There was a jerk and she blinked her eyes open to find one of the trackers staring down at her. The witch had a curious expression on her face, but she only said, “We’re here.”
Cassie looked out the tinted windows. Even in the dark, and from the far distance, she could make out the large boulders that stood in the center of the field. She could also make out the scattering of what she assumed to be witches standing before the monument. They were at Stonehenge.
Chapter Eighteen
Conall resisted the urge to growl as a Jeep with tinted windows pulled over beside the road just a mile away from Stonehenge, and Vivienne emerged. She was surrounded by four trackers. He barely had time to recognize her from his upwind distance away from the large stones when she and the trackers disappeared, only to reappear the midst of the grand wizards standing inside of the Trilithion stones. Cassie had arrived almost ten minutes before, and was standing behind one of the large boulders, making it impossible for Conall to get a clear view of her. He did have a clear one of his mate, and while she looked tired, he didn’t detect injury. She was wrapped in a golden chain that bound her hands, crossed at her waist, and dipped lower to bind her feet. Cassie had been wearing something similar.
“There has to be meaning behind those chains. They’re both wearing the same kind,” Raoul said softly from beside him.
Conall barely passed a glance to his beta but nodded, keeping his focus on his mate. A plan was in progress.
After finding out Cronin and other grand wizards had formed an alliance to resurrect the druids, Astrid and Eirik had placed calls to various pack alphas in the United Kingdom. The situation had been explained, and not an hour after the first call, the pack alphas began arriving at Eirik’s townhouse. Over the course of the day, others filed in with their packs in tow, until a total of seven pack alphas, in addition to Astrid and Eirik, pledged their packs to his cause. Conall sensed most had not done so out of any loyalty to him or to their race, but because they feared the unknown, and that was what the druids represented.
They’d gathered a few miles away from the grounds, most in wolf form except for a few of the alphas. Conall didn’t intend to wait for any type of resurrection ceremony to begin. As soon as they spotted Evelyn and Cronin made an appearance, he was giving the order to attack. They had the element of surprise on their side, and while it would be a bloody fight, he was anticipating it.
“It probably binds their powers,” Conall replied in answer to Raoul’s unspoken question. If that was the purpose of the chains, then it would explain why both sisters appeared so docile among the witches, and why his connection to Vivienne was severed.
He lifted his head slightly, listening for sounds that would tell of the large number of werewolves lurking in shadows, behind the sparse but useful cluster of trees. The wind whipped fiercely, making it difficult for him to hear them, and therefore impossible for the witches.
“There she is.” Raoul inclined his head.
Conall looked in the direction and saw Evelyn emerge. She was being held up by two trackers, and as he peered closer, he noticed a distinct limp, and the way she could barely pick her head up. A low growl started in his chest, but he stopped it, pacifying himself with the thought that this night would be Cronin’s last.
“Should I give the order?”
He shook his head. “Cronin isn’t here.”
Exactly as he spoke, a bright light flashed and a portal began to open. Conall watched as Cronin stepped through with just over a dozen witches. They all radiated power, speaking to their elevated statuses as grand wizards of their covenants, and wore long black robes with black hoods that covered most of their faces. Cronin hadn’t bothered with the hood, but even if he had, Conall would have been able to track him. He had his scent.
When the portal closed, the grand wizards fanned out, each teleporting before a single stone until they formed a circle. Cronin moved in the midst of them, and opened his palm against the ground as he chanted. As the ground caved in the shape of a pentagram, he moved back and lifted a hand to beckon someone forth. Cassie.
Conall had seen enough. He didn’t take his eyes of Cronin as he said, “Give the order.” The change came upon him, his limbs and bones rearranging themselves into the black wolf who eagerly came forth. Raoul changed quickly, and Conall turned to his beta to give one last command.
No matter what happens, get Vivienne and her family out of here.
The blond wolf dipped his head, and Conall turned slightly to look into the darkness, where the other wolves were. Dozens of pairs of eyes, various shades of bright, stared back at him.