Illusions: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Seekers Book 1) (18 page)

“You and Onyx are one being,” said Rohan. “That’s nothing new. He’s always been part of you. But you need to use your skills and his today. We’ll need everything we have to deal with Melina and her partners in crime. No doubt they will have the Guild’s guardians on high alert, but we must go to them and liberate your sister. You cast that rune spell yesterday—how long do you suppose it might have lasted?”

“If I did well, she might still be unconscious.”

“Then we must get to her before she comes to. They will jump on the chance to initiate her.”

“
S
he’s still sleeping
, Lady Melina,” said Bahn, one of the Guild’s initiated men, a coyote shifter.

“Well, wake her, for the love of the goddess.”

“We’ve tried everything: cold spring water, poking her with sticks. Some spell has been cast, perhaps.”

The s-word irritated the woman more than she would ever have admitted.
Goddamned spells.
How could Serafina possibly have cast any spell that she couldn’t cancel? It made no sense whatsoever, unless some other power were at work.

But they would have to wait this out. And after that, the Ritual would occur, come hell or high water.

“I’d been reserving two specimens for Serafina,” she’d told her mates about Circe’s prospective partners, “But she’s a lost cause, I fear. So, I will throw them to her sister: Circe will mate with a hawk and a cheetah shifter. They will grant her all manner of skills, and when she comes into them, she will thank me; you mark my words.”

The men had nodded silently, as they’d learned to do. This woman had sucked all of their inner will, somehow, whether through charm or black magic.

But in truth, neither Crow nor Mace was fit to lead the Guild; it was only their association with the Sorceress that gave them any real authority. That and the fact that the initiated members seldom stayed around long, moving off to begin lives elsewhere. They spread like wildfire, populating lands to the west.

And Melina was at the head of all of it. This would be her war to lose.

“But if lady Circe disagrees…” began Crow.

“If Lady Circe disagrees, she will find that her mates have a few things to say to her,” said Melina. “These men are no weaklings, and she is frail. They will not permit her to speak up.”

The conversation had ended there, and now, at noon, Melina still waited for Circe to come out of her prolonged slumber. A guardian was to fetch her in case of any change.

Melina had assigned every man of the Guild the role of guard duty for the day, and so no entrance to the compound had fewer than four men surrounding it. Patrols moved along the woods, watching the rooftop and the barred windows for birds, but the only one that they’d seen thus far was Circe’s Familiar, Obsidian, who appeared more sleepy than usual, no doubt affected by his Magistress’s unconsciousness.

Rohan arrived on the scene in the form of a squirrel, the most unthreatening creature he could imagine. It always amused him that he could be a rodent one moment, a drake the next, but now he found himself envying Paxx’s gift of stealth.

Sera and Paxx were close behind him, she moving along with Nyx wrapped around her shoulders in his usual form, Paxx in his ghost wolf form. Phist had remained at the cabin in case the Sisterhood should require help, though he’d protested; he was very keen on helping the beautiful Circe, it seemed, and it had pained his older brother to issue the command to stay behind.

Rohan could see that the men on guard duty were scouting the windows and sky for any sort of flyer, and so he searched the woods for Obsidian. As soon as he saw him, his face turned towards the same cell where Circe had been kept the previous day. He knew now that she was still there.

He dashed back to the others, shifting when he came to them.

“She’s still inside,” he said. “But they won’t want to bring the Ritual to her. To engage in it in prison would be unseemly, even in an emergency. I imagine that they’ll bring her outside, once they feel secure that no one is around to threaten them.”

“We should keep an eye on Obsidian, then,” said Sera. “When he moves, we’ll know that she’s also on the move.”

And so they waited, watching from a distance through row upon row of trees, Rohan and Nyx occasionally climbing to get a better look.

Serafina was getting more skilled by the minute at transference, monitoring the guardians through her Familiar’s eyes even as her own scoped the woods.

And Nyx occasionally shifted into cat form, prowling about under the cover of his dark fur and soft paws.

“I wonder if Melina’s calico can shift,” Sera said. “She’s a nasty piece of work; I can imagine that she’d be a force to reckon with.”

“This is new territory for me, so I couldn’t say,” Rohan said. “It’s possible that she can change, or that she can get up to all sorts of other mayhem. That’s both the beauty and the peril of the Ritual; you never know what you’ll get in the end. I remember my mother telling us about the day she came into her powers.”

“Oh?” said Sera, Paxx listening intently at her side.

“She is a dragon shifter. But she didn’t know that at the time. Naturally, she was terrified when it happened. She’d grown up in a world where our kind remained secret. Not to mention the time when she shot herself through time and space without a clue as to how she’d done it.”

“I can’t imagine,” said Sera.

“I’m afraid that you will be able to one day soon,” said Rohan. “There are things that you will discover in yourself, my beautiful lady.”

“You don’t think I’ll shift, surely?”

“No. I don’t. I don’t think that you Aspirants have it in you. But there is something ancient in your blood that I don’t yet understand. Something that I believe Melina knows.”

“Do you think that’s why she hates the Sisterhood?”

“It’s hard to say. I suspect that a woman like her hates for the sake of hating.”

Serafina let out a chuckle, quickly covering her mouth.

“What is it?” asked Paxx, who was standing by, naked as he had been for most of the last twelve or so hours.

“I’m unaccustomed to hanging about the woods with two incredibly handsome, nude men,” she said. “This is new territory for me as well.”

Rohan looked down at his bare body. “You’ve cast a spell of invisible clothing!” he said. “The Craft is strong in you.”

“That would be one impressive spell. I’d cast it every hour of every day, around you two.”

“Next thing you know, she’ll find a cock-hardening rune,” said Paxx, grinning at Rohan.

“I’m pretty sure
that
one’s in her mouth,” replied Rohan.

“All right, you two males. Focus,” said Sera. “Let’s check on Sidian again.”

Rohan found the raven circling the compound, just above its dark roof. He appeared more alert than he had a few minutes before. This, Rohan knew, meant that Circe had come to and was likely on the move inside the building. Whether she was pacing in her cell or being escorted by guards was another question; one that was quickly answered when the south door opened, and two men stepped out, each holding the young woman by an arm.

Rohan, now in his wolf form, dashed back to Sera.

“Where’s Paxx?” he asked after shifting.

“He’s gone to look. I think you passed him,” she said.

“He’s
good.
Listen, they’re bringing Circe out. This is our best chance to get her.”

“All right,” said Sera. But she stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

“Are you okay?”

“I feel helpless,” she said. “I don’t know why.”

“You’re being hit with a lot at once. Leave it to us.” With that he transformed into an eagle, taking off for the treetops to keep an eye on Circe’s route.

Down below, the stealthy ghost wolf trotted soundlessly through the woods, his eyes fixed on the guards who were pulling Circe to the side of the compound and into the woods to the west.

“Where the hell are they taking her?” he wondered. As he followed, he saw that they led her down a new, narrow path carved in the woods. So, they were going to perform the Ritual outdoors.

He followed, spying the raven in the sky above, who kept a watchful eye on his Magistress. At one point Obsidian cried out and Circe’s head turned sleepily up to him. She seemed out of it, as though drugged, and Paxx wasn’t sure if this was Sera’s work or Melina’s.

From the north came Melina, following the others down the path. The Sorceress wanted to be sure, Paxx supposed, that the Ritual would take place in a location clear of enemies. And then came two men: the prospective mates, it seemed.

Paxx recognized them as Kort and Schaff, two strong shifters and loyal Guild members. Each was powerful, brutish and unafraid to treat women poorly. They would make awful mates for any woman.

Rohan soared high in the sky above, preparing to dart down when necessary. Occasionally he was able to spot flashes of Paxx’s form, and then only because he was looking for it. The man had managed his concealment well, particularly for a newly initiated shifter.

Sera would follow on her own time. She’d appeared stunned, disoriented; no doubt overwhelmed by everything. But there wasn’t time to tend to her, not now. Within minutes, the men could overtake her sister and ruin her life forever. He and Paxx had to get to Circe.

The narrow path led to a small clearing where a blanket had been lain upon the ground. Nothing particularly romantic, but then these people seemed to think that romance was a waste of energy. They were essentially about to take advantage of a young woman who was completely devoid of strength; they may as well have been assaulting a lifeless doll. The thought of all of it disgusted Rohan; he was angry to think that these were his people, his species. The Guild was once again putting his own kind to shame.

When the figures reached the clearing, the guards led Circe to the blanket. Obsidian circled above, crying out in protest, but there was nothing that a small raven could do against such injustice. And like his Magistress, he seemed disoriented, his flight uneven.

Rohan landed silently in the woods, shifting immediately into his déor, the winged wolf form that had been unique to him since his youth. The wings remained tight at his sides, rarely used except in moments of true need. But the body, mind and strength of the wolf’s body were where he felt most settled, most strong.

He stood within the shelter of the woods, hoping that the assortment of scents from the other Guild members would conceal his own. It wouldn’t be long before he needed to make his move.

On the opposite side of the clearing stood Paxx, hidden away, ready to pounce, though untrained, unaccustomed to this new body. There was no plan, but then there was no real point in a plan. This fight would be about speed and strength, and he and Rohan had the advantage of surprise on their side, if nothing else.

Serafina had remained in place, her hand reaching into her bag for her stones. It was time.

But as she’d watched Rohan fly away, she’d cursed herself. In all the excitement of the Ritual and the changes that had come over Paxx and Nyx, she’d left her rune stones behind.

“Dammit,” she muttered. The runes were the one thing she was certain would work, and now she was helpless.

Nyx licked her cheek, as always supportive and affectionate.

“Not now, Nyx,” she said, her frustration heightened by his distracting tongue.

But a moment later she understood. His strokes, rather than a series of vertical ones, seemed to be moving in every direction. It took Sera a moment to realize what was happening.

“Are you spelling something out?” she asked him, stroking his back. As though in response, he licked once more. “Runes,” she said. “You’re writing runes on my cheek, clever thing.”

She extended a hand before herself, drawing shapes in the air: a vertical line, a diagonal one crossing it downwards.
Nyd,
the rune of need.

The air itself lit then, a thin, fiery line spelling out the rune, as occurred on the stones themselves.

“I can write on air,” she said. “Rohan was right. I am coming into powers that I never foresaw.”

She ran then, following in the direction that her mates had gone. Nyx scampered down onto the ground and sprinted ahead of her, shifting into the black fox, sniffing the ground as he went. He was tracking Circe, leading his Magistress to her.

She could only hope that they wouldn’t be too late.

C
irce still appeared disoriented
when Melina addressed her.

“You know who I am, yes?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Circe weakly, the guardians supporting her by holding her upper arms. “I know all too well, Melina.”

“And no doubt you know why you’re here.”

“Obviously not for a hanging,” Circe replied, laughing a little. “Your scaffold is charcoal, I hear.”

The back of Melina’s hand hit Circe’s face hard, and Rohan bristled with anger, hoping that Serafina wasn’t witnessing this.

“You are of more use to me alive than dead. And you may have noticed that your sister has forsaken you. She has moved on to greener pastures. They say that she’s found two mates and no doubt she’s bonding with them as we speak, performing all the delicious deviant sexual acts forbidden to the members of the Sisterhood.”

“Deviant acts such as
you
perform, Melina?”

“But of course. I have never been a fan of the Crones’ rules and regulations. We women were not meant to isolate ourselves; we were made for breeding, after all.”

“If you say so.” Circe’s head drooped down as though she’d given up any attempt at argument.

“You are fortunate,” said Melina, her index finger under Circe’s chin, lifting it to force the young woman to look at her. “I have selected two of our finest for you. And as a bonus you’ll be able to look into their eyes as they make love to you, to see their handsome faces. Try getting that deal from the Crones.”

Circe turned her head and looked at the men, something approaching a sneer on her face as Obsidian cawed above her.

“You have always shown great promise of impressive elemental powers, Circe. You and your sister both. With this ceremony, you will find yourself more powerful than the Crones. Than that wretched Hedy, as she wilts with age. You will find your life lengthened, as well. For many, many years you will enjoy the time with these men that I’m so generously providing you.”

Hateful bastards,
thought Rohan.
Hardly an appealing fate.

“Lay her down,” Melina said, now addressing the guards, who gently set Circe on her back. Whether due to her exhaustion or a lack of will, the young woman didn’t resist.

“She’s all yours.” Melina looked at the two men to whom she was offering Serafina’s sister, and as though about to pounce on a meal each advanced, their large frames looming over the horizontal victim.

With her words, Melina turned and left them there, her mates and the guards accompanying her. They headed north down another path, back to the residence that they shared. Melina had no interest in witnessing this Ritual; only in the final results. And Circe was not going to be a threat against two large men. All was going even better than the Sorceress had hoped.

Kort bent down first, unceremoniously grabbing Circe’s long skirt and yanking it upwards, baring her legs. That was enough for Rohan, who took a step forward. But before he’d made it into the clearing, a voice stopped him.

“
G
et your hands off her
.”

Serafina had emerged from the woods, Nyx at her side, his sleek black panther form moving around the men. He was small, but no doubt would give his life to protect either his Magistress or her kin. Obsidian flew in quick circles above, still panicked, still helpless.

Kort turned to her and snarled, leaving Circe alone for a moment as he stood, revealing his enormous frame. He really was huge—in all likelihood his déor would be the size of a bear, or larger, even. The other man came around Circe’s other side, both moving towards Serafina.

In that instant she saw that neither man knew who she was and that neither felt threatened. As they were prepared to take her sister for themselves, they were prepared to kill
her
.

But she had other plans.

“Who do you think you are?” she asked. “Circe is not for you. She never was.”

On the ground, her sister struggled to come to, her head turning from side to side as she tried to orient herself.

“She was given to us by the Sorceress,” said the man. “A gift. She is ours now.”

“The Sorceress, is it?” laughed Sera, stalling for time. “You think she deserves that title? She deserted the Sisterhood; she’s a mutineer, if anything.”

“I don’t give a squirrel’s ass what you call her,” he replied. “She’s in charge here, not you.”

Sera noted a flicker of movement to her right: Paxx’s ghostly form, skulking behind the other man, ready to leap.

She backed away a little, pulling the men farther from her sister and forcing their backs to turn her way. Nyx crouched next to Circe protectively, keeping an eye out for new threats.

“I am my sister’s guardian,” said Serafina. “And as such, I am in charge of her well-being.”

“Are you now?” said Kort. “Well, her well-being is in my trousers, so perhaps you’d like a taste before we give it to your sister?”

“You’re a vile pig, aren’t you? And you wonder why women don’t want to be anywhere near your damned Guild.”

“Oh, I think you want to be very near,” said the man, loosening his waistband, preparing to unleash whatever other disgusting display lay between his legs. “I think you want what I’m offering.”

In that instant Rohan and Paxx’s wolf forms sprinted forward. Serafina quickly brushed finger-strokes in the air. The shapes that she’d crafted glowed red, floating towards the man’s face like plumes of smoke. Softly, silently, they branded themselves into his flesh; thin lines of red and orange.

The man, only inches in front of her face now, froze. And then his body turned grey, his very flesh seeming to harden into the surface of a marble statue.

“Stàn,”
said Sera. “The rune of stone.” She turned to the other man. “Are
you
interested in seeing what I have to offer?”

He moved away then, darting towards the trail that Melina and the others had taken through the woods. Paxx pursued him, the nearly-invisible wolf disappearing into the forest behind him.

Sera breathed a brief sigh of relief before turning back to her sister. But on the ground she saw only the blanket and a confused Nyx. Looking to the sky, she realized that Obsidian was gone as well.

And there was no sign of Rohan.

“
R
oh
!”

Lily was the first to see him. In Dundurn’s courtyard, she had been walking about, showing Kiron various aspects of the castle’s structure, explaining their uses.

For all her mind-reading abilities, the last thing she’d expected was to see her twin.

But Rohan wasn’t alone; his arm was around a young woman who looked vaguely ill, her eyes moving about in confusion. And what was even stranger was the raven who’d appeared above them and was now lighting on the woman’s arm.

“Lily,” he said, unable to resist a smile. “Am I glad to see you.”

“What’s going on?” his sister asked, rushing to offer support, Kiron on one arm as she took the young woman’s left elbow in the other hand.

“Long, long story; too long to tell right now. This is Circe. She needs protection for a little.”

“She’s not a shifter,” said Lily, eyeing the dark-haired woman. By now, various members of the household had taken note that Lord Rohan had returned and they were running about, notifying the higher-ups. Within minutes, Conor and Graeme had found them and were helping to escort Circe to a bed.

When Rohan had his entire family assembled a few minutes later, he addressed them. “Look, I don’t have time to fill you in on every detail just now. But I have found my mate.”

He hardly needed to tell them that Circe was not her; everyone present knew it already. “This is her sister, Circe. There are people—shifters—attempting to hurt her and many others. Performing Rituals without the consent of women.”

From Gwynne, Lily and the men came a communal gasp. The thought of it was akin to murder, as far as they were concerned. It broke every sacred trust of their kind.

“I am doing my best to bring them down,” said Rohan. “Alongside my two mates,whom you will meet, I hope, before too long. But for now, please look after Circe. I want her far from all of it.”

“Of course,” said Gwynne, approaching. Her belly had swollen since Rohan had last seen her, and he knew that the baby would come soon. “But will you be back here before long?”

“I hope so. I need to return, though. Her sister will be worried.”

“Rohan,” said Graeme. The brothers-in-law were good friends and allies. “What can we do? Do you need help?”

“Not just yet,” he said. “Lily will let you know when—
if
—the time comes.”

“Fair enough. Good luck to you, and be careful.”

With that Rohan was gone once again, leaving behind a young, dark-haired woman and her raven.

“
I
’m
sorry if I frightened you,” Rohan said as soon as he saw Sera’s face. “She’s safe. I took her to my family.”

“I knew, somehow,” she said. “Whether through my bond with her or with you, or both, I knew.” She embraced him. “Thank you.”

“Where’s Paxx?” he asked, noting also the sudden appearance of a statue in the clearing: a man whose trousers were partially undone, his face twisted into a look of horror.

His question was answered a moment later when the wolf emerged from the cover of forest, more visible now than he had been. As he walked, he changed, the man wiping a trickle of blood from his chin.

“Is he…” began Sera.

Paxx simply nodded. “Gone,” he said. “And good riddance. I knew those two, and they were no good. Melina’s choice for Circe wasn’t accidental. She chose to inflict a fate worse than death on her by selecting them, and I’m sure that it was for some sort of twisted form of revenge.”

“I—we—need to find the Crones,” said Sera. Nyx had remained in his cat form, rubbing at her legs affectionately now that the temporary crisis was ended. “They won’t be safe. No one will. As soon as Melina finds out what’s happened…”

“Let’s be off then,” said Rohan. “I would offer to carry you both, but it would be difficult to conceal our location if people spied a dragon flying in these parts.”

“We’ll walk,” said Sera. “But we need to go now.”

The men, unclothed, shifted once again, and alongside Nyx they accompanied Sera through back paths. For now, she appeared to be the queen of the shifters, a menagerie of creatures at her beck and call.

But in her mind, she was still a lost child, wondering if her powers would be enough to take on the Witch Melina when the time came.

It was the first time that the accursed W-word had seemed to fit any woman.