Page 7 of Pack Reclaimed (Blood and Moonlight 3)

“Magic?”

“Something’s wrong,” I countered as another shiver ran through me. I quickly described what I was feeling and his eyes narrowed.

“I think we should beverycareful. There’s not really an easy answer I can give you but if I had to guess, someone’s watching you. Witches with sight like this can find a common connection and establish a link. It could have been as small as a picture, something the tracker grabbed, but it’s giving her a way to see us.”

My heart stopped. Again I was letting danger get to my pack.

“What do I do?” I asked. He put his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at him.

“First, you breathe.” The intensity which he was staring at me had my breath catching. “Then we find you some barriers. I’m not the witch to do that, but maybe Chloe or Bianca?”

He intertwined his fingers with mine, pulling me toward the back of the compound where the dorms were at. The fact he was not letting me freak out alone or causing more panic spoke about his character more than anything else he could have.

“You don’t have to go alone,” he promised. “Don’t freak out. This is something we can handle.”

Chloe glanced up from her makeshift desk when we walked in. She stood abruptly, the look on my face had her rushing forward. Her eyes narrowed as she stood in front of me, a hand slowly roaming down my body without touching me, like she was scanning for something.

“Oh no, we can’t have this,” she breathed out before turning. “Bianca!”

Bianca came rushing forward, freezing when she saw us. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s watching us,” Chloe said grimly. “I need you to give her a barrier. A strong one.”

“Done,” Bianca said as she took my hand and pulled me outside, in turn pulling Holt along with us. He didn’t say anything, simply letting go the moment we were standing away from the buildings. “It’s safer out here.”

“Hold on,” Chloe said before leaning in so our noses were barely touching. “If you’re watching, Straya. I’ve always been stronger, and I will enjoy ending this whole tantrum you seem to have thrown. The moment I kill you, will be the moment your entire kind will throw a celebration. You’re a blight on this world. Nothing more.”

As if she pushed the wrong button, that cold washed over me, freezing me in place before pain radiated through me. I screamed as my head fell back, vision tunneling at the internal attack.

“Push it out, Vanya.” Chloe’s instructions didn’t make sense and I couldn’t even look at her or speak to say that.

“Think of it like something foreign in your body. Look inside yourself and find it. Imagine grabbing on and tossing it out,” Holt said, his soft voice getting through better than Chloe’s shouted instructions. He seemed to be able to cut right through my torrential emotions and ground me.

It was easier said than done but I tried to push past the pain and find her hold on me. At first, I felt stupid, the idea of it insane, but then I found her. Right in my center, a cold, icy stone heart that she’d placed inside of me, that or it was the manifestation of our connection. I did as Holt said, picturing myself grabbing it and throwing it away. The moment I did that the cold faded along with the pain.

“Lock it down!” Chloe yelled at Bianca before a warm sensation poured over me, starting at my head and slowly washing over my body. Along with it was a sense of protection, safety, my panic ebbing away as it took over completely.

Then as soon as it reached my feet, it faded, absorbing into my skin until only the ghost of it remained.

I opened my eyes as Chloe rounded in front of me, drawing a rune on my forehead with her finger. She stepped back and rubbed her hands together before flinging the extra energy away. I never really thought about how witches worked but seeing them use energy like a tangible thing made it all seem much more significant. Seemed I had a whole lot to learn about the magical community.

“Come on,” Holt said. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

“A man after my own heart,” I teased as I let him pull me away, giving the witches a heartfelt thank you before we left.

“Don’t worry, the guys told me this was the quickest way to make you happy,” he said with a grin. It lit up his face, his eyes sparkling with amusement. His face was filling out but still held the deep angles that made him unique and otherworldly handsome.

“I hope you like to cook then,” I joked as I swallowed hard, trying to not let my attraction to him rear up after seeing me so vulnerable. The guy likely thought I was a fucking mess.

“Oh no, you don’t want me to cook.” He laughed. This time I pulled him along with me.

“Good thing I can cook then,” I shot back, glad we were both trying to lighten the mood. I was finding I really enjoyed being around Holt, I just hoped the guys gave Torryn the same chance.

ChapterFour

Vanya

Whatever I had expected to find when we pulled up to the Bluffs, this destruction was beyond anything I could have imagined. Our beautiful home was in ruins, the destruction heartbreaking.

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