Chapter 367: Crow, Come to Me
Where had that voice come from? August stared out into the distance, waiting to hear it again—that disembodied, ethereal voice that was nonetheless unmistakably Greta’s. Why was Greta calling to her? Were they in trouble? If that were the case, why wouldn’t it be Graeme’s voice she was hearing?
"We need you or we need to find that talisman," the voice drifted her way again, carried on the very air itself.
August let the Veiled come fully to her eyes, looking for any indication as to how she had heard it. There was no way that Greta was here. There was no way they had come for her after she left Graeme the way that she had—with him understanding why she must leave to do this alone, with him giving her his full trust—something she cherished deeply.
A ripple of what appeared to be sound waves flourished around her, and she reached out to touch one, but it skittered away—ungraspable, its waves moving now in the opposite direction.
"Greta?" she called and watched as her voice created a similar wave, dancing out across space. She waited to see if Greta would respond to her, but a reply never came.
August looked down at the talisman she was wearing, grasping it in her hand again and running her fingers along the raised design. Greta said they needed this... it must be for Graeme. She searched her inner feelings for him—for that chord that connected them. She didn’t try truly reaching out to him before, because she didn’t want him to think she needed him. She didn’t want to panic him or give him any reason to come here and endanger himself until she had figured out how to take care of this situation—how to kill this monster. But now she was the one who was worried.
"Graeme?" she called with the innermost part of herself, running her deep love for him along that chord so that it would reach all the way to him, across space and time to wherever he was now and whatever he was going through. "Please tell me that you are all right," she breathed. "I will send the talisman to you, Bun Bun. Hold on."
Her eyes searched the Veiled for the midnight blue essence of the Crow who had been her companion even here. If it could travel between worlds, it could certainly take this talisman back to its owner.
"Crow... come to me," she called out, watching her voice carry, vibrating in waves on the particles of air that surrounded her.
"What do we have here?" one of the male voices from before circled around to her, its owner close behind.
He was a large lycan, burly and unkempt with a wicked smile on his face at finding something new to entertain him. Two other males joined him, spreading out around her with the same hungry eyes that reminded her more of wild predators than the humans they resembled at the moment.
Shit. She had spoken when they were not yet far enough away. They must have heard her responding to Greta. This was going to be troublesome.
A harsh cawing greeted her from the sky, her crow’s dark form soaring overhead, and she quickly took off the medallion to hold it out in silent communication—a clear offering so its shiny surface would catch the crow’s eye.
"He needs it," she said, watching her words reach and change the crow’s trajectory. While the males around her watched in amusement without yet closing in, the dark bird swooped down and took the offering from her before flying off into the distance.
August breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she could count on that mysterious bird to deliver the talisman back to her mate for whatever it was he needed it so desperately for. "Please be okay, Bun Bun," she breathed, hoping the message would reach him. Hoping he could still feel her.
"That was interesting," one of the males chuckled, cracking his knuckles as he glanced at the other two. "So what should we do with her? She’s new."
"You don’t recognize her? She is the Luna alyko. Very special, this one," the first chuckled, taking a few steps her way with dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"Clearly. She speaks to birds," the third said. "We should take her back to the boss. Where was she kept?"
"I haven’t seen her in containment," the second said.
"Maybe we should have some fun with her first," the first burly one smiled, approaching her now and August stepped back with her back against the tree.
What was the best way to handle this? If she used any kind of ability and Zagan happened to be watching the map, he would know where she was—or where some loose alyko was. Then she would be back in that room with the cage, and this time she wouldn’t be able to get out so easily.
On the other hand, if she didn’t use her ability and these males didn’t turn her in to Zagan right away, it was possible she could get away from them without being discovered by the vampire. Or maybe they could take her to where all the others were kept, effectively saving her the trouble of finding the place herself.
"Please don’t take me back to containment," she said fearfully, deciding to give it a try.
The second and third males, smaller in stature compared to the first, looked at each other and chuckled at how apparently hilarious her predicament was while the first kept his eyes glued on her. She swallowed audibly and let her bottom lip tremble as she watched him get closer, all the while knowing she could take this shithead out in a second—throwing him aside like she had Penelope with just the flutter of a thought. But she tried to keep her thoughts in line, lest she use her power without explicitly meaning to.
"You look lost and alone out here," the aggressor said, leaning in so close that she could smell the sweat on him.
Perhaps strays did not bathe as often, because this one stank. She held her breath, hoping he would back off before she gagged and offended him.
"Yes," she said tremulously, avoiding his eyes like a truly frightened female would do. "I am l-lost."
"Seth said this one was meant to be treated well, remember?" one of the other two males reminded the burly one who snorted in response.
"Seth is not here," he snarled, his lip curling to reveal the stained decaying teeth within.
"The boss gave him that order, Ry," the other male said.
"We mustn’t anger the boss," the male named Ry said facetiously in a mocking voice. "We are our own bosses, remember? That is why he chose us. We have no pack! We have no Alpha!" He roared the final words like a motto, grabbing August’s wrists as he did and thrusting her forward out from under the shelter of the tree.
