74. Anna

74

Anna

I woke up feeling far more refreshed and relaxed than I had in weeks. The dingy motel room was nothing like the luxury suite Emerson had imprisoned me in, but that didn't even matter to me. Jax was holding me in bed. I had friends surrounding me. I was safe.

And relaxed. Jax and I had spent well into the dawn hours screwing each other silly.

Both of us somehow felt that if we fucked enough, we could make the mating bond stay.

That wasn't how mating bonds worked, and we both knew it.

Maybe we were just making up for lost time.

When I opened my eyes, light flooded the room. Jax was still curled around me, but he was fully dressed. With a frown, I opened my eyes. He gave me a soft smile.

"What time is it?" I asked huskily as I sat up.

"A little before noon. Saul and Kenzi are out scouting the town, looking for spots where Emerson might post wolves and attack. Finn and Amelia are mostly arguing, and Janelle is sleeping. Saul gave her a tonic, but there's nothing he can do about her magic reserves. She'll need time and maybe another witch for that. Once you were awake, I was going to call Irene and see if we can verify her story."

"I can do that." Clearing my throat, I ran my hands over my face. "I want to feel useful, but I can't really leave the motel room. Let me make the call."

Jax nodded. "All right. The captain has someone who's going to do some shopping for us.

We didn't exactly travel here preparing for a multiple-week trip back, and if Emerson does have someone watching us, I don't want him to know that we're bulk buying. I'm going to go to a few shops today with Amelia and make a list to send to him to buy. Is there anything specific that you want?"

"Clothes. Some toiletries. I can send a list with Amelia. I wouldn't hate a knife since we can't shift in the middle of town."

"Understood. I'll get you a flare gun as well."

He said it with a grin, but I knew he was serious. If I'd asked him to find me a bazooka gun, he would have done it just so I could feel safe.

"I can send Finn with Amelia instead. It might do them some good to get out of the room."

"You should go. I'm going to be fine here," I told him. "You're going to be better at knowing what everyone needs, and Amelia might need a break from Finn. You don't need to be cooped up here with me. Finn will keep an eye on us, and I'll call Irene."

"I'll be waiting for Kenzi and Saul to return. I'm not leaving you with just one wolf to protect you," he said darkly and kissed the top of my head. "I can understand any desperate measure that Emerson might make to get you back. I would have gone to war for you. If he doesn't back down, I might still go to war over you."

That was not a thought I relished. I showered. There was a pair of jeans and a T-shirt waiting for me. I smelled Kenzi on them but didn't complain. Saul and Kenzi returned with lunch, and Jax and Amelia left to shop. Amelia looked eager to leave. I had a feeling that giving up her bond was making her anxious. It was making them all anxious, but it was also making her crazy keeping her cooped up.

My wolf felt safe, so she didn't care that she couldn't come out. She'd gone much longer not emerging.

I texted Irene and set up a video chat. At first, it was a dark screen, but I could hear Irene squealing. "Irene? Are you all right?" It didn't sound like she was in pain.

The screen moved, and I realized she was backing away from it. Relief was written all over her face. "I'm sorry. I was hugging the screen but I couldn't hug you. Jax had reported to Jenson that they had you. I'm so relieved I could cry. I wanted to come so bad, but I wouldn't be much help."

"I hope you're feeling better. You look better. Last time I saw you, you were slinging some mad magic."

"Me? Anna, you saved my life. And then you just walked away. I'm so mad at you I could scream."

"So you're mad at me and you want to hug me?"

"Yes. I'm allowed to feel both things," she announced loudly. "Jax's report didn't say much. How are you? Did Emerson hurt you? When I have my magic back, I might level his pack to the ground."

I gave her a run-down on what had happened and told her about Janelle. Her eyes widened.

"Holy crap. She must be the…granddaughter or great-granddaughter of the Lupine witch.

There were rumors that a wolf and a witch mated and produced a shifting witch, but it was never proven. I never believed it. I don't even think a hybrid is possible."

"I'm a null wolf?"

"Anomaly yes, but not a hybrid. Still, her family line must have gotten that magic from something. So maybe not a shifting witch but a witch that could bond with shifter magic and manipulate it. That's huge. And terrifying. I never saw any indication of it while she was here."

So it was possible that Janelle was telling the truth. It wasn't that I didn't believe her, but it just didn't seem possible. The confirmation helped.

"Is it possible that she manipulated most of his pack?"

Irene bit her bottom lip. "On one hand, I want to say that it would take an immense amount of power, but I didn't sense that kind of magic in Janelle. Also, I could be wrong. The alpha would be the crux of the magic. All bonds lead to him. She'd just have to weave magic through him, and the bonds would do the rest. So it's possible she's not all that powerful after all. She just has a terrifying kind of magic. Did Jax bond with her? She can manipulate his bonds."

I shook my head. "She says she needs permission." A thought struck me, and my eyes widened. "Do you think she was lying?"

"Maybe," Irene said slowly. "The only bond work I've ever done was darkening your mating bond. I had to borrow magic from all three of the Darkwyn witches to do it, and even then, I could only do it on Jax's end. I did need his cooperation to get in, and it was only cosmetic. Like, throwing a towel over it knowing that eventually, it would burn away. What Janelle is talking about is much more intricate. She probably does need permission, but I would still be careful. If Jax feels any strange shift in his bonds, he needs to sever her bond immediately."

I asked her if she thought the other witches could still have access to her, a terrifying thought since she was now bonded with Jax. Irene explained that stealing magic took close proximity.

"Wait, does that mean that the Darkwyn coven came to Black Diamond lands?"

"Oh, no. They would never. I can't think of anything that would make all of them abandon their den, especially the crone. We had to go there."

The lengths Jax had gone to, to make sure he could get to me. I was momentarily speechless.

"Anna, are you all right?"

I nodded. "It's just been a long few weeks. Janelle says one of the witches was an earth witch and is tinkering with the land. Any idea what Emerson might be doing?"

"Plenty. My spell consists of earth magic. His witch could be replicating that. She could be mining the land for something. More magic would be my guess. She could be rebuilding it. It's helpful if there's been a forest fire. She could be expanding the boundary."

"Wait, a witch can do that? Expand pack territory?" I wasn't entirely certain how pack territories were established. It wasn't just an agreement between wolves. There was magic involved. The land had to give permission.

"Yes, it's possible."

So Emerson could be trying to take the mountain. Still, even if he could use magic to expand his boundaries, he couldn't hold the wolves. He wasn't a strong enough alpha.

But maybe he was with Janelle.

"Irene, do you think Janelle has the power to steal an alpha bond?"

Irene opened her mouth, but then the screen froze. I waited a moment for the computer to fix itself, but the call abruptly ended. Technology was so finicky. I tried to call her back, but it wouldn't go through. I tried a normal phone call and then I noticed the top of the phone.

No service.

"Finn," I called out as I knocked on the door. "My phone just dropped service. Is yours working?"

The door opened as Finn pulled out his phone. With a frown, he shook his head. I looked at Kenzi and Saul, and they were already checking their phones.

"Is there wi-fi here? Try to make an internet call," I said, trying not to sound as panicked as I felt.

"I was already connected to the internet," Kenzi growled. "It's not working."

No internet. No service.

"Someone must be jamming the signals to the motel," Finn said in a low voice. He walked to the window and looked out.

My heart slammed against my ribs. "Not someone. Emerson."

"So we can't call out until we figure out where it is? That's obnoxious," Kenzi said.

"Not just call out." I met Finn's gaze. "It means that we can't get in touch with Jax, and he can't call us. Something is wrong."