Warrick silently asked me if that was okay by lifting one eyebrow and jerking his head. I nodded, desperate to finally see Cora.
“Okay, we’ll be home in ten or fifteen,” he said, and after a brief pause added, “Put some pants on please.”
My heart soared when Cora let out a low laugh. “Can’t make any promises. You know how I feel about pants. See you soon.”
When the call ended, there was a slightly more upbeat vibe to Warrick’s demeanor as he picked up speed, changing directions to head for his house.
“I know we can’t possibly understand what you and your pack is going through,” Kassidy said, still facing him. “But we’re always here to help, even if it’s just to get you groceries, or take you out driving so you have a few hours escape. Rely on us.”
Warrick’s voice was raspy when he answered. “Thank you. It’s honestly hard to describe the pain, as it’s more than emotional. The physical loss of one of our quintet has destroyed parts of all of us, and while Marcus wasn’t the heart of the bond, and we’re not all scent matches, it still hurts.”
It was lucky he wasn’t the heart, otherwise all of them could have died from the loss of the one who bonded them.
“Has it been worse for Richard and Sierra?” I asked softly. “In the way of bond sickness over this loss?”
His nod was jerky. “Yeah, they’ve been very weak. We feared we might lose them too, as their beasts struggled to deal with their loss.”
“I wish there was something we could do to help with that,” I said, my heart aching at the very thought of them living through such pain.
Warrick turned and shot me a sad smile. “What you’re doing todaywill help. Cora needs you. We both do.” And yet neither of them had even returned a single message since that day in our street.
When he drove into their familiar cul-de-sac, I was reminded of all the times I’d showed up here and gotten turned away by their new security. Today, there were no enforcers, and I finally made it near the house.
Seeing their gorgeous home reminded me of my first days in Golden Claw. I’d been filled with fear and uncertainty, half expecting to be drained of all my essence by the powerful alpha pack I’d found myself part of. A lot had changed since then, and it was so unfair that for this pack it was a change for the worst.
Before his car had even stopped in the drive, I was already out of the car, ready to see Cora.
She stood in the open doorway, wearing a plain blue dress, her face washed out, and dark circles under her eyes. But her smile was warm, if not a little wonky.
“Cores,” I murmured, racing up the stairs so I could wrap my arms around her.
She remained tense in my hold for a few seconds, but I wasn’t bothered by that. I just kept holding her until she eventually relaxed, her soft sobs ripping through her.
“I missed you, friend,” I murmured.
Her sobs grew louder, and when Kassidy’s arms came around both of us, we rocked Cora back and forth until she no longer cried. When she pulled away, her eyes were red and puffy. She looked as beautiful as always, but there was a strong sense of fatigue about her, as if grief had worn her too thin.
When she backed up through the doorway, she gestured for us to follow. As I stepped over the threshold she whispered, “I’m really sorry.”
There’d been not a single scent of magic until I entered through the doorway, and as the energy encased me full bodily, it was clear her apology was about far more than ignoring all my messages.
“Kassidy, run!” I yelled, but it was too late.
She’d followed me inside, and when I tried to rush out the door again, I was flung backwards by the strong magical essence.
“What did you do?” I croaked, staring at Cora.
Warrick, who’d just stepped inside, closed the front door. Not that it mattered, since we couldn’t exit even when it was open. Shiversraced over my skin, and I was struggling to catch my breath. This reminded me of the place in Silver City where I’d been trapped with Slade, and my wolf was howling at the constrictions on us.
“The witch has held us captive from almost the moment she attacked the street,” Warrick said, voice near inflectionless. His eyes were dark pits, and there was none of his usual warmth in those shiny depths. “We can only leave when she allows it. We can’t bring in outsiders. We are virtual prisoners.”
“Why are we here, then?” Kassidy snarled, her gaze darting around as she searched for additional threats. Her dominance was spilling out into the space, but it just bounced back off the shielded walls.
Tingles raced into my hands as my magic reacted to the heavily spelled house, but when I tried to use the quintet bond to reach my pack, all I got was a staticky interference. Our beasts were frozen in place, and no matter how hard I tried to reach them, I kept getting shot back.
Before I threw my full effort into destroying that interference, a tiny blond witch appeared. My world tilted lopsided for a beat, but I recovered almost instantly, snarled and backed closer to Kassidy.
“Jewels,” Kassidy raged, and even I almost fell under the spill of her wolf’s strength. “They lured us here today to deliver us right to the fucking witch.”
