by Jayne Hawke
“Other witches? Non-god-chosen ones,” I offered.
“They could think that they can steal away her Hecate magic or even her connection to Hecate,” Cade said.
Kerry’s face twisted into one of irritation.
“Normal witches are a pain in my ass to track. They hide from any sort of registration, and they’re pretty good at blending in to look like vanilla humans when they want to. No one knows how many of them there are, and of course the really good ones are even better at hiding. There are rumours that there’s even an order of warrior-type witches who travel around avenging those who were harmed by supernaturals,” Kerry said.
“That does sound pretty badass...” I said.
“It depends on how they go about the avenging and who they feel is suitable for the vengeance,” Ethan said.
“That’s true of everything. It comes down to who makes the rules and who decides who broke them,” I said.
“She has you there. It’s not as though cu sith are perfect souls who’ve never taken an innocent life,” Kerry said.
Ethan sighed and a darkness fell over his face.
“You’re not wrong. Our nature does mean that some of our kind can be too attached to the hunt and pay no regard for whose blood we spill,” Ethan said softly.
“There was a lot of trouble when the fae first came out to the world. When the New Era began. Our kind were used to punish those who dared step out of line under the rule of the new lords and ladies. Cu sith are one of the very few fae who are not bound to an individual territory if we choose not to be. There were some of our kind who took great advantage of that and slaughtered many innocent people. It was difficult to regain the trust of the humans and other species after that,” Dean said.
“Plenty of humans still don’t trust fae. There are a number of small factions who’re still planning their uprising to overthrow the courts,” Kerry said.
“Humans aren’t the only ones. Shifters aren’t all too happy with our kind - neither are witches,” Cade said.
They were right. When you sat down and looked at it, everything was a mess. On the surface, the various species and factions got along well enough. In the fae territories, at least, everyone was subject to the rule of the fae lord or lady that controlled their particular territory.
Once you looked past the diversity of people interacting on the streets and hanging out in the bars, it was easy to see the tensions. A lot of humans desperately wanted to become supernatural; others wanted to kill the supernatural and return to their place as the ruling species. The god touched and the fae clashed a lot. The humans didn’t seem to have quite as much of a problem with the god touched, as they themselves had worshipped those gods in the past. The fae, however, had never held that position within society, and it made things difficult.
“Ok, so, Yasmine was planning a big reveal of something this coming weekend. She went off to collect whatever it was and never returned home. So, this looks like a deal gone bad,” Kerry said.
“It has to be a magical artifact, right?” I said.
“Wasn’t there a Hecate piece brought into the country last week?” Dean asked.
“Yes, one of Hecate’s torches,” Ethan said as he turned his attention to Kerry.
“On it,” Kerry said.
I looked down at my phone. It was weird that Jake still hadn’t gotten back to me. As much as I was enjoying hanging out with the pack far more than I could have expected, I still wanted this job over and done with. My stomach twisted. I couldn’t ask Matt to give up the alchemy apprenticeship, though. Either way, it looked like we’d be stuck with Ethan in our lives for a while yet.
THIRTY
Kerry had managed to track down the dealer who was handling the import and sale of the Hecate torch. It was confirmed that Yasmine had bought the torch and was supposed to have collected it. The torch remained safely locked away in a hidden vault in Whitby.
“Ok, so, they didn’t take Yasmine to get the torch, because they’d have gone after it by now,” Cade said.
“Wait, wait, hold on,” Kerry said.
We all looked at her.
“It looks like someone’s trying to get into that vault right now,” she said.
“Details,” Ethan barked.
“Four witches. No way to identify them. Their glamours are too strong. They’re working in unison and look like they’ve done this before. We can’t get to Whitby in time, but I’ll start tracking their getaway vehicle, and we’ll get them from there,” Kerry said.
She pulled out her phone and attached it to the laptop with a cord for a second. Everyone sprang into action. Ethan marched to the front door and pulled on his boots. I followed suit. We were in the SUV flying across the moors in under a minute. Kerry was staring at her phone.
“I can’t see what they’ve got, but they’re carrying a large blue box, which looks heavy,” Kerry said.
“We’re currently twenty-five miles away from Whitby, and they’re still on the outskirts of the town,” Kerry added.
“Shouldn’t they be driving off at top speed?” I asked.
“That’s what I would be doing. Maybe they’re going after something else while they’re there?” Cade asked.
“What else is in Whitby?” Ethan demanded.
“Something the Odin wolves are guarding, a small Neptune god-touched thing there. Oh, there are hippocampus races held there!” Kerry asked.
“I’ve always wanted to see those,” Cade said.
I’d never seen a hippocampus. They were supposed to be truly stunning creatures, although like most things supernatural they were also deadly. Hippocampoi were sea horses, but not the adorable little ones you might see in an aquarium. These were the size of land horses like a thoroughbred. Their upper half was that of a beautiful fine-boned horse covered in silvery-blue scales, although I’d heard some of them were black with purple and blue shine. Their mane was like that of a sail fish with long strong spines holding it up away from the horse’s neck and thin, almost translucent scaly skin stretched across it. Then the lower half of the hippocampus was that of a slender powerful fish. Some said it was akin to a mako shark, only shimmery silver rather than the flat grey of a shark.
The races were a highlight, partly due to the danger of them. Riders had a pretty good chance of dying, as the hippocampoi didn’t particularly like being controlled and were more than happy to drown anyone who tried. The prizes were very high, though, as a lot of people turned out to watch the thrills. Personally, I just wanted to see the beautiful sea horses and admire them from a safe distance.
“The rich do gather at those races. Perhaps they’re planning on selling the torch on,” Ethan said.
“What about Yasmine?” I asked.
“She could already be dead. If she gave those witches what they wanted,” Kerry said.
We were nearby Whitby now. It was a small old fishing town formed of beautiful white houses with red rooves. The town nestled between the natural harbour with its strong yellow stone walls and the heather-covered hills behind it. Had I not have planned on hiding in the safety of Scotland, I would have gone to Whitby. It wasn’t too big, but there was enough to do there so as not to feel stranded and cut off from the world. In my mind, it mixed peaceful, beautiful, and a little bit of wild.
“Tell me where I’m going, Kerry,” Ethan barked.
He had to slow the SUV down as we approached the town. The smaller roads wouldn’t allow him to go at the breakneck speeds he’d been flying across the moors at.
“Down to the coast. They seem to be crawling past the hippocampus race grounds,” Kerry said.
“Can we cut them off?” Ethan asked.
“Do we want to cause a scene?” Dean asked.
Ethan bared his teeth and growled.
“No, we don’t. Fine. Kerry, tell me somewhere just outside of the town where we can take them down.”
“Follow them along the coastal road. There will be a spot along there a couple of miles out of to
wn,” she said.
Ethan drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he followed a small red car through the town. I looked out across the sea and felt a sense of calm settle over me. The waves weren’t too high that day, and there was a lot of blue between the fluffy white clouds. We passed by postcard-worthy views, little old houses looking out over the sea. Old-fashioned streetlamps sprouted up from the traditional slate walkways. Everything was so clean, and everyone wore a smile.
It was so unlike what I was used to at home. I pined after the time when I could settle somewhere like that and not need to worry about looking over my shoulder all the time. Maybe one day the views over people with my heritage would shift, and I could have a postcard life.
THIRTY-ONE
The witches were driving a very normal green hatchback. It looked like all the other cars we’d passed going through the town. Ethan hadn’t made much of an attempt to hide the fact he was tailing them, not that you could really hide in a town of that size. When we left the town and emerged on the coastal road, the green car took off.
Ethan hit the gas, and we were right on their tail as we tore down the winding road with steep cliffs right next to us. The waves crashed against the rock, and I really hoped we wouldn’t crash down there with them as the SUV rocked around a tight corner.
A pod of mermaids was frolicking in the waves. Their pale skin glittered in the sunlight, and their brilliant red lips were pulled back to reveal a mouth full of piranha-style teeth. Stories said that they were exceptionally fast and powerful swimmers. Not many stood much of a chance once they were in the water with them. The water around the hippocampus race areas had been bespelled to keep them out, but there were still stories about mermaids breaking through and devouring the fallen riders.
Ethan nudged the back end of the green car and sent it fish tailing ahead of us. They screeched to a halt in a small dirt layby just up ahead. The cu sith passengers were out of the car before it had even finished moving. Cade and Dean stalked towards the other vehicle. Personally, I waited until the car had come to a stop before I hopped out.
The witches were all dressed in black with their hair pulled back beneath tight hoods. They casually got out of the car and flashed the cu sith bright smiles.
“And to what to do we owe the pleasure of a visit from the fae?” an older woman with ruby red hair said.
“We have reason to believe that you stole something from the vault, and you’re holding a Hecate witch by the name of Yasmine hostage,” Ethan growled.
“Yasmine, Yasmine... sorry. We don’t know a Yasmine,” the witch said.
Ethan walked up to her and lifted her off the floor by her throat. Her eyes bulged slightly as his powerful hand wrapped around her slender neck. She made no attempt to fight.
“Try again,” Ethan growled.
Kerry was casually throwing a knife in the air and catching it again. The youngest witch who looked to be in her teens was watching with rapt attention.
“We don’t know a Yasmine,” the witch Ethan was holding snapped.
“We could use some fae blood, though, cu sith and cait sidhe are very useful,” the witch with the blue streak on her hood said.
Cade’s mouth spread into a savage grin.
“Come and try,” he said with a growl.
I felt the magic gathering around us. My own magic rumbled within me, desperate to be released. I could destroy these witches and end this all in one fell swoop. I drove the magic down and pulled my daggers.
Ethan threw the witch against the car.
The teenage witch began making small delicate motions with her hands. The magic felt sharp, as though she were trying to drive barbs into our skin.
“She’s interesting...” the teenager said, nodding to me.
Shit, they could feel my magic.
“Yes, I want all of her blood,” the older witch said as she licked her lips.
“Don’t you know drinking blood is wrong?” I said.
And just like that, the magic exploded around us. Suddenly, the heather was alive. No, not the heather. The witch was pulling on the small stones in the dirt beneath the heather. There was nowhere to duck as the air was filled with small, dark, sharp stones. They pelted my body as I tried to cover my face with my arms. Dammit, I could end her if I could use my magic.
Kerry jumped on the witch’s back and tried to rip her throat out with her claws. The witch had wrapped some magic around her, which made Kerry’s claws slide off her skin. Ethan smashed his fist into the red-haired witch’s face. She groaned and spat blood at him.
One of the witches was circling around behind me. I felt the rope of magic beginning to form around my feet. I shot sideways and looked for some way to get leverage over her. This was why vanilla humans didn’t get paid jack as bounty hunters. They were outmatched by anyone with magic.
I waited for the witch to come closer. She was tugging on the magic in the air and trying to weave it into something dangerous, something that would spill my blood. The sound of metal bending and giving way came from behind me. It was enough to distract the witch before me for a split second. I raced forward and slashed at her face. She cried out with fury and shoved heavy magic at me. The air felt like a wall as it collided with my chest, driving the oxygen from my lungs. I coughed and gasped, but I didn’t go down.
The others were all snarling and getting up close and personal with their witches. I was not going to look weak in front of them. The witch was preparing her next magical push when I threw myself at her. I drove her to the ground and slammed the hilt of my dagger into her cheek. She buried her fingers in the dirt on either side of us, calling upon the earth magic.
I wasted no time in hacking at her throat, which was reinforced with some form of magic. Her spell bubbled up around us, but my sheer aggressive determination had broken through her defences. I shed a single drop of her blood, and it was all over.
The shock of it spread over her face. Her defences fell away, and I plunged both daggers into her chest. She gurgled as she died.
I realised that I should have tried to keep her alive to question her. Dammit.
THIRTY-TWO
I looked around and saw that none of the witches had survived their encounters. The witch nearest Kerry had been torn to shreds.
“Why were they so eager to get Kit’s blood?” Dean asked as he wiped his bloody hands on his jeans.
“They probably haven’t had human blood in a while,” Ethan said.
He looked at me with a slight smirk as though he was hiding something. He knew I wasn’t a full-blooded human, they all did. They’d seen me crack the spell around the notebook.
“So, I guess we’re not going to be questioning them about Yasmine, then,” Dean said as he nudged a witch with the toe of his boots.
Kerry sauntered over to the boot of the car and opened it to reveal the blue box she’d mentioned.
“Maybe this will help,” she said.
We crowded around to look at the box. I’d never seen a god artifact before. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it glow?
Kerry ran her claws over the tape sealing the box shut and opened it with a flourish. There was nothing inside. She lifted it out of the car and ran her hands over the inside of the boot. Nothing.
Ethan laughed and shook his head as he held up a handwritten note.
Sorry. Better luck next time.
“So, now we need to know who went to all of the trouble to set that up, and why,” I said.
“That was quite the distraction. Someone really wanted us to come here to Whitby, which means Yasmine is somewhere in the opposite direction. It also means they’re very attached to keeping her. So, we’re back to figuring out who would want her and why,” Ethan said.
“Was the torch really stolen?” Dean asked.
Kerry looked at her phone.
“Yes.”
“So, they must have had a second team that somehow got in and out without us knowing about it,” I said.
/> “Oh, they’re good...” Cade said.
“I don’t think this is really the time to be admiring our opponents,” Kerry said.
“I can appreciate someone who gives us a challenge,” Cade said.
“Search the bodies for any clues,” Ethan said.
I looked over at the bloody mess of the witch I’d killed. I really didn’t want more witch blood on my hands. The stuff I had was already beginning to tingle, and I had no idea how to stop it. I’d wiped off as much of it as I could on my jeans and a flat-leaved plant I’d found at the edge of the layby.
Sighing, I went back to the body and gingerly looked through its pockets and found nothing. No keys, no ID, not even a penny.
“Nada,” Cade said.
“Same,” Kerry said.
“Nothing here,” I said.
Ethan pursed his lips and looked over the mess before us.
“Kerry, call in the clean-up guys. Tell them we need any clues they have, but anything else they can keep,” Ethan said.
A white car slowed down as it looked at the mess. The green car had a huge dent in the roof, and the bodies were there for all to see. Ethan glared at the driver of the car, and they quickly sped off. This wasn’t a particularly unusual occurrence. Supernaturals fought all the time. If anyone paused to really look, they’d see Ethan and his pack were cu sith and not dare question them. Cu sith literally got away with murder.
“The clean-up guys said there was a business card with a swirly symbol on it,” Cade said.
“A swirly symbol...” Ethan repeated drily.
I bit back a laugh.
“I have a photo here; I’ll show you when we get home,” Cade said.
We were two minutes away from the pack house. The tingling from the blood had thankfully faded before I’d gotten into the car with the others. I felt more awake than I had done, though, as though someone had given me a triple espresso. Chewing on my bottom lip, I made a mental note to look into what that was all about. I needed to understand it, and more importantly, hide it.
