The sun had inched behind the mountains, and we all moved outside to see the moon rising. Simon kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you after my run.”
“Enjoy. I’ll be here soaking in the magic.” I smiled as the wolves started to strip, and then one by one, they all shifted. Simon, the last of them. A howl tore out of his throat as his body bowed, his bones and muscles moving under the flesh, forcing him to all fours, finishing with fur bursting out of his skin. He shook out his fur and turned his yellow eyes back to me. I swore he smiled before he darted into the woods after his pack.
The sound of howls echoed through the night as the sun finished setting, leaving the full moon bright in the sky. I walked into the center of the clearing and sat down.
The air around me was crisp, promising a colder night even though the day had been warm. It didn’t matter though, I wouldn’t spend all night out here, just long enough to reground myself and enjoy my magic.
I closed my eyes and reached out to my circle with the magic. I buried my fingertips into the dirt, bringing a sense of touch to the ritual. A felt a click through my body as my magic found its home around the pack lands. A sigh escaped my lips as my body relaxed. The land welcomed me home. Here I was safe and protected against outside threats.
I opened my eyes to see one of the wolves staring at me from the edge of the clearing before it bounded off into the darkness. It wasn’t like any of them to come back before the night was over, but I didn’t give it a second thought.
‘Abigail. Oh, Abigail’
A voice floated in the wind. One I knew well. Hannah.
Hannah was Mario’s maker, and she had something against me. She thought I’d killed her daughter, I hadn’t. I had thought her daughter was still alive until she accused me of killing her. I could only assume that the vampire council had decided to put Kiera to death.
I shook my head. She wasn’t welcome on pack grounds. It was nothing but paranoia and fear that spoke to me now.
‘He’s coming for you, Abigail. He knows what you’ve done.’
I closed my eyes and tried to push the voice out of my head. “You’re not real. You’re not here,” I whispered. “Go away.”
‘He’s going to drain you of your blood and turn you into one of us. He will be your maker, not Levi. He will control you.’
I would die a true death before anyone could turn me.
I smiled as the wind wrapped around me, and the voice disappeared. This was my place. Hannah could try her magic all she wanted, but it wasn’t going to get through here. I’d stopped her from attacking me in my dreams before. She wouldn’t touch me now.
The thought warmed me as the wind died down. I was grounded in the Earth and with the Goddess, the full moon shone brightly above me, and the magic was alive. I held up my hand and called a ball of fire to it. The warmth traveled through my arm and manifested in my palm. The magical flames danced in the wind as I watched.
Not long ago, I didn’t have the same control. I couldn’t manifest fire, I had to have an existing fire to use. When I first found out that I was an elemental, I was terrified, but now I was learning to embrace it more and more. Several times, it had saved my life.
A chill started to eat at my skin, and I let the flame die. It was time to go into the warmth of the cabin and wait for my wolves to return. They’d all stumble back in around dawn and fall asleep in a giant pile of limbs and bodies on the floor. Except for Simon. He’d return to bed with me, and I would spend the morning cradled in his arms. That made me grin.
Simon’s arms wrapped around me as I tried to roll over. He pressed his lips to my neck. “Good morning.”
“Mm, yes, did you have a good run?”
He nodded against me. “Yes, we hunted some deer, played in the river. It was wonderful. Did you have a good night?”
“Yeah, let my magic lose and went to bed early.” I chuckled. “I didn’t even hear you guys come in.”
He snorted. “Really? You didn’t hear over a dozen wolves rampage into the house?”
“No.”
He hesitated slightly. “Abby? You don’t sleep deeply.”
“I’m safe here. It allows me to relax and get that missed sleep.” I snuggled him into him. “It’s different up here.”
“Are you sure you’re not a wolf?” He laughed. “You’re home around pack, you’re home on our land.”
I snorted. “I’m an honorary wolf, remember?”
“That you are.” He rolled over to glance at his phone. “It’s almost time for you to go back to the real world.”
I snuggled further into the pillow. “I don’t want to go back to the real world.” My phone rang, and I sighed. “Apparently, the real world doesn’t care.”
Simon handed my phone to me, and I answered it.
“Agent Collins speaking.”
“Abby, sorry, I know it’s still early.” Mason’s voice came over the phone. “That other location had the same thing, minus a little girl.”
I sat up. “Did your team recover any bullets?”
“No, other than the bodies and blood, the scene is clean. No fingerprints, no bullets. We might get lucky and find a fragment inside
