Page 32 of Witch’s Wolf (Bound by the Howl #2)

32

SAM

“I’m driving back to Dawson… with Helena.”

E rica’s text sends a ripple of confidence through my siblings. Within minutes, Raul and Ray are throwing out plans, weighing the pros and cons of every possible course of action.

It’s almost laughable how much stronger we all feel knowing the witch is back. How we believe we can claw our way out of any predicament because we have her power on our side. But when Erica’s second message arrives all of our excitement dies.

“Your grandpa’s sanctuary. Eight o’clock. Says she has information she needs to tell us.”

I show them the screen. Silence.

The strategizing is gone. Raul scratches his jaw, Ray folds his arms, both of them sinking into quiet thought. I don’t know what’s running through their heads, but I know why I’m not talking. Unlike them, I have patience.

We trust Helena. That’s not in question. What she found in the sprawling chaos of New York City, a place teeming with millions of humans and who knows how many monsters is the problem. Trying to guess what she found makes about as much sense as trying to punch through a brick wall with my bare fists.

So, I wait. Whatever it is, whatever truth she’s bringing with her, I’ll be ready.

Raul, Ray, Nora, and I make our way up the hillside toward the open gate. Our shadows stretch long over the damp earth, our footsteps barely more than whispers in the quiet. When we get to the gate it isn’t Helena waiting, it’s Erica.

I pick up her scent before I see her. My heart beats faster as the hints of cinnamon mix with the smells of pine, sap, and healthy decay. When I see her, I can barely keep myself from stumbling. The light from the open gate backlights her, casting her perfect shape into a dark relief.

My fingers ache with the need to touch her beautiful curves. The memory is so strong that I involuntarily stiffen in my pants. This isn’t the time, not in the slightest, but she has that effect on me. My Siren.

She waits beyond the gate’s mechanism, arms crossed, posture rigid. Waiting. I struggle to walk without calling attention to my rock-hard cock straining against my pants.

“Hey, everybody,” she says, nodding to each of us. “Can you go ahead to the library? I need a moment with Sam.”

Raul glances between us, then gives a sharp nod.

“Don’t take too long,” he orders before striding past.

Ray and Nora follow in silence. Ray though gives me a knowing, lascivious grin and a quick thrust of his hips miming doggy style. I roll my eyes and move close to her.

“It’s good to see you,” I say, keeping my voice low as I put my hands on her hips. Hesitation flickers in her eyes as we share a brief kiss. Something is bothering her, but she’s not wanting to say it. “What?”

She frowns, her eyes boring into me, looking for answers, but I don’t know the question. Her eyebrows draw together, she clenches her jaw and then exhales sharply.

“Helena’s going to mention a name. Alfred Jenkins. He represents a record company, Platinum Tunes. He approached me while we were apart and offered me a contract, a record deal,” she keeps her eyes on mine, holding steady despite the tension in her shoulders. “I wanted you to hear it from me first. Not Helena.”

“Thank you,” I say, tension easing in my shoulders. She gives a small nod. “I appreciate it, is that all? Any more surprises?”

A faint smile ghosts across her lips. She shrugs and shakes her head.

“It’s Helena,” she says and we both chuckle, knowing the depth of those two words.

“Right, shall we?” I ask, offering my arm.

“Yeah,” she says, twining her arm around mine and we walk in together.

Moving along the hallway, I feel a swell of appreciation. Erica didn’t have to tell me about Alfred Jenkins. She could have let Helena be the one to bring it up, but she didn’t. She wanted to be straight with me which shows that she does value what we have.

The library’s interior reminds me of a classroom. Helena stands behind a desk like a teacher, her students, us, are scattered in front of her, waiting.

“I won’t burden you with my thoughts on New York,” she says, pushing the hood of her cloak back. She smirks, which is so out of character for her that my attention latches onto it. “Besides, they don’t matter. If any of you want to gossip, ask Erica. She found me wandering near her house.”

“Yeah,” Erica says, biting her lower lip and trying not to laugh. “It was a little funny, if I’m honest.”

Helena doesn’t crack a smile. She leans forward, planting her palms on the desk, her expression deadly serious.

“Erica told me she was offered a recording contract with Platinum Tunes by a man named Alfred Jenkins,” she says, looking at each of us in turn but ending with her eyes locked onto me.

Raul grunts and fixes Erica with an assessing gaze.

“Nice!” Nora says, smiling.

“Hey, way to go,” Ray says.

I don’t say anything. It doesn’t take a psychic to know that Helena is about to drop the other shoe and that this time that shoe is probably going to be a fucking nuke.

“She says that he was a handsome man and that he was very smooth and polished. First of all, you should all know that Alfred Jenkins is a real person.” She shifts her gaze from me to Erica who shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “He does work for Platinum Tunes , only he’s not the dashing, middle-aged man who approached Erica the other day. In fact, he’s…” she pauses, her lips pressing into a thin line. “He’s nothing like that. The real Alfred Jenkins is about five-five, maybe five-six, and weighs well over three hundred pounds. The man you met, his name is actually Jack Sellers.”

A ripple of tension tightens the air. Erica tilts her head.

“How did you find that out? And in three days, no less?”

“I’ll get to that,” Helena says, nodding sharply. “Let me finish.”

Erica grabs my hand and squeezes tightly. I return her grip in what I hope is a reassuring way. All of us silent after her admonishment, Helena continues.

“Sellers was a small-time thief. He’s spent most of his life in and out of prison. I tracked him to the Ritz and pretended to be interested. After a few hours and a substantial amount of vodka, I knew everything there was to know about him… and his puppet masters.”

“Puppet masters? Who? Who does he work for?”

“A vampire clan,” Helena says, her eyes locking onto me as things begin to click into place. The vampire in her dressing room. That’s why he was there. “He’s a wannabe. A hanger on. He’s hoping that they’ll turn him and in exchange, he became their pet.”

I growl as my wolf urges me to shift. To kill. Fucking vampires. Mortal enemies of my kind, but one of them taking in interest in my woman? I turn towards the door.

“Wait,” Raul’s command is absolute.

I’m frozen in place, my alpha having ordered me, but obeying or not, I’m not happy about it. I glare at Raul before turning my attention back to Helena. I drop into one of the chairs.

“The clan he works for is led by a man named Chris Ballard. I found that out when Sellers took me upstairs.”

“Wait— you slept with him?” Stacy’s sharp inhale breaks the silence.

Helena scoffs, lips curling into a smug smile.

“Hell no, dear. I wouldn’t let a vampire’s pet lay a finger on me. I slipped a little something into his drink, and that bastard was out cold in minutes. I left him a note, asking to see him again the next night.”

“And he fell for it?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest against the cold chills rushing over my skin. A vampire? What next?

“Hook, line, and sinker.” She smirks. “The next night I repeated the whole thing, thinking he’d spill more about the clan’s plans, but no luck, until we went back to his room again. Ballard and two of his minions were waiting outside his room.

Sellers asked me to wait inside while he met with them. I was able to eavesdrop on their conversation and that’s where I found something interesting. They talked about a blonde bird and ‘when they’ll put it in a cage’ to keep forever.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, dread creeping up my spine.

“Sellers argued to wait a little longer. He wants to do more to make his contract offer seem more genuine. Ballard reluctantly agreed. I don’t think there is any doubt as to who the blonde bird is, Erica.”

I can’t hold back my growl as I leap to my feet.

“I’ll fucking kill him.”

“Sam!” Raul barks and once more I sit against my will.

Fucking Alphas.

“More like stupid bird,” Erica mutters, her voice breaking, dropping her eyes from Helena to stare at the floor. “God…” she sighs, slamming her palms against her forehead. “How could I have believed that bullshit? I mean, one hundred-fifty grand?”

“He offered you one hundred-fifty thousand to sign a contract?” I ask in disbelief. She’s good, but damn.

“Do not dwell on that, Erica. What’s done is done. We have the advantage now. They don’t know that we know their plan. The thing that eludes me is that they don’t want to kill you. They want to imprison you. Why?”

Before Erica can respond, a distant noise cuts through the silence. It’s faint but unmistakable. Dawson’s sirens.

A chill runs through me. Miles away from town, they don’t pierce my ears, but they send slivers of fear slicing like knives slicing into my heart. My gaze snaps to Raul, but he isn’t looking at me. He’s looking at Helena. I turn, but she’s gone.

“Where the hell did she go?” I ask.

A sudden puff of red smoke erupts from the floor, swirling in thick tendrils. When it clears, Helena is there, but her calm demeanor is shattered.

“There’s a fire in the forest right outside the town limits,” she says. “Go. Find out who’s behind this.”

She doesn’t have to ask us twice. My family and I run.