88. Anna

88

Anna

We entered the coven with slow and even steps. Finn's hackles were up, but he sniffed the air and shook his head. He didn't detect any wolves, and neither did I, but someone was here. The door's hinges were ripped, and there were clear signs of violence at the front entrance. Splintered furniture and broken glass.

I half expected Lunessa to be here. If the coven was attacked, surely, she would know, right? But I had no idea how much of the magic that kept the coven connected was part of Evalina. My heart in my throat, I realized that I didn't even know the Mother's name.

After searching all the rooms, Finn finally shifted. "Whoever did this is gone, but those bodies out front haven't been dead more than twelve hours."

"Do you think the Mother abandoned the coven or do you think they took her?"

"Hard to say. I don't know her smell. What do you want to do?"

There was no point in trying to track them. They could be anywhere. "I came here for information. I'm going to try to find it. Will you guard the door?"

Finn nodded and stood guard by the door. I'd never explored the whole coven, and the longer I was there, the bigger it seemed to get. When I walked into one of the rooms, I stilled. Enough of a smell lingered that I knew it had to be Evalina's bedroom.

Guilt gnawed at me, and I tried to ignore it as I searched the books that lined the wall. Most of them were about empowering her sight, and there were a number about werewolf magic. My hands shook as I pulled them out and flipped through them. She'd been trying to understand the magic bond.

Understand how she'd lost Katherine.

They were all generic books about magic. No handwritten notes about prophecies. I checked under the bed and in drawers for any journals she might have kept, but there was nothing.

Evalina had kept a lot of secrets, but I had to believe that she would have said something if she thought my child was going to kill me.

I found Lunessa's bedroom next, but I didn't spend much time there. She, I trusted. If she'd known, she would have told me. Briefly, I wondered if I should try to call her and see if there was anything she wanted me to pick up for her, but if she wanted to pop back and grab something, she could.

The Mother's bedroom was next, or so I assumed. There was a mix of books on her shelves. Herbal magic, healing recipes, and Fae magic. She must have been doing some reading up. There were quite a few books about null magic. I shoved them in a bag and kept going. I'd planned on just hiding out here and reading for days, but that didn't look like an option now that the den was abandoned and wide open. Soon, it would be crawling with wolves and witches. There had to be a wealth of information here.

The next few rooms seemed to be reading areas, and they were also filled with books. I grabbed some that were journals and realized that I was never going to be able to drag them all through the woods with me. It was becoming more and more clear that my plan was going to need an adjustment.

I pulled out another book when I heard a soft moan. Stiffening, I looked around, but the room had fallen silent. Maybe I was hearing things. Did any of those prophecies mention the ternary going insane? The thought made me giggle to myself. I was tired and losing it.

Shaking my head, I pulled another book, only to hear the moan again. Okay, I wasn't hearing things. Someone was in the room with me, only this room was pretty damn small. I could turn around and see every corner. If someone was in here with me, they were invisible.

Unless…

I let the books fall to the floor and swept a few other books aside. Reaching in, I rapped my knuckles against the back panel. Hollow. "Finn," I shouted and started pulling books off the shelves. "Finn!"

Immediately, he was there. "What?"

"There's a hidden room on the other side. Someone is there. Help me."

We took a few minutes to search for some kind of hidden release before Finn just snarled and rammed his fist through the back of the bookcase. After several more punches, blood was running down his hand, but he'd made a sizable hole.

The moaning grew louder in the expanding darkness in front of us. Heart in my throat, I started pulling at the wood until I could finally slither through. "There's a flashlight in my bag," I called back. "Can you grab it?"

Finn handed it to me, and I flipped it on while he worked on making the hole big enough for him to crawl through. The beam darted around the floor until I saw her in the corner. "Shit." I hurried to her side. Her skin was cold to the touch and blood was caked over half her body. "It's me," I said softly. "It's Anna. I'm with Finn. Can you speak?"

"Evalina," she whispered.

My heart broke, and I cradled her head. "Evalina is dead. I'm sorry."

"I know. Evalina…Lunessa…."

Light flooded the place, and I turned my head. Finn had gotten in and found a light switch. Immediately, he knelt down by her side and lifted her skirt to check her injuries. From the look on his face, I could tell it wasn't good.

"You're hurt," I told her. "I think I can heal you. I may need to use pack magic…"

"No time," she said as she clutched at me. "Maeve…Maeve was here."

Next to me, Finn stiffened. "Maeve was here? In person?"

"She knows. I was sent…sent to guide…Evalina." Suddenly, she started coughing, and blood poured out of her mouth.

I turned her head so she wouldn't choke. Tears welled up in my eyes. "You were sent? Sent by who?"

"Sent…so Evalina…and Lunessa…could find you. Do...right thing."

"You knew about the prophecy?" Despite my grief, I felt a spark of anger. "And you were sent to guide her? Why didn't you just tell her?"

"Couldn't…risky. Evalina…dead."

"Yes. She was my last living relative and an ingredient in the spell. It's over. Maeve can't use me."

The Mother shook her head. "Lunessa…granddaughter."

"Lunessa is a granddaughter?" I looked at her in horror. "Lunessa is Evalina's granddaughter?"

"Yes. Maeve…knows."

"Oh my God." I looked up at Finn. "Oh my God, we need to find the phone. Call Jax."

"The phone is dead," Finn said gravely. "It was the first thing I tried."

"Then we need to go back! We have to warn them! Lunessa is in danger, and we're not even there. Jax, shit Jax is probably out looking for me, and you're here. There's no telling how many men Jax brought with him. Lunessa is so vulnerable right now!"

"We can't go back," Finn snarled. "We don't have enough time. If Maeve is here, then we follow her tracks. We find her and we kill her. It's as simple as that."

Had Finn lost his mind? "If it's as simple as that, don't you think someone would have done it by now?"

In my arms, the witch took another shuddering breath. "Baby…" she murmured. Slowly and painfully, she inched her hand up to touch my body. "Baby….is key."

"My baby? My baby is going to kill me and end all of this?" I whispered.

"Baby…baby wolf." She smiled at me. "Andrea."

Then her chest stilled, and her hand dropped. Tears poured down my face, and I reached up and closed the witch's eyes. "I was so stupid. I never should have left. I'm going back. You can go after Maeve if you want, since you're so eager to die, but I am not, and I'm not about to let anyone else die because of Maeve."

Finn fixed a hard look at me. "You're not going anywhere."