Chapter 31: : Chapter 31

I grabbed the clothes from Sam and rushed into Jaxson’s bathroom while the two of them muttered about what to do next. It was hard not to eavesdrop with my keen hearing. Sam was distraught about the sleepers.

They were also talking around something else that they didn’t want me to know about.

Ears burning, I tried to think of what to do as I slipped into Sam’s clothes. Even though she was more toned, we were a decent enough size match. I zipped up and admired myself in the mirror. While Jaxson had seen my bare ass from plenty of angles now, I liked how taut it looked in Sam’s skinny jeans.

I smiled when I unfolded the shirt. The front had an illustration of a derby skater beside big bold letters that said, . I flipped it over, and my smile melted.

My canines started to inch down, but I held them back and pulled the shirt over my head. It was plenty tight, and as I didn’t have a bra, Jaxson was going to see exactly how ready I was every time I got near him.

I sighed. He could smell it, anyway. I had to figure out how to mask it or get used to constantly being a horny beacon.

I returned to the kitchen and sat down on a stool at the high-top counter, trying not to look at the powerfully built man as he stepped up right beside me and poured me an espresso. “Have you eaten?”

I blushed. My wolf had stolen a snack of bacon strips off someone’s plate at an outdoor café. Did that count?

“Sort of?” I breathed in the rich aroma that wafted up from the cup, though it couldn’t mask his scent. “This is what I really needed. Thanks.”

Sam put her palms on the counter. “Forget coffee. We’re fucked and need a new plan. You got lucky when you caught up with Kahanov in Italy. And even if you find him again, he could slip away like last time. Meanwhile, each night, dozens more wolves will likely go to sleep and not wake up.”

I cleared my throat. “It might not be wolves for long. If the pack doesn’t hand me over, he might target someone more pliable. Vampires. Demons. Other…crime families. Anyone he could pressure to take me out. We need a way to break the spell.”

Jaxson nodded. “I had a curse diviner look at the sleepers this morning, and I also called some folks in from the Order. They’re still researching. Dream magic isn’t well understood, and the best source of information was apparently that stolen grimoire.”

“We’ve got to do something,” Sam protested.

I chewed on my lip. “How old is the grimoire? Is the witch who wrote it still alive? Could we go directly to the source and ask her what to do?”

Jaxson and Sam both stiffened. He flexed his fist. “That would be…unwise. If the witch is still alive, she’s probably not someone we want to risk dealing with. She could be worse than the sorcerer.”

“Why? Because a powerful woman wrote a book?” I scoffed.

Sam leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Grimoires aren’t just books, Savy. They’re tomes of dark, sinister magic that practically have a life of their own. Some are written in blood and wrapped with human flesh.”

My skin prickled at the sudden chill that crept over me. I could smell the danger in her words, and I shivered.

Shadows crossed Jaxson’s face. “Wolf legends say that witches and warlocks write grimoires to snare the souls of curious readers whose lust for power is greater than their common sense. Anyone who would create a thing like that wouldn’t hesitate to trap us with their magic. It’s too dangerous.”

The two looked down at the table, and I swallowed hard. A long silence stretched between us.

I tightened my fists. “The clock is ticking, and we can’t wait. If she can tell us how to undo the curse, it’s worth the risk. Who knows? If this witch is really as bad as you assume and she’s trying to snag powerful souls with that book, then maybe she’ll help us just to get Kahanov’s.”

Jaxson frowned. “I don’t think—”

“Anyway,” I interjected, “you wolves have a pretty skewed sense of the dark arts—a label that seems to include a broad array of things like scrying and my own magic. So let’s maybe ask someone less superstitious and see how crazy an idea this is.”

“We don’t even know if the witch is alive,” he said, a knife edge of protest in his voice.

I raised my hands. “Who do we ask, then?”

Jaxson bared his teeth as he studied my face. Finally, he gave a reluctant grunt. “Fine. Sam, call Neve. She was the one looking into the book. See what she knows or can find out.”

Sam pulled out her cell phone and stepped away as Jaxson drummed his fingers on the table in irritation.

I took a deep breath. “In the meantime, I have a stopgap plan.”

“What is it? Make a deal with a devil? Summon the minions of hell to hunt him down?”

I froze. I hadn’t thought of that. My aunt could summon demons, and I wondered…but no. I shook my head. “My aunt made a circle of protection around my bed to keep the sorcerer out of my dreams. Maybe we could make a big one where wolves could come sleep to protect them from Kahanov.”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure wolves would be willing to sleep in the middle of a sorcerous enchantment, particularly one made by the LaSalles. They’d assume it was a trap.”

“You’re alpha. King Wolf. Can’t you make them? By the second night, everyone would know it worked.”

His eyes flashed gold, and I smelled his frustration and mistrust. His canines dropped and claws began to push from his fingertips. “Yes. The pack will do as I say, but I can’t make Laurel do anything, and she won’t help us. There’s been too much bad blood over the years.”

“Maybe not my aunt, but I might be able to twist my cousin’s arm.”

Jaxson gave a bitter laugh. “The lead distributor of wolfsbane in the world? I guarantee he’s not going to help, he even knows how to do anything else but blow things up.”

Images of the weapons manufacturing operation flooded my mind, and my stomach twisted. But I knew deep down that my cousin was better than that. He had to be. I’d seen it.

I could make this happen.

“You don’t know him,” I growled defensively.

Sam, who was still on the phone—but apparently monitoring our conversation—just rolled her eyes.

Jaxson rose and stalked to the side of the room. “I know enough.”

Pangs of protectiveness shot through me, and I snarled. “It can’t hurt to ask. And if he doesn’t know how to do it, maybe he knows someone who does.”

I held my breath as Jaxson considered. His pack wasn’t going to like this. They were in danger because of a LaSalle, and now the only way they were going to be able to sleep safely was in the middle of a LaSalle’s hex.

Finally, Jaxson stirred. “Do it. Ask.”

“Give me your phone.” He handed it over, and I dialed Casey as I swiveled around on my stool.

Ragged breathing came across the line as he picked up. “Laurent, you motherfucker, is Savy with you?”

What was Casey doing? Running a marathon?

“Hey, Case, it’s me. I’m borrowing Jaxson’s phone.”

“Where the hell are you?”

I put my finger in my ear to block the sounds of Sam on the other line, talking to Neve. “I’m in Dockside. And I need your help with some magic.”

“Cool. Great. Let’s play a different game. Do you know where the hell I am?” he wheezed.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. “In my room, rummaging through my shit like a drugged-out badger, by the sound of it.”

“Close. I’m on a ladder trying to get to your open window to check if you’re dead or not. Unfortunately, it’s a little short and pretty unstable.”

I leapt off my stool. “Are you nuts?”

“You weren’t answering your phone, and your door is locked. When I saw the open window, I was worried you’d been abducted or something!”

“I’m fine!” I snapped. “I’m in Dockside with Jaxson and Sam, and we—’

Casey made a strangled sound. “Oh, my gods, Savannah, you didn’t have him over last night, did you? I thought I heard a man snoring this morning. It was like a lumberjack choking to death on a muffin. Tell me you two weren’t—”

“No! Seriously? I got up early and left. I locked my door without thinking and then couldn’t get my cell.” I thanked God that we were talking on the phone and that Casey never seemed able to pick up my lies.

“Okay. Good. Because Mom would kill you. What are you doing in Dockside, anyway?”

I ran my hand through my hair in exasperation. “Shit is going down up here, and we need your help. That circle of protection that Aunt Laurel made around my bed, do you know how to make one of those?”

“Yes. But I’m not making one for your wolfy love den, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“No! Damn it, get your head out of the gutter.” My fingernails were beginning to itch. I tried to steady my voice. “Last night, the sorcerer put twenty-one wolves to sleep, and we don’t know how to break the spell. He’s going to keep doing it. We need a way to protect these people while we bring him down. Could you make a giant circle of protection in like, I don’t know, a gymnasium? Somewhere a lot of people could gather.”

Casey paused, and I could hear him gently sucking on his teeth. “Shit, Savannah. I don’t know. I’m pretty sure they want to skin me alive up there.”

“Tell the little punk he still owes us for the damage you two caused during your car chase,” Jaxson snarled.

I bared my teeth at Jaxson and made a chopping motion in front of my neck to cut him off, but it was already too late.

“Was that Jaxson in the background? Tell that creep to shove a stick up his ass! He already stole our container to cover it! Screw this.”

Casey hung up.

I growled and felt my fangs erupt. “Damn it! I’m handling this, Jax. Keep your mouth shut!”

Sam’s eyes went wide, and Jaxson bristled at my command. “I told you he wouldn’t help. He’s a wolf-hating creep. He’s probably laughing his ass off at the moment.”

“Stay quiet this time!” I snapped. Sam cringed again at my blatant disrespect for her alpha, but I didn’t care. I dialed Casey back.

He picked up. “No.”

“Casey! Please.”

He was breathing hard, and it sounded like he was climbing down the ladder. “No way, Jose! I’m not dealing with Jaxson and not coming to Dockside.”

Jaxson looked ready to wolf out, so before he aggravated the situation further, I stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door. “Look, Case, I’m sorry about Jaxson. Please, do this for me, if not for the wolves. They’re suffering because of me. Protecting them protects me.”

Silence hung in the air, and then he sighed. “Fine. But I’m not going to Dockside.”

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, and the shirt sparked an idea. “What about the roller derby rink? It’s big and has bathrooms. Could you make something there?”

“I guess? What are you thinking?”

“Like a FEMA shelter. Big circle of protection where werewolves can sleep safely.”

He whistled low. “There’s no way I can make one big enough to fit all the werewolves in Dockside. There are thousands of them.”

“We’ve got to try something. There’s a lot at stake.”

Casey considered. “Okay. Fine. Tell that our debt is paid, and he’s gotta release our stuff. He’ll know what I’m talking about. I’m bringing backup to help make the circle, and if anyone looks like they’re going to bite, we’ll blast everyone.”

“I’ll tell him something like that, in a diplomatic and courteous way,” I grumbled.

“Fine. I’ll get my shit together and meet you all over there.” He hung up.

I stalked out of the bathroom and gave Jaxson a glare. “He’ll do it, no thanks to you. Also, give him his container of shit back.” Before he could protest, I swung to Sam, who’d finished her call. “What did you learn?”

“Neve is hunting down the author and will give you a call when she knows more. She wanted me to remind you that the grimoire was committed to the Archive of Bound Tomes because it was dangerous. Anyone capable of committing that kind of knowledge to paper would be perilous, too.”

“I don’t see that we have any choice.” My mouth went dry, and I met Jaxson’s eyes. He was brooding in the shadows of the back corner, arms crossed. Waves of power poured out from him, and his scent gave off one clear signature: protectiveness. For his pack. For Sam.

He didn’t like this plan. But I also sensed he would do anything to protect the pack.

Finally, he nodded.

I took a deep breath. “Okay. We have a plan. Make a circle of protection. Bargain with the witch. And stay alive long enough to hunt down Kahanov and kill him.”