Chapter Twenty-Two – Octavia

Together they ran forward, keeping low down, and skirting around where the degetty, Taro, was tearing into Matthew’s men, while the sound of gunshots rang out.

“Can you see Matthew?” Cade asked.

Octavia looked up, and then crouched back down. “No.”

“Where is he? Unless he is the kind of coward who sends his men in and doesn’t risk his own life.”

They moved closer, the degetty doing most of the work for them. “He might have gone on ahead to the house.” She looked up again. “Or to the river. What if he can track Helena somehow?”

Cade shook his head. “I don’t see how.”

Octavia shrugged. “We don’t know a lot about what is happening with Helena.”

“True,” Cade said. “He pulled out his cell phone, and risked calling Locke.” He shook his head and ended the call. “House or river?”

“River,” Octavia said. “The rest of the squad has this taken care of.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Cade said. “I may have to watch out or you will have my job.”

“No way,” she answered. “I’ve had enough excitement for a lifetime.”

“Does that mean you have changed your mind and want to go back to your old life?” Cade asked.

“My old life is gone. This is who I am.” Octavia shifted into her bear, and set off through the forest, her bear scenting the degetty Taro, and in the distance, the scent of Zinan. She marveled at how enhanced her senses were. Before she became a shifter, she would have only been able to smell brimstone, not be able to sift through it and separate the two distinct degetty. A thrill passed through her newly-made bear; this was exciting, but she could do without the danger.

A bullet whizzed through the air, as if to reinforce that point, embedding itself in a tree trunk to her left. Cade turned with a worried look, and then launched himself forward. The man who shot the gun turned to him, and aimed the gun straight at him. Her heart stopped beating, and the world moved in slow motion as the sound of another shot rang out. There was no way it was going to miss at such short range.

So many questions flew through her brain. What if Cade died? What if Lucas’s spell didn’t work? How would she live without her mate?

The mating bond tightened around her, holding her fast. Now she knew what Cade had been experiencing since they had met. It hurt like a deep open wound, raw and new.

Octavia leaped forward, going to Cade’s aid, but the bullets bounced off invisible armor, and Cade launched himself at the man, taking him out in one snap of the neck.

He hauled himself up on four paws, and turned to look at Octavia, shaking himself. She moved to his side, and brushed against him. Cade nuzzled her, and then nudged her forward. They still had a job to do.

Cade led the way, and she followed him, close to his tail. They weaved in and out of the undergrowth, the smell of Taro growing fainter, while the scent of Zinan grew stronger. Each step was taking them closer to Locke and Helena, but her need to protect Tally’s mom grew in strength too. As much as Octavia wanted to stay with Cade, the need to stop Tally becoming an orphan too, was just as important.

They were close enough to the river that she could hear it bubbling over the rocks; new scents joined that of Zinan, humans. She caught the faint scent of two humans, Locke and Helena, she presumed, but then another scent joined it, mingling with it. Octavia took a moment to inhale, letting the scent dance over her taste buds. There was something familiar about it.

Matthew.

Her bear nudged into Cade, letting him know danger was imminent. His bear turned to give her an enquiring look. What was she supposed to do, she couldn’t talk?

She did the only thing she could: she shifted back into her human form and immediately crouched down on her hands and knees. “Matthew is close. I can smell him.” Octavia thought over all the times she had been close to him, the kisses, the touches, and rage burned inside her. But rage would not get her through this. Yes, she had been used by him, but that did not mean he had to win. Victory over him was in their grasp; they simply had to take it.

Then the forest exploded around them. First came Tally’s voice, calling for her mom, followed by the sound of gunfire. Octavia prayed the spell Lucas had cast would hold. Did it have a time limit?

Cade ran forward, and Octavia had to make the split-second decision as to whether to continue on two feet or four. She chose two and stood up, following Cade as he raced through the trees toward Tally’s voice. Cade broke out into a clearing, just as Matthew held his gun up to Locke and pulled the trigger. He was shielding Helena, who looked confused. Octavia stopped midflight and slipped behind a tree, hoping she had not been seen.

“I told you to move,” Matthew said, as the gun exploded, a bullet shooting out at close range. Would the spell hold?

Locke’s face showed pure horror, and he ducked, his arms around Helena as he tried to get them both out of range. The bullet glanced off his shoulder, leaving no mark, and hit a sapling, splintering the wood.

Matthew cocked his gun, and another shot rang out, but it went way off target, when Tally launched herself out of the trees, springing onto Matthew’s back. Matthew wheeled around and grabbed at her. As this unfolded, a shadow emerged from the trees, dressed in a druid’s robe, but with a hood drawn up around his face.

This was the rogue, the druid who had bound Taro and sent him after Octavia.

The druid grabbed Tally and pulled her off Matthew, who stood for a second, taking stock of what was happening. Cade took this moment to jump him, his bear claws digging into his flesh, teeth biting and tearing at flesh. Matthew screamed, and pulled his gun around to let off a useless shot, which rebounded off Cade before embedding itself in the ground.

“Stop,” the druid yelled.

Cade either didn’t hear, or chose not to respond; his bear was still in assault mode, pinning Matthew, who was bloody and bruised, to the ground. Taking him alive must be a priority, or the man would be dead.

“Stop or Natalie will die,” the druid yelled loudly.

Cade, his two front paws planted on Matthew, looked around at the druid, his eyes flickering to Tally, who had her fists balled, but no spell was uttered.

“Better. Now let Matthew up, and give us Helena and we can all walk away from this.”

“No,” Tally said, shaking her head at Cade.

“Tally,” Helena’s voice was full of fear.

“Mom, stay back.”

“Come with me, Helena, and your daughter lives,” the druid called.

“Mom, you stay back. Locke, keep her safe,” Tally called.

“I will kill you,” the druid said to Tally.

Octavia saw her chance. She slipped from one tree to the next, carefully placing her feet so that they made no sound. Gradually, she drew level with the druid, who had his back to her. If she timed it right, she could rush him, and knock him off balance just long enough for the others to act, without fear of his spells.

Closing her eyes, she psyched herself up and then launched herself forward. Her hands went around the druid’s neck, and she yanked his head back. Thinking he was falling, he spread his arms out to help himself balance and let go of Tally, who fell to the ground. Octavia yelled, and Cade went to let Matthew go, but before he could move, a wolf leaped across the clearing, sinking its teeth into the druid’s neck and ripping his throat out.

“What have you done?” Matthew yelled from where he lay on the ground.

“Ended this,” Tally said.

Tally got up and rushed to Helena, who was standing, dazed, looking around her. “Where are we, Tally?”

“In the forest, Mom. Don’t worry, we’ll soon get you home and you can make mac and cheese, and we can forget this ever happened.”

“I don’t like mac and cheese,” Helena said.

Tally took a staggering step back from her mom. “You don’t?”

“No. You know I don’t.” Helena frowned. “Are you OK, Tally? You look pale. Have you been burying your head in those spell books all night again?”

“Spell books? You know about the spell books?” Tally asked.

“Duh. Why would I be the head of the coven if I didn’t know magic?” Helena shook her head. “And to think I had you pinned as my predecessor. If I ever retire, of course.”

“Mom. You’re back!”

“Is she OK?” Helena asked Locke as he came across to them in his human form, and put his arms around them both.

“She is now.” He kissed Helena’s head and then turned to Cade. “It’s Gareth.”

Cade was hauling Matthew to his feet. “Gareth? Isn’t he the one who raised Zinan?”

“He is.” Locke looked at Helena. “What did Gareth have against you, Helena?”

“Nothing,” Helena said. “I haven’t seen him for over fifteen years.”

“I’m sure Matthew here can fill us in on the rest,” Cade said, bending Matthew’s arm up behind his neck until he yelped.

“I am a Templar, a keeper of secrets,” Matthew said.

“I’m sure I have a way to get those secrets out of you,” Lucas said. He walked across to the bloody body of Gareth, and used his foot to push the hood from the druid’s head. “A cross. So he became a Templar.”

“He saw the way,” Matthew said.

“And which way is that?” Cade asked.

“The way to victory. You and your kind will fall. And the Night Hunters will fall with you,” Matthew said.

“But not today,” Cade said. “Not today.”