Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Icame awake with a start and blinked at the unfamiliar space. Ethan’s scent washed over me, and I sank back into my pillow. A weight had lifted from me after I’d laid everything out on the line. Even if Ethan had run out of here like his tail was on fire.
I’d always been pretty clear with him about boundaries and what I wanted, but today I’d basically told him I would walk away from everything if he told me he wanted me.
And I meant it. I cared about Cernunnos, but the god already knew Ethan had the potential to drive a wedge between us.
Maybe after today, Ethan wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
I rubbed my chest, feeling that odd twinge I sometimes had when Ethan was around.
There was a bond between us, one neither one of us had examined too closely.
I didn’t poke at it because I knew I could do nothing.
While he never acknowledged what might be growing between us, I knew he felt it too. Even if he never spoke about it.
I rolled onto my side and glanced at the clock. Past nine. Full darkness outside. Holy shit. I’d been down for the count for hours now!
The bedroom Ethan had created for me was cozy and comforting. Crisp cotton sheets, soft natural fiber bedding, a solid wood bed frame, incandescent lighting in pretty lamps and warm landscape paintings on the walls…he’d thought of it all.
That bond twinged again, this time a little harder. I sat up and rubbed my chest. Odd. I hadn’t felt a tug like that before.
I shrugged my cardigan on and padded into the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. Just as I was about to pour the water, a sharp knock came from the front. Since Ethan wouldn’t bother to knock, I carried the mug to the door and peeked out.
An unfamiliar shifter stood outside. He was young and smaller than most of the others I’d seen. Younger than, maybe just out of adolescence.
“Miss Moira?” he asked when I opened the door.
Aw. Cute. I don’t think I’d ever been called that. “Yes?”
I gestured for him to come inside. The young shifter’s eyes darted back and forth before stepping over the threshold. “I won’t be long, Miss. The others want to know if you’ve seen Lord Ethan.”
I blinked. “Err. Not since much earlier in the day. I’m afraid I’ve been sleeping for a while.”
A long while, which was odd in itself. That was no regular nap. I’d been conked out for hours. The last time I’d slept that long during the day, I’d been a child.
The shifter’s eyes flashed with worry. I set the mug down on the coffee table. “What is it?”
“We haven’t seen the Lord in almost eight hours. He told no one he was leaving.”
“And that’s unlike him?”
He nodded. “His Second or his new Omega always know where he is.”
“Do you have people looking for him?”
He swallowed. “Yes, but there’s something in the forest.”
I straightened. “Something?”
“We can’t get past a certain area. Every time we try, we end up back at the main Keep house.
“Magic.”
“We think so.”
I held up a finger. “What’s your name?”
“Jace, miss.”
“Give me a quick second to get some jeans and shoes on, and we’ll go, alright?”
“I’ll wait outside.” Jace hurried to the door, and I turned the opposite way.
It took me less than a minute to throw on some suitable clothes and a pair of sturdy tennis shoes. After tying my hair in a quick braid, I dug through the hall closet to see if there were any sturdier jackets.
A smile tugged at my lips when I saw several of Ethan’s jackets lined up neatly on the cedar closet rod. I took the warmest and put it on, zipping it up as I headed outside to meet Jace.
He stood in human form with two massive silver-touched wolves. “I’m a good tracker, but I bet your noses are better than mine. If you want to lead, I’ll follow. I may sense more magic than you, so try not to get too far ahead just in case I sense we’re about to run into a trap.”
Jace nodded. “Ready?”
I tied the string at the top of the jacket and tugged on Ethan’s gloves. “Ready.”
Jace shifted in a flash of silver light and jerked his head.
A moment later, we were off.
Ethan’s scent had saturated the woods. The years he spent here had soaked into the soil, making the tracking difficult for me, but the wolves seemed to have no trouble picking up his most recent trail.
I followed behind as they loped away, occasionally looking over their shoulders to ensure I was close behind.
I rarely shared my full speed with anyone, but we were on the hunt for Ethan. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep up. Just pay attention in case we need to pivot.”
I wasn’t worried yet. The feeling in my chest was still there, Ethan’s presence still warm and alive. He’d run for a reason, so maybe all he needed was time. If we got there and we saw he was safe and sound, I’d quietly return to the house and give him the space he needed. No harm, no foul.
But his shifters were worried. Tense, anxious energy surrounded all three wolves as they ran, which made me nervous by association.
I kept my breathing slow and steady, repeating to myself over and over that everything was fine.
Ethan was a Lord. He could handle whatever problem someone threw his way.
At the fifteen-minute mark, the hint of something off skittered across my shoulders. “Slow down,” I said quietly.
The wolves resisted at first, their animal instincts overriding their human ones, but when I repeated myself, Jace and the other two slowed and turned to face me. I crouched and touched my fingers to the earth.
Magic had touched the ground here. Faint but noticeable to someone sensitive to magic. I couldn’t tell where it had come from. “Do you smell anyone else?” I asked quietly.
Jace put his nose to the ground and took off at a trot. The others investigated around me in a tight circle, widening the area with each lap they took. When Jace was back, he shook his head.
Odd. Why would there be magic on Ethan’s land in the same area he’d run. “Do your mages come out here?”
Jace didn’t move. He must not know. “Alright.” I stood back up. “Let’s move at a slower pace. Something doesn’t feel right.”
I took the lead this time, taking off at a measured, almost silent jog. The others ran behind me, their noses on the hunt for something off. I stopped again a few minutes into the run.
“The magic is growing stronger.” Dread pooled in my stomach. Familiar magic.
“Listen to me,” I whispered. “I think there’s a witch following Ethan. A dangerous one. Do not approach her. Stay to the shadows and downwind. She won’t have senses as good as yours, so the best thing you can do is keep the element of surprise.”
Jace nodded. I put my fingers to my lips and took off at a slower jog this time, each step a painful reminder of the last time I’d tangled with my mother.
Voices came a few minutes later. I came to a complete stop and crouched. “Stay here,” I whispered almost inaudibly. The two wolves behind Jace bared their teeth. I couldn’t risk showing off the glow of my eyes, but I stared them down until they dropped their gazes.
“This is for your own safety.”
Jace nodded and sat on his haunches. I reached over and touched his fur. “I’ll be back. Don’t interfere unless I call for you.”
I crept through the dense woods and stopped far enough away for her not to sense me, but close enough to overhear their conversation.
“She has you fooled,” my mother said. “My daughter has long been able to convince people she’s as sweet as pie.”
Ethan laughed. “If you knew anything about Moira, you’d know she’s anything but sweet.”
I covered my mouth to hide my smile.
“Oh?” she said. “Then why does she seem to have you wrapped around her little finger?”
“Minka, I’m not sure why you’re here, but I have every right to cut you down where you stand for trespassing on Keep land. Get to the point and leave.”
“I want you to return my daughter to me.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Your daughter is an adult and a powerful magic user in her own right. In what world do you think I can force her to do anything?”
“She loves you.”
Ethan snorted. “Again, if you knew anything about Moira, you’d realize that fact matters very little right now.”
Mom was growing visibly frustrated. “Are you trying to be obtuse on purpose?” she snapped.
Ethan merely stared at her. “If you would like to speak to Moira, give her a call. If she chooses not to answer, that’s her answer.”
“Of course she won’t answer,” Mom snarled. “Why do you think I’m speaking to you?”
The Lord sighed. “Look, Minka, maybe if you hadn’t treated Moira like a stray dog, she’d be more inclined to have a chat with you. The only reason I haven’t slit your throat is because Moira should have the honor.” Ethan flicked his fingers. “Now, go away and leave me be.”
He sounded like such an annoyed old man. I waited to see what she would do. Mom never gave up willingly, but Ethan was being far more reasonable than he had to be.
Just as I was beginning to hope Mom would see reason, magic began to rise in the air.
Well. Shit.
I let out a silent sigh and walked into the clearing.
Ethan’s eyes widened when he spotted me. He shook his head just as Mom turned and spotted me.
“Hello, my darling.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What do you want?”
“To have a reasonable conversation,” Mom said. Hilariously enough, she sounded reasonable, which told me she was extremely pissed off. She always became friendly and logical when she wasn’t getting her way right before she did something unforgivable.
“Ethan, I wouldn’t stand so close to her.”
Mom struck like a viper and closed her fingers over Ethan’s bicep. “Nonsense. I may one day be his mother-in-law. Isn’t it time we got to know each other?”
I laughed. “Ethan wants to marry me about as much as I want to be standing in this clearing speaking to you.”
The Lord’s jaw tightened, but he stayed silent. He really was allowing me to control this one, which said a lot for him. Caelan wanted to fix Evie, and that hadn’t ended so well for him.
Ethan was content to let me try to fix my own problems.
Mom’s eyes narrowed. She glanced up at Ethan.
“Well then, if you don’t want to marry my daughter, perhaps you and I could have a little bit of fun.
” One slim, pale finger slid up his chest and tapped his heart.
She leaned in and whispered. “Oh. I see. Hmm. You want something very different, don’t you? ”
Instant rage boiled my blood, but I kept my tone even. “If Ethan wants to tangle with a poisonous monster, he’s more than welcome. If not, he and I are walking out of this forest without you.”
Mom stroked her fingers over his forearm.
She moved closer, pressing her body against his side.
The witch was beautiful; there was no denying it.
I looked like her in many ways, but her eyes were a bright vivid green, a clue about her heritage.
Mine used to be like that, before all the magic forced into my body with the vampire curse and the other things Mom had done to restart my aging process, at least temporarily.
I’d forgotten about that actually. An image of my youth swam behind my eyes. Same dark hair, same pale skin, but green eyes the color of Burmese jade reflected back. Not the same emerald as a full witch, but green enough to peg me as one of their children.
Huh. Now my eyes were the shade of a moonless, starless night, a pool of black infinity.
Ethan tried to take a step back, but Mom tightened her grip. “Where are you going?” she asked softly.
I held my hand out. “Ethan. Beware.”
Mom let out a soft laugh. “You want to stay with me, don’t you, Lord? Just to see what I can give you.”
Magic, soft and seductive, rose through the air. I took a step forward and was about to leap when an iron grip grabbed me from behind.
I twisted my head around to see a blank-eyed Jace staring at my mother.
“Keep holding her,” Mom said, her lips curving in a seductive smile.
She was banking on me not hurting Jace, but whatever spell she was cooking up for Ethan would be awful. I knew it. Shifters could heal just about anything. All I needed to do was break his grip.
She moved in front of Ethan and touched a glowing hand to his chest. Her lips moved as she whispered the words of an unfamiliar spell.
Dark, unfathomable power rose through the air, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
This magic felt different than her other spells.
Something sinister spun around us, the feeling dark and oily.
Ethan’s eyes closed for a long moment. His throat tipped back, the vulnerability shocking me.
A Lord never bared their throat to an enemy.
What had she done to him?
I let claws slide from my fingertips and turned to slice Jace’s arms. He barked in pain, dropping my arms as he stumbled away.
I leapt toward my mother, reaching out to get a grip on her hair when she went transparent, her laugh a haunting echo in the woods. My fingers slid through the air as she disappeared.
“I hope you enjoy this new version of your precious Lord,” Mom said in a mocking tone. “When you’re ready to come home, find me, and I will return him to his prior state.” Her lips curved in a savage smile. “I hope you both enjoy the gift I’ve left behind.”
Dread froze my veins as her voice faded.
Ethan dropped like a stone.