Chapter 29
Ispun around and grew light-headed as I listened to Dave make sucking noises as he drank from Josie’s wrist. Even though he remained pale and motionless, his Adam’s apple bobbed with each tug.
I blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. His heartbeat strengthened, reinforcing that the groan and sucking noises were coming from him.
Isn’t wolf blood supposed to kill vampires? I asked. Maybe I’d gotten my facts wrong. I’d become privy to so much, and maybe I’d jumbled things together, though I was certain I wasn’t wrong.
Raffe’s eyes widened, and shock swirled off him.
As Dave drank greedily from her wrist, Josie smiled though tears still streamed down her cheeks.
Uh … it’s supposed to, Keith replied. But hell, humans aren’t supposed to be able to shift into wolves, so who fucking knows anymore?
That was the first statement he’d made that I could fully agree with, which was saying something. My relationship with Keith was still rocky at best, though he was trying to make things better, thanks to Raffe and his threats.
“What are you doing?” Raffe shook his head. “You know we aren’t supposed to let vampires feed from us. What will you do when he dies more tragically?” His shock changed to fear.
Between that and him looking in Josie’s direction, my blood jolted, and my wolf yanked forward to take control. I clung to my human side, reminding myself that Josie was a friend to all of us and was pack.
“I had to do something,” Josie replied, watching Dave. With her free hand, she ran her fingers through his dark-auburn hair. “At least, if he dies, I’ll know I tried.”
Nostrils flaring, Raffe spun back around and marched toward the human. “What did you do to him?”
As soon as his attention was off Josie, my blood calmed, and my wolf settled.
“I … I didn’t do a damn thing,” the woman replied forcefully.
I turned halfway so I could keep an eye on Dave and the strange human woman before us.
“You must have done something.” He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder as Keith and Adam inched closer to her, baring their teeth. “He’s near death and can feed from a wolf, so what did you and the witches from the society do to make that possible?”
My limbs grew heavy. He was right—maybe the witches had done something to Dave, but that dagger was in his chest. I glanced at his blood on my hands. I had no doubt he’d been near death, but why?
“I don’t know what happened. I came here because I was informed that Skylar’s life would be threatened in the woods tonight.” The woman ran her hands through her hair. “Nothing happened, and when I headed toward the campus to see if I had the location wrong, I came across him.” She pointed at Dave. “He was bad off, and I was trying to remove the dagger from his heart before dragging him to the campus.”
Raffe’s ice-blue eyes glowed as his wolf surged forward, and he cracked his knuckles. “How do you know my mate’s name?”
“Mate?” The woman arched a brow, glancing at me. “You’re the one she’s fated to?”
How does a human know about all this? Adam was tense and ready to strike. Even someone in the secret society would be stupid to expose us like that.
My blood jolted, and an eerie sensation had my skin crawling. Combined with Raffe’s suspicion, I wanted to climb out of my skin. “Who are you working for?” I asked, my voice sounding higher than I wanted. It wasn’t that I feared her but more about everything we didn’t know. How could we defeat a secret organization when we had no clue who was part of it and while Raffe was at odds with his dad?
“I’m not working for anyone.” The woman sighed and glanced skyward. “I came here out of concern.”
“Concern?” I crossed my arms, examining her from head to toe. She was middle-aged, probably midforties. Something about her looked familiar, though I was certain I’d never seen her before in my life. “I don’t even know you.”
“Look, can we go somewhere to talk?” The woman spread out her arms. “If someone wanted that vampire to die, they might come back to finish the job. None of us should be here for that.”
Raffe laughed loudly, startling me.
“You think I’m taking you back to our place so you can see where we live?” Raffe shook his head, his mouth twisting. “I’m not taking you anywhere that could expose my mate to a greater risk than she’s already in.”
“I would never hurt her.” The woman placed a hand on her chest and faced me. “I realize you don’t know me, but I’m one of the few who has your best interests at heart. That’s why I had to come here to help you.”
She had to be mentally unstable, or maybe she was a witch cloaking her powers. Something about this situation didn’t feel right. “We know nothing about you, including your name. Do you expect us to just trust you? You haven’t given us any reason to, so forgive me if I completely agree with my mate.”
“My name is Octavia.” She licked her lips, her brown irises warming to a cognac shade similar to mine. “And I know what you are.”
“It’s becoming more widely known, so that doesn’t give you much credibility.” Raffe wrinkled his nose. “The secret society knows all about Skylar, so if you’re working with them, you would know too.”
Octavia stomped her foot like a child. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not a witch? You’d know if I were lying. You’re all wolf shifters here.”
“Not if you’re cloaking the scent.” I’d learned that witches had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves to deal with us.
Suddenly, Josie moaned and dropped to the ground. Even with her collapse, she kept her wrist at Dave’s mouth. The vampire was now eagerly slurping and holding her wrist.
Something was wrong, and it wasn’t Dave who was struggling. Was this a trap?
“What the hell have you done?” Raffe bellowed, stepping closer to Octavia. “Did you get him to inject her with something?”
He could handle that threat while I helped Josie. My wolf inched forward as I rushed to her side. I noted that, though Dave was still pale, even by his standards, some color had returned to his face.
Josie’s blood was helping him, and there was no telling how much he’d drunk. His heartbeat had strengthened, something I’d missed while talking to Octavia, and his breathing was steady though a little shallow.
“I’ve already answered this question. No matter how many times you ask, the answer will be the same.” Octavia grimaced. “I didn’t do a damn thing to him or her. He was like this when I found him.”
Once I reached Dave and Josie, I removed her wrist from his mouth, and Josie linked, No. It’s helping him.
At your expense. I squatted next to her, noting that her skin was glistening with sweat despite the cold, and her breathing was shallow. How much has he drunk? I ripped off the bottom of Raffe’s polo shirt, wrapped it around Josie’s wrist multiple times, then tied it tightly.
Not enough. He needs more. He can’t die. I can’t survive it, she whimpered and tried to jerk her hand out of mine, but it was barely more than a flinch.
She couldn’t survive it? If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought they were in love, but I’d never seen them so much as talk to each other. They’d mentioned each other in passing, and Josie had seemed sad and off since Dave’s disappearance, but a relationship between them was impossible. They were different species.
My stomach roiled, and I pushed the thought aside. It couldn’t be that. Things were complicated enough. I must be paranoid and thinking of the worst possible scenario.
What’s wrong with her? Raffe linked.
Blood loss. I glanced around, realizing that Octavia was right. We couldn’t stay out here with Dave like this and Josie damn near passed out. If we were attacked, we’d be screwed because they’d go after our weakest. If Dave had any chance of surviving this, he needed to remain with us. I trusted Raffe to get answers for us. We’ve got to move. Josie needs to warm up, eat, and rest.
Then that’s what we do, Raffe replied solemnly and added Lucy to our connection. Lucy, are you on your way back?
That was an excellent idea. In all the chaos, I’d forgotten about Lucy.
Uh, yeah. About halfway there. I saw the others’ clothes where we left them, and I snagged them, she replied. I’m starving, so I’m hoping you guys already ordered pizza or something. I’d rather not head back to the student center with Uncle Jovian and Aunt Tashya around.
I wished that was our main concern right then. We need you to hurry. We’re half a mile inside the woods from the apartments, near where the Eastern wolves attacked me. Josie passed out, and we can’t carry her inside until she’s dressed.
What? She paused. Okay, I’m on my way.
Even though I couldn’t feel her emotions like Raffe’s, I could hear the shock and fear in her tone.
What are we going to do with her? Adam asked.
I didn’t have to turn around to know he meant Octavia.
Kill her? Keith suggested.
I wasn’t sure if he was kidding or being serious. With him, anything was possible.
I’d like to, but if she’s with Dad or the secret society, she could have information we need. Raffe exhaled noisily. I’d hate to kill her until we’ve learned everything we can.
Okay, Keith had been serious, and Raffe was basically going along with the suggestion. I waited to feel horror, but it never came. Instead, my chest tightened. I was horrified that I wasn’t horrified at the suggestion.
Had becoming a wolf shifter changed me so much in so little time?
I didn’t even know who I was anymore, but if we killed people for the hell of it, we were no better than the people coming after us. At the end of the day, weren’t we all the heroes in our own story? But we needed an ethical line. I refused to become like the people who’d bullied me my whole life and tried to force other people to conform.
My chest loosened, and I realized I hadn’t changed completely because I still strongly agreed with that last statement.
But that meant we needed to determine what Octavia was. I didn’t want to get Slade involved. He’d tell his mother, and she’d want control over the situation if Octavia was a witch.
I remembered something.
I could sense witch magic. If Octavia had a spell cloaking her, maybe I could tell.
I went to Raffe’s side, and he took my hand. The buzz of our fated-mate bond sprang to life.
What are you doing? he asked, his icy-blue irises locking on me.
I’m going to see if I can feel coven magic from Octavia. I rolled my shoulders to loosen the tension throughout my body. I’ve sensed it before. Slade had told me I should be able to feel it within each person who had it. I just needed to figure out how. Whether it’s inside her or swirling around her from a cloaking.
If anything feels off, stop immediately. Raffe arched a brow. Promise me.
I smiled and kissed his cheek. Promise. Besides, you feel my emotions now. Remember?
When the spot where his emotions resided in me expanded and warmed, I realized how tense we’d all become, and I was glad that my words had provided comfort.
He released me, and I moved to stand in front of Octavia.
She lifted her chin, though she was only an inch or so shorter than me, and asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to see if I can feel magic on you.” I tilted my head, taking in every inch of her face, waiting for a change of expression. “I want to see if I can find the truth.”
Turning her hands palms up, she nodded. “Sounds good to me. Let your arcane power search me.”
If only that was how my blood worked.
If this woman makes one wrong move or breathes in a weird way, we take her out, Raffe commanded. Make sure Sky doesn’t get hurt.
Got it, Keith and Adam responded in unison.
Raffe stepped close to me, and I placed my hands on hers. I closed my eyes, needing to focus on my other senses.
When our skin touched, nothing happened. Her skin was colder than mine since I now ran at the hotter shifter temperature, and I didn’t feel the weird sandpapery sensation that usually accompanied coven magic. But maybe it went deeper than that. I needed to look inside her.
How?
I tried summoning my blood like Slade had told me, similar to how I tugged at my wolf, but nothing happened. My blood was barely a jolt. I had to heighten my emotions.
There was only one way to accomplish that well.
I imagined someone trying to take me away from Raffe. I remembered the way it had felt to be kidnapped and trapped, not seeing him, and just as I expected, my blood jolted.
As soon as my blood activated, something inside the woman tugged at me, and my blood swirled more. The sensation increased from a faint jolt to a hum. My power surged through me, more uncontrollable than ever, but it moved in a new and different way.
Something’s wrong, I linked to Raffe, following through on my promise.
Fuck, I knew better. He growled.
He gripped my wrists and tried to remove my hands from Octavia’s, but my power linked us.
My power flared like a spark, and then an echoing faint jolt answered.
It felt identical to my own.
Understanding washed over me, and the connection between us ended, allowing me to jerk my hands away. My eyes popped open.
This couldn’t be true.
I swallowed, my throat and chest equally tight from disbelief. My voice, when it came, was barely above a whisper. “Are you my biological mother?”