November Reign (Northarbor Coven #3)

8. Slip the Leash

Slip the Leash

Thyme

Oak was quiet after our talk. He didn’t return to training or the kitchen that afternoon, begging off with a migraine. I’d stopped by his room with some tinctures and heard him muttering to someone. When Hela had barged by me to get into his room, I’d seen for myself that he had been napping, his dreams troubled. As soon as the Hellcat had butted her head against his face, he had calmed. His expression had evened out into something sweet. Thanks to her, he was no longer pained by the nightmare that had plagued him.

“Cool power,” I whispered to Hela. She gave me a chirruping reply before she settled down against Oak’s side for a nap.

I closed the door and left them to it.

He withdrew further, almost returning to the days before we tried the new methods of training. There wasn’t the same combativeness in our relationship, just very clear boundaries I was not going to cross. I often caught him on calls to his sister, so at least he had someone to talk to.

His revelation about training to suit our strengths instead of acting against our enemy’s playbook struck a chord with most of us. Gregoris didn’t ask for Keren, his grandfather, to return to teach Cody, instead he asked for his advice then used as much of it as he felt appropriate.

Damon was back to ignoring magic for his guns and knives. Well, for all of a day, until Oak reminded him in a mock magical attack, that we couldn’t afford to get lax with the magical training.

Samhain, or Halloween, arrived in the coven. As witches we usually celebrated with a bonfire and a feast where we would leave a place setting for the spirits among us. I’d wanted to honor Damon’s mother, Fern, that way, but my little brother had other ideas.

Damon had followed Mori to the demon realm for business. Demons liked Halloween for how thin the veils were between each of the realms only because it made travel easier, but otherwise they avoided humans and their pageantry.

Both Cody and Parker were also gone, taking Barr and their mates with them, leaving me alone in the mansion with Oak.

Not that it was awkward or anything.

We ate dinner together. He left settings for his parents. I left one for Fern, sending a photo to Damon which was promptly ignored. Having a bonfire was out, so we lit candles and said our prayers to the goddess for the harvest.

After we cleaned up, I went into the living room, determined not to feel sorry for myself that I was stuck at home and the others were all enjoying time with their mates.

“Am I interrupting?” Oak asked as he carried in two bourbons. “Brought you a drink.”

“Thanks, and no. I just…”

“It’s quiet without them, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Should we put on a movie or something?”

Maybe the awkwardness between us would fade if we spent time together.

“Sure, you pick and I’ll make some popcorn.”

The kernels were popping away in the background as I rustled up the toppings. I knew from experience Oak preferred sweet over savory, which was fine with me. I was making a butterscotch sauce when Barr walked in with a nervous expression.

“Aren’t you supposed to be with the others back home?”

“I, uh, Thyme?”

“Yeah?” I took the popcorn off the heat to focus on what Barr was saying. Switching off the burner for the sauce, I gave him my full attention.

“Promise you won’t tell Mori or Gregoris, please? ”

“Tell them what?”

“I need you to promise first.”

Just looking at Barr, it was clear he was upset about something. If promising him I wouldn’t go running to Mori was what I needed to get it out of him, then that’s what I’d do.

“Fine. Unless Damon’s life is in danger. Then Mori needs to know, okay?”

Barr nodded. “He’s fine, he’s just not where I left him.”

“Wasn’t he with Mori?”

“Uh, no?”

“What? Wasn’t it a dinner meeting with investors and then they were going to a show or something?”

“Um, Mori and Gregoris had the meeting. Damon and Parker said they’d go to the orchard with Cody so Toth could watch over them.”

“Okay, so there was a change of plans. Did you go to the orchard?”

Wringing his hands, Barr looked down. I was getting a really bad feeling about this.

“I couldn’t.”

“Why?” I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

“They weren’t there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cody told Toth that Mori was taking him to the show, but he knew Toth wouldn’t like it and asked if he’d mind him going without him. Toth was happy to stay home alone. He’s got Hela with him for company. Cody said he was a little unsure when Cody told him he’d be staying in the capitol, but Cody promised to be home first thing in the morning.”

This was a shit show.

“Follow me,” I ordered as I rushed to the living room where Oak was still flicking through our movie choices.

“I thought a comedy—“

“Pretty sure Cody, Damon and Parker are off doing something stupid.”

Oak was beyond angry. His face was wiped clean of any expression. It was so carefully blank I actually feared for Damon’s safety, because let’s be real, Damon was the ringleader.

“Explain,” he barked at Barr.

Unable to bear seeing the poor Hellhound looking on the verge of tears, I wrapped an arm around him.

“This isn’t your fault. I’m glad you came to us.”

“Why didn’t you go for their mates?” Oak was quick to ask. It was a fair question .

“They, uh, they are always with them. They don’t get a lot of freedom. I hoped—“

“If we found them, then they wouldn’t have to know.” Oak spared me a glance.

“Yes,” Barr practically whispered.

So what did we do? I felt sorry for Barr and maybe even understood where Damon was coming from. Ever since Cody had met Toth, actually back when he’d met Damon, he’d lost a lot of his freedoms.

“We don’t like living like this any more than they do, but we also like living. It’s too dangerous for them out there. Are they at least in the demon realm?”

Oak made a scoffing noise at my question. “No, they are partying it up here. If they were in the demon realm then he’d just tell Mori and have him fix it so Gregoris and Toth didn’t find out, right?”

Barr nodded again, looking miserable.

“How did they even get here? They didn’t have you take them because you’re here, looking for them. Did they leave you behind?”

The poor Hellhound was going to cry for sure. “Cody knows how to get back to the human realm now,” he said mournfully. “But it tires him quickly.”

“How did they slip away?” I prodded.

“They sent me to the bar for shots and when I turned around, they’d gone. I tracked them to outside the club, but there was only the scent of a portal to the human realm.”

“Okay, so where did that go? Did you follow it?”

This time, Barr looked frustrated. “Of course! They did something with their scents to mask them.”

“I knew they were up to something!” Oak grumbled. He rubbed Barr’s shoulder. “Not your fault, okay? We’ll find them.”

“How?”

“Well,” Oak looked at me for help.

“First, we are going to try a tracking spell. Damon is smart, so they’ll have changed their appearance and smell. That’s easy. He isn’t as good at masking his magical signature.”

“Perfect,” Oak praised, making me feel warm inside. “While you try to trace his magic, me and Barr are going to check out the places he’s most likely to be. Just in case they manage to hide from your spell.”

I agreed with that plan. As long as they were found unharmed, I didn’t care how it was done. I just prayed to the goddess that we were the only ones that found them. I hoped none of the aviary or any of Basil’s people got to them first.

“They’re in Northarbor, right?” Oak asked Barr, who nodded. “If they are just trying to let loose, we need to find out where the best parties are.”

“How are you going to find that?” I wondered aloud .

“Social media.”

I looked at Barr, who seemed to know even less than I did.

Oak sighed. “I forget you’re old,” he joked, softening around me for the first time in days. “Parker is great at computers, but he forgets about social media a lot of the time. The humans love to take pics of everything. I bet we’ll find the hottest party and Damon will be front and center.”

“Barr, could you get me some fresh rosemary from the pots in the greenhouse, please?”

The Hellhound nodded and left the room. He seemed happier now we had a plan in action. I felt terrible for him. Mori and Gregoris were putting too much on his young shoulders. They should have had another guard, but since they thought Damon and Parker were going to be safe at the orchard with Toth, they hadn’t bothered asking anyone else.

“You know we can’t hide this from the others, right?” Oak leaned in his chair, staring at the ceiling, probably wishing this was just a bad dream.

“Of course. I get why they did it. They’re all so young and the last few months…”

“Have been a shit show. Still, this could be dangerous. I just wanted to check if we’re on the same page.”

“I just want to find them safe and sound. We can deal with the rest later.”