Magic Side: Wolf Bound Complete Series: Books 1-4, page 82
Yes. A monster. But you see, we’re the same, Savannah. Two murderous monsters. That is what this corrupt world has taught us to be. Forced us to be.
Even as Dragan made me walk into the mist, I bared my teeth and took control of my voice once again. “I’m nothing like you.”
You’re exactly like me. Two souls sharing one body. An aberration. A monster. If they knew what you truly were, they’d kill you where you stand, Savannah Caine. They’d kill you without a second’s hesitation.
My wolf’s voice cut into my thoughts. Sorry, asshole. This is already a duplex, and you’re the odd freak out!
Her strength poured into me, and we stumbled as the whole left side of my body came back under my control.
Dragan gave a bestial roar as he pushed back, leaving us as three souls vying for control of one body.
Fool! Dragan bellowed as his strength began to return. Together, our power would be unimaginable. The Dark Wolf God will grant us each our own form, but we could have the strength of all of us combined!
Our grip started slipping.
Suddenly, Jaxson was there, pinning my arms to my sides. His strength poured into me and cleared my thoughts, like plunging into the icy waters of the lake, like a sunrise on a cold winter morning.
I gasped and spoke. “I’m the one Dragan wants, Jax. Pull off my mask. Now!”
“What?”
“Trust me! Do it before he takes control!”
Growling with desperate fury, Jaxson reached for my mask. The second he let go, I kneed him straight in the nuts, and my traitorous right arm shot out to tear his mask off instead.
Jaxson seized my right wrist with both hands and pulled it free of his face, leaving my left arm—the one I still had control over—uninhibited. It was all I needed.
My wolf and I galvanized our will and grabbed the buckles of my gas mask with my left arm. I began to pull. Mindfuck someone else, asshole.
No! Dragan roared in my mind as he struggled against us all. He tore my arm out of Jaxson’s grip, but it was too late.
I ripped my mask free and took a deep breath of the sleeping gas. “You’re not going to control me!”
Dragan released his power over my arms and tried to take my legs. In resistance, I pivoted my waist and used my body weight to tip myself over and drop into the strange, lichen-infested grass. Then I crawled forward, hand over hand, like a zombie toward one of the smoking gas bombs, my legs jerking and dragging behind me.
Stretching with all my length, I snagged the spewing potion and brought it close to my face. Nighty-night, asshole.
I breathed in deeply as Jaxson dropped down to my side.
The gas tasted like bubblegum and smelled like marshmallows. A soothing sense of freedom washed over me like warm rain on a summer’s day. Every muscle in my body began to relax.
I didn’t have control anymore. But neither did Dragan, and that was all that mattered.
His rage and fury strained against the limits of my soul, and then, with a sudden release of tension, he was gone, and I was at peace.
I rolled onto my back as darkness closed in around my vision.
All I could see was Jaxson’s mask bending over me and tree branches swimming in a sea of clouds. I clumsily reached up and brushed my fingers along the edge of his mask, and laughed.
“Savannah, are you okay?”
I frowned as my vision spun. “I was just thinking that you kind of look like Darth Vader in that thing…but in a sexy way…Darth Jaxson. Hot Vader. I’ll workshop it…”
“What?” he asked, confusion dancing in his voice like the waves of darkness that danced in my eyes.
I felt my arm drop to the ground. The strange grass was soft, like an old linen comforter. I realized my eyes were closed. An absolutely crucial thought ran through my mind, and even though my lips felt leaden, I forced the words out. “You know, I’ve only ever watched the original…”
Darkness took me.
34
Jaxson
I roared with fury and spun, searching for the spirit among the haze.
But the apparition of Dragan had fled, slithering from Savannah’s body like a ghostly eel the moment she’d gone unconscious.
Fuck!
I checked her over for a third time. No wounds other than the one that had never fully healed. She was just sleeping peacefully—probably for the first time since she’d learned about Magic Side.
Turning slowly, I scanned the clouds of gas. I couldn’t see anything, so I booted the still fuming potion as far as I could.
Where the hell had Dragan gone? Could the asshole jump bodies whenever he wanted, or did his host have to die or lose consciousness, like Grayling and Savannah? Was he going for another host or just lurking in the woods?
I had to warn the pack.
I lifted Savannah gently, heaved her over my shoulder, and stormed out of the billowing cloud of gas.
As the haze thinned, someone shouted, “Halt! Don’t move.”
“It’s me, asshole,” I growled as I strode forward.
I shifted instinctually—even before I heard the gun fire—and snatched the hurtling beanbag out of the air. My arm jerked back in its socket, and a burst of magic numbed my arm, but I didn’t stop.
Moving like the wind, I darted out of the haze and smacked the riot gun out of the agent’s hands. I handed him the beanbag. “I said, it’s me. Where the fuck is Harlow?”
He stammered, so I didn’t wait.
The battle was over, and most of the agents were busy cleaning up—recovering potions, untying the sacrificial victims, and cuffing the unconscious bikers.
I laid Savannah down on the grass and tore off my mask. Then I kicked my head back and howled—a deep, rage-filled bellow from the depths of my lungs. It told my pack that our quarry had escaped and to not let anyone leave the woods alive.
If that bastard tries to possess one of my wolves…
“Jaxson!” Harlow shouted as she rushed over. “Is she okay?”
I dug my claws into the earth, and it took every ounce of patience I had to keep my voice steady. “Savannah gassed herself so Dragan couldn’t possess her.”
Harlow looked over her shoulder. “But we found him unconscious—”
“Nope, that’s just Grayling now. Dragan jumped ship. He could be anywhere.”
“What?” she exclaimed.
I fixed her with a glare. “Tell me you have something to neutralize this shit and wake her up.”
Harlow fished a vial out of her pocket and bent down, holding it under Savy’s nose. Seconds later, Savannah sat up with a gasp.
“Jaxson…” She rubbed her head. “Is Dragan…”
It was all I could do to stop myself from shifting in rage. “We’re fucked. I saw his ghost leave your body, and then he disappeared into the mist. He could be back in hell, for all I know, or in someone here.”
Savannah ran her hands through her hair and dropped back down into the strange grass. “Goddamn it. He could be in anyone.”
I took her hand and hefted her to her feet. “I don’t know about that. He barely seemed to be able to control his form in Grayling—parts of him kept shifting. And when he was trying to control you…”
She looked down at her ripped jeans and shirt. “Please tell me I wasn’t wolfing out like that. It was horrific.”
She could smell the truth, so I wasn’t sure what to say. “You’re fine now.”
“Crap.” She covered her face. “Dragan was so close to taking over.”
I grabbed her shoulders and pushed my power into her. “He wasn’t. I saw you fighting him. You were the stronger one, I could feel it. He just caught you by surprise.”
Savy shook her head and nervously pulled her hair over her shoulder. “I don’t know, it felt like he was so close to winning. That’s why I gassed myself.”
“He was desperate. You’re strong—more willful than anyone I’ve ever met.” That was the truth.
A howl echoed from the far side of the woods, and we spun.
Three bikers stepped out from the trees onto the road. One had his hands in the air, while the second was dragging the third along. “We fuckin’ surrender!”
A pack of Dockside wolves emerged from the darkness behind them.
Three agents converged, riot guns raised. “Get on the ground, assholes,” one of them barked. “You’re under arrest for participating in black magic and profane rituals!”
We headed over.
As soon as the bikers were on their bellies, the agents cuffed them. “We’ve got one wounded,” the lead agent reported.
His leg had been torn to shreds, and all three had bites and scratches.
I checked in with my wolves. “Nice hunting. Is anyone hurt?”
Sam padded over in human form. Blood matted her shoulder. “They weren’t hard to bring down.”
I growled low in approval. “Clearly, they’ve spent too much time riding and not enough time hunting.”
Headlights swept over us as a pair of Order SUVs slowly trundled down the road. A man crossed through their low beams as they approached—Max, Harlow’s sandy-haired partner. He pulled off his mask. “The wolves brought in one more on the other side of the graveyard. We’ve got Grayling and thirteen others unconscious, making eighteen. There’s eighteen bikes up the road, so I think that’s everyone, unless they were riding two up, which”—he looked down at the beefy, well-built bikers—“I think is unlikely.”
“Congratulations,” Harlow said as she turned to us. “We got them all.”
Savy crossed her arms. “Nope. Grayling had a passenger—Dragan, who got away.”
Silence hung heavy.
I looked from Harlow to Max. “We need to make sure all your people are accounted for. Round them up and check if anything is strange. Dragan might have possessed one of them.”
Harlow nodded at Max. “Do it.”
I turned to Sam. “Us, too. Dragan was having trouble controlling Grayling’s forms. He might have trouble with a shift.”
Sam rounded up the wolves as Max and Harlow inspected their agents.
Savy hugged herself tight. “How do we fight a ghost if he can just jump hosts?”
“No idea. But we’re going to find out,” I growled.
Moments later, Sam dashed around the corner of the SUV. “Jax, Tony’s gone.”
Fuck. It couldn’t be.
I turned to my wolves. “Who saw Tony last?”
Two of them nodded to the road, back where the Order’s SUVs had come from. I turned to the cluster of agents. “Did anyone see a wolf or man heading that direction?”
One of them nodded. “There was a guy grabbing one of the trucks when we were going for the SUVs. I thought he’d be here by now.”
I stilled my breathing and tuned my ears.
Nothing. No sound of wheels on dirt.
I spun on my pack. “Spread out. Find him, now. Sam, take two and head for the trucks. The rest of you go parallel to the woods. Howl if you encounter him—track, but do not engage.”
My wolves tore off into the darkness.
“I might be able to get there faster in my Swiftleys!” Savannah shouted.
“Do it.”
“Okay, Wolfie, sprint time,” she said, and with a burst of speed, she shot into the dark, propelled by werewolf strength and her magical boots.
Harlow ran up. “What the hell is happening?”
“I think Dragan may have found his ride out of here in one of my people,” I snarled. “Get these asshole bikers in custody. We’ll track Dragan down.”
I pulled out my phone and called Tony. With every ring, my hope faded. Finally, it went to voicemail.
Tony was gone.
I reared my head back and roared.
35
Savannah
We were born to run, I told my wolf. Help me do this.
Her strength poured into me, and I accelerated to a breakneck pace. Thankfully, my eyes were sensitive enough that I could partially see the dirt road and the hundreds of protruding rocks, roots, and potholes.
I flashed by the pull-off where the bikers had parked their rides, and soon, I was ahead of the wolves and on my own, dashing through the darkness.
The pack’s trucks appeared up ahead, but one was missing.
I skidded to a halt, almost wiping out on the loose gravel. A quick inspection told me everything I needed to know: we were screwed.
Tony—technically, Dragan puppeteering Tony’s body—had ripped up the tires of all the remaining vehicles. A quick inspection revealed he’d taken the keys, too. We were dead in the water.
Jaxson and the wolves arrived seconds later.
I pointed. “He’s fucked our rides and taken one of the trucks! Can any of you smell which way he went? I’m not certain.”
In wolf form, their senses were much stronger. Sam and the others checked the road for the smell of tires and exhaust, and then she nodded. North.
Jaxson pulled out his phone and dialed. A soft glow and buzz emanated from the bushes. “Well, fuck. He ditched his phone, so we can’t track him that way. We’re going to need Harlow’s SUVs.”
I grabbed Jaxson’s arm. “How many of your wolves can ride a bike? Because there are eighteen Harleys parked back there.”
With a grim expression, he turned to the waiting wolves. “Who can ride?”
Harlow retrieved keys from the captured bikers, and five minutes later, Sam and three other werewolves roared up the road. The reality was that there were half a dozen turnoffs between Pere Cheney and I-75, and Tony had one hell of a head start.
He wasn’t going to be found unless he put the truck in the ditch.
Harlow contacted the state police and flagged the vehicle as stolen. There wasn’t much more we could do without a Seeker on hand—a type of Magica skilled in finding things.
Jaxson rammed his fist into the side of his truck. The force of the blow made it lurch and pivot a couple feet to the side. He shook his wrist and walked away, leaving a huge dent in the bed.
I stepped over and put my hand on his back, letting that familiar electricity between us warm the tense muscles beneath his jacket. “I know you and Tony are close. We’re going to find him.”
We stood silently like that for a moment, and Jaxson’s breathing calmed.
He turned slightly so he could look me in the eyes. “I know. I don’t like being out-maneuvered. And I hate not being on the road, hunting him.”
I let my fingers trace down his back, rising and falling. “Trust me, I get that. But Sam’s taking a shot in the dark. Tony could be anywhere. Our job is to figure out how we’re going to stop Dragan and get him out of Tony once we find him. We need to figure out how to fight a ghost.”
He let out a gruff laugh that sounded thin on hope.
An insidious melancholy hung over the assembled team, and I felt it creeping into my bones. And why shouldn’t it? I’d come so close, only to fall short. Dragan had gotten away. Again.
If I could knock a truck around like Jaxson, I would have.
We stopped the ritual. That’s something. My wolf had a lot more perspective than I did. The pack is what’s important.
I took a deep breath. Dragan had been seconds away from summoning a nightmare from the darkest depths of werewolf lore. If he’d succeeded, our pack would have been doomed. He would have stolen our souls and destroyed Magic Side.
That was huge.
So why did I feel so defeated? We’d won the battle, but not the war. The bastard was still out there, and until we caught him, no one would be safe.
Tonight, they’re safe, Wolfie said.
I nodded. True. Maybe that was enough. Another night, another week. He was on the run, and we’d get him soon.
I opened my eyes as boots approached across the dirt road. Harlow. She brushed her hair from the side of her face. “We found four captives, all Magica. They’re terrified out of their minds, but none of them were physically harmed. We sent them back to Magic Side via transport charm.”
“What about the bikers? Do any of them know where Dragan might be headed?” Jaxson asked.
She shook her head. “Most of them don’t remember a thing, or at least they claim not to.”
“I can get the information out of them,” Jaxson growled.
She held up her hand. “That was a onetime thing—when no one was watching. I want to make sure these bastards get locked away, so we’re doing this by the book. I’m sending them to Bentham, where they can be processed and questioned properly.”
I could sense his irritation, but he didn’t push the issue.
Harlow crossed her arms and gave me a suspicious look. “How did you know that Dragan was about to finish his ritual? You had me spring the trap early.”
My face heated, and I looked between her and Jaxson. “Honestly?”
She nodded, and Jaxson narrowed his eyes at me.
I gave a pained smile. “Well, I see dead people.”
Jaxson’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re joking, right?”
Suddenly ashamed, I looked down at my Swiftleys and shook my head. “I don’t know why I didn’t mention it earlier. I thought I was hallucinating at first, then that I was being haunted. Now, I think they’ve just been helping me. A woman appeared in the woods and warned me that the ritual was almost done.”
Jaxson cocked his head to the side. “That’s right…I saw you turn and look off into the trees, but I couldn’t see what you were looking at.”
I nodded. “That was her.”
Harlow tucked her hair behind her ear and gave me a warm smile. “There’s supposed to be a ghost at Pere Cheney—a witch. Lucky for us, it seems.”
The Witch of Pere Cheney—it had to have been her.
Suddenly, it hit me. I grabbed Jaxson’s hand as he started to turn back to the others. “Holy shit, Jax!”
“What?”
I looked from him to Harlow. “You wanted to know how to stop a ghost? How about we go ask one?”
36
Savannah
We raced back down the two-track trail on the back of a commandeered Harley. I clung tightly to Jaxson. It was dark, and the road was poor, and we didn’t have helmets. I closed my eyes against the dust and pressed my cheek into his strong back.
