Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A dull throbbing in my temples begins as the landscape fades from midnight blue to purple. I massage the pulse points with my thumb and pointer fingers as Fell and Bo doze lightly beside me.

Relaxed in sleep, they look younger in the moonlight. The spacious three-row sport utility has become a home on wheels. I run a hand up and down my black, tights-clad thighs. Anxiety prickles over my skin as I struggle against an impending migraine.

For the past few days, they'd been taking shifts, two awake, and two asleep, even when we stopped to rest in hotels. Kirk turns to the left and peers at me through the gap in the seats.

"You okay?"

"I've got a headache coming on."

"I should have something for that." He reaches down and pulls out his ever-present medical kit and two invisible ice picks drive into my temple.

I grunt as my body jerks at the invisible assault. Slamming my eyes shut, I fold myself in half, hugging my knees.

Images swirl around in my mind like a carousel. I try to focus on the blurry blobs and make sense of the chaos. The tilt- o-whirl effect ends, and I see the robed figures in a dank room illuminated by dozens of thick pillar candles on gold stands. Smoke rises from golden bowls, and I strain to hear the faint chanting.

A scream rips through the air, and I peer through the gaps in the bodies to see a woman writhing on the floor. Her body arches and twists unnaturally. Rising off the floor and slamming back down onto the stone, her face is a twisted mask of agony. Her eyes pop open and roll back into her head, showing the whites like the underbelly of a fish. Bones snap and her body contorts like a circus sideshow freak. Jerky and sluggish, her shift from woman to wolf is off.

"This isn't working," a woman I recognize as the dressmaker says.

"Continue." I know that garbled voice. It's the burned man. "We need more energy to find the amulet before they do."

The voices raise once more in a rhythmic pattern and the woman convulses. Her mouth foams and her hands turn to paws. What the hell are they doing to her?

"We're close," the burned man says. I scan the circle trying to locate him, but he exists outside the area I can view.

"You're going to kill her," a male voice calls.

"What's one person's life—" His voice trails off. "We have an intruder. Sneaky." They all turn to look at me.

My heart beats like a hummingbird's wings in my chest.

"You don't belong here."

Forced away from the scene, I'm pushed through a dark tunnel. I struggle against the block, trying to return to see more information.

Pressure on my chest forces me to release the tentative hold I have. A warm hand wraps around my upper arm. "Ylva." The panic in Kirk's voice pulls me back from the strange dark abyss. I lift heavy lids and find myself sprawled across the back seat; head cradled in Fell's lap.

Kirk hovers over me and Bo has his arm wrapped around my ankle while Cadoc stands guard at the door by my head.

I lift my hand and cover Fell's hand with my own. "I'm here."

"What the hell happened, princess?" Bo barks.

"I saw them."

"Who?" Fell asks.

"The fellowship and the burned man."

"Where?"

"Give her room." Kirk budges him away and shines a light in my eye. I cringe.

"I'm okay." I push his hand away as I get up into a sitting position. "They were doing something to a woman. Making her shift against her will. It was sick." I shake my head, and chill bumps rise over my arms.

"What was wrong with the shift?" Kirk asks, kneeling on the floor beside me.

"It was choppy and excruciatingly painful. She looked possessed," I whisper.

"You had another vision?" Fell asks.

"No, it wasn't like a vision of the past or present. He knew I was there—the burned man. He saw me. He—they're after the amulet too."

"Saw you how?" Kirk asks.

I shrug. "I'm not sure. He knew I was there, and he kicked me out. He has to be a child of Fenrir for another pack."

"Fenrir said he chose you," Fell says.

"Doesn't mean I'm the only option." That puts me in the way of the burned man. I get the feeling that's a bad place to be. There was no empathy in his voice.

"There can only be one Keeper of the Amulet. And we'll make damned sure it's you." Cadoc's voice is icy and full of savagery.

"He's a million times more advanced than me. I don't even know how I wound up in that room."

"We'll have to fix that," Fell says.

"Happen to know a magic worker?" I ask sarcastically.

"Cal."

"We already owe her a favor. Would you have us indebted for the rest of our life?" Fell asks.

"Do you have a better plan?" Bo arches a thick brow.

"Everything she needs is already inside her," Fell says.

"Enough with your cryptic bullshit," Bo snaps.

"Life is nothing but a mystery we've yet to uncover."

Bo snickers. I lean forward and place a hand on Bo's shoulder, shaking my head. The energy in our space has turned. This is more than Fell being strange. He's going to drop a golden nugget of knowledge.

"Are you defending him?" Bo's scowls, disgusted.

"They're coming."

I turn to Fell, seeing the slack expression I remember from my childhood.

"The wolves." He pauses. "And the others. It's a tangled web of allies and enemies. Be careful who you choose."

"How can we tell friend from foe?" I ask.

Fell laughs. "They change with the wind. Necessity creates powerful, unlikely bridges to the future." Sorrow creases his face. "I can feel the Volva fading. She'll ascend to Hel soon where she'll sit with the others who've gone before us. Those who help without making war."

"She said as much when we saw her. Do you think this act is impressive?" Bo scoffs.

"Easy." Cadoc holds out a hand.

"You lack faith because believing makes you vulnerable, but that wasn't always the case."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about?—"

"The secrets you hold are poison. You'll have to choose whose side you're on before everything is done."

Blood drains from Bo's face, and he turns pale.

A wave of panic smothers the flames of dissension. Something shatters in the pack connection like a rubber band pushed past its elasticity.

The weakened presence of the Volva disappears altogether. She's left this plane for another and begun her official trip to the afterlife.

"I can sense her knowledge hovering just out of reach," Fell muses.

"Can you understand it?" Kirk asks.

"Not yet. She's still hovering between worlds, clinging to life. I don't know where she went when she left us. But she doesn't have long. Once the funeral pyre is completed and the mourning period has passed, things will change."

I look over at Cadoc, who watches us with a concerned expression. "What do you think will happen if you're not there in seven days for the feast that ends the pack's mourning period and celebrates her life?" Cadoc asks.

"They'll put a false prophet in place," Fell says.

"We can't let that happen," I say.

"Then we'd better find that amulet quickly," Bo mumbles. He holds up his sundial and frowns. "Not that this is any help." The dial begins to spin wildly.

"I think you offended it," Cadoc says amused.

"It's hot." Bo switches it to his opposite hand, shaking it out.

"Where is it leading us?" I ask, peering at the GPS screen mounted in the dash.

"Nowhere," Cadoc mutters with a shake of his head.

Kirk zooms in on the map on the dashboard. "According to the map, it's a wooded area."

"What the hell?" I whisper.

"I don't know, but we'll find out in the next thirty minutes," Fell says.

"And how do you feel about that?" I ask.

"Oh, now you trust me?" Fell asks snarkily.

"I've always trusted your instincts." I narrow my eyes, batting away the guilt he's trying to thrust on me. "There was a time when I trusted you explicitly. You ruined that when you ghosted me during the most important transition of my life."

"That was done to keep you and my family safe." His voice booms through the car as if ripped out of him.

"Wait. What?" Eyes widening, I process his words. "Say that again."

His mouth flops open.

I grip his shirt tight and my voice breaks as I give a ragged laugh. "Did you hear what you said?"

"I- the spell must be breaking," he mumbles.

"Does the caster realize that?" Kirk asks.

"I fucking hope not, we're up to our necks in problems as it is," Cadoc mumbles.

"One we can solve. Let's get the car back on the road," Bo says.

"Are you okay?" Kirk cups the side of my face.

"I'm fine." I glance over at Fell. He's the one I'm worried about. Glassy-eyed and off-kilter, he has me uneasy.

"Are you giving her a bill of good health?" Cadoc asks.

"For now," Kirk says cautiously.

I roll my eyes as the men move into action. Admiring the width of their shoulders, and the ripple of muscles under their t-shirts as they move as he stretches in the seat.

"If you feel anything strange, you let us know right away, princess," Bo demands.

I roll my eyes ignoring his command.

His hand shoots out, and he grips my jaw, turning me to face him. "Did you hear me?"

"You're not my keeper."

"No. I'm your mate, and that makes this my right."

I jerk back, slipping away from his grip, and he chuckles darkly.

"Little princess wants to play?" he asks. I curse the close quarters of the SUV. As spacious as the luxury vehicle is, it prevents me from putting more distance between us.

"I belong to myself, Bo."

His eyes flicker amber. "Do you still believe that?" He tilts his head.

"I know that."

"Where does that leave the four of us then?" He gestures to those around him.

Bo's blunt question surprises me. "What?"

"If you don't belong to us, what are we? Arm candy?" He scoffs at the notion.

"You're my partners in this situation." I don't want to hurt his feelings, but we have more healing to do.

"It's not a business deal?—"

"Isn't it?" I counter narrowing my gaze.

His jaw clenches.

"You've made it clear you think of me as something you own, not a woman you chose."

Bo moves into my space. His breath caresses my lips, and I hold his fury-filled gaze.

I'm done cowering before him. "I used to tiptoe around you, trying not to catch your attention. I envied the way you held court among all the other wolves. Until I realized only a hurt person would do the things you did."

"You don't know what you're talking about?—"

"It's easy to pick on someone weaker than you. Made me wonder who was making you their bitch."

His hand wraps around my neck and squeezes. "Careful, you don't want to push past boundaries you can't uncross."

I lean into the pressure his flesh necklace has on my windpipe. "Or what?"

His eyes widen. "What do I have left to lose? I'm doing this for the pack. You should be on your knees thanking me, not trying to antagonize me for petty reasons I don't understand."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Me bowing before you."

He sneers. "Careful, you're projecting."

I flick my tongue out to lick his lips and he releases me, stunned. I chuckle and lean back into my seat. Checkmate.

"Learning to use your claws now, huh? That's good. You're going to need them."

I scowl at his ability to make things about him.

"You might find those sharp curved nails in you," Fell says.

"A little magic starts to wear off on you and suddenly your balls drop?" Bo asks.

A growl rumbles in Fells' chest. "The chains that bond me are breaking, expect changes."

His confident response has me closing my thighs together. This was the person I'd been head over heels for. What else had the spell on him changed? Using my peripheral vision, I study him for more outward changes. Even the way he sits is different. Back straight, and eyes bright and clear, his entire demeanor is shifting, and I'm not sure how to feel.

I've spent so many years hating him for what he did. How can I blame him for things that were beyond his control? It doesn't take away the humiliation, embarrassment, or pain, but it shifts the blame.

What does that mean for us?

He turns his head and snags my gaze. "You good?"

Unable to speak, I nod.

"I never would've hurt you like that of my own free will," Fell whispers. He curls his fingers around one of my hairs and tugs lightly.

I bite the inside of my cheek to stifle my moan. "I want to believe that," I rasp.

"What would it take to make that a reality?" Fell whispers. His green eyes bore into mine.

"I don't know." My voice wavers and he nods.

"We'll figure it out together then." His words flood me with warmth and the dangerous four-letter word: hope.

Tires squeal, and I'm tossed forward and slammed back against the seat as the belt across my body tightens. Smoke drifts up from the road.

"What the hell, Cadoc!" Bo yells.

"Something ran out in front of us," Kirk says.

"Drive," Fell barks.

A large shadow leaps in front of the car, and two others swiftly join it, forming a line. Massive hulking black shapes; they're too solid to be shadows.

A strange howl sounds in the distance and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There's something garbled and off about that sound.

Thud. The car rocks under a heavy weight. The metal on the roof buckles. Screaming, I peer into the night, seeing shadowy shapes. My mates throw the doors open and begin to shift.