It felt weird to call anyone but my ownmother mama but I did anyway. “Mama?” I asked after opening the door a fewinches. From what I could see, I was stepping into a big study with walls uponwalls lined with books.
The door was pulled wider and there shewas with open arms and a radiant smile. She didn’t look a day over fifty andher exotic looks were captivating. She wore a gold eyeshadow that made herstriking blue eyes pop out on her dark bronze skin. Her long braids were anarray for different colors: blues, teals, yellows. All tied into a thick ponytail. She smelled … like warm apple pie and cinnamon, and the moment I steppedinto her hug all of my worries fell away. I felt like I had known this woman myentire life. She held me for a long moment and then pulled back to study myface.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she told meand her voice had this airy quality to it, soothing to the ear.
“I’m glad to be here, too,” I replied. Itwas true. I felt none of the apprehension I once had in the hallway. Herpresence washed all of that away. On the far wall, I heard birds chirping andcraned my neck to see a half dozen parakeets flitting about a large cage thattook up most of the wall where there weren’t books.
Mama walked me over to the bay window andsat on the edge of the large cushion there. She wore a light gauzy cream dressand it billowed out around her ankles. I sat beside her and we both looked outthe window, neither saying a word. There was energy dancing between us: magic,love, trust. I couldn’t describe it, it was like … I was in the presence of anangel. I watched as Gavin reached down to pick up a white rabbit and that’swhen Mama spoke.
“Anya, I don’t read people like Cee Ceedoes. I don’t need to touch their skin or take a strand of their hair. I don’teven need to be in the same room with them. I simply bring my awareness totheir presence and no matter how far away, I know everything.”
Wow. That was incredible and slightlyfreaky. Maybe I should have worn my foil hat. She was looking at Gavin as shesaid all of this and I wondered if she was talking about him.
“You worry for him. For your matebond andyour future, but each person has a journey they must endure and Gavin’s currentjourney is a dark one.” Her words sent a sadness through me but just as quickly,I understood. Gavin was born of Mukesh, it was a part of him no matter how muchwe tried to deny it. Accepting it was part of his journey. It was like being inMama’s presence was helping to understand things better.
“I won’t let him be lost to the darkness,”I said with certainty. You can be born of darkness, but that doesn’t mean youhave to take on that role.
Mama reached up and grasped my chin,forcing me to look into her beautiful eyes. “I know that, child. I know that tobe true with every fiber of my being, but it will take a lot from you. It willtake all of your supernatural abilities to keep Gavin from the demon Mukesh.”
Demon.That word struck fear into my heart but again just asquickly it was replaced with understanding. Demon, Skin Walker, Mukesh … theywere just labels. He wasn’t unbreakable. He could be killed.
Mama’s hands found mine and she squeezed.“Now the reason I called you here is because I’ve seen some horrible thingshappen to your wolves. I’ve seen a future where the government sets upconcentration camps to house them. I’ve seen them be bled on an assembly linelike cattle. I’ve seen the humans pay ungodly amounts of money to privatecorporations for a cure. I’ve seen the werewolves die out and the humansdestroy themselves with greed and war and corruption.”
I was breathing in shorts bursts, takingin all of her words, but again, just as they filtered through my fear-ladenbody, they came with understanding. Just because she had seen these thingsdidn’t mean it was destined. The future could change and that’s why I was here.
“Honey, right now the military isinvading your father’s mountain. They will take your pack to a camp in Damascus,Oregon and it is there where you will need to free them to save them from massdeath.”
I jumped up as the panic fled my system.Mama reached out, taking my hand, and understanding poured through me. Icouldn’t do anything this moment, and if I ran hastily into the middle of it, Icould be captured too and unable to free them. I needed to stay calm and gatherinformation to make my plan.
With a shaky breath, and tears in myeyes, I sat back on the windowsill. “Tell me how to save them,” I begged Mama.
She smiled. “Your witch coven will helpyou. The camp is guarded by dark witches but they aren’t overly powerful. Thegovernment knows about your bear so that diversion won’t work again. The wallsof the encampment are silver and electrified. One of your wolves … Alex?” Shecraned her head to the side.
“Alexa!” I burst with hope. Alexa was achanged wolf and changed wolves had gifts. Her gift was akin to an EMP blast.
Mama smiled. “Alexa. Yes. She will bringdown the electric fence, your high priestess will call in a fog, and you willcut an opening, letting most everyone out.”
That sounded pretty genius actually.“Most everyone?”
Mama frowned. “No matter how manydifferent ways I see it, three wolves die.”
My gut dropped. “My mom, dad?”
Mama smiled. “Will live a long and happylife.”
I exhaled the breath I had been holding.
“Okay, so we get them out and then what?”I had never met any seer witch with this level of psychic power. It was beyondincredible.
Mama frowned. “Then a lot of thingshappen quickly and I need to tell you how to stop the humans from killing offthe wolves. How to cure the humans so they won’t keep coming for you.”
Hope burst in my chest. “Tell me.”
Mama smiled. “Spirit already told you inyour vision, but I don’t think you got the metaphor, so I will clarify.”
And she did, and it made so much sensebut it also scared me. As the birds chirped around us, Mama explained my visionwith the dying little girl. What she said was a future that was radicallydifferent than the life we now lived. But it was the only way. When she wasdone, there was only one thing left to ask her, one question that burned a holein my tongue.
“How do I kill the Skin Walker?”
