Chapter 28

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

After resting a little more and showering, I emerged from Fane's bedroom and grabbed a pair of jeans and a tank top from my room down the hall. Someone had bought me a pair of black boots and stuck them in the nearly barren closet.

Pangs ripped my heart apart at the gesture. I hated depending on anyone for anything, but every member of the Anders family had broken past my barriers. And, well, I really needed some shoes.

When voices echoed from the living room, I headed downstairs where Logan sat on one of the white couches, playing a video game with Dylan. As soon as the young wolf saw me, he tossed the controller aside, jumped up, and rushed to meet me at the last step.

"You're up!" Dylan crushed me in a hug that didn't bother me as much as it once did. "Mom wouldn't let me wake you for breakfast. I bet you're hungry."

I should have been since I'd hardly eaten anything in Heldrok, but my appetite was nowhere to be seen. "Maybe just a snack." I stepped onto the dark hardwoods and blanched at the nonexistent height difference between Dylan and me. "Whoa. Did you grow overnight?"

He grinned, pride shining in his hazel eyes. "I'm almost as tall as you. Maybe tomorrow I will be. Wolves grow fast."

"I see that." I ruffled his mix of caramel and copper strands. "You're not going to bully your brother when you get taller than him, are you?"

Dylan shrugged. "Karma's a bitch."

Logan chuckled and tossed his controller aside now that their game was paused. "I'd say it's fair to mess with Preston a little bit."

"Don't encourage him." I shook my head and plopped down on the seat next to the high demon.

Dylan darted into the kitchen. "I made you a surprise. I'll bring you some lemonade too."

I choked back the lump in my throat and turned to Logan. "Any word on Fane?" If Venna blamed him for my escape or if she tossed him back into Heldrok, I wouldn't stay in Mohan Wilds for long. I'd return to the Underworld to get him, my freedom forfeit.

Logan leaned forward and grabbed his glass of water from the table. "He's not with Venna anymore, who is livid that you escaped, but she has no idea Fane freed you. She assumes he left to track you. She's hoping he'll return you to her."

A breath of relief burst from my lungs, and I slumped against the couch cushions. "That's good."

"Even better, Venna is dealing with the aftermath of her little party," he said, dragging his fingers through his golden-brown hair. "While her guests were still disoriented from the Infernal Sol's influence, she easily slaughtered a bunch of them."

So that was her plan all along, to use me to take out her enemies and anyone that opposed her rule in Vlehull.

"Nadia and Ruin are working on locating a trusted witch powerful enough to break Kaspin's spell." Logan winced. "It might not be possible without the freaky old guy himself."

My shoulders drooped as a crushing weight settled on them. "If that's the case, we'll have to find a way to capture Kaspin." That wouldn't be easy.

"Here you go!" Dylan returned with a glass of lemonade and a crunchy-topped brownie. "It's candied bacon and jalape?os like I made before."

Some semblance of an appetite lurched forward. "These are so good." My mouth watered as he passed the brownie to me. I hadn't eaten anything spicy since the day Fane and I left Mohan Wilds to return to Ruin's.

Dylan dropped onto the couch, sandwiching me in between him and Logan. "There are more in the kitchen. No one else can handle the heat. Even Logan got all red-faced and sweaty when he tried one."

The high demon scoffed. "I did not. I just prefer my tongue not to be burned off."

"Little weakling," I said before stuffing a huge bite into my mouth, moaning at the deliciousness. "This is the best thing I've eaten in months." Chocolate mixed with the sweet and salty caramel bacon, and then the spice kicked in, pushing me over the edge of food bliss.

Dylan pumped his fist. "You like me best. Just admit it, Tate."

"Definitely," I said around another bite. "No doubt about it."

The door opened, and Preston and Ephraim walked in, smiling when they saw me.

"Tate, glad you're awake." Ephraim's amber eyes—so much like one of Fane's—softened as he studied me. "We've been so worried about you."

I swallowed the rest of my food as heat blossomed in my cheeks. "I'm fine." I grabbed the lemonade and chugged it to avoid speaking.

Preston waved Dylan out of the way. "Let me sit there."

He scoffed. "I'm her favorite. Not you."

The older wolf grabbed his little brother and plucked him off the couch. "You can't hog her, Dyl." Preston grinned as he sat beside me, noticing the balled-up napkin in my hand. "I see you've already gotten into those toxic brownies."

"They're not toxic, dillweed!" Dylan flipped his brother off while Ephraim wasn't paying attention. "You're just too weak to appreciate the sophisticated flavors and spice."

"Or I just wasn't born with a titanium tongue." Preston rested his arm around my shoulders. "Glad to see you alive and out of that place. That must have been hell."

I wiggled out from under his hold to grab my glass of lemonade. "Pretty much." Heldrok was worse than hell.

His smile fell, and he leaned forward. "We're not going to let anyone hurt you, even Fane. We'll stop him before he does something he'll regret. I promise."

The ever-growing lump in my throat returned, and it took a moment to find my voice. "Thanks."

Ephraim sat in the chair and sighed. "You should visit the healers. I think it'll help. "

I couldn't take the chance of flipping out on the Anders, especially without Fane here to stop me. So if Ephraim wanted me to see the pack healers, I would even though the thought unsettled me. What if they sensed the darkness in me and wanted to kick me out of pack territory?

I stepped onto the porch of the large two-story house at the end of the cul-de-sac, wiping my clammy palms on my jeans before knocking. Various plants and flowers decorated the porch, twisting around the white banister and coiling up the beams perched between the entryway.

Did I have the right place? I expected a little cottage in the woods like Cirilla's place.

I raised my hand to knock again when the door yanked opened, and a tall woman with strawberry blonde hair twisted in a braid down her back emerged.

"Oh, you." Mina stepped onto the porch, scowling. "I wasn't sure you'd ever return."

"Well, here I am." I crossed my arms against my chest, waiting for her insults. The last I saw of Mina, she'd dragged herself out of the healer house and spoke on my behalf at the council meeting. But I wouldn't hold my breath that we'd suddenly become besties.

She mirrored my stance. "We're not going to be best friends or anything. I hope you weren't expecting that."

I scoffed. "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Still, thanks for helping us that night. My brother would be dead if not for you." Mina's blueish-gray stare regarded me for several long, tense moments. "Is it true you and Fane were locked in an Underworld prison?"

"Yep." The constant screams beat against my ears for a few seconds as if I was still there.

"I can see why you're here then." She ticked her head toward the door. "They can help."

I nodded and slipped past her. "Thanks for coming to the council meeting."

Mina strolled down the stairs. "Let's not make it a habit of being so nice to each other." The edges of her lips twitched. "It feels weird."

"I thought it was just me." I cracked a smile and then headed into the house, closing the door behind me.

Rich hardwoods stretched through the foyer and around the corner beyond the white walls with decorative crown molding. The place had a rustic chic vibe and smelled of herbs and flowers. I felt oddly relaxed.

I arched an eyebrow and searched my surroundings for anything suspicious. Did they pump calming drugs through the vents or something?

"It's only lavender and a few other herbs." Julia, a healer and council member, sauntered into the room, her long, auburn waves swaying around her waist. "We use aroma therapy to create a calming atmosphere since wolves are prone to high emotions."

"What kind of herbs ?"

She chuckled, catching my meaning. "Nothing like that."

Probably not. Weed made me paranoid, so I sure as hell wouldn't be relaxed right now.

"Ephraim told me you were coming." She waved her hand for me to follow her into a living room with comfy couches and a few bean bag chairs. "Please have a seat."

I perched on the edge of one of the couches, my muscles stiff and spine straight.

"Would you care for something to drink?" she asked.

"No, thanks." My hands clasped and then unclasped a couple of times. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"I'm going to shift into my wolf form and sniff you from head to toe."

My head jerked back. "Seriously?"

Her laughter gently rang through the room. "I'm kidding." She picked up a tray with a needle and tube. "Let's start with a blood sample first."

"Oh." I gave a dry laugh and leaned into the cushions. Julia was one of the few council members who didn't hate Fane. She also didn't immediately jump on the bandwagon to punish me when Dorian spewed all those lies.

"You're not afraid of needles, are you?" Julia dragged a chair up and placed the tray on the coffee table.

After being poked and prodded by Ruin's alchemist for months, I'd been desensitized. "Not at all." I held my arm out so she could wrap a rubber band around it to bring the veins on my inner elbow to the surface.

"Ephraim told me about the situation with Fane." Julia slid the needle into my arm.

Heat flooded my cheeks. "Was there a pack meeting to announce that Fane wants to kill me?"

"Of course not." Crimson liquid slowly filled the tube. "Ephraim and the alpha informed some of the council members about the royal demon who imprisoned you two and the spell she had cast on him. They only want to ensure your safety."

Maybe they should consider their own safety with me here. I was a danger all on my own, but a psychotic demon princess was also after me.

"If we see Fane in pack territory, we're to alert Camus and Ephraim." Julia withdrew the needle and capped the vial of blood.

Fane wouldn't be seen by anyone unless he wanted to. He could easily slink through pack territory without a single soul being alerted to his presence.

"I'll run some tests on your blood to see if I can do anything to help ease your shifter into transforming." She leaned forward and held her hands out. "Now I'm going to try something a little less medical and a little more mystical."

The moisture left my mouth, but I didn't move as she gently rested her fingertips on my temples. Her eyes glowed as her wolf pushed toward the surface. The air around her pulsated with a fierce and wild nature that I'd barely glimpsed within myself. My chest ached, and I envied her connection to her wolf side.

She hadn't always had it, though. Julia was a bitten shifter. I could sense it as her energy twined around me.

After a few intense moments, she backed away and blinked the glow from her irises, smiling. "She's in there, and she's not going anywhere. I can feel her."

"Her?" I knew she meant my wolf side, but thinking of her as a separate entity was weird.

Julia shrugged. "You're one and the same, but something is keeping you from fully joining." She stood and walked to a large wall of cabinets. "I have something that may help settle the discord in you."

The dark powers roiling in me were a little more than discord.

Julia retrieved a small glass vial and made her way back to me. "Take two drops of this before bed."

I took the bottle, my lips pursing as I examined the green contents. "What is this?"

"You're better off not knowing, but it's nothing that will hurt you." She laced her fingers together as her head tilted. "There's nothing magic or unnatural in it, and it won't exacerbate any conflicting mystical energies in you."

Had she sensed the demon amulet inside of me?

"I knew you'd return before the next full moon." Cirilla, the mysterious wolf with fae blood, slinked into the room, her tan dress brushing her bare feet. "Didn't I tell you, Julia?"

The healer gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Ciri, I know. You said it a hundred times."

"Well, I was right." She scrutinized me from head to toe until I squirmed. "Don't be upset I called it, and you didn't."

Footsteps hit the hardwoods, and I tensed as Camus's intimidating form appeared from the long hall, alpha power throbbing from him. He'd never been terrible to me, but he wasn't always so calm and nice. The scars on Fane proved it.

Would he grill me on why a demon princess was after me? If he knew about the Infernal Sol, would he simply kick me out, or would the alpha want a piece of the amulet's power like most?