Hunted (War of the Covens 1)

“Speak.”

Caia drew in a breath. “I had another vision. At school.”

“That’s why you’re both cutting class?”

Trust him to notice that in the middle of a crisis. Caia waved off the comment. “Lucien, she’s in a bad way.”

“What I don’t get is how you can see Jaeden,” he replied.

“What?”

“Marion said you would be connected to the Midnight Coven, but Jaeden is Daylight.”

Understanding dawned. Caia had already thought of that and shuddered at her theory. “I don’t think the visions I had before of Jaeden in the cage came from Jaeden. I think they were from Ethan.”

Silence.

“And today I think I was seeing through his eyes as he … well …”

More silence.

Caia bit her lip, looking between the two males. They both had paled, mirror images with their shoulders hunched and arms crossed over their chests, legs apart. They still didn’t say anything. Oh goddess, they were just as creeped out as she was. Maybe this had finally pushed them over the edge.

Until now, there had been no real evidence of her connection to the Midnights. She was just a magik, and really a Daylight one at that. But forming some scary mind connection with Ethan … well, it was disconcerting to say the least.

“Oh!” She threw up her hands. “For goddess’ sake, say something.”

“Does this mean you can trace Ethan to Jaeden?” Lucien asked.

Caia shook her head. “I don’t know what Marion meant about me being able to trace Midnights, but I feel nothing. I couldn’t tell you where he or any other Midnight was unless they were right here with us. Or unless I see something when I connect to Ethan that’s a recognizable landmark.”

Lucien nodded and then looked back at the house, his eyes narrowing against the sun. Caia’s heart stumbled as she looked at him.

“I’m not telling Dimitri,” he agreed. “They’ll be heading west soon. Telling him this would just disrupt the control he’s managing to maintain during the search. An uncontrolled werewolf is not exactly my idea of a party right now.”

“Especially not one like Dimitri,” Sebastian added, his eyes betraying his anxiety.

“Exactly. Okay.” Lucien glanced at his watch. “School’s out now anyway, so I doubt they’ll question your presence, Caia. Go inside.”

She wanted to protest at his command but didn’t. He was still the Pack Leader and that would pretty much be his argument if she argued with him. Jaw clenched, she muttered goodbye to Sebastian as she shuffled toward the house.

As she opened the door, she looked back at Sebastian and Lucien. They stood facing each other, and whatever Lucien said had a decided effect on the younger male. Sebastian’s face paled and his shoulders drooped, his hands hanging by his sides. Before she could return to see if he was okay, Caia was pulled inside the house.

“Ella?” She winced at the female’s tight grip. The door slammed shut behind her.

“Not thinking of disrupting pack business, were you?” Ella mused, a smile tilting her lips, although her eyes were deadly serious.

“Pack business?”

“Lucien needed to speak to Sebastian. When your Pack Leader asks you to do something, like, say, go into the house and give him some privacy, you do it.”

“Even for a lykan, your hearing is unnatural.”

“Supernatural, don’t you know.”

Caia smirked but couldn’t shake off her worry for Sebastian. Whatever was going on out there was seriously upsetting him.

“Do you understand, then?” Lucien hated the look in the young male’s eyes. He’d always liked Sebastian and hadn’t wanted to tell him what he’d had to today. And the news may make him resent Lucien, but he was just going to have to live with it.

“Why tell me?” Sebastian snapped.

“Because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The boy laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Too late.”

“I can trust you with this?”

Sebastian’s gold eyes blazed at him, but he nodded. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Good. You better go home.”

Lucien turned to leave, but Sebastian stopped him. “She forgives you for deceiving her. She told me so today.” Seb’s eyes narrowed. “She won’t forgive you for this, though.”

Lucien cracked his neck. Artemis, give him strength because, no matter how kind he was trying to be to Sebastian, the kid was really pushing his buttons. “Why?” His drawl was deceptively lazy. “Because she has feelings for you?”

Sebastian winced at his mocking tone and shook his head. “No. Because she has feelings for you.”

That shut him up.

“And when she finds out, you’ll kill those feelings. And I’ll be waiting.”

Lucien growled, “I think you better leave.”

Sebastian nodded, seeming to gloat that he’d gotten the better of his Pack Leader.

“Remember who your Alpha is, Sebastian Trey.”

No matter what issues arose within the pack, respect for their leader was ingrained in their souls. It was evident in the way the light of anger dimmed reluctantly in Sebastian’s eyes, and the slight deferential nod he gave as he climbed into his car.