Kiss Of The Alpha : A YA Paranormal Romance

Chapter 175: Chapter 175

Heather

I started to tell Brent as much when something caught my eye.

In the little break in the cabinets that connected the kitchen to the living room, someone was lying on the floor. The shards of a broken mixing bowl scattered all around them.

The momentary relief I’d felt was gone. Replaced with terror.

If I was seeing what I thought, then Luciana had stolen everyone’s magic. Killed every single person in the coven.

And winning the fight against her was about to become infinitely more impossible.

I needed to be sure, only I didn’t want to go inside. Not one little bit.

Shit. There was no getting around it.

As soon as I opened the front door, the smell wafted out. It was exactly the same as the others, but I had to go in. I had to be sure.

Cherie. What do you see? Brent waited at the bottom of the porch steps.

I’m not sure yet. I need to check... I entered into the house. The person on the couch was a teenage boy. I’d never spoken to him, but I remembered him from the one class I’d taken during my stay at the compound.

He stared at TV. His skin was gray and wrinkled, like the others. And the eyes that had died watching TV were twin black raisins.

"Shit." I made an effort to breathe through my mouth as I moved past him to the kitchen.

His mother had died baking a cake. Two candles lay on the counter. A one and a four.

How could she do it? To kids? To families?

Brent and Mr. Langdon came through the door as I left the kitchen. I wiped my hands down my face.

"How could she do this? It was his birthday. He was only fourteen." They started to say something, but I waved them off. There was nothing to say.

Nothing for us to do. It was too late. We were too late. "We can search the compound, but I think everyone here is going to be like this." I waved my hand around the gruesome scene. I didn’t even know them, but they didn’t deserve this. No one deserved this.

"Luciana’s car is gone," Cosette said as she came through the door. "Her house is empty, but I’m sensing power inside. No other traps." She crouched on the floor and gently touched the woman’s cheek. "What a waste. And what a selfish use of magic." Only she moved in the silent room, tucking a lock of hair behind the woman’s ear and then closing her eyes. "Maureen was a kind woman. And Elijah was a sweet boy. All they did was listen to the one who was supposed to be leading them."

I swallowed the ache building at the back of my throat. It would be the same scene in every house. Forty people dead? Fifty? And all her own coven. I didn’t have the words.

"Any idea where she might’ve gone?" Mr. Langdon said.

"None." When Cosette finally stood, she pressed her hands against her temples, not crying but showing pain in her way. "I have to report it, but as soon as I do, I’ll get pulled home. There’s too much danger. But I can’t leave now." She started to push past me, heading for the door. "I’ll check the other houses. I want to see their faces."

"Hey." I grabbed her sleeve before she got to the door. I’d forgotten that she lived with the coven for months before I got there. She knew them in a way I didn’t. If this was weighing on me, it had to be even harder for her. "Don’t blame yourself. No one could’ve guessed she’d go this far."

"I know exactly who to blame." Cosette patted my hand on her sleeve. Her fingers were gentle, but her eyes burned cold fire. "And take your own advice. You couldn’t have stopped it either." She slipped away and I wanted to listen, but I couldn’t help the guilt.

Even worse, my gut told me we were one step closer to meeting Luciana in that church.

When Dr. Gonzales came in to confirm the deaths, I went to stand in the road with Serena and Donovan.

Wondering what Luciana might do with her new power would only freak me out. First thing’s first. "What do we do now?" I asked Donovan.

"About?"

I motioned around me. "This place. All the bodies. And who do we tell? I’m sure some of these people have friends and family that should be told that their loved ones are dead." God. Someone had to call Tia Rosa. She was going to be devastated. I had to tell Mom. And my brother.

And Claudia and Raphael. What was I going to say to them? How could I tell them that everyone they knew was dead?

Mr. Langdon joined us on the roadside. "If it were my pack, I’d notify the families and then burn it all to the ground, but these are witches. I don’t want another coven coming here and saying we killed them. It could start a war." He blew out a breath. "Some of the local cops know about the pack. I’ll call them. But first, we should call your father. I want him here to make sure we handle this right."

I pointed to myself. "My dad?" He was a normal human. No witch or wolf or fey in him at all and I wanted him as far away from this as possible. "Why would we call him?"

"He’s our PR guy and lawyer. If this gets out, we need to make sure we’re covered. I want him here before we contact the authorities."

He had a point, but I still didn’t like it. Not even a little bit. "I can call him." I pulled out my phone, and was shocked to see it actually had service.

I snorted. That bitch. Luciana had put the kibosh on all forms of communication, but with her wards gone, I had full bars. Something I would’ve killed for when I was staying here.

Dad went into problem-solver mode as soon as I told him what was up. I could hear him getting dressed through the phone as I explained the situation. When he hung up, saying he’d get here as fast as he could, I settled down to wait. Cosette confirmed all buildings but Luciana’s house were free of magic and then disappeared again, but I knew she wasn’t gone for good.

Not yet, at least.

After the magical all clear, the eight Cazadores broke up the compound, searching the buildings one by one, just in case there were other enemies hiding. I understood it had to be done, but it still seemed wrong. Weren’t they disturbing the scene of a crime? Or maybe I watched too many crime shows.

They agreed to save Luciana’s house for me, but I didn’t want to go in until I absolutely had to.

At least I wouldn’t be going in alone this time. Brent wouldn’t let that happen.

It seemed like forever, but wasn’t more than thirty minutes before my father pulled up.

I stood, brushing the dirt off my jeans. Then a second car rumbled over the cattle guards. And a third. And as fast as that, three cop cars were pulling onto the compound. I turned to Mr. Langdon. "I thought you didn’t call them yet?"

He came to stand next to me. "I didn’t." His voice had a bit of a growl in it.

This was so not good. "Then what are they doing here?" My voice sounded a little high, and I cleared my throat.

"I don’t know." His growl deepened.

"What if they’re not the cops on your payroll?"

"I don’t have any cops on my payroll." He crossed his arms. "I just hope these are the ones I know."

I wiped my sweating hands on my jeans. "And if not?" I knew I was annoying him, but I wanted to know the answer. We’d found a compound full of dead bodies and our first reaction hadn’t been to call the cops.

Which made us look really bad. Basically suspects.

"Then it’s a good thing your dad is here, because we’re going to have a hard time explaining this."

I swallowed. Going to prison for murder might stop my vision from happening, but it wouldn’t stop Luciana, and we’d be sitting ducks behind bars.

Except I doubted the Weres would take kindly to being shoved in the backs of cop cars.

The Cazadores already formed a loose circle and their eyes glowed as their wolves neared the surface.

I swallowed again, praying this didn’t turn into a fight.

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