I closed my eyes. It had been stupid to think that he’d want to be allies. Most witches hated the wolves. But those prejudices wouldn’t get us anywhere. Just in the short time I’d been at St. Ailbe’s I’d understood the truth. While we hid from the world behind our barriers, learning cleansing rituals and brewing potions, the wolves started training to fight from childhood. Their hunters had been clearing the world of evil for years, giving us the freedom to thrive.

If it got back to Luciana that I was trying to make allies, then so be it. She’d lost her leverage over me and I wasn’t letting her or anyone else push me around anymore.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. I hadn’t meant to get so riled up. I had to think clearly. Calmly.

Picture what you want and believe it will be so.

I was going to find a cure for my brother. I wasn’t leaving this evil sect’s lands until I had what I was looking for.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

It felt like ages before we stopped, but it only took an hour. The closer we got, the more I had the urge to turn around. My gut was sending me all kinds of warning signals. The black aura ahead of us that grew bigger with every passing second only made that feeling worse.

Had I really seen that bright white aura in all this darkness?

The sect’s compound was small, with only one tiny, dead-end dirt road that ran between a cluster of old stone buildings. The only thing that identified it was the sign on the side of the road. It was a tiny rectangle, almost completely covered by moss and dirt, but I could just make out the name. Not that it helped me identify the place. The word was long and unpronounceable, with way too many consonants.

From what I could see, there were four bigger structures, although the word “big” was a bit much for what was there. They were small, one story, and probably one room inside. The two smaller buildings looked like little more than huts.

Matt got out of the car, and I followed suit. As soon as I did, chills ran down my arms. This place had a deadened feeling, and I didn’t think I was sensing that because the compound was warded. Peru was so vibrant. So full of life. It was like there was magic in every piece of grass. But not here. The quiet felt empty.

An old man stepped from one of the bigger buildings. He took careful steps toward us, his back hunched over from his age. But his aura…

Black as pitch, shot through with blood-red ribbons.