Dealing With the Devil(Freya Series Book 4)

I'd been flying for over an hour and I'd had a lot to think about. Like, Why didn't Mason tell me that it was Kali that the council had sent to the cabin? What were the council going to do with me? Was there any way I could save Finnley and make a run for it? Were Mason and Evan okay? Would I ever see Mason again?

I had to stop thinking about it all, because I was driving myself insane and becoming emotional. If I broke down right now, I'd be no use to anyone. Thankfully just twenty minutes outside of Redwood I got a mind link from Selene. I rapidly descended and as I did she rang my phone,

“Selene?” I answered.

“Freya! Thank God, I've been trying to contact you for hours, where are you?” She asked in a panic.

“I can't tell you Selene, but just know that I'm okay and I'm going to fix it all. How are Mason and Evan?”

“Why can't you tell me? What do you mean you're going to fix it?” She huffed then continued, “it doesn't matter, we can discuss it later at the safe house. I'll get Samael to text you the address. And Freya, don't bother to argue with me. Mason and Evan, hell, all of us, need you right now!”

“Selene, is there something wrong with Mason and Evan?”

“Evan's been turned,” she said with sadness in her voice.

I'd never heard her like that before and it was unsettling. I'd gotten used to her being crazy, demented and over the top. This new Selene worried me.

“Werewolf?”

“Vampire,” she replied softly.

“Kali? Turned him?” I asked through gritted teeth and my blood began to boil.

“She did more than that Freya. She tortured and mutilated around a dozen hunters right in front of him, while trying to get him to give up your location,” she paused as I gasped down the phone. “She chained their corpses to the walls of the living room, and showed them off to Mason, like it was a damn trophy room. Then she tied him to the wall and left Evan in there with him while he transitioned,” she paused again to let it all sink in.

I stood silent for a moment while I processed it all. I tried my best to keep myself calm, flying into a rage right now wouldn't help at all. Once I calmed myself enough I said,

“Is that everything?”

“No, I just got there in time to stop Mason from killing Evan. Freya, Evan is really broken, he's not coping at all. The bitch even killed his dad!” She snapped down the phone.

I knew her anger wasn't aimed at me, so I thought nothing of her snapping. Although to be honest, I was quite surprised that she wasn't admiring Kali's work. Something had changed her, but now wasn’t the time to find out what. I knew that she wasn't going to take no for an answer and she didn't need me to tell her where I was either. She could find me anywhere, she could find any of her werewolf or vampire children, so I needed to lie to her. I spoke as convincingly as I could,

“Okay, get Sam to text me the address of the safe house, I'll get there as soon as I can. And Selene?”

“Yes?”

“Please keep them safe. Tell Mason, I'm sorry and that he's always in my heart,” I said as a single tear rolled down my cheek.

“Okay, I'll tell him,” she replied then the line went silent.

I wiped the tear from my cheek then straightened up. I couldn’t let anyone else die because of me. I needed to go to the council, so that Kali would have no use for the faction, Evan, or Mason. I wanted to be able to keep Finnley safe while trying to figure out a way to either escape, or bring Kali and the council down. Either way, I needed to keep the people I had left safe and I was willing to do anything necessary. I wondered if I would ever see Selene, Sam, Evan, Mason, or my siblings again. The thought terrified me, but I needed to be strong. I took in a deep breath and screeched into the air when my wings ripped through my skin. Fanned them out, I showed off all their magnificence. Once fully ascended, I took off into the sky with Mina howling a war cry in my head. We were both more than ready to face our fate as I screamed up into the sky,

“I Love you, Mason!”

Mason Hart

Evan and I sat in silence for what seemed like hours. I had drunk three glasses of whisky in however long we'd sat there and Evan was still nursing his first glass. He was just sitting there with his elbows on the table while he held his glass. He was staring off into space, with the occasional tear escaping his eyes and trailing down his already soaked cheeks. I had tried to speak to him, but he hissed at me, so I just left him to his thoughts. I couldn't imagine what he was going through. I knew that a part of me blamed Freya for being the cause of all of this, but I still wished that she was here. She was probably the only person that could relate to Evan and help him through all of it. Well, other than Finnley, but I didn’t have a clue where he was, right now.

I knew that Kali had him in the back of her van, but I didn't know if she was on her way to my mom's house to get Freya or if she would head straight to the council. Even though Finnley would know exactly what Evan was going through, he'd of no use, because he would be going through his own battles with grief. Freya chose to be turned and she didn't grow up as a hunter, so she didn't have the same hatred for werewolves or vampires like the rest of us did. Although she wouldn't fully understand what Evan or Finn were going through, she would still have a little idea.

To be honest, she couldn't do any worse than I was doing. I felt so helpless sitting there, not having a clue what to do or say to help my cousin. I was just having to watch him fight his own demons and there is nothing I could do to fix it. I got my phone out of my pocket and sent Freya a text.

Freya, I am so sorry that I left you behind.

You were right, I should never have come home alone. We should have faced this together. I can't wait to see you. I need you and Evan needs you too. We love you so much. Please forgive me, I will never leave you again.

Always on my mind, forever in my heart.

xxx

I hit send, then put my phone down on the table. I poured myself another drink and went back to my thoughts. As I took a sip of my drink, my eyes glanced up over the rim of my glass and saw Selene standing in the doorway. She was ushering me with her hand to go to her. Placing my glass down on the table, I got up out of my chair. I looked over at Evan to see whether or not he had noticed me get up, but he was still staring off into space while holding his glass. I sighed, then strolled over towards Selene. She turned around and casually wandered out of the front door and I followed her out of the cabin. She continued to walk across the grass and into the woods.

I wondered where she was going and I still didn't trust her, but at that moment in time, I didn't have a clue what to do, or how to act. My head was a mess and that crazy-ass woman was my only direct link to Freya. I knew that Selene was someone that I should keep sweet. I didn't want to make an enemy of her, I had enough to deal with already. So, I continued to follow her into the woods. She found an old fallen log and sat down on it. When I caught up to her, she patted the log for me to sit.

“Freya is going to meet us at a safe house,” she stated when I caught up to her.

I sat down on the log next to her.

“Okay, so when are we leaving?” I asked her, hoping that she would reply with 'right now'.

“That's why I have brought you out here. Mason, you can't come with us.”

“What!? Why?” I snapped at her while turning around to face her.

She gave me a soft smile, then replied,

“Look, it's nothing personal, Mason. Don't for a second think it is. See, we are going to the moon realm. I did have another safe house picked out, but Kali has Finnley with her and she can use him as a tracker,” she paused for a breath, and then continued, “I control the moon realm, so I can keep people out. Kali, her hybrids or the twins, won't be able to get to Freya or Evan there.”

I furrowed my brow. I understood that the moon realm sounded like the safest place for them both, but I still didn't understand why I couldn't go with them, I couldn't help but take it personally.

“I agree, that sounds a lot safer, but wherever my cousin and Fianna go, you can bet your ass I'll be going too,” I replied bluntly.

She sighed and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Mason, I'm going to tell you a story of who I am, and why I live in the moon realm, okay?”

I shook my head at her, and snapped,

“As interesting as that sounds, Selene, I don't think we have time for that right now, do you?”

“We have time, Mason, and besides, it's a story that you need to know. It explains why you have to stay behind. It's your choice, you can stay and listen, or you can walk away. But either way, it doesn't change the fact that we will be leaving and you will be staying here,” she raised her eyebrow at me, then stayed silent while she waited for my reply.

I sighed and nodded my head at her, letting her know to continue. I needed to know why she was stopping me from going with them. I knew I wouldn't be able to fight against her and if Freya and Evan wanted to go, there was nothing I could do to stop them.

“Okay, so as you may know, I am thousands of years old,” she said, then paused to stare at me.

I smiled knowing exactly what she wanted. I quickly gasped, and replied,

“No way!? You don't look a day over five hundred.”

She chuckled and gently swatted my shoulder.

“Aww, thank you. I do try my best,” she said with a giggle, then continued with her story.

“So, in 55bc, Emperor Julius Caesar invaded the south-east of England. He had taken two Roman legions along with him. He won a few battles against the Celtic tribes, but then returned to France.”

She continued on with her story and I listened intently as she told me all the history about how she became the moon Goddess and mother of all werewolves and vampires. She told me that Julius Caesar Invaded England for a second time the following year. That time, he landed in Kent and took five Roman legions with him. They consisted of around thirty thousand-foot soldiers and two thousand cavalries. That time the British tribes promised to pay tribute to Rome. As a result of their tribute, Rome left them alone for almost a century.

She then told me that just before that century was up, Emperor Claudius invaded England. He took along with him four legions, which consisted of around twenty-five thousand soldiers, plus an equal number of auxiliary soldiers, who were led by General Aulus Plautius. The biggest battle was fought on the banks of the River Medway, close to Rochester. The fighting only lasted two days and the Celtic tribes retreated. Although, the war was still not won and many tribes resisted the Romans. Four years of battles followed and many soldiers were lost along the way.

General Aulus was called upon by Emperor Claudius to find a way to beat the Celtic tribes once and for all. Aulus believed in the old Greek Gods and prayed to Ares to help them win the war. Ares answered and turned fifty of the Roman soldiers into Lycans. These new soldiers were strong and fast, but to balance out their new-found strength, once a month when the moon was its biggest in the night sky, the soldiers shifted into gigantic man-shaped wolves. They looked like wolves but walked around on two legs like men.