Page 31 of January Blues
“The shipping and delivery company? Mars Acquisitions was taking it over last I heard. Before they fired me.”
“Yeah. Our Alpha Mate used to work there. His dad, too.”
“Small world.” The distraction had me relaxing, my muscles all coiled. Hela lay in the footwell, in her other form, to make her fit. She hadn’t wanted to go home without Toth, so she made us take her with us. We’d split up, taking a few vehicles. I’d ridden with the alpha and head enforcer, Mori and Gregoris in another car.
“Really is. The place hasn’t been the same since Dakota, Kade’s dad, left. We were using them for our wider deliveries of the cider we produce in our factory on the compound. We aren’t using them now.”
That drew my attention. “You make cider?”
“Yeah, we can’t make enough of the shifter strength stuff. With the sickness that hit the pack, our orchards and supply suffered.”
I’d forgotten that the strange sickness had hit the pack badly. It put all their beta shifters into comas. They were only now figuring out the changes that it had brought. I kept away from coven politics, but I did know that some resented Poppy’s friendship with the pack, until the elves had come and shared magical knowledge. They had offered to look at me, to see why I didn’t have magic, but I’d turned that down.
Not that it mattered now. I was where I was supposed to be. Not having magic had given me Toth.
Toth.
Who had apples by the dozens.
“Have you ever tried a hell-spice apple?” Maybe once I got Toth back, we could make a deal with the shifters. The witches liked them, so they had to be good people.
“Hell-spice? No, but it sounds like something I want to try.”
“It’s amazing and would make the best cider. Toth has been looking for somewhere to make it.”
“Let’s get him back so I can try these apples.”
I got the impression that Deke wasn’t this enthusiastic usually. He seemed to be trying to take the edge off my nerves by keeping my thoughts occupied. It worked because we soon arrived at the spot.
We parked the vehicles on the edge of the industrial complex, hoping to sneak up on Basil.
One by one, the shifters turned into their animal forms. It was amazing to see them all shifted. They weren’t just a wolf pack, being home to several types of shifters. I saw a massive lizard with them! They took a sniff of me and of Toth’s phone, gathering his scent, and fanned out, trying to narrow down the building quickly so we weren’t discovered.
Hela ran on ahead, making me chase her to keep up, leaving Mori, Damon and Gregoris behind me. I hated running. With a thought, I let my wings out without tearing my shirt, thank you magic, and glided along the ground.Much better!
Damon gave a whisper shout of joy at the sight of them. I looked back just in time to see Mori slap a hand over his mouth.
Ahead I saw a warehouse, the door ajar. My heart hit my feet. Was he gone? Despite my fear, I landed on the ground, thought my wings away, and followed Hela inside.
There. In the middle of a barren room, in a complicated spell circle, with a solitary light shining on him, was my mate.
“Here!” came a broken shout.
Toth looked battered. His skin lashed, clothing torn. He was on his knees, panting for breath as blood seeped from his wounds.
“Toth?”
“Cody?” His voice was a broken whisper. He turned painfully slowly. I couldn’t bear the hope and fear on his face. Basil would pay for this. “Is it really you?”
“Feel me, use the bond. I’m here.”
“It’s you.”
January Whatever
Toth
Itdidn’tmattertoBasil that I had no clue that Cody’s true name was. He wanted to rip it from the depths of my soul using as much force as possible to take it.
