Two days later, or maybe it was the next day, I stopped paying attention to time at some point, I finally felt somewhat normal again. The drive home was horrendous. We were all exhausted and Davis burned off the morphine even faster than we anticipated, meaning we ran out before we made it back.
About two hours from home Davis woke up, and the agony he was experiencing was heartbreaking. He went through a range of emotions, starting with pain, then anger, and ending with denial. He was convinced his healing was already kicking in but admitted to not being able to feel anything below his waist.
Tears trailed silently down my face as I recalled the vacant expression on his face last night when the pack doctor finished his exam. Davis had been right. His wolf genes had begun healing him, but only his bones and outward injuries. His legs appeared healthy, but he was still unable to move them on his own.
Alex had said there was still a slight chance he’d be okay, especially if we could find a witch soon, but as of then, the prognosis wasn’t positive.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Liam said when I rolled over.
He’d stayed in my room with me, having refused to leave my side other than when I showered and went to the bathroom. I had drawn the line there. My wolf still insisted on calling him ‘mate’, but we hadn’t talked about anything serious since returning. I was going to keep it that way for as long as I could avoid it.
If I was honest with myself, I was afraid of the conversation. Too scared he was finally going to say “Well, I’m needed back at my pack. It’s been fun.” My wolf was attached, and her emotions were mixing with mine, making me acknowledge that I really did care for him and didn’t want him to leave.
“No ‘good morning’ for me?” he teased.
I shook the thoughts from my head and refocused on him. “Sorry. Guess I’m not all awake yet.” I attempted to crack a smile. “I’m going to shower and go spend some time with my dad, then Davis. Why don’t you go see if your brothers and Augie need help this morning?”
He leveled his gaze on me. “Are you politely trying to get rid of me, Taya?”
I laughed. “I would never do such a thing,” I said, feigning innocence. “I know they planned on meeting with the other pack leaders in the area about helping with the turned humans today. They could probably use some help.”
The other alphas in nearby areas that fell beneath my dad’s command had offered to help in any way they could when word got out about what we had done. So far, nobody had seen or heard from Declan, but others had offered to house the humans while we figured out where to go from here. It was definitely a significant weight off our backs to have twenty-six fewer newly-turned shifters to worry about at the moment.
Liam leaned in for a kiss. “Only because I had already planned on it, am I going to agree with your suggestion. Go spend some time with your dad and Davis. I’ll let you know if we need you or learn anything new.”
“Thank you.”
My heart warmed at his sincerity, and my wolf hummed in approval, once again reminding me how perfect he’d be for a mate.
Yeah, I get it. Thanks for the reminder. Again.
I laid in bed while I waited for Liam to get ready. Once he was gone, I took my time showering and getting dressed. I was anxious to sit with my dad for a while, but yesterday had been hard with Davis. I didn’t blame him for being so angry. I couldn’t imagine I’d be much different in his situation. I wasn’t ready to be assaulted with all his pissed-off emotions so early in the day, though.
Finally, I sat down on my dad’s oversized bed. He had been moved to his room when we got back, and Davis was given the place he’d been using. The doctor had presumed my dad was in some sort of deep sleep and he didn’t require constant medical attention anymore. Davis, on the other hand, was very much in need of it.
I pulled out one of his favorite books and began reading to him. I didn’t want to talk to him about any of the problems we were having. If he could actually hear me, I wanted him relaxed. He didn’t need our stress, given his current state. We could update him when he woke up.
I read several chapters to him, talked with him about good things in the pack, then opened the curtains so the morning light could shine in. I didn’t like to think of him in the room alone all day in the dark. Before I left, I turned on some music and kissed his cheek.
I went downstairs to where Davis was staying. The doctor was just shutting the door and leaving the room.
“Morning, Alex,” I said. “How is he today?”
“He’s doing much better emotionally. He asked for you. I was just coming to find you. Go on in.”
“Thanks, Doc. Appreciate all your help lately. I know we’ve kept you busier than normal.”
He laughed. “It gives this old man a reason to leave the house. Happy to do it.”
I opened the door to the room as Alex turned away. Davis was sitting up in bed. Windows open, fresh air blowing in. The mood in there was the complete opposite of the day before.
“Good morning, Taya,” Davis said in the even tone I was used to from him.
“Good morning to you as well. You’re looking better today.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve just come to accept some things, and I needed to talk to you about it.”
Oh, that was not good. Davis was supposed to be still fighting. Not accepting.
“Talk about what?” I asked casually.
“Have a seat.” He pointed to the high-backed chair next to his bed and I obliged. “You know I can’t run the pack from a hospital bed until your dad is awake. There is too much at stake. The pack needs to know they have someone capable to turn to. I can’t be that person in this state.”
“What are you saying?”
Our pack magic hadn’t determined him to be unable to lead, or it would have transferred to me. Davis was still of sound mind and could do the job just fine.
“That you need to take over as interim alpha and choose Augie as your beta.”
I had known that was the direction he was taking the conversation, but it still shocked me. I’d barely come to terms with the idea that someday I would be alpha, and he was saying I needed to do so now? How in the world did he think that was the right choice?
“What makes you think the pack would be okay with this? I haven’t had any formal training.”
“I heard you in the meeting with the other alphas before we left. You garnered a lot of respect from them by standing up for your dad and the packs. If you can sway a room full of hotheads, then you can do this. Plus, Augie knows his stuff. He’ll be able to guide you when needed.”
I stared silently out the window into the trees I could see. Augie was an excellent fit for beta. I agreed whole-heartedly there, but me as alpha? So soon? I didn’t know about that.
“Give us two days to find the witch coven before we make any decisions. They might be able to heal and wake my dad. If we can’t find the coven and the pack is getting anxious, then we can make an announcement. Until then, I’d feel more comfortable leaving things as-is. Augie can step in and be beta if you need anything.”
His smile was wide. “Okay, two days, but not a moment longer. I’ll disappear on you and force you into it on your own if you don’t follow through.”
Asshole. He would do that.
“You play dirty, Davis.”
“Only when I know it’s for the greater good of the pack.”
A knock sounded at the door. I stood up to open it, but Augie walked in first. “Zarai is here.”
“As in the coven witch we’ve been scouring the U.S. for?” I asked, surprised.
“The one and only. She said she only wants to speak with you and she doesn’t appear very happy, so I wouldn’t be excited just yet.”
Great. I turned for Davis. “We’ll resume this conversation later.”
“I thought we were already done with it. Two days, Taya. No matter what Zarai says today.”
I ignored his statement, leaving the room with Augie. “Care to tell me what that was about?” he asked.
“You ready to be pack beta?”
“What?” he screeched. “Why in the world would you ask me that?”
“Because it’s part of Davis’s idea. You being beta and me alpha until we figure out how to wake my dad and hopefully heal him.”
“Interesting thought. I take it you didn’t like the suggestion?”
I huffed. “Of course not. I’ve been alpha-in-training for two minutes. Why in the world would anyone trust me to be the actual alpha so soon?”
Augie tugged on my arm, pulling me to a stop. “You are my best friend, Taya. I know you better than you know yourself. Your stubbornness is so severe, it should be awarded. You have the ability to make almost anyone do what you want. You may not know all an alpha should know, but you’re smart. I can tell you that the pack would be honored to have an alpha like you.”
“You’re just saying that so you can be beta.”
“You know I wouldn’t, but I won’t complain if the opportunity arises.” He grinned.
I wrapped an arm around him and started walking again. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether it’s two days from now or twenty years from now, you’ll make an excellent beta.”
We made it outside to where Zarai was waiting. Apparently, she had refused to come inside. She was a petite thing with wild hair. Her curls were long, unruly, and ebony in color. Her skin was a smooth caramel color and her eyes were an intriguing russet color. She didn’t appear to have aged much since the photo was taken that we had found.
Her face was pinched in obvious irritation. Augie was right, she looked pissed.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Zarai. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.” I extended my hand to her, but she ignored it. I pulled it back while I waited for her reply.
She eyed Augie, then brought her hands above her head in a circular motion while mumbling something I couldn’t understand. There was a popping noise and then nothing. Pure silence except for the sounds of her and me breathing. I glanced around and saw Augie moving his lips, but I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t hear the birds in the trees or the slamming door as Liam and Caleb stormed outside. Nothing.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I gave us some privacy. You need to call off the dogs.” I’m sure the pun was intended there, but I didn’t call her out on it. “You’re upsetting the covens and whatever it is that you want, I can assure you it’s not worth risking their wrath over. If I hadn’t known your parents, I wouldn’t be here now offering the warning, but they were good people.”
“Were good people? My father is alive. What are you talking about?”
She shook her head vigorously. “No, I recently saw his essence in the spirit world.”
“And I just spent an hour with his body this morning. He’s in a coma, but I’ve been assured his body is still functioning. As in, he’s alive,” I countered.
I was two minutes from losing my shit. I had no idea how she saw my dad’s spirit, but I knew that couldn’t be a good sign.
“What happened to him?” she asked.
“We don’t know. One of the alphas is mixed up with a sorceress. He has the ability to use some of her magic. He shook hands with my father and within seconds, he passed out. That was…,” I had to count back the days, “six days ago.” It seemed like a lifetime, though.
Her eyes narrowed on me, and she seemed to be contemplating whether or not to believe me.
“You’re welcome to see him if you need proof,” I offered.
“Yes, take me to him.”
She snapped her fingers, and the bubble around us popped. Liam and Augie were arguing about what to do. Liam was pissed Augie hadn’t gotten him before letting me go outside. Overbearing brute. He was going to learn quickly that nobody let me do anything.
“Calm down,” I said as we walked by. “We’ll be back soon, and no, you may not come.”
I received two deathly glares at that comment, but they stayed put. They’d get over it eventually.
I showed Zarai to my dad’s room and stood back as she did her thing. Her hands hovered over his body, close but never touching. She kept her eyes closed and hummed. It went on for several minutes before her eyes suddenly opened and she began choking.
She mumbled something about it being sinister and evil, but I had no idea what she was talking about, and it was starting to freak me out.
Her eyes met mine. “For your father to come back, another must die.”
“What are you talking about? Who must die?”
“This spell is powerful, and I cannot break it. Only a life sacrifice will bring him back now. The spirit world will not release his soul without another in trade. You must choose a loved one to die if your father is to return.”
I had no words to respond with. I couldn’t sacrifice another to bring him back. My father would kill me. But I also knew I wasn’t ready to live without him.
What the hell was I going to do?
***
Find out what happens next in Shades of Magic, book two in the Raven Point Pack trilogy by ordering .
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