The Second Covenant

My father was looking at me with horror in every line of his face. “No Cherish, you can’t will it away.” My power. Will it away and I’d die. Yeah. Them’s the breaks. “That cannot be an option. No way.” Peyton was so agitated that I was twitching at the lashes of his temper. Daire, Declan and Donovan were wound so tightly around me it was a bit hard to breathe. “Cherish, you are not expendable.” Pogue said and caught Peyton on his way past to squeeze his shoulder in a manly way. “Look, seriously, I…”
“NO!” the pack said together and my wolf yelped at the lash of their animalistic aura.

I winced. “Alright I hear you already, stop shouting.” My ears were so sensitive, them shouting like that was like a super speaker shoved right up into my ear drum, splintering my brain with the volume. “You giving up your power isn’t going to make this go away honey.” My father said and I sighed heavily. “Fine. So we all die trying to bind the spirit back to the earth, or we troop up to Salem and dig it up so we can kill it.” Dom grinned at me. “Point us at the spot and it‘s dead. Again.”

I fought a smile, his was just so infectious. “If it’s a spirit, it had a body right? I mean it was a person once?” Dax said and I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Then look up the burial records before the Trials. Look for the biggest baddest SOB and there’s your spirit.”

My Aunt Paige added her thoughts. “It might not have ever been human. It could be demonic, or some other kind of supernatural creature.” And off everyone went on the possibilities of what it might be. “I’m going to stick with once human.” I said and was asked to explain why I thought that. “I don’t know, something about the thing seems…psychotic. A very human issue. It fed on my emotions, my fear and made it worse. And when I banished it from the bar it used some very archaic swear words.”

Aunt Lisa perked up. “Like what?” I shrugged. “Hellfire and Damnation. Blethering Christ. It called me a Hell spawned Strumpet. So not up with the more current choices, such a mouthful.” Riley snickered. “Strumpet?” I nodded and flicked Declan’s ear gently. He snapped just as gently at those fingers. “Hellfire and Damnation sounds like something a very religious person would say.” Dax observed and Lisa nodded, looking around for a pen and paper. “Going old Testament on you, you…strumpet.” Tristan said with a mock look of severity.

Lisa found some paper and her hand was flying over it. “The Salem Witch Trials were started by the church. People speculated that there was a conspiracy, that it was all started because some man of the church broke his vow of celibacy.” She was saying and I snorted. “Oh yeah, and he blamed it all on the woman. Typical.” I said and Declan licked my cheek. “Declan, you keep your tongue off my Lupa.” Druex snarled and Declan lowered his head, laughter sparkling in his eyes as his tongue swiped over the inside of my wrist. A quick flick and then he was off the couch and running for the next room.

Druex snarled after him and slid over the couch back to pull me into his lap. “You even think about doing what you did in the kitchen and you’re one dead dog.” I said in his ear he nuzzled my throat and I felt him smile. “Yes ma’am.” I had my side snuggled against his chest, my arm around his shoulders, curled up in his lap like a kitten. Peyton was glowering at us. His arms crossed and one foot braced back on the bookshelf sullenly. “I think Dax might be right, to look up the burial records for anyone buried outside the church with a record of extremely violent crimes. Before you all drive up there and go in, spells flying.”

Dax looked very pleased with himself and I smiled, swallowing back a sassy comment. And gave a yawn instead, I was getting drowsy again. Curled up on Druex, with three wolves cuddled around us and all I could think of doing was falling asleep. “It’s going to be dark in a few hours, we’ve all had a long day. I think everyone should go home tonight and rest. We’ll pick up in the morning.” My dad said and I wanted to cry. Thank you Jesus. Time to go to bed. “And are they staying here?” Peyton asked with a sneer for my pack. I smiled with a sickly sweetness, I sounded tired, but it was that bedroom voice, tired and sexy. “Just like last night.” My father rolled his eyes but Peyton shoved off the bookcase and stomped out.

Uncle Pogue blew out a breath and Kate came over to kiss my cheek. “Sorry honey, he‘ll get over it.” She said and left with her family. Part of me was sad that Peyton was making this so hard on himself. “Night, night Cherish.” Riley said as he swanked out. “Don’t let the fleas bite.” Declan came around the corner and playfully nipped at Riley’s heels with a growl. Paige patted him on the way out. “Good boy.”

Tristan wiggled his lips and frowned. “You look like you’re about to pass out and sleep for a week.” I blinked lazily at him. “A week might do it.” Declan put his paw on my arm and tilted his head to the side, he was still worried. “Is this some side effect of almost changing?” Tristan wanted to know and I grumbled over having to make my brain work so hard. “Sort of…er…I thought Cherish had already shifted. We tried to call her beast, make her shift. And she fought. Fought it to a stand still. You’re no supposed to be able to do that.” Dom said, his cheeks spotted with color.

I closed my eyes. I could smell the embarrassment, the apology. “She is Queen of Stubborn. You can’t ‘make’ that girl do anything.” I felt a ghost of a smile on my lips, but I was so sleepy. I turned my face against Druex’s throat, let my hair fall over me like a blanket. He moved a little bit under me, settling me more solidly against him, brought his hand up to cover mine where it rested on his chest.

After that I caught snippets of conversation. My father’s voice, Dax, Druex. My mother, talking about something. But it wasn’t really important, I was warm and safe. Nothing was going to get me right now. I could sleep and not dream, just so long as Druex held on to me. Just so long as I could float on the warm air, scented with pack and mate.
“Fold down the seat and I can squeeze in with her.” I heard Druex say, and then I was out again.