“So we have no way to communicate with anyone in there?” Lucian asked. “What about cell phones? Do any of them have phones with them?”
Peri nodded. “Good call, mate. We’ll have to go back home and borrow Sally’s.” She held her hand out for Lucian but he ignored it. Instead he wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed his lips to her neck.
“I get the privilege of travelling with you like this,” he told her as his breath caressed her skin. One of his hands splayed across her stomach pulling her closer against him while his other hand cupped her chin and tilted her head so that he had better access to her neck. Peri gasped when she felt his teeth scrape against the skin where she knew his mark was.
She felt his smile against her flesh and Peri couldn’t help the butterflies that danced in her stomach.
“Shall we go?” he asked her.
She heard the humor in his voice. He loved the effect that he had on her. If she didn’t know that she had the same effect on him, it might have ticked her off. But as it was, she knew ― thanks to the bond ― that she drove him crazy with need and that made her pleased as punch.
Unable to form any words, thanks to Lucian’s stunt, she flashed them to Farie, right into her living room.
“Sally!” Peri called. It was late and she figured the healer and Costin were in bed already. But she wasn’t about to flash into their room. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. Now she knew that it was better just to holler for whatever pair she needed instead of appearing unannounced in their rooms.
Several minutes later, a curious looking Sally and an irritated looking Costin came walking into the living room.
“Did we interrupt something interesting?” she teased the obviously grumpy werewolf.
Costin bared his teeth at her, earning him a smack in the gut from Sally.
“What’s up?” Sally asked.
“The veil into the pixie realm has been closed. I can’t get in that way or by flashing,” Peri told them.
Sally’s eyes widened. “Volcan,” she muttered under her breath.
“Well, that’s assuming it isn’t a leprechaun with a grudge toward the pixies for taking the market on roles in the Harry Potter movies.” Peri looked around at the three sets of eyes that were staring at her like she’d just sprouted a boob out of her forehead. “What?” she huffed. “We have to consider all possibilities.”
“A leprechaun, really?” Sally asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips at her.
“Fine,” Peri threw her hands up. “It’s a 99.9% chance that it is indeed Volcan. The .1% is just giving us some margin of error to work with in case we are wrong.”
“I thought you were never wrong,” Costin taunted.
Peri narrowed her eyes on him. “I said rarely wrong.” He held up his hands in surrender under her glare.
“Okay, enough,” Sally interrupted. “You two are like two toddlers fighting over whose dolly is better.”
“I didn’t play with dolls,” Costin said looking quite horrified at the prospect.
“Well, that explains what’s wrong with you,” Peri said with a nod. “You didn’t learn that it’s okay to get in touch with your feminine side. It’s made you unbalanced.”
“Lucian,” Sally practically whined. “Make her behave.” She turned to Costin and stood up on her toes getting right in his face. “And you shut it or I will not be helping you at the bar for a month.”
Costin’s eyes widened in horror. “A month! Come on, brown eyes, that’s a little harsh. A month of no sashaying hips, flirtatious winks, or so called accidental groping. That’s just cruel.”
Sally just glared at him with her hands on her hips. Costin finally huffed. “Fine, I’ll shut it.” He leaned back against the wall, crossed his ankles, and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I’m impressed,” Peri started but was pulled up short when Lucian growled her name.
“What are we going to do?” Sally asked.
Peri didn’t have the slightest clue. But she didn’t voice that out loud. Only her mate would know just how helpless she was beginning to feel. Volcan seemed to be two steps ahead of them at every turn.
Just when Peri was about to throw out some weak option, there was a loud crash from upstairs. All four of their heads snapped up as if they could see through the ceiling. Then the front door slammed open as Nick came flying inside.
Peri nearly groaned at the hole the door knob left in her wall. Werewolves were hard on houses. She made a note to herself to build her next house out of stone.
“I just saw Jewel and some other girl running into the forest,” the young wolf told them as he attempted to catch his breath.
Peri felt her stomach clench. “And why are you standing here and not chasing them?”
“Dalton is already pursuing them, and some of the other males have joined him.”
That must have been the crash. That stupid wolf had a thing about going through windows.
“What did the girl look like?”
“She was kind of short, brown curly hair, and she was wearing a skirt,” Nick told them.
“Anna,” Sally and Peri said at the same time.
“Wasn’t she in the pixie realm hiding out from Gustavo?” Sally asked.
Costin pushed away from the wall. “So what you’re saying is there’s an Alpha wolf, unbonded, trapped in a realm that no longer contains his mate?”
Chapter 13
“These aren’t my hands that cause such pain. These aren’t my lips that utter such speech. These aren’t my feet that carry me away from you. This isn’t me. It looks like me, it sounds like me, but peel away the flesh, look past the muscle and marrow, and you will see. The darkness grows, the power swells, and it refuses to be contained or controlled. Just remember, it isn’t me.” ~Jewel Stone
Jewel grabbed her head and bit her lips to keep from screaming. The pain had been growing steadily worse. She’d tried to ignore it, not wanting her date with Dalton to come to an end, but when she started hearing Volcan’s voice in her mind, she could no longer sit there and pretend to be okay.
“She’s coming. She will be the first to join with us. Meet her outside. Go.” She couldn’t deny the command; she couldn’t fight it. Jewel knew she had to be quiet or Dalton would hear her and want to know if she was okay. If she then didn’t answer him, the door wouldn’t stop him.
She pushed the window open and looked down. It was a decent drop.
“You won’t fall. Go,” The dark fae’s voice urged. She cringed at the pain his presence in her mind caused.
Jewel carefully climbed out of the window and grabbed onto the sill. Her feet caught on a small ledge that protruded from the side of the house. She knew that what she was doing was defying gravity. She lowered herself and put her hands on the ledge and then stepped off of it while still holding on with her hands. She slid down until her feet touched the ground. When she looked back up to her window, she couldn’t believe she’d made it without falling and breaking her neck.
When she turned around, her eyes widened at the sight of Anna and a little flying woman coming toward her. She felt the sudden urge to get Anna behind the cover of the bushes as quickly as possible. She motioned for them to hurry and to her surprise Anna ran right to her and wrapped her arms around Jewel.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said fiercely.
Jewel hugged her back but then was reminded by a friendly jolt from Volcan that she had work to do. She pulled back from Anna and looked at her. “I thought you were in the pixie realm.”
“I was, but then the pixie king’s brother told me that you had been released and we were allowed to come back to Peri’s. Where is everyone else?”
Jewel shook her head at the other healer. “Anna, no one else has returned.”
“What?”
“I knew that dirty, son of a pixie was lying,” the pixie woman spat as she landed on the ground next to Anna.
Anna noti
ced Jewel looking down at the woman. “Oh, sorry, Jewel, this is Adira. Adira, this is my friend and fellow gypsy healer, Jewel.”
Adira nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“And you,” Jewel replied. Then looked back to Anna. She felt the magic in her blood; the darkness begin to heat her veins. It was happening. Volcan had warned her that she wouldn’t be able to resist its pull ― that she would have to release it. She struggled to push away the urge but it was futile.
“Jewel, are you okay?” Anna asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
A tear escaped Jewel’s eye as she opened them. “I’m so sorry, Anna. I hope you can forgive me.”
Anna’s forehead scrunched into one of confusion. “What do you mean?”
In answer Jewel took Anna’s other hand, the one not on her shoulder, and using one of her finger nails, that was suddenly wicked sharp, cut a slash in her palm. Then Jewel cut her own palm and pressed their hands together. There was no waiting. The magic flared between them and Jewel felt instant relief as dark magic flowed from her body into Anna’s.
Words filled her mind and she knew she needed to say them out loud. As she spoke, the wind began to whip around them and drops of rain began to fall.
“Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire,
Hear my voice, obey my desire.
Welcome us with open arms,
Teach us of power and of charms.
The craft has called to us,
Fate has chosen us,
Now we come, embrace us,
Here we stand, protect us.
Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind,
Pour your power deep within.
Teach us so we may share,
Help us draw more into your care.
Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire,
Hear my voice, obey my desire.
Anastasia heeds your command,
And I, Jewel, with her stand.”
Jewel opened her eyes and the wind and rain stopped suddenly. She and Anna looked at each other and Jewel’s heart ached. “I’m so sorry.”
Anna smiled and understanding filled her eyes. “At least you won’t be alone. We will do this together.”
“What about our friends, our…” ― Jewel paused and swallowed down the tears ― “our mates?”
“We can still be a part of them. We just can’t let the darkness touch them.”
“Why are you so calm about this, Anna? I just turned you into a witch!” Jewel’s stomach rolled with the reality of what she’d just done.
“You had no choice. I saw inside of you, Jewel. As our blood mixed, your memories filled my mind and you had no choice. If you don’t release his magic and do as it bids, it will destroy you and it will be a horrific death.”
“So instead of dying and preventing all of this, I’m to go out and create an army of evil beings?”
“You’re going to survive. Until we can figure out a way to beat this, it is our job to survive.” Anna had taken Jewel by the shoulders and was holding her tightly. “We are sisters. We are coins with two sides ― our gypsy side and our witch side. And until we can figure out how to become a one-sided coin again, we will make the best of our situation.”
Jewel gave a small nod. “We survive,” she repeated.
“Exactly,” Anna agreed. “We have work to do. For now we have landed on our witch side. Let’s do our work and when it is time to rest, we will return to our friends and our healer side.”
“Okay,” Jewel agreed.
“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt the little witchy pep talk, but maybe you two should think this through a little more,” Adira said as she flew higher so as to be eye level with the girls.
Anna smiled at the pixie. “Adira, you have become a precious friend. I thank you for letting me stay with you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I appreciate that,” Adira said eyeing the healer.
“So I do apologize about this.” Before the pixie could respond, Anna placed a finger to the woman’s forehead and then caught her when she started to fall. She gently laid the pixie in the grass and then stood back up.
“She will be okay. I just knocked her out,” Anna told Jewel.
Jewel took a deep breath and then took Anna’s hand. “Ready?”
“We don’t have a choice, so I guess we have to be.”
Without another word they took off running. The magic inside of them drove them, commanded them in their actions, and they were powerless to deny it. Jewel knew the moment Dalton realized she was gone. She heard his howl and knew he would be following after her. She picked up the pace and Anna matched her. How she was running so well in that skirt, Jewel didn’t understand, but then there was much that had happened in the past hour that she didn’t understand, and she was too tired to try and work it out now.
When they finally reached the veil to the human realm, they both stopped and turned. Five heartbeats later, eight large wolves, one being Dalton, came prowling out of the forest. The girls watched the wolves carefully and, once they were about fifteen feet away, they stopped.
Jewel felt the magic stirring. She didn’t want to hurt any of them, but she couldn’t let them stop her and Anna. They had to obey Volcan. To her surprise Dalton phased right there and stood before them in all his naked glory. She was so shocked and then so captivated by the look of anger, desperation, longing, and love ― all warring in competition for dominance in his eyes ― that she couldn’t look anywhere else.
“Jewel,” his voice was a punch to the gut.
“Dalton, don’t. Please,” Jewel pleaded. Why! Her heart cried out inside of her. Why were they here once again saying goodbye when all she wanted was to be in his arms?
“Talk to me,” he told her through clenched teeth. He was trying so hard to hold himself together and not lose control. His wolf was battling him for dominance and, for the moment, the man was winning. “Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, Little Dove. Don’t shut me out. We’re a team, remember?”
She wanted to tell him. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth. Jewel stared back at him, desperate for him to understand that she wasn’t in the driver’s seat at the moment. Volcan was calling the shots, using his blood in her to force his will. She knew that the smile that spread across her face was not her own. She knew that the voice that came from her mouth sounded nothing like her. It was her body, but it had been taken captive by the dark magic flowing through her veins.
“Anna and I have some things we need to take care of, but we’ll be back.”
Peri turned to Lucian. “Go,” he told her.
She shook her head, “Not without you, not anymore.” She switched to the mental bond. “I’m tired of trying to handle it all. I can’t keep them safe, Lucian, and it’s killing me.”
Lucian took her hand and then looked at Costin and Sally. “Peri and I will pursue the two healers along with the other wolves. You two stay here in case someone doubles back.” He turned to Nick. “Show us the direction they were running.”
Peri let out a shaky breath as she let Lucian take the lead. Outwardly, she was trying to appear as strong as ever, but inside she was crumbling. How had everything fallen apart so quickly? Why did things keep getting worse? Volcan was winning and she didn’t have a damn clue how to stop him.
“One thing at a time, Perizada,” Lucian’s voice soothed her. “First, we find Jewel and Anna, then we go from there.”
She drew on his strength and pulled herself together. She was Perizada of the high fae for crying out loud. She’d been placed over the healers for centuries, and the Great Luna wouldn’t have put her in such a position if she didn’t think Peri could handle it.
With renewed resolve, she gave her mate a nod. He stripped and phased to his wolf form and Nick did the same. Peri climbed onto her mate’s back and held on tight as he shot off like a bullet following Nick.
It wasn’t long before they caught up with the other wolves. They were at the
veil to the human realm. Jewel and Anna stood holding hands, staring back at the wolves that surrounded them. Dalton had phased to his human form and true to werewolf fashion seemed to care less that he was naked. She made a motion with her hand and sweat pants appeared in front of him. He put them on without bothering to even look at them. His eyes were only for Jewel.
Peri climbed off of Lucian and walked toward the two girls. She started to say something, but then both Jewel and Anna turned to look at her, their heads moving in perfect unison. Peri’s feet stopped in their tracks as the girls’ eyes met hers. Though their physical bodies stood before them, Jewel and Anna weren’t at home.
“Why? Why can’t one of us go with you?” Dalton asked her.
“Because the darkness in you is not a sister to the darkness in us.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Peri shouted.
“It means only sisters can travel together. Only sisters can assist in the task we must perform. None of you” ― Jewel pointed at all of them ― “are sisters.”
Peri watched in sick fascination as Anna’s head nodded on her shoulders like a bobble head doll, agreeing with the crap spewing from Jewel’s mouth.
“Anna,” Peri called her name. “Why aren’t you in the pixie realm where I left you?”
Anna gave her a sweet smile. “Ciesel came and told me that my sister, Jewel, had been released and that all the other sisters could return.”
“Don’t you mean healers?” Peri’s eyes narrowed.
“Healers now, but soon they too will be sisters,” Jewel answered.
Peri was trying to think of things to keep them talking, to somehow stall whatever it was that she knew was about to happen. Stall for what, she didn’t know. She didn’t have a plan and from the look on Dalton’s face, he didn’t either. He looked just as helpless as Peri felt.
They were two steps from crossing over into the human realm and out of the protection of Farie when Peri yelled, “FIGHT HIM! Jewel, Anna, you have to fight!” She wanted to shake them, shake them so hard that the evil blood would fall right out of them. If only it were that easy. Jewel’s eyes met Peri’s and she could practically feel the sorrow held in the pale green orbs. She was about to flash up to them but Jewel must have seen Peri’s intention in her face.