Chapter 15

Fifteen

"I'm a genius. So how could I be so incredibly stupid?" ~ Jewel

" W akey, wakey, little healer."

Jewel stirred at the sound of the familiar voice. It wasn't the voice she wanted to hear, even though the owner was the one she had reached out to. She blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. "Celise?"

"You rang?" The sprite showed Jewel her phone. "Well, actually, you texted. But you get the sentiment."

Jewel pushed herself into a sitting position and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She glanced at the grime-covered windows and saw that, though it was dark, there was a hint of light beginning to break through the night sky.

"You said it was urgent. So I got here as quickly as I could."

Everything came rushing back into Jewel's mind, and her heart felt like it would crack in two. "I couldn't stay there. Peri would have bound me, and I wouldn't have been able to leave. If we're doing this, we need to get on it. I'm tired, and I don't know how long I can keep my mate bond closed."

Celise tapped her chin and then nodded. "I think we can move up the timeline." The sprite picked up Jewel's phone, slipped both hers and Jewel's into her pocket, and then helped Jewel to her feet. "Let's get going. We've got work to do."

Celise opened a portal, and Jewel followed her through it. "Where are we going?" Jewel was still trying to wake up from the impromptu nap. The exhaustion she felt earlier lingered.

"We've got to make a stop to gather some things, and then we'll head to the location that has the power we need to generate the spell."

Celise sounded oddly cheerful, like a gleeful child on their way to get ice cream. Jewel wondered if the sprite would start skipping instead of walking.

Jewel looked around and saw that they were in what appeared to be a village—quite primitive, actually. It felt as if they had stepped back in time a couple of hundred years. The people ignored them as they walked down the dirt road that ran between the cottage-like structures on either side. Celise stopped at the very last cottage where an elderly woman—wrinkled with age and hunched over, balancing herself on a cane—stepped off the stoop.

"I wondered when you'd show up." The old woman's voice was crackly and rough.

"These things take time. Do you have what I need?"

The old woman tsked. "I told you I did. Why would I lie?"

Celise huffed and muttered, "I can think of many reasons," but Jewel didn't think it was loud enough for the old woman to hear.

"It's in one of these pockets." The woman stuck her hand in various places in the ragged skirt that had seen better days. After several tries, she finally pulled out a small bottle. "That's all there is, so don't waste it."

"I'm perfectly capable of keeping sacred things safe," Celise grumbled. She then turned and continued down the path they had been walking.

"Remember the part I played in this, sprite," the old woman called out.

Celise simply raised her hand as if to wave the woman's words away.

Soon enough, they exited the strange place and began walking into the trees, still on a path but now alone. Once again, Celise opened a portal and motioned for Jewel to step through. She did and entered a clearing. There was a large rock, as tall as a house, with vines and moss growing all over it. Trees circled the clearing, but in the center, nothing grew—no grass, no flowers, no weeds—just dirt beneath her feet.

"What is this place?" Unease grew inside Jewel, more intense than usual when she was around Celise.

"A sacred place," the sprite answered. "Old magic dwells here."

Jewel's brow furrowed as she knelt and pressed her palm against the cool earth. A palpable sense of malevolent anger emanated from the ground, seeping into her being like a thick, suffocating fog. It wasn't her own emotions she felt, but a dark and potent energy that belonged to someone else, or perhaps many others. She could feel it crawling up her arm like an insidious vine, creeping toward her heart. With a shudder, she withdrew her hand from the dirt, brushing off the remnants on her jeans with a grimace.

Celise watched her with interest. "You feel it."

"I feel something evil."

"Not evil," the sprite countered. "Dark. Darkness does not equate to evil. We've already discussed this, Jewel. We must use the darkness in order to bring your mother across the veil, back to the side of the living. That's not an evil action. It's one done out of deep love."

Jewel noticed a large rock with a flat top, almost like an altar, though not as large. Celise was pulling things out of the satchel she always carried—the book that supposedly held the spell to bring back Jewel's mother, several jars filled with various colored liquids, and other items that Jewel couldn't identify and honestly wasn't sure she wanted to.

She continued to walk around the clearing while Celise worked. The longer she stayed, the heavier the weight of the darkness pressed down on her. It was wrong. The healer magic in Jewel screamed at her to get out of there, but when she stepped up to the boundary where the dirt changed back to grass, Jewel found she couldn't cross it. Her body literally wouldn't move forward, no matter how hard her brain commanded her feet. She continued to step along the edge, trying to keep her panic under control. She didn't want to tip Celise off to the fact that she was about to lose it. As she walked the circle, Jewel realized she was trapped.

"It's almost time," Celise said. "Just need to invite some guests."

Jewel turned to face her. "What guests?"

Celise's smile made Jewel's skin crawl. "Friends who are as excited about this as I am."

The sprite placed the book upon the rock, carefully opened it, and began to chant. Jewel didn't understand the language. It was rough and twisted, and it made her want to cover her ears.

Behind Celise, a huge portal opened, followed by another and another. Beings walked through. They didn't step into the clearing. Instead, they spread out in the forest behind the sprite and around the large, vine-covered rock. There were elves, fae, warlocks, trolls, vampires, and a few things she couldn't identify. None of them looked remotely friendly.

The three portals closed, but Celise continued to chant. The wind picked up around them, blowing Jewel's hair, whipping it around until it blocked her vision. She pushed it away from her face as lightning ripped across the sky, now filled with black clouds. Thunder boomed, shaking the earth beneath Jewel's feet.

Suddenly, another portal opened, but this one was different from any Jewel had seen before. It started out black, but as it got bigger, flickering light appeared, casting shadows into the portal. Shadows of deformed things, with arms and legs, open mouths with sharp teeth, and hands tipped with claws. Nothing emerged, but the portal remained open. Flames swayed within the portal, dancing in rhythm with the creatures inside.

"Jewel," Celise called out above the sound of the storm. Rain fell in large droplets, drenching her within seconds. "Come here."

Her feet moved on their own. She didn't want to go to the sprite. Suddenly, despite all their meetings and Celise's promises, Jewel wasn't sure she wanted to go through with her decision.

When she stood beside the small altar, Celise opened a vial containing several strands of hair. "While you were sleeping in your childhood home, I managed to find what I believe is some of your mother's hair. You carry her DNA, but having hers directly will make the spell more successful."

"More successful? So there's a possibility it could only be sort of successful?"

Celise's head bobbed back and forth. "Well, it's not an exact science. It's a spell I've never performed, and I've never seen it performed. So we're sort of shooting in the dark."

Jewel had already known that, but she'd also thought that following a spell was like following a recipe. When you had the right ingredients, the result should be exactly what it was supposed to be.

Jewel waited to see if Celise would pull a cauldron out of her satchel, but she didn't. She simply set the hair on the book, then opened a bottle containing a deep red liquid and poured a couple of drops on the hair and book. As the book had done with Jewel's blood, it absorbed the liquid until there was no evidence of it remaining.

Celise opened another bottle containing a thick grey liquid that moved sluggishly as she poured it onto the hair. The book once again absorbed the liquid. One by one, she opened each bottle and poured the liquid onto the strands of hair and into the book, all the while speaking in that vile language. The rain continued to beat down on them, but Jewel noticed the book didn't get wet at all, as if something were covering it, protecting it from the water. Jewel shivered as a glimmer of light drew her attention back to the open portal. The shadows were getting closer to the opening, growing larger, and she could hear hissing, along with sounds similar to the ones Celise was making.

Jewel's stomach twisted as she looked around and realized she had majorly screwed up. This wasn't something that could be fixed or forgiven. This was an epic F-up. All she wanted was her mom back. The promises Celise made had been too tempting. And whatever darkness lived in Celise had called to the darkness in Jewel.

The chanting grew louder as the supernaturals in the forest joined with the sprite. The noise was deafening, and Jewel lifted her hands to cover her ears. It felt like electricity on her nerves, wracking her body with pain. The darkness in this place was the antithesis of the healer magic inside her, and that part of her was rebelling against what was happening. But it was too late. No amount of light in Jewel could outshine the darkness and evil that surrounded her now. She had willingly walked into the valley of death, hoping to bring her mother back to the land of the living, and now she would pay the consequences.

Dalton heard the stirrings of people in the house and knew morning had finally come. There was no window in the corridor, so he couldn't see the light, but the rustling noises were a good indication. He listened intently for any movement in the room he shared with Jewel, his supernatural hearing straining to catch even the tiniest sound. But there was nothing.

"What are you doing out here?" Tanya asked from the end of the hall.

Dalton looked at her and sighed when he saw Dillon standing next to her, his hand entwined with hers. Mates. Side by side where they belonged. They had spent the night together in their bed, wrapped in each other's warmth. Where. They. Belonged. And here he was, sitting in the damn hallway, having begged his mate to let him in.

"Jewel wouldn't answer the door last night." He pushed himself up. Dalton was stiff, his body aching from the tension that had locked his muscles all night long. He hadn't slept for a second. His mind wouldn't let him. It was too busy thinking of the past, of when he'd met Jewel, how he'd pushed her away, and how she'd refused to give up on him. They had been through so much, and they'd made it. Or so he'd thought. What was going on with his female?

"Have you tried this morning?" Dillon asked. "Maybe she's calmed down after her interaction with Peri."

Dalton turned and knocked on the door. "Jewel? Little Dove, will you let me in now? Can we please talk?" The knot in his gut twisted and churned, growing tighter with every unanswered question. The silence in the room was suffocating, weighing down on him like a crushing weight. He furrowed his brow and pressed his ear against the door, tapping into his primal wolf's instincts. His senses heightened as he searched for any sound—the faint thump of a heartbeat or the rhythmic breaths of someone living. But all he heard was an eerie emptiness, a void that sent shivers down his spine.

His wolf roared inside him and took over. He reared back and kicked the door, sending it flying across the room. Dalton wasn't worried it might hit his mate because he knew she wasn't in there, at least not in the bedroom. Maybe in the closet or bathroom, but she definitely wasn't in their bed. Why the hell hadn't he listened more closely last night?

Dillon and Tanya hurried inside, but he barely paid them any mind as he searched the suite. She was gone. Even her scent had faded, leaving only the stale smell of the sheets and clothes in the closet.

Dalton threw his head back and howled, feeling his teeth elongate and his claws extend from his fingers. A red haze of rage filled his mind, and he moved without thought. He tore into the mattress, shredding it with his claws before picking it up and throwing it across the room. Glass shattered as it hit a window, but it wasn't enough. Dalton grabbed a bedside lamp and flung it against the wall, then repeated the process with its twin. His foot connected with the bedside table, sending it flying across the room as if it weighed no more than a ball. It hit the wall, crumpling and leaving a large hole in the sheetrock. The once peaceful bedroom that had been a sanctuary for him and his mate was now a scene of destruction and chaos, all at the hands of Dalton's uncontrollable rage.

But his wolf wasn't satisfied. His mate had abandoned him without a second thought, and now he wanted to unleash his wrath upon everything she had left behind. With a growl that echoed in the closet, he lunged at her clothes, tearing them to shreds and flinging them into the main room. The scent of her lingered on the fabric, taunting him as he continued his destruction. Despite its sickening sweetness, he couldn't escape it—his own beastly essence mingling with hers in a twisted dance of anger and longing.

The sound of his name being called barely registered in his mind as he tore through the closet, searching for any remnants of her existence. How dare she choose … whatever it was she sought over their bond, their destined connection? As he shredded each article of clothing, his heart felt like it was being shredded, too. The other half of his soul, rejected and discarded by its mate.

But even as his rage consumed him, a small part of Dalton couldn't help but wonder how they would ever recover from this betrayal. If he could even find her again. For now, all that mattered was letting out his primal instincts and releasing the pain and anger gnawing at his core.

"JEWEL!" Dalton bellowed as he marched out of the closet, even though he knew she would not answer. He reached through the bond, throwing all his power into it, and for five heartbeats, he froze. He felt her. She was terrified. Darkness surrounded her, and she wished for death. She thought she would be better off dead than what she was. Then she was gone.

"NO!" he cried out, searching for something else to destroy, but before he could grab anything, a powerful voice froze him.

"Dalton Black, stop," Fane commanded. He did not yell or growl. He simply said Dalton's name and poured the power of his alpha status into it, leaving Dalton no choice but to obey. "You will calm yourself, and you will speak to us without destroying anything else in this house. Do you understand?"

Dalton's wolf fought against the order, but in the end, he nodded.

"Turn and look at us," Fane commanded.

Dalton obeyed. His vision was blurry, caused by gathering tears. So many emotions warred inside him that he didn't even know which one dominated.

"It's obvious that Jewel is gone," Fane continued. "So she must have left before Peri could bind her. For a moment, you stilled. Were you able to get through to her using the bond?"

Dalton's gaze bounced around the room, taking in those who had entered without him realizing it. Jacque was next to Fane, her hand covering her mouth and tears filling her emerald-green eyes. Costin and his mate Sally stood just inside the door, with Kale and Heather in front of them. He heard a throat clear and turned to see that Anna and Gustavo had made their way farther in, next to Nick and Kara. Even Drake and Bethany were present. All the Wheelers were there, save Stella and his Jewel. Did they feel the same thing he'd felt? Is that why they had come?

"I got through for a few seconds." Dalton's gaze jumped back to Fane.

"What did you feel?" Fane's voice was hesitant, as if asking the question hurt him as much as answering it would hurt Dalton.

"She wants to die." The words came out stunted and clipped. His wolf didn't want to speak them out loud, afraid doing so would somehow make it come to pass.

"Was there any indication of her location?"

Dalton's eyes shifted to his alpha, Dillon, and Dalton shook his head. He thought about what he'd felt. "She was cold. Not just on the outside, but inside. Bone-chilling cold."

"If Dalton could get through, maybe we all can," Sally spoke up. "If we include Dalton in the circle and draw on their bond as well, maybe we can get past Jewel's wall."

"Dalton," Fane said, "describe the coldness. Was there darkness? Evil?"

"Don't answer," his wolf snarled at him . The beast knew that if he said yes, none of the mates of the healers would allow their females to be put at risk, especially not the pregnant ones. He couldn't blame them for that. He wouldn't put Jewel at risk if he were in their position, either. But the man pushed the wolf back. "Yes," he finally answered, the word practically being ripped from behind his clenched teeth.

"Once we get Jewel back, we're going to lock you healers in the fae realm and never let you out so you can't do stupid shit anymore." Peri appeared in the room, Lucian beside her.

"I second that." Kale pulled Heather closer to his side.

Peri and Lucian stepped closer to Dalton. Though Peri was usually the mouthpiece for the couple, it was Lucian who spoke. "Your anger is righteous, but do not let it turn to bitterness. Do not let it rot the cord that holds you to your mate until the thread snaps."

"Why?" Dalton snarled. "She'd rather die than be alive with me."

"Because if you allow that, evil wins. Darkness prevails. The door that the light pushes against is opened a little farther, making it much harder for those left standing against it." Lucian placed his hands on both of Dalton's shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes. "Whatever has pulled your mate from your side used something powerful against her. I do not know what. Perhaps it was the darkness that lives in all of us, or maybe it was a desperate need for something she couldn't obtain on her own. But evil doesn't come at us straightforward. It gently coerces us, finding our weaknesses, worming its way in until we tolerate it, even though we know we shouldn't. We all succumb to it in our lives, over and over, to different degrees. Some of those choices don't affect others, and some of them do. This one happens to be a choice that affects us all. Which means she needs you—and us—more than ever. So even in our anger at her wrong decision, we choose to love her anyway and do what we can to help her."

"For the pack," Sally said softly.

Lucian nodded. "For the pack."

Dalton's head slumped forward, his chin nearly touching his chest as Lucian's words pierced through the wall of anger he'd erected around his heart. Jewel wasn't vindictive. She wasn't malevolent. He knew her better than anyone. Their souls had joined in the Blood Rites and mating—he knew her. Whatever she'd gotten herself into, there was a reason she felt justified in her choice.

"Let's head downstairs and discuss what we know about Jewel's situation," Fane nodded towards the door. "Peri, get Elle and Sorin here, please. Gustavo and Anna, any insight you have about your experiences in the places Jewel has been frequenting will be helpful, too."

"Actually," Anna spoke up, "I have a question." She looked at Peri. "We've heard you talk a million times about magic having a signature, a calling card."

Peri nodded. "Yes."

"Is it the same for us?" Anna pointed at herself and the other healers. "I mean, when we use our power, can you feel it and trace it?"

Dalton's eyes focused on Peri. He was practically willing her to say yes.

The high fae nodded. "You healers definitely leave a magical residue. We just need to know where she used it. It's not in this room." Peri looked at Dalton. "Can you track her scent out of here?"

Dalton wanted to smack himself. What the hell had he been thinking? He hadn't been. He'd been throwing a tantrum of epic proportions and, for those moments, forgot that he was a damn wolf with superior senses. "I'm a dumbass," he muttered.

"No." Jacque shook her head. "You're a hurting mate. Emotional pain muddles the mind. You weren't thinking clearly. And you've been hurting for a while. Don't put this all on yourself."

"I can track her." Dalton phased into his wolf form. It felt good to be in his fur. He gave himself a shake and then put his nose to the ground. People moved out of his way as he followed her scent out of the bedroom and down the hall to a back set of stairs that led to a door.

"I had a male on this door," Tanya said from behind him.

"Was he mated?" Jacque asked.

"No."

"A healer's magic does weird things to unmated males," Peri explained. "They suddenly want to do whatever they can to make the healer happy. It's a response to the light within the healers."

"Dammit," Tanya muttered.

Dalton ignored them as he stepped aside for Fane to open the door. Then he bolted out, his legs picking up into a trot as he continued to follow Jewel's scent. He reached a part of the fence that was covered in vines and growled.

Peri walked up to the fence and placed her hands on the vines. "She used her magic here," the high fae said, then muttered in her own language. The vines receded, revealing a hidden gate.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I don't know a thing about my pack or the place I've lived for decades?" Tanya grumbled.

"Healers are sneaky little witches." Peri pushed the gate open, and Dalton slipped through. "And with this group, I mean that literally."

He ran, hearing footsteps behind him, but he wasn't worried about whether they kept up. He just wanted to see how far his mate had gone into the woods. Suddenly, her scent was gone. He came to a complete stop, backed up five steps, and then it was back. He shifted and was immediately clothed. "Her scent ends here."

"So this is where she traveled from." Peri walked in a small circle around the area, her hand in the air as if she could feel something no one else could see. "I feel her magic, but there's something else, something dark. It's definitely a type of traveling magic."

"The portals?"

Peri nodded at Fane. "I can still trace her power." She laid a hand on Dalton. They flashed.

They reappeared, and he looked around.

"This is her childhood home," Peri said. "It wasn't like this when she lived here."

The house was empty and dusty. Dalton looked around and noticed a spot on the floor by the front door where the dust had been disturbed. He walked over and knelt, taking in a deep breath through his nose, his mate's scent saturating him. "It hasn't been long since she's been gone." Hope filled him. "Can you trace her from here?" Peri didn't answer. He stood and turned to look at her.

The high fae frowned, her brow drawn down in concentration. "There's something blocking it. I've felt this magic before, but I can't follow it. It's Celise. It's definitely the sprite, but it's that damn book. She's been feeding it, and it's become powerful."

"It's getting more powerful?"

Peri met Dalton's gaze. "Let's just say this much power in the hands of a lunatic like Celise is like putting two sharp blades in Jen's hands and locking her in a room full of our enemies."

Peri walked over to him, placed her hand on his arm, and flashed them back to where the rest of the group still stood. "She was at her childhood home, but she's gone now. I can't trace her from there. The sprite, Celise, has grown extremely powerful because of the Nushtonia ."

"If we're dealing with a sprite," Jacque said, "maybe we need to talk to their queen and see if she has any insight. Maybe she can tell us something about Celise."

"Good idea," Peri pointed a finger at the alpha female. "And that means I won't have to get Elle and Sorin because they're already there. Let's go."

Each of the fae held out arms, and the group placed hands on whomever was closest. The next thing Dalton knew, they were standing in the large gathering room of the sprite stronghold.

"Momma!" a little voice yelled, drawing all of their attention.

Dalton, like the others, turned to see Thia running through the massive doors into the hall. Titus was, as usual, right behind her.

"Thia," Titus huffed, "it's not hunt and prey if you don't try to hide so I can hunt you."

"Hunt and Prey?" Lizzy asked.

"Wolf version of hide and seek," Jacque answered. "But don't worry, The prey only gets hurt a little and heals up really quick."

Lizzy's eyes widened. "Damn. Wolf kids be crazy, too."

"Your momma's not here, hellion." Sally knelt to meet the little girl.

"Mom," Titus whined, "she won't follow the rules."

"Rules be tools." Thia repeated something she'd obviously learned from someone else. Probably Jen.

Titus rolled his eyes. "It's ‘rules are for tools,' you little scandalmonger."

Sally's head tilted as she looked at her son. "Scandalmonger?"

Titus shrugged. "Troublemaker is too tame a word for what that female is." He pointed at Thia, and though he was definitely annoyed, there was still love for her in his eyes.

"Tia, TieTie!" another little voice squealed, and in came Slate. He was much younger than Titus, but only months younger than Thia. He was big for his age, though.

Rachel came in behind him, Hope—Bethany and Drake's baby—in her arms. She looked irked. "I'm going to kill Gavril." She joined the large group, eyeing the children like a mother hen.

Jacque walked over to Slate and picked him up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Have you been giving Aunt Rachel a hard time?"

"No." He shook his head, his eyes taking on a look of innocence that almost made Dalton laugh, despite the emotions roiling inside him. Children had a way of easing the spirit. And it was a reminder why he and Jewel would get through this. He wanted this with her. Dalton wanted their own child to be part of the next generation. He just had to find his mate and work through things with her.

"Sate is good." Thia nodded her head. "He not helling."

"Hellion," Titus corrected her. "He's not a hellion."

"We're trying to curb her language." Costin looked at Titus. "Remember?"

"Dad, you spend all day with her trying not to curse." Titus folded his arms across his chest. "Torion is in for it. And since I'm the one here chasing his future mate around, I don't even feel sorry for him."

There were snorts of laughter. The kid was not wrong.

Rachel started to speak, but the loud sound of ringing interrupted her. It was Jewel's ringtone on Dalton's phone. He pulled the phone from his pocket and hit the green button on the screen. "Jewel?" His voice sounded as desperate as he felt.

"Please don't hate me."