Behind The Alpha Book 5 Deacon

DEACON

“Azriel. Is there anything the council can do about this?” Zander stands with his arms crossed.

Azriel looks over the building. “We can try to recreate the event and put the building back. The problem is with the extra weight, it might not be…exact.” He eyes me.

“What’s that mean? Exact?” I arch a brow and mirror Zanders poster.

“Well, it could end up like this, or melded with another building.” He says.

“OK. So that’s a big nope.” I scratch my hair. “Can you just…detach it?”

Azriel shrugs. “Easier said than done, I'm afraid. It’s kind of a one driver room. Unless we find Cedric’s body and revive him, we can’t move this library until it wills itself.” He turns around, rubs his chin and looks at the giant road block. “For some reason…it likes it here.”

I step to his side in disbelief. “It likes it here? Az…are you telling me that thing can think?”

“No. Don’t be silly.” He side eyes me.

I relax a little.

“It feels.”

“What?” I arch a brow.

“I feels. Like a heart. It senses danger and feels fear. It senses comfort and feels relaxed.” He looks at the building. “It must be relaxed as hell.” He mutters.

“So, to get it to move, we have to threaten it.” I spy a shovel leaning on a fence and pick it up. “Let’s do this.” I growl.

He grabs my arm. “Unless you want to end up in the depths of space with no air, I wouldn’t do that.”

My shoulders slump. “OK. So, why didn’t it move when Euris attacked.”

“Hmm…No clue.” He rubs his chin again.

“Az. I need to take this building home. I need a solution without pissing off the moody book store.” I drop the shovel and glare at him.

“I could try the key?” Jenny slides in beside me.

I take it from her hand. “I will try the key.”

“Dea…it was given to me and it’s my store.” She reaches for it and I pull my hand away.

“No. You’ve been through enough. I’ll do it. Trust me. I know better.” I point to her face.

“Deacon…” She scowls.

“Jennifer…” I scowl back.

“Neither of you can do it.” Azriel puts his hands up.

“Why not?” Jenn and I say in unison.

“You’re not travelers.” He states.

“I’m a traveler.” I point to my chest. “I travel.”

He chuckles. “Not magically. We need a magic traveler.”

“OK…Call up the traveling magician.” I motion to him.

“We only had two and they’re both dead.” He breathes.

“Excuse me?”

We turn to Darcy who apparently was eavesdropping.

He smirks and crosses his arms. “Is an extremely gorgeous, teleporting witch good enough?”

I whip my head to Azriel and grin.

“Sam.” We both say.

****

Darcy stands behind Sam, rubbing her shoulders. “Just try your best, kitten. If you can’t do it. It’s OK. I will still love you till my last breath.” He grins that showy smile of his by her head.

She turns to him. “Darcy.” She eyes him, telling him to back off.

“Right.” He steps back and motions her to go ahead. He turns around and throws his hands up. “Step back! Give my kitten some air! She needs to concentrate!” He shouts as he pushes us all back across the bridge.

“DARCY!” Sam shouts.

He turns around and smiles. “Go ahead, kitten.” He motions his hands to her and backs up to my side.

He leans over to me. “I swear, she yells my name and I get chills.”

“Dude. You need help.” I shake my head.

He waves me off.

Azriel stands at her side. “Remember. Turn left to move and think of Upton. Only Upton. Picture the building returning to this spot.” He holds up his phone and shows her the hole in my street. “Make the room feel secure with you. It needs to feel safe.”

“So…Just talk to it like a girl?” I arch a brow.

“That makes sense.” Darcy agrees. “No wonder it doesn’t want to move.” He says to me. He looks to Sam. “Wine and dine her, baby.” He smirks.

She shoots him a look and shakes her head.

She slides the key into the keyhole of the cockeyed door.

Taking a deep, we all watch as she turns the key to the left. She holds it in position and looks around the door for any sign of magical movement.

My eyes travel around the dark bookstore.

The room is silent as we wait for anything to happen.

Darcy leans forward. “Try again, kitten. Go ahead."

He nods to me then leans to her again. “Think of how charming I was on our 5th anniversary.” He bounces his brow.

She turns and gives him a snarky look as he grins. She throws a hand on her hip. “You forgot our 5th anniversary.” She growls.

He leans back and scratches his temple. “Oh yeah. I forgot.” He motions his hand to her. “Just think of how charming I am in bed. That’ll work.”

The entire room groans and Sawyer hits him in the back of the head. “Idiot!”

“Ow!” Darcy scowls rubbing his head while looking back at him.

“Thank you, Sawyer.” Sam smirks.

He nods at her and ticks his head at Darcy who sneers his way.

She shakes her head and turns to the door. She repeats the process and holds the key.

I feel arms snake around me as Jenny cuddles under my arm. I hold her and wait.

Sam shakes her head and growls. “It doesn’t like me.”

“What?” Darcy barks. “Azriel, how can your weird ass room not like my goddess?!”

Azriel turns to him and crosses his arms. “I am not a library psychologist.”

Darcy points to the door. “You tell that room to get its shit together. My kittens hands are perfectly safe!”

I push him back. “OK, Darcy. You’re getting offended by walls.”

“Stupid walls that don’t know a good thing when they feel it!” He growls.

Azriel rubs his nape. “I was afraid of this. Sam is not a natural traveler. We need Cedric.”

I look around to all the Alphas on the bridge. “You guys up for a search and rescue?”

Both Falcon and Phoenix nod and grunt out agreements.

I roll my head to Azriel. “Open it up.”

****

In the depths of the library, we searched for what felt like hours. When I was about to give up, grab Jenny and tear the building down brick by brick, I hear shouts echo through the halls.

They found him.

Zander carried out the dead body of the wizard in the bright yellow suit, though his back was completely covered in blood.

As they lay him on a table, I look over the blonde man with the crazy hair. “He looks like he died yesterday.” Confusion fills me as I try to make sense of it.

“Yes, well, time is a bit more fluid in here.” He walks around the table and turns. “What’s months out there, could be minutes or hours in here.”

“So, that’s why this place always looks so clean and new.” Jenny smiles.

“No. Our cleaning staff has excellent skills.” Azriel says.

“There’s cleaning staff in here?” I ask.

“Yes…Somewhere…” He drifts off as he turns around to the library.

“Just revive sunshine already.” I groan and rub my forehead. This is whole freaking thing is unreal and my brain can’t take anymore.

Zander pulls out a syringe. “I’ll try this first and if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to take him to the pool.”

Azriel nods.

He jabs the needle into Cedric’s neck and deposits the water from the pool into his system.

The Alphas join me around the table and watch intently.

“Maybe his ticker has to be beating.” Luke says low.

Suddenly his body jolted making us all jump back. Another jolt and the back of him started to glow gold. The gold bolts shot across the table like rings from a stone in water.

“I guess not.” Luke says as he hangs onto Jayson. They both cringe back as Cedric’s body starts to gyrate. The tables bounces and shakes as the pool works its magic.

Pulses come from his chest as he arches back.

“Come on, Cedric.” Azriel grits.

One last blast from his chest and he flops down flat on the top. The table settles down and he groans.

“Great! We zombified him!” Luke snaps.

“Would you shut up!” Cedric says like he has a massive hangover.

“I like this zombie.” Jayson smirks and Luke shoves him.

“Cedric.” Azriel leans over his friend. He smiles as he checks him over.

“Azriel…What happened?” Cedric blinks his eyes like he’s adjusting to the light.

“I’m afraid you passed, my friend, but we brought you back." Azriel grins. “No worse for wear, it looks like.”

Cedric turns his head to all of us. “When did we lower the council bar?”

We all cross our arms and arch a brow. Azriel chuckles and lower his head, shaking it.

He helps Cedric up. “Who did this to you?

He thinks then turns his eyes to the door. They widen as he raises a hand. “Him.” He chokes with fear.

We turn to a huge man in a cloak standing in the doorway. His yellow/gold eyes scan us as we all back up. Cedric slides of the table and cowers behind it.

“Where…is my blade!” He growls like Satan himself and his teeth extend into rows of fangs. His eyes glow green.

Zander steps forward. “Where you can’t get it.” He growls back.

“Wrong answer.” He grits.

He throws his hands out and fires pulses of magic, throwing us all to the walls and ceiling. We crash to the floor and protect ourselves from tables being flown at us.

He puts his fists out to his sides. He walks and pulls on his fists like he’s pulling ropes.

The room starts to shake. The ceiling and walls crack and chunks of plaster falls. A pipe bursts and it begins to rain through the cracks.

We all cover our heads and try to keep it together.

“MY BLADE! GIVE IT TO ME!” He demands as he stops and pulls harder on his forearms. The windows explode and shelves all crack up their centers. The pillars all start to break as it feels like he’s collapsing the room.

I cover Jenny’s head as she screams. My wolf surfaces and my eyes glow blue. I’m hit with something and cover Jenny more.

“YOU CANNOT HAVE IT!” Azriel yells he raises his hand and throws a ball. It’s met with the man’s massive hand and repelled away.

He stops and the room settles down. We raise our heads as Michael enters the room from behind him.

“Mike.” River breathes.

Michael stands smugly. “Riv.” He looks us all over. “The blade…now.” His joined by Artemis who scowls as Jenny clings to me even harder.

Another man walks in wearing a black cloak. He leans to the dark man and whispers as he points to us.

“Lee…the girl…” Michael points.

I scrunch my brow and flip to Jenny who looks terrified.

He stalks over to us with murder on his face. “My blade!” He demands again.

The Alphas rise and I get to my feet. “Listen here, Obi-One…” I rush him and throw a punch.

“I wasn’t talking to you…” He grabs my arm, twists it and crumbles me into the floor. “I want her.” He growls as I fight the pain of my arm threatening to snap.

“HEY!” Several Alphas yell. The man in the black cloak raises his hand and throws them back against the wall.

“Stay out of it!” He hisses.

I roll my head to my friends and they’re all fighting some sort of power. I look up at the glowing, evil eyes staring down at us.

He turns on Jenny and picks her up by her shirt.

“LET HER GO!” I get up and he back hands me, sending me flying into Zander and Mica.

“Cedric…” Azriel grits.

“I can’t move.” He grinds.

Lee raises Jenny to his face. She’s whimpering and crying. “The Reaper.” He snarls.

“R-Reaper? I-I-I don’t…” She stammers.

“DON'T LIE TO ME, WOMAN!” He yells in her face. His fangs flash and she cries more.

“SHE DOESN’T HAVE IT!” I yell as I stand.

He drops Jenny and turns to me.

“Who has it?” He narrows his eyes.

“I do.” I say confidently. I ball my fists as I step up to my feet and walk toward him.

Jenny looks at me like I have two heads. “Deacon?”

I kick out a leg and smirk. “Guess again, sister.”

Her eyes widen. “Seline.”