“Now, why don’t we see if we can track this thing to its source and put an end to this.” Cormac pushed himself to his feet, and Liam reached out to grab his arm and steady him. “Thank you, wolf.”
Liam grunted, and Simon couldn’t stop a chuckle from escaping. “I feel really good,” he said, then laughed again. Gray ran his hand down Simon’s back, and Simon turned to meet his eyes. They shared a heated look, and Simon had to bite his lip to keep back a moan. Man, he felt really, really good.
“As you should.” Cormac lifted a piece of purple velvet from the cabinet and wrapped the stone. “Whatever did this was strong, but the magic is growing weaker. We need to find it now, before it has a chance to do anything else.”
Simon agreed. If they could find the demon and end this now, there was a chance he could actually have a leg to stand on with the Council. “I’m ready,” he said and slid off the table. His legs wobbled, but Gray wrapped an arm around him and held him steady.
“You can find it using the stone?” Gray sounded disbelieving.
“I can,” Cormac replied. “Just as you can find your wolves using your magic, I can find other soul magic users using mine. Especially if I hold a piece of their magic in my hand.”
Simon watched as Cormac gathered a few things. He pushed up his sleeve and strapped on a leather band, then removed a second dagger from the wall. He slid it into the wrist sheath and made sure it was secure. Several crystals went from the cabinet into his pockets before he announced he was ready.
Gray and Liam still had their hands in partially shifted form, so they didn’t require any weapons. Cormac eyed Simon and went back to the cabinet for another crystal. He wrapped this one in silver wire and put it around Simon’s neck. He twisted the ends of the wire together to hold it in place.
“Keep that on, Simon, and remember that this demon is now attuned to your magic. It will be easier for it to attach itself to you a second time. This thing is desperate if it is doing these types of spells.”
“I understand.” Simon placed his hand over the necklace and felt an immediate sense of security. He gave it a gentle squeeze and offered silent thanks for its protection. He turned to Gray, half expecting Gray to protest his going along. Unlike the others, he would be unarmed, with just his magic to protect him. Gray didn’t say a word, and Simon didn’t mention the fact to him.
They left Cormac’s house, the vampire replacing spells on each door as they passed through them. Simon wanted to learn how to do those spells, wanted to be able to protect himself and his home. He nearly stopped in his tracks when that thought didn’t bring to mind his little cabin but Gray’s house at the compound.
Gray drove again, but this time Cormac got the front seat. Simon and Liam sat in the back. Cormac gave directions to Gray, vague onesthat were generally just a direction. “Go left,” he said, then after a while, “now right.”
Simon ignored them for the most part, concentrating more on his magic and how he was feeling. The leech had affected him more than he’d realized, especially now that it was gone and he was back to himself again. Each moment, he grew stronger, as if the magic he’d been using to keep the leech trapped in its little bubble was now being used to refill his nearly empty stores.
“DAMN it,” Cormac said after they’d been driving a few minutes. “It’s weakening faster than it should. You need to drive faster.”
The car lurched as Gray slammed down on the gas.
“Keep going north. Hmm. Slightly east.”
The SUV flew, and Simon held onto the handle of the door tightly as each turn threatened to send him flying across the seat.
“Fuck, we’re heading straight for the compound.” Gray’s voice was angrier than Simon had ever heard it.
“Contact your pack, Alpha. Tell them to remain together. The demon will attack with no provocation at this point. It is dying and needs more magic quickly.”
Simon felt Gray’s magic, could actually hear him in his head for the first time. He warned the pack, gave instructions through the mind-link he shared with them. Liam nodded his agreement as each order was issued.
“Gray, what about the patrol? Should we leave them out?”
“No,” Cormac interrupted. “They need to stay in a group. An isolated wolf or two will be at risk, even in its weakened state.”
Gray sent yet another message even as he sped toward the compound.
A loud crack sounded, and Cormac jerked in his seat. “Damn it,” he cursed again. “It’s dead.”
Simon leaned forward. The black stone lay in several pieces where it rested on the cloth in Cormac’s hand. “What do we do now?”
“We keep going.”
Gray didn’t argue and kept the SUV at its high rate of speed. Several minutes passed before they reached the entrance to the compound. Gray and Liam both jumped out and shifted to their wolf forms before Simon even had his door open. They took off into the woods, howling into the darkness.
Simon could barely process what he’d just witnessed. He’d never seen Gray in wolf form—and really hadn’t seen much more than a blur as they ran into the trees. Cormac got out, grabbed Simon’s arm, and pulled him along.
“Come on, Simon. We need to find it.”
Simon knew that, even if he had no idea what they were going to do when they found it. They followed the howls, running through the woods. Simon kept tripping over every stick and stone in his path. Branches slapped him in the face and his shirt kept getting caught as he tried to keep up.
