Magic Side: Wolf Bound Complete Series: Books 1-4, page 23
“Holy shit, he sees me!”
“Not possible,” Jaxson said.
Adrenaline surged into my veins, and my heart hammered against my chest.
The faceless man slowly tilted his head, and words formed in my mind: No peeking, Savannah.
Then there was only pain.
32
Jaxson
Savannah screamed and tumbled from her chair.
I caught her and started to set her upright, but she clung to me, shaking and wide-eyed. “Oh, my God, Jaxson, I think he saw me! He spoke to me!”
The blood in my veins froze. “What?”
Her hands were trembling, and a trail of blood began to drip from her nose. Not good.
“Everything is okay,” I said with more confidence than I felt. I kept my arms around her, unsure if I should pull her close. I had no idea how I should react after the incident in the woods, but I knew how my body wanted to react. The sweet tangerine scent of her signature brought water to my mouth. When her heartbeat against my chest began to slow, I set her back on the stool before my own heart could start racing. “Tell me what happened.”
Panic shone through her watery eyes. “He looked at me and said, ‘No peeking, Savannah.’ But, like, in my mind. How could he see me?”
How, indeed?
I let my presence wash over her, calming her fears. I pitched my voice low and soft, holding back any sign of the alarms going off in my head. “He may not have actually seen you, just identified your presence. Some powerful spellcasters can protect themselves from clairvoyance and other forms of observation. I’m guessing he must be a sorcerer. Or a mage.”
She shook her head slowly. “It felt like he was digging into my soul with his eyes, and I couldn’t even see them. I couldn’t see anything beyond that horrible darkness where his face should have been.”
A bead of blood had pooled on the top of her lip and hung there, quivering. I had an inhuman urge to taste it. I was a predator, after all, and the scent of blood always climbed above the chorus of other aromas. But this was different. It smelled exotic, pungent, almost like a drug.
I dipped a napkin in my ice water and softly wiped the blood from her lip, wishing it was my mouth instead of my hand. “It’s all right. You did great, and I think you got us the information we need.”
After she’d calmed and repeated everything that she’d seen, I left her for a moment and had the bartender retrieve a pen and paper from the back. I placed them down in front of the shaken woman. “Draw the lighthouse.”
She set about sketching, and as the dark lines appeared on the paper, the tension in her body melted away. The art had an almost magical hold over her. It centered her in a way that even my alpha presence could not.
Her hands flew over the page. “I bet this is in Wisconsin, or at least on the edge of Lake Michigan. The beach was white limestone cobbles. I went to a lot of beaches like that when I was a kid. We might be able to track down the lighthouse. They’re all different.”
I took a picture of her illustration and sent it to Regina, and then Savannah and I started scrolling through our phones, trying to identify the lighthouse. It took a half hour of searching through various historical society pages on the internet, but she finally found an obscure reference to the lighthouse, plus a couple of old photos. “This is it! It’s the Jasper Point lighthouse in lower Door County.”
Adrenaline surged through my body as I compared the images on her phone to her illustration of the lighthouse. “Well done. The location makes sense. Most of the disappearances have been isolated Magica living in eastern Wisconsin.”
I dialed Regina. “We’ve got a location. Call Tony and have his Belmont team meet us at the Mobil station on Wisconsin Road 42. Tell them to plan on shifting, but bring guns as backup. Then grab Sam and a couple of others and meet us at the docks so we can arm up with Billy.”
I hung up with her, grabbed Savannah, and headed for the truck.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled through the checkpoint into the docks and rumbled over the broken asphalt to a derelict section of the port. I parked beside a rusted container that appeared abandoned but was one of the secure places in which the pack stored firearms.
Regina and Sam were already on site, and Billy emerged from inside the container as we drove up. He dumped an armful of weapons into the bed of his truck and glared at us as we slipped out. “You brought a LaSalle into the docks?” he growled, giving Savannah a deathly stare.
I slammed the door and put a calming hand on the small of Savannah’s back before she flew off the handle in response to Billy’s challenge. “She’ll know not to come here.”
Savannah relaxed slightly beneath my touch, though she was shooting daggers at Billy with her eyes. She had a quick temper and no idea how to navigate pack hierarchy, an explosive combination that I didn’t need going south, particularly with a pile of guns at hand.
“What’s the situation?” Regina asked, grabbing a rifle and inspecting it. I could tell by her scent and the jut of her hip that she was also clearly at odds with having Savannah present, but unlike Billy, she wasn’t going to push it.
“The rogue wolves are using a cabin on the shore of Lake Michigan as a base of operations. By Savannah’s description, it sounds like a temporary arrangement, so we need to move quickly.” I grabbed a pistol and a couple magazines of silver bullets.
Billy looked from me to Savannah. “A cabin? How did you find out about it?”
“Savannah has sorcery in her blood, so she scried.”
Billy growled, and Regina sucked in a quick breath, even though she’d been in on my plans from the start. It was still taboo.
“You’re messing with the fucking dark arts,” Billy snarled, reeking of rage and hate. His eyes flashed yellow, and I could tell his wolf was getting near the surface.
Including him might have been a mistake, but Billy was part of my inner circle, and I couldn’t just cut out the voices of my advisors when I felt like it. That would defeat the whole point of having them. I needed every perspective I could get, and Billy reflected the beliefs of many in my pack.
“I understand this isn’t ideal, but we learned a great deal and confirmed that a sorcerer is involved. He was hidden from the spell, so we can’t name him, but at least we know who summoned the demon.”
Regina whistled low.
“Probably one of the LaSalles, forcing good wolves to do their evil work and shame our pack,” Billy muttered.
“That doesn’t make any fucking sense, and you know it,” I snapped. Had my sister lived, he would have held rank. But she was dead, and he had trouble remembering that I was no longer his subordinate. I had to remind him from time to time.
Billy bared his teeth, but Regina stepped in before things could escalate. “This is good information, and at least we’ll have the element of surprise if we go in.”
I shook my head. “Probably not. I’m afraid that the scrying spell tipped off the sorcerer, so they’ll know we’re coming. Either they’ll have turned their tails and run, or they’ll be ready and waiting for us.”
“Why are we attacking if they know we’re coming?” Billy asked.
I panned my gaze across the members of my inner circle, reminding them who called the shots. “Because this is the best chance we’ve had. They appear out of nowhere, grab someone, and disappear. Now it’s our turn. It’s a risk, but we must stop them.”
Regina nodded to Savannah. “You’re not bringing the LaSalle with us, are you?”
I gave a warning growl. At least we were getting all the dissent out of the way in private, before we met the rest of the team. “She’s the reason we know anything about these fuckers. And if they’ve split, she’s the only shot we have at finding them again. She can scry, and we know that they want her. She’ll find them, or they’ll find her, and we’ll bag the assholes.”
I wasn’t about to repeat the seer’s words in current company: Without her at your side, you will not discover the answers you need.
Regina took a submissive stance but whispered, “She’ll be a liability.”
Savannah crossed her arms. “Then give me a gun. Problem solved.”
“You can shoot?” she asked, surprised.
“Probably better than you, though I prefer a shotgun.”
Truth. I could smell that it was more than truth—practically a point of pride.
Eyebrows raised, I handed her a Glock 19 and a couple of magazines. “This work?”
Savannah inspected the gun with expert grace and shoved the magazines in her back pocket. “It’ll do.”
The woman had moxie, that was for sure. I gave a half laugh. “They’re silver bullets, so don’t shoot me.”
She grinned and winked. “Then don’t get in my way.”
Although I tried to fight it, a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. The backbone on this woman was a mile long.
A tortured snarl erupted behind us. Billy.
“I can’t believe you’re giving a gun with silver bullets to a LaSalle,” he growled, ache in his voice.
Frustration tore at me. “She needs a weapon. End of conversation. Unless you’d like us to give her wolfsbane.”
I could tell by his scent and fluctuations in his eyes that Billy was on the verge of losing it. “She’s just as likely to shoot one of us as the enemy.”
Savannah glared at Billy and bared her teeth in a surprisingly wolfish gesture. “If I shoot you, trust me, it’ll be on purpose.”
“I don’t trust you—that’s the problem. You’re a fucking liability.” Billy’s fangs erupted, and Savannah flinched. I could smell her fear, but she stood her ground, jaw set and silent.
“I trust her,” I said, putting my authority into each word.
Regina smirked. “I bet she can’t hit the broad side of a barn.”
Savannah whipped her arm up and pulled the trigger three times.
Gunshots echoed through the docks. Everyone ducked, and Billy started swearing as his claws came out. My ears rang, and I growled. “Fuck, Savannah!”
“She’s a fucking lunatic, just like her cousin!” Billy shouted, his eyes burning bright like golden flames.
“I’m tired of your pack giving me grief. I’m not a liability. I can shoot, I can run, and I can scry, so screw anyone who has a problem with that.” She gestured to a sign hanging at the edge of the water.
There were now three holes in the O in Dockside.
A siren sounded in the distance.
Gods damn it.
“Regina, call off the cops. Savannah, put the safety on and don’t shoot Billy. Everybody else, get in line.”
Billy stalked off to get control of his wolf. He was more enraged than I’d seen him in years. When he looked back, his voice was low and harsh. “You’re on your own for this one, Jax. I’m not running with a LaSalle. Not one who’s armed with wolf-killing bullets.”
My neck hair bristled, and my claws slowly inched out. I’d deal with him later, but for now, his absence was probably for the best. “Fine. Stay. As you say, someone needs to watch the docks.” I glared at the others assembled. “Anyone else have a problem?”
No one met my gaze.
33
Savannah
Jaxson’s truck roared along highway 42.
It’d been nearly five hours since we’d left Chicago. I’d packed my backpack with an extra set of clothes and a toothbrush—that, and a Glock.
Shit was getting serious.
Five days ago, I was worried about how I was going to pay for car repairs. Now I was worried about getting gutted by werewolves while I shot demons in the face.
Casey was out, so I’d told Aunt Laurel that I was taking a bus to Belmont to help Alma with some urgent house repairs. I wasn’t sure if she’d bought it, but she hadn’t prodded.
In all likelihood, I should have stayed with the LaSalles while Jaxson did the dirty work. But he’d been pretty insistent on having me at his side, and I sure as hell didn’t want to get left behind. Not when there was a chance for me to beat some answers out of the bitch from Belmont and her werewolf gang.
So now I was about to follow a bunch of unfamiliar shifters into a patch of woods that was going to be inevitably haunted by werewolves, demons, and a psycho sorcerer.
My life had changed a bit over the last week.
We’d passed a long, awkwardly quiet drive after everything that had gone down at the docks. Sam was in the front next to Jaxson. They were probably having weird wolf-scent-only conversations, because they sure hadn’t been chatty with me. In Sam’s defense, she’d offered me the front, but at the time, I’d figured that Jaxson and I could use all the space we could get.
Not that being a foot behind him was any different than being a foot beside him, but it somehow felt less close. I hadn’t counted on him being able to watch me in the rearview mirror, though. He just couldn’t seem to take his eyes off me—though I wasn’t behaving any better in that department. It was frankly embarrassing to keep looking up and catching his eyes.
Thankfully, I’d passed out for two hours, missing the most boring part of the trip out of the city and suburbs. I was once again grateful for my mom’s sleep-anywhere-anytime genes.
Adjusting my position in the back seat, I glanced at Jaxson in the rearview mirror. “What’s the plan?”
“We’ll meet with a few of our other pack members shortly, then head north to the cabin,” he said.
“You have pack members living in Wisconsin? Does your territory extend all the way up here?”
Sam turned and shot me a suspicious look before staring at Jaxson. Could they speak telepathically? It sure seemed like they were exchanging thoughts. Creepy scent-speak, for sure.
“There are a number of other packs up here, but we have an inholding near their territory. Our pack is the largest in the Midwest, and Magic Side doesn’t have nearly enough land for us, so some of our people come up here to run and get away,” Jaxson explained.
“Is that why you were in Belmont when I was attacked? Wait a sec.” I leaned forward and looked between them. “Is Belmont pack territory?”
“No,” he said flatly.
“No what?”
Sam sighed, seemingly irritated. “You ask a lot of questions. You’re a LaSalle. Details about our pack are really none of your business.”
I scowled. “Just trying to make conversation.”
Sam seemed pretty damned paranoid for a bartender. Why the hell was Jaxson even bringing a bartender along? For mixing cocktails after kicking ass?
Sam had shown up when we’d raided Jaxson’s auto body and when I’d been attacked at the fair. She’d kicked Casey’s butt and chased after those rogue wolves.
She ain’t no bartender, I realized.
I settled quietly into my seat, and stared at the back of her head, just in case I had some sort of strange psychic powers and could read minds.
Apparently, I didn’t.
Since reading minds and polite conversation were both out of the question, I watched the houses go by. I recognized some of the towns we passed through and couldn’t help the rising lump of homesickness for Belmont. Alma was probably reading a palm or cleaning her crystals right now. A melancholy smile fluttered at the edge of my lips.
Jaxson kept looking at me in the rearview mirror. Was that remorse in his eyes?
He was reading my emotions again.
I leaned back and rested my forehead against the window, letting the late day sun warm my face and watching the blur of trees pass by. I didn’t want his remorse or pity. The attack at the Taphouse might have changed the course of my life, but I refused to be a victim.
I buried myself in my phone and found a text from Casey: Hey cuz. Where are you? Not in your room. I’m there now.
Irritation pricked my skin. Damn it, Casey. I wasn’t used to having people checking up on me and prying into my business. I typed out a reply: Why are you in my room?
Seconds later, my phone buzzed. Looking for someone to get drinks with. Apparently, you’re still out herding werewolves. Let me know when you get back.
On my way home for a few days to help my godmother, I responded. Sorry I didn’t give you a heads-up, but it was an emergency.
His response came back quickly. Are you crazy? Without me?
A sigh sloughed off my shoulders. I hated people keeping tabs on me. Don’t worry. I have hairy bodyguards. I promised not to wolfsbane them again, and they promised not to eat me.
After a long pause, which I imagined was filled with cursing, Casey wrote back. Stay safe. Call me if you need anything. If they look peckish, feed them some bacon and rub their bellies.
“What’s so funny?” Sam asked.
“Nothing.” I stifled my giggle and buried my head in my phone again.
I felt bad about the chain of lies, but I was pretty sure that if Casey got a whiff of what I was up to, he’d have an aneurism. I would have taken him along in a heartbeat, but I knew the werewolves would never work with him. The blood was bad.
Twenty long minutes of brooding later, Jaxson finally pulled into a Mobil gas station, and I silently rejoiced. I had to pee like nobody’s business.
He parked next to the pump. Across the lot, three well-built guys were leaning against a pair of Jeeps. They nodded subtly in our direction—Jaxson’s reinforcements, no doubt.
Regina—the sour-faced woman who’d called me a liability at the docks—pulled up behind us with a young, dark-haired woman.
“Be right back.” I slipped out of the car and hightailed it into the convenience store, clenching my muscles for dear life.
Two people were ahead of me. Dressed in jeans and biker boots, and they had the athletic, all-too-hot-for-my-own good shifter look to them. The man opened the door for the woman, but as I neared, he stepped in front of me and let the door close.
Definitely shifters. Apparently, my reputation preceded me—LaSalle.
