Sébastien lay on his side, looking out the windows at the night sky as a faint breeze gently stirred the curtains and whispered softly through the room. Something had woken him, a feeling of deep foreboding gripped him and he knew that something had happened to his brother. He pushed himself up and sat on the edge of his bed, settling his legs on the floor as he ran a hand through his long, silken hair. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, focusing his thoughts on Zeke until he could sense him through their shared blood bond.
He drew in a sharp breath at the sudden feeling of pain that ebbed and flowed through his body, he was burning. Something was tight around his neck, burning through his skin and spreading like poison. He was struggling to breathe, his chest growing tighter and tighter with each labored breath. His wrists and ankles were bound with chains that bit at his flesh and burned him, the putrid stench of his own burning flesh filling him with nau
Dusk settled on the forest, lengthening the shadows and creating pools of darkness that seemed to breathe and grow with a life of their own. Sébastien moved soundlessly under the trees, keeping in the shadows, his men fanned out on either side of him. They had been trekking through the forest for almost an hour now, waiting for nightfall before they crossed the borders into Graystorm territory.Now as darkness fell, they crossed the borders and were moving stealthily under the trees, closing in on the Alpha's mansion. The mansion loomed before them, lit up on all sides with powerful lights that flooded the clearing, illuminating even the surrounding forest. Sébastien whistled, a low, short burst of sound, signaling his men to stop and hold their positions. He moved just outside the wide arc of light, blending into the darkness and circling around until he could see the front of the mansion.The mansion was a hub of activity, with people coming
Outside the mansion, Sébastien and his men closed in, swiftly and silently disabling the guards, one by one and leaving them either dead or unconscious on the grass. Taking them out before they could shift, with the help of a cloaking spell to mask their scent, the guards never saw them coming. They had reached the mansion and moved to the library windows, waiting outside for Sébastien to unlock them using his magical powers when they heard the howl, stopping them dead in their tracks as their blood ran cold.Sébastien froze, as goosebumps formed on his skin and a shiver ran down his spine at the sound that came from the underground dungeons. He knew, without a doubt, that it was Zeke but something was off, he could feel it as he tried reaching out to his mind. There was something else there, something that wasn't human or werewolf, but something else entirely. Quickly unlocking the windows, they raced inside towards the kitchen, when
The mansion was in chaos, people screaming and running from the doors leading outside, while inside the sounds of bones breaking and ripping flesh, were accompanied by spine-chilling, bloodthirsty howls. A fire had broken out in one of the rooms on the ground floor and some of the guards were fighting to put it out, even as the flames leapt from the windows and smoke billowed through the mansion.Everywhere outside the mansion, the adjoining gardens and front lawn were filled with people lying, sitting or standing, their faces wearing the same look of shock and horror. Dr Lesley and Lacy led a group of men and women through the crowd, helping the injured and comforting the children and elderly. While inside the mansion, Jake and a group of warriors were searching through the rooms for any survivors left behind in the commotion.Finding the ground and upper floors empty, they made their way downstairs to the underground dungeons,
Sébastien stopped, his body rigid with shock, at the sight of Zeke, standing upright, inside the cell, and Merlin lying unconscious at his feet. Zeke had fully shifted but he was no longer the silver wolf, Alpha of the Graystorm Pack, he was now something else entirely.Zeke stood on his hind legs, his silver fur bristling, as the sinewy muscles beneath rippled and stretched and his arms hung at his sides, the nails extended into vicious-looking claws that reflected the torchlights. He was bent over to avoid his head crashing through the rugged ceiling of the dungeons, and his eyes burned the color of blood. Looking at Sébastien, standing frozen in the tunnel, he roared, the sound deafening as it reverberated through the tunnels, sending small rocks and pebbles crashing to the ground around them.Sébastien glanced down at Merlin, she was still unconscious and bleeding profusely from her neck, the bite wound from Zeke’s fangs, clea
Gilbert edged towards Sébastien, his arms outstretched, when Zeke roared again and leaped through the air, landing directly in front of him. The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the trees, as Zeke’s extended claws, ripped across Gilbert's chest and sent him flying through the air. He landed some distance away, bouncing hard off of a tree before slumping to the ground in a bloody heap, his chest split open with five diagonal gashes. Zeke bounded towards him on all fours, stopping when he reached his unconscious body, and snarling in his face."Zeke! Leave him! We don't have time!", Sébastien shouted, running back towards the mansion with Merlin, still in his arms.Only minutes later, Zeke burst through the library windows and headed straight for the mansion infirmary, with Sébastien, following close behind him. Crashing through the infirmary doors, Zeke led him to a small but state-of-the-art operating th
"What did you say?" Zeke asked, disbelief clearly written on his face."Juliette is my mate""That's impossible", Zeke said, shaking his head."Right here, assholes, I'm right here", Juliette weakly waved her hand in the air, from where she was encircled in Sébastien's arms."Shhhh......", Sébastien responded, pulling her tighter against him, "I'm a hybrid Zeke, an anomaly that isn't even supposed to exist. Everything about me is impossible""Wait. Did you just shush me?", she tried to push him away but her knees buckled and she quickly grabbed onto him while swaying unsteadily on her feet."Put Merlin in the ambulance and get her to the training grounds, we can perform the ritual there", Sébastien ordered as he lifted Juliette into his arms and strode out of the theater.*****************************Some time later, in the training grounds, Zeke and Dr Lesley, wheeled M
The raindrops drifted slowly upwards, rising higher and higher until they seemed to disappear into the night sky. The wind slowly lessened until eventually it had completely dissipated, and all around them, the air became quiet and still, as if they were suspended in some otherworldly dimension. The moon and stars, peeked out from behind the clouds, casting their luminous light down, where it was reflected in the raindrops in a coruscating kaleidoscope of colors.Zeke, was the closest to her, standing almost directly below her levitating figure, his eyes wide and filled with awe, while his mouth hung open in an almost comical fashion. To his right, stood Dr Lesley, her features almost identical to Zeke, but for her lips moving soundlessly as she muttered to herself, under her breath. Sébastien and Juliette had stopped running and stood rooted in place, staring up at Merlin, in wonder, although Sébastien's face held no surprise, he had anticip
This time when she opened her eyes, she was back in Onika's cabin in the bayou, sitting at the rickety old table across from the voodoo witch. Onika's face shone under the light from the lamp and a faint smile danced across her lips. "Tek yuh lang enuff pickney (took you long enough child)", she greeted Merlin. "Why am I here?", Merlin asked. "Hush now an listen. Yuh muss return now an decide eff yuh will pop up di trace buh kno dat eff yuh duh yuh sacrifice will bi criss (Hush now and listen. You must return now and decide if you will break the curse but know that if you do, your sacrifice will be great)" "How great?" "Enuh (You know)" Merlin bit her lip and looked away, staring out the grimy windows at the dark forest outside, her mind drifting to Zeke. The memories of the short time that they had spent together flooded her mind, all the times he had saved her and been there for her. She could smell his scent
As they walked together through the endless fog that seemed, to Merlin, to be alive with movement and the soft sounds of whispering and sighs, Merlin gradually began to feel at ease and she relaxed in the other woman’s company. Their arms were still firmly linked together and the weight of the singer’s arm through her own was comforting and reassuring and allowed Merlin to feel lightness that she hadn’t felt for quite some time. She could no longer hear the voices of the Ancestors, the sound having faded away as they walked further into the dense and roiling fog. Although she had no idea where they were going she didn’t feel either tense or apprehensive but rather she enjoyed the feeling of being free from the responsibilities that had just been thrust upon her.“You are as enchanting as any Cottard witch but perhaps more so…….we have waited a long time for you Merlin Cottard”, the older woman spoke, finally breaking the companionable silence.“What is your name?” Merlin responded.“I
Merlin and Zeke made their way through the cemetery with the moon hanging high in the sky, its pale light reflected off the stark white and grey of the tombstones while casting shadows under the overhanging branches of the trees. A slight breeze stirred and soughed softly through the trees, the sound almost like a breathless sigh that seemed to follow them as they weaved amongst the graves, making their way towards the tomb from their previous visit.The tomb loomed high above them, its white marble walls starkly visible in the darkened cemetery as the stone gargoyles peered down menacingly at them from the gabled roof. The temperature seemed to drop as they entered the tomb and Merlin shivered, glancing around at the smooth walls as Zeke moved assuredly ahead of her, his heightened senses enabling him to easily see in the semi-darkness inside the tomb. The walls gradually gave way to the ante chamber from earlier which was once again lit with burning torches that filled the chamber w
When Merlin eventually came to she found Zeke asleep beside her and faint moonlight spilling in through the open windows. Night had fallen while she had been passed out and she shuddered remembering what had occurred in the garden earlier that day. The images and voices from her head continued to swirl and dance filling her with dreaded anticipation for what was to come. Quietly getting out of bed so as not to wake him, she made her way to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower before returning to the bedroom.She was dressed and sitting at her dresser brushing her long, red hair when she saw in the mirror Zeke stirring and slowly open his eyes. He blinked and looked around before catching sight of her as a slow grin spread across his face. She knew that look and what it meant but right now she needed him to focus on something else but as he lifted the covers to reveal his throbbing desire for her, she couldn’t help but falter in her resolve.“Come back to bed babe”, his voice was w
When Merlin woke up the next morning she found the bed empty, Zeke had already gone downstairs to his office. She lay in bed and stretched lazily, snuggling back down under the covers as a faint memory began to stir in the back of her mind. The smell of cigarette smoke seemed to hang around her like an invisible fog and the acrid stench of stale beer and spilt alcohol reminiscent of a smoky backroom bar. Her eyes closed and her brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to focus on the mental image buried somewhere in her subconscious. A strange feeling of disquiet crept stealthily into her heart and she struggled to find the haunting memory that seemed to float just out of her reach.Minutes passed but still nothing and she groaned loudly and throwing back the covers, climbed out of the warm, soft bed and padded barefoot across the floor to the bathroom. Once inside she stripped off her clothes and stood under the shower, allowing the hot water to cascade over her in the hope that
It was late by the time they got to the mansion and everyone was already asleep. Most of the lights inside had been turned off, leaving the mansion cloaked in shadow. They entered through the front door and quietly made their way upstairs to the third floor. After a quick shower together, they were soon in bed, both of them falling into a deep sleep. As the night wore on, giving way to the early hours of the morning, Merlin began to dream. ******************************She found herself back in the bar that they had visited earlier that night but this time it was empty except for the singer from the jazz band. Instead of the crimson sheath that she had been wearing, she was dressed in a sequined, black dress and feathered boa, reminiscent of the 1920s. Sitting alone at a table, smoking through a slender cigarette holder while humming to herself, she watched Merlin through the cigarette smoke with lazy interest. Merlin walked cautiously toward her, as she scanned the rest of bar, c
Merlin was quiet as she thought about this, Zeke’s question had caught her off guard but it was hardly surprising. Although she was a directly descended from Angeline, there was something that disturbed her about the woman but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Aunt May had been adamant that she trust no one and Merlin took her advice seriously. But the question still remained, unanswered though it was. "What are you thinking?", Zeke’s voice broke through her thoughts. "I can't trust her.....I just don't know why", Merlin sighed and shook her head. "Trust your instincts, they've never been wrong"Merlin glanced at him and smiled, he was the only constant in her life right now and he could always make her feel better even in the worst situations. "I feel like there's something I'm missing, like a connection that I can't see and if I could only find it I'll have all the answers even without the grimoire""It'll come to you Merlin. Don't force it, you just need to relax and let
They searched everywhere in the library for the grimoire but found nothing. It was as if it had simply vanished. Merlin was distraught and in a panic, before Zeke eventually calmed her down. It had been her only chance to find out Angeline's real motives and help her decide what to do about the Ancestors. It seemed too much of a coincidence that the grimoire went missing right after they had left the library to investigate the noise outside. Something or someone didn't want them to discover the book's contents and had caused a diversion in order to take it. There was a lot more going on than either of them had initially thought. The next day, Merlin had returned to the library to check again for the grimoire, but still there was no sign of it. Remembering the connection that she had felt with the book, she had tried searching for it using this, but she wasn't able to sense its presence in the library or anywhere else in the mansion. Whoever had taken it, had taken it far enough away
Although she had been upset at first, Merlin soon accepted that Juliette would be safer with Sébastien than with her and Zeke. She only wished that she had been here to see her leave. Nevertheless, it now meant that she could focus on Angeline and the Ancestors and the decision that she had to make. Two days had already passed and she was running out of time but she just didn't know where to start. She had decided to search for something that might help her in the library but so far she had come up empty. Grabbing another armload of books, she headed back to the table and set them down before spreading them out in front of her. She immediately noticed that one of them was pretty old and was bound in an expensive, brown leather cover with a clasp on the side. Placing the palm of her hand on it's smooth and worn surface, she felt a pleasant warmth radiating from the book and up her arm. It carried with it a sense of peace and deep down she felt it calling to her, beckoning her to open
After throwing up an illusion spell to give them a chance to escape, Merlin turned back to face Angeline, who had made her way into the outer chamber. Preparing herself for a confrontation, Merlin was taken aback when Angeline rushed toward her, wringing her hands with a worried look about her. "Merlin listen! We don't have much time", she whispered, her eyes darting furtively around the chamber. Merlin shook her head in confusion, wondering what was going on and why Angeline was acting so strangely. "I have put up a temporary barrier to hide my thoughts but it won't last long so I need you to listen carefully", Angeline was practically pleading with her. Merlin gave a small nod in agreement and the ancient witch continued. "The Ancestors plan to use you to absorb the powers of all the most powerful living witches into one single entity""Why?""To finally defeat the werewolves""But why now? We've coexisted peacefully for almost a century"Angeline hesitated, her hands fidgeting