Chapter 13
A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
Ziara
Mack let out a low whistle as the old market came into view.
By necessity, I begrudgingly darkened this doorway once a month, but as far as I knew, Sereana had let no one other than me, Dad, and his beta enter.
Tonight, Mack had been ordered to accompany me, and while he’d known about my monthly visits for years, the idea of him getting a front-row seat to the torture of my binding had been steadily twisting my gut into knots.
Surely Dad wouldn’t let Mack into the shed….
Judging by the apprehension in his scent and the way his shoulders grew progressively tighter the closer we got, Mack didn’t want to be here either.
I eyed him. “Maybe you should ask the alpha if you can sit this one out.”
“Not a chance.” Determination straightened his spine. “But I’m not gonna lie. This place creeps me the fuck out.”
“As it should.” I hitched my backpack up on my shoulders. “Sereana’s not exactly sunshine and rainbows.”
He snorted. The hair on his arms darkened, and I could almost see the shadow of his wolf, hackles raised, a snarl tugging at his lips. “My skin feels like it’s about to crawl off my body. How the hell do you fight your instincts every month to go in there?”
A humorless bark of laughter escaped from my throat. “You think this is bad? You’re in for a long night.”
His attention snapped to my face. “You’re serious.”
“I am.” I headed for the front door, as a lump of concern settled in my gut. Not for myself—I’d been through this shit-show too many times to count—but Mack would need to show a level of control I wasn’t sure he possessed.
He caught up before I had crossed the street.
I kept my expression blank, wondering what Dad had been thinking by sending him to witness this horror. Would my boyfriend look at me differently after tonight? Would he ever want to touch me again? Hell, would he even survive the ordeal?
Stopping in the middle of the street, I laid out expectations. “No matter what happens, I need you to be cool.”
“As a cucumber,” he agreed a little too easily.
I leveled a hard stare at him, “I mean it, Mack. Do not react. And whatever you do, don’t intervene.”
“Okay.”
He wasn’t taking this situation seriously enough, making my chest tighten with dread. Poking him in the shoulder with a finger, I added, “I mean it. You’re protective, and you’re not gonna like what she does to me, but even the alpha won’t save your ass if you step in.”
His hands flew up in surrender. “I get it, Zee. Trust me, the alpha already threatened to skin me alive if I fuck up.” Looking past me at the building, he added, “But this shit is shady. Literally. There’s a full moon on the rise and the rain clouds have broken up, but I can’t even make out the doorways or windows. ”
A breeze whistled through metal, making goosebumps sprout across my flesh.
Unnatural shadows kept the building cloaked in darkness, but tonight, it seemed even worse than normal.
Squinting, I couldn’t even make out the iconic ‘Public Market’ lettering and clock above the main entrance.
The sign’s lights had burned out long ago, and the ‘M’ now hung askew, but at least I’d been able to see it last time I was here.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s cool that I’ll finally get to see where you’ve spent so much time, but…” He eyed the ten-foot barrier encircling Sereana’s dwelling, and gold flickered in his dark eyes as his beast battled for control. “That’s just not normal.”
“Yeah.” What else could I say about it? Wolves drew on internal energy for their power, but witches siphoned vitality from external sources.
Living sources.
I’d watched her drain the life from a rat, once.
I was a child at the time and had been upset when the creature had turned to dust in her hand.
She’d focused her dispassionate eyes on me and said, “Rats are pests; their only purpose is to feed predators. I transform their insignificant lives into useful potions. It’s no different from the pack hunting and butchering game to feed your people.
This life is not for the weak. Only those strong enough to do what’s necessary will survive. Remember that, Ziara.”
“She’s not slowly killing you to bind your wolf, is she?” Mack asked.
“No.” At least, I didn’t think so. But would that be so bad? Could I even exist without that part of me? “Death isn’t necessary. Pain is an adequate power source. As is blood.”
He blanched.
Averting my gaze so I wouldn’t see his expression, I stepped onto the sidewalk. “Come on. She gets… annoyed when I’m late.”
His fingers feathered down my arm and slid into my hand, intertwining with mine. He gave my hand a squeeze, and his voice dropped lower. “I’ll be on my best behavior. Promise.”
“Good.” I returned the squeeze before releasing his hand. “Follow me and step only where I do.”
We slipped through the shadows to the entrance, dodging Sereana’s booby traps.
As soon as we crossed the threshold, the unnatural darkness engulfed us, making it impossible to see my hand in front of my face.
The building’s security lights had burned out long ago.
I’d offered to replace them once, and Sereana had glared at me like I’d suggested dipping her spell book in acid. I never mentioned the darkness again.
Reaching behind me, I retook Mackiel’s hand so I wouldn’t lose him, and inhaled deeply through my nose.
The familiar odors of dust, rot, damp wood, rodent droppings, and hints of my aunt’s tangy scent made my heart race and my palms sweat.
Fumbling along the wall, I located the light switch and flipped it on.
Sereana may enjoy the dark, but even she needed to see sometimes.
Electricity hummed through the old building.
Three rows of recessed lighting ran along the ceiling, but only one bulb worked every ten feet or so, barely illuminating the path.
We stuck to the center aisle and headed for the stairs, eyeing the stalls we passed.
Mackiel’s head was on a swivel as he took in the sights.
Faded wood and metal signs depicting images of fruit, flowers, and fish hung askew here and there, providing shop names and business hours.
Broken furniture cluttered the entrance of one stall, and dust-dulled jewelry displays crowded another.
Further down, cobwebs covered Seattle-themed coffee mugs and various souvenirs balanced between racks of moth-eaten T-shirts and tie-dyed dresses.
The bottom floor of the market was a dingy, dank mess.
“Is it what you expected?” I asked.
“No. I mean, it’s creepy as fuck, but where are the black cats and headless chickens?” White teeth flashed at me as he grinned. “Where do you think she keeps her cauldron?”
I tensed. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Something akin to panic flickered in his eyes as the smile slipped from his expression, transforming into shock. “Seriously?”
“’Fraid so.”
He swallowed. “Are all the floors like this one?”
I shrugged and continued on. “I’m only allowed on this level and the roof. She spends most of her time up there.” At least, that’s where I’d found her whenever I visited.
“Aren’t you itching to… explore?” he asked, lowering his voice. “You’ve gotta be curious….”
“Of course.” Who wouldn’t be? Even though she was family, my aunt was a mystery.
I would love to see where she slept, ate, and read.
Possibly even find photos or information about my mother, since neither Sereana nor Dad would talk about her.
“But I’m not suicidal. And Sereana doesn’t have a sense of humor.
She isn’t gracious or forgiving, and she barely tolerates me. ”
“I have noticed the lack of holiday invitations.”
Seriously, what was the alpha thinking, sending him in here with me?
“Please refrain from doing anything crazy and getting yourself murdered,” I said, imploring him to take me seriously.
He squeezed my hand. “Best behavior. I swear.”
Hoping Mack would take me seriously, keep his word, and survive, I led him up the stairs, following the smell of damp, salty air through the door and out onto the rooftop.
Unlike the first floor of Sereana’s residence, the garden wasn’t dark and scary.
Strings of colorful lights hung from pole to pole like a canopy, holding the shadows at bay.
As we passed beneath the first archway, Mackiel froze, his muscles rippling beneath his skin. A strangled growl tore from his throat, and gold drowned out the brown of his eyes, glowing in the moonlight.
In the distance, someone howled, answered by another packmate. Fur ghosted Mack’s arms, and his lips peeled back, flashing fangs as he shuddered and fought back his own answering howl.
He was going to shift.
In Sereana’s garden.
Panic seized me, and I threw my arms and legs around him like a backpack hanging from his front. I smothered him in my scent as I whispered calming thoughts into his ear. “I’m here. Everything’s okay. You need to stay human. It’s not safe to shift right now.”
His eyes rolled back in his head, but he fought the beast, clenching his fists and jaw.
I nuzzled his neck and trailed kisses up his jugular.
Finally, fur melded back into skin. He sucked in deep breaths, and his gaze locked on mine.
Tiny specks of gold still danced in his irises, but they’d darkened back to brown.
Sweat beaded at his temples, and his skin had developed a sheen, his T-shirt damp beneath my hands, but the man—not the wolf—stared back at me.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “You good?”
“I… I think so. What the hell happened?”
More howls sounded in the distance, but our pack wasn’t the reason he’d almost shifted. Mack’s control over his wolf was airtight. No, this was something else.
Scanning the area, I found the culprit. A magically heated pot hung by the door, smelling of Salvia divinorum, a plant that—when burned—created a smoke that caused hallucinations.
“Sage of the diviners,” I grumbled.