None of us slept. By the time we returned to Chicago the next morning, we were all exhausted. I went home for a shower and a chance to reflect. A few hours later, I met with Josh at the retreat to debrief Sebastian. Once in his office, I described everything that had transpired, from the deaths of Austin and Orchid to Sky’s encounter with Samuel.

Sebastian’s lips pressed into a thin line as he absorbed the information. “She nearly betrayed the pack.”

Josh explained in a rush, “She wasn’t in her right state of mind.”

Sebastian ignored the outburst, coolly waiting for my assessment.

“She doesn’t trust us,” I said matter-of-factly. “Samuel exploited that weakness, but she admitted their interaction before he could gain an advantage from her. No damage was done.”

Sebastian rubbed the stress from his face. “Perhaps you were right, Ethan. She isn’t ready to be part of this pack, but she is one of us. As such, she is subject to our rules. And our punishments.”

“She is guilty of listening to poison,” I said carefully.

“Is she a risk?”

“She’s still adjusting to our way of life,” Josh insisted, glancing to me for support. “She just needs more time.”

“Agreed,” I said. “But she may never fully adjust. Once the Aufero is returned to her, we should minimize her role, use her abilities only when necessary. In the meantime, she understands that Samuel is trying to undermine us. I will keep an eye on her, but I don’t think she is a threat.”

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, drawing his fingers together in a pyramid at his chest. “Will she listen to you?”

I wasn’t sure. “Steven has returned,” I said after unclenching my jaw. “She trusts Winter, as well. I will talk to them about keeping her out of trouble.”

“It might be safer to move her from the area, but I’d prefer not to.” As the Alpha of the most powerful pack in the country, it was a point of pride for Sebastian to take on reclamation projects like Gavin. Handling other packs’ problems was symbolic of our power. Sending Sky to another pack would give the impression of weakness.

Josh said, “There is one more option to get rid of Marcia’s curse.” Ignoring my glare, he quickly explained his idea about using the Clostra.

“Assuming there is such a spell,” Sebastian said carefully, “it would remove all curses.” The weight of unforeseen consequences weighed on him.

“Yes,” Josh admitted.

“Can we justify such a broad act to protect one of our own?”

“Marcia has long used curses as a means to punish her rivals,” I said, a bitter edge to my voice. “Freeing her victims from their constraints would be a fitting punishment. Considering the emphasis she has placed on weaponizing curses as a means of maintaining power, it would be a direct blow to her power structure.”

It would be revenge.

“The ramifications extend beyond Marcia,” Sebastian reminded me. “To execute the spell, we would need to make a deal with Samuel.” His gaze fixed on me as I struggled to contain my anger at the mere mention of his name. “We obviously can’t give him the access he desires to the Clostra. Is there something else he’d take in payment?”

Before I could answer, a tentative knock at the door disrupted me. Scowling, I opened it to find Sky’s determined green eyes staring up at me. Her hands were clenched into fists at her side and her heart was beating rapidly.

“I went to see Logan,” she blurted.

An abiding disappointment compressed against my chest, nearly collapsing my lungs. I should’ve been surprised, appalled, angry. In retrospect, Sky going to Logan seemed so inevitable that I almost blamed myself for not intervening. But she was an adult. She made her own decisions, and I was done protecting her from the consequences. Her mistakes were piling up, leaving us exhausted.

Josh accepted the news with a pained disappointment, as his defense of her had just been nullified. With a tired gesture, Sebastian invited her to enter and take a seat. She seemed to wilt under his heavy stare.

“I wanted to see if Logan could remove the curse,” she said.

“Did you go alone?” Sebastian asked.

Sky nodded.

I folded my arms over my chest. “What was his price?”

After letting out a ragged breath, she explained. “He has a weird fascination with Chris.” Her eyes flicked to me, but I gave her no reaction to gauge. “He wants to have her as some kind of companion.”

“Servus Vinculum?” Josh asked. Seeing my confusion, he explained, “A magical binding that replicates the relationship between a vampire and its creator. It can only be used to bind a vampire to a human. Logan would know that.”

I sneered, “What did he want from you?”

She sighed, choosing a spot on the wall to focus her attention as she continued, “He gave me a drug to incapacitate her. I was supposed to bring her to him so that he could cast the spell. Once she was bound to me,” she wet her lips, swallowed, “I could order her to serve him.”

“You said ‘no,’” I assumed.

“I tried to go through with it,” she admitted. “I was desperate. This curse, it’s like being in someone else’s skin.” She ran her hands down her thighs as she took in a deep breath. “I went to Chris’s house and drugged her, but then I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t.”

My mouth fell open. I shut it before she could notice, but I had a difficult time suppressing my surprise. She wasn’t lying. She had the genuine demeanor of someone who had come close to doing the unforgivable and changed her mind. That she could drug Chris was a shock. That she’d even considered it was more so. As she had with Marcia, Sky had once again brought herself to the brink of self-destruction. This time, she’d saved herself, but she was teetering, looking to implode. Was she determined to live a life weighed by regret?

If the news surprised Sebastian, he chose to remain stoic. “Did you make a formal agreement to do this?”

“No,” she said, emphatically shaking her head. “It was an implied agreement.”

“One that you did not fulfill,” I clarified.

Josh, Sebastian, and I exchanged long glances while Sky gaped between us.

“Did you hear what I did?” she demanded. She’d expected—needed—a rebuke. I’d come to realize her self-recriminations were more valuable.

“Yes,” Sebastian answered. “You went over it in great detail. Do you have more to add?”

She bristled.

“Can Samuel be reasoned with?” he asked, changing the subject.

She turned to me with a hardened glare, as if I’d betrayed a confidence. My loyalty to her was important, but her encounter with Samuel was directly relevant to the pack. When it came to the pack’s security, there were no secrets.

“In which way?” she asked Sebastian. “He doesn’t seem like a psychopath, if that is what you are asking. Just an extremist with an agenda. He doesn’t think we should exist because we are monsters, and he thinks I am naïve enough to help him and fall for his rhetoric. Besides that ….” Her voice trailed off, and she gave a shrug.

“Call him,” Sebastian said.

“Now?”

“No, six days from now,” he snapped. “Of course now. We need the third book—”

“He’s not going to give it to you.”

“Then I would like to hear that from him,” Sebastian stated, leaving no more room for argument. He slowly began to pace in front of his desk as he explained, “Josh believes that there has to be a spell in the Clostra that can remove all curses.”

“We don’t have many choices,” Josh admitted.

“I need to talk to him.”

Sky pulled out her phone, dialed the number, and handed it to Sebastian.

Samuel’s raspy voice sounded pleased, almost victorious. “Skylar.”

“No, it’s Sebastian.”

Silence. When Samuel finally spoke, his voice was harder, intractable. “I am not giving you the other book. And it is not for sale, either.”

Sebastian chuckled, a rare expression that barely concealed a rising ire. “I am quite comfortable with you having the third book. But I need to borrow it.”

Another pause, but Samuel was intrigued. “Borrow for a borrow.”

“No. I don’t agree with your cause. Frankly, it’s a fatuous agenda. You will waste your life trying to end this world. It will not happen, but if you want to go on with your lost cause, have at it. You will never succeed, because in order for that to happen, you will need the other two, and you get those over my dead body. I have no concerns with that. Stronger and better than you have tried to best me and failed. But let me humor you. This magicless utopia that you dream of doesn’t have an iota of a chance of success without allies.”

“I have no desire to be allies with beasts that present themselves as human.”

A hint of anger rippled through Sebastian’s jaw. “The feeling is mutual; I don’t want you as an ally, either. However, I know a lot of really angry witches that have had their magic stripped from them by Marcia using the Aufero. You loan me the book and I can guarantee that their magic will be returned to them.” Sebastian paused. “I assure you their allegiance will no longer be to the Creed and Marcia, and they would be willing to align themselves with anyone who is against her. Don’t you think?”

“I don’t need alliances,” Samuel said carefully—too carefully. “I do fine alone.”

“Yeah, I saw how fine you did back at your little hideaway. Marcia and the Creed pretty much handed your ass to you and then made you thank them for the pleasure of doing so by forcing you into an agreement that restricts you from ever retaliating. What I saw wasn’t ‘fine’ by a long shot.”

Samuel didn’t answer, but I could just make out his breathing on the other end.

“Samuel,” Sebastian said after a long pause. He repeated the name twice more, before Samuel answered.

“Yes,” he said, with a tone that suggested he might regret his decision. “I’ll send you an address.”

“No. The books are safe here. I’ll not remove them from the property. You have my guarantee of safe passage.” After a short pause, he added, “You’ll leave with everything you bring with you.”

“I’ll be there in two hours,” he stated and ended the call.

Sebastian and I exchanged glances. The witch’s base of operations was much closer than we’d expected; he’d practically camped in our backyard.

I passed the time in the pack’s gym, working out my frustrations. After an intense sparring session that sent Marko to Dr. Baker’s clinic with a displaced shoulder, I turned my attention to the free weights. By the time Sky found me, I was slick with sweat, working a heavy punching bag.

“You aren’t imagining that bag is me, are you?” she asked.

I paused, catching the bag with both hands to stop it from swaying. “Why would I?” Not waiting for an answer, I landed a quick combination of punches, finishing with a kick that nearly knocked the bag off its chain. “How was she when you left her?” I asked, steadying the bag once more.

Sky shrugged. “She was Chris.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“She’s a broken, dysfunctional person. And not in a hyperbolic way, but truly. She wasn’t angry—she just wanted to know who the job was for and made a snide comment about me not completing it. Even though my job was to kidnap her.”

I chuckled. “That sounds like her.”

She frowned, folding her arms over her chest. I recognized the weight of guilt in her eyes as she turned inward. She would reflect a lot on her recent choices, probably for years. As long as she had regret to remind her, there was a chance she’d learn.

I walked to her, watching the dance of her thoughts in her eyes. Empathizing with her internal conflict, I gently brushed my fingers along her cheek, then kissed her gently, intending the gesture as comfort, but it brought to mind our encounter in the hotel.

Her body stiffened. Her lips froze, refusing to reply. Fresh anger beat in her chest as she whispered, “You said back at the restaurant that we shouldn’t let things between us get awkward.”

“This is awkward?” I asked, taking a step back. Her body seemed poised to fight, but the color of attraction tinged her cheeks. Her feet remained planted, pointed toward me as if flight were unthinkable. “You don’t think it’s awkward,” I teased.

“No. But I think it is the king of bad ideas.”

I smiled at her discomfort. “Maybe you’re right.” Just for fun, I lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it aside before walking back to the bag. Timing the rhythm of her heart, I asked, “How many times did you get sick tonight?”

Her answer was immediate, defensive. “I didn’t,” she claimed, but her heart betrayed her.

“Seventy-seven,” I said with an amused half-smile.

Her fists clenched at her side and she strode out of the gym, mumbling, “That’s a stupid skill to have.”

After another half hour with the bag, I toweled off, picked up my shirt, and glanced at my burner phone; two missed calls from Caroline, but no voice mail. Ignoring her, I walked upstairs to my room for a shower. As I walked in the door, my phone vibrated.

A text message from Caroline. “I believe I’ve found the killer. I need your help to be sure. Did I scare you off? Are you avoiding me??”

Scowling, I tossed the phone onto my bed and stripped. Steaming hot water washed away the sweat and soothed sore muscles, but did nothing for my anxiety.

She’s getting desperate.

Standing beneath the showerhead, I felt the water massage my scalp and run down my face while my mind rooted for the means to delay her a little longer, just until the Aufero was returned and Samuel was dealt with. By the time I watched the last of the water run down the drain, I still didn’t have an answer.

Once dressed in a fresh shirt and jeans, I checked the time. Samuel would be arriving soon. Josh and Sky were probably already in the library with the Clostra. On my way to join them, I found Sebastian waiting for me in the hall with a determined look.

“Did Samuel back out?” I growled.

“On the contrary, he is on his way. Ethan”—his amber eyes settled steadily on mine—“I think it would be best if you weren’t here when he arrives.”

I stiffened, holding his gaze and waiting for him to continue.

“Given that Samuel captured and bound your brother, I’m not sure you’ll be able to restrain yourself from killing him.”

My lips smacked in disgust. “He’ll be safe until we get what we want.”

“It was one of Samuel’s conditions,” he said with a flat tone meant to minimize my outrage.

I turned, looking for something to break. Failing that, I turned back to Sebastian with an incredulous look.

“Samuel will pay,” he promised, “but not until we lift the curse and retrieve the Aufero. Once those goals are achieved, I’ll help you.”

My fists clenched as I paced the hall like a caged animal, anger rising to a flash boil. Unable to contain it, I turned and punched my fist into a wall. Pulling back bloodied knuckles, I took a slow, calming breath.

“I’ll be there when we take the Aufero,” I insisted.

Sebastian nodded, a smooth subtle gesture. He waited, holding my gaze for a long moment until I finally turned and walked away.

They’re safe, I reminded myself as I weaved my BMW through highway traffic. If Samuel tried anything at the retreat, surrounded by were-animals, it would be suicide. Venting my anger through raw horsepower, I wondered if I could’ve restrained myself in his presence. As much as I hated to admit, it was probably better that I wasn’t present when he’d arrived at the retreat.

I wonder how Josh will handle working so closely with Samuel? Probably fine, I admitted. My brother didn’t have a were-animal’s temper.

Eventually, I found myself parked across the street from Caroline’s hotel. Her rental car was in the parking lot, and I didn’t have to wait long before she emerged from her door, looking disheveled. After lighting a cigarette, she began pacing the landing with her free arm wrapped around her torso.

Her black stone pendant hung noticeably from her neck.

Watching her slight frame, I realized how much her plan required my cooperation. If I continued to ignore her, she would try her mind magic, but I already knew her limits. Her powers were limited to trickery. Whether the dizziness that preceded the effect of her magic was an inherent weakness in the magic itself or a reflection of her inexperience, it was warning enough. She couldn’t fool me, and she couldn’t physically hurt me.

Until now, I’d humored her, played her game, but I didn’t have to. If I chose to ignore her, she would at most be an inconvenience. I’d fooled myself into thinking I could give her closure and at the same time expunge my guilt, but there were greater threats to worry about. It was time I put my focus back on being the pack’s Beta.

A dizziness washed over me.

I’d lost sight of her, drifted off in thought like a fool. Turning, I saw her striding toward me across the parking lot, naked vengeance burning in her glare. She flicked her cigarette to the concrete. Her black stone pendant glowed.

Cursing, I pushed the BMW into traffic and raced, weaving between cars to put as much distance as possible between Caroline and me. Her magic wasn’t limited to line of sight, but I was sure it was limited in range. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw both her and the hotel were already out of sight. I slowed some, just enough to avoid an accident.

There would be a final confrontation after all, but on my terms.

I changed lanes and took a winding, twisting route home. Once there, I locked the front door and dropped into my leather chair in the living room. On a whim, I took off my shirt, dropped it onto the carpet next to the chair.

In my lap, I found four black towels. As if such a sight were ordinary, I wrapped one each around my ankles, then my wrists. Gripping the ends of the chair arms, I stared at the blank television as if waiting for it to turn on of its own accord.

I don’t have a television.

The thought was a whisper in the back of my mind, as if partially buried there. Confused, I tried to rise from the chair, but the towels held me to it. Pulling on them, I heard the light clatter of chains.

I felt another brief rush of dizziness. The towels became iron shackles, the leather chair became wooden. The carpet beneath my feet became old, moldy slats of pine.

You’re in the shack, I realized, and the remnants of the illusion vanished.

Caroline glowered over me, her eyes black and her lips curled into a sneer that was almost inhuman. In one palm she held an open plastic bag. The fingers of her other hand stirred the contents, a viper’s nest of thin silver necklaces. I’d underestimated her abilities. She’d tricked my mind into believing I’d escaped while she’d brought me here, entirely oblivious to my fate. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

I watched as she raised a delicate necklace from the bag and draped it over my shoulder, igniting a searing pain. I growled from behind gritted teeth, refusing to cry out and give her the satisfaction.

Then I remembered my plan. Would it work? Had my underestimation of her abilities doomed me?

She draped two more necklaces next to the first. This time I screamed, venting pure agony for her consumption. After a moment, the pain suddenly eased. I opened my eyes to find a macabre look of satisfaction on Caroline’s face, but when she glanced at the burned flesh of my shoulder, I saw a twinge of revulsion.

“What do you want?” I asked, my chest heaving as I caught my breath.

“Tell me why,” she demanded.

Stick to the plan. Steeling myself for another wave of pain, I looked her in the eyes and said, “No.”

Furious, she lifted a handful of chains and pressed them against my bare chest. The sudden shock of unbearable pain blinded me for a moment. I turned my head, trying to escape the stench of my own burning flesh.

The pain suddenly eased as Caroline jerked her hand away. Fear contorted her face, mixing with her anger like oil and water. Taking in the burned wreck of my chest, she turned away.

Call Josh.

Once I’d spoken the key phrase, Josh’s alarm spell would alert him. He’d instantly transport to my location. But the spell had a limited range. I was supposed to warn him when the time approached.

Watching Caroline gather herself, I knew that she was close enough that she might listen.

“I didn’t kill your father,” I said between ragged breaths.

“Liar.”

She turned back to me with a fresh determination and draped a cluster of necklaces over my other shoulder. Once more for her benefit, I screamed.

That she struggled with her actions, that her underlying morals challenged her rage, guaranteed nothing. I’d brought her to this moment. I’d put her in a position to challenge everything she believed about herself.

Tears ran from my eyes, mixing with snot and spit as I tried to maintain consciousness. In my mind, I saw an image of myself sitting naked on the edge of my bed, draping a single silver necklace over my arm as I bore the pain without resistance, as if my mind were separate from the agony.

Endure.

The pain eased just enough to become bearable. I was distantly aware of the silver on my flesh. I still felt the burning, the searing. I still smelled the charred flesh, but from a distance.

Eventually, Caroline withdrew the silver. I leaned back against the wood frame of the chair while I caught my breath. Tears streaked her cheeks. There was a horror there, a painful regret, but not enough to break the grim resolve of her rage. Suddenly mindful of her vulnerability, she angrily swiped away the tears.

She’s not broken yet.

“Where’s his body?” she demanded in a quavering, guttural growl.

“More. Silver.”

Her expression twisted into one of inhuman fury. She splashed the contents of the bag, dozens of necklaces, over my chest, then followed up with her hands, gathering and pressing as much of the silver against my bare skin as she could manage.

Even from a distance, the pain was unbearable. In that moment, I gave her my screams, my suffering. In the furnace of agony, I burned my anger and anxiety and guilt until nothing remained but a sense of my unburdened self, waiting in the wings for the pain to stop.

Eventually, my body gave up. My vision went to white, then black.

I woke up to a slap across my face, but the pain in my chest was an echo of what I’d experienced before I blacked out. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe.

Observing the damage she’d done, Caroline screamed her frustration as she repeatedly smashed a shelf with her hands until it splintered. Regaining control of herself, she held one hand just below her nose, nearly covering her mouth as she resisted sobbing.

“You could’ve made this so much easier,” she said, unable to meet my gaze.

“Anger makes things simple,” I whispered. “Some decisions shouldn’t be that easy.”

“Just. Tell me. Why,” she insisted.

Now she’s ready. “I hired your father to do a job he wasn’t qualified for. He got into trouble. It was a mistake.”

“You killed him,” she swore.

“I am to blame.”

“No, you!”

I shook my head.

“Then who?” she demanded. When I refused to answer, she sniffed, summoning courage. “Don’t make me hurt you more.”

I knew by the loathing in her voice that she’d reached her limit for torture. Now came the real danger. I spat blood onto the wood floor. “You’ll only get yourself killed.”

“Tell me and I’ll let you go,” she promised with a merciful tone, but her heart rate accelerated.

“You’re lying.” When she didn’t react, I continued, “After what you’ve done here, you’d be foolish to let me go.”

“Are you going to come looking for me?”

I stared at her until she met my gaze. “There’s only one way to find out.”

She nodded faintly. There was a slight tremor in her movement as she walked behind me and picked up something heavy from a shelf.

I considered calling Josh. Instead I leaned forward and tilted the chair, allowing me to pivot around to face her. The chair clunked level as I came face-to-face with the barrel of a pistol pointed at my forehead. Caroline blinked from behind the sight.

If Josh were in range of the alarm spell, three small words quickly muttered under my breath would bring him to my rescue. Those same words would make everything I’d just endured meaningless.

With an even, calm tone, I said, “Is this what you want?”

“I don’t have a choice.” Tears ran down her cheeks.

I stared into the dark barrel. Silver bullets were rare and expensive. She’d just tortured me with a bag of cheap silver necklaces. Had she put her savings into the coup de grace?

“It’s a fair trade,” I said with a tone of finality.

Her nose wrinkled in confusion. “What?”

“I sent your father into danger. In exchange, you tortured me.” Her lips thinned, pressed together as if the word were distasteful. “End this now and I’ve no reason to hunt you.”

She shook her head, disbelieving.

The temptation to call Josh grew stronger. “I give you my word,” I said, “I’ll leave you in peace.”

“If you tell me everything, every detail, I’ll consider it.”

Even if her heart hadn’t betrayed her, I knew by the quiver of the barrel that she had every intention of shooting me. I sighed. “If I told you who killed your father, you’d be just as dead. In our world, there are enemies you can’t defeat. I don’t want your death on my conscience as well.”

She wrapped her free hand around the other, trying to stabilize her aim, but the tremor only exaggerated. Staring up the sight of the barrel, I saw her squint.

“Then I guess this is it,” she said.

Josh’s alarm phrase was on my lips when I decided to gamble. “Pull the trigger,” I said calmly.

We stared over the barrel at each other for what seemed like minutes while she tried to muster the final courage. Water welled in her eyes. She lifted her hand to wipe away the tears, then once more squinted down the barrel. Her finger twitched on the trigger.

“Have you ever killed anyone?” I asked.

She answered with a slight shake of her head.

“Most people think the hard part is pulling the trigger, but that’s not the moment that sticks with you. It’s the sound of the bullet smashing through bone and then brain. It’s the blood and the bits of flesh and tissue that end up on the wall. Most people can’t live with it. Can you?”

Her thumping heart suddenly calmed. She answered with a nearly inaudible whisper, “No.”

“Nine-one-one,” I said.

She hesitated, giving me a puzzled look.

The gentle breeze of Josh’s magic rushed into the room. The wall to my left split down the middle and sheared away in two pieces that tumbled like crumpled paper. Josh stood just outside, his eyes solid black. He gestured to Caroline and a force struck the pistol from her hand, threw her against the wall, and pinned her there. Shelves buckled and collapsed behind her.

He took in the bloody wreck of my chest, the silver necklaces that had fallen into my lap and onto the floor around the chair. His face twisted in rage.

“No!” I shouted. He stared back at me with disbelief. “The pendant.”

With a gesture, Caroline’s pendant snapped loose from her chain and flew to Josh. She was too shocked to object, or struggling to breathe.

The shackles on my wrists and ankles simultaneously burst open, pins and hinges clattering onto the wood floor. I rose, letting the silver in my lap fall to the floor.

“Let her go. Josh,” I said when he ignored me. I gestured to the pendant in his hand. “She’s harmless now.”

His lips bent into a frown, but he released her. She gasped for breath. I faced her, waiting until she collected herself. When she met my gaze, I saw resignation—and relief.

“Get it over with,” she muttered.

“You can go.”

Josh glared at me while Caroline thought I was toying with her.

“I told you the truth. I didn’t kill your father, but I negligently sent him to his death. The creature that killed him is my enemy, but she’s too powerful for you. She will always be too powerful. I will never give you her name, but I can promise you that when I kill her—I will kill her—I will let you know that it’s done. Until then, go back to your life.”

She stared at the blood on her hands.

“You didn’t do anything that hasn’t been done to me before,” I said.

“I almost—”

“You didn’t. In the end, that’s all that matters. Go back to Boise and find happiness. I didn’t know your father, but it’s a fair guess he’d want that for you.”

She took one reluctant step toward the open wall, then glanced between us.

“Give her the pendant,” I said.

“No,” Josh snapped, aghast.

I shot him a hard look. I’d gone through too much in that shack to have him destroy my efforts now, despite his good intentions. Taking her power would only give rise to lingering resentment.

Scowling back at me, he tossed the pendant to her. His magic stirred around us, preparing to strike at the slightest hint of mind magic. Caroline clutched the pendant to her chest, glanced once more between us, then hurried out of the shack to her waiting car. She wasted no time driving off.

“You’ve lost your mind,” Josh said.

I took a deep, soothing breath. The wounds on my chest were already healing, the pain now tolerable. For the first time in a while, I felt like myself again.

“Samuel’s still at the retreat with Sky,” he said.

I nodded. “Take me home first.”

He touched my arm and transported us.

I cleaned and bandaged my wounds, then picked a thick dark colored t-shirt to hide any blood that seeped through the bandages. By the time I returned to the retreat, the sun had just dipped below the horizon. In anticipation of our mission to retrieve the Aufero, the driveway was overflowing with cars. Sebastian had called in reinforcements.

“Sebastian said to send you in,” Gavin said as I walked through the front door, nodding toward the office.

Inside, I was surprised to find Samuel sitting comfortably in a chair next to Josh. My jaw clenched, but the overwhelming desire to squeeze the life from his throat was gone. Revenge was inevitable, but it could wait. At a gesture from Sebastian, I closed the door and stood waiting for an explanation while Samuel ignored my glare.

Sebastian broke the tension first, watching my reaction closely as he informed me, “Samuel has offered to help us retrieve the Aufero.”

My stare shifted to Josh. His eyes flicked to my chest, looking for bloodstains. “The spell was successful?” I asked.

“The casting was successful,” he answered, choosing his words carefully.

“What does that mean?”

“We won’t know for sure until Sky gets close enough to the Aufero to trigger the curse,” he admitted.

I turned to Sebastian. “She can’t go with us.”

“The orb will only respond to her.”

Josh added, “I’ll be by her side. The moment she experiences anything, I’ll transport her out.”

Frustrated, I snarled at Samuel, “What good are you? That spell of Marcia’s won’t let you do anything to harm the Creed.”

“I can’t harm her or the Creed,” he agreed, “but I can still hit them where it hurts. The peace spell won’t stop me from using defensive magic.”

“He can’t be trusted,” I announced without taking my eyes from him.

“You think you can take on the Creed all by yourselves? Be my guest.”

Josh interrupted. “We need his magic.”

The Creed’s magic was useless against us in animal form, but Josh would be there. Sky would have to stay in human form in order to handle the orb. They were putting themselves at great risk.

I growled, but nodded. I’d keep a close eye on Samuel. Attacking the Creed wasn’t going to bring him any closer to obtaining the Clostra. Was he simply trying to gain our goodwill?

Gavin and Winter arrived and we spent the next hour going over the plan.

I padded in wolf form toward the magic shop, walking just ahead of Sky, my head low as I sniffed for threats. Behind her walked Josh and Samuel, side by side. As we approached the door, I felt Josh’s magic pass over me. The lock clicked and the door flung open, rattling against the inside wall. There was no point in subtlety. Marcia would be expecting us. She would be prepared for a fight, and we’d just announced ourselves.

My lips spread into a wolfish grin.

Padding between shelves of crystals and New Age music, I saw the door behind the counter had been repaired, the frame replaced, and a stronger lock installed. Josh spoke a brief incantation and the lock shattered into pieces. The door flung open with a dull thud.

Inside, the Creed’s sanctuary appeared unchanged from my previous visit. The long table with chairs stood next to the far wall. The windowed armoire that held the Aufero stood in the corner, its doors secured by a pair of metal locks.

We stopped just inside the room and I looked to Sky, anxious for any sign of physical distress. She swallowed and walked four steps toward the armoire, then stopped, testing the curse. Other than the pounding of her heart in her chest, there was no sign of magical attack. After a moment, she took a few more steps and stopped again.

Still nothing. Her shoulders noticeably dipped as it became apparent that the curse had been lifted. As she walked forward in earnest, an orange-black glow appeared within the armoire as the Aufero sensed her presence. With increased proximity, the glow brightened and began to pulse. The armoire began to rock and vibrate. When Sky was just a few feet away, the glass doors shattered as the orb burst through, flying straight to her. She gasped as she caught it at her chest, then quickly stored it in her bag.

As we emerged into the narrow alley behind the shop, I wondered if we’d caught Marcia by surprise after all. Sebastian’s SUV waited, but the engine was off and he wasn’t in sight. Sniffing the air, I sensed a sudden atmospheric shift just before we were struck by a blistering wind. A fierce rain followed, pelting us and cutting our visibility. Thunder rumbled in our ears as a bolt of lightning struck Samuel, driving him back against the wall.

I glanced to Josh and Sky, but they were untouched. The whites of Josh’s eyes faded to black as he called on his magic.

A clatter of armor rose in the alley as Liam marched from the west at the head of his royal guard, spears raised. Marcia had been busier than we’d suspected. I wondered what an alliance with the Makellos, the elven elite, had cost her.

I charged directly at Liam. Recognizing the danger, he slipped behind his line. Leaping over their spears, I latched on to the throat of one soldier and cast him aside, then took down another, wreaking havoc in the line as they compressed to protect Liam.

Gathered around him, they retreated, warding me off with the tips of their spears as I growled and snarled, looking for an opening. A wave of Samuel’s magic blew past me, ruffling my fur as it struck the elven formation. A gap appeared, revealing the Elysian twins.

The gap in the elven line also left Liam vulnerable. As much as I wanted to kill him, I turned my attention to the more immediate threat. I charged into the gap, racing toward the twins. Just before a soldier intercepted me, his spear discarded for a sword, the female twin flung electricity toward the shop. I heard Samuel cry out.

Two more soldiers joined the first. Slipping behind one soldier’s guard, I nipped his ankle to bring him down. Lunging for his throat, I was forced to turn aside to avoid another soldier’s spear. The blade grazed my fur, drawing blood.

Marcia appeared between the twins, an invocation on her lips. At her gesture, rain turned to a punishing hail. Fist-sized balls of ice pummeled my sides and head, driving me back toward the Sky and Josh.

Where is Sebastian? Had Liam caught them by surprise before we’d emerged from the shop?

Squinting through the storm, I saw the rest of the Creed appear behind Marcia, gesticulating in unison.

The shimmer of Josh’s protective field materialized in front of me, shielding me from the storm. I glanced back to see Josh working his magic to strengthen the field while Sky stood next to him. Behind them, Samuel struggled to his feet.

A sudden flash of light blinded me. Hail pummeled me once more, indicating that Josh’s field had collapsed. Just as my sight cleared, a new field appeared, stronger than the first. Despite the combined power of Josh and Samuel, the field wavered beneath the full weight of the Creed’s magic. Sparks glittered and burst along the translucent barrier as it was pummeled by hail, lightning, fire, and bolts of energy.

It was only a matter of time before Josh and Samuel were overwhelmed, and Sebastian was nowhere in sight. I couldn’t believe that Marcia, even with Liam’s help, could defeat the pack.

Glaring through the field, I bared my teeth at Marcia and growled. Once the field collapsed, she would be my first target. I’d kill her and as many of the witches as I could, buying time for Josh and Sky to escape.

Sebastian, in wolf form, appeared charging from the east end of the alley. Gavin, Winter, and Marko, in human form, followed. As they struck Liam’s guard, Sebastian burst through their line to crash into the elven twins, tearing them apart. The lightning strikes ceased, but the Creed continued to pummel the field. Ignoring the chaos behind her, Marcia confidently walked toward me. A knife was in her hand, the knife she’d used to cast the peace spell on Samuel.

The field buckled, showering us both in gold and purple sparks. Before I could leap, an elven soldier thrust a spear at me, driving me back. Snapping and snarling, I tried to get past his guard, but the elf was determined, and skilled.

Behind him, I saw Samuel raise a hand to Marcia, the start of an invocation on his lips, then hesitate. His face darkened. He took awkward, spastic steps backward, as if propelled against his will, until he stumbled into the wall and remained there.

The peace spell.

Marcia acknowledged his plight with a twisted smile as she continued toward Sky. Taking one step back, Sky reached into her bag and drew out the glowing Aufero. A powerful field formed around her, only to fall a moment later from the combined invocation of the Creed.

Marcia gasped as the knife leapt from her hand to Josh’s. Raising it, he charged. With a wave of her hand, he was flung back against the wall and pinned there. His eyes melted into black as he called upon his most powerful magic to free himself.

A contest of magic followed, spells and counterspells, as Josh tried to free himself. But Marcia had the advantage. The Creed beside her, they locked hands, combining their power.

I growled in frustration, unable to break from my fight to help him.

Marcia raised one finger, her attention fixed on the knife in Josh’s hand as it slowly began to rise toward his throat. Grunting, panting, he strained for self-control. His hand shook violently, but continued rising until the blade cut the skin of his throat like paper.

I pivoted, trying to put the soldier off balance to dash around him. The tip of his spear sliced my right hip, forcing me to spin around to avoid a deeper cut.

Josh released a fierce, primitive roar that struck the witches like a shock wave. All but Marcia tumbled to the concrete. She screamed at the now knife embedded in her arm and fell to her knees.

The Creed vanished.

Struck by the fringe of Josh’s shock wave, the elven soldier lost his balance. I clamped my jaws around his throat and shook. Bones crunched and the soldier’s body went limp. I dropped it and ran back to Josh and Sky, relieved to find them safe. He remained lost in his rage, blasting magic at the few remaining soldiers in the alley.

Samuel nodded to me and moved closer to Sky.

The battle was nearly over. Steven and the rest of the pack had come in from the west, attacking the elves from behind. Liam had disappeared and most of his soldiers were dead, but the survivors were putting up a valiant fight. As Winter swung her katana, I saw a soldier slip in behind her, raise his spear. I struck him from the side, knocking the spear from his hands as I took him to the ground and tore out his throat.

“Skylar!” Gavin shouted.

The urgency in his voice turned me around just in time to see Samuel wrap an arm around her waist. They disappeared.