Four-Letter Words by Evans, Gabrielle (top 10 books of all time .txt) 📗

“We found it,” Zasha said as the jogged toward Raven. “How do we get in?”

“For this type of spell, there’s usually some kind of passcode, a word or phrase.”

“Or an amulet,” Lynk added as they slowed to a stop. “It’s like the secret decoder ring just for club members.”

It wouldn’t be impossible to get through the barrier without a talisman, but it damn sure wouldn’t be easy, either. Hoping for a simpler solution, Thane and his brothers rattled off a hundred different words and phrases in a dozen different languages. It wasn’t surprising that none of them worked. Nothing had been easy up to that point. Thane didn’t know why any of them thought things would suddenly begin to turn in their favor.

“How do the amulets work?” Bless Zasha, he was trying to think rationally and keep his wits about him, but Thane could practically see the panic bubbling just under the surface.

Yes, they were running out of time. Yes, they needed to find a way in and fast. Nothing was more important to him than his mate, though. Pulling Zasha into his arms, he cradled the back of his partner’s head and kissed his temple. “We’re going to be okay,” he whispered. “I know it feels like we’re stumbling around in the dark, but it’s really going to be okay.”

Visibly relaxing, Zasha melted into him for just a moment before taking a deep breath to compose himself. “You’re right, and I’m fine.” His smile was a little wobbly, but the look in his eyes wasn’t quite so frantic anymore. “Now, about those amulets?”

“It’s usually a stone,” Torren answered. “Each member donates a part of their essence to bind the bewitchment. The idea is that everyone has to sacrifice something to be able to enter.”

“Sacrifice,” Zasha murmured. “When you say a part of their essence, do you mean blood?”

Torren shrugged. “Yeah, usually it’s a drop of blood.”

His fangs elongated to gleam in the moonlight, and Zasha lifted his thumb to his mouth to puncture the skin on the tip of his canine. Then he stepped forward, pushing past the others to smear his offering against the invisible wall blocking their entrance. It was a good plan, and Thane was proud of his man for thinking of it.

It was just too bad nothing happened.

“The protective spells only affected you.” October nodded to indicate each Braddock. “Maybe there’s a reason for that beyond the obvious.”

That sounded oddly ominous to Thane. If the leader was saying what Thane thought he was saying, that meant their enemies were not only expecting them, the Braddocks had been led there. “Lieveling.” He held his hand out to Zasha, palm up, as he stared pointedly at his mate’s sharp fangs. “A little help, if you could.”

Sure, he could use the dagger sheathed on his hip, but Zasha needed the additional strength his blood could provide before they walked into the unknown. Lifting Thane’s palm to his mouth, Zasha stared into his eyes as he bit into the meaty part below the thumb with the utmost care. He didn’t take much, but it was enough to satisfy Thane. When his lover pulled away, he stared at the twin punctures and nodded.

“I almost hope this doesn’t work.” Apparently, Zasha had understood the implication of October’s statement as well.

“We can’t turn back.”

They’d all taken an oath to protect those smaller, weaker, and defenseless. These witches had abused their power, forsaking the gift nature had given them and manipulating it into something dark and vile. Too many innocents had been hurt, too many families torn apart, and nothing would change if someone didn’t stand against them.

Approaching the same stretch of shoreline as Zasha had earlier, Thane found the surface beneath his palm to be cold and smooth. It felt almost like glass but strangely yielding, like one of those medical gel packs. As he smeared his bleeding appendage across the invisible barrier, he felt the resistance fall away, allowing him to push his hand through the other side of the opening.

There was no change in the surrounding area other than a distorted, vertical hoop of rippling air where the solid surface had been. Viewing the lake through the swirling circle of wind blurred the scenery somewhat, but Thane could still see the waters clearly. What he couldn’t see was the part of his hand that pushed through the barrier, giving the illusion that his arm now ended at the wrist.

If the protection spell could be undone by Braddock blood, that meant it had been cast and bound using Braddock blood. Somewhere beyond the flowing vortex, most likely starved, beaten, and sedated as he and Mikko had been, one of his brothers waited for rescue.

There really was no turning back now, but Thane’s worst fear had been confirmed.

Not only had they been led to this point, their own overconfidence used to manipulate them, but they were now willingly walking into a trap.

Chapter Thirteen

Being a thousand-year-old hybrid came with a lot of perks, and Leader Tuesday was well versed in using them to his advantage. Having a battalion of Enforcers at his command probably didn’t hurt, either. Ten minutes after Thane had removed the barrier, October was finalizing arrangements with a Las Vegas werewolf pack to provide reinforcements.

Unfortunately, it would take nearly an hour for the Enforcers to prepare and travel to the location, and there wasn’t time to wait. Someone would need to meet them on their arrival to brief them on the situation. While several people were nominated by their mates, including Zasha, no one held their hand up to volunteer.

After another ten minutes of begging, bargaining, and commanding on Raith’s part, October finally agreed to stay behind and wait for their backup. Additionally, it had been decided that Gideon would stay behind as well—much to the Enforcer’s displeasure—to protect October should anything happen. Since Leader Tuesday was the most important and influential