The Wizard King (23 page)

She rolled her eyes, but stopped arguing. “Fine. You’d only follow us anyway.”

“Damn straight.”

“Here.” Zach held out three amulets, each bearing the Wheel of Hecate etched in white enamel. “I kind of figured you wouldn’t stay behind.” Once Gareth, Daniel and Chris held theirs, he pointed to the same exact one on his chest.

“Blood calls to blood, soul to soul.

Brothers together, always whole.”

Zach flared so brightly Gareth was surprised he could still see.
What the hell?

“Let the demon learn to cower,

For the Beckett wolves I now empower.”

A flash of raw energy filled Gareth, making him gasp. Gods, was this what Zach felt all the time? No wonder he had trouble controlling it, and he doubted he’d felt even a fraction of the power Zach truly held. Gareth wouldn’t have the power for long. There was no sense that it had become a part of him, the way the wizard king’s power had. This was a gift, meant to keep Gareth, Chris and Daniel safe.

He never would have guessed, even a year ago, that Zach would be the one to protect them all. He’d never been prouder of his brother than in that moment, when Zach gave of himself so freely to ensure his brothers’ safety.

“Earth and flame, wind and sea,

As I will so mote it be.”

Gareth’s skin hummed with witch-fire. Zach’s glow dimmed, died out, that cocky grin on Zach’s face showing how pleased he was with himself.

Hell, even Daniel looked impressed. “Shit, bro. Save some for the bad guy.”

“Don’t worry about me. Worry about Hugh, because I can sense he’s up to something.” The cocky grin faded from Zach’s face. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Gen’s head whipped around so fast Gareth thought he heard it crack. “What do you sense, Zach?”

Zach concentrated. “Nothing concrete. Just this feeling of slime moving over everything in slow motion.”

“Is he opening a portal?”

Gareth grimaced. He never, ever wanted to see anther Hell portal as long as he lived. “We need to kill this asswipe before he completes the ritual.”

“Then we need to start walking.” Chris put one foot in front of the other, leading the pack.

Gareth scrambled to follow, overtaking Chris and the lead. “If you get one scratch on you I get to deal with Lana
and
Annabelle.”

“That almost makes it worth it.”

The closer they got to Gen’s family home, the quieter they got. The bickering back and forth faded as all of them hunkered down, scanning the house for anyone who could be watching for intruders.

“I’m going to shift, see what the wolf senses.” Daniel began taking off his clothing, his gaze glued to the windows of the house.

And what a house it was. The place really was a mansion, all white stucco and brick with black shutters and a grand, circular portico holding up a balcony with a black, wrought iron railing. He could see two smaller wings on each side of the mansion. Gen had informed them that the servants, those that lived on the estate, had their own house about half a mile from the main one, where they were kept in apartment-style studios. Those that didn’t live on the estate were forced to park at that house and walk with the rest.

The home was extravagant and well-maintained, with mighty oak trees flanking it and scattered behind it. The only part of the home not done in black and white was the front door.

That had been done in blood red.

If he hadn’t known some of what had happened behind those doors, Gareth would have found the home to be a grand old lady, steeped in history and tradition. Instead, it sat like a fat spider, daring someone to enter its web.

When Daniel hooked his fingers into his briefs, Gareth held his hand in front of Gen’s face. “Cover your eyes.” No way was she seeing any more of his brother than she already had.

Gen closed her eyes with a quick smile, but not before he caught her sneaking a peek.

“You’re going to get a spanking if you keep that up.”

“You and what army?” But she kept her eyes closed, even if the smile grew to a smirk.

“Can you two save the foreplay for after we kill the bad guy?” Daniel, completely naked now, shifted. He lifted his muzzle, sniffing the air around them, before taking off to their right. His nose to the ground, he stopped long enough to look back at them before moving forward, slinking along the ground so low they were probably going to have to pick fallen leaves off his belly.

Gareth followed his brother, wary now that they were so close to their goal. Something was going on, something that had his skin tingling. He broke out in a cold sweat every time he glanced at the house.

“Shit.” Zach stopped and motioned for the others to do the same. “Do you feel that?”

“A go-away spell, I’m almost certain of it.” Gen shuddered as she stared at the house. “A little something to keep us out.”

“Aimed at us, or just anyone?” Gareth fought the compulsion, staring at the house intently. The urge to look away was so strong it was a physical blow. “Because I’m leaning toward us.”

“I agree.” Gen shivered hard, then tore her gaze away from the house. “He knows we’re coming for him.”

“And if he thinks a little compulsion will keep us away, he’s sadly mistaken.” Zach held up his hand.

“Wait!” Chris pulled Zach’s hand down. “Do we want him to know we’re coming
now
, or do we want to try and surprise him?”

“You think you can force yourself through? It’s pretty damn strong.”

“And I’m just a wizard, not a king or an Own. I get that.” Chris was pale and shaking, but damn if he didn’t stare right at the house. “I can do this.”

Daniel, unable to speak in his wolf form, answered the question the most basic way he could. He left the line of trees surrounding the property and started walking toward the house. His tail was between his legs, and whimpers kept erupting from his mouth, but he moved forward, fighting with everything in him.

Gareth could do no less. Nodding once, he followed Daniel into the warlock’s den, ready to battle a demon.

Goddess above, coming home was nothing like she’d thought it would be.

Black candles lined each window, surrounded by salt, lighting each in what should have been a beacon welcoming her but had been perverted to drive her away. The source of the compulsion was there, in the candles with the hint of paper underneath. She bet if she brushed away the salt, she’d find pictures of the Becketts along with herself. The compulsion seemed to be hitting her as hard as it was the brothers.

Hugh was smart enough to realize she’d come for him.

Daniel scratched softly at a side door that, if memory served, led into the mudroom. Thank goodness Chris had thought to grab Daniel’s clothing because, once inside, the wolf would have to shift back to man. The sound of his nails on the tile and wood floors would be a dead giveaway. They stood a much better chance of startling Hugh if they could be as quiet as possible. He couldn’t know exactly when they’d show up. The constant fear of discovery would render him lax in his protections.

Or so she hoped.

Gen opened the door cautiously, praying her brother hadn’t hexed it. When nothing happened, she let out a sigh of relief. Either he hadn’t put a spell on all the doors, or he’d forgotten about this rarely used entrance into the servants’ part of the house.

Either way, they were in, and she wasn’t about to look this little gift in the mouth.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold she understood how far her brother had fallen. Even when Davis had been in charge of the house, servants had kept things clean and running smoothly. In the months following Davis’s death the house had taken on a disused, unlived-in air that tickled her nose and had her looking over her shoulder for ghosts. If any place deserved to be haunted, it was the Godwin mansion. They’d certainly hurt enough people between these walls.

Gesturing for the others to follow behind her, Gen glided forward as silently as she could. She knew the house best, had grown up here, loved here, been shunned here. The others would have to follow her if they had any hope of finding where Hugh was holed up.

It was her place to end this.

Gareth stuck close but didn’t argue with her as she peered out of the doorway, watching for any sign that Hugh was aware of their presence. They waited until Daniel was once again fully clothed before leaving the mudroom and making their way toward the servants’ stairway at the back of the kitchen.

The hallway that led to the kitchen was deserted, the floor covered in a thin layer of dust. Either Hugh and Arthur had avoided this place as much as she had since Davis’s death, or Hugh had been living here all along, the servants gone the whole time. Gen wouldn’t be surprised to learn the servants had been let go by Vivian Godwin. The matriarch held the purse strings, even on their family. While Davis Godwin’s branch held their own properties and monies, the main Godwin mansion belonged to the matriarch of the clan. They lived there only by her benevolence.

Hugh, by returning here, was probably trying to rub his existence in Vivian’s nose. He’d never liked the old woman, or the power she held over the family.

It was the one thing Gen agreed with her brother on.

Gen pointed out the fifth stair that had always squeaked, stepping over it to avoid setting it off. As quiet as the house was, that squeak would be loud as an air horn to Hugh’s ears.

Once on the second floor, she hugged the wall as closely as possible, watching for Hugh or minions he might have summoned to patrol the house. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d faced hellhounds in a warlock’s den. She’d given each of the brothers instructions on what to do if they faced demonic dogs.

Don’t bite.

The blood of a hellhound was highly toxic, and the only known cure was, of all things, a full-on exorcism.

Nothing met them in the hallway. Gen eased open the door to the main part of the house, ready for a fight.

Nothing.

Shaking her head, Gen stepped into the part of the house she knew best, the part where she’d loved listening to her mother sing, her father chant. Even though her father had turned to evil, her mother had tried her best to make it a happy home, helping Gen find her true calling and hiding it from the rest of the family.

Her mother was dead, buried somewhere on the grounds. Gen wasn’t sure where.

“Why haven’t we been stopped yet?” Zach, his tone worried, was staring around the hallway as if the doors would grow teeth any minute just to take a chunk out of his witchy behind.

“I don’t know.” Gen scowled. Something about this was not right. The dust on the hallway floor was just as thin as…

As…

“Oh, fuck.” Gen took a step back. “The house is the trap.”

“What?” Gareth grabbed hold of her arm, tugging her behind him. “Stay where you are.” He held his hand out to Daniel and Chris, who obediently froze. “What do you feel, Zach?”

The fear in Zach’s gaze as he looked at his brother made Gen catch her breath. The last time Zach had looked so frightened, Chris had almost died and he’d been forced to use Lana as a conduit.

“We need to get out of here.” Gareth was dragging her back, back into the servants’ hallway. “If this place is rigged to blow warlock-style, it can’t be good.”

The door to the main part of the house slammed shut behind them. “Oh no.” Gen closed her eyes, seeking the spark of the divine in her core, ready to lash out at anyone who threatened her mate or his brothers. “The compulsion spell was to lure us in, not keep us out.”

The glow of Zach’s magic flared bright against her senses, causing her to open her eyes. Whatever he’d done for his brothers hadn’t seemed to make a dent in his own gift. He was just as strong as he’d been before the transfer. “What if he made the
house
the gate?”

“Fuck.” Chris punched the wall. “We need to torch the place?”

“No.” Gen was thinking fast, going over everything she knew of her brother and the Rabisu. “No, he’ll have the altar somewhere in the house.”

Gareth was glaring at the door as if he could will it open. “He’ll be in the shadows, somewhere dark and secluded.”

“The basement.” Gen turned on her heel and led the way back down the servants’ stairs. “He’ll have everything he needs down there.” She didn’t bother trying to stay silent this time. The slamming of the door told her all she needed to know. Hugh was aware of their presence, and probably had been since the moment they set foot on the property. “Darkness, solitude, privacy, and Davis kept one of two workrooms down there, the most shielded one.”

“He’ll have the altar in that room, then?” Gareth’s grim expression as he pulled her up short wasn’t going to stop her from setting foot in the basement. But her mate surprised her yet again. “We’ll have to make sure he hasn’t found some way to block your access to the divine. If he has…” Gareth’s jaw clenched. “That’s why I’m here.”

“To unclog the divine toilet?”

Gareth’s lip twitched. “Really, Zach?”

Zach shrugged. “If you think my job isn’t full of shit some days, you’d be sadly mistaken.” He brushed past Gen and Gareth, glowing softly in the dimly lit kitchen. The majority of the windows in this place were
not
in the servant’s section. “C’mon. Our host is waiting.”