Summon (13 page)

Ana’s fingers twitched on the furs. “We needed you.
I’m not sorry.”

Picking myself up, I crossed the room and lay
beside her.

Ana smiled, cautiously eyeing me, waiting to be
hauled over the coals.

And I would’ve shouted if I hadn’t experienced the
receiving end of similar reprimands myself. Ana was impulsive and a rule
breaker. It would be hypocritical to judge and act as if I’d never done
anything as brainless on impulse.

People did seemingly irresponsible stuff. The trick
to not going crazy by their apparent lack of sense was to get over it. Offering
advice to someone I considered needed help was fine, but demanding she think
exactly like me was pointless. Her uniqueness was as important as mine. Ana’s
way of dealing with my death was scary from my perspective, but understandable
from hers.

I shifted closer until we bumped noses, both
sinking into the soft middle of the mattress.

The space between my brows wrinkled in mock
disgust, and I pushed lank hair off her face. “You look gross.”

She wheezed a laugh and tried to thump her chest
with her hand. She relived the horror of losing it as the stump hit her chest
ineffectively. She stared at it then shoved her hand between her legs and
visibly erased the moment from her mind. “If you’re going to moan you can
leave.”

“We both know I’ve done much worse and will
probably do worse in future.” I batted my eyelashes. “Next time cut me some
slack, okay?”

Gingerly taking her ruined wrist between my palms,
I pushed energy into the chilled limb.

Ana choked a sob and stared wide-eyed as her fleshy
stump pinkened then began to grow. Her hand regenerated, and within moments she
flexed her fingers, tears streaming across her temples and wetting the bedding.

“Never repeat that ritual,” I said. “Burn the page
from the grimoire if the temptation is too much.”

I planned to lock the book of witchcraft with the
amulets then assign them new protectors as soon as I straightened out Maeve.

Ana didn’t need to know that in case she did
something rash.

“But it worked.”

“Attempt to pervert destiny again and you’ll be
punished.” My voice turned hard. Uncompromising. She needed to comprehend the
depth of her transgression, and the significance of meddling beyond her gift of
Sight. “Merciless forces will descend upon you. Even my power combined with
Breandan’s won’t save you. Understand?” I held her gaze. “Never again, Ana.”

Swallowing throatily, eyes fixed on her new hand,
she nodded. “Promise.”

I flashed a smile without teeth.

Leaning on my elbows, I undid her messy braid. I
finger combed her blonde hair then began re-plaiting it. “Now you’re feeling
better and looking less like a corpse–” she stuck out her tongue,
“–I need your help. I need to see.”

Her gaze darted to my face in question. Her eyes
slid side to side as she nibbled her lip already witnessing multiple outcomes
of my request and judging how to respond. “See what?”

A chill swept through the room.

I can’t say I was taken aback when the phantom
coalesced in the shadows of the room watching me.

He’d been following me since we’d been brought
back.

Waiting.

I knotted the end of Ana’s braid and lifted her
chin with my finger to direct her attention from Tomas to me. I let loose the
fear I held at bay until it soaked the air. “Everything. I need to see
everything.”

CHAPTER TEN

Lochlann

Shifting
weight onto my back leg, a smile teased my lips at the sight of Conall
directing a troop of fresh-faced Knights. Dressed in regimented armour their
green faces were alight with excitement. Some chattered restlessly between
themselves. Others stared at the Warrior deigning to address them with rapt
attention, eager to hear his words and be proved worthy.

The menacing pulsation of dark energy heralded
Breandan’s arrival moments before he stopped beside me. “I remember a time when
you and Conall were my heroes.”

I hummed to myself remembering the days Breandan
hung on my every word, clipping my heels trying to follow me. “Were?”

Little brother laughed. “Wrong tense.”

“Verily?” I studied him. “Then for old times sake
strive to please me, Breandan. Tell me how long must we play games?”

“My intention is not to be difficult. Neither is
hers.” He scrubbed a hand over his head. I noticed for the first time he let
his dark hair grow. He’d cut it short since adolescence. It pleased me he no
longer butchered his male beauty. “Brother, I–”

“Walk.” I strode off.

Breandan followed without question. It made me pine
for the old days when he listened to me in all things.

I hadn’t acted fast enough because the Pack Alpha
spotted us and stormed in our direction.

“Lochlann.” Kalcifer quickened his step. He nodded
at Breandan. “We need to speak.”

I spared him a look then grimaced at the
determination etching his expression. “I told Kian–”

“Your underling gave me your message.” Kalcifer
held out an arm. “This can’t wait until the Meet.”

“I will see you at Conall’s dwelling,” Breandan
murmured lengthening his stride to separate from us.

Hands clasping my hips I stifled a groan.
Another delay.
I motioned Kalcifer on.
“I’m listening.”

“The wolves in my Pack with alpha potential left
with the Loa.”

Shock drained the tension from my body. My hands
dropped to hang loose at my sides. “Beg pardon?”

Mouth thinned to a straight slash across his face, grimly
satisfied at my reaction, Kalcifer nodded. “They followed the moths.”

“Why?”

“
Why
?” He
thrust his face in mine. A vein running down the middle of his forehead bulged.
“
I don’t know
. I came for help with
the witches and lost half my Pack. My best fighters are gone. How am I to
return to the Den and face their mates? What do I tell them?”

I understood the extent of his distress, yet
propriety demanded I be respected in the Wyld. The cutting look I levelled his
way caused him to retreat the hasty step taken in anger.

Shifters
react only to clear displays of authority.

I closed the short distance he reneged to establish
my dominance. “Raising your voice to me is a mistake.”

Kalcifer clamped a hand over his mouth. Breaking
the standoff, he rubbed his bristled jaw. “I apologise.” His green eyes
intensified in hue, affected by strong emotion. “The younger wolves look to me
for answers. I have none. None of your people know what’s going on, and you
refuse to tell me.”

Hearing my woes echoed in his fretting, I clapped
his shoulder. “Give me time to speak to Rae then you and I will speak at
length. You came to our aid, and stayed when things turned dark. I haven’t
forgotten. I promise my kind will help yours.” As I made the vow the air
thickened with magics.

Kalicfer shuddered. His eyes brimmed with relief.
“I’ll wait.”

“See Lily. She is the Wyld Warden, and will find
you and your wolves dwellings to sleep in.” I gestured to the woods. “You may
hunt whatever game you wish.”

Murmuring thanks, Kalcifer strolled away with an
improved demeanour.
He looks less as if
he will claw his own face off.

Certain by the time I reached Conall’s dwelling
Breandan would have secreted Rae away, I barked a laugh when he was absent, and
found her descending the carved steps with Ana trailing behind, a warren at her
feet.

“At last,” I muttered, my gaze sweeping side to
side, fully expecting some calamity to befall me further stalling the imminent
conversation. “Rae.”

A mountain of bear lifted from the ground and
growled at my encroachment.

There are
some shifters I cannot intimidate.

“Baako,” I acknowledged, freezing in my tracks.

He rumbled and sat heavily. His melanoid eyes cut
to Rae who gave him a thumb up.

The witch went to the bear looking particularly
apologetic. He chuffed, and she rubbed his furred back, cooing. He rolled over
to offer his belly. She vigorously scratched him, her peal of laughter a sound
of genuine happiness.

Squaring her shoulders, Rae stalked up to me. “Not
today. Tomorrow.” With that cryptic announcement, she peeked around me. “Have
you seen Breandan?”

Without waiting for an answer, she wandered off.

I fought past my bewilderment. “What are you
saying?” I grabbed her arm and hauled her back. “I have to wait another day for
you to stop messing around? I
still
have
no answers to give to the people who need my guidance because you want more
time? To do what?”

Baako gained his paws sooner than his immense size
implied feasible. He stopped growling when Rae dragged a finger over her
throat. Grumbling, his snout dropped in disappointment.

Rae placed both of her soft hands on my cheeks. The
glow surrounding her brightened, and a sense of peace filtered through my ire.

I frowned, pulled, but she was absurdly strong.

“I’m saying you’re freakishly tall.” She yanked
until my back arched. “Now I can look you in the eye without straining my
neck.”

“Not funny.”

“What I’m saying You Who Have No Sense Of Humour is
that you don’t know when to give it a rest. I’m saying we’re going to eat,
drink, dance, and do bad things.”

Starting, I flushed and again tried to free my
head.

Teeth exposed in an affronted snarl, she dug her
talons into my cheeks until they caved. My lips pushed out uncomfortably. “High
Gods, not
you
and
me
. I’m taken. Remember? I meant bad
things with different people.” She rolled her gold eyes. “That I have to
explain that to you is sad.”

“Iam
not
sad.”
My words escaped as a garbled stream of nonsense since her hand mashed my mouth
into a strange shape.

“Shut up.”

Affronted by the imperious command, I yanked my
head free. “Who do you think–”

“Quiet.” She paused. “You make me be rude to you
because you don’t know when to let others be heard.”

Huffing, I flicked a wrist.

She stared at my hand, incredulous. “There’s no
point explaining what you did was conceited is there?” Her mouth pursed, and
she slanted me a look. “I tried that wrist flick with Baako. Shall I do to you
what he did to me and see how you react?”

“Speak sense,” I ordered.

“Look at that sunset, so pretty. We’re going to
remind ourselves what we’re fighting for.” She made a box with her hands around
her eyes. “The hostility is reaching obscene proportions. We have tunnel vision
and it’s making us crazy.”

“
I
am
sane.
I
know what I’m fighting for.”

“Tonight and tomorrow we rest. Then I’ll tell you
what we’re going to do to save the Wyld, and anybody else’s home who comes for
help against the Loa.”

The frustration I’d dampened fired my blood. My
heart thumped harder. “It sounds like a waste of valuable time.” My voice rose
angrily. “Our enemies plot against us, and you wish to frolic.”

She gripped my arm. “Lochlann–”

“Put yourself in my position.” I moderated my tone,
so it was quiet, and solemn to impress the severity of the burden I carried. “I
have responsibilities. Duties I cannot forestall or disregard. People look to
me for leadership, and I am obligated to provide it. I seek your advice, but I
won’t wait without reasonable justification. Especially as you seem in two
minds about being returned to us.”

“I’m not being pulled into two directions anymore.”
She gnawed the corner of her lip with a small fang. “Okay, I admit silence
wasn’t the best way to handle my resurrection. I freaked and needed time. Then
I got the scary impression everyone expected me to have answers on how to deal
with the Loa.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She blinked. “Lochlann, I resurrected moments after
they broke free of the Otherworld.”

“Yes, but they are….” I gestured up and down her
glowing body. “You and little brother are the same as them.”

 
“Their
spirits are divine like ours, yeah, but their powers and influence in the
corporeal world are different.” A stressed look came in her eye. “And they
spent countless years in the Otherworld imbibing power from worship.”

“I do not understand?”

“Swear what I tell you will never be used against me
or Breandan?”

I palmed my heart, felt it slow, such was the depth
of my honour. “I swear it.”

“When Breandan pulled the dagger from my chest and
eased up enough to let me walk the circle I became aware of, um, currents.
Energy that ranged from insubstantial to torrential poured off you all into
Breandan and me.”