Ascended (War of the Covens 3)

Making it to the apartment led to another problem. She had to wait forever for someone to come out of the building to get in; sneaking past as if invisible was impossible. The woman who opened the door shrieked in terror, clearly not mistaking her for anything other than what she was. Jaeden raced up the staircase and slammed into Ryder’s door, hoping Vil would be suspicious enough to check the peephole. That woman would be calling animal control, and Jae really needed to be back in human form before they got there.

Her racing heart almost stopped when the door peeled away from the jamb slowly and cautiously. She didn’t give him a second to hesitate. She threw herself into the gap and past him with her lykan strength and gave a wolfy laugh at Vil’s shocked “Hey!”

She shot past a startled Laila, who dived out of her way, and loped into Ryder’s room, his scent enveloping her and bringing her anger back to the surface.

She missed him.

He’d only been gone a little over twenty-four hours, but she missed him with every molecule of her being. She wished he were here. Helping her through this. She whacked the door shut for privacy and began to change, reveling in the burn and crack of the transformation. Finally, she lay in human form, her body drenched in sweat. That was the fastest she’d ever gone through the change.

At the sounds of Vil and Laila’s anxious whispering, Jae struggled to her feet and rummaged through Ryder’s clothes. She found a large Death Cab T-shirt and a pair of shorts, the waist of which was held up with one of his belts. She opened the bedroom door only to be confronted by Vil, who in his nervousness shot out a stream of energy. A wave of nausea overcame her.

“Jaeden!” he yelped, and the overwhelming feeling disappeared. “I’m so sorry … we just … I was …”

“It’s fine,” she assured him, brushing off his apology. “I get it. It’s okay.”

“Are you all right?” Laila approached cautiously. “Something … is wrong … yes?”

“You bet.”

After ushering them into the living room, Jaeden explained the full scope of the situation.

Vil paled considerably. “What are we going to do?”

Jaeden looked at them wide-eyed. “I don’t suppose you guys would consider helping me take out those guards?”

“Of course.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

Their replies came in unison. Jaeden laughed. She wasn’t surprised. For all her gentleness and appearance of fragility, Laila was brave and strong from her experiences. Vil … well, he just didn’t want anything bad to happen to Laila.

A new voice entered the fray. “Yes. She is crazy. But that’s why I’ve always liked her.”

She gasped along with her companions and turned to find Reuben standing in the doorway. Oh, Reuben, thank the gods! He would help. He could get the gang. Just as these thoughts rushed through her, and just as she was about to throw her arms around him in delight, another figure stepped into the doorway. Smaller. More feminine. But just as familiar.

Jaeden lurched to a stop. Thank goddess.

A slow grin spread across her face. “Caia?”

5

Sacrifice

It was strange to find herself at this age so lost and afraid. It was strange to find that she was so unsure at any age, as she’d always found confidence in who she was and the powerful family she belonged to. Marion trembled, drawing in a deep breath as she sank into a wooden pew in the front of the statue of Gaia. Having spotted the metal stud in the marble flooring that Lucien had spoken of, Marion was now taking a moment to decide what to do, if, in fact, there was anything she could do.

That morning Marita had held a meeting in the largest of the training rooms, requesting the presence of everyone who lived, worked, and trained or served at the Center. There had been much upset when Marita had imprisoned the Council. Some fighting broke out, but they’d managed to deal with the people responsible and had put them out of the Center. All portals known to outsiders were shut off after Daylights (the families of Council members, to be exact) had gotten into the Center with the sole purpose of rescuing the prisoners.

There would be more rescue attempts, they were sure, as the news took its time to reach other Daylight supernaturals around the world. Marita had to act fast to prove the Council’s treachery … or a war within the coven would begin.

Luckily for Marita, none of the Daylights so far had taken the time to organize, and their attempts were shut down immediately by Marita’s soldiers. But unrest within the Center itself was growing anew. Marion had wanted it to, had wanted some sense shaken into her sister. How could Marita hold Pack Errante against their will? How could she hunt Caia? It was … insane.