Page 29 of Branches of the Willow

“I’m not sure if you were aware of the issues Avery was having with interlopers on his lands before?” Andy looked thoughtful a moment as I nodded my head to confirm that I did. “That’s right, it’s why you told me to take the pass through the caves.” The grin was back again before Andy continued. “Well, as it turns out, they’re not just average humans. Avery says he thinks we have a problem with actual ‘hunters.” He used his fingers to wrap imaginary quotes around the one word so that I knew we weren’t talking about Bill the farmer going to look for deer for dinner. We were talking about the supernatural beings who had been created to track down and kill the dark ones before they could become a problem for witches who were still vulnerable to their attacks.

“Hunters?” I questioned. “They don’t come after our kind. They’re supposed to hunt the dark ones.”

“Yeah, I know. Avery sent me to warn you about what is going on. He’s not sure if the hunters grew bored with the dark ones, or if we have more visitors on our lands than we thought we did, but he figured you should know immediately, so we can be prepared for anything.”

“Well, damn, Andy! Did you bring me any good news?” Dark ones were basically what modern day people would think of as vampires, and not the cute and cuddly kind from recent pop culture. They were crude, sinister beings who preyed on humans mostly. From what I gathered from Sophia’s stories while I was held captive, witches seemed to be a bigger target for them though. Something about them being the discarded male offspring of witches and… I couldn’t remember, but their conception was the reason for their hatred and targeting the witches. They also made the perfect targets because their blood was rich with magic and they could only be killed by another witch. That made them an indefinite supply of food for some of the dark ones. Something seemed off about that though. I would have to confer with Serena the next time she popped in for a visit.

Andy hung his head, and I knew whatever else he had to say was going to be something I didn’t much like. “I’ve put in for a transfer to Avery’s pack.”

My jaw hit the floor for a minute. When I composed myself again, I looked over at my father, who had been sitting quietly, watching me acclimate to being back at work. “Seriously? Why? Did something happen?” The questions erupted from my mouth in a less than eloquent purge that came over more as word vomit than anything coherent.

“The St. Marks Pack has been wonderful to me, Jess. I met someone though. She’s a part of Avery’s pack, and doesn’t want to leave there just yet. I’m trying to be accommodating, and I thought I could be the liaison between the packs. I’ll still be able to keep ties with both, see my family here, and be with my girl there. That is, if it’s acceptable to both you and Jameson.”

My dad was trying to hide a smile when I looked over at him. “Well, I’m definitely not going to stand in the way of your relationship. Speaking for myself, I’m happy to have you working with us in any capacity.” Andy bowed his head to me in respect, and then turned to my father to await his answer.

“I think you have enough trouble from Avery these days, son. I’m not going to add to that. You make yourself useful however you can, and you know you are always welcome here.”

“Thank you, Jameson.”

“Go ahead, let Avery know that it’s agreed. Also, I’ll be sending some men out further to patrol the area. We haven’t seen any activity from the dark ones, if they’re out there, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t just keeping a low profile.” My dad turned back to me then. “If we don’t find evidence that the dark ones are hanging around these parts, we’re going to have to figure out why the hunters have suddenly changed tactics and targets. Can you get in touch with Serena? We need a witch’s take on this.”

“I can try.” As Andy left the office, Mikael walked in with his brother, Evan. I smiled up at both, and Mikael walked over to plant a kiss on the top of my head.

“How are you doing, love?” He whispered in my ear as he took the chair beside me. The minute he was close, the tension in my shoulders slipped away. His scent wrapped me in a secure blanket and rejuvenated me in the strangest of ways. It was as if my mate were a magical tonic that made everything immensely better just for him being in my proximity.

“I’m doing well. What are you two up to?” I asked, noting that Evan seemed a bit exhausted as he took a seat too.

“We dropped in to see what the news was from the Daniels Clan, and to discuss what we’re going to do about our estranged family who are still out there running loose.” Mikael was picking at a tiny little piece of the table in front of him that had been nicked at some point before.

“We also need to discuss what’s going to happen with the women Asi, Ash, and I brought back. One of them is pregnant, and apparently it’s not my father’s baby.” Evan added.

“Then whose baby is it?” I asked, wondering who would have the nerve to even think about touching one of the King’s harem of women.

“She said it was Malachi’s.” Evan dragged his hand over his face, as if he could wipe the disgust away. “Apparently, dear old dad was sharing the women with his eldest son.”

“You’re serious?” The shock was evident in my voice. “Every time I think I’ve learned the worst about that whole situation, it goes downhill just a bit more.” When I looked around the table, I noticed my father was shaking his head, and texting on his phone.

“I’m trying to get Eileen over here. She’s spent a lot of time with the women. I think her input on this is necessary.” He explained to all of us. “I also asked Debbie to bring us some food. I think we’re going to be here a little while, catching Jess up on current events.”

“Speaking of current events…” All three men turned their attention to me. “No one has bothered to tell me what exactly happened here when I was taken. I’d really like for one of you to fill me in on that, and what’s been done since to those involved.”

“My family is in the wind, Jess. I told you that.”

“Yeah, I know, but how exactly did that happen? One minute I was there to see Annabelle, who supposedly had some new information she wanted to share, and then something was blown into my face before the lights went out completely. All I remember after that was waking up in a cage, again.” I shivered, and every man in the room wore a pained expression in response.

“The witch, Serena, tried to convince us that she could see you in Mikael’s eyes.” My father started the story. That triggered the memory of me watching, as if it had simply been hiding behind the fog of drugs that I had initially ingested.

“That was true,” I confirmed.

“You didn’t mention that when we talked about everything that happened,” Mikael told me.

“I only just remembered when Dad brought it up. I had been drugged then, but not as heavily as later on. I guess it’s just one of those memories that doesn’t surface until it’s triggered. I heard you guys questioning Serena, and she told you that she was there with a warning. Then she looked into your eyes and told you it was too late, and she warned me not to allow myself to become vulnerable like that again.” I shook my head at the memory. “I don’t even remember Sophia drugging me any of the other times. I just remember that I would wake up, having not dreamed, and no recollection as to how I managed to fall asleep in the first place.”

The men all exchanged worried glances when I mentioned that. “Serena says I’m fine,” I told them. That didn’t stop them from speculating about what could have happened to me during the times when I was out cold. They weren’t alone in that. “It was done to keep me from using any of my powers. She had to keep me weak enough to make sure I couldn’t get messages out to anyone.” I swallowed down the worry I still had about what the drugs had possibly done to my baby, knowing that I couldn’t express those worries to anyone just yet. Instead, I changed the course of the conversation. “That doesn’t explain what happened after Dad came back into the room to confirm that I was missing,” I told them. “That’s the last time I was able to see or hear anything before…”

“We sent men to check, they found the guards that were stationed at that house, inside, knocked out by what appeared to be a powder. They found residue of it on one of the guard’s faces,” my father informed me. “We’re still not sure how Annabelle and Leanna managed to slip past the guards we had patrolling the property though. Everyone has been vetted.” My father’s frustration showed as he spoke.

“I was thinking maybe they had help from Sophia in that regard. She managed to slip past them while having to carry you as well.” Mikael stated simply. “We had Serena locked up and decided to keep her where she was until we got to the bottom of things. I figured, wrongly, that she was involved somehow. Her timing for showing up when she did couldn’t have been worse. It looked like she was there to harm you, not help.”

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