Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
L iam stared into the forest as Elijah prepared the spell. The trees surrounding them kept shifting, changing shape and position with each blink. Grant’s territory didn’t look real, like the world itself was no longer solid or tangible, reality consumed by a twisting haze of feverish nightmares.
They needed to work fast and capture this spirit before it affected them too much. It was so strong that Liam worried they might not be able to trap it at all.
“Liam,” Elijah said.
Liam shook himself, bringing his notebook over to show Elijah the sigil he’d made for nightmares.
Elijah transferred it to the bottom of the chest. “Can you feed me Kade’s energy? I don’t know if Victor’s and Grant’s will be enough.”
“You can’t use Grant’s,” Miles said. “At least not much. He has barely any left. You’ll have to be extremely careful.”
Elijah grimaced. “Then I’ll definitely need Kade’s.”
Liam nodded. “I’m better at controlling it now. I should be able to feed it to you.”
“Can you channel Grant’s?” Elijah asked Miles. “Whatever amount is safe. I need that connection to the pack.”
“I can. It’ll just be a trickle though.”
As a healer, Miles was excellent at handling delicate spells. Healing often required a light touch and precise use of magic. If they could only use a small amount of energy from Grant, he was the best one to do it.
“I’ll make it work.”
“You said the decay spirit created golems. Do you think this one will too?” Liam asked.
“I seriously hope not, but I doubt we’re that lucky.”
“Grant’s pack should be inside then, ideally with a ward around them. They can’t protect themselves, and we can’t do it for them while we’re trapping this thing.” Liam hated leaving them vulnerable to whatever might come at them.
They looked over at Grant, and he nodded.
“Everyone inside,” he ordered.
There was some hesitation, but his pack members followed his command, shuffling inside. Liam was almost surprised they made it without assistance.
A distressed expression crossed Miles’s face.
“You can’t heal them all,” Elijah said. “I know you want to try, but I need you here. It’s the best thing you can do for them.”
Miles wasn’t happy about that, but he didn’t protest.
With everyone inside, Elijah set a quick ward around the house. “Aran, can you provide cover?”
“I’ll do my damnedest.” Grim determination radiated from Aran as he surveyed the forest.
“Okay.” Elijah knelt by the box. He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside, leaving him in his undershirt with more of his skin exposed for them to touch. “Let’s do this. Victor?”
Victor didn’t have to be told what to do; he stood behind Elijah, a hand resting on his neck.
Liam placed one hand on Elijah’s shoulder, then held his other out to Kade, who took it. The connection between them opened effortlessly.
On the other side of the chest, Miles gestured for Grant to kneel, and Liam realized he was doing it because he didn’t think Grant would be able to stand as he used his energy. His left hand settled on Grant’s neck, and then he copied Liam, his right hand on Elijah’s opposite shoulder.
Aran stood next to Rick, and Will took up position a few feet away, though he could do little against the spirit on his own.
Liam swallowed. He didn’t even have to do the hard part—that was all Elijah. He was merely a conduit, but his heart thundered in his chest. They couldn’t fuck this up. Too many lives depended on them.
Elijah inhaled deeply, his shoulder rising under Liam’s hand. He exhaled, then activated the seal.
The moment he did, something tilted, the earth falling off its axis, and Liam plummeted, tumbling endlessly with nothing around him as he plunged down and down and down, nothing to do but dread the inevitable landing.
Kade squeezed his hand, and Liam jerked, sucking in a shaky breath.
No. He wasn’t falling. There was solid ground under his feet.
He opened himself to Kade’s energy and it filled him, crackling inside him, burning so brilliant and beautiful. He spun that energy with his magic, though a word like spun implied it took effort; this required none. It was effortless grace, as natural as breathing, as familiar as the rhythm of his heart. He offered that radiant thread to Elijah, and Elijah grabbed it, weaving it into his own power. Then Elijah did the same with the trickle of Grant’s energy Miles fed him, before channeling it into the seal.
The seal glowed painfully bright, shining into the sky, latching on to the spirit.
Liam’s pulse skyrocketed as he looked up and saw the spirit pooling there, a murky fog growing denser and more ominous by the second. Within the haze, ghastly figures darted in and out—eerily grotesque creatures from the darkest corners of the imagination, unspeakable things that slithered and lurked, their presence a bone-deep chill that shivered through his body.
He was submerged under polluted water. It filled his lungs as he gasped for air. Bands of panic tightened around his chest, and his insides burned from the chemical filth as it stripped him of his control, as it corrupted him from the inside out, suffocating him with decay.
But he forced himself to breathe, to push past the feeling until the polluted water receded and he resurfaced. He felt Kade inhale. Their hands clasped each other, their grip tight to the point of pain—a stinging anchor he could focus on, a desperate lifeline to reality.
The seal wrenched the spirit toward the box, and the nightmares came at them faster, bombarding them until nothing made sense, until everything was a surreal horror that would never end.
Trees twisted and contorted, morphing into ravenous creatures that towered over them and reached out with their branches to take and devour. He was lost in a maze of shifting illusions with no way out. His mind reeled, and Elijah pulled harder on the magic and energy being fed to him.
Liam offered Elijah everything he had, everything Kade had. More energy than he’d ever handled, more magic than he should have had the capacity to use. It scorched through his system like wildfire, both painful and divine.
Sweat poured off his brow, stinging his eyes. This level of power wasn’t sustainable.
His body dissolved under that fiery onslaught, every cell of his being seared away, but Kade gripped his hand, reminding Liam he was still there, still whole, still himself.
He knew this wasn’t right. It wasn’t real. But it was difficult to remember that when his feet were floating off the ground and the laws of gravity no longer applied.
But Kade’s hand kept him tethered to the earth.
The dirt below him opened, sucking him under, crushing him, but he clawed his way back to the surface.
He lost track of the number of nightmares that assaulted them in wave after wave of every fear they had.
Bridget stumbled out of the forest and collapsed, covered in blood. She tried to crawl toward him, her eyes wide and terrified, begging him for help, for him to go to her, to remove his hand from Elijah’s shoulder and save her. He dug his fingers into Elijah’s skin and refused to let go.
Spiders and snakes and worms slithered and skittered over him. The pack house went up in flames, Grant’s pack screaming in agony, trapped inside. Dark shadows fell across them, bringing with them a terror so deep it stole Liam’s ability to scream.
But none of that was really happening. Liam focused on Kade’s grip.
The door to the house creaked open, and a woman emerged, her gaunt body and glassy eyes incongruous with her floating movements and the deadly clench of her hand around Remy’s throat, her claws out, digging into skin.
“ Fuck ,” Elijah breathed, and it took Liam a moment to realize why.
The woman wasn’t changing. She was real. As was Remy.
Other pack members followed, swaying in her wake, too confused to do anything to stop her.
“She has to be the one the spirit infected to get its hooks into the pack,” Elijah said, his voice strained. He continued to reel the spirit in.
“Remy!” Grant struggled to stand, but his legs weren’t cooperating, his energy almost depleted.
Miles stepped forward, but Elijah’s hand seized his wrist.
“I need his energy to do this,” Elijah gritted out.
Miles looked between Elijah and the kid, his expression torn.
Liam’s chest ached. They had to capture the spirit for this to be over; none of them would be safe until they did, but that didn’t mean he could ignore the blood trickling down Remy’s throat. It didn’t make it an easy choice.
The woman’s hand scraped across Elijah’s barrier, nails on a chalkboard, hazy gouges left by her claws.
“Will,” Elijah called out, “can you get the kid?”
“Yes.” Will marched toward the house.
“So much for protecting the pack.” He dropped the ward.
The world hung suspended for one drawn-out second.
Then, the golems came. Nightmare creatures—gruesome and hideous—closed in on all sides. They shambled through the forest, yet Liam knew that no matter how fast he ran, they’d gain on him. They flickered in and out of existence, never remaining in one place for long, coming closer, closer, closer.
Chaos exploded around them as Grant’s pack scattered, running for their lives, as sluggish as they were.
Kade crowded into Liam, tugging him against his chest like that would shield him from the monsters bearing down on them. His heart hammered against Liam’s back, matching the frantic pace of Liam’s own. Their bond was flooded with the instinct to protect Liam, the desire so fierce that Liam’s breath hitched.
Grant pulled Miles to his knees and wrapped himself around him as well, though his gaze was fixed on his son. He was so out of it that Liam doubted he’d processed what he was doing. Of the two of them, Miles was far more capable of protecting Grant than the other way around.
Victor stayed standing, but he projected the threat of violence to anyone who dared get too close.
“Aran,” Elijah yelled.
“On it!” Aran crouched, pressing his palms to the ground, Rick’s hand landing on his neck.
Around them, roots sprang up, grasping at gnarled legs. Most of the creatures guttered out, only to reappear elsewhere, but a few were caught, struggling to shake off the roots, clawed hands tearing at their flesh to get free.
There was too much happening. Liam couldn’t follow it all. The monsters stalked Grant’s pack despite Aran’s attempts to capture them. Will squared off against the possessed woman.
“We need to finish this,” Elijah shouted over the screams and shrieks. He yanked on Liam’s magic, and Liam hissed at the burn of it. He felt disoriented as he was inundated by a torrent of Kade’s energy, as it swept through him and into Elijah.
The spirit was above them, and Elijah dragged it down, racing the creatures drawing nearer to the pack members.
The woman knocked Will off his feet, her hand still around Remy’s neck, but Elijah kept feeding their energy and magic into the seal until nothing was left in the sky. Then he meticulously removed the hooks that had been sunk into the pack.
As he worked, the woman shuddered and fell, releasing her hold on Remy, and one by one, the golems began to disappear.
When he was done, the spirit was pooled in the box, a surreal haze that flickered and jumped in those confines. Elijah slammed the lid shut, and wards flashed around the box, sealing it closed.
Everyone collapsed, panting.
Liam slumped forward, winded and exhausted. Kade stayed draped over him as they sank onto their knees, his arms holding him tight, a warm, soothing presence that Liam melted into. Kade’s breathing was harsh in his ears, his body shaking as he clung to Liam. Sweet relief sang through their bond, and Liam’s eyes slid shut as it washed over him.
“ Please ,” Grant said, a broken whine, and before Liam could turn his head, Miles was on his feet, unsteady from the magic he’d used, but running to where Remy’s crumpled body lay. Grant tried to drag himself forward, but he was too weak.
Miles’s hands landed gently on the boy’s neck as he healed him again. “He’s okay,” he called out. “He’ll be fine.” Grant seemed close to sobbing with relief, but it was clear he wanted to go to his son.
When Miles was satisfied with his work, he crawled over to the woman who’d been possessed and healed her as well, though Liam couldn’t see any visible injuries on her.
Then he looked at Will, who was battered but sitting up. Will waved him off. “I’m already healing, but thanks.”
Miles frowned like he was about to argue, but then his gaze caught on another shifter.
“Aran,” Liam said. “He isn’t going to stop.”
Aran went after Miles, grabbing him before he reached the shifter. Miles fought to get away, but Aran pinned him to his side.
“Yes, yes, I know. You’re a very feisty kitten.” Aran hauled Miles toward the chest. “But we can’t have you burning yourself out trying to heal everyone. I used the least magic, so I’ll check them over, and anything urgent that I can’t handle, Rick will bring to you. Deal?”
Miles sagged in his arms, and Aran deposited him beside Grant.
“Hey, Alpha Silver Wolf Daddy, make sure he doesn’t hurt himself and I’ll bring you your son.”
Liam huffed. Only Aran would give someone such a ridiculous nickname directly after a battle.
Grant squinted up at Aran, unsure how to take him, but he wrapped a trembling hand around Miles’s wrist, like he fully intended to keep Miles right there. His face was pale and he swayed as he sat, but there was resolve in the way he nodded to Aran, who did as promised, gathering up Grant’s son and bringing him over, where he was immediately tucked against Grant’s side.
Miles turned, taking in Grant’s exhausted state and wincing. “I’m sorry. I tried to use as little as I could.”
Grant shook his head. “It was willingly given. You could have taken more if you needed to.”
Miles pressed his lips together, frowning. “No. I couldn’t have.”
They caught their breath as Aran checked Grant’s pack for serious injuries. The members who had scattered into the forest staggered back into the clearing now that the threat had passed.
Liam pushed himself to his feet, and with Kade’s help, walked to Victor’s SUV. He retrieved one of their maps, grimacing when he saw it. Kade flinched, but there was no instinctual fear response, no tightening panic around his chest.
Grant’s territory was no longer almost completely black, but capturing the larger spirit had revealed dozens hidden underneath. More than a few were as large as some of the biggest on Victor’s territory had been. He brought it to show the rest of them. Kade was still plastered to his side, but Liam had no desire to put distance between them.
“They can’t stay here.” He held the map out.
Considering how weakened the pack was, they needed a safe place to heal and recover, and this wasn’t it.
“Their wards are also shot to hell, and those can’t be reset properly for another month,” Elijah added.
“You and your pack are welcome to stay with us,” Victor said. “Until these spirits are cleaned up and your wards are reset.”
Grant hesitated, and Victor tried to reassure him.
“You’ve helped my pack before. I know I can trust you. I hope you can trust us in return.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, but leaving my territory…”
“I understand. We’ll help you get back on it as soon as possible.”
Grant looked conflicted, but said, “Thank you.”
“How are we getting them to Victor’s?” Liam asked.
“We can drive.” Grant’s voice was rough.
“No, you fucking cannot,” Miles said sharply. “None of you are in any state to drive.”
Grant blinked at him, clearly surprised at being overruled on his territory by someone he’d met less than an hour ago.
Elijah snorted. “If you have cars, we’ll drive them. I think we’re fine for that.” He glanced at Miles, who narrowed his eyes and looked around before nodding.
“Okay, so you’ll come with us, and we’ll discuss things further after you’ve gotten some food and rest,” Victor said.
“After a lot of food and rest,” Miles corrected.
“What he said,” Victor amended solemnly.
They managed to get the entire pack bundled up, though many of them seemed so out of it that they had no clue what was going on as Liam helped them into cars. They’d have to return for clothes and other belongings, but those could wait. It was more important that they were somewhere safe where they could sleep.
They picked up Kade’s car on their way out. During the entire drive to Victor’s, one thought played on repeat in Liam’s mind.
Once they were at the pack house, they got Grant and his pack settled into spare bedrooms—more per room than Liam would have believed possible, but Kade assured him there was enough space since they could sleep in their wolf forms on the floor.
Liam then turned to Kade and said the most cliched line in the history of cliched lines.
“We need to talk.”