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She didn’t speak, neither did we until we walked right up to her. Marrock held out his hand in a gesture of greeting. “Welcome Mattie, can I invite you inside for a coffee?”
She ignored him, her stare piercing through me. “Becca and Josey told me to come here, and ask you, both of you, where Lisa is. What’s going on?”
The magic oozing off my coven leader was thick and wild, almost choking. “Lisa is…I think you’d better accept Marrock’s offer. There’s something far worse out in the woods, more terrifying than we thought. It’s hunting us and the werewolves. Something beyond my power to reason.”
Her voice was cutting, rising up in her anger. “Oh Elsa. So headstrong. You should have left this to me. My dear girl. Well we’re in this godforsaken forest full of violent male energy, what else to expect? Mix that with magic they don’t understand,” she inclined her chin to Marrock. “And this is what happens. Especially when a witch and a werewolf commit such a vile sin.”
Raising her head, I could see she glared at Marrock who in turn sneered back. “They’re animals, feral and unable to control their base instincts. Witches and even mages are, well, civilised. Born from a lineage not tainted by beasts and outlaws. That energy is the result, it breathes life into murder and mayhem. Lisa and that werewolf she hooked up withbrought this, all of this, upon us. Wolf and witch don’t belong together. These are the consequences. Ancient forces. It’s not for nothing that it’s forbidden. That much energy combined unleashes a darkness, something we can’t control. That’swhyit’s condemned. So Lisa’s dead then? And the werewolf, where is he?” She eyed past us as if expecting him to just rock up.
My mouth dried, eyes small as I heard her empty words. There was little empathy in her tone and it shocked me to the core.
“What do you mean, unleashed a darkness? Lisa-”
She cut me off, a flash of anger in her face as she looked from me to Marrock. “Yes, well I try to keep you younger ones safe, but this is what happens. I’ll have that drink now, Marrock. Something stronger than coffee. This looks like war. For both of us.” She sighed loudly. “If only your pack would keep their cocks in their trousers around my coven, none of this would happen.”
Disbelief had me staring. I thought she was about to smack him around the head. But her empty demeanour...
Marrock clenched his jaw, his muscles stiffened. I could see he was trying his damnedest to repress his wrath as she blamed everything on him. Her hatred was blood curdling.
I repressed an icy shiver, the way she spoke of Lisa’s death left my stomach curdling.
Raising her brows at me, she shook her head. Marrock brushed past us pulling out his keys as Mattie mumbled, “I won’t ask what you're doing here. I only hope you haven’t been compliant in any of this.”
The feeling of Lycaon came flooding back to me. As soon as that hit in my heart, my body soothed and I felt more of an observer to these events rather than someone caught up in them.
But bloody hell, if she found out about that… But was the feeling I had with Lycaon the same as Lisa had with Nathan? Was I next?
“I need to head home. I have work soon,” I said as I stood in the doorway as Marrock and Mattie both frowned at me.
“You’ll stay. You’re already involved I can see, you’ll have to call in sick.”
“No, I really can’t. My shift starts in a few hours, so I need to rest first. There’s not much I can do here.”
I really, really didn’t want to go. A yearning burned inside of me, unyielding. I had to be close to Lycaon. Conflicted, as another side of me, the rational side, wanted to be far away from the power that had almost destroyed him. And this darkness that Mattie believed was born from Nathan and Lisa’s union. My shoulders ached, I was hungry and cold. Of course, if he were here, perhaps as Marrock had said, his power would be enough to sustain me. But he wasn’t and Mattie’s energy, her anger was draining me fast.
I turned to leave and Marrock fumbled, opening a drawer. “Elsa, wait!”
Mattie's stare burned into me as the alpha rushed over, thrusting a small card into my palm.
His voice was pressing, sincere, as he said, “Thank you. Here, take my number and call me. We owe you so much. Go, get some rest. We’ll take it from here. Mattie?”
Mattie, usually warm, full of encouragement now scowled. “Helped them? First, you came here without consent. You wanted to be the one to find Lisa. Or perhaps you thought you were helping me. But you weren’t. There’s a reason we have a code and now this alpha says you helped them. You cannot trust them, foolish girl. They'll screw you then they'll eat you. No Elsa, you're such a novice. Heed my counsel. Stay away, consider yourself barred. I may consider letting you back but any arguments though…” she held up her hands defiantly. “And I will banish you. Is that perfectly clear?”
I ignored Mattie, instead, catching Marrock's eye. With his back to her, he rolled his eyes. Then taking my hand, he held my gaze for an instant which had my coven mistress hiss, then he squeezed it.
Without saying another word, I turned around and shut the door.
* * *
I didn’t get far. Outside the rain was drizzling down in a wet mist. The sort of rain that doesn’t seem bad but gets you soaked anyway.
I pulled up my sweatshirt hood and made for the exit, not that I was clear where I was going.
One of the pack spotted me, jogged over. He was the big guy who had taken Marrock’s orders earlier. Eric, I think. His beard was chock full of dirt, as was his face. A beanie was pulled over his head, and a thick chequered shirt, unlike Marrock, this werewolf was clothed. His boots squealed in the muddy grass. Wiping his palms on his jeans he asked,“Are you looking for your car?”
“No, I had a lift.”
“No problem. I’ll drive you home. We’re indebted to you now that you savedhim.”
