4. Gray

4

GRAY

H elping Katarina and her beasts shouldn't have been so much fun, but I also felt like I owed it to Serena. I knew how much she loved her sister. While I hadn't spent a lot of time with Katarina, I knew she had been dealt a shit hand.

Once I knew she had everything under control, I picked off the stragglers, making sure no one escaped their fate. The air tasted like magic as I ran around the castle one last time before heading back to my mate.

Gray meet us at the rendezvous point! Soren's voice yelled in my mind.

Is Oria ok? I asked.

My jaw clenched as dread filled me, when they didn't respond to me. Everything in me told me to run to the spot we had left Oria. I hung back, unsure what to do. The rendezvous point was a ways away, but I just needed to check on where we had left Oria hoping they were safe.

I walked up to voices and snarls.

"Dammit!" A man yelled.

I hid behind a tree seeing a bunch of men around the car we had used to get here.

"I need someone to find me a witch, we need to find out where they went," the man yelled as other men sprang into action. "We need to find her and that cat immediately before he has time to tell her the truth. So, a few of you need to scour the area, staying hidden. The witch and the beasts must not know we are here."

Catzilla?

The men around him went off in various directions. The man looked at a certain spot. He walked toward it waving his arm around until a swirl of magic sparked to life. It grew stronger, looking like a portal had been opened, until it snuffed out immediately and he growled.

They had used a portal to get out of here. My shoulders sagged with relief, grateful they had gotten out. As much as I wanted to leave, I felt like we needed this; we needed information.

The man walked away from his failed attempt walking back to the car like he was looking for clues. A few men came back to talk to him, but they said nothing that I didn't already know.

They continued looking. The stakeout was turning out to be useless, I was not gaining anything from it and was about to leave when SHE arrived. I could tell it was Sunshine's mother because the air was saturated with her magic. You could taste it all bitter and dark. She wasn't like any other witches I had come across before.

She was a gorgeous woman, beautiful dark long hair, dark eyes and big full lips. She had perfected her RBF, but I think she had the magic to back her up. She was in a long dress that looked to be from the Victorian age, but with a gothic twist.

"Did you capture her?" Her voice was cool, but her eyes said she was ready to let loose if anyone pissed her off.

"No, she escaped with the vampire, a wolf and the cat," the man replied.

The air grew thick with magic, it was almost stifling even being so far away from them.

"How the hell did this happen?" Her tone was lethal. "Who are they?"

"I don't know," the man responded, unphased by her anger. "Your sister and Caston?—"

"I felt it," she snapped, walking away from the man towards the castle.

"Sir, we found nothing in the southern?—"

Laima turned around to look at the person who spoke. The man looked uncomfortable before his eyes bugged out and he clawed at his neck. Before I knew it, his neck snapping was the only sound I heard.

His body slumped onto the ground as she glared at him, then walked away. Killing him was like nothing to her. She was ruthless and she hadn't even heard everything he was going to say.

I waited until everyone followed her before moving towards the front of the castle, my mind raced with the need to do something, but I also felt a need to go back to my mate. My chest ached knowing she would worry. Opening one of my pockets I grabbed my phone, hoping it had some charge in it, but it was completely dead.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I walked to the front of the castle to see Laima walking through the destruction.

"Bring me Taylin and Merrick," I snapped. "I expect them within two days and tell my sister her assistance is needed."

Shit, I didn't expect Merrick to be involved too. This seemed way bigger than I had anticipated. How many people were in on Oria's secret. Who else had also used her?

My heart was beating fast as anger consumed me. Thoughts of running over there, snapping her and her minion's necks ran through my head. I could be fast enough, I could make it all go away or she could kill me before I even had a chance to get near her.

"I need that cat. Either capture or kill him; he's just as important as finding her," Laima snarled.

"Yes m'lady," the weird dude replied to her.

"I'll be at my sister's estate before I go back to the tower," she said, turning around to look at him. "If we are lucky, I can find out who she is with or find clues. Get me Joseph as well."

My blood ran cold when she said Joseph. That fucker was helping her and who knew for how long. I growled, barely keeping the sound low. Thankfully, I was far enough away that I don't think they heard me, but it looked like I needed to pay Joseph a visit before I went back to Sunshine.

Joseph lived close to a small town called Mountain View. He lived deep enough into the woods that he was usually left alone and I needed that for what I was about to do to him. His cabin looked run-down, but the inside was modern and sleek. He liked to pretend he was poor and needed the money, but I knew he was full of shit. We always met him at another house that was dilapidated, but I knew it was all a facade.

The only reason I knew where he lived was because I had had a bad feeling about him and I followed him home one day. Soren and I were surprised when he came here instead of the other house he claimed was his. He also had a wife and kids. Joseph was a family man, but I knew one day he would fuck us over. I just hoped he would be smart and think twice about it.

The lights were on inside as I tracked him walking inside with a daughter on his hip. A moment of guilt surged through me, but I needed his information, and possibly his life.

I knocked on the door knowing that he would try to either hide everyone or go out the back. Once he saw me through the door though, he knew he couldn't run anywhere I wouldn't catch him. He set his daughter down and walked to the front door. His heart was beating rapidly and I loved the smell of his fear.

"Can we not do it in front of my children?"

"You might want to say goodbye if this doesn't go how I want it to," I said, trying to scare him.

If it were Soren, he might have killed him already and Ryder would probably hear him out and kill him, but I wasn't as quick to kill as they were.

"Ok," he said, about to close the door, but I shook my head.

"It stays open and if you try and run, I'll make sure they all see you die in the most gruesome fashion," I growled.

"Of course," he said, leaving the door open as I heard him walk to the living room telling his wife that I was here to see him and that he loved her.

He kissed each of his kids and also told them he loved them and that daddy was very proud of them. His wife's heartbeat grew faster.

"We can run," his wife whispered.

He didn't say anything, but I assumed he shook his head at her.

My gut twisted as I came to terms with maybe having to kill this asshole.

He walked out of his home leading us to a few chairs around a pit.

"Look, I?—"

"No, you don't speak, you listen and you will answer me when I want you to. Got it?" I all but snarled at him.

He nodded.

"How long have you been feeding Laima information?"

"I don't—" his voice trailed off when he looked up at me. "Six months."

"Did she specifically ask about us or did she just need information?"

"It was specifically you at first, but she wanted to know who was looking for Oria when it started to grow scarce on the market," he said, looking really nervous. "I had no choice, Soren. She would have killed them or she would have sent Taylin."

I didn't correct him, letting him think it was Soren who was questioning him. Now he definitely wouldn't doubt me.

"Did she know who we were, like our names?"

"No, she told me to feed you bad information to Laima's magic shop, in hope the trolls would kill you," he said, looking at his hands. "She's been trying to kill every dealer that way, but I don't know why."

What he was saying didn't make any sense.

"Is she targeting magic shops?"

"No, just people like you and Ryder, but she also wanted Ryder's contact information. I was really hoping you wouldn't go to the shop. I thought maybe she would hire you before you went to the shop," he said chewing on his bottom lip. "She's terrifying and so is her lackey. She's trying to do something with Oria or keep it all for herself."

"What have you heard?"

"Laima is working for someone powerful like a god," he said, fear evident in his voice.

"Another god war?" I clenched my jaw hoping it was all bullshit.

"I think so, all the signs are pointing to her working for the father," he shuddered.

"Shit," I growled.

If this included the gods, the guys and I were no match for them.

"It's not just her working for the big guy, it's her and her sisters," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I don't know all their plans, but I know she's moving things around like a chess game."

"She's going to call for you," I said, watching his reaction.

He clenched his jaw. "I know, she said I needed to be available for her and if I wasn't, my family would pay."

"Then get out," I said. "Leave town, go to Canada. I know you have an escape plan and right now she's so busy she won't waste resources to look for you."

He looked up at me.

"Why are you being nice?" He eyed me warily.

"Look, I've seen how brutal she can be and even though you fucked us over," I said glaring at him. "I know you did it for your family and I know what it's like to want to do everything you can for them."

"I've been wanting to get out, but every time, I get pulled back in," he said, looking back at his home.

"This is your time to leave and don't come back," I said, standing up. "Don't make me regret letting you off easy, because I swear to the gods and goddesses, I will make them watch as I dismember your body."

"I'll leave tonight, I have a plan," he said, getting up too.

"I'm serious, Joseph, don't make me regret this," I said, walking away.

"I think you should think about leaving the country too," he shouted. "If she gets what she wants, this god war might just be the end of all of us."

I nodded walking away as fear clawed at me.

There is no way we would survive another god war; the last one nearly killed all of us. My family had talked about it before and there was so much destruction. Gods had been missing for over a century and if their father wanted to get rid of us, I don't think even his children could save us. We were all doomed.