"What?" Kerry asked, his voice stuck deep in his throat, threatening to strangle him. "He took her? He's going to take her soul. What…why wouldn't she say anything? Where did he take her? How did no one know about this-," it all poured out of him like uncontrollable word vomit.Alex stepped forward and carefully put his palm on Kerry's shoulder."Calm down. We're going to get to the bottom of this. Let's get back to the pack house and talk to Dad."Kerry swallowed the urge to cry like a little pup. He hated pity, and that included self-pity, but he'd already lost his first mate, he couldn't lose his second chance.He refused not to be there for her as he wasn't for Chelsey. She'd died in battle, a battle he was a part of, but didn't get there in time. He would get to Demetria in time. You don't get three chances, and he refused to let her die at the hands of some crazed warlock that thought he was God.Kerry nodded slowly, and slid into the driver's seat of Alex’s truck. Alex didn't
Jack’s scream roared in Demetria's ears along with the growing wind of the portal. She'd never been in one, or created one, but they were well known for traveling throughout the witchy world. Demetria held onto his coat, praying she wasn't sucked out of it, and a house tossed on top of her or something. When the wind began to die, the portal fizzled out, and she fell to the wet dew covered ground. The smell was woodsy, like she'd been dropped into a forest after a big rain. The field around her was wet from morning dew, and the sun peeked over the distant hills. The scenery wasn't doom and gloom like the one she expected. It was ... nice and poetic. There were wild purple flowers growing tall, and the sound of a river close by. It almost warmed Demetria's soul to be there, until Ike stood up from a place several feet away, and dusted off his outfit. His clothes were bloody and ripped to shreds. It made Demetria smile. Way to go, Jane. When he looked over, she could sense the ang
Kerry watched the bird fly away as his wolfskimmed the surface. The mocking spun in his head like a broken record, burning his blood to a boil. Before he could stop himself, his wolf ripped from within, and jumped into the air, grasping the tail feather of the bird. Kerry fell to the ground with a mouth full of feathers, as he flew away squawking."Kerry," Alpha Davis said. "Calm down-,"He stumbled to his feet, his paw digging into the wet ground as he chased underneath the bird that disappeared into the canopy of trees nearby.His wolf howled, spinning circles beneath a huge oak, while Alpha Davis called after him. "Kerry, shift back now."His wolf fought him, but Kerry shifted, fell down to all fours, and braced his forehead against the rain soaked leaves. "Son," Alpha Davis said, bending down beside him, his palm placed on his shoulder. "Get up. This isn't helping."Kerry wasn't stupid enough to think his wallowing in self-pity was helping, or chasing after a damn bird. But with
Jack monopolized their dinner with small talk that made Demetria want to vomit. She wouldn't lie and say the food was terrible, because it wasn't, but knowing who prepared it was enough to churn her stomach. She had no idea what he had planned to get his pendant back.How would he get back to the pack house, light…years away, without bringing her along? At that moment, it was her only source of hope on escaping. Then it hit her."Where is your bird?" she asked, remembering he brought it with him before. It sat perched on his shoulder like a stupid parrot.Jack glanced up from his plate, over the rim of a wine glass, and smiled. "Around. She does my bidding. Her name is Libby," he said, swishing his wine around. "Are you sure you don't want a glass of this? I'm told it's good for the soul."She clamped down on a bite off her fork, and slipped it from her mouth, taking careful bites of her pasta. At least he was feeding her, but she knew he needed her in good shape to take her life.It
"You want me to do what?" Lucas asked.Lucas was one of the pack's warriors. He enjoyed bow hunting in his free time, and that sounded just like what Kerry needed to kill the lyrebird.Kerry tapped his fingertips against an oak tree where Lucas stood before his run. "I want you to kill that lyrebird. He's been following me around and I think he's following me."Lucas narrowed his eyes to slits, and cracked his neck. Kerry became impatient as he stretched and jogged in place. "I don't know, Kerry. I'm not for killing animals for no reason. I mean, that bird isn't even native here. I'd hate to kill it.""The bird belongs to the warlock that has my mate, Lucas. He's flying around and keeping an eye on me. Not to mention, he's mocking me. I need you to kill it."He sighed, and scratched the back of his neck. "I…” He sighed, and scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't realize. Sure. Let me grab my bow, and I'll meet you there after my run.""Thank you," Kerry said, watching him jog into
Demetria hardly slept a wink the night before. That overwhelming feeling of being watched haunted her well into the night. She knew exactly when Jack woke, and began to move around the house because she was awake when morning came.Pulling the covers back, she rubbed her fists against her eyes, and walked over toward the door, finding it unlocked. The smell of coffee and breakfast wafted up the stairs, and actually made her stomach growl.Maybe she should indulge in Jack’s meals, and try to reach out to him. It would make it easier to get away when the time came, if he trusted her. If being the operative word.She backtracked into her room, finding an outfit, jeans and a t-shirt sitting on the edge of her bed. She changed into it, and pulled her hair into a half ponytail before making her way downstairs.Jack stood in the kitchen, wearing more modern clothes than the day before, humming to himself while flipping bacon in a skillet. "You know air fryers make those perfectly," Demetria
Kerry stared at the ceiling of one of the spare bedrooms in the pack house. Maybe they were right, and he didn't need to stay alone in that house. Not that sleep was coming to him either way. Every creak in the house, or an animal in the neighboring woods, sent him into high alert.He couldn't get the feeling that someone watched him-most likely that stupid bird-out of his mind. Did the warlock use the bird to see what was happening? He didn't doubt it. His span of knowing what a witch could do was limited. Until Demetria, he'd never met a witch, not unless you counted the one they pulled from the lycan's kingdom.Kerry shot up in his bed. Cynthia, he thought, was her name. Did anyone know where she came from or where she went after being freed?He shoved from the bedroom, and raced toward the opposite end of the hallway where Alpha Davis slept.He banged on the door, not caring that it was hardly four in the morning. "Hold on," he shouted, and Kerry listened as he neared the door, w
Jack maneuvered his way throughout the building, while Ivory stared at Demetria from head to toe. She matched her glare, daring her to step out of line, not that she could do anything about it since she couldn't use her powers, but she wasn't above swinging on another witch.Ivory made a slow circle around Demetria eyeing her clothes that Jack had put her in that morning, and back up to her unbrushed hair. It seemed Ike's bathroom lacked a hair dryer or straightener."So your mother decided to have two of you," Demetria blurted out.Jack chuckled from across the room, while Ivory stared death glares at her. "Well, since we came at the same time, it was too late to take one of us back," Ivory said.Twins. How nice. The world thought there should be two of them."Now that I look at you two more carefully, I can see the same sinister twinkle in your eye."Ivory walked toward Jack. "I don't like this one. Let's hurry and get this pendant back so you can kill her."Demetria ignored her thr