There. A flicker. Like catching a glimpse of a deer through dense forest, there and gone so quickly I might have imagined it. But I hadn’t. Greisenwasstill there, thank the Moon Mother, just buried deep, unreachable.
“Come on, you stubborn bastard,” I muttered.
I felt a ripple of something. Not quite emotion, not quite thought. Awareness, like a hibernating bear shifting slightly in its sleep before settling further into unconsciousness.
“Fine. Be that way.”
I opened my eyes, frustration burning in my chest. Every wolf shifter had an inner wolf, a conscious entity they shared their body with, communicated with. Most had seamless relationships, partners in the truest sense, but Greisen had become a ghost.
I didn’t let myself dwell on it. If I thought about why it happened, if I started down that road, I’d end up the way I did last time, and that was something I swore never to let happen again. No matter how much it hurt to be so empty inside.
Some wounds never healed, and that one was still raw enough to bring me to my knees if I let it. Twelve years, and still I couldn’t face it. Pathetic.
I shook off the melancholy. I had work to do.
Crawling onto Eluned’s velvet-covered bed, I pulled out my phone, wondering which one of the brothers to call. Zane, who would pepper my intel with colorful commentary? Koa, who was infinitely more personable and would ask how I was holding up? Or Casimir, who would be efficient with no small talk, no probing questions, just the facts and a clipped goodbye?
Sometimes, especially after trying to reach Greisen, that emotional distance was exactly what I needed, so Cas it was.
I’d make the call and then head back to the rogue encampment. Most were barely controlled chaos, held in check only by my alpha charisma and the Moon magic flowing through my veins. If I didn’t get back before nightfall, they’d likely start establishing their own hierarchy through tooth and claw.
The last time that happened, I’d had to burn three bodies and explain to Arabesque why her army had decreased in size. She hadn’t been pleased, and when Arabesque Harrow was displeased, people tended to lose parts they were attached to. Literally.
As I scrolled to Cas’ contact, my eyes landed on a glass display case containing two taxidermied kittens posed with tiny croquet mallets and balls. My upper lip curled in disgust. Who kills kittens for a Victorian-era game diorama? By the moon, that was messed up!
Shaking my head, I hit the button and waited, watching one of Koa’s spy eyes hover near the ceiling light fixture. When it buzzed closer, I gave it a little wave, imagining Cas’ stoic face twitching with annoyance.
After four rings, he finally answered, sounding winded.
“Foster.”
“Am I interrupting something fun?” Smirking, I stretched out on Eluned’s bed. “You sound like you’ve been busy.”
“Just finished bathing a dire wolf.”
“Oh? Is that what married men call dipping your wick these days?”
There was a moment of silence, and I grinned, imagining his jaw clenching with that perfect self-control of his. Instead of a verbal response, my phone screen lit up with an incoming video call request. I rolled my eyes, but accepted.
When the video connected, my eyebrows shot up in surprise. There was Cas, looking annoyingly put-together despite his damp shirt, and behind him was Zane, brushing an actual dire wolf pup, the same one I’d always seen with Seri when she lived here, his charcoal gray fur standing up in every direction like a fuzzy explosion.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You reallywerebathing a dire wolf.”
“Something new since yesterday?” Cas cut right to the chase as I heard Koa and Seri laughing at something in the background.
“Arabesque went to Chicago for her witch conference. Since I’m alone, thought I’d share what I found out this morning. She’s building what she literally called a ‘witch mafia.’ Each coven will function like a family, controlling different territories and targets. Like mob bosses with spells instead of bullets.”
“Explain.” Casimir’s expression didn’t change, but I saw his eyes sharpen with interest.
“She’s positioning herself as the godmother. Apparently, she’s been recruiting covens across the country, creating a hierarchy with herself at the top. At the conference, she’s unveiling her grand plan to take a throne to silence her skeptics.”
“Which throne?” Ko’s voice came from off-screen, and a moment later his face appeared beside Cas’. “Did she say?”
“Keeping her cards close. My guess is either your daddy or King Julian, given her power base here. Speaking of King Lucian, I witnessed something yesterday you might want to pass along. Arabesque fed Lord Mordecai Wince’s soul to a demon.”
That got a reaction, even from Cas. His jaw tightened, and Ko swore under his voice.
“Shetook out Wince?” Cas confirmed, voice deadly quiet.
