Pure Blooded (29 page)

She kept talking, but I couldn’t hear her. “No, wait!” I cried, feeling frantic, grabbing at the table. “We can’t be done yet! There’s so much more I need to ask you. What about Tally? Is she safe? What about my father and Danny and Naomi?”

Juanita’s visage cleared for a moment, but I knew we were out of time. “The great witch es safe but needs your help,” Juanita murmured. “Your path will become clear to you soon. Remember, you must do what needs to be done, no matter how difficult.”

“Are we going to meet again?” I asked quickly as the room around me dimmed and I heard a desperate roar.

Rourke was angry.
I’m coming soon
, I told him.

“No, Chica. Once you leave here, I must not interfere again. It’s the way it must be.” I could barely see her, but she reached for my hand again and stroked it. “You will be protected this night. Have no fear when you return. But when the dawn comes, you must make a critical decision and leave with all haste. Enid looks for you even now.”

“No, please, tell me what to do. What is the decision? I don’t want to screw this up!” I was bordering on manic, my hands scrabbling to hold on to her, but I couldn’t feel her in the physical sense any longer. “Juanita, give me something more than that.
Help guide my next move. My mind feels divided. I want to go home and be with my Pack, close to my father. I want to help Tally. But my heart is telling me to do something else, to go help Kayla. To find her brother.”

The entire room took on a hazy white glow and I began to float backward toward the door against my will.

Juanita stood, her ceramic mug in her hands. She waved and blew me a kiss. “I will miss you, Chica. And I will grant your last wish. Find her brother, the one called Ajax. Do that and you are on your way to fulfilling your destiny.”

I blinked my eyes open.

“Hiya,” Marcy said, glancing down on me. My head was cradled in her lap. “Was it fun? I’ve heard of astral spells, but I’ve never known a witch who could successfully perform one. Did it feel like you were really there? Or was it all blinky and weird?”

I lifted my head and glanced around the room. “Where’s Rourke?” I needed to know that before I could answer her questions.

She paused, and then gave a dramatic sigh, looking resigned. “The boys had to escort him… outside. He was destroying too much stuff in here, so we all thought it might be better for him to take a tiny”—she inhaled—“time-out.”

I glanced around. The cabin was a wreck. Cushions were shredded, lamps overturned, walls punched in. “How’d they get him out there?” I asked, sitting up. That must have been a feat.

Marcy slid over on the sofa to give me some space. “Well,” she answered, setting a throw pillow into her lap, curling her legs under her, “it wasn’t easy, I can tell you that much. I had to spell
him and the boys had to manhandle him out of here. He’s heavy, not to mention he’s one tough son-of-a-biggen, and when he’s pissed off he puts everyone in jeopardy. Once they got him out the door, Ray flew him someplace so he could… cool off. Like, literally cool
down
.”

“Where exactly did Ray fly him?” I arched a look at her. She was evading me on purpose, but at least she had the decency not to smile.

“I believe he dropped him in the middle of the lake.” She glanced away from my penetrating stare to gaze at her fingernails. “But, honestly, we had no other choice.” She began to fidget with the corner of the pillow. “I begged him not to break down the door and come in here. James tried to hold him back. Once we were in, I told him what was going on with you, since Juanita left a huge imprint of her spell for me to find, like a big ol’ witchy flare. I knew you were fine. But he kept pressuring me to wake you up. And if I’d tried to do that, it could’ve left your mind damaged, or worse, which is why Juanita had warned us away.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “I wasn’t willing to risk it, and everyone else agreed—except for him. So we did the only thing left to us. We dropped him in the lake.”

I wasn’t going to laugh or smile. What they did was harsh. “I heard him roar at one point during the astral trip,” I said. “But, honestly, you can’t blame him for being worried about me. The man loves me, and it’s, what, the millionth time he’s seen me near death?”

“The roaring part was tame, believe me,” she said, meeting my gaze for the first time. “It was the claws that were the problem. I mean, look at this place. It’s holding on by a thread!”

I glanced around. She was right. It was completely damaged. Not much was left that wasn’t shredded to bits and pieces. “You can fix this, right?” I asked.

“Well, yes,” she answered. “But that’s not the point! He was endangering you.”

I nodded to her while I called out to him in my mind.
Rourke, are you there?
I walked to the front window and opened the shade. I couldn’t see him.
I’m back safe and sound. Where are you?

Swimming
, he said curtly.
And when I get back, I will annihilate anyone who gets in my way
. He was furious and I couldn’t really blame him.

I’ll be here waiting
.

He growled his response.

Tyler
, I said, switching channels.
I’m back, and if you know what’s good for you, stay out of Rourke’s way. Tell everyone to head back into the main house. We leave tomorrow to find Kayla’s brother at dawn, not a minute later. Find out as much as you can about where we’re going, what kind of a supe he is, and formulate a workable plan with everyone else. We’ll see you in the morning
. Rourke wasn’t going to let me out of his sight, and once he got back, he wasn’t going to be fit for company. We all needed some downtime and Juanita was warding this place until sun up.

Got it
, Tyler said.
Jess, we had no choice but to intervene
. He paused in mid-thought.
I’m not sure dumping him in the lake was the best plan we’ve ever come up with, but it seemed like the only option at the time. Marcy was panicked about hurting you and he was forcing her to wake you up
.

I’ll handle it from here
, I replied.
Just make sure to give him some space once he’s out. We’ve been on the road a long time, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon. Let’s use this break to our advantage
.

I hear you, sis. A break, even for a night, is a gift at this point
.

Juanita has this entire place warded until dawn. Tell everyone. And make sure you tell Kayla we will help her. She won’t be happy we’re bunking here for the rest of the day and night. We’ll meet you
outside just before dawn
. I clicked off and turned to Marcy, who was waiting patiently for me to finish. “How come you stayed with me? Did you draw the short straw for babysitting duty?” I joked, settling myself on the couch across from her.

“Nope, I picked it willingly,” she answered smugly. “And babysitting, my aunt Betty’s ass. Being with you is like trying to keep track of a whirling dervish hell-bent on injuring herself. It takes all my considerable skill and talent to keep you alive and functioning. And what if that astral spell had backfired and you went into convulsions? What then, huh? You should be grateful I was here.”

“I am grateful,” I said as I lay my head back, trying to enjoy these two minutes alone with my friend, especially since we weren’t in any danger. “Your considerable talents
have
kept me alive. And I haven’t had a chance to say thank you properly for what you did for me back in the swamp. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it out alive. Juanita hinted that there were several outcomes that could’ve happened, but they didn’t. I’m crediting you for your spells and quick thinking.”

“
Phish
.” Marcy flipped her wrist at me like I was a silly person. “You had that entire thing covered from the moment we arrived. For the most part I was just in the way, bumbling along like your inefficient, but incredibly clever, sidekick.”

“No way.” I shook my head adamantly. “If it wasn’t for the dark spells you brewed, we would’ve been overpowered in minutes. The potions gave us precious moments to get ahead. We wouldn’t have made it otherwise. That’s why Juanita sent you with me, like a barnacle clinging to a ship. Without you, I would’ve died.” I raised a single eyebrow to dare her to contradict me. “I’m not invincible and never have been. This is a team effort, and I’m so thankful I have you—you and your cleverness—clinging to my boat like a moochy crustacean, so thank you.”

Marcy picked up her throw pillow and tossed it at my head.
I ducked, laughing. “I’m hardly a mooch, and let’s face it, you’re the one who clings to
my
boat by the tips of your claws hoping I’ll toss you a life preserver. Face it, without me you’d be bored out of your gourd, dragging yourself from one dangerous escapade to the next with no joy, only sadness.”

“You’re right, you do brighten my day, and honestly, I’m glad you’re so humble about it. Always makes for such a self-effacing conversation—” Another throw pillow smacked me in the face. When I was done laughing, Marcy’s demeanor had shifted. Her face had become serious. “Okay, now what?” I asked.

“There’s one thing I have to know before your mate gets back. I have to ask, since you haven’t had a chance to explain exactly what went down with Marinette after I was knocked out.” Marcy leaned forward. “Is she part of you or what? I know she didn’t come out. I saw you lying there, looking dead, and I’m sure she was inside. And then—presto—you woke up and she was gone. Nowhere to be found.”

I closed my eyes, remembering. “I’m not sure I can put what happened into perfect words,” I began, opening my eyes and leveling them on my friend, “but I’ll give you my best interpretation of what happened.”

“That’s good enough for a barnacle.”

“Marinette split her soul in two to create the first female werewolf on earth. My predecessor. She went against edict to do it, because she wanted her supernatural race—the race of shifters—to be the most powerful, and to have control over the supernatural race through her new toy. At least that’s how she explained it to me. But when she possessed me, hoping to claim my body for herself, she presented my wolf with the other half of her soul. Once we stopped fighting the possession, thanks to Juanita, my wolf sort of… claimed the rest of the soul for herself. No power went with it. It’s sort of creepy to say out loud, but I assure you,
Marinette is nowhere inside me. The only thing left is my happy, complete wolf.” My wolf barked her agreement.

“That
is
strange and creepy,” Marcy remarked, “but totally cool. You Ghostbustered her. I’ve never heard of someone swallowing up a soul like that, but I’ve also never heard of a supe splitting their soul in the first place. If Marinette was only made up of half a soul, I can see why she didn’t have any power. She could be strong for a moment or two, when she used the bokor, but she would never have been a contender.”

I chuckled. “You make the ordeal sound easy.”

“Of course I do, I’m good like that. I like to take the fried and make it chicken fried,” Marcy agreed. “Much more flavor that way. And now I can see by the bags under your eyes you need some time to recover. It looks like a truck with big, fat tires rolled over you and left you for dead. Get some sleep if you can. Your beast is getting out of the water as we speak.” She stood. “If I’m here when he comes back, things will get ugly.”

I stood along with her and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Marcy,” I whispered in her ear. “For not only being my friend, but becoming a powerful ally.”

She hugged me back fiercely. “I’m your Pack sister-in-law and don’t you forget it. I’ll always volunteer to babysit you, Wonder Wolf. We’re in this together. All of us.”

We stepped apart, both of us smiling and a little teary-eyed, even though neither of us would ever admit it. “Marcy, when you get back to the house, tell everyone we’re leaving just before dawn. I already told Tyler, but our next step is to find Kayla’s brother. Juanita told me the path I need to take right now, so we’re taking it. She said once we find Ajax, my destiny will be clear—and I’m praying that will be true.”

“Wait a minute, did you say Ajax?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Yeah, why?”

“Because Kayla called her kid brother
Jax
, not Ajax.”

“Jax must be short for Ajax.” I shrugged. “That’s not a huge stretch.”

“No, but in mythology Ajax is a mighty warrior known for his strength, little missy.” She shook her head. “He’s not known for raising the dead, so that means her brother is not a necromancer.”

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow, won’t we?” I said. “I doubt she’ll tell ahead of time, even if we beg.”

“She’s a little slippery, that one.” Marcy walked to the door. “We’ll have to keep a close eye on her. I don’t intend to wake up with ghouls eating me as a midnight snack. I’m outta here. I hear splashing.”

The door burst open minutes after Marcy left. My mate walked in looking fierce and sopping wet. He shook his hair out and ripped off his T-shirt while he paced toward me.

I met him halfway.

My mouth covered his before he could verbalize what seeing me out cold had done to him. I’d been incapacitated too many times, and instead of talking about it, I was going to show him I was okay the best way I knew how.

The electricity of our connection was immediate.

His hands clutched me from behind, pulling me roughly toward him so all our parts were touching. His lips were hot and firm, and a loud rumble issued out of his chest as his tongue lashed over mine again and again.

I angled my head to take him more fully and ran my hands up and down his torso, sliding over the wetness still clinging to him,
then gripping his shoulders just as fiercely as he was holding on to me.

With a snarl he picked me up, our mouths still melded together, and stalked toward the only bedroom in the tiny guesthouse.

Once we were through, he kicked the door shut. It slammed so hard, it cracked.