Chapter fifteen
‘Devil Inside You’ Daniel Murphy
ROMAN CUT
It’s been two days of nonstop screaming and howling from the Witch down in the silver cell. I was ready to suffer through the acid-like pain of the silver cell just to go down there to cut her tongue out but thankfully, she finally shut the hell up. Granted, the dust of silver one of our club’s Witches tossed in is probably what kept the bitch from screaming a third day. I can’t even fathom the pain of breathing that in. Either way, I’m grateful we don’t have to listen to the piercing sounds any longer.
“Fucking hell, finally,” Case sighs as he rubs his ears dramatically, “I’m not sure how much longer I could have lasted before I snapped and cut her head off myself.”
“Truth,” Atticus tips a bottle of Jack Daniels back, taking a large gulp like its water before using the back of his hand to wipe across his mouth, “not even Ledge screamed like that, and that coward was insufferable.”
The torturous cell has housed only a few people before this Witch, and they’ve always been too riddled with pain to be howling for such an extended period of time. Ledge was a patched member who thought stealing from us was fine as long as he didn’t get caught. Unlucky for him, Loanie, one of the club Sweets, told me about his theft and disloyalty to us.
The door opening pulls me from my thoughts as Sara comes in, staying near the door in case she still has silver dust on her.
“Alphas,” Her blue eyes scan across us respectfully before she continues, “The woman in the cell is subdued for now but while I was there, I felt something barely clinging to her. An entity that is losing its hold on her. The screams we all thought were simple shouts of pain and anger were most likely incantations. Though I couldn’t make out her words, I could see that this woman, who bears a striking resemblance to someone we all know, was doing all she could to rid her soul of what held her in its grip. I believe the silver cell may be working in her favor to free herself from the curse upon her but with the dust in the air, she can no longer speak the words needed.”
I feel my brothers glance at me but I continue to stare at Sara. She’s a good kid, grew up in my pack and shows utter devotion to us, there’s no reason to doubt her. Yet, I find myself not trusting what she thinks she saw; what she thinks she understands.
“Roman,” Sara says, dropping all pretenses and speaking to me like family, “I may not know much about the Dark Bloods, and yes I’m still learning under my father’s tutelage, but you know as well as I do, that Iknowincantations and the amount of work they take. This woman was not herself, or notfullyherself, when you and Jaz fought her. I can’t understand the words she’s saying, but I can see the war she fights for her own soul. Allow me to remove the dust so that she may cast this curse from her.”
“Why can’t you understand her?”
I ask at the same time Atticus questions.
“And if you’re wrong and she’s only deceiving you?”
Sara shrugs but she looks no less confident in herself, “It’s a common practice in Witches to keep their spells and incantations a secret. They often cover their family and coven with a cloaking spell calledGerraewhich translates toNonsense. Anyone who doesn’t belong to their family or coven will just hear nonsensical words or sounds.” Sara looks over to Atticus with a grin, “And she’s a wolf and still chained in the silver cell. If I’m wrong, which I’m not, I’ll toss the dust and leave her until she’s ready to talk. But, when I’m proven correct, I get to take your bike for a ride.” She cocks a brow and holds out her hand.
“What is with the women in this damn pack?” Case laughs while looking to see what Atticus will do.
I smother my smirk when my stoic brother looks less confident but too prideful to back down. That’s Atticus for you, thinking with his ego rather than his mind. Don’t get me wrong, the man is brilliant and hardly ever wrong but put a deal on his lap and he can’t turn away without betting every last dime. Terrible habit but very entertaining.
“Deal,” he stands, shaking her hand and ignoring the beaming smile on the little clever Witch’s face along with the stinging burn from the silver dust on her hand.
“Why can’t you cast this curse or spell off the bitch yourself? Why does she have to do it if you know incantations so well?” Case asks Sara once she and Atticus separate.
“Because I don’t know the genesis of the spell. Hell, I don’t even know if it’s a spell or a curse.”
I hold my hand up, stopping whatever else Case was about to say, and lean forward, “That’s fine, you may remove the dust but once it’s removed, we will be present while she fights this force. Now, you said she bears resemblance to someone, who?”
Sara looks me in the eye. Not one member of my wolf pack can stare at me or my brothers in the eye for longer than a glance, the Alpha power that rolls off us, especially during a command, forces them to avert their gaze. If they don’t, as Sara isn’t, it’s an unspoken challenge to my power and will be accepted immediately. This Witch and all other species not mixed with wolves, have the ability to continuously stare, but those pack members respectfully don’t. They know I won’t be able to keep my wolf from seeing it as a challenge and destroying them.
Sara, however, is not challenging, her eyes are filled with anxious uncertainty, “She’s not a Witch, Alpha, she’s a wolf under the influence of a Witch. And she looks like your mate, Alpha Jaz.”
My head jerks back, my brows furrowing as I try to understand the uncertainty on Sara’s face, “So, she looks like Jaz.” I state rather than question but I’m no less confused, “Why do you look as though I would have ripped this building apart?”
“Because she doesn’tlooklike Jaz, I mean she’s almostidenticalto her. Height, build, face, the only difference is the tattoos she has on her face and hair color.”
“So, we have an evil Jaz… just great.” Case mumbles.
I pull out my phone and lift it to my ear, listening to the ring until Blow answers, “Alpha?”
“Bring Jaz to the clubhouse.” I tell him before hanging up.
“Things have changed,” I tell my brothers who look at me with cocked brows, “we now have four on this panel when it comes to the pack, and she will be present for her input just the same as the rest of us. When you find your mates, it'll be the same for them.”
Atticus barks out a rough laugh, “The only mate I will ever have is this bottle and my bike, brother.”