Taken by Moonlight (60 page)

“Your color
is returning,” Verenus chimed drolly from his seat.

Placing the
empty glass on the table, Lucian crossed his arms and surveyed Verenus with
narrowed eyes. “To what do I owe this pleasure, Verenus? In the age of
technology, no one ever visits unless it’s something drastic.”

A little
grimace touched Verenus’s lips and he nodded once. “The Council has been
disbanded.”

Lucian
arched a brow. “Do we know why?” He was surprised it had taken so many years
for it to happen. The Council meetings had become less productive over the
years and more of a place for different races to vent against each other.

“Not from
Agar, and Keitaro has heard nothing. I received a call from Malachi today.”
Malachi Edelson was a vampire coven leader on the British Council. “He says
there is an influx of witches in London right now. In his words, they’re
swarming
the city.”

“Does he
know why?”

“No, but he
did say that while the witches are swarming, the werewolves aren’t far behind.”

Eyes
narrowing, Lucian asked, “Athelwulf and Cronin?”

“It’s
possible.”

“Over the
two witch sisters?”

Verenus
shrugged his shoulders and tossed back the brandy in the glass. “Another
possibility. Malachi has alerted the other clans and they are watching them.”

“How
interesting that they would leave for London, presumably with the two sisters.”

Standing,
Verenus replied, “I thought so as well.”

“I’ll call
Athelwulf.”

“I did that
already. I was informed by Sloan that he was indisposed.”

Lucian
frowned. “Indisposed?”

“Yes. I
took it to mean out of the country.”

When Lucian
simply arched a brow, Verenus continued, “Like you, I wondered why. Since no
answer is immediately available, I started guessing. I believe it has something
to do with the two witches, and whatever it is, it’s much bigger than Cronin and
Athelwulf. Especially if Malachi is reporting the number of witches tripled
within the course of a day, and the wolves weren’t far behind.”

“What are
you proposing?”

Verenus’s
eyes locked on his. “I think it’s time for my vacation, so I’ll be leaving for London within the hour.”

Lucian
smirked. “Vacation?”

“Yes. Even
vampires need them. I don’t know how long I’ll be there.”

“Don’t
worry. I’ll keep watch on your coven.”

“Good. I
already discussed this with Keitaro, so between the two of you, I expect nothing
serious will happen when I’m gone.” He stood. “I’ll inform you when I find out
what is going on over there.”

Verenus
headed for the door. “And Lucian?” He looked over his shoulder at the door to
the left of Lucian’s desk. It led to a hallway, which in turn led to the
private bedroom where he kept Drusilla. “You may want to take your recently
changed human to one of your country estates. While the members of your coven
may not be able to, I can still smell residual traces of humanity in her, and if
Keitaro was here, I’m sure he’d smell it, too.”

Vivienne must
have fallen asleep at some point because when she next opened her eyes, Cronin
stood directly before her with an expectant look on his face.

“Recite
it.”

Without
bothering to put up a fight, she did as he said.

“Very
good.” He clapped his hands and a tracker stepped in with a tray overrun with
food. “Eat. You’ll need your strength for tonight.”

He left
soon after, and she sniffed at the food, trying to pinpoint anything that smelled
like a drug, or poison. She was hungry. Her only relief came in knowing he
wouldn’t kill her just yet. She was still needed.

Lifting the
toast to her lips, she took a bite. After that, she couldn’t stop. She ate
everything. The three slices of toast, the jam, the peanut butter, the eggs,
and the fruit slices. And of course, she drank the cup of tea served with it.

Belly
filled, she thought of Conall. There was a chance she wouldn’t see him again.
If Maximilian’s plan went his way, and she would do everything possible to make
sure it didn’t, there was no doubt in her mind he would attempt to kill her.
Lying back on the bed, she closed her eyes and thought of her mate. She saw him
standing before her right before he’d shown her his wolf, a devilish smile on
his handsome face. She tried their connection once more, and wasn’t surprised
when it failed. Conall Athelwulf, her mate. She would give anything to have him
hold her, kiss her, touch her just once more, before….

She dragged
a hand over her face and shook her head. Thoughts like those were best kept for
when hope had failed. As long as she still breathed, there was hope.

The sun was
setting, the burnt orange rays retreating slowly from her cell, when they came
for her.

Cassandre’s
heart beat furiously as she allowed the trackers to escort her from the place
that had become her prison. Maximilian Cronin was nowhere in sight, but she knew
she would see him soon. She was escorted to a black Jeep with tinted windows.
It didn’t surprise her that two Jeeps of similar makes flanked the one into
which she was put. Two female trackers sat on either side of her while two more
sat in the front. She almost scoffed at her entourage.

It wasn’t
as if she could escape even one of them, with her powers suppressed by these
chains. Had the situation been different, Cassie would have smiled to think she
were important enough to command an escort. But she was a prisoner about to
change the course of history by resurrecting a people who were perhaps rightly
banished. Even as she remembered Alexander’s “memories,” she knew they could
have been staged. She wouldn’t put it past him.

Tears
threatened when she thought of how selfish she was being. Even if the druids
were a wicked people, she would resurrect them if it meant her family would be
safe. And Cronin knew that. He exploited that fact by showing her the battered
but alive body of her mother, explaining that she would see her sister when
they arrived at Stonehenge. She shook her head and clenched her lids to stop the
flow of tears, forcing herself to relax.

She had no
plan, no nothing. Even without the chains, she didn’t think her powers were
that strong. She blinked once, twice, and felt her lids grow heavy. When she
opened them again, the ghostly woman with the long, flowing black hair and
green eyes was standing before her again. Her eyes widened, but the woman only
smiled. There was something familiar about that smile.

Help us,
Cassandre. Break the curse that binds us, and you have my word that our people
will seek no retaliation.

Who are
you?
Cassie asked,
both frightened and intrigued by the woman. It was obvious she was a druid, but
as the druids were all banished, except for Alexander at least, it seemed an
anomaly that another druid could access her, even in sleep.

They
called me Nicolette before
….
The ghostly apparition smiled sadly and closed her eyes.
Our people are not
the murders and slayers that we are made out to be. We embrace our family above
all else. Do not fear us, Cassandre. There is nothing to fear.

Not one to
trust apparitions easily, Cassandre wondered if Alexander was somehow making
her appear.

The
black-haired woman shook her head immediately.
Do not blame Alexander,
Cassandre. My time is limited, else I would explain everything to you. Follow
your instincts, my child, for they will never lie to you.

There was a
jerk and she blinked her eyes open to find one of the trackers staring down at
her. The witch had a curious expression on her face, but she only said, “We’re
here.”

Cassie
looked out the tinted windows. Even in the dark, and from the far distance, she
could make out the large boulders that stood in the center of the field. She
could also make out the scattering of what she assumed to be witches standing
before the monument. They were at Stonehenge.

Conall
resisted the urge to growl as a Jeep with tinted windows pulled over beside the
road just a mile away from Stonehenge, and Vivienne emerged. She was surrounded
by four trackers. He barely had time to recognize her from his upwind distance
away from the large stones when she and the trackers disappeared, only to
reappear the midst of the grand wizards standing inside of the Trilithion
stones. Cassie had arrived almost ten minutes before, and was standing behind one
of the large boulders, making it impossible for Conall to get a clear view of
her. He did have a clear one of his mate, and while she looked tired, he didn’t
detect injury. She was wrapped in a golden chain that bound her hands, crossed
at her waist, and dipped lower to bind her feet. Cassie had been wearing
something similar.

“There has
to be meaning behind those chains. They’re both wearing the same kind,” Raoul
said softly from beside him.

Conall
barely passed a glance to his beta but nodded, keeping his focus on his mate. A
plan was in progress.

After
finding out Cronin and other grand wizards had formed an alliance to resurrect
the druids, Astrid and Eirik had placed calls to various pack alphas in the United Kingdom. The situation had been explained, and not an hour after the first call, the
pack alphas began arriving at Eirik’s townhouse. Over the course of the day,
others filed in with their packs in tow, until a total of seven pack alphas, in
addition to Astrid and Eirik, pledged their packs to his cause. Conall sensed
most had not done so out of any loyalty to him or to their race, but because
they feared the unknown, and that was what the druids represented.

They’d
gathered a few miles away from the grounds, most in wolf form except for a few
of the alphas. Conall didn’t intend to wait for any type of resurrection
ceremony to begin. As soon as they spotted Evelyn and Cronin made an
appearance, he was giving the order to attack. They had the element of surprise
on their side, and while it would be a bloody fight, he was anticipating it.

“It
probably binds their powers,” Conall replied in answer to Raoul’s unspoken
question. If that was the purpose of the chains, then it would explain why both
sisters appeared so docile among the witches, and why his connection to
Vivienne was severed.

He lifted
his head slightly, listening for sounds that would tell of the large number of
werewolves lurking in shadows, behind the sparse but useful cluster of trees.
The wind whipped fiercely, making it difficult for him to hear them, and
therefore impossible for the witches.

“There she
is.” Raoul inclined his head.

Conall
looked in the direction and saw Evelyn emerge. She was being held up by two
trackers, and as he peered closer, he noticed a distinct limp, and the way she
could barely pick her head up. A low growl started in his chest, but he stopped
it, pacifying himself with the thought that this night would be Cronin’s last.

“Should I
give the order?”

He shook
his head. “Cronin isn’t here.”

Exactly as
he spoke, a bright light flashed and a portal began to open. Conall watched as
Cronin stepped through with just over a dozen witches. They all radiated power,
speaking to their elevated statuses as grand wizards of their covenants, and
wore long black robes with black hoods that covered most of their faces. Cronin
hadn’t bothered with the hood, but even if he had, Conall would have been able
to track him. He had his scent.

When the
portal closed, the grand wizards fanned out, each teleporting before a single
stone until they formed a circle. Cronin moved in the midst of them, and opened
his palm against the ground as he chanted. As the ground caved in the shape of
a pentagram, he moved back and lifted a hand to beckon someone forth. Cassie.

Conall had
seen enough. He didn’t take his eyes of Cronin as he said, “Give the order.”
The change came upon him, his limbs and bones rearranging themselves into the
black wolf who eagerly came forth. Raoul changed quickly, and Conall turned to
his beta to give one last command.

No
matter what happens, get Vivienne and her family out of here.

The blond
wolf dipped his head, and Conall turned slightly to look into the darkness,
where the other wolves were. Dozens of pairs of eyes, various shades of bright,
stared back at him.

He turned
back to the ceremony occurring miles away from them. Their speed would allow
them to get there in seconds. A snarl left his lips as he began running.
Welcoming the coolness of the wind as it whipped by him, his ears flattened.
The trackers didn’t see them until the they were closing in, and their cries of
alarm were met with cries of pain as Conall’s pack descended first, followed by
Astrid’s and Eirik’s, and the continuous onslaught of wolves protecting their
future interests.