Dire Wants (30 page)

Chapter 50

A
s Rifter and Harm both sliced Jameson with their blades, the Dire armies, both dead and alive, went completely silent.

Rifter and Harm withdrew their blades almost reverently. Although Jameson was a bastard, he was also a Dire king and, in the eyes of the Elders, disrespect at this stage wouldn’t be tolerated.

They placed the killing swords on the ground next to the body of the ghost that wasn’t dissipating, but rather, bleeding out, the coloring fading by degrees.

“Is it over?” Vice asked finally. His voice was low and he was acting as second in command, watching over his king and the wolf who’d given up the throne, whirled around to see if the Dire ghost army would fight back.

They weren’t.

“Kill them all!” Rifter roared, and his side moved forward without hesitation. All except Stray and his brother.

Come to me, Stray. Bring Killian.
Kate’s voice.

“We’ve got to get back to Rogue—it’s our only shot.”

Killian looked to Rifter, who’d zeroed in on his brother. Rifter nodded his assent before slicing a Dire ghost’s head off with a different silver blade than the one used to kill Jameson.

None of this concerned him—this wasn’t his past or Killian’s, but somehow, it was. And he’d been lucky enough to be a part of it. He bowed his head for a moment and gave thanks to the Elders for letting the Dires find him, for his brother, for Kate.

“Stray, we have to go now.” Killian tugged him and they bounded back to the car with the weapons still clanking on their bodies.

Stray drove like the truck was on fire, listening for Kate again and hearing nothing. He called to her but again, no response. And if she’d blocked him out, whatever the reason, it couldn’t be good.

When he pulled into the garage, Kill was out of the truck before it even stopped moving. Stray slammed it into park, locked the house back down and followed, coming into Rogue’s room behind his brother.

Rogue lay in his familiar position, with Gwen holding one hand and Kate the other.

Seb’s gone—left behind his spells and disappeared. Trick the mare,
Kate told him.

He turned to Kill. “Need your best witch impression again—that mare bitch needs to be called off.”

“Now, Killian. Right now. Stray, block him.”

Stray turned to stand in front of his brother, and Killian morphed then, right in front of his eyes. It looked painful as hell, far more so than a shift to Brother Wolf, and Stray swore he heard Killian’s cries in his head.

He’d never seen his brother cry.

When the man stood, it wasn’t his brother any longer—it was Seb who stood before him and Stray’s Brother Wolf reacted violently.

Seb put his hands out to stop Stray. Closed his eyes and Stray heard Seb’s voice in his head.

Come to me, now.

To whom he spoke, Stray couldn’t be sure. He could only hope it was directed at the right source.

* * *

As Kate watched, the mare shifted hard and turned to stare at Kill, who’d morphed into Seb, thanks to his skinwalking abilities.

Come to me now.

Seb’s voice, except he wasn’t talking to Kate.

Now. I’m calling you off him. Release the wolf.

Slowly, the mare began to climb off of Rogue.

Come to me
, Seb ordered, and the mare seemed powerless to do anything else. She walked across the room, directly into the devil’s trap on the floor under the rug that had been there for centuries, thanks to Seb’s spell.

As the mare sensed the trap, she heard,
Now, Kate—now!

Stray’s voice. She grabbed Gwen’s hand and they began to chant the banishing spell for the mare. Now that her bond with Rogue had been broken, they weren’t in danger of hurting the wolf.

The mare screeched, held her hands over her ears and tried to get out of the circle. But she was slammed backward and Gwen took that opportunity. She moved forward, in front of Kate as both Seb and Stray moved out of the way, held the gun steady in front of her—and she shot.

The iron passed through the mare and she crumbled into dust on the rug. Gwen collected it into the jar Kate gave her and closed the lid, effectively trapping the mare inside for eternity.

“We need to bury this in concrete,” Gwen said, and then they all turned to Rogue, who simply lay there. The women rushed back to him, put his palms in theirs and waited.

“He’s so quiet,” Gwen said finally.

“Peaceful,” Kate agreed.

“He’s alive,” Stray confirmed. “I’d know if he wasn’t.”

But whether or not he’d wake up was anyone’s guess.

Killian was still in Seb’s form. When Stray touched his shoulder, his brother began the painful task of shifting back into his own form.

It left him panting on the floor, weak and shaky.

“You can’t do that again,” Stray told him.

“I’ll do what I have to do to save my kind. My family,” Kill told him, his voice sounding as weak as he looked. Stray helped him up and they formed a circle around Rogue as Kate began to chant a protective spell to stop any other evil spirits the trappers might have up their sleeves.

“And the real Seb just left the trappers?” Stray asked when she stopped.

“Yes, when Lila asked him to. She really loved him, enough to walk away knowing it most likely meant he would die. He loved her enough to listen.”

“Sometimes the love of a good woman is all any man needs to save him,” Stray said quietly. “But I’m guessing the Dire ghost army stopped fighting when Seb left.”

Kate came over to him and hugged him and, in that moment, he felt like he could finally rest. But no matter what, it still wasn’t over—not completely.

Chapter 51

T
here was one more step Killian and Stray needed to take together. As the Dires and Weres cleaned up the cemetery and Jinx sealed the graves with Jez’s help, Stray and Killian went to the weretrappers’ facility several towns over.

Shimmin hadn’t been heard from since the battle. Rogue remained asleep and Stray hadn’t wanted to leave Kate’s side.

She’d wanted to come with them, but he’d persuaded her to stay home and let them take care of this last bit of business.

“Ready, brother?” Killian asked now.

“Let’s get this done,” Stray said. They moved through the crowds until they got close. With Killian erasing memories and planting new ones that didn’t include any knowledge of Weres or Dires or anything remotely supernatural, they were able to walk into the first floor of the facility without issue. Stray read their minds, helping Kill to do what he needed to.

You don’t know why you’re here. You’re a peaceful, loving person who accepts differences in all people, species and races. You want to leave here, go home and get a job helping people. You’ll never come back here again, and you don’t believe in wolves, witches, vampires or anything supernatural.

And the trappers were leaving. Weres too. It wouldn’t completely stop the trappers, but it would foil their larger plans for now.

Kill couldn’t erase memories in the minds of Shimmin, Seb or the demons. He couldn’t do it to the ghosts, and unless he and Stray traveled the country constantly in search of trappers, they couldn’t eradicate them all. But for these trappers, it was perfect. And permanent.

“The politicians are possessed—Seb’s lost control of them,” Stray muttered.

“Not our department,” Kill confirmed as they stood alone in the now-empty facility. “Weres are headed back where they belong. These trappers are done.”

“For now. And there are more of them.”

“One thing at a time. There will always be predators and prey. Mortal enemies. The key is balance—too many of one and the natural order’s gone.”

“You don’t want them eradicated?”

“That’s not natural. That’s not what the supernatural world needs.”

He stared at his brother, wondered if Kill had always been this philosophical.

“Brother, there’s nothing unnatural about us.” Killian spoke with such fierce conviction he saw Stray’s eyes go lupine again. “We can make a difference. I don’t care what the prophecy says—I believe in us, not words.”

Stray swallowed hard. “I do, too.”

“Good wolf. Now, let’s get you back so you can talk to your witch.” Killian put a hand on Stray’s shoulder as he walked out.

* * *

Kill wished he could believe his own words as easily as he’d spoken them, as an older brother protecting a younger one. No matter how powerful and dangerous Stray was, Kill believed he was good. Always had been.

Kill himself was another story, but he hoped his general proximity to his brother would help. He’d lived alone for too long, and he was scared of the thing he’d become when he’d killed his parents. It had saved many, to be sure, but in the future, who knew what it would do? For now he remained both Dire and skinwalker, since he’d already been immortal. But he had no idea how, in the future, the curse would twist inside of him, punish him for a crime that had needed to be committed.

What’s done is done.
If the wolves would have him, he would stay. If they told him to leave for the good of all, he would do that too. He knew how to be alone.

Chapter 52

R
ifter and Harm buried Jameson and took the others back to the Dire house, including the dead Weres that Liam was responsible for burying himself.

There weren’t as many as there could’ve been. For that, Jinx was grateful.

He didn’t afford his father the same burial rites as Jameson. He allowed Jez to burn him into oblivion on the ground, which was a disgrace, as warriors from that age were supposed to be lit on fire in the water for their funeral pyre.

Finally, when they were done, Jinx turned to the ancient vampire. “It didn’t close.”

“Did you expect it to?”

“I’d fucking hoped.” He paused. He’d known the Dire ghost army wouldn’t go back into purgatory. Hadn’t expected what escaped to, either. But . . . “If Seb is gone now . . . Wait a minute. Just stay there and watch me, okay?”

Jez nodded and Jinx closed his eyes and said the prayer from the old country in the ancient language—because if Seb had used it to open purgatory, now that Seb had abandoned his post, everything would reverse and be put right.

“Whatever you’re doing—it’s working,” Jez said quietly, and Jinx simply repeated it, over and over, refusing to open his eyes.

“It’s done, Jinx. It’s done.”

Jinx opened his eyes and saw . . . nothing. The yowling hole was gone, replaced by grass that looked as though it had never been touched.

But still, what had escaped was out—and it was never going back in. Jinx would have to send whatever freaks escaped back to hell, no matter how hard it was or how long it took him.

He shuddered at the massive responsibility literally thrown over his shoulders, and Jez put a hand out to steady him.

Jez, who was now was all nervous energy, which was odd to see from a deadhead. “This is going to be hell, no pun intended.”

“None taken,” Jinx muttered. “Mind if I stay with you?”

“I was going to insist, wolf. Need to keep an eye on you.”

“Because I’m evil?”

“Because you’re the farthest thing from it.”

* * *

There was no party, no celebration for what they’d done. It was less because it was business as usual and more about whom they’d just battled.

The Dires had lost their destiny to the wolves they’d slaughtered tonight, and what could’ve been was weighing on their minds more heavily tonight than it had for centuries.

Centuries.

Kate couldn’t wrap her mind around it, or the decision she was trying to make.

She’d written the prophecy down, stared at it, tried to figure out a way they could stay together. Killian had already mentioned leaving and she didn’t want that for the brothers.

If they don’t turn their wrath on each other . . .

But they’d already done that, and the world survived around them. She was the most dangerous thing for both of them. She had to find a way to release Stray. She’d been searching the grimoire, the Internet, calling to Lila for help with little luck.

“I know what you’re trying to do, Kate.” Killian’s voice came from behind her, and she turned.

“I’m dangerous with both of you. I can pull Stray and he pulls you. I can’t stay.”

“It doesn’t say that.”

“When we’re together proves it,” she said. “And I don’t want you to have to leave again. You’ve sacrificed too much. You should stay with your family.”

“They’re your family too.”

“I don’t know how accepting of a witch they’ll be. Not after Seb.”

“I know why you’re doing it. You think you’re helping him by letting him go.”

“I don’t want him forced to be with me because he’d bound.”

“He wants to be with you. He chose this.”

“He didn’t,” she insisted, but Kill explained. “I can manipulate his memory, Kate. It would hurt, but I could do it. I could make him forget the familiar bond. But he made me swear a blood oath to never, ever do that. He chose you, and for him, that bond is as good as the mating bond he can’t have.”

“He really . . . did that? For me?” she asked, heard her voice quaver as Kill nodded. “I know Stray can only mate with a wolf.”

“Only a Dire, in accordance with the old ways,” he agreed. “And we don’t give our hearts away that easily. He gave his to you, and he wants to love you, serve you. Protect. And you’re telling him no.”

“I didn’t mean . . .” She turned immediately to go find the wolf, but then circled back and hugged Killian first. He stiffened, obviously unused to physical contact. “Thanks, Killian. You were always watching out for him, weren’t you?”

Killian glanced at her as if he wanted to crack some wiseass remark, but ultimately, he bit it back. “I wanted to spare him all of this.”

“I think he knows that.”

Killian looked hopeful. “I hope so, Kate. All these years, I stayed alone. Lived alone, all to keep Stray’s secrets and to keep him safe.”

“Secrets are never good,” she muttered.

“I hear you, witch,” he said, but witch was spoken as more of a simple endearment, an acknowledgment of what she was rather than a dig. And then he surprised her by saying, “So why haven’t you told my brother that you love him?”

“I thought you couldn’t read minds.”

“It’s written all over your face,” Kill said before he left the room.

It’s written all over your face.

How to tell him?

Don’t run or else I’ll chase you.

As Stray’s words echoed in her head, Kate smiled. And then she ran, out of the house and toward the woods.