So I stopped fighting and caught Carrow’s eye, then nodded.

  She grimaced but nodded back. We’d known this was a possibility and had a backup plan. Problem was, the backup plan was a bit crap. It was the only one we had, though, and I was desperate.

  My heart raced as I waited for a demon to notice me. It took only half a second. Confusion lit his face, then triumph.

  “Giving up?” he snarled.

  “Hardly.” I hit him with an acid bomb in the arm, just to prove I wasn’t going down on his terms. “But I’m ready to meet your master.”

  He growled and clutched his arm. The flesh sizzled sickeningly, and I started forward. “Take me to him.”

  He nodded and pressed a comms charm at his neck. “I have her. Come and get her.”

  A moment later, a figure appeared at my side. Human. One of the gang members, no doubt. He gripped my arm and chucked a transport charm to the ground, then dragged me into the smoke.

  I braced myself and appeared a moment later in the middle of the chambered cairn. The entire thing was one massive stone dome. Flickering torches lit the single large room in glowing light, shining on carvings on the walls.

  A sense of home flowed through me, as if this place were important to me. To my people.

  The three Moon Stones were set into the ground at equally spaced intervals along the edge of the room. Guards had taken up positions between them, a dozen lining the room.

  Lachlan stood by the wall, bound in massive chains. The Maker waited on the other side of the empty chamber, standing so still that he could be dead.

  Fear flashed through me, cold and sharp.

  I stared at the Maker, praying that the double-sided portal charm would work.

  He grinned at me, evil cunning flashing in his eyes. “Hoping your friends will show up?”

  “Yes, actually.”

  A cruel laugh escaped him. “A double-sided portal charm again? Hoping to draw them to you now that you’re in?”

  I shrugged. True, our backup plan was the same thing we’d tried when we’d snuck into the Clerkenwell tunnels to confront the Maker, but it was our only option.

  “I’ve blocked it,” he said. “I was prepared for your tricks.”

  Damn. I’d known it was a likely possibility, but hopefully, they’d be able to fight their way in. They were strong.

  Until then, I just had to be clever.

  I looked behind me at Lachlan, who stared at me with worry in his eyes.

  “Is this place sacred to the dire wolves?” I asked. “It’s a lot older than they were.”

  The Maker frowned. “Why do you care?”

  “They’re my people.”

  I could feel his confusion. He still couldn’t understand.

  He wasn’t human, I realized.

  I’d thought that maybe his strange, ephemeral appearance was a spell or a curse of some kind. But no, he just wasn’t human. He didn’t have the same feelings we did.

  “It was,” he finally said. “Your transition could only occur here. Conveniently for me, you also can’t use your power here.”

  He was right. There was nothing in the interior that I could throw at him. And if I tried anything at all and my magic went haywire, thousands of pounds of stone would rain down upon us and kill Lachlan and me.

  “What the hell do you want?” I demanded. “What are you after?”

  “You, the chosen one. There is only one dire wolf now, and the power of all of them lives in you.”

  “All of them?”

  “All of your ancestors. Didn’t you wonder why you had such a magnificent connection with the moon?”

  Of course I’d wondered. I frowned at him. “How do you know all this?”

  “I was there in the beginning.” He strolled toward me.

  “Stop with the riddles and be clear.”

  “I am being clear. It’s not my fault that you’re too slow to understand.”

  “Bullshit. You’re acting like an old seer, giving information in riddles.”

  Anger radiated from him, and he made a slashing movement with his hand. An invisible force picked me up and hurled me against the stone wall. Pain exploded through me, and I slumped to the ground.

  Distantly, I heard Lachlan roar. I could imagine him fighting the bonds, but the chains were far too thick for him to break through.

  Aching, my vision still blurry, I staggered upright and faced the Maker. “What do you want with me?” I demanded, stalling for time. He was too powerful, and I needed backup. My potion bombs weren’t going to do it.

  “You will be my creature, helping me create the world I envision.”

  “What world is that?”

  “One under my command. One that fulfills the fate put into motion hundreds of years ago.”

  “More riddles.” Frustration surged through me.

  He raised a hand and smacked me backward again. The same invisible force slammed me into the wall, and my head cracked against the stone.

  Once more, I heard Lachlan roar, his rage vibrating through me.

  I staggered away from the wall, blinking to clear my vision.

  The Maker pointed to the center of the round chamber, where an unfamiliar symbol had been etched into the dirt floor. “You will stand there to begin the transition.”

  “No, I won’t.”

  “You will.” The command in his voice shook the room, anger reverberating at the edges. “Do it. Now.”

  Why didn’t he just make me?

  An Alpha might command a sign of submission, but this monster wasn’t a shifter. He didn’t care about that. He’d had no trouble slamming me into the wall, so he could certainly force me into the middle.

  “I have to go willingly, don’t I?”

  He growled, rage lighting his eyes as he raised his hand once more and made a sweeping gesture toward Lachlan.

  My mate slammed against the wall behind him, his head knocking into the stone. The wolf within me howled, anguish shooting through my soul.

  The Maker did it again, slamming Lachlan even harder.

  “Stop!” I screamed.

  “You know how to stop it.”

  Despair tore through me. My backup wasn’t here. I wasn't strong enough to fight the Maker on my own, and Lachlan’s life was at risk. One more hit against the wall, and he could suffer permanent brain damage, if he hadn’t already.

  I couldn't let that happen.

  Anger surged through me, powerless rage, and the Maker stared at me with triumph in his eyes. “Bastard,” I hissed.

  “No,” Lachlan said, his voice tortured. “Don’t do it, Eve.”

  “I have to.” Not just to save Lachlan, but because I needed to be powerful enough to fight the Maker. I needed to fix my broken magic.

  We’d wanted to do it on our terms, away from the Maker and whatever he planned to do to me once the ceremony was over. But that plan was impossible now.

  The only way for me to get the strength to defeat the Maker was to transition. I had to embrace what I was to stand up to him.

  I walked toward the center of the circle, my heart pounding. This had to happen. It was the only way.

  Relief battled with fear inside me.

  The Maker smiled and watched me stop in the middle of the room. I could feel Lachlan’s tortured gaze on my back, but I focused on the feeling of the Moon Stones. I could feel them more strongly as their magic flowed through me.

  “Why now?” I asked.

  “It is time.”

  Oh, that bastard, that wasn’t an answer.

  His damned riddles would drive me mad. Before I could ask again, he began to chant. The air filled with light and sound, a low roar like the ocean. A sense of inevitability filled me.

  Whatever he was chanting, I didn’t recognize it. Something told me that only he could perform this ceremony, and it made me desperate to understand his role in this.

  He was more than a minor villain, that was for sure.

  We were connected somehow, and the feeling of it tainted my soul.

  The Moon Stones glowed more brightly. The runes on the wall glowed along with them, filling me with power as they began to sing. It was an ancient melody, something I’d never heard before, but familiar all the same.

  As the noise reached a crescendo, pain ripped through me, nearly blinding me, and magic exploded throughout the room.

  20

  Eve

  * * *

  While the Maker chanted and the Moon Stones and runes sang, my body was torn apart and put back together again. I couldn’t see it happen, but I could feel it, bones and sinews rending as my vision stayed black.

  The power and pain threatened to consume me as I lay on the ground. Part of me just wanted to die. I could never survive this. No one could.

  No.

  There was too much relying on me.

  Lachlan.

  The Maker.

  He wouldn’t let me die. And if I gave up, he’d just use me for his purposes. I had to fight. I had to be stronger than him, more determined.

  I struggled past the pain, forcing myself upright, but instead of two feet, I rose on four. Furry white wolf feet filled my vision, which was different than it had been. Sharper. More focused.

  A growl reverberated in my chest. My whole body felt different. More alive. More primal. Fiercer.

  “Down,” the Maker commanded, his tone that of an Alpha. I felt it in my soul, trying to force me back down into a position of submission.

  Rage lit inside my chest.

  Never.

  I threw off the shackles of pain and let the power of the Moon Stones flow through me. They were part of me now, their magic lighting up my veins like rocket fuel.

  Anger lit the Maker’s face as he stalked toward me. I growled, feeling my lips pull back from my fangs as my hackles went up.

  “Watch out for the guards!” Lachlan shouted.

  Of course.

  The guards that stood around the perimeter were prowling closer to me, their blades raised as they watched me.

  I was obsessed with the Maker, but there were other things to take care of first. I could feel the power of the moon more strongly than ever. Even though it was likely past dawn and the moon had set, the moon’s influence flowed through me like a battery.

  Envisioning Lachlan’s chains breaking apart, I used the pull of gravity to tear them away from his body. When I looked behind me, the chains lay at Lachlan’s side.

  It had worked—and no pain crippled me.

  Immediately, Lachlan shifted.

  Get the guards. Instinct made me speak to him with my mind.

  Done, his voice came back.

  That had worked, too. The pleasure of the hunt raced through me. The pleasure of all of this raced through me. Finally, I was a wolf.

  It felt so right. So amazing.

  Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Lachlan rampaging through the guards, taking them out one at a time. He gave me space to work on my own goal.

  The Maker.

  I was stronger than he’d expected.

  I prowled in his direction, blood lust rising in me. He stalked toward me, determined to make me submit to him as the Alpha.

  I would take him down.

  We collided in a crash. I snapped at his neck, but my teeth went right through him. The bastard was corporeal enough to hold on to me, but he managed to make part of himself disappear before I could land my blow.

  Asshole.

  I tried again, managing to bite part of his shoulder before it disappeared. His blood tasted tainted and dark, and I nearly gagged.

  “You’re coming with me,” he growled. As the words left his lips, I felt the ether pulling at me.

  No!

  How was he doing this? He hadn’t used a transport charm.

  He must have the power himself, I realized. I fought him, trying to push away. I couldn’t let him take me. Frantic, I snapped at him, trying to get ahold of him and deliver a killing blow, but he was too fast and too powerful.

  The ether kept pulling, and I fought it, yanking away from him, trying to stay grounded.

  Eve! I heard Lachlan’s voice in my head.

  He’s trying to take me!

  Desperate, I snapped and struggled, using all my power to stay where I was and resist the pull of his teleportation.

  When I felt strong arms around my middle, I knew it was Lachlan, trying to yank me away from the Maker.

  Frustration flared in the eyes of my enemy, and defeat followed. He knew he couldn’t fight us both.

  And then, to my surprise, I felt the slice of pain at my shoulder.

  He’d cut me.

  Out of the corner of my vision, I saw him press a glass vial to the wound, collecting a sample of blood. It all happened so quickly.

  “I’ve got what I need,” he hissed. With a great yank, he pulled away and released me, then disappeared.

  Lachlan and I tumbled backward, landing in a pile on the ground. I scrambled upright, still in wolf form, and looked around.

  The Maker was gone. The guards were all dead, their bodies scattered in puddles of blood. I turned back to Lachlan, who stared at me with awe on his face. “You’re magnificent.”

  I looked down at myself, able to catch glimpses of white fur.

  I was big.

  Really big.

  He knelt at my side, inspecting the wound at my shoulder. “You’re hurt.”

  Why the hell had the Maker wanted my blood? Same reason he’d wanted me, probably. And we had no idea what that was.

  I needed to be able to speak.

  Shifting back to human form was as natural as breathing. One moment I was a wolf, the next, I was human. The flash of magic that accompanied the change was like quicksilver.

  Panting, I knelt in front of Lachlan. He gripped me by the waist, helping me stay upright, and inspected my shoulder. “You’ve healed.”

  He was right—I could no longer feel the pain—and I met his gaze. “Are you all right?”

  He nodded. “More importantly, are you?”

  “I think so.” I staggered to my feet. “Let’s go check on the others.”

  He rose, wrapping an arm around my waist and helping me walk. All of my wounds had healed in the transition, but I was so exhausted that I could barely stand. As quickly as I could, I gathered up the Moon Stones and stored them in the bag I kept in the ether.

  We exited the chambered tomb, which looked like a massive, grassy hill from the outside. In front of us, my friends walked through the woods. There were no more enemies, and I was able to account for everyone, thank fates.

  Lachlan

  * * *

  A day later, after everyone had healed, I visited the Shadow Guild tower. Everyone in my pack had survived, though there had been some gruesome injuries. Even Garreth had made it back, thank fates.

  Unfortunately, his eyes had gone entirely black after the battle, his mind escaping him. However he’d managed to hold off the curse, he was no longer able to. It was almost as if he’d found the strength to help us, and then given up.

  In a brief moment of clarity, he’d tried to get me to put him down.

  I’d refused. No way in hell could I do that. It would break me.

  Fortunately, my pack had agreed. They’d seen how Garreth had fought on our side to save me. Seen how he’d fought the curse.

  Though we knew it was impossible, we’d agreed to try to find a cure. Until then, Garreth was locked in a tower room with a constant guard.

  I hadn’t seen Eve since we’d parted ways after the battle. We hadn’t spoken about the night in the cell, and I didn’t know if we ever would. It’d been the most miraculous hour of my life, but it was over.

  It had to be over. The Dark Moon curse still dogged my heels, and Mordaca’s potion was quickly losing efficacy. The moment I fell in love with Eve, it was over for me. Hell, I was almost there already.

  I probably shouldn’t even see her, but I had to know she was okay.

  When I reached the door to her tower, it swung open. Carrow stared at me, then stepped aside.

  I entered and immediately spotted Eve by the fire. Her gaze flashed to me, and her lips parted. “Lachlan. What are you doing here?”

  “Checking on you.”

  “I’m fine.” She rubbed her chest. “My magic doesn’t tear me apart anymore. I still don’t fully understand it, but it’s not hurting me.”

  “You’ll learn what you’re capable of.” She’d been the most magnificent wolf I’d ever seen. Larger than any other, with bright blue eyes and a beautiful white coat. Her power would become legendary, I was sure. There were no others like her. “I need to know what you think the Maker is after.”

  “We don’t know.” She frowned, wrapping her arms around her legs. “But he wanted my blood for some reason. He’s going to do something awful with it, I’m sure.”

  “Hey, now,” Carrow said. “We’ll take care of that. You’re more powerful than ever.”

  Carrow was right. We might not have succeeded in stopping the Maker, but Eve’s transition was an arrow in our quiver.

  “I just still don’t understand how it happened to me,” she said. “Why am I the dire wolf?”

  “We’ll figure that out,” I said. “We’ll have answers, Eve, and we’ll stop him.”

  “I hope so. Because nothing was as it seemed.”

  I nodded, feeling the same. More than anything, I wanted to sweep her up in my arms and carry her away from this. Lock her away in some tower to be safe for the rest of her life.

  But that wasn’t an option.

  She had to face her fate, and I couldn’t be near her.

  I stepped back toward the door. I’d seen what I needed to see—she was safe.

  “I’ll have Kenneth start looking for more answers,” I said. “We won’t stop until we know what’s going on.”

  She nodded, saying nothing as I turned and left. Walking away from her was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do, but it was necessary.

  There could be nothing between us, no matter what fate decreed.

  * * *

  ~~~

  * * *

  I hope you enjoyed Pack of Lies! The adventure isn’t over yet. The next one is coming in early May. Click here to get it.

 

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