Chapter 17:Backup
783 Words
New York City was truly the city that never slept. Not even at three in the morning. Elijah sat alone in his apartment staring blankly at class notes he had reread six times without processing a single word. His phone vibrated across the table as Alpha Zeke’s name lit up the dark screen.
Elijah answered instantly. “Alpha.”
“North Carolina,” Zeke said immediately. “Blue Ridge area. Rogue attack.”
Elijah was already standing before the sentence finished.
“You think it’s her.”
“I think,” Zeke said carefully, “there are too many coincidences to leave this to chance. I cannot take that risk. If Naomi is here, she will be in danger. And if she isn’t then it’s just another dead end.”
Elijah’s chest tightened painfully. Naomi always preferred quiet places. She always said how beautiful the mountains near the Blood Howler pack were. Chris’s voice sounded faintly somewhere in the background.
“We need to tell him about the witches.”
Elijah’s interests peaked as Zeke continued.
“There have been missing witches across the country. They appear to be moving East. We think it’s connected.”
Elijah grabbed his jacket as he reached for his sneakers in the tiny closet area.
“I’ll check it out. I can be there in a few hours.”
“You’ve already done enough. You have searched every weekend since you went away to NYU. You have been up and down the entire Eastern seaboard.”
“No,” Elijah answered quietly. “Not until I find her. She’s my best friend.”
Zeke exhaled, power and authority emitting through the telephone line, “Call the second you know anything.”
A plane ride and rental car later, Elijah stood across from the shattered bakery in Flat Rock while police lights painted the street blue and red. The scent of blood hit him immediately. And beneath it all was Naomi. Her smell was faint, but she had definitely been here.
The bakery looked frozen in the aftermath of violence. Deep claw marks lined the walls while traces of salt and herbs scattered the floor beneath shattered glass. There was magic here. Elijah frowned slightly. Then, a quiet voice spoke from behind him.
“You’re looking for Naomi.”
The name hit like ice water. Elijah turned instantly as an older grey-haired woman with pin curls in her hair and a soft robe stood near the back hallway with fresh bandages wrapped around one shoulder. Despite the exhaustion lining her face, sharp intelligence remained in her eyes.
“Do you know me?” Elijah said carefully.
“No,” the woman corrected softly. “But, when Naomi moved into my upstairs rental apartment she hung one photo. Care to guess who was in it?”
“You know Naomi. Where is she? Is she okay?”
Pain flickered briefly through the woman’s expression.
“The girl you seek is long gone.”
His chest tightened painfully.
“How long ago?”
“At least a few hours.”
That somehow made it both better and worse. Elijah stepped farther into the bakery. Then, he caught another scent beneath Naomi’s. A bear. His wolf stilled immediately and howled in a way he had never heard before.
The older witch watched with a slight smile as realization settled across her face.
Then, she said quietly and more serious, “They found her. Or rather… they found what she is.”
Elijah frowned. “What does that mean?”
The witch hesitated then answered softly.
“She’s Ariran.”
The word meant nothing to him, but the apparent fear did. Outside, distant thunder rolled through the mountains. Elijah immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Chris. He answered on the second ring.
“You found something.”
Elijah looked once more toward the lingering scent trail disappearing into the dark woods beyond town.
“Alpha Zeke was right,” he said full of determination.
“Naomi?” Chris asked with more care than he should’ve.
“She’s was here. From what I can tell, she is unharmed. But, she must have fled.”
Elijah continued carefully.
“There’s more going on than rogue attacks.”
Alpha Zeke interrupted the call. “Explain.”
“I can’t yet.” Elijah rubbed a hand over his jaw. “But witches are involved. Something about an Ariran.
Then, from Chris thing time, “I’m coming.”
Elijah looked toward the claw marks carved through the bakery walls and the failed wards lining the doors. He breathed a sign of relief.
“And Chris?”
“What?”
“I think we need backup.”
- Writer
