Impulsive Connections (Elemental Bonds #2)

Chapter 20

Chapter

Twenty

H iking through the forest fell firmly in the category of things Liam never would have thought he’d get used to and maybe even enjoy. He’d rather be inside with his books, but this wasn’t the worst way to spend a day. Once in a while it might be nice, provided there were no spirits involved. He’d had enough of spirits to last him a lifetime.

Kade led him through the forest as they tracked down one of the small spirits remaining on Victor’s territory.

It was a bright, clear day, but the weather was chilly and the trees were mostly bare. The looming threat of winter hung in the air, and Liam was glad he’d packed a heavier coat. Unfortunately, it seemed like he’d be there for that thick six to seven inches Kade had promised him.

Of snow. And nothing else.

With each step he took, two wooden boxes clattered in the bag he’d slung over his shoulder. They were already marked with the new catch-all sigil he’d created. Now to see if it worked.

In Liam’s mind, Kade felt steady. Liam had been worried hunting down more spirits might set Kade off, but apparently, after facing the massive spirit on Grant’s territory, these minuscule things weren’t causing him to panic. That was good. Kade seemed to be getting over the worst of his encounter with the decay spirit.

Liam had been able to read Kade’s emotions with increasing ease since they’d captured the nightmare spirit. That had to mean their bond was deepening. Maybe it had something to do with the amount of Kade’s energy he’d channeled to help Elijah? That was the only thing that had changed.

“When I use your energy, does it deepen the bond?” Liam asked, and Kade looked over his shoulder at him in surprise.

“I don’t know. Possibly?”

“You mentioned sex does. Anything else?”

“Sex is the big one.” Kade continued hiking.

Huh. His presence seemed to be trying to slither away from Liam. “But there are other things?”

Evasiveness wriggled into discomfort. He didn’t want to talk about this, did he? Liam was too curious to let the subject drop.

“What are they?”

Kade shrugged. “A bond deepens as the relationship develops and the couple gets closer, as they become more open to each other. Usually, that involves sex, but it doesn’t have to.”

“So any kind of intimacy, physical or emotional?”

“Yeah.”

“In that case, using your energy might be creating a sort of magical intimacy?”

Kade halted on the trail and turned toward him. “Does it matter?”

Liam frowned. “You said the deeper the bond, the more painful it could be for the shifter to sever it. So if channeling your energy deepens the bond, I shouldn’t be using it except when we absolutely need it.”

The twisting, shifting sensation coming from Kade had to be unease.

“Listen,” he said, “I’m going to do what I need to do to help my pack, and that includes letting you channel as much of my energy as necessary. If that deepens the bond, it deepens the bond. I’m hoping this doesn’t end in a painful severing ritual, but if it does, it’ll still be worth it.”

He stared at Liam like he was about to add more to that, but then a colorful ball of light whizzed past them. They jumped, their heads whipping in the direction it had gone.

“What was that?” Kade asked, checking the map and pointing to where they were. “Was that a spirit?”

Sure enough, a tiny mote of ash was bouncing around the area. No foreign emotions were affecting Liam, but the spirit was so small that he doubted its effects could be felt more than a few inches away from it.

They took off after it, running until they found it again.

Liam tilted his head and stared in confusion.

The spirit zipped around unpredictably, darting through the trees like it had too much energy to contain, resulting in a rainbow of neon streaks and electric sparks. It didn’t appear evil so much as hyperactive—a giddy kid on a sugar high.

“No, seriously,” Kade said. “What the fuck is that?”

Liam had no clue, but that made this the perfect spirit to try the new seal on.

He pulled a box out of his bag and held it open in front of them. He didn’t need to ask; Kade was already stepping up beside him, resting his palm on the back of Liam’s neck.

Liam breathed through the surge of energy that came with that contact. God, how could a simple touch feel so exquisite? But he couldn’t get distracted. He did his best to ignore the heady lure of Kade’s energy and got to work.

He activated the seal inside the box, the sigils lighting up and latching on to the spirit.

Considering the size, there was more resistance than he would have expected in comparison to the spirits they’d trapped before, but it worked. The colorful spirit was sucked into the box, where it ricocheted off the sides.

Liam snapped the lid shut, Elijah’s wards flaring to life. Since he didn’t know what the spirit was, he wrote a description of it on the box. That would have to do.

But more importantly, the binding seal worked. Their lives had just gotten a hell of a lot easier when it came to cleaning up Grant’s territory and the remaining spirits on Victor’s. Liam didn’t have to be on call to make a sigil whenever anyone identified a spirit. Since these sigils weren’t as accurate in naming the spirits individually, they seemed to require more magic to capture their target. He’d make specific sigils for the largest spirits on Grant’s territory to keep Elijah from overexerting himself when he trapped them, but the smaller ones could be captured with this seal.

And on the plus side, while Kade’s energy was still intoxicating, after the amount he’d used while capturing the nightmare spirit, it did seem like he’d become accustomed to its potent effects. He could probably use it without jumping Kade.

Probably.

Kade smirked like he was reading his thoughts. “You’re getting pretty used to taking just the tip.”

Liam snorted despite himself. “Yeah. Now let’s find another one of these things so I can take it again.”

In his mind, Kade glittered with amusement.

They could do this, but he’d keep his use of Kade’s energy to just the tip as often as he could, and only when they were dealing with the spirits. That way severing their bond wouldn’t be more painful for Kade than it had to be.

“Are you sure you want to help us clean up Grant’s territory?” Elijah asked as he wove a ward around another box.

They were in the workshop they’d been using to make the boxes. It was a cluttered room filled with the scent of cedar wood and sawdust. A sturdy workbench sat against the wall, and a stack of lumber was piled in the corner. Saws and sanders and things Liam couldn’t name were scattered throughout, and underneath everything, the memory of magic lingered, whispers of spells cast years ago.

“Positive,” he said. “We’ve got this. We’ve practiced. I won’t get lost in his energy. I was fine when I fed it to you while you trapped the nightmare spirit, wasn’t I? We can do this. We can help.”

“Alright. I trust your judgment, but be careful.”

“Stop stealing my lines.”

Elijah rolled his eyes. “Right. Because only you get to tell people to be careful.”

“Exactly.”

Elijah studied him. “You aren’t staying here and working on whatever your theory is about destroying these things?”

“I can do both. We can come with you during the day to capture some spirits, and then I’ll figure out how to destroy them in the evening.”

Those were big words—he still wasn’t certain destroying the spirits was possible—but he wanted to do both.

For whatever reason, that answer amped up Elijah’s scrutiny.

“What?” Liam asked.

“I never thought I’d see the day you’d pick the practical over the theoretical.”

“I’m not. Kade will get restless if he can’t help.”

Elijah raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of Kade. Have you looked closely at any of the magic you’ve done with his energy?”

Liam hadn’t, not really. It hadn’t occurred to him. He didn’t cast spells that often beyond protections for books and the like. Most of the work he’d done with Kade’s energy didn’t last long enough to be studied. No one examined the magic woven through a fireball before they threw it.

Elijah read his answer in his hesitation. “You should.”

“Why?”

“Liam, I love you, and you are the smartest person I know, but you’re kind of an idiot sometimes. Do a spell with Kade’s energy—something you’ve done before that requires craft and skill to cast—then look at it closely. Look at the threads. Then we’ll talk.”

“Fine, I will.”

He understood what Elijah was implying—that there was some level of compatibility between him and Kade—but most of the ease with which he could use Kade’s energy was likely due to the magic in the pack’s blood.

Besides, he didn’t see why it mattered. Their bond wasn’t the same as Elijah and Victor’s, and even if it was deepening, they were severing it once this was over. He didn’t want the life Elijah had here. He’d never be happy with that, so there was no point. Compatible magic and energy or not, he wouldn’t be staying in Lost Creek forever.

Liam had been sure they could do this, but his nerves still jangled as Kade drove up to Grant’s pack house shortly after noon the next day, following a car driven by Grant’s second, along with his beta and one other member of his pack. Miles and Aran were behind them, bringing up the rear.

He stared at the map of Grant’s territory in his hand, at the spirits teeming over it. These weren’t the little things he and Kade had trapped yesterday. There would be no avoiding their effects when they captured them.

But they had this, he told himself. They wouldn’t get caught up in a spirit again.

They parked their cars outside the pack house and got out.

Elijah, Victor, and Grant were waiting for them. They’d left earlier that morning to attempt to trap the spirits without pack energy.

As they walked up, Elijah said, “Good news and bad news. We don’t need pack energy for the small and medium spirits, and while we haven’t tried a larger spirit yet, I think Liam was correct. Only the spirits that have hooked themselves into pack members require access to pack energy. But, like he said, the new seals use more power. It’ll cause more of a strain on your magic.”

“But we can do it?” Miles asked.

“You can, but stick with the smaller spirits until you’ve got the hang of it, then work your way up from there.”

Liam had no desire to argue about that. He would not be making the same mistake of rushing to trap a large spirit when there were enough small and medium-sized ones to keep them busy for days.

“Okay,” Elijah said, “Grant, you and Miles should work together so he can get used to using your energy before he resets your wards.”

Grant’s gaze landed on Miles, and he inclined his head.

“Then, to keep power levels as even as possible, your second should go with Aran.” Elijah gestured to the no-nonsense-looking woman who’d driven the lead car out to the territory.

“Be careful with how much of her energy you use, Aran,” Miles said. “Grant’s pack is still recovering.”

“Will do.” Aran grinned rakishly at her. While he was what Liam would classify as extremely gay, he would also happily flirt with anything that moved.

She stared at him flatly.

Liam almost laughed. Aran wouldn’t be getting much of a rise out of her either.

“Your beta can go with Liam and Kade, and your other pack member can come with Victor and me.”

Grant nodded again. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go in separate directions and meet up here in about three hours so we can get back in time for dinner. I don’t want anyone out here at night.”

Everyone headed out along different paths.

Grant’s beta, Aiyana, was a woman in her late thirties, nearly as tall as Liam, her black hair flowing loose around her shoulders.

She took them south, pausing to study the map Elijah had given her. “Should we go after this little guy first?” she asked, pointing to a shimmering squiggle Liam had to assume wasn’t far from where they stood.

“Sure. Let’s steer clear of these two.” Liam motioned to the largest spirits on their quarter of the map. “Those, Elijah will have to take care of.”

Aiyana led them deeper into the forest.

Though Liam didn’t want to admit it, there was comfort in having someone else around. They wouldn’t lose control, but having a backup made him worry about it less.

“How long have you two been together? Last I remember, Victor’s pack didn’t have any mages, and now it’s got two.”

There was a sharp burst of emotions from Kade, and Liam exchanged a glance with him. They should have known Grant’s pack would have questions.

“Ah,” Kade said. “A little over a week.”

Aiyana winced. “Oh, it sucks these spirits are interfering with what should be some of the best days of your life. My mate and I didn’t leave our room the first week we were bonded. But I guess you can make it up afterward. Something to look forward to.”

Liam forced out an awkward chuckle, his embarrassment mixing with Kade’s. There would be no making anything up. “That’s what Elijah and Victor will be doing, and I bet it’ll be for longer than a week.”

He was saved from having to elaborate further about himself and Kade when she said, “It should be around here.”

When they finally found the spirit, it was a shadow that bent any light that hit it, distorting their view of the plants beyond. Once again, Liam had no idea what it was, but capturing it didn’t take much effort. The lack of pack energy wasn’t a huge detriment.

“That… didn’t seem bad,” Aiyana said. “I’m guessing they get harder to capture as they get bigger?”

“Exponentially so,” Liam said. “This was too small to affect us.”

“Well, this is the next closest.” She tapped an ashy smudge that hovered over the map. “Do you want to try it, or should we avoid it?”

It wasn’t large by any means, but it was a sizable step up from the day before. It was also scarcely moving.

Liam would rather not be utterly useless. If they could only handle the smallest of the spirits, they wouldn’t be much help. He looked at Kade and got a shrug in return. “Let’s try it.”

While they tracked it down, Liam couldn’t stop himself from asking a question he’d had for the last few days.

“I am fully aware what I’m about to ask will sound sexist and that this is a terrible way to preface a question, so I shouldn’t even ask,” Liam said.

“Are you going to ask about our pack’s second and beta both being female?”

Liam cringed. “Yeah, sorry. I’ve just never heard of a pack with two women in positions of power, but in all fairness, I haven’t worked with packs often.”

“It’s decently rare still and depends on culture and tradition. Long ago, it was normal to have female alphas and betas in relatively equal numbers, but we’re talking a thousand-plus years ago. A lot of things became unbalanced back then.”

That fit with what Liam had gathered from his reading.

“Until recently,” she continued, “it’s been more common to have male alphas and betas, but that’s changing in some packs. Grant isn’t the type to feel peer pressure from dead alphas, so he picked the best people for the job. Niall is more traditional, which is why all his betas are male.”

“Victor’s father was similar,” Kade said. “But we’ve had female alphas in the not-so-distant past, and Victor won’t give a shit about gender when it comes time to replace any of us.”

That made sense. The mage council was also predominantly male. There was a chance that would even out when those old bastards died, but they certainly weren’t giving up power before then.

Aiyana checked the map. “It’s still a ways off. Shall we take a break here?”

“Yeah, that sounds—” Liam cut himself off, blinking. There was a furrow between Kade’s brows.

Their hesitation confused Aiyana.

“Normally, are you fond of taking breaks?” Liam asked.

She frowned. “No. There’s generally too much to do to take breaks.”

“You know how you asked if the bigger ones were worse? Well, you’re about to find out. If you’re experiencing any weird cognitive dissonance, it’s because you’re in the trail of a spirit. It’s affecting us. Amplifying emotions that aren’t necessarily our own.”

“Laziness?” Kade asked.

“Or something like it.”

“Got it,” Aiyana said. “Pay no attention to the sudden urge to play a mindless game on my phone. So do we keep going in this direction, or is it better to circle around?”

“We keep going,” Liam said. “But if it gets overwhelming for any of us, we’ll move on to a different spirit.”

They forged ahead, and lethargy sank into Liam’s bones. It would have been so easy to sit, to lie down, to close his eyes for a minute and relax. But he knew that wasn’t him talking, no matter how much effort each step required, no matter how tempting it was to rest for a moment.

When they came upon the spirit, it was the only patch of fog in the forest, making it impossible to miss.

It was a languid, drifting thing in a gauzy gray, enveloping the trees, slowing the world around it to this tedious sluggishness that weighed down Liam’s limbs as he reached into his bag and pulled out a box. He had no energy, no will to do anything. It’d be so much nicer to lie around and do nothing.

But he couldn’t do that; he had a job to do. And this was one hell of a way to stop him from doing it. He flipped open the box and activated the seal as Kade’s hand found his neck.

The seal latched on to the spirit, but then that resistance kicked in, a drag that slowed the spirit’s capture, making it harder to haul the spirit into the box. Making him wish for a break from this tiring work.

He opened himself up to more of Kade’s energy, gasping as it filled him. It flooded into him, stretching him full. He channeled that energy, funneling it into the seal, using it to yank the spirit forward.

The fog oozed, congealing in the box—a lazy, hypnotic swirl. He was so sleepy. He never wanted to move again…

Kade reached forward and closed the lid.

Liam shook himself. That hadn’t been exceptionally difficult, but he wasn’t ready to try anything bigger than that.

“This is going to be unpleasant, isn’t it?” Aiyana asked.

Liam and Kade snorted in unison.

“That was our reaction too,” Kade said.

They captured another spirit—a churning yellow ball of light that had no noticeable effect on them—and then it was time to head back to meet everyone.

Liam checked his map and was surprised when a large spirit to the east started to shrink.

“Hey, look at this.” He showed the spirit to Kade. “Did Elijah and Victor go east?”

“No, they went north. Isn’t that the direction Miles and Grant went?”

“If so, Miles must be getting the hang of using Grant’s energy. I wouldn’t have expected him to go after something that size.”

It was bigger than Liam would have attempted, but from how it was steadily shrinking, Miles wasn’t having any issues with it. The area to the north was missing a couple larger spirits as well. There were still dozens roaming free, but they’d made a dent.

They were nearing the pack house when Kade froze, pressing his eyelids shut as he inhaled deeply. The hair on Liam’s arms rose as Kade’s presence shifted in his mind, becoming more alert, sensing danger beyond the spirits surrounding them—something more imminent, something that was making Kade’s heart beat faster, and Liam’s in time.

When Kade opened his eyes, he asked Aiyana, “Do you smell that?”

She copied his actions, then looked at Kade, anger clouding her face. “That’s not the scent of any of these four mages.” There was a displeased growl in her voice.

“What?” Liam asked. “You’re smelling another mage?”

“Two, I think,” Kade said.

“And shifters,” Aiyana added. “All wolves, not from our pack or Victor’s. Four of them?”

“At least. They aren’t from Niall’s either.”

Liam glanced around like he was expecting them to jump out of the trees, but Kade shook his head. “It’s been a day, maybe two. I think they’ve already left, but that doesn’t make it less concerning.”

“Is it the previous shop owner and Victor’s father?”

“Not that I can smell, but one of the mages has the same taint to his scent as that bastard did.”

“The other doesn’t?”

Kade inhaled again, his shoulders tense. “Not that I’m picking up. It’s abrasive, but I wouldn’t call it corrupt.” He looked over at Aiyana, and she nodded in agreement.

“Definitely foreign magic. And the shifters’ scents are… muted? Or concealed with magic?”

“They’re subdued in a way I’ve never smelled another shifter’s scent before,” Kade said. “Let’s get everyone and bring them here.”

“Wouldn’t Grant have sensed someone intruding on his land?” Liam asked, hurrying to keep up with Aiyana as she sped toward the pack house.

“If he was paying attention, maybe?” Kade said. “If it happened at night, while he was asleep, with how out of it he was and how weak his wards are, I highly doubt it.”

They arrived at the pack house first.

Aiyana paced as they waited for everyone. “Why the hell was someone on our land?”

Liam had no answers to give her.

When Miles and Grant returned ten minutes later, Grant was less than pleased to hear Aiyana’s report.

“I didn’t feel anything,” he said, “but the wards are shot. The only reason I noticed you guys passing through them today was because I knew you were coming.”

He seemed ready to storm into the forest and hunt down the scents, but he restrained himself, waiting for the other groups.

Miles stood beside Liam and watched Grant join Aiyana’s pacing.

“Did everything go alright? Were you able to use Grant’s energy without any problems?” Liam asked.

“Uh, yeah. It was fine. No problems here.” His cheeks were stained pink.

Before Liam could say anything else, Aran appeared with Grant’s second. Aran’s gaze immediately zeroed in on Miles, mischief in his eyes. He walked over and tossed an arm around Miles’s shoulders.

Grant glanced at them, then away. He stopped his pacing to fill his second in on what was happening.

“ Miles ,” Aran said. “I saw the size of that spirit you captured. I didn’t realize you could take something so big that easily. Don’t tell me your channels are getting a good stretching too. How’s Alpha Silver Wolf Daddy’s energy treating you?”

If Miles had looked embarrassed before, it didn’t begin to compare to his expression now. He pushed Aran’s arm off him. “Why do you keep calling him that? He’s barely started going gray.”

“I mean, Alpha Soon-to-be Silver Wolf Daddy seems on the long side, but then again, I’m guessing that’d be fitting. So… how did that alpha energy treat you?”

“He’s still recovering!”

“So no stretching yet? It’s just been the tip?”

“Liam’s made that joke,” Kade said cheerfully. The traitor.

Both Aran’s and Miles’s heads whipped toward Liam.

“ Liam has?” Aran asked as he stared Liam down.

Liam’s cheeks heated. “So what? I made one dick joke. It’s not a regular thing.”

“You’ve made significantly more than one,” Kade said, and Liam hoped his glare promised pain and punishment, but Kade only seemed amused by it.

Aran looked Kade over. “How on earth did you get the stick out of his ass long enough for him to tell a dick joke?”

Kade smirked. “Oh, he totally makes dick jokes. You just have to warm him up first.”

“What are you doing to warm him up?”

“Not that!” Liam said. “Not whatever you’re implying!”

“I mean, I was assuming he asked you nicely. What did you think I was implying?”

Aran had not been thinking that. No way.

Liam huffed. “It isn’t appropriate to be talking about this when there were intruders on Grant’s territory after the full moon.”

“Are they here now?” Aran asked.

“No.”

“Is there anything we can do about it in the next five minutes?”

“No.”

“Then I’m going to continue to make dick jokes. I’ll get serious when I need to be serious. And until then, I want to hear all about Alpha Silver Wolf Daddy’s massive—”

“Oh, look, Elijah and Victor are here,” Miles said. “Time to get serious.”

Aran gave him an unimpressed stare, but listened as Kade and Aiyana ran through what they’d sensed.

Aiyana led them back the way they’d come. Grant grew more agitated, and tension crackled around them as they followed the scent away from the pack house. It was faint, but the wolf shifters agreed it was two mages and at least four shifters.

As they got farther from the house, they stopped twice for Elijah to capture spirits that were blocking their path, but that just made Liam wonder. If someone had been on Grant’s territory, how had they avoided the spirits affecting them? With as many as there were, it seemed like an impossible task, and considering how straight the trail was, they hadn’t been going around them.

“Okay,” Elijah said as they hiked, “if Victor’s father and the previous shop owner weren’t in this group, we have several potential scenarios on our hands. One, they’re working with this group, which means we’re not dealing with two people, we’re dealing with at least eight, including three or more mages. I don’t love that idea. Or two, this is a separate problem. Which means we have two enemies we have to worry about. That's also not great. Or, I guess, best case, these are the people behind the spirits and Victor’s father isn’t involved. But that means we have zero leads as to their identity.”

Yeah, Liam didn’t like those options either. “These must be the same people who contacted Grant, and if so, we have to conclude they knew Grant and his pack were weakened.”

What would these interlopers have done if the pack had been here during their unwelcome visit?

Nausea clawed at Liam’s gut, and Kade’s unease echoed through their bond.

They made it to the edge of Grant’s territory and passed through his wards, the ghost of them prickling across Liam’s skin, then followed the scent to the main road, where it disappeared. They couldn’t track them beyond there.

Grant snarled in frustration.

Elijah squinted down the road. “They had to have known how weak the wards were. Were they waiting until Grant’s pack was so weakened they wouldn’t put up a fight? And if so, what were they planning to do? They didn’t smell like hunters, right? So why sneak in?”

Given the state they’d been in, they wouldn’t have been capable of protecting themselves against mages or shifters with ill intent.

“Maybe someone was after my territory after all, just not Niall.” Grant’s tone was low and dangerous.

“Would your father try to take control of Grant’s pack?” Elijah asked Victor, keeping his voice gentle.

Victor grimaced. “He was always ambitious, but he wanted to make our pack powerful, not take over others. Or at least, not before that mage came along.”

“Whoever’s behind this—Victor’s father, that mage, someone else—they must be after something. They have to have a purpose,” Elijah said, then looked at Grant. “I mean no disrespect by this, but is there a reason anyone would want your territory? The land itself. What good would it do them with these spirits on it? Unless they have a more efficient way of capturing the spirits than we do, it seems like a lot of work to take over someone else’s territory. Or is there anything valuable here they’d be after?”

Grant frowned, then shook his head. “There’s nothing I can think of. I love my territory, but it’s no different from Victor’s or Niall’s. It’s no different from the unclaimed territory around here. If they wanted land, they could claim any of that.”

However Liam looked at it, the other option was so much worse. “If it’s not the territory, it has to be the pack. It’s not common, but mages do work with hunters sometimes.”

“But not with hunters and shifters,” Aran said. “I can’t imagine they’d be using shifters to attack another pack of shifters.”

“There are cases where they’ve set packs against each other,” Kade said. “Start a pack war, let the packs weaken themselves, then swoop in and kill the survivors.”

Elijah cocked his head. “Aran, that pack you found in Southern California. You assumed they died?”

“I didn’t see any bodies, but I also didn’t stay in their territory to search for them. No one has heard from them since. It seems likely they’re dead. Two dozen shifters don’t disappear into thin air.”

Elijah made a noncommittal noise.

“You believe they were abducted?” Liam asked. “But why? And how do the spirits play into it?”

“It could be what we were thinking before,” Kade said. “If they weaken the pack, the alpha included, they could grab them all at once.”

“But to what end? What would they do with an entire shifter pack?” Liam wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to those questions.

“I have no clue,” Elijah said.

That was the constant state they’d been in since this had started.

Victor pressed his eyes shut. “Alpha energy. That’s what that bastard wanted from my father. His energy, the pack’s resources.”

Liam inhaled sharply, and they stood in silence.

“That’s the most logical theory we have,” Elijah said eventually. “But with the state Grant was in, alpha or not, these mages wouldn’t have been able to get much energy from him.”

“Shifters heal quickly.” Miles spoke in the quietest of whispers, like the implication in his words was too horrible to speak aloud. “Even as close to death as Grant was, he’ll be back to full strength in a day or two.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Aran breathed out.

“Weaken a whole pack with the spirits until they can’t protect themselves when you abduct them. Wait until they’ve recovered their strength… and then drain them?” Elijah’s pale skin blanched stark white.

Liam’s stomach heaved. Kade’s emotions were a whirlwind that raged between them.

“No shifter would consent to that,” Miles said.

“With as corrupt as their magic is, and with their ability to scrape that taint off, I’d bet anything these mages don’t care about consent,” Elijah said.

“It’s some twisted inverse of the abductions. Instead of a shifter pack abducting and forcibly bonding a mage so they can control the mage’s magic, it’s mages abducting a shifter pack and forcibly draining them to use their energy.” Disgust dripped from Aran’s tone.

Liam swallowed down the bile in his throat. He hoped their theory was wrong, but as sickening as that plan was, it did fit. “So the question isn’t ‘what would they do with an entire shifter pack?’ It’s ‘what would they do with an entire shifter pack’s energy?’”

They headed back, night falling as they neared Grant’s pack house, everyone lost in their own thoughts, turning that question over and over and finding there were no reassuring answers.

Even with as unsettling as the day’s revelations had been, a certain amount of relief radiated off Kade as he drove to Victor’s territory. They’d done something to help. Something that wasn’t reading through dozens of books and finding zero answers. They hadn’t been a burden to the pack; they hadn’t let the spirits take them over. Kade had needed that, needed to prove himself, and Liam knew he’d made the right call. There was plenty of time for him to do research in the evening.

And, he realized, he’d needed it for himself too. To prove that he could handle Kade’s energy without getting lost in it, regardless of how tempting he might find it.

In total, they’d captured a dozen spirits that day. Things would get more challenging after they’d taken out the bulk of them and finding the remaining ones became more time-consuming, but he was confident they’d get it done.

His biggest concern was the people behind it. How could they stop them? Too many lives were on the line here. Too many shifters were vulnerable to their attacks. As much as Liam wanted to return to his archiving project, he wouldn’t be able to do that until this situation was resolved. Until everyone was safe.

They arrived late for dinner. With the addition of Grant’s pack, calling it a full house was an understatement, but they were making it work. The two packs crowded around the dining room table and spilled into the living room.

It was fascinating to watch the dynamics between them. They were on friendly terms, and both packs were doing their best to accommodate each other, but Grant’s pack hadn’t settled in. While they’d be there for a month, Liam didn’t know if they’d ever feel comfortable. They were grateful for the help, but this wasn’t home.

The only members who seemed truly at ease were the youngest.

Oliver was glaring at Remy when Liam and Kade entered the bustling dining room.

“Nuh-uh,” Oliver yelled. “Elijah is the coolest!”

Remy pulled a face, his annoyance clear. “Miles is way cooler.”

“Miles smells funny!”

“ Oliver .” Katrina sounded long-suffering. “How many times do I have to tell you we don’t talk about how mages smell?”

“But, Mama, he said Miles is cooler than Elijah. No one is cooler than Elijah! Smelly mages are not cool!”

“Miles doesn’t smell!” Remy took offense on Miles’s behalf. “He’s awesome! My whole throat was ripped out of my body, but he healed it!”

Grant winced, and Miles looked equally distressed.

“I threw up so much icky black stuff it filled the most hugest ocean! And then Elijah built a wall IN MY HEAD! Miles can’t do that! So Elijah is cooler!”

“ Okay ,” Victor said, cutting their debate short. “I’m glad we’re all getting along.”

Members of both packs seated around the table chuckled.

“They’ve been like this all day.” Katrina pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Sorry. I thought we’d talked about how to be a good guest.” Grant put a large hand on his son’s shoulder, though that didn’t end the boys’ stare-off.

“Nope, your son isn’t the main instigator.”

Liam grinned. They had been arguing over everything imaginable since Remy had recovered enough to be out of his room, though the awesomeness of Elijah and Miles did seem to be a favorite topic of discussion. The injuries they’d suffered from the spirits grew with each iteration of their arguments.

Kade edged closer to him. Whatever satisfaction he’d been feeling in the car was rapidly dissolving into twitchy discomfort, though it took Liam a moment to realize why.

There were too many people too close to him. Kade had been getting better about it, but having dozens of people crammed into the room—half of them not being pack—was getting to his wolf.

Liam leaned toward him and said under his breath, “It’s a bit chaotic in here, and I want to get some reading done. Would you mind if I grab food and eat in your room?”

The pure relief that washed through their bond staggered him.

“I’ll grab us something and bring it up,” Kade said, then slipped into the kitchen.

When Liam wrenched his eyes away from him, he was greeted by knowing smiles on the faces of every adult present. It took all his willpower not to clarify that he was not using ‘reading’ euphemistically. Even Elijah was giving him a look Liam felt the need to deny. Having a quiet meal in Kade’s room didn’t justify Aran’s smirk. Liam supposed he should be thankful there were kids around, otherwise who knew what Aran might say.

But whatever. It wasn’t a lie. He did want to read, and it was chaotic in there. He was itching to get back to his research. There were so many interesting books in the attic. There had to be information in one of them that he could use to destroy the spirits.

Thankfully he didn’t have to stand there long, repressing the urge to explain himself. Kade reappeared in no time, balancing an impressive amount of food on a tray as he herded Liam up the stairs.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them, Kade relaxed.

“Do you need to…” Liam trailed off, gesturing at himself.

“Do you mind?”

Liam didn’t mind nearly as much as he should have. “Go for it.”

Kade placed the tray on his dresser and stepped close to Liam. He brought his hands up to Liam’s neck. His fingers and energy stroked over Liam’s skin. “Sorry.”

“No problem.” Liam sounded breathier than he would have liked. He refused to let his eyelids flutter shut.

“There are so many people in this house.” Kade leaned in and inhaled. His exhale came out shuddering and relieved.

Liam swallowed as Kade’s palms slid down his arms, then back up to his neck. How would it feel to have him do that in a way that wasn’t quite so respectful? If his hands wandered to places that hadn’t been deemed in bounds?

Kade’s face was so close to his, kissing him would only take the slightest movement of his head. And fuck, he wanted to know how Kade kissed. Purely for research. Scientific curiosity, and nothing more.

But Kade pulled away and cleared his throat. “Sorry. I thought I was getting better control over that instinct.”

“No, it’s fine.”

It wasn’t fine. Kade’s smoldering need to touch Liam only fueled Liam’s desires. But acting on that was a bad idea, he reminded himself as Kade got them tucked into dinner. A thoroughly unappealing idea. No merit to it whatsoever. No matter how good Kade’s hands felt on him.

After they ate, Kade propped himself up against the headboard next to Liam and scrolled through his phone as Liam read a book on binding spells and seals. But Kade felt… not restless, exactly. Liam thought it might be the lingering buzz of arousal causing it, but after a while, he recognized the problem for what it was. There was something Kade wanted to do.

“You can read on your Kindle. I won’t tell if it’s a secret.”

Kade looked flustered, then said, “It’s impossible to keep secrets in a shifter pack.”

Liam scoffed. “First of all, clearly it’s not. You just can’t tell anyone. And second, you keep deflecting anytime the subject of you reading comes up. You don’t flat-out lie, but you aren’t telling the truth either. So what do you have on there?”

Kade shrugged.

Liam narrowed his eyes at him. “You want books with high heat and manchest covers, and occasionally, you talk like you’re from some overwritten bodice ripper. I lived with avid romance readers for years. If your Kindle doesn’t contain at least one trashy romance, I will never do magic again.”

With a sigh, Kade deflated. “Almost entirely romance. Some trashy, some not. With travel guides mixed in.”

“Why are you keeping that a secret? It’s not a big deal. Now, if you didn’t read at all, I’d question your sanity. I don’t understand people who don’t read. And I can’t say I’m eager to read the books my mother does, but there’s nothing wrong with them.”

“Have you met my pack? Do you honestly think they wouldn’t roast me to hell and back for reading fluffy rom-coms?”

“It’s not like you hide your viewing preferences.”

“But porn is just sex. Before DickHunt, there were no genuine feelings on MateHub. Romance is different. Yes, there’s often porn, but it’s more than that, and I’d get so much shit if they found out. Especially because… I, uh, read mostly paranormal romance.”

“Well, obviously my mother does too. And my sister, apparently, which worries me because she’s too young to be reading the things I presume are in those books. But why ‘especially because’ it’s paranormal?”

“Why would my pack tease me for reading about throbbing knots and fated mates?”

“Ah, yeah. True. But isn’t it completely inaccurate? I believe most of the books my mom reads are written by humans. Their portrayals of vampires, shifters, and mages can’t be right.”

“A few are disturbingly accurate, and I have to wonder about those, but most aren't even close. That’s part of the fun though. It’s a fantasy. It doesn’t need to be realistic. Some of the plots are so ridiculous you have to love them. Like sweater shifters.”

“…Sweater… shifters?” Liam’s brain was not wrapping itself around the combination of those two things.

“You know, ‘Usually, she wears him. Tonight, he wears her.’”

“Um. No.”

“It’s this series that went viral last year. Embraced by the Sweater Shifter , Cupped by the Bra Shifter , Flossed by the Thong Shifter , Knotted by the Tie Shifter , and more. There’s one for pretty much every piece of clothing you could imagine. Super inclusive, if a bit stereotypical. The tie shifter is MM, as is Supported by the Jockstrap Shifter . That one’s adorably wholesome. Moved by the Flannel Shirt Shifter is FF, and there are holiday novellas like Stuffed by the Stocking Shifter and Fingered by the Mitten Shifter . The first book in the series is Embraced . It’s about a young woman who discovers her big fluffy sweater is secretly a big hard alpha sweater shifter.”

“Alpha… sweater… shifter?” What world had Liam stumbled into? What was this conversation? “Like Victor? But a sweater?”

“Nah. It’s more the mistaken human concept of ‘alpha.’ Victor is too soft to be an alpha sweater shifter.”

Liam’s brain had given up. All words had fled in the face of this new reality. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

Kade laughed. “Yeah. That’s everyone’s first reaction, but they’re oddly addictive. And it makes it even better when you find out the series was written by Y. Jesus.”

Liam was still unable to produce a sound.

“There are rumors the MateHub Originals division is planning to adapt Embraced .”

“Oh god, no.” Liam regained his ability to speak as a horrific realization hit him. “I’ll never hear the end of this if it comes out. Aran would not shut up about that Howling Heats thing. He was raving about men in corset vests for an entire month.”

“ Howling Hearts and Hidden Heats ,” Kade corrected. “It’s so hot. Not as good as the book, of course, but they did a great job with it. Really respected the source material. You should watch it if you haven’t.”

“I’m not one to watch… uh, that . Or any video-based media.”

“I’ve got the book trilogy if you want to borrow it.”

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Your loss.”

“And I’m devastated by it. When did you start reading romance?”

“Six or seven years ago? I was reading it ironically at first, but I found I actually liked it. Unironically. I’m aware I’ve got a reputation, and it is well earned. Very well earned.”

“I’m channeling Aran here to comment about you putting in a lot of hard work to get that reputation.”

“And from time to time, the hard work gets put in me.”

Liam groaned. “Yeah. I walked into that one.”

Kade got quieter as he said, “I don’t know. Sleeping around is sort of… meaningless? Don’t get me wrong. It’s fun, and there’s not much else to do around here. But there’s nothing special about it. There’s no connection. Reading romance—even cheesy, overwritten, instalove romance—is a nice reminder there’s more than that. I like seeing people find that perfect someone they have a soul-deep bond with, and it’s even better when I get to play the meddling friend in real life.”

“And I’m sure Elijah and Victor appreciate your meddling, regardless of what they might claim.”

“Damn right.”

“But seriously, while you’ll never convince me to read it, I won’t judge you for it either. Read whatever you want.”

Kade stared at him for a beat, grinned, then pulled his Kindle out of the nightstand drawer.

Which was how Liam found himself in bed with Kade, Kade reading on his Kindle while Liam perused the book on binding contracts. The warm, contented hum coming from Kade made a soft smile play on Liam’s lips. He couldn’t help but think this was the ideal way to spend an evening.

It was thrilling to have access to uncensored books. In more ways than one. He still wasn’t used to how casually these mages referred to sex magic with their mates. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d read something to the effect of, “This spell has excellent results if done while knotted.” Okay then, good to know.

Two hours later, after he’d finished the book, he shut it and let out a sigh.

Kade arched an eyebrow at him in question.

“There are two other books from the attic I want to read, but after that, I’d like to experiment with destroying the spirits.”

“I’m in. Whatever you need.”

Liam’s determination grew. They could do this. They’d eliminate these spirits and make the land safe for the packs again.

The next three days followed the same pattern. Cleaning up Grant’s territory in the morning and afternoon, then returning to Victor’s house for dinner and retreating up to their room. To Kade’s room. Kade read while Liam did research. Every now and then, a distracting wave of lust would roll through their bond, but for the most part, Kade being immersed in his books helped Liam concentrate.

After Liam had read through the remaining books they’d pulled from the attic, he sketched out his theories on how they might destroy the spirits.

Generally, mages didn’t break binding contracts, but it seemed like they could be destroyed with the right amount of energy. There’d been enough information about it in the books that he was optimistic they could accomplish that much. The trick would be containing the evil spirit within the binding spell while it was being destroyed.

As Liam listed the supplies he’d use—the herbs and stones that would aid his magic—then sketched the sigils and ruins he’d need and the circle he’d draw, Kade was less focused on his Kindle than he had been on the previous nights. He kept glancing at Liam’s notebook.

“Should we go to the shop tomorrow instead of Grant’s territory?” Kade asked, and Liam jumped in surprise as the silence was broken.

He paused, unsure how to answer that, but Kade understood his hesitation. “No, it’s okay. As long as I’m doing something to help, I don’t care what it is. Just don’t make me read a bunch of old grimoires again, please?”

Liam snorted. “Deal. No more grimoires for you. Unless we need to research sex magic.”

“Now that is research I would eagerly do.” Kade’s grin held a wicked delight that promised things they’d already agreed not to do. “But sex research aside, I am fully capable of sitting there and attempting not to maul you as you use my energy for your experiments.”

“Okay. Let’s tell Elijah and Victor the plan, but we don’t have to go into town if I can find what I need in the attic. If there’s something I can’t find, Aran and Miles can bring it on their way out. It feels like, in the past, there was a lot of magic used in that workshop where we’ve been making the boxes. Would we be able to use that space?”

“Yeah. Grandma used that as her workroom years ago, but her things got moved to the attic after she passed. You can use it, and we can move some of the machinery out of there so you have room to work.”

“That’d be amazing. Hopefully it won’t take much experimenting to destroy these spirits.”

Even as he said it, Liam knew it was a long shot, but he was looking forward to trying.

The following morning, Victor’s pack helped Kade move everything out of the workshop while Liam rummaged through the attic for supplies. He loaded up his bag and headed downstairs, finding Kade in the near-empty room.

“Perfect,” Liam said, and Kade winked at him.

“I know I am.”

Liam did him the favor of not rolling his eyes.

Kade stood off to the side, watching Liam work.

On the floor, Liam drew a circle in chalk and added candles to the compass points along with a handful of stones—obsidian for cutting ties, smoky quartz for letting go of the past, onyx to promote closure. Then he sprinkled a mixture of rue, mugwort, and black pepper flowers over the candles, herbs selected for their associations with breaking hexes, ending phases, and severing unhealthy bonds. Last, he placed tiny bundles of yew between the candles to symbolize the ending of a cycle.

He walked over to the workbench—now devoid of all its chisels, clamps, and hand tools—and grabbed a sheet of parchment. The base enchantments for a binding contract weren’t complicated, but once they were set, he glanced at Kade.

“The spirits are bound inside the boxes by something similar to a binding contract. I don’t know if we can destroy the spirits alone, but I’m hoping with the spirits being trapped by the binding spell, if we destroy that spell, it’ll take the spirit with it. So first, I’m attempting to destroy a basic binding contract—the contract and the spirit of the oath with it. I’ll increase the difficulty from there, but I need something we can test.”

“Does it have to be an emotion? How would we test an emotion?”

“No. It’d be easiest to have you swear not to do something simple, then try to do it.”

“How simple? What about not saying a particular word?”

“Yeah, that would work.”

“What if I swear not to make any dick jokes until you release me from the contract?”

“Sure, but I won’t want to destroy that contract. I’ll just try to get Aran to swear the same thing.”

“Aw, but think how sad I would be if I couldn’t tell dick jokes.”

“You’d survive,” Liam said, deadpan, but he wrote the terms of the agreement on the parchment. Kade Mills, Mills pack second-in-command, would not be allowed to say dick or cock or any slang with the same meaning, tell any form of dick joke, or use any euphemisms for the duration of the contract, until Liam agreed to release him from his vow.

“Damn. Did you have to be so thorough with those terms?”

Probably not, but where would the fun be in that? “We want to prove it works, right?”

Liam grabbed a ritual knife and pricked his finger, dripping blood into the glass inkwell he’d found in the attic. Kade bit his own thumb, adding his blood to Liam’s, and Liam dipped his pen into the inkwell. The nib pulled the blood up, leaving spotless glass behind.

They signed the contract, their signatures drying to a dark crimson.

Liam pressed his hand to the paper and sealed the contract with his magic, glowing lines spiraling out from under his palm. He then raised an eyebrow expectantly at Kade.

Kade opened his mouth, but no words came out. A furrow formed between his brows as he struggled to speak.

After a few moments, he huffed. “I realize this was my idea, but it was a stupid fucking idea. I don’t like this at all.”

Liam chuckled. “What’s wrong? Got something on the tip of your tongue? Or is it deeper than that? In your throat? Is your mouth stuffed full of it?”

Kade looked utterly unimpressed, and Liam couldn’t help himself.

“You know,” he said nonchalantly, “mages work with wood frequently. There’s such a wide variety with so many fun uses. Each one is magical in its own way. I’m fond of hardwood. It gives spells a little extra thrust. But softwood can be wonderful too. And I mean, the range of colors alone. From pale birch and maple to a nice dark ebony. They’re all great, don’t you think? There’s nothing quite like holding a rod of hardwood in your hands while you work your magic. Particularly if it’s got some girth to it. You can feel its power pulsing, ready to erupt if you handle it right.”

“If I kill you, will this contract be nullified?” There was no heat behind Kade’s words.

“Nope. You’ll be stuck like this forever.”

“What?” Kade’s expression was aghast, and Liam laughed.

“Oh, come on. I could never keep up with you and Aran when it comes to innuendos. Let me enjoy this for once.”

“You want to enjoy—” That sentence was cut short, Kade’s mouth silently working. He looked like he was dying to say something, but had to settle for glaring instead. “I’ll have to tell Aran you said that.”

“Please don’t.”

“It can be our little secret. Just get this damn spell off me?”

It really did feel wrong for Kade to be unable to say ridiculously perverted things. Liam sensed how uncomfortable he was, how his skin felt too tight, how that restriction made him want to squirm. So he rolled up the contract, stepped into the circle, and sat down in the middle. He waved Kade over to join him as he studied the contract before setting it on the ground and reaching out to Kade.

Kade’s hand slid into his, and their fingers entwined. The rush of Kade’s energy was as exhilarating as ever, but after multiple days of working with it, Liam felt more grounded as he used it. It was still intoxicating, but the aphrodisiac part of it was easier to ignore now that he’d become familiar with it.

He placed his other hand against the floor, and the lines of chalk began to glow, the candles lighting. He channeled as little of Kade’s energy as possible, weaving it together with his magic, then directed that power at the contract.

Binding contracts were written on spelled parchment so they couldn’t be easily destroyed. Fire and water would not damage the paper.

Liam poured Kade’s energy and his magic into the contract.

Slowly, the paper ignited. It smoldered and burned red-hot, the scent of charred ash permeating the air, and Liam pushed more energy into it, the pressure in the room building until it reached its breaking point.

Heat exploded outward from the center of the circle, making his breath catch. When he looked down, the parchment was gone.

Kade blinked in surprise, but then his shoulders relaxed.

“Damn, I haven’t felt a release that satisfying since the last time I—”

“ Okay . I take it your vocabulary is no longer restricted.”

Kade tilted his head from side to side like he was assessing himself, then rattled off, “Cock, dick, penis, arousal. Turgid length. Pulsating tumescence. Throbbing manstick. Meaty—”

“I’m so glad that worked,” Liam said wryly.

Kade leered at him. “Admit it. Your life wouldn’t be complete without my skillful and loving use of dick.”

Liam ignored Kade and considered his options. He wasn’t prepared to tackle the spirits yet. He wanted to be absolutely certain he could destroy a more complex contract before he tried anything with the spirits, but this was a good start.

“Let’s see what else we can make you not do.”

Kade groaned, but said, “Whatever you need.”