Page 5 of Bullied Wolf Mate
We knew that Inara would respond to a signal if she got wind of a large spurt of magic in her vicinity. She would likely see it as a threat. So we commissioned one of the trustworthy witches near Brixton to create something that would do just that: create a burst of magic. We had Oliver set it off in the opposite direction we were coming from. We would really only know if it worked when we found Inara’s den, but it wassupposed to be strong enough that she would take most of her crew with her, meaning fewer people we would have to deal with.
I didn’t know what sort of route or information Jameson was following, but he seemed to trust it. We followed him through the woods. The amulet designed to protect us from most magic felt cool against my chest, though it should have warmed by now. We trudged on, Jameson pausing every so often to listen and check our surroundings before motioning for us to move forward again.
It didn’t take long to reach what looked like a desecrated cottage, its roof falling in and a rotting door hanging by one hinge. Two of the windows didn’t have glass, and even from this distance, I could see the cobweb-laden interior. The entire place looked empty and abandoned.
“Are we sure this is the right place?” Klyte asked. “Because it definitely doesn’t look like the right place.”
“I think that’s supposed to be the point,” Jameson muttered. “Keep your voice down.”
Slowly and with trepidation, Jameson crept forward. He paused when he came to a line of rocks, each spaced a few feet apart.
“Trap,” he muttered, pointing to one of the etchings on one of the stones. “Notifies someone when we cross that line.”
“Will the amulets protect us from it?” Sam asked.
Shaking his head, Jameson bent toward the rock, careful not to lean over the barrier. He pulled out something that looked like a hammer and slammed it down on the stone. It cracked in two. I didn’t notice any difference, but Jameson seemed satisfied.
“It’s safe now,” he said.
“I hope you paid that witch a lot of money,” Klyte said. “Either that or she has a sweet spot for you, considering how much gear she gave you.”
Jameson ignored him, instead nodding toward the cottage. “I’ll bet good money we’ll find what we’re looking for in there.”
Klyte snickered. “In an abandoned building?”
“Seemingly abandoned,” Jameson clarified. He shouldered his bag. “I’m going to go in. If I don’t disintegrate or explode or anything like that, you’ll know it’s safe to come in, all right?”
Without waiting for a response or for any of us to warn him of how potentially dumb this idea was, he stepped through.
“Holy shit,” I heard Jameson say.
I could see through the open door, could see the rotting furniture in the cramped cottage and the cobwebs draping down the grime-covered walls. I could even see Jameson, who had paused momentarily as if stunned.
“Something wrong?” I asked, every inch of me now on alert.
Jameson shook his head. “Nothing like that,” he said. “You’ll see.”
The instant I stepped across the threshold, I understood. The image of the dilapidated cottage melted away, replaced by a massive, opulent hall far too big for the cottage we had just stepped into. I tried to push through my surprise to focus on the mission, but I stumbled for a brief moment, pausing to look at the lush carpet and elegant artwork and tapestries that adorned the walls.
“Witchcraft,” Klyte muttered, looking around. “It never ceases to creep me out and make me insanely jealous at the same time.”
“Not the worst way to conceal a giant manor that doubles as your base of operations,” Jameson mused.
We paused in the threshold, waiting to see if anything would happen. But it seemed that the distraction we had set up for Inara had been convincing enough for her to take the bait. With a jerk of his head and a series of hand gestures, Jameson led us deeper into the house.
It turned out the den was closer to a mansion than the dingy cave I’d been imagining. Without a map, we had no way of knowing where we needed to go. It wasn’t until Jameson opened a door that led down to the basement that we made a breakthrough.
Through the stench of herbs and potions, I could smell the familiar musk of shifters beyond. We were getting close to where they were keeping the Gold Wolves.
We crept down the steps. The entire time, I couldn’t help but marvel over how vast this den was. It seemed to go on forever. Now that we were in the basement, the grandiose richness of the upstairs had vanished, replaced by stone walls and grime. I could smell the damp mixing with the faint scent of shifters.
I approached a corner and peered around it. A tall, thin man sat at the front of a long hall, part of the skeleton crew that Inara had kept in place. So far, he was the only person we had come across.
I turned around to signal to Jameson, who nodded. With silence and speed, I darted out from around the corner andcharged toward the man, reaching into my pocket to pull out a rag as I darted toward him.
He shot to his feet, eyes wide with surprise. He opened his mouth and uttered an incantation.
Warmth spread across my chest, radiating out from the talisman pressed against my skin as it absorbed the spell, protecting me from its effect.