Hunted (War of the Covens 1)

Caia trembled at Marion’s announcement. “Wait. Wait.” She was terrified by the hope that seemed to bloom in everyone’s eyes. “I don’t feel anything. I only sensed some trace. I can’t even tell you where Ethan is. If what you say is true, I should be able to do that!”

Marion shook her head, refusing to be wrong. “It’s something that will come with time. I don’t know how long. But you are the rightful Head of the Coven.”

“I think I’m going to be sick.”

She felt Lucien’s hand clasp her shoulder, and in her weakness, she took comfort from him.

“This is good news.” Dimitri cleared his throat. “But I need to move and get my daughter back.”

Caia reeled, eyes on the floor, listening to him stride toward the hallway.

“Caia?”

She looked up at him as his eyes blazed.

“If what Marion says is true … if these powers come to you … you’ll inform me right away of Ethan’s whereabouts?”

“Dimitri—” She wanted to protest. She didn’t want anyone’s hopes up because she didn’t believe for one second she was capable of the kind of power Marion suggested. However, one look at those eyes, eyes that not long ago had held strength and warmth and were now shattered by guilt and fear, Caia could only nod.

“Of course.”

Knowing that pack members were out searching for Jaeden and she couldn’t made Caia feel useless. She’d changed and run through the woods for hours in the hope that it would do something for her angry restlessness, but by the time she crawled through her bedroom window, she was even angrier, felt even more useless.

But most heavily weighing on her shoulders was the guilt. If she hadn’t returned to the pack, none of this would’ve happened.

She slid in between her cool sheets. If only there was a way to get in contact with Ethan, to trade herself for Jaeden. Surely, he would go for that. If what Marion said was true, then Ethan needed her out of the picture in order to become the true Head of the Coven.

She moaned and turned onto her side, staring out the window, into the woods. Could she sacrifice herself for the pack? An image of Jaeden in the cage caused a horrible ache in her chest. That image was replaced with something that knocked the breath right out of her.

Lucien. Dead. Trying to protect her.

Hell yeah, she could sacrifice herself for the pack.

“Jaeden, where are you?” She tried to see through the darkness. Wherever she was smelled of sewage, but underneath the stench was the smell of damp earth and … fear. “Jaeden!” she yelled.

A flame suddenly lit up in front of her, illuminating a small part of the room, enough to show the corner of what looked to be a cage to her far right.

“Jae.” She stumbled toward it, but the flame went out, bringing her to a standstill in complete darkness again. “Jae?”

A whimper.

“Oh goddess.” Caia’s panic eased somewhat at the sound of her friend’s nearness. Carefully, she lowered herself to the damp floor and crawled on her hands and knees toward where she thought the cage was.

“Ow,” she whined as her nose came up against cold bars. “Jaeden?” She couldn’t see anything, but she could smell Jaeden, and the area in front of her was rife with fear.

Another whimper. Closer now. Much closer.

“It’s me. Caia.”

Another flame burst inside the cage, illuminating Jaeden curled in a ball at the back of the cage, her flesh healing from long, diagonal burns that scored her from shoulder to hip.

“Oh … Jaeden!” Caia cried, pulling at the bars in desperation. She scrambled around the cage looking for a way in, but there was no door, no lock. She braced her feet against the bottom of the cage and pulled at the bars with every last drop of strength within her.

“Aaahhhhrrrrggggh!” She growled in frustration as the bars refused to give. “Jaeden?” She heaved a breath. “Jaeden, it’s Caia. Can you hear me?”

Her friend made no move, just continued to shudder and whimper, unaware of her presence.

“Jaeden!”

“Caia,” a voice called from behind her. She turned to look but there was only darkness. “Caia.”

“Caia, wake up.”

Slowly the dankness of the basement faded and she pushed her eyelids open with effort. Lucien stood looking down at her, his forehead creased with concern.

“What?” She pushed herself up against the headboard. Lucien was on her bed, his hands stroking her hair.

“You were shouting in your sleep.”

“I was?”

He nodded, sympathy in his silver eyes. “You were shouting for Jaeden.”

Her dream came back to her and she scrambled for Lucien’s arm without thinking. “I dreamed of her.”

“What?”

“Jaeden.”

“What was the dream about?”

“I think I was where she’s being held.”

“What was it like?”

Caia couldn’t help but smile softly in gratitude. He wasn’t even questioning the madness. He believed her.

22

Revelations

“Are you still pissed at Lucien? ’Cause it didn’t look that way this morning,” Sebastian asked as they walked toward the main entrance of the school.