CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Asher knew the sound. It was a calling card of the Enforcers. Bastards. They liked to make an entrance. Too bad for them. This was Sanctuary land. And here, he could do as he pleased.
He had followed protocol to start with, but that was over. He turned to the witch.
“Go upstairs and stay there with the others. Protect them the best you can.”
She shook her head, her golden eyes wide. “What? Didn’t you hear what I just told you?”
He certainly had, but right now, he didn’t have any other choice. With Enforcers surrounding them, he needed all possible sentinels and sanctuary volunteers to keep the place safe.
Ignoring her, Asher howled. It took only a second to hear the house tremble from every corner. Beasts began running down the stairs, heading to the kitchen.
The house would protect its occupants, but when under siege, he knew that attack was the best defense. Asher moved closer to the windows and saw three men coming out of the woods. He could smell their magic and threat from a distance. Werewolves and shifters were very resistant to magic attacks, and their strength and speed made them very dangerous. Wizards knew that too.
“We’re here to see Asher Stonelake. We will only talk to the master of this sanctuary.”
“It’s a trap.” The witch was standing at the back of the kitchen, leaning against the wall. “There are more in the woods. I feel them all around the house.”
Asher nodded, as he could feel them too, coming closer and closer.
“Asher Stonelake. We’re Enforcers sent by the High Council. You’re harboring a dangerous fugitive. A witch killer. You must give her to us. We know we have no power inside Sanctuary. We only want to share information about this witch. You will agree it would be better to hand her over to us.”
The beasts in the kitchen barely contained themselves. Asher only needed to give them the sign, and they would defend their territory until blood soaked the ground. Theirs or the enemy’s. On the other hand, he couldn’t chase the Enforcers without a good reason. A diplomatic chat might do the trick to uncover what they were up to, and maybe gain some more information about the witch in his kitchen.
He turned, looking for his uncle, but couldn’t see him. He assumed that Robert had gone to protect the others inside the house. Beside the witch, he saw the black wolf form of Ian, waiting. With all that happened, he hadn’t had the time to put him in a cell, and now was definitely not the right time. It seemed he could trust the rogue wolf, as he wasn’t trying to kill the woman.
“Ian, stay with the witch. All others, wait for my command.”
“Asher…” He ignored the plea in the witch’s voice, his instinct taking over.
When he opened the door leading to the courtyard, three warlocks faced him. The one in the middle bowed slightly, but it seemed more like a forced gesture than a courtesy.
“Sanctuary Master. We’re here on order of the High Council to find a fugitive witch who has disappeared and escaped our vigilance for the last two years. It’s essential that you hand her over as quickly as possible. She’s dangerous and volatile and a definite risk to your sanctuary.”
The two other men took a step sideways, closing in. Not a good sign.
“Why haven’t the High Council sent emissaries to get her?”
“As I’ve said, she’s dangerous. Emissaries would be a liability.”
Another step.
The man in front of him approached slowly. “This is your last warning, Master. Give us the witch.”
“Enforcers have no power on sanctuary grounds.”
The diplomatic mask of the man fell to reveal a wicked grin. “Don’t worry about that, rules don’t apply to us. We’re not Enforcers.”
With that, the wizard blasted Asher with a spell that punched into his chest violently. sending him flying. As he flew, he called to his power, and his body changed into his wolf form. As a man, he was dangerous, but as a wolf, he was lethal. As soon as he hit the ground, Asher jumped and attacked the man closest to him, knocking him over before he could cast a protection spell, and tore his throat out.
Blood dripping from his jaw, Asher faced the two men and howled for his pack to attack. Beasts flew into the courtyard instantly, but not before the messenger had the time to send a message. As Patricia, one of his werebear sentinels, came to his side, the remaining warlocks fled, but not before chanting a spell. Twigs levitated all around him and turned into steel spikes. Asher barked a warning to his pack, but couldn’t escape the attack. Two flying spikes embedded into his shoulder and leg, the damn things burning his flesh as they penetrated his body. The beasts swarmed all around him, some of them running into the forest, pursuing the unknown attackers.
Adrenaline kept him standing for a moment, but soon his body collapsed to the ground. In a haze of pain, he saw Patricia turning into her human form again, her naked body marred with blood, and taking him into her arms before running back inside the house.
Asher couldn’t say a word in wolf form. The witch was still in the kitchen. Damn her, not even able to follow a simple order to protect herself. Patricia gently put him on the kitchen table.
Patricia turned to his captive. “Witch, you have to do something. Heal him, quick.”
“I can’t…”
Asher heard the pain in her voice. He couldn’t tell Patricia the reason why she wouldn’t help. Nobody would understand. The pack grew restless and angry.
“You helped Maya! You have to help him too.”
As Ian, back in human form, was facing her, beasts swarmed back inside, some with blood on their fur, others back into their naked human forms with various wounds. Asher saw Patricia turn back to him.
“Asher, there are more out there than it seems, you need to call a retreat. Call them back into the house!”
Torn, Asher knew he didn’t have a choice, and with all the energy he could muster, he howled for everyone to return to the house.
The effect was immediate. With uncanny speed, all remaining sentinels ran inside.
Asher saw that some of them were missing and tried to rise.
“Stay put, Asher, each time you move, you’re losing more blood. The motherfuckers must have added a spell to slow down the healing.”
Ian turned to the witch again, but before he could say a word, the house shook. At a distance, he heard Maya screaming.
It was as if the house was in the grips of an earthquake. Outside, he heard laughter.
“He huffed and puffed and destroyed the little brick house. Isn’t it right, wolf? After all, you should know, it’s your own history.”
The witch came beside him, examining his wounds as Ian and Patricia hovered nearby.
“You’re the witch who helped Maya … now would be a good time to help him too.” The bear woman almost spat the words in disgust.
Asher was falling even deeper into a thick fog of pain, but he saw the witch hesitate before turning to Ian.
“I need your help. I need your energy, now. Just don’t fight it.”
Ian blinked at her words. “What?”
Without a word, the witch grabbed the dark-haired man’s head and kissed him.
A growl came from deep inside Asher. Unsure why, he didn’t like seeing the witch kissing the naked wolf. But there was nothing he could do about it. His body felt like lead, and staying conscious was an exercise in pain.
After close observation, Ian didn’t seem to enjoy the contact so much. On the contrary, he struggled to get away before falling to his knees. The witch followed him and just as he appeared to faint, she ended the kiss. The woman who straightened was different. He always found the witch fascinating, although sick and pale, but at that moment, she glowed. There was something in her eyes, an energy he hadn’t seen before. The powerful witch he always suspected hidden deep inside her, the one he had encountered those years ago in the forest, was back.
The house shook again, and this time, the whole structure cringed. Cracks started to run up the walls and windows broke.
The witch turned to the table and stood beside Patricia. The bear growled, but she ignored her, running her fingers through his fur. Asher whimpered at the contact. That simple pleasure made it even harder to bear the pain. Then, as they were under attack, she closed her golden eyes and murmured what resembled a song. Soft and rhythmical. Asher braced for more pain, but instead, a refreshing breeze started coursing through him. The heat receded and, at some point, he heard the metallic sound of the two spikes dropping to the floor, turning back into wood. Although he wasn’t quite himself yet, he could feel his strength rising, and one glimpse showed him that his wounds were closed, although not yet completely healed.
The house shook another time, and the witch opened her eyes. “You’re stable. I’m going to take care of our attackers now. It will only take a minute.”
Asher got to his feet to tell her to stay put, but he couldn’t talk to her in his primal body. As he was about to change, he saw a faint mist swirling around her body as her clothing changed. The oversized sweatpants and white shirt transformed into a form-fitting black leather pants and jacket. She was no longer barefoot, wearing tall leather boots. Her appearance was astonishing, making her look like a modern warrior goddess. Was it her Enforcer’s outfit?
The beasts parted as she walked out of the house. With all the windows broken, he had a clear view of the courtyard, and could see eight wizards waiting for her. What could he do? So many of his pack were wounded, he couldn’t risk another one, and he wasn’t strong enough yet to help. All he could do was wait and see.
Their voices echoed clearly inside the kitchen. The witch didn’t stand too close to the attackers and kept her back to the house as they formed a half-circle around her. How could she face so many of them? Was it another trick? One where she would finally turn against him and the sanctuary?
“You called for me, and I’m here. What do you want, messenger?”
The leader came closer, but she lifted her hand, making gesturing for him to stay where he was. “I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you. Not if you value your life. Now, be a good boy and tell me why you’re chasing me.”
“We’re not at liberty to divulge the name of our employer. He only requested one thing, to bring your dead body to him.”
The witch angled her head. “Come on, can’t you at least tell me who wants me dead? I’m curious.”
The circle tightened around her, but seemed unfazed. Asher growled low.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure you can understand our politics.”
The witch laughed. “Do you at least know who I am?”
The leader shook his head. “Not really. I’ve never seen you before and besides, who you are doesn’t matter. Now, can we kill you or not?”
The witch braced before answering. “I think not, messenger.”
A green light pulsated from her and exploded toward the wizards, lifting them off the ground, making them prisoner of an invisible force. Inside the house, nobody moved. Asher was astonished by her power. He had seen many witches and wizards in his life, but few could have taken that many opponents with such ease.
“Now, messenger. Do you feel more inclined to talk?”
“Damn you.”
“Wrong answer.” Two wizards on his right screamed as they dissolved in a brownish substance. “You still have six chances. Try again. Who has put a price on my head?”
The messenger stayed silent, struggling against his invisible bonds. The witch turned one more of his companions into goo, and. as she made a gesture to destroy another, the messenger yelled. “Stop! Stop! I’ll tell you, just stop.”
“I’m listening.”
“It’s Lancaster. Lionel Lancaster. He’s the one paying for this, paying to see you dead.”
The air stilled for a moment as if the witch froze in time. A long moment passed. “And you don’t know who I am.”
“I swear! He didn’t tell us a thing. He only said you were hiding here.”
“Who told him I was here?”
“I don’t know, I swear!!”
“Tell Lionel Lancaster that I’ll find the weasel and make him pay. And that if he sends any more of you after me, I’ll make sure he suffers for everything he’s done. Be very clear and explicit, messenger.”
Then, the witch made a graceful gesture with her arms, and the four remaining attackers disappeared high into the sky as if thrown by catapults. If talented enough, they would find a way to survive this flight and undoubtedly report their encounter.
The witch kept her back to the house for a moment. Asher waited, sensing no other intruder within sanctuary limits. He didn’t know what to expect from this full-powered witch, but it wasn’t what happened next. He saw her sway lightly and fall on her knees, hacking her heart out.
As she kneeled on the grass and, knowing that the threat was gone for now, Asher gathered his focus and turned himself back into human form. The transformation finished healing the remaining wounds. Asher’s gaze never left the witch, and he instinctively waited for her, understanding that she wouldn’t appreciate any help at that moment. Then, as he expected, she stood, wiped her mouth and returned to the house. Asher sat as she moved up beside him. Surrounded by the entire population of Sanctuary, she simply acted as if nothing happened.
“I need to finish healing you.”
Ian took a step back and someone in the group chuckled.
“I’m sorry for what I did to you, Ian. I needed an energy boost quickly. Thank you for what you gave me, by the way.”
She turned her attention to Asher again. She didn’t gaze at his face and kept examining his fading wounds. Asher took her hands and waited until she turned to him again.
“What happened? Tell me.”
The witch hesitated. “You shouldn’t have kidnapped me. By doing so, you’ve put everyone here at risk. Someone put a bounty on my head.”
“Lionel Lancaster, the powerful wizard, head of the Enforcers and the one who ordered the killing of my family. But why?”
The witch hesitated before answering, and he suspected she was keeping back pertinent information. “I don’t know why, yet. It doesn’t make any sense. It can’t be.”
She seemed genuinely in shock.
“Maybe you’ve done something? Maybe not killing me in the forest caused him to retaliate when he found out you were alive.”
The witch shook her head. “Oh, I’ve done something awful by him alright, but I never thought…”
“What did you do?”
“I killed his wife. And my mother.”
Taken aback, Asher released her hands. And then, when she spoke again, he wasn’t sure if he believed what he was hearing.
“I’m Valeria Lancaster, the Chief Enforcer’s daughter.”