashlyn woke in an unfamiliar bed, sunlight glowing through gauzy curtains. She sat up, feeling weak, but alive. Yet there was an emptiness inside her. Wolf?
There was no response.
In a chair next to her, Kepler slumped to one side, mouth slightly open while he slept. Her hands and arms were covered in small scratches, as if she’d been rolling around in a briar patch, and she wore a simple yellow nightgown. Her mouth felt full of cotton.
A glass of water sat on the bedside table. She reached for it, but her grip was weaker than she expected, and it slipped from her fingers, splashing water onto the wood.
Kepler woke as it thudded to the floor. He shot to his feet and took her face between his hands. “Ashlyn. You’re awake.”
His touch was a balm, a comfort. She gave him a weak smile. “I’m thirsty.”
“Yes.” He turned to the bedside table and did a double take before seeing the glass on the floor. “I’ll go get you some water.”
He retrieved the glass and left the room.
Alone, Ashlyn looked around again, taking a deep breath. She thought she smelled baking bread, but her senses seemed dull. My human senses. She’d never imagined she could miss her wolf so badly. Would Kepler still want to be her mate now? Were they even still bonded? Eyes filming with tears, she sought the mental bond they shared. Kepler?
I’m hurrying, love.
She let out a small sob. At least she still had that. She still had a connection.
Ashlyn, what’s wrong?
She heard pounding footsteps approaching. I’m just relieved I can still talk to you this way.
The footsteps slowed. Me, too.
He rounded the doorframe, glass in hand. Tessa and Muffy followed on his heels. He handed Ashlyn the glass of water. “Here.”
Ashlyn took a sip, its coolness burning her parched throat. “Thank you.”
Tessa came forward carrying a tray with a steaming mug and a plate of toast. She moved to the other side of the bed and set it on the table. “Do you mind if I examine your wound, Ashlyn?”
In a flash, the memory of excruciating pain returned. Cold sweat prickled her skin. She shuddered, sending water sloshing over the rim of her glass.
“Ashlyn?” Kepler steadied her hand with his.
It’s okay.
Kepler nodded, and Tessa pulled aside the collar of Ashlyn’s nightgown, peeling back the bandage and running cool fingertips over her shoulder blade. “There will be a scar, but I think you’re healing nicely.”
“How long have I been asleep?” Ashlyn’s voice felt scratchy, and she took another sip of water.
“Two days.” Kepler tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You fought off the agathion for two days.”
The last thing she remembered was coming through the hellmouth. “Is it gone?”
“Your aura is fully clear.” Tessa smiled. “You’re human once more.”
The words cut through Ashlyn. Human. She slumped back against the pillows. Not a shifter.
Kepler pulled his chair close and sat, setting her glass aside to take her hand. “I’m sorry. I know you must be hurting without her.”
Tears blurred her eyes, and she nodded.
I’m here for you always. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. If I could share my wolf, I would.
Muffy stepped forward, holding a small animal carrier and looking worried. She glanced at Kepler, then back to Ashlyn. “I have someone who would like to see you, if that’s all right?”
Kepler scowled.
Ashlyn looked through the wire door at a small pink nose and striped auburn fur. She sucked in a breath, reaching out. “You made it!”
The lines of worry on Muffy’s face softened to relief, and she opened the cage. “This is Hamilton.”
The ferret leapt toward Ashlyn, scurrying along to blankets to nuzzle her hands as she stroked his soft fur. He was still bony and light, and the scar over his missing eye looked uncomfortable, but he was no longer matted and dirty.
“God, he stinks,” Kepler complained.
Ashlyn frowned. “Be nice. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. He helped free my wolf so she could…” she choked on the last words. “So she could protect me.”
Kepler made a non-committal sound, eyes hard.
She turned back to the ferret. “Thank you, Hamilton, for helping me. I’m glad you escaped.” Ashlyn’s throat felt tight. She looked back at Muffy. “Why was he there?”
“Hamilton is my sister’s familiar. You met her at the bachelorette party. Remember Jen?”
That party felt like it’d happened a million years ago. “I remember Jen, but what’s a familiar?”
“Familiars are connected to their witch much the same way a shifter’s animal is connected to their human, only we don’t swap forms.” Muffy set the pet carrier on the floor. “Hamilton went through a hellmouth and got trapped. The agathion held him hostage, forcing Jen to help him.”
“That’s no excuse.” Tessa crossed her arms. “She can never atone for the deaths she caused.”
Muffy nodded. “She knows. But she is sorry and wanted me to tell you that, Ashlyn.” She glanced at Kepler. “She’ll tell you personally if you let her.”
“Absolutely not,” Kepler said.
“Ashlyn, as the only living victim, you have a say in her punishment,” Tessa said. “Regardless of whether you wish to speak to Jen or not, she’ll be held accountable.”
Ashlyn held the ferret a little closer. “What sort of punishment?”
The coven leader looked a little squeamish. “No one has been accused of using this magic in centuries, but the traditional method of execution was death by fire.”
Ashlyn had never been a vindictive person, and death by fire seemed barbaric, even for Jen’s crimes. “Is there another option?”
“We can find a more humane way for her to die. But her body must be burned in any case. It’s the only way to ensure the dark forces she communed with can’t use her to return.”
Hamilton squeaked and wriggled beneath the covers next to her leg, huddling against her and shivering. Ashlyn took a deep breath. “If Jen dies, what happens to Hamilton?”
“He shares her punishment.”
“What?” Her hand fluttered over the shivering lump beneath the covers. “But he was a victim, too!”
“Ashlyn,” Kepler said, but she stopped him.
“Can’t you strip her of her power or something? There have been enough deaths. All those shifters, now my wolf.” A sob caught in her throat.
“Your wolf isn’t necessarily dead,” Tessa said. “Just disconnected.”
Ashlyn sucked in a breath. “What do you mean?”
“Like most spells, shifter magic requires a genetic component to tie this realm with another. The magical energy—in this case, the shifter’s animal—is delivered through a constricted channel. Shifters call it the Source. It’s a well-guarded portal, allowing only shifter animals through. The hellmouth the agathion used was not guarded and could let anything through. Now we’ve closed it, you don’t have a connection to your wolf.”
“So you’re saying she could still be alive?”
“Yes.”
Ashlyn flung the covers aside. “Kepler, take me to the glacier.”
He put a gentle hand on her, keeping her from standing up—which wasn’t hard because her legs could barely hold her. “Drinking from the Source a second time will replace your animal.”
“But I never drank a first time.”
He frowned and looked at Tessa.
She shrugged. “It’s shifter magic. I only know the basics.”
“I want to try,” Ashlyn said.
“The Source may not even open for you.”
“We’re mates, which means I have an animal—my wolf—waiting for me. I have to go to the Source.”
Kepler sighed. “Fine, but I want to do every
thing right this time. First, we need permission from Councilman Riordan. Let me make a phone call.”
Ashlyn nodded and leaned back against the pillows. She’d let Kepler go through shifter channels, at least to start.
But regardless of whether the Council gave permission or not, she was going to the glacier.
Kepler stood on the glacier’s surface and waved to the departing helicopter. The pilot saluted and pivoted, taking off toward the cloud-covered sunset. Finch had pulled a lot of strings to let them use the crime unit’s helicopter, but Ashlyn had been ready to walk, swim, or crawl to the glacier, even though he’d warned her the Source might not reveal itself.
She slid her mittened hand into his. “Think there’ll be an aurora tonight?”
“I hope so.” He looked at her, bundled in a down parka and snow bibs, nose pink from the cold. She’d made light of her bulky clothing, pretending she couldn’t put her arms down, but he hadn’t laughed. Without her animal, she was more susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia than he was. They’d brought a winter tent and a few days of supplies, but if the cave didn’t open, he was going to have a hell of a time getting her off this ice.
Even if the cave did open, he hated to think what was going to happen if she ended up with some other animal than her wolf. What if her new animal no longer wanted him as a mate?
As if sensing his worry, she hugged him. “It’s going to be fine. My wolf’s an Alpha, remember? No way she let that agathion win. She’ll find me again.”
But the shaking in her voice betrayed her bravado. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing through all the padding and fluff. “I should be comforting you, not the other way around.”
Her lips smiled, but her eyes were tight with concern. “There were other things over there that might want to hurt my wolf.”
He’d asked his own wolf what it knew about the other side, but it had been unable or unwilling to provide information. All he could assume was that shifter animals survived there the same way real animals survived in the wilderness. He kissed her forehead. “Like you said, she’s an Alpha. She survived among those creatures for who knows how long while she was waiting for her chance to find you.”
