A Shift in the Air (30 page)

“
Did we just hear Liam
die?” Cade asked. His shoulders shook once, an expression of pure
agony passing over his face before he schooled his features into
anger.

Mara took her by the shoulders and
propped her up against the counter. “Listen to me, Caitlin. If we
just heard what I think we heard, and Liam’s really gone, know that
he loved you. But right now, I need you. You’re the only one who
can help me stay sane. The elemental elders want me…controlled.
Medicated within an inch of my life so I won’t hurt anyone. I can’t
live like that. I spent a year convinced I was dying, barely
living. I won’t do that again. Help me, and we’ll help you escape
him. And if we can’t save Fergus, then we’ll end him. One way or
another, you’re going to be free.”

“
I know.” Caitlin ran her
fingers over the leather around her wrist. “Liam—“ the words
scraped like rocks over her tongue, and she bit her lip hard enough
to taste blood. Then she said simply, “I won’t let his death be in
vain.”

Cade wrapped his arm around Mara’s
waist, and she relaxed against him as he spoke. “Liam broke when
you died. When we met, he could barely handle his pack duties.
Anger, grief. They’re powerful emotions. Even though he got his
shit together after a while, he never let himself be truly happy.
Not until he found you again. I know how I feel about Mara. He had
that same calm about him. The mating…no one knows how or why, but
when you mate, you’re complete. Whatever’s missing in your life, in
your heart, you find. You felt that connection too, didn’t
you?”

A single tear dripped onto her shirt.
“Yes. And I can use that. Fergus is going to pay for what he did to
Liam.”

“
I don’t like how you came
into our life. I don’t think”—his voice roughened—“I can’t forget
what Katerina did to me—to Mara. But you’re family now. As much as
you would be if you and Liam had been able to mate. Wolves fight
for their families. We have an hour until dawn. We need to come up
with a plan, and quickly. Because this day is going to end with
that asshole stripped of your air or dead and buried. And when
you’re free of him, you’ll come back with us, and we’ll give you a
home. If you want one.”

Her thoughts twisted and churned.
Cade’s words, Mara’s complete trust in her ability to help, and
Liam’s death. Revenge felt…wrong. Katerina had lost herself to
revenge, and in the process, nearly taken Caitlin down with her.
But Fergus killed Liam for no other reason than Caitlin loved him.
How many died over the years from his charms? And how many more
would pay if she didn’t stop him

Caitlin went to the window. Throwing
open the sash, she inhaled deeply. Something in the air tonight
smelled different. Fresher. Cleaner. She’d had enough fear. Now she
had to take back what he’d stolen. The words in the ancient book
came back to her.

The four points hold the
key. Earth, air, fire, and water.

“
Mara,” she turned back to
face the water elemental, “I need that quartz around your
neck.”

***

Farren, Cade, and Mara stood in front
of the fire, talking in whispered tones. The book sat open on the
table in front of them, and Caitlin sketched a complex pattern of
lines and circles into a notebook on her lap. Katerina’s knowledge,
Caitlin’s mum’s lessons, and a bit of internet research all came
together in a plan crazy enough to work—or so she hoped.

Caitlin gingerly closed the ancient
cover and cradled the book to her chest. “Farren, do you have a
safe?”

“
Yes. What self-respecting
alpha doesn’t?”

Cade flinched. “I don’t.”

“
Well, get one, ya daft
bugger.”

“
We have banks.
Safe-deposit boxes.”

Caitlin raised a brow. “Can we debate
this some other time? I might be able to break Fergus’s charm and
take back my element if I can get through to him. But there’s a
risk he’ll kill me. You need to keep that book safe—for Mara. For
the all the elementals.” She turned to Mara, who still looked
rather worn. “I couldn’t make much sense of the words yet, but the
text talks about using earth to quell fire, and fire to scorch
earth. I’m not sure that refers to you, but it might.”

Mara took her hands. Cool fingers
intertwined with Caitlin’s. “We’re not losing you. You’re going to
help me.”

“
I’m going to do my best to
survive, but I have to get close to Fergus for this to work. And
chances are, he’s not going to give me a welcome back hug and offer
to make me noodle salad.”

“
We’re going to stop
him.”

“
We are. But just in case,
we need a practical plan B so your elements don’t destroy you like
they have Fergus.” Caitlin looked to Farren and Cade. “I hate
putting you all at risk. I could go alone.”

“
Over my dead body,” Cade
spat.

Farren nodded. “Liam is my best
friend. We don’t know if Fergus told us the truth. He could still
be alive.” The female wolf’s fierce grin offered more bloodlust
than mirth. “Either way, we’re going to find out. And we’re going
to take this sack of shite down.

Caitlin quirked her lips, both
comforted and dismayed. “That’s the reaction I thought I’d get. And
I’m really glad to not do this alone.”

Mara, Cade, and Farren’s eyes shone
like beacons in the firelight, comforting the gaping wound in
Caitlin’s chest. She needed to break. She would break.

Once her family was safe, she would
fall into tiny pieces.

But not now.

“
Here’s the
plan.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

From the front seat of the car,
Caitlin scanned the landscape as Farren pulled into the visitor
center parking lot. Winds screamed up the hill behind them, sending
tumbling stones plinking over the pavement. Peter and Tierney raced
across the fields towards them in wolf form, choosing to run rather
than drive. Three miles as the crow flew from Farren’s, but ten by
winding, meandering roads barely wide enough for two cars, the
twenty-minute trip had grated on Caitlin’s nerves. Fergus waited,
and soon, this ordeal would all be over, though she feared the
ending would not be what any of them hoped.

When the four of them got out of the
car, Caitlin ran her fingers over the leather cuff, drawing
strength from the amber. “He’ll be close to the edge. If you get
within a hundred feet of him, he could send you into the sea—either
with the wind or his compulsion. And I don’t know how stable the
cliffs are after his tantrum last week. So keep your distance.
Fergus said something to me that I didn’t understand, but I think
Mara’s stronger when you’re with her, Cade. If you can, stay by her
side. And if he tries to compel her, you need to keep her
safe.”

“
I won’t let anything
happen to her. What are you going to do?”

Caitlin withdrew a book she’d stolen
from Farren’s library. “I hope this isn’t too important to you.”
While the book in her hands was new, the color, shape, and size
closely matched the plain, valuable volume they’d taken from
Diedre’s house.

Farren snorted. “Sneaky. But
no.”

“
I’m going to use this book
as a decoy. If we’re lucky, he’ll let down his guard long enough
for me to get close and weaken him. After that, we’re in for a
battle of strength and wills—and there are no guarantees. Please,
if this goes badly, if we can’t end him—“

“
We will.” Mara’s skin
glowed again, as though her element begged to be set
free.

“
I know. But just in case,
if I don’t survive, go back to Farren’s, take the book, and get the
hell out of Ireland. Get the journal to someone who can make sense
of it—Siobhan or another elder. Otherwise, he’ll never stop and no
elemental will be safe.” Caitlin turned her gaze to the sky. “One
way or another, today I’m either going to be dead, or I’m going to
be free.”

Cade and Farren stripped and shifted.
The moon wouldn’t set for six hours, and the difference in their
demeanors from the previous day shocked Caitlin. Both wolves
lumbered larger than before, and the look in their eyes would
frighten the bravest warrior. Cade snarled as Farren howled.
Tierney and Peter came running down the hill to their left. Some
odd vocalizations passed between the four wolves, and Mara tried to
translate.

“
I’m not sure, but I think
Tierney saw Fergus.”

Cade barked his assent.

“
Did he see you?” Mara
asked. Tierney shook his head. “Okay. Stay out of sight. You’re our
backup.” Tierney growled his agreement, and he and Peter headed off
again.

Caitlin stroked the leather cuff and
the amber Liam had given her. The cleansed quartz next to Liam’s
note centered her. If she’d inscribed the runes correctly, they’d
strengthen all of her charms, but with little experience, she
hesitated to place much faith in her fumbling attempts. “I’ll go
first, and I’ll protect you as best I can for as long as I’m able.”
She pulled Mara into a hug. “Don’t underestimate him.” Next, she
knelt and stroked Cade’s shoulder. “Let me try to save Fergus. But
if I can’t, tear him apart.” Cade nudged her hip. The aggressive
growl conveyed so much: his anger, desire to fight, and a deep
sadness. But his eyes burned with something else, something she’d
never anticipated: respect for her. Her courage held fast only by
abject determination tinged with hysteria, but Cade’s belief
sharpened her faith. Maybe, just maybe, they could do
this.

Cade jerked his head towards the
cliffs. The bark sounded almost like “go,” and she rose and broke
into a run.

Weak sunlight sliced through the
clouds behind her, casting long shadows on the dirt path. A biting,
cold wind ripped flyaway strands from her braid. With Farren’s book
clutched in her hand, she sent as much of her element as possible
back towards Mara and Cade.

A pulse of power had her stumbling for
a moment, but as she paused and glanced back, she smiled. Mara’s
hair, which had been flying in all directions from the stiff
breeze, now lay flat against her head. Caitlin’s charm would keep
anything from reaching her for at least a short time.

Fergus stood at the edge of the
cliffs. The stone barrier, meant to keep tourists safe, had been
flattened for yards on either side of him by his “earthquake.” Of
course. He’d want to make sure he could use the water and rocks
below as a threat. The grasses around him shuddered in the breeze
and his dark eyes narrowed as she approached. “Catie.”

His voice soothed. A charm already? Or
a comfort from long-ago familiarity? She stopped twenty feet away.
Had he always been so large? Her memories still held the image of a
lanky, shy boy, barely a man, with a timid smile and big hands.
Even when he’d turned cruel, when his sanity had given way to the
monstrous power, she’d always held who he’d once been in her mind.
Now, spots of gray shadowed his temples, and lines dug in around
his eyes. The weathered skin on his hands marked the passage of
time. Still vaguely handsome, greed and desperation carved a cruel
smile across his lips, and she saw only the man who’d killed her
mate, who’d taken years of her life.

Her voice quivered, more to remain
even and quiet over her rage than from any fear. “I have the book.”
She laid the fake volume at her feet.

“
And the elemental?” His
hands trembled as he patted his right pocket and then shook his
head.

Caitlin hoped she managed a smile.
“How are you?”

Ignoring her question, he glared
behind her, where she knew Mara stood next to Cade’s massive wolf.
Cade’s growl resounded around them.

“
Ya weren’t supposed to
bring her wolf.”

“
You try telling an
elemental’s mate not to come. I’m not that strong.” She took a step
closer, leaving the book behind. “Besides, I’m here for you. They
can’t stop us—no wolf or elemental can best us when we’re together.
I’ve missed you, Fergus.” The words tasted like poison against her
tongue, but she forced warmth into her tone. “You were right. No
one compares to you. I should never have left you all those years
ago. I made a mistake.”

His dark eyes wore a mask. “Really?
Then why didn’t ya come back, Catie? How could you leave me like
that? In a hospital? Where they drugged me and left me to die with
half a mind?”

With a hard swallow, she slid one
foot, then another, over the gravel and rock. “I didn’t know,
Fergus. The elemental behind me? Her sister compelled me so I
forgot who I was; I forgot you. I did her bidding for eleven
years.” She could have bit her tongue the moment the words
escaped.

“
Aye? And what about three
before that? When you were at university and off fucking around
with every man who interested ya?”

Her teeth ground against her tongue,
focusing her thoughts on the pain rather than the fear that coursed
through her. “I was wrong, Fergus. Wrong to leave you. I see that
now. I was a-a foolish girl, and I didn’t realize how much you
loved me. How much I loved you.” The words ate through like a
betrayal, both to Liam and herself, but she would play her role.
“Ya hurt me sometimes, Fergus. Do ya remember?” She let her Irish
accent, faint from so many years of disuse, infuse her
voice.