CHAPTER 20
Edie returned a few minutes later with Adella.
Kyle’s presence at the door was reassuring, as was the combined power of the two witches in the room.
But it was his wolf’s calm inaction that eased his mind.
Still, he reached for Caster’s scent, finding it in the space of a few seconds and bathing his soul in the security it brought.
Edie placed the copper bowl she carried on the table as Kyle handed Mark his new phone.
He stared at the device in his hand, longing to call his brother even if just to make sure he was OK.
It was irrational to worry about Dean. It was the traitors in the Werewolf Council who needed to worry.
An angry, betrayed Dean was not something he would want to deal with.
He stuffed the phone in his pocket, resolving to go to his brother with solutions, not additional problems, and that meant finding Amelia.
It was time for the witch who’d protected him all his life to explain her unique role.
“I think we need Caster,” Edie said as he sat across from her, readying his mind for the effect of their magic. He was still his mother’s son, and it would take time for him to be fully on board with witches. Still, he trusted both women in the room.
He started to shake his head…
“We need him, just in case Zeke comes back,” Edie said, her smile indulgent.
He nodded and reached into Caster’s mind. The clear image of him would always be the easiest part. It was much harder to find the words to admit his weakness. Caster?
His wolf let out a low whine, its complete submission on display as he felt Caster’s presence in his mind. What is it, my love?
I need you.
Right now? What’s happening?
He shook his head. Part of Edie and Adella’s hushed conversation reached his occupied mind as they set up the table for what seemed like a complicated spell. I’m OK. Edie and Adella are here. We want to find Amelia, and Edie says it's best if you’re here.
Do we need Riley?
It didn’t seem necessary. The power he could feel from the two witches in the room would be more than sufficient. No. I don’t think so.
Give me a minute.
He took a breath, the exhale taking away all his tension to relax him enough that he sank into the comfort of the couch. The door swung open a minute later, and his heart jumped at the sight of Caster.
Caster smiled at him, and he relaxed further. You OK?
He nodded.
Caster narrowed his eyes.
Yes. I am fine, I promise.
Caster’s nod gave him permission to focus on the task at hand, his senses picking up a myriad of herbs from the copper bowl placed on top of a black cloth on the table.
He started to decipher the different herbs within the bowl, sage infiltrating his strong sense of smell first, but Caster interrupted his quest. “How do we do this?’
“The best thing would be to go to her. But…” Adella said.
“That’s out of the question.” Caster’s tone was almost harsh. “Not when that Alpha is out there somewhere.”
“Yes.” Edie didn’t shrink away from the challenge in Caster’s tone. “This is the next best thing.” She looked at Mark as if seeking his permission, which he granted with a nod. “It's kind of a reverse of the spell we used to send you to your brother. The astral projection.”
“Except that Amelia will come here?” Mark asked.
“But don’t be surprised if she is a little hostile at first,” Adella said, and he turned to her. Trying to understand magic was a chore he didn’t feel ready to tackle right now.
“Why is that?” Caster asked.
“We will be drawing her to us against her will.” Edie’s explanation had him frowning. But she smiled. “Her reluctance should vanish as soon as she sees you, though.”
Edie waited for his acquiescing nod before reaching for Adella’s hand. He’d just grabbed hold of Caster’s hand, the solid anchor settling both sides of him, when the door swung open, interrupting the first words of the spell the witches had begun.
Mark didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Her presence had grown as familiar to him as her son’s.
The Queen walked in and smiled at him. She reached for his hand as she sat next to Adella on the opposite side, and he was overcome by the need for her comfort.
She squeezed his hand once and released it.
Caster’s hold tightened. We’re both here.
He took a breath, accepting their support, and he caught Edie’s eye, nodding for her to continue.
The first chant of the spell’s wording crawled over his skin, the extent of the power from both witches causing him to gasp.
But his wolf remained calm, almost too calm, like he was certain there was no danger here.
By the third chant, Latin words in a rhyme, he sensed a shift in the room’s energy, and Amelia appeared. Her face, the projection of her face, contorted in annoyance, just as Edie had promised. She glanced around the room, and her whole form relaxed into a sigh when her eyes landed on him.
The concern on her face was too much to take, and the memory of the night she’d saved him from Ethel’s demons, the night she’d tried to ease his pain, penetrated his mind to draw a painful howl out of his wolf.
Her voice was a whisper as it sailed through space.
“I am so sorry. I should have done more.”
She glanced at Adella and then at Edie before the full discomfort of her attention was on him again.
“The memories came back? That’s why I am here?”
Mark could only nod.
The holographic projection of Amelia moved, pacing the space in the living area, her energy even at a distance, frantic. “I can come to you.”
“No.” Edie’s denial was emphatic. “Ethel is looking for you.”
Amelia stopped, shaking her head. “I know, but my cloaking spell is strong.” She looked at Mark. “It is the same one I had on you. As long as I don’t use too much of my power, she can’t find me.”
“Amara’s?” Adella asked, and Amelia nodded, her attention still on Mark. “That’s good. Ethel will find it very difficult to break that one.”
Mark frowned at Edie, the conversation getting away from him.
She waved her hand, dismissing the questions forming in his mind. “Amara is a powerful witch. A different kind of magic, outside of the Grand Coven’s practices.”
“I can be there in a few days,” Amelia said. “I can’t teleport. That would take too much power, enough for Ethel to track. I need to book a flight…”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it,” Caster said. “How soon can you be ready?”
Her attention never left Mark for more than a second. “I am ready right now. We can’t let Ethel have you.”
Caster squeezed his hand once, released it, and stood. “Be ready to leave soon. I’ll make the arrangements.”
Mark didn’t doubt that Caster would make it happen. His clipped commands reached through the open door to settle his nerves as he gave Kyle clear directions on what to do.
Amelia smiled at him. “I’d hoped we would meet soon enough, but I worried that your memories had overwhelmed you.”
He couldn’t look at her. They almost had. If he hadn’t met Caster, he doubted he would have survived them.
“It will be very nice to have you, Amelia.” The comfort in the Queen’s voice drew him away from a pain that was now dull in its intensity, but still present. “We need all the help we can get.”
“Do you think Amara might be willing to help?” Edie asked.
Amelia nodded. “I will ask. But I am confident she’ll say yes.”
Mark didn’t know who Amara was, but Edie’s smile was enough for him to see her as an ally. Caster’s mother was right; they would need all the help they could get if they were to survive the coming onslaught.
One last concerned gaze his way, and Amelia’s projection dissipated. The full combined extent of Adella and Edie’s power still filled the room, but it didn’t carry a threat.
“Now.” The Queen was on her feet with an energy he was beginning to get used to. “How would you like to meet the King? We can’t keep him waiting any longer.”
Mark stood as Edie and Adella made excuses to leave, and he looked down at himself, regretting his choice of clothing.
The Queen waved his concerns away. “You look fine.”
He frowned.
She sighed. “OK. Change and come downstairs?”
His gaze followed her as she walked away. Caster leaned against the door, his mocking smirk adding to the discomfort already building. Was he ready to meet the King? He’d thought he’d have a few days to get ready, to present his best self.
Caster pushed off the door jamb. “He will love you.”