Chapter 5

"Goddess help me, did something die in here?" came a shrill comment from the door as soon it started to move inward.

We could hear the yapping of people who were crowding at the partially opened entrance of the new moon chamber as we hunkered lower, pressing ourselves as hard as we could to the base of the alter. Must give credit to my best friend, she was fast when she needed to be. The second we realized we were about to get caught, she grabbed my arm and we dove for the alter, thankfully avoiding stepping in the mess I made. Curling up around each other I hoped we were invisible to anyone looking from the door. Sissily's elbow was jabbing me in the soft spot just above the hipbone but I bit hard on the inside of my mouth so I don't whimper.

They can't see us. They can't see us. I chanted on repeat inside my head.

"How is this chamber not cleaned?" Danika spoke so calmly, goosebumps prickled all over the skin of my arms.

I didn't need to be looking at her to know she had her teeth clenched and her nostrils were flaring while she did her best to set the ritual room on fire with her sharp glare. And Hecate help me I wanted to laugh so hard knowing she was pissed, like I've never wanted to laugh before. It was immature but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to gloat. That was until I saw a shadow from the corner of my eye and cold sweat washed over me.

One of my shoes was smack in the middle of the chamber the red sole sticking out like a sore thumb in the all black room.

My eyes nearly popped out of my skull and I clutched Sissily so hard she pinched my bicep so I would release her.

"Somebody will pay for this." Danika's voice snapped like a whip and I knew in that moment that she saw the shoe, as well. It was there, in the tone of her voice, the way she said somebody. That amount of disappointment in her words was reserved solely for me. I've heard it my entire life. "We can continue to my office. I cannot stand the stench."

Everyone followed her while she spoke and before we knew it we heard the door close with a loud bang. We both shivered, too afraid to believe we were not discovered. It could've also been from the throb present in the empty space between us. The obsidian which made the walls and floor of the building dulled the sound in a very specific way that it stayed for almost a minute in the empty space, vibrating the air. If the magic flames and black walls and floors didn't spook people enough, the ever-present vibration in the air would do the trick.

"It does stink in here." Sissily's face twisted in such a grimace like she smelled a rotten cheese. "What in the worlds did you eat, Hazel? Pickled dicks?"

"You're disgusting." Shoving away from her, and the stench which I would never admit was as horrible as she was saying, I hurried to grab my shoes that somehow ended up in two different sides of the alter. "I think Danika saw my shoe. I could feel her death glare aimed at me over the alter."

"We better hurry up and return where she left us. We can pretend we never left the room." My friend suggested reasonably. "How is she going to prove it was us here? Unless she tests DNA on your vomit."

"How many people you know wear five thousand-dollar shoes to come in this building and their name is not Byrne?" not bothering to wait and see her frown I hustled to the door and pressed my ear on it.

"As in normal people, or people who like pickled…stuff?' Sissily walked in a wide circle to avoid my mess and her face was so serious when I glanced at her over my shoulder you could've never guessed she just insulted me. Again.

"What is it with you and pickled condiments?" she just twitched her shoulder in a barely there shrug when I glared at her. "And for the record I drank half a bottle of whisky in less than ten minutes. That's why it stinks. It's all that acidity."

I did feel better after it all came out, though. The itch where the pentagram was on my finger was gone, too. Which reminded me.

"Do you think it's possible the mark," my finger popped up in case she didn't know what I was referring to. "warns me when danger is near?" Sissily looked confused so I huffed on my stupidity. "Never mind. It's dumb anyway."

"I never said is dumb, although you do have some pretty out there ideas most of the time." Her lips twitched in a suppressed smile so she could take the sting out of her words. She was not wrong. "I'm just trying to think of what kind of danger were you in when we came in this chamber. I mean, what are they going to do if they find us eavesdropping? Put us in time out?"

"I rather not be found."

"Same. But I'm just saying, you know."

"You are right." With a sigh I returned to pressing my ear on the door to see if we can leave. "I said it was dumb. It just starts itching or burning at most inconvenient times so I thought…I have no clue what I thought."

"It's something to consider." She smacked my shoulder with the back of her hand when I glanced at her incredulously. "I'm serious. You are a riddle for everyone. No one knows what you can, or cannot do. Whose to say that the mark is not guiding you somehow? We should start paying it closer attention and notice when it reacts and why."

"We can go, I think." Pulling the door slowly open, I leaned in only enough to be able to see with one eye down the hallway. No one was there so I stepped out waving Sissily to follow me. "Did you notice that Alex was not with them? Or was it just me?"

"Yeah, I don't think he was with them." She answered reluctantly, probably wondering if she should call me out on changing the subject. I was grateful she dropped it and played along. "Maybe we should take him as example and skedaddle from here too. We can come back later, or tomorrow to talk to Danika. When there is less suits prancing around."

We were about ten feet away from the door when I heard the soft shuffle of feet and I only had time to grab my friend and push us both flat on the wall face first. Her protest about me mushing her face on the stone died fast when someone cleared their throat too close for me to hope they didn't see us.

"And you see?" I said loud enough for it not to sound like a whisper and waved a hand indicating the wall we were plastered on. "That is the best way to fully feel the vibration of the stone. Your pores absorb its energy when it makes contact with your skin."

Sissily was watching me like she has never seen me before or like I've grown a second head. This girl needed to get with the program because I didn't want Danika to hear I was skulking in the hallways on top of all the rest of the clusterfucks I caused in one day. I wanted to slap my best friend because we were supposed to act like we had a purpose for standing here. No one pays attention if you look like you belong.

Which I thought we were failing at, miserably.

It took everything in me to ignore whoever was standing there watching the show. But Sissily was still silent gaping like a fish at me.

"Well?" nodding encouragingly at her I pointed at the wall she was still leaning on. "Did you feel it?"

"Did I feel what?" lips parted she mumbled the question.

"The obsidian." Speaking slowly like to a simpleton I exaggerated the word. "The reason why we are here? Hugging it?"

Instead of catching up, she darted her gaze sideways over my shoulder and right at whoever was standing there silently like some creep. I wanted to turn and see, as well but if I was going to sell the story I had to be committed to it. Otherwise we were doomed. I was a horrible actress.

Sissily snorted.

I really wanted to slap her so she would snap out of it.

"I too would like to know if she felt it." Ace spoke from behind me, laughter evident in his tone. "More importantly I'd like to know if you felt it, Hazel." I spun around to glower at him so fast I almost tripped. "The vibration, I mean."

Sissily chortled like a fend.

"You'll feel it alright if you come closer you snitch." Hissing at him I pulled my hand back and chucked my shoes at his head. He ducked the fucker. "Why are you here? To get more information to go tell your Alpha? Go. Shoo. He might give you a bone if you are a good boy."

"You're such a bitch." Sissily muttered under her breath shaking her head and giving Ace a pitying glance.

"It's one of her charms, Sissily. Don't be too upset with her." Grinning from ear to ear, the shifter told her, unperturbed by my jab.

"He could've said something instead of letting me make a fool out of myself and lurking there without a word." If I sounded defensive, it was because I was. I was still salty that he called Alex and told him about the squeamish that morning.

"I wanted to see what happens next." Ace shrugged unapologetically and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "It was quite impressive, really. You should audition sometimes. You might become a star for the humans."

"If you laugh I'll zap you." I pointed at Sissily who was about to do just that. "And you…"

"Hey, hey, I come in peace." The moment my finger pointed in his direction, Ace raised both hands palms up in surrender. "Alex seems very unhappy about something that was said, which is why he told them he had some urgent pack business to attend to and left. He told me to find you, and not let you out of my sight." Determination shone in his irises and chills skirted up my spine when his wolf peeked at me through them. "Something is off about this whole visit, Hazel. Like it or not you are stuck with me until Alpha says you are free."

Self-preservation was a new hobby of mine so forgetting all jabs and tormenting of the shifter I hugged my middle and leaned back on the wall. Both of them fully expected me to argue about having a bodyguard with me twenty-four seven but I was no longer the dumb Hazel from a few weeks ago. I learned my lesson the hard way. This Hazel was the obedient one.

Well, obedient-ish.

Let's not get too far.

"Did he say why?" Sissily immediately shuffled up to me and wrapped an arm over my shoulders. "Should we stay here or leave, you think?" her palm started rubbing my shoulder and I appreciated the support and the warmth it created over my chilled skin.

Ace shook his head, and cautiously turned to check behind him and down the hallway to make sure we were the only ones here. "The only he said was, trust no one and the only way you are separated from Hazel better be by removing your dead carcass from her."

"That sounds ominous." I visibly shivered. "Maybe we should leave and come back tomorrow. I mean I already told Danika why I was here. If she agrees to my plan she knows my number."

"We go back to pack lands." Ace agreed too happily, the relief evident on his face.

"Actually, I haven't felt like a normal person since this crazy shit show started. I think we should go have a good cup of coffee and some pastries." I waved a hand to stop the shifter's protests. "Amber will be there. Plus, that café is as good as pack lands, don't you think?"

"It's too much of a risk." He started and lo and behold Sissily decided to come to my rescue.

"She was sick earlier and her stomach is empty right now. Plus, she'll be less of a pain in the ass if we feed her and load her with caffeine."

"I told you not to gulp that whisky down like that." Ace lectured so I narrowed my eyes on him.

"Okay, dad. I'll sip it slower next time." The crooked grin he gave me used to flip flop my stomach but I was still woozy to react. "Scratch that. Me and Mr. Whisky are taking a break. It's not me, it's him."

"I bet it is." Sissily snickered so I bumped her with my shoulder.

"Okay, okay." Ace took a step backward sounding defeated. "You two win. Let's take you for a coffee and some food. Let Amber deal with your spoiled asses. Bloody witches. Never happy with anything you want to do."

"Keep taking and I'll turn you into a frog." Sissily threatened with a huge smile. Ever since they stuck me in a room at Alex's house these two became as thick as thieves.

"I'll willingly sacrifice myself if Hazel kisses me after it."

"Kiss you?" taking his lead to lighten the mood we followed behind him. "If she turns you into a frog I'll eat you."

The shifter's eyebrows shot up all the way to his hairline and Sissily choked next to me.

"I meant I'll fry your drumsticks, fool." Glaring at his excited face I elbowed my best friend for good measure. "The two of you are horrible."

Ace bent down and picked up the shoes I threw at him without slowing his stride. Both of them kept snorting and choking while I stewed in frustration.

"Whatever you say, princess." Ace snickered, not knowing how blessed he was for holding my shoes in his hands. If I had them I would've jabbed the heel in the back of his skull.

"Just hurry up. Nutjob." Shaking my head, I ignored their shenanigans

"We wasted precious time sneaking around and coming here. We didn't hear any useful information." Sissily mumbled as she rubbernecked to make sure no one was watching us leave.

"Not necessarily true." I pointed out, watching Ace lift his nose and sniff the air. He was making sure no one was hiding around us. "I learned that the ritual chambers have air vents tucked in the corners." Incredulously I shook my head, still baffled by that discovery.

"Not all chambers, just that one." Sissily corrected me but she stiffened at my mention of the duct she opened so we could eavesdrop. "And it's not an air vent."

"What else could it be, Sissily?"

"It's a drain, not a vent." Her tone was short and I frowned at her, my curiosity peeked.

"A drain for water when they clean the floors you mean?" when she stayed silent and stared ahead as if we were facing a horseman of the apocalypse I tugged on her arm. "A drain for water?"

"No."

"you have to give me more than that. I won't stop until you tell me." She knew it, I knew it, too. I spoke the truth.

"For blood." Sissily rushed the word hoping I won't hear it.

I tripped over my own two feet.