Testimony of Children (Alice Gray Book 2)

49

Hazel's voice was not her own. Too low and breathy, and the cadence was off. That wasn't the only thing wrong.

Her eyes were milky white.

With that horrifying sight, the connection collapsed completely. I sat for a moment to get my bearings.

Evan looked up at me from his seat on the bed, worry creasing his brow as he waited for me to speak. The whole thing could have only taken a minute, and the others were completely unaware.

"Erm, guys. We need to get down to Hazel's, like, right now. Something big is going down."

I was still clutching the poppet like it was my favourite doll. My fingers sank down into its clay body. When I tried to shake them free, the poppet stayed put, stubbornly clinging onto the flesh of my fingers. Finally I extricated myself and wrapped the little figure in a napkin. I slipped it into my pocket when the others weren't looking.

I had the oddest feeling that its squashy little body had been placed there for our benefit.

I could feel Thomas in the building and longed for both the security of his love and the advantage of his strength and ferocity. He'd be in his daytime sleep now, he couldn't come even if this was my last day on Earth. We were on our own with this one.

We all piled into Stephen's car. Lucas and Emily took the front seats, as befitted the Alpha and Beta of our small pack. I spoke fast, ignoring how odd the words were. We didn't have time to ponder the hows and whys of psychic linking. The information was all that mattered.

Evan sat next to me, brows pulling further together the more I talked, "you know, this could be a case of possession."

"Go on," I ground out, finding it increasingly difficult to rein in my impatience.

"But Hazel is the most powerful witch in the coven. It would take someone with even more power to inhabit her, and I can't think of anybody in either coven who could do it."

"Would the other coven members know it, if Hazel had been possessed by another witch?" I asked, the image of Anne's terrified face lingering in my mind.

"Not necessarily, not at first, but if you could hear the difference in her voice, it stands to reason that the others can too."

The car fell silent as we neared the restaurant. The four of us against at least fifteen of the coven, and a leader that could be channelling the world's most powerful witch, we were going to need luck on our side to put it mildly.

Emily pulled into a side street. We split into two groups. Lucas and Emily would approach the front of the restaurant, the two least likely to be recognised by other coven members.

Evan and I circled the building until we reached the alley that led to the back door.

The air was thick with magic. Evan grabbed my hand before my surging life-force had chance to give us away. The energy siphoned off through our pack bond. I looked at him in gratitude to see the swirl of silver flash and then dissipate in his eyes.

The door was ajar. I was about to push it further and enter when Evan pulled me back and shook his head. He pointed to a pile of discarded clothing in a heap on the floor. Women's jeans, a plaid shirt and cowboy boots.

A loud huffing noise drew my head up to a pair of bright yellow feline eyes. Their owner was a black panther so large that she filled the doorway.

The large cat's low threatening growl rumbled over my skin leaving goosebumps in its wake. Sweat beaded on my face as the beast's scrutiny zeroed in on my eyes.

Evan grabbed my hand, ready to run. Shifting, I tried to grab his attention, but his eyes were rooted to the animal while his body was twisting away, ready to try for an escape that I already knew would be futile.

The panther crouched, its huge thigh muscles bunching ready to leap.

Evan took off. The panther sprang forward.
I pressed my eyelids closed waiting for the swipe of claws that would most likely end it for me.

Nothing happened.

I peeked out of one eye to find that the panther had settled back onto its haunches. Evan had skidded to a halt when I didn't follow him.

"Alice, Evan?" Lucas's worried voice filtered through the restaurant.

"Here," I squeaked, barely able to push sound out of my panic riddled vocal cords, "not alone."

The noise of progress stalled for a second, while Lucas and Emily took in our predicament.

"Becca?" Lucas exclaimed, a note of joy in his voice that was completely out of place, considering the huge panther still separated him from the rest of his pack.

The cat leisurely uncurled from her position guarding the door. She trotted over to Lucas who was stood arms wide open in greeting. The panther reared up on her hind legs and performed a strange sort of cat – human embrace with Lucas.

"Guess there's no need for introductions, but Lucas, meet the beast that was about to reduce your pack size by half," I said, more than a little put out that the animal who'd been about to eat me seemed to be Lucas's best friend.

Lucas looked at me, an admonishment in his eyes that I didn't think I deserved. Bristling at the unfairness of it, I could feel my life-force rankle at my Alpha's displeasure.

Becca slunk off into the restaurant kitchen. A grunt of pain, and the crash of crockery signalled her shift.

The tall, sleek, naked woman who sauntered back outside for her clothes was totally unashamed of the pack discord she'd caused. Becca stretched her lithe body out, before scooping up her clothes and dressing. It was then that I realised I'd seen her before. At the gala.

Becca was a member of Lucas's pack. Or former pack, I corrected myself.
Lucas and Becca embraced again. I noticed her wink at Emily over Lucas's shoulder. Emily coughed and looked away. That was interesting, not much was able to elicit a reaction from my security expert when she was on the job.

My life-force continued to agitate my skin. The power was happy to submit to Lucas as Alpha, and even purred at orders from Emily the Beta. But Becca? Apparently Becca was an unwelcome addition.

I had to interrupt them if I was going to avoid an embarrassing power flare. Feeling my struggle, Lucas sought out my gaze. His eyes softened in understanding.

"Dom send you to keep an eye on me?" he asked, deflecting attention from our true purpose. Maybe he didn't trust Becca as much as their friendly greeting suggested.

"You know it," she laughed, trying for a bit of misdirection herself.

Lucas laughed along for a few seconds and then stopped abruptly.

"Funny that, Becca. I only just got here, and you'd already shifted."

Anger flitted over Becca's face. It was gone as soon as I'd seen it, to be replaced with an expression of bashful acceptance.

"You got me," she said, holding her hands out in a coy shrug. "I felt the magic as soon as I entered the city. The trail led me here. They were clearing out, so I thought that I'd have a little nose around to see what they were up to."

"And?" Lucas asked, a hint of command in his tone.

"So it's true," Becca said, real surprise on her face. "You finally broke away. No wonder Dom was pissed."

"Don't change the subject, Becca. What did you find?"

The wolf was close to the surface. Becca looked away.

"Fear. Lots of fear. And this."

She held a small figure in the palm of her hand.

Becca is back! Check out my short story Man-Eater if you're curious about Lucas's furry feline friend...