Chapter 23 - Delilah
“It wasn't Delilah's fault,” Hunter repeats to our friends, sitting forward with his elbows propped on his thighs as he glances at me. “Something took over her, possessed her, and turned her rabid in that moment.”
“Dark magic,” I whisper as I drop my gaze to my palms, feeling the imaginary remnants of the dark magic in my veins.
Since bleeding it out last night, I haven't felt the darkness. All that remains is the bandage tied around my arm to cover the wound where Hunter accidentally cut me with his wolf claws.
If I hadn't bled out the dark energy, I don't know what I would have done to him. I might have done something I would have regretted for the rest of my life.
“If Hunter wasn't there, Goddess knows what would have happened,” I sigh, only gaining the courage to look up at our friends when Hunter takes my hand and laces his fingers with mine.
I toss him a sheepish smile before looking at the rest of the room, eyes staring back at me with deep concern.
“Do you have any idea where it came from?” Arianna asks with a frown.
I shake my head slowly and shrug. “I have no idea. It just began creeping up on me in little bits I can barely comprehend. One moment I was fine, the next I was snapping at the people closest to me.” A shiver runs through me as I recall what’s been happening to me these past few days.
“The nightmares…the mood swings…it was all because of the dark energy inside me.”
“Do you think it might be linked to the dark lord? He's already sent rogues after our pack,” Tyler reminds us as he narrows his eyes and stares at nothing particular on the rug in my living room. “Perhaps it's linked somehow.”
“I doubt it,” I contemplate as I purse my lips, glancing at Hunter, who stares at me intently. “What I saw when we conducted that ritual to see into Gwen's past showed me that she wasn't working for him, and I haven't had any run-ins of my own. It's not possible.”
“Have you spoken to your mother about this?” Emily asks, peeling herself from the windowsill and coming forward with her arms folded. “She's a witch too, right? Perhaps it's something that's linked to your heritage.”
I shake my head slowly, and Hunter speaks up.
“Delilah doesn't want to get her parents involved.”
“I mean…it would be a good idea to tell my mother.
It'd explain why I lashed out at them the other night,” I grimace.
“But I know what I felt, and darkness like that doesn't exist within the Golden Tree Sisters coven.
Unless we choose it, but I'd never willingly choose to wield dark magic. I'd lose my soul.”
“We believe you, D,” Nicholas chimes in. “But we have to get to the bottom of this. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're all worried for our packs.”
Sean agrees with a nod. “First, Tyler's pack was targeted, and his son. Now, something happened to you. I don't think it's a coincidence.”
Dominic, who'd been quiet for most of the urgent meeting we called, shifts on the couch and takes a deep breath.
“If the dark lord already attacked Moonshine using the rogues, he’s after anyone linked to the Golden Tree Sisters,” Dominic says as he nods at me. “You know better than anyone about the history between your coven and the dark lord.”
Hunter squeezes my hand reassuringly as I nod in agreement.
“Yeah. The dark lord had many creatures in his army when he fought the coven.
The war ended when Arianna's grandmother, Azura Badillo, sacrificed herself to cast her light over the dark forces. The warlock behind the war disappeared and was thought to be dead until his name cropped up again.”
“He's definitely still alive…” Arianna whispers. “I felt the darkness when I had the vision. I saw him, but I couldn't see his face. I think it has something to do with what you experienced, D. We need to be very careful.”
Tyler takes his mate's hand, his eyes flicking to her growing belly. It's evident that the tension in the room is heavy after telling our friends about what's been going on, the fear of the unknown hanging in the air like a dark cloud.
“I think it'd be a good idea to check each town's perimeters,” Tyler suggests. “We'll start with Scarborough and tell the patrol officers to be more alert. Since Delilah was targeted, it's a good idea for us to stay here for the night and make sure it's safe.”
Hunter nods, glancing at me before he stands up, still holding my hand. “I'll round up the Shadow Fang men. Arthur can help me.” He turns to Dominic. “Will Cecelia be fine in Nightmist without you for the night?”
Dominic nods as he stands up and joins the other guys at the door. “She has my mother and Donna to watch her, and I'll send my beta a message to be on standby. I think we should all contact our packs and let them secure patrols.”
Sean turns to Emily. “I'll accompany the guys. I'm sure you wanna get home to your sisters, but do you mind staying the night?”
“No, of course not. They'll understand,” Emily assures him, and helps Tyler get Arianna to her feet.
Arianna is exhausted from traveling, since she's growing a pup inside her, and Emily offers to show her to the guesthouse where they'll stay the night.
As the room clears and everyone heads outside, Hunter remains with me, turning to place his hands on my shoulders as he stares deeply into my eyes with genuine concern.
“I'll be back as soon as I can,” he says with a feeble smile that tells me he doesn't really want to leave me alone.
My heart warms at how supportive he's been and how understanding he's been throughout all of this. Seeing him take charge and offer to round up the Shadow Fang patrol officers is also extremely hot, but I can't get carried away when they're dealing with something bigger.
Stepping onto my tiptoes, I reach up and press a soft kiss to Hunter's lips.
“You don't have to worry about me,” I assure him with a heartfelt smile. “I'm fine now. Just be safe out there, okay?”
Hunter returns the smile warmly, lifting my arm, which he hasn't stopped apologizing for, and planting a kiss on the covered wound.
“Okay.” He nods thoughtfully, his eyes glimmering as if he has something on his mind. “I wouldn't usually ask this of you, but would you mind waiting up for me? We need to talk.”
I nod slowly, a frown flitting over my face. “Of course I'll wait,” I say, and Hunter presses a chaste kiss on my lips to defuse any doubts I might have had.
Without the dark energy to cloud my thoughts, I have a feeling that whatever Hunter wants to talk about is good.
When he leaves, I head over to the guesthouse next to my parents’ mansion to check up on Arianna and Emily.
Once they're settled in, I return to my cottage to wait for Hunter, but soon find myself becoming restless.
I wonder what he wants to speak about.
As I stand on the porch with my arms folded, I catch the flickering of a light out of the corner of my eye and wonder if Gwen is back home.
She wasn't at the meeting because Arthur had taken her out for supper after getting up the courage to ask her out. She'd been nervous about accepting, especially after what happened to me, but I assured her that I was fine, and she should go.
It would be her first date, anyway, and after everything she's been through, she deserves a moment of respite where she doesn't have to worry about the darkness that lurks out there.
When another light in her cottage flickers, I decide to go over and check up on her. At least it'll give me something to distract myself from the restlessness of waiting for Hunter to return from the perimeter check.
As soon as I step onto Gwen's porch, the door opens, as if she were expecting me.
She grabs my good arm and pulls me inside, sighing with relief when she closes the door.
“Gwen? What's going on?” I chuckle nervously as I frown at her behavior. “How did your date go?”
Gwen hurries to the kitchen, and I follow her there.
“Would you like some tea? I bet you do. Witches love some good tea on a night like this. I know I do when I have so many thoughts to run through. Which isn't often, but—”
“Gwen!” I interrupt her babbling with a knowing titter, taking the kettle from her trembling hands and nodding at her to take a seat at the table. “Breathe, okay? And then, tell me all about your date.”
Gwen takes my instructions and takes a deep breath, then proceeds to tell me about her date.
“He's such a good guy, D, but I'm afraid that I don't like him the way I should,” she says after going on about what a perfect gentleman Arthur was to her on their date.
“I mean…I've never dated before, and I'm not sure how I should be feeling.
I know he really likes me, and I do like him, but just not in the way that gives me butterflies in my tummy.
You're married. What is it like, being in love?”
“L—love…?” My finger hovers at the kettle switch, and I lift my eyes to stare blankly at the wall tile in front of me, realization dawning on me as Hunter's face appears in my imagination, the picture of perfect charm smiling at me as if the white tile is a canvas that my mind paints.
I love Hunter.
Without the dark thoughts clouding my mind, the energy gone from my body, I'm able to think clearly, and that's when I realize I'm in love with Hunter.
I always have been, and the thought curls my lips into a smile.
“There is no reasonable explanation,” I tell Gwen. “Nothing that makes sense logically, anyway. It's a feeling, much like magic. Especially like magic.”
“That sounds magical…” Gwen whispers, and I glance over my shoulder to see her staring out into space as if she's in deep thought.
“When you find it, you'll know,” I say, discovering that I've already found it, and I become more restless at the thought that Hunter wants to talk when he's back tonight.
“I don't think I've found it with Arthur,” Gwen sighs forlornly. “I mean…he's pretty cool, he's a handsome guy, but it just doesn't feel magical. I'm just scared of letting him down.”
“Oh, Arthur can handle anything,” I assure her with a click of my tongue. “That's why he'll be this pack's beta. Besides, it was your first date. Ever. You know, I've never asked how old you are…”
“Twenty-three.”
“Ah, I remember that age. It was when I first met Hunter.
Back then, I didn't know he was my fated mate, but the attraction was instant.
You see, for werewolves, it's different,” I explain, glancing at Gwen when I notice how lost she is in her thoughts, probably fantasizing about what true love feels like.
After everything that's happened, there's one thing I'm sure of—fate wasn't wrong for leading me to Hunter when I can't help but love the man for who he is.
“The fated mate bond is sacred for werewolves, and doesn't happen to everyone.
But when you find the one you're meant to mate with, it's different.
He will make you feel different. Who knows?
Maybe you're meant to be a werewolf's mate, but maybe it's just not Arthur, and he'll understand. We all do.”
The kettle clicks when it's done boiling, but Gwen remains silent, prompting me to turn.
What I see next stuns me, my face paling in horror.
Gwen is still seated at the kitchen table, frozen, her eyes as black as the veins rippling across her neck, her arms, and extending to her fingers.
“Gwen?” I call out, but she doesn't move.
My heart drops as I stand facing the source of the dark magic that had me acting crazy.
“Gwen?” I try again, but only a pair of blackened eyes stare at me blankly, reeling me into the throes of darkness as I feel the hairs on my arms prickle at attention.
The dark magic is in Gwen, in the air, it's everywhere, and I move—not because I want to, but because it's drawing me in, drawing me closer to its source. I try fighting it, but my mind shuts down as darkness consumes me and calls the shots.