Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega 2)

Her wounds had closed, though there were a few itchy spots and a couple of sore places. She'd grabbed a sheet and wrapped it around her like an impromptu dress. As she paced, the short lengths of chains that dangled from her wrists and ankles made cheerful sounds that annoyed her. They probably annoyed Alan worse, but he didn't say so.

Sixteen minutes after their last call, the door unlocked.

"Sorry," Tom said. "We had a little trouble finding the electronic lock-it was in the room with Arthur's body."

"Charles?"

"Moira's looking after him," Tom said.

Anna found Charles lying on his side in Arthur's trophy room amidst a scattering of steel shards, blood, and gore. Moira was kneeling beside him with both of her hands on his bare shoulder. "I have him stabilized right now, but it's not going to stay that way. Someone put a death curse on him. He's fighting it, and I'm helping."

Anna looked at his face. He wasn't unconscious, and every muscle of his body was tight, the veins standing out as if he were lifting weights.

"How do we stop it?" Anna asked, not recognizing her own voice. She knew enough about magic to keep her hands off.

"Find out who put it on him and make them take it off," Moira said. "Or kill them."

"Can you tell who did it?"

Moira shook her head. "This is a new one to me. I can't even tell if it is witchcraft, fae, or some sort of werewolf trick-it's too entwined with his magic. And his magic is something I've never encountered."

"His mother was an Indian shaman's daughter," said Angus.

"And his father is witchborn," said Anna without considering if it was something Bran would want bandied about. Witchborn meant Charles had a lot more magic than the average werewolf-maybe that would help Moira keep him alive.

She looked around the room, trying to put together what might have happened so she could figure out how to fix it: a broken sword, a kitchen knife, Arthur dead. Magic... the vampires had been able to use magic, and there was one vampire left. Or it might have been the fae woman.

"How long?" she asked Moira.

"Until I can't hold it anymore," the witch told her. "An hour. Maybe two."

"The Marrok's coming." Angus sounded grim. "If anyone can fix this, he can."

There had been only one fight in this room. Charles and Arthur's. Whoever had taken Charles down was someone who'd taken him by surprise. Something the vampire would never have managed.

She needed to think. Needed to find whoever was hurting Charles and kill them.

"If Charles was right when he sent you that text, and Arthur was the villain-then Arthur had her killed," Anna said. "His own mate."

"Or the person who bespelled Charles," Angus said.

She looked at the neat cut that had sliced through Arthur's neck. Execution style, Charles style. She didn't argue with Angus, but her wolf was certain: Arthur had killed his wife. "I'm going to see if I can find some clothes."

"You and Sunny are about the same size," said Angus. "I don't think she'd mind you borrowing her clothes."

She followed the scent of death into Sunny's room. Ignoring the body laid out on the bed, she went to the chest of drawers and grabbed a pair of bright pink sweats and a T-shirt. After dressing, she slipped on socks and Sunny's tennis shoes, which, wonder of wonders, fit like a glove.

Anna started out the door, paused, and looked at the dead woman. "My husband took care of your killer."

Sunny's mouth opened and sucked in air. Anna froze.

The dead woman said, "Anna Latham Cornick, mate of Charles Cornick, Omega of the Aspen Creek Pack. Wolf. Sister. Daughter. Lover. Beloved."

Sunny's eyes opened, filmed-over and dead, and her head turned until they looked straight at Anna. "She who was Nimue, Lady of the Lake, and is now Dana Shea has broken faith, broken her word. She must be punished, and you we have chosen as the instrument of our justice. We gift you with Finding and with this." Sunny's hand lifted, and in it was a dagger with a blade a few inches longer than her forearm. The handle was bone or ivory, it was difficult to tell. "Take Carnwennen as the means. Your mate's life as the reason. Our geas as the cost. True love your reward. Remind her of the Wild Hunt."

Anna made no move to touch the dagger. "Who are you?"

"We are the Gray Lords. The one who makes the dead talk is she who takes the dead of the battlefield." Sunny's body jerked, the dagger fell from her hand to the bed. "Hurry, or he will die, and you will be left with justice and vengeance your only reward."

Sunny's eyes closed, and her body was once more just a body. Anna reached over her and took the dagger, part of her waiting for Sunny to grab her wrist. But nothing happened until she touched the dagger.

Then, magic curled up her hand, first warming her skin where it touched the dagger, then cooling it. A gift of Finding, the Gray Lords had said, and a reward of true love.

"Where is Dana Shea?" she said. And she knew.

Chapter THIRTEEN

SHE took the stairs in two jumps and ran out the door, brushing past Tom and ignoring Angus's shout. She ran past the parked cars and out into the street, turning down toward the water. Of course Dana would be headed toward the water.

"Where are you going?" Tom asked, running beside her.

"Carnwennen the means," Anna told him, showing him the dagger.

He stumbled once, but caught up to her. "Fae shit," he said.

"The Gray Lords," Anna agreed. "Carnwennen the means. Justice the cause. True love the reward. Their geas the cost."

"Zapped," he said, pulling out his cell phone. "Yeah, Angus. The fae got to her. Best I can figure it, they're sending Anna out after Dana-can't think they'd be concerned with the vampire who escaped, and he's the only other player in this. She's speaking goobledygook, but it sounds to me like maybe they've promised her it'll save Charles."

"Stay with her. Help her if you can." Angus sounded frustrated. "He's going to kill me if something happens to her."

"Charles?" Anna asked through the haze that kept her running away from him.

"Yes, him too-though I was talking about Bran."

She made an impatient sound.

"Charles is still with us," Angus said. "Moira says if Dana did this, that probably it'll stop with her death. But fae are hard to kill."

"Oh, I think that the dagger they gave Anna will kill a fae all right," Tom said. "Stinks to high heaven of magic. And it has a name. Fae things that have a name will usually kill just about anything. Do you know of a dagger called-Carnwellen?"