James's punch came out of nowhere and laid Edward out on the floor. With his foot, he shoved the unconscious man out of the way. "That'll take care of him."

Kevin sighed. "He's right, you know."

The big alpha cupped Kevin's face in his hands.

"He's not right. You're just inexperienced. You can call 102 *

your avatar. You might need help to keep it, but you can call him on your own."

True. For the first time, he understood people who would do anything for more power, and now he knew of a shortcut to acquiring more. All you had to do was have no regard for the living. Sadly, he'd met more than one person like that in his past. He wondered how Jay dealt with the kind of envy his abilities caused and if it was better to have enough to be a danger to others or not enough to help the ones you loved.

Shaking his head to clear out his thoughts, he snatched up a sugar cube and a focus stone and walked to the middle of the room.

Dean, Dan and Devin stood holding hands. Dean reached out, linking his fingers with Kevin's. "Ignore us.

We're only here for backup. You don't need to concentrate on our energy at all. We'll push it over to you."

The only other person Kevin ever linked with was Jay, and that was more of a 'relax and let the other man do all the work' kind of connection. This time he was in charge. He wanted to close his eyes, but he remembered what Jay had told him. He needed to be aware of his environment. Unfortunately, the same advice hadn't saved his friend.

"Crag, come to me." A glowing ball appeared in the 103 *

room along with the usual thunk of stone hitting the floor.

His connection with the triplets poured power into his body like warm syrup, oozing through his skin. For the first time, his connection with the gargoyle snapped into place, and he could feel the gargoyle's curiosity about him, the stone creature's wonder at seeing his wizard again. The avatar liked being owned. He wanted to help.

Kevin offered the sugar cube to the creature. Letting go of the triplets physically, he was surprised to feel the magical connection still pulsing strong between them.

Maybe he only needed the boost to establish the initial link.

Crag lumbered over and snagged the sugar with his rough tongue.

Kevin kneeled before him. Holding one of the scent cards Dean had made, he waved it in front of the gargoyle's face. "Find him."

The gargoyle took a long sniff, the nostrils on his face flaring wide. With an excited grunt, the creature vanished like a puff of smoke.

Despite it vanishing, Kevin could still feel his connection with the stone beast. "I think it worked," he said wonderingly to James.

The big alpha patted him on the shoulder. "Good job, love."

"I hope we find him."

104.

There was an overall feeling of celebration for the first hour, but as the day wore on with no more information, Kevin started to lose hope.

When early evening hit, they were in the study looking at other options when there was a loud thud. Kevin ran up the stairs to the library to find his gargoyle lying on the floor with a slightly singed wing.

"Oh you poor thing." He hadn't even thought when he sent the creature out that it could get hurt. It was made of stone. What could hurt stone?

"Gideon." Thomas's voice rang with excitement. "I bet Gideon found Jay. It looks like your gargoyle was hit with acid." One of Gideon's three heads spit acid.

"He could've burned him so you would know he found him."

"Can he show us where Jay is?"

Kevin grabbed a sugar cube and fed it to the creature. Images of a row of blossoming cherry tress flashed in his mind. "He's at the university."

"Why would the university have Jay?"

"I don't know, but I think we need to approach with caution."

"Where is he?"

"Crag showed me a row of flowering cherry trees."

"The trees by the church?" Dan asked, excitedly.

105.

"You know there are rumors of a secret cult at the college," Dean offered.

Kevin laughed. "All colleges have that rumor."

"This one's true." Edward piped up. They all turned to face him. Kevin had completely forgotten he was there.

"My father was a member. It's why they accepted me into the college."

Kevin walked over to Edward who cowered in the corner. "You also said the Senate was coming after Jay.

You seem to be pointing a lot of fingers but giving us very little fact."

Thomas growled a low mean sound that made Edward squeak. "I swear, the cult thing is true. I don't know if they have Jay or not, but there is a society. They meet in the basement of the church."

"That church doesn't have a basement," Dan said.

"I've been there before."

"It's hidden."

Thomas lifted Edward off the floor by his shirt with one massive hand. "Then you can show us."

"What?"

Edward tried to dig his heels in, but he was no match for a determined shifter who missed his mate.

Kevin released the gargoyle so the creature could go heal, giving it two extra sugar cubes for its good work.

106.

Within minutes, they were all piled inside the limo with Edward tossed in the corner. "If I find you've withheld anything from me, there will be nowhere you can hide,"

Thomas promised the terrified wizard.

"I haven't. I swear. If my father finds out I told you about the society, he'll do more harm than even you could."

Kevin closed his eyes against the idiot's words.

Edward obviously didn't understand the thinking of shifters.

"Don't be too sure about that, wizard. If I don't get my mate back, you won't have to worry about your father because there won't be enough of you for him to identify, much less punish."

Edward turned paler. Kevin had to give him credit.

If Thomas looked at him like that, he probably would've peed his pants.

In no time, they were exiting the limo and rushing across school grounds.

The church looked innocent enough, no guards, no magical wards, but that didn't calm Kevin. There were gargoyle footprints in the dirt, showing that Crag had been there before. "He's here," Thomas confirmed.

"Don't shift," James warned. "We don't know if they 107 *

set wards for werekin or not."

To Kevin's surprise, Thomas listened to his brother.

Although James had the alpha title, it felt like things between them were pretty even power wise. He made a silent vow to ask his lover about pack hierarchy later.

Dean cast a spell making their steps quiet so the group could enter the church without a sound. Listening intently, Kevin didn't hear any other noises, but instinct told him they weren't alone "This way," Edward whispered. The silence in the church didn't invite confessions but encouraged hushed secrets, a place where the unspeakable was not only practiced, but encouraged by its members. In the two years he'd been at the university, Kevin had never stepped foot in this church, and after today, he'd make sure he never did again.

Creepy would be an upgrade for this place.

They followed Edward to the back of the church behind the pulpit. For the first time, the other man showed confidence. He knew where he was going and that freedom was right over the horizon.

Pressing something Kevin couldn't see, Edward stepped back as a portion of the floor moved away, exposing a set of stairs.

Kevin thought he'd seen this in a movie once or a 108 *

scary old ghost story. The lack of dust and cobwebs told him this staircase saw regular use.

James spoke to the group. "I'll go down first, then the wizards, then Thomas. I want the wizards protected on all sides."

"Yeah, because we're so fragile and wimpy," Dan said, rolling his eyes.

James flashed his fangs. "Because if anything happens to Kevin, my life isn't worth anything. Now be quiet and we might get through this alive."

Edward backed away from the pulpit. Thomas reached out and grabbed him, throwing him in line after James. The wizard barely had time to grab a handrail to prevent plummeting down the stairs.

Kevin thought Edward would complain about his rough treatment, but maybe this close to getting free he thought better of it.

James turned and met Kevin's eyes. "Ready?" Not really. Maybe it was a character flaw, but he didn't relish fighting. His goal was to get his friend, go back to the pack house, and curl up with his wolf in bed where the world made sense. But he wasn't going anywhere until they had Jaynell.

Kevin nodded. "Let's go rescue Jay." It didn't matter that the other wizard was stronger and braver; Jay would 109 *

never abandon a friend. Kevin might not be much of a wizard, but he planned on being a great friend.

James examined him for a moment as if the wolf were checking out the condition of his soul. The alpha nodded. "All right."

Kevin let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

The wolf started heading into the darkened stairwell.

"Wait." With a whispered spell, a ball of glowing light appeared above Kevin's hand. James's eyes widened.

"I'm not a complete failure as a wizard."

Hell, everyone could make a glow-ball if they had a smidgen of talent. He sent the bright orb ahead to light the alpha's way, hoping it could distract whatever waited below.

A hand clamped on his shoulder. Kevin turned to see Dan looking at him with a serious expression in his eyes. "I don't know who told you you're a bad wizard, Kev, but you're amazing. You just lack confidence. No one I know besides Jay can whip a spell up in half the time you do."

"Really?"

"Really, now let's get downstairs and kick some kidnapper butts."

110.

Kevin laughed, the tension of the situation getting to him.

They headed downstairs. It was hard to make out much in the murky blackness. Even the glow-ball dimmed in the overwhelming gloom. It took Kevin a moment to realize why. The darkness wasn't natural. Kevin's heart hammered against his chest.

"Easy, buddy," Thomas said absently. "We're fine."

"Something is down here," Edward whispered.

Even soft words took on an echoing eeriness.

No one ever had a secret passage under a church for anything positive. Every story or movie he'd ever seen with an underground chamber always involved satanic rituals or private cults; it was so cliche it was almost painful.

A low rumbling filled the space, a familiar rumbling.