Chapter 38

NATHANIEL

“The map says we go right,” Kai said, looking down at the map in his hand.

“Are you sure we aren’t lost?” Andino asked. “We’ve been weaving our way through the woods for quite a while now.”

“Maybe you should question Ishmael. He gave us this map.”

The sorcerer in question was far behind us, and who did he choose to bring along with us? Ayra. He explained his reason, but I’d been too distracted to listen. Hence, I couldn’t remember shit.

They were both engrossed in whatever conversation they were having, and they looked to be the least tired of all ten of us.

“Liar. I see the way you look at her,” Ayra giggled.

“I know exactly how I look at her. I want to fucking strangle her at times,” Ishmael retorted.

“And slam her against the wall? I see where your mind is going.”

“You have a dirty mind. And no. Not everyone fantasizes about fucking against a tree.”

“Hey, that was supposed to be a secret!”

“Fuck, I think we just did a full circle,” Logan said, pulling my attention from the duo behind us. “Look at this. I ripped off a piece of my shirt on this branch.” He grabbed the piece of cloth that indeed matched his shirt.

“Ishmael! Quit fucking gossiping with Ayra, and lead the fucking way,” Kai barked, rolling up the map so violently I feared it might rip.

“Anything the problem, gentlemen?” Ishmael asked, picking up his pace.

“Other than the fact that we just did a full circle around the woods, everything is fucking fine and dandy,” Sky drawled, shooting daggers Ishmael’s way.

“Yes, there is a fucking problem, Ishmael. The glares are a dead giveaway!” Spencer added.

“Then I guess everything is fucking fine and dandy?” Ishmael waved me off when I pinned him with a glare of my own. “Oh, relax. They need to get some workout in.”

Ayra nodded in agreement. “Yeah. It’s not all about running around the woods like a pack of dogs with someone hot on their tails.”

“You mean a pack of wolves,” Theo corrected her. “And yes, it’s all about that.”

“Wolves and dogs descend from a common ancestor. They both have similarities.”

“We do not need a fucking biology lesson right now!”

Ishmael sighed. “This is a test. She wants you all to be confused, irritated, and snap at each other, and you’re all falling for it.”

“You can’t just say her without elaborating. Who’s ‘her’?”

“That’d be me,” a feminine voice said just as the surrounding woods faded, leaving us in the center of a desert, black and white roses growing from the sand. There was magic involved in this.

The woman herself was clad in a dress similar to Martha’s; pieces of materials strung together to form an outfit. Only hers was white and black to match her flowers and hair.

Her ghostly white skin was in contrast with the dark orbs set in her skull. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in reading strangers well — that was Alan’s specialty — but just by looking into the woman’s eyes, I could see the malice in them.

She took the creepy thing to a different level, and I was tempted to ask if she perhaps traded tips with Martha every week.

I wasn’t sure she’d appreciate such humor, so I kept my mouth shut. Plus, this wasn’t a time to fuck around with lame jokes.

“And that ‘me’ would be...?” I trailed off, waiting for her to fill her name in.

“Eris.”

Ayra gasped, and when I turned to look at her, she looked like Eris had pulled the rug from underneath her feet. My eyes darted over to the woman again, trying to connect the dots between them.

“We meet again. The same goes for you, Ishmael.” She smiled, the action making her look scarier than she did without smiling. “Your first mistake was bringing a Staxton here.”

“Ayra!” Kai yelled. When I turned around, I found her passed out on the sand.

“Uh-huh,” Eris said, stopping me in my tracks. “Not another step toward her, Nathaniel Black. If you do, your pack members die.”

“It’s pretty rich that you think we fear you. You’re nothing but— “

Andino froze mid-sentence, grabbing his neck with his hands, his face turning an angry shade of red.

“Stop this, Eris! I’m not here to fight you. We’re here to seek your help.”

“Don’t bother. I already gave the Allister brothers the information they need. You were a tad bit too late.” She chuckled, waving her hand nonchalantly. “This was a trap, and you walked right into it.”

My Enforcers dropped to the ground like flies, making Eris cackle. She slid her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, she jerked back in shock.

“You!” She snarled at me. “You.”

“Me. Me. What the fuck is your problem?”

“Why aren’t you unconscious yet?” She asked, looking down at herself. “Of course, I have that Staxton scum to thank for this. If it weren’t for him, I’d have killed you with the snap of my fingers.” She looked up at me once more, her anger rolling off of her.

I wasn’t joking. She had black smoke emitted from the ground below her feet.

“If only you didn’t bring that Staxton here with you, I’d have considered letting your pack members go.”

“Between you and me, you don’t look like you can hold yourself up any longer.” To further prove my point, she staggered backward, letting out a string of curses. I turned to Ishmael, who had been quiet so far. “Aren’t you going to do something to the crazy bitch?”

He held his hand up to me. “Hold on. Someone is coming.”

“Where? I don’t see—”

A clap of thunder in the sky stole the rest of my words as the wind picked up, blowing sand into my eyes. I planted my feet firmly on the ground to prevent myself from being blown away by the gust of wind.

Eris fell forward, cackling maniacally. “They’ve already begun!”

A man’s face formed in the cloud, his un-seeing gaze focused solely on me, lightning bolts replacing his eyeballs.

Holy fuck. Eris was right. We were too late. Ryker and Samuel were five steps ahead of us.

Draven was slowly waking up.