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“Emily and I handled it just fine,” Ember scoffed while finishing her mimosa. “I need to get some clothes from my place if we’re going to the warehouse.”
Her mood dimmed and I thought back to her encounter with Cassian’s father. This wouldn’t be easy for her, but it wouldn’t be easy for any of us. Cassian was all about family, but his pack treated us like outsiders. I blew the breath out that I’d been holding, it was the only option we had. I didn’t want to face that thing again, not after the effect it had on us. I could still smell the lingering stench in the air and I shivered. Instead of arguing, I grabbed a bag and shoved a few clothes into it, along with toiletries and makeup.
“You can use my clothes if you want,” I said to Ember, who was leaning against the doorframe.
She shook her head animatedly. “Thanks, but I think I like my clothes more. It’s not too far. I’ll meet you guys at the warehouse before dinner.”
Back in the kitchen, Griffin stood with a duffel bag. Cassian waited with hands on his hips. As soon as we emerged, everyone made their way downstairs. Ember climbed into a cab, warehouse address in hand. I climbed onto Griffin’s motorcycle behind him, ignoring Cassian’s glare, and Cassian followed close behind in his car. It felt like everything had changed again. Every time things got better, something happened and we had to make changes to feel safe or stay ahead of things. I was tired and not just because of the lack of sleep.
The warehouse was a buzz with movement; people carried wood to the firepit, boxes were being dumped in the cafeteria space and people milled around talking to each other. When we walked in behind Cassian, everyone stopped and watched us with varying levels of disdain. Not a word was uttered and a few of them even glared at Cassian. Sam was nowhere to be seen, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved. I smiled broadly when I spotted Grace leaning against the door. She held her arms open and scooped me up in one of her mother hen hugs. She hugged Cassian and looked Griffin and Ember up and down from head to toe, and after a moment Grace hugged them too. I laughed at their expressions, as if they’d never been embraced by a mother figure before. They tensed and then relaxed; it was sweet.
Grace ushered us into her office. It was chaotic; papers lay in piles on the table, a large map took up another space that had red circles on various areas along with question marks and X’s.
“I didn’t expect to see you all here. Is everything okay?” Grace asked, genuine concern filled her voice.
Cassian put his keys on the table and thumbed through a pile of papers. “Yeah, something is going on, and the apartment isn’t safe anymore. Emily and Ember can sleep in the bedrooms, and Griffin will have a cell next to mine.” Cassian went on to explain what happened last night and Grace’s eyes widened with every word. “We don’t know how it knew where Emily was or why it wanted her.”
“It sounds like a type of wraith. I would have leaned toward a shadow person, but usually they keep the human form. If this can turn into a blanket of darkness, then it is more likely a wraith,” Grace said gravely. “They can be commanded, so I imagine that’s what is happening.”
“Uhm, what is a wraith?” I asked. I’d heard the word before, I’d read about them in books, but I didn’t actually know what they were or what they did. It didn’t sound friendly or good at all.
Grace looked at each of us, as if hoping that someone else would explain, when no one stepped up she took a deep breath. “A wraith is an entity that can take on human form or just a black mass. They are believed to have been people that gave up their souls in the human world for whatever gain they wanted, and once they died, they became pure evil. Without a soul, one cannot be good, and wraiths wander existence to create chaos. They are controlled by those who call upon them and are forced to do their bidding. In return they get to feed on a soul or two.”
Grace strolled over to one of the many piles of old books and pulled one from the bottom of a stack. She brushed the cover and opened the book; dust clouded the air. She pointed at a yellowed page and the image on it made my skin crawl. It was the same as the black cloud from last night and beside it was another black mass in the shape of a human. “Often confused with shadow people, wraiths are characterized by the feeling they give off; menacing and malevolent.”
“How would one know where their target is? Can they sense it or do they need to be told?” Cassian asked, his expression grim.
“They need to be told. Once a wraith is given a task, they rely on the information handed to them by their master.” Grace pointed at the explanation in the book. “Wraiths are rare. There hasn’t been an attack in centuries. They’re handy if you plan on spreading terror without any trace to you, but if the bargain isn’t fulfilled, they will turn on you. Their master has to provide a sufficient soul or souls, if not a wraith will devour their master's soul.”
I shivered at the thought of being so close to something so vile. “If it was a wraith, then someone told it’s master where we were. Not only last night but in New Orleans and all the other incidents too.”
I started to run through the possibilities in my mind. Cassian would never align himself with something like that, and now that I knew Griffin better, I was certain that he wouldn’t either. Ember had only just joined us and the wraith had attacked her last night, so it couldn’t have been her either. That left Morgan. She’d never been particularly friendly or caring of our group, but it couldn’t have been her either because that meant putting Griffin at risk, and Morgan would never do that.
Outside of our group… There were too many people that we met, too many that knew who and where we were. Those two fae guys had followed us, what if someone else had been following us and we never noticed. New York City wasn’t exactly small and we passed witches, werewolves, and fae on a daily basis. It could have been anyone that spotted us going in and out of Griffin's apartment. Me, spotted me, I corrected.
This was my fault, this thing was looking for me and I’d put everyone in danger. Ember could have been killed last night, and it would have been because of me. I had to figure out a way to separate myself from them. I wouldn’t be the reason that one of my friends got killed.
“Do you think we’re safe here, Cass?” I asked him quietly. “What if whoever it is figures out that we are hiding out here? That thing would wreak havoc if it pitched up here, a cornered wraith could be deadly.” I’d do anything to keep him safe, to keep them all safe.
Cassian put his hand on mine and I smiled at the warmth. “Don’t you worry about that. We’re safe for now, and hopefully by the time it figures out where we are, we’ll have gained some ground on Samara. I know she’s behind this. When we kill her, we end the curse and the wraith.”
“I guess that’s good motivation,” I muttered and turned back to Grace. “Will the pack be okay with us here? I know a lot of them don’t look kindly at witches.”
Grace shook her head and gave me a warm smile. “None of you need to worry about that. If any of them have a problem, they can raise it with me or Cassian, and we will sort it out. We are all in the same boat, we want the same end goal, the pack will adjust to that once they realize this.”
It was hard to figure out what issue to focus on, there was so much happening and I wanted to fix everything. Cassian and the werewolves desperately wanted to end the curse, I wanted to find my mother and put an end to Samara’s influence, and in between all of that there were the two bonds, the feral wolves, and now the wraith to deal with. It was all a little overwhelming. I really wish I had Peaches…
It seemed like such a trivial wish—a dog in the midst of chaos but I really missed her. I missed my old life and being oblivious to everything around me. I missed Michael and arguing about silly things—that used to seem important—like Kelly complaining about appearances.
But if I went back to that life, I never would have found my magic, I wouldn’t have known the real Cassian, I wouldn’t have met Griffin or Ember. Even Morgan wouldn’t have been in my life. I wouldn’t be too upset about that if I’m honest. This was only the beginning. I knew that there would be war and pain and bloodshed. I could feel it. We would find Samara, but a part of me couldn’t help wondering if we would find her when it was too late. I just hoped that I would have all of these people in my life by the end of it. Either that or I hoped that I died before seeing any of them hurt.
“We can discuss all of this in more detail tomorrow. Cassian, show the girls to their rooms and get Griffin settled. I’ll make sure the pack knows that we have company, and they are to treat them like family,” Grace said and put the book back on the pile.
Cassian nodded and pulled me up. He didn’t let go of my hand as he led all of us out. Sometimes, when Grace took the reins like this, it was easy to forget that she wasn’t alpha. Cassian had the skills, and he was a wonderful leader, but I could see that he was still finding his feet. Grace exuded strength, and Cassian did too but sometimes I wondered if he didn’t wish that she had taken the position instead. I certainly would have.
Having so many lives in your hands was no easy task.
