Destiny Sealed, page 7
“That’s odd,” Dagny says, taking a few steps forward.
He nods. “That’s what I thought, too. We were getting ready to leave. Unless he got claustrophobic, I’m not sure why he couldn’t have waited it out.”
She bites her lower lip. “I’m not sure I can tell you what he was thinking. That’s more a job for Malachi.”
“I don’t know if it’s worth bothering Malachi. I’m guessing this guy won’t know much,” Jack says. “Kiara’s compartmentalized information in the past. There’s no reason to think she’ll suddenly be super forthcoming with people who don’t need to be in the know. I’d rather not put Malachi through it if we can help it.”
I reach for Jack’s hand and squeeze it. I’ve learned in the past couple of days just how much Malachi means to Jack—despite the fact that they’ve spent decades apart. Jack allowed him to believe it was Jack who pushed to save Malachi’s life after he suffered an injury—all so Malachi would hate him and not Cassandra, who had begged for Jack to change him. Although I’m not sure the last time Malachi ever stepped foot into the enclave—if ever—this is Malachi’s pack, and as his alpha, Jack cares for him.
Jack returns pressure in my fingers. “I’m hoping you can get a sense what kind of magic he was using. If we know what spells to expect next time we encounter these guys, we can be prepared. And also…” He inhales deeply and exhales through his nostrils. “Can you figure out what killed him?”
If Dagny finds anything odd in the request, her reaction doesn’t show it. She closes the remaining distance between herself and the body and lifts her hands until they hover several inches above it. From what I saw, there’s no way Jack killed this man, but is he afraid he somehow did? He’s used to battling vampires and the occasional werewolf—both of whom are made of stronger stuff than the average witch. Is he worried his strength got away from him?
Even if he killed this man, I don’t think he should feel bad about it. Besides losing a possible lead, I can’t see the benefit in having kept him alive. He would have killed us all, given the chance. As far as we know, he could be the one who killed Vesna.
Dagny squeezes her eyes closed and wrinkles her nose as she passes her palms over the length of the man’s body. Her hands tremble as she goes, shaking more violently as she reaches his waist. She pulls away and spins to face us, gasping.
“What’s wrong?” I step to her side and grip her upper arms, afraid she might need the support.
She squeezes her eyes closed again and shakes her head as if to clear it. “This guy is loaded with magic.”
“You mean he’s powerful?” Sawyer asks. “Could he have been someone from the council? An alternate you guys never met?”
She shakes her head. “No—the magic is on him, not in him. Whoever sent him meant for him to do damage to whoever he came across. I’m guessing he’s got something on him—a totem maybe—that helped power whatever spells he cast.”
I press my lips together, remembering something from back at the safe house. “At one point, he was holding everyone in the room in place. Then he opened his hand and a wooden spike appeared there.”
Dagny’s eyes widen. “Materialization spells are pretty advanced. Not something an average witch could pull off.”
“You mean a strong witch would have to do it?” Sawyer crosses his arms. “A former council member, perhaps?”
She shrugs. “It could have been Kiara—but other witches could do it, too. It’s like Lola’s staff. I don’t know where she got it, but the witch who made it was powerful. I’m guessing someone on the council isn’t spending their days making weapons, though.”
“Powerful and with a bent for making death-inducing contraptions? Sounds like Atticus.”
I turn at the sound of Callum’s voice. I’d almost forgotten he was still in the room. “Who’s Atticus?”
“A member of the Order,” he says. “Does materialization spells as a lark all the time. My money’s on him for making whatever totem you’re talking about.”
A weight settles into my stomach. I already assumed the attack was the work of the Order, but I was still hoping for another explanation. A sliver of me thought Callum was crazy and his claims about Kiara had no basis in reality. But Novo Ordine would have no need of the hybrids, and they’d only be after Callum if he had legitimate information he could share.
“Is that all?” Jack asks. “Did you get… anything else?”
She meets his eye like she knows exactly the information he’s hoping she gleaned. “I’m not sure what killed him—but it was definitely magical. It feels like something… broke.”
“I’m assuming you don’t mean physically.” I fight the urge to glance at Jack.
“No—it’s a piece of magic,” Dagny says. “Some kind of connection. Like…”
“Like a tether?” Callum pokes his head from his corner.
I round on him. “Does that mean something to you?”
He shrinks back. “Forget I said anything.”
Jack strides toward him. “Oh, no you don’t. Look, I’m willing to let you stay here, to keep you safe—but in return, you have to be of value to us. You don’t want to look at the body. Fine. I get it. But if you’ve got information, you’d better speak up.”
Callum’s mouth twitches and he doesn’t meet Jack’s eyes. He cowers as if afraid Jack might strike him. When the blow doesn’t come, he relaxes. “The tether. It’s rather standard operating procedure on a dangerous mission.”
Sawyer snorts. “What kinds of dangerous missions do your people go on? Ghost hunts?”
Callum glares. “Ye want to hear what I know, or don’t ye?”
Jack motions for Sawyer to quiet down. Sawyer crosses his arms over his chest, but he closes his mouth.
“If there’s ever a chance one of us could be captured and compelled to talk about something sensitive, we’ll use the tether spell. It binds the life forces of the group together so we have to remain within a certain radius of each other. Slip outside that radius and—” He drags his finger across his neck.
“So if someone’s taken by the opposition, they’d die before they got too far away,” Jack says.
“Or if they somehow got separated from the main group,” I add. “Like someone hiding in a closet as the rest of them fled.”
Callum nods. “I imagine you’d feel a tug at first. Could be why yer friend there jumped out when he did. And when he couldn’t get away and get closer to the group…”
Jack’s brow furrows. “If the Order tethers its members, how are you able to be here?”
Callum holds his hands up. “I said we do it when we go out on missions. It’s not an everyday thing, innit? Wouldn’t do to never go more than ten paces from yer mate, would it?”
Jack turns from him, his face set in thought. “If they went through the trouble of casting this spell, they must have been afraid there was information we could get from any prisoners.” He blows out a breath. “Sawyer, could you bring Malachi? I hate to ask this of him, but…”
“How about I go?” Dakota suggests. “Malachi might need a little alpha persuasion to leave Cassandra’s side.”
Sawyer snorts. “You just don’t want to have to babysit this nut bar.”
“Hey now—I take offense to that.” Callum inches from his corner. “I’d much rather be left in the lass’s care, if you don’t mind.”
Jack’s shoulders slump as he exhales. He looks tired. “Sawyer, stay with Callum. Dakota, go talk to Malachi. Dagny, could you stay with Cassandra while Malachi’s away?”
Dagny nods. “Of course.”
He holds open the door as everyone files out. I’ve always seen Jack as so strong and sure of himself, but in this moment, I wonder how much energy he uses projecting that image.
He closes the door after I cross the threshold. “And what about you?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure what I can do right now.”
He links his hand with mine. “I’ll give you a little advice. Alpha to alpha.” He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “When everything’s quiet, it’s time to make sure everything’s actually quiet.”
I wrinkle my nose. “What does that mean?”
“Check in with your pack. Make sure they’re all okay. All these halves meeting under these circumstances—it’s not normal. They may need support from… From their alpha.”
I nod, but I sense there’s something more to Jack’s words than he’s letting on. But when he slips his hand into mine, I accept his support as we start toward the enclave’s main road.
Chapter Ten
I slow my pace as I approach the dining hall. “I wasn’t expecting for so many of the halves to be humans.”
Jack nods. “I was surprised too. It’s kind of unprecedented for so many humans to know the truth about us. Under normal circumstances, we’d go to a witch or a reliable vampire and modify their memories so we could send them back to their normal lives.”
I shake my head. “We can’t do that. Eleven of the halves are human. What am I supposed to say to more than half my pack? Sorry? Better luck next time?”
He blows out a breath. “They weren’t supposed to meet yet. They only reason they’re together now is because of Kiara.”
“And we can’t change that. For better or worse, their paths have crossed. Shouldn’t we leave their fate up to them?”
Jack slows his pace. “What are you suggesting?”
I raise my free hand in a shrug. “Give them the option. For the humans who want to be with their halves right now, we… you know…”
“Change them?” Jack supplies. “We can’t.”
“Well, I know I can’t—and neither can any of the hybrids. But if you…”
Jack shakes his head. “You’re not hearing me. We can’t. It’s against pack law to change a human unless there’s no other choice.”
“But what about in the void?” I ask. “When Gavin was in charge there, people would get changed if one of his weres bit someone during a fight. Or what about me? Luke bit me the night we met when I told him I had a feeling I was going to die. He didn’t wait around for me to get stabbed—he bit me when we were still at the bar.”
A muscle in Jack’s jaw jumps. “Do you really want to be like the void weres? Or like… your average vampire?”
I could kick myself for bringing up the night Luke bit me. If he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be linked to him. It’s possible I wouldn’t be a hybrid and none of this would be happening. But we can’t change what’s done. “You said it’s against pack law, right? Don’t you think we could get a special dispensation from the convocation on this one?”
“I think the convocation has enough on its plate right now.”
I study his face. “Why are you pushing back so hard on this idea? I get that it’s not the way things are usually done, but…” I gesture around us. “Things are far from normal here. And I know that’s not an excuse. Believe me, I want things to be normal, for us to fall into a rhythm an just live our lives instead of always being on the watch for the next shoe to drop. I don’t just want to wipe these people’s memories and send them on their way. What will that do to my hybrids?”
“Have you thought about what it will do to them if they choose to leave?” Jack tilts his head, but I doubt he’s waiting for a response.
“Why would they leave? Why wouldn’t they want to stay and be with their halves?”
He holds my gaze for a beat before dropping it. “You’d think for someone as young as you, you’d have a better memory. Ava, you have no idea what these people’s lives were like when Kiara snatched them away. What if some of them are in relationships? What if they’re married? Do you expect them to just walk away from that? From their lives?”
His questions make my head spin. “Do you think that’s true?”
“I don’t know. But the fact is, one day these people were living their lives, and the next they were thrown into this world they don’t understand.”
“Can’t the same be said for all of us?” I touch the side of his face. “I was just living my life and then some mugger stabbed me. When I woke up, my life was changed forever. How is it not the same for these people—human or not? Now that they’ve found their halves, how could they want to go back to their old lives? When Lola met Brady, she cut ties with her old pack that instant, no questions asked.”
“But Lola was a were. She’d been one for years. She understood what Brady was to her. It might not be the same for the humans—even if we were to change them.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because it wasn’t for you.” Jack drops my hand and turns his back. He runs a hand through his hair and blows out a breath before turning back. “You took a while to accept what it means to be halves. You weren’t ready for the commitment that came with merging—and I get it,” he adds when I open my mouth to protest. “It took me a while to come around, but I get it. Everything in your life just changed, and throwing in your soul mate was too much for you to process. I just… I’d hate for your pack members to go through what I have. What we have.” He shakes his head. “Pack members. Have you thought it out that far? If hybrids and weres are so different we can’t belong to the same pack, what happens to the werewolf halves?”
His questions churn in my mind. No, I haven’t thought that far ahead. But he’s right. The waters are too murky, the situation too complex. I can’t decide right now.
“Let’s go check in on them.”
He nods. We’ve taken several paces before he takes hold of my hand again.
I can’t imagine how hard this all has been on him. I wish I could erase any hurt he’s experienced because of me, but I know from experience pain doesn’t work like that. I know it wounded him when I didn’t want to merge right away—and things are difficult still because although I want to do it now, we haven’t been able to reunite the two halves of our soul. There could be a simple piece of the puzzle we’re still missing. And maybe helping the members of my pack can help us figure it out.
There’s movement in the tree line ahead. Two wolves streak out onto the path and I recognize them even before they shift to human form. Poppy and Dylan.
Instead of heading up the hill, I change trajectories and tug Jack along to meet them. “Didn’t expect you two back so soon.”
Jack’s brow furrows. “Did you belong to the same pack before Kiara nabbed you?”
They shake their heads. “We met up on our way back,” Dylan says. “Figured there was safety in numbers.”
“So, how’d it go?” It strikes me in all the commotion, I haven’t had time to debrief the other hybrids who have returned, and I make a mental note to do so.
Dylan bobs his head. “My pack was super supportive. Happy to see I was okay. They weren’t sure what to think after my alphas felt me leave the pack. Said they’re willing to help us any way they can.”
A smile curves my lips. “That’s great news.”
He nods. “I was pretty sure it’d go that way. My alphas were always chill out the whole hybrid thing. When they saw the bounty come out on you a few weeks back, they gave a command to keep any of us from trying to cash in on it. They felt like they didn’t have the whole story. They were glad I could fill in part of it for them.”
I squeeze his upper arm. “I’m glad you could, too.” I turn to Poppy.
She bites her lower lip. “My news isn’t as good.”
The bubble of hope that had blossomed in my chest deflates. “What happened?”
She shrugs. “They weren’t against the idea of one hybrid. If I’m honest, in my pack there was even money it was all some kind of elaborate joke. But when I told them about us—about our pack… Well, let’s say they’re not too keen on the idea. Especially when they found out the rumor about… you know… the music festival was true.”
I squeeze her arm. “And it’s also true none of you were in control. Gavin—”
She nods. “I know. And I don’t think any of them blame me for it—but they’re afraid. They think if it happened one time, it could happen again.”
“Which is why they should help us take down Kiara,” Jack says.
“I know. And I had a couple of friends who understood that. They promised to try to convince the alphas and betas it’s in everyone’s interest to band together. I’ll go back in a couple of days to see if they’ve changed their mind.”
“Why didn’t you stay?” I ask. But when Poppy’s eyes stray to the meeting house, I understand. Can she sense her half is close? Or is the look on her face a reflection of her hope for it to be true. “They’re all up there.”
Her gaze snaps to me and she tried to arrange her expression into one of surprise. “What? Who?”
“We had to bring all the halves here. Once the convocation’s safe house was compromised, we figured this would be the most secure place.” I nudge her with my elbow. “Go on up.” I point at Dylan. “You, too.”
The two waste no time complying. They’re halfway up the hill before Jack and I set foot on it. “It’s the right move, isn’t it?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“What?”
“Letting them meet their halves? What if theirs still human? They were so excited earlier today. What if…”
“We can’t live our lives wondering ‘what if.’” He tugs me to a stop and leans down to press a kiss to my lips. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re erring on the side of hope.”
His kiss sends shivers through my body. I may not have all the answers, but I’m glad to have Jack by my side. I never signed up to lead a pack with no backup. I almost wish hybrids craved the same structure as weres—that I had another alpha and two betas to help me make decisions. But at least with Jack by my side, I don’t feel like I’m alone in this.
Despite having reached the top of the hill a solid minute before us, Poppy and Dylan still haven’t entered the dining hall. They stand in front of the door, Dylan’s fingers curled around the handle. Is it anticipation that keeps them from going in—or fear?
I’ve never asked, but I wonder how Jack felt the night we met. I know he was afraid—that much was plain on his face. By the time he got to me, I’d lost a lot of blood. He already knew what I was to him. Was he worried about what I’d think about him? Was he afraid how I might react? The notion seems crazy. At that point, I was barely holding on. I was just glad not to have to die alone.
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