SPENCER
During our trip, we only stopped twice. The first stop was at the gas station for a bathroom break and to fill the tank. And the second one was in Atlanta where we had a nice dinner, and where Finn got me a burner phone.
When we were less than a couple of hours away from Tallahassee, it was nearly 9 p.m. Wandering in the dark through the unfamiliar pack territories didn’t seem the right thing to do so we decided to stop at an inn to wait until morning and share our thoughts about our next move.
We parked our cars in front of the inn and while Mom and Alister were getting us rooms, Finn and I lingered behind to call Liam and James.
“Where are you?” asked Finn.
“Kentucky,” James replied.
“Have you turned on the phone to check on Eric?”
“No need. We’ve been following them.”
“What?” Finn and I stared at each other. “Are you out of your mind? If they catch you—”
“Relax,” came Liam’s confident voice. “We’ve kept our distance. You see, the alphas didn’t go after each other's throats as we hoped. It must mean they came to some kind of understanding. Also, if not that Eric guy, then his father seemed to realize that they were being played, so now his phone is off too. So yes, we followed them. We thought it was better we know what they’re up to.”
They were playing with fire, and I didn’t like it. “Guys, you need to get out of there.”
“Spencer, we’ll be fine,” said James. “You don’t need an obsessed Eric on your tail while you’re hunting the scroll. That’s why we want to make sure that they’re back in their pack, and we have one less thing to worry about.”
“How far did you get?” asked Liam.
“We’re in Georgia, checking into an inn.”
“We’ll head your way as soon as we’re done here.”
Mom showed up at the inn’s entrance. “Are you coming?”
It was a two-story building and looked fancy. We walked down the hallway and stopped in front of two rooms next to each other. One for me and Mom, and the second one for Alister and Finn.
“See you in a beat,” Finn said to me as Alister unlocked the door.
As we walked into the room, Mom and I stopped to look around for a second.
“This place looks pricey,” I said, eyeing the beds with crispy beddings, a painting above the headboard on the creamy wall, new-looking armchairs, a big, shiny TV above the desk, and a round mirror above the dresser.
“Yeah. Alister took care of it. He said it was his honor,” Mom chuckled.
“So,” I cleared my throat. “How was it?”
“How was what?” Mom dropped her handbag on the desk.
“I mean Alister,” I grinned. “That was a long ride. What did you two talk about?”
“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” She rolled her eyes.
“What?” I shrugged.
“Well, he’s a gentleman. I can say that much.”
“Also, he’s a rich, handsome man. And you’re a gorgeous young woman.”
“Exactly. Young. At least compared to him.” She frowned at me. “He’s a hundred and thirty, Spencer.”
“Who cares? He’s strong and looks like he’s barely forty-five.”
“No, thanks.”
“Listen, seventeen-year-old Bella fell in love with a hundred-year-old Edward, Elena with an even older Stefan, and look at Buffy and Angel.”
She raised a brow. “Aren’t those all fictional characters?”
My shoulders dropped. “Yeah, to others it might be fiction. But for us, the supernatural people . . . Our life is different, and anything is possible, and things like that,” I added with more confidence to my voice, “are absolutely normal.”
“I had my experience with a werewolf boyfriend,” she said quietly, and I heard the bitterness in her voice.
The thought that crossed my mind next squeezed my heart.
“Mom?” I sunk onto the bed. “Do you wish you had never met my dad? You must’ve thought about it, haven’t you? You must’ve imagined what your life would be like if you could get married to a normal man, or maybe a warlock, and have normal kids?”
Mom turned her back on me and started rummaging in her bag.
“No,” she gave me a short reply.
“It’s okay, Mom. You never had anyone to talk to about this stuff. You can talk to me. Who else would understand you better than I do? You’re allowed to wish for things. Because of me, your whole life was like a never-ending nightmare.”
She tossed her bag aside and stared at me. “And who’s fault was that? Yours? No. It was my fault. And no. I don’t wish to have, as you call them, normal kids. I have you. You’re all I want and need.” She sat down next to me. “Spencer, for you, I would go through everything all over again if I had to. The only thing I wish for is that you didn’t have to deal with any of this. I would give anything to make your life easy. But we are who we are, and there’s no easy life for us.”
“We’ll see about that,” I pulled her into a hug. “It’s my turn to keep you safe, and I’m ready to do everything I can for you too. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, honey.” She pulled back, looked at me with her loving eyes, then pressed her lips to my cheek.
After many hours in the car, I wished I could just take a shower, lay down, and relax with a book, or watch a funny TV show. But all those things were for normal people, and I wasn’t one of them.
There was a knock on the door, and Mom went to open it. Finn came in followed by Alister.
“Let’s see what we can do here,” said Alister, laying his map on the small round table between the two armchairs.
“To find the perfect timing, we need to find out more about their daily routines,” said Finn. “They have jobs to go to, meetings to attend. There is no school right now, but they probably keep the younger ones busy with training. The question is how do we get that information?”
“Maybe we should check if they have a website?” I suggested. “You know? Like any other community?”
“I already did when we were back at Finn’s place,” said Alister. “If they have one, then it must be hidden from Google search. I spent almost an hour trying to find it by ping-ponging every related keyword.”
“Then let’s just find the closest way to the alpha's house,” I said. “And maybe we can manage to sneak in if we use magic.”
We spent nearly two hours planning our break-in into Marcus’s pack territory, discussing the tactics, and everybody’s positions, until, in the end, Mom dismissed everything.
“No. None of this is good enough,” she said, pacing along the bed. “I can’t put Spencer at risk with those fifty-fifty options.”
“There aren't many ways we can do this, Clare,” Alister said gently.
“The only other way is if we create a diversion,” said Finn, “to pull their attention away from the main buildings to the border opposite alpha's house.”
“Something big,” Alister nodded. “We could, for example, set the woods on fire.”
“That’s pretty dangerous,” I shook my head. “What if they don’t manage to put it out in time? People could get hurt.”
“Spencer’s right,” Finn agreed. “I think we should come up with something else. Something as alarming, but less dangerous.”
“I have an idea too, but I need to think it through.” Mom folded the map and put it on the desk. “But for now . . . It’s late, and we’re all tired. How about we get some rest?”
“Of course,” Alister gave Mom a warm smile, and I pressed my lips together to suppress the chuckle.
On his way out, Finn glanced at me and beckoned toward the hallway. I followed him, but before closing the door behind me I looked at Mom. “He doesn’t think it’s funny,” I giggled, nodding toward Alister's room. “He is so into you,” I mouthed the words to her.
Mom gave me an annoyed look. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, I shut the door.
Waiting right behind it, Finn wrapped me in his arms.
“Just wanted to say good night.” He kissed me as I locked my arms around his neck. “I miss you already,” he whispered against my lips.
I missed him too. I missed his touch, the warmth of his body, the look of his glowing eyes, and I wished we never parted.
“See you in the morning.” I ran my thumb over his lips, kissed him once more, and went back to the room.
*************
FINN
Alister took off his shirt, revealing the tattoo on his strong, tanned back, right between his shoulder blades: a head of a wolf with canines sticking out of its wide-open mouth.
“I could get you and Spencer a room, you know,” he said, hanging the shirt on the back of the chair. As he turned, I saw the mark on his arm just like mine: a ring with an arrow shot through.
“I could get us a room myself,” I barked back. “I just didn’t want Clare to be alone.” Since when does he care about me? “Wait a minute,” I chortled. “That’s exactly what you wanted, didn’t you? You wanted her to be alone.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’m only saying it was her decision to stay with Spencer, and not because I didn’t wish to pay for an extra room, that’s all. You know money means nothing to me.”
“I swear to God, Alister. If you show any disrespect to that woman . . .” I gazed at him.
“First of all,” he raised his index finger, “don’t threaten me. And second, you don’t know me at all, do you?” he smirked. “I would never force myself on any woman. I take it as a challenge to win their interest. Especially someone like Clare, who doesn’t seem to consider me a match for a young, interesting, sexy-as-hell woman like herself.”
“I can smell your lust for her, Alister,” I scoffed. “You know I’m a wolf too, right? So please, shut your dirty thoughts—”
“My thoughts are not dirty. Like I said, I respect her. It’s been a long while since a woman refused my charm, and I’m intrigued.” With a sly smile spread across his face, he headed to the bathroom.
He was right, I didn’t know him that well, and I didn’t know much about his private life. We were never close, never shared our relationship stories, or had a fun time together. We mostly met to discuss some business and had a drink a few times.
Yet we had this inexplicable connection, some kind of bond. It was like when brothers hated each other, but they were still brothers, and he was as an asshole of a big brother as one could be. But I was so fucking grateful to him for showing up at the last minute to save Spencer’s life that night.
After we both took a shower, we tried to get some sleep. But every time I closed my eyes, Eric’s face with his vicious glare popped in front of me. Was I jealous that he was Spencer’s mate instead of me? Of course I was. But that wasn’t my biggest concern. What worried me the most was the fact that he wouldn’t rest until he got her. Who knew what he was planning right now? If he managed to catch up with us before we get the scroll, he could put Spencer in grave danger.
It was nearly 2 a.m., and I was still awake, watching the headlights of cars passing by from time to time, illuminating the ceiling.
I glanced at Alister. He lay on his back, his eyes closed and breathing deep and even.
“At least you don’t snore,” I muttered, “you old piece of—”
“Gold?” Alister smirked.
“Oh, look, he’s awake,” I grumbled.
“It’s hard to fall asleep when someone is constantly shifting next to you. And I could literally feel your brain buzzing.”
I assumed that to someone who lived alone for that long, even my breathing would sound like thunder in the night’s silence.
“You know, I like that simile. Like gold. Eternal, cold, a piece of unfeeling metal.”
“Now, now.” He gave me a sideways look. “It can still melt under the right temperature.” He slid his legs down from the bed and sat up. “Finn,” he sighed, “you have trust issues. Why do you think I’m here?”
“You’re here because you want your freedom.” I sat up too. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“That’s one reason, yes. But I’m also here because I want justice. They did the same to me as they did to you. And just like you, I want vengeance. Also,” his eyes met mine as I gazed at him, “you and Spencer kinda look good together, and believe it or not, I want you to be happy.”
“Okay, stop it. Stop pretending that you give a shit about what happens to me.”
“Like I said,” Alister sighed again. “Trust issues.”
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I picked it up and saw Liam’s name on the screen.
“This can’t be good,” I answered the call and put it on speaker. “What is it?”
“Well, I’m not sure,” said Liam. “We followed the cars, and when they reached Nashville, we thought that they were heading home. So we stopped in town to get something to eat, then after another hour's drive, we decided to stop at the closest motel to get some sleep. Then I thought if they were back in their pack, Eric would probably turn his phone on, and I thought I better check to make sure they stay put. A few minutes ago, I turned Spencer’s phone on, and guess what? They’re at a motel too. In Birmingham.”
Alister and I stared at each other.
“That’s not good,” I finally said. “That’s exactly what I was afraid of. He won’t stop looking.”
“There are two packs near Alabama. Marcus’s in Tallahassee and a small one in Georgia, which borders with South Carolina,” said Alister. “If they’re in Birmingham, then I doubt they’re going to Georgia.”
“This is so screwed up,” I stared at Alister. “Maybe it would be better if we waited a day or two before heading to Tallahassee.”
“I don’t know, man,” came James’s voice. “When Eric and his father visited Russell’s pack, the whole pack started searching their territory. We backed off and used Clare’s oil when we saw them sniffing their borders.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. Aaron must’ve alerted them. What if they do the same in Tallahassee? Then who knows how long you’ll have to wait until they get off the guard so you could sneak in.”
“We need to think this through. I’ll call you later.” I hung up and stared at Alister. “We only have until the next full moon. If the compass starts glowing, we’ll never be able to get close to the scroll. And even if we did, all those packs will start looking for Spencer and it would be a miracle if we get her to that Temple before they catch her.”
“Not just the packs.” Alister’s face darkened. “The covens too. The scroll is sealed with a spell and witches can remove it. That’s why witches weren’t allowed to have the scroll, and wolves were the ones to keep it safe.”
“Why haven’t they destroyed it if they didn’t want anyone to find the Temple?”
“The wolves and the witches fear that the heir can find her way to the Temple without the map. They need that map. The moment they find out that the heir exists, it would give them permission to open the scroll. Then together they will find the Temple and guard it day and night.”
“But Spencer tried to find the Temple and she couldn’t because they put a spell around that too. And what about the scroll? How are we going to break the spell?”
“Spencer and Clare are witches.” Alister shrugged. “I was hoping they’d figure it out. And you know what? Let’s get the scroll first.” He heaved a breath and laid down. “We need to get some sleep. In the morning we’ll fill them in, and together we’ll come up with something.”
He was right, there was nothing we could do right now.