“We’ll find a way.” Nicholas looked at me with pure determination in his eyes. He handed the crystal back to me and I clutched it to my chest.
Lysander’s warmth radiated through me. A faint whisper breezed through my mind.
No matter what happens, know that I will always love you.
Tears resumed their course, streaming down my face as the weight of those words hit home.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Arianna gave me a hopeful smile and patted my shoulder.
Around me the sounds of cracking and popping began. The wolves would be returning to their human form. The cleanup would need to be started. We had ended the threat of Aniketos and should have reason to celebrate, but tonight would not be that night.
I pulled away from the group, not bothering to hide my tears. With the crystal still held tightly in my hands, I walked away. I needed to be alone. I needed to work through the swarm of emotions running through me.
Lysander might soon be gone forever, but for this brief moment I still felt the warmth of his presence and wanted to be alone with it. He was my lover, my mentor, and my friend. The world would felt empty without him. I didn’t know how I would manage or move on without him. Some part of me wondered if I really wanted to.
I awoke the next evening, feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. I didn’t even remember making it back to the cabin, but there I was, in bed, still clutching the blood-red crystal to my chest.
Fallon smiled weakly at me from the chair next to the bed. Dark circles surrounded her bloodshot eyes. She looked like she’d been up for days. “I heard what happened. You okay?”
I groaned and sat up. She wasn’t expecting a real response. It was only a polite way to break the silence. As my best friend, Fallon would know how I felt.
The room was lit by a single lamp, and no light shone from the edges of the curtains meaning it was fully dark out. I wondered how long I’d been asleep. “What time is it? Where are the others?”
“Not too late. Everyone’s with the wolves. They’re preparing to bury the box so it won’t be opened again.”
Wolves burying a box in the yard. It was so inappropriately funny that even in my depressed state that I had to let out a small snort. “Burying it won’t keep it hidden forever.”
“C’mon. I’ll show you what’s happening.”
She reached out to me, but I didn’t take her hand for fear of dropping the crystal. I followed her outside and back to where the bonfire had been the night before. In its place was a huge pit. Next to that sat various excavating equipment, a large pile of dirt, and a cement truck, slowly churning its contents. “That’s a little more than just burying,” I said under my breath as we approached.
Nicholas was standing near the edge of the pit with his arms crossed and a determined expression tightening his lips.
“These wolves are organized, what can I say?” Fallon said with a smile.
Nicholas turned to me. His eyes glanced down from my face to the crystal still clutched in my hands. He nodded in silent understanding. “The pit is ten feet deep. The box will be buried within and encased in concrete.”
“Will that be enough?” I asked.
Nicholas shrugged. “Better than sitting in someone’s cellar.”
Aiden appeared at the edge of the pit, climbing up a small ladder. “The box is in place.”
We three took a few steps closer and peered down. In the center, pressed down into a semi-firm layer of cement, was the box. It had been bound with rope and the ends tucked underneath it, into the cement.
“We’ll begin pouring on the next layer. Then when it dries, another thin layer on top.” He pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the pit. “This should ensure full coverage and allow it to dry enough before we push the dirt back over.”
“And this will keep it safe?” I asked.
“It’s as safe as it’s going to get. We’re not prone to earthquakes here, so nothing should disturb it. And once the ground is covered, no one will know anything is here. We’ll re-seed the ground so grass returns. It will look like nothing has ever disturbed the ground when we’re done.”
“What about the temptation?” Nicholas asked.
“It’s only tempting to mortals, and we’re all wolves here.” He waved a hand at the cement truck. Another hand from the cab of the vehicle waved back, and then a metal slide lowered. Thick, pasty concrete began to glop down into the pit below.
From the corner of my eye I saw Fallon lean over the pit, looking down at the box.
“What about the human relatives who show up?” I asked.
Nicholas grabbed Fallon by the scruff of her shirt and pulled her backwards. “It’s best you stay away until they’ve covered it up.”
“Sorry, guys,” she stammered and backed away. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”
Aiden hopped up and walked toward Fallon. “Don’t worry. Once we have it buried, no one’s going to get at that box without some heavy equipment. We’ll make sure it’s well covered and protected.” He put his arm around Fallon and pulled her close.
Even after all we had dealt with, it was hard to believe something as small as that little wooden box had caused all of our troubles. I trusted Aiden at his word. They would watch over the box and keep it safe so it wouldn’t cause any more trouble. With that problem solved, we could turn our efforts to the last issue to fix. Lysander.
I turned toward Nicholas “Can we get Lysander out of the crystal now?”
He sighed, and his jaw tightened as if he were holding back what he wanted to say.
“The others are still working on it, right? Ariana said she’d consult her books.”
“It might take a little while to figure out the problem.”
My heart skipped a beat. “But the witches can do it, right?” I clutched the crystal tighter.
“Let’s go inside and join the rest of the pack.” Nicholas waved us toward the main building.
“They’re working on this, aren’t they? Or have they already given up?”
“We’re doing all we can,” he said wearily. “This is just … a unique situation.”
I looked up, searching his eyes for any hidden meaning behind his tone, but found no answer. Reluctantly, I followed as he and the other two led the way.
Wolves in their human form milled about inside of the main building’s reception area. It looked as if everyone had healed from their injuries and were busy with the cleanup efforts. Instantly, I spotted Zuri and Brady standing in the center of the room. They were chatting with Ariana, who had her spell book in hand. Next to her was an old-style pine coffin.
My heart leapt into my throat. I knew Lysander’s body was inside without needing to open it. I rushed toward them, hopeful but worried. “Any news?”
Brady spoke cautiously. “His body is as safe as it can be. We’ve wrapped him and built the coffin to keep him out of the elements.”
Worry sent my voice up a few octaves. “What does that mean? Are you saying he’s done? There’s nothing else to do but burry him, like the box?”
“We’re not telling you to bury him. Or that we’re done searching for an answer. This is a protection for his body while we figure things out.” Ariana didn’t bother to mask her feelings with a fake smile. “This situation is beyond my knowledge. The magic I used was so convoluted. I pulled out every spell I could think of. I’m not sure where to begin the reversal.”
I took a deep breath and looked down at the crystal. Lysander’s warmth, his presence was still there, but faint.
We’ll fix this, I promise
. I didn’t know if he would actually hear me, but saying the words helped me to hold on to hope.
“We’re not giving up.” Nicholas squeezed my shoulder. “It will just take more time.”
“What if he doesn’t have time? What about his body? Can it function without his spirit? Can he survive being trapped inside of this?” I held up the crystal.
Ariana looked at the crystal then turned to the coffin and back. “I just don’t know these answers. I need to take this matter to my coven and consult with them. I haven’t given up, but I want you to understand that we may not be able to fix this. Don’t hold on to false hope.”
“What am I supposed to hold on to? Hope is all I have left.” Tears welled in my eyes. My heart ached with each slow beat. It sounded like they had all given up and telling me “It will take more time” was a way to let me down easy.
“You still have us,” Fallon said.
“And the Peregrinus. We are your family,” Nicholas added. His hand was still on my shoulder.
I shrugged away.
“We aren’t giving up,” he said. I looked up and saw that he too had tears in his eyes. “I promise you this. We will do all we can. Lysander was my sire. He’s been my mentor and my brother for thousands of years. I want him to return just as much as you.”
I’d forgotten that fact, and it comforted me to see Nicholas’s tears. He’d been through more than I had, losing a mate and now Lysander. If anyone could empathize, it was Nicholas.
I nodded and wiped my eyes. “Thank you.”
Ariana cleared her throat. “If we do find a solution, it might be quite costly to fix.”
“I don’t care about the cost. Lysander’s life is priceless,” I shot the words back at her, not caring if the whole room could hear the anger in my voice. Why would anyone mention money at a time like this?
Brady held his hands up between Ariana and me, as if ready to prevent a brawl. “Cost is not a concern.” He faced me. “You saved my father’s life. We’ll help where we can. We’re in your debt.”
Behind us, a door opened.
“Our entire pack owes you for my life.” Connor’s voice boomed through the room.
The general chatter of the room died. I felt the weight of all eyes on us from the various wolves in attendance.
I turned to find Connor stepping out of his office. Though you couldn’t see the pain in his face, I caught the small limp in his stride. He favored his left leg as he walked stiffly to join us.
“For your service, we will honor you by making you full members of this pack. From this day forward, we all will acknowledge you as our brothers and sisters.” His voice echoed around the room.
All the wolves slowly bowed their heads and murmured their understanding.
Aiden leaned in to Fallon’s ear and whispered, “That includes you too.”
She beamed a smile wider than I had ever seen cross her face before.
“Thank you,” Nicholas said and held his hand out to Connor. “I hope this includes our two absent members as well.”
“Present them to me when they arrive.” Connor said as he shook Nicholas’s hand.
“You’ll need a place to stay while you’re here sorting out Lysander’s issue,” Zuri said with a smile. “Why not crash with us? We’ve got the room for you.”
“I’d like that,” I said.
“I think your friend will like that too,” she added with a nod towards Fallon, who was lip locked with Aiden. “Though Ian might be a little depressed.”
I didn’t have it in me to laugh at her joke. Seeing Fallon and Aiden together pulled at my heart. I looked down to the stone in my hand, wondering, hoping, praying that we could get Lysander out.
Ariana patted the top of the coffin. “I’ll do all I can, and as soon as I have something, I’ll let you know.”
“What do we do with his body?” Nicholas asked with a cautious glance toward me.
“It hasn’t decomposed yet, so it might hold up. Just keep it safe for now. That’s about all I can offer,” Ariana said.
“We’ll take it back with us to the house. It’ll be safe in the basement,” Zuri said. She pulled me into a tight hug. “We’ll fix this. Don’t you worry. Renaissance Man’s coming back, okay? No more tears.”
“I won’t make any promises,” I said. At least with the wolves and witches on our side, we stood some chance of saving him. That gave me a small measure of comfort. All had not been lost. Hope was still alive.
Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.
And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…
Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
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