Chapter 18
Caedmon Moroz
It was clear that Julian was feeling a bit off about what we’d found in the house, but to his credit he seemed to be handling it well—far better than I would’ve been able to.
Then again, if I found out that I had a relative that actually loved me, I would more than likely be in a state of shock.
That wasn’t feasible when it came to my family line. Cold bastards.
Standing on the other side of Effie as we continued along the same path as before, I smoothed a hand up and down her back, not bothering to join in the light conversation the others were attempting.
The forest was growing more and more silent as we continued on, the lack of noise hanging heavy in the air as an inkling of apprehension tugged at the back of my mind.
It wasn’t so much that something was wrong, but it felt like something was trying to gain my attention, to warn me of something that could potentially happen. I just had no idea what the hell that was.
“How will we know what it looks like?” Effie asked. “I assume we’ll be able to tell, but do you think it’ll be an actual gate? Or will it be more like what Reaper created to get us down in the shadowlands?”
“I hope for an actual gate,” I said. “None of us can open portals.”
Well, Effie probably could, but obviously that wasn’t something we would ask of her. I had no idea how the hell to even suggest she attempt that—our magic was worlds apart.
“I’ve seen pictures of what it’s supposed to look like,” Ryder said. “They were old drawings though, and we know those can be misleading.”
Understatement of the century, especially when it came to authors trying to talk about different wolf varieties and species that they weren’t themselves.
I nearly shook my head thinking about all the false information and inaccurate illustrations I’d seen of lycans over the course of my life.
Probably more than any other species, if we were being honest. While many were fascinated with lycans and the rage we could be sent into—the duality of our existence—most didn’t care to learn anything past that.
Our group grew quiet after that, as if we were all looking for a gate to suddenly appear, and when it began to sleet, signaled by the pattering of frozen rain droplets on the heavy foliage above us, I started to grow frustrated.
I didn’t like the idea of Effie out in weather like this, and the only thing worse than sleet would probably be hail.
I would haul her ass back to the car if that happened…
My concerns began to disappear, though, as a wave of heavily saturated magic slammed into me and we stepped through an archway of trees into a small clearing…
if you could even call it that. I looked up, the sky above us growing into a stormy charcoal, almost black color, and the sensation of the hairs on the back of my neck rising had me looking over my shoulder—an empty pathway greeting us. Something wasn’t adding up here.
“Is…is that it?” Effie’s voice was soft, and I looked towards the stone archway at the far end of the clearing, barely visible beneath the vines crawling up it. It almost looked like a trellis rather than an archway.
“It feels like it,” Dakota said.
Effie took another step forward, and I grunted as memories began to surge through our bond, the overwhelming fear associated with Effie’s arrival on Earth seeming to make her hesitate for a moment, her body swaying at the unexpected memories.
The sound of her footsteps and her sobs as she ran through the forest made my chest squeeze in pain, wanting to shelter her from the moment even though it was so long ago.
I was starting to understand why she felt so intensely about protecting me from my own past—it was an almost unstoppable, desperate urge.
“It feels off though,” Ryder said. “Like it doesn’t have enough magic.”
He was right. The gate felt dull, like there was barely anything fueling it. Which if it was locked, I supposed that made a lot of sense.
“When we open it,” Effie said as we slowly crossed the clearing, “we need to stay close together. I have no idea what’s going to happen when we open it.”
Or how we opened it to begin with.
Before I could respond to her, the rustling of leaves brought a sense of dread, a familiar scent causing a nearly feral noise to break from my throat as I turned sharply to the left. Fuck.
“That won’t be a problem, because you won’t be opening it.”
A growl broke from my throat at the sight of my father stepping towards us, my vision turning red.
I could feel Effie vibrating with power against me as she said something in a low tone, trying to soothe me, but all I focus on was the fact that he was here—right at the fucking finish line, looking like the arrogant bastard that he was.
But he wasn’t alone.
“Speechless, that’s a first,” my father drew out as Hastain stepped out from behind him, the two of them radiating a level of malicious intent that had me wanting to open up my chest and hide Effie inside of me. I wanted to keep her safe from this shit. I didn’t want her to even have to see them.
“Not speechless,” Dakota growled, “just trying to determine the best way to finally kill you.”
“That won’t be happening.” Hastain smirked as we circled to find the source of the movement around us, a series of wards dropping to reveal the other blood-bonded pack. They stood there looking lifeless, their gazes completely focused on Effie in a way that had me nearly shifting out of my skin.
“Give me the key, girl.”
I wanted to rip Hastain’s tongue out for daring to use it to address Effie directly.
“Absolutely not,” Effie growled, her voice far more deadly than I’d ever heard it before.
Hastain chuckled. “You already know about the girls, Effie. Each time you deny me the key or anything else I want, one of them dies.”
He lifted his phone, the image on the screen one of devastation. Effie froze in horror at the sight of a warehouse full of young women tied up on the cement and crying. It didn’t surprise me they were capable of this, and it sure as fuck didn’t surprise me that my father was part of it.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Ryder snarled.
“What’s wrong with us?” My father’s voice was amused. “None of you are better than any of us, which is exactly why opening this gate is a bad idea—for you as much as us.”
“What are you talking about?” Julian demanded, Coffin’s magic subtly making an appearance as he directed his power towards the other blood-bonded pack so they didn’t take us off guard. Considering I kept forgetting about them, hyperfocused on my father, it was a good move.
“What do you think will happen when those gates open?” my father asked, looking at me.
“Do you think you’ll be spared? The divine intervention of the gods means everyone will be brought to justice, equally.
All of you have blood on your hands—especially you, Caedmon—and each of you belong in the darkness.
If you open those gates, you lose everything. ”
I realized with startling clarity that my father truly believed that—it wasn’t a line he was feeding us. It also made me realize…
“You’re scared,” I said evenly. “You’re fucking terrified.”
His gaze darkened. “None of you are old enough to realize what will change when that gate opens. None of you realize the trouble you’re inviting in.”
“I don’t need to understand it if it stops bastards like you,” Tore spit out.
“Bastards like us.” Hastain chuckled. “You came to Silver Falls after the slaughter of a pack member, Tore. You are one of the bastards.”
“No.”
Effie’s voice was absolutely lethal as she stepped forward, her gaze narrowed with disgust. “They are absolutely nothing like you two—nothing like any of you. If they deserve divine justice, then so do I, and I’m willing to give up everything to ensure that you’re stopped.
What you’re doing is sick. It’s wrong. And I’m done waiting. ”
My mate’s words were hard and final as she turned towards the gate, and all at once everything broke into action.
The blood-bonded pack surged forward upon my father’s sharp whistle, and without a second thought Dakota shifted as Julian’s bitten magic was completely swarmed by Coffin, his sharp word echoing. “Stop.”
Weylin and his pack stopped. Immediately. Effie had paused momentarily but continued towards the arch as my father chuckled, the noise strained as the blood-bonded pack hesitated and began to look around in confusion.
The command Coffin used was followed by a short and even, “Leave,” which was all it took. The four bastards fled like a spell had been broken. It made a fuck ton of sense how Julian was so powerful now, considering what we knew about Coffin, but I wouldn’t lie—sometimes it even freaked me out.
My gaze moved back to my father and Hastain as the five of us spread out to allow Effie the time she needed to figure out how to open the gate. I knew they wouldn’t just leave like the BBP had; they were here and fucking determined to see this gate kept closed.
“Effie is opening that gate and you will not be stopping her,” I growled. “No matter what.”
Hastain offered a dark sneer before lifting his jacket and taking out a gun, loading it and pointing it right at Julian—clearly deciding he was the threat here, especially to his control over people.
My attention was on my father, though, who offered me a huge grin and slid off his dress coat, letting it fall onto the ground.
“Very well, Caedmon,” my father mused, “we’ll do this your way. I’ve been looking for a reason to kill you for some time now.”
My body tensed as I realized that the fucker was about to shift. I had no idea how he could control it. I had determined I could because of my bond with Effie…but how the fuck was he able to?
I hadn’t seen the bastard shift in years.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hastain asked.