Filed To Story: Traded To The Lycan King Novel (Colette & Merikh) by MG Wattsons
“And you are avoiding the subject.” I frown at him. “I am fine here. You need to go talk to Leandra. Not as her mate, but as my beta, perhaps she will answer questions not related to you and your bond with her.”
Hayes is no doubt unhappy with my suggestion, but he shakes his head and sighs before he runs his hands through his hair. “I’d really rather not,” He grumbles. “I think I just need a little more time”
I look at my younger brother, really look at him and I can see the way this all hurts him. Hayes has always been the sensitive one. The one I turn to when I am being too dense or hard to notice something needs a gentler touch. Hayes has waited for his mate for years only to find her not able to be herself. Of course it breaks him.
“How about this then, help me get to Percy’s room?” I offer, “And I will go with you after to visit Leandra. We can try to talk to her together.”
“Do you think I really want to get my ass drowned by my luna?” He scoffs. “Because that is what will happen. I saw how she drowned that damn troll thing with a freaking floating water bubble. Sorry, brother, but your mate is scarier than you.”
The door opens on cue and in strolls my stunning Luna, her wet hair slicked back in a high ponytail and an unsatisfied frown on her pretty lips. She rushes to my side, slipping under my arm to help me stand up straighter. I bite back the groan of pain as she grips my waist, trying to avoid my burns.
“What are you doing? You should be in bed still.” She hisses, looking up at me as I grin down into her perfectly pinked, angry face.
“I was just about to go visit Percy” I grin at her. She slides her eyes to Hayes and then clears her throat, looking away. Her lack of response to my answer has my skin crawling, waiting for the bad news. “What happened?” I ask.
“Percy..he isn’t really himself right now..” she whispers, and I furrow my brow.
“What the hell does that mean?” I ask her and she bites her lip, looking into my eyes, her own filled with tears she is trying to keep at bay.
“He feels guilty. He won’t speak to anyone. Not even Penny.” She says, sadness in her eyes.
I look at Hayes, who seems to have the same thought I do.
3:44 PM M
“He was talking with Penny the other day?” I ask her and she nods.
“Yeah, he seemed like he was doing so much better, and then suddenly he stopped talking to everyone and started refusing food.” She says, looking between Hayes and me like she is trying to figure out what is going on.
Both Leandra and Percy are no longer speaking. I don’t know if Leandra is eating or not, but the fact that neither is choosing to speak makes me think we have two options for what species is helping the red–eyed wolves.
Many species have the ability to control or possess others, but only two species leave their puppet a shell of a person until the one in control is close enough again to either release them or reuse them. Witches and Fae. But not just any witch or fac. Those of higher status. Considering both Elm and Brent are here, on our side, that means one of their species is being used against us.
Now the question is which species, and who?
“I need to see Caspian. Now.” I tell Hayes. “And bring Brent and Elm as well. I think we may finally have a direction to work in.”
*Colette “You should at least try to rest and lie down while you wait for them all to come back,” I insist, and he shakes his head.
*If I have to rest for a minute longer, I am going to implode.” He grumbles, taking a step. I panic, my arm sliding up his back as he groans in pain, his head flying back as he grits his teeth.
“Sorry!” I hiss, releasing him as he slumps to the side, his hands landing on the side table to hold himself up. “Shit,” I mutter.
“Perhaps a walking stick would be better,” he says, wincing.
*Or maybe you should be sitting down at the very least.” I say, looking around the room, finding a tall stool for him to sit on. I drag it over to him, then as gently as 1 can I lead him to it. My eyes scan his back, the pink, melted skin breaking my heart with every breath he takes.
“Are you going to fill me in on what you and Hayes were silently figuring out? Or do I have to find out with my father?” I ask him.
He exhales, his hand on his side and a grimace on his face as he tries to inhale a deep breath “Percy and Leandra, no longer speaking, is not a coincidence. At least I do not believe it is.”
I furrow my brows, walking around in front of him. Merikh reaches out, tugging me closer to him as he wraps his tired arms around me, sticking his hands in the pockets of my jeans. I place my hands on his face, stroking it with my thumb, afraid to touch him anywhere else. Should it cause him any more pain?
“What makes you think that?” I sigh, relishing the sparks from our bond that zip through us. His color returns to his cheeks. no longer looking so gaunt as the sparks work as a painkiller for him “There are certain ways someone can be spelled or enchanted to do whatever the spellcaster wants. Most species have a way to do it, but only two leave the host a shell of themselves when they are too far away from their caster. Meaning that when the others fled after the fight, they took the caster with them, also meaning that the person behind it all is a witch or a fae.”
I chew on my lips, processing what he is saying. Then I open my mouth to ask another question, but the door flies open. I turn to look at my father as he rushes in, Brent and Elm right behind him and Hayes bringing up the end. I step to the side, my hand sliding to Merikh’s hair, just to have a hand on him “Hayes says you have an idea of whom to look for?” Brent asks hopefully and Merikh nods, his eyes looking glossy and dull as he grows more drained by the second.
“You should be in bed,” I remind him quietly and his eyes skirt in my direction, a hint of annoyance filtering through the bond between us and to smile. Sick and exhausted, and he still gets annoyed with me. That has to be a good sign, right?
I try “Both Percy and Leandra, the woman from the woods, have stopped eating and talking. He says, looking around. Caspian looks at Brent and Elm over his shoulder, both looking stunned as their brows knit together and they look at each other.
“Is it possible?” Capsian asks them. Elm pinches the bridge of his nose and Brent drags his hand through his short, dark hair. “I can’t begin to imagine who it would be on my end, but it is a possibility, yes,” Elm admits. Brent frowns and nods, looking at the ground.
“My circle of people is much smaller than Elm. I trust them all explicitly, but that does not mean it can’t be possible.” Brent admits.
“I see,” Caspian says, an unimpressed frown on his lips before he sighs. “Does anyone in particular come to mind?”
“I can only think of two.” Elm says, “the others have been silent on council matters. But there are two who are openly against werewolves and lycans.”
“I will need to go back to my coven. To try to see if I can break what curse has a hold of them.”
He who has traveled and when Brent says. “But tryi would like to speak with them “I thought you had done everything you could to break it and failed?” I ask him and he shrugs.
“Verbal communication is not the only kind that exists. There are ways around spells without breaking them.”
“Go now,” Caspian says to Brent. He moves toward the door and I look at Merikh, trying to decide if I should stay with him.