Chapter 12

Y ou'd have thought tracking down a rampaging bear shifter would be easy, just follow the trail of destruction, right? Except Ben seems to have completely disappeared. Sighing, I brush my long hair from my face as I exit the alleyway, looking around the empty streets, but I only spot my search partner, Max, who's leaning against the wall with fatigue crossing his face.

We've been searching for hours now with no sign of Ben. Once we learned that the bear shifter had escaped, Alex quickly made a call to Moon River Pack for additional assistance. Isa and a couple of our other pack mates turned up to help, splitting off into different sections of the city, each partnered up one of the Long Claw bears. My guys hadn't wanted to leave my side, but we can cover more ground this way, so they eventually agreed if I went with Max.

The sun had set a couple of hours ago and most of the search parties had returned to the gym, but Max wanted to keep going. Glancing across at my search partner, I frown as I walk over to him and place my hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" It's a dumb question, he lost his mate and now one of his brothers has disappeared, but I had to ask. His face is marred with lines, and a grim hopelessness seems to cling to him. Glancing up at me, he grimaces before straightening and shaking off my hand, rubbing his palm roughly across his face.

"I'm fine, just tired." I raise my eyebrows at his response, calling bullshit, but I don't say as much out loud, simply leaning against the wall next to him and crossing my arms as I look up at the moon.

"We can go back, rest for a bit." My suggestion is met with a growl as he pushes away from the wall, turning his glare on me.

"What, just give up? Would you go back if it was your family? Oh wait, you don't have one." Bitterness laces his words and I feel them twist into me like a knife, but I'm careful not to show it, simply raising an eyebrow. He seems to realise he's out of order as soon as the words are out of his mouth, regret lining his features as he takes a step towards me, his hands out in a placating gesture. "Ari, I'm sorry. That was wrong of me."

Continuing to lean against the wall, I keep my face blank. He's right—he was out of order, but his comment was true. I don't have a family, not in the sense of blood relations. I never really knew my mother, and my father was my tormentor for years until I ran away. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't have any family until I met Tori, and she taught me that blood doesn't define you. Tori was my family, and then slowly, over the last year, my family has grown, more so than I ever would have thought. It's overwhelming sometimes, but they know to give me space, to back off until I need them, then they come right back.

Opening my mouth to reply, I freeze as a wave of power washes over me. I glance over at Max's puzzled face, and I know he felt it as well. Pushing away from the wall, I look around, trying to find the source of the strange power wave when I'm hit by it again, except this time it's much, much bigger.

"Whoa," Max mutters, his eyes glowing with his inner animal as he presses a hand against the wall to steady himself. "What the hell was that?"

All my senses are on edge as I scan the area around us, none the wiser of where the power came from, but whatever it was, it was strong. My phone starts to ring, and I raise my eyebrows at the name that comes up on the screen.

"Eric, everything okay?" Taking a few steps away from Max, I wait for the demon's reply. Kill and the others had been constantly sending me texts the last few hours we'd been separated, so Eric was the last of the guys I expected to hear from.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you okay?" His soothing doctor voice greets me over the phone, the type of tone he uses when he has to break bad news to his patients, and it instantly makes me nervous.

"Yeah. What's going on? There's something strange happening in the city, did you feel it?" My skin still tingles from the memory of the power. Whatever it came from was potent, and I get the feeling it has something to do with why Eric was calling me.

There's a pause as Eric processes my words. "Yeah, I felt it. Where are you?"

I look around, not a hundred percent sure where I am, so I give him a description of the area. "I'm out looking for Ben, Garett's brother. He's gone a little crazy, thinks that Tori is still alive and escaped the bear compound." Glancing over, I send Max an apologetic look as he grimaces at my words. Well said, Ari, very sensitively put , I chide myself. Eric's next words have my turbulent thoughts coming to a stop.

"I don't think you need to worry about that now." The sureness of his words is what makes me pause, like he knows more than he's letting on.

"What do you mean?" A strange feeling runs through me, one I can't quite place as I wait for his response like it's is crucially important. He sighs, and I can almost feel his careful, professional mask dropping as urgency slips into his voice.

"I need you to come to me, I have something you need to see." Frowning, I run my hand through my hair, pushing the frustrating strands from my face as he speaks.

Well, that was as clear as mud , I think to myself before speaking again. "Eric, what are you saying?" My frustration is obvious, and I can almost feel his grimace.

"Just trust me, please." His response sends a ripple of nervousness through me. He either can't tell me, or he won't , and I'm not going to find out until I go to him, that much is clear.

Letting loose a small growl, I push back my wolf as she becomes more frustrated, wanting to shift and make Eric tell me. "Okay, fine. Where are you?"

After my call with Eric, I called the others, giving them directions to the industrial estate where I'm supposed to meet Eric. Max hadn't been keen to give up the hunt for his brother, but I had a strange feeling that he needed to come with me, call it fate or intuition, whatever, but he needed to accompany me. It felt important.

Alex was already there when we arrived, being the closest to the industrial estate, but he was alone. His bear shifter companion had already headed back to their pack. Taking one look at me, he steps forward and wraps his arms firmly around me, holding me close for a moment before moving back, his thumb tracing my concerned frown. Silently, he takes hold of my hand as we wait for the others, while Max impatiently scans the area around us. Another wave of the strange power runs over me, and I realise why I recognise it. It feels like Eric's power.

While it's not exactly the same, it has the same…flavour to it, a demonic edge that feels void of humanity. Something hums in my veins, urging me forward, and my feet take a few steps before I even realise I've moved. Turning to Alex, I meet his frowning gaze, my stomach reeling as I resist the urge to follow the waves of power that are beckoning me.

"I need to go." My face twists, I need him to understand. I can't explain where these feelings are coming from, but it's really important that I go. Taking a few more steps, a confused look crosses his face as he reaches out to grab my arm, missing by an inch.

"Ari, wait. We're going to wait for the others. It could be a trap!" I hear the confusion in his voice, and I wish I had the time to explain, but I can't put it into words.

"I know, I can't explain it and I'm sorry, but I need to go now , it's important."

The sound of footsteps has me turning, and I see Max running between the buildings towards the area where the power seems to be coming from. Turning, I start to follow the bear shifter, throwing a look over my shoulder at an agonised Alex.

"I have to go. Come find me when the others arrive!" I shout before breaking into a flat-out run towards the source of the power.

"Ari! Shit—" Alex's footsteps follow me, and I hear him on the phone, then his voice soon fades out behind me and I know he's calling the others, but he can't keep up with me.

When I think back on this later, I'll be amazed I was able to navigate the maze of the industrial estate with ease, that I knew exactly where I was going, the tug within me guiding me exactly where I needed to be.

Rounding a corner, the first thing I see is Eric standing by the edge of a building, except he isn't the Eric I know. The imposing figure turns, and his glowing blue eyes lock on to me. His grin turns feral, revealing a set of menacing fangs, and I notice a large set of horns protruding from his hair, with a second, smaller set snugly fitted against the first. His usually perfect blond hair seems to float around him, like it's dancing with static. Glancing down, I see that instead of his neat shoes, he has a set of black hooves. He still looks like Eric, just so much more . You would be stupid to mistake him for human, even without the horns and hooves, the amount of energy he's throwing out screams demon. Raising a clawed hand, he crooks a finger and beckons me closer.

I step forward slowly, my trepidation building as I see Max on the ground as I get closer, staring down the alley between two warehouses. The corner of the building is blocking my view of what he's staring at, his eyes wide as tears slide silently down his face. Frowning, I stop, my senses returning to me as a rising sickness fills me, not sure that I want to see what's behind the wall that has brought Max to his knees. There's a flash of light and a shift in the energy that's surrounding us, but my eyes stay locked on the kneeling shifter.

"Ari." My head snaps up as someone calls my name, and a very human-looking Eric stumbles towards me. Running my eyes over him, I try to work out why he seems different. His clothing is a little torn and he looks tired, but his skin is glowing, like the supernatural energy is still running through his veins. When he reaches my side, he stretches a hand out to me, and when I don't flinch away, a small smile crosses his lips before he pulls me closer for a hug. Enveloped in his arms, I allow myself a brief moment of comfort, breathing in his comforting scent, although he smells different today. Still Eric, but…more. Like the smell of rain on tarmac, a slightly fresh, metallic scent. I pull away and meet his blue eyes, then shake my head.

"What's going on, why am I here?" The question is simple, but I have so many more. Why was I so drawn to this place? Why is Eric here? What's going on with Max? The questions go on and on, and Eric seems to understand that, his hands coming to my arms again.

"There have been some strange energy surges in the city over the last week or so. I ignored them, I tend not to get involved in other demons' business, but they have been increasing over the last few days. They felt fresh, new, like a new demon had come into being."

My mind whirls as he speaks, remembering what he said about Seb's strange power surges, and my eyes widen in shock, his name on the tip of my tongue, but Eric is already shaking his head at my unasked question.

"No, not Seb. So I decided to investigate. Then earlier today, I felt a huge power surge. I tracked it down, and I found the source of the power," he continues, and although he's smiling, the smile takes on a sympathetic edge. This only makes me more nervous.

"What? What are you not telling me?" I demand, shifting my feet, fighting against the sickening pull that's drawing me towards the glowing light behind the other buildings.

"I wanted to be in a form you recognised for this moment, but I'm struggling to keep my demon away with all this power around," Eric says, avoiding my question with his doctor voice in full swing, but I don't want to be placated, the energy that's being flung around makes me jittery.

"Stop stalling. Tell me." Narrowing my eyes on him, Eric sighs and gestures towards Max. He's still kneeling with his eyes glued to whatever is causing all of this.

"See for yourself."

Taking a deep breath, I walk towards the intersection, the waves of power that are rolling over me enough to make my stomach turn. It's an odd sensation, everything about the power is warning me away, pulsing cautions, enough to scare away even the most non-magical of beings. You ever get a feeling that you shouldn't be somewhere, you can't explain it, but you can't leave? That's exactly the feeling I'm experiencing.

Except I also feel it calling to me, like it's whispering my name into the wind. This feeling could be addictive, a power high that makes me feel invincible. It causes an uncomfortable war within me. My instincts scream at me to run away, to leave whatever is behind that wall alone, but I'm unable to resist the call.

With slow, heavy footsteps, I walk towards the light, keeping my eyes on Max, who hasn't moved as silent tears track down his face.

"Max, are you okay?" I call out, hovering at the edge of the light, using the corner of the building to shield me from the source of the power, not ready to face whatever it is just yet.

He doesn't respond, and I become aware of someone else just beyond him. Ben, the runaway twin, is also kneeling on the ground, staring up with rapt adoration on his face. Confusion, dread, and something that feels suspiciously like hope runs through me.

"Ari?" a voice calls out, freezing me to the spot. The voice sounds different, full of power, but I would recognise that voice anywhere.

"No." I round on Eric, my eyes wide, my stomach twisting as he slowly nods. Breaking out of my stupor, I hurry the last few steps it takes me to round the building, only to stop dead as my gaze falls on another person.

Hovering above the ground, surrounded in a purple light that seems to pulse around them, is the source of the power, and I don't know how any single being can contain that amount of power. Where you would expect her feet to be are a shiny set of hooves attached to smooth, ebony legs. Her body is cloaked in twisting, pulsing magic, covering her body, but somehow exposing enough of it that you know she's curvy and generously endowed. I almost don't want to continue staring, since I know that when I look at her face, I'll have to fully accept what I hadn't thought possible, but I have to know. Lifting my gaze, I see a familiar face, one I could draw with my eyes closed—familiar full red lips, high cheekbones, her dark, curly hair falling around her in luxurious waves, floating with the power that surrounds her, and even her eyes are the same, but glowing with an unnatural purple light. Poking out the top of her hair is a curling set of horns, lighter and more delicate than Eric's. On her forehead, right in the centre, is an intricate twirling tattoo, marking the exact spot where the bullet had hit her.

"Ari, you came." Her voice washes over me, and my legs can no longer hold me up.

Falling to my knees, I look up at the impossible sight before me as I gasp out her name like a prayer. "Tori."

Her face lights up into a smile, and I feel her power start to ebb, her body lowering to the ground. Max and Ben run forward to catch her before she hits the concrete, lowering her down gently. Leaning against Max, Tori's eyes flutter closed as the strange, overwhelming power seems to disappear. Her eyes open again, and her gaze seek me out. When she sees me, an exhausted smile lights up her whole face.

"You came." Her words are quiet, almost a whisper, but I feel them somewhere deep within me.

My eyes sting as I fight against the emotions flooding my system. I give her the grin I always saved for her. "Always."