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CHAPTER ELEVEN

I waited with bated breath but tried to keep my head on straight. She’d already manipulated us once; who was to say she wouldn’t do it again? We had to play it cautiously and check for hints of lying or manipulation.

Ryker didn’t say a word, but a flare of annoyance burst through our bond like lightning licking across my skin. Sharp. Hot. Dangerous.

“Care to elaborate?” Reid arched a brow.

Is he being serious right now? Xander’s surprise could be felt in his words.

Yeah, Gage chimed in. We can’t trust the witch bitch.

The corners of Cassi’s lips tipped upward. “Since Ryker has that spell on him, I can use it to locate the witch who cast it. We might get some answers from her even if she’s not with the vampire queen. And if she is, then we’ll know where they’re hiding and re-strategize.”

Hope bloomed in my chest...which had to be dangerous. Every time I thought we had a way to get answers, it never seemed to pan out.

The fact that no sulfur had permeated the air made it even more challenging to squash that sensation.

“What do you mean exactly?” Bruce pushed off the wall and stood upright. “No wordsmithing or tricks.”

She nodded. “I can do that.” She lifted both hands in surrender. “When a witch casts a spell, they use a piece of their magic. When the spell is completed, it leaves a faint essence of the witch who cast it, but you can’t locate them with it because it’s not tied to them any longer.”

All nine of us studied her intently, searching for any sign of a lie—avoiding eye contact, touching her mouth or throat, or scents that shouldn’t be there.

“However, the spell she cast on Ryker uses a strong magic that only a handful of witches have. Limited powerful ones who are one of a pair of twins,” she continued. “When twin girls are born, one of them will be gifted with a super rare and strong power, one of which is cloaking. When a permanent spell like that is placed on an individual, a thread of power constantly links them to the witch, unlike when a temporary one is placed. “

I tilted my head, trying to understand, but it sounded similar to what the last witch we’d talked to had explained. “Someone else already told us that, since the spell on Ryker is still active, it means the witch who cast it is alive.”

“Well, yes, but there’s more to it than that.” Cassi closed her eyes for a moment, like she was steeling herself.

Briar leaned forward. “What is it?”

“It’s something that we aren’t supposed to share with outsiders, but these are extenuating circumstances, now that everything is coming out.” She wrapped her arms around her waist.

Reid stood, his face twisting. “If you aren’t going to be helpful, then you need to—”

“No, I’m going to tell you.” She dropped her hands. “Your pack took me in and sheltered me when my coven abandoned me. That means something to me, but the witch practices have been so ingrained.”

My heart ached for her. She was warring with two parts of herself—the beliefs she was raised with and the family she’d chosen outside of blood. I was curious why she’d needed to be taken in.

“Any day now,” Ryker snarled as his annoyance strengthened even more.

“I can track her using the thread that connects her magic to Ryker.” She wrung her hands together. “It’s just a pulse, but if I use a location spell and focus on the magical essence, we’ll know where she is.”

My blood turned cold, and a lump lodged in my throat.

“Wait.” Sun’s hand trembled. “If you can track her, can she track Ryker?”

That was the exact same question I had.

“Yes.” Cassi rubbed a hand down her charcoal shirt. “But there’s nothing I can do to prevent that. She’d have to remove the spell.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Time halted as understanding finally broke through the shock.

“You mean to tell us we’ve been walking around with a fucking beacon on our backs?” Gage’s voice boomed.

Xander snarled. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You should’ve started with that.”

Kendric stepped toward Ryker and narrowed his eyes as he gritted out, “I hope you’re satisfied with the fucking decision you made behind our backs.”

Ryker didn’t flinch. Didn’t move. But the energy pulsing from him was lethal. “If she’s had access to me this whole time—”

“She knows where you are at all times,” Reid bit out. “That would’ve been nice to know before you came here.”

Anger swirled from Ryker and toward me through our bond, and he dropped my hand. “Are you fucking kidding me?” His words were such a low growl that they were almost inaudible.

Guilt crashed over him, surging through me as well, and I wasn’t sure what to do.

He glanced at me, his expression twisting. “Is she messing with us? Is she hiding the scent of lies with magic?” I could hear the desperate hope that clung to his words.

My eyes focused back on Cassi, confirming what I already knew. “She’s not.”

The mix of emotions that slammed into me weakened my knees. There was so much there, anger… disdain… embarrassment… and shame. He stood there, rigid, his jaw clenched so tightly I half expected his teeth to crack.

I glanced at Xander, Kendric, and Gage, who showed varying expressions of anger, each with deep lines in their foreheads and flared nostrils.

If you’d talked to us— Gage started.

Stop. I wouldn’t stand here and allow them to rip Ryker apart. This is not the time or place. Focus on what we can do now instead of on the past, where we can’t change a damn thing.

“They won’t expect us to use it against them.” Cassi cleared her throat. “So that should give us an advantage.”

Reid nodded once, curt and clipped. “What do you need?”

Cassi met his gaze. “A sample of Ryker’s blood. A binding stone. Sage—fresh, from the garden. And a map to direct the magic.”

“That’s it?” Sun pursed her lips.

Cassi nodded. “It’s a simple setup. I’ll do the gathering myself so no one else is put at risk. I know where to find everything I need.”

Reid studied her. “How long will it take?”

“If I leave now and nothing gets in the way, I can be back soon.” Her voice stayed even, but I could hear an edge of anxiety buried beneath it.

“We’ll do the spell tonight then,” Reid said, nodding once. “That gives us time to coordinate and make a plan for the morning.”

Xander shifted his weight, glancing between me and Ryker. “And what exactly is that plan?”

“We use the location to track her down,” Sun answered before Reid could. “We don’t act until we’ve scouted out the situation properly. Hopefully, she won’t be with a ton of vampires, but if she is, at least they shouldn’t be cloaked.”

“Will you have enough of us ready for scouting in the morning?” Briar bit her lip. “So many are injured.”

“We have enough strength,” Reid finally said, breaking the silence. “Bruce, do you have any people you can call here?”

“Not a ton, but I can try to get a few more. Though, probably not by tomorrow.” Bruce shook his head. “Whoever I ask to join is pretty much signing a death certificate. We have to stop all these deaths.”

His words were the equivalent to a kick in the gut. I hated that so much life had already been taken. “Well, the vampires are still reeling from what happened last night and trying to figure out how the barrier works. That should keep at least some of them occupied.”

“What if the witch tracks Ryker while we’re on the way to her?” Kendric scratched at his beard.

“We’ll contend with that if it happens.” Even though I wasn’t one for elaborate strategies, I did know that every plan had flaws. Right now, we just needed an advantage.

Reid let out a long breath, rubbing his temple like the tension was starting to weigh more than his own weight on the cane he was leaning on. “Then we reconvene after the burials. Let the dead rest before we plan to risk more lives.”

No one argued.

The heaviness in the room didn’t lift, but it settled into mutual understanding.

“I’ll get the supplies,” Cassi said, voice low. “I know what I need and where to find it. I’ll be ready to perform the spell at sundown.”

“Go,” Reid muttered. “And be careful.”

She nodded and slipped out the door without another word.

The moment the door closed, tension cracked through the room like a whip.

“Rest while you can,” Reid said, his tone final. “We all need to be in the best shape we can be for our next move.”

He was right. A lot of us were still injured, and sleep would be the best way to rejuvenate us.

Xander and Kendric fell in behind Ryker and me as we followed Briar and Gage toward the house. The weight of what we’d learned, of what was coming, pressed against our backs.

When we stepped out into the fresh air, Ryker’s hand found mine again, but it wasn’t the comforting gesture it usually was. Despite the fated-mate connection buzzing between us, his grip wasn't strong, and the sludgy feeling of guilt weighed on our bond.

Briar’s eyes flicked toward the path to the house, where so many people stood over the dead, crying.

Tears stung my eyes. I wished we’d had the same opportunity to mourn our own pack.

The second we crossed the threshold to our house, the door shut with a snap.

A beat past-tense, stretched thin.

Gage marched into the living room and stood in between the two couches. Accusation flared into his eyes. “You put all of us at risk without informing us of what you’d done.”

“No wonder they always found us,” Xander said and grimaced.

Ryker dropped my hand and moved behind the couch closest to the door. His face flushed, and his hot anger rolled through me.

I had to step in before he said something he’d regret.

But Briar rushed past me and stepped between them, placing a hand on Ryker’s and Xander’s chests. "Enough," she said, her tone sharp. "We can argue later. Right now, we need to remember who the real enemy is. Ryker made a call. It was the wrong one, yeah, but he’s not the only one in this room who’s made a mistake. He lost his entire pack. Became alpha in the middle of chaos. And he’s been carrying the weight of keeping the rest of us alive. Maybe try giving him a damn second to breathe and realize people do stupid things when they’re grieving."

“ You haven’t.” Kendric slumped against the hallway wall. “And Ember hasn’t either. So, I’m not sure you’re making your point.”

I laughed, from both the statement and surprise that Briar had spoken up. I’d expected her to take more time to warm up.

“What’s so funny?” Gage leaned on one leg.

“A few days ago, I just wanted to take Briar and leave.” It felt like it’d been forever. “That was my plan, and it was stupid. If not for Briar, I’d have made a mistake I couldn’t come back from. But my mistake was one of cowardice. Ryker’s wasn’t. He was trying to gain an advantage to avenge your pack. In my eyes, my decision was far worse than him not knowing more about how the spell would work.”

Ryker exhaled, rubbing the heel of a hand down his face. Tension bled out of him, slowly, like a dam leaking under pressure. You don’t have to set yourself up to look worse just to save me.

I’m not. Ryker, I don’t agree with what you did, but I understand your motivation. It didn’t hit me, until I said it, that I actually did understand. Sometimes, you felt like there was only one solution, and you didn’t give a damn about the consequences. You did it out of love and to honor your dead.

Gage looked away, and Xander pressed his lips together. Kendric eventually sat on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees.

“You’re right.” Kendric rolled his head. “Raven didn’t even die, and I feel like she did. I’d do anything to get revenge… even use a spell.”

“I guess,” Gage muttered, sliding one shoe along the wooden floor.

“For what it’s worth....” Ryker grimaced. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I should’ve spoken to you and included all three of you in the decision. I was just so angry. My focus was on taking down the assholes who killed our pack and our royals. It was all I could think about, so I made a dumb decision that actually helped the people I wanted to hunt keep attacking us.”

Xander’s eyes widened, and then he grinned and cupped his ear. “What did you say again?”

“Nope.” Ryker crossed his arms. “I’m not saying it again. If you didn’t hear it, that’s your loss.”

“Dammit.” Gage frowned. “That might be the only time we ever hear him say that. We should’ve gotten a recording.”

I smiled, not even trying to hold it back. This felt right… like we had a pack and a family again.

Ryker’s mood lightened, and he watched me for a second.

"We should rest.” I hated to ruin the moment, but we didn’t have time to relax. Another battle was brewing. "We need to prepare.”

The teasing stopped, and each of them nodded.

I took Ryker’s hand and led him toward the room in the back, brushing my shoulder against his.

You okay? I linked as we shut the door.

The second it clicked closed, he pulled me into his arms.

No. But you’re keeping me sane right now.

I leaned into him, letting the warmth of his body melt away some of the cold that had sunk deep into my bones. He lifted me and carried me to the bed, and I rested my head on his chest. His heartbeat pounded steadily beneath my cheek.

"We’ll fix it," I whispered.

"We have to," he murmured, brushing his lips against my forehead.

Oh, and congratulations on the bond. Please make sure your sleep doesn’t keep the rest of us up, Gage suddenly linked.

I rolled my eyes, but the happiness came back. Even in all the chaos, some joy had found me. Thanks, and no promises.

“Really now?” Ryker lifted his head.

I placed my palm on his forehead and pushed his head back down. “Nope. Just giving him a hard time. We need sleep.”

His chest shook, and he wrapped his arms tighter around me.

And sleep took me under.

* * *

We woke to dusk spilling through the blinds. Pale orange light streaked the floorboards, and for a moment, everything seemed still.

A knock echoed through the house.

The two of us groaned, not wanting to get out of each other’s arms, but Kendric linked, It’s time. Cassi is back and ready to perform the spell.

Ryker tossed off the covers, and we jumped to our feet and headed down the hall. This was the first time that we might actually come out ahead, if only slightly.

When we reached the living room, Gage stood near the window. Kendric and Xander sat on their designated couches with strained expressions.

Briar stood at the circular wooden dining table with Cassi, who placed a leather pack on the surface. “I got everything.”

Reid, Sun, and Bruce entered the house and moved to the other side of the table.

"So we’re ready?" Even more of Reid’s color had returned.

Cassi nodded and laid out the supplies: the stone, fresh sage bundled tight with twine, and a cloth map that spanned the surrounding region. She then lit the herbs. Smoke curled into the air, earthy and grounding.

She removed a small silver dagger from her satchel and held out her free hand. “All I need is Ryker’s blood. Ryker, please come here.”

Dread replaced my contentment, and I kissed his cheek. I linked, This is our best chance.

The last time a witch did something to me, I gave her a way to find me at any time. He rolled his eyes, his frustration with himself returning. Then he swallowed and stepped forward, putting his hand in Cassi’s.

My wolf surged forward, snarling, not liking another woman touching my man. Whoa, calm down there , I chastised her. I had to remind her this was a spell to help protect us and all the other shifters.

We all circled close, the room thick with the scents of sage and old paper.

"Everyone be quiet," Cassi said softly.

She whispered under her breath, words I couldn’t make sense of, and held the tip of the dagger to Ryker’s palm. Tendrils of shadows danced around her, indicating that her witch magic had been activated.

She then pressed the blade into his flesh as her attention moved to the map. Guiding Ryker’s hand over the center, she turned his palm face down. Blood dripped onto the map, shimmering like it wasn’t liquid at all but alive.

Then, slowly, it rolled.

It pulsed once—then slid across the surface and just...stopped.

I blinked. Holy shit. This had to be a joke.