Chapter 23
Iblinked, struggling to understand what I was seeing, but each time my eyes opened, the scene didn’t change.
Keith stood in front of the younger witch who had almost killed me. She had a large bite mark on her forearm. Blood poured down her light-brown skin, a crimson stain soaking through her black dress, where she held the arm against her stomach. Her hair, darkened from the rain, looked like strands of blood as well.
What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Raffe linked, his anger mixing with mine, putting both of us more on edge. That bitch tried to kill Skylar.
Head lowering, Keith moaned. I … know, but I can’t make myself move from this spot. I have to protect her.I don’t even understand it myself.
I swallowed hard, processing his words. I wanted to run across the clearing and rip out her throat. Of all the coven members I’d come up against, she’d come closest to killing me.
Then I’ll take care of her for you. Raffe charged through the clearing, heading straight for the witch, who bowed over in agony.
A low growl came from Keith as he braced himself for Raffe’s attack. When Raffe got within striking distance, Keith slammed into Raffe’s burned side and knocked him into a tree. My mate yelped, and my stomach churned. Everything inside me wanted to hurt Keith, but the longer the woman stayed here, the longer this fight would carry on. She must have spelled Keith in some way.
Kill her, I pushed toward the bobcat, hoping he could still understand me since my power had dulled to a high jolt.
The bobcat didn’t hesitate and growled, following my command now that Keith and Raffe were out of the way.
“No!” the witch screamed, throwing her uninjured hand high. “Please, don’t. I respect the animals of the forest. I don’t want to harm you.”
Keith backed away from Raffe, spun around, and leaped onto the bobcat’s back.
He linked, Sky, please. Spare her. I think she’s my fated mate.
Even though I couldn’t feel his emotions like I could Raffe’s, I sensed the fear and heartbreak in his words.
Fated mate.
If that was true and we killed her, Keith would never be the same. The idea of him experiencing a loss like that caused all the anger to leave me. Raffe, if that’s his fated mate—
I don’t give a damn. Raffe pivoted, readying to attack her once more.
“Don’t hurt him,” the witch gritted, lifting her uninjured hand.
I had to stall them.
Give me a second before you hurt her, I pleaded, pulling on my connection with the bobcat and Raffe.
To my shock, they paused. I pulled my wolf inward, needing to be human again.
Then get your wolf off my back, the bobcat responded. Or I will kill him.
Keith, get off the bobcat. He’s giving me a minute. My body was already shifting back into human form.
The bobcat plopped over onto his back, putting all his weight on Keith. Keith’s breath whooshed from him, but at least they’d stopped fighting.
The witch removed a dagger from her thigh and barreled toward the bobcat.
My heart clenched, and as my spine straightened, I bellowed somewhere between wolf and woman, “Everyone, stop!” My body radiated pain, likely not recovered enough for me to shift comfortably, but I needed to talk to the witch to stop this. Pain sliced through me, but my skin tingled as the fur retreated.
The witch glanced at me, her feet slowing as her eyes bulged. Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to shift back into human form.
You shouldn’t be shifting yet. Raffe whimpered, stepping in front of me, ready to protect me if the witch threatened me again. His worry tightened my chest, making it hard to breathe again. What the hell are you doing?
“Getting answers.” I stood tall, the cold rain hitting my body. Even though I was a wolf shifter, I still wasn’t the most comfortable with nudity. If Keith doesn’t want us to hurt her, then I need to talk to her and see if we can find a way to trust her.
The witch lifted her dagger, her gaze flicking between the bobcat and me. “What are you doing? I can hurt you all. You saw what I can do.”
A faint wisp of magic came from her, something I couldn’t usually feel until magic was used on me. Now, I could feel it seeping from her soul, telling me everything I needed to know. “You can’t hurt us. Your magic is depleted. That’s why you’re not using it and how you got bitten. And you’re injured and weak enough that, even if you attacked us, we could eliminate you easily. Besides, you’re outnumbered.”
She took in a shaky breath. “You can sense my magic?” Her face lined with concern. “They said you were untrained and would be easy to kill. I don’t understand what’s going on and why the animals aren’t attacking you too.” Her face was pale, likely from the blood loss and pain.
“The animals came to protect me, my pack, and my friends.” That much Supreme Priestess Olwyn should have known by now, or at least suspected. I wasn’t telling her anything that would be shocking. “And who are they?”
The bobcat hmphed as it rolled onto its stomach, freeing Keith. Keith slowly climbed to his feet and moved next to the witch.
“Wait.” The witch stepped back, her bottom lip trembling. “The animals are protecting Prince Raffe? That must be why you don’t have more shifters with you for protection. We wondered why there were only six wolf shifters, knowing how important you are. We thought it was strange that your dad would allow that.”
“You’re talking about King Jovian placing more shifters here with us to aid us?” My brows rose.
She nodded. “Who else would I mean?”
Dad wouldn’t have notified everyone that I left the pack yet, Raffe linked. His one and only heir leaving his pack would make him appear weak, and Aldric wouldn’t risk it because that sort of information would get back to Dad quickly.
That made sense, but what the hell was going on? “No, the king isn’t concerned about having his people protect us.” I wanted to tell her we’d broken away, but that was a decision more for Raffe to make than me.
Her brows furrowed, and she took a hesitant step back.
Adam tensed to my left, preparing to give chase if she took off, while Keith stood in front of her, the fur on the nape of his neck rising.
“Are you going to kill me?” Her bottom lip quivered. “’Cause if you are, I’d rather you get it over with.”
Keith growled, his eyes locking with mine as if he were trying to read them.
“For some reason, someone important to me doesn’t want me to, so that depends on what you say.” By some miracle, we’d gotten the leverage. “Why did you attack us?”
She swallowed audibly, and Keith stepped back, his tail brushing her ankles above her black shoes. “To kill you and capture the prince.”
My hands clenched, but I had to admire her bluntness. Granted, lying would be futile around us wolf shifters, and her power was too weak for her to mask a lie from us. “Why? Don’t you think the king will be upset if you kill his son?”
“That’s sort of the point.” She flinched. “Eliminating you and kidnapping his heir will force King Jovian to listen to the East. We want to separate, and we will prove to him that we’re strong enough to do it. Between that and the alliance this attack should create among nonshifter supernaturals in the West, King Jovian won’t be strong enough to fight us. He’ll have enough problems within his own territory to spare us any time.”
My breath quickened. “I take it you’re referring to the Veiled Circle?”
Her jaw dropped. “How do you know about them?”
Raffe tensed. Holy shit. How many people does Supreme Priestess Olwyn have working for her? How did she get her hands on the Eastern wolf shifters?
I suspected I already knew the answer, but I didn’t want to throw Aldric’s name out until I knew for sure. What I’d overheard could have been pure coincidence, though that was unlikely.
“They tried to recruit me, and I fled.” None of this added up. The Veiled Circle wanted to make all wolf shifters pay, so why in the world would the Eastern wolves and covens team up with them? Clearly, they didn’t know Olwyn’s whole plan, which proved what I’d suspected all along and tried to look past—Supreme Priestess Olwyn was a manipulative bitch.
Or maybe the Eastern supernaturals didn’t care, making them worse than the priestess since they were turning on their own kind. “I’m surprised that the Eastern wolves hate the Western wolves so much that they would be okay with their plan.” I shrugged, my body aching even from the slight movement.
“We don’t hate King Jovian. He’s just out of touch with the needs of the Eastern supernaturals.” The witch’s expression twisted. “Even the supreme priestess doesn’t hate the wolves, just that they stripped our rights from us. But honestly, from the stories I’ve heard, I don’t blame the wolf shifters for everything. The covens were awful to them when they needed our aid, and the Eastern wolf shifters have been nothing but supportive of us since then.”
Her blood continued to drip all over the ground, but until I understood her plans, we were staying here.
I laughed, causing the back of my dry throat to ache, and I swore a chunk of dirt blew out. Gross. “Trying to kill me and kidnap King Jovian’s son says otherwise.”
“It wasn’t personal.” She flinched and tilted her head. “The supreme priestess claimed that you’re a threat to everyone because your power is so unstable.”
“Killing someone for personal gain isn’t a gray area.” I shook my head. Even if killing Slade would destroy Supreme Priestess Olwyn, doing so would never cross my mind. There were other ways to hurt someone, like taking their power, imprisoning them, or killing them. There was no need to hurt someone they loved to get to them. To me, that action was villainous. “Raffe and I weren’t doing a damn thing to you when you attacked us. We were in bed, resting. We weren’t a danger to you. There was no reason for you to want me dead or to take him hostage.”
“Look, it might appear that way to you, but if you couldn’t celebrate holidays because the people in charge didn’t approve of them, or if you couldn’t create a council so that all supernaturals had an equal say in things that pertain to them, you’d feel oppressed, too, and desperate to break free.” She swayed on her feet, her words slurring together. “But when we saw that coven members were helping you, we realized we would have to fight. We’d hoped to sneak up on you unaware, but seeing these animals protect you … the goddess showed us we were wrong in our decision, and I’m sorry.”
I knew better than anyone that Supreme Priestess Olwyn was a great manipulator, and this girl was losing too much blood. I blew out a breath and walked toward her.
Raffe edged between Keith and me, his gaze meeting mine. He linked, What the hell do you think you’re doing?
She’s losing too much blood. I need to wrap her wound and get her back to Dru so he can tend to it. Even though she’d messed up, every single one of us had done something horrible. If she was Keith’s fated mate, I couldn’t let her die.
Are you serious? Raffe’s wolf head tilted back. She tried to kill you, or did you already forget?
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying hard not to say something I’d regret. She said she was sorry, and I believe she meant it.
You and your second chances. Raffe shook his head. One day, it’ll get you hurt.
I think that ship has already sailed. I reached out and rubbed his head to calm him. And you’ll be right beside me, prepared for anything she might try. Do you remember when Keith treated me like a threat and it upset you?
His eyes narrowed, but I could feel his outrage easing. She tried to kill you.
And I bet she won’t make that mistake again. If she does, we’ll end her without a moment’s hesitation. He had to know that, even though I might seem softhearted, I wasn’t. After being bullied my whole life, I tried to believe that people did things because they didn’t fully understand. With everything Raffe and I had been through together, he should know this as well as I did. I might want to give second chances, but I don’t do it stupidly.
Fine, but one wrong move and I rip her throat out. Keith can hate me for the rest of his life as long as you’re safe.
The way my chest expanded and warmed reminded me how much I’d changed in such a short time. Who would’ve thought promises of death and hatred would have butterflies fluttering in my stomach? You do know how to sweet-talk me.
Yeah, well, let’s get this over with so we can continue this conversation with either clothes or fur all over your body. I’m not picky as long as you’re covered.
I didn’t like standing here naked either, but I had to talk with the witch.
The bobcat hissed as I stepped closer, and my power barely jolted within me. I needed to communicate with him while I could. I’m going to help her. Raffe will attack her if she does something. You’re free to go. My power is almost gone, so I’m not sure how much longer I can communicate with you.
He bowed his head. I’ll let your mate take the lead, but we won’t leave until you’re safe. We’ll keep watch over you tonight.
My heart grew heavy. Thank you. Before I could tell them they didn’t need to do that, my power was extinguished, leaving me cold.
My limbs felt weighed down as fatigue settled back into me. I needed to hurry before I couldn’t move.
Avert your eyes, or the witch won’t be the only person at risk of dying, Raffe linked and bared his teeth.
Keith lowered his head until it nearly touched the ground. Any other time, I would’ve laughed, but not right now.
What are you doing? Keith whimpered. She’s been talking to you.
When I stepped toward her, the witch stumbled back.
“Here, let me help you.” I lifted both hands, and they might as well have weighed fifty pounds each. “You’re bleeding too much. We need to slow that down, or you’ll pass out.”
She tilted her head but nodded.
When I moved past Keith, I made sure that my leg didn’t touch his fur. The last thing I needed was Raffe getting into a jealous fit, and I could only imagine what he was feeling right now. If he was naked in front of a bunch of women, I’d be losing my damn mind.
I pointed to the bottom of her dress and said, “I’m going to rip off a section and tie it around your bite mark. I won’t harm you, though it might not feel great. We need to get you back to …” I trailed off, unsure what to call Dru. Doctor didn’t feel right, but Father didn’t fit the bill either. “My close friend who can help disinfect the wound and stitch you up.”
“You’re really going to help me?” She dropped the dagger and pressed her hand to her chest. “After I tried to—”
Raffe snarled, and his anger came flooding back.
I tried to push calm toward him, but I was struggling to stay calm myself. “Let’s not talk about that right now, or I could change my mind.”
She nodded. “Right. That’s fair.”
Doing as I said, I ripped off the cleanest section of her dress I could find, making sure the strip of fabric was long enough to wrap around twice and tie into a knot. As I worked on her arm, I couldn’t help but be a little rougher than necessary, which made me feel better.
To her credit, she didn’t complain. She merely watched me with her large emerald eyes. When the makeshift bandage was all set, I dropped my hands.
She whimpered, “Thank you. But I should go—”
I shook my head. “Not happening. We may not kill you, but you’re definitely not leaving. We still have tons of questions we need answered. In the meantime, do you mind sharing your name? I don’t like calling you Witch in my mind.”
“Sedona.” She bit her lip. “And you’re Skylar, right?”
A chill ran down my back. How many people knew my name now and feared my power? Olwyn had to be spreading that information far and wide. “That’s right. Now let’s get back.”
I turned, and Raffe pressed against my side, using his tail to cover my backside. The buzz of our connection sprang to life, calming me more but also making the fatigue set in faster. My body ached, but luckily, during the shift, the injuries on my arm had scabbed instead of ripping more. That had to count for something.
Adam, follow the witch and make sure she doesn’t try anything, Raffe commanded as the two of us led the way. Then he linked to Lucy and Josie, Can the two of you find a dress or something? Sky needs something to wear. She shifted back into human form.
On it, Lucy replied. I’ll meet you at the tree line.
We kept a slow but steady pace, but we’d run farther than I’d realized while in animal form.
Footsteps followed us, and I glanced back to see the bobcat several feet behind us, a coyote and a raccoon at its side. Seeing the animals walking like this still blew my mind. For some reason, they all worked together when it came to protecting me.
Right when I thought I couldn’t move farther, the trees thinned, indicating we were nearing the coven houses. Lucy’s scent filled my nose.
I’m going behind the bush over here. Can you bring the clothes over? I moved toward some thick brush beside a large fir, my feet making a ton of noise from shuffling since I was too tired to lift them.
You all keep going. I’ll be with my mate, Raffe commanded.
By the time I reached the brush, Lucy was there, still in wolf form.
She placed a green dress on the ground then trotted back toward the coven.
With shaky hands, I slid the dress over my body. Thankfully, it wasn’t white, or there wouldn’t have been much point in wearing it with the drizzle coming down. Putting on the dress had me gasping for breath, and I struggled to keep my eyes open. I needed to rest, but I wasn’t sure I could with all the dead bodies that needed to be cleaned up.
Hey, lean on me, Raffe linked, pressing against my side.
But he was injured too, though he was trying like hell not to remind me.
I’m fine. Just tired. I sighed.
“What is she doing here?” someone shouted.
Shit, I needed to reach the coven. In my weariness, I’d forgotten we hadn’t warned them about Sedona.
“Skylar said someone could help me,” Sedona said, her voice rising in fear.
I hurried toward them, hearing the animals come out of the woods close behind me. They were keeping watch as promised. The bobcat hissed, and the coyote snarled, sensing the tension. I couldn’t communicate with them since my power was gone.
I had to fix this before another fight started. I ran out of the trees with Raffe at my side. Then I lifted both arms. “She’s hurt and needs help.”
“Skylar!” Octavia exclaimed, her mouth dropping open. “Watch out!”