Chapter 19 #3
“Moonrise strikes me as cutting it a little close.” Aggie pursed her lips.
“And you know magic is made up of the life-force of all things. Well, when those things die, their energy has to go somewhere, and on this side of the veil, that’s a leyline or a node.
Most beings fade pretty quickly, but sidhe live so damned long, their consciousnesses tend to linger. ”
Jena blinked at her. “Why am I just finding that out now?”
“Maybe because you just joined the damned coven, and extra bit’s next-level witchery,” Aggie snapped.
“Okay,” Jena huffed, wondering what else she only knew part of. “But if they’re sidhe, wouldn’t they want a mound on this side of the veil?”
Aggie tapped the side of her nose. “Ah…but for a mound to form there has to be wild magic, which means no node. Their energy wouldn’t go into a collective, it would be scattered all over the place.”
“So, you’re essentially telling me that if a mound forms, it ruins their afterlife.”
“Bingo.”
Jena rubbed her face. “Great, so I’m the caretaker at the Stanley,” she muttered.
“Nothing’s shining, but it is backing up, and you need to figure out why.”
“Sure. I’ll add that to the list of everything else I should be doing.”
Aggie frowned at her. “Since we’re talking about Coven 101, you remember that photo album of mine with the gold-and-ivory-papered cover?”
“I think so. The one with all those old family photos?” Jena asked.
“Yeah. Get it for me. It’s in one of the boxes upstairs.
” Jena paused, and Aggie shooed her. “Scram. I’m not getting any younger.
You got time, moonrise girl, and we need to get some things straight before you head up there.
Here, don’t forget to take a flashlight,” she said, snagging the one from her bedside.
“Not a damn thing’s working. Make sure you bring it back so I can find the crapper. ”
Jena took it and stood. She glanced at Aggie again, and the older woman waggled her fingers at her to go. Jena sighed, not in the mood to argue, and technically she did have most of the day to kill. It wasn’t even seven a.m. yet, and the ruins were only a twenty-minute drive.
Jena sighed. Fine. Guess she was rooting through boxes. She went to the double doors down the hall and yanked one open. Ugh. It was musty and smelled a lot wetter than it should. She clicked on the flashlight. A trail of footsteps went through the dust.
Her stomach churned as she followed them.
They had to be from when Chase looked at the roof.
Jena’s heart hurt thinking about him. If what she’d seen had been true…
No. The node had saved Aggie, it would’ve saved him too, right?
That was the bargain she’d made with it, and if they were sidhe, they couldn’t go back on their word.
God, she had to believe that. Besides, if Malcom was planning on making it a mound, he’d have to bring Chase there to do it.
All she had to do was finish the rite and wait for them to show up.
She shivered. Somehow, that plan didn’t feel like it was gonna work out so hot. Jena stepped onto the landing, cringing at the sound of water pattering on wood. A steady stream pissed down from the bowed ceiling at the far end of the room into a growing puddle. Great. Right over the kitchen.
She looked around. Didn’t they have a couple of those big garbage barrels up here—
Her flashlight glinted off metal as it swept past the boxes and stacks of crap. What the heck? She swung the beam back and slowly walked forward, entranced.
The fireplace had been restored—well not all of it, but the metal cage thing was a brilliant brass, and a shiny little knob was on the ash door. When had Chase had the time to do that? She reached out to touch it, and a tingle of magic flitted against her fingertips.
Jena’s stomach sank, not sure if it was a new development, but it was proof positive that he’d come into whatever power Malcom had been waiting for.
She frowned, turning to run her flashlight over the moldering boxes.
Damn, it looked like a couple of them had split, and the contents were stacked in a haphazard pile, way too close to a puddle forming on the floor.
That had to be moved or it would all be ruined. She swung her flashlight around—ah, there was one of the garbage barrels she’d been looking for, and it looked pretty dry, well, drier, over by that wall.
Jena glanced at the rain lashing down the big floor to ceiling windows.
Moving everything was going to take a good half hour, but she didn’t want to lose what little she had left of her mom.
She didn’t want to lose anything from Aggie’s life before Havers, either, and the rain didn’t look like it was going to do them a solid and let up anytime soon.
She huffed out a breath, set the flashlight down, and started moving boxes.
Chase crouched behind a parked car in the lot in back of Jena’s shop, catching his breath.
Almost there. He’d had to make a loop around town to avoid all of the festival preparations, and that hour he’d figured on had been more like two.
He winced, gingerly flexing his shredded hands, his socks sticky with blood.
The wet fabric from his jeans was tearing up his injured legs, and he still wasn’t healing like he—
One of the Eastside weres darted out from the alley and headed for the back door. Holy shit, was that Kelsey’s brother, Liam? When did he get back into town? His stride hitched as he reached for the door knob, and he glanced in Chase’s direction, snuffing—
Chase growled. Fuck this and the silence. If Kelsey had wanted him to talk to Phil, chances were Liam was on board.
“Hey!” Chase called, pushing to his feet with a strangled groan. “Liam!”
The were’s spine straightened as he squinted at him. “Who—”
“Chase,” he said, flicking his wet hair from his eyes.
“Jesus, I didn’t recognize you. Where’s your hat?”
“Gone. Little help?” He winced again as the Eastsider hurried over and steadied him. The two glanced at each other, and Liam’s eyes widened as their gazes met. Damn it. Chase looked away, ducking his head.
Liam broke the uncomfortable silence first. “Jeez, man, what happened? You stink like prey.”
“Malcom and a deep pit.”
Liam grunted. “Sounds on point. Come on, let’s get you inside.
Kelsey says Jena’s going apeshit you’re missing.
” He threw Chase’s arm over his shoulder, and they slowly made their way to the back door.
A prickle of magic went over Chase as he ascended the step.
Damn, if he could feel that, it must be a serious spell.
“She’s okay? What the hell’s been going on? I heard the sirens…”
“Yeah, she’s fine, and dude, I hate to break it to you, but your pops is dead.
” Liam said, shouldering open the door so they could get through.
“The rest of your pack went mental and came at the Eastside. Jena made some deal with the node and sent them packing, but it fried everything in town. We’re here to make sure her aunt’s okay, but then she’s got to go back to the ruins to finish some witch thing. ”
Chase frowned, but none of that was a surprise after what he’d seen. “So, Patrick’s in charge?”
Liam shrugged and swiped the rain from his eyes. “I dunno. We just rolled into town. Your pack’s keeping a low profile. I didn’t see any of them when I passed through just now, and there’s no one watching the shop that I could scent, well, except you.”
Chase grunted, thankful for small favors, but his entire pack being incognito might not bode as well as Liam seemed to think. If Patrick couldn’t hold alpha, shit was gonna hit the fan.
Liam frowned, edging past the piles of dusty inventory. “Christ, this place is a dump.”
“It just needs some work,” Chase shot back defensively.
“Preach, brother.” Liam grinned, helping him through the clutter. “I heard you were a reno man. Cars are my thing. My baby’s a ’72 Jeep I restored. Labor of love right there.”
“Those are the best kind.”
“Facts,” Liam said, moving behind Chase as they wended through the shop to the back steps. “You got that?”
“Yeah.” He might have to go up on hands and knees, but he’d get there.
It was close, but he made it to the top standing. Liam knocked on the door, and Kelsey answered it. Her eyes bugged out.
“Holy shit, where did you come from? Never mind, let me grab some towels.” She disappeared down the hall and was back before Chase had made it all the way into the room.
“Lawd, if you two don’t look like drowned rats,” Sweets McConnely said, bustling in from the kitchen. “Kelsey, grab some blankets from the hall closet. Both you boys need to get out of those wet clothes and wrap up in something warm.”
“I agree,” Matilda Hanson said in the kitchen doorway around a forkful of something. “Get to stripping and don’t mind me.”
“Where’s Jena?” Chase asked, his stomach growling.
“With Aggie,” the sour little witch said, stepping in front of him. “And they have witchery they need to discuss, so you’re gonna sit your ass down and wait for them to do it.”
He went to open his mouth and Matilda smirked like she was hoping he’d argue. Fuck, he was too damned beat up to deal with this. “Yes, ma’am.” He frowned, shucking off his shirt.
“We’ll give you two some privacy,” Sweets said, eyeing Matilda leering at them. She huffed as Sweets herded her back into the kitchen. Kelsey dropped off the blankets and followed them.
Chase kicked off his boots, his skin pimpling with cold as he peeled off his jeans. He was gonna have to do something about all the drafts in here—
“Good Lord!” A woman squeaked from across the room.
He grabbed a towel and threw it around his waist. Shit. “Ms. Pao?”
The librarian’s bulbous eyes blinked behind her thick glasses, looking between him and a very naked Liam, a hand on her heaving breast. She wet her lips. “Boys. That was…was…”
“Totally wasted on you,” Matilda groused, back at the kitchen doorway. Liam laughed, plopping his bare ass onto the couch.