Words of Power (Alice Gray Book 3)

10

Throwing myself into the back of the taxi that sat idling at the curb, I screamed the address of my guesthouse to the driver. He glanced at me through the rear-view mirror before screeching off into the night.

Something about my wide-eyes told him we needed to move, and he was right. Thomas wouldn't risk exposing his nature to a group of humans, but it wouldn't take him long to catch up with me. I couldn't let him do that.

The vision of my father being flayed alive played out in my head. My Gray ancestors had a reason for showing me his torture. They always had a reason.

Madness, corruption, despair, destruction.

Jonathan was the focus of those words. The madness part I got, if our silver life-force wasn't enough to warp our minds, Jonathan had been infected with vampire blood two weeks ago. His mind was battling the combination of witch and vampire powers that now struggled for dominance inside him. That was the corruption part.

They said he was recuperating under the guidance of James Device, our vampire ancestor. But now I'd seen what the vampires were doing to him. Experimenting on him while he suffered.

He was supposed to be under their care. James's care. Thomas's. They were monsters, all of them.

Nausea rolled in my stomach as my mind tried to make sense of it. I'd thought they were my friends but I'd been betrayed again. Betrayed by men that I'd loved and trusted.

I was an idiot. And Jonathan was paying the price for my woeful inability to see people as they really were.

The taxi pulled up to the guest house. I swiped my credit card and ran inside, the bitter January weather freezing my outsides to match the cold, slimy mess inside me.

I stumbled through the large house to the annex and straight into the bathroom where I hurled my guts out before huge body-wracking sobs spewed out of me.

I was only partially aware when I was moved to the bed. A hazy warmth enveloped me as the scent of lavender pushed away the stench of sweat and vomit that coated my skin.

The first night I hid.

It had been so long since I had to find my own bread that I went hungry, wondering how to feed myself now that everyone was gone.

I didn't let regret take hold.

They were weak, they deserved to die.

The life in my belly kicked out, reminding me what I had to do.

I had to find my father.

"Alice, wake up," the worried voice of my Alpha worked its way into the dream, but Jennet Device's thoughts stayed with me.

She still hadn't shown me why her father was so important. I knew about her mistreatment by the Device family. Her illegitimacy rained all sorts of degradations down on her from the Pendle community. It was her motive for enchanting the Lancaster courtroom and stripping them of power during the trial that led to their executions. And her mother, Elizabeth, was known to prostitute herself for bread or money, so Jennet's father could be anyone.

Jennet's determination in that dream told me that she'd eventually succeed in her mission, so I took strength from her emotions. After what I'd seen tonight, it was my mission too. I had to find Jonathan. I had to save my father.

Lucas stroked the sweat soaked, stringy hair from my brow. My head lay in his lap, and when I looked at him, I saw a warmth of acceptance that I knew Jennet Device had never experienced in her bitter life.

My father had hardly fared better. His madness had come from self-imposed exile because everybody around him fell victim to his silver life-force.

Our silver life-force.

When Lucas's wolf had chosen me to start his pack, he had given me something that was far more precious than the traditional pack bond. He had given me a way to exist with others. At that moment, with the memory of my tortured father and Jennet's isolation at the forefront of my mind, I had never been so thankful for anything in my entire life.

The pack was all I had now that the vamps had exposed their true nature.

"Hey, hey, don't cry little one," Lucas said softly, brushing the tears from my face with the pad of his thumb.

The endearment made the tears come faster. I didn't bother to stop them. Evan sat on the other side of the bed and took my hand. "What happened back there, I thought you were having fun?"

"I was," I sniffled, "it was great; the music, the dancing, the booze. It felt like my magic was back online."

"But that's good, right?" Evan prompted.

"Yeah, until the visions."

"Visions?" a gruff voice came from the corner of the room.

I stiffened, realising for the first time that I wasn't alone with my pack. Shifting up from Lucas's chest, I glared at the enormous lavender scented man. "You put me to bed," I said, half statement, half accusation.

A rumble and a tiny nod of the head was his only response.

"What's he doing here?" I asked Lucas, unable to keep the waver of distrust out of my voice.

"He's the one who called us back." Lucas's hard tone was a clear remonstrance, and when he pulled away and propped me up against the bed's headboard, a shiver rippled through my body, cold and empty at the loss of contact. I bristled at his displeasure.

Bloody pack bond.

"Oh. Thanks," I said, feeling my eyes narrow despite myself.

Another vibration rumbled through the air of the small room, travelling over my skin in warm waves. My body hummed in appreciation of the sensation, until my very core felt warm and my soul light. Eyes widening in surprise at the sensation, my gaze stayed fixed on the scruffy biker dude for longer than I'd ever looked at him before: bald head, massive beard, enormous beer-belly, thick arms, trunk-like legs.

A gasp was pulled from my lungs as his outline shimmered and fluctuated. Surprised glares from my pack-mates burned into me. The guys face crumpled into what I can only guess was a frown under his long, bushy beard.

Eyes glued to his form, I willed it to happen again. Nothing stirred.

For just the briefest of moments there, I was sure that I'd seen long, sleek limbs and a brightness that was like no life-force that I'd ever known.

"What are you?" I whispered, the wonder seeping out of my tone.

Jennet has something to say. Alice should listen this time! Hope you're enjoying the story.