Chapter Fifty

Kerry

The professor—Brad—was on the floor, face down, when Kerry made it to the infirmary. He was alive, because Kerry could hear his breathing and see him moving slightly.

The pack nurse stood by the cell door. "Have you been inside?"

She gave Kerry a frown. "I was checking on his bandage when it happened." She pointed toward the small window above the bed. "She appeared there. In the glass. Said something that put him in a trance. He became irate, and then passed out."

Kerry frowned. "You didn't catch what she said?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, it was in another language. I called the wolves on duty, and they brought you back. I won't lie, it was scary."

For a pack nurse to say something was crazy, Kerry knew it must have been. Anything to do with possession and dark magic was way beyond what he was comfortable with.

Kerry unlocked the cell with the keys hanging on the opposite wall. Brad didn't stir when Kerry walked near him. Nudging his leg with his foot, Kerry lifted an eyebrow. "Brad," he said, bending down beside him. "Everything okay, bud?"

Kerry glanced over his shoulder at the pack nurse, who shrugged in return. When he turned back, Brad jolted to his knees, facing Kerry with wide, terrified eyes.

He launched forward with both hands on Kerry's shoulders. "She came back. She went into my mind and tried to find something useful. They're coming. She said to take cover. She—" He glanced down at his hands that looked branded with marks. "She put these marks on me. So they would know who not to kill."

Kerry grabbed his wrist and stared. "What are these?"

Brad pulled away and stood up on weak legs. "Is it the full moon?" he asked, trying his best to look out his window. "When is it? When are they coming?"

Kerry stood up. "It's tomorrow night."

Brad sat down and put his palms over his face. "She was mad I hadn't found the book. Do you have the book?" He leaped forward, shaking Kerry. "Please, give her the book."

Kerry pushed away from him. "Calm down. I'm not giving the witch anything but a pathway to Hell. And neither are you. Why are you so scared if she's not going to kill you?"

He swallowed. "They are going to take anyone they don't kill with them. I haven't married yet. I want a family and children. They can't take me."

Kerry removed himself from the cell. Brad began to bang his head against the bars, drawing blood. "Oh, my God," he mumbled. "She's made him mad."

The nurse nodded. "Should I get Cynthia or Demetria?"

"No, leave Cynthia alone for now. She's dealing with something else. I'll let Demetria know. Call us if you need us. I'll send the wolves back down."

Kerry jogged up the stairs and sent the two wolves back down. Most of the pack had split ways, with instructions to meet early in the morning for a final rundown before the shenanigans started the next afternoon.

Cynthia sat with Dan on the porch swing. Kerry didn't dare break that up, because Dan seemed dead-set on winning her over.

What were the chances? Or maybe it wasn't a chance at all, but fate that Cynthia was there. Kerry followed Demetria's scent to his house.

She sat in the living room with Sabrina's diary in her lap, staring at the back of the chair across from her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

She looked over at him. "No. I just read a few pages of the diary where Claire left off. Ivory is definitely in love with her brother."

Kerry cringed. "Ew. I know incest wasn't a big deal back then. You know, keeping the bloodline clean, but it still grosses me out."

"Ivory killed Sabrina."

Kerry walked toward the chair and realized Kitty was sitting in it, across from her. "How do you know? I can't imagine she came back from the dead and wrote that."

She pointed toward Kitty. "Kitty just told me."

Kerry glanced down at the cat, who hissed at him. "You read his mind, Demetria?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"No, he said it out of his mouth, Kerry. This is so much," she whispered, her throat sounding dry. "Kitty was Ivory's mate, a werewolf. When he refused to kill Sabrina so Ivory wouldn't get her hands dirty, she cursed him. He was to live forever, always finding Sabrina's soul in the next life to be reminded of his failures."

Kerry glared at the cat. "What in the … I would feel sorry for him, but he hisses at me daily. Why doesn't he like me or Cynthia?"

Demetria frowned. "Because he was an alpha, and doesn't like other wolves from other pacts. And despite what Ivory did, she is still his mate, and he doesn't like anyone that stands in the way of stopping her."

"Should we kill him?" Kerry suggested.

"He can't die. He'll live forever."

Kerry sighed. "We should lock him up with the bird tomorrow. Ivory will be here. We don't need an ankle biter getting in our way."

Kitty didn't run. It was as if he didn't want to help Ivory, but couldn’t stop himself. Demetria stood up and picked up Kitty. A part of Kerry's wolf didn't like her holding an alpha, but this one wasn't getting any more human-ish any time soon.

"I'll put him in the upstairs guest bedroom." She looked over at Kerry. "I want to spend some time alone with you tonight. It's our last night before they come, and I need you to know something."

Kerry watched her lock Kitty in the second-story bedroom. When she walked downstairs, she stared at him for several seconds. "Give it to me," he said, opening his arms. "I can sense the tears. Lay them out for me."

Demetria's bottom lip trembled. She sat down in Kerry's lap and curled into a ball. "We have to use anything we can find to toss at them tomorrow. We'll need proof that Ivory killed Sabrina. Maybe Ike will turn on her, and we can use it to our advantage."

He stroked her hair softly. "Let's not talk about it tonight, okay? Let's be with one another."

She sniffled. "I love you, Kerry."

"I love you."

Demetria sat up quickly with wide eyes. "I mean, what about Dan and Cynthia, though? What a plot twist, right?"

Kerry chuckled. "Yeah, well, I didn't see that one coming."