Chapter 9

The morning came way too soon, and I wanted to spend every possible second with Dastien. Rather than going down to the cafeteria, we ate the contents of my mini-fridge for breakfast. Sure, not all of it was exactly breakfast food, but it did the job.

By seven we were both dressed and all my bags waited by the door. “I guess we should go.”

“Wouldn’t want you to be late.”

His sarcasm annoyed me. “No. I don’t want to be late. We made a deal, and we need to follow through. I’m not going to give them any reason to point fingers at us. I’ll follow the rules, so that when I come back, they’ll have no complaints.”

“Do you really think that’s going to happen?”

Honestly, no. “I have to hope that I’m doing this for a reason. That I’m not putting you—us through this for nothing. I’m trying to stop a war and keep people from getting hurt. I don’t want to see anyone spelled like Meredith was.” I pictured her seizure on the roof of the dorms. “That was a nightmare.” I grabbed one of the duffels and started for the door, but Dastien grabbed my arm and tugged me to him.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying not to be a spoiled brat. I just…You don’t know how awful I felt when you snuck onto their land with Chris. It was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. Worse than my parents’ deaths.”

I dropped the bag. “I won’t be dying. You have to remember that the bond is blocked, not broken. Every time you reach for me and I’m not there, remember that I’m okay and that I love you. All right?” Dastien was kind of adorable when he was being pouty.

“I’ll try.” He picked up the bag I’d dropped along with my other bag. “Let’s go, before I lock you up in the feral cages and swallow the key.”

I threw my messenger bag over my shoulder and took one last look around my room before I closed the door. Be back soon, I thought to myself.

If I’d been wondering where my friends were hiding, I shouldn’t have. They were all sitting around my car. I handed Dastien the keys as I walked to them.

“Hey,” Adrian said. “You need me to come down to the coven, you let me know. I think they might let me visit.” Adrian was the only Were I knew who had brujo blood. If he hadn’t been born a Were, he would’ve ended up with la Aquelarre.

Chris pulled me in for a hug. “If the coven gets to you, try drawing mean pictures of them. Always helps me.”

“I can’t draw.” My ‘art’ made stick figures look like masterpieces.

“Even better.”

I laughed.

Meredith hugged me hard, nearly suffocating me. “I’m going to miss you, roomie.”

“Me, too. Keep an eye on my stuff for me.” Both of us were choking back tears, but I wouldn’t let mine fall.

“Will do.”

Dastien closed the trunk. “Time to go.”

I wouldn’t cry. I couldn’t let myself. I was doing the right thing and being an adult. That meant no crying. “See you guys later.” I hopped in the passenger side. As much as I liked driving, I was sure that when we left the gates, the waterworks were going to start whether or not I was trying to be brave.

I wasn’t wrong. The first sob slipped through as soon as we were turned on the main road.

“Please don’t.” Dastien gripped the steering wheel hard. “I’m barely holding it together. I can’t take you there if you’re going to cry like this.”

I wiped my tears on my shirt. “I know. It’s dumb. I just don’t like goodbyes.”

He squeezed my leg. “This isn’t goodbye. Everyone will be there when you get back.”

“I know. I’m being dumb.”

“Not dumb at all.” He handed me his phone. “Plug her in and hit play. The first song on Matt Lange’s guest mix from ABGT eighty-five is amazing. You’re going to love it.”

My grin was a little watery, but I did what he said, and let Matt Lange’s ‘We Transcend’ take me away.

“Is that Einaudi that he’s mixing in?”

“Yup.”

I turned it up. Amazing, I said through the bond.

I thought you’d like that.

Thanks. For distracting me. For driving me.

Anything. For you, I’d do anything.

I let that soak in as I leaned over the console to rest my head on his shoulder. No, it wasn’t the safest way to drive, but I trusted him and I was a Were. Being near him, with the soft piano and deep rolling bass, took away a measure of nerves and sadness and frustration that burned through my veins.

Luciana was getting a fuckload more than she’d bargained for. If she thought I’d decide to stay forever and suppress my wolf, she was going to be disappointed. I’d only be biding my time, waiting until I could go home to St. Ailbe’s, where I really belonged. With people who actually cared about me.

Things had a funny way of working out, and I was going to make sure they worked out the way I wanted them to this time.

***

As we pulled up to the compound, I felt only one thing. Dread. I’d been here twice in the past week. Neither time had gone well. I thought about having Dastien drop me outside the gate, but no one had told me he wasn’t allowed to walk me to the door, and I wasn’t about to tell Dastien he couldn’t do this last little thing.

We went through the gate and that same icky barrier spell passed over me like a slimy curtain. I was prepared for it, and as long as Dastien was on the same side as me, our bond still held.

Beyond the gate was a long, straight dirt road. A line of two-story houses lined the road, with cars parked in front. La Aquelarre’s land felt more rustic than St. Ailbe’s, mostly because the dirt road was so bumpy and they’d barely managed to cut back enough forest to fit the houses. St. Ailbe’s had nice landscaping around it. Even the forest immediately surrounding the campus was a little tame. But the forest here felt like it was about to swallow up the houses any minute.

The last two times I’d been here, the road was empty of people. This time I had a full-on welcoming party.

We got out of the car, and Dastien quickly moved to my side. He was tense, but not totally losing it yet. I just hoped he could keep his cool. A confrontation with Luciana on my first day wouldn’t be the best way to start off.

Luciana stood front and center of the gathered crowd, with her son, Daniel, slightly behind her. I scanned the faces and found my cousins. They stood on their porch, away from the crowd. I wasn’t sure if I was glad to see them or pissed.

Right then I was leaning toward pissed. I had trusted them when I told them what was going on in my life, and they ran home to tell on me?

I knew I needed allies if I was going to make it at the compound, but I wasn’t sure that I could count on them anymore. It was more than a little disappointing.

Luciana stepped forward and Dastien’s anger at her rippled through the bond. I gripped his hand to keep him from doing anything stupid. He’d been doing so well this morning, which was exactly what I’d needed, but he couldn’t backslide now.

Luciana wore one of the long, flowing skirts she favored that I found impractical. Especially here with the dirt road. How did she manage to keep the hems clean?

“I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us,” she said.

“You didn’t give me much choice. I’m not here of my own volition.” I fought to keep my voice calm and even.

“I’m sure once you get settled in, you’ll forget all about the pack.”

Dastien growled and I squeezed his hand harder. Please, don’t freak out. I have to stay here and I need you to be calm.

I’m trying.

“You really have no concept of reality, do you?” I said to Luciana. “I’ll be going home for the next full moon, and if I ever set foot on this land again, it’ll be to raze it.”

A few shocked gasps escaped the crowd and I wondered who here knew what Luciana was up to. The whole coven couldn’t be bad, and by the reactions, not everyone agreed with her methods.

“Starting off with a threat isn’t a good way to win over the coven.”

Good thing I wasn’t trying to win anyone over. “Threatening me and the pack with war unless I show up here isn’t a good way to win me over.”

More murmurs went through the crowd.

Daniel stepped forward. “Mother, I think it’s best if she gets settled. It’s been a trying few days for her.”

“Good idea.” Luciana didn’t spare him a glance. “I was hoping you could stay with me and Daniel.”

Yeah. There was no way in hell that was going to happen.

I looked toward my cousins. “I think I’ll stay with my family. I’m sure you understand.” When I moved to the back of the car, Dastien followed.

First impression? I asked. As long as our bond was in place, I’d use it as much as I could until Dastien had to leave.

Not everyone is backing her, but there are a lot who are. Even through the bond, his voice had a hint of wolf. He was under control, but just barely. You’re going to have to watch your back at all times, and I’m not going to be here to do it.

I never had any intention of letting my guard down. I grabbed my backpack and let Dastien handle the rest. Do you think it’s a mistake to stay with Claudia and Raphael?

Anything is better than sleeping in the same house as her. But keep one eye open.

Always.

By the time we rounded the other side of the car, the crowd had dissipated. I made my way toward my cousins’ place. Their door hung open. “Hello,” I called as we stepped inside.

“Come on in,” Raphael said. “Claudia is changing the sheets in the guest room. They were clean, but she wants them fresh, too.” He shrugged.

“Thanks. Where to?”

“Up the stairs. First door on the right.”

The stairs creaked with age as I walked up, Dastien close on my heels. The steps were covered with a patterned carpet that was a little threadbare in places. Claudia was in what I took to be the guest bedroom, rushing around the tiny twin bed. It had a white-painted iron frame.

“Can I help you do anything?” I asked.

“No. I’ve got it. Just one second and I’ll have this all ready.”

“You didn’t have to—”

“Yes, I did,” she said without pausing her quick movements. “You have every right to hate me right now, but we need you more than your pack needs you. The least I can do is make a clean bed for you to sleep in.”

I dropped my messenger bag with a thud. “You need me?”

She kept busy as she moved around the room. A huge lace doily sat on top of the dark wooden bedside table, which was cluttered with an ornate lamp, some colorful dishes, a bowl of potpourri, and a lit candle. The potpourri and candle were going to have to go. The concentrated floral scent was already giving me a headache and I was barely in the door.

I stepped to the candle, blew it out and handed it to Dastien. He grabbed the potpourri and went back downstairs. Knowing him, he’d grab all the rest of the little smelly things around the house and chuck them out the window. I hope they didn’t leave any important potion stuff hanging around.

Sure enough, I heard something crash. Hopefully, whatever it was wasn’t irreplaceable. Raphael started talking downstairs, but he didn’t sound angry, so I ignored it and focused on Claudia.

I felt awkward not helping as she rushed to make the bed, but if bustling around made her feel better, then I might as well let her have at it.

When she was done, she smoothed a hand over the white and yellow quilt. She was a couple years older than me, but she acted much older than that. It made me wonder how much responsibility she’d had to take over when her parents left the compound. “There. The closet is small, but empty. There are hangers, too. I don’t have a desk for you, but I could—”

“This is fine. I didn’t bring much. I’m not staying longer than the full moon.”

Claudia finally stopped moving. “That’s fine. If we can’t do what needs to be done by then, it’ll be too late.”

I shot a look over my shoulder as Dastien came back into the room. He gave a barely there shake of his head. I haven’t figured out what Claudia’s planning, either, he said through the bond.

“What’s going on?”

“That’ll take a bit to explain. I’m sorry for what I did, but we’re desperate.” She pushed past me to exit the room. “Get settled, and then come downstairs.” She checked her watch. “Luciana will be here soon to make Dastien leave. We can talk more once he’s gone.”

Dastien moved into the room and set my duffles by the foot of the bed. “What do you want to do? We can turn around now. I can take you home.”

I shrugged. “It’s too late to back out.”

“It’s never too late. I don’t like you being used as some sort of pawn in whatever game the coven is playing.” I could feel his desperation through the bond, even if he looked cool as a cucumber on the outside.

I can’t, I told him through the bond. Leaving would mean a fight.

Dastien wasn’t scared of fighting, but that was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid. “At least we sort of know why they told Luciana.” I bit my lip as I considered the situation. “They’ve helped us twice. I have a feeling these weeks are about repaying the favor.”

“I have a feeling you’re right.”

The doorbell rang. “Time for the dog to leave.” Luciana’s voice filled the house.

Dastien growled and I stepped into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. Calm down.

I hate her.

I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

Luciana was waiting in the living room, but neither of us said a word to her as we walked out the front door.

When we got to the front gate, Dastien took off his shoes, shirt, and pants, but left on his boxer briefs. He handed it all to me, but I wasn’t paying attention. The sight of him took my breath away.

“Cherie?” He reached to cup my chin.

“Right. Sorry.” I took his clothes and held them to my chest.

He pulled me close, and ran his hands through my hair. His lips came to mine, and I lost myself in the feel of them. His tongue ran along the seam of my lips, and I opened. Somewhere along the way I must’ve dropped the clothes because I wrapped my arms around his neck. My heart thumped in my ears, and I couldn’t get close enough. I slid my hands down his abs and around his back.

This was what I was missing. We’d been too sad last night to really do anything, but I ached for him. My wolf craved him, and so did I.

Dastien bit my lip and rested his forehead against mine. “Call me if you need me.”

I wished I could say the same, but I doubted I’d be free to leave the compound for anything related to the Weres. I kissed him lightly. “I’m going to miss you.”

Since I’d stopped running from him and trying to escape St. Ailbe’s, we hadn’t really been apart. I saw him everyday.

As soon as he stepped beyond the gates, it was like he’d been ripped away from me. If I couldn’t see him with my own eyes, I would’ve thought he was dead. The sudden break in the bond left both of us gasping.

“Holy shit. This is worse than it was last time.”

“That’s because you were distracted last time. Now you know what that feeling is like.”

I ignored the icky sensation and reached over the gate to feel him. As soon as my hand touched his skin, the bond snapped back into place and I instantly felt better. “This is really going to blow.”

He gave me a sad smile. It wasn’t very reassuring. “I know.” He stepped back and shifted. It took less than a second, and then I was staring at my mate in wolf form. His boxer briefs were under his feet. He nipped them up with his teeth and passed them to me through the gate.

I stood there and watched him run until he disappeared around the bend in the road. I tried to reach him along our bond, but it was gone. Not just muted, but gone. A side effect of being on separate sides of the barrier. It was meant to warn other supernaturals away, and it would’ve worked if I weren’t being forced to stay here.

I closed my eyes for a second. My head knew that Dastien was fine. He was running home, back to his cabin, back to the pack. And he was safe. But my heart, my gut, my bond, told me that everything was completely and totally fucked.

It was time I dealt with the coven for good. Maybe if I did whatever Claudia and Raphael needed, I could go back sooner than planned.

I let myself back into my cousins’ house, and walked into the tchotchke-loaded living room. Claudia and Raphael were sitting on the floral-printed couch talking softly, but Luciana was gone.

Thank God for small favors.

First things first. “I can’t deal with all the smells. Did Dastien get rid of everything?”

“Yes,” Raphael said.

I could still smell the roses, orange, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and a million other things from all the potpourri and candles that had been everywhere in the house. “Can we open some windows? Air it out?”

Claudia started into motion. “Yes. Of course.”

We went through the house, opening all the windows. She had a fan in her room, and I snagged it for the living room. Texas didn’t have a ton of wind this time of year, and the downstairs was the most offensive room in the house. I aimed the fan to blow out the window.

“Better?” Claudia said when it was all done.

“Much. I couldn’t think with all that.” I sat on the couch. “Let’s talk. What’s going on?”

“There’s something wrong with Luciana—” Claudia started.

I snorted. No shit. “Sorry. Go on.”

“Some of us think she needs to be replaced, but with you gone, it’s a little hard. We’re hoping that you can help us with a change of power,” Claudia said.

“I would’ve done that regardless of my relationship with the pack. You didn’t have to stop the ceremony.”

“But we couldn’t have accepted your help if you were fully bound to the pack,” Raphael said. His voice was very matter of fact. I could’ve chosen to take offense at that. They wouldn’t accept my help but they needed it. It made me want to thumb my nose at them and take off.

But for now, I was committed to being here, so I listened as Raphael continued. “The coven’s divided, and the anti-Luciana group isn’t the majority. Our side doesn’t want war, but I think she does no matter what. Over the years, she’s developed a thirst for power. It started out as restrictions on us, but now it’s grown. She wants more territory. She wants to move off the compound and practice out in the open. She wants the wolves gone.”

That wasn’t going to happen. “I don’t care how much land she has or where y’all live, but practicing in the open and taking out the pack? That’s too far.”

“We agree,” Raphael said. “Things are like this for a reason. Humans…they wouldn’t understand. We already had one season of witch burnings, and none of us want to go through that again.”

I could definitely understand that.

“But she’s our leader, and with you gone, it’s like she has no end in sight for her rule,” Claudia said. She leaned forward in her chair. “I’m not sure how she’s done it, but every year she’s gotten stronger. Other than you, she might be the most powerful living witch. I understand that you can’t take your old place now, but could you help us find someone who could? Or at least help us find a way to take Luciana down?”

“I’d be happy to help. I’m just not sure how.” Neither statement was a lie. I didn’t want some crazy person with power going around doing God knew what, but short of taking over the coven like I was supposed to, I had no idea what to do to stop her.

“You know how we find our new leaders?”

I wasn’t totally sure where she was going with this. “Yes. The previous leader goes to find someone, but it always skips a generation. So when Luciana took charge, my grandmother announced the following leader.”

“Exactly. It’s something that only you or Luciana could do for us. She’s not going to find anyone. She never wants to step down. And your grandmother passed away…You’re our only hope.”

She wanted me to find them a new leader? “Don’t you think someone from another coven would be better suited?”

“No,” Claudia said. If she thought I was the best person to find a new leader, then she must really be desperate. I didn’t have the first clue about anything that went on in la Aquelarre.

“We have a little bit of a rivalry between covens,” she said. “It’s not like a pack, where you’re like separate states in the same country. We’re separate countries. And not a lot of us are allies.”

This seemed like great news for the pack. Donovan had made it sound like the witches were way more united. But I’d never known Donovan to be wrong. “So, if war starts with the wolves?”

“Then, we join together,” Raphael said. “But that’s it. Only when we have a common enemy.”

So, not only would Luciana get rid of the wolves if she started the war, but she’d unify the covens and immediately take charge of all that power.

It was all starting to make sense.

I only had to stop a war, find a replacement coven leader, and then take down one of the most powerful, evil witches on the earth. And I had all of twenty-six days to work with.