Branches of the Willow 3 (17 page)

“Me?” Ashley had the presence of mind to look nervous. “Why me?”

“I wanted to apologize for your circumstances.”

“Um, okay. What circumstances would those be?”

“I, well…” Serena paused and collected her thoughts. “I messed with Mikael’s mind a little that night. The night he turned you, he would not have done that on his own. I planted some ideas in his head about his brother, because he wouldn’t get close enough to Jess to react to her. I needed him to see them together. He was out of sorts and not himself that night with me mucking around in his brain. Plus…” she looked ashamed. “I told him to bite you.”

“You did what?” I asked.

“You needed Ashley with you, and not in a fragile human state, Jessica.”

“You mind-raped Mikael to bite Ashley?”

“I only planted a suggestion. He clawed her instead.”

“Well… I guess, screw you then.” Ashley stated matter-of-factly. “And thank you too,” she added. “I’m happy where I am, and you’re right, Jess needed me to be a wolf. So, it’s whatever.”

“Ashley…” I was ready to cry. Her choices had been taken from her since becoming my friend. Hell, her brother had been taken too. “That is too much.”

“No, Jess. Come on, we’ve been over this where Mikael’s concerned. I forgave him. I forgive her. She had your best interest at heart. I don’t have to like the deed to respect that it was necessary. Plus, at least now we don’t have to wonder about Mikael’s hidden temper. It never did seem right that he’s been such a sweetheart after the way he behaved that night.”

“I don’t know how you do it, Ashley.” I was still in a mild state of disbelief. The slight popping sound of the magical fireworks above my head leant to the effect, casting a surreal tone over the whole conversation. “Is there anything else?” I asked Serena before I lost the nerve.

“I’m not sure I get your meaning.”

My mom piped in then. “She’s asking if you have any other secrets you’re hiding up your sleeve that affect our family.” My mom paused for a moment, getting her thoughts together. “I like you, Serena. I respect that you are also a distant relation, but enough is enough. These girls have seen enough already in their short lives, and they don’t need magic mucking up their lives any further.”

“You are right, Eileen. I was just trying to come clean, and apologize.” Serena actually looked ashamed. “There is nothing else of note that involves the girls.”

“I wonder what’s going on with Annabelle?” I thought out loud, suddenly needing to change the subject.

“If they’re dumb enough to leave your mate, or his brother, with her then she’s probably dead. Lord knows, I’d kill her if I could.” Ashley was twirling a curly red lock around her finger as she spoke. Her mind was elsewhere, no doubt, on the way she had become a werewolf.

“Well, let’s hope they get something useful out of her before that happens!” I managed to get out before my mom chastised me for being somewhat heartless. “The bitch poisoned me, and had me thrown in a cage. Excuse me for not really giving a shit what happens to her.”

“Then try caring about how either of the boys will fair after taking matters into their own hands. Neither one of them has the type of personality to carry out brutal acts against women. Imagine, allowing her to get the best of them by goading them on where you’re concerned.”

“Oh, fine, mom! Always the voice of reason.” I sniped. “Maybe, I should get dressed and go down there to take care of things myself, so I don’t have to worry about anyone else’s guilt, but my own.”

“Except that you now have a baby growing inside you to worry over.” Serena interjected. A knowing smile swept across her face as I blanched a bit. “She is fine, by the way. The drugs had no effect on her. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back here sooner to ease those worries for you. If I knew you were holding back with the news because of that, I would have made it clear before I left. Your wolf was protecting her the whole time.”

That did it. Tears broke free of the damn I’d built to keep them at bay. Everything that happened to me came flooding out, and I was thankful to have my family there to comfort me as it happened. I was even more thankful that Mikael hadn’t been there when all those emotions came pouring out, because he hurt when I hurt. I didn’t want him to have to live that kind of pain with me.

ACT OF WAR

Scouts were sent out with cameras, to record the goings on at Freedman’s pack. They never sent back any intel about Malachai being there, but a particular cabin received a lot of visitors, including John Freedman. Food was brought in, empty trays were seen leaving. Someone special was staying there, and they didn’t leave the cabin at all. Asi and my father determined that it was probably their best bet for Malachai’s location, and they finished up the plans to raid Freedman’s pack with that information in mind.

The final cog in the wheel of our plan was to send out notice to all the packs that anyone caught harboring known fugitives, Malachai, Eleanna, and Clarissa would be given no quarter when punishments were handed down. It was also made known that Malachai was the illegitimate bastard of Antoine De’Lune and Eleanna before they were a mated pair, therefore relinquishing his title to the next eligible in the family line, Michael De’Lune.

It only took one day after that message went out, and Jameson St. Marks got word from his scouts that they were picking up defectors from the Freedman Pack who confirmed that Malachai was living among them. My father, Evan, Mikael, Asriel, and a few of the pack’s best warriors, including Dimitri, the new Ancient to our pack, set out to bring Malachai to justice, and hopefully nab the two women as well.

Since it had already been decided that I wouldn’t be able to go along, I was going to test out my white wolf skills, and chalk it up as a training exercise. It would take a little over three hours for our men to get to the Freedman Pack, and just before they were due to arrive, I was going to try to induce a vision so that I could watch first hand, even if I couldn’t be there. All I had to do was convince my mother it was a good idea.

“Please!” I begged.

“Jessica, it’s not going to be good for the baby for you to be so stressed out.”

“I’m not going to be stressed. I’m going to be watching what happens, that’s all. We may need to know. What if something goes wrong, and we have no warning that we’re going to be invaded by Freedman?”

“Then we will fight, just like we prepared to do with the dark ones and the Hunters.”

“Mom, come on. I’m only asking that you put me to sleep. I mean, I need the rest anyway.” I poked my lip out in a pout. “Please! I will be more stressed out not knowing.”

“Fine! I wish you hadn’t inherited your father’s stubborn streak. I don’t think you should be doing this, but I can’t disagree about the not knowing being any less stressful.”

“Thank you!” I jumped up and kissed my mom, who followed me upstairs to the old bedroom I used to occupy in her house. It was weird to be here again. All of my personal things had long since made their way to Mikael’s house, but the old bed with its trundle was still there, and so was my trusty Papasan chair. I chose the chair to settle myself into so that I would be comfortable enough to drop off to sleep quicker.

When the vision finally hit, and the fog lifted, I was a bit disappointed to be standing the cave where the white wolves always stayed. I noted that the little sapling in the dirt in front of the dais had grown a bit, a proud sprig of green burst forth from the damp earth, stretching to reach the little bit of light that filtered through from a tiny pinprick of light in the ceiling.

“You have come to beg favors of the white wolves.” The voices echoed through the cavern.

“No, actually, I was hoping to witness what takes place with my mate today.”

“Behind you.” Their whispered voices wrapped me in chills, and when I turned the cave wall that had been behind me melted away, allowing me to walk out into a thick forest. Actually, I was at the edge of the forest, bordering a little pack town. It was set up a lot like the St. Marks’ pack, but the buildings were showing obvious neglect from lack of upkeep.

“Where the bloody hell is he?” I heard Dimitri’s voice boom loud and obvious from off to the right somewhere, and I turned to see him holding a rather scraggly looking man up by the neck.

“I swear it, I dunno.” The man managed to get out as he gasped for air. One swift motion from Dimitri, and the man’s neck cracked with that pop, and he went still, falling from Dimitri’s grasp to the ground at his feet.

“You do know he’ll wake up from that later, right?” Asi had been watching the happenings from his perch in a nearby tree before he hopped down to come harass Dimitri. The man had been one of Freedman’s watch dogs, and he hadn’t been very good at it That only meant that they were bound to run into the stronger members of the pack the closer they got. I turned a full circle, trying to gage who all was with Asi and Dimitri. A little ways off to the right I saw Evan, and my father, but I didn’t see Mikael anywhere, and that’s when panic took hold of me.

I turned a full 360 degrees looking for him, and still, he wasn’t there. “Asi, where’s Mikael? Asi?” It was no use. I knew from previous times I’d been somewhere in vision mode that they couldn’t hear me. I was a silent witness and nothing more. This certainly wasn’t like the time I took over Mikael’s unconscious body. I looked down real quick to be sure. The first thing I saw was the swell of my own chest. I was definitely riding in my own body, unless Mikael had some serious work done.

“Where’s Mikael?” Asriel voiced his concern out loud, while also keeping his voice low. “Damn it. Tell me he didn’t head for the cabin we had under serveilence?” Asi looked around, and made sure all the other men were in the positions they were supposed to be in. “Stay here,” he commanded Dimitri. “Hold the ranks, I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

I followed behind Asi as he made his way swiftly, and quietly toward the cabin. There, just up ahead, I saw the slightest hint of movement. The back door on the cabin cracked open, and a tall man slipped out, running quickly behind a tree. That’s when I noticed who else was behind the same tree, trying to get the lay of the land.

“Mikael!” I yelled. Of course, no one heard me. Asi saw what was about to happen though, and he took off in a dead run. I was hot on his heels, wishing I could fly, since technically I was in a spirit realm. Sadly, the ability still alluded me. When I rounded the space that tree had been blocking my heart immediately lodged itself inside my throat, and threatened to spill right out of me. “Oh God, no!” Malachai was there, with a silver blade, and he had already pulled back, ready to deal a death blow to my mate’s neck.

Asriel didn’t hesitate. He ran forward with greater speed than I thought possible of our kind, and dove for Malachai, tackling him before his blade had the chance to drop even an inch towards its destination. Sounds of a woman crying carried on the wind, and dulled the cracking sound I heard in the background. I saw just a little further off, a blond woman tied to a tree. At first, my heart went out to her, and I closed ranks on her position. I wasn’t sure what I could do to help since I was basically a spirit walking around, but I went anyway.

I turned back long enough to see Asriel helping Mikael up off the ground. Malachai’s still form was next to them in the grass, and neither man seemed worried about it. I figured I knew what that meant. The blond woman was still crying, but she seemed relieved as she noticed that Malachai wasn’t getting back up. I heard skirmishes taking place a little ways off, but I didn’t bother paying attention to what was happening over there. There was something on the ground beside the girl who was tied to the tree. I moved a little closer, almost afraid of what I’d see. I was thankful that I was in the spirit realm as I glanced down and noticed the river I was standing in. That wasn’t right. It wasn’t a river, it was too dark, and thick for that. Blood. I was standing in someone’s blood, and the thing I had seen near the girl was another woman’s body. I bent down to take a closer look, and realized that there wasn’t a head attached to the body. There was only a stump of a neck with blood crusted bone sticking out of the top. The woman’s head had been severed clean from her body.

“Please, help me.” The girl who was tied to the tree started calling out. At first, I thought she was talking to me, but then I turned to see Mikael walking up behind where I stood. He glanced down at me, and frowned. Of course, he could see that I was there. I wonder if he had heard me call out to him too?

“I had to see that you were okay.” He didn’t seem to hear me, his attention was now on the woman at the tree. For the first time, I looked up and saw more than the blond hair that framed her face. It was a face I knew all too well.

“Clarissa?” Evan’s question came from behind me. I turned to see the anger painted there, until he looked down and noticed the body I was kneeling beside. “Who was this?”

“Leanna.” Clarissa sniffled. Malachai got so mad when the notice about us being fugitives, and him having no claim to his father’s throne, came out. He screamed and cursed at her, wanting Leanna to tell everyone that it was a lie, but she didn’t. She admitted that he was her son, and he…” Her eyes widened with shock as she looked back over her shoulder beyond the body, and the tree she was tied to. “Her head… it’s back there.”

As morbid as it was, I had to see for myself, and make sure. Unfortunately for me, it was face down in the grass, so I couldn’t tell if Clarissa spoke the truth or not. Asriel walked over, and moved the head slightly with the tip of his boot. “It’s her.” He growled out.

“My sister…” Clarissa was crying again. “He told me she ran off one night, but all I’ve thought about is, what if he did that to her too?”

“Your sister is fine, for now.” Evan stated, keeping emotion from his voice, and his face neutral, despite the fact that he stood mere feet from his own mother’s dead body and severed head.

“Please, take me to her.” Clarissa begged. Still, no one had bothered to untie her. I watched as the men seemed to all be having an internal debate about what to do with the woman.