Page 59 of Wolf Trap

Not taking the bait, Anthony licked his lips. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, vanilla boy!” He shot me a sad face. “Poor Elsa! So, that’s it, huh? Big ol’ shifter… not exactly adventurous?” Then holding up his hands, “No, I don’t want to know. The ancients weren’t exactly… erotic lovers so I’ve read.”

Shaking his head, Austin pushed towards Lycaon. “You’re too big for the mask and cloak. They’d never believe that. Plus, we can say that we’re bringing you in, you’re our decoy, our bonus. Look, hey these masks are fantastic!” Laughing, Austin dodged Lycaon’s swipe as the mage swirled around in his costume.

Seeing my masked face in Austin’s sent a chill down my spine.

“It’s a good idea. Thanks Austin,” I offered.

“Good idea? It’s genius, mate.” He ushered with his hand. “Come on. We could be spotted at any moment.”

Anthony and Hakon looked at ease in their costumes, Hakon complained, “Do I really have to carry this bloody Spear of Destiny? I get that it’s a good idea to use what was in Solomon’s temple, but I’m hardly a Christian, and it is a Christian icon.”

Anthony smirked. “I’m wearing the Key of Solomon’s ring, and look, I brought this.” He flashed open his cloak. Hanging from a sturdy piece of leather was the withered Hand of Glory.

Hakon spit a laugh. “Giving your left hand a rest mate, huh?”

Anthony’s face hardened. “It’s not a joke. It’s very dark magic. It can allow us to walk through walls, and it gives the user, me, power.”

Austin interrupted, “I don’t know man, it is the evilest of magic, it literally eats you from the inside out until the spirit ofthe Hand of Glory takes over your soul. It’s dark and addictive, once the spirit of the hand has enough of your soul, there’s no going back, you, Anthony, will be lost forever. I say sling it! Now.”

“But I’m a vampire, I don’t have a soul.”

Jax purred his name, they locked eyes. “Oh, Anthony! That’s not exactly true, you do have a soul. It’s just, being a vampire, your soul is tainted. If your body died, your soul would be trapped, as you well know, in Hell.”

He licked his lower lip as he didn’t break contact with her. “Wouldn’t you take my soul,” his eyes darted up, “up there?”

She cocked a brow. “You’re a believer? I might consider it. They might reject it.”

Austin huffed, “Alright children. I’ll take the Spear of Destiny. Anthony, I don’t think we should use the Hand of Glory until absolutely necessary.”

Anthony shrugged. “Ok.”

Reluctantly,I pulled the mask back over my face. Austin had lined it with velvet, but it still felt hard on my nose.

Although exhaustion weighed me down, the constant adrenaline of fight and flight, I was eager to finish this. The mutation, the were-demon, and the young shifter forced to fight, kept playing in my mind repeatedly.

Worry about my mum, Luna, and the fact that Mattie had lied to me made my mind fuzzy. I was struggling to concentrate, even with Lycaon and his strength at my side. My entire world was upside down.

The good news, Jax was with us. Now I’d seen her in a new light, I kind of liked her. Using her sexuality to manipulate situations may be cliché, but it worked. And I finally had somefemale company. Even though I felt like a vagabond beside her. A disgruntled one.

I pulled the hood over my head, as a fine mist of rain petered down, and the wind howled past us.

Adara’s headquarters were in the middle of the Somerset Levels, mile upon mile of flat countryside, with only hedges and a few clusters of trees for cover.

We were standing less than a quarter of a mile away. The outline of the building, under the night sky, revealed it was a huge desolate concrete structure which was previously owned by the military.

Only a few lights lit up from the building, and I could just see the outline of a high fence around it.

“How are we going to get into that? There’s no cover between it and us and it’s bound to be warded.” My heart sank.

A sweet musky scent hung heavy on the air. Staring hard, I pointed. “The place is surrounded by deadly nightshade. Look, I can smell it, see the outline of its flowers.”

Austin nudged me. “That’s sensible. Surround your evil lair with poisonous plants. Anyhow, we’re going underneath it. There are tunnels, and I’d bet they’re not warded. Well, I hope not. I looked up the place. No surprise there's no maps of it on the regular internet. So, I dug deeper. I scryed over a map of the area, then researched on the supernatural web. The tunnel shouldn’t be too far from where we’re standing. So?”

I shrugged. “You know how to find the entrance?”

“With a bit of magic, it’ll be underfoot.” He held out his hands, palms facing down, and scrunching up his eyes as he wandered around.

Lycaon wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “You know you don’t have to do this. We can handle it.” Then putting up his free hand he continued, “I know, you can handle yourself and I am glad you’re here. I’m just saying.”

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