Obsessions (25 page)

“How do we know this will work?”

London bowed her head before she spoke. “We don’t,
but it’s the only plan we have. It will be dark soon so tell them to hurry. She
may have wards up and people probably watching, so make sure you are recording
Donnie. If we need more proof than this should be enough.”

London grabbed her cell phone and quietly walked to
the back door where Donnie’s vehicle was parked.  She looked around to see if
anyone was watching, before she looked back at Donnie and smiled. Then she opened
the door and walked outside.

Chapter
32

Donnie was nervous when he walked into the living
room. “Hey I’m going to the office to get another computer. One of the guards
is going with me, and London is in the shower. Be back in a few minutes, and
save me some pizza.”

“We will sweetheart.” Me-Len answered softly as she
laid her head back in Meryl’s lap.

He hated lying to them but he didn’t know any other
way. Walking outside, he started his car, and drove down the long road that was
Ryder’s driveway until he made it to the front gate. The men gave him and odd
look, but pushed the button to make the gate go up. Donnie sighed heavily,
relieved as he pushed the gas, and turned right onto the road. He drove a mile
until he came to the dirt road with the sign London told him about. He got out
of the car and opened his trunk. He helped her out of the trunk, but refused to
release her hand.

“Please London, let me call Ryder. He will know what
to do,” Donnie pleaded, but she only shook her head.

“She will kill Zoey, Donnie. I can’t take that
chance,” London said. “Now run back to the house and call him then. I will hold
them off until he can get here with the other Alpha’s.”

A tear fell on Donnie’s face, but he wiped it away
quickly. “Okay, but don’t do anything stupid.” Donnie picked London’s necklace
up and spoke directly to it.

“And you-you better protect her and help her, or you
will have me to deal with.” Donnie looked up into London’s smiling face.

“Hurry now, and get going,” London ordered.

Donnie took off running toward Ryder’s house.

* * * *

Me-Len felt her heart start beating faster.  She
rose up and looked around. Meryl still had his eyes closed but opened them and
stared at her.

“You okay?” he asked her. He got up from the couch
looking around.

“Something’s wrong. I don’t know what it is but
something is wrong.” Me-Len got up and walked back into the kitchen. She walked
around then walked to the back of the house to find London. She could feel her
heartbeat pick up as she walked into London’s bedroom, and then into her
bathroom, but found nothing. She opened the shower door but nobody had been in
the shower for hours. Where is she?

Me-Len ran out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.
“She’s gone!” she shouted at Meryl.

“Who’s gone? London?” Meryl asked confused.

“Yes! Something is wrong. She left for some reason.”
Me-Len pulled out her phone and called London’s number. The phone rang but
nobody answered and it went to voice mail. Me-Len heard voices coming from the
front porch, so she and Meryl ran into the living room and opened the front
door. Ryder and the other Alpha’s were getting out of vehicles.

“She’s gone!” Me-Len yelled out. Ryder and the
others looked up at her, and she could see the rage forming in Ryder’s eyes.

“What happened?” he demanded. Before Me-Len could
explain what she knew, a SUV came screaming up the driveway, and Donnie jumped
out of the passenger side. He ran towards them trembling with fear and
adrenaline, and before Ryder could ask why his guards were doing playing
chauffer instead of protecting his mate, Donnie was yelling.

 “Ryder! She took Zoey!” he gasped, his explanation
cut off when Kayden Lynn roared.

“Who has Zoey?” They all watched as Kayden’s eyes
turned bright green.

“Metilda has her. And now she has London too! She
called and said if London didn’t come alone she would cut Zoey up just like the
wolf. I had to drive London down the road a mile, and let her out so that I
could come back to the house and call you. She has the earpiece in her ear. She
told me where they were going, and she said to tell you to send the cavalry and
she would hold them off as long as she could. Oh and she said Metilda would
probably have some wards set up and people watching to see if anyone else came—”

“She has the earpiece in her ear?” Jamie
interrupted.

“Yes, we checked it before she left.” Donnie ran
into the house with Ryder and Jamie on his heels.

“Turn it on, but turn the blue tooth off and turn
the speakers up on the laptop.” Jamie instructed Donnie.

At first, they could only hear breathing, but after
a moment a woman’s voice came over the line. “You came. I really didn’t think
you would be here so fast, and I thought for sure you would bring your mate. No
guts and all.”

“Ok they must be watching the property to see if we
leave so we need to go on foot. We can cut through the north gate and travel up
the creek bed. There is a lot of water running so it should help us get in there
without being seen or heard,” Ryder said. He was in Alpha mode as everyone
started taking their shoes off. “Donnie you stay here and listen to the
computer, then relay what is going on to me.”

Ryder looked, but there was only one ear device and
London had it. Jamie came into the kitchen carrying a big box. He put the box on
the table and opened it up. Everyone gasped as they gazed upon the gadgets and
weapons.

“Here.” Jamie reached in and pulled out another box.
He opened it and inside was ten earpieces. He gave Ryder an earpiece, and passed
out earpieces to the other Alphas. Getting out another box he started turning
dials and buttons on it, and then put it next to Zoey’s computer. “Let me know
if you can hear London talking.” Everyone listened then gave thumbs up.

Me-Len had never seen so much high tech stuff in all
her life but she was thankful he had it. “What do we need to do?” she asked
Ryder.

“You will need to ride on Brody’s back when he
shifts into a bear. Think you can handle that?” Ryder asked her.

“I can handle anything when it comes to saving my
granddaughter,” Me-Len replied.

“Good girl. Meryl, can you ride on Nolan’s back. We’re
going to need you too, so we can get past the wards,” Ryder asked.

“Sure can,” Meryl answered. Me-Len watched, as
everyone sported determined looks. They had to be if they were going to save
London and Zoey, and there was no alternative to saving them.

Chapter 33

London started walking down the silent path. She
couldn’t hear any birds or insects and it made her more nervous. Stopping, she looked
down at her necklace, picking it up and putting it to her lips. She knew it was
probably stupid, but she whispered to the Tree of Life anyway.

“I’m scared, but I believe you can help me. I have
to believe that. She wants you, but I won’t let her have you. Please hear me,
and understand my plan. I will get you back. Trust me.” London kissed the
pendant then placed it back inside her shirt and continued walking down the
path.

She walked for a while until she came to a meadow,
where she found Metilda seated beside Zoey. Zoey’s was taped and her hands were
tied behind her back. Slowly, she entered the meadow as Penny Sanders and Roxie
Falcon walked out of the woods smiling.
Fucking bitches.
Her rage for
the two women roared to the surface. She would have to kill both of them now. They
had chosen their fate.

“Bet you thought you would never see me again huh?”
Roxie snickered as she walked toward her. London looked on as more wolves came
out of the woods. The wolves looked like Jim Sanders wolf had, with fur that was
matted in places and dirt caked on their bodies. She knew why now. They were sick
with dark magic.

“When I came to town to find you, I was lucky to
meet someone who hated you just as much as I did.  I met Penny here first, and then
Metilda-who by the way really hates you-so I’m looking forward to this. It’s
going to be fun to see you get what you deserve. I lost my job because of you,
and I can’t get a job anywhere now. So now I’m getting my pay back.” Roxie
continued to walk around London.

“You have no idea Roxie what you just stepped in.”
London’s head flew back as Roxie slapped her hard in the face.  She could taste
blood when she licked her bottom lip.

“I know what they are, and now I know what you are
too. You might be a witch, but after tonight you won’t be anything. I can’t
wait for that. I plan to get my job back after you’re dead, by compiling documents
that say before you killed yourself you needed to confess how you treated me,
and that you hoped that I would forgive you.” Roxie clasped her hands together
as she shared her messed up plan. She was so excited, but London knew that
Metilda would never let the other woman live. She knew too much and as much as
London hated for someone to die, she really didn’t care about Roxie. She made
her bed, now she was going to lie in it.

“Baby girl, can you hear me? If you can hear, clear
your throat.” London heard Donnie speaking to her in the earpiece, and she
cleared her throat to let him know that she was listening to him. “Keep her
talking. Your man is on his way with the cavalry. They are taking the north end
of the property on foot so nobody will see them leave. Lots of them are coming,
so keep that bitch talking, and if you don’t kill her, I will when I see her.” London
wanted to grin but she couldn’t risk showing any emotion.

“I can’t wait to see them cut you up into tiny
pieces. That’s what she’s going to do, and she wants the necklace.” Roxie
laughed, and then ran toward London to hit her again.

Nope, not this time.  London kicked her before she
knew what was happening, and Roxie flew through the air hitting the ground
hard. She rolled over on her side gasping for air. London figured she’d kicked
the bitch hard enough to break some ribs, but that was the least of her
worries.

“Enough.” Metilda got up and walked over to where Roxie
was lying on the ground. “You have guts, but you’re stupid, and you talk too
much.” Metilda leaned down and pointed to one of the wolves. “Kill her.”

Roxie looked on in shock at Metilda who was backing
away from her, before she glanced back at the wolf ordered to kill her. Its
mouth was dripping with saliva, and its back was hunched up ready to attack. Before
London could tell Roxie to run the wolf attacked, ripping Roxie’s throat out.
For a moment, her body lay twitching on the ground, and then nothing.

London jerked her head up when Metilda started
laughing. She was mad! Crazy as a loon! She just hoped Ryder would hurry
because the wolf was starting to circle her now.

She could see Zoey was moving around, and London
knew she was working to get out of the ropes binding her. When they trained in
college, London had spent a lot of time showing her how to get out of ropes if
she was ever tied up. She needed to get the attention on her and off Zoey so
she could get her hands untied. A moment later, Zoey nodded letting her know
that she was free.

“Metilda,” London kept her eyes on Metilda and Penny
who sat silently watching. “What is it you really want? I mean if you’re going
to kill me then at least tell me what the hell you want.” London prodded
Metilda trying to get her to talk, allowing Ryder and the others enough time to
get here. Hopefully, the crazy bitch was in a talkative mood so she would get
the answers she needed.

“I want the Tree of Life. You have no idea how
powerful it is. With that—” Metilda pointed to her shirt where the necklace lay
underneath. “I will be the most powerful witch ever, and my mother will soon
know that too.”

“How did your mother know that my mom had the Tree
of Life?”

“Everyone knew. Many times my mother asked her to
sell it. She went to your mother’s home with money and every time she said no,
but on one occasion you came home from school, and my mother finally had
something to bargain with. She tried to run and hide you, but we always found
them.” Metilda dropped the bomb on London, smirking as she spoke.

“My mother almost had the pendant once, when they
ran your parent’s car off the road, but the car exploded before she could rip
it from your mother’s dead body. She thought it was lost in the fire, but
mother was wrong. She should have gone down and checked. Now I will have the
Tree of Life, and I will rule the Blackwood Coven. Then my mother will see who
the strongest witch is.”

London could feel rage building inside her, and she
was about to blow when a calming wind blew against her face. She inhaled deep
breaths as the cool breeze continued to swirl around her. It had to be the Tree
of Life.

“London, Ryder is almost there, but he said he heard
someone screaming. Clear your throat if you can hear me.”

London cleared her throat before she spoke. “Oh, so
this is the way you impress your mother. Wow, no wonder you’re fucked up in the
head if all you think about is killing and stealing something that doesn’t
belong to you. If there was any doubt in my head whether or not you were
crazy,” London pointed at Roxie lying on the ground. “This proved it. The Tree
of Life doesn’t belong to me. It binds itself to the person it wants, not the
other way around.”

Metilda frowned for a moment, as though considering
London’s words.

“You’re evil and crazy as hell. I bet your family
reunions are a blast. What do you, and the other Coven members do? Sit around
and kill animals or cut up people. Hey instead of a game of volleyball everyone
we are going to cut up people.” That did it. Metilda eyes were like fire. If
she wasn’t mad before, now she was pissed, which is exactly what she wanted.

“Hold her.” Metilda yelled at Penny Sanders as they
both grabbed her arms. Metilda reached in and pulled the necklace off of her.
Penny held London’s hands behind her back as Metilda draped the necklace around
her own neck, before lifting up the pendant and smiling down at it. “You're
mine now, so you will do what I say.” Metilda ordered the pendant.

London watched as Metilda stroked the pendant for a
second, before she put her hands in the air and started chanting.

“Ryder is there, London.” Donnie repeated over and
over in her earpiece. Penny had her arms wrenched behind her back, but London
knew how to get away. She dropped one of her feet back toward Penny and flipped
her over her back before kicking her hard in the side.

The wind started blowing harder and the air
shimmered. Metilda held her hands toward the moon, and continued chanting. Ryder
and the others broke through the trees just as the witch was drawing the magic
to her. Everyone else’s attention was on Metilda, but London knew Ryder only saw
her, by the look of relief on his face. He was a sight for sore eyes. She
wanted to run to him, but everything was happening so fast. The wolves jerked
around when they realized the Alpha’s were there.

They rushed out of the trees in a solid wave of
muscle. Brody King was the biggest grizzly bear, London had ever seen, but it
was Judd Walsh who picked Penny Sanders up from the ground and held her so she
couldn’t run.

London glanced over at her grandmother and Meryl who
came to stand beside her. They grasped each other’s hands for support.

“I can feel its power. It’s mine, mine!” Metilda
screamed to the sky, her hair blowing in the wind. She was a pretty woman, seeing
her body shimmer with magic was weird.

“I take your power from the Tree of Life. I command
you to release into me from the power of the Old Ones. Come into me.” Metilda
held the pendant up as it glowed in her hand.

“Yeah, like that is going to happen,” London
whispered.

Me-Len and Meryl both turned to her. “What?”

Before she could respond the wind stopped blowing,
and Metilda screamed out, “I command you.” Nothing happened as they all watched
her.

“Metilda,” London yelled at her trying to get the
witches attention. “Didn’t I tell you that you can’t command the Tree of Life
or make it do anything for you?  Yeah…I think I did.” 

Metilda looked confused as she gripped the Tree of
Life in her hand. Nothing happened, but she continued to try and make the
pendant work for her.

“Girl, you aren’t the swiftest one in the bunch are
you?” London cracked. Metilda’s face turned blood red, but she continued, “Are
you fixing to explode?” 

Me-Len turned and stared at her. Nobody else had
figured it out yet. Now was as good a time as ever to let her know what just
happened. She took a few steps forward and Ryder’s arm encircled her
immediately.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“I’ve got this. Trust me.” Ryder took a deep breath,
and nodded as he reluctantly released her. She could see his struggle when he
let her go, but he needed to trust her like she trusted him.

Everyone stared at London as she walked toward Metilda,
who lifted her hand and threw it forward toward her.

“What’s wrong Metilda? All that power, and you don’t
know how to use it?” Metilda couldn’t control her rage as London taunted her.
She thrust her fist out trying to hit her in the face. Missing, London knocked
her hand away and grabbed her by the back of the hair to slung her forward
knocking her to the hard ground.

“I believe this is mine.” London couldn’t stop the
fury she had for this woman. She grabbed the necklace from Metilda’s neck, and
pushed her forward where she landed head first on the ground. Metilda looked up
surprised.

“The Tree of Life doesn’t answer to just anyone. It decides
who it will bond with. So, before I got here I did a reverse spell, and the
Tree of Life took your magic.” London thought she would get joy from telling
Metilda that she took her magic away from her, but Kenny Davis had died with
that magic and she couldn’t celebrate his death.

Metilda got up, closed her eyes, and started
chanting. This woman had killed a pack mate. She didn’t deserve to live. She
needed to die.

“You don’t deserve prison. You just need to die.”
Before London could hurt her further, Ryder pulled her back.

“You’re not a killer, my love. Being in prison
without her magic will eat her alive, and you wouldn’t feel any better if you
did it. Trust me mate.”

“What will happen to her?” London demanded.

“She will spend the rest of her life in prison.”
London and the others jerked around to see the two Sentinels. Nobody had seen
or scented them, but they were standing directly behind the Alphas.

“Jackson.” Ryder acknowledged his friend. He walked
over and shook the Sentinels hand. “Thank you for coming.” 

London couldn’t stop staring at this man named
Jackson. He was beyond good looking, he was simply angelic. She was drawn to
him for some reason. Ryder growled when he saw she was staring at the stranger,
and she lowered her eyes.

“We will take her,” Jackson stated. No one thought
to argue as he walked over, and picked the confused Metilda off the ground. Her
eyes appeared lost. “No one will know where she is. Our prisons are constantly
moving, and living in a prison was more than Kenny Davis got.”

Metilda was crazy. She never had or would have a
stable person in her life. London thought about a quote she had read. “What
lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies
inside you.” Metilda Blackwood was evil on the inside too and although London
thought death was a better punishment, maybe spending the rest of her life in
prison thinking about what she could never have was punishment enough.

“What about that one?” Jackson asked as everyone
looked over at Penny Sanders. Judd Walsh still held her hostage as her fate was
being judged.