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WITH NOTHING BETTER to do, Jonah returned us to the beleaguered town. Most of the hybrids had either been defeated, or had fled by now. Bodies lay in the streets, but the majority of townspeople had been kidnapped, then sacrificed to infuse the mask with power.
Quin had left Roderick in charge of keeping his eye on the news. More than one settlement had been targeted by the hybrids. Two more towns had also been emptied of its civilians. Meanwhile, Morgwen’s army had utterly wiped out the population of the village they’d chosen in Russia. Panic was rife and the people in nearby areas were fleeing in fear that they would be attacked next.
“Did your research unearth anything useful?” Quin asked when we finished off the last hybrid.
I shook my head and covered a yawn with my hand. “I can’t find any spells that will help us with either the witch, or to destroy the mask.”
“Not without sacrificing herself in the process,” Jonah added morosely.
Jake and Connor immediately turned to me in alarm. “Promise me you won’t use that spell,” Connor said, taking hold of my hand and gripping it tightly. Jake’s dark blue eyes tightened in concern.
“I promise,” I said. “It wouldn’t help much anyway. It might destroy the mask, but it won’t do anything to sever the reaper from the witch.”
Both of the men I loved the most relaxed. Jake hugged me to his side and planted a kiss on my forehead. “You had me worried for a minute there, darlin’. It would be just like you to sacrifice yourself for the good of humanity.”
Blair and Jean spotted us and trotted over. Both were weary from the lengthy battle, but were in good spirits. “We managed to rescue a few hundred people,” Blair reported. “The were-creatures were reluctant, but followed our lead.”
“Except for Xavier and his pack,” Jean added darkly. “They didn’t save a single soul.”
Quin’s expression grew stony and she turned to survey her father and his pack. Sasha, her old friend, had stayed behind, as had most of the mothers with small children. The ones who had come had no concern for humans and had defied her order. Stalking over to them, she looked Xavier dead in the eye. “You refused to assist the civilians,” she said in a dangerously quiet tone.
“We killed our share of monsters,” he said defiantly. “We never agreed to save the humans.”
“Rudy, take them home,” she said dismissively. “They’re of no use to me if they can’t follow simple orders.”
Xavier grabbed hold of her arm, but released it when she snarled. Even in her human form, she sounded like a pissed off wolf. “You need us,” he hissed. “You can’t send us away like naughty children.”
“Like hell I can’t,” she shot back. “I’m in charge of this mission and you willfully ignored my command.”
They became locked in a staring match, identical pale green eyes refusing to blink. Finally realizing his daughter’s strength, Xavier grudgingly looked away first. “Don’t send us home,” he said in a near pleading tone. “I don’t want to be the only werewolf pack to not be included in the war against the witch and the demon.” It was an abrupt change from him not wanting to be involved at all.
“Ensure you follow my orders from now on,” Quin said in a stony voice that held no hint of triumph. He bent his head in grudging submission and she sauntered back over to us.
“I was right,” Jonah said in a low voice. “You are an alpha bitch, but now I mean it in the best kind of way.”
She gave him a rare grin that lit up her face before subsiding into her usual expressionless state. “There’s nothing more we can do here,” she said, taking in the shifters who were drifting in our direction. The battle was over and the authorities would be here to clean up the mess before too long.
When everyone had gathered together, the ghosts linked their power and used the veil to transport us back to our base. Sentries were chosen to keep watch and everyone else took turns using the bathrooms to get cleaned up. Meals were cooked on portable stoves and exhausted shifters retired to their tents. Except for the lack of uniforms, we almost looked like a real army.
Catching some sleep for a few hours, we ate, then headed downstairs to the Archives. The alphas and their seconds were standing in groups of their species. Seeing a new, yet familiar face, Quin walked towards the alpha werewolf we’d met briefly when Spencer had sent us to investigate Morgwen’s prison. A couple of inches taller than her, he had black hair and dark, fierce eyes.
He waited until she came to a stop before speaking. “We heard there was a summit of shifters and have come to offer our help.” His accent was thick and decidedly Scottish.
Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Quin crossed her arms. “We?” she asked.
He gestured at a large group of new alphas and their seconds. They were a variety of species and were from all over Europe. “We’ve seen the news and its obvious these monsters and ghosts are just getting started. We have hundreds of fighters ready to join your war.”
“I’ll agree, but only if you accept my authority. I’m in charge of this mission and you’ll follow my orders.”
Trying to stare her down, the alpha bristled. Their eyes locked and Quin’s power began to leak out. Disbelief crossed his harsh features before he reluctantly bowed his head. “You are an alpha of alphas,” he said and murmurs spread through the newbies. “It has been eons since we’ve had a leader to unite us.”
Sweeping her eyes over the shifters, Quin received nods of respect and acknowledgment, including from her father and his pack. They all knew the danger our world faced and that humans didn’t stand a chance of defeating the supernatural creatures that were hunting them. It was up to us to save the day and Quin was our leader.
“It isn’t usual for true shapeshifters and were-creatures to work together,” she said, raising her voice so everyone could hear her. “You’ve managed to put aside your rivalries so far and you’re going to need to continue to do so. The hybrids we’ve faced are numerous, but at least they can die easily enough. That won’t be the case when we go up against the witch and her Dread Wraiths. We’re as susceptible to death as the humans if they touch our bare flesh.”
“Maybe we should wear armor,” someone suggested from the crowd.
Connor stepped forward to speak. “I’ve seen these things up close,” he told them. “Armor won’t stop them. They can pass through any substance the same way ghosts can.”
“It’ll be suicide if we face them,” Jean said in fear.
“I know,” Quin said. “That’s why we haven’t gone to the aid of the villages they’ve attacked in Russia so far.”
“How are we going to defeat them?”
“We’re working on it,” Quin replied. “For now, we’ll keep targeting the hybrids when they attack again. At least it’ll be one less thing to worry about if we can wipe them out.”
As plans went, it kind of sucked, but we didn’t have any other options right now. No one had a solution for taking down Morgwen or Spencer. The pair hadn’t clashed yet, but it was only a matter of time. I wondered what was taking Von Hades so long to act and if he’d become fused with the mask yet. If he had, surely we would have had some sort of sign that he’d become a demi-god by now.
