I nodded and reached out for the stone, then rested my fingertips on top of it. Magic sizzled beneath them. No writing appeared, but a thought flashed into my mind:

  * * *

  Glencarrough.

  * * *

  That was the center of power and the place that I could expect to find my brethren. I looked up at my friends. They watched me expectantly, and I said, “I think we need to take the stones to Glencarrough tonight.”

  10

  Eve

  * * *

  That night, we found ourselves at Glencarrough as the sun began to set. Lachlan had accompanied me, along with the entirety of the Shadow Guild and Lachlan’s shifters. My troop of weirdos had never been to the headquarters of the Shifters’ Council, as far as I knew, but it wasn’t like I’d visited enough to be able to give them a tour. Ralph kept close by my side, but I could feel his desire to go off and find the kitchen.

  “Chill out,” I murmured. “I’ll get you a takeaway when this is all over.”

  You’d better.

  They got to see the courtyard, at least. It was a massive space surrounded by huge stone walls. A few oak trees dotted the courtyard, their trunks and roots breaking up through the cobblestones. The castle loomed across from the main gate, looking like a throwback to medieval times. I’d have thought we were actually back in time if it weren’t for the cars parked in a row along the left wall.

  Eleanor met us on the main steps. Her long green dress swept the stairs as she descended. I could feel her studying me intently and straightened my spine, sensing the silent support of my friends behind me.

  I was potentially the most powerful ally Glencarrough could have, or the most dangerous enemy. If the curse overtook me—or even if I lost my power to the Maker—I could cause untold damage. I looked away briefly, hoping my eyes wouldn’t turn black while I was talking to her. It felt like I was on the brink every second, and the last thing I needed was for my eyes to show her how on edge I was.

  “Eve. Lachlan. The other alphas are here,” she said.

  “They are?” Tension tightened my muscles. That was a lot of people to witness whatever this was going to be.

  She nodded. “These are unusual circumstances. When you told us what was happening and the potential risks, I called them in.”

  As much as the audience made me uncomfortable, I meant it when I said, “Good idea.”

  Glencarrough’s walls were strong, and it was protected by enchantments, but the Maker had proved resourceful and unusually powerful.

  “The stones arrived just an hour ago. We’ll move them outside when it grows dark.” Eleanor looked at the sky. “Which will be any moment now. I’ll get started. You want them in the courtyard?”

  “That’ll do.”

  “Would you like to come in?”

  “I’m set out here.”

  She nodded and turned away, striding up the stairs. I watched the door shut behind her.

  All of the alphas were in there. Because of me.

  I drew in a deep breath, trying to subtly shake out the tension in my muscles. If I weren’t careful, I’d stiffen up like a fainting goat and fall over.

  Lachlan reached for my hand and gripped it, squeezing comfortingly. I couldn’t help but lean against his shoulder, even though I knew I shouldn’t. The seer’s prophecy still hung over my head—but did I have any choice in it?

  What did it even mean if I didn’t have a choice? I would succumb to our bond and then die? No other option?

  The idea sent a rush of cold water over me. I didn’t like that result any more than I liked the idea of never being with Lachlan.

  Damned prophecies and curses. Sometimes I wished I were just a human accountant in London, where my biggest worry would be the cost of my flat.

  Actually, hell, no. That would be awful.

  “You doing okay?” Carrow’s voice sounded from behind me.

  I turned to smile at her. I knew it was a weak one, but it was better than nothing. “I’m fine. Just ready to get this over with.”

  “Do you think the Maker will be able to see what’s happening here?”

  “I assume he’ll be able to follow us somehow. It’s part of his plan, and this whole situation was put into motion a thousand years ago.” I’d done that, a memory that was coming back to me in bits and pieces. And the Maker had played a role—one that was bigger than I knew, I was starting to realize.

  The doors to the castle opened, and the alphas began to file out. Their power filled the air, magical signatures competing for supremacy.

  I straightened my spine and didn’t look away from them. I might not feel worthy of being a goddess, but I wasn’t going to let them know that. Anyway, I’d seen them all before and even taken responsibility for the problems shifters were facing now. This was nothing new.

  The few alphas that I recognized nodded at me, and I nodded back, grateful to see some friendly faces. But most of them wore expressions of mild suspicion. Nothing outright terrible, but definitely confusion and lack of faith, as if to say, Her?

  Carrow leaned close and whispered, “What crawled up their butts?”

  “So it’s not just me?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. They’re being a bunch of dicks right now. But you’ll show them.”

  I sure hoped she was right.

  Want me to tie their shoelaces together?

  I looked down at Ralph, childishly tempted to say yes. “Thanks for the offer, but it’s okay.”

  Well, I’ve got your back if you need me. Ralph clutched my leg, and I leaned into him, appreciating the support as I tried to stand up straighter. The alphas’ doubt just gave me more determination, and I was going to cling to it.

  As soon as they were all out, the stones began to arrive. Each one sat on a wooden pallet carried by a team of four shifters. Nerves prickled my skin as I watched them carry the stones down into the middle of the courtyard. By then, dark had fallen, and golden lamps glowed on the space, illuminating the courtyard and large trees within. A soft breeze drifted across the night, making it feel like a lovely evening for drinks at a rooftop bar or a stroll down the road.

  That was something I wouldn’t be doing anytime soon, however. Instead, I’d be facing down my destiny in front of a skeptical audience of old werewolves. Yippee.

  I turned to trail after the stones, feeling the alphas do the same. Eleanor, who’d accompanied the stones, turned to me. “Where do you want them?”

  “In a circle.” I pointed to the stones in the order that they’d revealed their last message, asking the shifters to position them in a clockwise circle so that they touched end to end. I stayed in the middle as they set them down, Ralph still sticking by my side. The alphas surrounded me, along with my friends, and I felt all eyes on me.

  Yep, this was rather different than making potions in the back of my shop. My life had really gone off the rails with this whole goddess thing.

  As the last stone was put in place, magic sparked across my skin. Light began to shine from the stones. From me. When I looked down at my hands, they appeared to be glowing like the moon.

  Holy fates.

  I flipped my palm over to look at the little symbol there, which was glowing like the high beams on a Ferrari.

  With a shuddery breath, I turned in a circle and looked at the stones. Beyond them, the alphas surrounded me. They’d positioned themselves in a perfect circle as well, each standing equidistant from the others.

  Had they planned that, or was it instinct?

  Whatever it was, they’d started to glow as well. I could feel their magic like it was my own. Lights sparked up from them, filling the sky.

  My brethren.

  That’s what the stones had said. Apparently, the alphas needed to be here. I certainly hadn’t been clever enough to invite them, but fate had taken over, anyway.

  Fate had a hand in all of this, it was becoming clear.

  As power vibrated through me, I could also feel the emptiness inside me.

  You have yet to ascend. Your power is half what it could be, and it will destroy you. The Maker’s words filled my head.

  I shook them away. Though I believed the words, I couldn’t focus on them. They might be true, but they didn’t have to remain true. I’d find a way around that.

  But I could feel him here—somewhere beyond the circle, watching. He was racing toward the crown as much as I was, but he was using me to get his clues. That gave me an advantage, and I just had to stay one step ahead of him.

  The magic in the air increased until it was almost blinding. Most of it came from the stones and me, and it focused the glow toward the sky.

  I looked up, feeling the power rush over me as the light coalesced to form shapes. In the inky blackness of the night sky, an odd, jagged line formed. One part glowed brighter than the other, but I didn’t recognize it.

  “I know what that is.” Lachlan’s voice cut through my trance, and I looked at him across the tops of the stones. His face shone from the light, making him appear a god. “Should I say aloud, or is the Maker watching?”

  “He could be.” But thank fates Lachlan recognized the symbol, because I didn’t. “Come inside the circle.”

  He climbed over the rocks to join me. As soon as he stepped inside the boundaries of the stones, I immediately felt more complete. Everything felt more complete, as if he was meant to be there.

  “The Witches’ Step,” he whispered at my ear. “It’s part of a mountain ridge in Ayrshire, and the peak is called the Witches’ Step.”

  As soon as he said it, knowledge hit me. “We have to go there.”

  “Agreed. I feel it, too.”

  The glow died abruptly, as if the stones knew that I’d got the information I needed. Somehow, Lachlan had known it before I had.

  Strange.

  The magic seemed to have cast a trance over everyone, and as it faded, the alphas shook themselves. When they looked at me this time, there wasn’t as much skepticism as there had been before.

  In fact, there might even have been a tiny bit of awe on some of their faces.

  I climbed out of the stones and approached Eleanor, speaking low so that the Maker couldn’t overhear. Perhaps I was being crazy, but better safe than sorry. I just wished I knew what he was capable of.

  “Is the alpha of Ayrshire here?” I asked.

  She nodded and pointed to a man nearby. His gray hair was weathered but full. An aura of power and competence radiated from him, and I liked him immediately.

  “Could you ask him to join me in the castle?”

  She nodded. Though there was confusion on her face, she just turned and did as I asked.

  I strode to my friends, who stood clustered in a circle by the stones. I was pretty sure the stones had given me all the information they could, but just in case, I said, “Will you please see that they get put somewhere safe?”

  Carrow nodded. “On it.”

  As I walked by the stones, I caught sight of something I hadn’t seen before. New writing on the fifth stone—the one that had been blank before.

  The Witches’ Step.

  Huh. So the magic of the alphas and Glencarrough had changed the stones and given us a clue. Yet Lachlan had also recognized something that was so unclear to everyone else.

  He’d joined me, and I turned to him. “How did you recognize that peak? It was almost indistinguishable as a mountain, much less that mountain.”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not sure if I’ve ever even seen it. Somehow, I just knew.”

  A chill raced over my spine.

  There was more here than I realized—more to do with Lachlan and with my past. From the weight of his gaze, he seemed to think so as well.

  “We’ll figure it out,” he murmured.

  Shortly after we arrived in the main entry hall, the alpha of Ayrshire joined us. He strode toward me and nodded in greeting. “I’m Ian.”

  “Could we speak about the Witches’ Step?” I asked. “We’re not very familiar with it, and we need to visit.”

  “Of course. There are no witches there, if that’s what you want to know.”

  “Were there ever?”

  He shrugged. “Not that I know of, and I’m fairly well versed in the history of the region.”

  Damn. “We need to get up there as soon as possible. What’s the best way?”

  “You’ll want to wait until morning to make the final ascent, but we can take you as far as the roads will go.”

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded to a big car parked with the others. “Meet us by that Range Rover when you’re ready to leave.”

  “Sure thing.”

  He left, joining several of the other alphas, who were huddled together, definitely gossiping about me. Was he going to tell them what I needed?

  I looked up at Lachlan, who seemed to understand what I was worried about. “I’ll take care of it.”

  He strode after Ian, and I went to thank Eleanor for setting this up.

  A short while later, Lachlan, Carrow, and I met Ian at his car. “Are you sure you don’t want more backup?” Carrow asked. “I can come with you, if you want.”

  “No, we’re good. I’m sure the Maker wants to keep me alive. For now, at least. He’s following us to the crown.”

  She nodded, then looked at Lachlan. I knew she wondered why I’d chosen to bring him, but it was obvious he had to come, considering that he’d mysteriously recognized the mountain.

  “Good luck, then,” she said. “Keep in touch.”

  “Of course.”

  She left, and we loaded into the car behind Ian. Ralph took the cargo area, sprawling out and immediately beginning to snore. Ian’s second, a woman named Gale, took the passenger seat, but the back was more than spacious enough for Lachlan and me. It was late at night, but we’d be able to sleep on the drive, thank fates. I seemed to be perpetually exhausted these days.

  The roads twisted and turned away from Glencarrough, and I was soon asleep across from Lachlan. At some point, I drifted over to his side and rested against his shoulder. I was conscious enough to know it was a bad idea but too tired to care, and it just felt so good.

  When the dream came, it almost seemed real. Lachlan and me, in a grove somewhere in Scotland. The trees were ancient and stunted, the moss a verdant and velvety green.

  “I love you,” he said, his eyes full of such emotion that it made my heart ache.

  “I love you, too, but you can’t do this. The price will be too steep.” Fear chilled my veins as I gripped his leather tunic.

  We weren’t in the present, I realized. Lachlan looked like himself, but his clothing was of an ancient design. Viking, definitely. Tattoos wound around his neck, a fearsome, twisty design that appeared to be some kind of dragon or serpent. My own clothing wasn’t modern, either.

  This wasn’t real.

  But the feelings felt true—love and fear and desperation. Loss was coming. Great loss. This would be the last time I ever saw him, and it broke my heart.

  11

  Lachlan

  * * *

  Ian pulled the vehicle to a stop at the bank of the Firth of Clyde. The tiny ferry dock was empty at this late hour, the night silent. Ralph continued to snore softly in the cargo area, and shortly after we’d left Glencarrough, Eve had fallen asleep against my shoulder. If I could freeze this moment forever, I would.

  “We’re at the ferry to Arran,” he said. “The next one will go in a few hours. Do you need to get there sooner?”

  “Will this route have us to the start of the path at dawn?” I asked softly, not wanting to wake Eve.

  Ian nodded. “Right as the sun comes up, if you don’t encounter any delays. And you don’t want to try to ascend in the dark.”

  I nodded. “This will be fine, then, thank you.”

  “Good. You can take this car. I’ve arranged pickup for us. Just let me know where you leave it.”

  “Thanks again.”

  Ian looked at Eve and murmured, “Is she really a goddess?”

  I nodded.

  He whistled low, then climbed out of the car, followed by Gale. The door slammed, and Eve jerked awake, gasping. “Where are we?”

  I frowned at the panic in her voice. “Are you all right?”

  She drew in a shaky breath and dragged a hand through her hair. “Fine, fine. Just a weird dream. Are we at the mountain?”

  “At the ferry.”

  “Of course. It’s on the Isle of Arron, I forgot. Where are Ian and Gale?”

  “They’ve left us the car and arranged their own transport home.”

  “Kind of them.”

  “They know you’re important.”

  “Ha.”

  “Don’t do that,” I said.

  “Do what?”

  “Diminish your accomplishments or capabilities.”

  She sobered, staring at me. “You really believe in me, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do. How could I not?”

  “Hmm.” She climbed out of the car and went to stand at the front, reading the ferry schedule on the sign. It was a quiet terminal on the western coast, and no one was around except for a few sheep on the hill next to us.

  Ralph woke and let himself out of the trunk, oddly efficient at popping it open from the inside. Now that I thought about it, he seemed the sort to sneak around by hitching rides in unknown vehicles.

  I joined Eve and Ralph, staring at the timetable. “We’ve got three hours until the first ferry. That shouldn’t be too late. It’ll give us time to reach the path by dawn.”

  “Sleep in the car?”

  “That’ll do.” It would have to. The only building nearby was a small shop. Even if it had been open, the only thing we could have done would be to buy a packet of crisps and an Irn-Bru.

  We took the front seats and reclined. Ralph grumbled but scrambled into the back seat, and he was asleep within seconds. Silence filled the air between Eve and me, but there was nothing to say. Nothing that I knew how to say, anyway.

  Eve quickly dozed off, and though I hadn’t expected to sleep, I finally did, my exhaustion catching up with me.

 

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