Mind Mates (Pull of the Moon Book 2) (20 page)

Never again.

“Only trying to be helpful,” Jayden said.

“Should be your middle name, Jay-Helpful-Guy-Den,” Gabriel sneered. “Where were you when Scauth was abusing women and children here?”

Jayden gave an exaggerated sigh. “I only arrived when Mason joined, and I
did
help. You’re changing the subject.”

“You’re the one who forced yourself on us.”

“Look, at least check out the wolf’s journal, all right? It may—”

“My journal?” Emma was startled enough to butt in. “Why?”

Jayden raised a chiding black brow. “I believe it will have more concrete answers.”

“But it’s only a chewed-up old leather book.” Still clutched in one hand, she raised the journal as they cornered onto Third. “Half of it is blank pages…” She trailed off, remembering. Not blank.

“A journal with locked writing that
can’t be seen.
Provocative, no?”

Gabriel spun to a halt facing Jayden, dragging Emma to a stop beside him. “Why don’t you come out and say what you mean—damn.”

He’d disappeared.

“Fry me in sausage gravy.” Gabriel stalked off north, pulling Emma into a run.

She panted, “Does he always do that?”

“Annoy people just by breathing? Yes.”

“No, not that. Well, yes, that, but also drop cryptic little clues and then vanish?”

“Apparently. Almost as bad as a prophecy.” He fell silent.

She spent the rest of the block trying to word her questions about “
I do have
feelings
for you”
, when he stopped.

“Okay, Auntie was watching the Enforcer, but it’s been hours.”

She looked up. They’d reached Pine Street. Kitty-corner left was Blackwood Small Engine Repair.

But to the right, only a few buildings away, was the B-and-B and
Ryder,
with all the power of the Witches’ Council behind him.

Gabriel’s eyes scanned the empty streets. “She may still be there, but in case she used up her excuse to stay, or simply took a break, we need to be careful. We don’t want to accidentally draw his attention.”

Feelings
would have to wait. He gave a nod, and they crept across the street.

The Blackwood shop was the last building north before the town ran out. Emma tiptoed behind Gabriel up the sweep of neat red pavers that skirted a large cinder block building. The store was leading the local economy in a resurgence, and it showed.

Lawn mowers and snow blowers with bright paint sat in one display window, but the largest showcased motorcycles—cruisers, sportsters, and off-road bikes, all lovingly displayed.

Gabriel opened the door and waved her quickly inside.

Cool air caressed her. Stepping over the threshold, she breathed deep, filling her lungs with the tangy scent of leather jackets, pants, and lug-soled boots. Sleek carbon fiber bikes and displays of saddlebags, rain gear, and headsets lined her path, everything she could want for her riding pleasure. No movement, but the smell and sound of males came from an office deeper in the store.

Gabriel placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her forward. “Let’s see what the collective wisdom of the wisdom creatures has found.”

The office door was open. Emma poked her head in. Goodwin must’ve finished his reading in his pocket dimension library because he stood with Pan at the desk arguing with him over an open book.

Gabriel wedged in front of her, blocking her with his big body like a linebacker. “I want to know what you found. But first—where’s Noah?”

“
The reason my wife is locked up is that bitch.”
Emma shivered.

“Don’t know,” Pan said. “Don’t care. He was being a pest.”

“He tore out of here mere minutes after I arrived, followed by his familiar and Mason.” Goodwin shook his distinguished auburn head. “Normally Noah’s witch nature makes him unusually calm for a wolf, but his separation from Sophia has obviously shattered that.”

“Nice way of putting it—shattered,” Pan said. “He was a wreck. Throwing off jags of power so strong even I could feel them. I’m surprised that asshole Enforcer didn’t show up. Your aunt must’ve really done a number on him.”

“Before Noah ran out, Mason did let us know about his idea. He said Noah’s slide downhill was gradual, and that apparently it could’ve been worse. That seemed to mean something to him.” Goodwin shrugged. “I understand separating mates is hard on the shifter.”

“
Could
have been worse?” Emma frowned. Now that she thought about it, the one time she’d seen mates apart, when her father traveled overnight to an art gallery for a showing, her mother had been a wreck, frantically running to the window every five minutes, looking for his return. And her parents had only had a ritual mating. Sophia and Noah had a true bond.

Having now felt the mating bond, so strong it tugged at her not only over space but she suspected back through time—she’d been unreasonably attracted to Gabriel at first sight—she was even more certain, despite the alpha’s almost legendary calm, Noah should have been boiling to free his mate.

Emma slid around Gabriel into the room. “Actually, it
should
be worse. I understand what Mason was trying to tell you. Sophia’s in a bubble universe—cut off from this one, right? That should have
severed
the mating bond. But Noah’s not acting like it’s cut. He’s acting like it’s been simply stretched or…or reduced somehow.”

“Hell.” Pan blinked golden eyes. “If she’s right, that’s another game-changer.”

Goodwin tilted his auburn head thoughtfully. “Some sort of bleed-through between Sophia’s bubble and this dimension? Gabriel, my boy, can you detect it? Your Sight is the best.”

“I only came to find out what kind of danger Emma’s journal is to her, so she can get out of town safely.” He had that stubborn glint to his eye. “What did you find?”

Emma’s heart filled. He was putting her first again. But she couldn’t let him do that. “Gabriel, I’m fine for now.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she touched his arm. “Really, truly. Here with you, I’m the safest I can possibly be. There’s no one smarter, stronger, or better at protecting. If you can see Noah’s mating bond, maybe we can use it to free your sister. Doesn’t that come first?”

“No.” The stubborn male crossed arms. “If you won’t take care of yourself, I’ll do it for you. The journal. Is it dangerous?”

“Short answer?” Pan raised his palm to her when she opened her mouth to object. “He’s not going to let it go. Short answer is—yes. Extremely.”

“Damn me in milk. How?”

“We don’t know. We only know Avignon sealed it with a form of death magic.”

Emma questioned Gabriel with raised eyebrows.

He’d gone still. “Death magic can be anything from a small self-sacrifice to murder, but it’s never done lightly. Whatever that locked writing is, it’s serious. Potentially explosive.” To his familiar he said, “How did you discover this?”

“Noah’s familiar has access to Prince Simon’s pocket library—Noah’s father,” Pan added at Emma’s raised brows.

At this rate, my eyebrows will permanently fuse with my bangs.

“But we don’t know who Avignon locked it from,” the panther familiar continued. “We know it’s a danger, but not to whom.”

“Your turn, dear boy,” Goodwin said. “See if you can view Noah and Sophia’s mating bond on the etheric.”

“Not with that thing being a ticking bomb.” Gabriel scowled at her journal.

“Is there anything we can do about it?” Emma clutched the small leather book.

His scowl faltered.

“I’m guessing that’s a no. So for now…?” She pleaded with her eyes.

“Fine.” Gabriel’s lids closed and this time she actually felt the ting of him accessing his Witch’s Sight, through her mating bond with him.

“It’s thin…transparent, like a filament…you wouldn’t be able to see it if you didn’t know what you were looking for. That’s probably why the Enforcer didn’t see it—hell.”

A
bang
on the etheric startled her. Beside her, Gabriel’s eyes snapped open.

Noah Blackwood stormed into the office. “Got it. Now I can bargain with that little twit.”

He was followed by two tall men trying desperately to calm him. The muscular mechanic was gruff-but-kind beta Mason. Emma didn’t know the slender black-haired man, but from what her mother had told her (
Prince Noah saved the raven-man when he nearly died!
), this was Noah’s familiar, Bram.

Noah clutched something so tightly his knuckles were white.

“Oh, dear boy,” Goodwin whispered, almost to himself. “No. Not that.”

Gabriel edged his body nonchalantly between Emma and the furious alpha and held out a hand. “Give it to me, Noah.”

Emma caught the controlled tension in Gabriel’s voice and peeped around his broad back. Whatever Noah held, it was important, even vital.

“No fucking way.” Wild golden eyes landed on Gabriel. “Did you negotiate Sophia’s release?”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “We need more time.”

“There is no more time!” The alpha’s jaw was so tight Emma could see the muscle striations under his skin. “If you can’t get her released the easy way, I’m getting her out the hard way.” He shook his fist, the thing glinting in his hand.

“I want to understand, Noah. Speak slower. I want to help.”

Emma’s heart surged with pride. Gabriel Light might be a wizard prince, but at this moment he was channeling lead Techie Titan, their last and best line of defense against angry shoppers, turning even the most enraged into a happy repeat customer.

His tone was soothing, but she caught the way he slowly, unobtrusively slid his glasses off his face, slipping them into a pocket under his vest. Placating, but prepared for a fight.

Her pride for him crumbled into fear. Gabriel was taller than Noah by a couple inches, but if it came to blows, the alpha was preternaturally agile and strong, meaning Gabriel didn’t stand a chance.

But she’d forgotten—in the store, Gabriel wasn’t alone, and he wasn’t alone now. Pan stepped shoulder to shoulder with him. “What the hell have you done, Blackwood? Is that the key piece?”

“It’s
mine,
” Noah snarled, dangling the thing from its leather thong, revealing it as an enameled wolf pendant. “
My
wolf. I’m going to use it to release
my
wife.”

“It’s yours, absolutely.” Gabriel held a palm behind his back to signal Emma to stay where she was and slid one foot surreptitiously toward the alpha. A twitch of his head flagged Pan to shield her. “You agreed to let Daniel guard it, though, didn’t you?”

“He wasn’t guarding it very well. I took it back.” A mad, triumphant smile slashed Noah’s face.

“I see.” Gabriel inched closer. “And how are you going to use it to get Sophia out?”

Pan shot Emma a black glance. He obviously wanted to stand alongside his witch and resented having been given his marching orders to protect her.

Well, she resented it too. Her human mate was going to try something alone against the mad rage of a powerful alpha wolf—by definition, something insane. She didn’t know whether to be proud of his bravery or frightened for his fragile skin. Probably both.

“That MoonMoon of a jailer wants power.” Noah shook his fist, the pendant’s leather thong tail trembling violently. “This has powerful magic. I’ll use it to bargain for my mate’s release.”

“Not a good idea, buddy. If a bad guy gets the key—”

“Fuck that.” The alpha turned his shaking fist on Gabriel. “I’m so far beyond caring about the damned key, I’d give this to the evil Burgot himself if it’d get my mate released…hey!”

Gabriel lunged for the pendant. Emma sucked in a breath.
Agile shifter, mere human…I have to help.
She moved.

Pan blocked her.

She dodged, trying to get past the panther familiar. As she zigged and Pan zagged, Noah tried to yank the pendant back. But Gabriel had surprisingly managed to catch the leather thong. He tugged, pulling Noah off balance.

The alpha stumbled, but his lightning-fast reflexes corrected almost immediately. Twisting like a tornado, he yanked the thong in Gabriel’s hand.

Gabriel, instead of being pulled off-balance himself, stepped in
with
the tug—to bury a fist in Noah’s gut.

Shock surged in Emma’s veins. She knew firsthand how strong those hands were. Even the alpha shifter
woofed
out a breath at that punch. She stifled a shout of delight.

Noah countered with an uppercut.

“Gabriel, look out—!”

Her mate had already twisted his shoulders up and away, releasing the thong to spin his body like a mixer paddle. Noah’s fist cleaved air.

Leaving Gabriel time to thrust a hand into his pants pocket, pulling out a tangle of talismans.

He yanked out a random disk, tossed it at the alpha, and shouted, “Go!”