Page 70 of Only You, No One Else

Mark granted his brother’s request and leaned forward with a deep breath. He waited. The gradual opening of his mind, the lowering of the drawbridge into his psyche that always preceded Dean’s influence, did not come.

Dean’s blue eyes narrowed. “Anything?”

He shook his head, but still reached through the connection he shared with his animal self to find his wolf in his corner, unbothered by anything, waiting. “Are you even trying?”

Dean smiled and leaned back into his seat. “Well, that answers that. I thought I’d seen it all.”

Part of him missed his brother’s Alpha influence. They’d interacted in that way for so long, it had come to be a huge part of their lives. But it meant Zeke would never again control him. Now they just needed to make sure he couldn’t control any other wolf.

Are you OK?

Caster was so in tune with his confused feelings, sensing his turmoil even when his mind remained closed. He nodded. I am. I just…

The shrill ring of a cellphone stole the last of his words. Caster reached for the device as anticipation filled the space. The voice on the other end of the line was a clear, crisp “all in position” from Marcus. Even knowing it was coming, having been impatient for the moment’s arrival, his heart skipped a beat.

Caster squeezed his hand and nodded at Riley. A whispered spell, an injection of a tiny fraction of his overwhelming power into the room, and Pierce appeared to the left, the darkness that had spit him out the last time he’d appeared, now a little subdued, like it had somehow lost its intensity. Still, his power, not magic, something Mark had never seen before was enough to silence the room, sending a shiver down his spine.

No words were necessary. They’d been over the plan numerous times over the last few hours. Mark gave Caster’s hand one last squeeze and stood. It was time to pretend he needed Zeke. He took a breath and reached for his lifelong companion, surprised but thankful to find his wolf calm.

“Ready?” Riley asked.

“We’re all here,” Cy said, and he nodded his appreciation.

“Remember that I will be with you.” Pierce’s voice had lost its otherworldly quality. His part of the plan had been the most difficult to accept, but he’d been very convincing in his argument that Ethel’s ally would follow her if she accepted Mark’s offer.

Another nod from Riley and a whisper of a chant in Latin was all it took. Riley’s immense power meant the astral projection was much stronger this time. The connection Zeke once had to his wolf, the remnants of his energy in his mind, was enough to draw Mark’s form to him. As he sailed through space and time faster than he had the last time he’d done this, Mark tried to focus on the plan. This would work. It had to work. It was their only hope.

Confusion flooded his mind as he appeared in what seemed a bedroom, decorated in white and green. Zeke was seated on the bed, his focus on the screen of a cellphone as if he willed it to show him something important. It took a second for Zeke to sense his presence.

He glanced in his direction and jumped, dropping the device. “Mark?”

Mark forced himself to smile, and even in this form, he could feel the tension as he watched the myriad of emotions cross Zeke’s face, chief of them suspicion. He’d expected that.

“What…” Zeke shook his head. “Why are you here?”

“To warn you.”

Zeke frowned, still unwilling to tear his eyes from Mark.

“They’re coming for you. Right now.”

His frown deepened, his vigilance increasing as evidenced by the growing amber overtaking the blue of his eyes. “And you’re telling me, because?” He rubbed at his neck. “You tried to kill me.”

It was time to dig deep, find acting skills convincing enough to keep the plan on track. “I found out their plan yesterday.” Did his sigh sound dramatic enough? Too dramatic? “I meant it when I said I didn’t want to kill you.” He held in the wince that would contort his face, but Zeke’s softening stance gave him courage. He softened his voice to almost a whisper. “Please tell me you didn’t want any of this.”

Zeke held his eyes shut, and the hope that perhaps this would work bloomed large.

Mark willed his ethereal form to move closer, his voice dropping lower. “I want to believe that you didn’t want to kill me that night.”

Zeke opened his eyes, the amber of his animal now hidden behind the blue. “I didn’t.” He sighed and sat on the bed, his guard all the way down. “I wanted you to see it my way. I…”

“Tell me.”

Zeke looked at him, and for a second, the old caring version of him was apparent. Memories of their long relationship threatened to derail the plan, but Mark had been prepared for that. The countering memory of the day the witch had taken his wolf and Zeke’s inaction were the inoculation he needed.

Zeke cleared his throat. “They weren’t supposed to attack you. Just take you. But you fought back…”

“Why?”