Page 32 of Secrets and Ruin

“That’s not the most interesting stuff, though. I assume you can’t read this, but…” I showed him the papers I couldn’t read. “Do you know the language?”

“No. I think it’s utter gibberish, but…” Landon frowned. “The paper has to be a few centuries old, at least.” He sniffed it, nodding. “Magically maintained, so it doesn’t become dust. Might be the same magic that makes it seem illegible. Really fucking weird of Fenris to have, but he’s an odd old wolf.”

“You seem a lot calmer than you were. You don’t see this as a sign of his guilt? It’s certainly suspicious.”

Landon made a face, putting the papers down.

“I’m trying to remain calm for my father right now. When I went back inside, you were gone, and he was about to tear me a new asshole for storming off like a child while he was dealing with three cursed members of the pack and two missing ones. He sent me in here, telling me to focus on the task instead of throwing tantrums.”

“Yikes,” I mumbled, looking back at all I had found. None of it was particularly helpful, but I decided to keep it. I lifted the enchanted papers and waved for Landon to leave with me. “Let’s show him what we found and figure something out.”

“Do you think any of your family could figure out what’s on those? It might be pertinent…”

“I don’t think I can ask them to help the pack like that, and I don’t know if this has anything to do with Niko and Dirk yet. Neither do you. If we drag them in without solid evidence,” I shook my head slowly. “It won’t turn out well for us.”

“Yeah.”

Since we brought our own vehicles, we didn’t talk much, heading back to the house. I had a feeling Landon was as lost in his own thoughts as I was in mine. We parked next to each other and went in together. I found Heath pacing in the kitchen and surprised him with a kiss on his cheek, taking the distracted man off guard for once.

“I’m sorry for not seeing your replies. Don’t feel guilty for protecting these three while I was looking into stuff.”

The tension eased out of him, not all of it, but enough. His shoulders relaxed, he got a hint of a smile, and the storms in his eyes slowed, warming as they met mine.

“I don’t like this,” he murmured, leaning closer. “I don’t like when my wolves are hurting, and I can’t stop it. I can’t rescue them. I have to wait, and I hate it.”

“They’re in good hands, and they will love and respect you all the more for holding vigil for them while they’re at their most vulnerable,” I reminded him. “You know that.”

He closed his eyes for a moment as he nodded. When they opened again, I could see he had calmed down a fraction more.

“You found something interesting, didn’t you? Landon texted me as you left Fenris’s property.”

I took out the papers from my bag. Before Heath could react to them, a nasty, defensive hiss came from my left, making me turn to see one of the fae healers.

“Take that magic out of your house,” he said, hissing again as he stepped back.

“So, we can guess it’s fae in origin?” Landon said, moving between the healer and me.

“Fae?” The healer glared at the papers, not at all threatened by Landon. “Yeah, that magic is fae, and it’s dark stuff.” He shook his head. “I can’t say anymore.”

“Back to square one.” I groaned.

The fae healer didn’t storm off. He looked up, his glare softening.

“Don’t say anything.” He waved for us to leave the house with him, and we walked to the edge of the woods, hidden behind the security building on my lawn.

“It’s dark magic?” Heath asked, going back to what the fae had stopped himself from saying.

“It’s a bargain, like so much of fae magic. Bargains don’t need to be written most of the time, locked by the pure magic of them. Not all fae love bargains. Many of us hate them, really. We can’t escape them, though. Everything is an exchange. This one was so powerful of an exchange that it was written. It’s part of the magic that seals it.”

“Then what makes this one dark magic?” I asked, a deep frown. “Just how strong it is?”

“The reason this is so… terrible? One, that isnotpaper you are holding. The glamour for it is strong, seeing how it’s masking the scent of its original form. That amount of power was probably used because someone thought werewolves or others with sensitive noses might eventually handle it… That doesn’t matter, though. It’s important to know it isn’t written on paper. It’s written on flesh.”

I nearly dropped them, both Landon and Heath reaching out just in case I lost my grip.

“The flesh is probably of the one who gained a great deal in exchange for something important,” the fae continued. “Their freedom. Their autonomy. Their future. Whatever you want to say. Effectively, this is the closest a being can come to selling their soul to the devil.”

“And it was to a fae.”

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