Coven of Wolves (9 page)

The older man holds his hand up to stop Nicholas from speaking. "I know what I said but this changes everything. Devin could potentially be dangerous to us. As for the witches, we've dealt with their kind before. Their numbers have dropped lower than even us wolves. The one you darted should be dead by now and if the other witch is as young as you said, then we shouldn't have too much of a problem."

Nicholas bows his head in reply. "Yes, Archon."

The older man gets a quizzical look on his face and looks around. "Do you sense that?"

Nicholas looks confused. "Sense what, Archon?"

"I don't know, I can't quite place it but I sense something nearby."

I panic and realize I've probably listened a bit too long and will myself upward. Soon I've risen through the floor and find myself in the kitchen of the home I've snuck into. Several persons in black are making pot fulls of stew and frying pans of vegetables and sauces. I then smell the scent of freshly baked bread. The sheer amount of food being prepared gives me the impression that this home houses several dozen people at a time. What have I gotten myself into?

Suddenly every person in the kitchen stops what they're doing and begins a low level growl. Oh shit, have they realized I'm there? A few of them walk toward the large kitchen window and I notice their features begin to change. Much like Nicholas' change earlier, their ears become pointed and a thin coat of fur begins to appear on their face. It's then that I hear it too. A car is driving up the dirt road toward the house. One of the solders turns to another and says, "Inform the Archon that we've got company."

Curiosity gets the best of me and I will myself outside near the dirt road. Within a minute I see headlights and the car comes into view. It's a new model Range Rover SUV. It comes to a stop a few yards from the house. From the passenger door steps out a woman, very beautiful, somewhere around 40 years old. Her flaming red hair is swept back into a ponytail and her brilliant blue eyes sparkle in the moonlight. She's dressed in fur lined winter clothes and makes no expression of alarm when the car is suddenly surrounded by a platoon of black clad soldiers. Almost bored, she waves off one of them and says in a French accent, "Tell your Archon that we've arrived. There's been some developments."

The soldier leaves toward the house and the woman in fur waits for the car's back seat door to open. Out steps an older teenage boy with red hair, somewhat close to Mika's age. He looks strangely familiar. He too is dressed for winter and also doesn't look surprised to see so many armed men. He takes the woman's hand and asks, "Are we going to be at this safe-house long, ama?"

The woman places her hand on the boy's cheek and says, "I hope not, mon ami. We just have some business to discuss and then hopefully we'll be on our way."

"Is dad going with us or is he staying here this time?"

I then hear the sound of a door slamming shut on the other side of the car. An American man's voice then says, "You know better I'm never gonna leave you."

From around the front of the car a man comes into view. The moon shines brightly on him and I suddenly get a sickening feeling at the base of my stomach. Standing directly in front of me is my father, now looking a little bit older with a few strands of white hair at his temples and completely shaven. He smiles at the boy and says, "I'll never let anything happen to my sweet boy."

I feel very light headed as the world around me suddenly starts spinning. I lose consciousness and everything goes black.

• • •

When I come to I see not only Fenrus beside me but Anna and Mika as well. The look on Anna's face seems very concerned. I try to sit up but the dizziness in my head forces me to fall back into the pillow. I hold my palms to my forehead and ask what happened.

"You've been asleep for several hours. We tried to wake you to let you know Tobias's fever broke but no matter what we did, you wouldn't budge. What happened to you?" The sound of care and curiosity fill Anna's voice.

"I'm sorry. My dream self left my body and did a bit of wandering. Something happened and I lost my way back."

This time Mika voices her concern and says, "It's very dangerous to let your spirit wander without first setting up a protective field around your body. Bad spirits or demons could possess it and your spirit won't have a place to return to."

"What? I was never taught that." Again my shortcomings become evident.

Anna reassures me by saying, "It's a basic Wiccan teaching for those with the ability. Your coven leader should have taught you it early in your practice. Fortunately for you, this entire building serves as my domain and is protected on a variety of levels."

"My coven leader wasn't very big on safety or precaution. All he cared about was the physical outcome. As long as we were able to accomplish his tasks, that's all that mattered to him."

Anna shakes her head. "I was afraid Tobias might have fallen in with the wrong crowd. I knew he needed to leave San Francisco because he was in danger here but my visions didn't allow me to see that he was in just as much danger by leaving. I'm sorry you and your education in the Craft suffered for it as well."

Mika sits on the bed beside me. "What did you see Devin?"

Moments of my spirit travels flash across my mind. "I saw several things. Our old coven, they're planning some sort of revenge. I don't know what they have in mind but whatever it is, they're planning on attacking on All Hollows Eve."

Disgustedly Anna says, "What kind of coven are they? The eve of the Day of the Dead is a sacred day for witches. We celebrate the day as the wall between our world and the spirit world is thinnest. We're able to commune with our loved ones and offer blessings to them on the other side. To use such a special day for personal vendetta is simply evil."

"Fortunately All Hollows Eve is a month away. That gives me plenty enough time to get as far away from them as possible."

Mika and Anna give a look to one another. I'm suddenly aware that I said "me" instead of "we".

"When Tobias comes to I'm going to have a talk with him about what he wants to do. I don't want to see him hurt by following me but I literally owe him my life. The coven is now after him just as much as they are me. I'm going to leave it up to him to see if he wants to stay with me and live his life on the run or if he wants to go his separate way to find his own safety."

A male voice then says, "I think you already know that answer."

All of us turn to see a sickly looking Tobias leaning against the doorway.

Anna rushes over to him and says, "You shouldn't be up! You're still very weak. Your body needs to rest."

Tobias smiles and says, "I'm feeling a lot better, honest. I think the worst of it is over. Thank you, by the way, for helping us. We'd be dead if it weren't for you."

Anna takes Tobias by the arm and leads him toward the bed where he sits. "That's what family does Tobias. We take care of one another. You and I may not share blood like Mika and I do, but you're every bit as much family to us where it counts. We're going to see you this through."

I push past the remaining fog in my head and take Tobias into my arms. He holds me just as strongly. I then let go and look into his eyes saying, "I'm sorry this happened to you. If I could have switched places with you, I would."

Tobias pushes my hair from my forehead like earlier and says, "I wouldn't want you to. When we left the warehouse I promised myself that I would stand by you and I still mean to keep that promise. You're not going anywhere without me."

"Tobias, you have no idea what I've just seen. Not only is the coven coming after us, but I think a whole pack of werewolves might be too. The guy who attacked us after the train, I found him at some forest compound with a small army of people just like him. Their leader said that he's sending a team of trackers to find us. I don't know what their motives are but whatever it is, we're not safe."

Anna interrupts saying, "No matter what, you two will be safe in my home. Within these walls are very powerful magics that help protect and hide anyone I extend sanctuary to. If your old coven tries to search for you magically they won't be able to pick up any trace of you here at all. As for the werewolves, they might be able to track you back to the city but any scent of you should have completely disappeared several miles away from here. You're completely cloaked, physically and magically."

Upon hearing this, a great portion of my anxiety is lifted. I look towards Anna and give her the most sincere look I can muster. "Thank you Anna. I really can't thank you enough for all of your help, but we can't stay here forever. We're eventually going to have to leave the building and I dread the thought of one of the groups after us now coming after you for helping us."

Anna returns the look and says, "Devin, I'm an old woman and have had my fair share of danger. My home is yours as long as you need it. You will always be welcome here no matter who is after you. You're free to go at anytime, but I must insist you stay here until Tobias is well enough to travel. In his current state he doesn't stand a chance against your coven or the wolves, let alone both of them together. Until he's at full strength we can put our heads together to figure out a strategy but promise me Devin...you will stay here until he is well.

A part of me can sense that underneath it all what Anna is really asking me to do is to not sacrifice myself in order to guarantee their safety. Is she reading my mind? The thought had occurred to me just before Tobias appeared in the room but now I can see to do so would only leave a lot of heartache behind me. I just can't do that to them. I can't exchange their loyalty and hospitality with abandonment. In my hustling days and time I spent running from Malik, I only had myself to worry about. That way of thinking has to change. No more cutting and running.

"I promise Anna. I'll stay until Tobias feels better. You have my word."

Anna nods her head in agreement. I can sense there is a lot more behind her eyes. What exactly does she know? Have her visions shown her anything about what is about to happen to us? So many things are swirling in my mind. Breathe. Focus on the here and now. Tobias is better but still very weak. Focus on making him better. If Anna's magics are as powerful as I believe they are, we will be safe until that happens.

Mika says, "I think we should leave the two of them alone for now. Tobias needs to rest and I'm sure the both of them have a lot to talk about."

Anna agrees, "You're right. You two should be okay down here. Mika and I will return in the morning for breakfast. If you need anything, we'll be in my unit above. We can talk more about this tomorrow."

Anna then goes over to Tobias and kisses him on the forehead. To my surprise she does the same to me. Anna then goes over to Fenrus and looks into his eyes.

"Never thought I'd say this about a dog but you have to be one of the most beautiful specimens I've ever seen. Sleep well Fenrus."

Fenrus practically smiles, letting his big tongue hang out of the side of his mouth. The thump of his tail strikes my leg repeatedly. I can feel that if it were possible for Fenrus to blush, he would be.

Mika then comes over and gives us both hugs before joining Anna by the door.

"Night guys."

"Night" we respond in unison. They both disappear into the next room, then out the front door.

I look at Tobias to see him looking at me with a big sheepish grin. Before I can help myself I pull him toward me and kiss him. He kisses me back. With eyes closed I feel myself lost in the moment. All I can think of is how lucky I am to have him with me and how I've never before felt a connection to anyone on this level. When I finally break contact for air I put my head into his neck. I breathe in and sigh, holding my hand against the other side of his neck. Tobias strokes the back of my head gently.

"What are we going to do?" I ask. "I really don't know where we go from here."

Tobias continues stroking my hair and says, "We sleep on it and figure it out later."

"You're right."

With that I lean us both toward the pillows, which we fall into still holding each other. I will the lights to go off in the apartment and they do. A few moments later we are asleep and I happily dream of nothing.

• • •

I awake to the smell of savory food wafting in the air. The sound of crackling bacon can be heard in the distance. I look over to Tobias to see his eyes just opening.

"Good morning."

"Good morning" he smiles back.

"You awake yet?"

"As awake as I'm gonna be this time of day."

I laugh and the both of us head toward the bathroom. My late night sluggishness is now gone but I can see from Tobias' movements that he's still on the mend. We brush our teeth, shower, change and head to the kitchen to find Anna and Mika setting down the breakfast plates at the kitchen table. Looking at the full spread before me I find myself salivating. I'm then reminded of how hungry I was the previous day and it dawns on me that Tobias hasn't eaten at all yet. I pull his chair out for him to sit, which he eagerly does. Anna, Mika and I join him as Fenrus takes his place at my side.

With his happy tongue hanging to the side again, I hear Fenrus in my head ask, "Can I have a few pieces of bacon?" I mentally tell him yes.

Mika says, "Dig in boys. There's plenty for everyone."

That's all I had to hear and we dig right in. When I see Tobias has finished his bacon I grab the tongs and place more on his plate, saving a couple for Fenrus which he happily chomps down.

"So Anna, how did you meet Tobias' family?" I ask.

"In the 60s a group of "flower children" came to me to ask if they could rent some land I owned for a commune. Tobias' grandparents were part of the group. They were close in age to me and I didn't sense any deception from them so I told them yes. I loved how open and friendly they all were. Tobias' grandmother, Lydia, was already pregnant with Tobias' father by then. I'd check in on them periodically and over time we became very good friends. When Lydia gave birth I served as her mid-wife. I grew to love her son Alex as my own. Everyone in the commune knew I was Wiccan but it was never an issue with anyone. At that time everyone was delving into the metaphysical and experiencing new spiritual awakenings. Tobias' parents never showed an interest in the Craft but several of the others wanted to learn more so I gave a few lessons here and there when asked. Little Alex took to the Craft right away. His parents thought it was great and encouraged his curiosity. Alex's best friend through childhood was a girl named Chloe. The two of them were always together. Chloe became a student of mine as well. Early on I could see that the two of them had some magical potential but I never let them in on my suspicions. I wanted them to develop any gifts on their own, in their own time. Their friendship grew into love and eventually Tobias was the fruit of that union. Tobias is the spitting image of his father."