Chapter 153
Heather
The sun was setting as we finished filling vials. Donovan had been gone for a while. He was with Sebastian and Muraco, finding a way to single out the bad pack members as soon as they joined the fight.
"These potions should be enough for us brujos," Claudia said as she gathered up the little glass vials. "The rest of you will be shifting, right?"
Adrian nodded. "Yes. I think we’re all shifting."
I shook my head. "I’m not."
"What? Why?" Serena said. "You’ll be much safer as a wolf. Are you still afraid of changing?"
That wasn’t it at all. "No. I just have this feeling that I need to be human. I need to be able to talk to the witches. I need to be able to command the wolves. I can’t do that as a wolf."
"But you’ll be without your magic and you won’t have the protection of teeth and claws that you’d have as a wolf," Xander said. "Not changing is a big mistake."
In my vision, I’d been human. My gut told me that if I shifted, the fight could get even worse than I’d dreamt. I wasn’t about to ignore that feeling. "Trust me. I need to be human." I shrugged. "Plus, I’m not even sure if I can shift. With the jar and everything..."
"Just because your alpha powers are in the jar doesn’t mean that you can’t shift. You’re still a Were," Serena said.
"I don’t know. Something’s telling me not to try. So I’m sticking to two feet."
Xander held up his hands. "Okay. But for the record, I think it’s a bad idea."
"Me, too," Adrian said.
"Me, three," Serena said.
Brent was silent as he sat on one of the lab stools. His long legs were stretched in front of him.
I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to chime in.
"I trust you to know what’s best. Doesn’t matter what form you’re in. You won’t leave my sight."
I took him in. His long, lean form. The way his biceps bulged as he crossed his arms. His dark curls that were a little too long. I wanted him. So badly. I wanted a future with him. The thought of not being here—of leaving him no matter the circumstances—was a little too much to bear.
He sat up straighter, and I knew he was feeling something through the weakened bond. He couldn’t fully read me, but if I could sense basic emotions from him, he could do the same from me. I had to stop thinking about what might happen. The future could change and I’d do my best to make sure it did.
Donovan and Mr. Langdon strolled into the room. The Weres all sat up straighter, waiting to hear what they might say while the brujos just seemed nervous. They looked everywhere but at the two men.
Serena crossed the room to Donovan, and he grasped her hand, pulling her until she was tucked against his side.
"What’s the story?" I said. "Any update on the bad wolves?"
Donovan shook his head. "Too many Weres went home after the Tribunal. I couldn’t even get hold of Ferdinand. Thought he was stickin’ around, but he must be on a plane back to Europe." He sighed.
"It’d be one thing if it were just one or two Weres in question and they were easily accessible. I could call them in. Order them to tell me where their loyalties lie and lock up the bad ones. But I can’t get in touch, and even if I could, where am I to put them to keep them out of trouble?"
I guessed that was true, but it didn’t make me feel any better about tonight. "We’ll just have to deal with them as they come."
"The good news is that we’ve tracked down some that we believe are on our side and called in some Cazadores who are definitely loyal. That’s not nothing," Mr. Langdon said. "They’re already in place, patrolling the area. They’ll stay hidden until the battle starts. We don’t want to give the traitors any idea that we know they’re coming. Surprise is our best tactic."
"So who’s going to be leading them?" Brent asked.
"Good question," Donovan said. "I am."
"And what about the witches?" Elsa said. "Not all of them are bad."
"If they choose to step aside, no harm will come to them. But I’m afraid if they fight against us, we’ll have to fight back. I’m sorry, lass," Donovan said.
"Maybe I can convince them not to fight," Claudia said. "It’s worth a shot."
That didn’t seem likely. I wasn’t sure anyone from the coven would listen, especially not in the middle of a battle with Luciana leading the charge. "If you don’t want to fight, I think we’d all understand." I couldn’t imagine trying to go against people I’d spent my whole life with.
"No," Shane said. "We’ll do our part. If they’re that far gone, messing around with demonic stuff, then they’re not the same coven we grew up with. It’s something that we’ll just have to deal with."
Raphael nodded. "We should’ve stepped up sooner, but we didn’t. It’s our duty to fix this now."
I understood the sentiment, but they weren’t responsible for Luciana’s actions. "You shouldn’t take so much on yourself."
Raphael lifted one eyebrow at me. "You’re the one whose powers are in jars. I know you were waiting for me. If you’d left the compound right away, this wouldn’t have happened."
I hoped I hadn’t made him feel guilty for anything. It wasn’t his fault. Not even a little bit. "Raphael," I said his name firmly so that he’d know I was being totally serious. "I don’t blame you for what happened." He pressed his lips together in a firm line. I wasn’t being nice. I really didn’t blame him at all. It hadn’t even entered my mind, but from the fierce look on Raphael’s face, I knew no amount of reassuring him would change his mind.
Claudia stepped next to her twin, leaning on him a little. "Our coven has gone bad. We know what might happen, and we’re going into this fight ready to do what needs to be done."
Donovan grunted. "It’ll be harder than you think. You’ll be armed with the spells for the vampires. Focus on those. We’ll try and cover the witches as much as possible."
"I think they’re aware how hard it will be to fight le Aquelarre," Cosette said. "But the answer is the same. They know what they’re doing."
"And you’ve permission to fight as well?" Donovan asked. "I don’t want the queen to come calling if you get hurt."
"Yes. You’ll be safe. For now at least." Cosette shook her head, sending her blonde curls bouncing with the movement. "The fey aren’t always the most reliable, but Luciana’s magic is bad business for all of us so they’ll support the fight. It’s too short notice to get help for tonight, though."
"Of course," Mr. Langdon said. "We just don’t want any trouble with your people. We’ve got enough on our hands already."
"I’ll handle that."
This was getting us nowhere, and I had one more question. "What about the rest of the students? Has anyone warned them?"
Mr. Langdon crossed his arms. "I called them into a meeting while you and Brent snuck away. When the alarm sounds, any seniors who choose to do so will join the fight. I ordered the underclassmen to stay in the dorms no matter what. I don’t want the younger pups getting in over their heads."
I didn’t make a comment about me being new to the whole Were thing, too. I might have been inexperienced, but I wasn’t backing down from this fight.