The Witch and the Wolf: Part One (4 page)

“They were already on the way,” Ozzy said when he and Cross got back to their bikes.

“What?”

“I didn’t call your Dad or mine. I called Pete to ask for help quietly. He said he would bring a flatbed out to get the Sun Riders bikes
, but he told me a crew was already on the way.”

“Why?” Cross asked leaning on his bike.

“No idea, but I don’t think its anything good. Pete sounded weird. I hope we’re not in trouble man.”

“Stop fucking worrying. We did what we had to do. Those Sun Riders are bad news. This time, they gave me the fucking creeps. I think they’re trying to use some kind of magic.”

“I felt it too,” Ozzy admitted. “You really think vampires would mess with magic just to kill some stupid witch?”

Cross shrugged. “I only know what I felt. It wasn’t very strong and I doubt the witches even noticed they were so caught up in their own casting.”

“This is getting more fucked up by the hour, man. I don’t like this at all.”

Cross heard bikes approaching. “Well
, here comes the gang.”

Ozzy turned toward the noise and saw the four Moon Brothers pulling up. None of them looked remotely happy.

“What the fuck are you two doing here?” Charlie asked as soon as he had his helmet off. “You were supposed to go to the compound.”

“We had to help,” Cross said. “We offered the coven the help of the pack, per approval of the alpha of course, and we defended them from Sun Riders.”

Grizzly looked close to punching his son and Cross prepared himself for a torrent of words.

“You dumb fucking kid,” Grizzly said
, shoulders slumping. “What did you two do?”

“We killed a handful of Sun Riders with the witches help,” Ozzy said
, looking at the ground. “Their bikes are over there. Pete’s gonna come and pick ‘em up. The witches took care of the bodies.”

Bruiser slammed his helmet into the ground. “You killed weres in full view of humans?!”

“We couldn’t avoid it,” Cross said. “If we hadn’t acted, the witches would have used magic. There’s a hell of a lot less chance of the humans noticing us silently killing shit then an onslaught of dark magic.”

“Boy’s got a point there,” Charlie said.

“Anything else?” Grizzly asked.

“Yeah, I think Elena is dead and one of the old witches is the new head of the Cleary Coven.”

That got a reaction from the Moon Brothers. There was general swearing and kicking of stuff.

“What the hell is going on?” Cross asked. “Why did you guys come to talk to the
coven? Cause I know it wasn’t this fight.”

“Shit
's going down,” Charlie said simply, lighting up a cigarette.

“Come on. We need to talk with the witches. You can find out when they do since you like spending so much time with them,” Grizzly said.

The Brothers went to the house and knocked on the door.

“Good evening
, Grizzly,” the witch who answered the door said. “I’m Jamie, the new head of the Cleary Coven. Please come in.”

Jamie led them to a screened in back porch. The rest of the coven was already seated around the room. Cross wanted to go sit next to Rory
, but that would have pissed his Dad off more than he already was. Instead, he stayed with Bruiser, Ozzy, and Grimace standing behind Charlie and Grizzly.

“I hear you ladies have had an interesting night,” Grizzly said.

“It’s true. I’m sure you’ve heard about the attack from the two young ones so I won’t bore you with the details,” Jamie said.

“My son did tell me
, yes,” Grizzly said. “But the interesting part to me is that he pledged the help of my pack to you.”

When Grizzly had said
'son', Rory had looked up with wide eyes at Ozzy and Cross. Cross smiled and tipped his head to let her know that he was the son in question. He was surprised they didn’t know. Though, it wasn’t like the pack advertised how they were all related. Still, alpha’s son would be an important bit of information for the local coven to keep track of.

“It’s true. He did offer help and we would gladly accept if he wasn’t overreaching his station,” Jamie said.

“He was ahead of the game with that one. My Brothers and I were on our way here so I could offer an alliance myself.”

“Really?” Jamie asked surprised.

“Why would you want to forge an alliance now?” Magda asked speaking for the first time.

Grizzly looked at her. “We got some troubling news from Brothers just getting back from a long ride.”

He must have meant Jimmy and Vance. They were the only two Moon Brothers on a long trip. Grizzly had sent them on a gun run a week earlier. The pair should have been home in two days, but the trip had stretched longer unexpectedly. They must have gotten back while Cross and Ozzy were out.

Cross was dying to hear what his
Brothers had seen or heard, but he couldn’t say anything. He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. He didn’t want Rory to think he wasn’t in the loop with important pack news.

“Well
, let’s hear it,” Jamie said.

“While they were talking with the local pack, they heard a rumor about vampires who were looking for a witch in our parts,” Grizzly said.

Jamie and Magda exchanged a look. They must have worked that much out on their own.

“Do
you know why?” Magda asked, reaching for her daughter’s hand.

Charlie shook his head. “We haven’t worked that much out yet
, but we decided it was a good idea to get over here quick once we heard that.”

“When we saw the Sun Riders in the woods, we thought it was a random attack,” Grizzly said. “As you know, it isn’t uncommon for weres to stalk young witches or fairies for a
fun kill.”

A few of the witches nodded
, but Rory and one of the younger looking witches looked absolutely appalled. Cross was surprised. That was a well known fact about weres. That’s why there was so much animosity between regular magic users and weres. Something about the scent of magic drove some of his brethren wild. It was an unfortunate fact, but not all of them were like that. He assumed that was why Magda has such a problem with him and Ozzy talking with Rory.

“Now we’re sure that wasn’t the case,” Grizzly said. “We haven’t worked out much like Charlie said
, but we do know that they were after this young lady here.”

Grizzly motioned to Rory. Magda put an arm in front of her daughter and Rory gasped. Cross fought every instinct he had and stayed put. The second he heard Rory was in danger, he wanted to shift and be by her side. There was no way he would be able to go back to the compound now. He was going to have to stay by her side until this was all worked out. To hell with his father. If Grizzly tried to stop him, Cross was resigned to disobeying his alpha
, consequences be damned.

“Not only that,” Grizzly continued. “If the Sun Riders want her, that means that there are vampires out there somewhere who want her. We aren’t sure yet who these Riders work for
, but we’ll find out.”

Jamie leaned back. “That’s a lot to digest.”

Charlie nodded. “I know. We were pretty damned shocked when we heard too. As far as we know, this girl isn’t even a member of the coven. What the hell would a vampire want with a baby witch? Do you know anything that could point us in the right direction?”

Rory looked at Magda who just shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help
, but as far as I know there’s nothing special about my daughter.”

“We also have proposal to make,” Grizzly said.

“Go on,” Jamie waved her hand.

“I think its best if we get the girl to one of our safe houses out west. There aren’t a lot of vampires out that way since
it’s so sunny and hot all the time.”

“Absolutely not,” Magda said before Jamie could even answer. “My daughter will stay right here with her coven. We’ll keep her safe, you dogs can watch the streets.”

“Magdalena!” Jamie said sharply. “You will show our guests respect while you’re in my house.”

Magda nodded. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“No harm,” Grizzly said. “You’re not thinking clearly, witch. This place is a hot spot for magical activity since the coven is long established. It’ll be damn easy for a vampire to tap into that, even one with almost no magical ability.”

Cross growled. His brothers turned to look at him. He bared his teeth. “I think my Dad is right. We’ll only attract more attention from the humans if we stay here to fight.”

“I’m not proposing any fight at all,” Grizzly said. “I’m proposing the opposite. I think this little witch needs to turn tail and run.”

Jamie
shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. They know where she is. It’s too dangerous for her to go anywhere alone and if we all go, it will be easier to follow us.”

“That is why I propose that my boy and the little witch go alone to the mountains,” Grizzly said. Jamie immediately began to shake her head no. “Hear me out
, witch. The Sun Riders know where she is
now
and, like you said, six of you is a pretty big magic target to follow. But if the baby witch and Cross head out alone, you can easily cast a spell to hide them. It will be almost impossible to track them. And from what I’ve seen this little witch do, I think she’ll be just fine on her own. Not that anything will happen.”

Jamie narrowed her eyes. “Let us talk this over. It isn’t a decision we can come to lightly.”

“Fair enough,” Grizzly said. “Before we go, I have to ask, what happened to Elena.”

“We haven’t worked out all the details on that one yet. It doesn’t appear to be related to this whole Sun Rider business though. If something important comes up, I’ll let you know.”

“Fair enough,” Grizzly said. “Nice meeting you, Jamie. I look forward to working with you. I’m going to leave two of my guys, Bruiser and Grimace, outside to keep watch over your house. And there’ll be some Brothers patrolling the town too.”

“Thank you,” Jamie said. “I hope this little alliance doesn’t have to last long. No offense.”

“None taken, darlin’,” Grizzly said with a chuckle. The Brothers turned to leave. Cross very reluctantly. He couldn’t go back home yet!

“Wait!” Rory said before they had left the porch. The room turned to look at her. No one more surprised than her mother. “I’d like to go. Right now
, if that’s alright.”

“
Aurora!” Magda said shocked.

“I know you don’t want me to go,” Rory said
, looking at her mother pleadingly. “But this is better. You guys can hide us and then I won’t be in danger while you investigate all of this.”

“Maybe,” Jamie said. “But this is something we need to talk about as a group.”

“No, it isn’t,” Rory said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m leaving with them right now.”

She stood up and Magda grabbed her arm. “You can’t! That isn’t what it means to be part of a coven!  You need to consult your sisters.”

“Mom!” Rory said, exasperated. “I’m going. We can talk all night and all day. It isn’t going to change the fact that these Sun Riders are after me. I’m leaving. Sisters, you can help me by casting the strongest cloaking spells you know on Cross and I.”

Cross couldn’t help but smile. This was better than he had hoped. It was his Dad’s idea that he go with Rory and she was willing. He could protect her now and he wouldn’t be in trouble with his pack or the coven. The night was looking up.

The witches were all talking at once. It seemed like each of them had a million reasons why the Moon Brothers' plan would end in disaster. None of the wolves were talking so Rory knew she would have to convince the coven on her own. Though, even if they weren’t going to help her, she was going with Cross. This really was the best way to protect the town, the Moon Brothers, and the coven.

“Everyone stop!” Rory said
, putting her hands over her ears. “I know that you’re all worried about me. You all want to protect me and keep me safe, but I want to do the same for you. Don’t you see how me being here will only make things worse?”

Magda stood up. “No
, Aurora. We’re stronger as a unit. That’s why we added you to the coven so quickly. There’s strength in numbers. You leaving would be a mistake.”

“I don’t know,” Ursula said slowly. “It’s true that we’re stronger as six sisters
, but you and Jamie are powerful enough to make up for one missing sister.”

Magda turned on Ursula. “So you agree with the wolves?!”

“I guess if that’s how you want to put it,” Ursula said, standing up straighter. “I would say I agree with your daughter and am willing to help her do what she wishes.”

“My daughter is young,” Magda spat. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying. It’s our job as elder coven members to guide her in the right direction.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rory said, mouth open. “I’m far from a child, Mom. I’m making a pretty adult decision right now and I would like your support. Again, I’m asking for your help, but I’m not asking you for permission. I’m going no matter what.”

Magda pursed her lips. She didn’t say anything so Rory knew her mother was out of logical arguments. She looked at Jamie, Sara
, and Deanne. None of them said anything either.

“Well
, glad that’s settled,” Rory with a sad smile. “Any spell suggestions?”

The witches conversed for twenty minutes while the wolves waited. They came up with a plan for alternating covering spells that would culminate with their strongest cast when Rory and Cross reached their destination. They would also cast a spell that would make it look like Rory was still in Cleary. Since it was obvious the coven was in danger, it wouldn’t
be hard to say that Rory was at home waiting for things to get better.

While she was gone, the coven would stay at Jamie and Sara’s homes. Sara had small children and couldn’t be away from home for days at a time. She would arrange for her three kids to stay with their grandparents until things were safer at home. The coven and Moon Brothers would work together to figure out exactly which vampire had targeted Rory and would neutralize the threat. Once all that was taken care of, Cross and Rory would come home.

“Ok.” Jamie said she had finished explaining everything to Grizzly. “Rory needs to go home and grab clothes and then they can leave.”

“That’s great,” Grizzly said. “We’ll trail them home.”

“Perfect,” Jamie said. The Moon Brothers left the house. She turned to Rory and hugged her hard. “You be careful, little witch. Don’t overestimate your powers. If you think you’re being followed or have any feeling of unease, you turn right around immediately.”

“I will,” Rory promised. She said goodbye to Ursula, Sara, and Deanne and then followed Magda to the car. Her mother was unusually quiet the entire ride home. Rory didn’t know what to say.

Once she was home, she packed as quickly as she could. She didn’t pack much since she would have to carry it all in a backpack. Magda was waiting by the front door. Rory approached slowly.

“I don’t want to leave with you mad at me,” she told her mom.

“I’m not mad,” Magda said with a sigh. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’ll understand when you have a daughter. It’s my job to protect you and right now I feel like I’m not doing my job.”

“You’ve done a great job!” Rory said
, throwing her arms around her mother. “I’m still alive, aren’t I? And I’m going to stay safe thanks to the spell you and the sisters cast.”

“Goddess willing,” Magda said. They went outside to the waiting bikers. There was a truck parked outside now too. The fallen Sun Riders bikes were on the back.

“I should also say that I object to you getting on a motorcycle with a boy I barely know,” Magda said. “Though I guess it’s a little late for that argument.” 

“Ma’am
, if I had a daughter, I would put her on the back of Cross’ bike,” Charlie said. “I’m not blowing smoke up the kid’s ass. He’s a good rider and an even better fighter. We didn’t pick him willy nilly or just because he’s the alpha’s son. Your daughter is in good hands.”

Cross smirked at the last line. Rory’s stomach flip-flopped. She really was doing this to keep her coven safe. However, the fact that Cross was the one taking her had heavily influenced her decision. Fighting next to him, she had felt a peace in her casting. Having him close made her magic stronger and more stable. Even if they ran into trouble, she knew they would be able to handle it. Maybe she was being cocky
, but even if a vampire showed up, she thought she would be able to stop it.

Still, she hoped Cross didn’t think this trip was an invitation to get in her pants. She wasn’t going to have any of that. Not that she was ruling something romantic out in the future, just not at the present second.

“That doesn’t put my mind at ease, but thank you,” Magda told Charlie. She hugged Rory one last time. “I love you, Aurora.”

“I love you too
, Mom,” Rory’s eyes swam with tears, but she blinked them away. She didn’t want to worry her mother. She turned to Cross. “So we headed for the compound first?”

“Nope,” Cross gestured to the truck behind him. “Pete brought me some stuff. We’re heading straight out.”

He got on his bike and started the engine.

“Ok
, then,” Rory said, and stared.

Cross looked at her over his shoulder. “Hop on.
Ozzy will hand you your helmet once you’re on.”

Rory nodded
, but didn’t move.

“Honey, you ride a moped
, right?” Grizzly asked.

“Yeah,” Rory said.

“Getting on a bike is the same as getting on your moped,” he told her. “Only difference is you gotta swing your leg a little higher.”

She swallowed and nodded. She had never been
on a motorcycle before, but she hadn’t expected to be this intimidated. She came to the side of Cross’ Harley and stood for a second.

“Just put your hand on his shoulder and hoist yourself up if you need to,” Grizzly instructed.

Cross was smiling his irritatingly smug smile. It irritated Rory in that moment. How was she supposed to know how to get on a motorcycle? It wasn’t a natural action. She put her hand on his shoulder and put her foot on the spoke. She lifted her body up and over to get onto the bike behind Cross. It was a snug fit. She wished she had listened to her friends and let her Mom buy her a car.

Her thighs were wrapped snuggly around Cross and she put her arms around his waist. She felt pretty secure
, but it was going to be a long trip in this position.

“How long is this going to take?” she asked. She had never even asked the location of the safe house! What if is was more than four days ride away?!

“It depends on how often we stop,” Cross told her. “I’m used to riding for long stretches, but I’m guessing you’re going to want to take a break every few hours. And you girls always need to take a lot of bathroom breaks.”

“I guess I could always piss on you and your bike if you would prefer to not waste time on bathroom breaks.”

Cross smiled at her over his shoulder. “I don’t have any problem stopping for you. And you’re going to need to scoot closer. Your mom will kill me if I let you slide off my bike.”

He reached back, grasped Rory under the knees and pulled her closer to his body. She could feel the heat radiating off his back.

“We’ll stop at a motel after we’ve reached the next state tonight. We’ll stop again the next night and then we should be at the cabin by the afternoon on the third day,” Cross said.

“Two days isn’t so bad,” Rory said.

“Not at all. Now when we start moving, you can lean forward against me if you need to,” Cross said. “And it’ll help if you lean into any turns with me too.”

“Alright, I’ll try to remember,” Rory said.
Ozzy handed her a helmet and gave her nod of encouragement.

Cross waved to his Dad and
Brothers and took off. Rory tightened her grip around his waist. It felt like they were going at least 100 miles an hour but she knew they were barely at 30 mph yet. She fought down the fear in her stomach. It was just like riding a moped, she repeated over and over.

***

She was more afraid than he had expected. A moped wasn’t the same as a bike. Not even fucking close, but she should be used to riding in the open air. They had been riding for almost two hours and she was still clinging to him like she was about to fall off any second. He appreciated having her close, but he didn’t want her to be scared. He would try to think of a way to make her more comfortable when they stopped for the night. He couldn’t handle her being this afraid for another day.

The smell of her fear drove him crazy. His wolf was on high alert and ready to pounce at whatever the threat was. Problem was, there was nothing to fight except for her own head. There was no reason to be scared. Charlie wasn’t lying when he said Cross was the best rider in the pack. Rory couldn’t have been on the back of a better bike unless she was riding with his Dad.

He was still surprised she had agreed so suddenly. In the span of four hours, he had gone from working to get a date to her willingly riding off into the night with him. He was more than prepared to take full advantage of this little side trip. She may be riding off to keep her family safe, but he had more in mind. There was no way he was going home from this trip without getting between that witch’s legs at least one time. After all wasn’t the Chinese word for disaster the same as opportunity?

They were in danger no matter what. There was no way to get away from that fact. And he was going to do everything in his power to keep her safe. But what about after the threat had passed? He needed to secure his spot in her life. Riding with her this close, he was positive she was supposed to be the one bearing his pups one day.

Once he slept with her, she would keep coming back for more. He wasn’t being cocky, that was just what history told him. Since he started sleeping with pretty girls, they always got attached after. And he really wanted Rory attached to him.

He didn’t know why his Dad had sent him off with Rory instead of Grimace or Charlie
, but he wasn’t going to worry about that. This was his chance. He had as long as it would take the Brothers and the Coven to take care of this little vampire/Sun Rider problem. That would be more than enough time. Hell, he could probably get her to drop her panties before they even got to the cabin if he played his cards right.

They crossed the border into
Nevada, and Cross started looking for a motel. Night one of his challenge was about to begin.