Shattered Circle: The Witches Circle Book 3 Read online

  Olivia meets her stare with a glare of her own. "Even if I did, why would I tell you? So you and your demon hunters can crucify him for defending himself? It was an accident. If you guys didn't want a war then you shouldn't have attacked us."

  I've never seen Olivia look more menacing or more like a werewolf. It makes me wonder how much I really know her.

  "Defending himself? Lydia was there to save Emerson. She didn’t attack anyone.”

  "That's why she was holding a bloody dagger, right?"

  *Stop it! Both of you!* I scream through their minds. They both clap their hands to the side of their skulls, faces screwed up in pain. I've never projected my thoughts to two people at once before. I may have overdone the volume a bit.

  *Arianna, Olivia isn't the one who attacked Lydia,* I say, lowering the power a bit. *She was almost killed herself, and would have been if I hadn't healed her. And Olivia, Arianna didn't attack any of you, she was there to stop Caroline, same as me, same as Caiden and Ethan and Lydia. So stop blaming each other and place the blame where it belongs—on Caroline.*

  They both stare at me, wide eyed, lowering their hands from their heads.

  "Remind me not to piss you off..." Olivia mutters.

  "We're just lucky she didn't break any windows this time," Arianna tells Olivia, eyeing me warily.

  "I've never broken any windows," I say indignantly.

  She raises one eyebrow at me. "I heard about what happened when Caiden cornered you in Miss Koff's room."

  "I only cracked the glass; it's not like it exploded or anything," I huff.

  Olivia grins. "Yeah, no biggie. Just cracked the glass..." She shakes her head.

  "What? It wasn't a big deal."

  Arianna and Olivia share a look.

  "Let's just get back to work," I growl at them, though inwardly I heave a sigh of relief. At least they've stopped snapping at each other. I care about both Arianna and Olivia and I don't want them at each other’s throats. If they can get along, maybe there’s hope for a truce after all.

  We spend the rest of class finishing up our maps and talking about inconsequential things. Arianna and Olivia even manage to be civil to each other, and, thankfully, neither one of them mentions Lydia or that night again.

  When the lunch bell rings I go to sit with Sebastian’s group, even though Arianna said I'm welcome to sit with her. But with Ethan still blaming me and the awkward conversation I had with Caiden yesterday, I can't say it's an appealing option. Best if I keep my distance right now.

  I eat my salad, Gray sitting on one side of me, Olivia on the other. Sebastian spends most of the time glaring at Gray, which reminds me of my conversation with James yesterday and his offer to allow me and Sebastian to mate. I peer over the table at Kayla, anger coiling in my stomach. If I had any ideas about getting back together with Sebastian, they were all erased the night I caught Kayla and Sebastian in bed together. Even though Sebastian and I were broken up at the time, it was still a shitty thing for them to do.

  Kayla hasn't glanced at me once since I sat down. Probably afraid I'll hit her again. I know the sight of her now-faded black eye shouldn't fill me with such satisfaction, but I admit, I'm just not that big of a person. She deserved it.

  Josh and Chris ignore me, pretending like I don't exist, but that's world's better than how they were a few weeks ago. I'd take their silence over their barbed insults any day. I keep expecting Josh to mention his dad's visit with me, but he doesn't. I suppose it's not something he can talk about in front of Chris, Kayla and Mei, even if he wanted to.

  English, the one period I'm really dreading, is just as awful as I anticipate. After last night's embarrassing conversation, I have no idea how to act around Caiden. I decide to just ignore him completely, though I secretly hope he'll break the stand-off and talk to me first. The fact that he ignores me just as thoroughly as I do him makes me even angrier, especially since I'd really like to talk to him about everything that happened last night. But maybe it's for the best. I know he’ll blow up if I tell him I actually sat down and talked with James, and I can only imagine his reaction to James' offer of an alliance. Especially the part about Sebastian...

  No, it's better that he doesn't know. I'll just have to wait until I see Gray tonight to talk about any of that.

  Chapter 5

  The dry leaves crunch beneath my feet as I pace back and forth, anxiously searching for headlights in the distance. I glance at my watch for the hundredth time; 10:15. Where is Gray?

  Fuller Park is a huge, with acres of forest trails, picnic sites, and campgrounds. It didn't occur to me until after I got home that we didn't specify a particular place to meet, so I decide to wait for Gray in the first parking lot, directly off the main road leading in. From this vantage point, I should be able to see any passing cars.

  A cawing screech echoes from the treetops as a cold breeze sends a shiver through my body. After a few minutes, I hear the rumble of an engine, and peer into the darkness. The sound gets closer, but I don't see any lights on the road. Squinting into the night, I see a huge dark shape slowly traveling up the road. The headlights are off, but as it nears, I recognize the black Hummer. As it creeps closer, I dart off toward the road. The car slows even more, and I see an arm dangling out of the open window.

  "Hey," I yell to Gray, hoping I'm close enough for him to hear. He stops the car and sticks his head out of the window, and then turns into the lot, parking next to my car.

  "I wasn't sure you'd be able to find me," I tell him as he climbs out. "I don't have your cell number, so I couldn't tell you where to meet me."

  "I'm a werewolf," he says. "Of course I'd be able to find you." At my puzzled expression, he points to his nose. "Better than a bloodhound."

  "You were going to sniff me out like a dog?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

  "If you've got it, use it," he answers glibly.

  I rub my hands briskly on my arms. I've been pacing out here for the last fifteen minutes, and although I wore my warmest sweater, I'm still numb with cold.

  "Here." Gray hands me his leather jacket.

  "What about you?" I ask, scrambling into it, the leather still warm from his body heat.

  "I'm fine. If I get cold, I have you to keep me warm."

  "Like that'll happen," I scoff.

  "Moya luna, you wound me."

  "Why do you keep calling me that?" I ask him seriously. "It means 'my moon' in Russian, right? Why do you keep saying it?"

  He leans back against the Hummer, crossing his arms in front of his massive chest. "It seems appropriate. I'm drawn to you the way wolves are drawn to the moon."

  I sigh. "Forget it. I don't know why I'd expect a serious answer from you."

  "You don't think I'm serious?" He raises one eyebrow at me.

  I just shake my head. I'm sure his flirting is just a ploy on the pack's part to convince me to move to Ashwood. Maybe they think I'm so shallow that a pretty face will be enough to lure me into doing what they want. "That's not what I want to talk about anyway."

  He drops his eyes and purses his lips. "Yeah, about that..."

  "What?" I ask sharply. He'd better not tell me he's changed his mind.

  "Well, I could get in a lot of trouble for answering your questions..."

  "And you want something in return?" I guess.

  "You could say that," he drawls.

  Figures he wouldn't tell me something for nothing. "Alright, what do you want?"

  "Well, I'm still new in town and all, and there’s a party going on this Friday at Chuck Benson's house..." he trails off, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

  "You want me to go to a party with you?"

  "Well I can't show up alone!" he says with mock indignation.

  "Riiiight. And you don't have anyone else to ask? What about Olivia, or even Kayla. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to go with you."

  "True." He smiles. "But I don't want to go with Olivia or Kayla."

  "And why do you want to go with me?"
I narrow my eyes at him.

  "Well, you're all anyone around here can talk about. Showing up with you would score me major street cred."

  I laugh. "'Street cred'?”

  He grins, showing his teeth.

  "If you've listened to anything anyone around here has said about me, you'll know that hanging out with the 'crazy chic' is likely to detract points from your reputation, not add them."

  "Maybe I like crazy."

  "And maybe you have a hidden agenda." I cross my arms and look at him pointedly.

  "Alright, you got me." He throws his hands up in defeat. "It might have a little bit to do with the fact that Madelyn and Vasily asked me to keep an eye on you, just until we can get you out of town."

  "Another babysitter. Great."

  “ ‘Babysitter' is such an ugly word." He wrinkles his nose and leans in toward me. "Why don't you think of me as your escort instead?"

  "Pimping yourself out, huh? I'm not sure I can afford you."

  "For you, luna, I'm free of charge."

  "Lucky me..."

  "So, do we have a deal then?"

  "If I go to this party with you, you'll answer all my questions?"

  "I'll answer whatever I can, though I don't know all that much," he answers cautiously.

  I bite my bottom lip, thinking it over. "Deal." I hold my hand out for him to shake. He wraps his large hand around my much smaller one, the warmth of his skin sending goose bumps up my arm. I snatch my hand back. "But this isn't a date," I warn.

  "Whatever you say." He grins.

  "So, about my mom,” I quickly change the subject. “Why did she leave Madelyn's coven?"

  "What were you told?" He cocks his head curiously.

  "Well, Caroline told me she was running from the pack—from your pack," I tell him. "And my dad said that Madelyn didn't approve of her marrying him, so she left and they never talked again."

  "They're both partly right," he hedges. "Your grandmother didn't approve of Jack, and your mom was hiding from us; well, not just us, but Madelyn as well. But not for the reasons you might think."

  "So why then?"

  He hesitates.

  "Just tell me, Gray."

  "Your mom was engaged to someone else."

  "She WHAT? When? Who?" My mind whirls with possibilities.

  He pauses a moment before answering. "To Vasily."

  "Vasily?” My mind flashes with the image of silver streaked dark hair and intense amber eyes. Silver Ridge’s second in command. “My mom was engaged to Vasily? And she just left him? Ran away with my dad?" I ask, appalled.

  "It's more complicated than that..." He shifts his weight to his other leg and drapes an arm around me, pulling me to his side.

  I stiffen. "Um, what are you doing?"

  "You're shivering," he answers, keeping his arm wrapped around me. "What was I saying again?"

  I attempt to pull away from him but he doesn’t budge. I give him a disgruntled look, but stop struggling. It is warmer with the heat radiating off his body. "You were saying my mom left another guy at the altar.”

  "Well, she didn't exactly leave him at the altar... It was an arranged marriage," he says, dropping his eyes.

  "Arranged? By who?"

  "Nikolay and Madelyn, who else?"

  "My grandmother tried to force my mom to marry someone she didn't want?"

  He shakes his head in frustration. "It wasn't like that. They wanted to join the coven and pack. Elizabeth was the strongest witch, and Vasily the strongest were', after Nikolay and Madelyn, of course."

  "And that makes it okay?" I shake my head in disgust, looking out into the night.

  I feel him shrug next to me. "That's how it's done in the pack. If our Alpha wants an alliance, he arranges a mating."

  His words remind me of my conversation with James. At least this explains why he was so keen to foist Sebastian and Josh into a mating with me.

  "And you have no say in it?"

  "No, we're expected to do what's in the best interest of the pack." Seeing my horrified expression, he chuckles. "Arranged matings don't happen very often; they're mostly outdated. It's only enforced under extreme circumstances."

  "But it happened to my mother."

  "That was almost twenty years ago. Anyway," he shrugs, "that's all I know. Your mom didn't want to marry Vasily, so she ran away with that human."

  "That human is my father," I reply, bristling.

  He opens his mouth, then closes it again. "Right."

  We stand in silence for a few moments, listening to the wind whisper through the trees.

  "So, about that party..." Gray says teasingly. "Is your boyfriend gonna be jealous when you show up with me?"

  I was just beginning to relax, but I stiffen once again. "I told you, Caiden's not my boyfriend."

  "You sure about that?" He looks down at me, raising an eyebrow.

  "Trust me, he's made himself perfectly clear."

  His eyes narrow in speculation. "Huh. So he ended it?" He shakes his head. "Idiot. Lucky for me though." He grins.

  "I don't want to talk about this." I shrug his arm off me, and this time he lets me.

  "So, I guess that explains your lack of a chaperon," he says, ignoring me. "I was shocked to see you here alone."

  "We're not exactly speaking right now. Plus, he thinks I'm staying at Olivia's."

  "You mean he ordered you to stay at Olivia's?" When I don't say anything, he smirks. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I have to say, I'm surprised you put up with him as long as you have, always having him tell you what to do.”

  "He just doesn’t want to see me get hurt," I say defensively.

  "Or he wants to control you."

  "We're done talking about this."

  "Although, to be fair, if I'd known you were showing up here alone, I would've suggested that I pick you up instead. Probably not a good idea to wander around the woods alone right now, what with Caroline and James, not to mention that asshole from your coven‒Richard, was it?"

  I nod my head.

  "Boy, you sure know how to make friends."

  "It must be my charming personality."

  "Yeah, must be. Alright, you're freezing. Time to go."

  "Wait, one more question," I say, putting a hand on his arm to stop him.

  "Yes?"

  "Do you really think James is dangerous? You think he’d come after me? Hurt me?"

  He looks in my eyes, his face suddenly serious. "Yeah, I do. I think any pack except Silver Ridge is going to come after you."

  I look down, debating whether I should tell him about yesterday.

  "You should really consider coming out to Ashwood Creek," he says, reaching out and tipping my chin up to look him in the eyes. "Even if it's only for a little while. We can keep you safe while Madelyn teaches you to control your abilities. Once you can protect yourself, you won't have to worry about James or Caroline, or anyone else."

  As I lay in bed thinking about Gray and our conversation, his silver gaze follows me into sleep. In my dream, Gray smirks down at me, his silver eyes smoldering. Then his face begins to change, his dark hair lengthening, jaw becoming more rigid and square. Age lines appear around his eyes, mouth set into a forbidding scowl.

  "Nikolay, Elizabeth came to speak to me earlier. Her and Roman wish to mate."

  I'm in Madelyn’s hallway, out of sight, peering around the corner into the living room where Madelyn’s speaking to Gray's look alike, Nikolay. I wait with bated breath for his response.

  His mouth turns down in the corners and I know what his answer will be before he speaks. "Roman? No, not him. He's weak."

  My heart plummets. I caress my abdomen, eyes stinging.

  "He is who she wants," Madelyn argues. "We can't force her to mate someone she doesn't care for."

  Nikolay's eyebrows form a ‘v’, his leaden eyes narrowing. "She would be wasting herself on Roman. What about Peter? Or Vasily? Either of them would be fine matches."

  I turn away and sink to t
he ground, legs no longer able to support me. Oh god. He isn't going to agree to it. Panic sets in, suffocating me, and I clutch my abdomen tighter, tears stinging behind my eyes. What am I going to do?

  "Our ways are not yours." Madelyn's voice carries to me. "We do not force unwanted marriages or matings. We agreed a mate bond would more formally join the coven and pack. Elizabeth and Roman will satisfy that need. There is no reason to force her to accept someone she doesn't want."

  "There is every reason," Nikolay argues with a slight growl. "You know the prophecy. The child must be born from a strong bloodline..."

  Madelyn and Nikolay fade to blackness and I drift into a more peaceful sleep.

  The rest of the week crawls by. Caiden’s livid that I stayed at my house alone these last few nights, but since he's barely speaking to me, at least I haven't had to put up with anymore of his demands or disapproving comments. The only time he does speak is to ask me when I'm leaving for Vermont. His eagerness to get me out of town isn't flattering.

  At least Arianna and Olivia have been making some progress toward friendship—or at least they've stopped hurling insults at one another. It's a start. And best of all, my dad’s being released from the hospital today. He was supposed to come home earlier, but the doctors were so baffled by his miraculously quick recovery they kept him a couple of extra days to run all manner of tests on him. Now I just need to make sure he stays in bed this weekend to rest. Easier said than done.

  After school on Friday I rush home, expecting to see my dad kicked back on the couch, maybe watching that Terminator marathon he recorded weeks ago. Gurgles come from the kitchen, the smell of freshly brewed coffee greeting me as soon as I walk through the door. I follow the mouthwatering scent. I hope he made enough for two. I freeze just inside the kitchen doorway, my stomach plummeting.

  "Dad, what are you doing up? The doctor said to take it easy." His travel coffee mug sits on the counter, waiting to be filled. He looks up from the stack of papers next to his briefcase, his dark blond hair gelled back in its usual style.

  "I'm fine," he says, waving away my concern.

  "What is that?" I motion to the gray suit and tie he's wearing. "You aren't planning on going into the office today, are you? The hospital released you less than twelve hours ago!" Even though the hospital tests all came back clear, I still worry about what damage Caroline might have caused by messing around with his memories. I thought after being attacked he might at least take a few days off from work to rest.