Veiled Spirits

I close my eyes at his question and lean my head against the seat. “I’ve killed people on missions, but they don’t bother me as much.” I don’t know why I’m shocked when these wolves ask me about it, but I am. I’ve thought more about that day in the past week than I have in ten years.

“As what?” Luca prods.

I just shake my head in answer, not having the words or will to talk about it with him. I’ve never talked about it with anyone.

Will what I did ever stop hurting this much? Not that I deserve to escape the pain, but, fuck, do I want to. I throw my arm over my eyes, trying to hide my sorrow. I haven’t had the luxury of showing my emotions since I became an outcast. Showing them what hurts me just allows them to hurt me worse.

Maybe being emotional will scare him off, which only makes me feel worse. My shoulders shake from trying to contain my feelings.

Fuck my life. I really can’t win today.

Luca is silent for a moment before he gets out of the car. I figure he needs time away from my emotional ass. Only, seconds later, Luca is at my door, opening it.

“Stand up,” Luca orders. I’m too busy hating myself to protest, so I do as he tells me to. When I’m out of the car, Luca grabs me under my ass and hauls me up. My arms and legs automatically wrap around the big wolf. I lay my head on his massive shoulder, hiding my face in his neck.

Luca holds me the entire time I try to battle back my emotions. While one of his hands is banded under my thighs as support, his other one is tangled in my hair. He runs his fingers through the strands soothingly. His gentleness surprises me. I didn’t know he was capable of tenderness like this, which makes sense. I barely know the guy.

When I no longer feel on the verge of crying and my breathing evens out, Luca murmurs into my hair, “I don’t know what you’ve been through, wildcat, but it’s obvious it was traumatic. You don’t have to talk to me, but you need to talk to someone about it. You can’t keep it inside forever. It’ll destroy you, slowly smothering your spark until there’s nothing of you left.”

I don’t know what to say to him, because he’s right. It doesn’t matter, though. I can’t put my well-being above everyone else’s. “I have to keep it inside. That’s the only way everyone will be safe.”

I try to get out of his hold to escape this conversation, but his arms are like iron bands holding me in place. Luca eventually lets me slide down his body.

When I’m on my feet, he stares at me for a long moment. Instead of pushing me to tell him, Luca throws the keys at me. I snatch them out of the air. I’m not sure what surprises me more, me being coordinated enough to catch the keys or Luca not pressing me for answers.

Luca doesn’t give me time to dwell on it. “Come on, wildcat. Time for your driving lesson.”

CHAPTER 19

IZZY

“Stay behind me. At all times, Mags,” Rhys orders as we stare up at a super obvious villain lair. Like, come on, bad guys. Locate your base of operations somewhere that doesn’t scream “I cook up evil plans here that have more holes than a porcupine’s sweater.”

It’s been a week since my date with Luca. I was supposed to have a date with Cain tonight, but he had to cancel. I’m helping Elemental out tonight. Usually, I don’t do work on school nights. With Cain moving our date to tomorrow, I have time to help tonight.

We’re looking for a little girl kidnapped by some vampire clan leader. He’s angry at his friendly neighborhood bear sleuth for something or other. So, he decided to steal one of the sleuth’s kids in retaliation. She’s only five, and we’re going to get her back to her family.

The abandoned warehouse has seen better days, with most of the formerly red brick cracked, dirty, and falling apart in some places. Despite being dilapidated, it has high-tech cameras, motion sensors, and floodlights surrounding the outside.

That’s super stealthy. I’m sure there’s nothing nefarious going on here.

“Sir, yes, sir!” I whisper with an exaggerated salute. I hear a few chuckles behind me, but Rhys just rolls his eyes at me. I grin at him in return.

Since my magic is needed, I’m in my typical disguise. With shoulder-length black hair, light brown eyes, and golden tanned skin, I don’t look anything like myself. My face is also more rounded, my nose a little longer, and my cheekbones lower. While I’m still the same height, because changing height requires a ton of magic, it’d be hard for anyone to connect Mags O’Sullivan to Isabel Gallagher.

Since Rhys, Bishop, and Aiden are overprotective of me, there’s speculation at Elemental that I’m dating one or all of them. We sell it that I’m just an old family friend, but I don’t think most people buy that. At least none of them suspect who I am, which is all that really matters.

“No killing unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Rhys informs me and the five men behind us. Although, I’m pretty sure he’s mostly warning me. I may or may not accidentally on purpose kill more bad guys than I’m supposed to on the regular.

David, Max, Finn, Conan, and Cian are with us tonight. They’re all good dudes, and none of them are from Hawthorne Grove. I trust them, as much as I trust anyone other than Bishop and my family, to watch my back.

Bishop isn’t on this mission with us. He’s working on stuff for the Nightshade Pack, so Rhys didn’t tell him about our operation tonight. He wouldn’t be happy to know I’m working for Elemental without him as backup. Oh, well. I’m not particularly happy he’s working for the Nightshades without taking backup, so we’re even.

“Sure thing,” I agree. Our definitions of “absolutely necessary” might be a smidge different, though. Rhys eyes me suspiciously before turning on his heel. He moves on silent feet toward the warehouse. I follow close behind him with David behind me. The other mages are in a line behind him.

When we reach the back door to the warehouse, Rhys signals for Finn, Conan, and Max to circle around to the front. We’re going to go in both entrances at the same time. Rhys hopes we can just get in, find the girl, and get out. But we’re prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Along with my disguise, Anya also made us a scent eliminator potion. Vamps have a crazy good sense of smell, along with super duper hearing and vision. Hiding our scent means we’re more likely to have the element of surprise, but it’s not guaranteed.