Chapter 7
Bran sat at his desk, thumping his hands on the surface, waiting for some word from Evangeline. He had the next two weeks of work covered. The first vacation he’d taken in more than two years. Last time was a weekend trip to visit Nate while he was still in New York. At the time, he had needed answers, and to adjust to being a werewolf.
And now, Bran had every intention of tracking Evangeline down and finding out what the hell was going on.
She had been a witch. One who lost her power in the change. That wasn’t unheard of. In fact, he had never heard of another outcome. A few witches in Silvertail Ridge had lost their magic when they took their beast.
Picking up his phone, he stared at it, willing her to call.
Nothing, of course. Neither Bran nor Evangeline was psychic, not really.
No, she reached out in dreams.
He dialed her number. No answer.
His stomach plummeted for no reason. Not one he could come up with. He grabbed his keys and headed to his car.
Jay pulled up on his motorcycle, and as soon as he parked, he pulled the helmet off. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Need to buy a plane ticket and track down Evangeline. All I know is her father is involved. I don’t trust the bastard.”
“Olivier Laurent? He’s a damned criminal. What’s going on?”
Bran scrubbed a hand over his face. “She went out there after her father called, asking for help with her sister. And now I can’t reach Evangeline. Something’s wrong.”
“She’s with her family?” Jay asked slowly.
“What do you know?”
He lifted a shoulder. “That Evangeline’s father isn’t much better than a treasure hunter wrapped up with HARP. You remember your sister’s ex-asshole? Yeah, those fuckers. What if it’s something related to all that mess?”
“Shit, fucking, damn it.”
“Need help?”
“What do you know, Jay?” Bran growled.
“Only that Olivier has been searching Whiteface Mountain for artifacts stashed up there.”
“How do you know that?”
“Something Canagan mentioned about him. Hell, I just know it’s up in the mountains near their home.” Before Nate became Alpha, his father was. Canagan was an ancient wolf thanks to Killian, and held a grudge for a long-damned time. She died the same day the last Alpha did. They had both been tied to the Dark Templars and HARP.
“That gives me a place to start.”
“Want help? I realize I may be the last person you want there, but if she’s dealing with magic shit, I can lend a hand.” And sure, he could as a shaman, but Evangeline wasn’t his biggest fan.
“Uh, really think it’s wise the second and an enforcer leave at the same time? It’s only been a few days since Nate took over as Alpha.”
“Chris and Joe are doing well already. There are a couple other people Nate wants to put in enforcer roles, so why not? I don’t plan on staying around forever. I’m never going to find a mate here.”
Bran didn’t want to think about the fact that Jay could have mated Savon. That would have fucked with everything. Then again, Jay was a decent guy, now that he finally gave him a chance. Though Evangeline had every reason to hate him.
Jay offered, “Think of it as my way to make up for what I did to her in the past.”
“Killing her first mate?”
“Did she finally share that story?”
Bran nodded.
“Yeah, only he was a fucking bastard. I would have killed him in my home if he hadn’t shot me with a silver fucking bullet, then raped my mate in front of me before killing her. He might have shown Evangeline the good side of him, but he wasn’t. Not in the least.”
“She was young, wasn’t she?”
“When I met her? Nineteen, twenty-one at most.”
“Shit, no wonder she hates you. That would be hard for anyone to get over.”
“Which is why I need to help, so I can prove to her once and for all I’m not the asshole she once believed.”
“Fuck, fine. I may need a hand.”
Jay nodded. “When are we leaving?”
“Tonight. Need to check with Savon first. She was going to call Tremaine to find out if there’s anything she can learn.”
“Hopefully Tremaine gave her something. It will certainly help for us to have a solid direction.”
“Don’t give a damn about that. I just need to find Evangeline and make sure she’s safe. Something feels wrong.”
* * * *
Evangeline woke with a start. She found herself in a dark cavern. Thanks to her enhanced vision, she could see the winding staircase down and not much else. And up was simply black. No stairs up, no cavern, just black.
And something compelled her to move down. She found listening to instinct was always wise.
The real question was, what the hell had her father gotten her into? She needed to find an exit, not dick around with whatever he wanted. There was no chance in hell she’d help him.
And as long as he didn’t figure out Genevieve was no longer there, or human—God, she hoped like hell Neil changed her—then she had no reason to be in New York. Without her twin sister being part of the equation, she could ditch her father and not shed an ounce of guilt.
There was no way out on the upper level, but they were on the side of a mountain, the cave at the edge of a cliff. Perhaps she could find another opening, an offshoot that could take her away from the mouth of the damned cave.
She patted her pockets and found her phone. Shit, she missed calls from Bran. Several already. Then it buzzed again, and she winced as she checked the display.
“Hi, Bran.”
“Why’s the connection so bad?” A concerned growl accompanied his deep voice.
She laughed bitterly. “In a cave. Lucky to have signal at all, really.”
“What the hell are you doing in a cave?” Bran demanded.
“That’s hard to explain. I’m assuming my father tranquilized me and tossed me in. I have a problem. I don’t see a way out, but he shoved me into the mouth of a cave. Literally, a mouth, of a stone face, carved into Whiteface Mountain.”
Bran snarled, “He’s a world-class asshole.”
“That I agree with. However, I need to find a way out, and I’m likely to lose you.”
“I’m coming out there. My flight leaves in a couple hours. If you get out of the cave, let me know. What are you near?”
“The cave is on a mountain near Lake Placid, where my family has lived for years.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Forcing a bravado, she stated, “I can deal with this.”
“Shouldn’t have to do it alone. I’ll be out there as soon as I can get a plane to take me. I’ll find you, Evangeline. I don’t give a fuck what I have to do, but I won’t let your father hurt you.”
A smile pulled at her lips as she sank onto a step. “I should have never come out, but my sister—as long as she listened to Neil, she’ll live.”
“Hope so. Take care of yourself. I need you.”
A tear slipped free. “I need you too. I miss you.”
“I’m coming as fast as I can.” He hung up and slid the phone into her pocket.
Maybe if she descended further, she could find another exit—to hell with the artifact.