Wyatt and Nathaniel are actually excited to make the trial challenges. The idea of making it look hard, but not actually doing any damage or harm appeals to both of their weirdo boy brains. I stopped asking questions about the things that lit them up a long time ago and just accepted the help for what it is, something being taken off my plate, because we all decided that the whole point was to keep me busy and out of Kaley’s hair.
I mindlink Osiston and Alpha Reggie again to let them know what was happening, but still no response. I am actually worried now. I just don’t know if I should worry about their safety or ours.
I fired off a text to Elena letting her know what was happening too, and I completely flipped my chair over when she responded.
Elena: Hope this one gets to you. I’ve been trying to contact you for days
Me: What do you mean? I’ve messaged everyday with no response
Elena: No responses have gone through. No interruptions while I have you.
Elena: There’s a barrier on your pack, I’m sure you’ve figured that much. It is blocking your mindlink as well as most technology.
Elena: It’s not my coven’s barrier, you are prisoners right now.
Elena: We are working on our end, but I need you to find the source. There is an anchor inside your borders.
Elena: It will be near the centermost point of your pack, and with the size of the land it’s covering, it will be hard to conceal.
Elena: A pentagram with a candle in the center. The candle needs to be snuffed, but is designed to burn indefinitely. You cannot touch the pentagram or the candle, but you have to put it out. Me: Any other cryptic instructions?
Elena: Don’t be a smartass. You will know what to do, that is half of magic, trust your gut, your instincts.
Elena: We have also found where they are keeping Gentry. Nickolas is planning a mission to try and get to her before they move again and he’s going to need my help.
Elena: I will come to you as soon as I can get through. Be safe and watchful. Feel for magic around you, sense for it always, that may save your life.
“Welp. Who wants to help me with another assignment?” I look up at my friends who are just staring at me. I look around and notice, I’m still on the ground, sitting on my knees, chair toppled over. “Uh, Midge, you kind of froze for a second. You good?” Wyatt asks.
“Nope, but when are we ever ‘good?’ Elena finally contacted me. We’re under lockdown.”
“That’s not new information.” Lil snarks behind her beer bottle.
“The magical barrier holding us in by a caster, or more likely casters, that aren’t a part of Elena and Gentry’s coven to hold us prisoner is new information though. That’s why our connection to Osiston, Nickolas and Alpha Reggie had been spotty.”
“And the new assignment has to do with that.” Nathaniel states.
I look over at Jena. “It’s a pentagram with a forever burning candle in the center.”
As suspected, she spits her drink out. “Oh. F*ck. No! You have got to be kidding me?”
“Not according to Elena. We have to snuff a candle out that is supposed to burn forever, that sits in the center of a pentagram that we can’t touch. Sound familiar?”
She sets her bottle down and starts to pace behind her chair muttering things like ‘not again, never again’ and ‘can’t be happening.’ The rest of the team looks at me, silent questions in their eyes. I take a breath and decide Jena needs me before they need an explanation.
I walk over to her slowly, her eyes are glazed over, she’s lost in her mind. We have both been doing so well since we have been here. The nightmares are under control, the constant looking over our shoulder and paranoia are not gone and probably won’t be with the job that we do, but we don’t twitch at every little sound.
“Hey. Look at me. We are safe. You have a whole team with you now and Mateo and the rest of the guys.”
“That’s what I thought when my pack was attacked too.” She whispers out.
“You didn’t expect the attack. Now we do, and unfortunately for their side the idiots running the show are Mike and Kaley. We will end this. We knew he would come for us. Let him so we can end this.” She nods at me and I pull her into a hug. Then we turn around and explain to our team what we know about the pentagram.
“I guess from your description, it could be the same thing or at least similar.” Nathaniel starts. “And you’re sure Robbie was telling you the truth?”
I nod. “Funny enough, he was the only one who never lied to us. He actually tried to scare me off and when that didn’t work he was an asshole hoping we wouldn’t want to hang around Tyler or Mike if he was around being a dick. He said that’s how Mike is controlling his warriors. I wonder if it’s the same for what’s happening here with the Alpha.”
“But Lenny said she thought he might have been given some kind of herb or something.” Lil speaks up.
“But, if that was the case wouldn’t Midge and the rest of us be under control too? We were all living at the pack house when whatever happened went down.” Nathaniel adds. “Maybe it’s the warrior brand. I mean we all have some kind of magical protectant that comes with it. Maybe it stops or hinders magic set against us?” I shrug my shoulders. “And let’s not forget that Midge is magic and could literally eat silver and poop it out like it was candy. Nothing affects her the way it’s supposed to.” Lil laughs and we all join in. “You’re disgusting!” I keep laughing.
“But I think she’s right, we have some kind of barrier, maybe that’s the reason your boys are getting the tattoos when you do the protection spell and we aren’t. We already have our brands, it’s basically the same thing.” Jena absently rubs her arm. “Even the partial brands that we have are clearly doing their jobs.”
“Okay, so while we are on surveillance tonight I will look for a place that can hold a pentagram big enough to control your pack.” Nathaniel moves to get up.
“I’ll help, if it’s inside we need to look for heat signatures and you can do both on your own.” Wyatt jumps up too.
“Thank you for that vote of confidence, ass.”
“Oh shut up, you know what I meant. We are on a time crunch and the more eyes the better. If we find anything we can send Midge and the girls out to handle it.
“So now, how do we get your twins off the magic wagon?” Lil asks.
We all sit there for a long while. We should be sleeping, but I can’t sleep. My pack is in danger, Mike or the Rogue King or both is at our doorstep and could attack any day now and Cam and Kota are still victims of whatever Kaley and her dad have going on.
