25. Maya

25

Maya

"Bow your heads," I whispered to the others as I moved forward.

"Excuse me?" Duke snapped. "I will not. She is not my queen."

"She is not a wolf," I returned in a furious whisper. "She's the one doing this. She's a witch and a fucking powerful one, and we've wandered into her territory with a magical amulet. Show some respect to her and maybe she won't kill us with the snap of her fingers."

For a horrible moment, I thought they weren't going to comply. With the exception of Tessa and Paisley, these were wolves who were used to being at the top, with only Rhyson above them. They didn't show their necks for anyone else.

"I'm not telling you to kneel. I'm telling you to let her know that you aren't questioning her authority."

Rhyson bowed his head first, and the others followed. Gently, I took the amulet from Rhyson and held it up. "We were told that this was an abandoned but safe way to travel," I called up to her. "We did not mean to disturb you."

She blinked out of existence and reappeared right in front of me. Rhyson grabbed me and pulled me behind him with a growl, but the witch just laughed. "If I wanted to hurt her, wolf, I would have done it much sooner. Relinquish the amulet."

My hands didn't tremble as I held it out to her. She was fucking awesome, and I was terrified of her, but I knew how to hide my fear. She looked at Rhyson coolly and then studied the top of his head. "What?" he snarled before I poked him in the back.

"I heard you were dipped in gold. I'm a little disappointed," she said in a dead voice as she took the amulet from me. "There is no group of witches south of me. Where did you get this?"

"It was a human settlement. At least, we thought they were humans. They smelled weird, and the kid said they were witches," Rhyson said.

Her gaze dropped to Paisley. When she reached out and touched him, he gasped and fell to the ground. "Hey," I shouted and shot forward. "What did you do to him?"

"Purified him. He was maybe a day away from going into shock and dying," she said calmly. "A human settlement that smells weird. And they sent you here."

"Through here," Rhyson corrected her. I crouched next to Paisley and rolled my eyes. In his need to always be right and to dominate, he'd given her far more information than she needed.

The boy had stilled, but his heartbeat was strong. His skin was far warmer than before, and when he opened his eyes, they were clear and sharp.

With a touch of her hand, she had cleansed him of the drug.

Fuck. Me. We needed to step very carefully around her.

"And where are you going?" the woman continued as she pocketed the amulet. When no one answered, she raised her hand.

"Black Diamond," I said quickly. "We were told we could get answers there."

"These humans told you? What makes you think Jax will talk to you? You are enemy number one on this mountain, and that power inside you won't do you much good," she said with a first trace of amusement. "He may very well kill you on sight."

"Only if he knows who I am. I am not traveling under a title. I'm simply a wolf looking for answers," Rhyson said steadily. "The woman said if we told him that Sera sent us, he would speak to us."

The woman's eyes glowed gold. "Sera," she whispered. "You will tell me where this settlement is, and I will get you where you want to go."

Immediately, I stood. Rhyson accused me of not having any loyalty, but I was about to prove him wrong. "They helped us. We would never have gotten this far without him. Their healer has made it so that I've traveled without knee pain and I don't have to deal with morning sickness. They fed and housed us, and they asked for nothing in return. If you mean them harm…"

"I have also helped you," the witch interrupted. "I could have killed you the moment you entered my territory, yet all I did was try to scare you away. I've saved this boy's life."

"But you are asking for something from us," Rhyson reminded her.

The woman drew herself up to her full height. "Fine. I do not wish this Sera any harm…for now. She is not wolf nor human nor witch. The same can probably be said for this whole community. She is a magic I wish to know more about, and I do not intend to dissect her to learn of it. Satisfied?"

"Then what is she?" Juniper blurted out. "I mean, there are some weird things on this mountain, but they weren't monsters."

The woman smiled coldly. "Fae."

I wrinkled my nose. "Fae? Like…fairies? That's a thing? A real thing?"

"I see civilization has tamed you to the point that you no longer know your own history." She frowned. "Pity. Give me the direction, and I will see that you get to your destination and that Jax speaks to you, unless the information you seek hurts him in some way."

"We're actually seeking information on a man named Emerson. We're told he's an alpha. Perhaps you can see us to him instead," Rhyson said.

"Emerson," the witch repeated before she smiled slowly. "Oh, what the crone could have done with you. I will not take you to Emerson. I will take you to Jax."

"Why?" Rhyson blurted.

"Because Emerson Briggs is dead."

Rhyson's wolf rose fast and furious within him, but the witch didn't step back. I quickly put my hand on his arm. "You didn't just come here for revenge," I reminded him. "You wanted answers."

"I do not have the sight." She almost sounded bitter about it. "But nobody comes to this mountain without a reason. Perhaps your vengeance can still be had, or perhaps you will find something more important. I can only grant you safe passage to your next stop."

Slowly, I reached out my arm. "I've bled several places on our travels, including within their camp. If you take my blood, can you track it?"

Before I could blink, she had my arm in one hand and a knife in the other. "For future reference, it's incredibly stupid to give your blood to a witch."

She sliced my arm just as Rhyson pulled me back, but it was too late. Her fingers swiped over the wound and came back bloodied. I hissed in pain, and she dabbed the blood on her shirt. "Hold on to each other," she instructed. "And hold your breath. I'm told this process is unpleasant for those who aren't witches."

I was about to ask what she was doing when the ground disappeared from beneath my feet. The world blinked out of existence for a second until I fell heavily. Shouts of alarm rose over me, and I felt something break under me before I tumbled to the floor.

"Lunessa," someone shouted. "That was a new fucking table."

The angry shout was met with silence, and when I looked up, there was a male and a female staring down at me, first in shock and then in panic. Her hand went to her belly. "Lunessa, when did you start being able to transport this many wolves at once?"

"You'd be surprised what I can do now, cousin," the witch said smoothly. "I've brought you a gift. They're outsiders looking for Emerson. Enjoy."

Rhyson rose and stood toe-to-toe with the male alpha. "You're Jax Bishop?"

Wolves rose up, and next to me, Duke, Dante, Nash, and Juniper started to shift.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't do that," the woman next to him said sweetly. I blinked and squeaked.

She held a gun in her hand, and she'd pointed it straight at Rhyson's head.