Page 40 of Season of the Wolf

Shouts from the left drew my attention there. They were the voices of his brothers calling him in the direction of what I guessed to be his ride. Only, he wasn’t answering. Instead, he took off in a full sprint toward the woods. Richie turned to me, looking about as confused as Ifelt.When I shrugged, letting him know I didn’t have an answer for the question in his stare, his gaze followed Nick into the trees where he disappeared.

Screeching tires caused every head to turn, including Elise’s from where she and Dallas watched discreetly from the car. I turned to where I’d just watched Nick run off and couldn’t help but to wonder what was happening.

Was he changing again? Going deeper into the darkness.

My heart raced as yet another threat was apparently beginning to surface. Deep down in my gut I knew whatever had just happened was a sign.

The Sovereign was easy to spot as an adversary. He made it clear it was my head he wanted served to him on a platter. However, there was another, one I regarded as a friend. One I’d underestimated once before.

Friend or not, it was time to accept something I’d fought for quite some time now.

Nick was beginning to lose control, and when he did … he’d come for me.

Chapter Twelve

Evie

I was distracted and grateful I wasn’t expected to take part in the spell. While I’d been at Beth’s, Hilda coerced Maisy into assisting with the first portion—a preliminary‘seasoning’as she called it—and now they were delving into phase two.

Liam would have blown a gasket if he knew I was even in the vicinity of the beast Hilda and Elise brought into the house. However, in order to blow a gasket, he would have to know I was even down here.

When we came in from the meeting, I didn’t bother heading upstairs to check in. There were many reasons. For one, I knew for a fact he preferred to be alone right now and there was also the strange incident with Nick. I was confused and wanted to sort through my thoughts before jumping to conclusions, before telling Liam what I suspected.

So, here I sat, perched in a chair just outside the false wall in the basement where, beyond it, the sound of undecipherable chants grew louder. Through the sliver where Elise left it cracked when she went in, bright green light filtered through, swirling a peculiar pattern on the wall beside me.

There was a real chance of the spell working this time. If it did, things around here would undergo yet another significant change. My brothers would be back, for one. Meaning, Hilda and Elise would get their wish; our precious numbers would be up.

The volume rose even higher, the sounds coming forth making my skin crawl. I could only imagine what was taking place in there, but dared not venture inside. While I was positive Maisy’s magic couldn’t affect me, and I was equally sure Hilda took extra precautions, I still wanted nothing to do with that disgusting witch. Laying eyes on her as the guards held her down … I was sure I’d have nightmares for years to come.

Eventually, things went quiet. The commotion that had nearly shaken the house only moments before ceased completely. The silence was eerie.

A door crept open, and then the seam in the wall widened as Elise emerged, clutching a violet-colored stone too large to close her fingers around it. There was no missing the nervous excitement in her expression. She bore the look of the skeptically hopeful.

I smiled at her. It was tense and reserved, but it was the best I could offer.

“So?” I breathed. “How’d it go?”

She took slow steps as her eyes danced across the floor, still doing all she could to bridle her enthusiasm.

“Better than expected,” she stated. “Maisy cooperated, thanks to Hilda being quite skilled at persuading others to bend to her will.”

I found myself not wanting to know what that entailed. Maisy didn’t strike me as the‘bend to another’s will’kind of witch.

“Did it …work?”

The question left my mouth quietly, my own nervousness getting in the way.

It took a moment, but Elise finally flashed a smile.

“It’s a bit early to tell, but I believe so. All that’s left to do is wait,” she concluded, placing a hand on my shoulder as she sauntered toward the steps. I didn’t linger in the basement long either, mostly because I was still kinda creeped out by Maisy.

I ascended and then crossed the foyer, heading up another flight of stairs. When I got there, I stood in the hall, hesitating in the space between my bedroom and Liam’s, wondering if it’d be okay to knock. It didn’t take long to realize I didn’t yet have the nerve. So, I changed first, sat on my bed a while to stall, and even stared over the balcony thinking the fresh air would help.

It didn’t.

It seemed strange there was so much distance right now, considering what had transpired between us a mere twenty-four hours ago. A girl could get insecure being blown off so soon after giving herself to a guy. Only, I knew better than to let my mind wander in that direction. The one thing I knew for sure, period, was that Liam’s love for me was the fiercest I ever experienced. There was never a question of whether last night meant as much to him as it meant to me.

It was the rationalizing I did on the balcony that brought me to my senses. Liam could have his space, but only after I made sure to let him know I cared. After that, I had no problem leaving him to his own devices while I slept alone in my own bed.

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