Alpha Divided (Alpha Girl Book 3) (27 page)

“Okay,” I said.

This was the first time I’d been around him since I accepted that he was my mate—since that first vampire attack—that I couldn’t feel what he was feeling. It was both disarming and unsettling. It was like there was a great cavern between us and I couldn’t reach across to him.

I’d thought I missed him before, but being next to him, I missed him even more.

He glanced up at me from where he was putting the blanket. His eyes hadn’t dulled from glowing yellow. I didn’t have to be able to read him to know that this was bothering him, too. He was way more obsessed with our bond than I was.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I wish we could break the jars now. I don’t like this distance. You’re here but you’re not, and it’s driving me crazy.”

I sat down heavily. “Me, too.”

He sat next to me and pulled me into his lap, pressing his forehead to mine. “We’ll be okay. It’ll take more than this to take us down.”

“I know.”

“You were hurt, and that hurts me, but I’ll be here for you. No matter what.”

His words made me feel a little better. “Do you think we’ll ever get to live here?”

“I know it. I will make it happen no matter what.”

He was so determined that I almost believed him. Almost. “Some things won’t be in your control.”

“I don’t care. If that’s what you want, I’ll make it happen. Trust me. This will be okay. It might be a while, but we’ll make it okay.”

I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. “Do you think that our bond will come back?”

“Is that what you’re afraid of?”

A part of me was. A lot of our relationship was based on our bond and being mates. If that was suddenly gone, if I never got back to who I was before, would he still be with me? “Yes. If I can’t be your mate anymore—”

He shook my shoulders until I looked at him. If I’d thought his eyes were glowing before, I was wrong. “You are mine. There’s no backing out of it for any reason. I liked you when you were human. Seeking you out in the bookstore. Following you to that stupid party. I couldn’t stay away even then. And you’re still a wolf. I can feel her there, under your skin. You’re going to be fine and even if you weren’t, I’d want you just the way you are.” He stared into my eyes and for the first time, I broke away first. “Got it?”

I chewed on the inside of my mouth as I let his words sink in. “Yeah. I got it.”

“Good. Now let’s have a snack and talk about happy things. Like where we should put the house. How many bedrooms? That seems like a good negotiation. I was thinking seven was a good number.”

I shoved him. “Seven? How do you figure that?”

“One for us, two for guests, four for kids. Although, maybe we need ten. Ten would be better, right?”

“Ten? Who the hell is going to be visiting us? How many guests can we have at one time?”

He grinned and his eyes dimmed. Not all the way back to amber, but closer. “Not for more guests,
cherie
.”

I laughed. “You’re out of your mind.”

He pressed his lips softly against mine. “Only when it comes to you.”

***

When we got back to campus, I was feeling much better. A little R&R with Dastien was exactly what I’d needed. Everything would be better when the jars were history, but at least I was feeling more like myself. More confident.

We parked the car, and hopped down, but I didn’t get far before stopping. The rest of the gang stood by the edge of the parking lot. Again. With a few extras.

“Jeez. It’s like everyone is watching for when I get back. Why is there always a reception here?”

“There’re cameras along the fence. Someone was probably looking out for us, but I think we’ve got some visitors. Isn’t that your cousin?”

I nodded. “I guess I forgot to mention that I told them if they needed a safe place to stay, they could come here. With the coven that bad, they couldn’t stay at the compound. Do you think the pack will be pissed?”

He shrugged. “They’ll get used to it. Things are changing. Better they get used to it now.” He pulled me toward the waiting group. “Come on. They’re getting impatient.”

“I say they blame you instead of me. You started the whole change in the pack by biting me.”

Dastien tweaked my nose. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t have been so irresistible.”

“Oh barf,” Adrian said. “We can hear you from here. How about getting a move on? Some of the pack are flipping out about this.”

Dastien and I picked up our pace.

Claudia, Raphael, Shane, Cosette, and Elsa stood beside my friends. I nodded to them, and then turned to Mr. Dawson. “They’ll need a place to stay. In the dorms?”

Mr. Dawson shook his head. “There’s room for visitors on the top floor of the admin building. Above the infirmary. The freshman are mostly stable, but I wouldn’t want to risk any accidents in the dorms.”

Huh. I’d always wondered what was up there, but I’d figured it was offices or something. “Okay. In the meantime, how’s the prep work coming?”

“Slowly,” Chris said.

“It’s getting there.” Adrian was being a little defensive.

“No you haven’t figured out how to make them—” Chris started, but Meredith cut him off.

“Do you trust them?” Meredith asked.

I glanced at the group from the coven huddled in a circle. They looked both scared and defiant.

Wait. Someone was missing. “Where’s Daniel?”

Claudia shrugged. “I couldn’t find him. We waited for as long as we dared, but Cosette saw Luciana pull up and we left. I can’t stand up to her. Not after the blood oath. And if she’s doing evil stuff, I just…I couldn’t wait.” She blinked rapidly as she pressed her lips firmly together.

“Got it. He’s a big boy, and his mother won’t hurt him,” I said, but I wasn’t so sure about that.

“She could hurt him worse than anyone because he’s her son,” Elsa said.

I blew out a breath and turned to Dastien.

He shook his head. “
Non.
You will not suggest that.”

His defiant look made me smile. Despite everything, he knew what I was going to ask before I could ask it. “Fine. But I think leaving him behind is a bad idea. We should go get—”

“No!” Adrian, Chris, and Meredith all said at once.

Meredith pointed a finger at me. “We let you go once, and we took care of your mate while he was half-crazed, but we won’t do it again. I’ll throw
you
in the cages this time. And believe me, I’m one hundred percent serious.” Meredith’s eyes hardly glowed before I got rid of the curse, but right then, they were so pale and bright, I took a step back. “You will
not
leave campus again until
I
say it’s okay.”

The power behind the command took my breath away. She had to have been borrowing some alpha energy from Donovan. He stepped forward, squeezing her shoulder. “I think Tessa understands that we’re all against her putting herself at risk again, love.” Donovan turned to me. “We’ll keep an eye out for this Daniel, but he might not be trustworthy if Luciana is his mother.”

“He’s trustworthy,” Raphael said. “He doesn’t like his mother any more than we do.”

“Are you sure about that? Could he be lying to you to get in with you?” Donovan asked.

Raphael opened his mouth to say something, but then snapped it shut.

“That’s what I’m sayin’. It’s mighty convenient that he went missing just as it was time for you to leave.”

“He has a point,” Cosette said. She tucked a piece of blond hair behind her ear. “The timing was too convenient. We would’ve arrived right behind you, but we were waiting on him.”

“I find it interesting that you’re in Texas,” Donovan said.

Cosette grinned. “The queen said things were getting interesting down here. I came to assess the situation.”

“And what did you find?”

“
La Aquelarre
and its allies are evil. The fey will be backing you,” she said.

“I thought you were only part fey,” I said.

She shrugged, but didn’t look the least bit perturbed. “I’ve been many things, but at the core, I’m fey.”

Was I missing something? “But you said you were a witch.”

“I have some witch in me down the line, but that’s only a small part. We don’t lie, but there are many shades of gray.”

Right, but I would’ve felt more comfortable if she’d just be honest. “Claudia, if you wouldn’t mind helping us out with some more of those vials for vampires—”

“Vampires?” Claudia shouted. Then her cheeks reddened. “I thought we were fighting the coven,” she continued at a much more normal volume.

“We are. But the vampires will be here first.”

The scent of fear hit the air, and I knew she was scared.

“I think we probably have all of the ingredients, but I’m not sure if I’m putting the spells together correctly. Would you mind showing me?” Adrian asked.

“Not at all. Let’s all go. I’m happy to share what I know about fighting with potions,” Claudia said.

As we headed through the quad to the school building, I knew that this was what I was here for. The supernatural community was fighting, but it was also changing. Witches and wolves working together to fight evil.

We had eight hours to prepare, but when the first vampire stepped on campus, we’d be ready. We could do this. We had to.

Even if I died trying, I’d stop Luciana here tonight.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The sun was setting as we finished filling vials. Donovan had been gone for a while. He was with Sebastian and Muraco, finding a way to single out the bad pack members as soon as they joined the fight.

“These potions should be enough for us
brujos
,” Claudia said as she gathered up the little glass vials. “The rest of you will be shifting, right?”

Adrian nodded. “Yes. I think we’re all shifting.”

I shook my head. “I’m not.”

“What? Why?” Meredith said. “You’ll be much safer as a wolf. Are you still afraid of changing?”

That wasn’t it at all. “No. I just have this feeling that I need to be human. I need to be able to talk to the witches. I need to be able to command the wolves. I can’t do that as a wolf.”

“But you’ll be without your magic and you won’t have the protection of teeth and claws that you’d have as a wolf,” Chris said. “Not changing is a big mistake.”

In my vision, I’d been human. My gut told me that if I shifted, the fight could get even worse than I’d dreamt. I wasn’t about to ignore that feeling. “Trust me. I need to be human.” I shrugged. “Plus, I’m not even sure if I can shift. With the jar and everything…”

“Just because your alpha powers are in the jar doesn’t mean that you can’t shift. You’re still a Were,” Meredith said.

“I don’t know. Something’s telling me not to try. So I’m sticking to two feet.”

Chris held up his hands. “Okay. But for the record, I think it’s a bad idea.”

“Me, too,” Adrian said.

“Me, three,” Meredith said.

Dastien was silent as he sat on one of the lab stools. His long legs were stretched in front of him.

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to chime in.

“I trust you to know what’s best. Doesn’t matter what form you’re in. You won’t leave my sight.”

I took him in. His long, lean form. The way his biceps bulged as he crossed his arms. His dark curls that were a little too long. I wanted him. So badly. I wanted a future with him. The thought of not being here—of leaving him no matter the circumstances—was a little too much to bear.

He sat up straighter, and I knew he was feeling something through the weakened bond. He couldn’t fully read me, but if I could sense basic emotions from him, he could do the same from me. I had to stop thinking about what might happen. The future could change and I’d do my best to make sure it did.

Donovan and Mr. Dawson strolled into the room. The Weres all sat up straighter, waiting to hear what they might say while the
brujos
just seemed nervous. They looked everywhere but at the two men.

Meredith crossed the room to Donovan, and he grasped her hand, pulling her until she was tucked against his side.

“What’s the story?” I said. “Any update on the bad wolves?”

Donovan shook his head. “Too many Weres went home after the Tribunal. I couldn’t even get hold of Ferdinand. Thought he was stickin’ around, but he must be on a plane back to Europe.” He sighed. “It’d be one thing if it were just one or two Weres in question and they were easily accessible. I could call them in. Order them to tell me where their loyalties lie and lock up the bad ones. But I can’t get in touch, and even if I could, where am I to put them to keep them out of trouble?”

I guessed that was true, but it didn’t make me feel any better about tonight. “We’ll just have to deal with them as they come.”

“The good news is that we’ve tracked down some that we believe are on our side and called in some Cazadores who are definitely loyal. That’s not nothing,” Mr. Dawson said. “They’re already in place, patrolling the area. They’ll stay hidden until the battle starts. We don’t want to give the traitors any idea that we know they’re coming. Surprise is our best tactic.”

“So who’s going to be leading them?” Dastien asked.

“Good question,” Donovan said. “I am.”

“And what about the witches?” Elsa said. “Not all of them are bad.”

“If they choose to step aside, no harm will come to them. But I’m afraid if they fight against us, we’ll have to fight back. I’m sorry, lass,” Donovan said.

“Maybe I can convince them not to fight,” Claudia said. “It’s worth a shot.”

That didn’t seem likely. I wasn’t sure anyone from the coven would listen, especially not in the middle of a battle with Luciana leading the charge. “If you don’t want to fight, I think we’d all understand.” I couldn’t imagine trying to go against people I’d spent my whole life with.

“No,” Shane said. “We’ll do our part. If they’re that far gone, messing around with demonic stuff, then they’re not the same coven we grew up with. It’s something that we’ll just have to deal with.”

Raphael nodded. “We should’ve stepped up sooner, but we didn’t. It’s our duty to fix this now.”

I understood the sentiment, but they weren’t responsible for Luciana’s actions. “You shouldn’t take so much on yourself.”