Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 181

Chapter 181

Even though I was more than interested in hearing Deacon’s reply, it wasn’t what made me stop. There was this sudden rush of familiarity that swelled in my stomach, making it plummet to the warehouse floor. I felt a harsh tug on my sleeve and whipped my head to the side to lock eyes with a stone-faced Dina. She jutted her chin towards the exit, which was a few rows of shelves behind where we stood and tugged a second time.

“Not yet.” I mouthed, shaking my head.

Typically, Tristan would be the one trying to keep me out of trouble, but it was hard to do when he too was crouched, peering through the slim gaps in the shelving in an effort to spy on the witches. I held back a snicker and joined him, stretching my hearing as far as it would go, until the voices at the center of the warehouse sharpened.

I guess after spending this much time with me, he already anticipated what I’d do. It was risky but getting information about the enemies plans rarely ever came with a safety net.

“Mm, I thought about it, but I’m curious…” Deacon mused, “This little spell you got going on, what’s the endgame? What will k*****g three of each kind accomplish?”

I had to hunch over and bend my head at an odd angle, but I managed a somewhat clear view of them. The feeling churning in my gut came to a head when I spotted the witches. Now I understood why the voice I heard sounded so familiar.

It was the two witches Brandon, Clara, and I had been running from weeks ago. The ones that had come much too close to catching us. What made things worse is that they were both elementals, a rare and powerful breed of witch that could manipulate an entire element in nearly a dozen different ways. They were amongst the other types of witches coveted for their powers, ripped from their families at a young age and thrust into intensive training, molded and shaped until they were deadly weapons.

That was the first thing I’d put an end to once the Blood Witch was six feet under.

Both of the women stood proud and tall, with heavy cloaks wrapped around their shoulders. They were younger than I thought they’d be and looked to be around my own age. Neither one of the witches replied to Deacon, though one’s eyes began to smolder like hot coals. The other stood impassive, her hair the color of wheat and eyes like leaves during the peak of summer.

At first glance I thought she had some kind of bangles around her wrists, but as I strained my eyes through the shelves for another look, I realized they were actually vines. They were no thicker than a piece of yarn and crawled halfway up her arms before stopping completely. I could make out the tiny leaves that sprouted in small clusters, curling lightly at the ends.

Deacon huffed, the sound deep with amusement. I was slowly coming to realize that was his laugh, even if it sounded like anything but.

“You can’t expect me to just blindly follow this Mistress of yours without a hint of what’s going on behind the curtain. That’s not how I survived all these years, and it sure as s**t ain’t how the rest of these Vampire’s survived either. Am I just supposed to trust that once everyone on your little list is sacrificed the battle is won? How so I know there isn’t more to all of this? Seeing as your Mistress won’t grace me with her presence, I got no choice but to take my answers from you two.”

The one with the glowing eyes lowered the hood of her cloak, freeing a tangled mess of ember-colored curls. Her smile was brittle and taunting, twisting her slender lips into a jagged line.

“Trust us, you don’t want her to grace you with her presence.” She snickered, “As for the spell, once the sacrifices are complete there is one more step, but we’ve got that covered. That’s all you need to know.”

Through the shelves I saw one of Deacon’s shoulders lift in what I assumed was a shrug.

“Mm, I’m inclined to disagree with you. You’re asking me to go all in on a game I’ve never played before and won’t tell me the rules we’re playing by. If my brother were alive, and it were him you two were paying a visit to, he’d be asking the same questions.”

The one with the fiery hair didn’t seem to like being disobeyed, because not only did she bristle at Deacon’s words, but her glowing eyes grew brighter, and her scowl deepened. Her companion leaned forward and placed a vine covered hand on her shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was soothing and her expression oddly serene despite the tension in the warehouse.

“Ember, relax. Surely we can give him the information he’s asking to gain his trust.”

‘Of course her name is Ember.’ Maya grumbled.

I had to bite back a snort at the irony, but it seemed I made some sort of sound because Tristan jabbed me in the ribs with his elbow.

Neither of the witches gave notice. They were much too far away to see or hear the three of us, a fact that didn’t give me much in the way of comfort. Ember, whose eyes actually looked like glowing embers, let out a sharp breath through her slender nose and nodded stiffly.

“It’ll take a lot more than that to gain my trust, girl, but it’s a d**n good start.” Deacon huffed.

Ember didn’t react to what Deacon had just said, nor did she acknowledge he even spoke. “We have someone on the inside, someone close to the tri-brid that will complete the last act. After that, our Mistress will have total control over her physical form.” Her eyes flared brightly as she finished speaking, glowing with a malicious sort of victory that set my teeth on edge.

I held back wave after wave of panic-induced thoughts as they filled my head, each one more daunting than the next. Now wasn’t the time to lose my cool. It didn’t matter if there were spies in the pack, if the people closest to me were pawns set out to steal not only my life but my magic and my body, I had to keep my head on straight. Beside me Tristan stiffened, undoubtedly going through the same stomach curdling emotions as I was.

When we made it out of here I’d have to sit down and list all of the people closest to me, going through them one-by-one until I narrowed it down to those I didn’t fully trust, and those capable of such a betrayal. The thought of what names I’d see nearly made me sick.

“When that happens, and you got the biggest baddest wolf-pack in the world on your a*s, what will you do then?” Deacon asked.

There was a tone of mild interest in his voice that I desperately hoped was an act because I was more than certain if he told Dina to turn back with Tristan and I, she’d do just that.

Ember replied while the second witch smiled softly, stroking the vines on her arms like they were timid pets.

“Her Alpha mate won’t dare risk her harm by attacking, but the same cannot be said for the Vampire’s. With our Mistress appointing you as their new King, you can placate them and keep them in control. Your brother wouldn’t have been able to turn down an offer like this. Only a fool would think to refuse. Do you have anymore asinine questions or are you ready to come to a conclusion?”

I had to narrow my eyes and focus hard on Ember, because the air around her seemed to be moving softly. It was thin curls of smoke rolling off her hair and shoulders that I’d spotted, along with the start of actual heat waves. I couldn’t lie, the sight was a bit freaky. I’d seen magic at work in many different ways, but never quite like this.

‘She’s going to spontaneously combust. ‘ Maya murmured, not at all joking.

Deacon barked out a dry laugh and said, “I assume you already got your three Vampire sacrifices, right? That why you took a group of my people into the wolves’ territory?”

“The quota for the Vampire’s has been reached, yes.” Ember nodded evenly.

“Then you won’t mind me asking why it is that all the Vampire’s in your little group were m******d.” Deacon replied, humming quietly to himself when Ember’s eyes flashed a threatening shade of red. Even the second witch reacted, her serene demeanor slipping for but a second. “You don’t think it’s only the witches that have spies, do ya? Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been underestimated.”