ORRIAS
I head to the witches’ community early the next morning. For some reason I’m really anxious. And I hate that I know a lot of that has to do with seeing Lovely again.
I don’t know why, but there’s just something about her. Her smile, her friendliness, just her whole aura screams peace and serenity. It’s something I lacked being raised by a demon, and something I yearned for even though I hid it.
As I’m walking up the street, I see flashing lights. Something happened. A rock forms in my stomach. Please don’t be Lovely. Please don’t be Lovely.
I race toward the commotion. Relief fills me when I see Lovely standing there, ringing her hands in an anxious manner.
“Lovely, what’s going on? What happened?” I ask, coming up beside her.
“Orrias, hi. It’s the leaders. They were attacked. We don’t know if any of them survived. The explosion happened last night.” She looks up at me and I see the unshed tears lining her eyes.
I pull her into me and run a comforting hand down her back. Father, what have you done? I ask myself. Because I can smell the demonic power still in the air. It smells like home.
“I’m sure they made it. How do you know they were attacked?”
She shakes her head. “One of our pack is the familiar to their daughter and he said she got a vision, but they didn’t know it was happening currently. We don’t know if they got to them in time. No one has heard from Dean either.”
Dean, the wolf that was there yesterday.
“Lovely, take deep breaths. I’m sure they’re okay.”
I feel her tighten up in my embrace. Then a second later she is pulling away and wiping her eyes. “You’re right. They could be alive. We just need to focus on what we can do right now.”
“How can I help?”
“Let’s go see my alphas. They may have some information for me.”
I nod and she pulls me along. Turns out the alphas’ house is just as big as the coven leader’s was. It looks similar on the outside, but I know it’s different inside. I can smell the stench of animal coming from the closed door.
Lovely knocks twice, then three times, then two more.
Hmm. That’s never been said that they do. I wonder if it’s a signature knock. I can’t remember her doing that yesterday.
The door opens and a petite young lady smiles warmly up at Lovely and me. “Hello, Lovely. How can we help you?”
She bares her neck at the lady. “Alpha. I have come to ask if you have news about the incident involving Giselle and Blaise?”
“Unfortunately, no. I have learned that the one body found was Dean’s. We don’t know where the leaders are.”
The alpha looks at me and studies me a moment. Longer than a moment. “Do I know you?” She asks. “You smell as if we’ve met.”
I keep my expression blank. “No. Maybe you knew my parents or one of them. I was put up for adoption. I don’t know what came of them.”
I watch as her nostrils flare. “Perhaps. That will bother me until I can figure it out.” She studies me a moment longer. “Adoption, huh? I wonder why you weren’t given to one of the members here.”
“I don’t think I was part of the coven here. At least, I’m pretty sure. But I haven’t found out for sure yet.”
“How will you find out?” She asks me.
Shit, Orrias. Why can’t you just shut your trap? “I’m hoping Giselle will be able to help me with that.”
“If we can find them. Come in, come in.” She shows us around to the sitting room. “I’ve been in touch with Tristan. Keasia is in top fighting form. She’s ready to step in as leader if her parents can’t be found.”
Keasia. That name rings a bell in my head. I can’t say why. But I know it. I wonder if my father has spoken about her recently.
“That’s great,” Lovely says. “It’s horrible that it’s come under these circumstances, but at least she’s ready and able.”
They both share a look. Something happened that they don’t want to share with me. They’re staring at each other for too long for it to be normal.
“Well, is there anything we can do to help?” Lovely asks after another beat of silence.
The alpha shakes her head. “My mate is out there right now looking for clues in the rubble. I’ll keep you in mind if we do need you.”
“Thank you, alpha.” She stands and I follow suit.
I extend my hand for a shake and the alpha takes it, gripping me harder than I expected. Her gaze meets mine, and everything about that stare drips violence. “If you hurt Lovely or any member of this pack or coven, I will hunt you down and rip you apart limb from limb. Are we clear?”
I furrow my brows. “Why would I hurt them? I was coming for a training session with Giselle.”
I wonder if she can scent the demon in my blood. That would be the only reason for her to accuse me of trying to harm anyone. Right?
“I’m keeping my eyes on you, boy. Something doesn’t smell right. Giselle is attacked the same day she takes you inside for a meeting? I don’t believe in coincidences.”
And there it is. “Ma’am. I can promise you that I had nothing to do with this. I swear! Lovely even walked me back to the park she found me in so I could get my car and drive home.”
“It’s true, Alpha. I don’t think he had anything to do with this.”
“If you say so. I have other matters to attend to. I’ll see you out.”
She definitely suspects something.
Once we are outside and far enough away from the house, I’m sure she can’t hear me, I say “What if we go and look for clues?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The police are still here.”
“Are those real police?”
Now it’s Lovely’s turn to furrow her brows. “Yes. Why?”
“Well, I thought that the supernatural world was hidden from the humans. We have a community of shifters and witches here.”
“Oh,” she starts. “They’re real, but they’re the supernatural police. Since we know this was a supe attack, we would never call the humans in.”
I nod. “I guess that makes sense.” We walk a bit more. “And we can’t go snooping around because?”
“Because they’ll think we did it. There’s going to be a magical barrier around the entire crime scene. No one goes in or comes out without them knowing.”
“Oh,” I say, trying to make it sound like I’m ignorant of this world. I could more than likely smash the barrier, but there is no way I’d be able to put it back up. “What now?”
Lovely glances around. “Now we wait. There’s no one to help with your magic unless Keasia comes home, but she’s currently engaged in other matters.”
“Is there no one else to help me?”
She grimaces. “Unfortunately, no. I mean, there are other witches here, but they aren’t able to teach newcomers. Your magic is still unpredictable, and the leaders are the only ones powerful enough to contain any damage you may cause.”
“Do you think I’d be powerful enough to do any real damage?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. This is just how it’s always been.”
I’m silent as I contemplate that. I really want to snoop on the explosion and see who helped my father kidnap or kill the leaders. He sent me here to take care of them, and then he goes behind my back and does it himself? It’s enough to make me want to rip his throat out.
Giselle and Blaise seemed really nice. Friendly and knowledgeable. Granted, I spoke to them for like thirty minutes, but the vibe they gave off was enough to tell me all I needed to know. I don’t want to hurt these people. But I don’t want to defy my father either. He’s one of the lords of our race for a reason. He’s ruthless and takes what he wants when he wants. He’s killed more of his followers for the smallest hint of defiance than anyone in our race. If he ever found out that I have a soft spot for the witches, I’d be dead, too.
So, I decide to take the day off just to hang around Lovely some more and see what she knows. It doesn’t hurt that I feel a connection to her and we mesh well together.
About an hour into us hanging out by the river that runs through the complex, she stiffens. I look at her, confused, wondering if I said something I shouldn’t have. We were talking about our childhood and the mischief we caused. I was sure to leave the demonic parts out, but maybe I let it slip?
“Is everything okay? Did I say something wrong?”
She shakes her head. “No. Actually, Keasia and Tristan are here.”
“The new leader and her familiar? Wait, how did you know that?”
She gives me a sheepish smile. “It’s part of being a wolf, I can communicate with the alphas. She told me to come back and to bring you if you were still around.”
I dip my head, “Did you tell her I was around?”
She nods. “I thought you’d want to meet the woman who would be training you?”
She presented it as a question, since she wasn’t sure of my desires at the moment.
“I did. I do. I just don’t like the way your alpha thinks I had something to do with this.”
Lovely cringes. “Sorry. She’s a bit territorial.”
I sigh. “I guess it comes with being the alpha?”
Lovely snorts. “You have no idea.”
“I’d like to, you know, one day learn more. This is all still so new to me.” Wolf telepathy. What a cool secret.
I spread my arm out and gesture to her to lead the way, and I follow her to what feels like my impending doom. Like my life is about to change irrevocably.