Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (48 page)

With the help of Nadine and Mayella, Lizabeth managed to stand.

Magda took her by the shoulders. “Can you do it, girl, if need be? Can I trust you to do what’s necessary?”

Lizabeth gulped, but nodded. Lia’s blood ran colder than it had from performing blood magic. There was no way Lizabeth would really kill her, was there?

“Good,” Magda said. “Now, then. If Lia chooses wrong, here is what you’ll do.”

“Not another word.” Hecuba’s voice cut through the night. “We aren’t alone. A wolf is here.”

It felt like the dark god had walked over her grave. They’d seen her. The witches might not even give her a choice now. They’d probably cut her down, if they didn’t make Lizabeth do it herself. Lia was as good as dead.

“Reveal yourself,” Hecuba said. “Or should I kill you where you stand?”

Oh fuck. What could she do? Lia could barely breathe, but she steeled herself. She might as well make her presence known. She didn’t want to die cowering.

“All right,” said the silky voice. “You found me.”

Hecuba grunted. “Try harder next time. I can See the outline of your magic, wolf man.”

As if he’d shed a cloak, Shade appeared on the path. Finn stood next to him, trying to look small. Lia shivered. They must have walked right past her. If she’d been any less concealed…

“My apologies.” Shade bowed. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

Hecuba cackled. “Don’t waste your energy trying to hide from us. There isn’t much that I don’t See.”

“You’re the ones who wanted to meet,” Shade said. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Magda straightened her robes. “You wanted to spy on us. Tell me, did you hear anything interesting?”

“It sounds like you might be planning to kill my future mate. I have to tell you, that doesn’t work for me.” Shade approached Magda. “Destroy the pack, raze their meadow, burn their woods, but Lia is mine.”

Magda looked taken aback. Lia wondered if anyone had ever advanced on her without fear before.

“You told us that Lia is powerful, wolf man. Your story was true, she did raise a man from the dead. If she doesn’t die, she belongs with us.”

“That wasn’t our deal.” Shade growled low in his throat. “I gave you her location. Hold up your end of the bargain.”

“All right,” Magda said. “We’ll do our best not to kill her. Tomorrow, we’ll let her choose her fate, but we’ll take her no matter what she chooses. She’ll return to our coven for further training, if she cooperates. You can retrieve her for the winter, and do what you will with her.”

“One season?” Shade snarled. “I want more time than that. Train her if you want, but I’ll come for her in the fall.”

Lia couldn’t help the shudder that traveled from her head to her toes and back again. Shared by Shade and Magda… What a horrible life that would be, if you could call it a life at all.

Magda sniffed. “Fine. But she’ll return to the coven at first thaw.” She peered at Shade. “Why do you want her so much, anyway?”

“Why do you?”

“Fair enough.” Magda shrugged. “We’ll retrieve her tomorrow. I don’t want your pack to interfere—too many things could go wrong. If, for some reason, we should fail, I’ll call on you for aid.”

“If you want a war with the Twin River pack, I’m not wading in blind.” He glanced at Hecuba. “Begging your pardon, of course. But if we don’t ambush them, I’m going to need a week to prepare. I’m not getting my men killed because you couldn’t sweet talk well enough.”

“Very well,” Magda said. “I’ll have her tomorrow, or we’ll fetch her together in a week.”

“Better you than us,” Shade muttered.

“What do you mean?”

“She tunneled out of my cavern and left a smoking hole behind her. If she fights, you’re going to need a lot of everwort to bring her down. She’s powerful.”

Magda laughed, as did the rest of the witches. “Not more powerful than all of us, I can assure you. We’ll take care of everything. Do we have a deal?”

“We do,” Shade said, “and I want it in blood.”

“Blood? Really?” Magda tried to look offended, but Lia could tell she was disappointed. “How barbaric.”

“Not as barbaric as breaking a promise.” Shade smiled. “I’ve already helped you find her. You may think you can take her without more of my help, but I’m not so sure. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”

“You clearly need us just as much,” Magda said, “since she found escape from you to be so simple.”

“She won’t escape me a second time, I assure you. Shall we mark our words in blood, or shall we part ways?”

Magda took out a thin knife. “After you, wolf.”

Shade held out a finger, which transformed into a claw. Holding her gaze, he dragged it across his right palm.

Satisfied, Magda flicked the knife across her own palm. She held out her hand. “Seal it, then,” she said.

They shook, ribbons of blood twisting around their wrists and disappearing back into their palms.

“It’s done,” Magda said. “We’ll have her. Together.”

“Are we done here?” Shade asked.

“There’s one more thing. Just a bit of friendly advice about your assistant.” She looked at Finn, who practically withered.

Shade raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll want to dispose of him. You won’t be able to control him forever.”

“Interesting that you should say that.” Shade crossed his arms. “Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you would like to be the only party with magic?”

Magda gave an enigmatic smile. “Mages can’t be trusted. Of course, neither can wolves.”

“Or witches, I’m sure.” With that, he and Finn vanished.

Magda scowled at the place he’d last been. Hecuba’s eyes wandered past Lia and down the dark path.

“He’s gone,” she said at last.

Magda leapt onto her bough. “Then let us take our leave.”

The witches mounted their boughs—Nadine had to help Lizabeth—and kicked off into the sky. The wind of their passing made the brambles rustle. Lia watched them as they soared past the moon and out of sight.

As soon as her legs stopped shaking, she shot down the path and back toward the den.

***

“So the witches are coming,” Ronan said, “this afternoon, if they’re to be believed. They’ll pretend to give you a choice, but really they plan to take you no matter what you say. And then they’ll share you with Shade. Is that everything?”

“The most important parts, yes,” Lia said miserably. She held a cup of tea, but it didn’t seem to warm her hands. All she could feel was a sick pit of dread inside her.

Ronan sighed, looking out of the den where dawn was breaking. “You really should have woken us earlier. It’s obvious you can’t be here when they arrive. We need to get you out of here.”

“I’m not running,” Lia growled. “I’m not afraid of them.”

“Well, I am,” Kane said. “They can fly, they can magic you to death. The less said about everwort, the better. You should get out while you can. Not forever.” He held up his hands as she glared daggers. “Just until we can send them on their way.”

“I’m not leaving my pack defenseless!” Lia snapped.

“They’re not defenseless,” Ronan said. “But really, how interested do you think the witches will be in fighting them if you’re not here?”

“Oh.” She set her tea aside. It was growing cold anyway. “You’re saying I’d put the pack in danger if I stayed.”

“Everyone will be safer if you’re not here. But you won’t be alone. Kane and I will go with you.”

“We will?” Kane looked angry, disappointed, and contrite in a matter of seconds. “I mean, of course we will.”

“That settles it.” Ronan stood up from the table. “I’ll get a bag of supplies. Kane, you tell Huck he’s in charge, and let Briar know we’re going to have company. Then we’ll just—”

On the heights, someone howled.

Kane grimaced. “I think we already have company.”

Ronan swore. “There’s not enough time! I don’t even know where we should go.”

“The Vantage,” Lia said.

“What?”

“It’s high, it’s remote. They won’t find us there easily.” As terrified as she was about the approaching witches, her words were calm and measured. They were right, after all. She was supposed to go to the Vantage. It was her destiny.

“Fine,” Ronan said, “but only because I don’t have any better ideas and we’re out of time. I need to tell Huck to divert them while we run. I’ll be back soon, don’t go outside until I return.” He left at a run.

A cold wind blew into the den. In the pale light of morning, three witches landed on the meadow. Lia stood, knocking over her tea.

“That was an order,” Kane said sternly. “We’re not going anywhere without Ronan. He probably wants us to leave through the bolt-hole.”

“Come out, Lia No Name.” Magda’s voice boomed through the den, though she was still far away. “Join us, and we’ll give you your name.”

Lia could see nothing but the smirk on Magda’s face. Her heart pounded in her ears. She wasn’t interested in bolt-holes, or running. She was sick of Magda’s act, of her triumphant leer. If the crone thought she could frighten Lia, she was mistaken.

“Will you cower in your cave?” Magda asked, her voice reverberating off the stone. “Or will you talk to the sisters you left behind?”

It was too much. She stormed from the den, fists clenched.

“Lia, no!”

Kane bounded after her, and just in time. A jet of light rushed past them, covering the den’s entrance with a loud crack. She could see Ronan run toward it on the other side, only to be flung back. Kane turned to the barrier, but he couldn’t get back through.

Lia faced the witches.

“Our apologies,” Magda said. “We wanted to talk to you, Lia, not your… friends.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Kane.

“It’s because of my friends that I have a name. It’s Lia River.”

“Ah,” Hecuba said, “but you still have no name to us.”

Lizabeth closed the gap between them. “There’s still time to change that. Come with us. We’ll give you a better name.” She frowned. “Where’s your bough?”

Lia brushed her off. “You said you’d come in the afternoon,” she said to the others.

Magda shrugged. “I lied. You’ve had the night to think. What do you choose?”

“There is no choice to make. I will never go with you.”

“But I lied again.” Magda laughed. “That choice isn’t one you can make alone. We would have to choose to let you stay. But we won’t. You’re coming with us.”

“Did you not hear me? I said never.”

“But why?” There were tears in Lizabeth’s eyes. “Why don’t you want to come home?”

Lia backed away. “It’s not my home. It never really was. Did you ever care about me, Lizabeth? If you did, please let me be.”

“Did I ever care?” Little tongues of flame played over Lizabeth’s hands. “I shaped a bough for you. It took weeks, and I thought of you with every cut of my knife. How can you ask if I ever cared?” Her voice broke. “And now you don’t want to live with us, but with these beasts, these monsters.”

Kane gave a warning growl.

Lia put a hand on his arm. “I’m one of them, Lizabeth.”

She turned her red-rimmed eyes to Lia. “Then you’re a monster, too.”

Kane stepped forward. “This meeting is over. You need to leave.”

“We will leave,” Magda said, “but so must Lia.” She pointed at Lia, energy crackling on the tip of her finger. “You’ll thank me for this later.”

Shifting, Lia snarled. Lizabeth screamed and fell over backwards, toppling Magda.

Ronan barreled around the den. “Run, Lia!”

It seemed the witches hadn’t sealed the bolt-hole.

“Go!” He shifted mid-stride, ramming into Hecuba. She screeched, unable to finish her curse.

An arrow thudded into Lizabeth’s bough, making her yelp. Lia followed her gaze to the heights, where Sequoia was nocking another arrow.

Kane nipped at Lia’s tail, urging her toward the forest. He was as relentless as a hound of the Hells, not letting her slow for a second.

“After them, Lizabeth!” Magda cried. “Kill them if you must, but don’t let them escape!”

She could hear Lizabeth’s bough slicing through the meadow grasses. Her old friend—her new enemy—was closing in.

The forest. The forest. She had to make the forest.

Lizabeth’s bough wouldn’t fly fast in there. The trees were too thick. A few more strides and they’d be safe. They were so close.

There was a searing heat. Kane let out a roar of pain. Lia slowed, turned back. His fur was singed along his shoulder blades. Behind him, Lizabeth held a fireball in her fist.

She grinned, holding Lia’s gaze. Then she threw her fiery creation, not at Kane, but at the forest. She was going to set it ablaze.

Lizabeth laughed as the fireball arced through the trees. Lia concentrated hard. It hit an elm’s trunk and shattered into a thousand shards of ice.

“Wait… what?” Lizabeth sat back on her bough.

Lia let out a bark of laughter and slipped into the woods. The moon would be full tonight. Lizabeth had picked the wrong time of the month to tangle with her.

Someone screamed in the meadow. They all turned to watch as Magda chased Ronan on her bough. She flung tiny bolts of lightning at him, but he dodged them easily. They merely made some grasses smolder.

Lizabeth swung around on her bough, preparing to cut Ronan off. Lia called to the bough. It was pine, from a young tree. Lia urged it to grow, to put out roots and tie itself to the ground. With Lia’s help, it threw off Lizabeth’s wards and enchantments. Bucking the witch off, it dove into the earth.

Lizabeth scrambled to her feet, struggling to pull it out, but the pine’s taproot had already buried itself deep, searching for water. It was starting to put out branches and sprout needles when Ronan sprinted past.

He barked at them, and the three of them ran. Lia wasn’t sure what had happened to Hecuba, but only Magda seemed able to chase them. She remained on her bough, crouching low, fury in her gaze. The trees slowed her, but she seemed willing to let branches rake her face and rent her clothes rather than lose her quarry.

“You should accept my offer, Lia,” Magda called. “There’s still so much you have to learn about magic.”

Lia looked back as Magda reached into her robes, drawing out two fistfuls of black powder. She threw it, and blackness rocketed toward them.