CHAPTER 41
Mark was engulfed in the Queen’s embrace as soon as he stepped into the kitchen where everyone had congregated.
Their hushed tones, whose reverence could not be contained by distance, reached his ears even through the ever-present silence of the large house.
Her scent overpowered both sides of him, and he held on a fraction longer than he should.
It was in these moments that he longed for the comfort of a mother.
She gasped and drew away from the embrace to look at him, but her shock paled in comparison to his mortification when he caught Cy’s smile over her shoulder.
He’d only known Caster’s brother a few days, but he was sure the mockery when it came would be epic, to say the least.
He didn’t dare look at Caster as he once again took a moment to put up that mental barrier one meticulous brick at a time.
He glanced at Amelia to find a warm smile, but even she couldn’t hide the concern everyone directed his way.
He cleared his throat and nodded at Amara, whose power was fully unleashed. His wolf was close enough to the surface that he could sense the enormous power the small witch contained.
“I went into the Underworld when he released me?” The others didn’t seem confused by words that barely made sense even to him. It seemed in the few minutes he’d needed Caster’s comfort, the witches had brought them all up to speed with what they were dealing with.
She nodded. “That hum was the sound that calls all souls to the Underworld. You have to hear it to be drawn there and become one with it.”
“The difference for you is you don’t need that sound’s guidance,” Edie said. “Your mind, your wolf’s life force is connected to that place.”
“But he was only there for a fraction of a moment. Could she really have followed him?” Caster asked.
“It was not a fraction of a second,” Riley said, the shocked awe Mark had seen on his face when they’d returned from that memory now replaced with his usual calm. “You were there for those three days you remained unconscious. Time doesn’t work the same down there.”
“Yeah!” Cy said. “You guys were gone so long just now, we almost came looking.”
“And yet, it felt like a few minutes,” Amara said.
“She must have followed your life force.”
She sighed, her expression exasperated as if she had dealt with this problem before.
“I think when you fought off Zeke, he returned to her somehow and your desire to get away caused a slight tear in the Veil, sending you to the Underworld. She must have followed that same tear.”
Mark shook his head. “But I don’t remember.”
“Did you call for Caster when you encountered Zeke?” Edie asked.
Mark sifted through memories that were now accessible and turned to Caster. “Not until after the Underworld engulfed me.”
“That’s why he couldn’t come.” Edie’s tone was sympathetic. “You’re the only one who can journey into the Underworld without its consent. Even demons can’t do that.” She smiled at him, and Mark accepted the comfort she offered.
“But you need to control that impulse to keep it from happening by accident again,” Amara said.
Riley nodded. “Ethel must have gathered a lot of power.” He glanced at Caster. “She could have killed us.”
Mark frowned at Caster, who seemed to have misrepresented the threat, and then caught Riley’s deep blue gaze. “Thank you for saving him, again.”
“That wasn’t me!”
“What?” Caster moved to Mark’s side and placed a hand on his back. He seemed primed for an attack, and Mark’s heart skipped a beat.
But Riley didn’t seem concerned. “I tried to tell you guys, but then the whole thing with Bastian happened. I summoned the power to fight, not run.”
He shook his head, as if even he couldn’t believe it.
“But then there was an outside force that pushed all of us out of there. Its essence disappeared as soon as we teleported here.”
“That teleportation spell did seem stronger than necessary,” Riley’s mother said, conjuring the memory of the force of the spell.
“Shouldn’t we find out who did that?” Cy asked. “I for one don’t like secretive magic.”
“I am on it. We should know soon,” Riley said, the confidence in his tone undeniable. He looked at Mark. “Right now, we have more pressing matters.” He nodded at Amara.
“The only way to make sure that Alpha can never control your mind again is to sever that connection.” Mark was ready to voice his agreement, but she silenced him with a raised hand. “That means no other Alpha will have that control over your wolf.”
He glanced at Dean, expecting to find murderous resistance, but only got a casual shrug. “It has to be your call.” His brother smiled. “From what they’ve told me, you handled him really well. You never needed me.” Then he tipped his chin in Caster’s direction. “Besides, he’s your Alpha now.”
Mark’s cheeks heated; subdued laughter echoed through the room, but even in the mocking smile he could see from both his brother and Caster’s brother, the truth was undeniable. If Dean gave him any command that was in contradiction with Caster’s desire, he would choose Caster every time.
Still, Mark needed to be sure. He caught his brother’s blue gaze. “Are you sure?”
Dean’s brilliant smile was a relief. “Will I miss you? Yeah. But it's your call, and I have a lot to deal with anyway. Wouldn’t be so bad to hand over some responsibility.”
He waited a breath, watching his brother’s face for any doubt, but he wouldn’t find any.
Dean always meant what he said, or he wouldn’t say it.
He said it was the only way to earn the respect of others.
Only when he was sure of his older brother’s unwavering support did he give Amara his consent.
He wanted to sever that connection with Zeke more than he wanted anything.
It stood in the way of his forever with Caster, and that would not do.
I know. And your mind is wide open again. Caster’s hand pushed against the small of his back. We will revisit that disobedience when all of this is over.
He only just held on to his gasp, but he took a breath and rebuilt the crumbling walls. His wolf pranced around, displaying its joy at their impending freedom in the only way it could.
“Are you ready?” Amara asked, and he glanced at Riley.
“Her power is sufficient,” he said. “We need to conserve our resources for the coming fight.”
Mark looked at the witch he was unfamiliar with, but who Riley seemed to trust. She didn’t startle his wolf, which was a plus, but it was the support from everyone in the room, his family, that gave him the courage to accept her.
“What will you do?” He couldn’t resist seeking a little reassurance.
She smiled, her demeanor much like that of a grandmother. “It is a simple spell designed to erase his energy from your mind and close the part of your psyche that allows an Alpha to enter.” Then she glanced at Riley. “Then if you permit me, we can follow that energy to find his location.”
“But surely, Ethel will have cloaked him too?” Caster asked.
Amara nodded. “Perhaps. But the magic I use is different from hers. It may give us a slight edge. If not a precise location, then within a few miles.”
She held out her hands, and Mark took a fortifying breath before taking them.
The first chant was a testament to just how different her magic was from Edie’s.
The words were foreign, her language perhaps, but one Mark had never heard before.
But it was the potency of her power that surprised him; it pulled on his body in a different way as if it split his essence into equal halves.
The foreign feeling settled into his belly, a shiver spreading through his body before it died into a calm hum, so warm and comforting he thought he’d fallen asleep.
The space in his mind he shared with his wolf opened like a road his thoughts could follow. He caught his wolf’s amber gaze for a second before a flood of its communication in the form of healing hormones flooded his body.
His eyes opened to find a warm smile on Amara's face.
She patted his hand and then moved to the table; a map he hadn’t noticed before laid out on it.
Her hands hovered over it, and gasps filled the room as a blue flame covered the map, burning but not consuming it.
The flame moved, as if directed by a power, an intent that remained invisible to them.
Then it settled over one area, growing dimmer, changing color to a brilliant purple before singeing a single patch of the map.
“That’s where he is.” Amara’s voice rose over the loud silence in the room. Dean and Cy stepped closer to the table.
“Shit!” Cy's shock didn’t inspire much confidence. “He’s at Uncle Lucien’s?”
“That makes sense. They’re working together…”
“No.” Caster interrupted his mother. “It doesn’t.”
Cy looked at Mark. “My uncle has a tremendous hatred for werewolves. If Zeke is there…”
“Then this has escalated further than we know.” Dean’s subdued whisper landed with incredible impact, even when Mark was sure he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“They are setting us up for war,” Cy said.
“We didn’t capture Bastian; he was there to test us.” Damien, who had remained a spectator until then, moved closer to the map as if willing it to show him something different. “He’s not a prisoner here. He’s either a well-placed spy or he’s here for his safety.”
“Then we lure Zeke and the witch somewhere else, somewhere neutral,” Caster said. “Make it seem like we want a truce…”
“But how do we keep my father from joining that fight?” Damien asked, his demeanor more frantic than Mark had ever seen him. “Bastian bragged of an army, remember?”
“I’ll be the bait.” Mark grabbed Caster’s wrist to halt his objection and gave Dean his most admonishing look for the same reason.
“He wants me, and he doesn’t know that my wolf’s connection to any Alpha is gone. We use that. Once we strip the witch of her power, any undead army she has would be useless.”
Dean surprised him by laughing. “My Goddess! I missed that fucking beautiful mind.” He looked at Caster, his brilliant smile lighting up his face. “I want him back.”
Everyone laughed, and the tension in the room lifted if only for a fraction of a second.
Mark wasn’t under any illusions. What he proposed was beyond dangerous.
But a war between the other side’s army of twice-dead Made-Vampires, werewolves loyal to Zeke, and the considerable army he was sure Marcus would amass would mean a lot of death.
“OK. But we still need a location.” Damien nodded at him, an understanding settling between them. “It can’t be my house.” He chuckled, even though there was no joy in the sound. “My other house.” He waved a hand. “Too many protection spells on this one. They’d see the trap miles away.”
“The cabin.” Mark hated suggesting it. But he and Dean were without a home. He sought Caster’s permission, and he granted it with a nod.
“But we need to bring this to Marcus,” the Queen said, the command in her tone unmistakable. “The only way I am letting any of my boys anywhere near that witch again is if Marcus can assure me of your safety.”