Avoiding Alpha (Alpha Girl) (6 page)

Good thing I was used to being stared at. You didn’t get through seventeen years of visions by letting weird looks bother you.

I shoved everything out of my mind except finding answers about Meredith. I was here for a purpose, and losing sight of that wouldn’t be good for anyone.

The wooden stairs to my cousins’ doorstep creaked as I walked up.

“Let’s get in and out,” Chris said.

“My thoughts exactly.” I knocked once and before I could knock a second time, Claudia answered.

Her thick, pin-straight, black hair was split into two braids. She wore a pair of jean cut-offs and a T-shirt. “
Prima
. What’re you doing here?” Her eyes were wide.

“I need your help.”

She looked beyond Chris and me, taking in all the people gathered around. She pressed her lips together. “Let’s go inside,” she said after a second.

“Thanks. I think that’s best.”

Every inch of the living room was filled with tchotchkes. The place was a dust mite’s haven, but not a speck of dust tainted the decor. The walls were lined with shelves filled to the brim with figurines, and covered with cutesy plaques with proverbs and sayings. Little dishes of potpourri sat on almost every flat surface. The scent of rose, cinnamon, orange, clove, and at least a dozen other things filled the air. The effect was only slightly nauseating.

The back wall held an altar with lit candles in skinny, tall glass jars with images of the saints on them. A framed portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe hung above the candles.

Claudia motioned us to the cushy floral printed couch. “Can I get you something to drink?”

I sat down. “No. I’m fine.”

Chris shook his head and sat next to me. He took his sunglasses off, hanging them off the neck of his T-shirt. His eyes were finally back to their normal, non-glowing blue. I was glad his wolf was wrapped up, because mine wasn’t. Daniel’s comments plus missing the connection to Dastien was making my wolf uneasy. Not enough to make me shift, but it was more than enough to put me on edge.

Claudia settled on a blue velvet chair. She tugged on one of her braids before flipping it over her shoulder. “I’m glad you came. It’s been tense here.”

“I’m getting that. Loudly. I spoke with Daniel for a minute… I hope you all know that I’m not leaving my pack. I’m happy where I am.” Chris started to move, but I put my hand on his knee, stilling him.

“I get it, and for the record—we’re divided on that. The majority of us want you to stay where you are.”

I was too relieved to be insulted that they didn’t want me around. “Good. I’d rather not have this problem become bigger than it should be. Is there anything I can do to help sway the rest?”

“No, but I’ll let you know if I think of something.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Not to be rude, but why are you here?”

I was more than happy to focus in on my real goal. “You know my friend, Meredith?”

“Of course. A few of the coven members liked to hang out with the wolves a while back. Even though we’re not exactly friendly now, we still keep tabs on the pack members.”

I don’t know why it surprised me, but it did. And whatever ‘tabs’
La Aquelarre
had on us, they must’ve been pretty damned accurate. The day I’d met my cousins, they’d shown up with backpacks filled with weapons made specifically for Meredith and me. “She started throwing up blood this morning.”

Claudia paled, giving away that she knew exactly what that meant.

“She doesn’t have long. Maybe a day or two.” I leaned toward her. “If there’s anything you can do, I’d be grateful.”

Raphael came through the back door. His khaki shorts were fraying along the bottom hems.

Claudia nodded at him before answering me. “The only way to help would be to get Luciana to break her spell, but there’s no way she’d do that.”

“Why not? I can be pretty convincing.”

Claudia made a face. “She’s happy to have one less wolf to worry about.”

What the hell? She would let an innocent teenager die because she didn’t like werewolves? What was her problem with our kind?

“And messing with someone else’s spell is trouble,” Raphael continued where Claudia left off. “The chances of you actually breaking it…let’s just say they’re not great.”

Chris sat straighter. “What do you mean? I thought it was only a matter of finding the right spell to counter it.”

Raphael chuckled.

“Not with this spell,” Claudia said. “Imagine it’s like a twisted web of sticky bubble gum. If you put your hands in to untangle the mess, you’ll get it more tangled at best. Most likely, some of the spell will stick to you.”

Fantastic. “So, how do you break one?”

Raphael crossed his arms, and stared down at me. It wasn’t an unfriendly stare—there wasn’t any anger in it—but an assessing one. “The best way is to get the person who cast it to break it. It’s their will that binds it. They let that go, and the spell is gone.”

This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. At all. “There has to be another way. From what I’ve heard, Luciana isn’t going to break this spell. I can’t go back without a plan.”

Claudia and her twin brother shared a long look.

He shook his head. “Don’t do it,” he said, finally.

“They were supposed to be hers anyhow. Does it really matter now that the situation’s changed a bit?” she said.

“Luciana’ll be pissed if she finds out.”

I wasn’t sure what they were arguing about, but I wasn’t about to question them. I needed all the help I could get.

She shrugged. “She’s always pissed. At least now she’ll have a reason.” Claudia left the room.

Chris was silent beside me. I wondered what he thought of all of this, but knowing him, I’d probably get an earful when we got back in the car.

Claudia came back with a small stack of books. “Take them. They might help you think outside the box.”

Two of the three books were old, their pages yellowed and the corners of their covers bent and worn. They smelled of leather and dust and vanilla. The third booked looked brand new.

These weren’t an answer to my problem exactly, but maybe they could lead to one. I put them in my messenger bag. “Thank you.”

Claudia gave me a small shrug. “You should’ve gotten them years ago.” She paused. “But it’d be best if you didn’t show them to anyone. They’re meant to be seen by coven members only.”

That part was going to be difficult. I might be a
bruja
, but besides my visions, I didn’t know the first thing about magic. I’d definitely need some help deciphering everything. “I can promise that only people I absolutely trust will know about these.”

Claudia was taking another risk for me, and I appreciated it. She’d helped bring me the info and tools to find the vampire caves and fight them, saved my ass from getting creamed by Imogene, and now, she and Raphael were helping me again. “If you ever need anything from me, if there is anything I can ever help you with, let me know.”

“Thanks. I’ll take you up on it.”

I nudged Chris. “Let’s go.”

When Chris and I stepped outside, a crowd of at least twenty was waiting. “You don’t think they’re here to tar and feather us, do you?” I asked Chris softly.

“I’d love for them to try. I haven’t gotten my workout in today.” He slipped the sunglasses back on, covering his glowing eyes.

Perfect. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

The people parted and the lady from my vision stepped up to the house. She was wearing the same outfit as I’d seen her in earlier. Long flowing skirt. Frizzy hair braided and pinned in a halo on the crown of her head.

She smiled softly at us, but her eyes were too harsh to ever be mistaken as kind. “Hello, Teresa.”

“Hi, Luciana.” What was with the
brujos
and my given name?

Chris stood behind me with a hand on my shoulder. He was ready to step in if needed.

“I hoped you’d come before now,” she said.

“I came because your spell has made Meredith Molloney extremely sick.”

“And you think I should break it?”

Even if it was a long shot, I had to at least try. “Yes. If there were some way to convince you…”

She grinned, but it made me shiver. “I think we could come to an arrangement.”

I was pretty sure I didn’t like where this was going, but there was no guarantee the books would help Meredith. I walked down a step. “What kind of arrangement are we talking about?”

“Nothing too big.” Her smile widened, and it made me more nervous. Like a monster was getting ready to swallow me whole. “I’d like for you to live here, where you belong. To study with us and learn our ways.”

The people watching were completely still and silent, waiting for my response.

It’d come in handy to know more
bruja
stuff. I actively wanted to know more about it and learn more about my abilities, but there was no way I was leaving St. Ailbe’s. The place
had grown on me, and I liked being close to Dastien and far away from Luciana. “What about the pack?”

She spread her hands wide. “You’d be training to take over the coven when I’m ready to step down, like we’d always planned. You’d have to leave the pack.”

That’s what I thought she meant, and it so wasn’t happening. “Even if I wanted to leave the pack, which I don’t…at all…what makes you think I have any aspirations to lead the coven?”

“Everyone wants power.” A few members of the coven nodded their heads.

I snorted. “Not me. And you’re forgetting one tiny, little thing. I’m a
werewolf
.”

Shit. The look she gave me told me I’d stepped into her trap. Chris must’ve known it too because his hand tightened on my shoulder.

“I could take care of that if I cast the same spell on you that I cast on Meredith.”

I swallowed down a growl, barely. The people closest to me took a step back. Except Luciana. She took a step forward.

“Your wolf would go into hibernation,” Luciana kept talking, ignoring my reaction. “You wouldn’t feel any pain. Your emotions would be under control again, and you wouldn’t have to fear shifting ever again.”

I had to hand it to her. She knew exactly what buttons to push. Yes, my emotions being all wonky bugged the crap out of me. I didn’t enjoy feeling out of control. And yeah, I was still a little freaked out about the whole shifting thing, but that didn’t mean I wanted to end it all. I was adjusting. Slower than Dastien—and pretty much everyone else—would like, but I was adjusting all the same.

“This lady is a freaking nut job. We should go. Now,” Chris whispered in his barely-audible way.

I grunted quietly. Luciana wouldn’t get to me. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. I fisted my hands by my sides. “News flash, lady. Your spell doesn’t work. Meredith’s dying. She’s literally wasting away as we speak. Even if I hated being a Were, why would I risk it?”

“There wouldn’t be a risk. Meredith was born with her wolf, you weren’t. It’ll be easy to cut it off. And if it did wake, I’d be there to put her down.”

Put her down
. My nails lengthened, drawing blood as I kept my hands tightly fisted.

The crowd took another step back, but two people stepped forward. Daniel and a girl. Back-up. But for who? Me or Luciana?

This was going to turn into a situation if I didn’t get a grip on my wolf, but she wanted to rip Luciana’s throat out.

Chris pushed some power toward me, trying to keep me calm. It wasn’t as potent as Dastien’s, but it was enough. That said, Chris was right. We needed to leave before anything bad happened. “Thanks for the offer, but no.” My words were sharp. “I don’t want anyone else messing with who I am.”

“I wouldn’t be messing with who you are. I’d just be putting you back the way you were before you were attacked by rabid dogs. We can overlook your mutt connection, but only if you—”

“Excuse me? Did you just call me a
mutt
?” My voice was gravelly and lower than usual.

Luciana muttered something, and it felt like something slapped my face.

Red filled my vision. I tried to lunge, but Chris held me back. I spun, snarling at him. Before I could order him to let me go, he clapped his hand over my mouth. He looped his other arm around my waist, holding me firmly against him as my bones popped. “We’re leaving,” he said.

Fur spread along my arms, and I growled. The need to take Luciana down was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. It was like fire in my veins.

Chris dragged me to the car and shoved me in the driver’s side. He kept pushing me until I was on the passenger’s side. I went for the door.

I couldn’t leave without putting Luciana in her place. I wanted blood.

Chris hit the locks before I could open the door and put the car in gear.

I raged and yelled, growling nonsense as I tried to get the car door open.

“Stop,” Chris commanded as he pulled a u-turn on someone’s lawn, speeding toward the open gate.

When we hit the cattle guard, I felt that slick feeling again, like we were passing through a barrier. But this time it didn’t just feel slimy. Now, it burned my skin like sandpaper against a bad sunburn. It was painful enough to shock my wolf. My bones cracked back in place and fur slid away.

“Holy fuck,” I said, gasping. “Do you feel that?”

His gaze stayed on the road. “I felt something alright.”

I rubbed my arms, trying to ease the sensation, but the pain lingered. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“No problem.” He floored it down the bumpy dirt road.

Something was wrong. Did I forget something back there?

The further we got from the coven’s land, the more my fear grew. My heart was pumping so fast, so loud, it was echoing in my ears.

This wasn’t right. I was safe. My wolf had nearly gotten me into big trouble, but Chris had gotten us away in time. My fear shouldn’t be getting worse.

“Are you okay?” Chris said.

“I don’t know.” I swallowed. “I’m so afraid, but I have no idea why. We got away from there. I’m fine. You’re fine. Why am I freaking out?”

And then it hit me. “Go faster. Drive.” I spotted him in the distance. A wolf running down the side of the road. “Stop. Stop the car. Now. Please.” I slapped Chris on the arm. “Now!”