59. Anna

59

Anna

"I don't understand. You accessed your magic in human form before, when your wolf forced you to use it. Do I need to fatally wound someone to let that happen?" Evalina snarled in frustration at my recent failure.

Today's assignment? Offensive magic. All I had to do was move a stick.

One lousy stick.

Instead, I was covered in sweat, and the stick just sat in its original place in the grass, mocking me.

"I wouldn't risk it. I don't think me moving this stick is going to save anyone today," I panted and sat down in the grass. This was a better workout than any cardio. Muscles I didn't even know I had ached at the strain of trying to move that damn branch.

I expected the Crone to force me up, but she just went unnaturally still, and her eyes grew vacant. Worried it was Maeve, I jumped to my feet, but she held out her hand. "It's Lunessa. They've made it to the compound. She and your mate are fine."

Blowing out my breath, I relaxed. I knew Jax was fine. I could still feel him in my bond, even if it wasn't as intimate as usual. Still, they were there. In the midst of a whole group of people who would see me dead. What would they do to him if they learned that he was my mate?

I ached for him. We'd been apart more than we'd been together, and I was getting tired of it. I just wanted a world where I didn't need to ever spend another night away from him.

Maybe I didn't deserve that.

"Your eyes are gold," Evalina murmured. "Are your wolf's eyes gold?"

"No." I blinked. "How about now?"

She searched my face and shook her head. "I was thinking of Jax. Maybe his wolf was able to reach out to me."

I loved that idea.

My phone rang, and I pulled it out. "Is it too much to ask that you put that damn thing away when we're in session? Honestly, I loathe the day cellphones made it into the mountains."

"Finn is back. And he has his sisters with him." I texted Amelia and glanced at Evalina. "Do you want to meet them?"

"Yes."

"Who is watching Irene?"

"Several wolves, although when it's just Jenson, he's alone." Evalina's eyes flashed knowingly. "Does he think no one has noticed?"

"I think it's none of our business. Come on."

She fell into step with me and pulled something out of her cloak. I frowned. "Were you hiding a box of crackers in there?"

"These sessions take a lot out of you, and I've been told you aren't making appearances at meals. You need to keep your strength up."

"Can't eat. Can't sleep. Can't focus. I'm pathetic." Still, I opened the box and popped a cracker in my mouth. My nervous jitters soothed. Apparently, I did need to eat more.

Jenson and twelve members of the guard stood on one side of the boundary. Finn, Kenzi, and four women stood on the other.

Things looked tense.

"You cannot enter this land without binding yourself, at least temporarily, to the alpha mate," Jenson said loudly. "It is not a permanent bond."

"We've been told our whole lives to avoid our mother, and now you want us to bind ourselves to the target she's after?" A blonde said haughtily. "How does that make sense to you?"

"We were promised protection!" another chimed in.

Finn and Kenzi both looked harrowed.

I cleared my throat as I joined them and sized them up. It was easy to see that they were related. They were all very similar to each other in the face, although three were blonde, and the smallest was brunette.

They looked so similar to Maeve that it gave me pause.

"Hello," I said gently, hoping the diffuse the situation. "My name is Anna, and I know this is a strange situation to be in."

"Oh? You've discovered that you have sisters, a brother, and a homicidal mother?" the brunette spat.

"No to the siblings, and I had a homicidal father. So, it's not quite the same. I'm going to tell you right now that this is not the safest place for you. If we could hide you anywhere else and protect you, we would. Unfortunately, Maeve has spies everywhere. I'm sure she already knows you're here, which means you are certainly not safe out there."

"She knows you're here because you sent him to find us!"

I leveled a look at the brunette. "Make no mistake, you cannot, for a single moment, underestimate Maeve Frost. She's been planning this before any of us were born. Do you understand?"

They shifted from foot-to-foot. Finally, one of the blondes stepped forward. "I was bonded with London. He is my alpha. I do not feel comfortable bonding with anyone else, but he did say for me to trust you. Explain how this would work."

"There is magic in the land itself. If you cross it now without bonding with me or Jax, you will feel it. It won't hurt, but it will be mildly uncomfortable. For this reason, Jax offers guests a temporary bond to ease the discomfort. Um, I'm going to be honest, I've never bonded with anyone before. I'm just bonded through Jax. He's not here, so you'll bond with him through me."

"My mother, or guardian, I suppose, had a friend who disappeared about five years ago. She always thought your father killed her," one said softly. "Her name was Christa Moors."

I swallowed hard. I knew all of the names of the women my father killed. I made a point of learning them so they would not die forgotten. "Your guardian was right. I'm sorry."

For a moment, she just stared at me and then laughed dryly. "Well, I can't blame you for what your father did when apparently, my mother is about to slaughter everyone. I'll be the first to do this. What do I need to do?"

For a moment, I panicked. What did she need to do?

Trust your bond.

Great. My wolf was turning into some sort of guru.

"Step forward and tell me your name."

Obediently, she crossed the boundary. Immediately, she inhaled sharply. "Yeah. That feels strange. I don't know what Maeve named me at birth, but everyone calls me Vynette."

I took her hand and closed my eyes. At first, when I sought out my mating bond, nothing happened, but then I realized I was focusing on the wrong thing. With some trepidation, I focused on the pack bonds. As if they'd been neglected for too long, they gleamed all different colors, bright neons in the darkness, and hummed happily. My wolf grunted in surprise, and I hoped that was a good thing.

I focused on Vynette, and I found the colors of her wolf. "Do you, Vynette, swear fealty to the Blood Diamond pack, to do nothing that would raise a hand to any member, to do no harm to the land, and to respect the wolves within for as long as you are welcome to us?"

"Yes," Vynette whispered with a tremble.

"And to its alpha, Jax Bishop, and to myself, do you bond with us, where we will protect you as you protect us?"

"Yes."

A beautiful yellow thread shot between us, and I inhaled sharply. Vynette cursed and dropped my hand sharply, nearly stumbling to the ground.

"Damn it, Anna, what did you do to her?" Kenzi swore as she rushed forward.

Immediately, I pulled my hands inside myself. "I don't know. Did I do it wrong?"

"I'm fine," Vynette said with a shudder as she got to her feet. "Sorry, I bonded with London as a child, and I guess I've forgotten what it feels like. You pack a punch, woman."

She opened her eyes and studied me with a frown. "I think your wolf is playing with our bond like a ball of string. It feels strange."

"Sorry. I'll make her stop."

My wolf just chuffed with laughter. Apparently, she was getting a kick out of the new bond.

I looked at the other women. "Who's next?"