Page 11 of Magic & Secrets (Twisted Magic #1)

Calla’s expression hid nothing. She was torn between her loyalty to her sisters and this magic between us.

“Ivitithi is an ancient one from the Isle of Midsomer. He prefers blood sacrifices.”

“Tirso taught you that?” Koda asked Calla.

Unable to fight the possessive rage inside of me, I growled in response to his attention on her. He shook his head as if I were behaving like a child.

Koda wasn’t wrong. This possessive energy wasn’t like me, but I couldn’t control my behavior around Calla.

“There is a sickness within the Territories,” Mina said in a hushed, gloomy tone.

“Many magic folk have become so desperate to break free of the overall unease within Lavinia, they will accept any hopeless avenue. Your friends were murdered and harvested to feed another pathetic lie by zealots unable to admit the truth.”

“Why come all the way to Mt. Elysium?” Koda asked. “What point was there in killing Bane Shifters for this ancient one?”

“One can only guess,” Enya answered while avoiding Koda’s overly direct gaze.

“The ancient ones didn’t leave behind stacks of information about their inner thoughts and hopes.

But based on what we were taught about Ivitithi, the ancient one enjoyed creating chaos amongst his creations.

He spawned thousands of believers, only to have half of them butchered for his amusement.

Your kind are considered the finest weapons in all of Lavinia.

I imagine a thing of Ivitithi’s temperament would be quite honored to have Bane Shifters as blood offerings. ”

“Is it common these days for so many different magic folk to work together in the Territories?”

Calla’s gaze went hazy as if her thoughts were to be hidden. The three warriors radiated a newfound wariness toward us. I snarled at how Calla refused to share her secrets.

“Though not uncommon,” Calla said without looking at me, “such arrangements are typically kept quiet. The government wouldn’t approve of harmony within the various magic folk communities.”

Interrupting our conversation, a feast arrived at the long table.

My packmates eyed the meal before looking at me.

The idea of anyone hunting our kind for sacrifice left them uneasy.

In the past, Bane Shifters were avoided by troublemakers.

Even the Armgard attempted to stay out of our way in their attempt to overthrow the Murade.

Now, a group of diverse magic folk viewed us as mere hunks of meat to be offered to an ancient beast buried deep underground.

The warriors’ behavior also left my packmates wary, yet I sensed the females’ secretive ways came from the Murade’s programming. A deep need within me insisted I trust Calla.

“Eat up before we offend our hosts,” I said when the human men waited for our reaction.

Soon, we ate the meat and drank the brew. The food tasted strange to me after so long on the toxic mountain. I still ate heartily to soothe the humans’ tension.

“We will rest here overnight,” I said loudly. “On the morrow, we’ll take to the hunt again.”

The humans smiled and nodded, approving of our presence in the Territories. We might be mere myth, but the stories of our time patrolling Lavinia left a good impression.

After picking at her food and barely touching the brew, Calla suddenly looked up and found my gaze. I had been longing for her attention for too many long strikes of the clock. As soon as her gaze found mine, a warmth washed over me, and that lovely cinnamon scent brushed against my nostrils.

Calla suggested, “Why don’t we hunt together?”

“We don’t need your help,” Delta snarled.

A ferocious anger filled my chest when my packmate spoke directly to Calla. Becoming irrationally hostile, I nearly leapt across the table and attacked Delta. Never had I considered harming my kind before.

Studying Calla, I wondered if she put a spell on me to instill such a possessive need within my heart.

“You are part Elf,” I said in a gruff voice. “Is the other half a Witch?”

“You already asked me that. I don’t know my mother’s bloodline.”

“I have known Elven half-breed warriors. You are different.”

Rather than shrink under the weight of my accusations, Calla instead asserted, “You’re searching for danger where none exists. At this rate, you’ll soon accuse me of being an Armgard warrior.”

The pub fell silent. All eyes turned to Calla as her words remained heavy in the air.

“There are no more Armgard,” I stated, holding her gaze. “I saw the last one’s head ripped from her shoulders. The skull is atop a mountain of them in the great human city of Shining Jewel.”

The humans were placated by my tale of triumph over an evil they only knew from legend.

Calla tore her gaze away from me and glanced at the other warriors. Frowning at Delta and Koda, Mina stroked her blade as if prepared to kill them. Enya seemed lost in thought.

When Calla returned her focus to me, she leaned closer and whispered, “What were they like?”

“Foul monstrosities,” I muttered, annoyed by her curiosity. “Only capable of evil.”

Calla didn’t flinch under my anger. Though I sensed the other females wished she would be quiet, she leaned closer to me.

“They must have been fierce warriors to have stood against your kind.”

“We destroyed them.”

“Not right away,” Calla said as her gaze feasted on my body before returning to my face. “Bane Shifters are remarkable creatures. How can I not be curious about the warriors capable of offering even the smallest resistance to your power?”

“If you knew anything about the Armgard, you’d understand how I’d never accuse you of being one.”

Calla frowned at my words, almost seeming offended. She glanced at Mina, who told her to be silent with a simple look. Refusing to be silenced, Calla focused on me and tilted her head.

“Why is that?”

My hands slid over her soft hair. At the peak of her skull, I lifted my index fingers and curled them. “You have no horns.”

Touching her was a mistake. A painful surge of magic flowed between us. I yanked my hands back, certain again of her treachery.

Calla offered a soft smile. “I only know what we were taught about the old times. No one ever mentioned horns. Were they large like on a rhino or small like on a Chauve Vampyre?”

“What exactly were you taught by your Witch master?”

“I know why you squirm,” Calla taunted, smiling slyly. “I was trained in the art of seduction. There is no magic involved.”

Narrowing my eyes, I offered a sneering grin. Most creatures within the Territories would shrink in fear of my temper, yet Calla refused to be intimidated. She continued to wear a soft, inviting smile as if unaware of my dark mood.

“What did you find in the Shifters’ bags?” I asked and leaned closer. “Don’t lie. I was trained in the skill of sniffing out horseshit. No magic necessary, either.”

Calla lowered her gaze. “They took souvenirs from your friends.”

I glanced at Koda and Delta, who were undoubtedly listening to the conversation.

“That’s why you hid them from us?” I asked Calla.

“We thought you might be sad.”

“Do I look capable of sadness?”

Calla’s gaze brandished the power to rip away my armor. “You look like a very sensitive creature with a multitude of emotions.”

“Really?”

Grinning suddenly, Calla replied, “No, but praise is part of my seduction technique. Did it work?”

“No.”

Calla’s bright expression darkened. “Too bad.”

“Don’t take it personally. Bane Shifters have no interest in seduction.”

Calla’s green eyes studied me as if my words didn’t register. She turned away and focused on the humans at the bar. With her gaze off me, I felt cold and discarded.

“We will leave tomorrow and track the wolves,” Mina announced and stood. “If we see you on the trail, we’ll be sure to wave.”

Enya joined Mina at the end of the table. Wearing a lovely pout, Calla looked at me. I knew she wanted to remain at my side. However, she very gradually stood and stepped back.

“Thanks for catching me,” she said and created distance between us. “If our paths never meet again, good luck back on your mountain.”

Calla turned away and followed Mina and Enya from the pub. I stared at the door where she disappeared before frowning at my packmates.

“What is wrong with you?”

“I don’t know,” Delta said and shrugged his thick shoulders. “I’ve felt wrong since those warriors arrived.”

“They wield ancient magic,” Koda added. “Like the Ivitithi creature’s ancient magic used to distract us.”

Delta asked, “What world do we face now where the ancient ones stir up trouble?”

I studied our surroundings, searching for a threat where none existed. This place was a settlement like so many others, where humans barely got by. Nothing evil lurked here.

“I admit Calla has bewitched me,” I said in a muted tone. “I’ve seen her in my dreams. These warriors are practicing magic we’ve never encountered before. I suspect our makers have a hand in the warriors’ bloodline. We ought to remain close to them on this hunt.”

“We should hunt alone,” Delta hissed in barely more than a whisper. “If the Murade are behind the warriors, we can’t trust them.”

“No,” I growled, instantly angered at the thought of losing Calla.

“We need to learn of this new magic they have. If it can harm Bane Shifters, it can be a threat to our entire pack. So, let’s find a location to slumber for the night.

On the morrow, we’ll join the warriors. They are unskilled liars.

I also sense they’re inexperienced in the field.

We could learn their secrets with a little prodding. ”

“They might leave during the night to escape us,” Koda suggested.

“Doubtful,” I replied, certain Calla wanted us to follow. “They are on a mission to kill those who attacked Haven Junction. The warriors must know their odds of success are higher with us at their side.”

When Delta and Koda remained silent, I wondered if they were also bewitched.

Koda hounded Enya during the entire meal, asking her endless questions, even when he was only met with silence.

Delta seemed uneasy in his own skin. If Enya and Mina were meant to seduce my packmates, they were doing a terrible job of it.

Soon, Koda, Delta, and I left the pub. The humans were quick to offer local lodging. Outside on the road, others had come to gawk at the Bane Shifters of lore. My ego appreciated their adoration, but I didn’t want to spend the evening on display in one of their homes.

Instead, my packmates and I assured them we preferred the outdoors.

“We lived wild on Mt. Elysium for a hundred years,” I told the crowd of humans. “We walked as beasts in a land ruined by war. It was our home. We will return to it once we’ve gotten retribution for our fallen friends.”

That last part zapped the zeal from the humans. They hoped our kind would patrol the Territories again. I wondered about the wickedness seemingly allowed to run free since our retirement. I hadn’t seen a single sign of the Murade since leaving Mt. Elysium, but they were evidently still in charge.

I chose to rest in the woods behind the inn where Calla bunked. After removing my itchy pants, I shifted into my bear form and curled up with a view of the building’s back windows.

Koda and Delta didn’t join me. They shifted into their wolf forms and patrolled the settlement, searching for danger to distract from the threat residing in the inn.

Relieved by the quiet, I replayed today’s activities. The Lion Shifters’ deaths mostly came at the hands of the warriors, leaving me unsatisfied. If I weren’t distracted by Calla, I could have eviscerated those Shifters and found vengeance for my kind.

As the moon grew heavy in the sky, I could still feel her gaze on me. I recalled how perfectly she landed in my arms. Had the entire situation been of her making? What had the Murade been up to in their snowy mountain labs over the last hundred years?

Whatever tugged at my every thought was dangerous. If Calla and her sisters wielded this magic, they were a threat to the Bane Shifters. On the morrow, I would claim the answers to my questions.

For tonight, I wrapped myself in the hot tingling left behind by Calla’s presence and hoped I encountered her in my dreams.