Chapter 34
Sylvan
Ash turns the snow drifting down on the mountain side slate gray.
Embers spin up toward the sky as the coven house burns to the ground.
In the distance, I can see the frozen surface of the lake.
The last time I saw it was for Maeve’s funeral, and I can’t help but wish Morgan and I would have gone there this summer—town snobs be damned.
I have a lot of regrets. Every night I think about everything I wish I would have done differently.
Fighting my bond with Morgan is the worst mistake I’ve ever made.
I never would have thought myself capable of doing something like burning a coven’s house, but then Cassandra’s father decided to let it slip that he knows where Morgan is, and all I saw was red.
Fionn thought he was powerful enough to sneer those words at me and escape Hex Ridge two weeks ago, but he underestimated the witches that have joined me since Morgan was taken.
We’ve had him locked in the basement of the manor since, and I’ve questioned him over and over.
He knows something, but he won’t give over the information.
Whatever magic that’s been used to spell his secrets away is stronger than anything someone in our group can cast. So for now, we keep him locked away.
The House of Hecate is responsible for whatever monstrosities have been happening in the Ridge.
If not entirely responsible, partially. Over the last month, we’ve uncovered more and more truths.
Corruption in almost every leader of the entire coven that stretches even deeper, affecting territory leadership as well.
Money used to fund the omega kidnappings.
Magic drained from the witches of the House to fuel something.
The witches who were unaware what their coven was doing are victims as well.
They’ve been weakened and taken advantage of.
One hundred and ninety-seven. That’s how many omegas have gone missing in the last year. There’s no telling how long this has been going on or how many territories have been impacted, but it’s an issue that seems to stretch all the way along the mountains.
I grit my teeth as a wave of dizzying pain rolls into me. My eyes squeeze shut and I hold on to the anger. The rage is what pulls me through these seconds of blazing agony.
For a fleeting moment, I heard Morgan’s voice in my mind. Screaming at me to reject her. Reject me, reject me, reject me—
Begging me. Begging me to end our bond.
I will never reject her. Ever.
Over the last month, I have barely slept. I have lived through every second of her pain alongside her. I have felt every burning sensation of the magic they’re hurting her with. Every single moment filled with complete and utter agony.
And her voice.
Screaming.
Broken.
Begging me to let her go.
Never.
She’s still alive. As long as she’s still alive, I will do everything to find her. And if she’s not alive by the time I find her? Goddess help everyone who’s had a hand in this operation.
A firm hand clamps down on my shoulder. Jarod is right there, his expression hard and unreadable. “Another one?”
I nod, grunting through the agony of it. My knees threaten to buckle, but he keeps me standing.
“We’re regrouping,” Jarod says. “The beta search group has been out for fourteen hours now. But it’s the full moon tonight, Sylvan. We all need to retreat until tomorrow. The house seems to have already warded our bedrooms, but you need to figure out what you’re going to do.”
“You’ll have to chain me,” I say, rubbing my chest. “She shouldn’t have been gone for this long.”
He doesn’t say anything else. He just gives me a gentle squeeze and releases me. We both watch in silence as flames consume the house.
Some of the witches in the coven left once they found out what was happening. Hex Ridge has become a ghost town. Once Catriona and her mates came, then Jarod and a good portion of his pack—shadow creatures started appearing every night. That’s when the fights started.
We lost two werewolves and a witch in the first week.
After that we adjusted the way we fought. Most of the civilians in Hex Ridge have left, and that’s for the best. The few who have chosen to stay joined our group in battling the darkness, but it feels like a losing war.
Without the Foxglove Manor, I’m certain we’d all be dead by now. The magic in those walls has kept all of us safe.
“We’ll find her,” Jarod finally says. “We’ll find all of them.”
I swallow hard and tear my gaze away from the burning pile. “Have we found Cassandra yet?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Has there been contact from the Council?”
His expression turns grim. “Not yet. It’s a good thing, though, Sylvan. If they find out you’re involved in this . . .”
Fuck the consequences. I don’t even care anymore. I rake my fingers through my hair and turn away from the smoke. “Let’s go.”
The trek back to the manor is quick for us. We’ve worn a path through the snow, and as werewolves, we can cover ground fast even in our non-monstrous forms. By the time we make it to the front yard gate, ice has frosted my lungs and I’m panting from Morgan’s pain.
“Leo’s group is back,” Jarod says behind me.
Sure enough, the front door opens and I hear their voices. Everyone is in the dining room, and the scent of cider fills the house, masking the stench of sweat and blood. I shake off my boots and stumble against the wall, wincing.
Everyone has gotten used to me being in pain, but I sure as fuck haven’t. I swear this is worse than it has been before.
Jarod waits for me patiently until I gather my strength and round the corner.
“You’re back,” Cat says. She shoves a warm mug in my hands. “Cider and whiskey.”
“Thanks.” I take a long sip and let it warm my chest and bones before meeting Leo’s gaze. Before this month, Cat’s mate has always annoyed the shit out of me, but I’ve grown to appreciate him.
Crammed in the room are about eight other people. We have a map spread over the table of the mountain range with pins on every spot we’ve searched. But as we get deeper into winter, it’s getting harder and harder to hunt for Morgan.
All in all, we have twenty-four daimons, witches, and werewolves working together to find these bastards.
Jarod was not joking when he said he would help me and brought ten of the strongest members of his pack.
Catriona and her three mates are here, Leo included.
And then there are the few witches who stayed in Hex Ridge.
I don’t exactly trust them, but one of them—Eryn—has proven to be beyond helpful.
Currently, they’re seated with a bowl of oatmeal while reading over the book on Shadow Seers.
Somehow I’ve ended up as the fucking leader of this group, and I hate how right it feels. My mind was made for this.
I just wish Morgan was here.
“How’d the crawl go?” I ask Leo.
“We covered these two sections,” he says, marking them on the map. “Went into the caves. We didn’t find anything.”
I breathe out, but nod. “Okay. We’ll keep them marked as complete for now. Did you see anything else in the forest?”
“There was a scent we tracked down, but it went cold. The weather is fucking everything up.”
I press my lips together. It’s grim. Everything about this is grim. When I came to Hex Ridge I never would have imagined that just a few months later, I’d be battling some sort of cursed darkness, but here I am.
Here I fucking am.
I’m already losing it.
“Tonight is the full moon,” I say. “Everyone should stay in. Go to your mates. Don’t go outdoors. Thanks to Jarod’s mate, Gemma, and Cat we’ve got plenty of stew and drinks to get us through this moon. The rooms are warded thanks to the house, and we are safe.”
There’s an air of relief, and it makes me realize just how much responsibility I’m carrying right now. If I ask them to work tonight, they will. But, I won’t ask that of anyone.
“What are you going to do?” Leo asks.
“Already asked him,” Jarod grumbles. I ignore the pang in my gut as he crosses the room to Gemma and tugs her hard against him. She immediately melts into his side with a soft smile.
“I’ll handle myself,” I say. “All I ask is that everyone stick to their rooms. And . . . maybe one of the witches can use a spell to muffle sounds.”
“That’s a good idea,” Cat says dryly. “Orgy voyeur house.”
There’s a few chuckles and one of the lights flicker in response. I plant my hands on the table and lean over the map as more pain passes through.
Eryn snaps the book shut and leans forward, their eyes narrowing. “You need to eat,” they say. “Before you lose your mind. Also, I have a question.”
“What’s your question?” I ask.
“We know Maeve was a powerful witch, but what about the others in the family?”
I drag out a chair and sit before I fall like a newborn lamb. “I don’t know. They’re all dead. I just know there’s the family curse, and Morgan was convinced it didn’t apply to her.”
“And what is the curse?” Jarod asks.
“All she ever told me was that ‘every Foxglove pays a price for their power,’ followed by her insistence that she has none.”
“Is that true?” Leo asks.
My jaw sets. “No. I don’t know how to explain her magic, though. If there’s dark magic in the world, hers is the exact opposite of it.”
“Hmm.” Eryn studies the cover of the book, clearly thinking. “It’s strange. One more question.”
“Yes?” I grit out.
“Who’s Gideon?”
“Gideon?” I echo. I shake my head. “I don’t follow.”
“Gideon.” They open the cover of the book and point to a name scrawled in ink on the lower left-hand corner. I’ve never noticed that and it makes me feel like an idiot. I’ve read through that cursed book at least five times at this point. “Who is he?”
I stand up and lean over to snatch up the book. Gideon Foxglove. I press my lips together, thinking through everything I know about Morgan and the Foxglove family tree.
Which is next to nothing.