Vindicated by Bella Klaus

Chapter Sixteen

Screams echoed across the garden, and my insides filled with cold shock. All four of my legs trembled, and my fur stood on end, despite the comfort of having Fenrir close. My claws sank into the warm soil of the chamomile lawn, and I readied myself to jump at the dark mass that had fashioned itself in my image.

Or rather, the image of Marchosias.

The late morning sun reflected on its red eyes, making them glow like pinpricks of fire. And its leathery wings took on a sheen that suggested it had turned solid.

I glanced at Mum, who lay motionless among the flowers with Phina and Mrs. Owen at her side. The two women tried reviving her with smelling salts, but nothing seemed to be working.

My heart lurched, and every instinct in my body screamed at me to run to her side, but we had a garden full of Neutrals to protect from the primordial evil. And with no healing skills and as the only person able to fly after the menace, I had to stay focused on the threat.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?”I asked Fenrir through our connection.

“No,”he replied.

“That thing was part of me?”

“Absolutely not,”he growled. “When I took your beast into my lands, there was no trace of malevolence on her.”

“It’s probably been lurking under my skin this entire time.”

“Don’t think about that,”Fenrir said, his voice soft. “We need to find out what it wants and find a way to capture that thing before it hurts anyone else.”

He was right. At the moment, I had no idea of this entity’s powers apart from its ability to breathe fire and render people unconscious.

“Why are you here?” Fenrir snarled.

The foot-and-a-half-long mass flapped its wings. “That traitorous bitch removed me from my host, what do you think? If she doesn’t put me back, I’ll burn out her throat.”

A shudder traveled down my spine, making my hackles raise. I didn’t want to know the mechanics of how that thing intended to reenter my body or what it wanted to do there. I just wanted it destroyed.

Fenrir folded his arms across his chest in a semblance of calm. “That’s going to be difficult, considering you have knocked our shaman unconscious.”

“It serves her right,” the thing snarled.

I barked.

It turned red eyes toward me. “And you were on the verge of bringing me forth into this world before you decided to betray me.”

“Are you Marchosias?” Fenrir asked.

“His power.” The flying mass raised its chin. “And without this magic, Lydia Gerrison will never be able to fly, breathe fire, or take human form.”

Panic wound around my chest, stealing my air. Time slowed down as I took in his words, and every muscle on my body stiffened. I glanced up at Fenrir, who stared down at me, his features stricken.

A lump formed in my throat. That couldn’t be right. That thing couldn’t be the source of my power.

“He has to be bluffing,”Fenrir said, but his words carried no conviction.

I gave him a shaky nod. “Right… But what if he isn’t?”

Fenrir didn’t reply for several heartbeats, and unease tumbled through my mind like a mudslide. Our relationship was perfect, and we had barely recovered from Fenrir’s imprisonment. How would being stuck in my alternative form affect things between us, the pack, the entire village?

“Lydia.” His voice cleaved through my jumbled thoughts. “I can’t let you allow a being of primordial evil back into your body. Its only purpose is to destroy you to inhabit the earth.”

“You’re right.”

I dipped my head, my gaze fixed on the yellow and white flowers, on their feathery leaves, on anything except the end of our relationship. A being like Marchosias could never escape Hell, and I wouldn’t give him a chance out of a selfish need to be with Fenrir.

“Whatever the consequences, know this,” he said in a voice of steel. “I have and will have only one mate.”

Tears stung the backs of my eyes, and my throat reverberated with a whimper. “But—”

“We can discuss what that means for our relationship later.” He placed a comforting hand on my head.

“So, Lydia,” the flying mass of evil said with a cold sneer. “Will you accept me into your body, or will you spend the rest of your days as a flightless demon wolf? Will you be shunned by your mate and relegated to an object of revulsion?”

My hackles rose.

The bloody bastard could manipulate someone else.

With a deep growl, I launched myself into the air, spread my wings, and blew out a plume of flames.

“I knew it was lying,” Fenrir snarled.

Triumph filled my chest. I continued breathing fire at the flying mass until it was completely engulfed. Black smoke rose from my plume, and Marchosias’ power re-formed three feet above where I hovered.

“Treacherous bitch,” it spat. “Now, you can watch your people perish.”

The cat-sized mass flew across the lawn and toward a hedge of jasmine shrubs, blowing fire on the Neutrals’ heads. As they scattered toward the house, the enforcers rushed forward and shot at the retreating figure.

Bullets rang through the air. The cacophony reminded me of the time I’d once been their target. Clenching my teeth, I exhaled my frustration in a long snarl. There was no way I could give chase. Mini-Marchosias was incorporeal and impervious to gunfire, and I was stuck here with the Neutrals.

I floated down to Fenrir’s side. “It’s getting away,” I said into our link. “You’ve got to stop the enforcers from shooting.”

“Cease fire,” he roared with a blast of magic that swept across the garden.

The men lowered their guns, just as the mass of Marchosias’ power disappeared into the shrubbery.

“Thanks.” I leaped into the sky and flew over the lawn after it.

Fenrir gave chase, with the footsteps of several enforcers behind me.

Beyond the jasmine hedge was the small woods that surrounded the alpha’s compound. I had run there on the night of the Wolf Moon Mixer with enforcers at my back, and I’d also chased Grog’s apparition through this patch of land.

Sweet, floral jasmine filled my nostrils, and I held my breath to avoid its overpowering scent. As I flew over the hedge and beneath the trees’ dense canopy, the air thickened, and the light and warmth of the sun became subdued.

Even Fenrir’s and the enforcers’ footsteps muffled in this space, which was still and eerie from the presence of evil. I glanced from side to side, taking in the sight of sprawling shrubs, twisted trunks, and branches that jutted out like spears.

It could be anywhere—above the trees, beneath the ground, or within the thick undergrowth. I sniffed the air, but only registered the regular scents of the forest.

“Lydia?” Fenrir’s voice echoed through my skull.

“It’s gone.” I flew low, casting my gaze around for a mass of black. “And I also can’t detect any strange scents.”

“Because it smells like you.”His heavy footsteps echoed behind me.

“Shit,” I hissed. Something raced past on the edge of my vision and disappeared behind a shrub. “It’s on the left inside theblueberry bush!”

The flying mass of evil kept low, zipping in and out of the trees, making it impossible for someone with my wingspan to chase after him.

“I’m going above the canopy,”I said to Fenrir. “I think it’s headed for the village center.”

“Why?”

“It threatened to kill my people, yet it flew away from the Neutrals. Maybe it wants to go to the most crowded place in Lunaris.”

“Fuck,” Fenrir muttered. “I’ll tell Randel to evacuate the village center.”

“And I’ll fly ahead and try to make the stragglers leave.”

I soared above the trees and flew over the woods and squinted at the onslaught of sunlight. As my eyes adjusted to the glare, I flew toward the highway that separated the compound from the field of poppies. With my enhanced vision, they looked like a sea of green spattered with the blood of innocents.

My wolf barked and snarled, urging me to go faster.

“Do you know anything about primordial evil?” I asked her.

She shook her head and growled, sending me the impression that she was unfamiliar with Marchosias and his power but could feel the intensity of his malevolence.

As I flew to the end of the forest and over the thick line of hedges that marked the alpha’s boundary, I glanced down into the canopy for signs of the miniature demon. It was either still darting between the trees or had decided to take a different route.

“Can you see it?” I asked Fenrir.

“The wretched thing disappeared into the knot of a maple tree,”he replied. “As soon as Sybil is up to it, we’ll have its trunk examined.”

My wings faltered. “She’s awake?”

“I heard her tell Philip Owen she was feeling better.”

Relief flooded my system. I straightened my wings and banked left toward the village center.

“You’re not turning back?”he asked.

“Anything attached to a being as vengeful as Marchosias wouldn’t just make a threat and not carry it through.”

Fenrir didn’t reply. Either he was busy giving orders or he was thinking about what I’d said. I was thankful he had moved on from the urge to keep me confined. With the barriers protecting Lunaris recently strengthened by angel wardmasters, there was no need to worry for my safety.

I flew over the stretch of road that ran down the side of the Alpha’s compound with the sun warming my wings and back. To my right, the poppy meadow stretched out to the invisible wards that encased Lunaris, and beyond those were another set of wards that encompassed the whole of Logris.

At this time of the day, red deer roamed Richmond Park, grazing at the open fields away from the distant humans. If they knew the dangers that lurked so close to their feeding grounds, they would probably stampede.

I pulled my gaze away from them and continued flying toward the village center. Fenrir’s end of the bond remained quiet, and since I had nothing to report, I picked up my speed.

Densely packed buildings stood up ahead, already drifting the scents of garbage and stale urine to my sensitive nostrils. My eyes watered, making my vision blur, so I banked right and flew a wide circle over the rodent district and toward where the wolves lived.

“Are you there yet?”he asked.

“Give me a minute,” I replied. “Is anything wrong?”

“The enforcers called to say they’ve cleared the shopping district.”

“Good.”I swooped down over the tree-lined roads that marked wolf territory, for once not feeling bitter that I didn’t live in one of the comfortable cottages that backed onto the meadows.

Crowds of people stood several feet away from Lunaris Square, a paved space surrounded by colorful shops and cafés.

It was deserted, just as Fenrir had ordered. I landed on the cobblestones, folded my wings, and glanced around at the empty stores. Only a few of the shopkeepers had closed their doors, the rest leaving their awnings unfolded and outdoor displays unpacked.

Even the covered stalls that occupied the square remained untouched.

“Fenrir?”I said into the bond.

“Are you there yet?” he asked.

“Everything’s quiet.” My gaze darted to the square’s perimeter, where rows of enforcers in black armor blocked the roads that led to the rest of the village.

“All right…”His voice trailed off.

“What if I’ve made a mistake?”I said in a small voice.

“I heard what that thing said, too,” he muttered. “If you think it will follow through with its threat, then let’s wait.”

“Okay.” I headed for the sidewalk and toward the shops, my chest tightening with doubt. What if that thing had been bluffing, just as it had lied about my supposed loss of powers?

A gust of warm air heaved from my lungs. The last thing I wanted to be was the she-wolf who cried demon. I’d already tried everyone’s patience with sightings of Grog. Now, I was being gaslighted by a festering portion of Marchosias.

It was no wonder the Angel King had been desperate to extract it. But that still didn’t excuse him from being a two-faced dick.

Something vibrated underfoot. My chest tightened. I paused and stared down at a loose paving slab that bordered the herb garden. To its side, water gushed beneath a drain cover, and I exhaled my relief.

Footsteps jogged toward me. “Lydia?”

My head snapped up. Umber strode across the square with a helmet under his arm. He ran his other hand through his hair. “Alpha just told us to wait ten minutes while you carried out an inspection. Is that all right with you?”

I nodded.

He walked at my side as I patrolled the square, my nostrils filling with the scent of cooked meat from Burger Banshee. My nostrils twitched, and my mouth watered. At some point, I needed to eat.

“Are you all right, then?” he asked.

I cocked my head to the side.

“Eagon told me something came out of you. Was it there all this time?”

I shook my head.

“Oh.” He ran his fingers through his scraggly hair. “I wondered if it was the source of your power, but then, you’ve always been strong.”

As we reached Anthea’s Florist, something darted out from behind a display of cut roses and skittered into the store. With a bark, I raced after it.

The overpowering scent of flowers hit me like a blast of brimstone. I skittered back and bumped into Umber.

He placed a hand on my back. “What’s wrong?”

I raised a paw to my nose.

“The smell?” he asked with a chuckle. “Shift back if it’s too much. I won’t look.”

I snapped at his hand, making him jump back with a laugh. When he jogged inside, I took a tentative sniff and braced myself for the stench.

“You should know that Sybil and a few of her trainee shamans just checked the tree,”Fenrir said through our link. “It’s no longer there.”

“There might be something in the square.” I stepped into the florist, took a shallow breath, and winced. “Let me get back to you in a few minutes.”

Its interior was light, but in no way airy. Instead of a ceiling like most normal establishments would have, the florist hung dried flowers across every inch of space. At least that explained the eye-watering smell.

I blinked tears from my vision and followed a path around the shop’s center display of huge pots containing cut flowers arranged around a wooden table.

As I reached the cash register, a black kitten jumped out at me and hissed.

I flinched.

Umber emerged from behind the counter and picked up the little creature by the scruff. “Was this what you saw, Lydia?”

“Shit,”I muttered into the bond.

“Problems?” Fenrir asked.

“I keep imagining threats.”

Fenrir remained silent for several moments before replying. “What if your beast gave you the ability to see things the average shifter can’t? Your eyesight is better than mine.”

“But you’re a god.”

“And you have lived with that power since Sybil made that deal with Marchosias,”he said. “It’s bound to enhance your senses.”

I nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

“How many losses would we have suffered if we didn’t have your vision the day those demons attacked? With your flames and the phoenix fire lighting up the grounds, no one could catch us in the dark.”

His words infused me with confidence, and I glanced up at Umber, who grinned.

“Want to continue the search, Alpha?”he asked without a trace of sarcasm.

I gave him an enthusiastic bark.

He placed the kitten on the counter, and it gave his gloved finger a nip before jumping down and disappearing out of sight. We walked out of the shop together and patrolled the rest of the square.

By now, the crowd around the enforcers barricading the street had thickened, and it looked like everyone in Lunaris had come to see the commotion for themselves.

The sun disappeared behind a cloud, casting the space in gloom. All the encouragement Fenrir’s words had infused in me faded with the absence of light.

Cringing, I dipped my head and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. What if that creature of smoke had just said a few ominous things to cause mischief before it dissipated or returned to Hell?

As Umber and I completed our walk around the square, I asked Fenrir, “How long has it been since the enforcers evacuated?”

He paused for a moment before answering, “Nearly thirty minutes. What’s wrong?”

I glanced at the row of enforcers. The crowd behind them had dwindled to about a fifth of its original size. People had probably gotten tired of watching one half of the betas and a demon wolf walk around without producing any results. Even the kitten from before had disappeared.

“Maybe it’s time to bring everyone back,” I said, my heart sinking with defeat.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

I tilted my head up toward the sun, which now hung at its zenith. Lunch was one of the busiest times of the day for businesses, and all the shopkeepers, stallholders, and their employees were standing around, probably itching to get back to work.

“Yes,”I murmured. “That thing was probably bullshitting.”

“I will call Umber.”

“He’s standing right next to me.”

“You tell him, then,”Fenrir replied.

I turned to the beta and barked.

“What’s up, Lydia?” he asked.

I flicked my head toward the cordon of armed enforcers.

His brows rose. “Evacuation is over, then?”

I nodded.

He raised a hand and motioned for the enforcers to step aside. As they allowed the people standing on the streets to stream back into the square, Umber turned to me, his brown eyes twinkling.

“Have you heard from the Norse beta?”

I shook my head.

His grin broadened. “You know how Alpha’s holding a contest for his mate?”

I nodded.

“Me and Eagon might muscle in and take one of the contestants for ourselves.”

I barked a laugh.

He raised a shoulder and continued down the road. “We’ll be damned if we pair up with any of the girls from our pack.”

I walked by his side, part of me already knowing why he and his twin refused to consider any of the she-wolves our age. Even though the Mondo brothers had been complete bastards when they were younger and had grown into annoying assholes, they’d suffered a similar fate to Mum and me.

A whine reverberated in the back of my throat.

He stared down at me with liquid brown eyes. “Well, you know what it’s like to be at the bottom and spend years getting shunned, only for those people to kiss your ass when you’re at the top.”

I nodded, even though that hadn’t quite been my experience. Fenrir had been at my side most of the time, and I’d surrounded myself with people I could trust, like Mum, Randel, and the Owens. Because of them, I’d barely needed to interact with those who had treated me like shit.

The shopkeepers returned to their stores, and those who ran stalls around the square stood beneath their covered structures.

“Anyway,” Umber muttered, his voice gruff. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

I bumped him on the side and made a sympathetic noise in the back of my throat. This was the most he’d ever said to me in the years I’d known him. Eagon was normally the articulate twin, while Umber had been the one who threw underpants at my head.

It took several more minutes for shoppers to return to the stores, but when they did, the square looked like it did on a regular Saturday lunchtime.

We paused outside Healer Asena’s clinic, and Umber clapped his hands together. “False alarm, then,” he said with a chuckle.

With a weak bark, I turned my gaze across the square, where dozens of people waited in line for the Brosie’s Hotdogs camper van. My stomach rumbled.

“Do you want something to eat?” Umber asked. “I can jump the queue—”

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by an almighty rumble from below.