Chapter 7

Sean and my wolf returned just before dawn, far more contented and happy than when they'd left. Apparently the run had done them both some good.

My wolf returned to my body and settled so deeply into the shadows in my head that it felt as though she'd gone to sleep. Sean changed into pajamas and joined me in bed for a few hours before he had to go to the office for a meeting.

After he kissed me goodbye, I dragged myself out of bed and showered. Malcolm hadn't come back from hanging out with Liam, so I put Rogue out in the backyard and headed for Brew a Cup, in desperate need of caffeine and Carly's blueberry scones.

As usual, the coffee shop smelled like I imagined heaven might. When I walked in, Katy Clark was behind the counter. She'd helped someone hex me, so we'd gotten off on the wrong foot. To make up for it, she'd protected me during a black magic ritual, and Carly believed she was sincerely trying to put her past behind her. Plus we both had evil families we wanted nothing to do with, so I'd decided to let bygones be bygones, at least in regard to the hex.

She gave me a shy smile and tucked her pink hair behind her ears. "Good morning, Ms. Worth. Your usual?"

"Alice," I corrected her. "Yes, please. Carly around?"

Katy rang me up and I handed over my card. "She's in the back. She said she had to get something done before you got here." At my expression, she laughed. "She's spooky like that. It's always weird when she knows I'll have to call in sick before I do." She handed back my card and went to pour my coffee. "Anyway, she'll be out to talk to you in a few."

I took my coffee to the little counter to add some half-and-half and sugar, then headed to the corner booth with the RESERVED sign. Carly's familiar parchment-scented magic welcomed me as I slid into the booth, which was spelled to keep conversations private and gently encourage other patrons to ignore those in the booth.

The blue crystal on my bracelet buzzed just as I settled in. I touched the crystal. " Release ."

Malcolm appeared. "Hey, Alice. You weren't home, so I figured you were here." He frowned. "You look tired."

"That's why I have this." I raised my coffee cup and took a drink. "How's Liam?"

He floated back and forth. I sensed a little spike of sadness from my ghost sidekick. "Not happy, to be honest."

"Because you're going away with me?"

He nodded. "He's worried about me. I didn't tell him where we were going or why, obviously, but I can't tell him it won't be dangerous, and I can't tell him when we'll be back. He doesn't understand why I want to go with you, or why I don't just want to stay in one place. I made the mistake of pointing out that he feels secure in the bordello because he's used to being tethered to a place, but I'm more of a free spirit—so to speak." His mouth turned down. "I tried to explain I'm safer when I'm with you, just like he's safer there, but that didn't go over super well either. We had a big argument about it. I'll give him some time to cool off and try to talk to him later. I don't want the last words we say to each other to be angry ones."

"I'm sorry." I rubbed my face. "Sean's not happy either, obviously. He's trying to make the best of it, but you can imagine how much he hates the idea of me going somewhere he can't go, even if you're with me. And I hate that I'm abandoning Sean and the rest of our pack right when they need me."

Malcolm smiled a little. "Things suck, but it makes me happy to hear you talk about the pack like that." He looked up. "Hey, Carly."

"Hello, you two." Carly set my scone on the table and slid into the booth with a mug of tea. The petite brunette witch wore a purple long-sleeved blouse, black jeans, and her coffee shop apron with her name embroidered with silver thread that glimmered with magic. "You're off on a journey, Alice?"

I smiled ruefully and broke a chunk off the scone. "What tipped you off? Your cards, or your witchy sense?"

"Both." She sipped her tea, which smelled minty. "Plus my eyes. You have the look of a reluctant traveler. On the plus side, your wolf seems more content than I've seen her in quite a while, so you must have worked something out."

I took a drink from my coffee. "Sean took her running in wolf form."

Malcolm's mouth fell open. "He did? How?"

I shrugged. "She jumped out of me. They drove out to the pack land last night at around four, ran until almost dawn, and then came home. It was just what the doctor ordered for both of them. As Sean said, she may be made of magic, but she's still a wolf, and she needs to run from time to time, especially in the company of our alpha." I was getting used to the idea of being a part of the pack, but that still felt weird to say. "They came back happy and she went right to sleep. I should have let Sean take her for a run before. I was just scared to let her out of my sight, I guess."

"I can't blame you for that, but you did the right thing to trust them." Carly patted my hand. "So, how can I help with your journey? And don't worry—I know what you're doing is confidential. I won't tell a soul."

I sighed. "I'd love some party favors, but we have to leave almost immediately. I thought I'd check to see if you had anything on hand."

She smiled. "I have a few things. I saw this journey on your horizon a week or so ago, so I've made some goodies I thought you could use. I have Return to Sender amulets, a couple of Reveal spells, and some odds and ends. I've got them in my office. You can take them with you when you leave."

"Thank you. How should I pay for the spells? A gift for your coven? For you? A souvenir or two, if I can make that work?" Though from what Adam said about the Broken World, I'd be lucky to get back through the mirror with Malcolm and my hide mostly intact.

Carly surprised me by handing over two small silver vials with stoppers. Naturally, she'd somehow known to have them on hand. "Souvenirs would be lovely, actually. Some rainwater and moss, please—or spring water, if there's no rain."

I tucked the vials in my bag. "It's a deal. Any advice about the trip?"

From the pocket of her apron, she brought out a deck of tarot cards wrapped in purple silk. "I had a feeling you might want some guidance. It's difficult, but not impossible, for me to see into other places. I'm willing to try."

As she unwrapped the cards and spread the silk out on the table, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, clearing my mind of distractions and tuning out the noise in the coffee shop.

With my eyes closed, I picked up the stack of cards and shuffled them. I thought about the trip through the mirror, the world that awaited us on the other side, and my goals for the trip: find Mariela and the scroll, bring both back as soon as possible, make sure the Furies stayed where they belonged, and keep both Malcolm and myself safe. My fingers slid over the smooth texture and edges of the cards as I shuffled. I visualized the backs of the cards, which showed bright green vines with small white budding flowers. Like the two other tarot decks I'd seen that belonged to Carly, these seemed hand-drawn, and smelled of parchment-scented magic.

One of the cards fell out as I shuffled. "Oops," I said, and reached to pick it up.

"No—leave it," Carly said. She turned the card over and placed it face-up and horizontal just above the center of the silk. The card was the Hermit. I set the stack of cards on the silk between us.

She placed the second card, a six of swords, face up on top of the Hermit to form a cross. Below it, she placed the third card, a seven of swords, face up and vertical. She folded her hands on the table and studied the cards.

"You will have a guide and a protector," she told us finally. "You must listen to their advice and accept their help."

"She's not super good at that," Malcolm pointed out. I scowled. He raised his hands. "What, you're going to tell me I'm wrong?"

"A guide and a protector sound useful, " I said, glaring at him.

"So I can remind you of this conversation once we're there and you tell your protector to take a long walk off a short pier?"

"Shut up."

" Children, " Carly interjected. She tapped the six of swords. Her brow furrowed. "I'm not sure if this is directly related to your journey or not. Did the angel Tura give you a message to deliver to someone?"

"Yes," I admitted. "She asked me to take a message to someone I'm supposedly going to meet over there, because she can't travel through the mirror and deliver it herself. I'm supposed to find ‘a knight with no court or kingdom,' whatever that means. And then I'll have to give that person a big ol' smooch to deliver the message, which is apparently in the language of angels and stored in my body somehow."

Her eyebrows went up. "Dare I ask how Tura gave you the message she wants you to deliver?"

Nonchalantly, I sipped my coffee. "She kissed me."

"Hmm." Carly smiled knowingly and inhaled the steam from her tea. "It must be a very special message."

"Soooooo…does Sean know you made out with a female angel?" Malcolm asked finally.

"We did not make out, Malcolm. Her lips touched mine. It was like kissing a mannequin. End of story." I pointed at the cards. "Anything else?"

Carly was quiet for a moment. "I think the final card has more to do with your return than what you may find while you're there. Did you receive a prophecy from Tura as well?"

When I didn't reply right away, she added, "I know you didn't want me to know your sorcerer magic is killing you, partly because you don't really believe her, and partly because you don't like to give your friends a reason to worry. I've meditated and prayed about this, and asked my spirit guides for answers. I believe I should tell you I've seen the same thing more than once when I read my cards. I've also seen the possibility of another path, one you find only through sacrifice, which is why I struggled with whether to tell you. This card—" She tapped the seven of swords "—tells me you will face violence on your return—violence you've already been warned about."

"Yeah, I got that warning from Tura." I finished the last of my coffee and set the cup on the table a little louder than was necessary. "She told me soon I would have to choose between Sean's life and my own, and when that happens, I should choose my own. If I did, she said I would save him—that I'd save them all , whatever that means. She didn't deign to explain further before she turned into a pillar of light and sent me back to your living room. I haven't told Sean about that because I have no intention of sacrificing him, no matter what Tura said. I'll find another way."

When she didn't say anything, I sighed. "You've never steered me wrong yet, Carly; I know that. I trust you and your cards. If you tell me this is what I'm supposed to do, I'll give it more thought than if it was only Tura's word, but there's always a third option, another door to choose."

"And if there isn't, you'll kick a hole in the wall." Carly smiled. "Nothing's ever as simple as some people make it sound, even angels. What were her exact words?"

I closed my eyes and thought. "She told me when I had to choose between my life or Sean's to choose my own. By doing so I would save him—I would save them all."

"Interesting." She sipped her tea thoughtfully. "So she didn't say you had to sacrifice Sean, or even that he would die—just that you should choose your life over his. So maybe what I'm seeing is a totally different event, one that forces you to make a sacrifice to find a new path. What that sacrifice is, however, I'm not sure."

"A sacrifice, huh? Awesome. Something else to look forward to." I hesitated, then added, "Not to change the subject, but before I forget, Sean says Morgan Clark has been sleeping with Charles Vaughan."

For the first time since I'd met her, Carly looked totally nonplussed. I'd thought nothing could possibly render her speechless, but apparently finding out her onetime coven sister and current quasi-nemesis was shagging a member of the Vampire Court was a total shock.

"Well, that's certainly a match made in somewhere," she said finally. She gathered up her cards, wrapped them in the purple silk, and tucked them back into her apron pocket. "No doubt she's using him and he's using her. Vampires like witch blood, and black witches like power. I'm not sure which of them to pray for, so I will pray for both." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let me go get those party favors from my office. You want more coffee to go?"

"Yes, please."

We slid out of the booth. She took my cup to the counter and asked Katy to refill it, then disappeared into the back.

I added half-and-half and sugar to my coffee while I waited. Carly came out of the office with a tote bag. She gave me a hug and handed me the bag. "Be safe on your journey, both of you. I'll be thinking of you. And I'll keep an eye on Sean too, as best I can."

"Thank you. I'm sure he'll be fine, but…"

"But of course you worry. And he'll be worried about you too." She squeezed my hand. "I put instructions in the bag for how to invoke the various spells. Let me know if you have questions."

"Thank you, Carly. You're the best."

She winked. "I know."

Malcolm and I said our goodbyes and left the shop. My phone buzzed as I unlocked my car.

Wolf: Taking the rest of the day off to spend with you. Where are you?

Me: Just leaving Brew a Cup and heading home to pack.

"Alice, trouble," Malcolm warned.

Three people emerged from an SUV parked two spots away from my borrowed Maclin Security SUV: two men and a woman, all shifters. I recognized brothers Matthew and Zachary Anderson, who were tall and muscular, with blond hair and blue eyes. The woman, whose name I didn't recall, had long, dark blonde hair and green eyes. All wore business casual and identical hard expressions. Matthew Anderson and the woman were on the Were Ruling Council.

They must have followed me here from home, waiting for a chance to confront me when I was away from both Sean and the safety of my house. I put Carly's bag of goodies and my shoulder bag in the SUV so my hands were free and turned to face them. Malcolm floated beside me.

The woman approached me first. "Alice Worth?"

"Who's asking?"

"My name is Sarah Webber." She didn't offer to shake my hand. "We're from the Were Ruling Council."

My phone buzzed with an incoming text. "Excuse me," I said, and read Sean's message.

Wolf: Should I meet you at your house?

Me: Sarah Webber and the Andersons just showed up in the parking lot at Brew a Cup.

The reply was instantaneous. Wolf: I'm on my way. ETA 10 minutes.

I stuck my phone in my back pocket. "Sorry about that."

Matthew Anderson, the older of the two, gave me a hard stare, his eyes glowing. Both he and his brother were alphas of their respective packs. Zachary's daughter Lily had pursued Sean for months and had hexed me in an attempt to end our relationship.

When I didn't look away or back down, Matthew snarled. "You're disrespectful."

Something told me this was not going to be a friendly chat. Still, I didn't have any reason to be deliberately antagonistic—at least, not yet. "No disrespect was intended. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Of this ambush, my tone implied. "I'm guessing this isn't an accidental meeting."

"Not in the least," Sarah said. "We're here out of concern for Sean and his pack."

"If you're concerned about Sean, why aren't you talking to him?"

"We've tried. He won't listen to a word we say." Matthew flexed his hands. "Despite everything you've put him through, he remains blindly devoted to you and determined to name Nan Lowell as his beta. It's sickening to see such a good man brought down like this."

"Oh, fuck off," Malcolm muttered.

All three werewolves glanced in Malcolm's direction. Though none of them could see or hear him, they could sense him, especially when he spoke.

"You've got your ghost servant with you today, I suppose," Zachary said. "And you were seen at Northbourne last night, showing your allegiance to the vampires. I never thought I'd see Sean mixed up with someone like you."

I wondered if that meant members of the Council or their packs had been among the protestors last night. I made a mental note to mention that troubling possibility to Sean.

A dozen insults burned on the tip of my tongue. For the good of everyone involved, I held them back.

I figured there was zero chance of changing their minds about Nan or me, but it was worth a shot. "Sean's a good man and an ideal alpha. Everyone who knows him believes that. He loves me, and I love him. Our pack has seen some hard days and undergone some changes, but we'll be stronger for it, and our people will be safe and happy. Sean, Nan, and I will make sure of that."

"Stop saying our pack," Matthew snapped. "You aren't part of Sean's pack—and won't ever be."

"I don't know if you really love him, or if this is some kind of game you're playing," Sarah added. "And I don't understand why Sean would jeopardize his pack this way. We're all at a loss to explain any of it. But if you do love him, you'll do what's best for him and his pack."

"I am doing what's best for Sean and our pack," I said, ignoring Matthew's growl. "The Council has no authority to interfere with internal pack matters just because you disagree with our relationship or that Nan is our new beta."

"Female shifters cannot be betas," Matthew stated.

"Where is that written?" I countered. "There are no laws against it. Even if there were, they'd be wrong and needing to be changed. This isn't the Stone Age. If you don't want a female beta in your pack, you have the right to make that choice, just as Sean has the right to make his. Every member of our pack stands behind him and Nan. And as you know, Nan's earned her place as beta. Five fights, five wins."

"Nan Lowell's former alpha should have killed her." His expression was colder than his words. "And you should have died when Caleb Jennings attacked you."

Sarah seemed taken aback, but Zachary didn't blink. "Matthew's right. Things have a certain order for a reason, Alice. Sooner or later, both you and Sean will understand that. I'm just sorry you're too selfish to spare him and the rest of his pack everything that's to come."

"Is that a threat?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Just facts. My daughter would have been an ideal mate for Sean. He couldn't have done better than Lily."

Malcolm snorted. "That's debatable."

"Alice, I know you think you'll live happily ever after with Sean, but it's not going to happen." Sarah's patronizing tone set my teeth on edge. "Regardless of whatever dark magic you're using to influence him and however you've tricked him into believing you have a wolf within you that's anything more than a demonic illusion, the truth will come out. We'll see to that."

Instead of telling her what she could do with her taunts, I called into the darkness in my mind. Are you there?

My wolf raised her head.

Would you care to introduce yourself to members of the Were Ruling Council? I asked. Be calm and civil. No biting.

She curled her lip, her eyes glinting.

"In the spirit of truth, allow me to introduce my wolf," I told the shifters.

My wolf leaped from my body in a surge of shifter magic and landed on the pavement beside me in her all-black form, her eyes glowing bright gold. She shook herself briskly. It hurt less than last time. Maybe we were getting better at this.

Sarah took a step back involuntarily. Matthew and Zachary growled.

"She's a real wolf," I told them. "Made of magic, it's true, but as real as you and me. You want the truth about me and my wolf? You can sense the truth for yourselves."

"I don't believe it," Sarah breathed. "I've never seen anything like this."

"It's some kind of illusion," Matthew snarled.

My wolf showed him all of her teeth.

"No illusion." I glanced behind them. "Oh, that is excellent timing."

Sean's Mercedes pulled into the parking spot beside the SUV belonging to Matthew Anderson. He must have broken every speed limit on the way here from the office. He got out, his eyes golden.

To my surprise, my wolf left my side and met Sean as he approached. She sat beside him, watching the others. I might have been imagining it, but I thought her expression appeared smug.

He put his hand on her head. "I see you've met the newest addition to my pack."

"This is unacceptable," Matthew exploded. "Completely unacceptable. The Council?—"

"The Council will mind their own business," Sean stated. "I don't know what you were hoping to accomplish by confronting Alice like this, but I'm glad you've had a chance to see for yourselves that she does, in fact, have a very real wolf."

"Matthew was just telling me that Nan's former alpha should have killed her, and I should have died when Caleb attacked me," I interjected. "Oh, and Zachary wanted me to know we're bringing a lot of trouble to our pack. Sarah's concerned I'm controlling you with dark magic." I glanced at the three Council members. "Does that about sum it up?"

"All of which I've heard from the Council already." Sean shook his head. "Don't threaten us, Matthew."

To my surprise, Matthew didn't meet Sean's golden gaze. Was Sean more dominant than Matthew? "You're going to destroy your pack, Sean," he said.

"No, I'm going to have the best and strongest pack I've ever had."

"Not with this mage as your mate, you won't," Sarah told him. "Mages are only good at destroying things and killing."

"Some say that about shifters." Sean took his hand off my wolf's head. "Are we done here? Alice and I have plans for the rest of the afternoon. She needs to redo the dark magic spellwork on me."

My lips twitched. Malcolm laughed.

Zachary scowled. "This is no laughing matter." He too avoided Sean's gaze. I started to wonder whether their antagonism was more due to Sean's rising dominance than Nan or me. "I hear you met with the Hayes brothers last night. At this rate, you'll have no reputation left."

"On the contrary, I think we'll have a reputation we can be proud of." Sean gestured at my wolf. "Return home," he commanded.

She bounded across the pavement to me, turned to golden magic, and spiraled up my arm and into my chest. Contented and self-satisfied, she retreated back into the shadows. I let my eyes continue to glow with shifter magic, however, just to make a point.

"Freak," Sarah muttered.

Sean's eyes blazed. "Never speak to Alice that way again, Sarah—not unless you're ready to fight. The same goes for the rest of the Council. I won't tolerate your abuse of any member of my pack, especially Alice."

"This isn't over," Matthew warned.

"It is," Sean countered. "Now, either name a time and place for us to fight, or get the hell out of here."

Matthew took a step toward Sean. Shifter magic rose. Sean braced himself, and I spooled magic, ready for an attack.

Zachary put his hand on his brother's shoulder to hold him back. "Not here. Another day."

Matthew snarled and shrugged Zachary's hand off his arm. "Another day," he said, his voice edged with a growl.

All three got into their vehicle. Sean joined me beside the Maclin Security SUV. We watched them back out of their parking spot and leave the lot, turning into traffic with a screech of tires.

When they were gone, Sean kissed my temple. "I'm sorry."

"For what? That the Council is four-sevenths troglodytes and assholes?" I smiled up at him. "Thanks for riding to the rescue."

"You don't need rescuing." He squeezed my hand. "Let's get to your house so you can pack and still have some time to ourselves." He waved at the windows of the coffee shop. Carly waved back. She must have been watching our scene in the parking lot.

I gave her a little wave, then climbed into my borrowed SUV. Sean went to his Mercedes.

In the passenger seat area, Malcolm crossed his arms. "What a couple of jerks. You okay?"

"Yeah, just concerned about what the Council's going to do next, since I won't be here to help Sean deal with it." I backed out of my spot and followed Sean toward my house.

"Between Sean and Nan and everyone else, I think they'll have it covered. We're going to have our hands full tracking down Mariela in the Broken World. This is not going to be easy, Alice."

"It wouldn't be any fun if it was."

"Our definitions of fun are vastly different, apparently."

"Not that different. Remember how much fun you had helping me with Irene Miller's poltergeist problem?"

He grinned. "Oh, yeah—that was fun. Point taken. I still don't think the Broken World sounds fun, though."

"Adam says there are trolls. Trolls sound fun."

"Have you never read a fairy tale, Alice? Trolls are never fun."

"Maybe these trolls are."

"We could never be that lucky," he muttered. "Whatever, Alice. Just drive."

Despite everything, I chuckled most of the way home.

Later that evening, with my packing done and Malcolm at the bordello saying goodbye to Liam, I lay on top of Sean with my head on his chest as we both caught our breath.

"As going-away presents go, that was pretty good," I said when I could talk.

He kissed the top of my head. "Pretty good? You nearly screamed the house down. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the police. One wonders what I'd need to do to be rated higher than ‘pretty good.'"

"Okay, that was better than pretty good," I admitted. "Bordering on great, really."

He chuckled and rubbed his chin on my head. "Glad to hear it. After all, I take pride in my work."

"Is that an alpha thing?"

"It's a Sean thing." He wrapped his arms around me. "I believe you'll come back to me. I believe you'll beat whatever you're going to face. It's still killing me to let you go."

I raised my head to meet his golden gaze. "I know. If the situation were reversed, I don't know how I'd handle it. At least I've got Malcolm and my wolf. That's a pretty good team, really."

"It is a good team." He tucked some hair behind my ear. "You wrote me a letter?"

"I did. It's in my nightstand."

"How long do you expect to be gone?"

"I don't know." I laid my head on his chest again to listen to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. "Could be days, or weeks. I have no way of knowing until I get where I'm going."

"So when should I open the letter?"

"When you think it's time. I think you'll know."

He laced his fingers through mine. "There's no way for you to even get a message to me while you're gone?"

"No. I wish there was, but there isn't." I played with little wisps of magic, letting them dance over my fingertips and his hand. "When I get back, once my obligation to Valas is fulfilled, I'm done with the Court. I already told Malcolm that last night. No more cases, no more favors or work. No more being a favorite of the Court or Valas's little errand girl. No more." I glanced up at him. "I know that may bring trouble to our pack on several possible fronts, but I'm tired of vampires and their games."

"You know I'd love nothing more than for us to be as free from the Vampire Court as we can be. If that's what you want too, we'll figure out a way to make it work." He squeezed my hand. "Do you have anything you can use against Valas or the Court if they decide to play hardball?"

I thought about Valas's apparent need for the scroll and my suspicions regarding her physical condition. "I might."

"Good. I'll give it some thought in the meantime, and when you get back, we'll weigh our options." He nuzzled my hair. "Ever since you indebted yourself to Valas to save me, you've had a weight on your shoulders. Everyone who works for the Court has that weight on them, even your friend Arkady. There's something about being around vampires that leeches at the soul. Maybe it's knowing you're just a pawn to them, or the constant stress of trying to keep their fangs out of your neck." He growled, probably remembering the sight of Valas biting me during our fight with Mira?. "Whatever your obligation to Valas is, I'll be glad to see you free of it and back to doing what you do best: solving mysteries with Malcolm and having a pretty good time with me."

I laughed and kissed his chest. "I want that too."

"Good." He ran his lips along my jaw to my ear. "I have time for one more shot at greatness before you have to go." He kissed my neck and inhaled my scent. "I love you, Alice. Come back as soon as you can. I won't be whole until you're at my side again."

"I love you too," I told him. "More than good boots, whisky, or coffee."

He raised his eyebrows. "More than coffee? "

"Yep. Not more than Carly's blueberry scones, though. You'd have to be truly fantastic to rank higher than scones."

His eyes glinted. He flipped us over so quickly that I let out a squeak. "Challenge accepted," he said.